Cautious Reader

I'm reading "Eat, Pray, Love" because well, Julia Roberts is in the movie. I know that's a rotten reason, but there it is. It's like that joke on Last Comic Standing--the guy was saying, "no one ever has to learn to read anymore, because if the book is really good they'll make it into a movie. And then they'll re-release the book with the movie star on the cover and some dumb shlub will pick up the book and say 'Julie Robert is in this book' and be all disappointed when it's just words." Great jokes, but of course, I digress.

This book had good reviews, but it has the word "Pray" in the title. I read the introduction at the book store and yes, the author's idea of "pray" and my idea of "pray" are very similar, so that should have allayed my caution. So I bought the book at a second hand book store and it's been sitting on the shelf for a while. I lament and lament, I have nothing to read and still that book sits on the shelf. So I've just read three really good books in a row and there's nothing new to read (until I break down and pay full price for the new Jennifer Weiner book--her last one was such a disappointment, I'm really trying to wait for paperback or the library, but once again, I digress).

In the middle of the night a few days ago, I couldn't sleep. My eyes weren't even tired. So I picked up this book thinking I would just read the introduction again (since I'm going to go see Julie Roberts in the movie pretty soon anyway). Since I was thinking Julia Roberts as I read--I heard it in her voice. Her voice is rather nice, so I continued to the first chapter. In very short order, I started hearing Elizabeth Gilbert's voice and not Julie Roberts. Her style of writing is so free wheeling and rather breezy and rambling--reminds me a lot of, well, me. She's divided her story into prayer beads (I love organization) and I find myself trying to name her chapters (almost impossible given the rambling style). I can read a few pages and put it down, which is pretty good since the babies have been home the last few days. [Matthew views me as his personal transportation--he can walk, but he's adverse to it when there is a perfectly good Aunt Kathy hip to hang from.]

I'm really enjoying this book. Liz (we are on a first name basis now--she's very easy to be friends with) has a wonderful way of describing the most minute details. She's talking about depression and loneliness catching up to her 10 days into the first leg of her trip as though they are two annoying guys that won't leave her alone. She wants to learn to speak Italian just because it is a beautiful language. She describes the origins of the language in an understandable, interesting way. This is great stuff. BUT... This is Italy. This is the "Eat" part of the book. What is the "Pray" part of the book going to be like. I'm taking my time with this book--slow and steady. Cautious. [If I suddenly want to make a pilgrimage to India or Indonesia, commence the intervention. There's no chance I want to go to Italy, because there's nothing for me to eat there. Whereas, I might convince myself I didn't need to eat in the other two places (although the smell of their food should be deterent enough). See rambling--and she's a successful author at it.]