Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Book List 2009

*

Blink ~ Malcolm Gladwell
Good book from what I remember...I read it in January.

Town Cats & Other Tales ~ Lloyd Alexander
Amusing and fun, as LA often is.

Ethan Frome ~ Edith Wharton
Oh. Edith Wharton is a wonder. This is such a sparse, amazingly told story.
And so sad. {But can you trust the narrator? Ah...hmmm}.

Joseph Smith the Prophet ~ Truman G Madsen
Interesting. {I mean that in a good way.}

The Neddiad ~ Daniel Pinkwater
Hilarious. Read it once, listened to it several times on a road trip.

The Yggyssy ~ Daniel Pinkwater
Quirky Pinkwater. Not as good as the Neddiad, but then I haven't listened to Pinkwater read it and sometimes that's what it takes.

Austenland ~ Shannon Hale
Funny. Cotton Candy.

Little Britches ~ Ralph Moody
Autobiographical. Sometimes I wished my kids lived on a farm. {But just them for their character ~ As for me, I like my indoor pluming. Hey I have loads of character!}

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone ~ Dene Lowe
Charming. Get it and read it.

A Circle of Quiet ~ Madeleine L'Engle
I love Madeleine L'Engle.

The Christmas Box Miracle ~ Richard Paul Evans
JPE isn't really my style, but this account of how he wrote his first novel is interesting.

The Penderwicks ~ Jeanne Birdsall
Sweet and charming.

*

Books Not Quite Finished Yet...

American Lion ~ Jon Meacham
Andrew Jackson was an interesting character. Politics is always what it is, isn't it.

The Portable Edith Wharton ~ Edith Wharton
!!!! Edith Wharton is amazing. And her short stories are so good. I love Edith.

Selected Writings of M. Catherine Thomas
Amazing. Enlightening.

*
Book List 2008.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

This December



It's December. We've had a few snow flurries. The kids and I have pulled out most of the Christmas decorations and hung them around the house. I need a few more strands of lights.
There is a nasty cold threatening to make it's way around the family. My sweet boy has it and his sister looks to be on the verge. And I feel like I am on the verge. I tell the older girls that they need to get enough sleep so that they can hopefully avoid the chesty cough and running nose. But they haven't really been listening.

I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday. In past years I have spent the end of November preparing my Christmas blog posts and getting ready to change the colors of the text to be various shades of red and green. This year it just got past me. I love to share my joy of the season, but this year I am going quiet for the month of the December. I may pop in with an occasional story, but for now I am going to wish you a fabulous holiday season with all the good cheer, candy canes, wassail and snow that you can handle.

Merry Christmas. And may God bless us, every one!