the view from next tuesday: September 2009

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A House Called Awful End

Ok, so this is not like my usual posting, although I've been laughing to myself over 2 things I plan to blog about soon...I just have to wait til enough time has passed...

But I had to tell you: I grabbed this book at the library the other day, along with its 2 sequels. TheBoy was like, "I don't know what to read!" and I was in the 8-12ish section, and the cover looked like fun, so I was like, "Here, try this one." Well today when I was going to blow dry my hair, I wanted something to read for the 4 minutes that it takes; so since TheBoy has yet to pick it up, I grabbed it and started. It took me about as long to read the first chapter as it did to dry my hair, and I LOVE IT!! Already! It is hilarious!! It was compared to Lemony Snicket, which was fun, but different. Philip Ardagh (the brilliant writer) has yet to take himself seriously. For example: Eddie took a seat across from his aunt. "Put that back!" she said, so he did, and sat down across from her. That's not a direct quote, you get the gist. It's so fun already! I wish I had a coupla hours to just read it all, it's delightful! I'll letcha know how it ends...

More life stuff later...

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my favorite faves

my dave
my 5
my fam -- the one I live in now and the one I started out in
daisies
that wet leaves / pumpkiny smell of autumn
back-tickles
lanterns
candy corns
anticipation
the theory of gardening
a perfect ending
the way Dave smells
a great love story
movie lines
candle-light dinners for no reason
good friends
frost-covered, crunchy grass
spectacularly terrifying summer thunderstorms
the kitchen table dave built me
quiet mornings right before the sun shows up
mozart
bins
little old beautiful wrinkley people
star wars galactic heroes!!
popping the bubbles of bubble-wrap
that yummy just-cut-grass summer smell
any mack wilberg arrangement
the absurd
laughing
that delicious flowery spring smell
a dang good book
Chocolate Dibs
snowflakes the size of golf balls
rabbit pellet ice
a halved avocado -- don't eat it, just look at it
a slice of kiwi -- you can eat it but look at it first!!
autumn
great hair days
my piano
being in love - given
being in like - bonus
the perfect pair of jeans
the cool side of the pillow
fluffy new socks
commas
chocolate

what i'm reading right now

recent reads & re-reads

a real boy - christina adams. non-fiction book written by the mother of a child who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3, but by the age of 5, was considered essentially "recovered." Fascinating to read about this woman's experience, particularly because when i first started reading about autism, everything said that it's a life-time disease, there's no fixing it, only the hope of improvement. this book would make you think otherwise. eye-opening.
figgs & phantoms - ellen raskin. i pulled this off the shelf because... i have no idea. but i recognized her name, she's the one who wrote "the westing game," which i quite liked. so it's a newberry honor, and in general, i liked it. but the end kinda turned into this wierd dream sequence, so i didn't finish it going, "great book!" it was more like, "well i quite liked it until the last few chapters, then it was... a dream sequence." dream sequence? come on, that's the cliche tool of movie makers and burned out story-tellers. "hmmm, how do we get our main character out of this one? i know, let's turn this into a dream!" k, it wasn't quite that bad, but it was somehow a little disappointing... but lots of fun until then...
the leanin' dog - k.a. nuzum. okay, you should know that i avoid dog books. because someone (usually the dog) always ends up dying in dog books, and then i end up crying and getting mad because i'm crying over a fictitious dog. this one had a different beginning that pulled me in and intrigued me, even though it's kinda got a sad start. don't let that stop you, though. the heroine is 10 or so i think, and the book is set in some time gone by when people lived in cabins in the mountains and got snowed in all winter (but luckily the 7 brothers stole 6 lovely single ladies from town before setting off an avalanche to get them all stuck up there for months....wait.) i liked it. i couldn't get Ry to read it, even though i paid her a buck to read the first chapter. she read two and still wouldn't finish it. she hates dog books, too...
overboard - elizabeth fama. this was a local award nominee. amazon readers gave it awesome reviews, but at best I'd say...Meh... I had a difficult time connecting with the main character, so when she goes down with a sinking ferry, and i had to spend pages and pages alone with her thoughts while she swam and swam and swam, well, that about says it. Meh. It's a young adult read, mostly because she has to deal with drowning, desparate people. it's a quick read, too, which was fortunate, otherwise i'd have had to give it worse than a Meh.
the palace of laughter - john berkeley. picked this one up with my oh-so-discerning eye. okay, it had a cute cover. loved it, ps! very funny fantasy with heart and silliness and engaging things, like every new chapter begins with lines like this: "Miles Wednesday, mud-caked and red-handed," blah blah blah... or "Miles Wednesday, half-shaved and bone-wielding..." okay, I kinda made that second one up, but it's cute. And it's a series, so we'll see how the rest of them play out. this one's definitely a fantastic read-aloud.
brooklyn nine - alan m gratz. fun book that follows one family's story through baseball. starts in pre-civil war and finishes up in the 00s. is that what we're calling them now? the 00s? or do i have to say the 2000s? fun book. didn't absolutely love it, but i enjoyed it. it's probably awesome if you love baseball and history stewed together.
these is my words: the diary of sarah agnes prine, 1881-1901, arizona territories - nancy e turner. what a title, huh? just call it "these is my words," that's what everyone else does. i read this last fall, too, and i think i forgot to give my take on it. i really really really liked this one. in fact, i'd say i love it, except that it wasn't picture-perfect in the end. it's not like i have to have happy endings, either, but i would have given it a different ending. if you've read it, let's talk. this is a fictional diary based on the author's grandmother, or great-grandmother, i can't remember which. i loved the characters, sarah in particular, but jack would easily take the place of edward (or jacob, if you lean that way) if "twilight" were a western set in the late 1800s. not that jack's a vampire or anything, he's just a really fun hero for sarah. i was amazed at the author's ability to flawlessly and believably voice a poorly-spelled 18-yr-old young woman and take her to a matured, literate journaler. is that a word? journaling is, so i suppose journaler could be. anyhoo, i recommend it, it's one of those books you finish up and wonder what the characters are doing now -- always a sign of a good bunch of characters. ps, yes, i have read the twilight books, way back when they first came out. and i can't review them, at least without copious eye-rolling and poorly-concealed laughter... fyi...
the elegance of the hedgehog - muriel barbery. i acutally read this last winter and forgot to include it in my list. it's different. i didn't think i could like 1 of the two main characters because she's so pessimistic, but she kinda turned out in the end. there are several sections that wandered into paragraphs of philosophizing, which were a bit tiresome, but i think i could call the book lovely overall. but then it turns out i really didn't love it, even though it was lovely. the end stinks. i invested way to much time in that book for the ending i got. but there were many funny parts, even in the philosphy. i can't decide if i recommend it. meh. that's my take. meh.
harry potter and the deathly hallows - jk rowling. i love this series! if you happen to be one of the few who haven't read it, go get it. who cares that it's for kids? most of my favorite books are for younger readers. and rowling doesn't dumb it down for you, unlike so many youth authors feel they have to. love, love, love this book! ...except the epilogue. it wrapped it up nicely, but it was almost trite.
harry potter and the half-blood prince - jk rowling. hadn't made it to the library so when this was sitting on the table, i just decided to read it again. 4 days later i started th 7th. i love harry potter.
the way i see it - temple grandin. don't ask me why, because i have absolutely no idea, but the topic of autism is fascinating to me. i don't have children with it, nor do i have nieces and nephews who have been diagonsed with it. i have 2 cousins and a friend at work whose children have been diagnosed. it's not something that has hit particularly close to home for me, but every child can benefit from advice in this book. temple grandin, herself is a successful adult who has autism. fascinating.
hidden talents - david lubar. k, often when i'm looking for new books (if i haven't received any good recommendations), I just wander the teen section looking for these stickers they put on the spines that they're utah young adults' book award nominees, or ALA best books for young adult winners, or whatever. this book, and the following book were both nominees or winners of some sort. i liked this one, i'm thinking it's a good one for 5-8th grade boys. but my girls would probably enjoy it as well. it works for boys because all the main characters are boys. fun read.
sleeping freshmen never lie - david lubar. perfect book for jr highers, all about life as a freshman in high school. but we never had seniors picking on sophomores just because they were the youngest. maybe it's different in a 4-yr high school. but very funny, great main character. feel free to read it.
to kill a mockingbird - harper lee. (or as the twins call it, how to kill a mockingbird. "do they really tell you how to kill it, mom?" no. they don't. ok, so this is standard high school reading, but i loved loved loved it when i read it in 10th grade, and just so happened to pass a copy in the library, so i grabbed it. i forgot how much i love this book. love, love, love this book.
catching fire - suzanne collins. they finally called my number at the library. i didn't know if i cared enough to read the sequel to "hunger games," but looks like i did. it was good, more of the same; i'm not one of the "can't wait for the next one" kinda people on this series, mostly because i'm a reader who has to connect in some way to someone (preferably the main character), at some point in the story; and i really can't relate to katniss at all. ever. but they're good stories, a little dark with the whole apocalyptic horrible world they live in, but they keep me reading, so there you go.
charlie bones - jenny nimmo. i read the first and second book, and part of book 3, and got too bored. don't get me wrong, i think they're great books for younger readers; in fact, i think TheBoy will really like them if he can ever get off his harry potter obsession. but harry potter could be the downfall of charlie bone for him. the charlie bones assume you're a little younger or dumber, and as such, are more satisfied with a fairly quick and simple resolution to every conflict. but the characters are all fairly likeable. there appear to be a few holes, like why in the world the bloors didn't want the girl who can fly to wake up out of her hypnotic state. but maybe i'd have found out if i kept up with the series...
moonraker's bride - madeline brent. this was the "novel of romantic suspense," and I liked it. it's not new, it's like, i don't know, 30 years old? but enjoyable.
schooled - gordon korman. teen book and i loved it. very funny, all the way through. a story about a 15-yr-old (or is he 14? anyhoo, Capricorn Anderson is his name) who has been raised by his hippie grandmother (Rain), but is forced into "real life" when Rain breaks her hip; Capricorn is sent to live in a foster home for 6 weeks while Rain recovers. absolutely hilarious. think i'll buy it.
waiting for normal - leslie connor. another teen book i picked up because it was a runner-up for some "family book of the year award" or something. i thought i wasn't going to care for this book, because it seemed fraught with drama. (how can you argue with a word like "fraught?"). The main character (addie) is a 12-yr-old whose mom just divorced for the second time; they move into a trailer across the street from a convenience store. Of course the lady who works in the convenience store has cancer, and Addie's mom is totally messed up. Sounds promising, huh. But Addie is somewhat endearing and fairly upbeat despite her pretty lame home life. And it has a happy ending that would rarely happen in real life. I think that's why I decided I like it.
book of a thousand days - shannon hale. hmm... it's shannon hale.
behind the attic wall - sylvia cassedy. i read this book in like 5th or 6th grade, and ran across it at the library the other day. so i picked it up. i had forgotten all about it, i only remembered the cover and the slightly creepy feeling i got while reading it. it's a good book for that age group, but rybread got tired of it half way through... ps. dumb ending. i think i don't really recommend it. dumb ending.
life expectancy - dean koontz. this is one of my favorite books ever, despite the somewhat "ew" aspect that sprinkles its way through the book. i just so love the main characters, they're people you'd love to sit down and eat dinner with (mostly because 2 of them are brilliant pastry chefs) and laugh with all night. this was my second time reading it, and because i knew the characters better, the "ew" factor seemed more prominent, but a great book all the same.
tom sawyer - mark twain. orem library was doing this one for their "big read" so i grabbed my free copy and began... i read huckleberry finn in high school, and i loved that, but never bothered with tom sawyer. delightful. think i'll read it to TheBoy.
the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society - mary ann shaffer & annie barrows. can i just say that i loved this book? i loved loved loved this book! it is not often that i love a book so much that i want to go buy my own copy immediately so i can read it and love it again. i love this book. the entire story is told through letters written by the characters, which i didn't think i was going to like for the first 7 or 8 pages. but then suddenly you begin to know the characters and love them -- all of them, even the despicable ones. brilliant. you must read this book. if you read nothing else i've recommended, you must must must read this beautiful book. don't bother waiting 5 months for the library copy. just buy it. i love this book. and i want to go to guernsey.
the first 6 books in the amelia peabody series - elizabeth peters. does it count as a recent re-read if it was an audio book? oh well, i don't know if i'd love them as much if i were reading them myself. they are: 1. crocodile on the sandbank 2. the curse of the pharohs 3. the mummy case 4. lion in the valley 5. the deeds of the disturber 6. the last camel died at noon ...that was for you, christine.
the mysterious benedict society - trenton lee stewart. fun youth book about 4 SUPER smart kids-turned-spies. i liked it a lot. i'm not screaming to read the next one, but it's a fun one and i think my kids will like it, too.
dairy queen - catherine gilbert murdock. really fun teen book. the heroine has a great voice, she's fun to read and hilarious, too.
the prize-winner of defiance, ohio - terry ryan. great memoir about the daughter of a woman who raised her "10 kids on 25 words or less." a little inspiring, too. funny, thoughtful, great book. great mom.
the westing game - ellen raskin. so fun! a little confusing at first, trying to keep everybody straight, but really fun to try to figure out the mystery. you won't. trust me.
here lies the librarian - richard peck. another great peck title. dave read this one, too and really liked it as well. he's just so dang good and has fantastic characters.

a littla what's on my ipod right now

hoppipolla - wenzel templeton & Robert Pegg
everything's right - matt wertz
i'd rather be with you - joshua radin
stupid for you - marie digby
don't let me fall - lenka
you could be the one - charles kelley
1,2,3,4 - plain white t's
requiem - mozart
Indiana Jones theme song
viva la vida - coldplay
homecoming - jon schmidt
home - michael buble
the reason - hoobastank
that next place - thomas newman - meet joe black sndtrk
rodeo - aaron copland
chocolate - snow patrol
come by me - harry connick jr
andante - mozart
sky - joshua radin w/ ingrid michaelson
59th street bridge song - simon & garfunkel
another believer - rufus wainwright
delibes: flower duet
emo gold - button hooked
laudaute dominum - mozart, as sung by viva voce!
gentle on my mind - glen campbell

my fave lines ever - movies, books. etc... name it

"There is no charge for awesomeness. Or attractiveness."
"How 'bout that sky today? Talk about blue." "Yes, Kronk, rrriveting."
"But your pants will catch fire."
"Now the number 4. Do we really need it?" "...If you like squares." "Oh I like squares."
"Your life is an occassion... Rise to it."
"If there is one thing I cannot tolerate, it is loose vowels!"
"Honey, where is my super suit?"
"Well my chores are done."
"Aren't you a little short for a storm-trooper?"
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
"These mashed potatoes are so creamy... Mary mashed 'em."
"It's times like this when someone is talking to you like you are a grown-up that you have to be careful not to pick your nose or dig your drawers out of your butt."
"For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbors, and laugh at them in our turn."
"I have learned over the course of my many years that it is a bad idea, usually, to investigate piteous weeping but always a fine thing to look into a giggle."
"You mocked me once, never do it again! I DIED that day! And you can die too, for all I care!" "Aaaaaas Yooooooou Wiiiiiiiish!" "Oh my sweet Wesley, what have I done?! (Ooof! Ouch! Ugh!)"
"Can I be frank, Frank?" "Well, Margaret, I feel we can be honest with each other if we absolutely have to."