i have to say...

reading to my kids

Today you can find me at The Heart of the Matter talking about kids and books.

Hope to see you there!

***Don't forget about The Recipe Box Swap tomorrow!

if you have ever had a special dog...

...you have to read this book.  It is short and sweet (more like a long essay than a book), but Anna Quindlen captures what it is like to have a dog as part of the family.

Our dog, Chuck, died a couple of years ago and we still tell stories about him.  He was one of those dogs who loved being around people.  If we were in the living room, he was snuggled at someone's feet, if I was in the kitchen, he was laying on the kitchen tile waiting for some food to fall.  We haven't gotten a dog since, but this book has me wondering if it is time!

Here are some thoughts about the differences between dogs and cats:

"It would never occur to me to assume that the cat and I have two hearts that beat as one; with his narrowed amber eyes and scarred upper lip, his prevailing mode is either contempt or indifference.  When he curls around my ankles, it suggests hunger, not affection.  I like this about cats; they are the Clint Eastwoods of companion animals.  A dog who sits by your side craves company; a cat is doing you a favor.  This is why when you say "Sit!" a cat rises and stalks out of the room.  Most dogs will fall back on their haunches, vibrating slightly, their liquid brown eyes locked on yours."

To get a dog, or not get a dog.  That is the question!

The book is Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen. 

books i've read

It's been a good year for books!   

I am fairly happy with the number I read--34--and I am even happier with the books I picked and finished.  Many were started and put down due to lack of interest on my part because life is too short to wade through a bad book.

Here is a list of my favorites:

***Please note that I am terrible at writing book reviews!  What follows is my simple opinion on the books that I read!

The Kite Runner--Excellent!  Honestly I knew very little about the conflict in Afghanistan before reading this book.  This is a story of two friends who live life on two divergent paths and the consequences of the decisions they make.  A must read.

A Three Dog Life--An auto-biography by a woman whose husband suffers a traumatic brain injury and he is left with almost no memory.  Her description of taking naps with her husband, holding hands, just to remember what their life used to be like, made me appreciate what I have now.   

The $64 Tomato--A hilarious account of a man pursuing the perfect garden--and the high cost of doing it!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime--A fictional account of a man with autism and his attempt at solving a crime.  This was one of my faves!

Born on a Blue Day--An auto-biography written by a man with autism.  From his childhood into his adulthood, the writer does an excellent job of drawing the reader into his very different world.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--The story of two clashing cultures and the consequences that arise from misunderstanding.  My sister recommended this book to me and, in turn, I recommend it to you!

The Thirteenth Tale--A wonderful story in the style of a gothic romance (think: Bronte).  Loved it but it has been too many months since reading it for me to give you much more info than that!  ;)

Those are the ones that I LOVED!  My hope is that 2008 is a good book year also. 

What about you?  Did you read any wonderful books in 2007?

when i grow up...

...I want to write like Anne Lamott.  She has a way of taking the ordinary things in life, the successes and the failures, and finding the meaning that we all struggle to find in the day to day.  Her latest book, Grace Eventually, delivers the usual humor, candor and transparency that I love.  Here is what she writes about seeing her son for the first time after birth:

"I loved him intimately, sight unseen.  Yet when he lay on my chest for the first time, part of me felt as if someone had given me a Martian baby to raise, or a Martian puppy.  And I had no owner's manual, no energy, no clue as to what I was supposed to do.

The other part of me felt as though I were holding my own soul.

Now, all these years later, this pretty much says it."

I understand! 

Other great books by Ms. Lamott are Traveling Mercies and Bird By Bird.  Her politics may be quite different than my own, but her books are always a trip down an highway of laughter and tears, with a little more understanding at the end of the journey.

Next on my reading list is Polio:  An American Story by David Oshinsky.

What are you reading?

born on a blue day

I was lucky enough to come across Born On a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet at the library last week.  The book is written by an Autistic Savant and it reveals the inner workings of the mind of an amazing man.

From birth, Daniel was different.  Relating with people, including his family, was a struggle, but his abilities with number and words were amazing.  In this book, Daniel himself chronicles his amazing life and the steps that he has taken to overcome his weaknesses and to walk in his strengths.  He credits his family with an incredible amount of patience and support as well as numerous friends for helping him with the strides he has made in his life.

One of the issues that this book explores is the idea of being "normal" and whether or not normalcy necessarily equals happiness.  I think that we all know the answer to that question, but at the same time, I am challenged to be more understanding and studious of people who are different than I am and whose weaknesses seem like a detriment, but may actually be a stepping stone in overcoming their challenges.

Read this book and be inspired!

melancholy me

I recently read The New Spirit Controlled Woman by Beverly LaHaye.  The book outlines the four basic temperaments (sanguine, choleric, melancholy and phlegmatic), along with their strengths and weaknesses, and also provides advice on relying on God's strength in the weak areas.

As always, when taking a temperament test, I check out as a strong melancholy.  When I say strong, I mean that out of 18 characteristics, I marked "yes" on 17 on them. 

I have always wanted to take one of these tests and find that I am a strong sanguine, in my opinion the most desirable of the temperaments, but, of course, even that desire of mine goes along with my personality as we melancholies tend to be overly introspective and unhappy with ourselves.  So once again, I remain "melancholy me".

The strengths of my temperament are:  Has a sensitive nature, analytical ability, emotionally responsive, reflective thinker, dependable, loyal, self-sacrificing, has deep feelings, strong perfectionist tendencies, likes detail and analytical work, self-disciplined, creative, intellectual, conscientious and knows her own limitations.

The weaknesses of my temperament are:  Moody and gloomy, pessimistic, always looks for the negative side of things, acts like a martyr, introspective to the point of being harmful, critical of others, fearful of what people think of her, suspicious, carries a grudge, dislikes opposition, indecisive, tires easily, analyzes things too much and becomes discouraged easily.

Honestly, I don't know if I have ever had myself so accurately defined on the pages of a book before!

By walking in God's ways and allowing Him to be the strength in my weaknesses, I can expect to:

--develop a mental habit of thanksgiving

--be delivered from self-absorption

--become occupied with loving service for others, thus forgetting self

--walk in the Spirit on a daily basis

The blessing in reading this book has been to see the work that God has already been doing in my life over the last few years.  Being thankful, being comfortable in who I am and avoiding the slippery slope of depression, are all areas that God has led me towards simply by reading His word and by listening to the encouragement of the people around me.  The knowledge that He has been and will continue to lead me only bolsters my resolve to overcome in my weak areas.

The New Spirit Controlled Woman is a book that I highly recommend.  While it is not the answer for all of life's problems, the author offers insight into those areas of ourselves that have a tendency to make us ineffective in the relationships and challenges of life, all while offering the hope that comes only from a life centered in God.

a novel, a biography and a craft book

I recently finished reading the The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and I loved it!  It was one of those books that made me wish it would never end.  This story is original and it will draw you in right away, transporting you to a different world.   The characters are rich and interesting and believable.   You will find yourself brewing a pot of tea and adding Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and The Woman in White to your reading list.

Also in my just-read stack is The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.  This book kept me laughing, as all of his do, and it shed interesting light on growing up the in 1950's in middle America.  The title seems a bit off because very little is mentioned about Bryson's childhood super-hero persona, The Thunderbolt Kid, but other than that, the book was enjoyable.

The other day at the library I came across Simple Sewing with a French Twist by Celine Dupuy.  This book is filled with over 50 sewing projects, most of them on a beginner or intermediate level, and the photographs in the book are just lovely.  Here is a taste of some of the projects in the book:

A ballet-tote for your little ballerina:

A duvet cover and a craft organizer for the artist in the house:

A lovely embroidered pillow:

I am currently in the middle of reading The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler, and I Promise by Gary Smalley.

What are you reading?