Happy birthday!

Here we are at the end of Oldest' birthday weekend. We had a wonderful time. A family day out on Saturday followed by a birthday party on the Sunday. There was presents and cake, laughter and friends. What more do you need?

I hope all your wishes and dreams come true, little boy! Happy 4th birthday!

Reading Challenges

I've decided that 2010 is the year I join and successfully complete reading challenges. Here are a few that I'm interested in. Any others that I've missed that I should consider? (I'm still away on my blogging break, but I meant to post this during the week and forgot!) I will keep this page up to date with my progress!

J. Kaye is hosting the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge - I'm signing up for the mini-YA option, in which I'll be reading 12 YA books between January 1st and December 2010. I've read a lot of YA books this year, but is it just a phase I'm going through? We'll see.

1. Nation by Terry Pratchett
2. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
3. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
4. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
5. Wake by Lisa McMann
6. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
7. Skellig by David Almond
8. Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
9. Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
10. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
11. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
12. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
13. Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton
14. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
15. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
16. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
17. Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
18. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
19. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
20. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
21. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
22. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
23. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
24. Ash by Malinda Lo
25. Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire
26. Beastly by Alex Flinn
27. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
28. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
29. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
30. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
31. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
32. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
33. Scarred by Julia Hoban
34. Sticky Fingers by Niki Burnham
35. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
36. The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell
37. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
38. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
39. Marked by PC and Kristin Cast
40. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
41. Paper Towns by John Green
42. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
43. Cut by Patricia McCormick
44. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
45. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
46. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
47. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
48. Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast
49. Fallen by Lauren Kate
50. When I Was Joe by Keren David
51. Chosen by PC and Kristin Cast
52. Untamed by PC and Kristin Cast
53. Split By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja
54. Hunted by PC and Kristin Cast
55. Betrayals by Lili St Crow
56. Notes From The Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
57. Tempted by PC and Kristin Cast
58. My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
60. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
61. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Also, J. Kaye's Support Your Local Library Challenge, in which I pledge to read 75 books.

1. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
4. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
5. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts About Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
6. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
8. Maus by Art Spiegleman
9. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
10. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
11. Invisible by Paul Auster
12. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
13. The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
14. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
15. Skellig by David Almond
16. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
17. Boy by Roald Dahl
18. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
19. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
20. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
21. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
22. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
23. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
24. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
25. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
26. Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
27. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
28. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
29. Fallen by Lauren Kate
30. When I Was Joe by Keren David

J. Kaye hosts some wonderful reading challenges - I will also be joining her 100+ reading challenge. So far this year I have read 135 books, so this should be easy! (er, I hope)

1. The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
4. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx
5. Dear Me: Letters to My 16 Year-Old Self
6. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
7. A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro
8. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
9. I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
10. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
11. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
12. Maus by Art Spiegleman
13. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
14. Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day by Winifred Watson
15. Invisible by Paul Auster
16. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
17. The Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby
18. Wake by Lisa McMann
19. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
20. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
21. Letter To My Daughter by Maya Angelou
22. The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
23. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
24. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
25. Property by Valerie Martin
26. Skellig by David Almond
27. Plain Jayne by Hillary Manton Lodge
28. Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
29. Along For the Ride by Sarah Dessen
30. Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
31. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
32. Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes
33. Boy by Roald Dahl
34. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
35. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols
36. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
37. Della Says OMG! by Keris Stainton
38. Ransom My Heart by Mia Thermopolis with Meg Cabot
39. Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
40. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
41. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
42. Guitar Girl by Sarra Manning
43. A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong
44. The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
45. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles
46. Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card
47. The Firework-Maker's Daughter by Philip Pullman
48. The Butterfly Tattoo by Philip Pullman
49. Unsticky by Sarra Manning (reread)
50. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
51. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
52. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
53. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
54. Girl With Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh
55. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
56. The Graduate by Charles Webb
57. Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
58. Dog Boy by Eva Hornung
59. Ash by Malinda Lo
60. Beautiful Dead: Jonas by Eden Maguire
61. The Body Artist by Don DeLillo
62. Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway
63. The Unfinished Novel and other stories by Valerie Martin
64. Beastly by Alex Flinn
65. Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak
66. Beautiful Dead: Arizona by Eden Maguire
67. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
68. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
69. The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
70. An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
71. Scarred by Julia Hoban
72. Sticky Fingers by Niki Burnham
73. When It Happens by Susane Colasanti
74. The Book of Luke by Jenny O'Connell
75. North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
76. The Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle
77. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
78. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
79. Marked by PC and Kristin Cast
80. Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
81. Paper Towns by John Green
82. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
83. Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi
84. Cut by Patricia McCormick
85. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
86. Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
87. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
88. Forget You by Jennifer Echols
89. Betrayed by PC and Kristin Cast
90. Strange Angels by Lili St Crow
91. Fallen by Lauren Kate
92. When I Was Joe by Keren David
93. Chosen by PC and Kristin Cast
94. Untamed by PC and Kristin Cast
95. Split By A Kiss by Luisa Plaja
96. Hunted by PC and Kristin Cast
97. Betrayals by Lili St Crow
98. Notes From the Teenage Underground by Simmone Howell
99. Tempted by PC and Kristin Cast
100. My So-Called Afterlife by Tamsyn Murray
101. I Was Told There Would Be Cake by Sloane Crosley
102. Lighthousekeeping by Jeannette Winterson
103. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
104. The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
105. Skim by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki
106. Maus II by Art Spiegelman
107. Fat Kid Rules the World by KL Going
108. Everything Beautiful by Simmone Howell

For this next one, I'm really pushing myself. It's the Terry Pratchett 2010 reading challenge hosted by Reading Adventures. I've tried a Terry Pratchett book before and it wasn't my cup of tea, but I think I need to try again. I've signed up for the lowest level - Cashier at Ankh-Morpork Mint - which means I may only read one book, but at least I'll have tried!

1. Mort by Terry Pratchett
2. Nation by Terry Pratchett
3. Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett
4. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

I don't want to over extend myself, but the GLBT Reading Challenge appeals to me. I've chosen the Lambda level and will read four books with GLBT themes and/or authors. Here is a tentative list of books I'd be considering:

1. Sexing the Cherry by Jeannette Winterson
2. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
3. The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
4. The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters
5. Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
6. The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima
7. If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

Books I've read for the challenge:

1. Sexing the Cherry by Jeanette Winterson
2. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
3. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
4. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
5. Ash by Malinda Lo
6. The Unfinished Novel and other stories by Valerie Martin
7. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
8. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith
9. Skim by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki


Next up, we have the Flashback challenge, hosted over at Booklust. I've chosen the Scholar level to read 4-6 that I've loved as a child, in high school or as an adult. I love re-reading, I never feel like I have 'time' for it though.

1. Unsticky by Sarra Manning (book I've loved as an adult)

The next challenge puts a smile on my face - the Rory Gilmore Books Project, which lists all the books that she read during the course of the Gilmore Girls! It's an ongoing project and all the books are listed. Fabulous. Here is a list of books that I'm considering reading for this challenge:

Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson
Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm
Snow White and Rose Red by the Brothers Grimm
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Tender is the Night by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - read January 2010
The Portable Dorothy Parker by Dorothy Parker
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Living History by Hillary Clinton
Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King


A little scarier, is the TBR challenge, hosted by MizB in which we read 12 books (with 12 alternates) that have been on our TBR piles for more than six months and then read the books on the list, with no changing! Scariness. Here are my lists:

1. Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey
2. Schindler's Ark by Thomas Kenneally
3. One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
5. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman - finished 8th March 2010
6. Leviathan by Paul Auster
7. Moon Palace by Paul Auster
8. The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
9. Matrimony by Joshua Henkin
10. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
11. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
12. Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon - finished 1st March

Alternates:

1. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
2. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
3. Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg
4. Unless by Carol Shields
5. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
6. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
7. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
8. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
9. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
10. The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing
11. The Ghost Road by Pat Barker
12. Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek


And finally, I couldn't pass up the Women Unbound challenge which focuses on books relating to 'women's studies.' Even though the non-fiction aspect of the challenge is pretty steep for me, I must join. I've chosen the Bluestocking option, which is to read five books, two of which are non-fiction (eep!).

Here are the books I'm considering and I will update the list below for books that I've read and reviewed for the challenge.

Fiction:
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Possessing the Secret of Joy by Alice Walker
A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Out by Natsuo Kirino

Non-fiction:
Perseoplis 1 and 2 by Marjane Sartapi
My Invented Country by Isabel Allende
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Through the Narrow Gate by Karen Armstrong

Fiction:

1. The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
2. The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
3. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
4. The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera
5. Miss Pettigrew Lives for A Day by Winifred Watson
6. Heartburn by Nora Ephron
7. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
8. Property by Valerie Martin
9. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
10. Girl Meets Boy by Ali Smith

Non-Fiction:

1. I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts About Being A Woman by Nora Ephron
2. Persepolis by Marjane Sartapi
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Under the Duvet by Marian Keyes
5. Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou
6. Girl With Glasses: My Optic History by Marissa Walsh

Which challenges are you joining in 2010?

Giving Thanks

1. My beautiful boys
2. N, for always making this day special for me
3. Free phone calls to America, so I can wish my lonely dad a Happy Thanksgiving...
4. Libraries and librarians
5. Wonderful book bloggers
6. Nerdfighters
7. Charity shops - especially my local one which often sells it's books at BOGOF
8. Readitswapit.co.uk - where I get everything else!
9. Laughter
10. Butterflies
11. My yearly haircut which makes my head feel a lot lighter
12. My digital camera
13. My comfy pyjama bottoms
14. My magic blanket which heals all sickness
15. My pretty iphone
16. Everybody who comments on my little blog, it makes me feel happy inside
17. Kitkat Chunkys
18. The TV shows Ugly Betty, Fringe and The X Factor
19. Hank Green's songs
20. Jelly belly jelly beans
21. Especially the juicy pear flavour
22. Friends
23. The health of my family
24. My beautiful mother-in-law who does so much for our family
25. My annual pass to the zoo
26. Legoland
27. Teachers
28. Bubble baths
29. Lie-ins
30. Swinging in the park
31. Picnics in the living room
32. Donkeys
33. The wonderful people who work at my son's nursery
34. Toast
35. Toast with peanut butter
36. Memories
37. Pretty notebooks
38. Finding a place where I belong
39. Future plans
40. My university course which is endlessly fascinating, though incredibly difficult
41. My perseverance in my university course
42. Hands
43. The fact that I am able to stay at home and watch my children learn and grow
44. Christmas just around the corner
45. Figuring out what I'd like to be when I grow up
46. Finding it easier and easier to see the good in myself
47. Mashed potatoes
48. Oldest
49. Littlest
50. N (all three deserve to be listed twice)


Though Thanksgiving is not a holiday here in the UK, it is still a holiday our family celebrates and so I will not be around the rest of this week as I try to get in as much family time as I can. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What're you thankful for this year?

REVIEW: The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

I read The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood one afternoon while Littlest slept. It's only little. In this novella, Atwood would like us to see the world from Penelope's eyes. And not just during the 20 years that Odysseus was away fighting in the Trojan War and his adventures afterwards. Her upbringing, her relationship with her cousin, Helen of Troy, the early years of her marriage, all are discussed in this small book. I have read Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but many years ago and only have a dim recollection of the stories. I think a better understanding of The Odyssey in particular would help any readers of The Penelopiad.

Either way, I really felt for Penelope after reading this book. She comes across in Homer's epic tales as a faithful and virtuous woman and not much else. Atwood gives her a personality, a voice. She lets us into Penelope's head as she struggles with the isolation of being left behind. While most of the novel is concerned with Penelope's story, we also hear briefly of the twelve maids who are kiled along with the suitors by Odysseus and Telemachus when Odysseus finally returns. Atwood uses the maids as a modern day chorus - telling their stories in songs, poems, a court-room drama and an anthropology lecture. While I did find some parts of the novel to be funny and interesting I felt like it also disrupted from the story and at the end I didn't feel a strong emotional connection to any of the characters or the story.

Having only ever read Margaret Atwood's dystopic novels (The Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood) I found The Penelopiad to be slightly disappointing. It was light and fun read but perhaps if it were longer I'd have enjoyed it more.

Other Opinions:

Biblioklept
things mean a lot
Rhinoa's Ramblings
Collected Miscellany
1morechapter
Adventures in Reading

REVIEW: Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor

Shortly after I wrote about Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor on my Friday Finds post, I found this book on the New Releases shelf at the library. I was thrilled. I started reading it immediately and found that I couldn't stop. LOVED it. Here's the summary from Amazon again, if you didn't catch it the first time around:

'What would I do without you, Lucy Brown?' he said, and kissed me softly. I held his face in my hands and kissed him back. I felt that life just couldn't get any more perfect. And I was right, it wouldn't. By the end of the next day, I'd be dead. Lucy is about to marry the man of her dreams - kind, handsome, funny Dan - when she breaks her neck the night before their wedding. Unable to accept a lifetime's separation from her soulmate, Lucy decides to become a ghost rather than go to heaven and be parted from Dan.

But it turns out things aren't quite as easy as that. When Lucy discovers that Limbo is a grotty student-style house in North London she's less than thrilled. Especially after meeting her new flatmates: grumpy, cider-swilling EMO-kid Claire; and Brian, a train-spotter with a Thomas the Tank Engine duvet and a big BO problem. But Lucy has a more major problem on her hands - if she wants to become a ghost and be with Dan she has to complete an almost impossible task. How the hell does a girl like Lucy find a girlfriend for the dorkiest man in England? IT geek Archie's only passions are multi-player computer games and his Grandma. But Lucy only has twenty-one days to find him love.

And when she discovers that her so-called friend Anna is determined to make a move on the heart-broken, vulnerable Dan, the pressure is really on...

Honestly, from the description alone, I was desperate to read this book. And that cover is quite pretty. But then there are all these wonderful reviews I'd been reading. And they're all true. This really is a lovely book. I want to be Lucy Brown's best friend, and also Cally Taylor's. This book really has everything. From the very first page I connected with Lucy. I think she's adorable and I was rooting for her to succeed right throughout. I think as the story carries on and we see glimpses of Lucy's relationship with Dan when they were both alive I was won over again by how incredibly sweet and romantic they are with each other.

I loved all of the secondary characters, especially the other Living Dead characters, train-spotter Brian and emo Claire. Geeky Archie is quite fun as well, as is his inappropriate boss. Honestly, I'm trying hard not to turn this review into too much gushiness, but I really did love this book.

Go out and read Heaven Can Wait. It's fun, it's funny, it's romantic.

REVIEW: The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

I started reading The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks last month on the recommendation of a friend. I'd seen Kevin Brooks' books in the library pretty regularly, but hadn't ever picked one up before. I thought I'd give one a try. I won't lie, it was a very difficult experience reading this book. It is very dark and very grim reading. And at the same it was kind of beautiful as well. I did like that mixture of harsh and pretty. I did have to put it down half-way through, just walk away and clear my head before I could get back to it.

Blurb from Amazon: Late one night, two brothers learn that their sister has died in the worst imaginable way. She's found, strangled, in a desolate place hundreds of miles from their East London home. Ruben and Cole Ford set out to find their own answers. Ruben is the smarter of the two, with a gift for getting into other people's hearts and feeling what they feel; Cole may be older, but he's a dark-eyed devil's angel who doesn't care if he lives or dies. Together they retrace their sister's final journey to a remote Dartmoor village with a dark, menacing core. This is a heart-stopping, heart-breaking thriller about three ill-fated siblings and the love, and blood, that runs between them.

I should have known from that description, shouldn't I? But I didn't. Kevin Brooks takes these two brothers much farther than I felt comfortable with during the course of this book. I feel like, on their quest for the truth of Rachel's murder, they've both lost a part of themselves. Ruben and Cole both do things that cross that line of decency and I find it sad, because I don't think that people can come back from that. I feel sad for another reason. During the course of this book, there is murder, rape, violent assaults, a dead dog, characters wetting themselves out of sheer terror. It's all too much for me, especially considering that this book is aimed at a young adult audience.

If I step back from the fact that this book is incredibly violent and deals with some truly horrific things, then I'm able to say that I think Kevin Brooks writes really wonderfully. I wish I hadn't been so quick to return my copy to the library so I could highlight some passages for you, but I don't. But I loved Ruben's voice. His insights into his brother, himself, those around him, for me, were worth reading the book. Ruben has such a big, sensitive heart. Also, I found the relationship between the brothers to be quite sweet at times. They're very different and see the world in very different ways but the connection between them is unshakeable.

Maybe if I were more into the mystery/thriller genre, I'd have handled this book better, but I'm not. Revenge and murder aren't my normal reading, but this book was really fast-paced and atmospheric. I have to say, more than a week after reading this book, this book is still on my mind. There's something there. I'm hoping it's the writing style of Kevin Brooks, because I have another of his books waiting for me...


Other opinions:

A Passion for Books
Vulpes Libris
Flip the Switch
BookEnvy

Boys, Part 2

Oh, Oldest is growing up so quickly. Look at him, he's grown so tall now. N and I went to an open evening this week at the local primary school. It's about that time that we started the whole process of getting Oldest into 'big-boy school' as he calls it. Until the other day, I was always picturing Oldest in Reception as a larger more structured pre-school, like he goes to now. And then when we went, and had the tour and heard the teachers give their little speeches I realised that this is it. Reception will fly by and before I know it, he'll be learning to read and bringing homework home and going on field trips. And he'll no longer be this little boy. He'll be all grown-up and off to university.



I'm not handling this passage of time very well. At Legoland recently, Oldest was measured to be over 1 metre tall and could go on some of the 'scarier' rides. And I have to keep reminding myself that this is a good thing. And exciting time. But for me, it's mostly just sad. With his birthday coming up, I can't help but remembering him as the little baby who I brought home from the hospital. The little baby that changed our lives entirely and stole my heart.



You should hear the things that come out of his mouth. Sure, he still says little boy things like 'restronk' instead of 'restaurant' and he told someone his birthday is on the 'fifty-eighth of November' but already I see flashes of the boy he'll become. A sweet and polite boy who I'm very proud of.

(by the way, this is my 1000th blog post here at Fluttering Butterflies)

Boys, Part 1

Hello. A few weeks ago, I had a regular commenter (hi Stella!) who was amazed that my Littlest is now running around, playing in the leaves. I think a lot of people are under the assumption that the Little Guy is younger than he is. Because time does move very quickly. And he's no longer a plump little baby stuck in one place. He's 20 months now and oh boy, is he on the move.. His default setting seems to be 'run.'



With that cheeky little smile of his, he seems to think he can get away with anything. (He's mostly right!) He's very charming in a totally different way to his older brother. Instead of being hugely open and friendly and chatty like Oldest, Littlest is more cautious and wary. He shows interest in other people then hides. It's a real 'hard-to-get' approach. It works. Everyone wants a smile out of Littlest because he doesn't give them to everyone freely. And of course, he saves all his best smiles for his Mama...

He's at a wonderful age right now. He's trying to assert his own independence but he still runs to me to kiss away his hurts. He's on the edge of speaking, but he's being stubborn and holding on for just a little while longer. There's still so much that he has left to learn and I can see it in his face when he gets something for the first time. After naptimes, he still needs that bit of a cuddle and I love that time with him, him resting on my shoulder, trusting me entirely.

Another week...

...Another trip to the library! Sorry about the terrible photos. Bad lighting, bad angles. Oh well. Some interesting looking books though...

First up we have The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver which I snatched up from the New Releases shelf. I try to be dignified about it all, but failed pretty miserably. I got looks. Then we have Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, which was recently seen on a Friday Finds. I'll give it a try. And also, The Cleft by Doris Lessing. Which I've never heard of before, but I'm still working under the assumption that if I read enough Doris Lessing she will end up being one of my favourite authors. I'll let you know how that goes.

We also have Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut and Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland. I hear a lot of things about Kurt Vonnegut. Lots of people feel very strongly about him, enough to tattoo phrases from his books onto their skin and I find that very intriguing. I was hoping to pick up Slaughterhouse-Five, found Hocus Pocus instead. Also, I finished reading Generation A by Douglas Coupland last week and I wanted to give some of his other books another try. Again, I was searching for a different book (Microserfs) but picked up this one anyway.

Then we have the children's finds. The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven, which I mentioned in a Friday Finds post. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry which I *think* was mentioned by somebody (?) on Twitter recently, and Evermore by Alyson Noel. Because I think it'll be awful and I want in on that sort of awful.

Anyone read any of these books? Where do I start?

Musical memories... Michelle

Growing up, it was mostly just my brother, my dad and I. We didn't keep much in contact with my mother's side of the family and very complicated reasons, we didn't keep in contact with my dad's two older brothers either. Families are difficult. But we did see my dad's little sister fairly often. We'd spend Christmas at her house a lot, with my uncle and an older cousin. My aunt's like a female version of my dad. And by that I mostly just mean 'very loud.' And her husband was very different. He was very quiet, sort of subdued. Maybe everyone seems a bit subdued around my aunt.

But Uncle S made me laugh. He was really keen on Formula One. Or possibly the American equivalent? Car racing, anyway. And my brother and I would pretend to have an interest in it as well, because it made him happy. It was such a small thing to do, to like something that he liked. He'd get all excited and animated about it all. I love, now, that I have a lot of little memories of my uncle that meant a huge deal to me. A yawning competition when we were out camping once. Having a drink together in a cafe where I kept tipping my glass up and the ice kept hitting my face. A trip to the zoo. Because my Uncle S died a few years ago of multiple brain tumours. At the end, he didn't remember me, and that's OK. Because I remember him.

What I remember most is that everytime he'd see me, he'd sing to me. He'd even get out his guitar and always play the same song. Michelle by The Beatles. I always pretended to be very embarassed. How else does a young, shy girl react when someone starts serenading her? But secretly? I always loved it. And I will always love this song.

Friday Finds, the fourth

And it's that time again. Friday Finds is the post where I tell you about all the wonderful reviews I've read lately, the ones that have inspired me to read books bsaed on other blogger's recommendations.

First up this week, we have Heaven Can Wait by Cally Taylor reviewed by Caroline Smailes

Caroline wrote a lovely review of this book and had a very interesting interview with the author on her blog. There was even a chance to win a signed copy of the book! I completely missed out on that, but the book sounds great. What really sold it for me in the review was the line 'supernatural meets geek meets romance' which sounds like a win to me.

Blurby thing from Amazon:

'What would I do without you, Lucy Brown?' he said, and kissed me softly. I held his face in my hands and kissed him back. I felt that life just couldn't get any more perfect. And I was right, it wouldn't. By the end of the next day, I'd be dead. Lucy is about to marry the man of her dreams - kind, handsome, funny Dan - when she breaks her neck the night before their wedding. Unable to accept a lifetime's separation from her soulmate, Lucy decides to become a ghost rather than go to heaven and be parted from Dan. But it turns out things aren't quite as easy as that. When Lucy discovers that Limbo is a grotty student-style house in North London she's less than thrilled. Especially after meeting her new flatmates: grumpy, cider-swilling EMO-kid Claire; and Brian, a train-spotter with a Thomas the Tank Engine duvet and a big BO problem. But Lucy has a more major problem on her hands - if she wants to become a ghost and be with Dan she has to complete an almost impossible task. How the hell does a girl like Lucy find a girlfriend for the dorkiest man in England? IT geek Archie's only passions are multi-player computer games and his Grandma. But Lucy only has twenty-one days to find him love. And when she discovers that her so-called friend Anna is determined to make a move on the heart-broken, vulnerable Dan, the pressure is really on...


And then we have Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols reviewed by Lisa at Books. Lists. Life

I hadn't heard of this book before Lisa's review. But she really sold it for me. This is one of her favourites of this year, and she includes John After as a favourite male romantic character. The premise of this book really grabs me and I'm hoping I can find this book somewhere.

Amazon says:

High school senior Meg revels in being a rebel. She sports choppy blue hair, and tight t-shirts, cuts class, and is often found where she's not supposed to be. Like hanging out on a railroad-tracks-covered bridge that's off-limits to trespassers. When she and her friends are busted for trespassing and underage drinking, she's sentenced to spend her spring break riding along with a rookie police officer on his nightshift patrol. Compounding the punishment is the fact that the cop, John After, is only two years older than Meg, and a former classmate to boot. He thinks he has Meg's number and has nothing but contempt for her childish rebellion. Meg in turn has nothing but contempt for Officer After's straight-laced, by-the-book attitude. But Meg has her reasons for lashing out, and John has his reasons for his need for law and order. And they're about to discover that they have a lot more in common than either one of them could have dreamed...


Next, The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven reviewed by mariel at where troubles melt like lemondrops

This one sounds all a bit weird. I've seen this book in the library many times before. It's been on the library recommended shelf a few times and I've never given it a chance. And then I read mariel's review and I thought 'huh. I did not think it'd be about that.' And I'm intrigued. Kung-fu? Vomiting bats? I want to see how that plays out. It's clearly written with teenage boys in mind, but that's never stopped me before!

Blurb:

Jack doesn't know what he's got himself into. One minute he and his best friend Charlie were up in Chinatown having crispy duck with Charlie's dad (and Jack was having to listen to Charlie shouting at his dad for leaving his mum) - then next minute they were in a mysterious room above a theatre, with some of the strangest characters they'd ever encountered. And they were about to take The Test...and something very very weird was about to begin. The Test transforms Charlie - leaving him with the distinctive markings of the Black Tattoo - and with a temper that seems out of control. The boys' meeting with Esme, a young girl with the most impressive martial arts skills this side of Bruce Lee, her huge and hairy father Raymond, and the mysterious Nick seem to have swept Charlie and Jack into a world they had no idea existed. And it's only going to get stranger...This epic tale of good and evil, demons and hell, vomiting bats and huge battles marks the debut of an incredible new talent for children's books. Drawing on influences such as comic books, computer games and Eastern martial arts, "The Black Tattoo" is a book no self-respecting teenage boy will want to miss.


And finally, one I almost forgot to mention Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden reviewed by Becky at Becky's Book Reviews

I read Becky's review and it was like my eyes were suddenly opened to this series. Reviews all over the place. How had I not heard of this book or the series before? It sounds right up my alley. I've just had a quick look and the first three books in the series are out there in my library system. I think it'll be the first time I use the inter-library-loan. I'm excited.

What Amazon has to say:

Six teenagers spend five idyllic days camping in a remote and tranquil beauty spot called Hell. But when they return to their homes, they find their families gone, their farms deserted and the animals lying dead in the fields. That's when they begin to understand the real meaning of hell.

And that's it for me, for this week. Check out other Friday Finds over at Should Be Reading.

Have you read any of these books? What books did you come across this week that you'd like to read?

REVIEW: The Enemy by Charlie Higson

Wow. I finished this book last night and I'm left almost speechless by it. It isn't what I was expecting and in a really good way. Charlie Higson, author of the Young Bond series (which I've loved up to a point), has gone in a different direction with The Enemy. He's taken on zombies. Zombies are all the rage at the moment, but I can't say that I've had much experience with them, either in books or movies. So this is a new one for me. Here's the description on Amazon:

They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

I'm a little queasy when it comes to horror. I generally avoid it. And my assumption that because this book is aimed at a young adult audience that it would be watered-down, less horrific was entirely false. Higson does not hold back on the scary. It's fast-paced and very thrilling. But it's also very gory. Kids die. They get eaten, dragged away or attacked by dogs. Bad things happen and nobody is safe.

And in this very horrific new world these kids are living in, there's also some humanity left. The book focuses around a group of kids who have made their home in a Waitrose in North London. They try to protect the little ones, they try to maintain this sense of what's right and what's wrong. They struggle with the responsibilities of leadership, and their guilt when things go wrong. There's some great dialogue here and you really get a sense of who these characters are and where they are coming from. When a new kid comes along telling these kids about a safe place, they must figure out who to trust and how to work together. Meanwhile, the grown-ups are organising themselves, getting smarter and stronger...

It's the first in an exciting new series, and I cannot wait for the rest.

REVIEW: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

I found Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn to be utterly charming. I read it very quickly and found myself smiling on more than one occasion. I absolutely adored this book. It's epistolary, which I didn't realise until recently is a genre that I love, and it's dystopic which just makes it even more fabulous.

It's the story of a fictional island, Nollop, who reveres Nevin Nollop, the creator of the pangram 'the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.' A statue is erected in his honour, but when the tiles from this statue start falling off, the government believe that this is a direct sign from Nollop himself that those letters should no longer be used either verbally or written and create new laws accordingly. The first letter to fall is the letter 'z' which doesn't seem like it would affect life in any major way, no? Then more and more letters fall, and life becomes increasingly difficult for the citizens of Nollop.

This book is saying something about censorship, freedom of speech, totalitarian states. But it's doing it in a very quirky, fun and light-hearted way. It's also a book for people who love language. In fact it took me a few pages to accustom myself to the different vocabulary used by the Nollopians, but once that happened, I found this book to be original, fun and very clever. You'll finish this book with a better appreciation of the English language.

It was an excellent way to spend an afternoon and I highly recommend it.


Other Opinions:

A Striped Armchair
Rebecca Reads
Fyrefly's Book Blog

What I Want For My Boys

I recently read a book by David Levithan, Are We There Yet? I don't mean for this to be a review or anything, but the book is about brothers. Brothers who were once close and have since drifted apart. Their parents trick them into going on a tour of Italy together and during the course of their holiday, they reminisce about memories of their childhood together, how and why they grew apart, and realise how each admires the other and that though they are different, they are also quite similar at the same time. It's a sweet story. I loved it as I was reading it.

Mostly I was thinking, I hope that my two boys grow up to be close. And stay that way. I was never very close to my own brother. We each went through particular experiences in our childhood, and we reacted to those experiences in very different ways. It would be hard for those things not to have changed us, but I think the biggest change was that a gap grew between us and it was too difficult and too wide to cross that division with everything else going on. I haven't spoken to my brother on a regular basis for more than 10 years. I do not want that for my children.

Reading the Levithan book and thinking about my own relationship with my brother, it got me thinking of famous or historical brothers and the things that they have achieved together or are remembered for. Here are some of the brothers that I have found.

Romulus and Remus are the first brothers that I thought of when I was compiling this list. The twin brothers who were suckled by a she-wolf and later fought each other over who was to be ruler of Rome. I know my boys will end fighting over many things, but hopefully it will not lead to death. Or politics.

Next I thought of the Biblical brothers, Cain and Abel, who also ended badly. They are the sons of Adam and Eve and Cain is so filled with jealousy that he slays his brother Abel. I think sibling rivalry must be something that children everywhere have to deal with. I struggled with it for a long time, but I hope that the boys see that each of them will have his own relationship with other people that has nothing to do with the other brother.

I don't know much about the Marx Brothers, but they seemed pretty cool. A family of brothers who worked together in a comedy act with music, having success in vaudeville, Broadway and Hollywood. Just reading the wikipedia page had me stifling giggles. I'd like my boys to see the funny side of life, to be able to laugh at themselves.

Next up, we have the Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, who famously collected the fairy tales and folk tales. The fairy tales seem to be a by-product of their academic research but either way, the end result is wonderful. I would love it if my boys were able to work together to bring the world something so fascinating as the stories that these two brothers have collected and shared.

I'm enjoying 'researching' for this post as I've read up on the Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville. They've been credited (with some controversy) with the first flight of an airplane in 1903 followed by later improvements related to the aviation field. I hope that whatever my boys end up doing, they are able to handle criticism with grace.

And then we have the Coen Brothers, Ethan and Joel, the successful filmmakers responsible for such movies as Raising Arizona, Fargo and O, Brother, Where are Thou (one of my favouritest movies). They are successful and talented and have some wonderful dialogue in their films. I truly hope that my two boys are creative in some way and can have a bit of fun with their talents.


What's that you say? I'm such a dork for including the Mario Brothers in my list of famous brothers? I accept that. But Mario and Luigi are absolute legends. Two plumbers saving the world from the creatures that live in the sewers? I'd love it if my boys fought together against the evil, wouldn't you?



And then there is John and Hank Green, who couldn't be left off my list. A few years ago, when the two brothers were living across the country from each other they started up Brotherhood 2.0 in order to fill each other in on their daily lives by video blogging. They're very entertaining and it's very obvious how proud of each other they are. John is a bestselling YA author and Hank, his younger brother co-founded a record label that promotes Youtube musicians. I sincerely hope my boys grow up to be as smart and funny as these two.

That's not too much to ask, right?
Can you think of any brothers that I've missed?