feeding the addiction...

Now one would think that the enormous pile of books I got for Christmas would be enough to hold me over for a good long time, right? But it doesn't necessarily work that way, does it? Especially when I had gift cards just burning a hole a in my pocket. My latest acquisitions:



*The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury (hopefully I can get this read for Carl's Sci-Fi Experience)

*Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen (which I'd never even heard of when I bought it, but then found out Deslily loves this one, so I'm sure I won't be disappointed)

*The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (I think it was at Alison's that I first heard of this one, and I've been wanting ever since)

*Three Days to Never by Tim Powers (another one I'd never heard of, but it sounded too good to pass up, and I think it might work for the Sci-Fi Experience too)

*Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint (because I just keep hearing such wonderful things about him, and figured it was past time to give him a try)


*Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (really don't need to explain this one)

*Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (ditto above comment)

*The Wood Wife by Terry Windling (actually got this one from Paperback Swap, so I didn't have use any precious gift card dollars on it...though I might have because it certainly sounds good)

And believe it or not, I haven't used up all my gift cards and Christmas money yet. But I'm really hoping I can hold onto the rest for a while, since undoubtedly you all will be writing wonderful reviews for all kinds of fabulous books in the new year.

And speaking of the new year, I do hope you all have a tremendous 2008!

American Gods...random thoughts

I truly wish that I possessed talent like that of Nymeth, or Carl, or Chris, when it comes to writing book reviews. I swear every time one of them writes a review, I end up adding that book to my wishlist. Their reviews are beautiful, thoughtful, intriguing. Even Annie, with her short, but informative and well-written reviews, puts me to shame. I just don't seem capable of organizing my thoughts in any way that appears even slightly cohesive. So I've decided to stop stressing about it. I'll just throw my thoughts out there. And will not be the even remotely offended if no one chooses to read them.

The idea of reviewing Neil Gaiman's American Gods was even more intimidating than usual. Why? Because I just loved this book so damn much! You know how every once in a while a book just totally captures you, takes you away, won't let you go even once you've finished reading it. Beyond just your normal fantastic book. The first book that ever did this to me was The Stand by Stephen King, and that book has remained my favorite for nearly 30 years. Had I not been in love with that book for almost 3/4 of my life, I feel certain that American Gods would be my all-time favorite book. Oh yes, it is that good.

I can't really begin to explain what this book is about...believe me, I tried to explain it to Rich. (And though my explanation made next to no sense, I did at least convince him that he really needs to read it.) Anyway, that's okay, because I think nearly everyone else has already read it.

So what was it about this book that made it so phenomenal? First of all, I think that Neil Gaiman has to be the quintessential storyteller. The story was so brilliant, so unique, so enthralling. And he told it with such flare...it was humorous, it was touching, it was clever beyond words. And yes, I admit it, I was caught off guard by an occasional twist or turn.

And I loved all the stories within the story.

And finally, the characters were so authentic. I honestly can't remember the last time I've felt drawn to a character like I was to Shadow. He was so human, so imperfect, and yet so ultimately good. And the gods, sheesh...how could you not be captivated by their human personifications. I must admit that Anansi was my favorite, but each one was so cleverly written.

So, can you tell I liked this one?




And that finishes up the 2nds Reading Challenge (thanks Joy!) and knocks another one off my Book Awards list.

reading wrap-up '07

This year has been an amazing year of reading for me. Not in terms of number of books read. In fact, I have no idea exactly how many books I did read, because I didn't start keeping track until late March. But suffice it to say, it was nowhere near as many as most of you out there. I'm probably amongst the slowest readers on the planet, and I just can't seem to carve out enough time for reading (one of my goals for the new year is rectify that).

It's been a horizon expanding year for me. Something I was in definite need of. I'd been stuck in a reading rut for many years, reading almost exclusively psychological thrillers and mysteries. Don't get me wrong, I still love these type of books. But it's been so incredibly fun to try new things. I've grown to love fantasy. I read some wonderful non-fiction. And even a few classics, something I haven't touched since school, all those many, many years ago. My love of horror and the like was reawakened. And I even began my first journey into the world of graphic novels (though I haven't quite finished my first book yet).

I joined my first reading challenge this year. And was amazed at how quickly that became an obsession! Of course, I didn't actually do all that well at actually completing these challenges, but I consider them worthwhile nonetheless. Thanks to them, I read a lot of books I otherwise wouldn't have, and even better, made some wonderful friends along the way.

Challenges joined for 2007 included:
*Spring Reading Thing (not completed-2 out of 5 read)
*Once Upon a Time (not completed-2 out of 5 read)
*Book to Movie (not completed-2 out of 3 read)
*Newbery (not completed-4 out of 6 read)
*Southern (completed late-3 out of 3)
*Non-Fiction Five (completed-5 out of 5)
*R.I.P. II (completed- 4 out of 4)
*Medical Mystery Madness (completed-3 out of 3)
*2nds (completed-3 out of 3)
*Four-Legged Friends (not yet ended-2 out of 5 read so far)
*New Authors (not yet ended-3 out of 6 read so far)
*Book Awards (not yet ended-4 out of 12 read so far)

I also participated in Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon, which was an awesome experience!

So, what were my favorites for the year?

*Favorite Challenge:
Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge. For many reasons. It opened my eyes to a world of reading I hadn't ever bothered to explore before. It was a wonderful way to connect with Annie. It brought me into contact with so many incredible people.

*Favorite Kid's Lit. and/or Young Adult Book:
Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke. An absolute treasure of a book!

*Favorite Non-Fiction Book:
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda, by Philip Gourevitch. "Enjoy" is not the right word to use when describing my feelings about reading this book. I don't know quite how to say it, in fact. But this was one extremely powerful read.

*Favorite Re-read:
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. What can I say...this will always be one of my favorites.

*Favorite Picture Book:
Halloween Night, by Elizabeth Hatch. The story was just fine, but it was the delightful artwork by Jimmy Pickering that made me fall hopelessly in love with this book!

*Biggest Surprise:
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd. Don't ask me why, but I didn't expect to like this one. Maybe because of its mainstream popularity, I don't know. But not only did I like this one, I absolutely adored it!

*Biggest Disappointment:
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. I'm not saying this is a bad book, of course. I just went into it with such high expectations, only to find out it just wasn't for me.

*Favorite Read of the Year:
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. In fact, this is my favorite read in the past several years. I just finished it last night, and am still so caught up in the story that I haven't had a chance to write a review (or what for me passes as a review, anyway) yet.

Plans for reading next year? Well, that can wait for another post, huh?

Santa was here...

and he was very, very generous!

Now, I fully admit that I am married to a truly wonderful guy who loves me and tries to make me happy at every opportunity. But this Christmas, I suspect there was something more at play when it came to my pile of gifts. Guilt.

Yes, for 2 weeks in mid-January, Rich will be off in the sunny Bahamas helping teach a field class in marine biology. While I will be home taking care of house and children and animals galore. And most likely shoveling snow on a nearly daily basis. And while I am not looking forward to those two weeks, I'm fairly certain that they helped secure me one enormous pile of loot this Christmas.

Just a few of my favorite things from my sweetie...


Two new poppets (the orange and purple ones) joined our little family.




This little book journal isn't actually from Rich (thanks Jean!), but I had to show it because I simply love it! Jean actually gave one of these to Annie on her last birthday, and I've always coveted it. (I know, I know, not very becoming, but true none-the-less.) Anyway, this little journal is just so cool, with sections for books to be read, favorite passages, etc.




Season One of Jericho. I love this show...oh, how I hope they don't cancel it again!



And last, but most definitely not least...


Can you believe that pile of books?!!

*I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
*The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
*Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
*A Nameless Witch by A. Lee Martinez
*Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
*Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
*Wicked by Gregory Maguire
*What-the-Dickens by Gregory Maguire
*The Fairy Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow & Terry Windling
*Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders by Neil Gaiman
*The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
*Dead Watch by John Sandford
*Double Cross by James Patterson (this one was from my Secret Santa)
*The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
*The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
*The Golden Apples of the Sun by Ray Bradbury
*The Homecoming by Ray Bradbury
*In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
*Envy by Kathryn Harrison
*Wolves of the Calla: The Dark Tower V by Stephen King
*Song of Susannah: The Dark Tower VI by Stephen King
*The Dark Tower: The Dark Tower VII by Stephen King
*The Regulators by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
*From a Buick 8 by Stephen King

Oh yes, I am one very spoiled gal!

for the love of a dog

This was supposed to be an easy, relaxing day. I finally felt like I was in good shape for Christmas. Annie and I just had a few quick things to do for school, then I needed to make a cake to take with us this weekend, pack for the weekend, deliver plates of cookies to the neighbors, and make up the futon. The rest of the day was to be free to work on school plans for next month, and yes, to relax and do some reading just for fun. Ahhh, how I was looking forward to it.

Enter one pouty-faced dog. He's been down in the dumps for the past couple of days because he destroyed his bed. And let me tell you, he LOVED his bed. It wasn't just any old dog bed. No, it was a Flyers bean bag chair. He appropriated it from Gray, who would happily give that dog of his anything, up to and including a kidney I'm sure.

Now Baker didn't mean to destroy his bed. He just gets himself a bit wound up from time to time. Usually with the help of one human or another. And when he gets fired up, he feels the need to throw his bed. Yes, it's really quite the sight...one squat, corpulent beagle grabbing a bean bag chair more than twice his size and throwing it into the air. But I'm afraid his last go-round with the bed ended in disaster...a large jagged tear issuing forth little white beads throughout the room.

And ever since, Baker has simply been beside himself with grief. He wandered from room to room to room, just testing out spot after spot after spot. Nowhere suited him. What can I say...the dog is obviously spoiled.

So, what does this total pushover here do? Decided to make him a new bed. Why I felt the need to spend my day this way is beyond me. See, Baker, though technically Gray's dog, has made it abundantly clear that he is really Rich's dog. His world revolves around Rich. The rest of us matter to him not one iota. Oh, he likes us well enough, I suppose. Or maybe he just puts up with us because he doesn't know how to get rid of us. Then again, he might just keep me around, as he seems to think of me as his own personal servant...I feed him, give him his medicine, let him out in the middle of the night, etc.

Anyway, back to the bed. This is what I started with this morning:



I've been saving everyone's worn-out and outgrown fleece clothing for the past several years. I told myself that someday I was going to make us a nice cozy quilt using the fabric from them.

By lunchtime I had this:



And finally, by 7:30 this evening, I had one very happy dog testing out his new bed:

an early Christmas

What's that old saying about never knowing until you try? I can't remember the exact wording, but here's proof of its wisdom...



Little Pink...is she not gorgeous?!! Yes, she arrived in the mail from Carl today. Part of the prize for the Something Sinister contest. Which I almost didn't enter, because, well, as much as I wish I were, I simply am not a photographer. And though I like to think myself creative in certain realms, I just didn't think this would be one of them. But oh how I wanted to win this beautiful Poppet! *appropriate spot to slip in that old saying* Yep, sometimes you just get lucky!

Thank you once again, Carl!

tales of Santa, Christmas spirit reborn, and an itty-bitty mouse

Finally whittling down that list of "currently reading" books! We managed to finish up When Santa Fell to Earth, The Tale of Despereaux, and A Christmas Carol over the last two evenings.

First of all I should say, don't let the amount of time it took us to read When Santa Fell to Earth or The Tale of Despereaux lead you to believe that these books aren't enjoyable. For we found them both to be purely delightful! Reading to the boys is simply a long, drawn-out affair. Partly because Maxidoodle is simply not known for his long attention span. A chapter or two is generally his limit. And partly because, rarely can we get through even a single page without multiple questions or comments issuing forth from the mouth of a sweet young boy. Granted, this can get to be quite distracting, and it definitely messes with the flow. However, I just couldn't dream of stifling their boundless curiosity and enthusiasm when it comes to the written word. (Don't worry, they do know how to be quiet and listen politely at school.)

Anyway, back to the books...

When Santa Fell to Earth, by Cornelia Funke, is a sweet, charming, unique little story. There's nothing overly complicated about the tale...two somewhat awkward children manage to save Christmas through their bravery and belief. I don't want to give away the story itself, but suffice it say, that it's a book that will hold appeal to people of all ages. (The boys were particularly taken with the grumpy, foul-mouthed elves.)

The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo, is one of those children's books that will unquestionably become a classic. Such a special, special book. The story is wonderful, but it is the writing that is truly priceless. This is the first of DiCamillo's books I've read, but it surely won't be the last. Gray very much enjoyed this story as well, but I'm afraid at five years of age, the writing was at times a bit hard for Max to understand. And still, he definitely enjoyed the book. Perhaps a rereading in a few years will be in order.

And finally, Rich, Annie, and I finished up Dicken's A Christmas Carol. This was also my first Dickens. I don't know why, but I've always been a bit leery of Dickens. I've had this preconceived notion that I just wouldn't enjoy his writing. Bad Debi, for making such assumptions! I loved this book! Of course, like everyone, I knew the basic story. But I didn't know how fun his writing would be! It was more than heart-warming, it was very humorous. And even though I knew how it was going to end, I simply couldn't suppress the smile on my face throughout the whole last stave. We're now going to watch three films versions, a more classic version, The Muppets Christmas Carol, and Scrooged. Seems like a fun way to wrap up this homeschool literature selection.

Well, three down feels good, but I hope a can knock a few more off my current reading list before years end as well. After all, there's an awful lot of fun challenges beginning with the new year!

a word (or two) of thanks

Want a sure-fire way to put a smile on a parent's face? Just say nice things about their kid. So imagine the smile on my face when I read this.

I "met" Melissa through this wonderful world of blogging. I've come to think of her as a good friend, though we've never actually laid eyes on one another. We actually have a lot in common...we're both mothers of three, living in upstate NY, hanging our laundry out to dry because we worry about the environment. Of course, she's younger, prettier, and much more talented. It's been very fun watching her writing career take off. And it makes me very happy for her, because she really is a gifted writer! As well as a very nice person!

And of course, my face was not the only one sporting a smile this morning. I'm sure you can imagine Annie's face when she read such nice things said about her, by someone other than her dumb old parents.

Thank you, Melissa!

in my little world of reading these days...

Little may be the key word there, at least if we're talking a list of what I've gotten read. It seems to be taking me forever to finish a book these days. You know, I was thrilled a while back when I realized that I really could read more than one book at a time without becoming muddled and confused. But I think I've taken the idea too far, and now I'm reading so many at one time that it takes forever to finish anything.

This is the list of books I've currently got underway:
*The Tale of Despereaux (reading to the boys)
*When Santa Fell to Earth (reading as a family)
*The Secret Life of Germs (reading for homeschooling)
*Alice in Sunderland (my first venture into the world of graphic novels)
*The Cobra Event (started reading back in September(?) and still haven't finished, despite the fact that I'm enjoying it)
*M is for Magic (still trying to sneak in a short story here and there)
*A Christmas Carol (started reading this with Rich and Annie last night)
*American Gods (started this one yesterday, simply because I couldn't wait any longer)

I actually allowed myself to start American Gods because I finally finished up Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I won't review it, because I'm sure that anyone with any interest in reading these already has. And I should say that my failure to read this whole series before now has absolutely nothing to do with my feelings about them. I absolutely loved the first two, which I originally read almost eight years ago when I was pregnant with Gray. I'm sure no one really wants an in-depth tale of my battles with hyperemesis. Simple version: hyperemesis gravidarum is NOT morning sickness. It is like morning sickness in that occurs during pregnancy. But it is a truly debilitating condition, marked by non-stop nausea, persistent vomiting, weight loss, and severe dehydration. As I always say, it's the only effective weight loss plan I've ever found. Anyway, as with many other sufferers of hyperemesis, movement of any kind exacerbated things. Not just physical movement, but seeing movement (sort of like motion sickness). Watching TV was definitely not an option! In fact, aside from praying to die, trying to sleep as much as possible, and frequent hospitalizations for IV re-hydration, about the only think I could do was read (as long as I closed my eyes when turning the pages, that it).

And back to Harry Potter...it was during my battle with HG during my pregnancy with Gray that I first read the first two Harry Potter books. And though I thoroughly enjoyed them, I could never bring myself to read the subsequent ones as they came out. You know how it is after you have the flu, when you can't bring yourself to eat whatever it was that you ate right before it hit, for years afterwards? Same kind of thing. Any mention of Harry Potter could send my flying to bathroom.

But I'm happy to say, I'm finally past that stage, and hope to be enjoying the rest of the series throughout the coming year. Well, if I can ever finish all the other books I've got started, that is...

ho ho ho

Rich was kind enough to mail off my Secret Santa package yesterday. And then what arrived in our mail, but a package from my Secret Santa (who obviously was a little more on the ball than me, huh?). Anyway, I let the present sit there taunting me throughout the day. But I like that. I'm one of those people who just loves the anticipation of it all. My parents and brother always come to spend a few days with us at Christmas. Mom is not so interested in anticipation...nope, she's the one always trying to get us to open things on Christmas eve. Sorry for ratting you out, Mom, but you know it's true!

Anyway, back to Secret Santas. This morning as I sat there with my cup of coffee, trying to write out my plan of attack for the day, this gift kept catching my eye. And I finally decided that it wouldn't be fair to make Lynne, my very sweet Secret Santa, wait for a proper thank you. (And yes, maybe Mom's finally rubbing off a bit on me, too.) So without warning from my brain, my hands just snatched up that present and tore right into it. And this is what I received:



Thank you, thank you, thank you, Lynne! The Alex Cross series is favorite thriller suspense series! Just total escape. And who doesn't need that now and then, huh? I just finished up the last Cross novel not long ago, and figured I'd have to wait a while until this one came out in paperback. But now I get to indulge right away! Definitely heading right to the top of my TBR pile!

And another huge thank you to Nymeth for organizing this whole thing! It had to have been a lot of work, without question. And it has been so much fun. I can't wait to see everyone else's posts.

in the interest of impartiality and family peace

Argh. I was accused of playing favorites. And I'm afraid the evidence spoke for itself. Max, resident cat-fanatic, noticed that I posted pictures of each of the kids and a picture of Baker with the Christmas tree...but I did not post a picture of Aldo. I believe in his mind this borders on sacrilege.

So, in an effort to get back into my 5-year-old's good graces, I present Aldo...



And the weather most surely is doing its part to contribute to the old Christmas-y feeling around here. I took this photo when I took Gray out to the bus yesterday morning. It continued to snow throughout the day, and we ended up with about 16 inches. Sooooo pretty.

feeling giddy...

I know I've gushed before about what a great guy Carl is. And I stand by every word...he is thoughtful and generous and has been extremely kind to my family, especially Annie. But besides all of this, he truly is the King of Reading Challenges! For those of you who already participate in his awesome challenges, you know just what I mean when I say he is a Host Extraordinaire! If you're one of those who haven't, you just don't know what you're missing. Because along with getting to read a lot of great books, and then getting to read tons of great book reviews written by fellow participants, you get to participate in all kinds of fun contests. I can't even remember how many different contests he had during the two months of the RIP II Reading Challenge...and they come with the coolest prizes!

One of the contests Carl sponsored during the RIP II Challenge was entitled Something Sinister. (Suzanne was the creative genius behind this one.) Participants had to dig out their cameras and capture...well, something sinister, of course.

Carl now has all the entries posted. And I won! I truly can't believe it. I do actually like my photo, but there are so many incredibly clever and creepy entries. I never could have fulfilled judging duties on this one!

(I'd be embarrassed to admit how much time I spent arranging my little vignette, but I guess I can no longer complain about being married to a biologist who feels the need to collect such things, huh?)

Chris, you are not alone...

Last night, Chris treated us to an amusing post about his TBR pile. (Or, in his case, his TBR bookcase.) And he challenged us to all post pictures of our own. How fun, huh? And besides it just being entertaining to look at each other's piles, I suspect it may leave us all feeling a bit better about ourselves...you know, that whole "At least I'm not the only one" feeling.

I'm like Chris, I have a TBR bookcase. Plus.



The above photo is where most of my TBR pile lives. Not sure if you can tell, but the books here are not a single layer. In eight of those cubbies, they are two deep; in four, they are three deep! (There are two rereads housed there...The Stand and Helter Skelter.)



This photo shows my two shelves of "the challenge bookcase"...Annie also has two shelves here, and Rich has one. Books here are also two deep. (The top left section of my main bookshelf also houses challenge books, as they all wouldn't fit into my alloted challenge shelves.)

In addition to these "piles", there are 36 books on top of and inside my nightstand. (It was too much of a disaster to photograph.) And as I told Chris last night, I've got the additional burden of 105 books of Annie's I want to read. (Yes, I know the exact number at the moment. A few days ago, while I was supposed to be cleaning Annie's room so I could put up her Christmas decorations, I got slightly distracted. Her room is such a book lover's wonderland. So can you really blame me for stopping to make a list of all of her books that I want to read, right? Whole lot more fun than dusting!)

There are also a few non-fiction reads nestled among Rich's bazillions of books that I hope to get to someday as well, but in the larger scheme of things, that's maybe not even worth mentioning.

And just think how much everyone's piles will be growing with the upcoming holidays! Ahhhh, books, glorious books.

Christmas-ier and Christmas-ier

Tiring, but fun weekend. Lots of work. But also loads and loads of spirit-filled fun!

Got in our yearly viewing of Year Without a Santa Claus (my all-time favorite from childhood!). Also fit in Elf and Robbie the Reindeer.

We got a little snow Friday night, and then a bigger one Saturday night. And what could be more fun than a snowball fight in Santa hats?





And we also managed to get our tree up and trimmed. We have the most pathetic tree in the world. No fresh cut blue spruce. Nope, just this scrawny, lopsided artificial thing. But it is priceless to us! Each and every ornament on it is handmade. No "bought" ornament has every graced our "main" tree. Some day I should do an actual count, but I'm guessing there are ornaments made by probably 15 different friends and family members. So, will our tree ever grace the cover of House Beautiful? Not a chance. But I couldn't imagine it any other way.






We're still plugging away with Cornelia Funke's When Santa Fell to Earth, too. And let me tell you, it is positively delightful so far!

Grammy is the quintessential "spoiling grandma" and each year she fills Advent wall hangings for each of the kids with little presents. We're talking little things, like super-balls and chapstick here, but the excitement the kids feel each morning when they pick out their present for the day...well, it's just priceless!


And Rich and I got to open a present this weekend, too. Because Mom is also the quintessential "spoiling mom"! She's been working on this for a couple years now, but I had no idea she'd finished it. What a beautiful, beautiful Christmas surprise!

So, yep, I'd say we had a pretty good weekend!

(And I even got my first two boxes of gifts wrapped and ready to mail!)