book reviews

Probably the final set of book reviews for the year. *sigh* More reading next year, for sure!

Louis L'Amour, Dutchman's Flat. This set of stories was a bit more hit-or-miss than usual. The opening story, "Dutchman's Flat", was really good. Some of the others less so. But overall, it's L'Amour, so it's difficult to go too far wrong!

Henry David Thoreau, Walden and Civil Disobedience. Now, I'm no stranger to 19th-century writing, or to nonfiction, but it took me all year to get through this. Walden had to be the most boring, pointless, pretentious piece of literature I've ever read, and Civil Disobedience was arrogant, insulting, and downright self-righteous. Thoreau comes off as a man who wants his readers to be completely aware that he's better than they are and that he doesn't care at all about them, their money, or their interest in his writing.

P.L. Gaus, Clouds without Rain. I think this is the weakest of Gaus's Ohio Amish mysteries. A bit too convoluted, leaves out or relegates to bit parts most of the main cast members of the first two books, and overall isn't nearly as well thought out. Still not an okay book, but not as highly recommended.

Neil Hanson, The Great Fire of London. This was an interesting, well-researched, personal-feeling account of London's Great Fire in 1666. The course of the fire is followed with painstaking detail and there is a lot of discussion of fire in general and the history of the time. The aftermath is summed up rather quickly, but I suspect there's another whole book in discussing the fire's aftermath, and this one was focused on the fire itself. I found it enjoyable and informative.

disorganized

I actually believe that organization is the key to success. I really, honestly do. Which is why it's endlessly frustrating that I never actually seem to stay organized - neither my time nor my environment. I try lots of different things, but it's like the diet and exercise ... the various plans just don't stick.

Just wanted to say that. Going on about my disorganized day in my disorganized house now.

the home stretch

One disappointing aspect of all the writing I've been doing this year is how little reading (comparatively) I've managed to do. My reading rate is wayyy down this year. So in the last week or so before the new year, I'm trying hard to finish the 7 books I have on my stack. I've given up on the idea that I might finish more than those 7 - that just seems unlikely.

Of course, I'm also trying to spend the holiday week writing madly to get ahead on the stories I'm posting, plus there's Christmas, and relatives, and celebrations, and you think maybe I should spend some time with my kids while they're home? Not to mention games to play and shows to watch and some work to do and that husband person who's around from time to time ... Sometimes I'm amazed that I get any reading done at all!

25 Random Things

1.) I love to reorganize my books - I can spend hours arranging and rearranging.
2.) I'm not at all outdoorsy.
3.) If I could, I'd eat out for every meal.
4.) I like my kids (and parenting) a lot better now than when they were babies.
5.) I was a terrible mom of one child - I do a lot better with three.
6.) My favorite all-time TV shows are M*A*S*H, The A-Team, Cold Case, and Sex and the City.
7.) I'm completely unable to randomize, and have to develop elaborate lists and systems in order to choose one thing out of a list or selection.
8.) I wish I could be a little kid again and get to own and play with all my kids' cool toys.
9.) I love doing laundry so much that I don't even consider it a chore.
10.) I'm addicted to General Foods International Coffee.
11.) It frustrates me to no end that my kids always seem to be in between pants sizes and I can never find them enough pants.
12.) I'm far more interested in 19th-century politics than in 21st-century politics.
13.) I love Christmas carols and like to listen to them all year long.
14.) I spend way too much time on the computer.
15.) I have to have a real tree - if I got an artificial one, I would never have a reason to take it down, and would leave the Christmas decorations up year-round.
16.) I love dessert.
17.) It makes me really happy to see my kids go to school - they come home so much more interesting and unexpected.
18.) I do not like going to the grocery store under any circumstances.
19.) As an only child, I crave time alone, and as the mother of three, rarely get it.
20.) I'm not really a picture person and often forget to take any ... and am easily overwhelmed by what to do with the ones I do take.
21.) I'm not at all visually creative, and can't imagine trying to scrapbook.
22.) I almost never drink anything cold.
23.) I don't drink alcohol at all.
24.) I like running, but never seem to manage to carve out the time required to do it.
25.) I've outgrown my vampire phase.

Most of these are the same ones I posted to Facebook over a year and a half ago. #10 used to be an addiction to Bath & Body Works, but that seems to have passed now. #14 used to be a note on how long it would take to come up with 25 random things - not that interesting, really. Otherwise, everything else seems pretty accurate still. Apparently in your 30s you don't change that fast!

first snow

It's the first snowfall of the season - just a light snow, flurrying more than falling - and it feels rather festive. Or at least, it will until I go outside into the biting wind to wait for the bus. Just as the years change, one year milder, the next year colder, my reaction to them seems to change as well. Last year, which was a fairly mild winter, I took hard. I complained my way from one snowfall to the next. This year, which so far has been chilly but dry, I'm not exactly looking forward to, but I'm not being dragged into it kicking and screaming. Maybe my internal temperature's up, or maybe I'm looking forward to being inside a lot. Either way, I'm happy to accept the flurry today, and will be just as happy when it stops!

5 things I love about the holidays

Yesterday, I had a big rant all ready to go. But today, I can't get it up to rant. The moral outrage steam head has run dry, and I just want to have a nice quiet day at home without getting upset over the state of the world.

So: 5 things I love about the holidays.

1. Christmas cards. I love to see the pictures of friends' kids I don't see that often, to get the letters and notes. Even with Facebook keeping me in better touch, I like that once-a-year personal connection.

2. Presents. I don't know which I like better, buying presents for my kids or getting them myself. Either way, presents are good!

3. Christmas music. I keep my Christmas music on my iPod year-round, but it's nice to hear it while out and about, especially at this point in the year when people aren't whining about it so much.

4. Ornaments. All my ornaments have sentimental value, and it's the time of year when I feel closest to the family I grew up in, even though it's gone now. I'm even mostly past the sad part of that - all that's left is the nostalgia.

5. Family time. There is nothing I like more than a day (or a few days) off with my husband and kids. The holidays' best gift: time to spend with my favorite people.

book reviews

Going slowly these days - too much writing keeps the reading rate down - but I've managed to finish a few!

Gregory Maguire, Wicked. I read this (many times) when it first came out and was blown away by the richly detailed universe and the characterizations. It was a bit dense this time around, but I still love the characterization of the witch and her friends.

Janette Oke, Love Comes Softly. It's an old, old romance, but I enjoy the love story, no matter how many times I've read it before. Familiar books are no replacement for good friends, but they're a great complement.

P. L. Gaus, Broken English. This is a nice little series - the characters are well-drawn and vivid, the Amish community is treated with affection and respect, and the plots are detailed. The writing is a bit ... flat? but overall, the books are enjoyable.

Daniel Stashower, The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder. This was a really interesting exploration of an early nineteenth-century New York murder and Edgar Allan Poe's interpretation of it as "The Mystery of Marie Roget." These themes are placed on top of a portrait of New York of the times and Edgar Allan Poe's truly tragic life. It was a very fascinating and informative read.

commentaries

I believe I've mentioned before how much I enjoy watching the Michael Patrick King commentaries on the DVDs of Sex and the City. It's so very thoughtful and detailed and every episode feels like a labor of love. It's particularly interesting having been doing so much writing this year because it's fascinating to see how other people think about storytelling and the choices and decisions they make.

50 Questions

More meme thievery from Facebook. Still, I find these amusing.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? yes and no - it's complicated
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? it's been a few weeks, I think
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? sure
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? yes
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM? frequently
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? yes
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? no
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? oatmeal squares
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Heath bar
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? hair
15. RED OR PINK? red
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I talk too much and don't listen enough
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Matthew
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST? no
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans, black ankle-boots
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Johnny Test
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? cadet blue
23. FAVORITE SMELL? lemon, Veronica's neck, coffee
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Lou
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Of course (technically, it's me!)
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football
27. HAIR COLOR? dark brown
28. EYE COLOR? blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Midwestern comfort food
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? White Christmas
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? red
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? both, please!
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? ice cream
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? no one
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? see #37
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? The Odyssey, Vergil; Walden, Henry David Thoreau; Clouds without Rain, P. L. Gaus; Food in Colonial and Federal America, Sandra L. Oliver; Manhunt, James L. Swanson
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one - what is this, 2008?
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Hawaii 5-0, Top Chef All-Stars
42. FAVORITE SOUND(S)? Greyson's laugh, good music, washer/dryer running, cars and trains going by
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? neither
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Rome
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a very good proofreader
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Nashville
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? not expecting any
48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFIGANT OTHER? at a wedding
49. IS THE CUP HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? depends on the day (and the time of day!)
50. IF YOU COULD SIT DOWN TO DINNER WITH FIVE PEOPLE WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE? Thomas Jefferson, Laura Ingalls Wilder, my great-aunt Jennie, Agatha Christie, and Nathan Hale

unblogworthy

The sheer volume of words I expect myself to put on the page daily is pretty staggering, especially when compared to this time last year. With three stories actively being posted, two original stories being worked on, two stories on hiatus, Twitter and Facebook updates (which I like to make more substantive than "just took a shower"), and two blogs, sometimes I wonder just how many words I have in me. Unfortunately this blog tends to take the biggest hit, since I'm never sure how much wit and wisdom I really have to share.

Just thought I'd mention that, since it explains all the days that I can't think of anything to post - those tend to be the days that I have very little left to say!

winter precipitation

We saw our first dancing little white motes flying about in the air this morning. (I insisted it was fairies, while Miss Veronica kept trying to tell me it was snow. I wasn't listening to her!)

Funny how once upon a time snow used to mean no school, fun playing outside, beautiful views, and generally winter goodness and now it comes down and all I see are roads and driveways difficult to navigate because of piles of it all over, school going nearly to July because of the snow days, and the need to deal with the snowblower (not at all my favorite piece of machinery).

There are definitely some ways in which being a parent is not better than being a child!

movie meme

(Yes, it's true, I'm cross-posting from Facebook. But who knows, maybe my answers have changed. Besides, it's an interesting thing to post on a low-motivation low-creativity kind of day!)


(x) Rocky Horror Picture Show
(x) Grease
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean
(x) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
() Boondock Saints
() Fight Club
() Starsky and Hutch
(x) Neverending Story
() Blazing Saddles
(x) Airplane
Total: 6

(x) The Princess Bride
() Anchorman
() Napoleon Dynamite
(x) Labyrinth
() Saw
() Saw II
() White Noise
() White Oleander
() Anger Management
() 50 First Dates
() The Princess Diaries
() The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 8

(x) Scream
() Scream 2
() Scream 3
() Scary Movie
() Scary Movie 2
() Scary Movie 3
() Scary Movie 4
(x) American Pie
(x) American Pie 2
(x) American Wedding
() American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 12

(x) Harry Potter 1
(x) Harry Potter 2
(x) Harry Potter 3
() Harry Potter 4
() Resident Evil 1
() Resident Evil 2
() The Wedding Singer
() Little Black Book
() The Village
() Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 15

(x) Finding Nemo
(x) Finding Neverland
() Signs
() The Grinch
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre
() Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
() White Chicks
() Butterfly Effect
() 13 Going on 30
() I, Robot
() Robots
Total so far: 17

() Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
() Universal Soldier
() Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
() Along Came Polly
() Deep Impact
() KingPin
() Never Been Kissed
() Meet The Parents
() Meet the Fockers
() Eight Crazy Nights
() Joe Dirt
() KING KONG
Total so far: 17

() A Cinderella Story
() The Terminal
() The Lizzie McGuire Movie
() Passport to Paris
() Dumb & Dumber
() Dumber & Dumberer
() Final Destination
() Final Destination 2
() Final Destination 3
() Halloween
() The Ring
() The Ring 2
() Surviving X-MAS
() Flubber
Total so far: 17

() Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
(x) Practical Magic
() Chicago
() Ghost Ship
() From Hell
() Hellboy
() Secret Window
() I Am Sam
() The Whole Nine Yards
() The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 18

() The Day After Tomorrow
() Child's Play
() Seed of Chucky
() Bride of Chucky
() Ten Things I Hate About You
() Just Married
() Gothika
() Nightmare on Elm Street
(x) Sixteen Candles
() Remember the Titans
() Coach Carter
() The Grudge
() The Grudge 2
() The Mask
() Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 19

() Bad Boys
() Bad Boys 2
() Joy Ride
() Lucky Number Slevin
(x) Ocean's Eleven
(x) Ocean's Twelve
(x) Bourne Identity
(x) Bourne Supremecy
(x) Lone Star
() Bedazzled
() Predator I
() Predator II
() The Fog
(x) Ice Age
(x) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
() Curious George
Total so far: 26

(x) Independence Day
() Cujo
() A Bronx Tale
() Darkness Falls
(x) Christine
(x) ET
() Children of the Corn
() My Bosses Daughter
() Maid in Manhattan
() War of the Worlds
() Rush Hour
() Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 29

() Best Bet
() How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
() She's All That
() Calendar Girls
() Sideways
(x) Mars Attacks
() Event Horizon
() Ever After
(x) Wizard of Oz
() Forrest Gump
(x) Big Trouble in Little China
() The Terminator
(x) The Terminator 2
() The Terminator 3
Total so far: 33

() X-Men
() X-2
() X-3
() Spider-Man
() Spider-Man 2
() Sky High
() Jeepers Creepers
() Jeepers Creepers 2
(x) Catch Me If You Can
(x) The Little Mermaid
(x) Freaky Friday
() Reign of Fire
() The Skulls
() Cruel Intentions
() Cruel Intentions 2
() The Hot Chick
() Shrek
() Shrek 2
Total so far: 36

() Swimfan
(x) Miracle on 34th street
() Old School
() The Notebook
() K-Pax
() Krippendorf's Tribe
(x) A Walk to Remember
(x) Ice Castles
() Boogeyman
() The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 39

(x) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(x) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(x) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(x) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(x) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(x) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 45

() Baseketball
() Hostel
(x) Waiting for Guffman
() House of 1000 Corpses
() Devils Rejects
() Elf
(x) Highlander
() Mothman Prophecies
(x) American History X
() Three
Total so Far: 48

() The Jacket
() Kung Fu Hustle
() Shaolin Soccer
() Night Watch
() Monsters Inc.
(x) Titanic
(x) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
() Shaun Of the Dead
() Willard
Total so far: 50

() High Tension
() Club Dread
() Hulk
() Dawn Of the Dead
(x) Hook
(x) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
() 28 days later
() Orgazmo
() Phantasm
() Waterworld
Total so far: 52

() Kill Bill vol 1
() Kill Bill vol 2
(x) Mortal Kombat
() Wolf Creek
() Kingdom of Heaven
() the Hills Have Eyes
() I Spit on Your Grave aka the Day of the Woman
() The Last House on the Left
() Re-Animator
(x) Army of Darkness
Total so far:54

() Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
() Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
() Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(x) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(x) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(x) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
() Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
() Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 57

() The Matrix
() The Matrix Reloaded
() The Matrix Revolutions
() Animatrix
() Evil Dead
() Evil Dead 2
() Team America: World Police
() Red Dragon
(x) Silence of the Lambs
() Hannibal
Total: 58


58. (Four more than two years ago. Woo.) It almost sounds like I must have a life. Except, of course, that I really don't and I watch a ton of movies ... just not recent releases, horror movies, and comedies, with which this list is heavily frontloaded.

Top Chef All-Stars

Apparently this is reality TV week over here. Tonight, a very highly anticipated season of Top Chef: the All-Stars season. And unlike other shows (TAR, for example) that have chosen people who were completely unmemorable for an all-star season, Top Chef's lineup is pretty good. There's no one who seems likely to bomb out immediately, there's no one who's there just for the drama of it. Everyone is a reasonable contender.

So my official calls for the season:

Angelo as eventual winner (Carla as my secondary pick), and Spike as the first cheftestant to be eliminated. We shall see how far those get me!

The Amazing Race

A family television event. This season of TAR we decided to watch with the kids, our first official family TV extravaganza.

Now, Lou and I always choose our pick for eventual winner at the starting gate, so we decided to allow the kids the same choice. Whose pick went out in the first episode? Mine. Oh, yeah. I got to set an example of a serene loser, not that it helped. When Greyson's team was eliminated, he wept. (As if they were being put in jail or something, not sent off to someplace sunny and warm in Sequesterville.) Charles's team is miraculously still in the Race, despite an atrocious attitude on the part of the guy and a lot of bad decisions on both sides. So every episode he bites his fingernails and jumps up and down a lot and whines a lot about how inevitable it is that they're going to be eliminated. (Veronica, on the other hand, managed just fine when her team was eliminated.)

But they've really gotten into it. They're not as into the challenges as they are the end of each episode, but they're probably not alone in that. Next season is "All-Star" (which appears, based on the cast list, to translate to 'random people from the previous few seasons'), which should be very interesting.

Christmas cards

First Christmas card of the season, as usual, came from my Aunt Agnes. She's getting up there in years - probably it won't be too many more years before there aren't any more, and then someone else will have to be the early bird of the season. Or will they? More and more people seem conflicted about Christmas cards - either they send them electronically, feel guilty about sending them, don't get around to them, or for some other reason don't send them. Personally, I love them. It's the only time of the year that going to the mailbox is really something joyous - you get to see pictures and read updates and generally hear from people you don't at any other time of the year. People can (and do) argue that maybe that means you don't need to hear from them at all ... but I disagree. A Christmas card relationship can help you feel connected to family and friends and other generations in a way that no other type of regular communication seems to be able to. Long live the Christmas card, I say! (Yes, holiday card is probably more PC. But it doesn't flow the same. Not at all.)

thankful

I know, everyone's doing it. So I might as well.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for a happy, healthy, intelligent family. A gainfully employed and well-paid spouse and another year of being married to my best friend. The Internet and all the wonderful additions my life has gained because of it. The good folks at BioWare and Steve Valentine and Fanfiction.net and my husband for inspiring and encouraging my writing. The great joy of being in my 30s and the increased objectivity toward others and comfort with myself that has brought. Facebook and how it has brought me both closure and closer to every part of my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!

affirmation

The rampant paranioa amongst my fellow parents disturbs me. Since I can't argue with all of those who buy into the "predator around every corner" mindset, this is my affirmation of all the things I don't worry about.

I don't worry about: predators, chemicals in the food, screen time, the Internet, dangers posed by vaccines, information privacy, germs, or kidnapping.

What do I worry about? It's a very different list.

I worry that my kids will be bored and/or socially unhappy in school. I worry about car accidents, influenza pandemics, the likelihood that someone who disagrees with my parenting practices will cause trouble for me that can't be undone, long-term illness or permanent disability, and losing the respect and friendship of my children (other than during the pre-teen and teen years, during which the last one is pretty much inevitable).

Mini-rant over for the day.

teacher conferences

I had my last teacher conference of the year this morning. All three kids' teachers gave them glowing reviews, which were lovely to hear.

The oldest is a big reader, sometimes rushing through his work to get to his book. But then again, his father and I used to do that, and so did his teacher, so he's in good company there! He's polite and interesting and funny and having a great year.

The middle child has achieved leaps and bounds forward in reading. He's an engaged and engaging part of the classroom and has actually been a stabilizing presence, according to his teacher. He enjoys school, doesn't take it too seriously, and is generally pretty cheerful about his life.

The youngest child is described as "very independent" by her teacher, but the teacher assures me that incidences of refusal to cooperate are fairly minimal, and getting better all the time. She applies herself well, finishes her tasks in a timely fashion, and is learning to use her words with her peers. Happy to get to school in the morning, happy to come home at the end of the day.

In sum, no problems. Three pleased teachers, three happy kids enjoying their school year. What more can you ask for?

who are you convincing?

I have this Facebook friend who is constantly posting links and articles about the evils of vaccines. And by constantly, I mean two or three a day. (It's not just vaccines, either - it's general chemicals in the food and in the water and in the paper receipts are printed on reactionaryism as well.) Now, I would hide her, but she also tends to post pictures and things that I don't want to miss. So I grit my teeth at the endless stream of propaganda she puts up. But I have to wonder - what does she think she's accomplishing? Either the people reading these articles already agree with her, or they're never going to. So the propaganda is worse than useless, because it annoys the people she wants to convince.

Of course, she did the same thing well before Facebook, so pointing this out to her isn't going to get me anywhere. I mostly ignore the inundation, but every once in a while when the news feed fills up with it, I have to shake my head and ask myself who she thinks she's convincing.

not happening

So I had an interesting blog post in mind about yesterday's marathon shopping expedition, but frankly, with the constant interruptions of my three children and my general level of already-behind-on-my-list stress, it's just not happening. I will merely note for today that it is cold and dark and something smells funny and the week ahead of me has way too much in it for my sense of well-being. I need a nap.

a rant about paranoia

The other day I clicked on a link to a popular "Mommy blog", in which the mom was detailing the horrors of having to attend a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party. Now, I'm not a huge fan of Chuck E. myself, and am pretty happy that my kids are mostly out of that phase. However, what disturbed me about this was the following anecdote:

Following a number of comments about Chuck E. as "pedophile heaven," which I find a flawed and paranoid hypothesis from the get-go, the mom proceeded to tell a story about not being able to find her son, chasing after him, and see him [GASP!] having. his. shoe. tied. by another parent. A FATHER, no less. The mother was panicked and displeased that a male adult would come near her child (no matter that another woman clearly found him trustworthy enough not only to have children with him, but to send those children to Chuck E. Cheese with him), and the man even made the comment that he had been afraid to tie the child's shoe, for fear someone might think him a predator.

Worse yet, a number of moms in the comments section VALIDATED this insanity. What the hell have we come to, that we can't trust other parents in what's got to be one of the least pedophile-friendly places you can go? (Come on, where are they gonna go? They can't get out the front door, and the bathrooms are full of little kids and their moms in various stages of Chuck E. Stress.)

Knee-jerk thoughtless paranoia has become the go-to reaction for our society, and we're already seeing the costs. Sex offender registries out of control because everyone qualifies as one, the TSA (need I say more?), parents afraid to let their children out of the house because God forbid they might have a life experience. Where does it stop?

5 things that make me happy today

It's a lovely beautiful sunny day, and what makes me happy?

1. Not having to go anywhere. Lovely, lovely day with nothing on the schedule. Three quiet children enjoying themselves with technology.

2. Coffee. Right now, General Foods Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Yum.

(For the record, one thing that does not make me happy is Quaker messing with their oatmeal. High fiber, low sodium, 'women's health', it all just tastes like watery cardboard. Stick with what works, folks.)

3. Phineas & Ferb (and their like). I enjoy that my kids' favorite shows are amusing for me as well. I don't know if that says more about the shows or about me being easily amused, but either way, it works out.

4. My tall, interesting, increasingly self-sufficient children.

5. The holidays! I love Christmas shopping, Christmas decorating, Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas music ... the whole nine yards.

book reviews

Oh, my poor little blog, how I neglect you! I've had these books waiting to be reviewed for almost a month now, too. Without further ado:

John Reader, Cities. Reader took on the dauntingly large task of studying the history of cities in a readable-sized book. In places, he did well - many of his chapters, especially the earlier ones, were very interesting. His discussions of the amount of land needed to support a growing city and the issues of water and sewerage were fascinating. But about halfway through the book switched and became less about history and more about pushing the green agenda. I wouldn't have minded cogently argued (and proven) points, but this was more preaching to the converted, of which I am not one, so he lost me.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, These Happy Golden Years. Have I waxed sufficiently rhapsodic about how well these books stand up? There is depth and subtlety far beyond the ken of the tween (or younger) girls to whom this series is marketed. Laura, so bold and confident in who she is, becomes remarkably reticent where her courtship and marriage are concerned. Too shy to declare her love for Almanzo even to her parents, over half a century later she is too shy to trumpet it to her readers, either, and thus leaves a sweet prairie love story to be imagined more than read.

Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach. I'm not obsessive about Dahl - as a matter of fact, I think James is the only Dahl book I really love - but I do enjoy this one. Poor James gets to escape his sad little life in the kind of fantastic and unbelievable manner small children everywhere dream of. The other characters are interesting and lovable. The Centipede's songs get old after a while, but in general it's a fun and lovely little story.

Jane Finnis, Buried Too Deep. A lively and fast-paced story. The continuing adventures of Aurelia Marcella are still interesting, well-researched, and bring the world of Roman Britain vividly to life. The time jump between this story and the one preceding it was a bit too far - I had to go back and double-check that I hadn't missed a book in between. And the romance is a bit understated for me ... but that's personal opinion, and the way it's done suits the style of the book. Altogether, I really enjoyed this one, and am looking forward to the next.

Halloween has happened

I was low-energy for Halloween this year. Unlike most years, we didn't have costumes decided on by the end of August, cobbled them together pretty late in October, as a matter of fact. The Friday before Halloween, not only didn't I have the get-up-and-go to take the kids to the school's big Halloween extravaganza, I didn't manage to take them to the play I'd planned on attending instead. (I wound up at home with the littlest one, in my pajamas, while Daddy took the hit for the team and took the boys to the shindig thrown by Greyson's ATA.) Even on Halloween itself, I didn't feel particularly energetic. We got through trick-or-treating and the candy draft, but no effort was made to attempt anything further.

Ah, well. Hopefully all that unused energy will help me get a jump-start on the holidays!

birthdays

Two weeks ago, my baby turned 5. This was an eagerly anticipated rubicon - her toddler and preschool years have been long, and a bit whiny, and challenging to deal with. We all have looked forward to Miss Bunny being 5. Oh, have we looked forward to it!

But today, my middle child turns 7. Now, I have trouble remembering that he's 6. Somehow, Charles is always 5 in my mind, and since I still haven't come to terms with 6, 7 is completely off my radar! And he's been such a nice 5-year-old and 6-year-old ... I hope for equally good things from age 7. Once I get used to the idea, that is!

American Princess Girl and other random commentary

Just saw a commercial for Disney Princesses in the standard American Girl doll size. The real question is, what took Disney so long? American Girls are a major cash cow, and it's shocking that Disney hasn't cashed in on that sooner.

We've fallen off the chore chart wagon in the last few weeks, got off schedule and haven't managed to get back on schedule. You'd think it would be easy to just get to it, switch the charts over, etc., but somehow it seems more time-consuming than that, and therefore hasn't gotten done yet.

The music from St. Elmo's Fire makes it sound as though it should be a more heart-tugging movie than it actually is. With a more satisfying ending. I'm not knocking the Brat Pack, but I find the music more evocative than the movie.

I'm feeling quite moved by the extraordinary personality of Mondo Guerra on Project Runway. He and Adam Lambert from American Idol really are the poster boys for being comfortable in your own skin, being true to who you are even if who you are is more flamboyant and attention-grabbing than most people are comfortable with. I would be very happy if my children could grow up to be that secure and confident.

car shopping

It's that time again - lease is almost up, and must hunt for and select new car. Ugh.

Firstly, I am a disaster where negotiations are concerned. DISASTER.

Secondly, I hate being "sold" to. All I really want is to walk in, look at the car I want, ask whatever questions I might have, and leave. Not an attitude appreciated by car salespeople.

Thirdly, I tend to know pretty well what I want before I get there, so it frustrates me when they don't (for reasonable reasons of inventory) have exactly what I want on the lot to be looked at. Makes me wonder what the point is of going to see the car in the first place.

This morning, I went to two dealerships. The first one I showed up to at 9:25 (they opened at 9). It was a ghost town. Clearly people had been there, but there was no one to be seen when I walked in. It's a small dealership, more service than sales, so the inventory was exceedingly small. Veronica and I wandered around the lot looking for minivans, saw only one or two (obviously not open, so I couldn't look at them). Finally went in, stood there for 10 minutes - while one of the service guys went by three times, looked at me each time, but never spoke. So I asked the cashier. Turns out, the entire sales staff was in a meeting. All of them. No one watching the door, no notes letting potential customers know where the sales staff was. Frankly, if they'd had a minivan displayed in the lobby, it would have been my favorite dealership ever, but since they had nothing in the lobby, I was mostly just frustrated.

Second dealership, one car in the lobby. A minivan, as it happens. I got two steps in the door before someone came over to ask me questions. First thing he did? Ask me to sit down so he could take all my information. He was displeased, to say the least, when I declined to give him my phone number. I said what I wanted was to see how the base model had changed since my current vehicle was made, three years ago. What did he show me? A top-of-the-line model. No offers to take me out onto the lot to see a base model, and he knew very little about the differences between the top-of-the-line and the base.

Ugh. If I liked minivans, or thought I was likely to take better care of my next car than I have my past ones, I'd just buy one and be done with it.

book reviews

On my weekend away, I read 7.5 books! I was very happy. :)

Elaine Viets, Half-Price Homicide. I felt this one wasn't quite up to the standards of her others. It was still fun, but Helen was not a particularly sympathetic character during most of it, there was a plot twist that was hard to believe and seemed unnecessary, and the writing just wasn't as good. I know the author suffered a stroke (or possibly a heart attack - a life-threatening medical issue, at any rate) that she later recovered from, and that might well explain the difference. Still, those issues aside, her characters and setting were vivid and the book was an amusing read.

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World. This is an old favorite. Very Victorian, but with a lot of action and inventiveness. Well worth reading!

Robert Hale Strong, A Yankee Private's Civil War. This is the first Civil War memoir I ever read, and I still think it's the best. Strong was a private from start to finish, so what he remembers are details of camp life and campaigning that higher-ranked memoirists may have left out. He also volunteered for a lot of extra duties that provided him with some unusual experiences, especially during the March to the Sea. His writing style is warm and personal and detailed.

Kathleen Kent, The Heretic's Daughter. I should have really liked this book. The writing is good, the author clearly felt strongly about her topic (the Salem witch trials, specifically the Carrier family, from whom the author is descended), and the picture of life at the time is vivid. But somehow I just didn't warm up to it. I thought it was a bit too florid, over-written in places, and I didn't feel connected to the main character. Several of the secondary characters were better-written and far more lifelike and interesting. I don't know ... there's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it didn't seem to grab me.

weekend wrap-up

Here we are this afternoon, back from Plymouth and home to the kids and the husband (good things) and the great multicolored splash of the calendar, the omnipresent hovering dog, and the house (not as good).

Trying to get back on track today. Unlike most years, my brain isn't still in its blissful fog of solitude. I was ready to come back yesterday. But that's apparently not quite the same as being fully invested in the routine!

thoughts on the Pioneer Woman

So I used to follow this blogger - the uber "mommy blogger" - called the Pioneer Woman. Now, initially, I was a bit disappointed because she's not a pioneer, just a ranch wife and mother of 4. And not particularly historically minded. But I followed her for a while because she was funny and interesting and had some good giveaways.

But then the number of people entering the giveaways rose to the tens of thousands, and I stopped bothering to enter. And over time, I noticed that she told the same stories and posted different versions of the same pictures, over and over again. (The blogosphere's answer to Janet Evanovich, whose books are fun and entertaining, but eventually you notice that nothing. ever. changes.)

I follow another blogger, formerly known as "The Country Doctor's Wife", who virulently despises the Pioneer Woman, because she followed the same trajectory of interest that I did (although in her case, much more intimately, with exchanges of emails and a visit to the famed ranch) - starting off interested and impressed by the vibrancy and only then realizing that there is nothing under it. The vibrancy is all their is. Pioneer Woman is all about "keepin' it real", and there's a lot of discussion about the idea that what she shills - the plain, simple country life - is a complete sham (apparently they're not just ranchers, they're millionaire ranchers) ... but the truth is, I think she does keep it real. I think her blog, with all its photoshopped pictures of children and dog and flowy blouses and absolutely no discussion of books or inner thoughts or depth of any kind, is absolutely who she is. And while that was fun to peek in on for a few months, after a while I realized I'd seen it all.

So, now whose blog should I be reading?

two days more!

A beautiful quiet hotel room by the sea is waiting for me, oh yes, it is!

This weekend's agenda: 9 books to read; 5 stories to work on; the standard downtown Plymouth shopping trip and self-guided walking tour; the closest mall to meander through; meals to eat at favorite restaurants. This year I'm hoping to try some new restaurants. No working, limited email and Facebook, no laundry or cleaning. No soccer. Also limited amounts of sleep, as of course I never go to bed on time and don't like wasting my alone weekend in sleeping in. I'll catch up on sleep some other time. Next summer, maybe. :)

Just have to get through the to-do list for two more days and then I'm off ...

clone me!

These are the days, when my to-do list is larger than my D20 randomization system can handle, when I wish I could create a second me and assign it all the tasks I don't want to do. Cleaning my kitchen and doing the dishes would be top of that list, and following that would be writing emails to my editors, all of whom seem as stressed as I am.

Perhaps what I need isn't a clone, but a doppelganger such as the toons in Who Censored Roger Rabbit? have. (That would be the book, not the movie.) Ah, well. As it is, I need to buckle down and get cracking!

online writing workshop

So I've been at this fanfiction thing hammer and tongs since the end of February, and the output has been immense. Also intense. And I have learned a ton! About the writing process in general, about my writing process in particular, about what people respond to and what they don't. So here are the big things I feel I've learned:

1) the importance of multiple good betas. Every chapter gets looked at by two people with differing tastes whose opinions I trust, and it makes the writing a lot better. But it's also important not to use your betas as a safety net and count on them to fix the major issues in a chapter.

2) the parts that I as the author tend to be the most proud of are rarely the parts that the readers respond to, and the opposite also tends to be true. Watching for reviews on chapters that I still love to reread months later was a big learning experience, because they didn't go across the way I expected.

3) it's more important to write at a regular pace and put out quality work than it is to write a ton quickly. (I've learned this more from other authors than myself - I've slowed down when things weren't coming fast, but a couple of the other authors I've read just keep going, writing more and more stories, and the writing suffers. It becomes banal, and falls short of what the writer is really capable of.)

4) A formal outline like I was taught in fourth grade isn't always necessary, but it's important to have some idea where you're going. Otherwise, the story meanders a bit and you have a tendency to lose people's interest.

I've learned other things about pacing, and strong verbs, and keeping your characters' voices consistent, but those are the big ones that I think will be most useful in the future.

Monday, Monday

Oh, my poor neglected blog, how lonely you must be sitting out here in cyberspace unupdated. Too much to do, too many commitments, too little time. (Or, possibly, too little organization!)

Today is a relatively productive day, prepping for a busy week and a lovely quiet weekend away by myself. Also a cold, grey Monday with no rain - fall is here and announcing itself rather loudly.

Watching an episode of McCallum that seems to have no John Hannah - egad! the horror - listening to the dishwasher, and burning through the to-do list, slowly but surely.

does wisdom really come with age?

I'm thinking about this today because I spent the morning with a woman who clearly thinks so. Or, rather, she thinks the converse ... that because I don't have her age, I must not have wisdom either. (At one point in the conversation, she referred to me as 'sweetheart'. She would not have referred to either of the other women present that way.) Mostly, I'm prepared for this, and I spend a remarkable amount of time at these meetings silent, listening and joining in only when necessary. But I have to admit, I don't understand why the fact that I'm younger than she is, or that I have children who are still in preschool, automatically seems to mean that my thoughts and opinions can be shot down or loudly discounted.

You may say, "suck it up, kid, this is the way the world is." And possibly so. But I've never found a particular correlation between age and intelligence, and, frankly, don't appreciate being treated like a child by a woman who is my peer. End of rant!

book reviews

Time Life, the Civil War, The Struggle for Tennessee. I'm slowly making my way through this series (I've only had it for 20 years). It's a really good overview of the war, detailed and informative.

Roger Lea MacBride, Bachelor Girl. It was pretty fascinating watching the evolution of shy, innocent, impatient, heedless country girl to shy, innocent, impatient, heedless city girl. Rose's personality remained the same, but the circumstances changed drastically, and she was completely unprepared for them to do so. I am glad to have finished the series - Rose definitely not my favorite character - but it was an interesting experience to work my way through it.

Susan Cheever, American Bloomsbury. It's an interesting premise, looking at mid-nineteenth-century Concord and the literary community there from a modern gossip-magazine standpoint. But it didn't succeed. The chapters were organized confusingly, the coverage of events was spotty, and overall there was too much attention to salacious details of who was in love with whom and not enough about ... well, anything else. Also, the author kept interjecting herself and her own experiences in, which was jarring and felt unscholarly.

P.L. Gaus, Blood of the Prodigal. This was an interesting mash-up of mystery and slice-of-life look into a small Ohio community, both Amish and English. The characters were interesting, the book well-written. And even if the denouement hung on a detail that didn't mean what the characters assumed it meant, the book was entertaining and enjoyable.

5 things that make me happy today

Definitely a five things kind of day!

1. All three kids in school. My heavens, it's quiet. And oh, so lovely. (For them, too, I think!)

2. Writing. Such a huge relief to come home from being around people I don't understand and slip into my own little world, where I do understand everyone.

3. Jackets! While I don't particularly like the loss of that lovely warmth when I step outside, I do like to break out all my jackets again. (I think I need more of them. :) )

4. The shrinking of my to-be-read shelf. It's so lovely to think I might be able to buy books again in the actual near future!

5. New TV season back. Last night's menu, Castle and How I Met Your Mother, both good openers. Also taped Chase (Cole Hauser!) and Hawaii 5-0. (That one was Lou's fault.) We'll have to see how they go.

a whole new world

This whole "three kids in school" thing is like a new life. Each of them has their own friends, their own activities, their own interests. Which has the beautiful advantage of allowing me to begin work on my own activities and interests. And friends. It feels (at least today!) freeing.

rainy days

I don't enjoy a siege of bad weather any more than anyone else ... but I have to say after all the many sunny days we've had, a rainy one like today is more than welcome. So say I, and so says the dustbath that used to be the back yard! Now, if soccer practice could be canceled, I'd be even happier.

September: "performance month"

No, my kids aren't on stage. But I am. Oh, am I. With both schools starting this month, everyone's getting back into the swing of things. And of course, kids' activities mean moms' social opportunities.

Friday was soccer practice, Saturday the soccer game. Sunday off. Monday preschool orientation and a trial dance program, Tuesday more preschool orientation and 1st grade open house. Today is 3rd grade open house. Tomorrow preschool playgroup. Friday more soccer. Saturday soccer. Then Monday there's a PTO meeting, next Tuesday book group, next Friday soccer and then bunco, and then Saturday soccer again. The following week looks like it might get quiet again.

The problem with all these activities is that I'm not naturally good in social situations. Especially with large groups of other women. So all these activities require me to put on my 'social face' and act in a manner that's not normal to me, especially since there aren't many women involved in these activities around whom I feel I can relax and just be me. It's exhausting! It's gotten easier as I've gotten older (five years ago I couldn't have done it at all), but I think it'll be a while before I really get used to it.

page 56

I'm trying this again, 5th sentence on p. 56 of all the books I'm reading. I'm interested to see what comes up!

"After I got back to the rear after Smith, there was some reluctance to go to the front again, a sort of nervous lassitude, but the instant I heard the heavy firing this was over." - Charles S. Wainwright, A Diary of Battle

"The skills and resources they applied to ensuring that their citizens were adequately fed are rarely brought to our attention, even though the fundamental importance of grain is evocatively illustrated by the ears of wheat or barley depicted on some of its coinage." - John Reader, Cities

"West of the bridge lay a warren of crumbling timber houses, shacks, and shanties spilling across the old fish market quay right down to the water's edge." - Neil Hanson, The Great Fire of London

"Stopping at the offices of the New York Sun, he placed a missing persons ad." - Daniel Stashower, The Beautiful Cigar Girl

"Both men had reached for their guns when they saw him, and he had wheeled his horse and hit the desert road at a dead run." - Louis L'Amour, Dutchman's Flat

"How gain love?" - Louisa May Alcott, Journals

"'I guess a cup of tea wouldn't hurt,' said Grandma." - Janet Evanovich, Two for the Dough

"This Congress will support the Massachusetts." - John Adams, The Letters of John and Abigail Adams

school has sprung!

We're at the end of our second week (neither of them anywhere near full) of school, and it's so nice to have a routine!

Tonight child #1 tests for his black belt; child #2 goes to his first soccer practice. Child #3 goes to her (completely unnecessary) preschool orientation on Monday.

I still need to work on investigating new piano teachers, looking into dance classes for my stagestruck middle child, and find a gymnastics class for my youngest. Looking forward to getting the volunteer schedule for the preschool (I already have the schedule for my assigned task, which is lifting and carrying this year, just my speed!). Just found out I'm going to be room parent for my middle child, which should be fun, and debating volunteering with the Literacy program to read to small children, in addition to hoping to get back into the library this year.

Also, need to get started on the playdate scheduling (for them and for me. Yes, we grown-ups call it 'coffee', but it's the same thing with different vocabulary).

It's amazing how fast the week fills up! Still, can't wait till the littlest one goes off to preschool - where she's very anxious to go, as well - and get some quiet time!

last minute

It seems as though this fall has caught everyone unawares. I certainly wasn't on the ball with my back-to-school tasks: by the time I got to the school supplies section at Target, it was well and truly picked over, nearly ready for the Halloween display to go up; and I didn't get the welcome letters for new students out until less than a week before school started.

The preschool didn't announce opening dates until September was almost upon us. Delaying, I hear, to try and drum up a larger enrollment, although how that affected the beginning of the school year is a mystery to me. Now the soccer organization, complaining that it's short of coaches for Charles's age group, still hasn't sent out rosters or practice schedules, and the first game is (supposed to be) a week from tomorrow. (What particularly bugs me here is that they said rosters would be out on August 29, last Sunday. That day came and went with no word. Is it really that hard to send a quick email saying they're still having trouble with the rosters?)

Apparently Labor Day is some kind of magic barrier that has to be crossed before people can truly get in the swing of things. Hopefully once we've passed that randomly determined "end of summer" these various organizations will get a little more organized.

the Endless Saga

I just finished reading Anne Fraser's Gideon Redoak. I first 'met' Anne in 1994 when I joined an online listserv called 'vampyres'. I met her in real life later that summer at our first group meetup, and over the years we exchanged emails and cards and collaborated on a story together, in addition to meeting in various real life and online events. We had lost touch by the time Anne passed away a year or so ago, I think of a brain tumor. It was the dream of her life to have this story published, and I was thrilled to buy and read it.

Now, granted, it's not a perfect book. There are a few too many characters, the ending is abrupt (as a matter of fact, there really isn't an ending), and overall it could use a good tightening and polishing. But it is very, very Anne. Her outpouring of work over the years that I was on vampyres with her was unique and interesting, and her love for her characters shone. That's the real reason the book doesn't have an ending, and why she always called it the 'Endless Saga' - because the life she envisioned for her characters just went on and on. To her, these people were as real as anyone she'd ever met and they gave her as much joy. Possibly more so.

Despite having lost touch, it saddens me to know that Anne isn't out there somewhere spinning tales, and that all the stories of these characters have gone with her. I hope, wherever she is, that she's with those characters, and that it's everything she ever dreamed it would be.

book reviews

Ella Cara Deloria, Waterlily. This is a story of a woman's life as a Dakota Sioux in the days just leading up to the spread of the white presence in the West. It has a lot of rich detail regarding the way of life in the camps and the various rituals and behaviors that were important, but is also a good story with relatable, interesting characters.

Roger Lea MacBride, On the Banks of the Bayou. This story follows Rose Wilder as she leaves home for the first time, to stay with her father's sister in Louisiana. To me, it reveals the real reason why I find these books less compelling than the originals: Laura Ingalls Wilder is someone I want to spend days sitting on the porch and talking with. Rose Wilder is a person I want to give a good smack upside the head. Vain, thoughtless, selfish, chuffed with her own superiority, she comes across very poorly here. She's interested in other people only to the extent that being interested in them reflects on her. Which is not to say that it's a bad book - it's very interesting, and filled with detail regarding her experiences. I just wish it wasn't necessary to get to know Rose in order to read it.

Sarah Josepha Hale, Early American Cookery. We may owe Mrs. Hale our annual celebration of Thanksgiving, but that's about as far as I'm willing to go with her. Her book is far less about cookery and more about telling people what to do, and in a manner that reflects poorly on her, read in 2010. (In 1841, her attitudes might not have been so offensive.) Additionally, I found her writing dry and uninteresting - in short, not worth the bother.

David Dary, The Oregon Trail. This comprehensive history traces the trail from its earliest pathways through to its rediscovery in modern times. Filled with detail and with excerpts from diaries and letters, every chapter is informative and interesting, and covers a wide range of trail experiences. A good read and an excellent reference!

book reviews

I'm really on a roll! Pretty excited about the number of books getting finished, I have to say.

Kate Atkinson, Case Histories. It's a rarity that I choose a new fiction author, but I was excited about this. Then, as I read it, I became less and less so. Firstly, the detective was entirely too stereotypical - ex-cop, newly divorced, heavy smoker, heart of gold. The only trope he missed was being a drunk. The resolution to one of the stories was made up out of thin air, because the author was trying to do entirely too much to build it up properly ... or at all. A third story was completely unconnected with the other two - no real reason for it to be there. And for all the sex - either had or desired - surrounding the detective, there was no sense of chemistry at all. A really disappointing book.

George MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin. I remember getting these books (this one and its sequel) when I was about 7. And you can tell they've been well-loved. (There's something about books that are worn from many of your own readings. They're just more special.) I read it to the kids and discovered that it doesn't translate so well to being read out loud ... although Greyson, at least, was clamoring for the sequel when I was done, so I must have imparted some of my enchantment with Irene and Curdie on to him. It's a lovely story about innocence and trust and courage.

Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Irate Witness. Something unusual - to me, at least - since this is a book of short stories, only one of which involved Perry Mason. I don't read a lot of Gardner's non-Mason works, so it's always refreshing to run into one of these story compilations. The last story was a bit weak, I thought, but the others were interesting. You could almost feel Gardner being playful with some of the ideas, using the short story format to test things out.

Louis Bromfield, The Man Who Had Everything. This is a tale of a wealthy and successful man who has, essentially, a nervous breakdown and goes looking for the peace he felt once as a youth in a brief interlude. It's over-written, pretentious, and dull, and whatever the final point was, I missed it and don't have any interest in going back to look for it.

back to school

Teacher assignments came out yesterday, which has me thinking about the upcoming school year. I have more time than before to be able to get into the school and help out, but I don't intend to overdo it.

At heart, school is the kid's life, not mine. The idea is to be there enough that the kids know I'm there if they need them, the staff recognizes me as an active and approachable parent, and I have a frame of reference to understand what the boys are talking about when they discuss school. But not so much that the boys feel like they can never get away, the staff considers me to be hovering, or being in the school eats up all my free time.

As Greyson approaches the upper grades, it's time to get a little more hands-off and let him start to work on his own sense of responsibility. In regard to not only his belongings and his schoolwork but also to the way he interacts with others. I remember that my mother was always there to be the 'big guns' if I really needed something ... but she was also a bit too willing to be the rapid-fire artillery, and that's the part I'd like to avoid.

In the meantime, I look forward to the return of school, not just for me and my quiet house and my schedule, but for the boys and their immersion in the sea of people and activity.

book reviews

Yes, more! I'm in a nice little book-finishing groove right now. :)

George Francis Dow, Everyday Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. While this book was filled with information, the fact that it's very old (copyright 1935) means that it's also very dull and very dry. The information is accessible in other places that don't require so much slogging.

Louis L'Amour, The Key-Lock Man. L'Amour does it again. While certain elements (the rugged, extremely competent Western man) remain the same, he always seems to find a way to keep things fresh. This time with an unusual kind of woman, a posse chasing the hero, and a set of groups that continue to shift personnel between each other all the way through to the finale.

John Le Carre, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. This may not have been the best Le Carre to start with, as Russian/English/American spy tales leave me cold. Or perhaps it's representative of his work. Either way, while I liked Le Carre's writing style and I did find some of the characters interesting, the plot and the jumping around of same left me cold.

James McIvor, God Rest Ye Merry, Soldiers. This brief retelling of the events of Christmas 1862, where the Union and Confederate armies took a moment for a brief respite as they all sang "Home, Sweet Home" is a touching look at the lives of the soldiers at this single point in the war. Perhaps not a breakthrough, but a tender reminder that the story of the war is sometimes best told in moments instead of overviews.

summer is passing

Yes, it's still mid-August, and today it's 90 degrees out. But I can still tell ... when I wake up, I have that fall sore throat, and the heat has a slightly different quality.

Now, I like fall, with its whole back-to-school thing, the colors, the return of jeans and long-sleeve shirts ... but not quite in the same way I love summer and the wall of heat that hits you when you walk outside the house.

But while it's going, it's not gone yet ... time to get in a few more rays of sunshine while they're hot!

book reviews

Back again! Brief pause between visitors, time to regroup a bit. Whew!

John Jakes, Love and War. Of Jakes's Civil War trilogy, ironically, the one covering the actual war is my least favorite. It's a giant epic following two families, one Southern and one Northern, across the events of the war. It's eventful and richly detailed and covers all sorts of facets, but it's also a bit dark, as you might expect.

Peter R. Decker, "The Utes Must Go!" This tale of westward expansion as it affected one particular tribe of Native Americans was interesting and detailed, but I felt it fell a bit short ... largely through lack of the Native Americans' perspective. It was a straightforward factual reporting of what happened, but without a lot of insight into the motivations of anyone but one particular Indian agent. Not a bad book, but not a keeper, either.

Charles Dickens, Bleak House. This is one of my favorites of Dickens's works. I particularly like the character of Esther Summerson - she seems more approachable than many of Dickens's heroines - and the plot is convoluted and interesting.

Roger Lea MacBride, New Dawn on Rocky Ridge. This book made me wish intensely that Laura Ingalls Wilder had lived long enough to write these years herself. I find Rose a pale substitute for her mother, and her mother as seen through Rose's eyes less interesting than as seen through her own (which, of course, is not at all surprising!). In this installment in the series, Rose is growing up and beginning to discover the world of young men (at 14. See, it's not just today!), and it all seems a bit whiny and self-indulgent. (Again, probably not that surprising. But not that interesting, either.)

it is what it is

There's a fair amount of stress associated with relatives you're not that close to coming to visit, especially when they do so extremely rarely. What message are you sending? How should your house look, your yard, your children? Should everyone be on their best behavior? Or should you be natural - presentable, yes, but not overly, or unusually, pristine?

I've been back and forth on this considering this upcoming visit, and am leaning toward the second. I'm embracing the second where the yard is concerned, and to a great extent, where the house is concerned. As far as behavior is concerned, it's a bit more difficult, and I'll probably be back and forth a few more times. But when it all comes down to it, my life is what my life is. And if they don't like it, I suppose they don't have to come back in eight years.

My desk is a disaster

So is my office.
The kitchen's not bad, but only because my father-in-law has been cleaning it for me every day. The refrigerator, on the other hand, has some overstuffing issues.
The living room is filled with piles of ... things.
My bedroom overflows with luggage in the midst of the unpacking process and unfolded sheets.

And in two days, members of my family will be coming to visit me for the first time in five years.

So now I'm torn - do I care that my house is a cluttered mess, or do I recall that these relatives have seen worse from me (imagine my room when I was growing up - yep, it looked just like that) and do what I can, letting the rest go?

All in all, it's a good week for two of the junior messmakers to be in all-day camp!

book reviews

Oh, it's good to be home! And to have a stack of books that are finished.

William C. Davis, The Pirates Laffite. I like Davis, he's one of my favorite history writers, but I have to admit that reading this book left me with little more than a question about why anyone would write about the Laffites. They don't seem to have actually done very much, and they failed at most of that. The legend outstrips the reality by far. So while I enjoyed the writing, the subject matter left me cold.

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a lovely book. Really beautiful and sweet and entertaining. Books written in the epistolary style can get stilted, but these were very lively, and the characters vivid and relatable. Very good book!

Sydney Taylor, Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family. I picked this up in a bookstore completely off-schedule, but when I ran out of reading material on the plane was glad I did! It's a continuation of the series, where the oldest daughter is thinking about getting married and also contemplating her career. It suffers a bit from the disjointed chapter style, and also leaves the reader wanting more details, more backstory. But overall it was an entertaining, good-hearted read.

Elaine Viets, Killer Cuts. A new installment in the series! I like Viets's books because they're formulaic enough to be like sinking back into your familiar comfy couch, but not so much that the formula palls, and the main character's life actually moves forward. Granted, it moves slowly, but at least it moves. (Unlike Janet Evanovich, who has a similar style, but whose heroine ends each book in exactly the same life circumstance she began it in.) Already looking forward to the next one!

hiatus

Day after tomorrow, I'm off with the youngsters to explore the West Coast. Since I doubt there'll be much time for blogging, we'll be on hiatus here until I get back, hopefully with something more scintillating to say than has been the case in recent postings!

600th post

Apparently, I've had 600 interesting things to say over the years. Or, at least, I hope they were interesting!

I celebrated just now with 600 seconds of snuggles from the giant blond kid, who is an excellent snuggler when he's in the mood.

Other things I've done 600 times in the last few days - blown my nose, told Veronica to be quiet, tripped over the dog, worried about my plot, stressed about my deadlines.

By this time next week, I'll have turned in all my work, hopefully gotten somewhere on my plot, be across the country where I can't trip on the dog, still have a very loud child, and be over this cold. Theoretically.

back at it

Monday again. Quiet day, nothing planned. Dual computers open, hoping to work on transferring files from old to new, working on work, thinking about some writing, did lots of laundry. Later, dinner, possibly swimming, more of the work and writing. But nowhere to go, which is enough to make it feel like a vacation!

book reviews

Whew! Long week. Glad to get through it, hoping to have more to say now. For the moment, book reviews!

Roger Lea MacBride, Little Town in the Ozarks. In this book, you can see the beginning of Mrs. A.J. Wilder, author and commentator, as Rose's mother is moved into town and begins to be encouraged to join in things and speak her mind, and Rose the only child doted on and indulged by her parents. It's an interesting slice of their lives where things are just beginning, and vividly pictured.

Robert Lawson, Ben and Me. The story of Ben Franklin, as told by a mouse, Amos, who claims to have been instrumental in many of Ben's best ideas. It's a bit on the silly side, but entertaining, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Communion Blood. This story had less of Yarbro's standard tropes and as such, was fairly entertaining. There was a big gap where a pivotal character pushed a pivotal plot point for reasons that were never explained or even touched on, except in the lightest, most obvious way. Also, Yarbro spends a great deal of time and attention on the lives of her vampires, how they manage to live through the years, the decades, the centuries, without detection ... but the ghouls that go along with the vampires, who are often the servants of the vampires, are never mentioned, as if they are completely unnoticed by those around them, which seems unlikely. In this book, where one of the ghouls is a central figure, that lack of attention is more obvious than in some others. Still, it was an entertaining book.

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little Town on the Prairie. In this book, where blind older sister Mary goes off to college for the learning she so hungers for, Laura becomes the oldest child, a circumstance that would never have occurred had Mary, so close to Laura in age, not lost her sight. It's an interesting speculation, how life would have been different (who would have written the books), had Laura not been put in the position of needing to be oldest child and assistant breadwinner in order to help put her sister in college. It's also interesting to think of Mary, with her love of learning, who goes to college and then comes home to spend the rest of her life living with her parents. In another time, given other options, what might she have done with her scholarship!

rainy days and Wednesdays

Go very well together! So far today, I've taken my middle child off to camp; taken my older and younger children to the school library; and at least touched on 11 of the 20 items on today's to-do list. Also, collected the new receivers from FedEx, which will hopefully mean someday I'll know how to turn on a TV in my house again.

The attempt to put the youngest child down for a nap was only marginally successful. She's upstairs in her room, but is happily playing with toys rather than peacefully sleeping. Which probably means she will be deeply asleep when it's time to pick her brother up from camp.

Later today, I will collect middle child from camp and drop older child off at friend's house; continue to work on to-do list; and collect and put out garbage. These are the kinds of peaceful days I wish we had more of!

thoughts for the day

Just a few random thoughts today for my poor neglected blog. It's been a very full couple of weeks, with a bit too much going on - nice to have a more or less quiet day (still with five different items on the calendar!) today.

By the time I get used to waking by alarm clock again, Charles's week of camp will be over. I'll have to just resign myself to being sleepy all week.

I love sun and heat, but really, all I want is one nice rainy day (okay, maybe two) where I don't have to feel guilty if I don't get around to getting the kids in the pool or shooing them out of the house, and we can all just quietly stay in.

Coffee is good. More coffee is better.

Hoping tonight's new book club selection falls into the interesting and enjoyable camp.

Very glad Charles enjoyed his first day of theatre camp so much! He's a zebra on Noah's Ark. I could wish they'd chosen a more secular story, but I'm sure it'll be cute.

Veronica's making enough noise for a gaggle of 4-year-olds, playing with her toys downstairs.

I would like a nap.

book reviews

Yes, another set! So exciting!

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie. I haven't read this one in a long time, but it's of course a familiar childhood favorite. Reading it now, I'm intensely curious as to why they chose to settle in Indian territory on the word of a 'fellow' who'd been to Washington, D.C., and I think of Caroline Ingalls, who didn't have the same wanderlust that afflicted her husband, riding farther and farther into Indian territory, away from the civilization she loved, for him.

Elizabeth Peters, Curse of the Pharaohs. This second installment in the series finds the protagonist male and female back in Egypt on a dig, uncovering a mystery with their good sense and skepticism. The relationship between the two is entertaining, the female protagonist is tart and refreshing, and generally it's a pretty good book. Good enough to move farther into the series, for sure!

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Tempting Fate. I find Yarbro and Saint Germain are a bit hit or miss. There's a fair amount of formula to her works, they're often overly dense, and many of them overdo the famous figures of the time period. This one, however, was none of those things. It moved well, had a lot of different characters and plotlines interwoven, and captured the turbulent years between the ending of World War I and beginning of World War II in an effective and affecting way.

Fran Lantz, Swept Away #8: All Shook Up. This I believe final entry in the Swept Away teen time traveler series of the '80s is definitely a bit on the light side, but it's entertaining and fun, with interesting characters, and I enjoyed the bit of Memphis in the 1950s it offered. I'm a fan of the series, anyway, having read them all (or almost all) when they first came out, so I'm glad to be rediscovering them now.

book reviews

Summer does tend to mess with my schedule, which is why the blog is getting updated even less often than usual. On the plus side, it means I have quite a few finished books stacked up!

Noah Andre Trudeau, Southern Storm. A comprehensive overview of the March to the Sea, the book is richly detailed, covers each portion of the army's daily activities as well as the efforts of the Confederates to counter the march, and does so in a highly engaging style. One of the best Civil War books I've read in some time.

Michael N. McConnell, Army & Empire. This is an overview of life on the American frontier for British troops before the Revolution. It was pretty interesting, covering most aspects of their daily lives and painting a vivid picture of a mostly forgotten army forced to make do at remote outposts around the country.

Jamie Ford, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. This was my book group's pick this month, and I found it a lovely book, very tender and sentimental, while bringing the reality of what was done to Japanese Americans during the Second World War home sharply.

Rick Riordan, The Titan's Curse. The third book in the Percy Jackson series delivers fast-paced humorous action, just as the first two did, and the plotline remains both tense and highly enjoyable. The cast of characters is believable and interesting, and I really enjoy his take on how the gods have adapted to the modern world.

book reviews

Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This series is apparently quite popular, and I have no idea why. The plotting is sloppy, the main character more that of a graphic novel than of a literary one, and over a third of the book is taken up by an extremely dull side plot that is only loosely connected to the main plot. It's not a bad book, for all that, but nothing about it made me in the least curious to read the next one.

Louis L'Amour, Crossfire Trail. Another gem. This one had some unusual twists, including the main character being put on trial for a gunfight, in addition to many of the standard L'Amouresque characters and plot points. It didn't feel as carefully constructed as many, but it was still highly enjoyable.

Erle Stanley Gardner, The Case of the Lazy Lover. Unusually for Gardner, the title here seemed like a bit of a stretch. The book wasn't bad, with some nice changes to the way he picked up his client, but the client herself was even more annoying than usual with her refusal to play things Mason's way. Overall, not one of his best, but not too bad.

Anne Perry, Seven Dials. Better than the previous few for its lack of grandiose conspiracy theories, I enjoyed this one because it returned to the people's lives a bit more, had two parallel plots being investigated - one international and one domestic - and was overall less preachy and filled with overblown speeches than many of the other recent books in this series.

happy summer vacation!

Slept in till 9, check.
No alarm clock, check.
Catching up on laundry, check.
Nothing on the schedule, check.
To-do list in progress, check.
Three children begging for food and already starting to fight, check check.

Yep, seems like we have everything!

last day of school

Today the third and last kid gets out of school! This has its pluses - no more alarm clock; lazy unscheduled days; the kids home to hang out with - and its minuses - no more quiet house with everyone in school or asleep; lots more fighting; children needing to be entertained.

It was a good school year. The kids did some good growing, all of them had fun in school and learned a lot, and now it's summer, with all that nice warm sunny weather. Hoping to do some exciting things with them amongst a lot of aggressive hanging out.

book reviews

JoAnn Levy, They Saw the Elephant: Women in the California Gold Rush. This book was written before women's history, or domestic history, was popular, but it still holds up well, even after all the books that have been written since. It's well researched, covers a number of different topics, and uses quotes from women's letters and diaries thoughtfully.

Sydney Taylor, All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown. I love this series, a sweet little set of stories about a Jewish family in turn-of-the-century New York. This one was a little weaker than some of the others - the chapters were too choppy, the tone changed between chapters too quickly, and the overarching storyline kept getting lost in the change between chapters. Nonetheless, it's still a nice story.

Thomas J. Farnham, Travels in the Great Western Prairies. This is a travelogue of a man's journey across country to the Oregon territory in 1839. It's written very dryly, but from a research standpoint is invaluable, filled with information about the author's travels, the scenes he passes through, and his thoughts about same. I can't see myself reading it cover to cover again, but I can imagine consulting it again.

Rick Riordan, The Sea of Monsters. I'm really enjoying this series. The second installment was an interesting adventure, with tidbits of history and mythology thrown in (an author who credits Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain with changing the course of the Civil War definitely gets a bonus in my book!), and an underlying theme of family and friendship and finding out who you are that's not too subtle but doesn't hit you over the head either.

5 things that make me happy today

The cobwebs are clearing very slowly from my brain, after being awakened in the middle of a very sad dream. What I need here (besides a nap) is energy.

1. Hot water. Showers, baths, coffee/tea, you name it. The energizing properties of hot water are not to be sneezed at.

2. Sun. Okay, hot rays of sun beating down also tend to make me sleepy, but it's a happy kind of sleepy.

3. School. (And naps.) In a single short hour, I will have two children in school and one napping. Sadly, I won't be following her example, but I will be basking in the quiet moments.

4. Escapist literature. Currently in the middle of the second Percy Jackson book. It's not deathless prose, but it's fun and interesting. (And bonus, I get to talk about it with my kid!)

5. Did I mention coffee? Coffee good.

figures

On a shelf in my medicine cabinet, I had a box of Yardley's Olde English Lavendar soap. It was my Aunt Jennie's favorite brand. I think it was actually her box of soap. (Considering she died in the late '80s, that's quite the box of soap.) I'd hung onto it, saving it, feeling a certain kinship to my family, through countless moves. So the other week, at last, I opened the box.

Inside was some cheap bar of hotel soap. And I thought, really, could it be any more symbolic? I hold onto something, treasuring it as an emblem of my family, and it turns out to be only pretty packaging around a cheap generic item that means nothing.

Fortunately, I'm somewhat beyond being saddened by this. Mostly I just figure it's typical and am glad to be raising my own family, immune to the issues created by my family of origin.

book reviews

Robert Newton Peck, Trig Sees Red. This is a book I remember reading when I was a kid, and loving. It did not translate that well to reading aloud to the boys, though! I enjoyed it, and they mostly tolerated it.

Rex Stout, Too Many Women. This installment in the series was notable for showcasing Archie's banter and his obsession with women (as the title suggests) far more than anything to do with Wolfe. Since Archie's banter is most entertaining, it was an interesting read, but I prefer a little more investigating and a little less playing around.

Anne Perry, Southampton Row. Oh, hey, more conspiracy theory. Imagine that. Granted, having started this metaplot, I can understand how it would be hard to get out of, but I wish she would go back to murders that don't have 'save the world' hanging from them. Additionally, the painfully slow-moving romance between two of the secondary characters either needs to move, or end. Her books are entertaining reading still, but she seems to be losing her enthusiasm for the characters and focusing more on the plot, which is the opposite of what I wish she would do.

Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief. Really enjoyed this one. There were a couple of plot issues, particularly at the beginning, but overall it was a well-imagined world alteration, and I enjoyed both the plot and the characters. I look forward to moving on to the second book.

week of Greyson

And so the week devoted to the activities of my oldest child has passed. Birthday went well; piano recital went well (he was so serious, and played so nicely); passed his ATA fitness test; tried what he thought of as his best at the black belt testing; birthday party was fun for all.

Whether he tried hard enough to actually receive his full black belt is another question. Lessons will be learned either way. In some ways, I hope he doesn't pass, so he can get (or be given!) the idea that when you want something, you sometimes really have to work for it.

And now we're back to a semblance of normalcy, with a week full of standard activities for the kids, and a little more than standard for me. Which means I need to get off the blog and get some things done!

5 things

that have kept me busy this week! It's been (for me) an unusually busy week, and these are some of the reasons why.

1. Tae kwon do. My big guy is testing for his full black belt this weekend, so there's been lots of extra practice time this week as well as the fitness test.

2. Dog. No question this animal is a people person. He's so underfoot I have to be careful not to step on his head every time I get up. Add to that the hair all over the kitchen, and he has certainly added complexity to this week.

3. Writing. Both the stories I'm writing are a bit behind where I like them to be given my posting schedule, and I've been struggling to keep up with them.

4. Work. I don't have so much in, but there's been enough that I've had to make time to keep up.

5. School stuff. Between finishing up my duties as room parent for Veronica's class, Veronica finishing up school for the year, Charles's half-day schedule, Greyson's regular schedule, and discussions/scheduling beginning for next week's book fair and next year's directory, school has been a fairly large part of my week.

Next week has a fair amount on the calendar as well, but won't be quite as frantic.

last day of preschool

It's a bittersweet moment. Miss Bunny loves her school, loves her friends, loves to be going somewhere of her own, and is not going to be happy to be home with Mommy the rest of the summer. Mommy loves Miss Bunny going to school, and is going to be frustrated and challenged by my 4-year-old for the summer.

On the other hand - it's one less pick-up/drop-off to worry about. I will no longer be room parent, hallelujah! (Halle-e-lujahhhhhh!!!!!) And I fully expect next year to be even more fun for her. We might be able to do some fun things with Charles before the boys get out of school. And there's a lot to be said for time spent with my little girl, who is growing up so fast.

book reviews

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Yes, I'm behind. I only just finished reading this to my boys. Overall, I like Harry, but I'm not rabid about him. In the first two books, there are entirely too many times when he should talk to Dumbledore instead of stumbling about on his own, and it's too unbelievable that three novice magicians resolve these issues when the best wizards in the kingdom have not. Nonetheless, quibbles aside, it was a fun little book and the boys enjoyed it.

Jeffry D. Wert, The Sword of Lincoln. This book follows the trials and tribulations of the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, focusing largely on the changes at the top, but with a lot of reference to soldiers' letters and diaries to get their viewpoint as well. It's a good overview, and due to its nature covers quite a few areas that don't get a lot of attention normally.

Roger Lea MacBride, On the Other Side of the Hill. These books are interesting when you try and view the events from Laura's perspective rather than from Rose's. In this one, with droughts and fires and various other setbacks, you see the restless Laura of her own books straining against the ties that keep her in debt on a struggling farm, while at the same time pushing onward toward her ultimate goal of making it prosperous.

Edith Hamilton, Mythology. I could swear I tried to read this classic once before, and couldn't make it through. I can't imagine why. I found this a well-written, in-depth, entertaining overview of Greek mythology, with dabbles into Roman and Norse, as well.

the birthday boy

Today my giant blond kid turns 8. Which seems like a big number when you think about it. He's suddenly very tall, and he's learning so much, which makes him so interesting to talk to. When he's paying attention, which he's often not. Overall, he gets better with every passing year, and I don't really mind him getting bigger. Not as long as I still get the occasional snuggle, which I do (as long as it's not in front of anyone, that is!).

the countdown

After today, Miss Bunny has only 3 days of preschool left before the end of the year. (This will give her just over two weeks to sit at home and bemoan the fact that her school is over while her brothers' is still going. Those should be fun days.) Needless to say, she will not be happy. She loves her school, loves her friends, loves to have an answer twice a week to her favorite question, "Where am I going today?"

Preschool has been very good for that little girl. Not only is she a giant, but she's also becoming a big girl, learning how to do things for herself (like toast her own Pop-Tarts in the morning. She's very proud of this accomplishment) and slowly but surely learning some of the rules of good behavior. I look forward to school beginning again for her next fall - I imagine by that point both Veronica and I will be well past ready!

ghosts in the TV

Alas, the landscape of my TiVo is slowly losing its color. This year I've said good-bye to several shows that have given me great joy.

American Idol. Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Adam Lambert, Nadia Turner, David Cook, Chris Daughtry - I've enjoyed watching all these artists grow and perform on the Idol stage. But with the departure of Simon Cowell next season and the generally predictable nature of this year's performers, I've said good-bye to the show.

Numb3rs. The Epps family has warmed my heart many times over, the relationship between the two brothers and their father the kind parents dream of. All the relationships on the show have been strong ones - where the writers occasionally stumbled in plot, they rarely did in the interpersonal arena. Not to mention the eye candy provided by Dylan Bruno and Rob Morrow, and the sheer delight of seeing David Krumholtz and Peter MacNicol playing off each other as friends after having first seen them as foes in Addams Family Values.

Law & Order. Cast change after cast change eroded certain things from the show, but Sam Waterston remains. And, well, it's the original! All others are but substitutes. I will miss the weekly dose of morally opinionated ripped-from-the-headlines drama, even if it does live on (in more colorful incarnations with Angie Harmon, Chris Noth, and the great lamented Jerry Orbach) in reruns. It's still not quite the same.

Cold Case. Despite Kathryn Morris's unfortunate plastic surgery, I've enjoyed every episode of this show. The music video gimmick at the end, the flashbacks to the past, the cast - this show has been a joy to watch through its entire run, and I will be very, very unhappy next season to find it no longer on my TiVo in new episodes.

In theory, there may be new shows next season that will replace the ones I'm losing ... but I can't imagine them right now.

changing perceptions

A new friend asked me today if I minded that she associates me with Tim Curry (there's a reason, but it's a long story). And it occurred to me that, far from minding, I find that pretty apt. (That would be Tim Curry of Clue and Rocky Horror Picture Show.) It also occurred to me that few people I know today would think of me in connection with Tim Curry, the Addams family, etc. It's interesting to consider the things people would associate with me. Coffee, certainly, and books. Those are recurring themes throughout my life. But the whole darkness, vampires, black humor type things? Only those who know me well see those, I think. The Laura Ingalls Wilder/history obsession may be more obvious ... but again, it's not something that is obvious to all.

But what is? What kind of interests do the bland moms I sometimes meet hold close to their hearts, the things that add color to them? Which parts of ourselves do we choose to share, and with whom? Does any one person truly see everything that you are? Which parts are indelible, which parts molded to the person you're with? Identity is such an indefinable thing.

book reviews

Anna Katharine Green, The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow. This was a pretty interesting plot, convoluted and detailed. It's obviously dated to the early twentieth century, but is not cliched or overblown. Very enjoyable. Green is an unsung talent and should be far more appreciated today than she is.

Anne Perry, Half-Moon Street. This one was pretty good. There was a shake-up of characters, with some of the usual characters out of the picture, and the conspiracy theories didn't make an appearance, which is nice. There was a bit too much overwrought speech and idealism, and her characters' deep emotional understandings too get tiring after a while, but there's no question she can spin a compelling tale.

Roger Lea MacBride, In the Land of the Big Red Apple. I still wish there was more of Laura Ingalls Wilder's own writing available, but I find MacBride a competent follower, and I think he captures the right tone. Rose emerges from his books as an entirely different character, and it's interesting to see how she and her experiences diverge from Laura's.

Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island. This is a book club selection, which is the only reason I read it. Which illustrates the reason I enjoy going to book club in the first place: to make me read books I wouldn't otherwise. As we all know, I can be a bit of a book snob, and if it weren't for book club I would never have read a Dennis Lehane. Now, I didn't like it. I found the plot didn't grab me that much, I'm not much for thrillers, and the ending rendered the rest of the book utterly pointless. But the writing was good, Lehane clearly has a gift for dialogue, and it's always good to try something new.