scaifea's 2011 Challenge

Here we go again - year 3 for me here amongst the 75ers.
I love the idea of posting favorite paintings and such on our threads, so I'm borrowing said idea from Richard. Since I'm a classicist (and demonstrably *not* an art historian!), my interest in art has always been depictions of ancient Greek & Roman, uh, stuff. Mostly myths. Waterhouse, then, is an obvious favorite, so let's start with one of his, shall we? This is his lovely version of Psyche just at the moment she opens the box. I love it so much, I'm working on a cross stitch version. Poor, curious girl:



Below you’ll find an explanation of my reading habits, which, I warn you, is a bit crazy. Usually I have about 8 books going at once, one each from the following groups (and occasionally other books slipped in there too):

1. A library book. I'd tell you how I pick these, but it's too embarrassing. Maybe you'll figure it out as the year unfolds...

2. A book from the 100 Banned Books book (at least currently. As soon as I finish this list, I'll replace it with another, and oh, I've got tons of lists).

3. A children's book, for Charlie's library. I'm trying to collect books from various award lists, and I like reading them before reading them to Charlie. For this category, I’m working through a few different lists:
NEH Timeless Classics list
Newbery Winners list
Caldecott Winners list
1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Die
John Bellairs' bibliography
The Black Stallion books
Beverly Cleary's bibliography

4. Another children's book, read aloud during Charlie's bath time.

5. A book from the Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List, in chronological order.

6. A book for the Presidential Challenge. Books for this category are read in chronological (presidentially) order.

7. An audio book, which I listen to as I knit/sew/otherwise craft.

8. For this category, I cycle through 9 different stacks:
a. A book from my shelves which I haven't yet read
b. A CYOA book - I'm trying to collect as many of these as I can, again, for Charlie.
c. Agatha Christie's bibliography (in chronological order)
d. Stephen King's bibliography (in chronological order)
e. Neil Gaiman's bibliography (in some order other than chronological (don't
ask)).
f. Christopher Moore's bibliography (in chronological order)
g. Stephen Fry's bibliography (in chronological order)
h. The National Book Award list (in alpha order by title)
i. The Pulizer list (in alpha order by author)

So, now you've got a glimpse of just how neurotic I am.
Please feel free to post comments, recommendations, or whatever else strikes your fancy. And Happy Reading, everyone!




What I'm reading now:
-I promessi sposi (library book)
-Jude the Obscure (banned books list)
-The Children's Hour Volume 6: Stories of Today (bath-time book)
-Le Morte d'Arthur (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
-James Madison (Presidential Challenge)
-Savannah Breeze (audio book)
-A Clash of Kings (from my TBR shelves)

Books Read:
13. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (audio book)
12. The Children's Hour Volume 5: Best Loved Poem by Marjorie Barrows (bath time book)
11. Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard (NEH list)
10. Marigold Garden by Kate Greenaway (10010 Children's Book)
9. Sam, Bangs & Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Caldecott list)
8. The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost by John Bellairs (Bellairs bibliography)
7. Humphrey's Corner by Sally Hunter (1001 Children's Books list)
6. The Island Stallion's Fury by Walter Farley (Black Stallion books)
5. More About Paddington by Michael Bond (a book for Charlie)
4. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (Cleary bibliography)
3. The Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear (1001 Children's Books list)
2. Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose (1001 Children's Books list)
1. Carry On Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (NEH & Newbery lists)

Welcome back!

I figured I'd get caught up with them today, just so I could say I was caught up at one time. But only one time, I suspect.

Aren't we all, and it's day one.

It's really sort of Day -15, no? Again I say *sigh*.

ETA: Oh, and, Hi everyone! I'll probably wait until the actual new year to come back and post my really real first message, with all my ridiculous reading lists and such. Just sayin'.

I like Day -15 better, let's go with that!

I am with Richard!

*waving at Amber*

Hi Stasia!

Hope you have a dandy day!

Hi Stasia! Thanks for welcoming me in my bare thread. I will be sure to fill it up starting January 1st. I always have many books being read at the same time and I am thinking of finishing them all on New Years Day to get off to a good start. Is that fibbing?

Hey, get back over in your own thread!! *giggle* Just kidding! :)

#10: I always have many books being read at the same time and I am thinking of finishing them all on New Years Day to get off to a good start. Is that fibbing?

Nope. If you finish them on New Years Day they count for 2011.

#11: Hey, Amber!

Tanya: I agree; that's not cheating - I've read a couple of books that have taken me *over* a year to finish (in one case I blame grad school, in the other, Charlie) - it counts in the year that I do finish.

Stasia: Now, that *is* cheating - LOL!

#13: What did I do? I did not cheat on anything! :)

*snigger!*

I love that people here are sharing pictures, so I thought I'd post a couple, to introduce you all to the little man in my life, Charlie (I'd add a family picture, but The Husband isn't too keen on making visual appearances on the web. You'll have to be content to learn that he is indeed a handsome fellow):

Great pictures, Amber! Charlie sure is growing up to be a handsome guy himself, isn't he? Thanks for sharing!

He's adorable!

Aw, thanks folks!

A very nice looking couple !

Thanks, Cindy!

Wow, great photos. I love that people are including these right at the start of the new read-season. So very cheerful :D

Happy St. Stephen's Day! Or Boxing Day! Whichever you prefer, Amber, may it be a happy, happy occasion!

Thanks, Richard!

I'll be back soon to tidy up a bit a make the place presentable for the beginning of the year!

Okay! Finally getting to tidying up around here - added some odds and ends to the first post above, including a lovely picture, meant to soothe those who get nervous once they've read about my slightly strange and obsessive reading habits (again, see above). Cheers.

I really like that painting.

>16 scaifea: So so so cute! My papaw circuits melted!

Oh, and I forgot: I love Waterhouse! Such a beautiful command he had of the emotional impact of composition. That representation of Psyche is so heartbreakingly composed...her innocence is so pure it's a physical presence...and then, all the world's ills...wow.

That's definitely part of what I love about Waterhouse - he certainly understands the power of the stories behind his works (at least the classical ones -I can't claim to know enough about his other subjects to comment, although I'd be money I don't have that he does a pretty darned good job with them too. They're all beautiful, at least.)

I am a Waterhouse fan too. I had never heard of him until I met Linda (Whisper) though. She introduced me to his work.

My students (especially in my mythology class) get a healthy dose of Waterhouse every semester. I don't really have anything intelligent to say about him (again, not an art historian), but I can say, "Look how pretty!" Ha!

Happy New Year! Love the Waterhouse! Also love the idea of posting an image ala Richard. *scurries off to find something neat to post on own thread*

Thanks, Mary!
And yes, I'm shamelessly copy-catting Richard, but I can't imagine that the world wouldn't be a better place if more people did so. :)

I copy-catted him too. If you get a chance to check out my thread (http://www.librarything.com/topic/105025), let me know what you think of my choice for 2011.

Happy New Year Amber. Great pics of you and Charlie.

#34: Thanks Kelly! I hope your year is off to a good start! Things are good here (other than The Husband cursing the change-the-light-fixture job that he claimed would be a 15-minute business, but is now moving into the 4th hour!): Just pulled a baked lemon meringue pudding out of the oven and it looks delicious, if I do say so myself.

>35 scaifea:: I hope you didn't put chocolate sauce in that.
(this is carried over from another thread, I can't even remember which one ...)

*snork!*
I in fact did not but chocolate in it. Haven't tasted it yet - still chilling in the fridge and awaiting dinner...

Hello Amber, I came on over to see what kind of things you read when I discovered you were reading Le Morte d'Arthur. I love the picture at the top of the thread (and the family photos too) and I'm impressed by your 'slightly strange and obsessive reading habits'. I love all the categories, though I could never be that organised myself to stick to such a plan.

Hi Genny - I'm organized to a fault, really. But I do so revel in my lists. It's such a lovely feeling to cross things off of a list, and for that to mean I've read another book is just the cheery on top.

More Charlie pictures to follow soon - I try to clear off and organize the pictures on my camera once a month, and I'm hoping to get to that sometime today. Since he was born, I've taken at least one picture of Charlie every day to keep a day-by-day journal of his young life in pictures. I vow to do this until the day he says, "Aw, Mom, stop taking pictures of me all the time."

Hi, Amber! Happy New Year and continue to post pictures of Charlie!!! Love the Waterhouse picture; might try it.... And I'm eagerly awaiting what you have to say about I Promessi Sposi. I've taken it off the shelf and put it back many times. Maybe you can persuade me that 2011 is the year for it.

Hi Peggy - Happy New Year to you too!

Look for Charlie pictures very soon. For now, here's a bookmark that I finished a couple of months ago, but just now got round to sewing the back onto it:



I've decided to make this a journal not just of my reads but of my other projects too. I mean, why not, eh?

I love that design.

Hi Amber. I love the Waterhouse, your book categories and all the photos (that cross stitch design is gorgeous) so I have your thread starred. Happy reading for 2011.

Pam & Heather: Thanks!

Okay, here's the promised new Charlie pictures:

Here he is with his favorite Christmas present (he's a big Toy Story fan):


And here he is with his adorable bed-head:

>39 scaifea:: Since he was born, I've taken at least one picture of Charlie every day to keep a day-by-day journal of his young life in pictures.

I love that idea! And at the risk of sounding like an old fart, I've often thought how much easier it must be to capture those moments now that we have cameras on our phones. My kids' baby pictures were all on *gasp* film, taken with a very nice but somewhat unwieldy by today's standards 35mm camera. And then getting them developed and finding out the little darling had his/her eyes closed or was looking away ... argh.

Keep 'em coming Amber, he's precious!

Thanks, Laura - I pick out my favorite picture from each day and I've had a poster made for the first two years: Charlie: Year One & Charlie: Year Two, with every picture for that year in order. As I said, I'll keep doing it until I get that "Awww, Mom!".

I love, love, love your bookmark! Did you crochet the edging on it?

mamzel: Thanks! And to answer your question: Oh good lord no; I can't crochet to save my life. I bought it as a kit, so aida cloth was already like that.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch was an absolute favorite of mine growing up! I hope you enjoy it. :)
I'll be interested to hear what you think of Jude the Obscure and The Year of the Flood, as those two are on my to-read list.

Hi, Amber. Charlie is adorable! Nice pictures!

41-Is the bookmark stitched or beaded? It is hard for me to tell in the picture.

You have an adorable son, Amber. Thanks for sharing the pix.

Does anyone know why Jude the Obscure is/was a banned book? I've read it, and compared to some books out there today, I can't see where it could be that disagreeable to folks.

Jude the Obscure was banned on "sexual grounds," apparently.

Love the bookmark, Amber! I will have to see if I can find something like that to do. I enjoy cross stitching.

Wow that bookmark is lovely! I "collect" bookmarks (not very actively, just as they become available or show up in my life). The pattern is beautiful!

#50 Krys: I have to admit that I was skeptical of Carry On, Mr. Bowditch at first (I generally don't care for sea-faring adventures), but I'm about halfway through and *loving* it! Jude the Obscure is okay so far, but I'm not really far enough into to tell for certain. I think I man end up not absolutely loving it, because I tend to get frustrated when main characters do really stupid things (like let a girl keep him from following his dreams of going to the 'big city' and getting an education). Year of the Flood is great so far - I'm completely hooked on it. I have a feeling my current knitting project will get done faster than it would have otherwise, because I don't want to stop listening to the book and just keep on knitting!

#51 & 53, Terri & Caroline: Many thanks - I love sharing his adorableness with others. :)

#52 Jennifer: It's cross stitched, no beads.

#55 & 56, Stasia & Mary Lynne: Thanks - I really like stitching bookmarks; they're generally pretty fast projects, and in the end, hey, new bookmark! Mary Lynne: I 'collect' bookmarks just like you do - I love just letting them happen to come my way. :)

Back to work for a bit today (classes don't start back up until the 17th, but at some point I need to get prepped to teach classes!), so I'll be reading all day, but it's all work-related re-reads. I try sometimes to list this sort of reading on my thread (didn't remember to do so much last year, I'm afraid), but I tend not to count them toward my total. Here's what's on the agenda for today (all selections, not the whole text!):
-The Aeneid
-Ovid's Metamorphoses
-Lucan's Pharsalia
-Caesar's Gallic War

I have not read Pharsalia so I will have to look for that one.

BTW - I started on Latin the other night. So far, so good. lol

Yay - Go Stasia! Bonam Fortunam!!

Lucan's poem would be a good read now, since you've recently read through the Aeneid - lots of nods to Vergil in there (as is natural - no Roman (no non-Roman, for that matter) could write an epic poem post-Vergil without referencing and paying homage to him). Plus there's some really great stuff in there - the great battles between Caesar & Pompey, Pompey's death scene (goosebump-worthy, every time), a fantastically scary witch who raises the dead to tell the future, Cato crossing the desert,...oh man, it's good stuff! And all the better in Latin, so get cracking, lady! LOL!

I have not recently read through The Aeneid, Amber. I was not in on the group read of that one last year. Frankly, I did not care for it overmuch the first time around and did not want to read it again. Sorry.

I liked Ovid though, so am I forgiven?

Hahaha! So sorry that I lumped you into that thread - I just assume that you do *everything* there is to do in this group!

You're forgiven as long as you'll give it another try once you learn Latin - I promise you'll feel differently about it in the original language. It's beyond beautiful what that man can do with a Greek meter and the Roman language. And yes, it helps that you like Ovid. ;)

#61: Nope, I cannot do everything. Wish I could though :)

OK, I will give Virgil another attempt once I have enough Latin under my belt to do so.

Ick ick ick, Latin... *gag*... haha... what can I say, I'll take the Greeks over the Romans any day... I swear I'll be clinging to my Liddell & Scott all the way to my grave...

Oh, that's *it* Ms. Phoenix - get right out of this thread with that slanderous talk! I mean it - no Hellenists allowed!! Go on and take your Greeks - you can have them! ;)

57-Thanks Amber. I thought it was but I was not sure. I have been thinking about embroidering again. I have not done it since I was a kid, but it will give me something to do while I watch TV. Bookmarks are really the perfect size, and I always need one. I certainly do not want any wall art or a table runner. That is all I ever cross stitched, so I was having trouble imagining what I would do.

#65 Jennifer: Welcome welcome. Bookmark kits are pretty easy to find, I think - there's always a few in each CS catalog I get.

Latin? Greek? Virgil?

I feel so inferior.

Mary Lynne: Oh goodness no, don't do that! It's just my bread & butter.

1. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham (NEH & Newbery lists, 251 pages)

The delightful story follows Nat from young childhood right on through adulthood, his dreams of going to Harvard, his being apprenticed and watching that dream slip away, to his growing career as a man of the sea and his growing intellectual pursuits.

This bodes well for a great year of reading - this is a wonderful wonderful book! I admitted elsewhere, I think, that I was skeptical at first - I don't generally enjoy high seas adventure stories - but this one is so so much more than that. I fell in love with every single character, good and bad, and Nat is just a delight. Clever and sweet and adorably smart. Yet another book that I just can't wait for Charlie to read one day. I know he'll love it.

For tonight's bedtime reading, Charlie and I read The Very Busy Spider. One of his favorites; he loves pointing out the fly on every page and naming all the animals and imitating their sounds. Lots of fun.

I won't count these multiple re-reads of Charlie books for his bedtime reading toward my total, but I'll try to remember to mention them here now and again, since I know many of us are interested in wee-one tomes. :)

#68 I know Amber, I should have put LOL or a happy face in there. It's just so surprising to me to find myself in this conversation with people who know how to read in Latin and Greek. I never read any classical works (even in English) and none of my friends IRL have either - we're a bunch of mathematicians and engineers. Geeks! I managed to squeak through college and library school without reading any literature at all, really. Go figure.

Now, I have read The Very Busy Spider. Excellent work, that. :-)

#69: I do not think I have ever read that one!

#71 Mary Lynne: Oh, and being a classicist isn't automatically being a geek?! LOL!

#72 Stasia: Ohmygosh, you simply *must*. Really! I bet your library has it...

Yes, the local library has it. I already checked :)

#74: Very well then, carry on, Ms. Stasia...

I will try!

2. Kate Greenaway's Mother Goose by Kate Greenaway (1001 Children's Books list, picture book)

A beautifully illustrated version of the classic poems. Definitely recommended for sheer eye candy value.

3. The Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear (1001 Children's Books list, picture book)

Weirdly named and silly creatures with a sweet little story underneath. Typical Lear, and that's a good thing. Will probably read this one with Charlie tonight!

Last night's bedtime reading was Finders Keepers, which I think comes from the Caldecott list, but I can't remember for certain. Two dogs have an argument over the ownership of a bone, and in the end come together to learn how to share. Sounds saccharine, but it really isn't. Charlie *loves* the illustrations too.

You will be happy to know I picked up Carry On, Mr. Bowditch on my library trip yesterday. No idea when I will get to the book, but at least I have it in house :)

Yay - I just know you'll love it (I hope, at least, after I've make such a stink about it) - let me know what you think when you get around to it.

Will do!

4. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (Cleary bibliography, 183 pages)

With this book we learn more about the two sisters who live next door to Henry Huggins. Told from the older sister's point of view (that would be Beatrice, aka Beezus), we learn how annoying little sisters can be, but also how to learn to be okay with their irritating ways too.
I'm so enjoying catching up on all the Cleary books I didn't read when I was a kid. This one, like all the others I've read so far, was just a delight.

Last night's Mom-&-Charlie bedtime story: The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Another favorite with Charlie - he loves sticking his little fingers through the whole the caterpillar has made in the various foods it's eaten through, and giggling while we make groaning, "oh I don't feel so good" noises for the caterpillar after that Saturday of gluttony that he has every time.

My girls loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar too. Ah, the good old days!

Any Eric Carle book, really, is okay in my book - love his illustrations!

Oh, yes, the illustrations are terrific - designed with the little ones in mind.

So you have the 1001 Childrens book also. I have just got it and are trying to find older children's books to read. Guess I will be browsing through 8+ and 12+.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch looks very interesting. I will make a note of that for later. I guess it's like a novel but based on real events?

Aww, the Ramona books! I barely remember them as I read them in grade school, but Beverly Cleary was a favorite author in those days.

#85 Carsten: Yep, I'm working my way through it from the beginning, so it'll be awhile before I get to that age group! And yes, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch is, I suppose, an historical fiction for kids. Whatever it is, it's excellent.

#86 Faith: I'm really enjoying Cleary and wish I had had her around when I was little!

Well, just spent about 2 hours sorting through my brother's drum kit, which is in my basement in various piles and drum boxes. We lost my brother last spring, and it's been really hard. He was an amazing drummer, and since I've wanted to be just like him since I was a kid (older brother worship, you see), I've been a percussionist since school too. But for me it's always been marching, and then orchestra/concert band percussion, and Steve, once he aged out of the drum corps, was a set percussionist. I know nothing about drum sets, really, but he left all his drums to me, and I really want to learn how to use them properly. So, today I finally got myself to go down there and start sorting through them. Wow, it's so hard to do. I sorted for 5 minutes, then cried for 10, then back to sorting for 5 more minutes, and so on. AND, I can't figure out how to get the thing together. Sigh. I'll get there - I know he's looking down and snickering at his clueless kid sister right now. I decided I needed a break, so now I'm sitting in my comfy rocker, laptop on lap, and a big bowl of chocolates beside me, reading through some threads.

>88 scaifea:: Amber, I'm so sorry for your loss and can't begin to imagine how difficult it must be to go through things that were so core to Steve's being. But I think it's really cool to bring out your inner percussionist again, in his memory.

#87: My local library actually had Carry On, Mr. Bowditch in the junior biography section.

#88: I agree with Laura, Amber. Cool that you are trying to work with Steve's drums. I know that Terri Loeffler's son Craig has worked with the drum corps. Perhaps you could find some help in that direction? I am sure TLo would be glad to convey messages or put you two in touch with each other.

Amber, I left you a PM. Then I came over here to catch up on your threads, and you posted that darling picture of Charlie with the mischievous smile. He is the spit 'n' image of my son Craig at that age! How very funny.
BTW, it bodes well for Charlie--Craig is quite the handsome young man now!

Laura, Stasia & Terri - Oh so many thanks; you've all made me feel so warm and loved, and I needed that right now.

Terri: I responded to your PM - I'd would be so great i we could work something out. And, of course I know that Charlie will be a handsome guy, but it's goood to get confirmation - lol!

I worked on ships B.K. and Mr. Bowditch's book, The American Practical Navigator is considered the sailor's bible to this day. I will try to find his biography to learn more about the man behind the book

Craig actually has an account on LibraryThing: http://www.librarything.com/profile/craifish
He doesn't use it much, but he really is a prolific reader.

#93: mamzel: I didn't realize that his work is still so seminal - how very cool!

#93: Terri: Just checked out his profile - we seem to have a lot of the same reading interests - a drummer and a reader means he must be very cool indeed. :)

This is making me want to reread Carry On - I'll have to see if I can find it among the stacks of childhood reads this weekend.

Aww, I remember loving The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Wait, I still do.

Your "grown up" works seem really interesting as well; I am trying to educate myself on the classics. After all, I cannot let school get in the way of my education...

In short: starred!

Krys: Oh, do it! No peer pressure or anything. :)

losseloth: Thanks and welcome! As far as school getting in the way of education - ain't it the truth? Ha!

5. More About Paddington by Michael Bond (a Charlie book, 129 pages)

Paddington Bear, now nicely and comfortable settled into the Brown household, gets himself into another series of adventures, including an attempt at interior decorating, the start (and end) to a career as a private detective, his first bonfire night celebration, and ending with an adorable Christmas adventure.

Tomm and I decided to try getting a Paddington book last Christmas to read aloud to Charlie through the holidays; neither of us were familiar with these stories, but we had heard really good things about them. We weren't disappointed - we just fell in love with Paddington. So, we decided to get another one to read aloud as a family this holiday, and we've just last night managed to finish it. Since we already read to Charlie right before bed - and these need to be shorter, more interactive books right now to keep his interest - we decided that one of us would read the Paddington book while the other gave Charlie his bath. Worked really well, actually. Still loving Paddington and it has fast become a holiday tradition that we'll look forward to; I'm pretty sure Tomm and I will still be reading Paddington to one another at Christmastime long after Charlie has grown and moved out!

Last night's bedtime reading, then, was Horton Hatches the Egg. Can't really go wrong with a Dr. Seuss book, honestly. So much fun to read and Charlie loves the pictures and the rhymes.

I love Horton!

Oh my, this thread beings back the memories, Amber! If it isn't memories of reading with my daughter, it's memories of reading with my Mom. I'm not sentimental but...
*sniffles*

Christmas Eve this year was spent at my mother's. My daughter asked if we were going to read The Night Before Christmas at bedtime and of course I said sure! That's been our tradition and was also the tradition as I was growing up, you see. My mother read it to us every year after hanging our stockings and as we begged our father not to light the fireplace so Santa didn't burn up.

So I asked Mom if she still had the book and got one of those "are you totally crazy? Of course I still have the book!" looks.

So I read it. To my daughter, to my brother, and to my mother and her brother. Three generations of tradition in one room.

Two days later we were going through old photographs and we found a picture of my mom's brother - who was with us Christmas Eve - reading to same story to my brother. In 1957. From the same book.

*sniffles more loudly*

Oh Mary Lynne, what a great story - thanks for sharing it!

#99 - I love Paddington! I checked a beautiful 50th Anniversary edition of A Bear Called Paddington out of the library last month. It had great illustrations.

porch reader: That's the edition of that book we have too, and you're right that it's really beautiful.

Last night's bedtime read was We're Going on a Bear Hunt. A family decides to go out on a bear hunt and encounters all sorts of obstacles along the way. When they finally find a bear, they decide that a bear hunt wasn't exactly the best idea they've ever had. Silly, hilarious, lots of good repetition, excellent illustrations. We both love this one.

We're going on a bear hunt - wasn't that a song when I was a kid?

uh-oh. I feel a google search coming on. Need to find the lyrics!

Huh, I have no idea, Mary Lynne - let me know what you find out!

> 106

It is! It's a popular campfire type song which includes various sound effects for the different things they must go through (rubbing hands, smacking your legs, that sort of thing).

I had fun catching up with your thread, Amber. Your method of choosing books is most interesting; mine is totally driven by mood or what is due at the library. ;-)

>16 scaifea:: I love it when people post family pics on their threads. Your Charlie looks so huggable. He is lucky to have a mom who reads such commendable books to him.

There is such a profusion of posts and topics here I can't possibly respond to all of them. I have you starred and plan to keep up on a more regular basis.

I LOVE the bookmark. Although I'm not fond of stitching on Aida I might make an exception for such a lovely result. Thanks for more Charlie updates and pictures...and {{hugs}} to you on the loss of your brother. I hope that setting up and learning how to use his drum set brings you much comfort in the future.

Oh yes, I do appreciate all the children's books comments. I bought the 1001 Children's Books for my newest granddaughter last fall. I look forward to helping her build her library.

Aerrien99: Thanks for that - sound like the book was definitely based on the song.

Donna: Many thanks for the lovely thoughts, and welcome welcome! I look forward to your comments in future!

6. The Island Stallion's Fury by Walter Farley (Black Stallion books, 190 pages)

It's back to the secret island valley and Flame, along with his boy, Steve, and Steve's friend, Pitch. Pitch's evil step-brother (no, really) discovers their secret entrance to the inner island valley and threatens to ruin everything.
Okay, so going into this one, I thought that I wouldn't be all that excited about it, but I was taken completely by surprise and was on the edge of my seat by the end. Great follow-up to the first Flame book. On to Charlie's shelves it goes!

7. Humphrey's Corner by Sally Hunter (1001 Children's Books list, picture book)

This book follows Humphrey (a toddler elephant, apparently) on his quest to find the perfect place to play with his favorite stuffed animal, Mop.
Adorable story, with unbelievably lovely (very soft, warm and pastel-ly) illustrations. Definitely recommended for the little ones.

Hello Amber, loving hearing about Charlie's bed time and bath time reading - some old favourites of mine among those. And I loved the Black Stallion as a child, but I think I only ever read the very first one. Little girls in England were meant to read 'pony books' about the rather formal world of gymkanas (spelling?) and dressage, but I always loved the books about wild horses and riding bareback etc.

Genny: I think it's a girl thing; it seems that nearly all girls go through a horse phase, no? I know I sure did. And I was lucky enough to have grown up on a farm and to have gotten a horse for Christmas one year! Alas, the horse fantasy died rather quickly after that, when I realized just how large and in charge horses are. I was pretty scared of riding them in reality. It was a bit of a disappointment to my Dad, I think, since he's a big horse enthusiast, but my sister makes up for what I lack - she's always been very good a riding and even used to race horses.

8. The Revenge of the Wizard's Ghost by johnbellairs::John Bellairs (Bellairs bibliography, 147 pages)

Johnny Dixon is on the receiving end of a vengeful spirit in this one. He gets possessed by the spirit of a wizard because in the previous book he had worked to defeat an evil relative of said wizard. His faithful friends, Professor Childermass and Fergie, are there to help, though, by breaking into the deceased wizard's creepy old estate in the middle of the night to steal some talismans to help cure Johnny.
Silly, as always, but in a good way. And creepy in a good way too. I can't help it - I love Bellairs books, and as I've said before, I think they're perfect for young readers and I think Charlie will really like them someday.

9. Sam, Bangs and Moonshine by Evaline Ness (Caldecott list, picture book)

Meh. The story didn't really do much for me, nor did the illustrations. I've read a couple of these Caldecott winners that have made me think, "*This* was the best illustrated book of the year? Really?" and this is one of those. It's not terrible, mind you, but it wouldn't win any awards from me. That's all I'm saying.

10. Marigold Garden by Kate Greenaway (1001 Children's Books list, picture book)

I loved Greenaway's version of Mother Goose, and like that one, this one's illustrations are just beautiful, which makes up for where she's lacking in the poetry side of things. These poems are at best weird (and not in a silly good way) and at worst, well, bad. But again, totally worth it just to gawk at the pretty pictures.

#113: I never went through a horse or pony phase. I guess I was just a weird girl child.

Weird, Stasia? Never! We call that 'special'. ;)

>113 scaifea: & 116: I didn't go through a horse or pony phase either. In fact, I hated them so much that I used to draw cartoon horses with knives sticking out of their bellies and long tendrils of drool coming out of their mouths (and I did this on the back of church bulletins, no less). I'm not sure why I felt that way, as I never had a bad experience with one (that I can remember...!), and though I've conquered the feeling since then, I'm still not particularly drawn to them. I've gone riding once, and it was a nice enough experience, but at this stage of my life, I'd rather admire them from afar. Gorgeous creatures, but I think I just don't understand them the way I feel I understand other animals... if that makes any sense...?

*raises hand* I never had an equestrian phase either. (I didn't butcher them in cartoons, either, though.) I've never been riding - other than clinging onto a donkey at the beach when I was about 7 and hating every minute of it - but I don't mind horses providing they are on the other side of a strong fence and I'm not required to stroke them or feed them or anything.

#117: Okay, that *does* cross over into the Land of Weird. ;)

What's the matter with you people? Why aren't you fitting into my proclaimed stereotype?! Sheesh. :)

I've always liked horses as much as the next person, but I don't recall going through one of those girly horse-lover phases. Could have something to do with growing up in downtown DC, and being about 12 before I saw a horse that didn't have a police officer on it.

I DID go thru a girly horse-lover phase - probably most of my pre-married life. Took riding lessons at the only summer camp I attended and even took riding as a PE elective my freshman year in college. One of my biggest heart breaks is that I never had a horse as a kid. Almost got one once (we had just moved to rural NJ), but Dad was transferred 3 months after we got there (shortest stint anyplace!). No other places we ever lived were horse suitable.

To bring this around to books - I read every nonfiction book in my school library with the call number 636 - the Dewey number for horses!

Riva: Yay for horse-loving adolescence! Of course I had to go check out your profile page, and it looks like we have similar reading interests, and I have to ask: is your profile picture really real? I mean, is that beautiful room yours? If so I'm completely jealous!

You didn't read far enough down. :-) That is NOT my library (unfortunately!). I found the picture on a website showing what I call "book porn" - libraries that folks dream of having in their house. I can't remember the site right now (but I think it was Swedish - no, it's not IKEA). If I dredge it up from the old memory files, I'll post it here.

And, in looking at your currently reading list, you're reading one of my favorites as a child. I LOVED Big Red. Disney made a passibly fair movie of it LONG ago.

*snork!* Caught skimming your profile page red handed!

I've just started Big Red - so far so good, but I'm nervous - these kinds of books tend to leave me sobbing in the end...

I didn't go through the horse-loving period either. Probably because I fell off a horse when it was actually standing still...and because I didn't get riding lessons when "everyone else" did. Beautiful animals though:)

I too fell from a horse. It was moving very fast at the time. I was never much of a horse-lover. My sister had that girlie horse phase, but I did not. The fall was just the clincher. Now, my daughter is deathly allergic to horses, so I need not make any excuses of my own. We just steer clear of all things horsey.

Except a recent dinner at Medieval Times, which was quite a good evening and worth all the sneezing it produced.

Mary Lynne: I love those sorts of dinner places! They're supposed to be hokey, I know, but I really had fun the couple of times I've gone.

Last night's bedtime story was a little board book called Baby Animals. It's just real photos of various kinds of young animals and a little rhyme for each one. There's also a touch/feel aspect: soft, fuzzy, fleecy (all fake, of course!). Charlie's had this one for a couple of years - an aunt bought it for his first Easter basket. It's cute and he likes it, but it's nothing life-changing.

Nope, no horses for me, either. I rode a pony on a trek in Iceland once, and that's about it......

Just read on another post that you are at Kenyon College. We rode our bikes from Mt. Vernon on the bike path to Kenyon. What a beautiful campus. Loved all the old buildings.

Cindy: It is indeed a lovely place to work, and my office is in the oldest building on campus, Ascension Hall. Just gorgeous, inside and out. I see on your profile that your from Indiana - I'm a Hoosier myself! Grew up on a farm near Brazil.

I live in the Northern part, east of South Bend. I read someplace recently that Kenyon was one of the top tens mostly beautiful campuses in the US.
Isn't Brazil where Ringling Bros. had there headquarters there ?

I think my non-love of horses was because while we lived in Iran, we went to the Holy Land and I got to ride both donkeys and camels there. After those, how could dull, boring horses hope to contend for my affections? lol

Cindy: I grew up in Brazil, IN. The Ringling Brothers were headquartered, I think, in Columbus, OH (I lived there for 7 years, too) - at least I lived a block or two from the house/mansion where one of them lived...

Stasia: Wait, what? You lived in Iran? More details, please!!

Oh, forgot to mention: last night's bedtime story was a Classic among classics: The Three Little Pigs! I love reading this one to Charlie just like my mom used to read it to me; deep voice for the wolf, high-pitched squeaky voices for the pigs, and getting Charlie to help with the huffing and puffing. So much fun!

I was in the horse lover count - especially the ones with horns. Heh. Yes, I had a huge unicorn collection.

Morphy: Cool! That reminds me of that scene in Dodgeball...

#133: My father worked for the government and we lived in Tehran in the mid-1960s. I was about 2 when we moved there and 6 when we left.

Very cool, Stasia!

I think the coolest part is the travelling we did while over there. I got to visit Israel and Greece. I do not remember a lot about them, although I do have some particular vivid memories of each.

Oh I'm very jealous that you've been to Greece. Sigh.

Wow, I just found this thread and am amazed. So many non-horse girls! My first pet was a pony and it has been true love ever since. I don't ride any more. Don't think the old bones would manage a fall well at this point in my life. My daughters barre-raced for years, and now that they are off to college I'm left to take care of the horses. Stasia, horses boring? Have you seen the movie Secretariat? They take my breath away. Sounds like you had a very interesting childhood! And Faith, I cannot believe that a woman with the most incredibly romantic picture on her profile page artistically mutilated horses, in church no less! Sorry, Amber, I didn't mean to take over your thread!

Regina: Anyone who is *finally* going to uphold my stated stereotype is welcome here - LOL! My sister used to barrel race too! I grew up around Quarter Horses - how about you?

My dad liked Tennessee Walkers, so that is what I had as a teenager and into my twenties. It wasn't until my 3rd daughter took an interest in barrel racing that we got into quarter horses. Her horse's best event was keyhole, but I enjoyed watching all the gaming classes. I grew up on Marguerite Henry books. I cried for days when I read Mustang, Wild Spirit of the West. Did your passion for horses spill over onto your reading?

Oh, Tennessee Walkers are beautiful!
I read Black Beauty and Misty of Chincoteague, but it was The Black Stallion book the I really loved. Only read that first one in the series when I was a kid, though; now I'm collecting the rest and reading them for Charlie's shelves.

Hope Charlie is enjoying them. Read those to my girls as they grew up, but I must confess I had a really hard time reading the abuse scenes in Black Beauty. That book had a strong impact on me as I find it impossible to sell my daughter's horses. I feel guilty making them leave their home and having to adjust to a new owner, so I'm stuck for another winter buying hay and grain for two horses that nobody is riding! Oh well, at least I have a beautiful view out my window. I love watching them run in the snow.

Well, Charlie's 2, so it'll be awhile before he gets to these books, but he's already showing a great love for all animals - and his grampa's horses in particular, so I think he'll take to them when he does get old enough.
I felt the same way about Black Beauty - so depressing in parts and very hard to read.

11. Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard (NEH list, 254 pages)

Danny Pickett lives with his dad in a cabin out in the woods. They're hunters, trackers, who live simply and off of the land. They live near a wealthy land owner, Mr. Haggins, who befriends Danny when he sees how much the young man loves and knows about dogs, in particular one of Mr. Haggin's own Irish Setter show dogs, Red. And so this is a story of the friendship that grows between Danny and Red, and it's also a story of the beauty - and hard work - of living the kind of life that they do.

I love this story. I love all of the main characters, humans and animals alike, and really enjoyed living vicariously through them, walking and working in the woods. A classic boy-and-his-dog story. Definitely recommended.

Last night's bedtime story: Frog Went A-Courtin'. Adorable. And we have the Caldecott version, so you know the illustrations are good too.

Fighting the onslaught of a bad migraine today. Hope I'm successful, since classes start up again tomorrow, which means it's back to work for me.

Big Red sounds wonderful! Adding that to the wish list. Hope your migraine is disappearing.

Thanks, Regina. I am feeling better - I think the two servings of sponge cake helped! ;)

That must be a new prescription for migraines. Don't think I've ever heard of that one before!

Well, there *was* some migraine pills in there somewhere too, but my vote still goes to the cake...

Glad you enjoyed Big Red. There are a couple of sequels - Irish Red and Outlaw Red - if you're interested.

I read Big Red a lifetime ago. I enjoyed it too.

Riva: Thanks for mentioning those - I read about them on the back cover of this one. I may get to them, eventually, once I've finished a couple of my lists (!).

*waves as Stasia* Hi! I've been following you Sunday threads, but just haven't come out of the woodwork over there to say hello. Just know that I'm lurking... :)

So, headache officially gone, for now - thank goodness! - and I'm in the office bright (or pitch dark, actually) and early, getting ready for my last first day of classes. For those of you who don't know, I've decided to take a (very) early retirement and stay home to raise my little Charlie. I'll miss teaching dearly, but there's always the chance to come back in a few years, and right now being with my family as much as possible is the most important thing to me.

Oh, almost forgot to mention: last night's bedtime read was Harry the Dirty Dog. Love this one! We spend a lot of time pointing out all the details in every picture. That naughty little dog finally gets a bath in the end, though!

Beth used to love reading Harry the Dirty Dog. I think our copy finally got so well-loved we ended up getting rid of it.

So, since classes start up today, I'll try to remember to post here what we're reading in class for each day. There won't be any postings for my Beginning Latin course, since we're just working through the grammar text (I use Morland & Fleischer's Latin: An Intensive Course).

The other course I'm teaching this semester is an introductory survey of Latin Literature (all readings in English translation). I don't assign pre-first-class homework (although there are some professors out there who do, and I can't imagine that they're very popular with students ;) ), so no readings for today, just an intro to the course sort of day. For Wednesday, though, we're reading Plautus' (best, in my opinion) play, The Pseudolus. One of my all-time favorite plays!

#156,

I'm interested in how you find Morland & Fleischer. I got Wheelock'ed in my youth

Pam: I've taught from both texts and, in my opinion, Wheelock is pretty terrible. It seems to me that Moreland & Fleischer is the best out there.

Hi Amber. I'm spending a bit of time catching up on threads. Sorry to be so far behind.

I love the J.W. Waterhouse painting you posted at the beginning of your thread. He is by far one of my favorite Pre-Raphaelite artists.

Big Red sounds like a book I would really like. I'm adding it to the tbr pile.

Hi Amber, just stopped by to check out your thread. Thanks for commenting on my newbie one. I love that you have a method to your reading madness. Last year, minus one or two, I totally finished the Agatha Christie set!

Other than that though I can't seem to get a method. I read a LOT of books partway, and then leave til later, or leave til never.... I might have to do a thread about books I never finished. It really isn't a good way to go about getting a lot of books read in a reasonable amount of time.

Linda: Oh please. I'm so behind on the threads that it's just sad, really. I'm trying my best, but there's the small matter of work and the toddler and laundry and cleaning and cooking and reading... But yes do get Big Red on your list - likely you'll love it!

Jessie: Welcome! I'm in awe that you've read all of Christie - what a feat! I'll still be several years going at this rate. I don't know what's worse, meandering from book to book and not finishing, or feeling compelled to finish whatever book I start (I fall into the latter category)!

12. The Children's Hour Volume 5: Best Loved Poems (bath-time book, 358 pages)

I keep forgetting to add this category to my reading lists, but finishing one has finally got me round to doing it. I keep a children's book in the bath room to read aloud during Charlie's bath, but of course only on those evenings when both Tomm and & are home in time for the bath and I'm not the one actually giving Charlie the bath! So, it's generally a slow-going read, but still a very enjoyable time of the evening. I've been working though a volumed set of children's books that were my brothers' when they were little (it's a little dated, but still fun) called The Children's Hour. This last volume consisted of poetry, and in general I'm not a fan of (non-ancient) poetry, but there were some oldie-goodies in here, like Little Orphan Annie (my mom used to recite this one to me from memory when I was little). So, overall not too bad.

Last night's bed time book was The Baby's Catalogue. One of my favorites of Charlie's. Not a lot of words, but delightful pictures that follow 4-5 families with little children through an ordinary day. We both love this one.

Hey Amber! I don't know how I never stumbled upon your thread in the past, but thanks to the fancy new wiki page you can consider yourself stumbled upon! :)

Hey, ouch! Gerroff!

:) Welcome!!

Just got around to reading your thread, Amber, and what memories you've stirred! I loved reading some of those books to my daughter when she was little, and, as for my own childhood, I can still recite Little Orphan Annie (if it's the poem by James Whitcomb Riley that you mean), almost by heart.

Hi! I'm getting a new project started to get together great recommendations for books by themes. I've called it Books By Themes (BBT) and your suggestions are most welcome! Here's the link.

Mary: Welcome! And, yep, that's the poem I'm talking about. Apparently my grandma used to recite it from memory to *my* mom. I think I need to get in gear and get it memorized too so I can keep that tradition going.

#158,

If I can bother you a bit more about this, what level is M&F suited for. Are we talking only college level, or high school, or can it be used with younger people if you work at it?

I teach with it at the college level (the level for which it was written), but I'd use it to teach high school in a heartbeat. I'm not sure that I would try it with younger ones than that - there's no frills, no entertainment, no pictures. What, specifically, do you have in mind?

Hmph. Stupid snow. We were planning on driving out to Indiana to visit my parents this weekend, but the weather and road conditions just won't allow it. We couldn't be certain about whether we could go or not until this morning, so I had to go ahead and pack for the trip (including, of course, all the necessary accoutrement for a traveling toddler) last night. So, now, when I get home from work I have to unpack everything. Plus, of course, I'm disappointed that I'm losing the time we were going to spend with my parents. So, I'm a smidge grumpy today.

For the last couple of nights Charlie and I have been working our way through the complete Madeline stories. I didn't have these as a kid, but they're wonderful!

Just sort of thinking ahead, Amber. Mine are 8 and 10 and I'd like to expose them to some Latin before college--maybe later middle-school years if their attention isn't totally destroyed by social obligations.

Well, as I mentioned, M&F may be a little dry, but I love it so much that I think I'd still try it, just in really small doses. I just have such a horror of the high school level Latin texts out there, which try to teach Latin in an 'easy', piecemeal way, and it just shouldn't be done that way. I think it also underestimates the abilities of high school kids too. Anyways, just my *very* humble and lowly opinion...

Oh, you won't have any arguments from me as I've often found that when you 'dumb something down' you end up making it harder than it would have been if you had just approached it in a straightforward way.

As for high school Latin I think either kids are ready to study it or aren't. It's almost like a developmental stage: some little bit of your brain has to have come 'online' before you can easily tackle it.

================

OT::: There was a poor fellow in my class that had NEVER studied any language before beginning Latin. He had such a horrible time I still shudder thinking about it. The whole idea of 'conjugation' was a novelty to him. Ugh.

Amen, sister!

And yes, I have those kinds of students occasionally too. My heart goes out to them - especially the ones who try so very hard - but I have yet to find a good way to break through that initial, and vast, confusion. They either eventually click and get it, or, well, they don't.

Forgot to mention: today in the Latin Literature course, we discussed selections from Lucretius' De Rerum Natura. The students seems to find most interesting the passages about atoms, what happens when we die, and sex (the latter not too surprisingly). We'll be reading a bit more Lucretius before moving on next week.

I took Latin in high school a zillion years ago (well, after the Roman Empire fell but, you know, a long time ago) and I still remember how lost I was. BUT, when I took Conversational French awhile back, and then Conversational Italian, the conjugation part was so super easy for me to understand, and I think it was because something must have stuck from h.s. Latin. (I'd remind myself using the "amo, amas, amat" chant.) Other students were all, like, *imagine whiny voice* "Why do there have to be different verb endings (depending on whether it's I, you, he, etc. doing something)?" as if English doesn't have different verb forms for present, past and future tenses. lol

It's funny, because the students who are Classics majors here (and so take both ancient Greek and Latin) have a certain amount of pride over the modern language students, because they think it's a bigger feat to conquer these two languages than those easy ol' modern languages. Classics has a reputation here of being a rigorous department (we like to keep it that way!), and so our majors, instead of complaining and grousing about that, boast about it! LOL!

>177 scaifea:: that is so refreshing to hear about!

I never took Latin or Greek. My college roommate took Latin, and I remember her kind of lording it over me that she could do it and understand it. She'd show me her Latin homework and I'd just look confused. Since I was, at the time, acing Calc 2, I think she needed something to be better at, although she was an exceptionally good student, so I'm not sure why!

By far the most fun class I took in college was a linguistics class called "Latin & Greek Roots in Modern English." It was, sadly, incredibly boring to sit through long lectures on which works in English came from which Latin & Greek words, prefixes, suffixes, etc. Behind the prof's back, though, a couple of us were constantly stringing together brand new, made-up words, which would send us into hysterics. "Oocephalus" comes to mind. (And we came up with it at least twenty years before Dr Goodword did!) All kidding aside though, it was actually a pretty rigorous class, and I've used what I learned there throughout my life. It greatly increased my vocabulary.

#177,

At my school the History Dept was dominated by American history. And yes, the few of us that were studying classical or medieval history thought of ourselves as better as they had no foreign language requirements.

#179,

I think it's human nature to find something to take pride in... or that at least differentiates us from other people :)

Oh Amber I'm later than you were! And, I confess, I'm starting up again here! :)

*waves*
Hi Susan!

Still so so cold here this morning, but my wonderful husband went out early and started my car for me to get it nice a toasty before I left. How sweet is that? I'm a lucky gal.

One more day of discussing Lucretius' De Rerum Natura in the Latin Lit. course. We're talking about the very end today - his very cool description of the Athenian plague. I'm a sucker for beginnings and endings, so my students get repeatedly barraged with lectures about how important and significant beginnings and endings are. We're not certain if this was the intended ending of this poem, so that adds a little extra flavor to the discussion. I'm looking forward to hearing what they think of it.

On the home/Charlie front, I've not been updating our bedtime reads because we've been working through the Madeline stories. We finished them last night, so tonight will be something different. Really enjoyed the Madeline books with Charlie - he loved the rhyming and the pictures.

Oh, and I have to brag just a little (please forgive me, but I'm excited about this): I made my first pear pie this weekend and it turned out *great*! I'd never eaten pear pie before either, so I was a bit skeptical, but I'm a sucker for trying new recipes. This one was spiced much like an apple pie (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice), and instead of a top crust, it called for a streusel made of crush vanilla wafers and chopped almonds. Made it on Saturday and it's now gone. Tomm and Charlie loved it! Again, sorry for the bragging - I don't really mean it in that way - I just get a great amount of joy out of baking, especially when it turns out good and those I love love it.

Wow, Amber, next time you make pear pie, can you post some? :-)

Lol! For you, Mary Lynne, definitely! :)

That pie sounds wonderful! *salivates*

Thanks! The weird thing is that I don't even like pears. but I guess because I mostly don't like the texture, and the texture didn't factor into the baked pie, I could enjoy the pear flavor without that awful grittiness.

drive-by hug

*dances the happy dance*

Richard stopped by my thread! It's like a celebrity sighting!
WOOHOO!

*ahem*
*calms down, straightens hair*
Now then, where were we?

Hope you're feeling even better today, Richard. I need to stop by your thread to get an update...

*regal queenly wave*

Sometime when you're a little calmer, Amber, try a pear upside-down cake. Make the syrup with maple syrup, butter, and some vanilla; layer canned pears (start with pear halves in juice, work much better than fresh in this recipe) that you've sliced in quarter-inch slices into hot syrup; plain ol' cake batter on top. Delicious, and for me at least, not gritty.

I use the juice to make flavored whipped cream to serve alongside the cake, about 1/4c. Myownself, I drink the rest, splashed into seltzer, but YMMV.

PS, oh GOD not LUCRETIUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Richard: That sounds really good - I'll definitely try it, since I'm a huge fan of the pineapple variety.
And yes, I too have a checkered past with Lucretius. His Latin is so danged hard (and even after you translate it, that doesn't necessarily mean you know what the deuce he's saying!), but at least this class is taught in translation.

You'll like this cake, then. Can't wait to hear your review!

If I hadn't *hated* Latin so much, I'd've written a thesis entitled "Lucretius: Satanic Forefather of Poetical Obscurantism."

*snork!*
I may have to pass that on to my students - they'll appreciate it, I think.

>183 scaifea:, 190: Oh my goodness. That pie sounds amazing. And pear whipped cream?? I've never heard of such a thing. Pear upside-down cake, pear syrup in seltzer ... I feel like running out for pears right now!

Hi, just popping in to say that the pear pie sounds delicious! Where did you get the recipe?

Also, I love the painting at the top of your thread.

Sandy K

I have never heard of pear pie, but I must admit, it sounds very good. As does Richards pear upside-down cake, which I have heard of before.

#196 sandy: The recipe is from a cookbook called Cooking at a Glance: Pies and Pastries, which has tons of great pie recipes and very easy to follow directions. The pie pastry recipe they give is the one I always use now - very easy to roll out and super easy to put together (in the food processor). Highly recommend this cookbook.

Terri: I had hear of it, but never tried it. It wasn't one that my mom ever made (and she's an amazing cook/baker). Can't wait to try Richard's recipe!

Well, I haven't finished any books in awhile, although I'm still reading (!). I haven't had much free time to squeeze in reading lately, and I seem only to get 1-2 pages read in bed at night before conking out. So I thought I give a quick update on my current reads:

-I Promessi Sposi by Alessandro Manzoni (library book)
The end is in sight with this one (less than 100 pages to go!). It's been very slow going, both because it's 600+ pages (and small print to boot), and because it has large chunks of digressions on social/historical bits that go right over this simple little noggin. The main story, though (about, not surprisingly, two young things trying their best against ridiculous odds to get together), is really enjoyable. And I *do* know enough to appreciate the author's tongue-firmly-in-cheek comments throughout.

-Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (banned books list)
About a third of the way through this one. Sigh. Jude has had one disastrous relationship and moved right on to brewing up another one. Sheesh. I think I'm not too fond of this kind of story: young man has honorable goals in life but proceeds to make absolutely ridiculously stupid life choices and screws up his whole life and can't seem to break out of his perpetual funk and *do* something, ferchristssake. Will keeps plugging along, though, if only to see just how he manages to screw up even further. (Plus, once I start a book, that's it, I have to finish it.)

-The Children's Hour, Volume 6: Stories of Today (bath-time reading book)
Not very far into this one, because it necessitates that both Tomm and I are home in the evening to help with bath time, and this semester it seems destined not to be the case.

-Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Malory (The Green Dragon 1001 Fantasy List)
Nearly 3/4 of the way through this one. Enjoying it, but it's so hard to keep up with who has jousted with whom (although it seems far to guess that pretty much every knight will at some point in the story have jousted with every other knight), who is wearing whose armor - as if the story wasn't hard enough to follow, they keep trading clothes, like a bunch of junior high girls - , and who is in love with whom. And the language (still!) is giving me headaches. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it's a bit of a slog. However, despite all the complaining, I'm glad I'm reading it, because once one wades through all of the above, the story is admittedly pretty cool.

-James Madison by Ralph Ketcham (Presidential Challenge)
Oh, Christ. Only about 1/4 through this one. Very muchly resembles the Sahara, this one. But it *is* thorough, and I know I'll know lots more about Madison when I've finished (3 years from now, perhaps) than I did when I started.

-The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (audio book)
Whoa. Atwood being Atwood at her finest. Loving it. I listen to audio books while I craft/sew/cross stitch/knit, and I've been on a knitting kick lately. When this one gets tense and exciting (which is more and more the case as I near the end), my knitting gets faster and faster. It got so exciting last night that I nearly dropped a stitch!

-A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin (from the TBR shelves)
About 1/3 through this one. Again, very exciting and intense. I love reading a story in which you just know that none (and I mean *none*) of the characters (even the very main ones) are safe - I'm always already nervous for all of them as I read. There's no passively reading a story like this, and I love that.

Last night's bed-time reading was Peter Rabbit. Classic, of course.

Amber, what a great list of current reads!

The Year of the Flood is going on my wishlist.

Jude the Obscure is coming off my wishlist! A couple of reviews here on the 75ers group had me thinking I might liek to read it, but you've changed my mind. Your description of Jude, and of the Arthurian knights changing their clothes like junior high girls, had me laughing at my computer - again!

I'm still considering James Madison and will be interested in your thoughts when you've finished it. Oh, good, I have three years to read other things! :-)

Mary Lynne: You may want to add Oryx and Crake to you list ahead of The Year of the Flood. I've just learned that Year of the Flood, although not, I think, a full-on sequel, is a kind of follow-up to that earlier book. This *always* happens to me when I randomly pick up an audio book from the library - I keep plopping myself down in the middle of a series. I need to do some research before blindly choosing next time! Needless to say, Oryx and Crake is next on my list!

#198 Thanks for the reply. Going to see if the library has the cookbook!

Sandy K

I haven't finished any books lately, but I *did* manage to finish a knitting project, a baby blanket for my cousin's-in-law (correct punctuation there?) baby-to-be:

I love how the pattern is repeated in miniature on the edges! Lovely! I'm sure it will be loved.

"cousin-in-law's" or "cousins-in-law's"

Nice binky! Is it yellow or cream?

#204: mamzel: Thanks! I love this blanket pattern and always make it for new little ones.

Richard: Thanks, both for the grammar and the compliment! It's yellow. Crazy parents 'want to be surprised' as to which kind they're having, so that narrows the color palate to yellow or green, really.

Puce. You forgot puce. Or gamboge.

*snork!*

13. The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood (audio book)

Distopia as distopia should be, and who's surprised? It *is* Atwood after all. This one recounts how a plague sweeps through an already-crappy world (or at least the part of it that the characters inhabit, although one gets the sense that everything is the same everywhere) and leaves only a few alive. Events leading up to the "waterless flood" are recounted via flashbacks. Again, in Atwood fashion, the narrators are all women, although there are some important male characters, but painted through the women's POV alone. I can't figure out how to summarize it. But I can say that it's an excellent read. Now I just need to get myself to the library and find Oryx and Crake, which, apparently, I should have read first. Blerg.

Grrr. I've been meaning to try Margaret Atwood forever! Yet for some reason I've gone this long and still haven't read a single book of hers. I'm going to check one out sometime soon...hopefully...perhaps.

I read O&C a long time ago. Would you recommend rereading or should I be able to pick YoF without it?

Stephen: Oh do it; you won't regret it. The first one I read was A Handmaid's Tale and it's excellent.

mamzel: Lol! I have no idea, since I haven't read O&C, but being wholly without O&C, I wasn't at all lost in YotF, so my guess is that you'll be fine.

Amber: I need to take a trip to the library soon, so...y'know... maybe...assuming I don't already have 10 books piled up over my head before I get to that area. Her stuff sounds exactly like something I would like so I do need to get on that soon.

Stephen: Get yourself some blinders. You know, like they use on horses. Then maybe you'll get to the Atwood section. ;)

Blinders won't help if the books jump out at you, Stephen, like they do to me sometimes. I mean, there I'll be, just standing next to a shelf in the library, minding my own business, and suddenly there will be a half dozen books in my arms and I have no idea how they got there. Honest! They must just see my need and my empty arms and fling themselves off the shelves at me.

Some people are babe magnets. I'm a book magnet.

#209: Oryx and Crake is different stylistically from The Year of the Flood (at least to me) and I preferred it to TYotF, Amber, but I am in the minority on that.

#215 Mary: *snork!*

#216 Stasia: *waves!* Glad to see you! I've been going through a bit of Stasia-tremens.
So, I haven't necessarily ruined things by reading them out of order?

#217: I do not think so. I read them in order (accidentally), but I really do not think it matters all that much.

Good - that's a relief!

I know how it is, Mary. The worst part is, the books that jump into my arms are NEVER books on my wishlist. I go in with a few books in mind that I'd like to check out, with the intention of browsing for 1 or 2 'extra' spur-of-the-moment choices, and before I know it I have half a dozen books I've never heard of in my arms. Don't know how it happens!

In class this week we're reading selections from The Aeneid. One of my favorite texts to teach, but so frustrating, too, as I only have 3 days to cover it. Impossible feat, of course.

Last night's bedtime reading was Big Red Barn. Much in the same vein as Goodnight, Moon, there are lots of things to point out and talk about on every page. A big hit with Charlie.

Woke up to 2 more inches of snow. Again. Sheesh. Not terrible, of course, but not exactly inspiring either. And I have to make a trip down to Columbus today. Yeck. May get some shopping squeezed in there, though, so that's a bit of a plus, I suppose.

***THREE D...D...DAYS*** for The Aeneid?!?!?!

No. C'mon. You could teach a *semester* on the book. Then another on the implications of the scholarship done on the book. Then another on the subtleties of the grammar.

So this is education. Makes me glad I never graduated from high school. (I would NOT take one more phys. ed. credit, for any reason at any time.)

Richard: It's a 100-level survey course on Latin Literature, so it, by nature, moves very quickly and we only read selections of the things we read (which don't even remotely begin to cover all the possible texts out there). It's meant to whet the students' appetite, so to speak, so in that respect I'm okay with it. It's hard on me, though, because I love it so much and I want to talk on and on and on about it.

And you could teach a year-long course, nay, a life-long course on such a text. Every time I read it (and I've read it countless times already), I find something else. It's just one of those texts.

I told them today that this day in the class was tied with one other as my all-time favorite to teach. Book 4 of the Aeneid is second only to Cicero's 1st Catilinarian, and that opinion is a bit skewed because I'm head-over-heels about Cicero. To a fault, I freely admit.

Cicero. That prig. Not on my own life-list, but TEHO.

Book four. Oh my. I don't have a file entry in my mental cabinets for the books...I now go seek the copy that lurks here SOMEwhere....

Book four is Dido. Ill-fated, doomed Dido.

Oh, I love Margaret Wise Brown. While my grandson was young I collected her. One of his favorites was Run Away Bunny.

Cindy: Runaway Bunny makes me tear up every time. So good.

Richard: You'll perhaps be happy to know that I've decided to extend The Aeneid to at least an extra day. We just didn't get through enough yesterday to move on. So, to heck with two days for Suetonius, he's just gonna have to be content with one day and move over for more Vergil!

Well, I won't be around much for the next couple of days; my parents are coming for a visit, since Tomm is off on a 2-day interview in West Virginia and I need a Charlie sitter while I'm at work tomorrow. Grandparents are such cheap sitter labor, no? Plus, I haven't seen them since Christmas, and I miss them, so I'm excited for the visit too. My dad has a big sweet tooth, so in preparation of his arrival I've made a Burnt Sugar Cake, and I'll make some Sugar & Spice Cookies this morning.

Last night's bedtime read was D'Aulaire's Book of Animals. Boy, do I love their (what looks like) charcoal drawings. Love all of their books.

(ET fix an embarrassing mistype!)

Have a nice visit with your parents, Amber!

Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire! How I loved their D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths as a kid! As a grown up, I worked for Delacorte BFYR, and was kept hoppin' by ordering reprints of the D'Aulaire titles.

Enjoy your family time, and a bas Suetonius!

Your parents may get snowed in. If you get the same snow storm that is expected for us, starting Monday night. At least they would be with you.

Cindy: Yeah, we're watching the weather pretty closely. They're planning on starting back tomorrow morning, but we'll see. I wouldn't mind having them here for a couple more days!

Richard: It goes without saying, of course, that Charlie also has D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. I still need to get my hands on the Norse one, though.

Stasia: Thanks!

Just got a very cool flap book out of the school library and thought of you - it's Usborne's See Inside Ancient Rome and the pictures are great. Charlie would like the flaps, I think! We also have their Roman Soldier's Handbook, butI haven't read that one yet.

Cushla: LOL! Charlie already has that one! He's also got one in the same series about Castles too. Thanks for thinking of us!

I got my first copy of D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths when I was 6 years old, and I'm currently on my 5th copy because the others got read to pieces. It's such a beautiful book.

You know, every time I teach the Classical Mythology course, I ask the students on the first day where/how their interest in mythology/taking this course came from or started. Every time I get a healthy number of them telling my that they had the D'Auliares book as a kid and loved it.

#209,

No, it doesn't matter which of the Atwood books you read first. They actually take place at nearly the same time. I read YothF first, then OC.

Thanks, Pam - that's a relief! My local library has Oryx and Crake on audio cd, so I'm hoping I can get there soon to pick it up!

Well, my parents cut their visit short and headed home early, since we're supposed to get an ice/wintry mix storm starting this evening, and at their place they're supposed to be getting a significant snow storm in the next couple of days. I'm a bit disappointed - and Charlie certainly is too - but I also completely understand. Much rather have them back home safe. On the other hand, Tomm is in the DC area and is worried about getting home tomorrow. So it's just Charlie and I this evening and tomorrow, hoping that Tomm gets home soon!

beautiful blanket! Hope Tomm gets home safely and that your folks did too.

Ha, that's great that he already has them!! I'll look for D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths tomorrow (I love helping in the library...get to browse all the books!). They have tons of Roman and Greek stuff, and I'm grabbing one every few days. I had an easy reader version of the 12 Labours of Heracles and after initial complaints (pics were black and white) I ended up having to read it through breakfast and on the tram ride.

Hope your husband gets home safely today.

I hope Tomm is able to make it home safely too, Amber.

#240: Thanks, Susan!

#241 Cushla: I hope you find it - some of the 'retellings' are a bit silly, but the pictures are beautiful.

Stasia: Me too! We're still in limbo - he's shuttling back to the airport now, hoping that his re-routed flights haven't been canceled. It's already very icy here, though.

I live a mile from the DC airport and it's not supposed to start raining/icing here until the early evening. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Tomm.

Nora: Thanks. The issue isn't with DC, but with Columbus canceling all of their flights. He now has a flight into Cleveland, and we're working on how to get him home from there.

Your baby blanket is beautiful. I have 10 inches of mine done now - also in the same color. I'm sure I'll be knitting a lot of them too. :-)

happyone: Thanks! I love working with the soft baby yarn too. They're just fun to knit!

Just echoing the praise of your beautiful blanket! It's been a while since I've knit anything. I agree about how pleasant it is to work with the soft baby yarn.

Thanks, Terri!

The Husband is home!! WOOHOO!! Now, bring on the storm!

So glad your hubby made it home safe and sound.

that is great news! Thx for the update.

Amber, you talented bundle of warmth and love, this is the Thread Police giving you a Loud Official Knock in reminder that threads over 250 posts tend not to load properly for our poor dial-up brethren and sistern. It is kind and thoughtful to begin a new one about now-ish.

Hoo! You wish, Sir Richard, is, well, you know.

Anyways, New Thread!:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/108980