Review: Calypso

Calypso by David Sedaris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished this in 2018 but never updated on Goodreads/posted a review.

This was my first foray into the world and writing of David Sedaris. After listening to his interviews on NPR and hearing him read excerpts from this book, I was so excited to dive into his world. Charming, witty, effervescent, and moving, it is all I had heard his writing to be.

The old adage of "I laughed, I cried..." is so true for this book. I truly laughed out loud throughout this book and caught myself anywhere from a lump in my throat to full actual tears a few times as well.

I am so glad to finally have delved into the literary world of Mr. Sedaris...and I have a LOT of catching up to do!

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Review: The Winter Soldier

The Winter Soldier by Daniel Mason
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 4.5

So...I wrote this review and was almost finished when my browser decided to crash. I can't reproduce the original review but I'll try to revisit what I had written.

I spent a couple of months on the waiting list for this book and was so excited when it was my turn. I had heard so much about it and so many comparisons to Doctor Zhivago. My personal take upon finishing? I would peg it as a cross between Doctor Zhivago, Cold Mountain, The Way We Were, and...I'm still struggling for something I just can't place.

The writing is eloquent, the language gorgeous. The imagery of the land, the period, the clothing, the people, the lives are so vivid you can honestly see them. You can practically feel the coldness of the air and smell the snow falling to blanket the ground.

What struck me most is the intimacy. It is rare to feel so close to a character. I don't mean connect. I don't mean identify. I mean physically feel so close. It is almost as though you are a witness, standing literally by their side watching as they struggle to care for their patients, as they face their own insecurities and vulnerabilities. You feel almost as if you are trespassing on their private moments, able to witness what passes between the characters as if you are somehow connected to them mentally, emotionally.

It took me a long time to get through this, by no fault of the story, the author, the language. I just tackled it after a touch life obstacle. I wish I could've delved into it in a more timely fashion to truly savor the flow and the beauty of it in one fell swoop instead of so broken up...but I cannot recommend it enough.

I will close with this. I have only read 2 other books that ended like this. The story unfolds and you are living their lives alongside them. As you near the ending, you are not quite sure where it's going to go. You suspect you do and you keep looking at how many pages you have left and wondering how it will wind down in those final pages...until you reach the last 3 pages, when your heart will swell...and falter...and be crushed...and fill so full the tears fall. When I closed the book, I wanted nothing more than to sit in a corner and cry out all the emotion, good and bad. It is an ending...and a story...I will truly never forget.

...and when someone decides to turn it into a film, I will be standing at the front of the line, praying they keep true to the story and waiting to treasure every minute of it.

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REVIEW: Stephen King's Elevation

Date of original post: Dec 5, 2018

Tonight I finally finished this tiny little book. I have no excuse really... except... life. What should have been a couple hours read at most took me two weeks as life just kept getting in the way. Upon finishing, the irony isn't lost on me.

As a lifelong fan of King's, I was thrown by the sight of this little book. Not an example of his usual lengthy works but longer than his short stories and novellas, I saw a lot of reviews from people complaining about paying traditional full price for this little tidbit of a book. But let me tell you, compact in size and in words compared to traditional King, this little book packs quite a wallop.

I wasn't sure as it started that it was going to work for me. As with most King, it requires setting aside some portion of the world you thought you knew and embracing something we have taken for granted in life... but with these limited pages and concise words, you realize in the end that this isn't at all about what's happening on the surface. The story is a distraction. It is the tool he uses to take you on a journey of the heart. It's a story about, ironically, the ties that bind us to each other. How opening ourselves up frees us from all that weighs on our souls and letting go can truly leave us elevated.

Tomorrow I return this to my library and hope the next person of the 80 waiting in line for it steps into it not knowing the journey they are about to take.

In the last pages of the book, King's prowess with words has never been stronger. I know the emotions he tramples on, for me, have been raw and close to surface these past several years but, like a fine surgeon, he knows exactly how to unleash them with the tiniest of incisions to reach deep inside and let them free.

If you've hesitated on this one, don't. I wish I hadn't and will definitely find a used copy down the road to add to my King collection as one of his my favorites.

... and, OMG... the tissues...

Review: Brave

Brave by Rose McGowan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(listened audiobook)

Fantastically inspirational. I HIGHLY recommend all women...and yes, men...read (or better yet, listen to) this book. If you don't know Rose's story but have been struck over the years by her public persona, it will help you see her in a different light. Though that is not really the subject of this book.

It is not so much a memoir as it is a call to arms...a call to women who have struggled, suffered, felt invisible, felt helpless in the face of a world lived by the rules of a world controlled and designed by men century over century and the place, purpose, and limitations of women within it as they've designed it.

This book is beautiful, poignant, enlightening, and, most importantly, empowering. These messages are important. Be aware...the language is mature but powerful.

My respect for her has grown immensely...as it has for myself. Thank you, Rose, for all of it. Will be right at the head of the line for her next publication.

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James Corden's Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney

Okay, I had to wait until I got home to watch this...and I'm glad I did as I'm still wiping away tears more than 20 mins later.

James Corden I've always adored you but I love you more than ever for this.

I still wish I understood what it is...but this man ( #paulmccartney #carpoolkaraoike ) just brings tears of pure elated joy and beauty and peace and love just at the sight of him or the sound of his voice. Even though Bowie will forever be my world and John was my Beatles love, Paul was not only his rival, but he continued to be one of the single most beautiful sources of inspiration and hope we've been blessed to have in this world.

So, just like that night my brother Joseph D'Avanzo and sister Anne D'Avanzo Wuertz gifted me that ticket and I sobbed throughout the ENTIRE show from (literally) the very first note, I can't listen to him without my throat tightening, my nose running, and a constant river of tears streaming down my face...and as much as it meant to FINALLY see one of my musical AND, more importantly, world heroes live, I will treasure that night for another most wonderful reason...because although I sat in that seat by myself...initially feeling all alone, I never felt alone as I dialed the phone just as he was ready to hit the stage.

<3 I will treasure every minute (and the rapidly draining cell battery) of that 3 hour phone call for the rest of my life. I needed it more that night than I ever realized, sharing it with my sister <3 Mary Katherine D'Avanzo <3, allowing us to fulfill a fantasy we had had since we were kids, to hear them play live...together...and while it wasn't all of them, I know John, George, and Ringo were in that arena that night...and I was sharing it with my sister despite the nearly 3,000 miles that separate us...and in my heart with the rest of my family... As he has done since we were children, Paul brought my family together yet again and healed at least a little piece of our hearts again. <3 <3 <3 Thank you, Sir Paul McCartney for...literally...everything. You. Are. Life. <3 <3 <3