The Art of Trapeze: One Woman's Journey of Soaring, Surrendering, and Awakening (The Awakening Consciousness Series)

"How Hard Can It Be?"  A good friend has threatened to put that on my tombstone.  I may have uttered those words once or twice in my life, so you can imagine when I saw the description for "The Art of Trapeze" by Molly McCord, that I was intrigued.

On a random Thursday morning, with nothing to lose and only a dream to gain, Molly McCord decides to move to Paris, France to follow the courageous call of her heart. She arrives in a city she has never visited before and where she knows no one, yet she trusts her ability to figure it out because her adventurous life has prepared her for this biggest of leaps.

I enjoyed the story immensely and kept thinking, "this author does a great job of making this feel like a memoir!" Well somewhere along the line (Okay, okay it was when I was done and was researching the author) I figured out that this lovely story was "real life" as my kids would say. Ms. McCord is a beautiful writer and her physical and spiritual journeys are honest as well as intriguing and inspiring.  I love hearing about another culture, getting the inside scoop on everyday living, and spending time walking (and walking, and walking, in this case) in someone else's shoes.

As interesting as this book is in it's ability to be a travel guide for Parisian neighborhoods, (Not really...but kind of ) I think it's intention lies in being a travel guide for personal growth, or at least revealing Molly's path of growth.  Check out  conscious cool chic Molly McCord's web site!

Orphan Train

This is a touching and tough subject.  It is hard to imagine that we as a nation really had orphan trains.  I was first introduced to this through the "Orphan Train Adventure Series" by Joan Lowery Nixon.
Christina Baker Kline's novel Orphan Train is described like this:

 Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren't as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.

Enjoy this look at our past and how we have moved from a system of orphanages to foster care

Christina Baker Kline is an American novelist, essayist, and editor. She is the author of five novels and has co-authored or co-edited five non-fiction books. Kline is the recipient of several Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation Fellowships

Thank you Carrin

I check in from time to time on the blog and I was very excited to see that you had updated the Blog site.  I am plugging along, reading Chapter Chat picks from 2012.  Right now I am enjoying Find Your Strongest Life. I miss you all.  Geri

The Lacuna

Wow!  When you pick up a Barbara Kingslover book you can pretty much be assured that you will be in for a great ride.  Lacuna did not disappoint.  As my friends will attest I love when an author researches something so thoroughly that I, A.-feel like I was actually present in the setting, B.-feel smarter, and C.-Learn about something in an easy-peasy format because the author did all the hard work!

So, I spent a few weeks last month in Mexico City my good friends, the Riveras!  It was amazing.  I did a little diving, baked some bread, (I have the perfect technique down!) the Trotsky's stopped by and then I ended up in the McCarthy era "witch-hunt" trials.  Exhausting, but satisfying.

Lisa/Frida and her eyebrows were the perfect hosts for our book club.  Attendees wore their finest and there were margaritas and empanadas for all!

On an interesting side note, one of my husband's and my favorite lunch spots is Don Julio's in White Bear Lake.  (Amazing grilled Tilapia smothered in scallops and shrimp for $12!) Because calla lilies are one of my very favorite flowers I always want to sit in the room with the cool calla lily picture.  You can imagine my delight when we went there last week and I took a closer look and lo and behold it was a Diego Rivera print.   And there was Frida's little maid walking through the market with her basket of flowers!

The Last Madam-Part II

One of the reasons I choose this book was because of the complete "otherness" of the setting.  A world of organized crime, prostitution, sultry swamp land, fast women and slow accents. (It's also a dream book for hosting book club!)  A few posts a go I asked some questions I wanted my book club to reflect on.  So here are a few more..

• .Is there anything glamorous about this lifestyle?  
• Is this a legitimate business, or just sin wrapped in a business suit?
• If  a bordello would open up locally, would you protest? (how far away is far enough?)
• Could you befriend one of the ladies of the house?
• Are there professions which society does NOT frown upon which are equally distasteful, or "worse" and in what way?

The Paris Architect

"A beautiful and elegant account of an ordinary man's unexpected and reluctant descent into heroism during the second world war." —Malcolm Gladwell

A thrilling debut novel of World War II Paris, from an author who's been called "an up and coming Ken Follett." (Booklist)

I had pretty much decided that I would never read another Nazi/torture/concentration camp-centic book again.  WWII holocaust stories are tough reads, and that's okay; they are gruesome, as well they should be; but they are also essential reading, so we never forget. As a young adult (if 15 is a young adult?) I couldn't get enough of these stories.  I gobbled up Leon Uris novels (QBVII , Mila 18 ) like twinkies, and have read dozens of holocaust and WWII stories. I felt like I was cognizant, I had done my part in the effort of being aware, and remembering what had happened.  At some point, I just couldn't read any more about human indignity and horror.  And naturally felt guilty about that.  After all if millions of people fell victim to these crimes, the least I could do was read about them!

After reflecting, I realized that continued reading about this topic wasn't going to change anything, better to put efforts into awareness of current atrocities like Darfur etc.

So why was I drawn to, "The Paris Architect"?  Perhaps it was because of Lucien's reluctant entry into the world of helping Jewish neighbors.  Or it could have been my love of reading anything which teaches me a new vocation.  (Yes I totally believe I am now qualified to design large factories!)  What ever the reason I am happy that I read it.

It is an interesting peek into Parisian life during the occupation, as well as a glimpse into the complexities of the effectiveness of the French Resistance.  It comes at the subject of the holocaust from a different angle than I have ever read.  The characters are wonderfully crafted and multidimensional!  There are a few tough pages, with VERY graphic torture scenes.  If you can get past that it is well worth your time!  I

The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underwortld

I found this book fascinating....So much to discuss.

So Chapter Chatters, here are a few questions to think about as you read, or at least be ready to discuss when we meet on February 6.

1. What are the moral, financial, and economical repercussions of prostitution
2. What would be the advantages and/or disadvantages of legalized prostitution
3. If you had to run a bordello what would you do to make life better for your employees, customers, and the community
4. Is a bordello better, worse, or no different than "street-prostitution"

I will have mardi gras masks for us to make, jazz, jambalaya, king cake and more.  Here's a fun link...thinking of you Sue :) click here for the 16 most iconic drinks of New Orleans

About the Book 

Norma Wallace grew up fast in the rough neighborhoods of New Orleans. In 1916, as an ambitious fifteen-year-old, she went to work as a street-walker in the French Quarter, but by 1920 was madam of what became one of the city’s most lavish brothels, an establishment frequented by politicians, movie stars, gangsters, and even the notoriously corrupt police force. For decades Norma flourished, a smart, glamorous, powerful woman whose scandalous life made front-page headlines. Her lovers ran the gamut from a bootlegger who shot her during a fight, to a famed bandleader, to the boy next door, thirty-nine years her junior, who became her fifth husband.

Norma knew all of the Crescent City’s dirty little secrets and used them to protect her own interests – she never got so much as a traffic ticket – until the early 1960s, when District Attorney Jim Garrison decided to clean up vice and corruption. After a jail stay, she went legitimate as successfully as she had gone criminal, with a lucrative restaurant business. To the end Norma maintained her independence, and surrendered only to an irrational, obsessive love, which ultimately led to her violent death.In The Last Madam, author Christine Wiltz combines original research with Wallace’s personal memoirs to bring to life an era in New Orleans history rife with charm and decadence, and to reveal the colorful woman who reigned as its underworld queen.