Friday Five Favs

It's been a good week and this coming Monday being Memorial Day means we get an extra long weekend. It is so nice to have a few extra days to spend with my family.

1. Memorial Day. In light of the holiday weekend I am reminded of all the soldiers who have served the people of the United States both in the past and now in the present -- who have lived and died fighting for our safety and for peace. I am grateful and thankful for each one of them. I pray for their safety and success. God bless America!







2. LOST. Last Sunday I watched the very emotionally charged series finale of LOST. At first I was rather upset with how the writers wrapped up the story... Yes, I cried several times throughout the finale. I know, I admit it. It's silly, but I often find myself emotionally attached to characters in stories I read (or watch) and then have to remind myself "this is fiction!" This was the case with LOST, but after a few days of pondering everything that happened I decided I was satisfied with the finale of LOST. I can say it was one of the greatest TV shows of all time.

3. Finishing a Job. For the last several years my husband and I have been remodeling our house. We bought it with the hope of finishing everything in less than two years, but like a lot of things in life it took a little longer... like more than twice that time. This weekend we are tackling our last major project, the upstairs bathroom. Once this is finished it's just a few odd jobs here and there and then we're done. It's a very exciting moment and I will be very happy when it is finished.

4. Fresh Strawberries. I took my daughter strawberry picking for the firs time. We had a great time and I was able to pick enough to store away for later use and still have enough to eat by themselves and make a strawberry shortcake. If I have time next week I plan to return and pick enough to make up a large batch of jam. I love this time of year.

5. City On Our Knees by TobyMac. There isn't really a great video out there to capture the power of this song, but it has been on my playlist for several weeks now and I wanted to share it. Such a powerful message.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday: Reading

What's On My Nightstand: May 2010

I'm pretty happy to report I have finished half of the books that sat on my nightstand back in April when I posted my "What's On My Nightstand" list. I did not get to read Sad Cypress by Agatha Christie, but I did finish The Way We Live Now, which I believe is quite the accomplishment at 802 pages in less than 25 days! The other book I didn't get to read was Kate Morton's The House at Riverton, which I requested through my library in April, but it still has not come in. Never mind, it'll just move to my May TBR list, which includes the following:

If I have time I'm sure I'll add to this list from my ever growing To-Be-Read inventory, but for now I think this will keep me busy for a few weeks.

What about you? What is on your nightstand for the coming month? Or week? Click on over to 5MinutesforBooks and share through their monthly What's On Your Nightstand carnival. While you're there be sure to check out what other bloggers are reading.

Quote of the Week

“An author can hardly hope to be popular unless he can use popular language... But all this must be learned and acquired, not while he is writing... but long before. His language must come from him as music comes from the rapid touch of the great performer's fingers.” ~ Anthony Trollope

(Works by Trollope: The Way We Live Now, The Chronicles of Bartsetshire, He Knew He Was Right, and a number of other novels not listed here.)

Monday Children's Picks of the Week

My daughter and I have had another fun week reading books. Our three favorite reads from last week's library visit included:

Shrewbettina's Birthday by John S. Goodall (1977). The Shrewbettina books were recommended to me by the lady sitting next to me on a recent business trip. She was a retired day care provider and had shared them with "her" children over the years. They are beautifully illustrated wordless books about a little shrew named Bettina. Unfortunately they were rather difficult to track down. In the end I could only find this one book through ILL, but it was worth the trouble. My daughter enjoyed the pictures and telling the story to herself through the illustrations. I will definitely keep my eyes out for more of John S. Goodall's work.

Rabbit Ears by Amber Stewart (2006). As many parents know bath time can sometimes be a trial, especially when you're bathing a child afraid of water or soap. Recently my daughter decided she didn't like to have her hair washed (afraid of soap in the eyes). Thankfully we were able to work through this fear and find a solution that made her happy yet still included clean hair. And so when I came upon this book in the library I knew she could realte to it. It's a cute story about a little boy rabbit who doesn't like to have his long ears washed, but in the end finds that it's actually fun to be a big boy and learn to wash them himself. The illustrations by Laura Rankin are cute and I recognized the style from another of our recent reads, Fluffy and Baron.

No! That's Wrong by Zhaohua Ji and Cui Xu (2008). A humorous story about a rabbit who finds a pair of lacy red underpants and unsure how to wear the article of clothing tries it on first as a hat. Throughout the story he's told it's the wrong way to wear them, but in the end the rabbit decides they fit best over his ears rather than his tail. This was a fun book to read as my daughter has recently discovered she can dress herself. She laughed at the silly pictures of the rabbit wearing the underpants on his head.

Check back next week when I post our favorite finds from this week's library visit.

Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell

227 pages
Published 1934 by Hamish Hamilton
Reprinted 2008 by Hoyer Bell

I first learned of English/Australian author Angela Thirkell thanks to fellow blogger and reader, Marie. Since I was already a fan of D. E. Stevenson, Marie suggested I check out Thirkell's novels. I am so glad she did!

Since I knew nothing of Angela Thirkell, I began by searching the Internet to find out who she was and what she wrote. I quickly discovered two things about Thirkell. First, she was a very prolific writer (penning over thirty novels in nearly as many years; beginning in 1931 and publishing on average one novel a year until her death in the early 1960s). And second, that unlike D. E. Stevenson nearly all of Angela Thirkell's novels are either still in print or readily available through my library's catalog without tapping into ILL. Further research disclosed that most of Thirkell's novels are based in the fictional county of Barsetshire (created by English author Anthony Trollope in his six novel series The Chronicles of Barsetshire). I should note at this point that while Thirkell was wildly popular in her day she preferred to read the works of Trollope, Austen, Dickens and Thackeray and quotes from novels by these authors crop up without reference in several of her novels.

Initially I thought it wouldn't matter the order in which I read Thirkell's novels. I thought they were similar in format to D. E. Stevenson's novels -- somewhat connected, but easily read as stand-alone novels. And while that could be said of Wild Strawberries it isn't necessarily true of Thirkell's other books as I learned when reading The Headmistress a few weeks later, but more about that novel later, for now I will focus on my first read by Thirkell. Those unfamiliar with the story contained in Wild Strawberries it could probably be summed up like this:

The Plot:
"A witty romp through English Country-house life at its most delightfully absurd. At Rushwater House in West Barsetshire, Lady Emily Leslie and her family are entertaining an assortment of house guests, hangers-on, and French monarchists. Amid a perfect welter of rapturous embraces and moonlight madness, a marriage is finally arranged. A glittering summer party provides a hilarious climax to the various intrigues." (Summary courtesy of the publisher)

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed Wild Strawberries. It began as a simple story about a wealthy family living on a English country estate in the years between World War I and World War II, but before the second chapter was at a close it became clear that the story was so much more.

It is satire, it is drama, it is hilariously entertaining (the "change-over" scene in the car on the way home from the train station had me laughing out loud), and it is terribly romantic. And while the plot is certainly fresh there was something almost reminiscent of the romance in the play/film(s) Sabrina. I read on with amusement as the drama surrounding the two Leslie brothers and a particular lady played out to the very last page. Yes, I can honestly agree with the publisher's summary -- Wild Strawberries is a witty romp of a read. I loved it.

If there is a downside to this novel it might be in the following: Due to it's setting (1930s pre-WWII England) there are some prejudices and slurs. And while I don't agree with the opinions expressed by some characters it was not unusual for the era and not something I think a reader should take offense to.

If you haven't yet read Angela Thirkell, you might start with her first work, High Rising, which is on my immediate TBR list so I can't attest to the quality of that work, but I imagine it'll be a worthwhile read. Or you might just jump into the series and read Wild Strawberries. For myself, this novel was enough to convince me I needed to read more Thirkell.


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P. S. Wild Strawberries by Angela Thirkell should not be confused with the 1957 film Wild Strawberries directed by Ingmar Bergman. They are two completely different stories.

Friday Five Favs

It's been a very busy week, but I have much to be thankful for. My top five favorite moments from this past week include:

1. Finally getting some time to read. I'm working my way through Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, which I need to finish before the next book club meeting (June 2). It's 802 pages and I had planned to read a certain number of pages a day, which just hasn't happened. So now I'm in a rush. I have two weeks left and half the book to read. My reading time has been snippets here and there, mostly before the hour of 7am and after the hour of 10pm, still it's a great story and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

2. A little time away. I wasn't able to post last Friday as I took the day off to go sight-seeing with a friend and her daughter who were in from out of town. It was her first time to the area and there was much to see. But you can't really rush when you are walking with a two-year-old. Still, we had a great time. After a quick lunch my friend and her daughter headed to their next appointed tour and I took my daughter off for a spontaneous visit to my husband's office. It was really fun to watch L "see where Daddy goes every day." And then best of all, after he got off work (his boss let him out early) we went out for dinner to Pei Wei, a fast, but delicious Asian restaurant. It was a very enjoyable and relaxing Friday.


3. Which leads me to my next thought. On Friday evening I received some sad news. One of my brother-in-laws is seriously ill and has been waiting for a while to find out if he will be approved for major surgery that could radically change (improve) his life. The answer came Friday and it was "No." The surgery was too high risk and the doctors just will not or can not perform it. This was a big blow to my sister and her husband, especially because just a week prior they had run into two success stories, which for this type of surgery is rare. It was almost as if the carrot (a life without pain and restrictions) was dangled in front of their noses only to be yanked away a week later. I immediately thought of Natalie Grant's song I Will Not Be Moved, which is currently on my playlist. The video's a bit weird, but I love this song.

4. On a lighter note, my daughter's curiosity and vocabulary continue to expand. She often says things that make my husband and I struggle not to laugh out loud, especially when she's being very serious. The other day we were driving somewhere and the sun was just peaking out behind the cloudy sky. The following conversation reminded me of a scene from Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (Act 4, Scene 5):
L: "Mommy, see the moon?"
Me: "No, that's the sun hiding behind a cloud."
L: "No, it's the sun."
Me: "I'm pretty sure it's the sun."
L: "NO. It's the moon." ...

5. And silly as it might sound, another favorite moment from this week has been yesterday and today. For most of the week it's been cloudy and raining, but finally yesterday, the sun came out! I love sunshine and it's so nice to be able to open the windows or take a walk to the park. If only the nice weather will hold out for the weekend.

Happy Friday to you all!

Tuesday Teasers: The Way We Live Now

"Lady Carbury's conviction that her end was to be obtained not by producing good books, but by inducing certain people to say that her books were good." (The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope, Chpt 2, pg 17)

~*~

"The reader will not have thought much of Fisker on his arrival in England. Fisker was, perhaps, not a man worthy of much thought. He had never read a book. He had never written a line worth reading. He had never said a prayer. He cared nothing for humanity."(TWWLN, Chpt 35, pg 280)

Monday Children's Picks of the Week

I love the fact my daughter loves books. She loves to be read to and she loves to "read" by herself or with her baby doll or stuffed animals. At some point in the last month or two my husband and I noticed that she will ask by title for her favorite reads. While she occasionally abbreviates or renames a book, for the most part she remembers the exact titles and will hunt until she finds that book.

Here are some of her favorites from last week's visit to the library. If you have a young reader or bookworm in your home check to see if these are available at your library.

Ridiculous! by Michael Coleman. (August 1997). A turtle is told it's "ridiculous" to be out in the winter, but the young turtle thinks otherwise. Cute and funny story. My daughter loved the word "ridiculous" pronouncing it "dic-u-luss".

Jump! by Scott M. Fischer. New release, March 2010. A fun rhyming, action-packed picture book. On each page an animal (e.g. a lady bug, a frog, a cat, a dog, crocodile, etc.) jump to escape from a bigger animal who is chasing them. My daughter loved to shout "Jump!" on each page when she read this book to her baby doll or with me.

Seven Hungry Babies by Candace Fleming. Another new release in March 2010. As a busy mother I especially enjoyed the irony of this story, while my daughter loved the little baby birds. Mother bird tires herself out flying here there and everywhere to find food for her babies. Finally they are fed and asleep and mother bird can rest... Or not. The babies are awake again and ready to eat. Time to get back up and take care of her family... but just in time Daddy bird arrives to lend a wing. Mother bird can rest after all.

Chickens To the Rescue by John Himmelman. (October 2006). A silly story about chickens on a farm who come to the daily rescue of Farmer Greenstalk and his family. A watch down a well? No problem, chickens to the rescue! The illustrations add to the hilarity of the story with each turn of the page. My daughter loved shouting out "Chickens to the rescue!" when she read this book to her baby doll.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

180 pages
Published 1925 by Charles Scribner's Sons
Reprinted 2004 Scribner
New York, NY

Who hasn't heard of The Great Gastby by F. Scott Fitzgerald? Although it was not initially a bestseller it has since become standard amongst reading curriculum for literature classes. It is considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, a modern classic, and is on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. In fact, most readers who've taken standard literature courses have probably read this book at sometime during their educational years.... Excepting me.

Set on Long Island's North Shore and New York City, The Great Gatsby tells a tale of the mysterious and fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and the woman he loves, one Daisy Buchanan.

At first glance one might assume this is a story of love, but it isn't. The Great Gatsby is a tragedy. It is also a social commentary or maybe more accurately, a critique of the great "American Dream."

F. Scott Fitzgerald paints within The Great Gatsby a picture of what life was like for many of the rich and famous (and bored) during the "roaring 20s" -- a time when the US economy flourished and the wealthy spent all weekend partying, drinking, flirting, and maybe dabbling a little in organized crime.

I always thought I would hate The Great Gatsby. I think this predisposed opinion was rooted in the fact I'd been told it was a depressing story and I don't like depressing stories. Life is hard enough why read a book that makes you feel worse? And yet, the fact that it seemed everyone else in the world had read this book I was determined to read it and find out what IS so great about Gatsby?

For starters it is a well-written novel. Fitzgerald's writing is clever, imaginative, and humorous (I found myself laughing out loud several times). It is also thought provoking in its sadness. Woven into the story are some very interesting lessons. Particularly is the lesson about what can happen when a person tries to "remake" himself so to define who he is rather than how the world would define him from birth. The sadness comes into the story in more than the tragic-star-crossed-lover aspect, it's everywhere with the characters as they rush around completely self-focused and trying, but failing, to find true happiness. To some this could make for a depressing read, and yet oddly enough I didn't find that to be the case for me. Yes, the ending of the book is sad, but I also found it a satisfactory and acceptable ending. It couldn't have ended anyway else without coming across as far-fetched or cheap storytelling.

As I finished The Great Gatsby I was a little puzzled at my unbiased opinion. I felt objective. It isn't really a book I could say I loved, nor was it one I despised. Maybe my comprehension of literature, particularly that of the "Modernism/Lost Generation" era (i.e. Steinbeck, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, etc.) has changed from when I was a teenager or young adult or maybe my understanding of mankind has changed. At any rate I found The Great Gatsby an interesting read. In the end I was glad I took the time to read it and I can see why it is considered a classic. There is much that can be taken from this book, even though it is a tragedy in its ending.

If you haven't already read The Great Gatsby you should consider adding it to your 20th century reading list. It's short. It's entertaining. It's thought provoking. And in my opinion it's better than Hemingway.

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Movie Adaptations. There have been several film adaptations. Probably the most famous stars Robert Redford as Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy, but since I can't stand Mia Farrow I opted to watch a more recent version done in 2000 by A&E and starring Paul Rudd (Nick), Mira Sorvino (Daisy), and Toby Stephens (Gatsby). This version kept very close to the book and I thought it well made -- good costumes, music, scenery, casting, etc. I have also heard rumors that another adaptation is to be released in 2012, but I was unable to find anything further regarding who would be cast in the lead roles.

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Great Gatsby Quotes:

"Before I could reply that he was my neighbor dinner was announced; wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square." (Chpt. 1, pg. 11)

"There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.(Chpt 3, pg 39)

"On a chance we tried an important-looking door, and walked into a high Gothic library, panelled with carved English oak, and probably transported complete from some ruin overseas. A stout, middle-aged man, with enormous owl-eyed spectacles, was sitting somewhat drunk on the edge of a great table, staring with unsteady concentration at the shelves of books. As we entered he wheeled excitedly around and examined Jordan from head to foot.
'What do you think? 'he demanded impetuously.
'About What?'
'About that. As a matter of fact you needn't bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They're real.'
'The books?'
He nodded. 'Absolutely real -- have pages and everything. I thought they'd be a nice durable cardboard. matte of fact, they're absolutely real. Pages and -- Here! Lemme show you.' Taking our scepticism for granted, he rushed to the bookcases and returned with Volume One of the Stoddard Lectures. 'See!' he cried triumphantly. 'It's a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me.'" (Chpt. 3, pg 45)

"And I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter --- to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning --- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."(Cpt. 9, pg. 180)

Cool New Apps for iPhone Users (and websites to check out)

I'm so excited about two applications I have discovered recently. For those of you who love to read, love free stuff and have an iPhone check these out:

GoodReads: "A place for casual readers and bona-fide bookworms alike, Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more." The FREE iPhone application offers many of the same services as the GoodReads website and all with the touch of a finger! But of course, since it is a phone app it isn't quite as complex as the website -- there are some things you can't do on the app and must log into the website, such as forming a book club, posting a book review or link and rating your own reads. Still, the GoodReads app is a lot better than many of the other book tracking applications I have seen. If you haven't already set yourself up with a service like GoodReads be sure to check it out. The app can be found in the App Store under the category: BOOKS and sorted to view only TOP FREE.

I currently have accounts with both GoodReads and Shelfari. Until recently I have actually preferred the latter to the former, but with this app and the ability to track my books when away from home and computer I think GoodReads might be sneaking ahead in my opinion.

AudioBooks FREE. Affiliated with Librivox. An online source for audio and e-book versions of books published prior to 1923, which are available in the public domain.

The good: Access to over 25,000 public domain books (non-fiction, fiction, poetry, plays, etc.). You can select by author, title, genre, reader, or most popular. Because the books are in the public domain the list consists mostly of classics and out-of-print books. The app is free, the books are free, and they download instantly to the iPhone without having to sync your phone with iTunes like some of the larger applications require. The books can be listened to much like the Playaway books offered through public libraries.

The bad:Because of the fact these books are in the public domain the list does not include any new publications or books still held with a copyright. Still there are a LOT of treasures to be found. I'm currently listening to Helen's Babies by John Habberton, a humorous story written in the 1860s. Another annoying aspect is that sometimes the files are a little slow loading when I return to a book. Once or twice I've found the app to freeze up on me, but once the reading commences I've had little to no trouble. As to the quality of the reads, for the most part they are excellent. I will note that all readers are volunteers and thus not professionally selected based on the quality of their voice. This isn't always good. In fact, there was one book I started to listen to but had to stop because the woman's voice was grating on my nerves. I found her voice too nasally and gravely for my liking. But if you find a book you want to read and a good reader you're golden. Another annoying aspect is that at the start of every chapter the reader introduces the book, the LibriVox info and who they are, where they recorded and the date. It's a bit unnecessary in my opinion.

But, for the ambitious reader you can volunteer to read some of your favorite public domain books by visiting LibriVox's website.

Bonne lecture!

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy

476 pages
Published by The Great Writers Library
1986, a reprint of the 1908 edition by Macmillan and Company Ltd.
St. Martin's Street, London

Two years ago I became acquainted with Thomas Hardy. My introduction was in the form of the BBC adaptation to Under the Greenwood Tree, which after watching the film I then read. The film was fairly well made and I believe it helped me grasp and understand all the details of the novel. At any rate, I finished reading Under the Greenwood Tree (reviewed '08) with a favorable opinion of Hardy's writing and with the thought that I'd like to read more of his works at some point in the future.

So when the suggestion to read Far From the Madding Crowd was made at the April meeting of my book club I was definitely interested. I expected another book just as "happily ever after" as Under the Greenwood Tree. And while I was close in this expectation I have since learned how ignorant I was of Hardy's writing career. Although his books are popular reads in the 21st century and several have made the "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list, not all of them end as happily-ever-after as Under the Greenwood Tree or Far From the Madding Crowd. One particular dark and depressing story is Jude the Obscure, which has been satirically renamed Jude the Obscene by literary critics for its scandalous scenes and language.

But thankfully, as I said, Far From the Madding Crowd has a happy ending. It is a beautifully rich story, a true masterpiece.

The Plot:
The story revolves around "Bathsheba Everdene, a farm owner, and her three suitors, Gabriel Oak (a generous shepherd), Sergeant Troy (a young, handsome, and inconsiderate soldier), and William Boldwood (the owner of the neighboring farm). The contrasting relationships between Bathsheba and her suitors are a study of the many faces of love, including honest, heartfelt love and unscrupulous and manipulative adoration." (Summary courtesy of The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature)

My Thoughts:
There was so much that I liked about this book. The story plot was interesting; set in the farm lands of the fictional Wessex County in southern England during the mid 19th century. Most of the story centers around farm life, but at various points the reader has the opportunity to observe town and city life, as well as the recreational aspects of Bath and even a traveling circus. The characters are vast and yet each uniquely cast in their role and personality so that I there was no confusion as to who was whom and little to no chance that various members of the story would be forgotten along the way. The dialogue was at times witty and clever, but in general an easy and interesting read with periods of breathtaking description that makes literature art.

"At eight-o'clock this mid summer evening, whilst the bristling ball of gold in the west still swept the tips of the ferns with its long, luxuriant rays, a soft brushing by of garments might have been heard among them, and Bathsheba appeared in their midst, their soft, feathery arms caressing her up to her shoulders." (Chapter 28, page 212)

Another aspect of the story that I liked so much was the lessons that can be drawn from the characters. The novel explains so well the interaction and development of male/female relationships. It is a story of love and of friendship; of loyalty and of disloyalty; of true faithfulness and of deception; of passion and of weakness.

If you have not yet read anything by Thomas Hardy this is a novel you should read. I obtained my hardcover copy for free thanks to Paperback Swap, but copies are widely available online and in bookstores and libraries.

On the Big Screen:
For those curious, I did watch a movie adaptation of the book once I finished reading. There have been three adaptations to film: 1967 (starring Julie Christie as Bathsheba), 1998 (starring Jonathan Firth as Sergeant Troy and Nathaniel Parker as Gabriel Oak and adapted for British television) and most recently 2009 (filmed by a private British school and directed by Rose Clark). I was only able to find the 1967 version as the other two do not appear available on DVD in the United States. While there were aspects of the 1967 movie version that clearly dated the film it was overall a good adaptation and true to the novel. However, it seems a shame that BBC, A&E, or PBS Masterpiece has not taken the time to bring this wonderful story into a more recent adaptation. Perhaps they'll consider it in the future... One can only hope.


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Related Resources:
- Project Gutenberg Online Text: Far From the Madding Crowd (E-Book)
- Free Kindle Edition: Far From The Madding Crowd (accessible with Kindle, Blackberry, iPhone, PC)
- Book Rags Study Notes: Far From the Madding Crowd
- Spark Notes: Far From the Madding Crowd
- LitQuotes: Far From the Madding Crowd (To give you a sample of Hardy's writing)

Children's Book Finds

It's been a long while since I posted about children's books. Every week I take my daughter to the library to select new books for us to read together. Most weeks we also make it for story time. She loves books and now spends time reading to her dolls and stuffed animals. Over the last few months we have had some good reads, but nothing that has really stood out to me enough to write a special post.

But then this last week we read three books that she just loved and I thought they were post-worthy. If you have a young bookworm in your home check these out:

Sally and the Purple Socks by Lisze Bechtold. A cute, but silly story about a duck who buys a pair of purple socks only to have them grow and grow and grow.

Who Ate All the Cookie Dough? by Karen Beaumont. A sing-song type read with wild animals who try to solve the mystery of the missing cookie dough. The end is a cute surprise and always gets a giggle out of the child if read just right.

No More Diapers for Ducky by Bernette Ford and Sam Williams. We're working on the whole potty-training adventure. My daughter especially found this book entertaining. I'm just waiting for the day when she tells me "Not now, I'm on the potty!" Cute book for those who feel their world revolves around diapers and a potty. (And no worries for those who might, none of the actual body workings are mentioned in this story.)

Happy reading!

Emma by Jane Austen

512 pages
Reprinted by Penguin Classics, New York, NY in 2003
Originally published by John Murray in December 1815

It seems fitting that after having recently reviewed an Austen-themed chic-lit novel I now review what is claimed to be the best of Jane Austen's novels: Emma.

A Little Background:
Oddly enough I didn't discover Jane Austen until I was 16. I remember trying to read Pride and Prejudice but having difficulty grasping the story -- there was so much happening and the 19th century dialogue was nothing like the novels I'd read during most of my high school years. And then I discovered the 5 hour A&E film adaptation and immediately fell in love with the story. After watching the movie I picked up the book again and was successful in finishing it. And so began my journey with one of literature's most beloved authors.

Since that time I have listened to audio versions and watched numerous film adaptations of all of Austen's works, but until this year I'd never actually read Emma...

It seems unlikely that there are readers out there who do not already know something of the novel Emma, but just in case here is a short summary without spoilers:

The Plot:
"Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. With its imperfect but charming heroine and its witty and subtle exploration of relationships, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work." (Summary courtesy of the publisher)

My Thoughts:
I'm not exactly sure why I waited nearly 15 years to read this novel, perhaps it has something to do with the fact I just didn't like this heroine as well as the others. I find that Emma is for most of the story too snobbish and scheming for my taste when compared side-by-side with the sparkle and wit of Elizabeth, or the sweet and faithful Anne, or the steadfast and sensible Eleanor. And yet, Emma is definitely a worthwhile read. A classics must.

Emma is unique amongst Austen's novels in the fact that unlike all the other heroines, Emma is rich and beautiful and not troubled by her family about finding a wealthy and suitable husband. There are no silly sisters and no dramatic elopements. It is a completely different setting and a very interesting study of character.

I began reading Emma around the same time that Masterpiece Classic on PBS released their 2009 adaptation of the story (Jan-Feb 2010). I found this adaptation very well made. The actors were good (for the most part), the costumes and sets beautiful, and the script was nearly word for word from the book. If I had to make a complaint with the film it would be with the actress who played Emma. Certain mannerisms and aspects of her acting annoyed me. I found myself irritated with Emma for half to two thirds of the film.

Interestingly enough I found myself equally irritated and annoyed with Emma in the book for the same length of time, so perhaps it wasn't so much the actress as it was the character? At any rate by the last third to half of the story Emma begins to improve. Slowly like a flower blooming her character grows, matures, and by the end I found my regard for Emma had likewise grown until she had redeemed herself and I found myself happy with the story's end. Emma is a classic example of a coming-of-age story.

If you have never read Jane Austen, Emma may not be the story to begin with. It is Austen's longest work at over 500 pages and the story plot takes a little longer to unfold than some of her other novels. If asked I think I'd suggest a newcomer to Jane Austen read Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Mansfield Park in that order. Of course it definitely helps the reader who struggles with 19th century writing style to watch a film adaptation or listen to an audio version first. For those unwilling to purchase a copy of any of these books they are readily available at any public library and are also available online in various forms. Kindle even offers a free copy of Emma through Amazon that can be downloaded to Kindle devices, Kindle for PC, Kindle for iPhones, and Kindle for Blackberry.

Here are a few other links you might find interesting:

Online Resources:
Austen.com/Emma
Cliff Notes: Emma
Reading Group Guide to Emma
Project Gutenberg: Emma (audio/online text)
Kindle: Emma ($0.00)

Films:
Masterpiece (PBS) 2009 adaptation: Emma
1996 film adaptation (Gwyneth Paltrow): Emma
1996 BBC TV adaptation (Kate Beckinsale): Emma

A Little Bookmark in History

Remember when I posted last month about finding the 1950s era Allsopp and Chapple Bookstore bookmark while reading a copy of Mrs. Miniver, which I bought at a used book sale?

It's rare that I come upon something like this really old bookmark so, my curiosity pricked, I read what I could about it online. I then happened to mention my discovery to a coworker who grew up near Little Rock. The other day she sent me the following picture:

Allsopp and Chapple Bookshop has long since closed, but the building still stands. Pretty neat little random piece of history.

Blogging and Reading Update

I had great plans for my blog this week and yet with everything going on in my life I find that the more I try to get ahead the more behind I am.

I had hoped to find time to post a couple book reviews this week and maybe even a Friday Five Favs, but after getting up very early to drive myself to the airport, and then traveling across the country for a work event I find myself too exhausted to think clearly. It's been a long day and it's late and as I sit here alone in the hotel room my brain is fuzzy, my eyes are tired and I think I'm just going to wait.

But I do have some good news. Thanks to my flights today I was able to start and finish The Great Gatsby, bringing my April reads up to 8 books (20 for the year) and another "must read" off my TBR list. Although I am still mulling over my thoughts I know I will have much to say in my review, so stay tuned. In the meantime, I am planning to start reading The Way We Live Now on my return flight.

Happy reading, may you have a relaxing weekend.