What a character

When most people say that, they mean, oh, how funny or how eccentric or how quirky.  I'd like to put another meaning out there: when a character in a book feels so real that you can envision his or her story continuing on after you read the last page--and want to so desperately--that's a character.  There are characters in my head from books I've loved that feel more real to me than some of my family members!  Ha ha, but not kidding.  This is why people write fan fiction, I'm guessing, and read it as well.  I haven't been tempted to try writing it, and the few I've read haven't wowed me, but I saw one today that intrigued me: James Potter.  It would be hard to follow in Harry Potter's footsteps, wouldn't it?  Harry has some pretty big shoes after all.  James's adventures would likely either be quite interesting or simply dull, depending on if he felt drawn to top his father's exploits somehow or opted to have a quiet humdrum life as his father had earned for him and for everyone, saving the world and all.  I have wondered this about "real" famous people's sons and daughters, who often don't seem to amount to much, but is that because they live their lives under intense scrutiny and would be thought perfectly normal people if not for their famous parent(s)?  Children of famous characters hadn't occurred to me though, hence my interest in James Potter.  That curiosity alone might be enough to get me to pick up the book, just to see if he's a character.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2548866.James_Potter_and_the_Hall_of_Elders_Crossing

21 days out

Remember GMEJK?  Been following along, in spirit or in practice?  I’m happy (get it, happy!) to report that it works—happiness is indeed within our grasp, just a twist of the mind away.  Many times a day, and perhaps many times a night, I consciously turn my seething, writhing mind to calm, to gratitude, to the breath, to a happy memory, and then I can proceed.  The running helps, too.  What works for you?  My favorite part is the kindness.  And it does rebound.  Onward.

Kindness Rebounds
http://www.skooldays.com/blog/rebound/

The Virtues of Summer reading

Kids hate that phrase.  It brings to mind books they haven’t chosen themselves and will have to report on in some way when they get back to school in the fall, which they don’t want to think about anyway.  But I love it.  I read year-round, often as much as a book a week (you can see what I read on Goodreads if you are so inclined), but summer reading is better.  Why?  Several reasons:  I can read outside for the most part, I have more vacation time, on the best days I can read at the beach, and I can put aside any thoughts of what I should read or what would be good for me to read and read what I want.  I want what I always want:  characters that speak to me and stories that I wish would never end.  My to-be-read list is ever-expanding, and I have few greater thrills that opening the front cover of a new book and beginning.  Ah, that’s summer.

Book@Beach=Love
http://www.thomaskaram.com/2012/09/the-weeks-past-tweet-pics/

Oo! Ah! Oh!

Happy Fourth of July!  Happy Fourth!  What we rarely hear nowadays though is Happy Independence Day, and that’s what it really is.  This is my favorite holiday and has been for many years.  Why?  Well, it’s in the summer, there are no gifts involved, the whole celebration takes place outside, and there are fireworks.  What could be better really?  But a recent episode of House of Cards got me thinking about democracy, or so-called democracy, and about independence, and where we have that and where we don’t in this country.  There is so much to be thankful for here in America, and so much of it is due to those who fought and died for our independence.  People are fighting still.  And whether you think actual fighting is the way to go or not, me, not so much, still the fact remains that here we are thanks to them.  Raise a sparkler, will you?

Raise a Sparkler, Give Thanks
http://www.journeygrrrl.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/sparkler.jpg