I drove home from Victoria with my brother. As usual, America is about 1/3 as competent as the Canadians (on a good day) at border crossing, so it took three times as long to get back. Luckily I made my brother take the wheel, so he drove while I monitored traffic conditions to get us to the airport in time for his flight. Then I went back into the city to pick up the rest of the family from their luxurious fancy Clipper boat, which included a sighting of killer whales! So at least Mom got to see them.
Earlier I astonished myself by waking up and going for a walk in the park by our rental house. I saw a heron fly into a tree, and assumed I had completely misjudged the bird because I thought herons nested on the ground. But after watching and seeing other birds I finally also saw the giant sign asking people to be quiet while the herons were nesting. I walked deeper into the park when I heard what sounded like a peacock. I was laughing at my awful bird-call recognition skills when I came to the petting zoo and saw the peacock himself. And then the other one challenging him. And the peahen ignoring it all. And then I saw the big totem pole and managed to navigate myself to it. So a very successful morning for me.
I came home to a house with happy, fed cats and a kitchen even messier than I left it. Oh well, better to remember the cats and forget the dishes than the other way around. On Thursday Alexander and I took Linda to see Poms, as recommended by mom, and it was as funny and charming (and a little sad) as she had promised.
I took us out one night (couldn't face cleaning and cooking in that kitchen) and then pulled myself together to make dinner on Friday. And then I was feeling my oats and made a egg/bagel bake for Saturday brunch for me and the boys, which came in handy when Saturday dinner was canceled. Sunday was a special night as my nephew prepared a four-dish meal as an assignment for his Culinary class at high school. My favorite was the mashed potatoes, as he left a bit more texture in (the way I like them! the way no one else in our family likes them!) so I wrote the review of that dish. And now tomorrow is another vacation day so this was a lovely week of family near and far.
My currently reading has edged up to 22 because I have to quickly finish a few library books.
The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers so I'll sign up over there as I finished a Middle Grade lit.
Started:
Autonomous, Annalee Newitz. For my Tuesday book club. We have been scooping up the Tor Book Club books.
Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion. Audio Reading My Library. I love when I spot a book that I've been meaning to read on the shelf I'm choosing from.
Out of Left Field, Ellen Klages. I love Klages's historical fiction about smart girls. In this case Kathy is the younger sister of Dewey and Suze (from the earlier books) and she wants to play baseball as Sputnik beeps in the sky.
The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury. Sword and Laser May pick.
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During WWII, Albert Marrin. 2017 Cybils book.
Del Toro Moon, Darby Karchut. Rereading book I partially read last winter.
Completed:
Pines, Blake Crouch. My Reading My Library book. An interesting book about a strange situation, but a bit too violent for me. It's a thriller and a SF story and a small town investigation with a lot of murders. What was interesting was that I didn't know the genre going in, so I missed some of the cues that this was not just a case for the FBI. It definitely was going for a spooky air (which took some of the air out of the explanation). The author was going for a Twin Peaks feel, but I didn't like the show enough to watch it so I can't comment on how much it worked.
Walkaway, Cory Doctorow. For my Tuesday book club. Finished! Just in time to miss the meeting anyway. Oops. It was fun to read this soon after The Dispossessed, which it is in conversation with, but it works more as a set of ideas than as a novel. My brother thought there was a bit too much "infinite resources" magic but he enjoyed the playing with social constructs. I found the abrupt jumps in POV kept me from fully engaging with the story as a story, but the ideas were fun to play with.
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Sherman Alexie. My RML audio pick. I'm glad I had this as an audio, as hearing the voice brought out a lot of the emotion of the situation as Alexie worked through a lot of his feelings about his family and his role as a brother, son, and tribal member.
The Journal of Angela Ashby, Liana Gardner. Middle grade fantasy. I like the idea of the magical notebook as a metaphor for growing powers in maturity, but the transition from magical shenanigans to middle school reality was bumpy for me. I'm over sensitive to the idea of kids being responsible for their (divorced) parents being happy; I worked really hard to not make that my kids' job.
Bookmarks Moved In:
Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 44/? Baen's podcast serial. One possible good guy will hopefully chase after the other guy with a hope at a white hat, although that hope is dimming.
Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh. Reread. OK, the bookmark moved as I carried the book around, but I didn't actually open it.
Metal Wolf, Lauren Esker. Kindle read. Again, not much progress.
Becoming, Michelle Obama. On the campaign trail. Barack is committed, Michelle fairly sure they won't win.
The Way Into Magic, Harry Connolly. Our heroine really wishes her companions were not so committed to exploring the tower by the scary sea.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home, Carol Rifka Brunt. This kid feels very true.
Picture Books:
What Is Given From the Heart, Patricia C. McKissack. Lovely gentle pictures that don't spare the grim poverty of the characters accompany the somewhat lengthy text following James Otis and his mom as they deal with death and rehoming and still reach out to help others. It's not didactic but is very moving.
Little Blue Chair, Cary Fagan. I like how this book brushes into the fantastical while keeping a straight face and pretending to be realistic. And the final cyclical home for the little chair.
Night Job, Karen Hesse. Small kid accompanies dad to his night job as a school janitor, helping out before taking a nap. Good for privileged kids to see how the other half lives.
My Side of the Car, Kate Feiffer. Great father/daughter collaboration recalling an old family story, with the text and tone perfectly showing the strong wish reality of a young child.
Clay Mates, Dev Petty. This self aware story of the inner life of the artist's models both delivers an imaginative and playful story but also kids a lot of good ideas on how to take your playdough art to a new level.
Sing a Season Song, Jane Yolen. I'm not sure my kids would have sat for this one, but I loved the small poems matched with detailed pictures of each turn of the season.
Palate Cleansers
These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.
A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George.
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen.
Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess.
The Educated Child, William Bennett. The bit on reading to one's kids has only increased my sense of smugness.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. More discussion of journaling, which I'm sure works well with most kids but my own little snowflake was violently allergic to.
Reading Challenges
- Cybils 2017 No progress. But really close to finishing a category!
- Cybils 2018. No progress.
- Reading My Library. Finished both the audio book and the paper book! Started the new audio.
- KCLS Ten to Try. The Alexie book is perfect for the book about family.
4 comments:
How exciting that your mom got to see killer whales! I often have to "quickly finish a few library books" too. :) I do love my library. I sometimes wish I could keep the books longer, but I wouldn't read as many books if I didn't have that deadline. I read Becoming this year too and loved it (from the library so I had to read it in 2 weeks; no renewals on that one).
The Journal of Angela Ashby is a new title for me. I completely agree on children not feeling the responsibility for their divorced parents' happiness, even though it seems to be a normal tendency. The Martian Chronicles is one of those titles I'd like to read one day. And I'm slowly inching my way down the waiting list for Becoming. I'll get there one day... Have a great reading week, Beth!
I have been meaning to read Year of Magical Thinking for like forever. Hopefully, I get to it this year.
It sounds as if you have had a busy but enjoyable week.
I read to all my children nightly until they were old enough to protest, only 2 of thee 4 have become readers though.
Have a great reading week
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