Now. I'm serious - right now. I turned it in to the library this morning, so it's probably still there, just waiting for the next person to check it out and enchant them as it has me.
The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson is going on my Top 10 Fun Reads list (which is different from the favorite books of all time; a good read and a favorite read are not necessarily the same thing. Discuss!). A woman receives a handbook on embroidery stitches as a gift, only to discover within the handbook the story of Cat, a young woman in Cornwall in 1625 who years to see more of the world than her uncle's home and a marriage to her cousin. I don't want to spoil anything else for you, because finding out Cat's story alongside the story of Julia, the woman the book has come to, makes this a double "can't put it down" read. Warning: teensy bit of cheesiness in the final chapter, but not enough to ruin the rest of the story/stories! I want to pick this one up again right now and re-read it already. BUT - instead, I've returned it to CMCPL so you can get it next. GO! The library opens at 9 am. Be there.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
By request :)
You asked for it, you got it. My favorite books of all time that you MUST sit down and read as soon as the kids will let you.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you haven't already read this, go find your high school English teachers and slap them around. Shame on them! I'm also attached to Harper because she and my grandmother were friends. I wish I could have sat around listening to the two of them talk.
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The book that opened my eyes to the wider world as a third grader. My favorite babysitter gave it to me and I probably stayed up all night long with a flashlight to finish it. Meggers is named for the main character, Margaret "Meg" Murray.
3. The Little House books by L.I. Wilder. I re-read these when I'm tired of heavy mental lifting and dreaming of the simple life. We just finished the first 5 with Meg and she loves them too and wants the rest of the series for Christmas. Yaay!
4. The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes. A truly brilliant novel that I stupidly lent out to an acquaintance about 15 years ago and never got back. I need to hunt this one down again. I wish all books made me think and laugh this much.
5. Everything by Sharon Kay Penman. The BEST historical fiction writer I have ever found, hands down. Incredible storytelling, unforgettable characters and rock solid history. Start with When Christ and His Saints Slept and just see if you can't resist reading the rest of her work.
6. Lord of the Rings by Tolkein. Yes, I am an uber geek. And most LOTR fans would beat me to death for saying so, but I think J.R.R. would have done well with a bit more forcible editor. However, I've read this book once a year since the movies came out and still find something new to fascinate me each time. In defense of myself, I had not read LOTR until Chris took me to see Jackson's Fellowship. Someone had recommended LOTR to me in third grade and I bought The Return of the King by accident - oops. Nothing made a lick of sense, so I quit reading and figured the friend was a nut. Wish I'd read it back when, in correct order!
7. Illusions by Richard Bach. My best friend Rita gave this to me as a gift in college, telling me to listen to what Bach was trying to say. Then she helped me fall in love with the Episcopal church. Which explains my off-kilter Christian beliefs, I think. :) Wonderful book.
8. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Incredible storytelling. After starting this one, I had to go back and read my Old Testament to put it in perspective.
9. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The book that made me a Christian. Thank you Cheri.
10. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. My educational heroine and inspiration. I have already worn out one copy and bought my second, and I've only been homeschooling for 5 years. It will either make you want to homeschool or at the very least wish you'd had an education like this.
So there you have it! Let me know how your list compares.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. If you haven't already read this, go find your high school English teachers and slap them around. Shame on them! I'm also attached to Harper because she and my grandmother were friends. I wish I could have sat around listening to the two of them talk.
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. The book that opened my eyes to the wider world as a third grader. My favorite babysitter gave it to me and I probably stayed up all night long with a flashlight to finish it. Meggers is named for the main character, Margaret "Meg" Murray.
3. The Little House books by L.I. Wilder. I re-read these when I'm tired of heavy mental lifting and dreaming of the simple life. We just finished the first 5 with Meg and she loves them too and wants the rest of the series for Christmas. Yaay!
4. The History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters by Julian Barnes. A truly brilliant novel that I stupidly lent out to an acquaintance about 15 years ago and never got back. I need to hunt this one down again. I wish all books made me think and laugh this much.
5. Everything by Sharon Kay Penman. The BEST historical fiction writer I have ever found, hands down. Incredible storytelling, unforgettable characters and rock solid history. Start with When Christ and His Saints Slept and just see if you can't resist reading the rest of her work.
6. Lord of the Rings by Tolkein. Yes, I am an uber geek. And most LOTR fans would beat me to death for saying so, but I think J.R.R. would have done well with a bit more forcible editor. However, I've read this book once a year since the movies came out and still find something new to fascinate me each time. In defense of myself, I had not read LOTR until Chris took me to see Jackson's Fellowship. Someone had recommended LOTR to me in third grade and I bought The Return of the King by accident - oops. Nothing made a lick of sense, so I quit reading and figured the friend was a nut. Wish I'd read it back when, in correct order!
7. Illusions by Richard Bach. My best friend Rita gave this to me as a gift in college, telling me to listen to what Bach was trying to say. Then she helped me fall in love with the Episcopal church. Which explains my off-kilter Christian beliefs, I think. :) Wonderful book.
8. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Incredible storytelling. After starting this one, I had to go back and read my Old Testament to put it in perspective.
9. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. The book that made me a Christian. Thank you Cheri.
10. The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. My educational heroine and inspiration. I have already worn out one copy and bought my second, and I've only been homeschooling for 5 years. It will either make you want to homeschool or at the very least wish you'd had an education like this.
So there you have it! Let me know how your list compares.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Ahhh..........relaxing and reading......
We got back from the beach Sun. night and it was then that I realized I read three books while we were down there - yaay me! I started another while we were there and was given two others, so I have lots of good reading to come too.
First up was "Mr. Darcy's Diary" by Amanda Grange. My dear friend Shirley, who is a fellow Austenphile, recommended it and she was spot on. Grange is brilliant at channeling Austin, but this one is Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's viewpoint. Dreamy! I flew through this one in less than 2 days.
Next up was "Falling Angels" by Tracy Chevalier, which was interesting while I was reading it, but since it took me about 20 minutes to remember what the book was about and I then had to google the author to figure out the title, it obviously wasn't one that sticks with you. I adored Chevalier's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and liked her "The Lady and The Unicorn" as well, so I hoped this one would be as inspired. Ehn. Not so much, but like I said, a pleasant though not memorable read.
When I finished it, I picked up "Crossed" by Nicole Galland, which I had brought as my heavy reading. It wasn't grabbing me, however, and since Timo had just finished reading Crichton's "The Lost World" I picked it up instead. Zoom! Gotta love Crichton. He's definitely a page turner. Timo was fascinated by the idea of chaos theory and that humans could be bringing about another extinction, and I have to admit, it is scary/exciting to think about. It stirred lots of conversations about protecting the environment and being stewards of the earth.
Now I'm working on Crossed again (too much modern speech for characters set in the 1200s if you ask me), and in the wings sit "Live to Tell" which Mom gave me. She met the author at a church dinner and was very moved by her story. Not a cheerful read, but something important that I will get to. Christina gave me Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" which I promised to try even though all the other McCarthy I've tried has given me headaches. I'll give it a shot for Christina's sake.
In between the books, I'm trying to catch up with a week's worth of The Leaf-Chronicle, two Newsweeks, the latest Domino and Reader's Digest, and emails. I think I'll get caught up right before we go out of town again this weekend. Whew.
First up was "Mr. Darcy's Diary" by Amanda Grange. My dear friend Shirley, who is a fellow Austenphile, recommended it and she was spot on. Grange is brilliant at channeling Austin, but this one is Pride and Prejudice from Darcy's viewpoint. Dreamy! I flew through this one in less than 2 days.
Next up was "Falling Angels" by Tracy Chevalier, which was interesting while I was reading it, but since it took me about 20 minutes to remember what the book was about and I then had to google the author to figure out the title, it obviously wasn't one that sticks with you. I adored Chevalier's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" and liked her "The Lady and The Unicorn" as well, so I hoped this one would be as inspired. Ehn. Not so much, but like I said, a pleasant though not memorable read.
When I finished it, I picked up "Crossed" by Nicole Galland, which I had brought as my heavy reading. It wasn't grabbing me, however, and since Timo had just finished reading Crichton's "The Lost World" I picked it up instead. Zoom! Gotta love Crichton. He's definitely a page turner. Timo was fascinated by the idea of chaos theory and that humans could be bringing about another extinction, and I have to admit, it is scary/exciting to think about. It stirred lots of conversations about protecting the environment and being stewards of the earth.
Now I'm working on Crossed again (too much modern speech for characters set in the 1200s if you ask me), and in the wings sit "Live to Tell" which Mom gave me. She met the author at a church dinner and was very moved by her story. Not a cheerful read, but something important that I will get to. Christina gave me Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" which I promised to try even though all the other McCarthy I've tried has given me headaches. I'll give it a shot for Christina's sake.
In between the books, I'm trying to catch up with a week's worth of The Leaf-Chronicle, two Newsweeks, the latest Domino and Reader's Digest, and emails. I think I'll get caught up right before we go out of town again this weekend. Whew.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Kate vanquishes the computer demons!
I have no clear idea how I did it, but when I found that file on the computer last night - the one that had all the numbers and letters strung together and included files in Arabic and THAI - and deleted it, I managed to fix the *#&$^% computer!!!!! Yaaay me! So THERE, tech services folks! Yeah, like I need you! Bah! (Just a hint: AdAware and SpyBot are MUSTS on your computer. And Firefox is a good thing too.)
So instead of blogging the past few nights, I've been reading! Karen passed along "Remembering Blue" by Connie May Fowler. I read Fowler's "Before Women Had Wings" back when we lived in Tallahassee. I don't remember tons about it - main character has an obscure bird's name, abuse, solace found in crazy old black lady who protects her - but had a positive memory about the book. I'll probably say the same of "Remembering Blue" in a few years. The main character isn't quite believeable and the language is slightly too literary and stilted, but since it is set in my absolute favorite place on the face of this earth - Franklin County, Florida, home to Apalachicola, Carabelle and my beloved St. George Island - and Fowler has pegged the area EXACTLY, I am enjoying it, if for nothing more than stirring my anticipation of our beach trip coming up next week. Ahh, I can smell the beach breeze already.
A quick note on my newest fountain pen: LOVE it. Writes reliably, the ink cartridges are surprisingly long lasting, and it has a lovely fine nib. Thank you Tato and Paige!
I have started one scrapbook page this week of Timo skateboarding. I hope I finish before we go to St. George, but doubt I'll find the time between laundry, packing and planning. Which I really ought to be doing NOW. Ah well.
So instead of blogging the past few nights, I've been
A quick note on my newest fountain pen: LOVE it. Writes reliably, the ink cartridges are surprisingly long lasting, and it has a lovely fine nib. Thank you Tato and Paige!
I have started one scrapbook page this week of Timo skateboarding. I hope I finish before we go to St. George, but doubt I'll find the time between laundry, packing and planning. Which I really ought to be doing NOW. Ah well.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Zzzzzz.........
Timo inhaled "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" last Saturday afternoon, so I said I'd read it so we could talk about it. Ugh, sorry I said that. It's only 77 pages, but just not a compelling read. I'm stuck on page 26 and have no urge to keep going, except that I know my boy expects me to. The good side: Lots of great vocabulary words!
I'm headed to the library in a bit in order to finish up homeschooling books for this week and next, and to start scoping for books to read at the beach. I believe I'll pick up some Jodi Picoult but don't know what else to look for. I can hope I'll get browsing time in, but it's doubtful.
I'm headed to the library in a bit in order to finish up homeschooling books for this week and next, and to start scoping for books to read at the beach. I believe I'll pick up some Jodi Picoult but don't know what else to look for. I can hope I'll get browsing time in, but it's doubtful.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Zoom! The good ones go by too fast
The ending of a book can complete or ruin the entire story for me. If it's unrealistic or too put together, I'm irritated at the author for not having the vision to know where his/her story is going. Not often enough, I dread the last few pages because I know it's coming to an end and I don't want it to - I want to keep living in this world. (Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings do this to me every single time.)
"Thousand Splendid Suns" wasn't quite to the "NOOO! Don't let it end!" level, but only because the ending was perfectly written. Hosseini tied up loose ends and made his tale satisfying without making it to precious and twee. Beautiful prose, stirring description, heart breaking in it's connection to reality, living, breathing characters and inspiring, this book brings to life Afghanistan, it's people, and the struggles the women and children face under Islamic law. I finished reading and felt I have to do something now. This is the BEST kind of writing there is.
I recently read Greg Mortensen's "Three Cups of Tea" which means I'm on a bit of an Afghani women streak here. That book touched me deeply as well, so I went digging around to see what kind of awareness and financial support programs are available through Mortensen's site. Looks like I just missed hearing him speak nearby: http://www.threecupsoftea.com/Intro.php
darn it. But here is a good organization that has shown it can affect change: https://www.ikat.org/ I'm looking into the Pennies for Peace campaign for my Girl Scout troop to sponsor and maybe as a project at the church too.
Now onto the next book: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Timo started asking about it this past week and read it in one sitting yesterday. He liked it "okay" he said, so I'm going to read it now and we'll discuss it this week. Lots of high-power vocabulary words (thank you Robert Louis Stevenson!) and possibly an essay out of this one.
And now I suppose I should go rally Chris to finish caulking and painting the front door. Ugh. Why did we think this was a good idea? I don't remember.
"Thousand Splendid Suns" wasn't quite to the "NOOO! Don't let it end!" level, but only because the ending was perfectly written. Hosseini tied up loose ends and made his tale satisfying without making it to precious and twee. Beautiful prose, stirring description, heart breaking in it's connection to reality, living, breathing characters and inspiring, this book brings to life Afghanistan, it's people, and the struggles the women and children face under Islamic law. I finished reading and felt I have to do something now. This is the BEST kind of writing there is.
I recently read Greg Mortensen's "Three Cups of Tea" which means I'm on a bit of an Afghani women streak here. That book touched me deeply as well, so I went digging around to see what kind of awareness and financial support programs are available through Mortensen's site. Looks like I just missed hearing him speak nearby: http://www.threecupsoftea.com/Intro.php
darn it. But here is a good organization that has shown it can affect change: https://www.ikat.org/ I'm looking into the Pennies for Peace campaign for my Girl Scout troop to sponsor and maybe as a project at the church too.
Now onto the next book: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Timo started asking about it this past week and read it in one sitting yesterday. He liked it "okay" he said, so I'm going to read it now and we'll discuss it this week. Lots of high-power vocabulary words (thank you Robert Louis Stevenson!) and possibly an essay out of this one.
And now I suppose I should go rally Chris to finish caulking and painting the front door. Ugh. Why did we think this was a good idea? I don't remember.
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