An Update for the You've Got Mail Challenge

For those participating in the YGM challenge, please stop by...the Pride & Prejudice winner was drawn, seven reviews have been posted for January, and the new event for February is up.

I Need Some Distance

Last night I turned the last page in Dorothy Whipple's Someone At A Distance and then proceeded to fall asleep thinking about the book, dreamed about the book, and, since waking up five hours ago, continue to ruminate over this story about the North family that must deal with a husband's infidelity. After spending a week immersed in this book, I have a feeling it will be difficult to get some distance from Someone At A Distance. Even now I have no direction about what to read next and know I will not be able to lose myself in my other projects as they are quite conducive to thought. I have to give credit to Whipple's writing as I have not been able to turn away from Miss Read for more than a half hour of reading. I had given myself permission to come back to Someone At A Distance if I couldn't get into the story after the first couple of pages but I was drawn in immediately and had to pace myself in order not to devour all 410 pages. This strength carried me through the majority of the book but I must say that coming to the end was slightly disappointing in that I felt too many loose ends tidied themselves up a little too conveniently. I also did not approve of the end but that is a personal issue on my part. Another fault I found in Whipple's conclusion was how few pages it took up when it seemed such a huge event for Ellen and Avery to be meeting once again and what it meant for all involved. But what can such minor complaints mean in comparison to Whipple's strengths? Her character development is genius...to the point that I was repulsed by the narcissistic Louise, yet absolutely fascinated by this woman. What to say about a woman whose parents are afraid to admit that they are happier and enjoy life more when she is away? Then there is Avery. Whipple's insight into the male nature was impressive. But it was Ellen I loved getting to know...a woman from whom I learned so much.

Whipple created a world that, once entered, is difficult to leave because although the last words have been read, the story stays with you. For how long? That is my question.

This Week on Animal Planet...

It worked out that last week all my reading was about animals and that thread continues into this week as I read Fresh from the Country. Not that there is a lot of talk of animals in my current Miss Read read but Potter's wonderful story of The Tailor of Gloucester gets a mention as the protaganist Anna Lacey returns to her home at the Christmas holiday and stops in at the local village school where she is invited to sit next to the fire and listen as the teacher reads the little book to her small group of attentive students. It is a welcome respite as Anna struggles with the challenges of teaching 48 students at once in a classroom built of steel and glass.

I have encountered several references and fitting quotations from Potter's work in Miss Read's books and the author's affection extends to the naming of her newly adopted cat Tiggy. The namesake of the slim volume of remembrances is easy to fall in love with and was quite an eye opener into the nature of cats which is a foreign area for me (I grew up in a committed family of dog lovers and that love goes back for generations). Any animal lover can easily relate to Miss Read's resistance to allowing another furry creature into her heart after losing one too many but it was also easy to see that her resistance was futile for it was only a matter of time before the mother cat and her kittens had found a new home with Miss Read and her family.

So it was Miss Read who inspired me to finally read all 23 of Potter's tales in order that I would know the stories behind each reference or pet name. As a child I was more apt to look at the pictures in Miss Potter's little books than read the stories and I have only read a handful to my own children. Whether I liked the story or not, the art of Potter still continues to make the greatest impression. I did fall in love with The Tailor of Gloucester, The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and The Tale of Ginger and Pickles (which struck me as funny since it wasn't big on plot). I finally read The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies (as a child I always got stuck on the word 'soporific' and quickly moved on to look at the pictures) and it was a joy to revisit The Tale of Two Bad Mice which was my favorite as a child.

Reading Potter's canon was long overdue. She is one of those authors where it seems a crime not to have read the majority of her work and having done so has added a new layer of depth to my reading of Miss Read. So now I return to Anna as she faces the daunting summer term and my hopes of her finding a village school post somewhere near a certain Mr. Drew continue to build.

Back from Cranford

I am feeling quite the slacker when it comes to blogging but I suppose it is my new pattern emerging for 2010. The little free time I have is now divided between reading, blogging, crocheting and cross-stitching, getting more exercise and attempting to thaw out my southern California limbs. I love, love, love experiencing my first true winter here in Pennsylvania but there are times when I panic thinking I will never shake this chill. My latest attempt at thawing out came at the end of last week when I piled the blankets so high and settled down to watch the Cranford series on dvd. Two nights and all that Judi Dench goodness was gone. In all fairness, it wasn't just Dame Judi that had me playing episode after episode...Miss Pole, fantastic...the poor cow in his get-up...the mesmorizing Lady Ludlow...the unfortunate cat and lace episode...and, of course, Elizabeth Gaskell's writing that inspired the well-written series. I loved how they intersected her three works to make this one. Absolutely brilliant. Perhaps too brilliant, for after sitting down to read Cranford these past couple of days, I came away loving the movie more. Not to say that the book isn't good because it is. They just seem to be two entities that are alike but completely different and, of the two, I know I will rewatch Cranford but I will not reread Cranford. I recommend the book and movie but would not suggest doing as I did by watching the movie first. Reading the book first would have filled in some of the gaps I found when watching the series. As far as reading the other two books the series is based on (My Lady Ludlow and Mr. Harrison's Confessions), I am a little hesitant as I have read some not so favorable reviews.

Out of My System

Last year was all about recovering from my reading slump in 2008. Out of curiosity, I challenged myself to see how many books I could read in one year. Now that I know and the urge is out of my system, this new year is about returning to the pure pleasure of reading. So even though I have joined several challenges, I will be reading what I want when I want at the pace I want. Surprisingly that has meant practically no reading during the past two weeks. I picked up a couple of books (John Betjeman's England and Diary of a Provincial Lady) only to put them down a few pages later. I read a short story (Dorothy Whipple's A Lovely Time) and finished another Miss Read (The Fairacre Festival). I paged through a picture book about literary England and flipped through my cookbooks. I feel as if I am on a literary stroll. Last year I knew exactly what book would come next after turning the last page of another. This year, and at this very moment, I have no idea what will come next. Very different but very satisfactory.

Last of the Persephone Secret Santas

Here is the final secret Santa post...and a fun one it is. Sophie at An Embarrassment of Frivolities got to meet her Santa in person and she also shares the rest of her holiday fun. Thanks again to all who participated.

You've Got Mail Challenge Update

If you are participating in the YGM challenge, a review post is now up as well as the January event and giveaway.

Reviewing My Reading Year

I had no idea when I began blogging the influence it would have on my reading. Book bloggers extended the boundaries of my reading world in a way I didn't know possible and challenges taught me to manage my reading time in order to get the most out of it. It has just been a phenomenal reading year...one unmatched by any in the past and the one that will be difficult to beat in the future.

Although a couple of George Orwell's essays tried to knock it out of place, my favorite essay of the year (and so far of all time) was a rereading of Anna Quindlen's Good Dog. Stay. Picking one favorite short story for the year was impossible and so Edith Wharton's Roman Fever, Elizabeth Enright's I Pine for Thee, and Bernard Malamud's The First Seven Years share the number one spot for my affection.

Out of 119 books read this year, four I regret reading. All the rest I liked or loved or learned I will not be able to live without rereading over and over again (which must go beyond love but not sure what the word would be for that). Honorable mentions include The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle, The Juniper Tree and Other Tales by the brother Grimm, The Magic Barrel by Bernard Malamud, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House by Eric Hodgins, Over the Gate by Miss Read, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, and Ring for Jeeves by Wodehouse.

My top ten reads of 2009 are:
10. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
8. Mrs. 'Arris Goes to Moscow by Paul Gallico
7. Miss Clare Remembers by Miss Read
6. Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse
5. In-N-Out by Stacy Perman
4. Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill
3. Village School by Miss Read
2. Old Books, Rare Friends by Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern
1. The Christmas Mouse by Miss Read

Commonplace Book 2009

When I could remember, I wrote down some of my favorite passages from this year's reading. Next year, I hope to be a little more disciplined.

"This is a good story," he'd say, lifting his head at last, and looking at the others with eyes still glazed by distance, still focused on the landscape of another world. - Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright

"The young people think the old people are fools - but the old people know the young people are fools." Miss Marple in Murder at the Vicarage

"What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear? It must tend to some end, or else our universe is ruled by chance, which is unthinkable. But what end? There is the great standing perennial problem to which human reason is as far from an answer as ever." Sherlock Holmes in His Last Bow

She was always expressing gratitude for what the Lord had given her. "She thanked the good Lord that she still had her eyes to read her books," her friend Wolf Kahles remembered her saying often. - In-N-Out Burger by Stacy Perman

'We are living now in what is known as the Welfare State, which means - broadly - that everyone is completely destitute.' - Jeeves Ring for Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

When you look back over a long period of time you seem to see human beings always fixed in some special place and some characteristic attitude. It seems to you that they were always doing exactly the same thing. - George Bowling Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

...and I didn't of my own accord read a "good" book till much later. I'm not sorry it happened that way. I read the things I wanted to read, and I got more out of them than I ever got out of the stuff they taught me at school. - George Bowling Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

He thanked the old woman for her help and left hell in good spirits because he had been lucky and everything had turned out so well. - The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs by the brothers Grimm

...and Dixon showed her sorrow by extreme crossness, and a continual irritable attempt to keep her petticoats from even touching the unconscious Mr Hale, whom she regarded as the origin of all this suffering. - North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

"We hate to have laws made for us at a distance. We wish people would allow us to right ourselves, instead of continually meddling, with their imperfect legislation. We stand up for self-government, and oppose centralization." - Mr. Thornton, North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for depression. - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Only half a page left now. Shall I fill it with "I love you, I love you" - like father's page of cats on the mat? No. Even a broken heart doesn't warrant a waste of good paper. - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The tectonic layers of our lives rest so tightly one on top of the other that we always come up against earlier events in later ones, not as matter that has been fully formed and pushed aside, but absolutely present and alive. I understand this. - The Reader by Bernard Schlink

The amazing thing was that he demanded so little. His wants were few; in money he wasn't interested - in nothing but books, it seemed... - The First Seven Years by Bernard Malamud

No matter what people's lives might hold (some of these houses they were passing would have to hold some woeful tribulations, Janie knew), still and all, people were compelled to celebrate because they knew somehow, in their different ways, that life was a thing to celebrate. - Olive Kitteridge

She showed him the library built the year before Henry's stroke, with its cathedral ceiling and skylights. He looked at the books, and she wanted to say, "Stop that," as though he were reading her diary. Olive Kitteridge

As in cooking, living requires that you taste, taste, taste as you go along - you can't wait until the dish of life is done. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own, and she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and that they concerned no one but herself. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

It sometimes entered Mr. Pontellier's mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world. - The Awakening by Kate Chopin

But Esme' is merely stung by inclement weather into a spirited defiance, and so the preparations for our Christmas holiday had this year been more than usually extensive and vigorous. - The Woman in Black by Susan Hill

That's what I love about reading: one tiny thing will interest you in a book, and that tiny thing will lead you onto another book, and another bit there will lead you onto a third book. It's geometrically progressive - all with no end in sight, and for no other reason than sheer enjoyment. - The Guensey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society

Thoughts by a graveside are too dark and deep to be sustained for any length of time. Sooner or later the hurt mind turns to the sun for healing, and this is as it should be, for otherwise, what future could any of us hope for, but madness? - Village School by Miss Read

It was typical of children the world over that some trifle of no real value should give them more immediate pleasure than the larger gifts. - The Christmas Mouse

'I shall go home and make a nice cup of tea,' announced a woman to her neighbor. 'I feel fair twizzled up inside after all that.' - Storm in the Village by Miss Read

She could only pass on to them the philosophy which sustained her throughout her life. She could teach them to face whatever came with calmness and courage, to love their families and their friends with unswerving loyalty, and to relish the lovely face of the countryside in which they lived. It might seem a humdrum day-to-day set of values, but Dolly Clare knew from long experience that they could carry a man bravely through a lifetime vicissitudes. - Miss Clare Remembers by Miss Read

The Persephone Joy Continues

It seems Santa is completely 'in' when it comes to Persephone. It has been fun to see what Persephone's have made it under the tree this Christmas. We have another Secret Santa revealed at Leaning Toward the Sun...with gorgeous bookish trimmings. Do drop in...

The British Post

I did say I wouldn't be posting for about a week or more but it seems that I cannot stay away. It has been a joy to read all the Christmas posts and wishes exchanged and now I look forward to seeing what bookish gifts were received. On my side of the family, the adults have a secret santa exchange and this year my santa was my mom. I received two books from my wishlist...Cranford and Diary of a Provincial Lady...both Folio Society editions. There is also a copy of John Betjeman's England on its way which I am too excited to get my hands on since reading about him at read_warbler's. Amid all the holiday fun and chaos, I managed to finish another Miss Read. Tales from a Village School is a collection of articles that were published prior to the writing of her novels and were what ultimately led to her being approached about writing a full-length book based on her teaching experiences. Quite a few incidences found in these articles made it into the books I have read so far but I did not find them tedious to read again. In fact, I enjoyed them all the more and there seemed to be a greater degree of humor contained in these stories as well as a deeper honesty regarding the frustrations of being a teacher. A number of the articles served as a catalyst for my own trips down memory lane and I often found myself lost in reveries dating back to my grade school years.

As all my reading lately seems to be of an English bent, I can't resist the Typically British Reading Challenge being hosted by Book Chick City. There are four levels to choose from. I am committing to the Cream Crackered level which is to read eight British novels. If you would like to join in, click on the button to read the details. Thanks to Amused by Books for leading me to this challenge.

Another Santa Revealed

Please stop by kiss a cloud and see what Claire's Secret Santa brought her...one that has made it to my wishlist.

Merry Christmas!

I am going to sign off for the next week or so...well, I'll still check in to read my favorite blogs but I won't be posting until the end of the year when I will finalize challenges and look back at the reading that was in 2009. I did want to wrap up my final challenges of 2009...the Christmas ones...with a few thoughts on Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read. This volume contains Village Christmas, The Christmas Mouse and No Holly for Miss Quinn. They were all perfect reading for the holidays but my favorite was The Christmas Mouse. All three stand alone and can be read without reading any of the Fairacre books but it does add another layer of depth if you have. I can tell this will be a book for rereading each December because as I finished each story I immediately wanted to go back to the first page and start over again.

Merry Christmas and blessings to you and your families throughout the holidays!

I Was Only Dreaming...

***Spoiler: A Major One***

The Christmas Sweater tells the story of a very lost twelve-year-old boy who, in the space of a few years, has lost both his father and mother. The book is loosely based on actual events from Beck's life: he did lose his mother, he did face his demons (although much later in life than did the main character), and his life was transformed by God's love and many blessings.

I found quite a few parellels between my life and Beck's: the struggle with God and faith, the fight to overcome adolescent self-pity and selfishness, and sharing a loving and sustaining relationship with grandparents. For these reasons and more, I was enjoying the book despite the hard time I had buying into the character of Russell and the storm scene but what completely ruined the story for me was the explanation behind Russell and the storm scene and the death of the mother...it was all a dream. One of my pet peeves is reading a book that ends with the trick of the dream sequence. I always feel cheated and deceived and felt especially so because this book was attempting to address issues of faith, doubt and the existence as well as the nature of God.

I have heard that The Christmas Sweater has touched many lives and I am happy for that but Beck's life story seems interesting enough without the need to turn to fiction. All the messages that Beck wishes to share would have been more powerful and meaningful to others in the same place if he had told his story straight.

What's the Point?

Not sure why I thought setting a maximum joining limit of 5 for reading challenges this year would work. I do know I won't join anywhere near the number I did last year and I have been putting a lot of thought into the ones I have joined as well as giving myself some time in between the initial impulse to join and that point when I actually do. The outcome has been only six challenges joined opposed to the 20 or more challenges I had joined by this time in 2008. Here are the latest three...

Beth Fish Reads is hosting the What's in a Name (3) challenge this year. I did not complete this one in 2009, so am looking forward to a rematch. I love the creative premise of this challenge: 6 titles based on six different categories...food, body of water, title, plant, place name and music term. I plan to leave my list open but do know I will be reading Few Eggs and No Oranges (food); The Diary of a Provincial Lady (title); and, Saplings (plant).

Wendy at Caribousmom is hosting the 2010 Chunkster Challenge. I wanted to join this one last year but was truly intimidated by reading a set number of books with page counts over 450. I am a little less worried after looking back over 2009 and finding at least two chunksters read. I am signing up for the Chubby Chunkster level which is to read three.

I read about this challenge at A Bookshelf Monstrosity and could not resist. I love reading books about books and Lesley at A Life in Books is hosting the 2010 Bibliophilic Books Challenge which challenges bloggers to read a set number of books about books and reading. I am committing to the Bookworm level of three books.

Thank you to Beth F, Dana and Lesley for hosting these great challenges. Click on the button to get the full details for each of these challenges.

Persephone Secret Santas Revealed

Here it is...the 15th. How quickly it came and thank goodness because I don't know about all the other secret santas out there but I have been so excited to share what I have received and to give a proper thank you...not only to my Secret Santa but to everyone who participated in spreading the Persephone cheer. You all have been wonderful and I no longer wish you a grey Christmas but a very merry one as well as many blessings in the new year.

Here are all the Secret Santas:

Ana @ things mean a lot
Astrid (Mrs. B) @ The Literary Stew
Claire @ kiss a cloud
Claire @ Paperback Reader
Danielle @ Leaning Toward the Sun
Frances @ Nonsuch Book
Jodie @ Book Gazing
Karen @ BookBath
Marie @ Boston Bibliophile
Meredith @ dolce bellezza
Miranda @ skirmishofwit
Nadia @ A Bookish Way of Life
Nat @ In Spring it is the Dawn
Sarah @ what we have here is a failure to communicate
Simon @ Stuck In A Book
Sophie @ An Embarrassment of Frivolities
Stacy @ Book Psmith
Thomas @ My Porch

Please leave a comment or email me the link to your post and I will put it up here as soon as possible. I hope you will all have a chance to explore these wonderful blogs beyond the Persephone post and get to know one another if you don't already.

I have to say it one more time...thank you!

(If you have not received your parcel yet, please do email me so we can try to iron out any issues that may have arisen with shipping.)

Something from a Distance - Persephone Secret Santa

Can you guess from the post title which Persephone I received? It is a play on the book as well as on the location of my Secret Santa. My new Persephone is Someone At a Distance from Dorothy Whipple and it made it's way all the way from Portugal...care of Ana, also known as Nymeth, of things mean a lot.

I can't say thank you enough to Nymeth for choosing this Persephone. I have been reading a lot about Whipple at some of my favorite blogs and each time a review popped up I kept wishing I had one of her books on my shelves. Now I do and I so look forward to reading Someone At a Distance right after the new year...maybe earlier.


More meaningful than the book was the extra goodies she included...a beautiful homemade bookmark (these mean so much to me), a little something for my not-so-little sweet tooth and a recipe for Formigos, a yummy Porteguese Christmas tradition. I made the formigos on Sunday and they turned out to be the perfect hearty and warming morsel for the dreary day we had weather-wise. The dish was a hit with the whole family, and with Nymeth's permission to reprint the recipe, I hope it may be with your's as well.

Ingredients (For about 6 servings):
300 gr of sugar
750 ml (around 3 cups) of milk
1 cinnamon stick
ground cinnamon
Zest of 1 lemon
2 spoonfuls of honey
1 spoonful of butter
3 egg yolks
a medium-sized loaf of bread

1. Boil the milk, the lemon zest, the honey and the cinnamon stick for about 10 minutes. 2. Break the bread into small pieces and add them to the mix, along with the butter and the sugar. 3. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring with a large wooden spoon. You have to make sure the bread is dissolving and the mixture is becoming uniform. 4. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. 5. Add the three egg yolks, stir, and return to low heat for another 2 or 3 minutes. 6. Pour into a dish or bowl and decorate with ground cinnamon.

Thank you, Ana, for the wonderful gifts and helping to make my Christmas that much more special. When I read this book and each time I use your bookmark, I will think of you fondly.

Sweet Dreams

I can always tell if I am completely immersed in a book by my dreams. Characters and settings turn up in my nocturnal visions. It doesn't happen with all books but when it does I know that book has become a part of me. And so it is with Miss Read. Not a day has passed during the last week that I have not dreamt of Miss Clare and Fairacre and Beech Green but last night the immersion was taken to a whole new level. I became Miss Clare and one of my dearest friends was Emily, and instead of the two of us finding freedom through bicycles, we were each given a car to get us back and forth to our teacher studies and training. It was fitting that my friend should show up in a dream brought on by Miss Clare Remembers because this book is a beautiful testament to friendship as well as family, loyalty, hard work and dealing with tragedy. I can see why Miss Clare Remembers is a favorite by Miss Read and I think this book more than the others I have read so far will be the one I turn to when in need of a comfort read.

A little while ago I wrote about seven Christmas-y things I love...I am adding an eighth...Christmas cards. Don't they just make you smile and warm your heart?

So are you tired of reading about Miss Read over here on Book Psmith? My apologies in advance for what is to come for the next couple of weeks...I will be reading Over the Gate, Village Christmas and Miss Read's Christmas Book. At least the next post will vary a bit...I will be sharing what I received from my Persephone Secret Santa. I can't wait and I have a feeling that the book I received will be the one to break my Miss Read streak come 2010.

You've Got Mail Reading Challenge

It would have been more obvious for my first reading challenge to be Wodehouse but I am hosting a reading challenge to celebrate my favorite movie, You've Got Mail. There are two parts to the challenge: reading authors highlighted in the film and bi-weekly events such as memes, quizzes and giveaways. Please visit the dedicated blog for all the details and I hope you will join in the fun.

Curioser and Curioser

All my grand Christmas reading plans by the wayside, I am going from one Miss Read to the next. I can't help myself...she seems to be all that I am in the mood for. Yesterday I finished Storm in the Village and now my biggest dilemma on the reading horizon is whether to see what happens to Miss Clare in Miss Clare Remembers or should I stop delaying gratification and pick up No Holly for Miss Quinn. I have a feeling I will know exactly which one once I step up to the bookcase to shelf Storm in the Village.

I am coming up on the one year mark for Book Psmith and my thoughts have been turning to the second year. My reading and blogging will both be moving toward a leisurely pace as I look forward to taking my reading to another, deeper level. Last year with all the joining of challenges, I was reading and taking notes but not really allowing myself to experience the books to the degree that I wished...for I always had an eye toward time. I am so thankful for those challenges for they gave me some direction when I first started blogging but now I am ready to go in the direction that was my original intent which was more of a journalling approach toward my reading rather than proper book reviewing. A lot of thoughts and impressions will end up in my personal records and mostly what will make it to the blog are bits and pieces that made me think and want to seek out the opinions of others, books that I want to gush about or rail against, and other points of a more general bookish nature.

And in that vein comes the curiosity part that I alluded to in the title. Curioser number one: After finding a Folio Society edition of Wodehouse's short stories, I have been debating whether or not to join. The books are absolutely gorgeous (an example is this edition of Exellent Women I have been coveting) and a real joy to read and one of the joining offers I am having a difficult time ignoring (a breathtaking two sets of Beatrix Potter's complete
tales) but oh the cost...anywhere from $39 to $59 for the average book (I am completely flabbergasted by the editions that reach the astronomical price of hundreds of dollars) with a joining commitment to buy four. For the time being, I am saying no due largely to the used editions I have been finding for sale through the internet for a fraction of the price. But I am curious to know if anyone out there has had or currently does hold a membership and what your experience has been.

Curioser number two arises from an incident in Storm in the Village that got me thinking about setting out reads for overnight guests..."I had put out a vase of my choicest roses on the bedside table, and spent some time in deciding on a variety of books. After much thought I had selected Country Things by Alison Utley, The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield, Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, an anthology of modern verse, and one of Basil Bradley's novels bearing a reclining Regency beauty on its dust jacket." I have never thought of setting out specific reads for guests. My shelves are open to their perusal and they are free to read anything that may take their fancy but as a general rule if the guest is a reader they have already seen to their own books whilst packing and if they are non-readers are more likely to watch television than pick up any volume I might suggest. Still I thought it a lovely gesture and winced when Miss Read's guest dismissed the books as 'juvenilia' and went on to outline her boring and self-pitying bedtime routine. So I am curious to know if bookloving hosts put thought and time into setting out a few beloved tomes for the enjoyment of their guests.

p.s. My youngest and I just spent the last fifteen minutes running from windows to doors to see the falling snow...which has decided it...No Holly for Miss Quinn is next!

A Christmas Game of Tag

I was tagged by skirmishofwit to list seven loves and with it being the first of December I thought I would make my list Christmas themed.


Ornaments - My mother began collecting ornaments for my sister and I when we were kids and by the time my husband and I were making our own home I had enough ornaments to decorate the tree twice over. She has continued the tradition to this day and extended the gift to her granddaughters. Adventures of a Book Lover (pictured) is one of my favorites but each and every one makes me smile and I love the moment we all step back from the tree and declare it wondrous.


Books - This year as I unpacked the Christmas books for my youngest I said no more...I was disappointed to find doubles and knew it was a sign that for this age range there are more than enough. If I were to check the upstairs bookcases I would find more than enough for the next age range as well and in any case should wait until that age where she asserts her own tastes in holiday reading as my oldest has done.


Movies - These are just some of the Christmas movies we watch each and every year...and some of them over and over during the month. At some point, I stop counting our views of Charlie Brown. Christmas Vacation and White Christmas are watched as well as put on for background noise. And then there are the new favorites that seem to come far and few in between...elf and The Family Stone.




Music - I was so relieved to find one of those 24/7 Christmas music stations. In California, it was always KOST that was put on all hours of the day in practically every room and I was worried that there wouldn't be an equivalent in Pennsylvania but I am starting to think they must be in each and every major radio market. How is it that I can listen to the same songs year after year and never tire of hearing them them yet again?

Countdown - Is it possible to have too many countdown/advent calendars? I mean you really only need one but where is the fun in that? The chocolate countdown calendars were my favorite growing up and we continue the tradition today with our kids. As I see more and more retailers carrying these I have a feeling I will be gifting them to grandchildren as well (or so I hope).


The Christmas Mouse - This is a new love and one that I have a feeling I will be indulging in every year.





And last but not least...food...all those favorite foods that make an appearance once a year: my mom's yummy cookies (I am putting in an early request for extra seven layer bars), cold cuts and fresh bread and pastries from Alpine Market, homemade cinnamon rolls, Christmas morning pancakes, gingerbread lattes, peppermint hot chocolates, and egg nog.

You're it! Consider yourself tagged if you want to play along.

DNF 2009

Here is my list of the books I could not, would not, or refused to finish in 2009. There is still December to think of but as I am on a Miss Read kick combined with other Christmas reads, I seriously do not think I will run into any more books I won't be able to finish this year.

1. Why We Hate by Dick Meyer - On an every day basis I have to deal with people who irk...those who think everybody else wants to listen to their music; people who don't even know there is such a thing as cell phone etiquette; people who have forgotten to use words like hello, good-bye, thank you, you're welcome, have a nice day, excuse me; and so on and so forth because Lord knows I could go on forever. Since I have to live it, I choose not to immerse myself in a book about it...too frustrating (especially if I do not agree with the author on some of the causes and the cures). (p.22) I wrote this DNF note at the beginning of the year and have since moved to a town where I haven't encountered these same frustrations but I still won't be reading this one...too negative.

2. Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov - Just can't do it and believe me I tried...65 pages of trying but here is the thing, I have a thirteen year old daughter and I can't turn off that mother part of me when reading a book...just can't. I chose Lolita for one of my mini-challenges where you are asked to read a book outside of your comfort zone and this has always been that book for me...and I guess it will continue to be so. (p. 65)

3. Thirteen by Lauren Myracle - My daughter began this series with Eleven and it has become a tradition for me to buy the latest installment on her corresponding birthday. She loved Eleven and Twelve but had a hard time finishing Thirteen. I decided to give Thirteen a try for my YA challenge but couldn't get into the story. Maybe I should have started at the beginning but I can tell when a book/author just isn't the right fit. (Chapter 2)

4. Writing Home by Alan Bennett - This book is a good read but at 600+ pages it is too much Bennett all at once. I will return and finish this at some point.

5. Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen - Janzen is very funny and there was one part in this memoir where she describes what it was like to go on camping trip with her family that I was laughing so hard I had to put the book down. But I couldn't get past the feeling that under the layer of humor she was jabbing members of her family and the community she had grown up in in a mean-spirited way. There were also two too many incidences of TMI which as my age progresses my tolerance for decreases. (p. 61)

Going over this list has got me thinking about the books I did finish but couldn't stand. On some occasions I finished because I was reading for a challenge. On others, my curiosity to see how the book ended sustained me through my disdain. But the first question asked when I say I didn't like a book is 'why did you keep reading' and, looking back, whatever the reason it wasn't good enough to justify the time and the frustration. I should have moved on and, if I have any reading resolutions for 2010, to move on will be at the top of my list.

Read the Book, See the Movie

1. Cranford

2.

3.

4.

Gratitude

The leftovers are put away. The dishes are clean. A piece of pumpkin pie awaits. My annual viewing of Home for the Holidays has concluded. The house is decorated and the presents are wrapped for the youngest's birthday tomorrow. Amidst the bustle and moments of chaos, I finished Time Remembered by Miss Read. Lamentably, it is too short a work, as is her A Fortunate Grandchild which I finished about a week ago. Both are autobiographical volumes that cover her childhood years, respectively, those that tell of her move to the countryside and her attendance at a village school, and the earlier years of living in London and her interactions with her two grandmothers. Reading both of these works gives a glimpse into some of the real life experiences that influenced her fiction. If you have read Miss Read, these two works are just as delightful. If you haven't read Miss Read, I believe they stand up wonderfully on there own merit.

I am thankful for these two books as well as all the other fabulous reads I have enjoyed in 2009. I am thankful for the book bloggers that led me to a lot of these books and authors. I am thankful for books, friends, family...I am thankful for this day.

Saturday Confessions

Ti at Book Chatter hosts Confessions of a Reader which just changed to a monthly event instead of a weekly one. I can't wait until the beginning of December to unburden myself, so I hope she doesn't mind if I am a little early.

Confession number one: I have read three books this week and have not reviewed a one. I read numbers four and five of MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series: The Walkers of Dembley and The Murderous Marriage. I have been trying to space these books out a little to make them last longer but I just had to know what happened after the fourth. I suppose I am not going to write proper reviews for these two, so I will just say that I enjoyed them so much, I finished each within the day I began it...which leads me to confession number two.

Sandwiched in between the two Raisin books, I read A Fortunate Grandchild by Miss Read. Scandalous? Hardly. But in order to read this book, I had to purchase it and so have failed spectacularly regarding my book buying ban. I lasted all of two weeks. And when I say I failed spectacularly, it is not just because of the time I lasted but because I also purchased Miss Read's Christmas at Fairacre, A Time Remembered and Fresh from the Country as well as Village Diary and Storm in the Village . I have added these volumes to the seven Miss Reads which Thomas at My Porch so kindly and generously passed on to me. I would say my reading is set for the winter months.

So I am rethinking and retooling the ban...my project that 'needs a little tweaking'. In the meantime, it is January in Fairacre and I have some reading to do.

Minding My Ps and Gs

When I was trying to come up with a name for my blog, I knew I wanted something that payed tribute to one of the two writers that got me out of my 2008 reading slump (whole months went by without me picking up a book...so grateful that trying time came to an end). Book Psmith was the winner and my original tagline was My Year with Wodehouse. I had committed myself to reading nothing but Wodehouse in 2009 but once I joined the world of book blogs, I quickly amended my tagline to read '...and a whole lotta other writers'. Books reviewed on other blogs were catching my eye and making their way to my tbr pile, and I was joining reading challenges left and right which made it impossible to stick to Wodehouse reads only. Things have a way of working out and now that 2009 is drawing to a close I am grateful I didn't read all of Plum's books in one fell swoop. Rereading is all I would have had to look forward to in the coming years. I want to be like the uncle of that New Yorker writer who looked forward to his retirement years because he planned to spend them reading nothing but Wodehouse. I want to do that too in my golden years and I want some of those volumes to be new to me.

So I end 2009 with my twenty-first Wodehouse read, Right Ho, Jeeves, and what a way to go out. Part of the fun of reading this one was remembering the Jeeves and Wooster episode based on this book, and picturing the well-known events unfold with Fry as Jeeves and Laurie as Wooster (although I had to picture an altogether different woman as Madeline Bassett because no matter how silly a person must be to think of the stars as God's daisy chain, the actress who portrayed this character went beyond the silly to the annoying).

Bertie is wounded to find his friends and family seeking the advice of Jeeves in solving their problems. It should be remembered that Jeeves is too elaborate and often creates a bigger mess than the original. So whose memory is faulty when it comes to the making of messes and cleaning them up...Bertie, of course, but Jeeves steps aside as instructed and must also turn the close eye to his speech which Bertie finds to be nothing but concealed insults toward his intellect. Bertie pips down to Brinkley Court to attend to his aunt in need, heal the rift between his close friend, Tuppy, and his betrothed, Angela, as well as aid Augustus Fink-Nottle in the wooing of Madeline Bassett. Aunt Dahlia is in constant shock over Bertie's ability to leave a whole country house and its' inhabitants in ruins. Can anyone put in end to his destruction or will Brinkley Court go down in flames?

I have been anticipating reading Right Ho, Jeeves for some time as it contains the infamous Fink-Nottle prize giving scene but the truth is that it is impossible for this scene to shine because the whole book is hilarious and clever and a classic in my estimation.

There are quite a few Wodehouse books I read this year that I consider classics they were so good: Ice in the Bedroom, Psmith in the City, Ring for Jeeves, and Blandings Castle. Overall it was a good lot this year. So far for 2010, I have only Love Among the Chickens on my tbr list. I will have to consult my copy of Plum Sauce to get some more ideas but, in the meantime, if you have any recommendations of wonderful Wodehouse reads, please share.

Looks A Lot Like Christmas

I do have a tendency to get all righteous when I see Christmas making an appearance at the beginning of November by saying things like "give the turkey its' day already" but secretly I love it. My favorite time of the year comes and goes so fast, I don't mind trying to stretch it for all it's worth. Starting early doesn't make it any less special to me. So far I have seen one Christmas tree up in a living room window, one homeowner putting up icicles and various other decorations, several holiday store displays, heard Christmas music at several stores, checked out the Christmas reads at Barnes & Noble, and took my youngest to see Santa. So in my neck of the woods, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas and I am joining in on getting some holiday spirit.

Just like going back for seconds on the eggnog, I am joining another holiday reading reading challenge. Nely at All About {n} is hosting the 2009 Holiday Reading Challenge which begins November 20 and ends December 31. You can commit to reading 1 to 5 holiday reads or go above and beyond by reading as many as you can handle without ODing. If you would like to join in click on the button above to read the details and sign up. Here are some of the reads in my holiday reading stack.

A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd - I was thinking about reading In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash but when I found the above collection that only includes the stories used in the film, I chose it instead...besides I couldn't resist an edition with Ralphie on the cover.

Christmas at Fairacre by Miss Read - This collection includes three works previously published separately: The Christmas Mouse, Village Christmas, and No Holly for Miss Quinn.

A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer - I have wanted to read the Rumpole books since seeing them on Letters from a Hill Farm and decided to start here.

Christmas at the New Yorker - A collection of "short stories, poems, humor and art". Lately, any collection that includes SJ Perelman has been making it to my tbr stack. I look forward to reading bits and pieces of this over several Decembers.

Kissing Christmas Goodbye by MC Beaton - A couple of months ago, I asked about reading the Agatha Raisins out of order and decided against it but I couldn't help picking this one up from my library.

Auggie Wren's Christmas by Paul Auster - I recently read an article Auster wrote on Penelope Fitzgerald, so when I saw this short work, I picked it up out of curiosity because I have yet to read any of his fiction.

That is the list so far. I am looking forward to all of these as well as all of our favorite family reads. What do you have on your holiday reading list?

Met My Match

Last December, I signed up for the Read n' Review Challenge in which one is challenged to write a review for every book read in 2009. All has been going along swimmingly until I read On the Other Side: Letters to My Children from Germany 1940-46 by Mathilde Wolff-Monckeberg. I had such a strong negative reaction to this collection of letters that I knew early on I could never commit to writing an objective review but also would not publicly post my honest feelings in a subjective review because my emotions may lead me to be cruel and disrespectful. Also whatever I wrote would inevitably lead to the inclusion of family members who lived in Holland during the German occupation and I do not have their permission to share their stories. So that is that.

Have you met your match...that book that you just couldn't review or didn't want to for whatever reason?

A Man and His Cat

Cynthia Rylant writes the wonderful Henry and Mudge series about a boy and his lovable dog. My youngest and I have been enjoying the books since the summer but it was only last week that I spied her Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold. To think they were sitting there the whole time and I, for whatever reason, overlooked them.

Mr. Putter is getting older and when he begins to wish for a companion to share a cup of tea with and to tell his stories to, he sets out to find a friend just like himself...with creaky bones, thinning hair and with hearing not quite as good as it used to be. He finds Tabby and they suit one another perfectly.

After finishing Mr. Putter & Tabby Catch the Cold, my youngest and I looked at one another and we were wearing the same wide, goofy grin that comes with instant book love. Since that first read, we returned to the library and grabbed up all the books in the series we could find. Rylant's fantastic stories accompanied by Arthur Howard's charming illustrations make for great reading at any age. I have counted eighteen different adventures ranging from the quiet scenes of writing a book to the rascally Zeke (Mr. Putter's neighbor's dog) raising a raucous on his daily walks...I just hope our library system has them all...or I will have to use that as an excuse to add them to our personal library.

Today...

...is the last day to sign up to for Persephone Secret Santa. So far we have three participants who will be receiving their very first Persephone...so exciting! And our Santas herald from regions other than the North Pole...the UK, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Portugal and the US.

Tomorrow (probably later in the day since my daughter will be assisting), you will be receiving all the information needed to hit the workshop. Please don't hesitate to email me at slaven614@gmail if you have any questions.

I Wish...

...for more books like Miss Read's Village School to come into my reading life (which may be cheating wish-wise since there is a whole series based in Fairacre and, when that is exhausted, another in Thrush Green). I have come across Miss Read's books in the past but they reminded me a little too much of the Mitford series by Jan Karon which I just can't get into. After reading a post by Verity in which she mentions Village School, I decided to give Miss Read a chance as opposed to dismissing her outright based on my experience with another author. While Karon credits Miss Read with inspiring her series and there are some similarities, my reaction to Village School couldn't be more different. Usually applied to a certain type of mystery, Village School is the quintessential cozy read. Miss Read's writing makes me feel at home and, at the end of the past couple of days, all I want to do is cuddle up under a blanket with a hot drink and lose myself amongst the characters that people the village of Fairacre. Someone else in my town or a surrounding one feels the same as we have been placing competing holds with our libraries. So far there are enough copies to go around in the system. I hope this remains true as I read my way to Village Christmas.

Floored by Fitzgerald

***Spoilers Abound***

As I turned the last page of Penelope Fitzgerald's The Bookshop, I grimaced and thought, 'Happens all the time.' People, for whatever reasons, wish others ill and will have a hand in bringing on another's ruin. What doesn't happen all the time to me as a reader is loving a book that doesn't have a happy ending. Reading Fitzgerald's tale of a middle-aged widow daring to open a bookstore in her village was a practice in self-discipline. It is such a quiet novel (except for the appearance of a poltergeist) full of subdued action and dialogue that I had to force myself to read the novel as it was instead of how I expected or wanted it to be. I know that sounds confusing and I am not sure exactly how to explain it so that my meaning is clear because it is no fault of Fitzgerald's writing but of my own preconceptions. I expected Florence Green's bookshop to remain a success. I expected those who had schemed to steal the Old House to be exposed and receive their just fruits. I expected Mr. Brundish to get Mrs. Gamart in line. I expected my happy ending...and, of course, what I got was so much different, yet so much more. Basically I was floored by this short masterpiece as well as by Fitzgerald's biographical information I picked up on the internet and will be reading more by and about this author in the coming year.

Brothers Grossmith

George and Weedon Grossmith's The Diary of a Nobody was published in book form in 1892, a time in English history with which I am not familiar. So although I enjoyed following the life and times of Charles Pooter, I couldn't help but to agree with this from the introduction: "The Diary of a Nobody triumphs on a number of levels. Superficially, it can be read as the amusing diary of Charles Pooter, a guache middle-aged clerk who lives in the north London of the late 1880s, and whose life is the epitome of ordinariness. To readers unacquainted with the culture from which it was born that level could suffice, such is the skill and economy with which it is written." I am the unacquainted reader whose reading of the introduction and the notes along with the text did not get me past the feeling that mine was a superficial read. So I think it does speak to the timelessness of this classic that I liked this book very much but have a feeling that with a little bit of historical and contextual knowledge, I could come to love it.

Spooky Treats

Happy Halloween! Hope your day is full of treats and your reading full of thrills.

Our town's trick or treating took place last night, so I chose yesterday to read my pick of scary (and silly) short stories starting with MR James' O, Whistle, and I'll Come To You, My Lad. This one brought to home how interconnected literature can be. Susan Hill mentioned it as one of her favorite short ghost stories (along with Edith Wharton's Mr. Jones) in Howards End is on the Landing and used a variation of the story's title for a chapter in The Woman in Black. Also read_warbler wrote about MR James' influence on Chris Priestley's Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror. Both authors used aspects of this story in their own work. In James' story, a Professor takes advantage of a holiday break to improve his golf game during a stay by the sea. Not far from his inn are some Templar ruins which a colleague asks the Professor to take a look at as a prospect for future study. During his investigations, the Professor removes a curious article from the ruins and sets into motion a series of disturbing events. James so deftly creates an atmosphere of menace and dread that the events in and of themselves didn't seem too horrific but the way James writes about them sufficiently freaked me out.

The only thing scary about James Thurber's The Night the Ghost Got In is that it is another disappointing read from an author I like so much. The story isn't meant to be spooky really but funny, only it wasn't, and I am starting to worry about my future readings of Thurber.

Another disappointment was Mr. Jones by Edith Wharton. When Jane Lynke inherits a grand house named Bells, she decides right away to make it her home. But the strange behavior of her housekeeper who seems to obey the mysterious Mr. Jones instead of the new lady of the house begins to bother Lady Lynke as well as raise her suspicions. Why does this man she has never met take it upon himself to dictate what happens in her home? I was more annoyed by this story than frightened. Jane Lynke had more patience than was commendable when it came to the nerve of Mr. Jones and Mrs. Clemm combined. I think my annoyance prevented me from finding the conclusion shocking.

Last but never least is Wodehouse. Darlene at roses over a cottage door reviewed his Honeysuckle Cottage and I was elated to find the story in a collection I had recently purchased. Mr. Mulliner tells the story of his distant cousin, James Rodman, who inherits his aunt's cottage in the country with the stipulation that he live in it six months of the year or he forfeits five thousand pounds. The two wrote very different types of books, he the detective type and she the 'squashily sentimental', and the aunt hoped that the enforced residence would lead him to include a little romance in his work. Not only does the home begin to influence his writing but also threatens to ruin his bachelor-for-life status. This was my favorite treat of the evening with the battle between genres, dogs, and marital status coming out on top.

Gruesome Gardening

This is the most disturbing Agatha Raisin mystery I have read so far. Granted, it is only my third. Still, I have not been able to erase some of the images MC Beaton created in Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener.

Agatha returns from a whirlwind but lonely vacation to find that Carsley has increased its population by one. Mary Fortune has moved into the village and made a move on Agatha's love interest, James Lacey. As the village prepares for their horticultural contest, they are disturbed to find a vandal targeting certain gardens for destruction. Agatha and James resume their sleuthing ways and must take on the extra work of trying to solve a murder when Carsley's newest neighbor is found dead.

I have read that the Agatha Raisin series can be a little uneven and just within the span of the books I have read, I can see why. While I have enjoyed all three mysteries, this one by far is the best and I am glad to say there hasn't been a bad one in the bunch.

I'm Dreaming of a Grey Christmas

Persephone grey, that is, and wondering if others will want to join in and spread the Persephone cheer by playing Secret Santa to our fellow Persephone-loving bloggers. Here are the particulars:

1. Email me at slaven614@gmail.com on or before November 10th with your name, address (all personal information will be destroyed after completion of gift exchange), a list of Persephone titles you have read and/or own and specify whether or not you are willing to ship your gift internationally.

2. On November 11, names will be randomly drawn and participants will be notified as to who they are playing Santa to.

3. Using the list of Persephone titles provided by your recipient, go back through your assigned blogger's posts looking for favored authors or subject matter and choose a title you know the blogger will enjoy.

4. At this point, it is up to you as Santa how creative you wish to be in the workshop. You can order the book, have it gift wrapped and sent straight on to the recipient...or you can have the book sent to you first and go a step further by including a small gift that is homemade, bookish in nature or related to how you celebrate Christmas, then wrap it all up and send it on its way. Either way make sure you include a card revealing your identity. (Please indicate in your email if you will be including an additional gift.)

5. With the increase of packages being sent during the holidays, please aim to have your package delivered before or during the first week of December. Take into account the extra time needed if shipping internationally or if you are going on vacation.

6. On December 15th, let's get together by posting who your Secret Santa is and sharing what he (or she) brought you.

7. Spread the word...the more the merrier! Feel free to use the image above.

If after signing up, something comes up to where you cannot participate, let me know as soon as possible so that I can make other arrangements. Please consider all costs involved before participating (for the book, for any shipping, the additional gift, etc.). This is meant to be fun, not stressful, and I wouldn't want anyone to feel overwhelmed by the commitment.

If you have any questions, you can leave a comment or email me.

Thank you to Claire at Paperback Reader for your help in coming up with the particulars and to my oldest who will be assisting in the matching up so I can play Santa too.

Thurber's World without Os

I am very fond of James Thurber. There are very few authors that can make me laugh out loud and Thurber is one of them. I have a tendency to cherish these authors because I appreciate the balance they bring. Life being as serious, difficult and heartbreaking as it is, it is good to have funny literature to turn to when family and friends are not at the ready. So I don't like to say it, and will not dwell on it for too long, but I did not like this book.

Thurber created a world in which two bad men, Black and Littlejack, along with their crew, take over the island of Ooroo in search of buried treasure. Based on Black's dislike of the letter O, he and his henchmen outlaw the letter and work their damnedest to erase any trace of its existence. Livelihoods are ruined, language altered, books destroyed, relationships decimated...a whole way of life threatened with extinction. What saves the day...magic. Yes there is talk of love, hope, valor and a fourth aspect which is revealed at the end of the book but it is the appearance of a magic castle that leads to the evildoers' demise.

In the little bit of research I did on this story, the words satire and allegory kept coming up, and I searched in vain for corroboration from Thurber himself that this was his intent. I wanted to know his inspiration and intention for this book. It was published in 1957, not so far on the heels of World War II, and I couldn't help but draw parellels between this story and the reality of that war. It wasn't a magic castle or a set of ideals devoid of action that destroyed Hitler and the Third Reich. It was real might, real blood, real sacrifice...real courage and valor.

In the end, not knowing Thurber's motivation and not being able to divorce my own worldview during the reading, made this a frustrating and confusing read. As it is marketed as a children's classic, in imagining myself reading this as a child, I am pretty sure I would have found it nonsensical and utterly silly.

So I did dwell longer than expected but only because I am trying to work this story out. If anybody else has read this and had a different experience or can shed some light, please share. I am really seeking some clarity.

Y and Z...Now I've Read my ABCs

Some days we need a little help from our friends...or in my case from my youngest daughter. When the books I wanted to read for the A to Z challenge fell out of favor, I had a difficult time finding replacements, and decided to take advantage of the option to use children's books for this challenge.

The Y book is Yes Day! written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and charmingly illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. I always thought yes days happened twice a year for children: on their birthday and Christmas but in this book a little boy gets one day a year where he is allowed to get away with not cleaning his room, staying up late to watch tv, eat foods of his own choosing...lots of fun things like that. I was watching my youngest out of the corner of my eye hoping she didn't get any ideas of her own yes day. Birthdays and Christmas will suffice, thank you!

The Z book is a family favorite and so clever. Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin is written by Lloyd Moss and illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. Written in verse, Moss runs through the different instruments in an orchestra describing their musical qualities and as each new intrument joins labels the group as a duo, trio, quartet and so forth. Priceman's drawing of each musician personifies the instrument they play. This picture book is an ideal way to introduce or reinforce familiarity with musical instruments and terms as well as an appreciation for music.

The Rare Poetry Post

Where the Sidewalk Walk Ends pretty much ruined me for any serious poetry...I like my verses light and funny. Sit me down to anything else and I begin to go glassy-eyed and my thoughts roam. So while I sat in poetry classes studying Yeats, Forsche', Plath and Sexton, I yearned for the likes of Silverstein, Nash and Suess. Anything that would make me laugh. I know...I am probably missing out on boatloads of worthy work but I blame my first grade teacher.

I picked up Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses for a dollar at the local library sale thinking I would read it to my youngest but after reading in Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast about Helen's repeated reading of the classic I thought I would give the slim volume a try. This 1961 Platt & Munk edition is sweetly illustrated by Eulalie and reminded me of The Children's Hour books I had as a child. The nostalgia Helen spoke against was immediately evoked and stayed with me throughout the reading. How could it not when I was reminded of my own childhood where imagination reigned, storybooks contained unknown worlds, the joy of summer days being quickly extinguished by the dread of climbing into bed while the sun was still out, and the safety of home was always near. I do admit that my mind wandered during a good number of the poems and a couple made me laugh for the old-fashioned views of how children should behave but overall it is a sweet book and I understood why Helen loved it (even if she is fictional).

A Vacation I'd Like to Take

All I am saying is you wouldn't have to twist my arm to stay at a bed and breakfast that is run by two brothers who love books so much they turned their childhood home into a bibliophile's idea of a heavenly getaway. Bill Richardson has created a charming world of book loving characters in which the brothers alternate telling their story with a handful of guests who have had the enviable opportunity of staying at the Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast. From the beginning I felt that the main character was the written word, so I most loved those chapters where books were the dominant subject but following the story of the brothers, their guests and their quirky neighbors is just as enjoyable and an armchair traveller's perfect literary getaway.

Awesome Author Challenge 2010

Alyce at At Home With Books is hosting this awesome Awesome Author Challenge 2010. It runs all of 2010 and you can choose from four different levels of challenging. Alyce writes, "The idea behind this challenge is to read works by authors who have been recommended to you time and again, yet somehow you haven't managed to read any books by those authors. These are the authors that everyone else tells you are awesome, thus the "Awesome Author Challenge" title." I am choosing the easy level which is to read one title from three 'awesome' authors. Here are the authors:

Nathaniel Hawthorne
Anthony Trollope
Dorothy Whipple

If you are interested in participating, please click on the button able to visit At Home With Books.

Christmas Reading Challenge 2009

Michelle at The True Book Addict is hosting a Christmas reading challenge which begins Thanksgiving Day (US) and ends New Years Day. You choose whether to read 1, 2, or 3 works that are Christmas related. You can read all the details by clicking on the button above. I will probably aim to read three books but the only title I am sure of at this point is Jean Shepard's In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. I know it's early but it is 'the most wonderful time of the year'.

RAT: Wrapping Up

I didn't think I would want to read today but I had left off during the visit of the ghost of Christmas present in Dickens' A Christmas Carol, so after getting some sleep and a coffee, I completed my first reading of the classic. I don't know why it took so long for me to read this short work (growing up our traditional Christmas reading came from the bible and, once I was on my own and had kids, we were more apt to read A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) but after reading The Man Who Invented Christmas in January, I knew this would have to be the year. Unfortunately while I thought the last half very good, too much of the first half is a fuzzy memory and there will have to be a reread...I'm guessing in December.

RAT Update: The End

We tried hard to make it but around 5:30am we came to the end of the read-a-thon. Had so much fun doing this together and all the reading was good. Thank you to the hosts and cheerleaders and everyone who stopped by to comment. No more wishes of happy reading but wishes for happy sleeping and sweet dreams.

RAT Update: Gathering Energy

Only during the read-a-thon can one get away with eating a bowl of ice cream in the wee hours of the morning. Gathering my energy...that's what it was for...as well as the one episode of As Time Goes By (the one where Lionel is reading Winnie-the-Pooh in order to catch up on the reading he should have done but hasn't...sounds somewhat familiar). I was petering out there for a while but now feel ready to pick up where I left off in A Christmas Carol. Marley's ghost has payed a visit to Scrooge and I am off to meet the ghost of Christmas past.

RAT Update: From Guernsey to the Netherlands

If you joined the A to Z challenge, you may have experienced the challenge within the challenge to find books that start with letters X, Y and Z. With Y and Z, I thought I had the perfect books lined up but now must admit that I will have to resort to scouring my daughter's bookshelves for candidates. For X, I came across this Xenophobe's Guide to...series and you can pretty much find a country to suit your curiosity. The title is very tongue in cheek as is the guide to the Dutch I chose to read. The book is full of generalizations that most certainly don't apply to all Dutch people but do carry a certain amount of truth which contributes to a sense of national identity. My maternal grandparents were raised in the Netherlands but made their way to America via Canada shortly after the end of World War II. It was fascinating to recognize so many of their Dutch characteristics within this slim volume and to take note of the degree to which they were tempered by decades of living in America and how they retained their revised habits once they returned to the Netherlands for their retirement. The book made me laugh on more than one occasion and I found it somewhat informative. I liked it enough to add the guides to the German and English to my tbr list.

RAT Update: In Which I Reluctantly Finish My First Book

Did I actually spend the past fourteen hours in Pennsylvania? Because it feels as if I have just returned from Guernsey. Even when I wasn't reading I was thinking about the characters and guessing at (but mostly hoping about) what would come next. I can't remember the last book I read in epistolary form and I wondered if it would be to my liking but I was immediately drawn into the story and couldn't help but relate to and fall in love with the literary focus on books and reading. My only regret is that I did not read this book at the same time my mother did. I think the experience would have been that much richer if I had been able to call her up and say "I can't believe such and such happened" or "isn't that Adelaide Addison a sourpuss". As it is I am off to admonish her for not warning me to have a tissue at hand.

RAT Mid Event Meme

1. What are you reading right now? I am nearing the end of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

2. How many books have you read so far? Still working on the first.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? A Christmas Carol.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day? My oldest and I are doing the read-a-thon together, so my husband had a special daddy-daughter day with our youngest.

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I learned during the last read-a-thon to be flexible because there are inevitable interruptions but my oldest and I did have to set down some ground rules as we are liable to talk whilst the other is reading.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? I feel a little disconnected this time.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? For the last read-a-thon, there was a feed page that updated regularly and I could go to one place to read the latest posts. I am kind of hoping it will make a reappearance next time around.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year? Nothing I can think of except I need to be more organized at the beginning.

9. Are you getting tired yet? I had a nice little power nap, so I am feeling pretty rested.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered? Nope...all I have learned about having a great read-a-thon, I have learned from other bloggers.

RAT Update: The Rain is Here

We were hoping for rain...for what better weather is there to go with a day of reading? I only wish it were a bit colder so we could get the fireplace going. In the meantime, I have been enjoying the view outside almost as much as the pages before me. Since the last update, there has been a total of one hour and thirty-five minutes spent reading with 53 pages turned.

I am grateful for the balance Shaffer and Barrows create between the sadness of war and the joy of reading. I can't even imagine the difficulty of sending one's children off to strangers. To know that the characters will find solace in the written word as well as one another offers some relief from the knowledge that such decisions were a reality and a heavy burden to bear. Humor is also used quite effectively.

My daughter is catnapping and I am catching up on blogging. How is the read-a-thon coming along in your neck of the woods?

RAT Update: The Slow Reader Strikes Again

After one hour and fifty minutes of reading, I have turned seventy pages...seventy excrutiatingly good pages. To all those who said I would love The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, how right you are. (Don't you just love being right?) I loved Juliet's sentiment in her letter to Dawsey Adams, "I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers. How delightful if that were true." Only I ignored that homing instinct as I did not read it right away and it has spent a considerable amount of time on various shelves and a moving box. Perhaps that instinct also has to do with the perfect timing of reading a book because I could not think of a better time to read it than when I have potentially twenty-four uninterrupted hours to enjoy it.

I am now off to see what others are reading...with my tbr list as well as my wishlist close at hand.