lit*chick

Now We are Six

Now We Are Six

Author: A.A. Milne

When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I'm as clever as clever.
So I think I'll be six
now and forever.

I'm not sure it's possible to sum up this kid in just six points. Here goes, Owen at six:

1.Stubborn and unrelenting.  If he wants something he will ask or talk about it until he gets it or until you flee. But he will follow you and hunt you down and there is no escape. And even if you get away his voice will ring in your ears long after. Tenacity, when applied correctly could be an asset at some point right?

2. Fearless. Rode a scooter at 2, first one to ride a two-wheeler, two front teeth missing from two separate incidents. Hello emergency room, do you take reservations?

3. A serious foodie. Maybe it was the seaweed soup Miss Miji started giving him at one year. He brings his own chopsticks to eat dumplings. And he almost ate my entire bowl of pasta with zucchni, bleu cheese, and sundried tomato sauce last night. He is most excited for ordering lattes in heaven. And he'll try anything once...

4. Joie de vivre. He's got it. I'd love to bottle it. He's going to have a zesty life and it's going to be something to watch.

5. Hilarious. Makes up some funny stuff - last heard calling one of his brothers a crab nipple. Dad and I often have to leave the room to laugh before putting on our discipline faces.

6. Tough outer shell, gooey on the inside. Our Owen is most like an egg. We love him scrambled too.

Happy Birthday O. You rock.

The End.

My Top Ten Reads of 2009 and a few more

My ya fiction list quickly morphed into this list consisting of my top 10 books read in 2009. Most were published this year but let this serve as my disclaimer.  Here are my picks - including contemporary fiction, memoirs, and ya/juvenile fiction.

Top Ten

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Undercover by Beth Kephart 

When You Reach Me  by Rebecca Stead

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson 

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken

A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenburg

 Still Alice by Lisa Genova

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano

 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

The Girl with No Shadow by Joann Harris

highly recommended/shortlisted:

Take This Bread by Sara Miles

Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

Happens Every Day: An All Too True Story by Isabel Gillies

  TheElegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein

 The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

No booklist from me would be complete without a giveaway. I have a new copy of When You Reach Me to send to a lovely reader.  Leave me a comment and tell me a few of your faves this year. Comments will remain open through midnight est, Thursday, December 10th.

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Saturday Snow All Dressed up with No Place to Go

Evie and I were ready to go to a women's breakfast at church this morning, but it's an icy mess. And by ready to go I mean showered, dressed and in the car with provisions.  Here's her $5 Christmas leisure suit from Toys R Us - because I'd like you all to enjoy it as much as I do:

 

I love this song:

Please keep recommending books, mugs & music. I'm really enjoying seeing your selections.

The End.

Traditional Treats - Consumer version

Aside from all the little things we do this time of year, I add to my collection of holiday entertainment. I buy a new children's book for our basket, a new CD for the rotation, a new ornament for the tree, and a  new Christmas coffee mug just because I like to feel festive first thing in the morning.

Here's what I'm thinking about adding to the Christmas stash.

Sufjan Stevens: Songs for Christmas

Shawn Colvin: Holiday Songs and Lullabies (a little extra, for our little extra)

Books for consideration:

A Day on Skates by Hilda van Stockum

A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote

I'm leaning towards this one:

Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini

AND this one

Corgiville Christmas by Tasha Tudor

This is definitely on the list...

from middleburg's shop on etsy

I love this mug set from kate spade....although it's a bit out of my budget

I may have to get a smell-good Yankee candle instead, so I can fake it 'til I make it. (meaning baked goods)

Do you have any pre-Christmas treats coming your way?

Oh, I finished my December Daily shell and now I know what the real barrier to completion is....we are boring. Or I am. While I appreciate Brooke's (inchmark) post on the tradition of stillness, I'm not sure I can claim it as my own (maybe next year). Rather our activities will come in fits and starts - we'll go to the movies, look at lights, bake cookies, and pick out our tree all on the same day. Then nothing for a week or so. If anything, the emptiness of the DD album is teaching me about the tempo of our lives. And we aren't a daily kind of crew. I suppose that's the point, right?

The End.

Travel Writing by Peter Ferry

Travel Writing by Peter Ferry, 304 pages.

I'm not sure what to say about this book...it is by far the most unique story I've read in some time. The narrator, Peter Ferry, a high school English teacher and sometime travel writer, witnesses a fatal car accident. While relaying the event to his students, he spins a fantastical tale of obsession  - his fixation on the accident victim Lisa Kim and how it effects those around him. But what is real - as Peter (the narrator & author) alternates between past and present is he also alternating between fact and fiction? And does it matter?

I finally gave up trying to figure it out and just enjoyed the ride.  Mr. Ferry is a gifted storyteller and it is most apparent in the readability of his non-linear style.  Although the shifting rhythm takes a bit of getting used to, the journey is worthwhile.  This book would make for a fascinating bookclub discussion.

Other reviews:

Lunch.com

Just the Bookstore

The End.

No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer

No Wind of Blame by Georgette Heyer, 368 pages, originally published in 1939.

Have you heard of Georgette Heyer?  No worries, I hadn't either until I received multiple messages from Danielle at Sourcebooks. Some smart cookie over at SB thought to re-release Heyer's catalog in the US. And by catalog I mean over 50 titles in the Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, and Mystery genre. Heyer is beloved by many including Dorothy Sayers and even has a section in forum at Austenfans.com. 

For my introduction into the world of Heyer books, I chose this mystery, the latest re-release - No Wind of Blame. Here's the description from the back:

Wally Carter's murder seems impossible - not one of the suspects was anywhere near the weapon at the time the shot was fired. The superlatively analytical Inspector Hemingway is confronted with a neglected widow, the neighbor who's in love with her, her resentful daughter, a patently phony Russian prince, and a case of blackmail that may-or may not-be at the heart of this most unusual case...

What I loved about it? The fact that the murder doesn't occur until well into 1/3 of the story and because her characters are so lusciously developed, you don't even care. And after the murder the humor is kicked up in a flurry of witty dialogue and comical conversations.  I admired her use of language and clever dialogue as a means to character development.  It is obvious that Heyer was an observant student of human nature and relationships which may explain why she is beloved by fans of Jane Austen.  I would submit she isn't as subtle as Austen, but perhaps more readable as a lighter sort of escape. You do have to be in the right sort of mood for a book like this - I started strong, blowing through the first 150 pages in a sitting. I then struggled to finish because it was so different from the other books in my stack and isn't the sort of thing you can pick up for just a few minutes at a time.  The characters and plot require an involved and attentive reader. There is much to delight in and I'm looking forward to reading more Heyer titles in the new year.

If you are interested in learning more about Georgette Heyer, lookie here. There is also a forum on goodreads for Heyer fans.  This title would be a great book for an advanced middle grade reader who likes intellectual mysteries, there is nothing objectionable in these pages.

For a list of the available new releases go to Sourcebooks.

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Winner & Reviews to Come

Where did the LONG holiday weekend go?  Ours was packed full of food, friends and family. I hope you got some rest and ate some good meals. We sure did.

Kathy @bermudaonion - Congratulations, you won the PW Cookbook. I'll email you and get your info. 

There will be more giveaways coming, so don't go too far...

This week I'll be posting reviews for :

No Wind of Blame - Georgette Heyer

Travel Writing - Peter Ferry

The Girl on Legare Street - Karen White

A Friend of the Family - Lauren Grodstein

AND

I'll have a young adult/juvenile fiction booklist.

AND

at least one maybe two giveaways...

The End.

Happy Thanksgiving

His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

A Psalm for giving thanks.

100:1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Blessing to you from all of us.

The End.

Eight is Great

8 great things about our Caleb

1. he is smiley

2. he is awesome with babies

3. he is a good sport

4. he is very tall, 4 ft 9 in

5. he tries really hard at everything he does

6. he is so helpful

7. he can talk about sports, esp. baseball, like a pro

8. he is a people person

It would be so easy to continue the list, but we'll save them for next year.

Happy Birthday Caleb! We love you lots & lots.

The End.

Cookbook Christmas

Here is the first installment of my 2009 Gift Guide. This series is in support of the blog movement I'M BUYING BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS. By no means an exhaustive list, but they all caught my attention.

COCO: 10 World Leading Masters Choose 100 Contemporary Chefs - from the Editors of Phaidon Press - The cover caught my eye, and typically I enjoy the design of the Phaidon books. In the store it was shrink wrapped, so I didn't get to flip through.

The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond - Now that you've emerged from the rock you've been living under you can catch up on the last few years of The Pioneer Woman blog. And when you are done, you'll want this book.  I'm giving a copy away....if you can make it to the end of this post.

 The Blackberry Farm Cookbook by Sam Beall - I have always wanted to go the Inn at Blackberry Farm in Tennessee. And perhaps the book can transport me, or appease me temporarily. And again with the gorgeous food photography...my mouth waters.

Jamie's Food Revolution by Jamie Oliver - This will be good. How do I know? All of his books have straightforward recipes that TASTE GREAT. He is one of my favorites.

Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson - Not a fan of the cover, it looks a little too Rachel Ray meets Martha and Nigella isn't a poser (or a poseur).  But what I appreciate about Nigella isn't so much the food, but how she describes food that causes me to want to eat whatever she's talking about that very instant.

I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot - Another Phaidon, highly recommended albeit for someone who already knows how to cook. Hence the name.

Ace of Cakes from Duff Goldman - Duff has put the Charm back in Charm City. If you like to watch the show and it's array of artsy characters, you'll love the book. Not as much of a cookbook as a behind the scenes, this is how we do it kind of thing. Totally satisfies my curiousness about the inner workings of this popular bakery.

Kevin Zraly's Windows on the World Complete Wine Course - We have one of the older versions of this book, and if you are either looking to update (like us) or new to wine by the book, I can't say enough good things about it. He makes it easy and interesting to learn about wine without any of fuss or frippery.

Make it Fast, Cook it Slow by Stephanie O'Dea - If you've followed along with her blog Crockpot365, then you already know she can make anything in that pot. And if you are like me and think there surely must be more options than a can of cream of mushroom soup and a packet onion soup mix, then this is for you (and me).  

Ratio by Michael Ruhlman -  I've been a fan since The Making of a Chef, where he chronicled his time as a student at the Culinary Institute of America. Here he breaks down the science of recipe construction and if you have always wanted to start creating your own dishes this will help balance out the flavors. I can't wait to read it.

Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala Quinn - After seeing the title, this pick should not require an explanation.  I'm also pretty sure you will like it even if you are a family of girls. Real food with a side of bacon.

Along the lines of feeding the dudes...I'm looking for a bread cookbook (no machine, just my mitts) that will be easy and relatively fast. I can no longer justify buying $15 worth of the stuff each week. So please let me know if you have any recommendations.

If you made it this far, I'd like to thank you for reading. I'm giving away a copy of THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKBOOK. Just leave a comment - if there's a book here that catches your eye, or you have another title on your wish list, please share.  This information isn't required to enter, I'd just like to know.

Giveaway ends Wednesday, November 25th @ midnight.

The End.