Oldest Reads: No More Eee-Orrh!

Well, Hunky Donkey's eee-orrh went away. And then he had to go to hospital and he had to go to bed. Then his neighbours said we'll visit Hunky Donkey together. And then they saw him at the hospital. Then they heard the racket. Eee-orrh! Eee-orrh! Eee-orrh! was what Hunky Donkey said. And everyone at the hospital was pleased Hunky Donkey was going home too.

OK. I admit it. I love this book with every fibre of my being. Lydia Monks drew the cutest illustrations for everything in this book but then used actual photographs of donkey fur and put that into the shape of a donkey cartoon. I think it's brilliantly done. Maybe you need to see the result to actually know what I mean? But I just love donkeys, always have done. Also? The donkey's name in this book is 'Dickey Donkey.' I have no idea why Oldest calls him 'Hunky Donkey' but once he started, N and I carried it on. It makes me giggle. More than normal, I mean. Not the best selection for a bedtime story, as Oldest always gets a little carried away with shouting 'eee-orrh!' but still a firm favourite in this household.

Fabulous London

'..When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.'

Speaking of the fun oompas loompas seen over the weekend, I thought I'd share some of the other fun stuff we saw. Mostly performance artists, and these fun Rio-esque dancer/drummers. I love London. There's always something new and different and fun to see.


What do you love the most about where you live?

Staycationing (and oompa-loompas!)

Currently, our family is on a stay-cation. It's meant to be the new hip and trendy thing to do these days (I wouldn't really know, being neither of these things!). All the fun of going someplace new and different and yet still able to come home and sleep in your own bed. It does have it's perks. Over the last few days we've been to London (didn't see the queen!), the beach, a model village, a safari park and tomorrow we're hitting up a theme park. It's been absolutely brilliant so far! But I am hoping for a day of rest and relaxation sometime...

Thank you for that trickle of commenters who continue to make me smile! Thank you for not abandoning me even though I haven't had a chance to read other blogs in almost two weeks and am hardly around! And because I love you all so much, here is a picture of some 'oompa-loompas' that were spotted over the weekend at the South Bank in London. Didn't manage a shot from the front, but you get the picture, right? Aren't they fantastic?!




What have you lot been up to this week? Fill me in on your exciting news.

Musical memories - Belonging

I know that this is a topic that I keep returning to and I don't mean to give it as much importance as it appears that I do. But these two songs (again) remind me of the summer I turned 16 and I was sent off to boot camp. The reason that I have such strong memories of that summer is because something that I strive for in my life is a sense of belonging. I've never really felt that I belonged. Being mixed race, moving around a lot as a child, coming from a broken home, having different life experiences to those around me, being an American expat. It all seems to add up to not belonging.

And so, for those four brief weeks that summer, I did really feel like I belonged somewhere. I was part of a crew. We lived together, we had a job to do, goals to accomplish. We had to work together to set up our camps, cook our food. We all went through the tough living arrangements. No showers except on weekends, wearing the same dirty, sweaty clothing in the heat, the incredibly hard labour. The aching muscles, the fatigue of waking up at 4:30 every morning. It doesn't sound it, but I loved it. It's a huge disappointment to me that I'm not still in contact with my other crew members. I did track quite a few of them down over the years, but our lives had all moved in very different directions that it wasn't really possible to remain friends. After all, that summer came to an end and so did our shared experiences.

While we were there, we needed some sort of entertainment. Music players and that sort of thing were all banned. So we had to rely on those people who weren't embarassed to sing out loud and were then limited to the songs they knew all the words to. It was mostly just the one girl singing the same Belinda Carlisle song, but then another girl knew most of the words to One Week and it was always a fun game to try to remember more of the lyrics.





Which particular period of your life has been the most important to you?

Shutterbug

Oldest has taken a real interest in photography lately. And you know, I love it when he takes a series of photos. Like this bunch of photos of some of his toys. I love seeing the world from Oldest's perspective. I wish we could all be so happy and carefree, don't you?




I'd love to buy him a camera and set him loose taking all kinds of photos. I think it'd be awesome. And quite the cool hobby of a three-almost-four year old. Don't you? Finally, here's a lovely photo Oldest took of Littlest and I as I was on the phone.

Oldest Reads: Kipper's Monster

It was called Kipper's Monster. Tiger had a brand new torch and he said 'we'll camp in the woods tonight and it will be really dark in the woods.' Dark, dark, dark! And then there was a snail and it's shadow. So they went to Tiger's house and they read their book together.

Oldest puts on his 'reading voice' sometimes when he's quoting a book directly. We've read Kipper's Monster so many times that he can quote large sections of it. I was surprised that he knew the title of it though, I rarely tell him the titles ofbooks before we read them and he usually calls this book 'the ghost book, with Kipper.' It's one of those books that I think scares Oldest just a little bit, but he continually asks for it at storytime before bed.

Kipper's Monster by Mick Inkpen

Helen Hunt

I've seen this video so often in the last few weeks that I feel like I'm developing feelings for Helen Hunt myself. Bits of this song circlulate in my head and I can't seem to switch it off and it seems like it will forever be lodged in my head. Especially the chorus. '..You make my heart do acrobatic stunts, you stand and face the brunt of the twister of my burning want, Helen Hunt you know I'm mad about you..' Genius.

This is what I've been consumed with occupied with over the few months or so, catching up on the video blogs of John and Hank Green (who are both utterly adorable). Why did nobody tell me about these before? I hate when I'm late to a party, especially a cool, nerdy party (not a oxymoron in my book!). Expect lots of Green brothers posts coming soon. Stuff on my head photos. In my pants book titles, etc. Should be fun.

Also, the Helen Hunt video? In case you're not one who watches videos on blogs, it's the ever-lovely Hank Green singing about his crush on Helen Hunt. Ignoring the creepiness of the video, Hank just seems like such a likeable person. It also mentions a 'guilt-free' list. It sparked a conversation with N this week about N's and my own guilt-free lists (we chose five people to be on our lists instead of three) and I've considered said list, but I'm feeling shy and would like someone else to go first. Please?

Who would make your guilt-free list?

Bookshelves!

Lisa from Books. Lists. Life. has challenged us all to show pictures of the books we have unread and waiting on our shelves. And here are mine. Apart from the library books that I show you all on a regular basis, here are some books in my garage. We have three large bookshelves out there, where I keep a lot of the books I haven't yet gotten around to reading. This is three shelves of such unread books. This is not my entire collection as there are others upstairs in the loft. I couldn't be bothered to go up there. I did a rough count, and these three shelves appear to be 102 books. I did spot on book that I had more than one copy of though!

There was a lot of tidying that went on before I could show you these photos. I had to weed out all the books I'd already read and then left there (I try to put read books somewhere else). Then I had to make sure you could see them all. There's not a lot of free space on my bookshelves, so I'm usually a double-stacker. This is also the reason for the piles of books. It fits more books on that second shelf.

Sorry for the poor quality of the photos. There isn't great lighting in the garage!



When I saw Lisa's shelves, I left a comment saying I was impressed at how organised her books are into different genres. I was surprised when I went into the garage to learn that even I separated my books into different catergories. Well, two. This shelf (above) contains the majority of my books that are on the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list. I've had quite a few of these books for quite some time.



The other two shelves are everything else. Mostly charity shop finds and library sale purchases but also one or two that I've won on blog giveaways. I've added quite a few books over the last few months, so you've probably seen the majority of these books. Most recent acquisitions include four charity shop finds: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, which isn't my usual sort of thing, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, Mudbound by Hillary Jordan, and Out of Africa by Karen Blixen.



Not a lot of children's or YA books. I seem to give more priority to those titles, but there still a couple waiting for me. The books I'm most looking forward to reading? The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness and One Day by David Nicholls. Any others you've spotted that I must read immediately?

What does your TBR shelves look like?

REVIEW: Cyrano by Geraldine McCaughrean

I just finished reading Cyrano by Geraldine McCaughrean. I admit it, what attracted me to this book initially is its size (a mere 167 pages) and the beautiful cover. Then, on the front cover there is written 'For anyone who's ever been hopelessly in love' and on the back it says 'The most romantic story ever told' High praise indeed, and a lot to live up to.

I don't know much of the story of Cyrano de Bergerac so I have no idea how this retelling compares with the play by Edmond Rostand. Maybe someday I will look up the original. As it turned out, when I first started reading Cyrano, what flashed through my head the most is an image of Steve Martin in the film Roxane. And when you're picturing the romantic lead in a love-story, I guarantee you, it is difficult to muster up the right sort of feelings when all you can think of is Steve Martin.

But I guess that's really the issue, isn't it? How much importance is image and appearances when choosing a romantic partner? Cyrano is madly in love with his cousin, Roxane, but is too ashamed of his enormous nose to tell her the truth. So instead, he helps another man, Christian, to woo Roxane, writing for him pretty things to tell Roxane.

Honestly? I found Christian to be quite dull. And Roxane to be vain and shallow. Cyrano was over the top and a little cheesy. But I still enjoyed the story. I shed a tear at the end. Possibly because I can relate to Cyrano's feelings of inadequacy and also the element of self-sacrifice on his part is one that I find particularly appealing. Plus Geraldine McCaughrean writes so beautifully. The letters that Cyrano writes while he is at war are absolutely lovely. Luckily for me, Geraldine McCaughrean has written extensively. It will take awhile to get through her backlist!


What is your favourite retelling of a modern classic? What would you consider the 'greatest love story ever told?'

REVIEW: Memoirs of A Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Above all, mine is a love story.
And like most love stories, this one involves chance, gravity, a dash of head trauma.
It began with coin toss.
The coin came up tails; I was heads.
Had it gone my way, there might not be a story at all. Just a chapter or a sentence in a book whose greater theme had yet to be determined. Maybe this chapter would have had the faintest whisper of love about it, but may not.
Sometimes, a girl needs to lose.

My own sentence review? A fall down some stairs leads Naomi, a junior in high school with no memories of the last four years. With the help of her family and friends she tries to piece together who she was, who she is and who she will be.

I've been on a roll with the YA this last six months. I tried Gabrielle Zevin's other book, Elsewhere and it didn't stick, but this one did. I mentioned a few days ago that when I'm choosing my next book to read, that I'm usually interested in a achieving a particular emotional response. I think I needed to read a book about confusion and identity and love at the moment. So this was the right book for me, at this time.

That's not to say that I absolutely loved it, and couldn't put it down, but I liked it. Quite a bit. Some things were a bit predictable and I certainly enjoyed the first half of the book to the second, but what I liked most about this book is the whole concept of identity. It's a topic that comes up quite a lot in YA, the struggle of becoming your own person, this just has that added little twist of you know, head trauma and memory loss to make things more interesting, not to mention funny. One particular scene where her boyfriend gives her sweatbands as a token of their relationship had me in stitches.

What always draws me to YA is the not belonging. It's easy for me to relate to not belonging. And I think Naomi really struggles with that in this book. Being an orphan, losing her memory. It's hard for Naomi to really identify who she is as a person, when she cannot remember her best friend, her boyfriend. The fact that her parents are divorced, her father is remarrying. She cannot remember why she liked yearbook, photography, her friends. So she tries to forge a new identity with a different boy, a different hobby, different friends. But the two versions of herself have to collide at some point. It was a fun story and a good companion over these last couple of days.

Other Reviews (did I miss yours? Let me know!):

Becky's Book Reviews
What Was I Reading
Out of the Blue
Book Nut
Bart's Bookshelf

Oldest Reads: Curious George Visits a Toy Shop

Curious George Visits a Toy Shop by Margaret and HA Rey


George was given a surprise because George gave everyone their toys at the toy shop. He is a very good monkey. At first, the toy shop girl was not happy but then she was. I like that story.

Curious George was one of my favourites as a child, so I'm glad to hear that Oldest enjoyed this book. He actually giggled a few times as I was reading to him. When I ask him to tell me what the story is about, he always starts with what happens in the end. And I think I'll have to do one of these mini-reviews as a vlog, because he likes to jump around to illustrate his point. Sitting still is not a strong point of Oldest's. Or Curious George.

REVIEW: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

Oh, I adored Boy Meets Boy. I read it as quickly as I can, and it's such a fun, light-hearted read. The end is so very satisfying that I finished it with a huge smile on my face. It's such a sweet, quirky, romantic story. I loved Paul. I loved Noah. In fact, I loved all the characters. But especially Paul and Noah, and OK - Infinite Darlene.

I love the world that David Levithan has created in Boy Meets Boy. A town where the Boy Scouts revolt at the idea of excluding gay people into their establishment and so become the more welcoming and accepting Joy Scouts instead. Where PFLAG becomes the hottest parent's group to rival the PTA. Where the cheerleaders at the high school are in fact bikers. The homecoming queen is also the star quarterback. The icecream parlour is called 'I Scream' and shows clips of horror films while you wait.

Wouldn't that be a wonderful world to live in? Paul lives in this world, and has been openly gay since second grade when he comes out to his best friend Joni. He meets Noah in a bookstore and they start dating and oh my god, they are so cute together. But it can't be all roses all the time. Paul's confused ex-boyfriend keeps popping up, Joni starts dating a guy that everyone has problems with. And as easy as it has been for Paul, it's not so easy for his gay friend Tony, who lives in another town with strict religious parents.

This is my second book read by David Levithan. And it won't be my last. I loved Paul's voice and his insights about high school, breaking up, best friends. Honestly, I'll hate to return this book to the library.

So Many Books...

I'm absolutely swimming in new books lately. So many recent acquisitions, I really just don't know which book to start reading first. I always find it fascinating to hear how people choose their next book. Some people have very set ideas of what they'd like to accomplish in a month, others swan about between genres and styles. I usually pick up books hoping for a particular emotional response from a book. Here are my choices and maybe you can help me out.


Do I choose from the books I picked up in the library sale? (note, paid £3 for the lot! LOVE library sales)



Un Lun Dun by China Mieville
In Arcadia by Ben Okri
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
The Way Forward With a Broken Heart by Alice Walker
Espedair Street by Iain Banks
Double Fault by Lionel Shriver
The Other Side of You by Salley Vickers
Mourning Ruby by Helen Dunmore
Not the End of the World by Kate Atkinson
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto

Or from the charity shops/book swapping website?


When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
The Line of Beauty by Alan Hollinghurst
Last Chance by Sarah Dessen
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Or the latest books that I've picked up from the library?

We Are Made of Glue by Marina Lewycka
Cyrano by Geraldine McCaughrean
The City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Hard to say.

What would you do?

Plain Jayne book trailer

Not my usual sort of thing, but this book is written by a good friend of mine that I went to high school with! I admit to not having read anything that she has written, but if her blog is anything to go by, then Plain Jayne will surely be funny, witty and charming just like Hillary herself.

It's Amish fiction, which coincidentally, Amy at My Friend Amy had a discussion about recently. Amy raises some good points about why the Amish are becoming very popular, including the attraction of simpler living and a close-knit community. I admit, I do find the Amish to very intriguing and am very much looking forward to Hillary's book.

What do you think?

Fallen

Sarah McLachlan - Fallen
Uploaded by Yon-Rogg. - See the latest featured music videos.

Heaven bent to take my hand
And lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer
To a long and painful fight

Truth be told I've tried my best
But somewhere along the way
I got caught up in all there was to offer
And the cost was so much more than I could bear


Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...


We all begin with good intent
Love was raw and young
We believed that we could change ourselves
The past could be undone
But we carry on our backs the burden
Time always reveals
The lonely light of morning
The wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
That I have held so dear.

I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so...


Heaven bent to take my hand
Nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turned their heads embarassed
Pretend that they don't see
But it's one missed step
You'll slip before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed


Though I've tried, I've fallen...
I have sunk so low
I have messed up
Better I should know
So don't come round here
And tell me I told you so..

Firsts

Oh the trauma. Do you remember back in January when I discussed seeing a movie for the first time at the cinema? Well, I finally did it. I took Oldest to see a film at the cinema.

He was quite excited about it, we bought a big bag of popcorn. I took your advice and went to a showing specifically for children. We found a couple of aisle seats incase he needed the toilet during the show. He was happily pointing things out and seemed happy enough to sit still. I said something about how the lights would be going off when the film started and he seemed to be a little afraid. I should have realised then that would end badly.

My mistake was that I didn't think things through properly. Of course he wasn't going to be used to the dark cinema. Of course he was going to be frightened by the louder sound system. And yes, of course he was going to be frightened of both the MONSTERS and the ALIENS.

What did we see at the cinema, you ask? Monsters vs Aliens? No, not seriously with a sensitive three year old? Yes, yes, I did. And it may have traumatised poor Oldest. At one point he was actually shaking with fear. He kept saying 'Mommy, I'm scared' and 'Mommy, I want to leave. I don't like this movie' Until, finally, we left. I had no choice, he was hiding behind my arm.

He is a sweet boy though. Even though he was petrified about the whole thing, as left the cinema do you know what he said to me? 'Thank you for taking me to the cinema, Mommy.' Isn't that the sweetest thing ever? I take him into this uncomfortable and scary place and he still thanks me for the experience. If I don't say it enough, I really love you, Oldest.






Scary or what?

Oldest Reads: You're All My Favourites

You're All My Favourites by Sam McBratney


The beginning was about three baby bears going to sleep. The bears wanted to know they Mommy and Daddy's favourite. And it was all three of the baby bears.

I love how Oldest will get right to the point. No extras, just the facts. This picture book is by the same author as Guess How Much I Love You. Both are favourites in our house. The other morning (I think, as I was still half-asleep) Oldest asked me if Littlest was my favourite boy. He was quite sad about it, and I said, quite similarly to this book, that Oldest is my favourite oldest son and that Littlest is my favourite youngest son.

I hope you enjoy this new feature. I love the idea of doing a Mommy/Son book club, but he's 3. It might have to wait for a few years. Until then, I will bring you Oldest's mini-book reports. What do you think?

An anniversary

Nine years ago today, I stepped off the plane at Heathrow airport. 18 years old and I'd moved to another country. To start a new life miles and miles away from what I knew. I'd only applied for my passport the month before so had just the one stamp.

I remember I was wearing a pair of really short shorts and my favourite tank-top. I was trying to grow my hair out and I believe I was still in that very brief phase of wearing contact lenses. I was two sizes smaller than I am now. I hadn't heard of blogs or owned a mobile phone as yet. I'd never driven a car or paid a bill. I'd never had any savings, instead I'd blow my entire (small) paychecks on books. In fact, I carried far too many books in my suitcase as it was but I did bring along a friend.

In the cab ride to N's home, I wanted to stick my head out the window and see everything. When I did though, someone yelled racist abuse at me. What I saw was so grey and dingy-looking anyway. I think I was expecting to land and see castles and grand, stately homes. England was very different than the England in my head.

It was a difficult transition, moving to England. There was a lot of growing up that needed to be done. It's still a work in progress. I'd like to become a citizen one of these days, but I haven't yet studied for my test. I'd like to see more of England, do some long-overdue exploring. Nine years is a very long time. Living in the United States seems like such a lifetime ago that some days I hardly believed it ever happened.

What did you do the summer you turned 18?

Happy place

The library is my happy place. It always has been. I try to visit the library at least once a week, but normally twice. I like to have a variety of books to choose from. Last week I went to the library and only found two books I really wanted to read, but I also picked five or six I only sort of wanted to read because I CANNOT LEAVE THE LIBRARY WITH ONLY TWO BOOKS. What if I start one and it's the wrong timing? Then I'll be left with just the one option. And yes, I have many books at home that I own that are unread, but I always think 'they must be unread for a reason' and discount them. Here is what I picked up today and why:





1. Any Way You Want Me by Lucy Diamond - over at Caroline Smailes's blog, there is a giveaway for the latest Lucy Diamond novel. Haven't read anything of Lucy Diamond's, thought I'd give her a try.

2. Stig of the Dump by Clive King - Here's the thing. I really feel like doing this 'project' where I reread some of my favourites books from when I was a child. I was thinking maybe only two a month, but at the same time, I'd like to read some books that I missed, or wished I'd read as a child and read those as well. Including this one.

3. Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce And this one.

4. A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly - a friend recommended this to me. I'd seen it around a lot, have heard good things about it. But because of the murder aspect of it I always thought it wouldn't be my thing. Whenever I try things that I think 'aren't really my thing' I usually end up really enjoying it.

5. Touching Earth Lightly by Margo Lanagan - written by the author of Tender Morsels which I keep hearing about lately.

6. Evernight by Claudia Gray - this is one where I've heard absolutely terrible things about so I picked this up in order to form my own opinion.

7. Dancing Backwards by Salley Vickers - Whim.

8. Peter Pan by JM Barrie It turns out, I have never read this book. I thought I had, but I have not. This would be included in my children's book project. Need to think of something better to call it.

9. The House of Special Purpose by John Boyne - author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

10. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Picked up for children's reading.

Leftover loot from last week:

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

And because I always mean to show the books Oldest has picked up, and rarely do:




You're All My Favourites by Sam McBratney Curious George Visits a Toy Shop by Margaret and HA Rey I Know a Rhino by Charles Fuge Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett


I also had some time to trawl around some charity shops and picked up these books at quite the bargain:

The Gathering by Anne Enright The Night Watch by Sarah Waters Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCraig



What's come into your house recently?

What To Do Over the Summer Holidays

1. Let your imagination run wild. Play hide and seek with dinosaurs.

2. Smile. Be happy and make the most of the sunshine while it lasts.


3. Sit and contemplate the mysteries of life, love and happiness.

4. Spend some time in the outdoors. In the sun. In your favourite Lightning McQueen jacket.

5. Be brave. Adventurous. Do your best to enjoy it.

TBR list

I've seen quite a few people writing out their 'Friday Finds' posts, lists of all the books that they'd like to read and found that week. I can't do it. I'm not organised enough to do something weekly. Instead, I thought I'd do like Lisa over at Books.Lists.Life and keep one post here that references all the good reviews I've been reading lately and where to lay the blame if I read that book and hate it! Hopefully I'll keep this updated, hopefully monthly. This list is from the last two weeks or so.


Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn - reviewed at A Striped Armchair
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin - reviewed at It's All About Books
One Day by David Nicholls - reviewed at Five Minutes Peace
Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome - reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews
Catch Me If You Can by Frank W. Abagnale - reviewed at books i done read
Rabbit, Run by John Updike - reviewed at Sophisticated Dorkiness
It Sucked and then I cried by Heather J Armstrong - reviewed at Five Minutes Peace
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan - reviewed at Stephanie's Confessions of a Book-a-holic
The Post Office Girl by Stefan Zweig - reviewed at Serendipity
Unless by Carol Shields - reviewed at 1morechapter.com

How do you keep track of all the books you'd like to read? Who is most influential in their reviews?

Favourite children's cartoons, or I'm such an 80s child

I once wrote a paper in school about Rainbow Brite. I said, pretty much, that the world needed to be covered in Star Sprinkles. My dad embarassed me with that story for many, many years. Also, I desperately wanted my own real Starlite.



I HAVE THE POWER!



The new movie anyone? Haven't seen it.



I have a Carebear still. I had one when I was little, and then ..misplaced it, so N bought me the same one.



Coolest theme song ever.



God, I love the smurfs.



When I watched this trailer just now, it was a little embarassing that I could sing along and that I remembered all the lyrics. Some things just never go away.



Scooby-doo is timeless.


Feeling a little nostalgic for my childhood, so I thought I'd share with you all my favourite cartoons as a little girl! I have an older brother and the cartoons he watched heavily influenced my own choices. Mostly as I didn't have a choice as to watch to watch when he was around! The cartoon we always agreed on? Inspector Gadget. That was a cool show. Possibly look out for further blog posts, Favourite cartoons, N and Oldest editions. Maybe. We'll see.

What were your favourite cartoons growing up?

Sunday Salon: July in review

A few weeks back, a lot of people were throwing the question out there, 'how does summer affect your reading habits?' I thought about it and didn't come to any great conclusion. Until now. I can look at the books I read in July and just know that my attention span over the summer shrinks to the bare minimum. I'm only picking up short, quick (albeit emotional) children's books. I have one adult book on my list and as it's a Meg Cabot, I'm thinking it almost doesn't count! Favourite book of the month? Tough one.

1. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
2. Lottery by Beth Goobie
3. What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
4. Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? by Louise Rennison
5. The Savage by David Almond
6. Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
7. Queen of Babble Gets Hitched by Meg Cabot
8. Are We There Yet? by David Leviathan
9. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers
10. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
11. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
12. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
13. Ways To Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
14. Jake's Tower by Elizabeth Laird
15. Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones
16. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen
17. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
18. Rumble Fish by S.E. Hinton

The thing with these books is that I'm finding them hard to review. Have y'all noticed that this blog has not been updated very regularly of late? No? Well, it hasn't been. Partially due to a looming deadline for my latest assignment, mostly laziness, but also a huge dip in my enthusiasm for blogging lately. So maybe you could do me a great favour? Previously on Weekly Geeks, they've asked readers to submit questions about certain books to be answered in a review. Please, please do ask questions. Anything I've read this month that I haven't reviewed. I did review seven books already, but still. Eleven books to choose from, there must be one book there that you want to know more about, right? (Also, if you could help me out with questions for the following books, that would be awesome)

Small Island by Andrea Levy
Falling Man by Don DeLillo
Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka

Also, did you notice that I've read four Sarah Dessen novels this month? She's my latest favourite author. Can't get enough of her. I'd be hard pushed to answer which has been favourite so far. I'm leaning towards Just Listen or This Lullaby. I don't know. I flip-flop between them all. I'm thinking that maybe I was overly harsh on That Summer and might go back to give it another chance.

That Summer
Someone Like You
Keeping the Moon
Dreamland
This Lullaby
The Truth About Forever
Just Listen
Lock and Key
Along For the Ride

So, how did you do reading-wise in July?

Please help me out by asking me questions about the 10 books I haven't reviewed this month! Which is your favourite Sarah Dessen novel? Who's your latest favourite author?

Summer Treasure Hunt

On Wednesdays, my mother in law looks after Littlest during the day. She gets to spend some one-on-one time with Littlest, and I get to have a special day just Oldest and I. On Fridays, it's the other way around. Me with LIttlest, her with Oldest.

Last week, for our special Wednesday treat, Oldest and I went to a local shopping centre and had our own little lunch date and looked at Thomas trains. This week, we went to the library (for Thomas books) and then went on a summer treasure hunt that one of our favourite local parks was hosting.

It was such fun. I wasn't sure about going because it had been raining quite a bit the previous day, during the night and early morning. But it was dry when we set out. Oldest loved jumping in the puddles anyway. We ran around the park, answering a bunch of questions, taking silly photos. Oldest is such a character. That first photo? With the geese? As that photo was being taken Oldest whispered to me - 'mommy? ducks don't eat people, do they?'

Love, love, love spending time with Oldest. He's growing up so quickly, becoming so much more independent. I want to hold onto him and never let him go. I have planned some (hopefully) special things with him over the next few weeks.