I finished the book about death and traditions since the beginning of time to now. I'll have to get back to you with the author and full title...it slips my mind at the moment. It was a really interesting book - I would have never known that there was so much debate on death and the afterlife. Some of the traditions behind death were really interesting as well. I had no idea that it wasn't until more modern times that people actually started burying people and leaving them in the ground. Equally astounding is how much harm cremation is doing to the environment - many mountainous places in Wales and Scotland have asked people not to spread their ashes there since it is destroying the habitat/ecosystem. There's also a "Green" burial where you get buried in a cardboard box and have a tree or other kind of plant placed as a marker/headstone. Personally, I always thought it would be cool to be but on a boat with a bunch of kindling (herbs and pine boughs) and lit on fire as I was pushed out to sea. I don't know why I find that idea so intriguing and interesting.
I also finished Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I really enjoyed this book, even if it did make me slightly depressed while reading it. It was really interesting to see her shift between the 3 stages of eating, praying, and learning how to love. Her journey was really interesting to hear and inspiring. It was inspiring to see someone struggle to get out of the darkness that had begun to surround their life. It can be a scary thing to stand up and say: "I'm not happy."
I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Just a side note - that boy be CUTE! Anyways, I was reading it slowly and surely...until I realized that I needed to have it done by this Thursday. I read quite a bit last Friday as I sat around with my grammy. I drove home, hung out with my family, and when I went home around 10:30 I started to read again. I didn't want to put it down and I ended up finishing sometime around 3:30am. It was nice though, it has been a while since I've stayed up the majority of a night just to read a book! The story of Leisle is so depressing and yet touching. Leisle is put in the foster care system of Germany around 1939 when her communist mother can no longer take care of her and her brother. On their way to their new family, Leisle's brother ends up dying. After the burial of her brother and her first time stealing a book, she ends up on Himmel Street with Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans is a perfectly loving father and he dotes upon Leisle. He teaches her to read and spends almost all of his nights coming to comfort Leisle after her reoccurring nightmare. Leisle develops a deep love for Hans, books, and her best friend Rudy. The story is told from death's perspective and he tells the painful story of Leisle's life in Nazi Germany. I am really excited to discuss this at book club.
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