Bop Bop Bop

I love to read.

I don't get to do much of it these days.

OK, that's not entirely true. I actually do quite a bit of reading, but the books I'm currently reading are not very literary in nature.

Currently board books are my thing.

When Little Man was a few months old he could care less about books. He didn't have the patience or attention span for them. They say parents or caregivers should read to their children daily. (Who are they, anyway?) I tried that, but he just wasn't interested.

How is that possible? I'm an English teacher for goodness sake. How would that look to have an illiterate kid? Would the state rescind my license? Was I doing irreparable damage to my baby by not reading to him every day? Will he not get into Harvard because of it?

Turns out such stressful questions were a little premature. Something clicked and for the past five or six months Little Man has been a reading machine.

His very favorite series these days is The Little Blue Truck Series. We got one as a gift from Aunt Betsy back when he was not a reader. Then one day he decided Little Blue was the coolest thing. I lucked into finding the second book at T.J. Maxx--I had no idea it existed before seeing it there-- right before Little Man's first birthday. It made the prefect gift.

Since then, we have read each of the two books many, many, many times a day (among a great many others, of course). I pretty much have them committed to memory. Actually, so does Little Man. There is one point in "Little Blue Truck Leads the Way" where Blue is leading a parade and the people watching yell "Hooray" and clap. Just before I ask Little Man to turn to that page, he claps. It's adorable.

But not as adorable as him saying "Bop, bop, bop" while making a honking motion to let me know he wants to read. Often the first thing he does when I go into his room in the morning is "bop, bop, bop" at me.

In fact, he "bop, bop, bops" at most trucks when we are out. It is easily the cutest thing I've ever seen in my life.

My boy loves to read! And best yet, he loves to read these books that have really great messages about helping your friends (and sometimes non-friends who happen to be in need) and going single file instead of pushing and shoving.

I very highly recommend these sweet books to any young reader. There are great street and animal sounds that get little ones engaged, good messages, and an unassuming and kind hero.

Recently a sticker/activity book was released, but I'm going to hold off on that until I can trust my little terror with stickers. We need to grow into that.

I really wish Alice Schertle would get cracking on another board book featuring Blue. Little Man does, too.

What are you reading to the little people in your life?

Summer reading

I have about a billion things to do, but lately I've just been in the mood to read. I managed to leave my Kindle at home last time we were in West Virginia, and that was kind of a bummer. See, when you've got a table, four folding chairs, a bed, and a pack n play as your furniture; a deck of cards (that I just purchased last visit) as your entertainment; almost no shopping; no Internet access and daylight until 9:30 p.m., reading is a perfectly acceptable way to pass the time. (Whereas in real life cleaning around abundant furniture, myriad methods of entertainment, errands, etc. make spending a day reading almost irresponsible.)

Irresponsibility be damned. I have a book list I plan to plow through this summer! (Well, at least partially. This list could possibly take a bit longer than a summer. I do have some responsibilities.)

I'm currently reading two books, so I'll start with them:

Bonk by Mary Roach is for my book club. We decided any book by Mary Roach would be our current selection.

I listened to Gulp, but wanted to read one as well. That's where Bonk came in. I like her humor, but I'm thinking I might get science-of-sexed out. If you know me, you get that.

Our drives to and from West Virginia usually involve an Audible book. Our most recent return trip began Jodi Picoult's The Storyteller. We're not to far into it, but for the most part I'm enjoying it. (I think Beau can take it or leave it, so I may finish it on my own. You know, over my next fourteen or so hours in the car. That's a lot of grocery trips...)

I have these two books on loan from the public library for the next two weeks, so they are next: (An exuberant "yay!!!" to my city for finally getting ebooks!!!)

Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods (In honor of our hikes in the mountains near the AT. Eh, whatever works, right??)

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker has piqued my interest.

After those, some of these are on deck. I've tried to keep a somewhat respectable balance between nonfiction and fiction, but I think fiction wins again.

Our next book club book is Dan Brown's Inferno. We try to keep it (relatively) light in the summer.

Laura Weisberger's Revenge Wears Prada will be great fun. I do hope it becomes a movie. More Meryl, please. (I wonder if I can read it without seeing Meryl Streep as Miranda. Doubtful. That's OK. It's a pretty great image.)

Leslie Land's 1000 Gardening Questions and Answers. Because I've already killed two hanging plants and my tomatoes are on the way out. A thousand questions might not be enough for me. I have a brown thumb and a gardener's heart. Maybe this will help my thumb realize my heart's desires.

The Husband's Secret by Laine Moriarty sounds very interesting. And scary. What if we don't really know the person we think we know best? Eeek. (Out July 30th.)

I loved Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald and The Paris Wife, so I think Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman is right up my alley. (Out July 9th.)

I can't imagine dealing with my mom or anyone I love going though cancer treatment. I didn't even like typing the words. I think if it ever did happen, I'd find solace in books, so The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schawlbe intrigues me. I am 100% positive I'll need to have tissues handy. And I'm not a crier.

I've got others on my list, but these ten will probably be enough to get me started. What do you have on your reading list this summer?

Maya & Me & Maya

You know that silly question about who you would dine with--dead or alive-- if you could dine with anyone? My answer is Maya Angelou*. It has been since I read I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings in high school. I fell into a deeply respectful, awed kind of love at first read. Then I read everything she's written. Multiple times.

"Phenomenal Woman"? Empowering.

"And Still I Rise"? Breathtaking.

Those are just two of her poems. Her prose is just as painfully beautiful.

Imagine my delight when I saw that there would be another autobiographical book to add to her stunning collection. And it came out last week!!! Oh my great golly.

I read it in just over a day and I'm not entirely sure why I am just now blogging about it.

I highly recommend it. Angelou discusses her relationship with her mother and a bit about becoming a mother herself. I could relate to it far more than I could have a year ago. Though I don't have nearly the experiences Angelou has had, I do now have a much deeper understanding of all that motherhood entails. No, that's not even remotely true. Let me rephrase: I have a much deeper understanding of some of what motherhood entails. When I'm 85 like Angelou I might be able to say I have a deeper understanding of all that motherhood entails.

Anyway here's a passage I love: "She had my back and supported me. This is the role of the mother, and in that visit I really saw clearly, and for the first time, why a mother is really important. Not just because she feeds and also loves and cuddles and even mollycoddles a child, but because in an interesting and maybe an eerie and unworldly way, she stands in the gap. She stands between the unknown and the known."

Just read that again.

Seriously, do it.

Lovely, isn't it?

While this wasn't my favorite book by her, I did really enjoy it. She could probably write anything and I'd love it. I'm not picky. Or maybe she just always writes lovely things.

Probably the latter.

If you know me in real life you know it isn't the former. I'm pretty picky...

Who would you want to have dinner with?


* It is fortunate I've never been invited to dinner with Maya Angelou because I'd blubber like an idiot and embarrass myself. I'm not cool enough under pressure to survive dinner with someone like her (i.e. my "celebrity hero"). In fact, the thought of it actually happening makes me anxious.

My Twisted Book Club

I've mentioned my book club before. These days, I look forward to our meetings like I never have before. Most of the ladies in the club are my (former) coworkers and now that I'm not with them every day, catching up, discussing great reads, drinking wine and eating good food is such a bright spot in my life.

We try to tie in a food theme with each book. Sometimes that's easier said than done. Because of crazy schedules over the past few months, we ended up lumping two books into one meeting. We read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Gone Girl. Yeah. Pretty much on the opposite end of the literary spectrum, right?

Because I was hosting, I was responsible for suggesting a food theme. Absolutely nothing came to mind.

That is, until a stroke of genius struck me.

Twisted food.

Because of the double helix that Henrietta's cells helped discover and the twisted plot of Gone Girl.

Genius, right? (Modesty be damned.)

We had pasta salad with twisty pasta, a ridiculously good twisted chicken and broccoli dish, Twizzlers, disgusting chocolate wine (because the concept seemed twisted--and was), twist-top wine, chocolate covered pretzils, and these Nutella meringues (because marbled is almost like being twisted--we take liberties...), among other treats.

I highly recommend the meringues. They are easy to make, and anything with Nutella is heavenly.

I might have made them (and eaten most of them) again. They're almost fat free. And the sugar certainly doesn't convert to fat and go right to my hips...

We all enjoyed both books very much and had an interesting chat about both. We do actually discuss the books. Sometimes the discussions get quite heated. Not this time, though. It was a pretty demure conversation. I think I was the only one who didn't love Henrietta Lacks. I think my lack of love goes back to her skipping out on a literary festival at one of my alma maters. I probably should get over that.

This month we are reading Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver. It is absolutely stunning. I always forget how her prose reads exactly like poetry. So far, I highly recommend it.

What twisted dish would you have brought to our little party?

Books for Parents

I told you yesterday that I have stuck to one resolution in my whole life. Here it is.

If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a nerd. It's true, and I don't mind one bit.

One of my nerdiest endeavours is my book log. In 1999 I decided that I was going to resolve to read two books a month (or 24 books a year--sometimes months get hectic) starting on January 1, 2000. Because I have a terrible memory, I started writing down which books I read. Eventually the notebook entries got transferred to a spreadsheet (soooooo nerdy!) and now I have a digital log of all of the books I've read over the past 12 years.

Stop judging me. This is a safe space.

There have been a few years where I didn't reach my goal of 24 books. Other years I've greatly surpassed it. The cool thing about the log is that I can look at it and tell what was going on in my life each year. Tons of Brit. Lit? Finishing up my master's degree with back-to back Victorian literature classes. Fluffy beach reads? The year I got separated from my ex husband and spent the summer engrossed in more desirable, fictional worlds while laying on the beach. Books pertaining to pregnancy? 2012, the best year yet.

In looking back over my log, I realized that I read a lot of really interesting/ informational/funny/silly books on pregnancy and parenting and I thought I'd share some of them with you just in case your reading material is going to quickly shift from, say, Victorian literature to pregnancy and parenting books. Taking a trip to the bookstore and browsing the pregnancy/parenting aisle can be overwhelming. There are thousands of other titles that I'm sure are fantastic. These, though, are the ones that I picked up and enjoyed or found useful.

The Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy was my pregnancy Bible for all nine months. What to Expect, another popular title. was just a little too much for me. What I liked about this book over WTE was that instead of being scary with all of the possible things that can go wrong each month, there is a very handy chart at the start of each chapter that tells readers when/if a doctor should be consulted. It's very matter of fact and calm, like talking to your supportive doctor versus consulting Web MD. (Never do that while pregnant, BTW.)

This book is huge, but laid out in a way that is manageable. Each month is laid out as a chapter or section (then broken down to weeks), so I could focus on what was happening to my body, my mind and my baby. I'd read what kinds of changes to expect, what was normal, possible and concerning. I could go on about this book for pages, but I'll spare you. I'll end with this: if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or thinking about someday having a baby, this is the one book you need. If you touch nothing else from this list, do use this book as your basic all-in-one guide.

I got Beau My Boys Can Swim for Christmas last year. He kind of glanced at it, chuckled, and tossed it aside. A few days later, though he read it. It is only 112 pages and has pictures-- little cartoon-like drawings-- so it is totally easy and quick to read. It covers all of the stuff that guys should know about pregnancy (gas, hormonal surges, delivery, etc.) in a really funny, light way.

Some of the online reviews of this book suggest that author Ian Davis is insensitive and uninformed. When I purchased the book, I realized from the (perhaps a little offensive) title that it wasn't going to be like the Mayo Clinic book. Davis uses anecdotal events from his wife's one pregnancy to help other expectant dads out. It's like a new dad taking an expecting dad out for beers and a quick preggo-primer and this is something I think lots of first time dads would like. I know Beau has had quite a few conversations about pregnancy, parenthood, and childbirth with the guys at work to get the inside scoop.

I actually read the book before giving it to Beau. Some Amazon reviews suggest that anyone who enjoys the book is a moron who shouldn't reproduce. I happen to have enjoyed it and think I am the opposite of a moron. Instead of that harsh evaluation, I can say that anyone who enjoys this book is the kind of person who makes light of serious/sometimes scary/overwhelming situations and can have fun learning. I was stoked Beau read it. (But I was also stoked when he joined me at the maternity classes for some "real" information.)

From the Hips has a lot of overlap with Mayo Clinic. With that said, I'm glad I read both. This book uses lots of anecdotal information from "Anonymoms", which I generally found to be useful. The layout is a lot more fun, modern and playful. This book is kind of like sitting around with a variety of girlfriends who have all had babies, have had a glass of wine and are telling you the truth about their experiences. The tag line says this is an "open-minded" book and I really do think it is. For example, when it discusses breastfeeding it acknowledges that breastfeeding isn't for everyone, some people just can't get started for whatever reason, pumping and some work schedules just don't work, etc.

To be honest, I stopped reading the book when I got to the delivery portion. I wasn't really ready to read the anonymom accounts of that. It scared me a little and made me want to avoid the actual birth process. I think that reaction was because of where I was in my pregnancy when I started reading that section. When I looked over that section again after having Little Man, I'm not really sure what freaked me out so much.

But then, maybe that's because my birth experience was worse than the ones that had scared me in the book...

I think I was working at Barnes and Noble when this book was first published. I didn't read it then, but I hated it. I was so annoyed that a quasi-celebrity was trying to get back into the mainstream of pop culture by writing a book. I assumed she was vapid and unfunny.

I'm kind of a B-word, that way.

After the ladies on the pregnancy forum I was a part of raved about it, I thought maybe I could let that opinion slide and check it out. I'm glad I did. Jenny McCarthy is funny. I could relate to her. (She weighed her boobs--I totally wanted to do that!)

This book is irreverent and a little pointless, but it did offer chuckles and some relief because of her brutally honest reflections on what was happening to her body. I had quite a few "Thank God I'm not the only one" moments. I think that's important during pregnancy because at times you really do feel like you are the only one. (Despite thousands of years of pregnancy and childbirth..)

This book, like the two pregnancy "guides" above, should absolutely not be read from cover to cover in one sitting. When my sister-in-law lent it to me early in my pregnancy (at about 18 weeks) and I flipped through it, she advised me to tuck it aside and refer to it as I got to each stage addressed. So, when we got on the airplane a few hours later, I tried to read it from cover to cover. I think I made it three pages. She was right. Not only is it a lot, a first time mom has no way to really relate to any of the material. It was much more effective to read as I was going through each "stage" of nursing.

After Little Man was born I asked Beau to bring this book and the breast pump to the hospital and I began reading (and pumping...). It was very helpful. Each section has been equally helpful as I reach each milestone. In fact, I referred to the book just a few weeks ago when I was trying to figure out how to introduce solid food to Little Man and still breastfeed him.

I'll come back to it when it is time to wean him, too. Very handy and usefully organized.

I would say that most parents leave the hospital with their first baby not having a clue about what to do. Beau and I felt like that. We got home, put Little Man in his crib to nap and looked at each other with a dazed look on each of our faces. What the heck do we do with this human being? How do we not screw him up? Where is the instruction manual? This book was recommended to me by Cyndi. This is her Bible of childhood. I purchased it shortly after Little Man was born when Beau and I realized we had no idea what we were doing, what we should be looking for, or what to expect. It is kind of a five year extension of a pregnancy book in that it discusses changes to expect, milestones to reach, and various kid-things. Praise God.

It has become my baby Bible. Like the pregnancy books I discussed, a portion of this book is laid out in a super friendly way--month by month which I refer to as I reach each point in Little Man's development. It also deals with other topics which are so plentiful I'm just cutting and pasting a list from the Amazon book description to spare you guys the pain of my lengthy explanation:

• Basic care from infancy through age five
• Guidelines and milestones for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive growth
• A complete health encyclopedia covering injuries, illnesses, congenital diseases, and other disabilities
• Guidelines for prenatal and newborn care with sections on maternal nutrition, exercise, and screening tests during pregnancy
• An in-depth guide to breastfeeding, including its benefits, techniques, and challenges
• A complete guide for immunizations and updated information on vaccine safety
• A guide for choosing child care programs and car safety seats
• Ways to reduce your child’s exposure to environmental hazards, such as secondhand smoke
• Sections on grandparents, building resilience, media, and multiples
• New chapters on sleep and on allergies—including food allergies
• New content on prebiotics and probiotics, organic foods, and other healthy lifestyle topics
• And much more...
(Thanks Amazon!)

This thing is just shy of a thousand pages. It is basically the instruction manual you realized you needed when you came home with your first kid. I highly recommend it. as a very handy resource.

 

I was going to leave Bringing Up Bebe off my list, but when I really thought about it, I wanted you to know I enjoyed this book. Not all of it. But enough of it to find it very useful and informative. More than that, it was interesting. I really enjoyed looking at motherhood in a non-American context. I think part of my interest comes from being an educator. I see the good, the bad, and the ugly results of parenting. Given the ways kids have evolved in the thirteen years I've been in the classroom, perhaps the American methodology is not working. I really wanted to see how another culture approached parenting.

 

This book is not a Bible, nor does it intend to be. It is a book of observations on how the French style of parenting differs from that of the American style and that there might be some wisdom in the French style. Obviously, we are not in France, so to take this book as a how-to would be silly. Instead, I encourage new parents to look at this book as a sociological study on a different parenting style. Parts of the book made me want to be French--specifically the chapter on "doing their nights" and getting kids to eat real food. (Because a culture of sleeping babies who eat real, non-chicken finger meals appeals to me.) If you read this you might find yourself adopting parts of French parenting so that you, too, can have independent, sleeping, eating, polite, mindful children.

 

Or, maybe, you'll chuck the French style and adopt your own methods of creating independent, sleeping, eating, polite, mindful children. That is totally possible. No one, especially the author, is saying American babies have to be rude, dependent, cretins.

 

I probably have other titles I could recommend. This is a good enough list to get you started.

 

Do you have any suggestions? What worked for you?

Fifty Shades of Crimson

I have a confession.

I honestly feel like I might be the only living female who hasn't read the Fifty Shades trilogy. (Except for my mom. Please, mom, don't say you've read it...)

I wasn't going to do it. I start books and feel like I have to finish them. No matter how badly characterized or created, I always wonder what happened to the characters. I am sometimes (OK, frequently) guilty of starting sentences with "I have this friend who..." only to taper off and realize that "friend" is actually a fictional character in a book I just finished. Nerd problems, I guess.

I had heard Fifty Shades was a series of absolutely terrible writing. Who wants to immerse themselves in terrible writing? Well, besides the gazillion Twilight readers. (I read the first two, so feel that I can say that with no fear of perhaps being mistaken.)

But, there Fifty Shades was on my Kindle because Cyndi, my best friend in the whole wide world and Kindle account sharer, had purchased it out of curiosity a while back. (For the record, she couldn't get past the writing either; she never finished it.)

I started reading it last night. I haven't gotten to the dirty bits, but I do have to agree with those critics who have warned me against it. I'm not sure if I'll finish it or not. At this point I really don't care what happens to Anastasia. Or Gray. Neither one has made an impression on me despite steely gray eyes and those lips. Ugh.

Admittedly, though I have been trying to cast the characters. Right now Ian Somerhalder is in the running for Gray in my mind movie. I have Anne Hathaway as Anastasia, though I don't want to. She's in Les Mis right now for goodness sake. Why would she want to do this film? (Since it is being cast in my head I don't think it matters.)

So here I am contemplating if I should read it or move on to bigger and better things. Part of me wonders how so many readers can be wrong. All three of the books are on the New York Times' bestsellers list. The first book has been there for 37 weeks. Do you realize how long that is? There are only 52 weeks in a year, for Pete's sake. She's slowly creeping up on a year there. That should be reserved for good literature.

How is it that Louise Erdrich's National Book Award winning The Roundhouse isn't even on the NYT bestseller list? (If you've been paying attention to my little reading widget down on the right, you've noticed that it has been sitting in the "To Read" placeholder for a while. I'm ashamed that Fifty Shades pushed it aside in  my actual reading. I'm leaving the widget there; no one needs to be taken to Fifty Shades on Amazon with my help.)

I'm relieved that my copy of Fifty Shades is digital and I can hide that I'm reading it. In fact, I contemplated not confessing to anyone that I'm reading it. (That is why my title is "Fifty Shades of Crimson", though  I'm certain if I do decide to read on I'll have other valid reasons for this title.) The Kindle allows readers to read lovely prose or crap anonymously. When I see a Kindle reader I always assume they are reading something smart. That's the beauty of not having a cover to mar strangers' opinions of your tastes.(Oh, goodness, what if people see me holding my hot pink Kindle case and assume I'm reading erotica all the time. That thought had never crossed my mind.)

I digress...

 All of this "do I read, do I not read" thinking has really got me contemplating how we as a society spend our time. How is it that books like this and Twilight, TV shows like the Honey Boo Boo show (which I have not seen due to not having cable), Jerry Springer, etc. and music like the annoyingly catchy new Alicia Keys "This Girl is On Fire" are the big sellers? (All due respect to Alicia Keys. She's a good musician. She just needs to fire her lyricist for someone who can write something with a little more substance.)

Are we getting dumber as a society? Is that why these things are so, so, so successful? Or, are we a society of people who need to escape? Do these mindless books, TV shows and songs let us escape our own existence long enough to take a mind vacation? These are serious questions, dear readers. I really do worry that we are getting dumber. I like to think that bad media in general is escapism at its finest, but what if it isn't?

Am I just a snob? Am I the only one who worries about these things?

What is your mindless pleasure? Is it escapism for you? Did I successsfully plant "This Girl is On Fire" in your head? (You're welcome. I've had it in my head for days.)

I Heart Bread

If you know nothing about me, know this: I like to eat.

More than I should.

Specifically, I love, cake, ice cream, and bread. (Among many, many, many others.)

I've been trying to make decent bread for quite a while. It takes patience. I'm not super patient. Especially when it comes to food. You see why I haven't been able to really make a good loaf of bread. 

Yesterday when I was at the library I was looking through the cookbooks and came across this.

Obviously, I checked it out. I'm so glad I did.

I saw one review on Amazon calling it "bread porn." I suppose that is accurate, if not a little creepy. I personally don't like to think of my bread that way.

I like to think sweetly of bread. I like to recall living in England when I would walk to the grocery store in the village and get a bag of groceries with a fresh, crusty loaf of bread tucked in at the top of the bag. I'd eat a good chunk of that warm goodness on my walk home. Bread is innocent and comforting. The images and language in Flour Water Salt Yeast support that.

This is apparently the month for me to find great reading in the shape of cookbooks. (Remember this one?) I've literally been reading this book in all my spare time. (As in I sit engrossed in the text and the fantastic photography, not just flipping through and skimming recipes as I typically do.)

Author and baker Ken Forkish (what an appropriate name, right?) takes his readers step by step through his story from corporate man to baker, sharing his training as well as the inevitable roadblocks. He's a likable voice whose oft proclaimed "obsession" with artisan bread baking is contagious. After chapter 3--Equipment and Ingredients-- I wanted to fill up my shopping cart on Amazon to prep my kitchen. I wanted to start baking immediately and make that loaf on the cover.

Immediately.

Then, of course, I wanted to eat it.

Don't worry, Beau. I didn't fill my shopping cart. I only purchased one item that seemed absolutely necessary. It seems that this Le Creuset has one flaw. The knob is plastic. Plastic melts. So, I purchased a stainless steel one so I can bake me some bread this week without a melty knob on the lid.

The secret it seems, is in the dutch oven, since bread is really just the ingredients that make up the title of this text. That, and a little patience, should give me a good shot at a crusty, delicious loaf.

This week I will make one of Forkish's more basic breads. The leftover dough, he says, makes beautiful focaccia or pizza crust. I'm in bread heaven.

Hopefully after my successful first run, I'll be able to begin trying some of his more time consuming and nuanced recipes (that somehow still use only those four ingredients--bread magic).

If you have a baker or a wannabe baker in your life, this might make for a fantastic holiday gift!

Does the loaf of bread like the one on the cover of the book make you want to wander down cobblestone streets in Paris? Am I the only one who desperately wants to make good bread by hand?

Help...I'm Making Thanksgiving Dinner

OK, the title of this is maybe misleading. I'm totally not doing that. I can. I have, but it is my mom's job. She has told me many, many, many times, with no irony or sarcasm at all, that it is by far her favorite meal to make.

Because of that, I steer clear for the most part. I help her in the kitchen and I bring a dish or two, but it is her shebang. I don't really put much thought into it beyond what I'm going to bring whereas she is probably already working on the menu, making shopping and to do lists, etc.

I'm glad mom loves Thanksgiving so much. I actually don't. Call me un-American (well, not really, please), but I don't really like turkey all that much. Fruit pies are a waste of perfectly good pie crust. Sweet potatoes gross me out. Cranberry sauce seems pointless. Etc, etc. Bah! Humbug! To me, Thanksgiving is the green light for Christmas decor, carols, and sweaters. (And, obviously being thankful for the plenty that fills our lives in the form of family, friends, shelter, stuff.)

When I got a book from Goodreads Advance Readers (mentioned here) that was about preparing Thanksgiving, I wasn't as super stoked as I would have been if it had been a different cookbook to add to my collection. The book sat on my coffee table for a few days. Grudgingly I picked it up thinking that I would  flip through to find a side dish recipe inside and I'd do nothing more with it. (I do have to think about these things early because mummy dearest needs to know what I'm bringing so she can maintain up-to-date lists.)

I read it cover to cover. And liked it. I wanted it to be longer. (It is a skinny little thing; only 160 pages in length.) It isn't every day that I find a cookbook writer who can, well, write. Sam Sifton can write. He's got culinary and literary chops! He wrote (and edited!) for the New York Times. Did you know the New York Times had (still has?!?) a Thanksgiving dinner help desk website set up for harried, stressed Thanksgiving chefs at home? I had no idea. That desk was manned by our author for three years! That'll get you some turkey day street cred. I chuckled when I read about the help desk. I had visions of frantic questions about burnt crusts and unthawed turkey. I wonder who makes these posts. Not my mom. She's cool as a cucumber in the kitchen.

Sifton makes it clear from the start that he believes that this one meal out of the other 364 days of meals needs to be traditional. And so, his little manual takes the reader through a very traditional approach.

Butter. In this book, glorious butter is a NECESSITY. As it should be every day. Pie crusts should be homemade. Salad, he belabors at least four times, do not belong anywhere near Thanksgiving. Appetizers. No, no, no, no. Just no. Unless, said appetizers are oysters. Then yes.

See, I didn't know about these rules. I might have actually brought salad to Thanksgiving last year. (Never again Mr. Sifton. I promise.)

There is nothing new about this book. It is not full of experimental, trendy recipes for the holiday. Instead it is full of traditional, tried-and-true dishes that absolutely belong on the dinner table. Chapter two is entitled "The Turkey" and it is a comprehensive chapter on thawing, seasoning/brining, cooking (including grilling and frying), carving and serving the centerpiece of the meal. There's not just one recommended approach, but an entire chapter. I like that.

There is a chapter on table setting, serving, and etiquette (chapter five) that is just lovely. This chapter calls to mind the Norman Rockwell painting with the family seated at the table with dishes served family style. Paper and plastic, Sifton says, are abominations of tradition. Thank you. (And thank you mom for always making Thanksgiving an occasion for china and silver, even if I had to polish and then hand-wash.)

I could go one about all eight of the chapters, but I won't. I will, though, mention that chapter six, "Drinks & Drinking" encourages drinking. Thanksgiving is, after all, a celebration. While Sifton doesn't encourage getting blitzed and belligerent, he does remind the reader that the meal is a long one, part of a long day of preparation and digestion. Drink, he says. Be merry. Wine, should flow in abundance. A bottle per person? Absolutely not unrealistic! Imbibing while cooking. Go for it. (With moderation, obviously.) This is not an uptight book, is my point.

Sifton is not unclear about his expectations of this holiday meal. He delivers these expectations in a wonderfully cheeky and conversational way. I'm a nerd about tone. Cookbooks, as a rule, seem to be stuffy and without any sort of discernible--or at least enjoyable--tone. This one though, breaks that rule. (As a note, I'm not positive I can actually classify this a cookbook, though. It is hard to classify. It has recipes, but they are not the bulk.)

In his introduction, Sifton says the following: "Thanksgiving is likewise not a book for those interested in cutting corners. Shortcuts are anathema to Thanksgiving, which is a holiday that celebrates not just our bounty but also our slow, careful preparation of it. There is no room in Thanksgiving for the false wisdom of compromise--for ways to celebrate the holiday without cooking, or by cranking open cans of gravy to pour over a store-roasted turkey reheated in the microwave. Thanksgiving is no place for irony. We are simply going to cook."

Did you ever imagine lovely prose about Thanksgiving? I would have thought it impossible. Sifton makes the impossible possible. And natural. He is poetic at times, funny at others, clear and articulate. This book was an absolute joy to read.

Another reason I'm not sure it is fully a cookbook is its lack of glossy photos. Instead, the book has beautifully sketched drawings and diagrams (like a properly set table) by Sarah Rutherford. These drawings are the perfect accompaniment to the text. Glossy photos of a glistening turkey and laughing people around a perfectly set table are just too cliche for this book.


Lacking any nod toward cliche are these drawings. Chapter one opens with this one.

 

Beautiful. Understated. Traditional. Just like the book.

 

Whether this is your first time preparing the Thanksgiving meal, or your 30th, I recommend Thanksgiving: How to Cook It Well to get you thinking about the meal that is (happily/terrifyingly/ ominously?) looming this month.

 

Mr. Sifton, I'm now officially excited about Thanksgiving this year!

 

Are you making Thanksgiving dinner? Do you believe in Sifton's steadfast rules of no salad, set the table, eat Turkey, etc.? Does anyone out there shuck oysters on Thanksgiving? Am I missing something?

Immortality and Heights

Somehow over the course of two English degrees (and four years of high school classes), I never read Wuthering Heights. It is one of those books that has been on my "To-Read" list since high school, but it has never happened. Now, on October 8th, a film adaptation is being released here in the States. I can't see the movie before I read the book. Therefore it has just moved up on my list.

But, since I have a baby at home, and I'm not sure I could convince Beau that our big date night should involve 19th century British romance, I probably won't see it in the theatres. At least that gives me a little more time to read the novel. It is rather lengthy.

The trailer makes it look dark and mysterious. Sultry, too.

 

Apparently, this is the first time that Heathcliff has been portrayed as a black man in a film. From articles and such that I've read, the text supports it. In this day and age, I wonder why that distinction/rationalization even needs to be made. Funny that we--modern 21st century Americans--might be more uptight than 19th century Brits. Imagine that. (And to my non-American readers, feel free to choose to be lumped in that "we" or not. Totally your call.)

 

Here's James Howson as Heathcliff.

 

 

 

(photo from here)

 

Masterpiece Theatre made a miniseries a few years ago. They cast Tom Hardy.

 

 



(photo from Masterpiece)

 

And really, who cares what Bronte said he looked like when you can cast him... (No disrespect to Howson who is handsome as well. Not quite Hardy handsome, but who is, right?)

 

I may have to also watch this version. To, um, compare the versions. Yeah.

 



Before I pick up some Bronte, I need to finish The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

This is another title that has been on my list for some time. It is what my book club is reading this month. My choice! Whoo hoo.

 

I always get a little nervous when it is my choice. I don't want people to hate it and think I have terrible taste in books. I'm hoping this book is well received.

 

I'm about 15% done (Amazon destroyed page numbers for Kindle owners!) and liking it so far. I need to get cracking before Friday. I find, though, that if I read it too early, I forget the good stuff because I've read other books and then I don't participate in the discussion much. Nerd problems, right?

 

What are you reading? Is there anything on your list that has been camped there for ages?

A Rose by any Other Name

I recently read Cheryl Strayed's Wild. It was an interesting memoir. I didn't fall in love with it and I certainly wouldn't enthusiastically recommend it to every person I meet. With that said, I did enjoy the read. And it is worth reading if you've got a bit of free time and are interested in hiking, the California wilderness, or a woman's quest for healing and discovery.

(Images from my Instagram... Yeah, I took those. Cool, huh?)

I finished reading Wild in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, not far from the famous Appalachian Trail. Since a good portion of this book takes place in the mountains of California and Oregon on The AT's sister trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, I found Strayed's descriptions to be fascinating and vivid. I almost wanted to don a backpack and hike the oh-so-close AT 'till my toe nails fell off. Ok, no, that's a lie. I didn't want that at all.

Anyway, the author, Cheryl Strayed, writes about how she changed her name after she and her husband Paul divorced. "...I pondered the question of my last name, mentally scanning words that sounded good with Cheryl and making lists of characters from novels I admired. Nothing fit until one day when the word strayed came into mind. Immediately I looked it up in the dictionary and I knew it was mine. Its layered definitions spoke directly to my life and also struck a poetic chord..."

The passage got me thinking about what name I would have chosen had I decided not to keep my married name after my divorce. As a person passionate about words, it seemed like a really difficult and permanent change. I mean, your identity is wrapped up in your name. The thought of making the choice for myself seems too big, too scary.

I, too, would probably have first thumbed trough the list of character names from novels that made an impression on me. (Amy Eyre...) I would have very seriously considered Beckham--for obvious reasons. I would have given way too much thought to the significance of choosing a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc. Would it be an English word? Or something less obvious like a sexy French word that translates to an English word that carries significance in my world? (Amy Paroles, perhaps?)

I'm so glad glad that I didn't have to face the pressure of picking a name. I just had to pick the right guy to give me a new name. That happened, gasp, last week. But that, my friends, is a post still to come.

If you got to pick a last name that fit you, what would it be? Why?

Sand Bucket List

I've actually been thinking about bucket lists quite a bit lately. I've got a post rattling around in my head about them. (Oooh, something to be on the lookout for! Exciting. Suspenseful!)

And then I came across this today.

(Image from Amazon. You want a copy too, I bet. Here's a link to save you the trouble...)

The clever subtitle says it all: "366 things to do with your kids before they grow up." I'm a realist, I know Little Man will be heading off to college and the real world before I know it.

I really want this book.

And then, after I read it, I want to make a family Sand Bucket list with Beau. Items I'd include: take a Disney cruise, camp, do something tangibly memorable (does that make sense??) each first day of school, have a garden, etc. I know Beau would like to sail the Mediterranean as a family, so that would go on there, too. (Hard to say no to that!)

What would be on your family Sand Bucket List?

Ten Girls to Watch

I have a Goodreads profile--just what I need, another digital forum to keep track of--because I thought it would be a good way to see what books my friends are reading, what titles have gotten good reviews, etc. I had no idea that the site had other benefits to it. One of those benefits is giveaways of advanced copies of books. The idea is that Goodreads members get them, read them and review them and then followers want to read the book. It is good old fashioned word-of-mouth marketing in a digital forum. So I entered a few contests and I won a book! It is Charity Shumway's Ten Girls to Watch. (Actually, I won two books, but I haven't touched the second one yet...)

I was a little doubtful when I got my copy of the book, but i gave it a chance during my many, many, many hours of breastfeeding. (Awesome opportunity to read, BTW.) I ended up liking it quite a bit. It is a pretty good summer read if you're looking for a mindless chick-lit type book. Think something along the lines of a Jennifer Weiner book or The Devil Wears Prada and you've got a pretty good idea of what you're in store for.

Here's the review I wrote for Goodreads.

**********
Of there was a 3.5 star option, this book would have that, I'm feeling generous, so it got a four rather than the three it probably should have earned. Here's why:

Ten Girls to Watch is classic chick lit: Nice girl goes to NYC to make it big as a writer and finds herself struggling. She fumbles through relationships, friendships and work with equal parts self-deprecation, snark, and earnestness. Astute readers can glean where this book is headed from page one.

Here's the thing- In all of its early predictability, the book shifts toward plot developments that aren't as expected as that first page suggests. That's not to say there is a whole lot of depth or literary merit to it (it won't be up for book awards), but it is an absolutely enjoyable summer read. Shumway has written a novel that will sell well and will entertain readers even if it doesn't win literary awards.

Shumway has created a very likable protagonist who, through a really cool writing assignment, gets to come of age with some advice from successful, accomplished women. This is woven into the plot very effectively and never once hovers in the land of preachy-ness that it very easily could have landed in. 

This is a book I'll recommend to girlfriends who are off to the beach or on vacation. Like other titles of this genre, it is a feel-good departure from the world. Unlike those others, it manages to end pretty realistically without some gag-worthy, sugary sweet group hug that is often the norm. More importantly, though, Dawn is carefully crafted into a character I could see myself being friends with. Shumway managed to make this reader want to see Dawn through all of the ups and downs of her early twenties.


**********


In my defense, I wrote that on my iPhone while breastfeeding a baby, so I know it could be a little bit better, but these days I do the best I can with the time I'm given by the little man.


The book comes out this week--Tuesday (July 31) to be exact. Go ahead and preorder it, then go lounge by the pool or at the beach and enjoy some mindless (but well written!) summer reading.


What's your favorite summer read?

I Believe I'm Published

Last year I wrote a little essay for a collection my school system was compiling. The prompt was: What do you believe in? It is based on the NPR series This I Believe. I tried to be creative. Really I did. But after many starts and stops and [Ctrl] [A]s followed by [delete]s,  I finally wrote about what I really believe in. Words.

I know, I know, cliche much? I'm an English teacher. I blog. Of course I believe in words. Nothing else I could come up with really felt like a to-the-core-down-in-my-soul belief. Though, ice cream was a close second...

I got my copy of the book today. My essay is on page 38. A very large picture of me is on page 39. Not everyone got two pages. I'm not sure why I did... I look like I'm not breathing.

But there I am. Ain't no denying it, I'm that girl who wrote that essay that was published. In a book. With a bar code and an ISBN number. For real, people!

While it isn't the "write a book" that is high up on my bucket list, it is a start. And frankly, it feels nice to know that those words I believe in so strongly mattered to someone.

There were over 400 essays submitted. I was one of 58 to be chosen. To me, it is a small step in the right direction.

So there you have it. They'll give anyone a byline and a bar code these days...

What's big on your bucket list? Are you going to just tackle it or take baby steps like me?

Guilt and Manipulation

I've mentioned before that my dear friend Cyndi and I share a Kindle account. Sometimes she accuses my tastes in literature of being a bit morbid. Or dark. Or depressing. Whatever.

When I purchased this month's book club book (The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East) I warned her that it might will be one of those sadly poignant books that she doesn't necessarily love to read. (Though I think this one might not be as dark and depressing as others I have recommended to her.)

For the record, this book was not my choice. I hadn't even heard of it. Any morbidity, darkness or depression is purely coincidental. (Geesh, C, that stuff sells.)

A few days later Cyndi had her own book recommendation for me. She even downloaded the sample.

Well, I started reading and had to purchase the book as soon as I finished the teaser that Kindle provides. Elizabeth Beckwith is funny. Funny in a way that I can really relate to. (Read= weird and quirky.)

I'm only about halfway done with it, but so far I recommend it to anyone who has a sense of humor. And since you read this blog I can only assume that you appreciate funny. Or those who think they are funny.

So if you had to choose between a snarky book about how parents can use guilt and manipulation to raise nerdy, neurotic (but innocent and not slutty) kids or a serious and moving text about religious strife in the Middle East, which would you turn to first?

I'll let you know how The Lemon Tree is right after I finish my mindless, light read.

New, Secret Book

** This was supposed to post Tuesday morning. So much for scheduling my posts in advance...

There is a book that came out today and I can't tell you about it yet because it is a late birthday present for my dear dear friend Cyndi. She also happens to be one of my loyal followers and only regular commenter, so I can't disclose information until I know her copy is in her hands. (Come on USPS, do your thing.)

I know this seems like a silly post to be writing now (you know, before I can actually say anything of substance about the book...), but I am so excited about it and can't quite contain myself. I'm so excited that I had to get myself a copy, too. (Big shocker there, huh?) I needed to be able to discuss it with Cyndi. My purchse of a copy was for purely intellectual reasons.

Cyndi and I share a Kindle account because we tend to have the exact same taste in books (except for the strange German book she ordered). This book, though, will be a real live book with pages. (Yes, in my mind books are living, breathing entities. Don't judge my choice of phrasing.)  It'll have a hard cover. It needs to be held, it's weight felt and the crack of the spine heard. Some books need to be opened and pages turned. Some books deserve to live on a book shelf and be pulled down from time to time to be revisited. It is kind of like having Facebook friends. Some of them are just there digitally and you interact with them infrequently in that Zuckerman created cyber-land. Some, though, you actually invite over for dinner and share physical space with.

This book has art. And poetry. And it is by my all time favorite writer. And I might have just given away too much information for my dear Cyndi. If I did, I hope she's excited for the mail. If she isn't, I hope she pretends to be.

So, later this week look for a review of sorts on a book. And you will want to buy it. And I will give you a direct link. This friend is one you should all invite to dinner.

Does anyone see the irony in my book label being "Kindleworthy" when I have just gone on about how this is the opposite of being a Kindle text?

(All images via Pinterest)

Who is your favorite author? Do you share my philosophy on books?

Movie Night

Beau and I have been dating for just over 18 months. I knew shortly into our first date that he was a wonderful man and that I'd see him again. (I was, of course, making the bold assumption that  I was charming him as much as he was charming me.) Obviously, I saw him again. (thus making me charming?) I actually saw him the very next day. I liked him that much.

What was it about that first date that got me? Aside from being so stinking handsome, he was also articulate, smart, well-read, and funny. I'd hit the online dating jackpot. I could go on with adjectives to further demonstrate my good fortune, but you get the point.

Some people put no value in a person being well read. I do. So, when beau recommended a few books to me on that first date I was more than impressed.

One book that he talked about (the only one that I have yet to read, actually) was Moneyball. He spoke at length about this one. Beau is from Massachusetts and was born a Red Socks fan. He experienced many, many cursed years as a member of that particular fan club. The ideas and principles in creating a team in Oakland that Michael Lewis pontificated about in Moneyball were the same tactics that the Red Socks later employed. Two years later they won the World Series. Because of that, Moneyball resonated with beau.

When the movie came out last week he wanted to see it. As much as I dislike staring at Brad Pitt for two hours, I decided I would see it even though I hadn't read the book yet.

And you know what? It is a really good movie. It is the basic underdog story. It is true. It is funny. It is believable. It is smart. It is about baseball. What more could you ask for in a sports story?

Once again, beau was dead on. I will continue to read the books that he recommends (except for the ones that are on the stock market...), I will continue to try to charm him, and I will continue to find him to be stinking handsome, charming, articulate, and well read.

What's the last movie you saw? Does a well read person make you swoon?