Vacation Day Three... Audiobooks

Merry Christmas!

Today my sister and I drove to see my dad for the afternoon and I was thrilled to discover her willingness to listen to a book. Since I was equally excited about all the choices I'd picked up at the library for my holiday, I let her pick.

First we listened to the full cast recording of Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman -- a prequel to The Golden Compass. The main character was Lee Scorsby and in this episode we also get our first glimpse of the armored bears-- Yorick Bernison, in particular.



Then on the drive home we started White Cat by Holly Black. This is a young adult story of a boy named Cassel whose family is full of "curse workers." So, I guess you'd call this part of the fantasy genre too. We got nearly to the halfway point and as I am packing for my trip to The Cities tomorrow I hope to hear the rest of it. Perhaps my pal, Rebecca and I will listen to another one on the drive there--I have some other gems picked out.

What's been particularly fun this holiday break is seeing my sister devouring books via her kindle. In fact, when she got home she downloaded White Cat on audio so she could continue to listen to the story at home. It's fun to have people who share my enthusiasm for books and reading.

Vacation Day Two... More Books!

Well, Behemoth is done and as satisfying as it could be with its unresolved ending. I do love the Steampunk genre and this book's alternate history (set in a version of WW I). The Darwinists and the Clankers, the Beasties and the Stormwalkers are actually a lot of fun for the likes of me.

I've finished my Houdini book too and I can wholeheartedly say that I love the juvenile nonfiction genre tremendously. Or perhaps it's just Fleishman whom I admire. For a girl who thirsts for knowledge the book serves up just enough to whet the appetite and then if I can't resist I can always dig deeper. I've had similar experiences with the Catherine Gourley volumes on "Images and Issues of Women in the Twentieth Century" and Elizabeth Partridge's fantastic biography of Woody Guthrie. As a wee Christmas present to myself I did indulge in another Sid Fleishman biography -- Sir Charlie, but that is for another day.

Today's a day for multiple volumes and possibly no finishes as there is this thing called Christmas Eve happening at my mom's tonight.

Today I officially started the following books:
Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle
Moominpapa at Sea by Tove Jansson
We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

Vacation--Day One, Book One

A few weeks ago I planned to take on the challenge of reading a book a day over Christmas vacation. Then I started planning some reading choices. Well, I'm already behind before I begin because I'm in the MIDDLE of a book I was going to read for the challenge. Will I put it aside to pursue today's daily book? I'm afraid I just can't do that. Instead I will not take this challenge so literally as to assume I will complete a book a day each day... and instead aim for a grand total of 12 (or 13 since I'd already started Behemoth before the challenge). I am a fan of reading a multitude of books at once anyway.

I'm currently reading Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld














and today's read in my #bookaday challenge is ...

Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman

Wordless Wednesday -- The Christmas Edition

Free printables here at Craftily Every After

Happy Solstice.

I have a fascination with the equinoxes and solstices. I'm a time oriented girl who operates on many schedules and calendars -- the school year, the fiscal year, the passage of the moon and the broader calendar nature provides with the equinox and the solstice.

Those happy seasonal landmarks draw nearer the days I'm longing for or grant me the satisfaction of knowing that I'm saying goodbye to the days I want to be done with. The winter solstice smacks of the latter. I find that dark mornings make it increasingly difficult to leave the shelter of my cozy bed and I crave morning sunlight. What's funny is that Dec. 21st is the first day of winter, but for me it's a reminder that each day's dose of sunshine increases from that point forward. The Winter Solstice reminds me that spring is coming...nearer and nearer every day and that seems like a reason to celebrate.

Why Kids Are Fun

I'm suddenly cool because I can sort of draw a tree waiting to be decorated.

I feel like a commissioned artist when my "little director"
is shouting now blue, now green.
Make a yellow one for my mom!

My tea bag dish repurposed

Taste is a Curious Thing

I just discovered Taste Test Etsy via Swiss Miss. If you love Etsy, which I do, you might agree that it's a bit overwhelming with all its awesomeness. Tons of choices. Tons of fantastic products. Well, Taste Etsy determines your particular "taste" based on choices you make between different groupings of items.

I actually think they might be on to something because this little black polka-dotted briefcase was among the items Etsy recommended to me, based on my taste and they were right on. You can buy this for me here! :)

How Do You Know

How Do You Know (2010)

For the first time in a long time I saw a movie on its opening day and I really enjoyed it. How Do You Know's star-studded cast was only one level of appeal. The writing was great, which translates--somewhat quirky and unpredictable. Ebert didn't love it, but I thought it was 3.5 stars at least. I realize it's a bit shallow but there are such gems in the film that I forgive its weaknesses. Lisa's (Witherspoon) reference to Bambi, George (Rud) literally running away from bad news, Matty's (Wilson) unbelievable apartment fully stocked with all the amenities of the one night stand and the scene at the hospital. Watch it. See if you agree. If you, like me, have been waiting for a romantic comedy worthy of the Nora Ephron legacy this one comes close.

Thai Today, Gone Tomorrow?

Demers and Philadelphia Sushi Rolls

Recently a new Thai restaurant opened in my area. For months, the rumors had been circulating, but I wasn't sure when or where it would appear. I've been eagerly awaiting its arrival and was even more excited to learn that it came with yummy sushi options too. Little Bangkok & Wasabi is on the corner across the street from Cabela's in East Grand Forks and my heart sank a little when I saw the location. It's the Bermuda triangle in the restaurant circuit. I think we've seen an Irish Pub, an Italian restaurant, and something else too all reside in that location for a brief time before poof it closes its doors for good or gives way to something new. Now, I may be wrong on this, but I think this new restaurant is a branch of the successful Fargo Thai places: Drunken Noodle, Thai Orchid, Wasabi.

Pad Thai

My first visit was two weeks ago and I had pad Thai and shared a rainbow sushi platter with my pal, Anna. This time I ordered the basil stir fry with chicken and I shared some sushi--one sushi roll from the regular (Philadelphia) and one from the deluxe (Demers Ave). Both times I had a small garden salad (mainly iceberg lettuce) but the ginger salad dressing? To die for. Tonight, we made the meal complete with some heavenly coconut ice cream. Yum!

Basil Stir Fry with Chicken

Coconut Ice Cream

Tonight was my second trip and I suspect I'll need to keep working my way through the menu. I hope this place sticks around long enough for me to do that!

P.S. Rumor has it we'll have an Iraqi place called Babylon down the street from The Toasted Frog. Yum! Things are looking up!

Never the Same Day Twice

Teaching has its extremes. Some days pure joy. Other days, well, not so much. After 15 years I thought I'd seen it all, but this year keeps proving me wrong at every turn. In one week, I've been accused of "giving up on a student" by a frustrated parent and then I've also had a colleague tell me she met a former student of mine now living in Minneapolis who said I "changed her life" and I think she meant for the better. Two summers ago in one of my gardening moments I caught up with a former student who said I was the person who "got her reading for fun" and that she reads all the time now. Of course, I have a few who are doing time for all sorts of sad crimes. I wish I knew where more of my students ended up or in what ways I influenced them for good or taught them useful things like when to use it's and its... One boy admitted that was the one thing he learned in my class. Thanks, Kiah. Well, it's something, eh?

One thing can be said for teaching. It's never the same day twice. I have a dynamic job with unique challenges and I get to be a "teacher/parent/social worker/mentor" 185+ days a year and my "kids" never really age. I just keep dealing with that same sophomoric behavior and can't figure out why they can't figure it out... Hmmm... perhaps because it's a fresh crop of kiddos every fall! Forget the challenges for a minute and ponder these gems--moments that made me grin from ear to ear this week.

Two spelling errors made by two different students:
S. Cargo (Escargot)
Hycute (Haiku)

And today?
Today I watched a 5 month old baby kangaroo hop around in the hallway at school. He was wearing a diaper with a little hole cut out for his tail. A former student whose family has a small petting zoo brought this little guy in for the teachers to see.

He's tucked up in his "pouch."

Wordless Wednesday

Seasons G-read-ings!

I love this childhood book of mine,
Cranberry Christmas by Harry and Wende Devlin.

A few more holiday treasures for all ages.

If you are interested in a little holiday humor, David Sedaris, you can listen to his holiday story Santaland Diaries here in four parts: part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4

Frankie says...

This is my new favorite wine.

And it's a shocker, since Riesling isn't typically my thing... I'm more of a Pinot Noir kind of girl.

To Judge a Book By Its Cover

In recent years I've been amassing a collection of Bond books with a particular set of covers I so love, those put out by Penguin in the early 2000's with cover art by Roseanne Serra and Richie Fahey. I have ten of the 15 books (if you count the short story collection Quantum of Solace). I try to pick these up "used" when I'm at Half Price Books or some other reasonably priced book joint. Still on my must-have list are these: You Only Live Twice, Quantum of Solace, The Man With the Golden Gun, Diamonds are Forever, and From Russia With Love.

Today I discovered another edition that I feel I MUST own. Despite the fact that I've seen all the films and am a huge fan, I've only actually READ two books by Ian Fleming: Goldfinger and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Still, the new Penguin cover art blows me away. Good job, Michael Gilette. Take a look.


If you're curious about the order of the books. Apparently one ought to read them in the proper order and little attention has been paid to this by book publishers in the past. Not so, this time with the new Penguin editions. Seriously. Aren't these just yummy?

Book a Day Options

So the hard part about finding 11 books to read over break is that I have to choose from the 555 in my Goodreads "to read" category. Last night, I started pulling unread books from my shelves and I had to stop when I got to about 25 titles. So, no matter what, I'll have no trouble FINDING great titles... I just may have some trouble NARROWING my options.

Care to help? Feel free to weigh in on these titles.

1. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (young adult fiction)
2. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke (short stories)
3. Men and Gods by Rex Warner, illustrated by Edward Gorey (myths)
4. My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell (memoir)
5. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (memoir)
6. White Cat by Holly Black (young adult)
7. Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus (children's)
8. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (young adult)
9. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (young adult)
10. A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami (fiction)
11. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (juvenile/young adult fiction)
12. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (memoir)
13. Escape! The Story of The Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman (young adult nonfiction)
14. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (nonfiction)
15. Big Fish by Daniel Wallace (fiction)
16. Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (juvenile/young adult fiction)
17. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson (nonfiction/roman a clef)
18. The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (fiction)
19. Modesty Blaise by Peter O'Donnell (mystery)
20. Moominpappa at Sea by Tove Jansson (juvenile fiction)
21. Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James swanson (young adult history)
22. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
23. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (juvenile/young adult fiction)
24. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby (fiction)
25. Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle (3 Young Adult holiday romances)

UPDATE:
Books in red, I completed for the challenge
Books in green, I read BEFORE the challenge began. :)

A Book a Day

Since I love a good challenge, I'm going to try for a "book a day" over my holiday break. For me that's only 11 days... 11 books.

If you choose to participate, you can share your progress and your titles on Twitter with the hashtag #bookaday.

Donalyn Miller, of Book Whisperer fame, is leading the charge. Now I just have to decide which choice morsels to devour over my brief break.

Miller reminds us that anything is fair game... novels, nonfiction, picture books, graphic novels, your challenge, your pick. With that in mind I should be in good shape. After all, I think I have more than 500 titles on my "to read" list.