Profound.

Impressive.

Gaiman has an amazing world view.  Although I cannot say that I get through his novels at a speedy pace, they are really, really good and completely original.

How to describe this book? Part mythology, part character, part story, part redemption? To have been a fly on the wall when Gaiman and Pratchett were in to their cups telling stories would have been a truly magical thing.  I am sitting here wondering what to write about this book.  It is truly a different kind of fantasy book, one that raises some really interesting points along the way. Gaiman is truly brilliant, and I am reminded of writers like Christopher Moore in a way, where their intelligence catches you a bit off guard, and the stories are just so unique that you have to digest them before you can truly understand how they have impacted you.

Here a few random quotes to give you an impression of this book:

From chapter 10 (this one struck home a little having a few folks close to me enjoy gambling)

• There is a secret that the casinos possess, a secret they hold and guard and prize, the holiest of their mysteries. For most people do not gamble to win money, after all, although that is what is advertised, sold, claimed, and dreamed. But that is merely the easy lie that gets them through the enormous, ever-open, welcoming doors.
  The secret is this: people gamble to lose money. They come to the casinos for the moment in which they feel alive, to ride the spinning wheel and turn with the cards and lose themselves, with the coins, in the slots. They may brag about the nights they won, the money they took from the casino, but they treasure, secretly treasure, the times they lost. It's a sacrifice, of sorts.

From chapter 11 - this passage has stayed with me, and not just because the John Donne quote -

• No man, proclaimed Donne, is an Island, and he was wrong. If we were not islands, we would be lost, drowned in each other’s tragedies. We are insulated (a word that means, literally, remember, made into an island) from the tragedy of others, by our island nature, and by the repetitive shape and form of the stories. The shape does not change: there was a human being who was born, lived, and then, by some means or another, died. There. You may fill in the details from your own experience. As unoriginal as any other tale, as unique as any other life. Lives are snowflakes — forming patterns we have seen before, as like one another as peas in a pod (and have you ever looked at peas in a pod? I mean, really looked at them? There’s not a chance you’d mistake one for another, after a minute’s close inspection), but still unique.

• Without individuals we see only numbers: a thousand dead, a hundred thousand dead, "casualties may rise to a million." With individual stories, the statistics become people — but even that is a lie, for the people continue to suffer in numbers that themselves are numbing and meaningless. Look, see the child’s swollen, swollen belly, and the flies that crawl at the corners of his eyes, his skeletal limbs: will it make it easier for you to know his name, his age, his dreams, his fears? To see him from the inside? And if it does, are we not doing a disservice to his sister, who lies in the searing dust beside him, a distorted, distended caricature of a human child? And there, if we feel for them, are they now more important to us than a thousand other children touched by the same famine, a thousand other young lives who will soon be food for the flies’ own myriad squirming children?
  We draw our lines around these moments of pain, and remain upon our islands, and they cannot hurt us. They are covered with a smooth, safe, nacreous layer to let them slip, pearllike, from our souls without real pain.
  Fiction allows us to slide into these other heads, these other places, and look out through other eyes. And then in the tale we stop before we die, or we die vicariously and unharmed, and in the world beyond the tale we turn the page or close the book, and we resume our lives.
  A life that is, like any other, unlike any other.

From chapter 18

• None of this can actually be happening. If it makes you more comfortable, you could simply think of it as metaphor. Religions are, by definition, metaphors, after all: God is a dream, a hope, a woman, an ironist, a father, a city, a house of many rooms, a watchmaker who left his prize chronometer in the desert, someone who loves you — even, perhaps, against all evidence, a celestial being whose only interest is to make sure your football team, army, business, or marriage thrives, prospers, and triumphs over all opposition.
  Religions are places to stand and look and act, vantage points from which to view the world.

• People believe, thought Shadow. It's what people do. They believe. And then they will not take responsibility for their beliefs; they conjure things, and do not trust the conjurations. People populate the darkness; with ghosts, with gods, with electrons, with tales. People imagine, and people believe: and it is that belief, that rock-solid belief, that makes things happen.

• "This is a bad land for gods," said Shadow. As an opening statement it wasn't Friends, Romans, countrymen, but it would do. "You've probably all learned that. The old gods are ignored. The new gods are as quickly taken up as they are abandoned, cast aside for the next big thing. Either you've been forgotten, or you're scared you're going to be rendered obsolete, or maybe you're just getting tired of existing on the whim of people."

• Shadow shook his head. "You know," he said, "I think I would rather be a man than a god. We don’t need anyone to believe in us. We just keep going anyhow. It’s what we do."

Move differently.

Happy St. Patrick's day!  I suspect that there may just be a Guinness in my future later on. 

Well, that was my portion of Spring Break and now I am back to warming my desk chair again.  I made the mistake of checking my email from home last week and found out I made a few mistakes.  I truly learned (again, most likely) that I have hard time making mistakes. I really don't want to make mistakes.  Sometimes we are our own worst enemy and it was we overlook that causes the mistakes, or the things we make assumptions about. There is a process of accepting a mistake, and being able to discuss it objectively, and then being able to learn and move on from it.  I guess I am lucky that it happened when I was off so I have time to process and reflect upon what happened before I get to discuss them in depth.  They weren't huge mistakes, just stuff I need to be called on.  I think a year ago I would have been more hostile about it, and now I am more open to the moulding that is happening - it does make me a better career person, if I chose to listen to these lessons.

The other piece I am trying to train my brain to spend some time on, is what do I need from my manager?  Honestly.  Not just throwing something out there and running away from it or being afraid of hurting someone's feeling, but actually talking about what my needs are, what I need to move forward.  It is a process, and one I think we need to get there together.  Work relationships do require effort if you want to go anywhere.

I also realized that sometimes I hold on to negative feelings.  I can also be judgemental at times.  I say this because I think at times I am nervous of being judged and not being found worthy.  I think that is why I am usually trying to be busy, or productive, or being able to demonstrate the things I can do or have done.  So crazy. 

I spoke to a friend about some of the stuff floating through my, and she made the comment that sometimes we need to "move differently".  This thought really resonated with me.  It isn't always about what is or isn't working, it is perhaps about what you can do differently, or even think a different thought about, even take a look at an issue from a new angle.  So that is what I am going to try to do, move a little differently.  Where I am at, is okay.  There are things I would like to change.  I am reading more, I am knitting again, I hope our money is getting back under control, and the kids seem to be doing alright.  I want more exercise for all of us, and I do really want to lose some weight. I am feeling a bit self conscious, even if my weight hasn't really changed in years. This is something I want to change.  I want to have 30 minutes a day where I spend on physical activity outside of walking on my lunch.  If I can involve my family, even better.  So this is part of how I want to move differently. I have thought about crafting a 30 day challenge for myself, so I have something measureable, so I can prove to myself it helped.  I seem to need those measurable goals to help achieve. I do like cataloging, and being able to see results (hence this blog, even if all I have done in the past few years is track my books... it has helped me).

It also helps to use this space as a space to let my thoughts spin out, and curl in to their own patterns. Even if I don't spend a lot of time re-reading posts (although I have been known to go back and look to see where my head space was at), for me, the process of thinking these thoughts and then articulating them is huge.  It is like that for me with writing process manuals.  Once they are done, aside from revisions, I don't really go back to them much unless there has been a big break of time in between times that I have done it.

I am also putting it out there to the universe that camping for the May Long weekend would be a glorious thing, and I have some ideas of where to go.  You can't reserve where I want to go, and it is within 3 hours away.  We shall see.

Good entry in to the series...

Hello, old friend.  It feels like it has been years since I have read a Heironymous Bosch novel.  I have missed you.  These are great novels.  Maybe because it has been so long since I have read one from this series, I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I like that Bosch has aged and moved throughout his career, I am just sad that because of this, it means that one day, Connelly may have to dedicate his time to other characters... (which frankly isn't so terrible).  It is funny how we become attached to certain characters, and we want to know what happens to them next, even if it is just a fiction.  This was a solid novel, and introduced a new partner for Bosch - a fiesty woman with a bit of a storied past.  I enjoyed the banter, and I found as turned the last pages, I had to laugh that Bosch was in trouble again with his superiors, and that the cliffhanger had me checking Connelly's website to make sure that there would be more Bosch in the future.  If you like crime series, this is great.  I lilke that Bosch is a noble, yet flawed bad boy of a character.  He is far from perfect, but his intentions are good.

Spring Break is almost gone! This week off has not really felt like a week off.  Sure, it has been productive, and I feel like we accomplished stuff, but I can't say we did anything spectacular or memorable.  We did get a lot of errands done, spent some time with family, C played his first hockey games and we wound up his season, I read some books, finished off Season One of GOT (who knew, I like it), and I have started knitting a pair of socks for C.  Surprisingly enough - I think that I can finish off a pair of socks for him in about two weeks... then I can make B a pair.  Both have been hankering for new pairs.  Now that I have made 4 pairs, I have a lot more confidence about what I am doing.  I look back a few years when I was making my first pairs, and it was intimidating.  I made a few dishclothes, and I found the cotton felt strange because it was so  much heavier than sock yarn! Even if we both cover a week of SB next year, I think we will need to figure out a weekend trip between the 4 of us.. not going away during a break doesn't really make it feel like much of a break.  I could also whine about that SB does not really need to be 2 weeks long... it feels like the kids are out of school for TOO LONG.  Speaking of great intentions, I had intended to do more work on writing, and math, and letters, and look.. our time is almost done.  Ah well.. put it on the list....

 

Before, and after.

Ok. I admit it.  There are some authors that I find, and I can't wait until they release their next book. There are so many different reasons to enjoy authors - some are pure escape and almost a guilty pleasure (like Nora Roberts), some are well crafted novels of a different genre (crime novelists like Peter Robinson and Michael Connelly), some chick lit (like SAA), some fantasy, some YA, some big "L" literary novels that help keep me sharp.  A good book transports us somewhere, teaches us something, makes us laugh, cry, release emotion, rethink or have a new thought. 

Ever since I read Garden Spells, I have really enjoyed SAA books.  A little bit of magical realism, some great characters, some quirkiness.  They are quick reads, and after I turn the last page, I always seem to have a whimsical smile on my face.  This latest book was no different.  Of course, now that I have read it, I have no idea how long I will need to wait until she releases her next novel. Oddly enough, my favourite authors also have their own lives to lead, and not just to entertain their fans.

This was a good book - this continued the story of the Waverly sisters (from Garden Spells) and we catch up with them several years after the first book… in the weeks leading up to the 'first frost'.  For the sisters and their kin, this is a time of transition - from summer to fall, harvest, waiting for things to happen, waiting for Halloween and then next phases.  It is a time of anticipation, and heightened senses and tensions, and a time for confrontations that hopefully lead to communication.  Very quick read, perfect for Spring Break.  The biggest problem of taking popular books out from the library is the quick turnaround time… American Gods has been bumped for a week.

One quote really struck me from this novel - that moment in your life where there is a "before" and where there is "after". In this novel, part of that happens when the first frost happens.  I would need to leaf through the book to find the exact quote (which I may add later on, no promises though since I loaned the book to my mom on a quick turnaround promise before it is due).

For me, I can think of several turning points in my life.  This idea has stayed with me since I finished this book because it did capture an idea that I have returned to a few times in the last several years.  Having kids definitely changes you, in mostly positive ways. I am definitely a less selfish person than I was, hopefully more rounded, although definitely not less busy.  When I think about before, and after, now I think about Ken and I standing on the line heading in the OR at Children's Hospital, the night that B had his operation to manage hydrocephalus.  We handed him over to our neurosurgeon, it was about 11:00pm, he had a large "x" sharpied on his left side (that was where they would place the shunt), and we were both terrified for our son.   This was truly the moment "before" and "after" for me.  So many things in my life led up to that moment, and so much has happened since.  I am still the same person, but in so many ways, I am not quite the same person I was.  I still value so many of the same things, but moments like that change you and leave their mark.  I am so grateful for the outcomes we have had, for the strength of the bond that I have with my husband, and for my two, happy and healthy children.  This was a moment, where there was the life we knew, and the life we would know.  There have been a few moments like that for me, and for us as a couple, and that is the power of literature to help you remember, and to help articulate some of these moments, even if the language and circumstances are different, to capture part of the feeling and the impact.

End of the latest Roberts trilogy...

It is a returning theme in my life to jest that it is either Friday or Monday… and it never seems to be any of the days in between because time seems to move so quickly.

I am glad that I borrowed all three books at the same time, and could get through them pretty much in one go.  It would irk me waiting for each one to come out since it is easy to drop the thread as you get distracted from other business.

With the first two books, I was really feeling like I had read this trilogy under a different title - having read so many NR books (and she is able to crank out so many a year) there is a bit of a feeling to her books.  I do like the themes, I like the characters, and as I have mentioned, they are feel good novels that resolve with happy endings.  Some times we all need to read a happy ending and enjoy the escape these kinds of novels bring.

Likely I should have tried to summarize this novel before I was distracted by life and a few more books that I have read since finishing this one and working a little magic of my own with the published dates of these blog entries.  I like the magical element, it does bring the book to a climax, I thought it may have involve the abby in the finale (and it didn't) and all sorts out as it should.  Was it an amazing book? Nope, but it was enjoyable, especially when you have an idea of what you are signing up for. There are always some great moments, and this book reminded that I would like to travel to Ireland again one day - I want to knit myself an Irish sweater (and maybe order a new one and get it shipped - one of the 2 I bought in 1995 finally gave up the ghost and I had to throw it out - it got full of holes, quickly, it was heart breaking.. the two sweaters I bought in Ireland were the most money I think I had ever spend on myself for clothes… I still don't spend a lot… although am more willing to spend more for an article of clothing that is meant to last… considering I got almost 20 years out of my $100 sweater, pretty sweet.  The other one is still going strong… although as mentioned, I would like another one since I have had this one for a few years, go figure). There was also lots of mentions of good food, good beer, and good times in the kitchen.

The middle novel.

A fast speedy read, and oddly enough, I chose to review this one after book 3 (yes, revisionist history with my dates to keep the books I have read in chronological order on my blog).

I am sitting here staring at this white space trying to think of something profound to say about this novel, and failing.  These books are good at the end of the day, but they don't always strike deep.  They are truly more escapist, and about the happy ending more than me learning something new (whether or not it is about myself).

I could blame the music in the background - I am going to watch Episode 6 of the first season of Game of Thrones when I finish this… which is a little more provocative than this series is… What I could say is that it feels like I am shifting in to a different head space again - a little more clear, a little  more able to think and be in the moment than the past few years.  It has been stressful.  Lots of learning, and lots of worrying.  Lots of personal growth.  I think this is the part of my life where I have become a woman, and a mom.  Not just a worker, transitioning in to more of a leadership role and being comfortable in it. At times, I wish for perhaps a little more advise, or words spoken, or more time to reflect.. which given how many more words I am blogging in 2015, may be a sign that I am starting to take that reflection time a little more seriously. So, the series, yah, interesting enough.  Still makes me want to go Ireland, go to the pub with my man, hoist a guinness, go for a horseback ride, maybe falcon, immerse myself in fields of green and misty showers.

Yet another take on the "other" voice

Another completely different book. I do believe that sometimes the right books fall in to our lap at the right time.

This novel has a pretty good twist in it, so I won't give a lot of the plot details just because it is nice to be surprised when it comes.

I really enjoyed this book.  This is book that proclaims to start in the middle, uses a fair bit of psychology and remembered truths, and weaves in and out of past, present, and future.

Since I am presenting to B's class about what it is like to have CP, it is interesting to read these two books back to back.  Especially since both deal a fair bit of personality traits, and a fair bit of same and other.  It also makes me appreciate that in life you can never read enough, or ask enough questions.  Having an open, curious mind is one of the best qualities any of us can have.  Well worth a read, a completely different kind of book.  I had meant to write this entry with the book in hand so I could add in some quotes, but alas, life moves on.

A different voice...

What an unexpected joy!

 

I turned the last page night, and I had to flip around the book for more! I had no idea what to expect from this book, except that it was popular and I had picked up the second book (The Rosie Effect) and started to thumb my way through it when I quickly realized that I should read the first book, first.

 

It is a quick, enjoyable, crisply written novel.  Although never expressly revealed, the protagonist likely has Asperger's syndrome and is quite high functioning.  Don has a refreshing voice, and there are some lovely character reveals along the way.  It is funny, and light-hearted, and at times, a little more serious.  Well worth a read.  I am not sure when I will read the next book - I think that Don would get old if you read too much of him all at once, however, don't take that as a detraction of this novel.

 

Speaking of Autism... I have read a few books now that deal with Autism... and it seems that the face of Autism we are getting through literature are those that could be diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (high functioning, highly intelligent, emotionally detached, etc) in books such as "Look me in the Eye" (another good book) or "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night" (didn't leave a huge impression for me).  Autism is a spectrum, and the kids I have interacted with that have autism are a different breed again from the portrait being portrayed in these novels.  I couldn't imagine the challenges for parents with low functioning autistic kids.  Like anything, you get used to your 'new normal', but the rewards are so different.  Communication would be so tough - especially with non-verbal or violent kids.  You would question so much of yourself as a parent, it is a tough road to walk.  I am learning interesting lessons in my own journey.  Having a son with a gross motor disability isn't always easy and our journey is different than that of other parents.  I am struggling a bit with the part that we participate in "teachable moments" to help people understand his type of cerebral palsy and why he walks different or why his balance is off, and that there are 3-4 other kids in his class with behavioural disabilities and it never gets spoken about.  In the classroom, these kids have EAs, but no one ever explains to the other kids why they hit, or run away out of the classroom, or why these kids get time in a "sensory room" and they don't. For me, there is a bit of a disconnect, especially even for younger kids, who frankly don't have the language or the experience to understand why they can't do all the things that these kids can (such as in a kindergarten classroom).  Yes, the other kids are accepting of these kids (they don't have a choice), however, they aren't also being given a lot of tools to understand rather than just "tolerate" the other kids and how their behaviours may or may not impact their own day.

 

I am developing some of my own personal theories about all of this - behavioural or psychological disabilities are in your face, and these people are a problem as a result.  They are hard to ignore, and can often be a safety concern.  A kid like my son, he may fall in to you, or get tired, or not move as fast, but otherwise he is easy to blend in. There is a lot of intervention therapy for autism, but for kids like my son that are high functioning gross motor, there isn't. With two working parents, and a kid that is a rock star, there is limited help, financially or otherwise.  There is such irony, it can choke a person at times.  For my son, the more physical interventions we do, they better his whole life path will be and the less interventions that will need to take place when he is older... but the supports just aren't there unless you can't feed, cloth, or bath yourself.  My son is part of a quiet group that isn't fully understood, well researched, or properly funded. I am not sure how best to voice this, and for now, I do take those teachable moments when they work out in his classrooms. I ask questions whenever I can, and I try to pull out whatever information I can to assist us. It has not been easy, and our greatest supports have been grassroots, and limited and more from the communities we have created or touch upon.

Interesting premise.. just not the first go around

Reading a Nora Roberts book for me is like visiting an old friend. I started reading her books when I was a teenager and she was still writing for Harlequin romance.  You could tell back then that she was going to be a writing star.  I like her books, they normally come to a satisfactory end, and they provide escapism and lovely storylines that are a little light on depth.  I like the stories about Ireland, or about Irish descendants (being one myself), and the bits of earth magic she weaves through her stories. I find that I enjoy books like that - that push certain boundaries a little and do believe in hope, and magick, and things that we cannot always see and understand.  I do not read her J.D. Robb books anymore, and I don't always seek out the stand alones either.  That she has been able to write over 200 books is staggering.  There are reasons why she is popular, and she is a go-to author in a sense, but there is a time and a place.

I enjoyed this book more in the beginning rather than the end. I will read the trilogy (helps that my mom got it for Christmas), and it is enjoyable fluff in my books.  However, this trilogy reminds me of another trilogy she wrote - slightly different window dressing, but the same basic framework. So I read these novels for the predictable, warm-hearted, slightly mystical escape that they are and don't go much further than that. 

Can you summarize such a novel with a snappy title?

Finished.  This was a far quicker read than Mr. Norrell, which continues to sit next to my bed.

It has been a while since I have felt the urge to underline quotes in a novel. There are some truly profound moments in this novel. How does one go about summarizing a novel such as this? It did leave a mark on me.  It is an often brutal and prosaic novel that has been skillfully crafted.  It is engaging, right from the beginning.  I remember my own friend that had a smile that would light up rooms.  This is a story about love, and hate, and survival.  It is a story about forgiveness, and a story about hope.  In short, a true epic novel.

With works of art, it is interesting to learn a bit about the artist, and GDR truly comes off as quite the articulate character.  I think sitting around at a Leopolds and listening to the stories would be an unforgettable experience.  This was a totally different tale about Mumbai/Bombay and it did sweep me away.  I didn't expect there to be so many foreigners here, or to have the beauty of the slums revealed.  There were several times that I had to pause and reread some passages.  There were some elements of this book that I enjoyed more than others, and I think that this story ended as it should, coming in a full circle in a sense.

This was an interesting quote -

"Sooner of later, fate puts us together with all the people, one by one, who show us what we could, and shouldn't let ourselves become." (p. 471)

What a closing speech!

"For this is what we do.  Put one foot forward and then the other.  Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more.  Think.  Act.  Feel.  Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world.  Drag our shadowed crossed into the hope of another night. Push our brave hearts into the promise of a new day.  With love:  the passionate search for a truth other than our own.  With longing:  the pure, ineffable yearning to be saved.  For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on.  God help us.  God forgive us.  We live on." (p.933)

Lin was an imperfect hero - flawed, but loving.  He fell, was picked back up, and found the ability to carry on.  He carried his past as much as he chose not to speak of it very often.

I can't say this book is for everyone.  I know that my book club loved the beginning and lost there way with the parts about the Afghanistan war... I found that this was a profound novel, and at times I grouched about the length, but I was entertained, I did learn along the way, and perhaps my perspective also shifted a bit.  So, taking all of that in to consideration, for me, a great read.

Epic Novels.

When I finish Shantaram, I think I will stay away from epic novels for a while.

Last Septemberish, I started to read "Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell." It is a 1000+ page epic novel. The following is from the wikipedia entry about this book -

An alternative history set in 19th-century England around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, it is based on the premise that magic once existed in England and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange. Centring on the relationship between these two men, the novel investigates the nature of "Englishness" and the boundaries between reason and unreason, Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Dane, and Northern and Southern English cultural tropes/stereotypes. It has been described as a fantasy novel, an alternative history, and a historical novel. It inverts the Industrial Revolution conception of the North/South divide in England: in this book the North is romantic and magical, rather than rational and concrete. It can be usefully compared and contrasted with Elizabeth Gaskell's attempts at synthesising a unitary English identity in her fiction.

I got through about 320 pages. It is still sitting on my side table, waiting to be finished.  I am not sure if I will.  It is a grand novel.  It is well written.  It has footnotes that drive me mental.  It is a slow, carefully written novel that is at once really interesting, and then I meander off.  It is still sitting there, six months later, and every time I pick it up to read it, another book that I really want to read comes in from the library and I get distracted. Frankly, any other book that comes along is proving to be a distraction from this book.

Then there were a few novels I did manage to finish before Christmas, and I more or less hit my hopeful to read 50 books last year. I am sure I would have blown past that amount if it wasn't for this novel.  As I said, it isn't terrible, I just can't seem to find it in me to finish or give it back to the person that I borrowed it from.  *SIGH*.

As I mentioned, currently I am reading Shantaram, another epic novel clocking in at 930 pages, give or take.  It is moving along quicker... I am just about 500 pages in, and it has taken me just over two weeks to get here.  So, definitely a quicker read than Mr. Norrell.... but I am finding "epic novels" a bit of a deterrent right now. I am starting to crave the satisfaction of reading a few shorter novels, just to feel like I am "accomplishing" something when it comes to reading.  It feels kind of silly to put it that way, and yet that is kind of how it feels.  In the last six months, I really haven't read all that much, and yet, in some ways I have.  Between Norrell, Good Omens, and now Shantaram... it does feel like I stalled out.  Even in my book club we are trolling for inspiration.  If you are reading this - any novels that inspired you? We will likely look to some classics, but I am definitely open to so some new reads.  Out of what I did read last year... there weren't that many stand outs that I would shout the praise from about...

Maybe it is time to do things a little different...

It has been a good weekend.  The hours definitely went way too quickly, but isn't that always the way?

I have no regrets about starting C out in Hockey 1 this year.  It has truly been a journey in so many different ways.  It hasn't always been easy.  It has been about building his confidence, being consistent with a message of how to play, and how not to play, about curbing his tendencies to to try bring down other players to make up for his burgeoning skills, about dealing with coaches, about starting to get to know other parents, about the whole culture, and about being working parents who can't make every practise, even at this age.  I think this will be good for him - it has already been good for him.  This Friday night was their 'timbit' hockey night and they got to play in the first intermission of the RM Flames. It was a bit of a trip - a guy I went to elementary/high school kid is on the junior team, and my youngest is out there as a timbit - it goes to speak we all get to where ever "there" is on our own time - I  digress - you could see a spark being lit, and a little more understanding… it will be interesting to see how the rest of the year goes, and how much more he develops.  I am going to take an hour off every friday afternoon to get him to practise, almost on time.  It is a sprint for me - but I have learned that the games start now, and if I don't really want him to fall behind (yes already), take advantage of the ice time we do have.

I also got to see some of my old, dear friends for brunch on Saturday.  It was great.  It humbles me this choice to move back here, that it was the best decision for Ken and I, and our family.  In ways I never would have envisioned three years ago. Our lives are better. It feels as the weeks slip by, we are slowly becoming more and more a part of this community, and it seems that my older friends are becoming a part of our future.  Amazing.

Took B to riding - and he is doing well.  Four trots this session, and I was happy to discover one of his lead walkers is a farrier.  How cool is that?  She is a very cool woman.  B is in good hands and it is breathtaking to see him on the horse, gaining confidence, becoming a different version of himself.

Then I got out to a movie with my BFF.  We sawAmerican Sniper. It was a powerful movie. Makes me want to call one of my other oldest and dearest and just tell her and her hubby they rock, and are loved, and just a little more understanding and appreciation for the bond that they have forged.  Great night.  There is nothing in the world like your oldest friends that knew you when you were young. We should all be so lucky.

Today has also been a good day - who needs to relax, right?  B had physio this morning, and then we sent her out with hubby and watched their 8 month old.  It was great. He is a really happy kid, and it was a real pleasure.  Then a wee bit of shopping, drop B's adapted bike off for a service (and the shop is owned by an old friend from high school), dropped books at the library, and then home.  C and I cleaned up some yard waste, broke down some old, rotting bifold doors (garbage guy is going to love me for the next few weeks), and then went for a walk.  Then dinner.  Then baths.  Then books.  Then laundry. Dishes, and making a dessert for tomorrow night and for lunches for the week. Called my mom.  Catching up here and rambling on.  My earl grey tea is getting cold.  Speaking of which, it does have to be Twinings Earl grey.  It truly does make a difference. I am that picky.  I like my coffee really hot and strong with a crop dusting of cream, and I like me my Twinings E.G.. Persnickety in my 40s am I.

So back to the post title.  Speaking of seeing the BFF.  It helps to have known each other through so many tempests, trials, and tribulations.  Last week was a great success around the house. Partly because I was consciously trying to do it differently.  I am trying to make shifts in my own behaviours to start changing some outcomes.  We were talking about our different challenges, and the comment about this particular topic, and it was about doing it differently this year, or time around.  I had to agree.  It has been on my mind too.  You don't change cycles or pattens of behaviour without effort.  It feels like I am returning to a place in my life where I can be more aware, and make some shifts, and start to talk about it again. Although "it" could truly mean money, my weight, balancing priorities, making myself count, making time for Ken, making time for friends, different experiences with the kids - allowing them to have experiences with their friends… I guess in some ways allowing my and our world to start to grow a bit again.  It feels like coming through something, and I think part of the next steps involve doing things a little differently - maybe looking at the same problem from a different angle, or place, or voice. It does make you stop and think.

This week I would love to get another 150 pages of Shantaram read - I think I have had it about 10 days and have managed to make it through 212 pages so far.  It has caught me off guard.  I didn't expect to like it, and I am loving it.  It is nearly a 1000 pages long, and I think it will take me about 3-4 weeks to finish.  Talk about a book that is worth the money and the time you spend on it.

I also want to finish off the pair of socks that I am making myself before the Superbowl game.

I want to get in three walks at work, and leave at 3:30pm on Friday again, as planned.

I want to have calm mornings, and keep up a not so crazy house this week.

I want B to make both karate, and C to make both of his hockey practises, and at least one walk/bike ride over the weekend.

I hope to get the kitchen floor swept, and the bathrooms cleaned, and laundry put away before I go to work tomorrow.  Although once you stop for a few minutes, it is hard to get motivation flowing again.  We shall see how this week pans out.

Consistent.

I must say, still liking my library card.  For DVDs too!!

New release, grabbed from the 7 day shelf… read like a demon for a week.  Great book.  Robinson is one of my favourite "go to" writers, especially when I am in the mood for a police procedural.  I like what is happening with the characters, and this was a gripping mystery.  I have read this series completely out of order, and it really doesn't seem to matter.  It does have staying power, and I am excited to see what is next for Inspector Banks…

Semester is off to a fine start.  Today was one of the first days in way too long that I felt like I had accomplished 'enough'.  That tomorrow I will be able to chip away at projects, and keep getting things better organized, and start feeling like I move closer to the front of the ball rather than being chased down and flattened by it.  The last few years have really been something else. It is also helping that I am getting out for walks again.  I am aiming for 3-4 a week, and the hill portion of my walk is getting easier. It helps.  It helps not feeling so crazy stressed out at the end of my day as well.

This has been a better week. I am trying to do mornings different, and trying not to arrive at places in such a mad panic.  When things start to go pear shaped around here, I am trying to put the brakes on a little better and just stopping the cycle.  It has helped.  There have been a few moments, but overall, improvements.  It is so much about routines and rituals - truly, the working mom's mantra.

Cranky old ladies

Maybe if I hadn't read about that crazy old Swedish guy that climbed out of his window and left the old folks home.. this would have been a little more of an  unique read.

It was slightly entertaining... a good way to pass a few hours.  What it did bring to mind is that I have read a few books in the last year that are trying to redefine aging in a sense.  What does it mean to be "old"? Especially in terms of how we treat and view our old folks.  It raises some interesting questions about aging, our old folks homes, why they tend to get fed bland foods, and other assumptions that get made about our white haired population.

It is intriguing. I had one gramma that was old before her time. My other gran was cool up until the final years when she was well in to her 90s and her marbles were starting to scatter. It also makes you think about your own choices, and how you choose to age, and what pursuits you want to chase in your "golden years".  I want my obituary to read that I went "kicking and screaming from this life" and not that I "went quietly and peacefully in to my final slumber".... I would want to be that gramma that breaks some rules, or that old guy that says enough of this life in a home where everyone thinks you are stupid just because you are old.  Gets you thinking.  I think there is some merit in joining up with like minded folks at a certain age, getting a house together, and hiring some help... the "homes" really don't look all that appealing... or who knows... making a plan with your kids about what happens next... what can work for families working together in a true sense.  Makes you wonder some days...

So this was like beach fluff.  Entertaining, not all that earth shattering, some nice coincidences to bring it all together.

Penguin Plunge 2015!

I must admit to a little humming and hawing, but I took a good look around this morning, and I realized that conditions were perfect. It was time to do a polar bear swim again.  A few degrees about zero, pretty much sunny skies, and a morning with no agenda.  Of course, the decision was made a little late which ruled out White Rock (they run in the water at high noon)... so Port Moody it was!

It was great.  I wore my Team Canada jersey and the helmet hat that I have in... wore my flip flops and brought along my pink robe (it is all about the robe when you get out of the water).   My boys hung out around the bonfire, and waited for me after the run down the boat ramp, the plunge, and then the swagger back.  I got a new pin! I think there was only one year I didn't get a pin.. I am starting to get a collection now (3 from English Bay, 2 from Deep Cove, and 2 from Port Moody)... I think that since 2000 we have done it 8 times??? I think I will be resurrecting this practice..  It did feel like I washed away 2014, and it was a great way to face this new year.  That being said, I have learned that drinking many year old sambucca that was in a  stainless steel flask that sealed shut from the sugar likely isn't the best call.  Next year I will purchase some fireball for this purpose, and we will try out somewhere new, just to keep it interesting.

Cheers to a New Year, hopefully some new experiences, and some great times with friends and family, and maybe even paying attention to my physical health again!!!

Starting off a year in review..

In many ways, having this blog is like a quick reference of some of things that happened over the year. A quick check in to parts of my mental state.  This has been yet another speedy year.  It feels like the past two years have been intense - filled with many little shifts and a lot of learning.

I think it is funny that although I try to sit down and blog more to track these thoughts of mine, the past three years I am hitting about the same amount of posts - just over 60.  Considering that this is the most I have read in the past decade (50 books, ye-hah!), most of my yearly posts have been about the books that I have been reading.  I will admit, you can track a certain piece of me through the books that I have been choosing, and how my tastes have been evolving over time.  Best thing about this year when it came to books was my library card.  It has saved me hundreds of dollars and exposed me to books I would have never discovered on my own (like We, the Drowned or the Golem and the Jinni).

I was starting to improve with my jogging this year - I got new running shoes at the end of 2013 and we bought an elliptical in April… and then I promptly stopped jogging altogether.  This coincided with me going back to my old job, which didn't last as long as I expected, but led me in to wearing way too many hats at works until the last few weeks.  I will admit to hitting a bit of a burn out somewhere along the way, but I think I also learned a lot about myself, about leadership, and grew up a lot in that timeframe as well.  I need to get more in touch with my physical self again.  I am really missing it, and I think I am feeling a certain level of frustration as a result.  I have told my boss I need to take about a 35 minute lunch every day since that is how long the walk I like to do takes.  I have to make it not negotiable again - it is good for my soul and makes my work days so much more palatable.

We camped a little.  I love camping and getting out there and seeing new things with my family, and we need to do it more. This seemed to be the year of high daycare costs and lots of car related expenses. It felt a bit like a step forward, and then a few to the side.

This has been a great Christmas season.  Overall, things have gone well - I have cooked a lot, and cleaned a lot. I am tired.  I am grateful for this time off because it just gives me more time to be.  I stayed in my jammies all day yesterday and I went through some paperwork and the kids artwork.  It is amazing how fast things accumulate when all you do is the stuff you can see in the middle and you lead the edges for later.

I was so proud of what B accomplished with karate… and so proud of how far C has come in hockey.  Hockey has been far more rewarding than baseball (no matter how well run the baseball was).  A lot of emotional energy went in to the changes from our old elementary school/daycare to our new settings.  It has been great.  It has worked out so much better for all of us. I am also grateful I am done with the childcare board - it was an amazing finish and I got a standing O!!   I am proud of my hubby - how much he worked over the last month because it is demanding for him at this time of the year.  December is wonderful and trying all at the same time.  Next year I need to plan out this time of the year better… I do want to do Christmas cards again, and targeting baking, and to have gifts done early to enjoy more of the little moments in the month.

This is a start.  Lets see if I take more time in the next week to expand on this.

What do I want for 2015?

Every year I could say I could lose weight. It sort of seems to happen, and then I end up about the same weight by the end of the year - up or down about pounds from the same starting weight.  I think this year I will say I want to be 15 pounds less than I am today.  I suspect what I am about now… and I can achieve this with better attention to exercise.  I need to remember to stretch, since I think this is part of what did me in.  Now that I am not a spring chicken, I need to exercise.

I want to continue knitting - this year felt good. I made 3 baby blankets, a pair of socks, a hat and a scarf, another viking hat, and a bunch of washcloths… it was satisfying work.  I really want to make myself the "St. Brigid" sweater by Alice Starmore.  This is a huge undertaking, and I think I would be happy to even get a start on it.  I expect the wool for this to cost about $125-$150 since I want to buy a quality product since I expect to wear this sweater when completed for years to come.  I also want to make myself a pair of socks, and a few things for the rest of my family..

Manage our finances better.  Overall, 2014 was easier/better than 2013 although it still had it's dodgy moments.  I am hoping to keep a better budget this next year, and I really would love to see us take our family to Disneyland in the Fall and for Ken and I to have a weekend away somewhere without the kids.  Love them, but it would be great for us to have a little slice of time to do something different together.  I want to get out camping more this summer too.

I could also tie in helping keep my family healthier.  B to keep up with riding, skating, and karate again.  I am thinking of hockey and lacrosse for C.  I want them both to be in swimming lessons at some point.  More walking/jogging for me and some bike riding for them.  More active than we have been.  More family hikes on the weekends.

Themes - I want to stay a little more organized and on top of things.  Letting the walks go, and the jogging, and my budget at times, comes down to stress management at times, and self management.  I need to set better boundaries so I can achieve what I need to, and feel like I am back in the driver's seat.

Time like this, to sit and reflect.  These kinds of posts are like thinking on my feet - I am not sure where I am going to arrive a good portion of that is the journey, and taking out ideas and trying them out and seeing if they fit how I want them too.

To get to the island a few times and enjoy our family over there and to see perhaps some whale watching? hot springs cove? even to camp or see some new parts… even to go back to NewCastle island… this time of the year is good to reflect upon what was, and to throw out ideas for the next year. Set expectations, utter aloud a few goals and dreams, even if they may change along the way.

Milestone achieved, 50 books for 2014.

I started this book at the beginning of December, and although it took time to digest, this was a very profound novel.  This is the story of the sea, of the Danish city of Marstal, and of 150 years of history and the lives the sea has claimed in one form or another.

It starts with days of the great sailing ships, and ends with the closing of World War II.  I don't think that I have ever read a book quite like this one before.  It seems to have been a year of finding books such as this.

I turned the last page, and I will admit to a few tears leaking out, likely just because.  This was a surprising novel - truly epic. I am searching for the right word - one that will take it's rightful place among the best of seafaring literature… Several stories are woven together throughout this book, and some are more compelling than others.  It is quite fascinating as one life merges with the next, and how our lives can be interwoven.  A story of courage, and disaster, love, and the depths of the human soul.  Definitely not a summer read, and well worth the time spent meandering through these pages and on the journey.  Makes me wish I knew more about my Swedish ancestors - some of the names seem familiar (like Gunnars, and Eriks, and Einars) and being close to the sea… it also made me appreciate in a different way the silence from our relatives about WWI and WWII and why there was a darkness in their lives they didn't speak of.   Makes me appreciate novels like this even more - to have a lens in to a part of history that is unspeakable.

My Christmas Boys 2014

49... and counting

I am working some time magic to post about this book. 

Time is flying.  I have also been really tired, and I can't really come up with any excuses beyond that it has been a busy, emotionally intense year that has been pretty okay overall.  It has already been almost a month since I finished this book.. but I never dreamed that I would get to 48 books and then completely stall out. 

I started reading "Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrel" and it is a good book, however, it is 1000 pages long. I frankly petered out about page 300 and I have put it to the side.  I think I started it at the beginning of November.

IWhat can you say about a book like this many weeks after you finish it? I would love to have a beer with these two and just talk.  They are both brilliant, and I had a few great laughs reading this.  It reminded me a bit of "Lamb" by Christopher Moore.. really funny, and very intelligent if a bit sacrilegeous. I love that it is almost the end of time, and that the antichrist ends up being able to carve out his own destiny.  Lots of food for thought, and lots of guffaws.  Strangely, it wasn't a quick read.  I am planning to read "American Gods" soon by Gaiman and at some point I would like to read some of Pratchett's discworld books. I am grateful that I love to read and can discover so many different thoughts by being open to different books.

 

I am currently reading "We, the drowned." It is amazing book.. but another book that is well over 600 pages. I am not sure why hitting 50 books has become my Everest this year.  I was at 48 books on November 1st, and I cannot tell you where the last 55 days have gone.  POOF.



 

 

October rules.

I love this month.

I have made it to another Treacherous Tea with my mom, and we took the kids for the somewhat macabre scavenger hunt at our local museum.  Nothing like getting the kids to eat kitty litter cake after finding items like "Crazy Clara", the "Death Beatle", and "Raggety Angry".

We made it out to the Corn Maze, carved pumpkins with some family a week or so back, and our cemetary is standing once again on the front lawn.

We aren't going to check out a pumpkin patch (figured the corn maze and their outdoor activities fits that bill) and we didn't make it for our annual grave tours in Fort Langley (which I did miss). 

I always think of my friend Kelz this month (from Oz).  After our first fall together, I must say that I appreciate the changing leaves more than I ever did before - all the spectacular colours.

We also had great Thanksgiving dinners with family, and one of my oldest and dearest friends made it up here for a long lost visit.  It was amazing to get the chance to reconnect.

All in all, a great month... except the nasty cold and ear infection that came around...

I am really looking forward to Halloween on Friday - it should be a crazy night with lots of kids, especially if it doesn't rain.  I am also looking forward to November, and our usual week off and trek to Seattle.  Fingers crossed, we may make a few trips!

It is hard to believe Christmas is less than two months away.  The time is truly flying.  I am thinking of trying to do more, and less at the same time.  The kids are quickly reaching that saturation point, and it is not just about more things...

An almost? Replaced by amusement.

I really wanted to like this one... I guess it doesn't help when you are currently reading the Order of the Phoenix to your son, and trying to get in to Rowling's new crime novel under her pseudonym.  The funny thing is, I can't say that I didn't like it.  I only got about 125 pages in to this one before I had to return it to the library.  The jury is out whether or not I would request it again so I could finish the story.  It is well written, and the characters were interesting.  I don't know why I didn't really connect with the story.  I enjoy crime thrillers, but in this current moment of time, I am not all that interested in reading them.  Oddly enough.  I apparently have been in to humour or slightly supernatural reads (when you take a look at the books that have been catching and holding my attention in the last few months).  I am not sure if I just wasn't in the mood, or if there was something there that just wasn't really engaging me.  Perhaps one day I will finish this one.  I don't know.

 Where I found the cuckoo was really hard to turn pages, in this book, the pages were turning themselves.  It is crass.   It is funny.  In weird ways, it made me feel a bit better because I do not always watch my language and have been known to spout off with a few tirades that have been peppered with less than savoury language.  It is even funnier when you consider his dad is a well educated doctor, and he really, truly does come up with some spectacular one-liners.

My pop had a really unique sense of humour as well, which I miss, and I am grateful for him in the sense part of my stiff upper lip is likely from his tough love. This is a great book to get from the library when you need a quick read, or a bathroom book when you only have time for a short story.  I will admit that I did bust a gut with the last story about his dog.  I almost counted this as two books for the yearly total, but I figure that since I didn't really get anywhere with the Cuckoo, and I did get through this one pretty quick (it is really short and not a real novel per say)... this is okay billing.

A much more satisfying trilogy...

I have a read a few trilogies in the past few years, and this one is by far the best.  Hunger Games, kind of peaked, the Divergent series tanked, and the Dark Materials were ok.  A year later and I can't say that much stuck with me from that one. Now this series, on the other hand, got better as the books progressed.  I remember being far more irritated with Matthew, as a possessive vampire in the first book than the more self-aware version that we see in this book.  Diana, as a witch in denial evolved from being slightly irritating to a fully rounded character.

This was a great book to read entering in to October, and the month of All Hallow's Eve.  Nothing like reading about witches, daemons, and vampires to get you in the mood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series, and this book in particular.  Well written, and well researched.  I was a bit sad when I turned the last page.  There were many elements here that I would say that I look for in a good book. I have also noticed that I have been drifting a bit more to these types of books lately... I hope that Harkness bring this cast of characters back for a new series, or even a continuation if only because I enjoyed the story so much.

Busy.

This is a great article about 'busyness'. It talks about the 'tyranny of the to-do' list, and I must admit, this strikes pretty close to home in my world.

Allowing time for self reflection is so important in trying to remain spiritually connected to your self.   I do struggle with managing myself, my time, our family, my work, sports for the kids, doctors appointments and other people I have to meet with, in other words, a lot of priorities.  Sometimes I write lists just to recognize how many things I am accomplishing in a day, especially for those days where it feels like all I was doing was effectively spinning my wheels.

I like the idea of bringing back play, even in our adult lives.  I have also taken to small moments to stretch.  Last year when I was jogging I will admit I was terrible for just getting out there and plodding on the pavement, or trail.  I didn't really stretch, and my idea of stretching out after was plunking my ass on the couch with a glass of cold water. I want to start jogging or walking again on the weekends, but I have come to realize I need to build in that stretching time. After starting to build in some stretches to my daily routines, I have come to realize just how "tight" I have become.  The last few years have been quite frenetic and overwhelming at times.  It also feels like one cycle is slowly drawing to a completion and I am moving in to the next cycle.  Things are ending, and new things are beginning and it is exciting to be in this transition stage.

The stretches are just as important as things like keeping up with this blog (even if it is normally just posts about the books I am reading), knitting (I am working on a birthday gift for someone), obviously reading, and then my lunchtime walks at work.  I would really love to get in a walk a weekend, and then to also work in some hatha yoga too.  To see some friends here and there, and to spend more quality time with Ken, and not always with our kids.

The busy is crazy though.

From the article: "So, as much as I wouldn’t wish overwhelm on anyone, I actually see it as a positive thing. For too long, work-life issues were always seen as “women’s issues.” When they’ve really always been about both good work and raising the next generation. What we all need to be talking about is redefining work to be mission-driven and flexible, rather than rewarding long hours of face time. The former enables not only everyone to have time for living an authentic life as well as being a more productive, engaged and efficient worker. The latter just leads to more inequity and burn out.".

I think this is something that I will try to keep in mind.  Being flexible, being more mission driven and to accomplish tasks rather than just grinding parts of it out.

I also think it is important to bring back some play, and I think I would like to seize the little joys more, and to try to do something that scares me a little as often as I can to stretch myself in different ways too.

What happened????

Okay.  What happened, too much popularity, too fast?

I really enjoyed Divergent and then Insurgent... and then along comes this book.  I came so close to laying it down and running away and picking up one of the other books that started to beckon to me.  This book really came apart at the seams for me.  If the story and characters moved and were entertaining in the first two books, the shift to a dual narrative (without truly distinctive voices) and a plot that crumbles made this not quite the story that the first two installments were.  About 250 pages in, I started making mental comparisons to reading 50 shades of gray (not a good thing) and how I felt reading that... at a certain point you just start to skim read... Now I just kind of feel relieved that I finished the book and I can move on.  I was disappointed by how this one was written, how the story collapsed, and about the ending - given how it started, it just didn't satisfy.

Next.

A fantastic tale...

This was an excellent book.  Almost 500 pages, and I found the story to be compelling from start to finish.  This was a very unique, well written, mystical novel about a golem (jewish creature made from clay) and a fire jinni (a supernatural spirit below the level of angels and devils in Arabia) that meet in New York, somewhere around the turn of the century.  It was hard to  put down this book, and it was also a pleasure beacuse of how it was written and it wasn't a book that I devoured all in one sitting.  In a sense, this novel caught me a bit off guard, and it also reminded me of the kind of books that I do like to read - ones with a bit a magic, or other-worldliness about them.  I enjoyed reading about the Jinni's past, and how the lives of the golem and the jinni intertwine, and then come together, and apart.  If you are looking for an intellectual, almost romantic, supernatural novel, this one is a sure bet.

Books, books, and more books (not just mine!)

There is a new meme travelling through Facebook, and I would admit I have been stewing over titles for a few days before I post my own list of 10 books that have had a lasting impact on my life.  Of course I have been over thinking this one… it is also an interesting exercise when I troll my memory through all the books that immediately jump and demand attention.

The 100 Books that Facebook Users love… is a great summary of the list of the top 100 books that people identified in their meme, and it is interesting.  Even checking out how the books are related and mapped out, is also an interesting exercise to check out folk's literary tastes.

In no particular order, I will list my work in progress and call it done for now:

Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
Lamb, Christopher Moore
Skinny Legs and All, Tom Robbins
The Power of One, Bryce Courtney
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
Man's Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
Works of William Shakespeare
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
No Great Mischief, Alistair MacLeod

I don't do well in limiting myself to a list of just 10 books.  I have a hard time not weighing and assessing and fretting over a list like this. I have missed some, ones I would not expect, like The Bees, The Gargoyle, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, My Name is Memory, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and Unbroken to name but a few.  I also think about other books that impacted me as a youth - The Outsiders, Charlotte's Web, A Wrinkle in Time, The Chronicles of Narnia, Bill Peet books, The House with a Clock in it's Walls, and of course, Are you there God, it is me, Margaret?. What I can tell you with feeling is that my life would not as rich as it is without books. It feels like each year I have been making better and better choices in what I have been reading - in my own geeky way, this has been really exciting.  My next reads are the Golem and the Jinni, then Jonathon Norrel and Mr. Strange, and then the latest Harkness and Gabaldon books.  I have at least 4-6 weeks of amazing reads to go! That doesn't even count the books I have ordered through the library that I hope don't come in any time soon...

Entertaining series... again, far better than Twilight...

Since it has been a few weeks since I read the first book it took me a while to pick up the threads again in this second book in the trilogy. Is it a guilty pleasure to admit I am really enjoying these books?

I am.  I am looking forward to reading the third, and even to read Four, which is from Tobias/Four's perspective.. which I wasn't all that sure I would want to read. 

These are enjoyable books, there with the Catching Fire series, way better than Twilight, and for me, better than The Giver.  Given the stack of books I have waiting to read, I would assume I won't be reading the next book until closer to Christmas. 

On a related side note, I finally have read more than 41 books in a year! It was a quiet goal to read more than 50 books in a year, and this year, it feels achievable. It has been great to have such a long stretch of great reads, and from all different genres. I have not been bored reading a book for quite a while.

Pretty much one a week...

There is more to life than just reading, but blogging the books that I have been reading makes it easy to track where my headspace was.  This was an entertaining and humourous book, but not as funny as a few of the others that I have read by Moore.

The South Pacific is an interesting plcae, and I have enjoyed my literary forays in to the region since I had just thought all the islands were little slices of paradise.  Moore has a great sense of humour, and is very intelligent.  I enjoy how his books are a departure from the every day, and how they can challenge your perceptions.  Worth a read, but not the best one to choose if this is your first time reading him.