days 14 & 15 of the 30 day book challenge

I failed yesterday. I got caught up in taking care of some things around the house (aka making snowflakes & a paper chain before grocery shopping. I'm not going into these two, because I love them too much. If I start writing, I won't be able to stop.

Day 14. Favorite book of your favorite writer
"Speak, Memory" is the memoir of Vladimir Nabokov's childhood–a novel seeped in the emotions only a child can feel, in a writing style that is, in my opinion, unparalleled. His sincerity, sentiment (without being too sentimental), & synesthesia show his passion for connections, allusions & pattern from a young age.

The story follows him through his childhood in Russia, with its best chapters showing the relationship with his mother, who is also said to have experienced synesthesia. He was a sensitive child, eager for emotional experiences & learning–though perhaps not with his tutors.

For more on this amazing memoir, check out this Washington Post article.

Day 15. Favorite male character

Atticus Finch is the father in one of my favorite novels, "To Kill a Mockingbird"–a novel loved by my mother, aunts and cousins as well. I can't think of this novel without thinking of my family & their passion for reading.

I think my mom described Atticus best, saying that he is the conscience of the town–the understanding that they all have, a physical representation of their justice & their ideal system of justice. It's no wonder Scout & Jem idolized their father & followed in his footsteps–like Scout stepping forward in the crowd that forms outside the jail.

One of my friends who also loves Atticus has tried to decide what a cocktail named after him would include. We have strongly settled on the fact that Atticus would have been a whiskey drinker–but what sort of whiskey? With what? Apparently, others have similar sentiments about the character we would all love to have as a father. This bar in Brunswick shares is named after him.