What I’m reading – Page 5

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

by Alan Bradley
(2009)
370 pages

I’ve been getting a great deal of reading done as I try to relax and heal my back. It’s not easy for me to lay around all day but I’m having a fantastic time finishing so many books. Cleaning my house will just have to wait.

Languishing on my pile since last summer was Alan Bradley’s novel and winner of the Debut Dagger Award, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I’m done now and so happy to have finally read it.

Synopsis:

In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950—and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

(from GoodReads)

My thoughts:

I’m not a huge fan of mysteries because well, they often scare me too much. This one was more of a thoughtful mystery with a very entertaining heroine. Flavia is a rule breaker, a curious adventurer who doesn’t really listen to anyone else but her own instinct. Harriet, her mother, was killed in a mountaineering accident when Flavia is just one yet the connection between mother and daughter is strong. She doesn’t understand her two sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, who lay about reading and weeping all day long and her father has never fully recovered from his wife’s death and spends his day moping about the house as well. Flavia seems to breathe new life into her family as she races about on Harriet’s old bike trying to fit all the odd clues together.

My favorite quote:

Closed? Today was Saturday. The library hours were ten o’clock to two-thirty, Thursday through Saturday; they were clearly posted in the black-framed notice beside the door. Had something happened to Miss Pickery?
I gave the door a shake, and then a good pounding. I cupped my hands to the glass and peered inside, but except for a beam of sunlight falling through motes of dust before coming to rest upon shelves of novels there was nothing to be seen.
“Miss Pickery!” I called, but there was no answer.
“Oh, scissors!” I said again. I should have to put off my researches until another time. As I stood outside in Cow Lane, it occurred to me that Heaven must be a place where the library is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
No…eight days a week. (57-58)

I love any great quote that highlights the library and the use of the word “scissors” as an explicative makes perfect sense!! There is a second Bradley book featuring Flavia de Luce, The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag #2-the title is interesting and I know Flavia will shine again.
4/5 stars
adult mystery fiction

Other reviews here:

FyreFly’s Review
Stainless Steel Droppings

My back is still pinched and my thoughts are scattered but as this is a book that counts for Reading from my own shelves challenge I wanted to write my thoughts out and pass the book on. My chiropracter’s wife wants to read it so I’m happily passing it on at my appointment tomorrow morning.

Lazy days

dedicated to the one I love

I’ve had all week to post reviews and what have I been doing…

laying around…groaning and moaning in complete agony!!!

I have a pinched nerve at the base of my spine which is affecting my left leg and
causing great distress in my brain-meaning the pain overrides
everything else I try to think about. My back and leg did hurt during our Michigan trip but the pain
skyrocketed when I got home.
I dislike pain (most of us don’t…), dislike not being able to walk or
do any number of the household chores waiting for me after camping.

Thankfully my helpful husband has stepped right up to the plate and
taken over…just as he did when I was on bedrest during my last pregnancy.
Okay, that is not to say he hasn’t stepped up at all in the last 7 years but this
is different-he’s become some what of a man servant for me!

He’s doing the massive loads of laundry left from camping, he’s planned and made meals (salmon, even), and he’s driven me
to and fro chiropractic and doctor appointments all in-between getting me glasses of ice water, breakfast,
etc. He’s a Godsend, literally.
Yesterday after pain was not subsiding from adjustments I headed to my regular doctor for some relief. It came in
the form of muscle relaxers and pain meds. As an organic mama I’m not a big fan of over the counter, under the counter or behind the counter drugs but something had to be done or I was going to pull my head off. Really.

Today I’m lucy in the sky with diamonds…
loopy with a dry mouth and eyelids at half mast.
Small price to pay for a pretty decent sleep last night.
oh, and I’m not a-weepin’ and a-wailin’ as I was
the day before. Yes, I even cried walking through my chiropracter’s
waiting room yesterday. (not a positive advertisement)

During the low pain moments I have accomplished some reading…

I finished Devil on my Heels by Joyce McDonald-a great historical fiction that let me escape to Florida’s orange groves for a bit. I will finish The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley today and I’m going through my stack of food magazines to clip the recipes I want to save. I used to save all my Vegetarian Times copies but the stack gets to be too much so now I clip them and put them in a three-ring-binder.

Thankfully friends have kindly taken my girl to the pool several times this week. Fetching ice packs and refreshing my water glass is not her idea of summer fun either!! Hopefully by next week things will be much improved on this end-then I will be crying for joy with new appreciation for walking and sitting pain-free!

What about you…what has you crying for joy this week?

Weekend Update

We’ve been camping in Michigan for one week and we made it out alive. I love camping but I kissed my [dirty] carpet so thankful am I to be home!! Camping makes one appreicate home so much…the indoor plumbing, the kitchen sink, baths, wifi, the ice box, a roof! We went to Michigan so teenage son could fish and so sweetheart husband could run the Charlevoix Marathon [his 10th]. I planned to have some marathon reading sessions in-between adventures. My reading dreams are always bigger than reality. I did spend a fair amount of time with my lovely in-laws and enjoyed a wine-tasting with them (quietly, just the 3 of us).

What I did read:

Maggie’s Door by Patricia Reilly Giff (yes, I started off easy but it was good and I love Giff)
Serena by Ron Rash (oh, my)

What I’m still reading:

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs (lighter reading after Serena)
Singing for Mrs. Pettigrew by Michael Morpurgo (still, I know, V and A)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (I’m on chapter 10 with peaceful girl-oh what joy to be rereading this aloud for another child!!)

What I carried all the way to Michigan and back without reading:

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alen Bradley (even though I’m really looking forward to this one)

I also did a little knitting and worked a large crossword, which are both easy activities to do while riding in the passenger’s seat so I can talk to driving husband. I’m so grateful for his driving abilities!! Love you.

We had very sporadic cell and wifi service and it was refreshing to be off the grid. I did have two posts pre-written before our departure last Saturday and I was thrilled with how well my Father’s Day tribute turned out. It is difficult for teenagers to be without their technology but I love to watch my son fish much more than play FIFA soccer on his ipod. Stepdaughter is still waiting to hear about housing assignments at Oberlin so had to check email each time we landed at a cafe. Please…she wants the new green choice available only to freshman!!! [waving magic mama wand]

I have several posts to write about camping and knitting as well as the books I finished.
As I browsed through other blogs tonight, touching base with many on my blog roll, I saw lots of challenge up-dates (woe is me!) I need to get my reading in gear!!
Now that our major vacation is done and checked off my summer to-do list and number one son is off for a month camping with grandparents I may have tiime to read a ~~few~~ many days away~in my hammock.

Now since I am very sleep deprived [how much sleep do you really get in a tent while it is downpouring?] I need to get some rest. No alarm.

What about your week…what fantastic and marvelous adventures did you have?

Bloggiesta complete

The Finish Line

Here is what I accomplished:

1. Finish post for Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony (check) 2 hours
2. Finish reading The Greengage Summer and review started (check-started not posted) 2.5 hours
3. I still do not have my post done for the Dalai Lama-I am overwhelmed by this task obviously.

In trade though I did accomplish two other ideas-

4. I closed out one email account, transferring my friends and
family to my gmail account. Simplifing my life, just a bit. I then plan to open a seperate gmail
account just for blogging. I have half this project completed. (check) 2 hours

5. I applied for an indiebound account and now will be able to link directly through them and earn tons of extra dough (??!!!) selling books through my reviews! My true master plan is revealed!! 1 hour

6. I spent another 4 hours reading other posts and commenting on my regular blogs.

11.5 hours spent Bloggiesta-ing! Fantastico!

I loved the community of participation. I would have loved to do more exploring but I failed to figure in the 2 hours spent chatting with friend and the library and the 5 hour drive to Chicago for stepdaughter’s H.S. graduation. The five hour trip did give me new post ideas and a chance to read the second book in Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series. Peaceful girl and I are reading the first Harry Potter and what a joy it is to reread this, relishing in how well-written it is. Such a true gem, J.K.!

That’s it folks! My first foray into Maw Book’s Bloggiesta!! Thanks Natasha for hosting such a fun event!

The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden and The Year the Swallows Came Eary by K. Fitzmaurice

I’ve not read one book yet for the 451 Challenge I signed up for, which is such a shame because it’s an interesting challenge and I only have 6 to read. I’m finishing up the very wonderful elementary chapter book, The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice but am also a few pages into The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden. I’m going to share a few lines from both today for my teaser selection.

The bells on the glass door to the Swallow chimed as I pushed it open. Inside the smell of flour tortillas and cinnamon greeted me. Add to that all the onions, peppers, and chilies heating up on the stove, and you could tell it was th ekind of place people liked coming to. p. 31 The Year the Swallows Came Early (2009)

and

The garden was light, but it was a young light without sun, clear and stained green by the shrubs and trees. The peace I had felt at the gates of Les Oillets filled me again and I could have whistled like the birds for well-being and joy. Then, as I stood there in my pajamas looking down, a man came down the iron steps. p. 32 The Greengage Summer (1958)

Two very different books but similar feelings evoked from both random chosen passages…I didn’t notice the similarities until I typed out the second one. And I love that she’s wearing her pajamas!

To check out the 451 Challenge-click here.

To check out Should be reading’s Teaser Tuesday-click here.

Click for Kathryn Fitzmaurice’s site.

Saturday Round-up

(biking image courtesy of Robert F. Balazik)

I am supposed to be off during a biathalon with my family but we had some bike problems this morning so my stepdaughter is riding my bike. My poor husband is really disappointed that I’m not with them but I’m only a tiny bit sad-personally I love it when they go off on adventures (sometimes) with out me. This is one of those days. I have a wedding shower to get ready for and dinner to prepare for my stepmother who will be at my house right after the wedding shower so the bike race was just adding to much to the mix. I owe him a bike ride, just the two of us, later in the week. Like he can talk-he’s been in a play recently and every night he’s been gone-thankfully tonight is the last performance and he’ll be back home in the evenings.

This free time allows me to shower for the shower, prep for dinner, read a litte and blog…can’t beat getting all that done while the family is off biking.

I finished Three Wishes by Carey Goldberg, Beth Jones and Pam Ferdinand a week or so ago and even though I’m not a big fan of bio’s or memoirs, I enjoyed this book. The women are strong and their stories, told in alternating chapters, are touching. All three women were very successful in careers but had not found love. All three came to a turning point where, while they wanted a partner in life, they knew they wanted to be mothers. They all go about it from different angles and they don’t all even know each other yet but, through vials of sperm purchased by Beth, they eventually meet and form supportive friendships. The story of how the spearm vials work as a catalyst for many goals is often humourous and reflective. I loved reading their individual thoughts on love and what it feels like to want to be a mother as well as what it was like as they become mothers.

Two things that struck me was the option of adoption never entered the conversation,and money was never an issue for them (at different times they are constantly heading to tropical islands, secluded cabins or climbing destinations) and most people during times of stress don’t get this carefree option. I myself am an advocate of the natural birthing process so there were some birthing choices made that bothered me but this is, of course, an individual choice. All three experience tons of genetic testing, which I wasn’t aware of all the possibilites and ramifications late-age births would create. I liked this book but I didn’t love it; if any of these topics interest you though-give it a try! The cover drew me in and the women’s stories made me finish it.
Pam’s Personal Reflections review (thumbs up)
Beth’s Book Review Blog’s review (thumbs down)

I still need to share my Dalai Lama experience and review Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven. Right now I’m reading The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice. How can I not love a book with a main character named “Groovy”?

Have you played a round of pac-man on google yet? Gotta try it!!

Happy blissful Saturday…

Happy Birthday to you

My son turns 15 tomorrow at 7:11 in the evening. I drove myself to the hospital-this is something to brag about. He’s turned out to be a smart, handsome, and very humorous young man. He is also a wiseacre and quite often too smart for his own good. I am glad he is still curious about the world and he has his own unique outlook. I whipped him up a homemade angel food cake for dessert tomorrow night. He asks for the same cake every year and sometimes I’ve purchased it (really, really short on time) and sometimes I’ve made it from a box (just a little short on time)-a few times though I’ve made it from scratch and this year peaceful girl helped me out. She was a little miffed that I didn’t let her crack any of the twelve eggs but I explained that I needed each and every one of the egg whites to be separated just right from the yolk. She helped with lots of other parts though and it is now successfully in the oven. I still have to wrap a few of his gifts and then I will be reclining to finish Look Again.

I still have to write about She’s So Dead To Us by Kieran Scott and Little Bee by Chris Cleave. I had a post composed in my mind about my experiences at the Reading Conference I attended last Friday-and I promise to get all those done. Today my thoughts are focused on this almost monumental birthday celebration. It is only almost monumental because 16 is hanging in the air so close I can feel it in my bones-that, and he reminds me of it frequently. This child is in a hurry to drive and we differ on many topics but mostly this one. It terrifies me to have my baby alone in the car driving off, me waving! I say-Hell, No!!! So somehow after tomorrow I have 365 days to get adjusted to that or convince him the laws have simply changed. It will help ease my worries that it will be required of him to keep his GPA up in order to get said licence but you can see my fear.

So tomorrow say a little prayer for me as we wish this little boy a very

happy 15th year of life and as we cut that delicious angel food cake (dipping it into chocolate sauce)

I’ll be wishing this year to slowly creep by, like the year of the turtle!

Book Fair Fun

How can you not find great books when you spend 4 days walking around your own book fair. I stand and read even as I talk to parents and students and I stack more books on my desk to buy; some for school and some for home. Luckily, most will stay at school because my daughter’s book case is literally cracking. My son has a huge pile of books in the middle of his room to get rid of because he encountered a mouse family living in his room (oh, this story should really be saved for another post but..) well, the mouse peeked out from his bookshelf two books over from The Tale of Desperaux! So you see why the smallest pile is the one for home.

Back to my book fair finds. First I picked up from the summer reading table, Mick Harte was here (1995) by Barbara Park. A parent reminisced about reading this one in school and how it affected him, so I had to check it out. My favorite lines came just three paragraphs in:

So this isn’t the kind of book where you meet the main character and you get to like him real well and then he dies at the end. I hate those kind of books. And besides I can’t think of anything worse than using my brother’s accident as the tear-jerking climax to some tragic story. I don’t want to make you cry. I just want to tell you about Mick.

What a great opening! Such honesty from a main character I can respect!

For a little while I allowed my inner seven-year-old to roam through The Hidden World of Fairies (Wendy’s Journal) with its maps of Pixie Hollow and glittery stardust wings. So many delicate flaps to peek into as Wendy writes about her discoveries in the land of the fairies.

Next I picked up Confetti Girl (2009)by Diana Lopez-I thought this was going to be all great fun cover with no substance inside but it with a title heading like this: Los amigos mejores son libros-Books are your best friends, I decided to give it a try. I’m on the third chapter already!! Lina Flores’ dad is a bibliophile/English teacher so lots of references to books but he’s hiding behind his books as Lina’s mom died last year. Her best friend, Vanessa, lives right next door and they both seem like very likable characters so I expect to keep reading this through the afternoon as the book fair winds down.

I also read a few chapters of The Princess Plot (2005)by Kirsten Boie and The Girl Who Could Fly(2010) by Victoria Forester. Both of these are more middle school reads so not for my students-how am I going to finish them before I pack up the book fair Monday morning?? What a problem!

A week past

Wow-a whole week and no blogging! It has been an extremely crazy week and I am so happy to have reached Friday. My computer was missing its power cord (or was it me that was missing it…) for a few days at the beginning of the week as I (mercilessly) left it in Indiana at my friend Barb’s house. She nicely mailed it to me even though she is coming to town this weekend. I got the cord on Wed afternoon and still couldn’t even think about blogging. I’ve also had a wicked cold which has had me crawling into bed soon after getting my peaceful girl to bed.
Just so you know the week wasn’t a total loss here is a list of all the other things I did get accomplished in my absence:

1. I emailed author, Jeanette Hopkins,who is planning a visit. This was long overdue as it was dumped in my lap by the early retiring TAG teacher. I don’t mind having the assignment but was a little behind in all the arrangements.

2. I worked steadily on report cards for two days only to find out they are not do today as I was once told but next week, which (ha, ha) puts me ahead for next week! We are just required to do a number grade (1,2,3) but it still takes a huge brain process to call up each sweet face.

3. I had a book club meeting on Monday evening. Speaking of Monday night, here’s how it went down: I left work right at 4:00 so I could run home and charge my dead phone, grabbed a bottle of wine from my very small stash-I was going to need it later. I picked Japhy up from school for her gymnastics class, arranged with another mom/friend to bring Japhy home, watched her tumble and stretch for 30 minutes (and while my phone was charging, (thanks to the gym for having available outlets) then left to go to book club. Our book this week was The Help, which I love but read quite awhile ago. My book club read it on my suggestion so I felt the need to be there even though I missed my first second series of yoga! I fell in bed right after book club ended! The treats were delicious and the conversation was deep.

4. Tuesday was my husband’s birthday yet we had a 4:00 funeral to attend and then my husband’s drama youth group met so he did not get home to celebrate until 8:30.

5. Wednesday my mom (mostly) with me picking up the slack (me scrubbing potatoes) after I arrived home from school. We made my husband a lovely birthday dinner. She made him a pie for desert and he (needing some much needed quiet time)asked to eat dinner while watching a movie. My mother agreed but I could tell in her heart she was disappointed. It was an odd choice of my husband’s but it was his birthday celebration.
5. Thursday was pretty similar to Monday’s schedule but involved two long appointments with teenage angst son. Luckily my mom was still in town to help so my husband and I both could attend appts. with young son. We ate dinner on the fly at Jimmy Johns between appts.

6. I created and uploaded to our server file three lesson plans for my ongoing project with other librarians in my district.

7. I received three boxes of brand new beautiful books from Titlewave, which I compare to going to the grocery store: 3 boxes of books=$2,000+. I am so excited to inventory them and get them out on the shelves. Because of all other things occuring at work I had to hold myself back from opening them earlier in the week and just immersing myself in the happiness new books bring to me. Today’s the day though so picture me, in my very brand new back room, luxuriating with new books all around me as I read.

8. I also worked with my principal to fix a huge crisis-I was denied a personal day to attend the Dalai Lama’s speech on education at my alma mater. I’ve wanted my whole life to hear him speak and I have the tickets so I was crushed and mystefied as to why I was denied. We worked some things out but I’m not going to go into detail just yet.

9. In the midst of all this craziness I’ve been reading The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen, which I preordered from Powell’s. Yes, I know I wasn’t supposed to buy any new books until I read all the books from my shelves but life is full of exceptions. The last two days I’ve been reading in spare moments because I’m so interested in this story. I also have to write reviews for Just Listen by Sarah Dessen and Operation Yes by Sarah Lewis Holmes.

10. I am so happy the weekend is here (almost) never mind that I have guests coming for the weekend. I plan to make it a stress-free weekend-after I scour my house.
p.s. my mom gave me a head start-she cleaned my microwave, refrigerator and my oven. Thanks mom!!

Hope your week has been peaceful!
Happy reading-

Link to local article about our school yoga project.

Reading on vacation

I had a lovely Spring Break. I finished Wildwood Dancing before we left for Chicago (review to come), I read Just Listen by Sarah Dessen on the trip and on the ride home yesterday I got half way through Operation Yes by Sara Lewis Holmes. It isn’t a massive amount but I did also enjoy my children, see my step-daughter in a play (She Loves Me) at Northside College Prep and visit with one of my oldest friends, Barbara and her lovely family. Barbara gave me back Jitterbug Perfume, which I had lent her and now I think I might need to go back and reread it as she said she needed a dictionary to read it…

We got home yesterday after picking up the dog at the kennel (which was not the doggie retreat it advertised and unpacked the car from out four day trip. You would have thought we had the kitchen sink in the station wagon. There is something about driving that makes our family pack anything we think we might need in that four day period. I love pulling out the bag of activities my daughter took along but never bothered to use. I love that we carted along Elizabeth, her AG doll, who spent the entire vacation in the car. I made some comment to peaceful girl about Elizabeth not having a very exciting road trip-never leaving the station wagon-her retort is “She’s a doll, mom!” Mmmhmmm…a doll who needs her own wardrobe, bedroom set and accessories, interesting!

I think I’m excited about Health Care Reform passing although I’m not sure. Yes, I do want health care reform but truthfully, I wish I could have written the bill myself. It would have said something like this …”If you do not have quality, affordable health care for you and your family then you may purchase health care from the US government public option. Public Option just gives us a good alternative to the rip-off insurance companies out there who keep upping the price of insurance with no extra benefits involved. I would have thrown in something about small businesses using the public option as well because they need to be competitive in today’s market.” It would have been about a paragraph long instead of the 100 page long document I researched online. Part A, Part B, Part C…to much filler.

In other current news I have been listening to The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, which is 17 discs long. I love the story and am anxious to get back to listening to it on my drive back and forth to work. I’ve had to renew it 3 times from the library (an ipod would help) so that both my husband and I can finish it.

How is your first day of Spring?