"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

I have no idea what took me so long to read this novel. It's amazing. I don't even know what else to say. I've read short stories by Alice Walker and loved them, but this novel is by far the best I've read in a long time.

Walker tells the story of two sisters through their eyes, individually. There lives unfold through letters to God and to each other as one sister goes on a missionary trip to Africa. The lives of Celie in the southern United States and Nettie in Africa intertwine as both girls realize that there are cultural differences within the African people that separate them from African-Americans.

In the South, Celie deals with life as it comes to her, from her arranged marriage to an ungrateful man, to the arrival of love with Shug Avery, and the discovery that her children are still alive and well with Nettie in Africa. Celie knows no labels other than colored and white, and her view of God is touching, and probably right.

If you haven't read this novel, you better get to it! It's amazing and you won't want to go through life without it.

Eat, Pray, Run!

I just finished reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I must say, I have mixed reviews about it, but mostly I'm just jealous that she was able to travel the world for an entire year and write about it. And made millions of dollars off of it. I would love to go to South Africa, and recently I've been thinking about how cool it would be to run my first full marathon in Capetown. I have no idea how I'm going to get there, though... The book was a good read, and I do recommend it for any woman (and men!) that need spiritual uplifting and confidence to get to know themselves on a deeper level when life gets tough.

As you know, I've been running a lot lately. I recently got my distance up to 6 miles and I am very happy with this. The RodeoRun 10K is on the 27th, so I'm happy to be ready for it so early. Being a runner (I now officially call myself "a runner") makes me more conscious about what I eat, especially before and after a long run. It's made me think of food in a different way. I think about it as fuel, as natural energy to keep my body going through the work day and through a long run. Theresa and I went to a book sale at the local library and she got a South Beach Diet cookbook. I'm not into fad diets, but we tried the Mexican Chicken Soup recipe and fell in love. I'm posting it here for your enjoyment, as well!

"South Beach Diet" Mexican Chicken Soup

1 tbspn canola oil
1 small onion
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tspn ground cumin
5 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch strips
2 cups mild refrigderated fresh salsa (we used the pico-like stuff at HEB near the organic section)
salt and freshly ground black

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin; cook 30 seconds more.
Add broth, increase heat to high, and bring to a rapid simmer. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in salsa, bring back to a simmer, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot. (We added sliced avocado, and fat-free shredded cheese).

Makes 4 (2 1/4 cup) servings.
Per serving: 320 calories, 8g fat, 1.5 sat fat, 46g protein, 14g carb, 2g dietary fiber, 680mg sodium.

From: Agaston, Arthur. "The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook: 200 Delicious Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes or Less." Rodale, Inc., 2005.

On the food note, I recently saw "Julie and Juila" for the first time and loved it! I will definitely by the book and maybe try to make one of Julia Child's recipes myself. Very inspiring and cute film.

Bon appetite!

J. K. Rowling's "Harry Potter"

Yes, I am reading the "Harry Potter" series! Surprising, I know, but when my good friends keep on insisting that the writing is worth it, I had to check it out. I am on on the last book already and I liked all of the previous ones, except for the fifth in the series: "The Order of the Phoenix". That one made me really mad for a few reasons that I cannot say without spoiling the plot if you haven't read. My favorites as of now are the first one: "The Sorcerer's Stone" ("The Philosopher's Stone" if you're British), and the third one: "The Prisoner of Azkaban". Those books stand out to me because of the genius plot twists, and nothing matches the novelty of the first book. I've only seen a few of the movies, but I already know that they do no justice to the books. Harry Potter's story is intriguing and I'm glad I'm reading the books, but I don't see the huge obsession. J. K. Rowling is really creative and she had to have had all of these books planned out down to most details. Kudos to her.

I haven't updated lately because I've been moving back to Texas, working on a teacher certification program, working at Borders bookstore, running 4+ miles a few times a week, and reading Harry Potter. Life is good. :)

My first taste of Jane Austen

Ironically, I did not want to read any Jane Austen for fear of being bored out of my mind with English drawing-room gossip. However, I was surprised to find that I actually liked "Pride and Prejudice", especially the straight-forward character of Elizabeth. I liked her from the moment she walked three miles through muddy fields to see her sick sister. Although I enjoyed this book, there is something about a tall, dashing, and rich man that makes women swoon. Even better is in the case of Mr. Darcy, who is perceived as a jerk and changes into a better man. I blame books like these for women's romantic dreams of finding a man they can change like Mr. Darcy, because ladies: MEN DON'T CHANGE in real life. But maybe that's why we read; to escape our realities. Even as I realize this point, I will probably be reading more of Jane Austen in the future.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I thought the Kite Runner was powerful, and so is this novel. A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on the lives of women in Afghanistan and how they were impacted with each take over of the country in modern times. The novel ends hopeful as Afghanistan rebuilds after the Taliban is forced out of Kabul, but the war is still happening, and their latest election is speculated to be rigged. This story was very powerful to me, and makes me grateful to live in a nation that sees women as a partner, even though we have a ways to go in America. It is nothing like life under the Taliban. It also made me see what extreme religion and beliefs can do to a society. The Taliban is an example of religion gone bad. They see the words in the Koran, but they do not see God behind them. This is a good read, greatly recommended.

Since my last entry, life has changed quite dramatically. In a few weeks, I'll be back in Texas, living with friends and trying to find a teaching job and obtain my certification. After my dad lost his job last week, we can no longer afford to stay here, and the 9% unemployment rate is not helping us find jobs. Since I've been here in May, I've had one substitute job and maid $80. In 6 months I've made $80 bucks. It's just awful. Arizona is not the place to be right now. The news always reports that the economy is looking better in other parts of the country, but not here. I think that's our cue to get out.

Just don't know what to think!

My recent posts have been about books and films that I've seen, which is what I want this blog to focus on. However, I also want it to be a place for me to vent, or voice my opinion on things. Since my life has been relatively boring as of late, books and news events keep me entertained.

I awoke to news that President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Although I voted for the guy and believe he will do good works, I asked myself, "Why did he win this award? What has he done?" Besides being the first African-American President of the free world, I don't get it. Bin Laden is still hiding somewhere in a cave, the 8th year anniversary of the war in Afghanistan just passed us and the outlook is still bleak, more soldiers are being sent to Iraq, Iran is making WMDs and won't admit it, North Korea is still a huge threat, and Darfur/Sudan/Congo are still a huge genocidal mess. So far, Obama has increased funding for stem cell research, for which I applaud him, but that's it. Maybe if he won this award after fulfilling his duties in four or eight years it would make sense. But now, it's anything but sensible.

I'm reading Scott Russell Sanders' "Hunting for Hope" and really finding it inspiring at this point in my life. I realize that I'm still young and can't know the answers to all of life's questions, but it's still weird to me how much people can change; morph into something that you have never seen before, nor saw coming. Maybe I'm still naive when it comes to love and loss of love, but it makes me sad to be on the losing end, still. However, the good thing about this change I've noticed is that I no longer can feel tied to that person, and the process of moving on is getting easier. I'm not there yet, but I know I'm in the right direction. Someone said, "You never really move on until you meet someone new." I think that's true, but I also know that I won't be able to forget my first love. Love is something truely special and amazing, and when you find something like that, it's hard to forget.

On a funny note, I remembered this afternoon that I had a dream last night about eating an entire bag of chocolate chips and it was AMAZING! Ha, at least I can indulge in my dreams if not in real life! :)

"A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey

This book is intense. I don't really know the specifics of the controversy surrounding it besides the allegations that some of it was fabricated, but either way it is a powerful story. Stylistically, it fits the mood and tempo and insanity of the story very well, and it is a very quick read. I read the first 100 in pages in the first sitting alone, which is a big deal since I'm a slow reader. I must warn, though: this book is not for the faint of heart and discretion is strongly advised. However, I do not feel that the need for discretion took away from the book in any way. It is worth the read, and worth the thoughts about our brain and addiction and how we treat our bodies and our souls.

Speaking of bodies... I'm still training for the Race for the Cure that is now only a week away! I got my time down to 27 minutes, which means a 9 minute mile- I haven't done that in years! I hope this week with the cooler weather I can finish a little faster. 8 minutes a mile would be great, but I don't want to push it and get frustrated and give up, like I usually do. This is something I want to stick with!

I'm now starting to read "Hunting for Hope" by Scott Russell Sanders. My friend Jenna read it for a class at TLU and gave me an extra copy after she lost hers and bought a new one, then found her original one! She loved it, and Sanders actually spoke at TLU, so I'm finally getting around to reading this book.

Also on my "To Read" list: 1) Blue Like Jazz [I liked "Searching for God Knows What" so I'm going to check this one out, too] 2) The Lost Symbol [Dan Brown's new Robert Langdon saga] 3) and a few Jane Austen novels, since I loved "Anna Karenina", maybe I can finally start to like English drawing room novels. (I do like "Jane Eyre", though, just to clarify!)

When did 82 degrees feel so cool? The desert must be driving me crazy...