lit*chick

What a Week!

Am I ever glad our first week of school is behind us (almost)...now there's only another 20 years of schlepping, right?

Thanks everyone for checking in on me this week.  I'm still in a bit of a fog, running on automatic pilot.  My internal clock is not quite on board yet, but I'm getting there. Haven't scrapbooked in over a week, (gasp). But I did finish The Violin Maker last night. I'm not sure if it would be interesting to everyone, but as a former violinist I found it fascinating.  It follows a well known (in those circles anyway) craftsman as he makes a violin for a professional musician, with a good mix of history thrown in.

I am blessed to have my great grandfather's violin. Which I played, not so cheerfully, for about 10 years. And like most people who were "forced" to play an instrument, I am thankful to have played and remorseful that I didn't continue. When we finally get a piano, the 3 musketeers are going to have to buckle down. (get ready Lydia!) 

Speaking of 3 Musketeers/pirates/superheroes - look at what I found yesterday.

her etsy shop is superflykidz and she makes all kinds of fun capes. Can't wait to place my order.

The End.

Books for Cooks

This will be the first of many lists - let's begin with actual cookbooks - leave a comment with your favorite 3.

I'm leaving lots, cuz this is my blog.

• Barefoot Contessa -the 1st cookbook & family style
• Nigella  - Feast & How to Eat - the first for the food, the latter for the writing - you can read it like a novel (there are recipes too)
• Jamie Oliver - the Naked Chef Takes Off & Happy Days - got them at the library and enjoyed 'em
• The Food Network Cookbook - recipes from the people who really make that tv food
• The Cake Mix Doctor - the goto book when I have to make dessert fast
• How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman - my big yellow friend, where I go when I need answers and simplicity

and my favorite:

• church cookbooks of any kind - these are the most user friendly recipes ever, because real people submit them! So if you have an opportunity through yard sales, a fundraiser, etc., pick 'em up. The older ones make great ephemera in scrapbook layouts too.

It's pasta night here so I'm off make to make the dough.

Gotcha - just kidding - I'm going to boil water and take Caleb to soccer.  :P

The End.

Eureka!

Finished On Chesil Beach.  Can it be that I have found an Ian McEwan book that I like? By jove, I think so. Granted it is really a novella. Which leads me to think I would probably fare well with his short story collections.  He is descriptive and has a masterful use of language that is efficient but still has a beautiful rhythm. That was apparent in his other books too. But this one had such a limited scope that I think I could appreciate it better. So I recommend it. Although, fair warning - it is about a wedding night so it can be explicit in parts, but not in poor taste. (yikes)

And for those not interested in my reading & rambling...the Owen in his "uniform".

Ready for his day at the Pirate Academy aka our family room.

The End.

Denial Day 2

I realized that anytime a potentially stressful life situation is approaching that I retreat into the world of reading. Which explains why this past weekend I read 2 books and started 2 others.

The first day of school was looming and my head hurt from thinking of all the details.  So I ignored the urge to prepare prepare prepare. Instead I went to the library (again) and got MORE books.

I finished The Short Bus. I recommend it, it definitely made me think.  He appeared to be struggling with making this book a journal, with/without opinion, or purely informational. So it's kind of a combination. Not necessarily bad, but the rhythm of the book is thrown off at times by the shift in focus.  This is understandable considering the author is dyslexic and has ADD. I can't imagine how difficult it is to write a book under those conditions. So it's possible that it was left that way on purpose, to get you thinking like him maybe? Someone else please read so we can discuss, okay?

I also read The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. She also wrote Lost in Translation, which I didn't read, but I did love the movie. I know, shocking. I just liked the pace of the story compared with the setting. And I thought it was a great big bowl of bittersweetness. Anyhoo... this book was about connections - b/w family, food, grieving, history, stories. It was really well done.  While the descriptions were vivid, the writing was still concise. The book was under 300 pgs. - which is always a plus as far as I'm concerned.

Which leads me to this: I think if you can write well, in most cases, you should be able to make your point in around 300 pages. Clearly, there are amazing works of literature that are so thick they would break your foot if you dropped them.  I'm talking mainly about contemporary fiction. A lot of authors seem to be trying too hard and don't have the benefit of good editing. What do you think?

I started Pretty Birds & On Chesil Beach (this is a shortie). I'll keep you posted.

Operation Early Morning day 2 has us all a bit groggy.  Gotta go clean for my cleaning lady.

The End.

Day of Firsts

1. Daddy K & I woke up at 6:15am. He has done that a few times before, me not for a long time.

1. Karl William woke up before his alarm at 6:29am - the earliest recorded for him.

1. We had our first 1st day of school pictures outside at 7:15am.

1. Our entire family was dressed and in the van at 7:20am.

1. We walked Karl & Caleb into school and watched them line up by class.

1. We hung out in the Kindergarten room for a 1/2 hour with the other parents and their video cameras.

1. We left.  We left our children for the first time at a school - ever.

1.  I did not cry.

1. I cried last night.

1. We went to the drive thru Starbucks to get me a treat and Owen a blueberry "milkshake" (frap).

1. We were home at 9:15am, just as the school bus pulled away carrying our neighbors to the school around the corner.

1. We watched Owen go upstairs and begin to touch all of his brothers' things that up until this morning were protected.

1. We stared at each other. We sat in silence. It was very quiet. It has really never been that quiet before.

1. We got back in the car to pick up Caleb. When we got back to school, we peeked in on Karl.

1. We took Caleb & Owen to Red Robin for lunch, Caleb wanted to go home.  He was tired.

1. We all napped.

1. We almost overslept for picking up Karl.

1. We picked up Karl at 3pm. He was very talkative. He gave an oral book report today.

1. That school rocks.

1. The Owen decided it was time to learn to ride a bike. So he did. By himself. Rode it all evening. No help here. Except we made him wear a helmet. Uh, yeah.  The Owen still wears a diaper, but he can teach himself how to ride a bike. Go figure.

To all of you who tried to contact us today - sorry we haven't called/written back. We are exhausted. Thanks for your encouragement.

The End.

Back to School Booklist

The first day of school is upon us so I thought I would share books that have a school theme:

Fiction:

• Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (oh that cover just got me)
• Old School by Tobias Wolff
• Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris
• A Separate Peace by John Knowles
• School's Out by Christophe Dufrosse
• The Headmaster's Ritual by Taylor Antrim
• Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Piccoult
• A Good School by Richard Yates
• The Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger
• The Kalahari Typing School for Men: No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
• Black Girl/White Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
• Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern

Non Fiction:

• Our School (about a San Jose, CA charter school - really excellent) by Joanne Jacobs
• Queen Bees & Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman
• Not Much Just Chillin' (by a Washington Post reporter in a Howard County Middle School) by Linda Perlstein (also very good)
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen & David Oliver Relin
• The Great Expectations School: Rookie Year in the Blackboard Jungle by Dan Brown
• Ivy Briefs: True Tales of a Neurotic Law Student by Martha Kimes
• The Short Bus (see the right) by Jonathan Mooney

This list is by no means complete so please give me some more suggestions and I'll update the list.

As I made these lists I observed an interesting separation if you will. The majority of fiction lit written within a school setting deals with boys. The fiction books involving girls are mainly teen fiction and look kinda trashy. The non fiction genre, however, deals mainly with girls and their relationships. It just seems way too complicated these days. Anyone with girls want to weigh in?

Have a good weekend.

The End.

updated:

from Vera:

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Story Time by Edward Bloor

Drawing a Blank: Or How I Tried to Solve a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams by Daniel Ehrenhaft   

from Miss Joni:

• Admissions by Nanci Lieberman

Thanks ladies:)

Underwhelmed

Listening to the radio last night, I heard this statistic:

27% of adults in the US did NOT read a book in 2006 - nothing, zilch, nada

Of those who did read books - the average number read was 4.

That is a sad state of affairs. Now I get that some people like to read but for whatever reason (please don't say busy) can't put in the time. I've had 3 of those reasons myself. But, let's try to get those averages up, what do you say?

And along those lines here's your q for the day:

Do you keep a reading journal? or list what you have read (besides online)?

I just started 3 years ago and wish I had done it sooner. Mine is simply a list of what I've read with my own rating system and maybe a little note. I'll write quotes down sometimes, but not often enough.

I'm going to give away a reading journal very soon....so be ready.

The End.

Epilogue:  For those who are curious, look up The Short Bus on Amazon (well done, Miss Joni) to see what it is about. It's a tough one to describe but I think it will be a good one to read. I'm about halfway through.

The Owen in the Office with a Knight's Helmet

NICOLE - YOU HAVE WON this:

light, easy reading. Good cover, no?

Thanks for all the responses about my next book - I've started The Short Bus (non fiction), and plan to read Pretty Birds followed by On Chesil Beach. 

It is a Janice day here. So who knows what is in store...seriously. I have some odds and ends to pick up before school starts. 5 MORE DAYS.  I'm nervous just thinking about it.

For those of you who don't know, or haven't caught on... this is our very 1st  first day of school. I homeschooled Karl through 2nd grade.  Karl will be going to 3rd grade and Caleb will be in 1/2 day kindergarten at a wonderful private Christian school. It happens to be on the way to Daddy K's work (so he will drop off in the am, whew!) The Owen and I will have some quality time before we head back to pick up Caleb, and later Karl. This whole school thing has really been a blessing - it is clear that this place will love our children while seeking to turn their hearts toward Christ.  God definitely directed our path by shutting down some options and clearly opening up others. Anyhoo, the kids are fine - I'm freaking out a little.

Many have asked what I'm going to do with all my "free time".  All I have to say is... I still have The Owen which should count as having 3 kids, okay?  Ask me next year when the new campus opens closer to our house and both kids are there all day. Oh, but I'll still have The Owen then too.:)

The End.

Good Library Mojo

+ a rainy day = 2 books read.

The first:

seamlessly intertwines stories of his life, love of music, and loss of the one he shared it all with - one mix tape at a time.  So clever, and a must read if you ever made a mix tape in the 80s and 90s. I think I'm gonna have to buy it - it's a keeper!

The 2nd

i had been hearing about for some time and was convinced it was going to be stupid. A teenage love story with a vampire - i didn't think it could be pulled off convincingly. I was wrong. Completely sucked in from chapter 1 and I could not put it down.  It is what a Jane Austen book would look like in modern goth style. Intelligently written - I am hooked. There are 2 more in the series and I am patiently waiting on the library list. Clearly, I am showing you that I really may still have the mind of a 17 year old.

Here is a picture of my glorious haul:

I don't know if you can tell but there are 2 Ian McEwan books in the stack. Yes, I keep trying to "get" him. For some reason I cannot stop myself, in the hope I will be able to sing his praises. At least I can say I tried.  And I've already started The Piano Shop on the Left Bank (thanks, e).

Our favorite of the children's books is Brothers of the Knight by Debbie Allen, about a  Reverend in Harlem and his 12 sons. Very cool and very funny.

Which one are you most curious about?  Post it in my comments - the one with the most votes, I'll start it next. 

The End.

Mystery Monday Freebie

Thought I'd give away a mystery book today.  Which one, well it's a mystery of course - Not telling. But I will give you a hint: I read it fairly recently.

All you have to do to win is leave me a comment. The Owen will be picking the winner's name out of one of his many hats.

We had a full & lovely weekend. A back to school party for Karl's 3rd grade class on Saturday. And a  wonderful lunch with the Englands yesterday.  I have multiple bug bites to show for my weekend activities.

The countdown continues - 1 week until school starts.  We don't have much time left to have our morning dry run. Everytime we talk about doing it, we sleep even later!

Don't forget to say hi for a chance at the free book!

The End.