The New Rules of Lifting for Women

-by Lou Schuler 
 
I was up all night last night (caffeine overload!), so I read NROLFW in its entirety. Through my own personal research, I've learned that lifting heavy is a GOOD thing for us women - Schuler's research certainly confirmed this. I am rather disappointed, though, that I won't have the opportunity to give an honest "tried and true" or "meh" opinion on this actual program anytime soon.

I truly enjoyed the author's writing style. He has a great sense of humor and the science was well presented and easy-to-understand for the most part, so I was able to take quite a lot away from it. I love the fact that he debunks the myth that more reps with light weights are optimal for women, along with low-calorie diets and excessive cardio as means to "healthy weight loss".

However, there was one thing that rubbed me the wrong way, near the end of the book. In chapter 13 entitled "YES, YOU", Schuler mentions a woman who approaches him about doing a workout, but was not prepared to enroll in a gym or purchase home gym equipment. His response was:  

"I assume she doesn't really want to do the program... There's a clear path from where they are to where they say they want to be. But there's just as clear a roadblock they've installed that prevents them from following that path." 

Perhaps I'm misreading it, but I found Schuler's tone smuggishly dismissive in this instance. Did this woman install that 'roadblock' by choice, or perhaps was it because she simply could not afford either of the options this book calls for (gym membership or home gym)? The fact that she approached the author for information clearly shows she was willing and interested in the program. And yet, he *assumes* she doesn't want to do it. For some, it is not due to lack enthusiasm, willingness, or desire to try the program... but sometimes circumstances just don't allow it. Sometimes we don't create the roadblocks - they are just there!

The program calls for at least a dumbbell set, barbell with weights (and a rack, I'm assuming), chin-up bar, stability ball, adjustable weight bench, and steps. Many of the other workouts call for more elaborate equipment. I dare say a good number of New Rules readers aren't financially able to purchase a gym membership or even gym equipment for that matter, either of which are necessary to do the program. In fact, many don't even have access to a gym in their area - I don't, living in a very small town. Granted, there are 'Body Weight' training moves that one could do without equipment, but they only make up a small part of the actual program and do not really offer the full degree of training the book advocates.

So, while I would love to put the program to the test - and am ready to give it the time and effort it deserves - I cannot because my circumstances don't allow it. Maybe someday. Guess I'll just stick to my kettlebells for now.

The Mummy Case

 - by Elizabeth Peters

(Amelia Peabody #3) 

It's not you, it's me.

Ok, I'll admit. I struggled to finish this one and was pretty eager to see it end. Though I've only had time and energy to read before bed lately, I was "okay" with putting The Mummy Case down far too quickly; picking it up again seemed to be a chore, not a delight.

The first novel, Crocodile on the Sandbank, was what lured me into the series in the first place. I enjoyed the witty repartee between Emerson and Peabody; I could relate to Peabody, and found Emerson totally entertaining. And the mystery aspect of Crocodile was attention-grabbing enough to keep me reading with interest. The second novel (The Curse of the Pharaohs) ...meh, not so much. And this third one, even less captivating than the second. Not that Peters isn't a good writer. Not that the characters aren't amusing (although, for me, I found the series started to lag once Ramses the Egyptologist wunderkind was introduced). Something was just... lacking.

I suppose it's the fact I don't really enjoy reading so much light-hearted banter and goings-on amidst a mystery. Perhaps it's the serious-toned, dreadful mysteries I prefer (a la Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Anne Perry). Perhaps light-hearted mysteries aren't my cup of tea?

Either way, it's not you, Elizabeth Peters – it's me…

Nevertheless, I am willing to read the next novel in the Amelia Peabody series, at some point in time, hoping that my stick-to-itiveness will be rewarded and my interest in the rest of the series will be rekindled.

The Face of a Stranger

 -by Anne Perry

 (William Monk, #1)

London. July 31, 1856. Enter, William Monk. At the outset of The Face of a Stranger, we know as much about Monk as he does: not much at all. A carriage accident has left him completely amnesic. Confused and dismayed at his current state, Monk gradually learns - through observation of his rooms, and carefully worded questions to others (without revealing his disadvantage) - that he is a police Inspector. Much to his chagrin, he comes to the realization that, while he is a brilliant detective, he is also callous, generally disliked, and infamously ambitious - willing to trample on others to advance his career. Others' reactions to Monk, paint a grim picture of his character - someone he does not even like, himself. While rather unlikely, it is fascinating to read the lead character's introspective thoughts and 'internal woolgatherings' as he comes to know the person he used to be, and is striving to change with every turn of the page.

Amidst all of this, Monk is sent back to work. He must piece himself together, while investigating a gruesome murder of a Crimean War hero, a member of the gentry. He ultimately succeeds in solving it with the help of his newly-assigned Sergeant, John Evans, who becomes his trusted friend, and Hester Latterly, a nurse who knew the murder victim in the Crimea.

I was impressed with how the story was constructed. While the investigation of the Grey mystery became cumbersome at times, overall the plot was very engrossing! Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed by who the culprit was, as I had suspected them early on, and hoped it was something a bit less predictable. However, the story was truly about Monk and his 'self-discovery' -- I enjoyed that aspect the most and it was really well done.

The Face of a Stranger was refreshingly different and a treat to read. What a clever way to involve the reader... by making the main character a mystery unto himself! I look forward to more in this series.

EDIT TO ADD (July 2013): I am current reading book number 11 of the Monk series. I am enjoying every single one!

Crocodile on the Sandbank

 -by Elizabeth Peters

 (Amelia Peabody #1)

What fun!

This enjoyable light read offers a playful romp through Egypt with a bit of mystery (albeit, predictable), romance, intrigue and humour thrown in for good measure. I'm looking forward to delving head-long into the rest of Peters' series - she writes with wit and a deft turn of phrase, but also bestows a certain amount depth to her characters.

Narrator and unlikely 'heroine', Amelia Peabody, is matter-of-fact, unflappable and very believable (I took to her in an instant); she resigned to the idea of becoming an 'old maid'. While in Rome, she rescues Evelyn, an English gentle-woman who has found herself on the losing end of a an imprudent relationship and in a compromising situation that jeopardizes her respectability. She soon becomes Peabody's companion and close friend, as the two head to Egypt to spend the winter months on the Nile - Peabody to escape the dullness of England's winter and Evelyn to escape a scandal. A chance encounter brings them into the acquaintance with the Emerson brothers, encamped at an ancient Egyptian archeological site. Strange occurrences begin to plague the dig, involving a run-about Mummy intent on frightening off the small party! New friendships are forged, and new enemies made, as the mystery at the archeological site begins to unravel.

Being the first of the series, this book "sets the scene", and is no doubt more of an introduction to the characters and their personas, as opposed to an elaborate storyline. (Emerson is quickly becoming a favourite!) It was certainly an enjoyable premiere!

Bring on the next!

Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady

-by Edith Holden

Country Diary was originally published in 1906. Is it any wonder that reading this book makes me feel like I'm stepping back in time? One flip of a page and I'm instantly in Edwardian accouterment, sitting in a beautiful field atop a quilt on a breezy summer day, with my pen and journal in hand.

Elegant and absolutely beautiful, this book is a visual banquet that I will continue to enjoy whenever I open its pages! Its amazingly detailed drawings and paintings of nature are coupled with the author's notes and poetry of the time.

It has encouraged me to dig out my own art journal now and then, even when I "think" I have nothing worthy to write about or draw. Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most, and the journey - not the destination - that counts.

Rebecca

Rebecca
-by Daphne du Maurier

416 pages (2001) Harper Paperbacks
originally published in 1938
ISBN 978-0452284142

MY RATING: 4.5/5

modern-day Jane Eyre

The house at the centre of Daphne du Maurier's novel Rebecca, opens with the famous lines: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me”. A fitting introduction to the spellbinding tale of intrigue, mystery and love.

At the outset of the novel Rebecca reflects on a dream she has had about Manderley estate, and as the story unfolds, she becomes the narrator of her story.

Simple, naive and young, Rebecca staying at a hotel with her employer, Mrs. Danvers, happens to meet the brooding handsome Maxim de Winter, a wealthy widower who is rumoured to have lost his first wife under mysterious circumstances. She ultimately becomes his second wife, and they moved to his estate at Manderley. As she settles into high society, she realizes how diffucult the adjustment is for her. Her relationship with Maxim becomes the object of rumours.

Mrs. Danvers, the mysterious and cruel housekeper.

The Shipping News

- by E. Annie Proulx

Awash with atmosphere and emotion

One can compare Proulx's rhythm of writing with that of the sea – mesmerizing! The Shipping News tells the story of a mediocre newspaper reporter in Mockingbird, NY, by the name of Quoyle (we don’t learn his first name). Lumbering, incurably withdrawn, and painfully self-conscious, he is described as having "a great damp loaf of a body" with "a giant's chin" that he constantly tries to hide with his hand.

Good-hearted but generally unsuccessful, Quoyle has always considered himself a failure. He is father to two young daughters, Bunny and Sunshine, and is completely devoted to his unfaithful and abusive wife, Petal Bear. Shortly after kidnapping and selling Bunny and Sunshine to sex traffickers, Petal and her lover are killed in a car accident. The two girls are located by police and returned safely to Quoyle. He feels his world collapsing around him.

When his paternal aunt (headstrong upholstering-entrepreneur, Agnis Hamm) convinces him that a fresh prospective would do both he and his two young daughters good, Quoyle decides to reclaim his life and goes back to his roots - Newfoundland; where his aunt, in search of a new life for herself, is headed. After moving into his family's ancestral home in Killick-Claw, he is hired on at a local newspaper, "The Gammy Bird", to report on the shipping news, the comings and goings at the local port.

Inevitably Quoyle settles into a small fishing village existence, where life is ruled (and sometimes, taken) by the sea. Where boats are a necessity and not recreation. As the tide ebbs and flows, troubling family secrets are uncovered. Despite his disturbing past, Quoyle gradually forms close bonds with those in the community and begins to gain the self-assurance and emotional strength he’s always lacked - allowing himself to love, and be loved, again.

Adding richness and atmosphere are the varying pieces - unusual characters - that make up the patch-work of small-town, Killick-Claw. Quoyle's newspaper coworkers... Jack Buggit, owner and editor of the newspaper, for whom fishing is both a calling and a curse. Old sea dog, 70-something, Billy Pretty – handles the home and local gossip column. Beaufield Nutbeem – animated English castaway on the Newfoundland shore who covers foreign correspondence and tracks down sexual abuse stories, is obsessed with his boat and plans of sailing across the Atlantic in it. Ever-enraged, Tert Card – "face like cottage cheese clawed with a fork" who describes himself as "the bloody so-called managing editor, copy editor, rewrite man, mechanicals, ad makeup department, mail and distribution chief, snow shoveler", harbours dreams of relocating to Florida. Then of course there’s the mad old hermit cousin who attempts to cast spells by tying a wide array of nautical knots. The former-truck driver who knits over his desk. The boat builder who hums the same folk tune under his breath. The tall quiet widow, Wavey Prowse, who ultimately changes Quoyle’s life.

Poignant, heart-rending, quirky, graceful, and often gut-splittingly funny, The Shipping News is a beautifully touching portrait of human emotion – a story of loss, pain, recovery and hope. Like most small village potboilers, it's a slow-moving yet vivid yarn that takes patience to immerse yourself in. But unlike the frigid and unforgiving Atlantic waters off the Grand Banks, it won't fail to warm your heart.
~
Penned prior to my review...
This book is on my 2011 reading list, and has sat on my shelf long enough. Glad I finally picked it up and read it. It's definitely one for my "favourites list". Started listening to this while in hospital, on audiobook. Narrated by Paul Hect who did an amazing job! This was so well-written (aside from a few expletives, which I felt were not necessary). Atmospheric and thoughtful. Really enjoyed this. Being from Nova Scotia, working in the newspaper industry, and knowing many Newfoundlanders helps too! ;) Hope to write a proper review of this soon.