Lots About Books, a Bit About Sunshine

In the sky the other night AFTER FIVE O' CLOCK were actual rosy traces of sun. Spring is just that much closer than I imagined ...

I have been reading "The Poison Apples" by Lily Archer -- not really marvelous literature but definitely such good fun that I can hardly stop myself reading it. It was a book that did not get to me in time for review last year. Shame, really, that I could not review such a fun book.

On the other hand, I will indeed have a review in VOYA next month -- 'tis definitely a novel to read, especially if you love fantasy.

William and I just finished reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Coraline is one of my favorite books to read aloud, and Will loved it loved it loved it.

(It's wonderful but not for adults who are, shall we say ... faint of heart.)

I think I need to rest now. The total lack of sunshine today has made me ...

Goodness gracious. Some sun just prodded through the window as I was typing that.

Well.

I think I feel more awake now.

~Emily

Poor Polar Bears

While brushing his teeth the other night, William left the water running for an extra two seconds.

"Darn, I killed polar bears," he said.

Okay, if nothing else has convinced me that kids hear what you say, this did the job.

Fourteen-year-old Benjamin will not eat meat, seafood, foods with vitamin D-3, foods with gelatin, or foods with the enzyme rennet. He fishes through the rubbish bin for items that just might possibly be even the slightest bit recyclable. He is prepared to kick global warming in all the right places. And he talks a lot about the environment.

I have made a list of potential colleges to attend next year or the one after that. This is quite exciting to me, I must say. Most of them are in Minnesota, but one is in Wisconsin and another is down in Maryland. I have been to Maryland, and liked it enormously. I have never been to MN or WI but really want to visit.

Also, I want to leave Rhode Island. I've lived here my whole life and there are, frankly, so many things I don't like about it.

As a closing note to this rather erratic post, I have a new book to review for VOYA. It is truly wonderful -- a thrilling change from the last couple of dreadful reads.

Let's see ... anything to say about the weather?

Cold, colorless, and dead. Yay.

~Emily

The Great Joys of Wintertime

It's snowing here (or, as one would declare in Japan, yuki ga futte imasu). I guess that's a good thing, except that we've already had an awful lot of the white stuff. I dreamt last night that the world went mad and started celebrating Christmas again. I checked the calendar and figured that either I was completely nuts or had been in a coma for the past year, the world was completely nuts and was just completely nuts and had not been in a coma, or was trying to stretch Christmastime out a little in order to bring joy into the economic darkness.

William has an awful chest cold. We'll all get it, but oh well. Spring must come soon. I'm glad February is, of all months, the shortest of the year.

~Emily

Well ...

It sent chills through my blood.

I left the cinema feeling exhilerated but totally relaxed, filled up with something special.

Reading the play was one thing and seeing the film was ... something else.

Doubt.

See it.

~Emily

Happy Reading for the New Year

You can follow Fabulous Lorraine and her Fiends as they enter 2009 in their many time zones!: http://lorraineamalena.blogspot.com.

Well, Happy New Year wherever you are; let's hope 2009 brings as many wonderful books as this year has.

I love many books of many genres but most of the books I read this year, and that actually came out this year, were in the Young Adult category.

My Top Nine (could not pick ten; most of the books I read this year were from previous years!) YA Books I Really Liked of 2008:

10. ... Maybe I will think of something later!

9. Huge by Sasha Paley

8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (kind of a kids' book, but Harry lovers of all ages will like this one)

7. Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

6. Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

5. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt

4. The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Addoff

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2. The Game of My Life by Jason McElwain

1. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

...

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. I believe in confidence and determination all year round, but not in New Year's Resolutions.

May this year make for happiness, plus happy reading, for all of you.

~Emily

Frozen

Oops, can't go to storytime this morning. The car doors are frozen shut.

~Emily

Packing Peanut Butter (and Other Things)

I did a lot of holiday community service work today -- had so much fun. We lifted boxes packed with soup cans and jars of peanut butter (the boxes of peanut better were so pretty -- with all its brightly colored lids; although the peanut butter boxes were quite astoundingly heavy) and sugar and flour and stuffing mix and corn and baked beans ...



I loved it. Tomorrow I get to play pseudo-librarian while the regular librarian at my library reads books to storytime attendees. After that is the really fun part -- my playtime with the kids.



My weeks have been extremely busy since ... maybe ... October-ish, when I started babysitting regularly. Of course, they've been a lot busier since I got out of the hospital.



Monday:



Storytime



Lunch



Research (at other local library)



Tuesday:



Babysitting



Lunch



Doctor



Then this week there's a holiday party in the evening.



Wednesday:



Doctor in afternoon



Thursday:



Freedom



Friday:



Storytime



Lunch



Storytime



Babysitting



Saturday:



Freedom



Sunday:



Freedom



Also must get a few little gifts for friends and family. The holidays draw near (Hanukkuh begins tonight!).

Oh, and here's a picture of Nina. I just wish I could get a bit closer on her face. She was with me all the time in the hospital.




~Emily