For the most part, I was pretty completely bored by Other People's Love Letters: 150 Letters You Were Never Meant to See, edited by Bill Shapiro. It's not that I think gathering together other people's love letters, emails, and cards is a bad idea, it's just hard to really enjoy them out of context. (I have this problem often with the PostSecret books, where people share their secret thoughts, hopes, confessions, etc.; I much prefer the Found books, which are also random, but I prefer the "found" nature of the contributions rather than the "shared" type.)
So I just flipped through this one and was ready to take it back to the library when I read this card:
(Below the greeting card picture of a cartoon man and woman in a tub with the sentiment "Happy Mother's Day, Honey.") "To my incredibly sexy wife,
You don't actually have to share the bath, as the picture shows, but since I know you're in desperate need of some relaxation (and getting into the bath isn't your idea of the most hygienic way to do it), this card comes complete with a promise from me to clean both our bathrooms thoroughly--including scrubbing the tubs. Love, Charles."
Boys, take note. THAT is how you write a love letter.*
*I also enjoyed this succinct but heartfelt email: "I don't know what got me higher last night all the herb we smoked or our kiss. We're gonna have to try both again so I can be sure. ;)"
Did I ever tell you I add almost every book you blog about to my to-read list? I don't think I've beaten you to a title yet.
PS I tagged you for a meme.
Posted by: Jessica | 12 August 2008 at 11:07 PM
Hello, Jessica!
I LOVE adding to people's TBR lists. I love it when people add to mine, too, which you invariably do at your site as well.
I don't participate in memes (this blog is theoretically meant to be about books, not me) but I'll be happy to give you a shout out (Jessica's blog is http://botheyes.wordpress.com/) in my next Friday Free Associating and answer your meme questions here. Sorry to be such a stinker. Evidently "killjoy" is a rather large part of my personality. Below are six quirky things about me, just for you. And I very much enjoyed your exorcism/baptism story. I think you should tell us more...
1. I hate pools. I learned how to swim but literally hate the experience of being in a pool and plan to never enter one again.
2. I like cloudy days best.
3. Brown is my favorite color.
4. When I was little I threw out my dolls, much preferring my stuffed animals.
5. Mom rescued my dolls from the trash. I still didn't play with them.
6. I often wish I could be a six-foot-tall boy for a day, just so I could feel what it would be like to walk around with height and strength, as well as not feeling like a fraidy cat girl.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 13 August 2008 at 01:01 PM
okay. You TOLD me to read this book and (once again) I can't remember author or title. But it was written by a witty woman (with an ?Ivy League? or anyhoo good college degree) and she was working as a house cleaner and got reamed out by a flake due to a Cheerio (cereal circle) in the sink...
and she found a letter taped to the back of a picture, while dusting a house. A love letter. An unrequited, passion letter. And she stuck a stamp on it and mailed it. And I LOVED that...
My second-most favorite love-letter story. Sorry for rambling.
tl
(who now is passionately in love with that guy up above. Uh, the one with the reefer or maybe the one with the squeaky clean tub. Hoping they are the same! Betcha they both are Trip!)
Posted by: The Laundress | 14 August 2008 at 12:09 AM
Brown? Really, brown?
Posted by: The Laundress | 14 August 2008 at 12:11 AM
Laundress,
I thought you might enjoy both of those letters. They totally tickled me.
I am so sorry I can't remember the house cleaner book. Was it a nonfiction book or fiction? Maybe if I think on it hard enough it'll pop back into my tiny little brain. We can always hope!
You never have to apologize for rambling. I love your rambles.
And yes, really, brown. I love brown. I love dark chocolatey browns and almost black coffee browns and rich light warm tans and glowing wood browns and autumn leaves orangey browns. I know it's weird. But as a color it always makes me happy.
Posted by: Citizen Reader | 14 August 2008 at 10:04 AM
It was nonfiction, mostly black cover with an image of a woman holding a mop in front of her face.
Okay, you can even sell me on brown. Coffee, chocolate and glowing wood? Now I think I love brown too.
Your dirt-colored dresser,
tl
Posted by: The Laundress | 14 August 2008 at 09:46 PM