MiCasaLoca

Haunted Ground

I am congratulating myself on my recent triumphant. I checked out a fiction book from the library and read it from cover to cover. Now I know the answer as to why I haven’t really read fiction for a number of years; I don’t have the patience to wait until I can steal away time to read. I want to sit and read for 6 hours straight, an impossible feat when I work as a legal assistant and "house manager", the term I have adopted for my home responsibilities. I do not have to wait to see what will happen next when I am reading a recipe; it’s very short and if I am lucky, I will be able to see if the combination of ingredients truly lives up to the boasting of the author. If I am reading on how to assist Mari in her attitudes towards school or how to plant bulbs in the garden , I can take the bit of knowledge, store it in my brain, and use it when needed. This is not so when reading a fictionalized story as maybe I can store the information that I have read, but storing the information is unuseful as it only fuels my curiosity as to what will happen next.

Of course, I now appreciate why I would far rather read a novel than watch a movie...watching a preview for a movie is very disappointing as it nearly gives away the whole plot, but reading the back of a novel, the details are left hidden. Haunted Ground, by Erin Hart, was fantastic as the author wrote a story that led the reader, me, to another story. There were two mysteries to solve rather than just one. Haunted Ground is my first "grown up" fictional piece that I have read in quite some time (that wasn’t a requirement for school) and filled with wonderful details. I’m terribly tired of stories that have a brief story line without details, yet if too many details are thrown into the story, there can be confusion as to where the plot is going.

I don’t actually see myself reading another truly FICTION piece for a bit...now that I have been engrossed in the novel for the last 4 days, I have to retrieve the soured laundry from the washer, empty the mailbox, and compost the dead plants that died waiting for me to water them. Ok, I am only kidding, but I truly felt the house was left forgotten as I snuck away to read snippets of the story. Fortunately, Mari likes to read alongside me-with her own books, of course. She asked what my book was about...and as she is still struggling from nightmares, I couldn’t very well tell her anything...so I said it was a mystery about relationships. Which, indeed, it is. Don’t go to the website for the book-it will give away the entire plot. Or wait a few years. Maybe it will become a movie. Of course, then the previews will give the whole story away in a 30 second clip.

Cruel Men

My daughter is reading Call of The Wild. She’s crying right now...
“Flock was torn to shreds.”
“Keep reading.” I encourage.
“But he was torn to shreds...”
“Keep going.”
She continues, “Buck looks back and sees the remains of Flock-” She cries harder.
I want to comfort her. The cat is on my lap and the dog is tied to my leg (long story).
I ask her to come to me, but this time I know that there’s no hug to take away this pain.
“But Flock was like Rory [our glorious mutt].” She cries harder.
Here’s my comforting words, “Honey, I am sorry.” Shut your mouth, Mommy. But no, I must go on. “They used to do that with the dogs. They would have them fight each other.”
“Why?” More tears.
“Men would make bets on them to see which dog would win.” I am quick to add that we don’t do that anymore. It’s a little lie. Why are men so cruel?
“I have to -close-the book (sob) now.” She says in between sobs.
“No, go on, it will get better....” But then, it didn’t before, did it? After all, when she had read about Flock between torn into shreds I should of had her stop. I was used to children fiction getting better...but then, this wasn’t exactly children fiction. Who would want to talk to children about dogs tearing into each other? These are the wonderful classics we grew up with...but obviously it’s a bit too much for my 7 year old. I guess from now on we will exclude this book from her list of chapter books. Moby Dick will also have to be excluded. And the Diary of Anne Frank. Stories with men doing terrible things to other living creatures.