Alas, I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm going with two friends, my daughter and my daughter-in-law this afternoon ... Can't wait!
And the Winner Is ...
Alas, I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm going with two friends, my daughter and my daughter-in-law this afternoon ... Can't wait!
100 Mile Fitness Challenge Update
I keep thinking I should order a treadmill. The wind's been howling, and it's cold! I go jogging with long underwear under my jogging pants. Three layers on top, including a sweatshirt and a zippered sweatshirt. I wear gloves and, on my head, a thick felty headband with a stocking hat over that.
So far, jogging outdoors has remained do-able, but I fear those days will soon be gone.
Thank Goodness Most Men Aren't Like This: The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti: Young Adult Book Review
The Secret Life of Prince CharmingSimon & Schuster
1416959408
Young Adult
Unfortunately, high-school senior Quinn’s father is a modern-day Don Juan, a selfish charmer that a long string of unsuspecting women have found irresistible—until abandoned by him. Including Quinn’s bitter mother, and Quinn herself. When Quinn discovers that her father’s also stolen a tangible item of value from each of his former wives and lovers, she decides to go on a “karmic quest” to return the items. In doing so, Quinn also hopes to understand Barry better.
Quinn’s 11-year old sister, Sprout, their older half sister, and Jake, a sweet guitarist in a rock band, accompany her. Though Quinn and Jake are attracted to each other, she doesn’t trust him. After all, aren’t all men like Barry? How many times has her mother, her aunt, and even her grandmother told her that men simply cannot be trusted?
As the quest plays out, Quinn discovers that Jake is trustworthy, and they establish a fledgling relationship. She also discovers that she never will be able to trust her father, no matter how badly she wants to. It’s just not in Barry to be a reliable, giving human being, but only a flake who takes and steals from women. It’s a sad realization, but there’s not much Quinn can do about it. In the end, she learns to accept Barry for the man he really is, and not for the father she wishes he was.
There are probably plenty of teen girls with dads like Barry, which will make it difficult for them to trust men. This story offers up the idea of women forging strong bonds, in the event that men prove unreliable. It’s a sad but true commentary about the way things are for many women.
Pumpkin Butterfly: Poems from the Other Side of Nature: Poetry Friday
by Heidi Mordhorst
illustrated by Jenny Reynish
Wordsong (Boyds Mill)
1590786203 / 9781590786208
10/09
Picture Book
32p
This collection of 23 poems is extraordinary. In them, Heidi Mordhorst cycles through the year's seasons, inviting children to see nature in surprising new ways. She does it with unique word combinations that will bring a smile to your lips and a nod of of recognition--"Sunflowers are like that, aren't they?" The illustrations are also active and fresh.
My favorite poem from the collection ...
Quiet down, flower—
Not so loud!
All this stretching your neck
And spreading your arms
Bellowing your brassy yellow sass—
You’re breaking our eyedrums
Trumpeting all that color and sun
Blowing that blazing yellow jazz. . . .
Belt it out, flower—
We’ll join in!
Remember This by S. T. Underdahl: Young Adult Book Review
by S. T. Underdahl
Llewellyn
0738714011 / 9780738714011
September 2008
Young Adult
Sixteen year-old Lucy Kellogg’s life was unfolding a lot like everyone else’s. She had a best friend, Sukie Hollister. Bored with the same-old, same-old, Sukie talked Lucy into trying out for cheerleading. Sukie got elected, but Lucy didn’t, which caused a slight rift in their friendship. Then Lucy’s favorite grandmother, Nana Lucy, came to live with the Kellogg family.
Nana Lucy was suffering from rapidly advancing Alzheimer’s, which troubled Lucy. Also, Lucy worked at a restaurant where she became friends with Sukie’s nemesis, “He who shall not be named.” Lucy and the boy later met outside the restaurant several times, but each time it was by coincidence; there was truly nothing between them. But Sukie caught them together and refused to believe Lucy, resulting in a severed friendship.
At the same time, Lucy was contending with Nana Lucy’s increasing failure to remember her. In the end, Lucy and Sukie’s friendship was mended--not quite the same, but acceptable. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said of Lucy's relationship with Nana Lucy. There, the future was much more bleak. Still, Underdahl gave Lucy a moment of grace with one last, bittersweet moment when Nana Lucy remembered her, and each reminded the other of their abiding love.
My mother has Alzheimer's, and so because of my experiences with her, I felt that Underdahl looked at this abhorrent disease through a rather wishful-thinking lens. Nonetheless, had she taken a truly realistic approach, would the book have been published at all? I doubt it. Teens wouldn't have found much to enjoy when reading it.
But it is the domain of fiction, and of faith, for good to win over evil. And, especially, for hope to conquer despair. For those reasons, Underdahl was probably correct to use a prettified approach, and to end her story as she did. For teens with grandparents who suffer with Alzheimer's, it could be a book in which to find solace, if not hope.
Wordless Wednesday: Sandpoint, Idaho
Thanks to Sandy, I ran across Wordless Wednesday. (Thanks, Sandy! WooHoo!)
From now until next spring, our flying days are severely limited, alas. These were taken a couple of weeks ago. We flew to Sandpoint, Idaho, for the afternoon. The weather wasn't so great, so we pedaled into town (2 miles from the airport), ate lunch at Spuds, did a bit of gawking along the touristy main street, and then flew home again.
I ordered the Sonoma Sandwich special, which was soooooo good. Mike had the Spicy Steak sandwich special, which he said was maybe the best sandwich he'd ever eaten.
"Really?" I said. "Better than Red Robin?" (We LOVE their peppercorn burgers.)
"Better than that," he said. I was stunned.
My husband, Mike, built the airplane. It's a Van's RV-7 (which he'll be painting it this winter). It cruises between 180-210 mph, and so the flight took about an hour.
We tucked our collapsible mini bikes back into the luggage compartment, and away we flew.
From now until next spring, our flying days are severely limited, alas. These were taken a couple of weeks ago. We flew to Sandpoint, Idaho, for the afternoon. The weather wasn't so great, so we pedaled into town (2 miles from the airport), ate lunch at Spuds, did a bit of gawking along the touristy main street, and then flew home again.
"Really?" I said. "Better than Red Robin?" (We LOVE their peppercorn burgers.)
"Better than that," he said. I was stunned.
We tucked our collapsible mini bikes back into the luggage compartment, and away we flew.
Who Wants to be a Poodle? I Don't by Lauren Child:
written and illustrated by Lauren Child
Candlewick
9/09
0763646105 / 9780763646103
Picture Book
This is a cautionary tale for Verity Brulee, diva and owner of pampered poodle Trixie Twinkle Toes Trots-a-Lot Delight, who hates her name and being treated like she’s a diva. Just because she is a poodle. The nerve of it. Trixie wants to splash in puddles, but Verity won’t even let her go outside in the rain. One day at the doggie beauty parlor, Trixie sees the magazine Posh Poodle Monthly, which has an article on changing your image. The dog in the feature article goes from scruffy to beautified, so Trixie gets the idea that she can do the opposite. The problem is, she doesn’t like that either. Fleas are way too itchy. Next, she decides she wants to be dangerous and daring, which gets her sent back to the pooch psychiatrist. But when Trixie saves a drowning Chihuahua in a mud puddle, Verity finally understands that Trixie is a dazzlingly dangerous daring dog, and forever after, Verity treats her like one.
Done in acrylic and dimensional paint, the delightful pictures are embellished with doilies and floral fabric, rhinestones and pompoms. The text is curly-cued and swirls around on the page. The reviewer from School Library Journal called the “book’s design and layout … extremely cluttered,” but I thought it was entertainment for the eyes. Shabby Chic and romantic in style, it is chic lit for the preschool crowd.
The Twilight Companion: The Unauthorized Guide to the Series: Book Review
Lois H. Gresh
St. Martins/Griffin
031259450X / 9780312594503
9/09
Chapter 2: Sexy Vampires: They're Beautiful, Strong and Immortal, So What's Not to Like?
Chapter 3: What to Expect When You Fall in Love with a Vampire
Chapter 4: Bella's Awakening: What Really Happens When You Fall in Love with a Vampire
Chapter 8: Sexy Werewolves: They're Furry, Strong, and Sensitive New Age Kinds of Guys, So What's Not to Like?
Chapter 9: What to Expect When You Fall in Love with a Werewolf
Chapter 17: Living Forever: Is it all That It's Cracked Up to Be?
Chapter 20: The Final Twilight Book: All the Answers You've been Dying to Learn
The chapter titles hint at all the crazy fun inside. There are directions for how to look as vampirish as possible, plus gobs of quizzes to test your knowledge. For example:
What kind of sheets are in your coffin, if you're like a Cullen vampire?
A. black silk
B. high thread count cotton
C. blood-stained
D. the most beautiful and romantic sheets in the world
E. you don't use sheets; you use a blanket made of wolf fur.
Okay, what's your answer? Mine was D, which is (ta-da!) the correct one. Aw shucks, I guess I must be a lot like sweet Bella Swan. I know I sure do go weak in the knees when I look at Edward Cullen.
I don't claim to have read all of this, but rather to have thumbed through it. It will never replace the Twilight Series for its millions of fans, but as stated in the title, that was never the intent. It's a companion book and unauthorized guide to the series. When I was a teen, I would've had hours of fun with this.
