Eat more chicken...

I was reading one of those Yahoo! news articles yesterday...."Eating too much meat will kill you"...blah blah. You know the deal, every week there's a new study being released saying that if you do this or that you have more chance of cancer or premature death. It was wine the other week. Thankfully, they have moved on from that because I was beginning to worry. Now it is meat, or specifically, red meat. Next it will be caffeine etc. The good news is, and I quote from the article, "People whose diets contained more white meat like chicken and fish had lower risks of death". I thought this was amazing. Can I really lower my risk of death by eating fish and chicken? Interesting. But it seems a bit fishy to me...eh eh. Sorry.

I just finished "Paradise" by A.L. Kennedy. It took me longer to read than I wanted and this was due to sheer lack of time and tiredness. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It's central character, from whose perspective the story is told, is Hannah, an alcoholic. We accompany Hannah from one drunken binge after another as she tries to keep things together. And while she tries to block out all the shameful embarrassments that drinking has caused her, by drinking more. She meets and falls in love with another alcoholic (although one could argue her real love affair is with alcohol) and what ensues is a not very romantic, but at times, painfully honest description of their relationship. I think the book works because, while being honest and as ruthless as it can be about the nature of alcoholism, it avoids the pitfall of being a moral tale of the dangers of alcoholism, or the the redemptive tale of the reformed alcoholic. Also I did not get the sense that it was driving towards some conclusion about Hannah's life after drink, or whether or not she overcomes her addiction. The writing is poignant, raw, sometimes uncomfortable, and at times very funny. Particularly with Kennedy's witty observations of other people. (I read she is now a stand-up comic). While Hannah revels in self-pity, self-loathing, plain old selfishness, and a near constant shame (the mainstay of alcoholics), I still found her likable and felt for what she was going through, without wondering if she would give up drink or not. I find Kennedy's writing style really stays with me after I have put the book down, but I'm sure it's not for everyone.

I have a couple of possibilities next. I was thinking of delving in some Dickens or George Elliot. Or Indelible Acts, short stories by A.L. Kennedy (seeing as I am on a Kennedy kick). Or To Siberia, by Per Petterson. I'm not sure.

I also have to organize this blog a bit better!