Day: May 15, 2005

As you know by now, S. M. Kidd is one of my favorite authors, and I am as much a sucker for mermaids as I am for bees. I am not sure whether to recommend reading The Dance of the Dissident Daughter before or after The Mermaid Chair. I think I got more out of Mermaid by reading Daughter first. In any case, I really loved this book. I read it in 3 days. The summary will tell you it’s the story of a woman who has an affair with a monk while taking care of her self mutilating mother. That sounds so harsh! Yes, those are the vehicles that move the plot forward, but that is not what the book is “about”. The theme centers around a woman finding out who she really is, finding her spiritual center, communing with other women and with nature in a way that we are not often taught through our society or through the 3 major monothiestic religions. This is one of my favorite topics (which I have discussed with some of you at length!) . In any case, whether you agree with this perspective, or think it’s a load of crap, The Mermaid Chair is a very touching, soleful read. I definitely recommend this one (note that it is only in hardcover currently – May 2005).
What I am reading now – Queen Bees and the Wanna Bees (yes it’s bees again!) So far I like it. More to come once I finish it!

I picked this one up because scrolled across the top of the cover were the words ” A New York Times Notable Book of the Year”, and also because I have taken a liking to the topic of bees. The only interesting fact I learned from this novel is that honey bees across the nation are dying from mites. I found this very sad, but short of being a genetic engineer, there is not much we can do about it. My overall recommendation, don’t get further than the cover. Perhaps I was spoiled by “The Secret Life of Bees”, but this just seems a like a shallow imposter, a hollow story with characters that I could not relate to. If you are looking for bees, read some Tori Amos lyrics, or of course, Sue Monk Kidd;-)

This is a really quick read. In a nut shell the 4 agreements are not to gossip, not take things people say personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best. Seems like simple and obvious enough advise, which I didn’t find particularly life shattering. In short, I can’t really recommend this one, although it’s such a short read that it’s not too much of an investment if you decide to read it.