Bookworm Wednesday! (v.9)

Did you miss this last week? Oooooops! It totally slipped my mind in all the mess that my July turned into for a while there....but I'm back!  Woohoo! 

 

I've said it before, and I will say it again, once I find an author that I really truly love and adore, I will voraciously read everything they have out and will buy just about anything new they put out.  Joyce Carol Oates is absolutely no exception to that.  These are the only two of hers that I have in the apartment right now, everything else is at the farm, but I know I have at least three more by her there...

Missing Mom is about a girl....that should be a woman....but can't be.  She just lost her mother, a mother that she never really connected with in that somewhat vital mother-daughter relationship.  When you don't really have that relationship, how do you process the emotions of losing that person in your life?  I would crumble if I lost my mother, as much as we are nit-picky with each other, she is part of my backbone in life....BUT - this book makes you rethink that relationship, and makes you wonder just how would you deal with that loss?

My Sister, My Love is another one that grabbed me because of the author, but also because of the title.  It is no surprise here that I have a very tumultuous relationship with my sister; we've been the best of friends, and the worst of enemies, but we are always sisters.  Again, Joyce puts you smack in the middle of a situation that makes you wonder what you would do if you were there, how would you handle it?  So, what would you do if you sister was murdered at a young age and your family became fodder for the tabloids?  Unfortunately, our society likes the fallen, the unfortunate, the weak, we almost crave it until it consumes us (i.e. Casey/Caylee Anthony anyone?)....but have you ever wondered what it was like for the family that is imploding under all that gaze and scrutiny?  This book takes you there. 

I can not praise Joyce Carol Oates more.  I love how she writes, I love how she handles situations like she has lived them and wants to make you live them with her.  I love that she can write from multiple viewpoints in each book and how she can make you relate to each and every person in that book.  She almost writes from the standpoint that we are everyone, and everyone is us if that makes sense....I just adore her.

Oh!  And since I missed last week, how about a picture of El?  He does this funny flip thing where he will walk up beside you, put his head down and flip his whole body over so that he's half way laying on his back, but also so that his back feet are in his face....this is one of the better pictures I've gotten of it :)