Good Reads : Little Bee

A couple days ago, I photographed my last shoot for the year. Should I repeat that last part again…because…really…I might just sing it. LaaaaaSSsst shoooooo^ooot of da YEEEEEEEAR! Yes, I just sang it Jamaican style. When I walked back to my car, I felt all High School Musical and snapped my fingers and kick-ball-changed into happiness. I love shooting, but I also love times when I can recharge, rethink, and realign my core and strive to become a better photographer. Stepping away from my camera sometimes helps me do this.

These past few weeks have been totally crazy, but whenever I had a free chance, I'd bury myself in a book. I didn't read as much as I'd like this month, but I'm hoping that changes in December. In fact, last night I hid in my closet and made out with Amazon.com. It was like seven minutes in heaven…with my credit card. When I emerged, JD asked what I was doing and I was all, huh…whaaat…oh, nuthin…

JD thinks I have a shopping addiction, but if Amazon is wrong, I don't wanna be right.

Oh! Look at these new book ends. And then I died from all the cuteness.

Here are a few recent Good Reads
*Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
Okay, so this book? Unreal. Capital U. Capital Nreal. I started it and realized I couldn't put it down…it was literally glued to my hand and I found myself reading at red lights (just kidding…sorta). It's narrated by a Nigerian girl (Little Bee) who immigrated to the United Kingdom and chronicled struggles she faced as she tried to escape the brutal murders of her family and village. But it's not just that. Cleave interweaves another story of an English couple who changes the trajectory of Little Bee's life and ends, ultimately, with her finding a voice and leaving a legacy. I read this book en route to NYC and finished it in a cab ride to Manhattan. As we crossed into the city, I sobbed…and knew I was changed.
*Fifth Avenue, 5 am by Sam Wasson.
Speaking of NYC, I bought two books at the airport because I needed material for the plane ride home. I've never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's, but seeing how it took place in Manhattan and I was headed there, I thought this book was apropos. Much to my surprise, it not only read like historical documentation of how the movie was made, but a sociological look at women in the 1950s and the roles Hollywood created them to play. Wasson dissects how Audrey Hepburn ushered in a new type woman…a type of woman who challenged preexisting ideas of gender, sexuality, and power, all while wearing a little black dress.
*Tinkers by Paul Harding.
I bought this book simply because it won the Pulitzer Prize. Ugh, I know. I was THAT girl in the bookstore…but cut me some slack, I was on a time crunch before I boarded my plane. Now here's the thing about this book: it's not just well written, it's SO well written. All these pretty words strung together like fireflies on a lonely clothesline. I enjoyed the read, but I just didn't get into the story as much as I wanted…and it was shame because I totally wanted to.

I started a new book last night while I was at the dog park with Polo and under the dim lights adjacent to my chair, I struck gold. And it's only chapter two. Can't wait to share about later, but until then I hope you're having a beautiful week and gearing up for kick-ball-changing of your own!

Happy Wednesday!