Book Club: The Sisters Brothers & The French Exit

Last month our book club chose to read The French Exit by Patric DeWitt; they had previously read (before I was a part of the group) another of his novels called The Sisters Brothers and found his writing to be interesting.

I put both books on hold at the library and The Sisters Brothers came up first. You could probably categorize it as a Western novel; there's a journey west on horse back, and a lot of guns.  I honestly haven't read many westerns and I did find myself enjoying it -- once I got past the killing.

The Sisters Brothers are two brothers with the surname Sisters (I know, it took me a while to figure that out), who are hired as hitmen. Their next job takes them to San Francisco and along the way they find several people they deem unworthy of life.  It seems killing is just what they do to resolve any sort of conflict. One of the brothers is bothered by this and throughout the story weighs the pros and cons of getting out of the business and dreaming of what life could be like instead. His brother doesn't want out.

I wasn't sure about the book at first. It took a chapter or two to understand what was going on . . . and who the Sisters Brothers were. But after that I was hooked and it was a fast read -- and interesting! So, if you're looking for a Western that is a little different, you can check it out too!

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The French Exit is also by Patric DeWitt but is completely different from The Brothers Sisters. Not a Western. I actually don't know how to describe it. It read like a sitcom. You watch these characters (a 65 year old widow and her 30-something son) do some really absurd things and it just sort of unfolds before your eyes and you can't really understand the purpose of what they do. It's an odd story. Can I leave it at that? 

No? Okay. Francis and her son head to Paris because they are bankrupt. She has this idea of getting rid of all the cash she has left and then ending her life. It's a bizarre story, but within this one plot the author unveils much of their pasts too. Which is what makes it interesting. Nothing really "happens" until the very end but we get to see who people are and how they became that way.

It's a unique novel.

Last month our book club chose to read The French Exit by Patric DeWitt; they had previously read (before I was a part of the group) another of his novels called The Sisters Brothers and found his writing to be interesting.

I put both books on hold at the library and The Sisters Brothers came up first. You could probably categorize it as a Western novel; there's a journey west on horse back, and a lot of guns.  I honestly haven't read many westerns and I did find myself enjoying it -- once I got past the killing.

The Sisters Brothers are two brothers with the surname Sisters (I know, it took me a while to figure that out), who are hired as hitmen. Their next job takes them to San Francisco and along the way they find several people they deem unworthy of life.  It seems killing is just what they do to resolve any sort of conflict. One of the brothers is bothered by this and throughout the story weighs the pros and cons of getting out of the business and dreaming of what life could be like instead. His brother doesn't want out.

I wasn't sure about the book at first. It took a chapter or two to understand what was going on . . . and who the Sisters Brothers were. But after that I was hooked and it was a fast read -- and interesting! So, if you're looking for a Western that is a little different, you can check it out too!

_____

The French Exit is also by Patric DeWitt but is completely different from The Brothers Sisters. Not a Western. I actually don't know how to describe it. It read like a sitcom. You watch these characters (a 65 year old widow and her 30-something son) do some really absurd things and it just sort of unfolds before your eyes and you can't really understand the purpose of what they do. It's an odd story. Can I leave it at that? 

No? Okay. Francis and her son head to Paris because they are bankrupt. She has this idea of getting rid of all the cash she has left and then ending her life. It's a bizarre story, but within this one plot the author unveils much of their pasts too. Which is what makes it interesting. Nothing really "happens" until the very end but we get to see who people are and how they became that way.

It's a unique novel.

The Condo: Two Weeks In

We have been in our new home for two weeks. There are still a dozen boxes to unpack and a growing pile of things to get rid of. We still need a few things like a dining table, chairs, living room furniture a small desk and some organizing totes. Another shower curtain and a bathroom rug would be nice too. Maybe some alternative shelving. The boys will be getting a bunk bed soon. All I'm saying is that we are still figuring things out. BUT . . .

It is starting to feel like home anyway! We are finding our groove in our new space and learning our new routines. I am surprisingly happy (as apposed to the anxiety I felt before the move or the nervousness I thought I'd feel about being in a different part of the city, meeting new people, etc.) and at peace. Even in the not-nearly-furnished home, I am content and finding new rest.

Our new place is on a much quieter street and we're on the third floor so even the sirens we hear aren't as intrusive. Chris and I have our own room (can I get a "Thank you, Jesus!") and bathroom. I think overall we are sleeping much better than we have in the past five years . . . remember when we slept on the floor in the living room before we moved our bed out there? Remember when our living room became the master bedroom complete with infant bassinet (with infant) and changing table surrounded in blackout curtains? (William's bedroom had three dressers, a twin bed and his toys.) Oh, the transformations our living room had seen in the past 8 years!

Our new kitchen looks smaller than our previous one but I think it does have more counter space.  It is much nicer with newer appliances, granite countertops and even a sharp looking backsplash. When I keep it clean, I find a lot of joy being in it. The dishwasher is an efficiency size (like half the size of a normal one) which is odd and fills up way to quickly!

Another perk of our new home is that we have a washer and dryer in our condo! No more quarters or shared laundry . . . but if it breaks, we have to fix it!

As I said before we are still trying to figure out the living room and dining area (which is one open room) but it has a lot of potential and I hope I don't screw it up. We have a nice bay window and  wood (laminate) floors which we need to cover with rugs. More photos will come soon.

I am so grateful for our new home. Still find myself a little surprised that this one actually worked out. I feel like I was expecting it not to happen right up until moving day . . . and then "Ta-da" here's your new home. I don't think it feels like that to Chris who did ALL the paperwork and inspections and organized all the details.

After 4 years of searching it's great to finally be here.

We have been in our new home for two weeks. There are still a dozen boxes to unpack and a growing pile of things to get rid of. We still need a few things like a dining table, chairs, living room furniture a small desk and some organizing totes. Another shower curtain and a bathroom rug would be nice too. Maybe some alternative shelving. The boys will be getting a bunk bed soon. All I'm saying is that we are still figuring things out. BUT . . .

It is starting to feel like home anyway! We are finding our groove in our new space and learning our new routines. I am surprisingly happy (as apposed to the anxiety I felt before the move or the nervousness I thought I'd feel about being in a different part of the city, meeting new people, etc.) and at peace. Even in the not-nearly-furnished home, I am content and finding new rest.

Our new place is on a much quieter street and we're on the third floor so even the sirens we hear aren't as intrusive. Chris and I have our own room (can I get a "Thank you, Jesus!") and bathroom. I think overall we are sleeping much better than we have in the past five years . . . remember when we slept on the floor in the living room before we moved our bed out there? Remember when our living room became the master bedroom complete with infant bassinet (with infant) and changing table surrounded in blackout curtains? (William's bedroom had three dressers, a twin bed and his toys.) Oh, the transformations our living room had seen in the past 8 years!

Our new kitchen looks smaller than our previous one but I think it does have more counter space.  It is much nicer with newer appliances, granite countertops and even a sharp looking backsplash. When I keep it clean, I find a lot of joy being in it. The dishwasher is an efficiency size (like half the size of a normal one) which is odd and fills up way to quickly!

Another perk of our new home is that we have a washer and dryer in our condo! No more quarters or shared laundry . . . but if it breaks, we have to fix it!

As I said before we are still trying to figure out the living room and dining area (which is one open room) but it has a lot of potential and I hope I don't screw it up. We have a nice bay window and  wood (laminate) floors which we need to cover with rugs. More photos will come soon.

I am so grateful for our new home. Still find myself a little surprised that this one actually worked out. I feel like I was expecting it not to happen right up until moving day . . . and then "Ta-da" here's your new home. I don't think it feels like that to Chris who did ALL the paperwork and inspections and organized all the details.

After 4 years of searching it's great to finally be here.

Book Preview: Have More Fun

I am on the "Street Team" for Mandy Arioto's new book called Have More Fun: How to be Remarkable, Get Unstuck and Start Enjoying Life. Which means I received an advanced copy of the book and need to tell all my friends about it!

Mandy Arioto is the CEO of MOPS International, which if you know me, you know how much I love MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have been involved in the San Francisco group for over 4 years. That is how I came to "meet" Mandy. She blogged and wrote a lot of articles for MOPS and then last year she started a podcast called "Have More Fun." Which I listen to every few weeks. She asks all her guests two questions after the interview: 1) What is the best advice you never got? and 2) What is one way you are cultivating more fun in your life right now? I love it. And then my friend Beth and I went to MOMCON (MOPS Conference) in September where we actually got to hear Mandy speak and meet her in person!

I was super conscious of my height when I met her . . . she is much more petite than I had pictured. And in my effort to say something meaningful and rememberable I stuttered out, "Thank you for what you do. You make being a mom more fun." I walked away feeling totally lame . . . but you know what . . . In her book, Mandy confesses to feeling the exact same way (in a different circumstance) and deciding not to let it define her. 

"If I said something weird to you once when I was twenty, rest assured I spent every night for the next ten years thinking about it. . . This type of ridiculousness should not take up one moment of brain space, am I right?" Pg 116

So, I'm off the hook! No more brain space wasted on what I said to Mandy when I met her that one time. Whew!

Mandy is a great story-teller. She has such a great skill of weaving in stories from her own life, friend's lives and lives of people she has read about from long ago to drive her points home. And she is funny. Her writing is very much like her speaking style and most of the time I felt like I was just hearing her tell me the story over a cup of tea. And me interrupting with "Yep, me too!"

So what is "Have More Fun" really about? Well, just what it sounds like. She tells us how she rediscovered joy, creativity, imagination and fun. She tells us how we might relearn the same things. Being an adult is filled with serious matters, but there are also moments and people in our lives that we should actually be enjoying.

She has chapters that cover parenting, marriage, workspace, friendships, spirituality and even your body. I really the way she ended each chapter with a page of ideas of how you could have more fun in that specific area of life. For example, at the end of the parenting chapter she gives this tip:

"On the day you're already running late for school, go ahead and swing through a fast-food restaurant for pancakes." Pg 68

Now wouldn't that be more fun than huffing and puffing about how late you are and how upset that is making you . . . and wouldn't that be the best memory for your kid? A special breakfast with mom! I probably won't remember this when the time comes but I'm hoping I can stop feeling so upset about being late.

Have More Fun is a quick read filled with great stories and reminders of the things that really matter in life. Like "choose to enjoy your kids" . . . as a mom, I find it easy to get stuck in the mundane or worried about the little things that in the grand scheme of life don't really matter. Since reading the book, I have chosen to play trucks, go down the slide, and chase my kids around the park instead of be on my phone searching for a new rug or couch for our new home. I found Mandy's book really refreshing and full of really fun ideas.

If you'd like to get a copy, you can find it on Amazon!
Thanks for reading my review.

I am on the "Street Team" for Mandy Arioto's new book called Have More Fun: How to be Remarkable, Get Unstuck and Start Enjoying Life. Which means I received an advanced copy of the book and need to tell all my friends about it!

Mandy Arioto is the CEO of MOPS International, which if you know me, you know how much I love MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and have been involved in the San Francisco group for over 4 years. That is how I came to "meet" Mandy. She blogged and wrote a lot of articles for MOPS and then last year she started a podcast called "Have More Fun." Which I listen to every few weeks. She asks all her guests two questions after the interview: 1) What is the best advice you never got? and 2) What is one way you are cultivating more fun in your life right now? I love it. And then my friend Beth and I went to MOMCON (MOPS Conference) in September where we actually got to hear Mandy speak and meet her in person!

I was super conscious of my height when I met her . . . she is much more petite than I had pictured. And in my effort to say something meaningful and rememberable I stuttered out, "Thank you for what you do. You make being a mom more fun." I walked away feeling totally lame . . . but you know what . . . In her book, Mandy confesses to feeling the exact same way (in a different circumstance) and deciding not to let it define her. 

"If I said something weird to you once when I was twenty, rest assured I spent every night for the next ten years thinking about it. . . This type of ridiculousness should not take up one moment of brain space, am I right?" Pg 116

So, I'm off the hook! No more brain space wasted on what I said to Mandy when I met her that one time. Whew!

Mandy is a great story-teller. She has such a great skill of weaving in stories from her own life, friend's lives and lives of people she has read about from long ago to drive her points home. And she is funny. Her writing is very much like her speaking style and most of the time I felt like I was just hearing her tell me the story over a cup of tea. And me interrupting with "Yep, me too!"

So what is "Have More Fun" really about? Well, just what it sounds like. She tells us how she rediscovered joy, creativity, imagination and fun. She tells us how we might relearn the same things. Being an adult is filled with serious matters, but there are also moments and people in our lives that we should actually be enjoying.

She has chapters that cover parenting, marriage, workspace, friendships, spirituality and even your body. I really the way she ended each chapter with a page of ideas of how you could have more fun in that specific area of life. For example, at the end of the parenting chapter she gives this tip:

"On the day you're already running late for school, go ahead and swing through a fast-food restaurant for pancakes." Pg 68

Now wouldn't that be more fun than huffing and puffing about how late you are and how upset that is making you . . . and wouldn't that be the best memory for your kid? A special breakfast with mom! I probably won't remember this when the time comes but I'm hoping I can stop feeling so upset about being late.

Have More Fun is a quick read filled with great stories and reminders of the things that really matter in life. Like "choose to enjoy your kids" . . . as a mom, I find it easy to get stuck in the mundane or worried about the little things that in the grand scheme of life don't really matter. Since reading the book, I have chosen to play trucks, go down the slide, and chase my kids around the park instead of be on my phone searching for a new rug or couch for our new home. I found Mandy's book really refreshing and full of really fun ideas.

If you'd like to get a copy, you can find it on Amazon!
Thanks for reading my review.