My birthday was today.

We celebrated with French pastries for brunch and pizza for dinner with friends. The phone calls and emails and Ravelry messages poured in from loved ones far and wide.

And then Rudi and I dozed off together curled up on the couch.

It was a good day.

I hope you had one, too.

Dear D.C. DDOT,

How did you know what I wanted most for my birthday was a cleared street?

You’re the best!

Thanks and Happy Valentine’s Day!

love,
soe

I forgot to post this last Saturday, so caught up in the snow was I. Conveniently, I didn’t finish anything new this week, so it won’t be overshadowed by anything else.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco S. Stork

From the jacket: “Marcelo Sandoval hears music that nobody else can hear — part of an autism-like condition that no doctor has been able to identify. But his father has never fully believed in the music or Marcelo’s differences, and he challenges Marcelo to work in the mailroom of his law firm for the summer … to join ‘the real world.’ There Marcelo meets Jasmine, his beautiful and surprising coworker, and Wendell, the son of another partner in the firm. He learns about competition and jealousy, anger and desire. But it’s a picture he finds in a file — a picture of a girl with half a face — that truly connects him with the real world: its suffering, its injustice, and what he can do to fight.”

My take: I started hearing a lot about this book at the end of last year, when it appeared on several best-of-young-adult-literature lists, and so, when I saw it in a display at the library, I picked it up.

I’m glad I did. Marcelo has a unique voice amongst the characters I’ve read before. Half the time he refers to himself in the third person and half the time in the first. He has a tough time discerning sarcasm (I was reminded somewhat of Sheldon’s perpetual confusion in The Big Bang Theory.), is often confused by people’s emotions and underlying motives, and likes to work in a methodical way that enables him to minimize errors. When he’s forced to work at his father’s law firm, that’s a big problem, where petty jealousies, selfish subterfuge, and cut-throat competition define the rapid-fire paced workplace. And that doesn’t even begin to get into what it’s like to work for your father, especially when he’s made it clear that he feels you’re coddled and not living up to your potential.

The only bright light is his supervisor, Jasmine, who, despite declaring that she hadn’t been in favor of his hire, works hard to make sure he’s able to do his job. And when he makes a discovery that will change the tenor of his days, Jasmine is there with him to assist in what will become his summer’s quest and a crucial decision in his life.

I always find it fascinating to see into the thought-process of another, and this book really gives you a glimpse into that. The end of the book brought a smile to my face and I can only wish good thoughts for Marcelo in the next (unwritten) chapters.

Pages: 312

I finished this novel on January 31st, giving me three novels that were begun and completed during the month. Thanks to the NaJuReMoNoMo folks.