A Brief Detour and a New Journey

So... Upon finishing Lonesome Dove, I took a brief detour to read a few things now quite literary enough to be considered for the Pulitzer Prize. And by a few, I mean four. My sister had given me Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for Christmas, and I just couldn't wait a few more YEARS to read it. I put the quest on hold, figuring even the greatest of warriors rested from battle. I was not disappointed. I have come to trust her taste in books, and she could not sing this book's praises any louder were she using a megaphone from a mountain top, and I must agree with her. Set post-911, the book revolves around the mind of an 11-year-old boy whose father died when the twin towers fell. What could wallow in the deepest pits of despair manages to be a message of hope, a way of consciously choosing to make something other than it is in order to bear its weight. As I write this, I am reminded of another excellent work, The Life of Pi, where, in much the same light, a young boy reinvents his reality in order for him to swallow it. We follow him on his quest to uncover a secret message left by his ghost father but watch as he untangles the knots of his past. In the end, I must admit, I was slightly disappointed... but only slightly, for there is always hope. There is always light.

In almost the same night I finished the great work, I picked up The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had this book on my to-read list for the past two years when a colleague of mine spoke about it at our monthly book club. The movie was coming out in a few months, and, as I am a stickler for reading the book before the movie, I decided now was the time. And thus started my five-day addiction... Within two nights of reading, the first book was finished, and fortunately for me, I had the foresight to check the entire trilogy all at once.


I immediately started the second book, Catching Fire, but had to convince myself to be an adult to go to bed. It was well after 2 in the morning. Within two more days, I was starting on the final book,Mockingjay, and within another day and half, I was finished. And then the withdrawals set in... You know, that sense of loss when you finish a great series, the whole in your heart left when you leave their world only to be left with repeats.

The three novels center around Katniss Everdeen who finds herself in the fight to the death in a distopia formally know as North America. You, like thousands (millions) of others, have probably already read the series, so I will not bore you with the plot line and summary. I will say that it was nice to see a strong female character that defiantly fought against the "Capitol" and didn't just pine away for a boy. But for a brief week, I came the closest I think I will ever come to knowing what an addiction felt like.

Seconds seemed like days and minutes seemed like years as I (im)patiently waited for my daughter to go to bed so that I find Katniss waiting for me in the area. Just where I left her, always near certain death. I would then read, hardly noticing the passing of time, ignoring my saint of a husband until he long gone to sleep. Fortunately, my addiction was short lived. But with that said, it took me awhile to want to move on. To "meet" someone new, another friend in another world. So I waited. It's best not to rush these things but to let them slowly fade away, making room for another hero, another friend. While I was waiting, I received some most overwhelming news. I had been accepted into Auburn University's Master of English program. Not only was I accepted but I was offered a GTA position with full tuition and a stipend, a deal too great for this bookish school girl to turn down. So with a deep breath and a heavy heart, I quit job and start school in the fall. At 30 years old, I am either setting a great example for my daughter to be a life-long learner or I am completely crazy. I go back and forth.

 So here's to new adventures, real and imagined, and now back to the quest. For a warrior must continue lest he grow faint of heart. Up next: Empire Falls by Richard Russo, winner of the 2002 Pulitzer Prize.

 Until then, my friends... Happy Reading.