Creature Bug: All on a Friday

Big Reads

Before Green Gables
by Budge Wilson. Two thumbs up from this Anne fan. (****)
Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance
by Atul Gawande. A book of non-fiction that focuses on the idea that doctors (and others) can make a radical difference in the world just by doing things better. Excellent read. One worth buying. (*****)
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
by Gregory Maguire. Quite political. A bit racy. Very long. Not as good as I hoped. I prefer the musical and its Hollywoodized ending. (***)
The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History
by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Amazingly researched. Well written. An excellent narrative non-fiction about the yellow fever viral epidemic that still continues. (*****)
Astrid and Veronika
by Linda Olsson. It was okay. The characters not always sympathetic, though the storyline was poignant enough. (***)
Were You Raised by Wolves?: Clues to the Mysteries of Adulthood
by Christie Mellor. A great graduation gift. In fact, I got one for my brother. (****)
An Act of Vengeance
by Erik Larson. My cousin wrote this novel, a tale of suspense and revenge. The style is reminiscient of turn-of-the-century detective novels: detailed, mysterious, straight forward prose. (****)
Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert. While Ms. Gilbert's worldview is quite different from my own, I find her writing to be lovely and her personal adventure to be inspiring. (****)
Small Surrenders: A Lenten Journey
by Emilie Griffin. A wonderful and inspiring addition to the Lent season. (*****)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini. The most emotionally moving book I have read in years. I cried the last 100 pages, and for days afterwards. Incredible. Hosseini captures motherhood, the bond between women, and the struggle of Afghanistan in a powerful way. Please read this book. (*****)

Smart Reads

Steering the Craft
by Ursula K. Le Guin. Wonderful writing prompts and literary snippets.
Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools
by Margot Iris Soven. Theory, Research and Practice well worth reading if you teach writing.
In the Middle
by Nancie Atwell. Greatly influenced how I taught writing when I was in the secondary classroom. Even though some aren't keen on the workshop method, this book still has some great ideas.
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
by Michael Pollan. Engaging. Fascinating. Convicting.

Friday, June 27, 2008

All on a Friday

Drum roll, please...

We FINISHED our backyard. It's done. I have yet to take pictures, but seriously. Done.
We put our house up for sale TODAY.

I think there might be a bit of irony that these two things happened on the same day, but I'm not troubling myself over that.

Other highlights of the day...

We spent almost the whole day outside, playing in the sun, splashing in the water, planting marigolds.
After the girls went to bed, I went outside and read Before Green Gables in my FINISHED backyard, breathing in the scent of new bark dust (don't you just love that smell?), enjoying the beautifully pink sunset.

A good day.

Friday, June 27, 2008 at 10:00 PM in Home Sweet Home | Permalink

Comments

What a wonderful day! Did you enjoy Before Green Gables? I'm a huge Anne fan and have been wanting to read this... Tell me more!

Posted by: Meghan | Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 10:05 AM

Congratulations! What a huge and lovely day! And the end of it sounds absolutely delightful. I second Meghan's request, please. How was Before Green Gables?

Posted by: Jess | Saturday, June 28, 2008 at 10:10 AM

How was the book????!!!!!

Posted by: Karen | Tuesday, July 01, 2008 at 05:01 PM

Bedtime Stories

Sunrise Over Fallujah
by Walter Dean Myers. I'm not Myers' target audience--adolescent boys--but the book is interesting so far.
Maybe Baby: An Infertile Love Story
by Matthew Miller. Though the topic isn't personal for me, I do love reading parenting non-fiction.
Monkey and Me
by the same author who wrote Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear. Wonderful rhythm, and fun lyrics, which Sydney learned almost immediately.