Straight Into Darkness by Faye Kellerman

I just finished a new mystery/historical novel by Faye Kellerman. It is a mystery novel that takes place between World War I and World War II in Munich, Germany. The book is about an Inspector who is trying to solve a murder but each time he gets closer to finding the murderer, another murder occurs. I have read all of the Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus mystery novels by Faye Kellerman and I knew she wrote other types of mystery and historical novels but I did not think I would like them. However, this book was really interesting to me because I know all about World War II and how it started and I have read many books on the holocause but I have never read a fiction novel that takes place between World War I and II.

Straight Into Darkness puts a different spin on Germany and World War I and the development of World War II. I kept wanting to read the book more and more because I wanted to know the new developments Inspector Axel Berg discovered. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery with a historical twist.

Hair Today Gone Tommorow

Yesterday, I got a haircut but not just any haircut. I got a haircut in order to donate my hair to Pantene Pro V. Pantene Pro V is a shampoo company but they are also an organization that accepts hair donations. The donated hair is then made into wigs and given to people with cancer or other diseases that cause people to lose their hair.

I have wanted to donate my hair for a long time because my mother had lung cancer and I remember what it was like for her when she was loosing her hair from chemotherapy. I remember when she went shopping for wigs and how hard it was for her to loose her hair. I really admired her courage, bravery and positive attitude throughout it all and I wanted to do something personal to honor her memory. After I got my haircut, I felt so happy and satisfied that I was giving back to the community in this way. One thing I learned from watching my mother go through cancer is to appreciate the little things in life because life is very precious. Another thing I realized is you have to figure out what you believe in and what you want out of life and you cannot be afraid to follow your dreams.

Rosh Hashana 2008

This past week I celebrated Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, with my family. Rosh Hashana is a time for prayer and reflection. It is a time where Jews from all over the world go to synagogue and pray to God to have a year of health and happiness. It is also a time where Jews reflect on their actions and figure out how to improve themselves overall. Many Jews think back to anyone they have wronged in the past year such as their friends, family and coworkers and ask them personally for forgiveness.

To me, Rosh Hashana is an opportunity to reflect on the past year and find ways to be a better person for yourself and for others. This year I decided to really look within myself and I decided to make a resolution to be a more positive, upbeat, patient, less angry and more sensitive. I sat in synagogue over Rosh Hashana and prayed to God to forgive me for anything I have done wrong. I also really tried to connect personally with the prayers and for the first time I felt as if I was talking one on one with God.

After Rosh Hashana, I felt like a new person and I am really making a concerted effort each day to be a more positive and sensitive person. I am also making an effort to appreciate the great life that I have been given and to make each day count.

Reflections Of This Past Week

Most of my blog posts are about books, magazines and other general, important lessons I have learned along the way but I wanted to write this blog about a personal lesson I learned this week. A lot has happened to me personally this week and it has been hard to deal with at times. As a result, I was not always there for my friends and family as I should have been. Every time I was not as nice as I should have been to the people in my life I regretted the way I acted right afterward. Tonight, I started the Sabbath by lighting the candles and having a really nice Shabbat meal with my boyfriend. I realized during the beautiful Sabbath meal that no matter what happens in my life, good, bad or stressful, I am so lucky to have my friends and family who love and care for me. They are there for me without judgement through good and bad times and the Sabbath is a time that I reflect on my life and my past week and realize that I am lucky to have such a great job and great friends and family who are there for me always.

One thing I am going to try my utmost hardest to work on is being more positive within myself and to others as well. Since Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, is coming up I am really going to try and use this holiday as an opportunity to better myself by being a more upbeat and positive person because no matter what happens in life if I put a positive spin on something I will be happier and less stressed in my life.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

I have just started reading the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and it is a really great book. The book talks all about women in Afghanistan and takes you through the story of a couple women and their life story. It is a very sad book but very inspirational. It is sad primarily because of the political situation and the impact that has on the lives of all the people in the country. It is also sad because of how women are treated in Afghanistan. Women are treated as second class citizens and men are the primary breadwinners for the household so the women have to answer to the men. These women are often forced to marry young to men they have never met and do not and sometimes will never love. I have not finished the book yet but despite the hard lives the main female characters in the story lead they find strength to pursue life to its fullest.

This book really inspired me to reflect on my life. I realized that despite the hustle and bustle of my busy life my problems are minor compared to what people in Afghanistan go through in this story. They are born into a country that is constantly in turmoil and are dealing with the personal hardships that brings to their lives while I am dealing with a busy work life. Reading this book made me realize that I am lucky to have a nice, comfortable home, a great job and great family and friends. I highly recommend reading this book and I hope it inspires everyone the way it has inspired me.

A New Insight Into Children

It has been a while since my last blog post but that is because I recently started my first full time job working with preschool children at a day care center. It has been an amazing experience. I have been working with children part time since I was in high school but working full time with children is very different. Working in one preschool class every day has really opened my eyes to how children interact with others and how the see the world in general. Also, when working in a class with toddlers full time it allows me to connect with them on a personal level. Every day I learn new things about each child in my classroom. Also, every day I am learning various techniques through my hands on experience on how to interact with and teach toddlers.

Things I Have Learned When Working With Toddlers
1. Always talk to them in a friendly and kindly manner
2. Each child is an amazing young person and each one views the world in a unique manner
3. Every day is a unique experience and toddlers want to learn all they can about the world
4. When teaching toddlers always remember to have fun with them
5. As an assistant teacher, I am helping them form the foundational knowledge that will carry them through their future lives

The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

I am in the middle of reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult and I love it so far. It is a really interesting book that keeps you in suspense. It is about a family who lives in Bethel, Maine and the hardships they go through. The mother works out of the home while the father works from home as a comic book writer and is considered the primary caretaker of their daughter Traci Stone. The family is your typical suburban family leading a normal life until a tragedy happens to Traci and affects her parents and their entire small town. Traci's parents struggle to help her cope in the wake of her tragedy despite their own interpersonal issues.

What really interest me about the book is how the author normalizes the Stone family. Jodi Picoult shows that no family is perfect and every family goes through good and bad times but sometimes it is the bad times that can bring a family together. Not only does Picoult write an interesting book but she keeps a serious, dramatic story suspenseful. I have been reading this book at night and it is hard to put it down. The combination of this dramatic story that tugs at your heart strings and the suspense that goes along with that make this an amazing book that I highly recommend reading.