I met a female politician a while ago. One of the things she said made a big impression on me and I am going to tell you about it. Lucky old you. Delegations regularly come to see this politician and there is usually a photo opportunity. Invariably the men stand up straight, pleased as punch with themselves and make no bones about their inclusion in the photograph. The women don’t want to be in the photograph, they want to be at the back, they protest that they look terrible. What exactly do we deem so unappealing about ourselves? Why do we feel that we are so much less worth being photographed than our male counterparts, who, let’s face it, are not necessarily the best looking people on the planet either? What kind of message are we sending to our children about who is important and who is not? In future, I will be smiling in the front row.
Reading etc.
Reading
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” by Stieg Larsson
This is a thriller. It is also a page turner. While I was reading it in public places, two separate women approached me and told me that it was the best book they had read all year. This is not my kind of book. I read it for book club. As sales will, doubtless, continue to climb without my vote of approval, I can tell you that I did not enjoy it. It may be well-plotted but the characters are all entirely one dimensional (my husband points out that I have no difficulty when this happens in science fiction – he knew I was inconsistent when I married him). I found the grisly and explicit violence against women very unpleasant. As one of my book club co-readers said, “I am not the better of it.” Let me put it this way, I won’t be getting volume 2.
“The Spiderwick Chronicles – Volume 1: The Field Guide” by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi
I picked this up in the library for the Princess and then read it myself one lunchtime to check that it wouldn’t scare the bejaysus out of her. Having decided that it was reasonably alright (big sister with annoying younger twin brothers moves to a new house and they discover ‘faeries’ – so spelt, of course), I handed it over to her. She started it and then we walked up the stairs to her bedroom and it disappeared. Probably the fault of a boggart. And it’s a library book too. Hell’s bells.
“Lord Loss” by Darren Shan/”Demon Thief” by Darren Shan/ All 12 Books of the Cirque du Freak Cycle
When I saw that the flick “Cirque du Freak” was based on a book by a man from Limerick, I thought I’d have a look. I picked up “Lord Loss” and “Demon Thief” in the Library. They are teenage page turners. A bit ghoulish but grand. Not sure that I can take the other 8 installments though, particularly, in view of the fact that a friend gave me all 12 Cirque du Freak books before Christmas and I read the lot. I read these at the same time as I was reading “Gilead” and “The Senator’s Wife”. Contrasts are good, I find. I have donated all the vampire books to the children’s school suggesting that they may be suitable for the 11 and 12 year olds. My reading age goes up and up.
“Zuleika Dobson” by Max Beerbohm
Spoiler alert – this gives away the ending. Also, a bit of a cheat but I don’t care.
Mr. Waffle recently finished this book which I read and mildly enjoyed many years ago. “A bit weird wasn’t it?” he said. “Um, I can’t really remember, some kind of light romantic comedey?” I said digging deep into the memory banks. “Don’s granddaughter comes to college and all the boys fall for her?” I proferred hopefully. “Mmm, and all of the boys committed suicide.” “Oh, I forgot that, maybe not a light romantic comedy then”.
“Nine Tailors” by Dorothy Sayers
More of aristocratic sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. Lots about bells. I now have a mild interest in campanology. Also quite a bit about flooding which is surprisingly topical.
“Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson
This book has no plot to speak of. I hate books without plots but I loved this book. I found it very hard to read. The prose was beautiful but almost every sentence expressed a new insight which I needed to think about before going on. Probably my book of the year for 2009. Immensely rewarding but hard, hard going. It is an affirmation of the importance of spirituality in prose which is not cliched, patronising or sentimental. It’s easy to make make readers cry, it’s much harder to make them think. This book achieves the latter.
“The Senator’s Wife” by Sue Miller
I read a good review of this over on litlove and picked it up in the library. It’s about two women; one old and patrician, the other younger, just married and a bit insecure. I found it very readable (welcome) and entertaining but, ultimately, a little empty. It seemed to be all about life style and choices somewhat at the expense of character. Interesting life styles and choices admittedly. I thought her writing about the isolation of being with a small baby was excellent. Still, I wouldn’t be rushing out for more.
“The Music Room” by William Fiennes
This is a book about a beautiful castle where the author grew up and his relationship with his brain damaged epileptic brother. I was really looking forward to reading it but I was disappointed. It is very well written but I found it cold and distant. As a child, he seems to love the house far more than his brother and he makes very little apology for this looking back through adult eyes. It is strange as he makes his parents seem like lovely warm people but he, himself, is like a deep freeze. Much too chilly for comfort.
“Smile or Die” by Barbara Ehrenreich
This is a polemic about the positive thinking industry. The author looks at positive thinking in cancer treatment, in religion and in the workplace and concludes that it’s a load of old tosh. The book reads slightly like a magazine article that has been tugged to inordinate length. Her thesis is one that, I suspect, is a lot easier to sell to an Irish audience than to an American one: we are already embittered cynics who think that positive thinking is daft. This was a bookclub read and absolutely the best thing about it was receiving this email from one of our number copied to all of us:
“I am very sorry, but unfortunately I will not be able to make it this evening…
I’d just like to let you know if you’re interested that in my role as coach, myself and a colleague … from Colour Me Beautiful are running a Look Good/Feel Good seminar in the X private members club on … if any of you can come along. The club is lovely and funky and … and I will be giving you tips advice on how to radiate inner and outer confidence. There’ll be canapés and wine too. I’ll send you on more details including how to sign up and the price over the next few days. If you know anyone who might be interested please feel free to send this on to them.”
I’m guessing that she hadn’t got around to reading the book.
Linkedy Link
Some links for today.
I am indebted to the ever brilliant Ms. Kellaway for drawing my attention to this piece on spiders and this on pie charts.
You need to be Irish to appreciate this piece on the planning process in Ireland. Or maybe you don’t, who knows what planning is like in distant lands?
You know the way professions seem to run in families, lawyers beget lawyers, doctors beget doctors etc. Well, this would seem to have reached epidemic proportions in Irish politics.
And finally, some disappointing news about family dinners from the parentonomics man:
There are studies showing that family dinnertime is a good thing. Dinner is where the meaningful conversations take place. From this, I take it that continual pleading to sit still or eat your vegetables or don’t wipe your dirty face on your shirt doesn’t cut it. Read more.
What mid-lifers like to watch on television
When I was a teenager, I was given grinds in Irish by an older cousin who was a primary school teacher and therefore spoke fluent Irish. He performed this service in exchange for tea and biscuits, so it was a pretty good deal for my parents. He was 6 or 7 years older than me and, of course, when you are 17, that is a lifetime. In between making me laugh with his outrageous impressions of Peig, I quizzed him about what it meant to be fully grown-up (as Gaeilge, of course). For me, the litmus test was the news. Did he watch the nine o’clock news? Voluntarily and of his own free will? He did, sometimes.
Of an evening now, I find myself actively looking forward to nine o’clock when the children are finally in bed and Mr. Waffle and I sit down in front of the nine o’clock news with a cup of tea. The soothing tones of Eileen Dunne giving out more information about the snow represent a definite highlight of my evening. Then, the other night after the news, I watched a documentary on TG4 about Máire Geoghan-Quinn. I found it interesting.
I was chatting to a friend the other day about how there is never anything on the television. Our conversation went as follows:
Me: There’s never anything on television
Friend: We have one of these boxes that records programmes for you and it’s really great.
Me: Oh, like that tivo thing?
Her: Yeah, we’ve just finished watching an excellent series.
Me: What?
Her: No, no, I’m too embarrassed to say.
Me (thinking “Bad cosmetic surgery”?): Ah go on, do, do, do tell.
Her: No, I can’t.
Me (thinking “what could it be?”): Ah do.
Her (defensively): Alright, it’s really good actually. It’s “A History of Christianity”
So tell me, what mortifyingly worthy things do you like to watch?
Is it just me?
Advertisement text:
“You could WIN an amazing Romantic Valentines Rugby Weekend for 2 to Paris!”
Leaving aside the difficulties with random capitalisation and the apostrophe, is there anyone else out there who thinks that the words rugby and romantic are not natural bedfellows?
Year end lists
It’s that time of year. From a trick I got from Nicholas one year, I am going to put up the first sentence from the first post for every month of 2009. Because I can.
January 2009
Did you miss me? [Back after Christmas]
February 2009
Him: I have a meeting at 5, so I may not be home until after the children have gone to bed. [A funny story without the punchline. There may be some disadvantages to this technique]
March 2009
The Princess, at her request, started ballet classes before Christmas. [Which she then gave up]
April 2009
The Princess and I had a day off together last Friday. [I am clearly a good mother to one of my children]
May 2009
I was at mass with my mother in Cork last week. [And a good daughter too]
June 2009
The weather was spectacular this weekend. [Fascinating]
July 2009
Still no sign of doggy. [Anguish]
August 2009
The Princess and I graced Cork briefly over the weekend. [Definitely a good mother to one of my children]
September 2009
I am very fond of Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s books which provide delightful rhymes for the children and plenty of pictorial interest for the parents who end up reading and re-reading. [Now so]
October 2009
The Irish people will be voting again on the Lisbon Treaty tomorrow. [YES, they voted YES.]
November 2009
Really, why would I do this again? [This would be NaBloPoMo]
December 2009
I am on leave today and occupying myself with domestic administration. [Another fascinating opening line]
New year’s resolution: Make opening lines more interesting.
And a happy new year to you, gentle reader. Please stick with me, I intend to make my opening lines more interesting.
