Finished Julie and Julia

An old Friend of the library had a shirt that read, "I finished a book today... what did you d0?" It's a good feeling, but whenever you finish a book you've enjoyed there is a little letting go process. Sometimes it's hard to pick up something new - nothing will quite fit the space it has created in your head. Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously was for me that type of book. Julie Powell writes of Julia Child, "I have no claim over the woman at all, unless it's the claim one who has nearly drowned has over the person who pulled her from the ocean." Julia taught her what it takes to find one's way in the world. "It's not what I thought it was," she writes. "I thought it was all about - I don't know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there's something else, something that these things grow out of. It's joy." Powell found her way through mastering the art of French cooking, just as Child did decades before. Mastering the art of just about anything can bring endless joy - there's nothing quite like learning something new and really developing competence in what you love. Now, on to the next book....