My Friday Five...

1.  Declutter.  I recently read a mindfulness magazine and it had an article about decluttering.  It just talked about things I already knew - we buy, buy, buy and wind up with too much stuff. And all of that stuff sits around staring at us and stresses us out. Ugh. So, I am going to try and truly declutter my office. There are so many books, journals, papers, pens, washi tape, stickers, etc. and it is just becoming too much to handle. Or at least it looks that way to me. So, I am going to dive in and start getting rid of things.  I don't care how much I spent on anything or if I've been hoarding it for years, I am just going to finally go through it all.  I want my office to be conducive to creating/working and right now it is way too cluttered for anything - my mind feels cluttered just looking at it. Yikes! Wish me luck.

2.  Books I read.  I actually only read one book in its entirety this week. And the other book, I've only just begun. 

I saw an IG post about Miriam Toews' latest work, Women Talking (which I LOVED!!), and it made me realize how many of her books I have yet to read. So, I picked up my copy of A Complicated Kindness and dove right in. The story focuses on Nomi, a Mennonite teen living in Canada.  Its just her and her dad, Ray.  Her mom left and so did her sister.  Nomi shares with us about her life - the day-to-day struggles with going to school, loving her boyfriend, missing her mom and sister, trying to understand her dad, and dealing with her unhappiness. We get to learn about Nomi's family before it fell apart and afterward.  Its sad, depressing, hilarious, compelling, and unputdownable. I just LOVED getting to know Nomi and her dad, Ray.  Of course, if I'm truthful, I LOVE anything that Toews writes. So, yeah, I'm rather biased. I can't help it though. She just has the ability to create such excellent stories that I can't help but fall in love with. Her writing is authentic, realistic, thought-provoking, and engaging - it showcases her talent for storytelling. I just love it.


Every book I've read by Yoshimoto I have loved. So, I knew that I would enjoy Lizard.  I've only read two stories so far, and already I am hooked. That is just Yoshimoto for you.  Her writing is intriguing, creative, and haunting. I like that she is able to write so little and yet construct such engrossing stories. She provides snapshots of moments, relationships, feelings - and it is seriously unputdownable.  In Newlywed, a young man rides the train past his stop in order to avoid going home to his wife. He is tired of the familiarity of it all (home and wife) and soon finds himself traveling farther away alongside a beguiling individual.  The other story I read was titled, Lizard.  It tells the tale of a man and his girlfriend, Lizard.  He is a doctor and she is an acupuncturist.  He is madly in love with her. She remains aloof and rather quiet, which leaves him feeling a bit uneasy at times.  One day, Lizard finally shares with him a story from her childhood - something horrible that made her who and how she is.  He in turn shares his own story.  The two are able to find solace and understanding as a result.  I found that both stories represented Yoshimoto's quirky and offbeat storytelling manner. Her writing is sparse, her characters strange, and her stories are fantastic. She is definitely a must-read author.

3.  Books I want. For some reason I completely forgot that Ann Patchett has a new book coming out this Fall. I was reminded about it the other day, so now I'm craving her writing. And of course I'm eagerly anticipating getting my hands on a copy of her latest work.

4.  TV.  Cable is no more. Yes, I was still paying for cable, but alas, I have given it up. It was just costing way too much and I found that I was only really watching so many shows, that it just didn't make sense to keep it. I do have Netflix and Hulu, but truthfully, I barely watch anything on either. I have tons of shows and movies bookmarked, but have yet to actually watch them. Maybe its just my mood right now. I'd rather read than watch TV. Hmm...I remember a nurse I met when I was interning at the local hospital in high school. He didn't own a TV. He said TV corrupted people. So, he read and listened to music instead. I had a huge crush on him and thought that was so cool at the time. Of course, I watched TV like crazy back then. Its funny thinking about him now. I do have to give him props for introducing me to Natalie Merchant's music though - she is one of my all-time favorites and I've seen her in concert several times and always enjoy listening to her music. Anyhow, I digress. The point is that I am cutting back on TV and wondering if I will actually wind up reading more now.

5.  Music.  The Lumineers. I am all about this band right now. Of course, The National has a new CD coming out in a few weeks time I think, which means I will be all about that band soon enough. What can I say, I love me some indie/folk rock.

And now, I'm off to read some more Yoshimoto. Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy reading!!