Feeling Mutual

“There it was, there it is, the place where during the best time of our lives friendship had its home and happiness its headquarters.” —Wallace Stegner

Rachel asked for 8 minutes and I aim to give them to her.  (I’d give her 8,000 if she wanted more.)  Granted, I’m not very punctual, am I?  Therein lies the good news—Rachel knows I’m behind, overwhelmed, understaffed (she’d find a euphemism that sounds softer to make me feel better), and she understands perfectly.  Four phenomenal words: And she understands perfectly.  Not sure how or why, but that’s the magic of it.  Everyday my heart ticks on, and every day I’m more awed by her brand of empathy.  It’s as lovely as it is scarce.  And I’m so thankful to have found her. 

In Crossing to Safety, Stegner reminds us that “Friendship is a relationship that has no formal shape, there are no rules or obligations or bonds as in marriage or the family, it is held together by neither law nor property nor blood, there is no glue in it but mutual liking.  It is therefore rare.”  That’s so true. Makes me wonder if Wallace secretly met Rachel. He’d like her—that’s for sure.  But not nearly as much as I do. I’ve thought about this (not about Wallace Stegner liking Rachel, that just came to me now)—about why our friendship feels as natural as breathing or blinking or hearts beating. About why it seems effortless, although we both make time and drop everything in a fast second for one another.  Honestly, I like to give Rachel all the credit; you would too if you knew her.  But maybe Wallace is onto something.  Maybe it’s just because of mutual liking.  Plain and simple…and incredibly rare.

Posted by Tracy

Throwback Thursday

It is love and friendship, the sanctity and celebration of our relationships, that not only support a good life, but create one. Through friendships, we spark and inspire one another's ambitions.

Do you follow Ann Dee Ellis on Instagram? You should. Her feed is a favorite around here. I'm loving her #8minutememoir series and when Day 21 involved our September book club pick, you bet I was all in. Bonus: a book review (of sorts) in 8 minutes. That's a golden ticket to this time-starved mama.

Ann Dee posted a pic of the quote above from Crossing to Safety with these instructions: "Friendship. Write about a friend who sparks and inspires your ambition and maybe you do the same for them. 8 minutes." Here goes:

I wonder if there's a part of our soul that steps aside and takes a mental snapshot of moments that at the time may seem small or even insignificant, but end up being life-changing. For Larry and Sally Morgan, that moment was a dinner party. For me, it was waving my first hello to Tracy across several lines of people at JFK Airport while a mutual acquaintance shouted introductions. There must have been an inkling that I'd just met a once-in-a-lifetime friend because I remember that moment in vivid detail. 

While Tracy and I stayed close in college, we lost touch a little after we both married. Not for long though, we reconnected when our oldest kids were still babes and quickly became each other's lifelines when the never ending demands of child care felt heavy. Like Anna Quindlen, we had our books and each other. We encouraged each other to keep reading, keep writing, even if we only got a few lines in before our heads hit the pillow. Our conversations stimulated creativity on days filled with diaper changes and feedings. She was my Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest. Those years of reading the same books, searching for the perfect reads for each other, and long discussions brought us here today: to Two at Twenty-Seven. We're glad you've come along for the ride.

*First, 8 minutes goes fast! I'll admit I cheated and added the last two lines after the timer went off. This obviously isn't a typical review, but as Crossing to Safety is a beautiful study of friendship, I hope you'll forgive me. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book. Or if the mood strikes you, your own #8minutememoir!

Posted by Rachel

Red-Hot Read

 

The only things dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties.

I served up tacos for dinner, compliments of Café Rio.  Not because I’m a procrastinating parent or a derelict cook, but because it’s National Taco day.  I’ve lived for 40 some odd years (round down) not knowing that I needed an excuse to eat tacos. Maybe ignorance is bliss?  

At any rate, since it’s kid lit Tuesday and a day dedicated to tacos, I thought I’d recommend an “irreverent crowd pleaser” from the award-winning tandem of Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri. It’s hard to resist a children’s book about dragons. If you’re anything like Rachel and me, it’s hard to resist salsa.  (We’re aficionados, for real.) So this book is rather perfect for kids (big and small) who love a taco party where dragons are guests who aren’t afraid to enjoy some sauce.  This is a red-hot read.  I love a book that inspires hilarity.  Your littles will laugh out loud as they get their silly on.   

P.S. The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations in Dragons Love Tacos are pretty hot too!

Posted by Tracy

Bookstore In Love

I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, 'Where's the self-help section?' She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. —George Carlin

Rachel’s fallen and she can’t get up.  She must have bonked her head on the way down because she said, and I quote, “Enough about Colin.”  I have a mind to drive to Vegas tonight.  Time to watch Pride and Prejudice, The King’s Speech, A Month in the Country, Girl with a Pearl Earring, and Magic in the Moonlight all over again. What a fine idea at this late hour!  (I’ll bring the corn Rae; you supply the cokes.)  

We could tack on Shakespeare in Love if we’re feeling spry. That reminds me…we haven’t mentioned that a Riverside Shakespeare was blithely discovered (and purchased) in The Last Bookstore.  Naturally, we made our way there when we were in Cali. Rachel has officially been vindicated. And her forgettable boyfriend, Robert Whatever, can breathe a sigh of dramatic relief.  If only Bruce Young would pontificate once again for margins’ sake.  The place was pretty spacious, kinda dusty, and all around awesome.  We stayed till close.  I found a charming little book about Jane Austen. Rachel and I both purchased Far from the Madding Crowd in Penguin Clothbound.  Oh and Rae snagged a used copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel too.  What a fun memory from our trip. If you find yourself in downtown LA with a bit of spare time, be sure to check it out.  You’ll be glad you did!

Posted by Tracy

Throwback Thursday (Audiobook Style)

Pardon me while I fall off my chair. Tracy Jackson, yes our Tracy Jackson, a printed-page-purist through and through, just announced she's willing to give audiobooks a try. Gasp. First puppies and now this. I swear I hardly know her anymore. While I'm beyond thrilled she's willing to climb aboard for a trial run, I feel the need to intervene or this train may derail before it makes it outta the station.

Although Sissy Spacek reading To Kill a Mockingbird is a guaranteed home run, it pains me to say that not even Colin Firth could salvage The End of the Affair for me. Depressing with a side of yawn. (My apologies if you loved it.) Pop in your Pride and Prejudice dvd instead, followed up with The King's Speech for some icing on your Mr. Darcy cake.

Enough about Colin, back to Tracy. This experiment is too important to leave to chance, folks. We need to pull out the big guns. Here are five of the biggest:

Hands down favorite listen. I don't care if you've read The Help five to ten times and seen the movie, you still need to listen to this book. Trust me, you'll thank me later. If this book doesn't turn you into an audiobook lover, I don't know what will.

Two words: Edward Hermann. Now there's a narrator. His voice feels like home to me. Who better to bring Joe Rantz and The Boys in the Boat to life? (Speaking of voices that feel like home, David McCullough's reading of The Wright Brothers is right up there as well. Perfection.)

Speaking of Gilmore Girls (Edward Hermann), Big Stone Gap feels like the Stars Hollow of rural West Virginia. Bonus: Adriana Trigiani narrates the book herself. This is one of those books I think are made better by the listening. Kathryn Stockett (author of The Help) wrote of Trigiani: "I don't know how Adriana goes into her family's attic and emerges with these amazing stories, I'm just happy she does. If you're meeting her work for the first time, get ready for a lifelong love affair." Amen.

The Bartender's Tale made my top 5 last year and it's one of my favorite listens as well. I've yet to meet a Doig I didn't love—on the page or in my ear. The same narrator of this one, David Aaron Baker, knocks it outta the park again with The Last Bus to Wisdom. And Jonathan Hogan's reading of The Whistling Season series tops my list too. I do love me some Doig.

This last slot featured a slug fest between The Invention of Wings and All the Light We Cannot See with Wings pulling it out on a technicality: the writing is so exquisite in All the Light that I had to buy the hard copy so I could mark line after scrumptious line. So Wings wins for costing me less money. Flimsy argument as I did the same with Doig. Do yourself a favor: listen to both!

***Did I leave out one of your favorites? From the comments below I can tell I already left out some of mine. Melissa has me thinking maybe All the Light We Cannot See should've one that slug fest. And how could I forget I Capture the Castle and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? This is why I struggle with favorites... Share some you love so we can all find new favorites!

Posted by Rachel

Time To Take It Up With The Ugly Stepsister

“When you read a book, the story definitely happens inside your head.  When you listen, it seems to happen in a little cloud all around it, like a fuzzy knit cap pulled down over your eyes.” —Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Never say Never Rae.  I just listened to 5 minutes and 48 seconds of Sissy Spacek’s southern lilt reading To Kill A Mockingbird. As a matter of fact, this old dog just purchased the audio book.  Yep.  You heard me right.  I figure if I kicked the I-don’t-want-a-dog habit, I’m capable of conquering other stubborn ground. (I’ve got my own makeover goin on over here.) Why you may ask?  I suppose it’s because I can.  That doesn’t mean I’ll like it.  But I am gonna try it.  Just like the printed stuff, I aim to do my homework.  Here’s the VIP direction I’m headed in:

Because I’m still doin the English major thing and I can’t realistically disappear to a room of my own, listening to Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse may be a great place to start with this audio experiment of mine.  The real draw here is hearing Nicole Kidman—her ability to bring Woolf’s words to life has been described as “genius.” 

I hate to admit it, but I’ve never read The Wizard of Oz.  Sorry L. Frank Baum, don’t mean to disrespect. While I may opt to read this to the kiddos since we’re on a moony reading roll, I might be savvy to give the job to Anne Hathaway.  She does seem pretty perfect for this gig.  

And despite the fact that I’ve never (yes, I just said never) been interested in reading Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, I desperately want to listen to it. If that sounds contradictory, I have two words for you: Colin Firth.  Dare I say I will listen to anything read by Mr. Darcy…I mean Mr. Firth: the Phone Book, The Pilgrim’s Progress, Mein Kampf, you name it.  

Feels like a new day.  I may even get a jump on the Christmas holiday and purchase this promising audio book for Rae: Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs. Hilary Swank does some dog-lovin’ justice as she reads about pure canine admiration.    

Posted by Tracy

Our Bookshelf Just Got A Makeover

I hope I will never have a life that is not surrounded by books. —Rick Bragg

Remember that promise we made months ago about a rating system? Well today's finally the day, folks. We may not always(ever) be punctual, but we do keep our promises...eventually. Enough about our shortcomings, let's celebrate the fact that it's easier than ever to find books we've read and what we thought of them. We now have a tab for each genre rather than combining them all on one bookshelf. From your mobile, just click on the menu above and you'll see the new categories. Fair warning: our ratings involve emojis so you'll need to view from a device with software that has been updated within the last year (ahem, we may or may not be guilty of not updating a computer for a couple years). The one thing we're missing is an emoji to let you know when we listened to the book (by we, we mean Rachel...Tracy would never). Still trying to find something better than that creepy ear emoji. If you have any suggestions, we're all ears. Heh heh.

Posted by Rachel