April Reading Receipt

Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy

Three books this month:

1)The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr

I liked this, although I have not read any of Karr's memoirs. (She's written three.)  I found myself writing down a lot of quotes from this, which is always the sign of a good book.  If you write in any way I think you would appreciate this book.  Here's just a taste: "Developing a voice is actually learning how to lodge your own memories inside someone else's head."

2) Matilda by Roald Dahl

I actually read this out loud to my class.  I love Dahl (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Charlie and The Great Glass Elevator, James and The Giant Peach), but I had never read this book before.  Dahl never shrinks from creating horrible characters in children's lit.  I think that's part of why kids enjoy his books.  I know it's part of why I enjoy them.

3) The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

This started really well.  Technology causes a "word flu". Unfortunately, it really dragged for me in the middle and end.  I got impatient with the "aphasia" the characters were experiencing in their narration.  I did write down a few quotes from this one early on, though. "Words are living legends, swollen with significance.  We string them together to make stories, but they themselves are stories."

So true.

The Best Words This Week

Welcome to The Best Words This Week.  This is a new idea I recently had for the blog.  The idea is to just share a snippet of words that made me sit up and take notice during the course of the week.

This week, I've been reading The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon.  It's the kinda-not-too-distant- futuristic story of a world dependent on smart "Memes" (think a very sophisticated smart phone that can anticipate your needs with just your thoughts) in which the English language is about to be phased out. I've written down several quotes from it already, and I'm not even halfway done.  To be honest when I read this part last night, I knew it was the perfect one for this inaugural post.

"When I was eight, he made me a dazzling blue and silver sword encrusted with sequins (which soon fell off).  Amazed, I asked how he'd made it.  "Wood and glue," he said, shrugging.  It had become one our tropes, with different meanings - it could be used to signify something either magical or very prosaic.  But mostly we said it when we meant "toughen up"; that we can fashion our strength from whatever we want."

Wood and glue.  Yeah, I like that.  We can fashion our strength from lots of different sources.  For me it's music or words, my faith or wearing a favorite item of clothing or jewelry or by drawing up a memory of another happy time.  I once was caught in the middle of a very contentious battle of the wills at work and consciously made the choice to wear a locket my husband had given me with pictures of both of my children inside.  It made me feel stronger and reminded me what I was fighting for.  There are lots of mornings when I just need to hear a certain song to get me ready to face another day.  And quotes.  My God, the quotes I've run through my head that have helped me "toughen up" over the years!

Another reason I think this struck such a chord with me is that I'm all about a good trope.  Growing up in my family, we had all kinds.  "Bad news, Bert, " and "Nature of the beast," are two that spring to mind immediately.

So I'll be adopting that expression now.  Wood and glue - the best words this week.

Kim

Small Spaces

I don't think my entire house is ever in order at the same time. With two kids, a full time job, five pets, and my husband, it's just not something I'm willing to spend every waking moment on.  Who am I kidding?  I'm also kind of a slob.  Because of this, I revel in it when I have one space that really makes me happy.  I noticed that lately I tend to snap pictures of areas that really give me an emotional boost.  Then it occurred to me to share this idea on the blog.

I've been collecting pieces from The Pioneer Woman's kitchen line since it came out in the fall.  What I really love about this line is that it has lots of different colors and designs, but everything still fits together.  I've never been able to commit to a "theme" in my kitchen or even a color scheme.  Until now.  

Man, do I love this stuff.  I tend to lean a bit towards her "Flea Market" designs which are kind of hodge podge but are pulled together by a common color palette.  Not everything I have is from that line, though.  My dishes are Cowgirl Lace and Country Garden, but somehow they still magically coordinate.  I bought several pieces when it debuted but have been picking up a piece or two when I grocery shop at Wal-Mart once a week.  She's recently released linens into this line.  I've slowly been replacing my old, worn-out, mismatched towels each week.  It's weird how much something like that can lift my spirits.  Then I found this runner last week and put this together over the weekend after I took down all my Easter stuff.

I love the way this turned out.  Of course, I have to move my $5 Kroger flowers at night or the cats will knock them over.  

March Reading Receipt

Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy for Quick Lit today!

I "only" read two books this month.  The use of the quotation marks is because one of them was Justin Cronin's The Passage.  This was a monster of a book.  When I read a novel like this one, I am always amazed by how some writers can create a complete world of their own.  This book was tense and complex but so easy to read at the same time.  Paradox?  Yes, those are the best kinds of books.  If someone had told me that this book was about vampires (and I hesitate to write that because I don't want to turn you off), I probably would have thought, "More than 700 pages about vampires?  No, thanks."  But it's not about vampires.  It's so much more.  Just give it 25 pages and you'll see what I mean.

This was a month of extremes because the other book I read was The Grownup by Gillian Flynn.  I read this in under half an hour.  Some people might argue that this is more of a short story, but I'm counting it because it was actually in the physical form of a book, all by itself.  I think Flynn easily could have developed this story into a full blown novel, but I'm glad she didn't.  I've read books where it feels like the author is milking an idea that should be a short story into a novel.  I find this annoying.  This book was short and completely satisfying.  I really applaud Flynn for being the master of the unlikable, but somehow likable, protagonist. 

I thought this picture says it all.  Good things come in all sizes.

Kim

What's Up, Wednesday?

Hi, have we met?  I'm Kim and I used to post every Wednesday to answer the question, "What's Up?"

Ha ha.

Even though it's late and I slept like crap last night, I still feel the urge to post this.  Let's get to it.

Our girl turned 13.  I do feel like I'm old enough to have a teenager, I just don't necessarily think it should be this little girl.  Ah, well.

We made a trip down to wine country because my brother had a big birthday this year as well.  It was a very last minute decision.  Here's the thing about last minute decisions.  I usually have to feel pretty strongly about them to make them happen.  Well, I did.  And I'm glad I did.

Let's hear it for the arts.  The girl and I went to the ballet last weekend.  Cinderella, and it was perfect.  I hope our local fine arts center will have more offerings like this.

And spring.  Okay, it's not really spring.  And I feel this probably won't last.  But we've had two beautiful days this week and it's been enough to trick our early bulbs to flower.  I'll take it.

And this book.  Whoa.  I mean, really just - whoa.  When my husband picked it up for me from the library, he handed it over with a warning about the due date being the earliest one of the bunch.  Being that is 700 plus pages, I thought I'd give it the 50 page test and if it didn't grab me, back it would go.  But it did grab me.  Firmly.  By the lapels.  It didn't take 50 pages either.  It was more like 5.  I guess it's a good thing Spring Break is next week.

Kim

February Reading Receipt

Linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy today!

Last month I had the idea to do an end of the month post detailing the books I had read for the month.  You can read my January Reading Receipt HERE, if you're interested.

On to February!  With Leap Day this year, I had an extra day in this month.  I wish I could say I spent it reading, but sadly that was not the case. I did get inspired to kick it into gear and finish the book I was reading when I realized yesterday was almost the last day of the month.

Here's what I read this month:

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Four novellas by the master of horror with a right-on title since each of these stories was darker than the one before it.  Reading these took me back.  I hadn't read a novella by King since high school.  He still rocks this genre like no one else.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I had seen and heard a lot about this one all over the internet.  Sometimes it's the trailer for an upcoming movie that inspires me to go ahead and read the book. That was the case here.  I liked the main character of this story a lot.  I will be reading the sequel to find out what happens to her.

Calvin by Martine Leavitt

This was probably the most unusual book of the month.  Calvin has a tiger he talks to named Hobbes and a best friend name Susie.  Sounds familiar, right?  Except this Calvin is a teenager who was just been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  He's sure if he can get Bill Watterson to make one more comic strip of a grown up Calvin without Hobbes he'll be cured.

Walden on Wheels by Ken Ilgunes

This was my one nonfiction read of the month. I was able to borrow it for free on my Kindle with my Prime membership. Ilgunes was newly out of undergrad school with a Bachelor's Degree and $32,000 in debt.  After working tirelessly at various minimum wage jobs in Alaska for five years to pay it off as soon as possible, he decides to go to grad school but refuses to go back into debt.  He devises a plan in which he will live in his van in a parking lot at Duke University and work full time.  This was thought provoking but a lot of the time I felt the author didn't know what he wanted at all.

That's it for ths month.  See you at the end of March with another reading receipt.

Kim

What's Up, Wednesday?

So this happened this week:

The girl got her pointe shoes for ballet.  She started ballet at four years old.  When we went to her first recital at the end of that school year, I remember watching the older girls dance up on their toes and wondering if she'd stick with dance long enough to get to that stage.  We've always left it up to her to decide if she wants to take dance each year.  Guess what?  That time has arrived.  

Snow!  We had snow this week, although not much in the way of accumulation.  We had snow showers Monday and all day Tuesday.  At one point, I snapped this photo of the windows of my classroom because it was like being inside a snowglobe all day.  

(Yes, I am lucky enough to have a view of the dumpster from my classroom.  It's a big deal when they come to empty that during school hours.  Jealous much?)

Yesterday was Mardis Gras.  I ordered a King's cake from a local bakery, and wow.  Wow.  That thing was de-lish.  The baby is still hiding in there because we couldn't finish the whole thing in one night.  But that wasn't because I didn't do my part.

And finally, I have several books from my last library trip that are due on the 22nd, but then this came Monday.  I've decided to read it instead of any of the last haul since Valentine's Day is coming up.  I saw that the movie version of this starring the great Emilia Clarke from my beloved Game of Thrones is coming out soon.   I doubt she'll be eating any horse hearts in this movie from what I've read so far, but I'd still like to see it.

Kim