"If you hear a voice within you say, 'you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." --Vincent van Gogh

Monday, June 30, 2008

Time to Read

It was two weeks ago today that I had the bike accident which left me with 11 stitches in my left palm. The stitches came out yesterday, but there is a lot of healing left to be done. I am gaining a little more use of my left hand each day but there are a lot of things I still can't do. I haven't done anything in my studio yet, though I am itching to get back in there.

I've been left with plenty of time to read, and so I have managed to finish not only's June's book, but also July's. I haven't decided what I will read for August - but I guess I have a little time to think about it.

June's Read: 1984 by George Orwell. I was in high school in the mid-1980s. Many of the English classes were required to read this book, but mine was not. In fact, the copy that I read belonged to my husband when he was in high school. It is the "1984 Commerative Edition". I have long known many of the catch phrases from the book, such as "Big Brother is Watching" but I was always curious just what someone in 1949 thought life would be like in 1984. Reading this book nearly 25 years after that date had come and gone was most interesting. One of Big Brother's slogans was "War is Peace" - the irony of which, given the current war the USA is involved in, was not lost on me. Did I enjoy the book? Ummm...it was ok. It took me a long time and some determination to finish it. I'm glad I read it, but won't be pining away to read it again.

July's Read - The Time Traveller's Wife by Audry Niffenegger. I started this book after we returned home (less than 2 weeks ago) and absolutely flew through it. Now this is my kind of book. Although the dates were a little confusing (one of the main characters time travels), the author did a good job of keep the reader up to speed. I tend to be a happy ending kind of person, and found this one to be bittersweet. I would have liked to know more. If you are looking for a book that will flow around you, this is a good pick.

5 comments:

Joanna said...

Michelle, I hope you feel better!!! Sorry to hear about your hand.

Cathie said...

Ahhh - Orwell -- good choice my dear. If you really find you are getting into the classics it is very beneficial to pick up the Cliff Notes, or -- you can go online to Sparknotes.com and at least read about the themes, symbolism and plot outlines. You will be amazed at how much better your understanding will be and how much more you will enjoy the book. I always look at them (particularly the themes and motifs so I can look for them whilest reading) "prior" to my reading and then utilize them along the way.

Take care of your little paw girl. What a great "souvenir" of stories you'll have for years to come about this one!

Moonwillow said...

Ohhhh poor baby, I hope it doesn't hurt anymore! You need to do art to exercise it - ha ha don't thow things at me! You have some beautiful photo on your blog. (((hugs)))

Anonymous said...

Glad that the stitches are out Michelle and I hope that your hand is back to normal soon.

Anonymous said...

Another book to read is "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. The animals are tired of serving the master (the farmer) and rebell. Then then set up their own government that is just as bad or worse than the one they overthrew.

When you understand "Human Nature" you realize it hasn't changed for 1000s of years. Humans are afterall, just animals.

Wiseguy