Thea's Favorite Things

Newport Beach
Mid August

There aren't many posts for August because we truly enjoyed just hangin' out. I can't remember when I had more than 10 days off, except for the unplanned broken hip era, and I can't say I enjoyed that very much.

However, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a beach bunny/bum. I joined a local health club for a six week membership in order to keep up with my Pilates (I encourage anyone with lower back issues to embrace Pilates). I've also enjoyed walking, whether to the beach to hear the barking seals or around the neighborhood to inhale the heavenly flowers.

I have also had great fun diving into books and challenging myself with Sudoku these past few weeks. The books I've enjoyed the past month and highly recommend are...

Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith- The inimitable Tom Ripley finds his complacency shaken when he is scorned at a posh gala. While an ordinary psychopath might repay the insult with some mild act of retribution, what Ripley has in mind is far more subtle, and infinitely more sinister. A social slight doesn't warrant murder of course--just a chain of events that may lead to it.

One Thousand White Women, the Journals of May Todd by Jim Fergus-A western with a most unusual twist, an imaginative fictional account of the controversial "Brides for Indians" program, a clandestine U.S. government-sponsored program intended to instruct "savages" in the ways of civilization. May's personal journals describe the adventures of some very colorful brides, their marriages to Cheyenne warriors, and the natural abundance of life on the prairie. I devoured this book as I am still completely overwhelmed with the thought as to how the pioneers traversed the diverse terrain of the Unites States.

In Her Defense by Stephen Horn is a sharply funny and ironic legal thriller with a seemingly unwinnable case, mysterious forces conspiring against the attorney and his client, and a tumblingly relentless pace. I enjoyed it mostly for the setting, Washington, DC. I actually felt a few pulls on my heart as I read mentions about Georgetown and Chevy Chase. I found it fascinating that the hero needed to turn his life upside down in order to find his happiness...hmmmmm.

Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani reminds me of one of my favorite people, a fabulous woman of Italian decent raised in West Virginia. The novel concerns the family scandals that befall Ave Maria in the seemingly uneventful town of Big Stone Gap, WVA. Greed, lust, envy--all the ancient emotional elements--manifest themselves even in this hamlet of "ordinary folk." Fans of Fannie Flagg or Rebecca Wells will enjoy this down-home tale, full of small, everyday details and colloquial revelations.

My next read is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho...I'll fill you in in a few days...

My other "waste of time" enjoyment has been conquering Sudoku. I think I'm great now that I've mastered the "moderate levels" in the LA Times. I've gotten cocky enough that I bought an entire book of Sudoku puzzles. I'm sure to be beaten down in no time!

And my other recommendation? Watch your honey relaxing on the beach and play in the waves as often as you can.