What I'm Reading/Watching (February)

On Getting Older for the First Time, by Peg Bracken: Like all Bracken’s other books this not only hits the nail on the head about aging but makes you laugh until you cry. For her wit, honesty, I love her. Always have, but the relevance, even today, I marvel at. Nostalgic, tongue in cheek, perspective.

Writing Out the Storm by Barbara Abercrombie: I loved this book. I bought it as a guide for me in writing a memoir about my illness (MPGN). I was having real difficulty writing at all. When I first got sick I wasn’t in any condition to write and I missed it, grieved it. Worse, my mind churned like a windmill through ideas and thoughts at breakneck speed but wouldn’t slow long enough for me to even think about putting the stuff on paper had I been able. Once I started feeling better, I would sit at my desk anxious to ‘catch’ up only to wake up an hour later with my face on the desk in a pool of drool. (Attractive picture, but honestly I’ve never been so embarrassed and thankful I work alone) This book held my hand.

Abercrombie and the students she writes about had much more serious diseases and they wrote—wonderful words, memoirs, guides for all of us. I saw I wouldn’t lose my writing unless I let it go. I hung on by reading this book and trying to do the exercises. I hung on by gathering faith from this book. More important I think this book could help any writer.

Star Bright by Catherine Anderson: I have always like Anderson’s books. She always finds a way to touch my heart and show the good of people. This is the story about Rainie Hall running from a brutal husband. She takes on a new identity in a new place and finds friendship and love.

The Wild Girl by Jim Fergus: I enjoyed this book. It was a bit different, but well written. This is the story of Ned Giles, who joins the Great Apache Expedition of 1932, in Arizona, searching for a boy who was kidnapped. The Expedition finds a wild Apache girl, jailed in Mexico and decides to use her to trade for the boy.

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice(TV): Rare opportunity to watch a good made for TV show. There just aren't any being made and this was well done. Did Robert Parker's book justice and was the best part of TV that I've watched for a good long time. I was happy to see that according to the Associated Press there was a large audience, too. I wish that would translate in to more of the same, but I doubt it.