It's Monday and I'm back!

Hi guys! I missed you. Did you have a fantastic Christmas? Did you read lots of books and eat too many cookies? That is a trick question. There is no such thing as too many cookies at Christmastime. The good thing about not blogging for a week is that I read a ton of books and I am psyched to get back to telling you which books I loved and learning which books you think I should read next. 

What books did you get under the tree? Here is my holiday loot. 

Now I would be remiss if I did not brag here for a short moment. My husband...he is better than yours. I'm sorry to bust your bubble like that, but he did a super wonderful really amazing thing. When I was a little girl, my neighbor got me an autographed Madeleine L'Engle book. Somewhere in the shuffle of changing rooms and going to college, that book was lost. Madeleine is not with us anymore to sign a new book for me. So my awesome husband got me not one, but two signed Madeleine L'Engle novels. And one of them? A limited first edition. Yup. My husband won Christmas. 

End of bragging. Here is what I have read since my last "It's Monday" post:


For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women
By Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English


The Age of Miracles
By Karen Thompson Walker


The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag
By Alan Bradley


A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman
Found Herself Sitting on the Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband Master
By Rachel Held Evans


The Lost Daughter
By Lucy Ferriss


Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
By Cheryl Strayed

Posts from last week:
It's Monday
Review of Wonder Boys
So Long, 2012

Reading Now:

The Adventures and the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


Up Next:

Mended: Pieces of a Life Made Whole
By Angie Smith


What are you reading this week?

So long, 2012

Hi there, friends.

This is going to be my last post of 2012. I am taking a week or two off to enjoy some Christmas festivities. I know a lot of you will be away from your computers anyway, so you won't miss me too much. (Or will you?)

I meant to write you a most excellent review of I Know This Much is True before my blogging break but alas, it just didn't happen. Something to look forward to in 2013? You can also eagerly anticipate my best of 2012 list, which shall be revealed in January.

Anyhow, I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful Christmas or Kwanzaa or had a wonderful Hanukkah or whichever holiday you call your own. I am thankful for each of you who comes to read my ramblings in this little corner of the internet. So...eat too many cookies, drink some eggnog, and have a very very happy holiday! See you next year.

With love,

Literary Lindsey (and David)

Review: Wonder Boys

Wonder Boys

By Michael Chabon

Random House 2008

368 pages

From my shelves

Grady Tripp is an English professor who has spent the past seven years writing his novel Wonder Boys. As the story opens, a writing conference is taking place on the campus where he works. This means that his editor is en route and will want to know the progress of his book. It also means that Grady will be expected to hobnob with his students at the chancellor's house, which might be easier if he wasn't having an affair with said chancellor right under her husband's nose. Oh, and his wife just left him on top of everything. Grady and company set off on a madcap adventure complete with a stolen car, a dead dog, and a Passover celebration that doesn't go quite as planned.

I thought this novel had quite a few moments of insight about the creative process and commitment to art. Grady had a successful first novel and has been trying to finish his next one for years...or maybe he's not really trying that hard. After all, it's hard to live up to that first success. He finds happiness in life intrinsically connected to the pages he has written. “This was the writer's true doppelgänger, I thought; not some invisible imp of the perverse who watched you from the shadows, periodically appearing, dressed in your clothes and carrying your house keys, to set fire to your life; but rather the typical protagonist of your work -- Roderick Usher, Eric Waldensee, Francis Macomber, Dick Diver -- whose narratives at first reflected but in time came to determine your life's very course.” 

The plot is interesting and your drive to keep reading basically becomes your disbelief that Grady can, in fact, dig himself out of these enormous problems he has created for himself. But the characters were disappointing to me. There are moments when Chabon seems to be trying too hard to make his characters outrageous. There is constant pot smoking. Grady is apparently interested in every woman he encounters and his editor appears to be attracted to every man who crosses his path. Unfortunately, that propensity to push the characters farther and father makes them seem unrealistic and unlikable.

Wonder Boys is a book that you really have to read to believe. Grady Tripp is one of the craziest characters I have yet to discover on a page, but that didn't mean that he was a character that I loved. Chabon is a great writer who crafts beautiful sentences seemingly effortlessly and takes his readers on amazing adventures. I just missed the whimsy and warmth that can be found in some of his later books.


Other books by Michael Chabon: Telegraph Avenue, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, The Yiddish Policemen's Union 

It's Monday and it's almost Christmas?

I can't fathom beginning this new week without a few words about the horrific tragedy that happened in Newtown on Friday. As the mother of a five year old, it is all too easy for me to imagine those events happening in my sons's school...to his friends...to him. But of course I know that my imagination does not even touch the way that those parents and families are feeling right now. I feel like there are so few words that mean anything in this moment, so I will just say that I am praying for those children, those parents, that school, and that town and they are on my heart and mind and will be there for a long time.


Reading-wise, I did something this week I haven't done in a long time and tried to work through two books at once. As usual, I sped through the fiction much faster than the non-fiction read. That's not to say that I'm not enjoying For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women. However, it is one of those books where you finish a chapter and you just need to mull for a while on the ridiculous ways in which doctors and 'professionals' used so-called science to justify keeping women silent and submissive.

In other news, I am scrambling to finish all of these Christmas-like things. We are hosting Christmas dinner here, which is exciting and the list of things to accomplish before then is long! Are you ready for Christmas yet? Or did you already celebrate Chanukah?


Read This Week:

I Know This Much is True
By Wally Lamb


Posts from this Week:
It's Monday
Wednesdays with David: The Library Dragon
Reviews of Antarctica on a Plate and The Awakening and Other Selected Stories


Reading Now:

For Her Own Good: Two Centuries of the Experts' Advice to Women
By Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English


Up Next:

The Age of Miracles
By Karen Thompson Walker


What are you reading this week?

Review: The Awakening and Selected Short Stories

The Awakening and Selected Short Stories

By Kate Chopin

Barnes and Noble Classics 2003, originally published in 1899

256 pages

From my shelves

Kate Chopin is widely heralded as one of the first and most important feminist writers. Her stories met with great disapproval in her time due to her portrayal of miserable marriages and women who found the inner courage to search for something different. The first (and best-known) story in this collection is The Awakening. It revolves around Edna Pontellier, who lives an affluent life in New Orleans with her husband Leon and two small sons. As they vacation, she feels an increasing dissatisfaction with her life and her relationships. She slowly begins dismantling and rebuilding her life, hoping to find peace, a purpose, and perhaps even happiness.

There is no doubt that Chopin is an important writer. She wrote about women who were not content to be decorations on their husbands' arms in a time when such things were not to be spoken of. She captures the subtlety of depression and despair beautifully and is exceptionally talented at making the reader feel as if they are actually in a New Orleans mansion or vacationing by the shore. We can feel, though Edna's experiences, the haze of desire or complacency and the cold slap of harsh reality.

But Edna as a character is not particularly engaging. She is detached from her life and seems detached from the reader as a result. She can be impulsive at times and Chopin spends little time explaining her choices, leaving it up to the reader to conclude what they will. It's hard to know whether Chopin intended for her character to become a figurehead for women's rights. Many modern critics vilify Edna as selfish and inconsiderate or celebrate her as a woman who dared to break free of the restrictions of her time. Either way, Edna (and, it would appear, Chopin) don't seem to care about what you think. Both author and character found an outlet for the discontentment they felt about their lives - Chopin through her writing and Edna through her painting.

While I found the writing good and the characters interesting, I had trouble reading these stories all in a row. Chopin writes a very specific kind of story and things start to feel repetitive quickly. This is an author who truly understands the short story and, in many cases, the stories that take up the fewest pages are the ones that pack the greatest emotional punch. When you read Desiree's Baby or The Story of An Hour, it almost seems as if you can close the entire volume because you understand Chopin and her skill as a writer. This author is one who should not be missed in the cannon of American writers. Reading one single powerful story will give you insight into why she is important as a talented writer and as someone who spoke for women when they had no voice.

Wednesdays with David: The Library Dragon

The Library Dragon

By Carmen Agra Deedy

Illustrated by Michael P White

Peachtree Publishers 1994

From the library

The story: Sunrise Elementary School has just hired a new librarian. She is...well...not what they expected. She doesn't allow the children to touch the books. She gets in arguments with the principal and the other teachers. And she's also a dragon.
Can one brave little girl teach Ms. Lotta Scales that books are for enjoying and discover a secret in the process?

Mama opines: I threw this in our library pile this week in the midst of all the Berenstein Bear and dinosaur books. This is a humorous tale with a lot of silly puns thrown in for the parents. Case in point: "Miss Scales thought that the way some books spread an unfounded fear of dragons was positively inflammatory." The illustrations are smart and colorful and there are lots of jokes hidden within the pictures if you are looking out for them.

Thoughts from David: I like it because the dragon keeps getting the books and she does not let anyone take the books.

Favorite part: When the dragon is actually a person! 

Happy Reading!

Review: Antarctica on a Plate

Antarctica on a Plate

By Alexa Thomson

Random House Australia 2003

385 pages

Won from Heather from Based on a True Story

Alexa Thomson was a web designer working for a Australian bank when she happened to hear about an Antarctic expedition that was looking for a chef. Bored with her typical life, she decides to apply for the position despite the fact that the sum of her cooking experience was several seasons of working at a summer camp. Despite her lack of training, she is hired and Alexa sets out with a group of people she has never met to explore one of the last unknown parts of the world.

I thought that this book sounded like an interesting premise and it's a goal of mine to read more non-fiction. I have certainly never traveled to the Antarctic and the only cooking I've ever done is within the safety of my own kitchen! Reading this book seemed like a great opportunity to get a glimpse into a universe I will never have the chance to experience. And it was...sort of.

My first complaint about this book is that it is just not written in a very engaging manner. I never really felt like I knew the narrator or became invested in what would happen to her. Ms. Thomson manages to write almost 400 pages about her experiences without giving a great deal of insight into who she is or how she feels about the incredible opportunity she is given. And the chronology of the story seemed random. It gave me the sense of a teenager sitting in front of you and saying, "Well, one time we did this thing and then we saw some penguins and hey, did I tell you about the time we met the Russians?"

There is a lot of beauty and wonder in a place like Antarctica, but unfortunately Alexa experiences only a little of it. Most of her time there seems to revolve around complaining about the conditions, about the limited resources for cooking, and about her companions on this trip. This book doesn't do much to give its readers a sense of the majesty of the Antarctic and it certainly doesn't make them appreciate the men and women who make the incredible journey to explore it. 

It's often said that there are too many memoirs being published lately. Memoirs need a compelling story and a likeable narrator, and they need to be written in a way that makes the reader eager to discover what happens. Unfortunately, Antarctica on a Plate has none of these attributes. 

It's Monday and it was a good weekend....

Hey everybody! How are you? We had a good week. It was David's birthday on Tuesday and we celebrated on Saturday with the family here at our house. It was a Toy Story party (of course) and it was wonderful to see our little boy loved on by his grandparents and aunts and uncles. 

             

             

There's not a lot of excitement on the reading front. I asked you last week what I should read and so I'm taking you up on your advice. This girl needs to make a trip to the library soon, but I'm not sure they are ready to see me quite yet. I may have kept one book for an awfully long time and I just took it back a few days ago....

Read This Week:

Wonder Boys

By Michael Chabon

Posts from this Past Week:

It's Monday

To The Birthday Boy

Wednesdays with David: I Like to be Little

November Wrap-Up

Review of Full Disclosure

Reading Now:

For Her Own Good

By Barbara Ehrenreich

Up Next:

I Know This Much is True
By Wally Lamb

What are you reading this week? 

Review: Full Disclosure

Full Disclosure

By Dee Henderson

Bethany House Publishers October 2012

473 pages

From my shelves

FBI Agent Paul Falcon has been stymied by "The Lady Killer," a murderer who has no discernible pattern and the ability to never get caught. When Ann Silver brings him evidence that could crack his case wide open, he is intrigued by the small town cop with so many secrets. She seems to be a contradiction in terms - a small town sheriff and the Midwest Homicide Investigator, a confident cop and a quiet author, and someone who values time to be alone but knows vice presidents and US marshals. As the case becomes bigger and more complicated than Paul could have ever imagined, will he and Ann find room for each other in their lives? 

Ms. Henderson's O'Malley series is one of my favorites. I've read each book multiple times and shared them with lots of friends and family members. I was thrilled to discover that she was writing a new book after several years of publishing silence. Full Disclosure is a great read and I'm really intrigued by the ways she uses characters from her previous novels in this new one. I don't want to give it away but suffice it to say that if you have loved her other characters, you will be interested in reading this one. 

One of the things that I appreciated in this novel was the maturity of the characters and their views on relationships. Both characters are older and established in their careers and their routines. They have each had relationships that did not work out and wonder if they will ever find someone that will fit in their life without completely changing it. In an age where we are constantly reading about characters that 'fall in love at first sight,' it was refreshing to read about characters who felt an interest and started talking to people who they trusted. Ann and Paul both consult people who know the other in an effort to discover whether they can  overcome some significant relationship hurdles before they get their hearts broken. 

I will admit that I felt, at times, that the relationship was drawn out for too long. I liked that they recognized potential problems and worked to fix them before they got hurt. I also thought it made a lot of sense for them to get to know each other from a distance before becoming romantically involved. But this is the longest book of Henderson's that I have read and I wished  that some scenes had been cut because they started to grow repetitive. 

The mystery that Paul and Ann are investigating is a thrilling one. Since I've read many of Henderson's other suspense novels, I know that the lady can write some tension. There are a lot of twists and turns to be discovered and while I guessed some of them before the big reveal, it didn't mean that I wasn't quickly flipping pages to find out how they would affect Paul and Ann. 

Full Disclosure is a great read for anyone who is looking to read a story about a more mature relationship that doesn't involve love triangles or love at first sight. It's also a great pick for anyone who likes a good mystery that will keep you eagerly turning pages. While I would have loved a shorter incarnation of this story,  I was excited to meet Ann and Paul and I am glad to add their book to my shelf of Henderson novels.


P.S. I really don't like the cover. I don't talk about covers very often, but this one makes both Paul and Ann look mean and sketchy.

November Wrap-Up

Goodbye, November! You were sort of a reading slump to be honest and I have great hopes for December. But I am happy that I met my Goodreads goal for the year. I decided to try to read 100 books and I have accomplished that with one month still to go. Hooray! 

Books Reviewed in November: 7
Pages Read: 2,175
Fiction/Non-fiction: 6/1
Female authors/male authors: 3/4
My books/library books: 5/2
Lindsey's favorite book in November: People of the Book (but I really enjoyed The Imperfectionists and Wish You Were Here too)

Books reviewed by David: 3
David's favorite book in November: The Boxcar Children (we are currently on book #4!) 


What was your favorite book in November?

Wednesdays with David: I Like to Be Little

I Like to Be Little

By Ann Matthews

Illustrated by Eleanor Mill

A Golden Book 1976

From Mama's shelves 

The story: Our tiny narrator thinks about all of the things that make being little so much fun! She plays in boxes, gets pulled by the big kids in her wagon, and always ends her days by being tucked in by her mommy and daddy.

Mama opines: I thought of this book today, since we haven't been to the library in a bit and this lady wanted to read something other than Cars. I'm glad we read it now because I think my new five year old is becoming a bit big for some of the things in this book. It's a really sweet book and I think it would be a great pick for the little brother or sister who is always jealous of the things that the bigger kids get to do. Sometimes being little is a good thing!

Thoughts from David: I like it because it has so many pictures of the things that sometimes I do and that is just perfect.

Favorite part: When she plays with her boats in the bathtub

Happy Reading!

To the Birthday Boy

Alright kiddo, we have to talk.

How did you go from this

to this?

I don't know how this happened. I don't like it...most days. Watching you grow up is pretty fun, though.

At five, you are much too smart for your own good. You love to read and you are doing a great job of it all by yourself. Pretty soon you won't need my help anymore. That day will make me so proud and so sad all at the same time. 

You love to dance around the house. You dance with so much joy that we can't help but grin every single time. You even drew a picture of the two of us dancing in the kitchen for a school assignment about "our favorite things."

Speaking of school, you are a complete social butterfly. You have so many little friends who run over to greet you when you come to school in the morning. You love to say hello to every single person we pass in the grocery store. Your confidence in yourself and enthusiasm for other people is wonderful to watch.

Some days, you drive me crazy. You are always loud and there are flailing limbs going everywhere. You have trouble listening most days and you hate cleaning up more than anything in the world. But I know, as mommies everywhere do, that one day I will miss all of these things that are causing me to lose my sanity today.

So...happy birthday, little boy. I am so proud to be your mommy. I love you.

It's Monday and I have a winner!

Hello bibliophiles! Welcome to December, where you can officially play Christmas music every day with no shame....is that just me? This week has been less eventful (thank goodness) than the last one. We are excited for David's fifth birthday which is coming up on Tuesday. I have no idea how he is turning five already. On his actual birthday, we will be taking him out to dinner at IHOP (his choice) and then we will be having a party with the family on Saturday. 

I'm finally announcing who won the Double Blind giveaway. I am terribly behind with that because, well, there was a giant hurricane. That unfortunately made me forget about a thing or two. Anyway, the wonderful winner is Stephanie from On Page and Screen! Stephanie, check your email for a note from me! 

Read This Week:

The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction
By Kate Chopin

Posts from this Past Week:
It's Monday
Wednesdays with David: Just Go to Bed
Reviews of Redwall, People of the Book, and In the Country of Last Things

Reading Now:

Wonder Boys
By Michael Chabon

Up Next:
Well....I'm not sure. I have a few books from my shelves that I am considering. Does anyone want to contribute their two cents?

                         
The Lost Daughter                        For Her Own Good                        I Know This Much is True
By Lucy Ferriss                             By Barbara Ehrenrheich              By Wally Lamb


What are you reading this week?

Review: In the Country of Last Things

In the Country of Last Things

By Paul Auster

Penguin 1987

188 pages

From my shelves

Anna Blume is writing a letter to someone back home. She writes about the things that have happened to her since she arrived in an unnamed city, searching for her brother. It's the end of the world here, she knows no one, and she can't find her brother. People are dying in the streets, either murdered for their resources or finally giving up on a better future. Can Anna escape the city or will she join forces with another person in order to survive?

I read Auster's Oracle Night and really enjoyed its magical realism and multiple narratives. I happened to pick this one up, but it's wildly different from his other writing. This book is sparse and terrifyingly real. In this city (which seems like NYC, but is never named), almost no one has a job or a permanent place to live. People with more strength or better weapons can force you to leave your home at any moment. Citizens simply wander the streets, looking for relics of a better time that they can sell for food money. Babies haven't been born for a long time, and the population is dropping rapidly. People are truly desperate as they look for ways to end their miserable lives. Some hire an assassin to take their lives, some pay their last few dollars to be euthanized in a posh clinic, and some train for months to run until their hearts give out. The darkness and desperation of these people permeate the pages of this book. 

Anna is an interesting narrator, although as she admits, everything she says is suspect because no one knows what to believe anymore. One of the most striking things is her realization that things just cease to be - one day a street is there and then gone, a person is alive and then dead, entire words and concepts are leaving collective memory. "When you live in the city, you learn to take nothing for granted. Close your eyes for a moment, turn around to look at something else, and the thing that was before you is suddenly gone. Nothing lasts, you see, not even the thoughts inside you. And you mustn't waste your time looking for them. Once a thing is gone, that is the end of it." 

This is a good book, but it suffers from dystopian syndrome. While this book was written 25 years ago, it seems that today everyone and their mother has written a novel about the end of the world. So why should you read this novel about the end of the world instead of the thousands of others? Auster utilizes a lot of things that seem familiar to people who regularly read dystopian stories, but he does it with a level of perception and insight that makes other books pale in comparison. This is a short book, but it is one to be read slowly and carefully. In Auster's capable hands, the end of the world seems terrifyingly plausible.

Considering another book by Paul Auster? Here's my review of Oracle Night.

Review: People of the Book

People of the Book

By Geraldine Brooks

Penguin Books 2008

372 pages

From my bookshelves

Hanna Heath is surprised and pleased when she is offered an incredible opportunity: she is asked to travel to Sarajevo to examine the famous Sarajevo Haggadah. This book is unique among Jewish volumes because it is one of the first to include images alongside its stories from the Torah. Hanna begins the painstaking work of discovering the potential origins of the book. As Hana finds small pieces of evidence, we are taken back into history to meet the men and women who made and preserved this remarkable book.

The Sarajevo Haggadah is a real book and a mystery among scholars. Ms. Brooks has imagined a possible history by having Hanna discover a clue or anomaly and then giving us the story behind it. The stories are beautiful and heartbreaking and I was constantly impressed by Brooks' ability to bring all of these characters in all of these different places and times to vibrant life. Lola, a Jewish freedom fighter who is taken in by a Muslim family; Giovanni Vistorini, the Catholic priest with the power to save or destroy the Haggadah during the Inquisition; and the young artist who creates the book are just a few of the characters we meet on these pages. There is something incredible about the importance each person grants the Haggadah and the ways in which they fight to protect it.

As Hanna pieces together the history of the book, she also makes important discoveries about herself and her family. Some reviewers find Hanna to be the weak link in this book, but I found her an interesting character. As she becomes close to the the director of the library museum, she finds her ideas about relationships and trust rapidly changing. Her already tenuous bond with her mother is tested when Hanna discovers that people in the present can keep secrets just as devastating as the ones that threatened and preserved the Haggadah.

People of the Book is, like many books that I adore, at its core about our relationship with this unlikely combination of paper and ink, pictures and glue. Books are important, and the people who realize that are our kindred spirits regardless of whether they are real life friends or just people we meet on a page. This is a gorgeous book that reveals the importance of words, faith, and love. It's one I will be returning to time and again. 

Wednesdays with David: Just Go to Bed

Just Go to Bed

By Mercer Mayer

Random House 2001

From our shelves

The story: Little Critter is not so fond of this bedtime thing. He would much rather play cowboy or sea monster or bunny rabbit. Can his dad convince him to just go to bed?

Mama opines: I love Little Critter. I love how he is always getting in trouble. His particular brand of mischief is seen in little boys everywhere. It's not that he means to disobey - it's just that there are better things to do than go to bed! I like that this story features a dad putting his child to bed. Dads do this kind of stuff too, you know. I think Mayer strikes a nice balance in this series of parenting from both mom and dad. This is a great book to read if you have a little one who can procrastinate going to bed for oh....the next twelve hours or so.

Thoughts from David: I like it because he sleeps in his bed and before that, he does not want to sleep in a bed.

Favorite part: When the evil daddy puts him in the bathtub!

Happy Reading!

Review: Redwall

Redwall

By Brian Jacques

Ace Books 1998

333 pages

Borrowed from a friend

This is the first book in the beloved Redwall series by Brian Jacques. The stories are about the animals who live and around Redwall Abbey. The mice are peace-loving healers who are shocked when their home is besieged by a terrifying rat named Cluny the Scourge. Their only hope for defeating the rat army is to find the lost sword of Martin the Warrior, the ancient protector of the Abbey. Can an awkward mouse named Matthias find the sword, defeat Cluny, and save the day?

This is a charming read. When I was a kid, I think I would have adored this series. But as an adult, it strikes me as simplistic. The good characters are oh so good and the bad characters are terribly evil for no discernible reason. Cluny wants to take over the Abbey seemingly because he can and he manages to find a  horde of miscreants and outcasts that will follow him to the death with no previous association. 

This is not to say that there aren't good things to be found in this book. Jacques does an excellent job of world-building and it's fascinating to see the relationships between the animals. I love reading books where I sit and marvel at the author's imagination. There seem to be two things that are really important within Redwall Abbey. One is food and the other is loyalty to your friends. Both of these things get a lot of attention and if a book if going to make your kid think about how to treat others and then make them hungry for dinner, you really can't complain. 

I think Redwall is a book I will recommend to David when he is old enough to understand the magic of immersing yourself in another world. I think it teaches its readers about the importance of family and community. It shows that courage is rewarded and that good will triumph over evil. But as an adult, I won't be rushing out to read the rest of this series. 

It's Monday and boy, it's been a week!

So, this week...it's been an interesting one. Thanksgiving was lovely. We had breakfast with my in-laws and that side of the family and watched the parade. Then we went to my grandmother's house where we enjoyed a giant dinner with twenty or so of our closest family members and friends. On Friday, we pulled out the Christmas decorations and got to work. We watched that Eloise at the Plaza Christmas movie while decorating (I got David to watch a movie that wasn't Cars or Toy Story!) 

Friday night was when things got interesting. I was upstairs putting some laundry away when David came up and told me he was hungry. My husband had gone to help someone from the church, so I started to follow David downstairs but stopped to grab the laundry basket. David took this opportunity to try to slide down the banister. He didn't make it. He landed face first on the floor after falling several feet. We called the EMTs and we are so thankful to report that he didn't suffer any broken bones or a concussion. He is, however, currently sporting a black eye, a split lip, and some serious abrasions on and around his nose. It's been a very interesting weekend and while I am forever grateful to our local police force and EMTs, I hope to never ever see them in my house again. 

Read This Week:

Full Disclosure

By Dee Henderson

Antarctica on a Plate

By Alexa Thomson

Posts from this Past Week:

It's Monday

Wednesdays with David: The Boxcar Children

Review of The World is Bigger Now

Reading Now:

The Awakening and Selected Short Fiction
By Kate Chopin

Coming Up:

Wonder Boys
By Michael Chabon

What are you reading this week?