Let's Toast

It's that time of the month when one of my long-time friends and I meet up for a catch-up session. Marina and I met up at Toast on 3rd street (by the Grove) and got comfortable on the couches. If you've never been to Toast then I highly recommend going for dinner during the week. Then order the garden salad and call me to say thanks.

As I started on my after dinner latte I noticed a reader across the way. "Praise everything that is holy!" I was thirsty for an interview after my dry spell. I approached the woman and made many attempts to get her attention before she finally realized I wanted to talk to her.

Caryl had finished her meal and was relaxing with her copy of My Sister's Keeper. It was a present from a friend. She hasn't seen the movie yet however she'd like to once she finishes this book. "This way I can compare the two." Caryl had this amazing New York accent with a touch of sass. "Honey, I am 64 years old. I've read many books in my lifetime. Sure I've read many novels that were adapted into movies. Yes, I prefer the books but you have to remember that movies are told from one person's adaptation and perspective. With books, everyone has their own mental interpretation."


Caryl was a voracious lil' reader at a young age. She even told me that her librarian thought she would grow up to be a librarian herself because she came into the library every day and read every single book in the building. She rarely reread books, claiming she retained most of the stories. There were a few books she read as a child that she vowed she would reread as an adult. "I knew I would have a better understanding of it if I came back to it as an adult." For example, Caryl read Gone with the Wind when she was 13. She reread the book as an adult and had a whole new appreciation for it. "Then when I watched the movie I realized how each character was perfectly cast. The actors were on the money!"

Her favourite books growing up were Westerns because she felt they were the epitome of what America was all about. As she got older she most enjoyed James Michener novels, Caravans being her favourite of all his works. Of course, she loves her some Shakespeare. Caryl even started reciting lines from "Macbeth", the best of all his plays, in her opinion. This was quite the treat.

When asked what she would write about if she could write her own book she paused, took off her specs and looked up at the ceiling. "I'd write about life." I asked her to elaborate on such a broad topic. "I'd write about my personal experiences. I mean, we all face similar adversities so I would write about how I handled different situations in my own way. I'm sure many people can relate to or learn from my personal experiences."