the happy homewrecker

Just finished: Wideacre by Philippa Gregory. (spoilers ahead if you haven't read it) . . . I don't know how I feel about this one. I loved her other historical romances (The Other Boleyn Girl, the Virgin's Lover, the Queen's Fool) but this one wasn't based on actual historical figures and was a bit trashier. Not that I don't like a bit of trash, but I agree with a lot of the Amazon reviewers in that the main character was just awful. I kept waiting for her to redeem herself, but she never did, I hated her more and more as the book progressed. It's the first in a trilogy, so I'll probably read the other two, but I hope the lead characters are a bit more likeable.

Finally finished The Historian. It took me for-freaking-ever to read it. I got a copy from each library system and kept one downstairs and one up in the bedroom so I could read a page or two if I had time before going to sleep. I liked it, although some parts were a bit heavy on the history (Ottoman Empire, sultan, monks . . .) and I skimmed those, but overall it was an interesting Dracula-related read.

Like most parents, I will read to my child any book he brings to me, but as I suspect most parents do, I have my favorites---books that Spencer likes that I enjoy reading to him, ones that aren't dumbed-down or same old, same old. Some of our recent favorites:

My Lucky Day. Very cute story, one of my favorites.

Inside a Barn in the Country (the same author also does Inside a House That Is Haunted and Inside a Zoo in the City; all three are rebus-type books that preschoolers can memorize quickly and 'read' to themselves)

The Missing Piece; a Shel Silverstein book I didn't read as a child but have grown to love. We also like The Giving Tree, which Spencer refers to as "the sad book."

The Mouse Before Christmas

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! We met Mo Willems at a book signing over the summer. I was disappointed that he seemed to be rather arrogant, but the man does write a good children's book. Or several, really---we also like The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog and Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale.

I'm always looking for books that both Spencer and I will like; any parent favorites from other moms or dads?

Finished: this book about Trader Joe's. Interesting, but the worst-written book I've come across in my life. There's some cool stuff about the company's beginnings (did you know that they're owned by Aldi?) and about how they do business, but it's insanely repetitive and easily could have been whittled down to a few chapters---maybe a serial magazine article or something.

I think I'm giving up on the Jane Austen Book Club. I'm not sure why I don't like it. I like the flashback stuff, but I don't like the bits in between. Is it because I'm not a big Austen fan, or because I haven't read most of her works? Anyhoo, I have The Historian checked out, too, and I've read and liked the first few pages of it, so hopefully it'll turn out to be a keeper.

I can't believe I still don't have a copy of the latest Harry Potter. It might be a good thing; with our garage sale this weekend I'm crazy busy, and if I had the book in my hot little hands I wouldn't want to do anything but read. I really don't remember what happened in the last book, and I'm sure I won't have the time to re-read it all---anyone know if there's a site out there that's sort of a general synopsis of stuff for people who want a refresher before diving into book 6?

Just finished: Daughter's Keeper by Ayelet Waldman. Very different from her Mommy-Track mystery series, but in a good way. I wept more than once while reading it; I think it will stay with me for a long while.

Finished: Light on Snow, Anita Shreve. Touching. I liked it, but for some reason it felt like a short story even though it's novel-length.

Just finished Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. I liked it a lot. The whole homebirth storyline, the reference in the afterword to Ina May Gaskin . . . it was great to read about how, during the trial, mothers filled the seats in the rear of the courtroom and nursed their babies, even (gasp!) nine month old babies! A quote from the book:

"When we left the courtroom for lunch, we passed by a row of women in the back bench who were starting to nurse their babies . . . I watched them at their mothers' breasts for a moment before I saw something infinitely more interesting to me: Some of the reporters, even the female ones, were trying desperately to talk to members of the group during the recess without allowing their eyes to fall below the nursing mothers' foreheads. It was as if they were trying to interview the wall behind them."

Wowza---thanks for all the book recommendations! A few I've read (The Big Rumpus---one of my very favorite books---and Fast Food Nation---scary yet enlightening) but the rest are all brand-new to me. Time to take advantage of being able to request library books from home . . .