This week's Booking Through Thursday question is: “This can be a quick one. Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.”
Here are mine in the order in which I remembered them. I've included information about when I read them, because there are patterns. I plan to do a follow up post to discuss why some of these stick.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (11th grade)
2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (7th grade)
3. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier (11th grade)
4. Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie (post grad school)
5. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (college)
6. A Separate Piece by John Knowles (7th grade)
7. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (college)
8. Patriot's Dream by Barbara Michaels (college)
9. Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes (post grad school)
10. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (grad school)
11. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (7th grade)
12. The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (4th grade)
13. Little Mommy by Sharon Kane (pre-school)
14. The Little Golden Books' version of Jingle Bells (pre-school)
15. Gabriela, Cravo e Canela by Jorge Amado (college)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Something Just for Fun
I've joined the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (TUSAL). It's not really a SAL. Every month, at the new moon, members take pictures of their ort jars.
Here's mine for this month. You can tell that I've not been stitching much at all. Can you even see the few threads at the bottom?
Here's mine for this month. You can tell that I've not been stitching much at all. Can you even see the few threads at the bottom?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Second Time Around
Booking through Thursday asks this week: What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?
This is an interesting question for me. I often re-read books. As a child, I only owned a few books and would re-read them each summer, and, as a result, I tend to forget the details of books fairly quickly so that I can enjoy them again. But, I still know that I enjoyed them the previous time, and, therefore, anticipate enjoying them again.
Ideally, what I would like is to experience the sense of wonder I had the first time I read many classics of my childhood. Reading them for the first time now as an adult wouldn't be the same as reading them in junior high. This would include books like A Wrinkle in Time; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and The Eqypt Game. Even The Secret Garden. Books I came to later, but that still gave me that same sense of discovering something new, are the first Harry Potter book, The Blue Sword, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1964. There will always be something magical to me about children's and young adult books that tends to be missing in adult books.
This is an interesting question for me. I often re-read books. As a child, I only owned a few books and would re-read them each summer, and, as a result, I tend to forget the details of books fairly quickly so that I can enjoy them again. But, I still know that I enjoyed them the previous time, and, therefore, anticipate enjoying them again.
Ideally, what I would like is to experience the sense of wonder I had the first time I read many classics of my childhood. Reading them for the first time now as an adult wouldn't be the same as reading them in junior high. This would include books like A Wrinkle in Time; The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; and The Eqypt Game. Even The Secret Garden. Books I came to later, but that still gave me that same sense of discovering something new, are the first Harry Potter book, The Blue Sword, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1964. There will always be something magical to me about children's and young adult books that tends to be missing in adult books.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Redefining Mother's Day
Yesterday was Mother's Day, and my first one as a mother. It was not what I had envisioned. Yes, there were the usual flowers, jewelry, and brunch, but these aren't things I necessarily get excited about. And I had to spend a good portion of the day with my MIL and SIL, neither of which I have much in common with. I had a whole discussion this morning with a coworker of mine about this, as she too had to spend a day in activities that weren't really of her choosing. We seem stuck in a model for Mother's Day based on previous generations' desires, which don't particularly apply to our modern lives. For instance, I don't feel like a kitchen slave (yet?), so going out for brunch, while nice, isn't exactly a special treat.
Even so, I had a good day yesterday, despite my initial trepidation. My MIL watched the girls for us in the morning, so I could sleep in and DH could a bit too. After brunch, my BIL came over to help DH install a mammouth window-unit air conditioner. As there was going to be much cursing involved, I escaped the house with the girls and went to the local park.
I truly enjoyed watching the girls at the park. They just turned 9 months old, and this weekend was the first time that they'd been out of their stroller in the park and on the grass. They were fascinated by everything -- the grass, the dirt, the feel of the blanket on their feet, the other kids, the cars, and most especially the dogs. It was fun to watch them discover the world around them.
So it wasn't the day I would have planned, but it all turned out OK.
In other news, the Social Security Administration released the 2008 list of popular baby names. I've been fascinated by this list for years, because I'm curious about names, and I viewed this over and over again as we were trying to come up with names for the girls. I was aiming for names that were in that middle ground between completely overused and too unusual or old-fashioned. Both of the names are at all time highs now on the list, with DDA's name climbing a little higher than I'd like. She may end up being "A in DC" in school, rather than just "A". L's unlikely to run into that problem, but we'll see. In high school, I was one of two C's in my grade, which wasn't surprising, although the fact that we only had one Jennifer was.
Even so, I had a good day yesterday, despite my initial trepidation. My MIL watched the girls for us in the morning, so I could sleep in and DH could a bit too. After brunch, my BIL came over to help DH install a mammouth window-unit air conditioner. As there was going to be much cursing involved, I escaped the house with the girls and went to the local park.
I truly enjoyed watching the girls at the park. They just turned 9 months old, and this weekend was the first time that they'd been out of their stroller in the park and on the grass. They were fascinated by everything -- the grass, the dirt, the feel of the blanket on their feet, the other kids, the cars, and most especially the dogs. It was fun to watch them discover the world around them.
So it wasn't the day I would have planned, but it all turned out OK.
In other news, the Social Security Administration released the 2008 list of popular baby names. I've been fascinated by this list for years, because I'm curious about names, and I viewed this over and over again as we were trying to come up with names for the girls. I was aiming for names that were in that middle ground between completely overused and too unusual or old-fashioned. Both of the names are at all time highs now on the list, with DDA's name climbing a little higher than I'd like. She may end up being "A in DC" in school, rather than just "A". L's unlikely to run into that problem, but we'll see. In high school, I was one of two C's in my grade, which wasn't surprising, although the fact that we only had one Jennifer was.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Love and Hate and Authors
This week's Booking through Thursday question: Which is worse? Finding a book you love and then hating everything else you try by that author, or reading a completely disappointing book by an author that you love?
For me, the answer is easy. The second one. I will usually drop an author quickly if his or her books don't keep meeting my expectations. If I've come to love an author, though, it's hard to let go. I find this to be particularly true of authors who have been writing for a while and who begin to earn enough money that their editors stop editing and just push to get the books to market. It's disappointing all the way around.
The example that comes to mind is the later Elizabeth Peter novels. I actually threw one of them against the wall one summer - a signed hard copy, mind you - because I was so angry with what she'd done. I must admit that I did buy at least one or two more after that, but I know that there have been later releases that I haven't.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
National Library Week
This week is the ALA sponsored National Library Week. In honor of this, Booking Through Thursday, a weekly meme about books and reading, asks: How often do you use your public library and how do you use it? Has the coffeehouse/bookstore replaced the library? Did you go to the library as a child? Do you have any particular memories of the library? Do you like sleek, modern, active libraries or the older, darker, quiet, cozy libraries?
Unfortunately, I don't use the public library as often as I should. Mostly I use it to check out books on tape or to stock up on light reading when I'm going on vacation. The last time I used it, I checked out some baby name books.
I don't believe the coffeehouse or bookstore has replaced the library. They offer different services than libraries do. Most coffeehouses don't offer books, for instance. I've seen articles recently showing that usage of public libraries is up due to the economy. As people continue to look for ways to cut costs, I think being able to obtain books and access to the Internet for free will continue to draw patrons into their local libraries.
As a child I used my school library a lot. I don't think I went to a public library regularly until I was in middle school. Once I conquered reading and really began zooming through books, my local public library became my favorite place to go. I used it a lot through middle and high school.
I prefer well-lit traditional libraries, with comfy chairs and all of that. I'm not one who ever really studied in the library, unless I was doing something with a group, so I also don't think that they need to be as quiet as a tomb, either. I'm really excited about this project at my alma mater and hope that they will obtain the funds needed to complete the transformation from stark office space back to cozy reading room, especially since the existing "reading room" is now used almost exclusively as a lecture space.
Finally, as someone who is trained as a librarian, I'd like to mention the librarians who influenced me over the years. I think meeting Mrs. Miller, the school librarian, when I was in 4th grade put me on course to going to library school many years later. She probably more than anyone else influenced me to become a reader. She was followed by Ms. Blair in middle school and Mrs. K. (Kelter? Keltzer?) in high school. Nearly everyone remembers Bruce at my alma mater, the most amazing reference librarian I've ever met. And then Margery, the college archivist who hired me one summer. I worked for her for 3.5 years and then went off eventually to library school so I could follow in her footsteps.
How have libraries and librarians influenced your life?
Unfortunately, I don't use the public library as often as I should. Mostly I use it to check out books on tape or to stock up on light reading when I'm going on vacation. The last time I used it, I checked out some baby name books.
I don't believe the coffeehouse or bookstore has replaced the library. They offer different services than libraries do. Most coffeehouses don't offer books, for instance. I've seen articles recently showing that usage of public libraries is up due to the economy. As people continue to look for ways to cut costs, I think being able to obtain books and access to the Internet for free will continue to draw patrons into their local libraries.
As a child I used my school library a lot. I don't think I went to a public library regularly until I was in middle school. Once I conquered reading and really began zooming through books, my local public library became my favorite place to go. I used it a lot through middle and high school.
I prefer well-lit traditional libraries, with comfy chairs and all of that. I'm not one who ever really studied in the library, unless I was doing something with a group, so I also don't think that they need to be as quiet as a tomb, either. I'm really excited about this project at my alma mater and hope that they will obtain the funds needed to complete the transformation from stark office space back to cozy reading room, especially since the existing "reading room" is now used almost exclusively as a lecture space.
Finally, as someone who is trained as a librarian, I'd like to mention the librarians who influenced me over the years. I think meeting Mrs. Miller, the school librarian, when I was in 4th grade put me on course to going to library school many years later. She probably more than anyone else influenced me to become a reader. She was followed by Ms. Blair in middle school and Mrs. K. (Kelter? Keltzer?) in high school. Nearly everyone remembers Bruce at my alma mater, the most amazing reference librarian I've ever met. And then Margery, the college archivist who hired me one summer. I worked for her for 3.5 years and then went off eventually to library school so I could follow in her footsteps.
How have libraries and librarians influenced your life?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Happy Easter
We've been sick here. Both the girls and I have had bronchial infections. It's been a miserable few days. Fortunately, before we all got sick, I was able to make these. I'm not sure why this one looks so tilted; it isn't really. Of course, they still haven't been mailed. Maybe tonight, since we're all starting to feel a bit better.
I hope you all have a Happy Easter.
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