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I love communication in all forms. Let me be more specific: I love clear communication. It's funny how something so simple can get so messed up (for reference please read or watch on Youtube Abbot and Costello's Who's on First).

And I don't mean just words. Ideas, opinions, and feelings can get all scrambled up till we're blue in the face. Sometimes all the aggravation can be avoided by simply stating in the beginning that "I think blue really means green."

This is what I appreciated about Elizabeth Gilbert's writing. She states very clearly what she means about everything. I don't have to agree with her about everything she is writing but I don't have to feel confused later when she brings something up. I have a point of reference. 

Which you need in this book because it is an autobiography of sorts (mostly because it's just about one year of her life). Gilbert writes about how, after being divorced, she takes a year to travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia. In Italy she eats, in India she prays, and in Indonesia, well guess what: She loves. 

It's always neat to take a peek into someone else's life and see how they're managing everything. Gilbert, having gone through a terrible time, writes about how she finds healing by taking time for herself and others. 

So not everyone can manage to spend time travelling about the globe but you can in this book... and in any book actually. So please read and be kind to yourself.

The Wakeful Dreamer 

 
I'm not sure if you have ever found your way wondering around the wonderful site http://www.etsy.com/, but it is a playground of delightful, endless enjoyment. 

Well, it is for me at least, because it is a virtual marketplace. People who do arts and crafts, who make all kinds of things from beaded necklaces to clothing out of plastic bottles, are found on this website. Looking for something vintage? Etsy is your place. Want something that no one else has? Buy it on Etsy because if it's coming from Peru, I'm thinking no one will have one from where you're from... unless you are from Peru where it is popular...

But the best thing that I found on Etsy a few months ago was right there on the main page: Blog posts! And they are not just posts about how to do cool things with felt. They are interesting thoughts about art, music, clothing, and just about anything you can imagine. 

So I'm leaving you today with this article:
http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/the-tyranny-of-trends/?ref=fp_blog_title

It's one of the first ones I ever read and made me think a lot more about the clothes I wear, other then what colour looks best on me. 

Let me know what you think.

The Wakeful Dreamer
 
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Usually I read a book and then see the movie (then I'm filled with regret and frustration). Sometimes I see a movie and then read the book. Rarely do I see a one minute trailer that convinces me that I need to read the book the movie was based on. 

The trailer for The Help was that kind of rare. It convinced me, so I tried to get it on my Kindle but was too expensive for me to justify buying it. I did the next best thing: I checked out the library. I hoped and prayed that it would just be sitting on the shelf waiting for me like The Forgotten Garden and Secret Daughter were. But no. There was a waiting list. 

So I waited. And waited. Until, one day I happened upon the library and there it was waiting for me! 

So I dived right into the lives of Miss Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny in Jackson, Mississippi. Times were changing and a story is told of black maids who practically raise white people's children yetbecause of the colour of their skin are forced to use a separate washroom. Out of this comes courage and the unveiling of stories that need to be told. 

When I read books about people trying to change things or even keep them the same, I always try to imagine what I would do in the situation. Would I be for separation or would I be for integration? It's hard for me to imagine because of the time and place I live in now but the struggle, determination, and love that is found within the yellow covers of this book made me think long and hard about a lot of things. 

So please read and enjoy. But you might have to be on a waiting list too, so just prepare yourself for that...

The Wakeful Dreamer

Ps. I have not watched the movie yet but it came out in August so I know I'll get to see it at sometime and I'll remember to keep my expectations at a moderate level. Just in case you were worried. 
 
Ahoy! It's that time of year again... International Talk like a Pirate Day! So I hope you spent the day dreaming of sailing the seven seas and re-learning how to walk on your wooden leg.

If you didn't get a chance to do these wonderful things and more well, there's always next year! Check out all the fun here: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

Over at my house we spent part of the evening watching Muppet Treasure Island which is full of pirates and muppets alike. If you need help finding out the perfect pirate name, check out this clip:

I think I'll stick with my own name...

The Wakeful Dreamer
 
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Okay, I'll admit it: I have tried to move things with my mind before. Please note the word tried. I have yet to succeed. The idea of being telekinetic is exciting to me... not that I think it would really ever happen but what if one time I tried and it worked?!? 

Clearly I have read too many books and seen too many movies. The latest read is not going to help me at all in giving up my attempts, except for the fact that I'm not an alien. 

I Am Number Four is a novel about a boy, Four, also known as John, who is an alien on earth because his home planet was taken over and destroyed by the Mogadorians. He is protected by Henri, who helps to train him as he develops his powers or "legacies" as they are called. This part kind of reminds me of going through puberty because having a bad pimple is just as embarrassing as your hands glowing in history class. 

I liked this book. I tend to enjoy books like I Am Number Four because they are a nice simple read, written mostly as juvenile fiction, but they are jam-packed with imagination. 

The most interesting parts of this novel was when John was training with Henri because through Henri you come to understand why they are on earth and how they are different from humans. And also how they are the same. Lorien was dying because the people were killing it but they managed to smarten up and save their planet. Sound familiar? Maybe an optimistic hope for our future? 

The main thing that I never like in books like this is that the other characters always seem to take it so well that the main character is an alien: "Oh you just have super strength and are fireproof? Cool." I always think that something bordering on a mental breakdown would take place if your boyfriend just jumped through the burning wreckage to rescue you and isn't even singed. So yes, maybe sometimes I'm more of a realist but I would like just a little bit of freaking out. Is that too much to ask?

This is the first book in a series. The second book just came out, as in last month, so if you really enjoy this book you're going to be looking at a wait in between readings. There is supposed to be six books in the series. 

Oh yeah, I almost forgot... don't watch the movie. It will only make you frustrated if you have read the book. 

The Wakeful Dreamer



 
If you have ever read a book, you know that at some point it could be turned into a movie. I bring this up because I just recently read a book and decided to watch the movie based on said book. I thought to myself, "How bad could it be?"

I know you're sitting there thinking, "How could you be so naive? Why would you put yourself through that kind of pain?" I knew what I was getting myself into. In fact, I went over the idea that it probably was going to be 10% true to the story and 90% whatever the the director/film company wanted to do. 

I'm not new to this. I'm well aware of the pain that comes in the form of film and promises that my imagination will be shining on a white screen. There has been anger and disappointment but I thought that all the material was right there for a good movie.

... Two minutes in, everything was wrong. Characters were wrong (Why does this person show up now?), events were wrong (Why does this person have to die so soon?), and I yelled at the television. Poor little television, it's really not your fault...

So this Manic Monday goes out to all of the frustrated and upset people out there. Not because work was crazy, but because someone destroyed your favorite book on the silver screen. You are not alone.

If you feel like you need some therapy time please feel free to leave a comment about your disappointment below. I'm listening...

The Wakeful Dreamer
 
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For those of you who were concerned, I survived my cold and I'm going to live to fight another day... or at least post another book review. However, though the cold didn't kill me, I'm sure this heat wave will. I love it because it means the last legs of summer are still strong but thick, suffocating air is not always the condition I like to live in. Where is my light summer breeze? Where, I ask you?

I had never read anything of Hemingway's that I can remember, I'm sure it passed across my desk at school, but I recognized the name nonetheless. This book was given to me by my Grandpa (Thanks again!) and he mentioned that he really likes Hemingway. I have to say that I now do too. 

It was the style that first drew me in: short, thoughtful, and rhythmic. The book, or should I say, novella, is not very long but you can see the reason why Hemingway receives all the praise he did. 

The story is simple, an old fisherman is having no luck fishing. He goes out one day, farther then he should really, and catches a huge fish. It takes days for him to finally catch the fish and on the way home he has to fight off several sharks to bring it back. In the end the fish is just a skeleton and the old man is more tired than before. The only other main character is a boy that used to work with the old man and because he cares for the old man, takes care of him from time to time.

That's it. That is the whole story. Though it lends itself to be simple and possibly disappointing (you want him to bring back the huge fish and shove it in the face of the fishermen who laugh at him), I found it delightful. Hemingway touches on endurance, determination, and even though all is lost, there is more to be gained then what you originally thought in the beginning.

A good, surprising read, especially when you are waiting for the library to call you about the other books you have on hold...

The Wakeful Dreamer 


 
Today was a holiday, as most of you know. So I've decided to give myself a holiday as well from coming up with something clever. Mostly I've decided this because it is almost ten o'clock at night and we spent most of the weekend with family.

Basically, I'm tired. I'm sorry if you were looking here for a break from your manic Monday but if you didn't go to work today, you should have been relaxing... so I'm sorry if your day was crazy and it didn't have to be.

The Wakeful Dreamer 
 
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I’m suffering with a little bit of a head cold so if any of this review doesn’t make sense you’ll just have to count your turtles and squirrel it... just kidding. If anything I’ll read over this review three times and get my husband to read over it at least once because that’s what I do every time anyways!

Now that I’ve revealed to you my secret blogging ways, I’ll let you in on another one: I loved Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I first saw it in the arms of someone who stopped by at work. Most people know the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is true in reference to people, because people can be surprising despite their outward appearance. It is also true when it comes to books.  However, since I’ve already shared two secrets with you I’ll share with you a third: I do judge books by their covers. Shameless, I know, but I go around the library, amazon.ca, and book stores judging books based on their covers.  I also give them a chance when I read the back or inside the jacket but some books just look better than others.

I saw this book in someone else’s arms and was drawn in by the cover and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. So I went to the library and was not disappointed.  The whole novel is put together in a wonderful way from the sketched flowers that adorn every chapter and each of its five parts, to the writing that captivates your imagination.

Each chapter is unique in the fact that it gives you a view of the story through the eyes of the main characters over 25 years: Through the eyes of a mother that gives up her child, through the eyes of her husband who wrestles with providing for his family, through the eyes of the woman that wants a child so badly, through the eyes of her husband who misses his wife from years before, and finally through the eyes of the child herself as she searches for what she feels is missing from her life. All of this is set in India, where exotic colours and tastes are paired with traditions and slums.

Shilpi Somaya Gowda’s writing is heartbreaking as she describes the love of mothers and the pain in wanting a child. She intertwines the story in such a way that that you sympathize with the characters as well as grow with them.  I had a hard time putting it down!

So I think that you get that I think that you should read this book... right? If not, I’ll tell you straight out so there is no confusion: Read this book.

The Wakeful Dreamer