Roxanne Suson, a Brookfield native and graduate of Brookfield East High School, provides readers with an eclectic mix of topics. Once a trial attorney, now a full-time mom, Roxanne blogs about the happiness, sadness, and absurdity of life and family in the suburbs.
It is a ritual I started in high school and continued through the early years of my marriage. Then, I had a baby, and ...phht, it went out the window. Reading the paper at the kitchen table, with a cup of steaming coffee at the ready, was one of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning. Now, I’m lucky if I remember to retrieve the paper from the box by Monday, let alone read it.
Last week Sunday though, I was battling a virus that would have killed a lesser woman, and my family left me alone, either because they didn’t want to catch it or because my general level of crankiness scared everyone off. So, I spent the morning reliving the glory days of being able to read the paper in solitary peace. I knew the Journal Sentinel was being revamped, so I already knew that one of my favorite sections, “Lifestyle,” was being merged into a new “Cue” section. What took me by surprise was a feature that was missing. I decided to wait and see if it would make an appearance this Sunday.
This Sunday, I wasn’t so lucky. Still sick but not sick enough to be granted a reprieve of another solitary morning, I didn’t get to the Sunday paper until Tuesday afternoon. I searched the Cue section, but I didn’t see it. I think the powers that be have decided to axe it permanently.
I’m talking about Jacquelyn Mitchard’s Sunday column. Ms. Mitchard is from Wisconsin. I was a fan of hers even before her book, The Deep End of the Ocean, became the first book recognized by Oprah’s Book Club. In her weekly column, she wrote about “real” things -- life, death, family. When she wrote about the illness and death of her husband, I cried. When she regaled us with the antics of her many children, I laughed, and when she met and married her next husband, I rejoiced with her. It’s not often that you can find a writer who can do that in a single column. The woman certainly knew how to wield a pen (or a computer as the case may be). It’s a shame that the work of a writer of her caliber, and one from Wisconsin no less, is missing from our Sunday paper.
Speaking of authors, I have to put in a plug for another female author who will be in the area on Saturday, February 10. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, one of my favorite books, will be appearing at the Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore in Mequon (alas not Brookfield!) at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Although I hesitate to characterize her book as “chick lit” because it is so much more than that, her book will probably appeal more to women than men. But if you’re in a place in your life where you wish you could just pick up and go on an adventure (or maybe you’re just dreaming about it), I would recommend her book. The book is an autobiography. In the aftermath of a difficult divorce, Ms. Gilbert undertook a year-long journey, traveling to Italy, India, and Indonesia. You’ll read about the beautiful places she visits, the extraordinary people she meets, and the details of her life-examining journey to find peace. Although some parts of the book may be a bit “out there” for some, I think it’s a great read. I believe it is now, or soon will be, available in paperback.
