By Gina Bria, 1998
This is a brilliant book. It is full of both inspirational writing, sound anthropological research and details, and practical tips to creating ritual, and bringing imagination and spirituality to your family life. When I was able to take time to pick it up, I found it very hard to put down. My copy was from the library, and I managed over 8 pages of notes.
As a woman who has struggled to find a way to be a full-fledged member of society without having a "career," this book was such an encouragement to seeing my role as a mother not in place of being a person, but as a glorious addition to it. I'll get all gushy if I try to lay it all out, and so instead will encourage you to find this book and READ it. Embrace it. See the value in what we do, day in and out, in creating a family and a story worth having and telling.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
St. George and the Dragon
by Margaret Hodges.
Another wonderful book by this wonderful writer and her beautiful illustrator. It is long and a bit complicated, but the kids are entranced, and it has even me wishing that I had the time to read Spencer's Fairie Queene.
I can't wait until we get a library card and can borrow more books by this author - these are REAL books, with REAL illustrations - nothing juvenile or baby-ish about it. And it is just a delight to see how much the kids enjoy them too.
Another wonderful book by this wonderful writer and her beautiful illustrator. It is long and a bit complicated, but the kids are entranced, and it has even me wishing that I had the time to read Spencer's Fairie Queene.
I can't wait until we get a library card and can borrow more books by this author - these are REAL books, with REAL illustrations - nothing juvenile or baby-ish about it. And it is just a delight to see how much the kids enjoy them too.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
2007 Books Read
Here's everything we read in 2007, updated periodically
The Shop on Blossom Street
Heat, Buford
Saving Graces, Edwards
Twig
Third Watch, Thoene
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy, Golden Years
The Art of Family, Bria
The Bridge to Terabithia
The Shop on Blossom Street
Heat, Buford
Saving Graces, Edwards
Twig
Third Watch, Thoene
Little Town on the Prairie
These Happy, Golden Years
The Art of Family, Bria
The Bridge to Terabithia
Monday, April 16, 2007
Saving Graces
This memoir by Elizabeth Edwards was a really eye-opening book. My mother-in-law enjoyed it so much she sent it on to me. As I began it (with rather high expectations), I was not disappointed. Elizabeth Edwards is a very positive, upbeat, always-look-on-the-bright-side-of-life kind of gal. She details her life as a military child, full of exciting stories and a purposefully positive view of her life and family. She was downright inspiring!
And then she moves to the hardest part of her life story - the death of her eldest child, at the age of 16. This is, of course, difficult to read, and I'm sure even more difficult to relive as a writer. Clearly, she kept excellent records of all her dialogues and interactions - the details here are plentiful. And my heart went out to her, and to her family. But the story doesn't stop. Once she brings Wade's name up, she can't let it go. I found myself feeling like I was slogging through a very, very detailed account of his life, and her life after his death. Even when it moved on to the presidential race that her husband ran (and eventually lost), Wade is not far from her mind, or her pen.
I'm glad I read this. She is a fascinating woman. The depth of her loss and how she shares it have encouraged me to continue having a sporadic and yet meaningful conversation with my dear friend's parents (she died four years ago of a brain tumor, and though I didn't know her parents, I did know and love her). One is often uncertain if bringing up and sharing memories is painful or welcome, and I realize that it is indeed both. So I will continue to write and share, and imagine what life would be like if Meg were still here.
But I'll be honest. By the end, I found Elizabeth Edwards to be a bit obsessive. And when she and her husband recently were on television to announce that they would continue his presidential bid, despite a very likely deadly recurrence of her own cancer, I felt a great sorrow for the remaining children in their family.
And then she moves to the hardest part of her life story - the death of her eldest child, at the age of 16. This is, of course, difficult to read, and I'm sure even more difficult to relive as a writer. Clearly, she kept excellent records of all her dialogues and interactions - the details here are plentiful. And my heart went out to her, and to her family. But the story doesn't stop. Once she brings Wade's name up, she can't let it go. I found myself feeling like I was slogging through a very, very detailed account of his life, and her life after his death. Even when it moved on to the presidential race that her husband ran (and eventually lost), Wade is not far from her mind, or her pen.
I'm glad I read this. She is a fascinating woman. The depth of her loss and how she shares it have encouraged me to continue having a sporadic and yet meaningful conversation with my dear friend's parents (she died four years ago of a brain tumor, and though I didn't know her parents, I did know and love her). One is often uncertain if bringing up and sharing memories is painful or welcome, and I realize that it is indeed both. So I will continue to write and share, and imagine what life would be like if Meg were still here.
But I'll be honest. By the end, I found Elizabeth Edwards to be a bit obsessive. And when she and her husband recently were on television to announce that they would continue his presidential bid, despite a very likely deadly recurrence of her own cancer, I felt a great sorrow for the remaining children in their family.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Twig
We finished Twig this morning before school began. Each day has begun this way the past week - with Siena begging for just one more chapter of Twig. She is rarely into chapter books (which is just right for only four and a half), so it was a treat to have her so engaged in this one.
Curious, the reaction each kiddo had to the ending. Is it giving it away if I talk about it here? Spoiler warning!
The whole story rests on Twig's imagination (see last post) - she imagines that the little tin can in the yard could be a fairy house, and then it becomes one, the elf comes, etc., etc. In the end, she is invited to Fairy Land, her dream come true. And instead she chooses her family - because she would miss them. And as she makes her way back to her house, she passes all the people in her real life - all of whom inspired the characters in her imagination. It was very much the Wizard of Oz - when you get to the end and realize that the Scarecrow and Tinman (and basically everyone else) are actually farmhands and people from Kansas after all.
Sterling loved this. He loved the imaginings, and he liked that they were all based on the people in her real life. He got it, and he embraced it. This book was surprisingly good for a boy.
Siena, on the other hand, was aghast that Twig did not go into the Fairy Land, and she really didn't get that the real people inspired the 'story' in the story. It bothered her. Of course, of the two kids, she is more literal and less imaginative (in the sense of making up worlds in her head and translating them to her reality), so it isn't surprising. She still loved it, and I am eager to re-read it to her in a few months and see how it takes then.
FOUR stars and some extra sparkle for fun.
Curious, the reaction each kiddo had to the ending. Is it giving it away if I talk about it here? Spoiler warning!
The whole story rests on Twig's imagination (see last post) - she imagines that the little tin can in the yard could be a fairy house, and then it becomes one, the elf comes, etc., etc. In the end, she is invited to Fairy Land, her dream come true. And instead she chooses her family - because she would miss them. And as she makes her way back to her house, she passes all the people in her real life - all of whom inspired the characters in her imagination. It was very much the Wizard of Oz - when you get to the end and realize that the Scarecrow and Tinman (and basically everyone else) are actually farmhands and people from Kansas after all.
Sterling loved this. He loved the imaginings, and he liked that they were all based on the people in her real life. He got it, and he embraced it. This book was surprisingly good for a boy.
Siena, on the other hand, was aghast that Twig did not go into the Fairy Land, and she really didn't get that the real people inspired the 'story' in the story. It bothered her. Of course, of the two kids, she is more literal and less imaginative (in the sense of making up worlds in her head and translating them to her reality), so it isn't surprising. She still loved it, and I am eager to re-read it to her in a few months and see how it takes then.
FOUR stars and some extra sparkle for fun.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Sodasodasarsaprilla
Ah, the kids and I have been reading the most lovely chapter book: Twig (Elizabeth Orton Jones). I am smitten. It is the tale of a little girl who imagines a fairy world in her dirty backyard, becoming a tiny person herself. There's a talking Sparrow, an Elf, the Queen of the Fairies, and Lord Buzzle Cobb-Webb. It's just delightful... I was liking it all along - something for both Sterling and Siena in it, a bit of magic in the words, and delightful pictures...
And then I came to this sequence. I thought about describing it, but it is so sweet, I'll just risk copyright and put it all in... Siena was entranced by this exchange (the tiniest bit of background - Twig is a little girl who, by magic - you might say imagination - has become small. Several chapters in, the Queen of the Fairies comes to visit, and invites Twig to Fairy Land):
"I wish I didn't have this old dress on," she said.
"Why do you wish that?" asked the Queen.
"Well, who ever heard of going to Fairyland with a plain ordinary dress on? Just look at it, Your Majesty!" said Twig. "And just look at these old shoes!"
The Queen looked at them and smiled. "They're only on the outside of you, Twig," she said. "It doesn't matter how plain or how ordinary or how old the things on the outside are, you know. It's what is inside that matters."
"Inside!" said Twig, very much surprised.
The Queen looked up at the little round bud at the top of the dandelion's stalk. "Do you know what is inside of that plain ordinary little round bud?" she asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty," answered Twig. "A beautiful flower."
"There's something just as beautiful inside of you," said the Queen.
"Something - beautiful! Inside of - me!" said Twig. "Honestly, Your Majesty! How could there be?"
"How could there be a beautiful flower inside of the little round bud?" asked the Queen.
Twig lifted her shoulders several times. "I don't know!" she said. "There just is, that's all."
"And there 'just is' something beautiful inside of you," said the Queen. "It's called imagination."
Ah - something beautiful inside that trumps the outside. What a perfect thing for our little ones to learn early on. We have a few chapters left, but I couldn't wait until then to write and encourage you all to read this one for yourselves.
And then I came to this sequence. I thought about describing it, but it is so sweet, I'll just risk copyright and put it all in... Siena was entranced by this exchange (the tiniest bit of background - Twig is a little girl who, by magic - you might say imagination - has become small. Several chapters in, the Queen of the Fairies comes to visit, and invites Twig to Fairy Land):
"I wish I didn't have this old dress on," she said.
"Why do you wish that?" asked the Queen.
"Well, who ever heard of going to Fairyland with a plain ordinary dress on? Just look at it, Your Majesty!" said Twig. "And just look at these old shoes!"
The Queen looked at them and smiled. "They're only on the outside of you, Twig," she said. "It doesn't matter how plain or how ordinary or how old the things on the outside are, you know. It's what is inside that matters."
"Inside!" said Twig, very much surprised.
The Queen looked up at the little round bud at the top of the dandelion's stalk. "Do you know what is inside of that plain ordinary little round bud?" she asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty," answered Twig. "A beautiful flower."
"There's something just as beautiful inside of you," said the Queen.
"Something - beautiful! Inside of - me!" said Twig. "Honestly, Your Majesty! How could there be?"
"How could there be a beautiful flower inside of the little round bud?" asked the Queen.
Twig lifted her shoulders several times. "I don't know!" she said. "There just is, that's all."
"And there 'just is' something beautiful inside of you," said the Queen. "It's called imagination."
Ah - something beautiful inside that trumps the outside. What a perfect thing for our little ones to learn early on. We have a few chapters left, but I couldn't wait until then to write and encourage you all to read this one for yourselves.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Hot, and then Cold
Heat, by Bill Buford
This remarkable book is subtitled "(An Amateur's adventure as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a dante-quoting butcher in tuscany)" - and until he hits the Dante-quoting butcher, Tuscany or no, it's red hot (and then, not so much).
Buford takes on famed TV celebrity chef Mario Batali in this tell-all biography (of Buford, not Batali, though at times its hard to tell who's the subject). As a big fan of Food TV (oh, I confess, I'm a wanna-be foodie, I am, I am!), it is always like being handed a back-stage pass to watch the inner workings of a professional kitchen. I have dreams of going to cooking school and being a chef, now and then, and this book is just what I need to see what the real world is like, relish the moment, and then close the book on something I will NEVER be doing myself.
I first read some of this book as Buford's articles in the New Yorker Magazine - lengthy articles about some aspect of his time with Batali. I loved them there, and re-reading them again in the greater context of the book was like going back for seconds on something you just really, truly love to eat.
If you love reading behind the scenes details (both of personal lives and of the restaurant kitchen), this is for you. I could barely put the book down while he was describing his life as a "kitchen slave" and line cook, even pasta maker. But I began this book in November. November, people! I love to read. I'm a fast reader. But November is four months ago. So what happened?
Pig happened. Cow happened. Buford got himself interested in meat and life as a butcher in Tuscany, and I just couldn't follow him there. I could follow him into a New York kitchen, foul language and all. I could follow him into an Italian kitchen to learn to make pasta. But when I had to listen to all the dante-quoting butchering, forget it. I plodded through this like I was being forced to eat...liver.
So today, I finally emerged on the other side. And I'm happy to report that the book ends as strongly as it begins - Buford is funny, eloquent and informative, all at once. I was charmed once again. So, I will give this book 3.5 stars - because it's an easy four star for most of the book, and really, the writing is great in the section I hate.
3.5 stars
This remarkable book is subtitled "(An Amateur's adventure as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a dante-quoting butcher in tuscany)" - and until he hits the Dante-quoting butcher, Tuscany or no, it's red hot (and then, not so much).
Buford takes on famed TV celebrity chef Mario Batali in this tell-all biography (of Buford, not Batali, though at times its hard to tell who's the subject). As a big fan of Food TV (oh, I confess, I'm a wanna-be foodie, I am, I am!), it is always like being handed a back-stage pass to watch the inner workings of a professional kitchen. I have dreams of going to cooking school and being a chef, now and then, and this book is just what I need to see what the real world is like, relish the moment, and then close the book on something I will NEVER be doing myself.
I first read some of this book as Buford's articles in the New Yorker Magazine - lengthy articles about some aspect of his time with Batali. I loved them there, and re-reading them again in the greater context of the book was like going back for seconds on something you just really, truly love to eat.
If you love reading behind the scenes details (both of personal lives and of the restaurant kitchen), this is for you. I could barely put the book down while he was describing his life as a "kitchen slave" and line cook, even pasta maker. But I began this book in November. November, people! I love to read. I'm a fast reader. But November is four months ago. So what happened?
Pig happened. Cow happened. Buford got himself interested in meat and life as a butcher in Tuscany, and I just couldn't follow him there. I could follow him into a New York kitchen, foul language and all. I could follow him into an Italian kitchen to learn to make pasta. But when I had to listen to all the dante-quoting butchering, forget it. I plodded through this like I was being forced to eat...liver.
So today, I finally emerged on the other side. And I'm happy to report that the book ends as strongly as it begins - Buford is funny, eloquent and informative, all at once. I was charmed once again. So, I will give this book 3.5 stars - because it's an easy four star for most of the book, and really, the writing is great in the section I hate.
3.5 stars
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