tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41278432011-12-28T13:16:13.904-07:00Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.comBlogger2301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-4304628267483862782011-11-24T21:58:00.003-07:002011-11-24T22:52:13.182-07:00

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, by Anthony Esolen, came highly recommended, so I started reading my library copy with much enthusiasm. My husband stole the book after I'd read the first few chapters, and devoured the whole thing in a day, saying at the end that it was fantastic and we needed to own a copy. For the first few chapters, I agreed with both recommendations and was

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-48699240786448122042011-03-06T21:33:00.002-07:002011-03-06T21:53:12.340-07:00

Well, I persevered through The Crowded Street, and in the end I suppose it was worthwhile. Perhaps I was in the wrong mood, or the comparison withMiss Buncle's Book was too stark, but I felt somewhat wearied by another story about a young woman whose family, situation, and disposition were all against her. Fortunately it ended well.Then I picked up The New House, by Lettice Cooper--this novel was

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-57652785399352124152011-02-27T21:57:00.002-07:002011-02-27T22:36:19.063-07:00

I took this photo because I misread the rules for a photo competition as part of the Persephone Reading Weekend. The competition was for something else, but I liked the picture and decided to post it here. The book (illustrated in the photo by my son's toys!) is The Crowded Street, by Winifred Holtby, my second Persephone of the weekend, and I must say it's rather hard going after the innocent

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-78724504385292800552011-02-27T21:08:00.002-07:002011-02-27T21:23:15.132-07:00

I'm sliding this post in under the wire for Persephone Reading Weekend, I hope. We spent most of the weekend in town with my parents-in-law, which allowed me to read but not to blog. I had hoped to get through three Persephones, but sadly only managed one and a half; fortunately the one was very much worthwhile. Miss Buncle's Book, by D.E. Stevenson, reminded me a great deal of my first

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-45944623879122359482010-08-11T16:56:00.005-06:002010-08-11T20:44:38.645-06:00

As we amass an impressive collection of children's literature, and as our book-loving friends begin to have children as well, I have realized what a great opportunity I have for exchanging picture book recommendations. It is, for a number of reasons, difficult to browse the children's sections of bookstores or libraries, so I always like to have an ongoing list of titles and authors to look for.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-31751684238348621422010-06-26T15:39:00.002-06:002010-06-26T15:57:33.660-06:00

I love the new Blogger templates! I was never very happy with the last template I had, so I was glad to see some new ones, and had a hard time choosing one. Finally decided to stick with pink...I've been reading a lot of short stories lately--not for any particular reason, just because I keep finding good collections. Here are a few reviews and recommendations.The Montana Stories, by Katherine

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-4961616755864697162010-05-12T14:36:00.002-06:002010-05-12T14:54:42.380-06:00

I'm finally getting around to this meme, which was picked up by Peculiar through Steve. How could I resist such a list as this? The top ten books which have most influenced my life--a delightful prospect indeed. And then I began listing books, and, not surprisingly, came up with more than ten; so I decided to group them chronologically, according to four stages of my life. Most of them are

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-10328103116496316332010-03-16T16:04:00.002-06:002010-03-16T16:32:18.675-06:00

Going through our boxes of books has been a delightful experience as we rediscover old friends. I've already pulled out way more books than I'm likely to re-read, and I can't wait to have them all unpacked and displayed again. I'm also using LibraryThing as a reading list for this year, and am trying to post brief reviews of each book as I read it. My plan is to post handfuls of these mini

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-57232318505559064572010-02-15T00:06:00.002-07:002010-02-15T00:26:15.398-07:00

I have discovered LibraryThing. I am now addicted to cataloguing my books, which may possibly make me the most boring person alive. Nevertheless, this should come as an aid to people who don't give us books as gifts because they don't know what we have! The picture books collection is almost complete, but the rest of it will take a while as I delve through box after box. I've also started a

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-90227957448420663232010-01-26T15:59:00.005-07:002010-02-15T00:06:31.679-07:00

Since we moved, I've been able to unpack a few more boxes of books, including all my cookbooks. They take up an impressive amount of shelf space in the kitchen, especially because I've realized that I only use a handful of them regularly, and only one or two recipes from another handful. Am I going to purge? Erm... no. Maybe. Probably not. Because, you see, I might use them sometime! Also, I do

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-57061116908500125252009-09-01T15:22:00.001-06:002009-09-01T15:23:39.779-06:00

Reading Anthony Trollope's Barsetshire novels was a delight. I found each one perfectly charming, an exquisite example of the Victorian novel that ends with a wedding and in which everyone receives exactly what they deserve, and I had to parcel them out to myself, allowing one every few months so that they would last longer. The Palliser novels, on the other hand, were more of a slog. I know this

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-45223769254777701492009-05-15T16:41:00.003-06:002009-05-15T16:54:36.529-06:00

We are not unique.I have just discovered that my family's cult movie is also someone else's cult movie. This is very hard to believe.I've been reading a memoir (you will laugh when you learn that it's called Truck: A Love Story) by Michael Perry, about his life in a small Wisconsin town, the rebuilding of a '51 International pickup, planting a vegetable garden, going on book tours, and his

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-41622033434901905262009-04-28T15:36:00.003-06:002009-04-28T15:40:47.942-06:00

Sam's Wish ListPoinsettia and the Fire Fighters, Felicia BondI Spy seriesThe Lord Is My Shepherd, illustrated by Tasha TudorMy Very First Mother Goose, Iona Opie and Rosemary WellsThe Sleeping Beauty, Trina Schart Hymanany books about diggers

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-49413021973961591592008-12-02T16:15:00.002-07:002008-12-02T16:30:21.027-07:00

Somebody asked me recently if I still had time to read while raising a toddler and running a farm. My answer was, Yes, and I also find time for breathing. I've been reading a lot of farming/real food/back-to-the-land books lately; it's inspiring to get other perspectives on the lifestyle I've chosen, and fun to compare our progress with that of other folks. Right now I'm enjoying Rural

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-29414025480391564882008-09-28T16:43:00.003-06:002008-09-28T17:03:45.200-06:00

So my mom comes into the house yesterday morning and hands me a padded envelope. "You got giant microbes in the mail!" she says brightly. I look at the envelope. Sure enough, the return address says "Giant Microbes". Huh. I tear it open and peek inside to see an unidentifiable yellowish lump. I don't really want to touch it, but I pull it out gingerly. Well, would you look at that. It's... a

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-85486644366654670922008-08-21T21:02:00.003-06:002008-08-21T21:22:02.249-06:00

More on the subject of self-sacrifice--a Methodist song quoted in Robertson Davies's Murther and Walking Spirits:There's an excellent rule I have learned in life's school,And I'm ready to set it before you. When you're heavy at heartAnd your world falls apart, Do not pity yourself, I implore you.No, up with your chin, Meet bad luck with a grin,And try this infallible trick: It never will

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-26255282106813618462008-07-30T15:34:00.002-06:002008-07-30T16:10:10.841-06:00

There's something about summer that tempts me even more than usual to lounge about all day and immerse myself in reading--something in which I cannot indulge anymore. I've been trying to avoid potato-chip books, like mysteries and fantasy, because once I start I don't want to do anything else, and get very cross when reality (the boy, the farm, etc) intrudes. During our vacation in Minnesota, I

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-58007691180278422612008-05-17T12:04:00.006-06:002008-05-17T12:46:39.471-06:00

What is it about memes that's so irresistible? And I'm always a sucker for book lists--so fun to check off all the ones I've read... This one's from Voracious Reader.Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this. When you post your list on your blog, please track back to mine (or leave a comment) so that I can read your lists too.The rules:Bold what you have read, italicize books you’ve

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1017341890404676992008-04-18T13:01:00.002-06:002008-05-03T17:19:51.812-06:00

Realizing the other day that it's none too soon to start thinking about and planning for homeschooling, I decided to read a book that's been on my list for a while now--The Well-Trained Mind, by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer. It's a guide to classical education at home, and is laid out chronologically, with detailed chapters for each subject. One could follow their program to the letter, as

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-7924891990333561082008-03-30T16:22:00.001-06:002008-03-30T16:23:07.508-06:00

If Sam turns out like this boy, I will be so happy.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-89048405474782731522008-03-18T12:08:00.002-06:002008-03-18T12:13:01.248-06:00

Irresistible indeed, Steve. And so satisfying when the nearest book is an impressive one (AND one that I was reading, not Odious, as is more usually the case by the computer)!Lord. The King and Queen and all are coming down.Hamlet. In happy time.Lord. The Queen desires you to use some gentle entertainment to Laertes before you fall to play.--The Kittredge Shakespeares Hamlet, edited and with

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-8475178164997327122008-02-16T16:58:00.002-07:002008-02-16T17:21:45.630-07:00

We just spent a lovely sunny week in California visiting relatives, and my dear sister took us to a charming little oldtown shopping area where we went crazy in a couple of antique stores. I found all these delicious old books--so much fun! I was hoping the titles would show up better in the picture, but I guess I'll have to list them. There are only a couple of replacements (Rose In Bloom and

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-79426812327804134592008-01-26T16:42:00.000-07:002008-01-26T17:18:21.449-07:00

My latest phase of potato-chip reads is over, and I'm back to Victorian novels as inspired by the wonderful book Inside the Victorian Home, by Judith Flanders. Miss Marjoribanks, Margaret Oliphant: Lucilla Marjoribanks is my hero! She's the Dolly Levi of Victorian novels--I loved her sensible, level-headed approach to life and to arranging everyone in it. So far I haven't had any luck finding

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-64411948053226540672008-01-20T13:34:00.000-07:002008-01-20T15:06:40.098-07:00

Lots of good books the past couple of weeks--I've been reading more than getting things done...Dragonhaven, Robin McKinley: I probably should've read some Jane Austen after this, to protect my own writing style; as with Sunshine, McKinley gives her narrator (in this case, a teenage boy) a very specific voice. It works, but is a little wearing after a while--too many likes and totallys and you

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-42254689417019094212008-01-14T16:01:00.004-07:002008-05-26T17:57:26.583-06:00

The List of Lost BooksThese are some of the books we lost in the flood. I know there are more, and we'll probably add titles as we remember them; we'll also remove titles as we reacquire them. Again, it's not a wish list--more of a eulogy, really--but anyone who wants to give us a gift in the future can refer to it. Aren't you glad we've simplified your gift giving?Abelard & Heloise:

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-6702602679322403272008-01-12T12:49:00.000-07:002008-01-14T15:58:52.729-07:00

As the rains came down and the rivers of Northwestern Oregon climbed their banks last month, our little farm became an island. All around us homes and businesses were flooded; people lost pets, possessions, vehicles; families were separated without phone communication for days; towns shut down and were stranded. Up on our hill we stayed safe and dry, and, thank God, together; we watched the

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-50243470723540511682007-10-14T17:28:00.000-06:002007-10-14T17:35:56.218-06:00

And now I feel terrible.Curse my impecunious state! If only I'd bought more books from A Common Reader! After writing that last post, I tried to access the website and found to my horror that the company went bankrupt a year and a half ago. What a loss to the reading world, and how sad to see yet another small business go under. I wish I were not forced to buy books inexpensively, when I do buy

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-71167654410720857892007-10-14T17:16:00.000-06:002007-10-14T17:27:45.465-06:00

Vexatious reality! How rarely you fulfill anticipation!When A Common Reader recommends a book, I am all attention. After all, it was in those diminutive newsprint pages that I was first introduced to Edith Pargeter, Alice Thomas Ellis, and Patrick O'Brian, to name a noteworthy few. And to label a book a TGR--well! I don't even have to write that title on my list--it burns there in letters of

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-25072228250538550052007-06-13T18:52:00.000-06:002007-06-13T18:54:56.927-06:00

I may at some point post about books again; in the meantime, you can read about our farming adventures here. Enjoy!

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-69858608396745695562007-04-17T19:01:00.000-06:002007-04-17T19:32:46.763-06:00

I should be crocheting right now, in an attempt to finish an afghan for a friend's baby shower on Friday, but the child is sleeping and I'm feeling vaguely inspired. My reading addictions lately have been even more eclectic than usual--I'm hooked on Trollope, Barbara Kingsolver, Colin Dexter, and Joel Salatin. I don't know why I never got into Trollope before; I read one of his novels as a

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1171484902681573962007-02-14T13:24:00.000-07:002007-02-14T13:28:22.696-07:00

The Cutest Baby in the WorldSam was born January 30 after putting his poor mama through a three-day marathon; fortunately he's incredibly sweet and smiley and we love him beyond belief. Life is good!

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1168632041700304492007-01-12T12:45:00.000-07:002007-01-12T13:00:41.716-07:00

I started a year-in-review post on our computer at home, but since I'm now at the library I'll skip ahead and post my haphazard list of Books to Read in 2007. I'm rarely, of course, at a loss for something to read, but I found it was helpful last year to have a goal to work towards--it kept me from reading nothing but junk and introduced me to some wonderful works I might not otherwise have read.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1167161698925759232006-12-26T12:27:00.000-07:002006-12-26T12:34:58.943-07:00

Merry Christmas everyone! An email from Sherry at Semicolon reminded me that I'd dropped out of the blogging world without any explanation, so I thought I'd post quickly to let anyone who still visits know what's happening. Odious and I usually decide to make a whole bunch of life changes all at once, and this year has been no different. We finally moved out to the country a few weeks ago, just

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1158609662373342232006-09-18T13:40:00.000-06:002006-09-18T14:01:02.466-06:00

I'm coming off a long phase of reading junk. Fortunately the realization that I was getting tired of it came along with the realization that filling my brain with nothing but pot-boilers (books and TV) was taking a toll and making me feel very depressed. I need more to chew on than Ruth Rendell, Alias, and Law & Order! So I took myself in opposite directions by beginning George Eliot's Daniel

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1156548156993865192006-08-25T16:52:00.000-06:002006-08-25T17:22:37.090-06:00

Since I first heard about Christopher Paolini's novel Eragon, I figured I should probably read it out of homeschooler solidarity if nothing else. I picked it up a few times at bookstores, but wasn't interested enough to buy a copy, and its surprising popularity made it difficult to find at the library. Finally a couple weeks ago I saw a copy in one of the library displays and decided to check it

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1154975795127509172006-08-07T12:15:00.000-06:002006-08-07T12:48:31.656-06:00

Though I originally started this blog to recommend books, I've found it's so much more fun to not recommend them. If I like a book, I feel that's all I have to say--read it, you'll like it too. But if I don't like a book, well then I have to tell you exactly why!And Odious thinks I should share my outrage (since I shared it with him) concerning a fantasy novel whose reviewer had the gall to deem

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1150311903321421142006-06-14T12:46:00.000-06:002006-06-14T13:05:03.346-06:00

"A woman of seven-and-twenty," said Marianne, after pausing a moment, "can never hope to feel or inspire affection again..." --Sense and SensibilityI'd forgotten what extremes Elinor and Marianne are, as if Jane Austen set out to create caricatures for her title. Their temperaments are so defined that I think it would be difficult to spend any time with them, which I've never felt about any other

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1148584013181735072006-05-25T12:37:00.000-06:002006-05-25T13:09:05.300-06:00

Paul's henhouse is better than ours. Well, okay, maybe not better, necessarily, but it does look like he actually measured stuff and had real plans and all that. I had been inclined to think such things were overrated, but after spending two days digging into subsoil with a trowel because our site was much farther from level than we'd thought, I decided maybe we should consider having pretty

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1147464640699588562006-05-12T14:02:00.000-06:002006-05-12T14:24:49.776-06:00

I crossed another book off my 2006 list the other day--Theodore Dreiser's Sister Carrie. I liked it enough that I'll probably try An American Tragedy too, although I'm not sure exactly why I liked it. For one thing, there were too many similarities to The Jungle--the sort of descriptions one reads with horror, and characters that one wants to believe could never exist. But there was also the same

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1146857053498163192006-05-05T12:59:00.000-06:002006-05-05T13:24:13.520-06:00

My mother raised me well: I get more excited about a library booksale than almost anything else in the world. Despite getting to bed later than planned last night, I bounced up this morning ready to dig through other people's trash and find my own treasures. There's something so intoxicating about a room full of cheap, random, disorganized books--I feel a little crazed sometimes, trying to see

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1145481381888152542006-04-19T15:07:00.000-06:002006-04-19T15:16:21.903-06:00

Books by Women MemeJust BOLD those you’ve read, ITALICIZE the ones you’ve been meaning to read and ??? the ones you have never heard of (or wish you had never heard of? Or the ones you wonder, "why is this book on this list?")Alcott, Louisa May–Little Women Allende, Isabel–The House of SpiritsAngelou, Maya–I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsAtwood, Margaret–Cat’s EyeAusten, Jane–EmmaBambara, Toni

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1145125653385884772006-04-15T12:25:00.000-06:002006-04-15T12:50:08.950-06:00

I'm trying to remember why exactly I was so eager to acquire employment. Oh, right, the dwindling bank balance... If only work didn't interfere so much with my life--it's really quite vexing. And despite working in the same building--within winking distance--of my dear husband, the time we have together has shrunk to car rides and sleep. Perhaps because of this I find myself growing even more

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1144875823685854972006-04-12T14:49:00.000-06:002006-04-12T15:03:43.696-06:00

My dear husband has just gotten me hooked on a YA fantasy series: Midnighters, by Scott Westerfeld. After mentioning that the books were quite enjoyable, he left the first one lying temptingly on the coffee table, where I picked it up in innocence this morning. Now I'm blogging instead of starting the second one, because there's no way I can finish before going to work in 45 minutes. But maybe I

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1144263881343174042006-04-05T12:47:00.000-06:002006-04-05T13:05:00.736-06:00

I've been told my last post was a little odd--apparently I should stick to books and keep musings like that for my journal. Ah well.Fortunately I have several books to mention--I've read some good stuff lately. Last night I finished Richard Wright's Native Son, which perhaps I shouldn't categorize as "good stuff"; however, I read it in two days. I hated it, first off: the story was grim and

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1143776942115203612006-03-30T19:55:00.000-07:002006-03-30T23:37:20.016-07:00

Godfrey: May I be frank?Irene: Is that your name?Godfrey: No, my name is Godfrey.Irene: Oh. Well, be Frank.--My Man GodfreySo I'm going to be Frank: I'm having a hard time with these posts from Jack and Odious. When I first read Pascal, I thought he was exactly right about the human urge to be distracted from wretchedness, but it's only recently that I've realized I don't have that urge. Oh, sure

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1143154250987278792006-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:002006-03-23T15:50:51.000-07:00

Jack is back! That, and the exhortation that it is my duty to recommend books to my friends, and a day off, all combine to put me in front of the computer determined to write something.I've been reading Elizabeth George's mysteries as if there were an infinite supply; after getting off work yesterday, I read two. No, I didn't do anything else. It was nice, but I think I might be ready for a break

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1141882208726275932006-03-08T22:20:00.000-07:002006-03-08T22:30:08.736-07:00

There are many things for which I could blame my month-long disappearance, but the truth is I simply haven't been in the mood. I'm going to try from now on to post once a week, which I think is a fair goal. But in the meantime, as a little gift to you in apology for my absence, here is the poem I wrote this morning.I stand before the shelf of slouching books,cocking my head to scan the lazily

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1138582759028755342006-01-29T17:58:00.000-07:002006-01-29T17:59:19.043-07:00

Yikes, I didn't mean that last post to be so depressing. I just get tired of the doomsayers! The end may very well be nigh, but that doesn't necessarily mean things are any worse than they've ever been. Different, yes, but worse? Frankly I'm perfectly happy not to have to test my faith against lions and gladiators. I was thinking about sinning clergy while reading The Way of All Flesh. There are

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1138485294648359192006-01-28T14:39:00.000-07:002006-01-28T14:54:54.660-07:00

This post from Librarianne reminded me of a similar list given to my Bible study, of seven indicators that a nation is in trouble:1.All rules broken2.Bibical illiteracy3.Sinning clergy4.Uncontrolled lust5.Sinning leaders6.Deceitful prosperity7.Excessively litigiousIt's easy to read these lists and find oneself nodding with recognition--"Yes, it's true, that's exactly what's happening, our nation

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1138152243698136222006-01-24T18:02:00.000-07:002006-01-24T18:24:03.716-07:00

Well, I'm feeling proud of myself. I've already read three of the books on my list for 2006, and am working on two more. It shouldn't be surprising, since I do respond well to lists; but somehow I really thought reading at whim would overcome any resolutions. I did get terribly sidetracked by Rebecca Wells' latest novel, Ya-Yas in Bloom (it's always fun to revisit characters--like seeing old

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1137288620263043952006-01-14T18:28:00.000-07:002006-01-14T18:30:20.276-07:00

Two Things Meme (from Writing and Living)2 names you go by:1. Katy2. Sweetie2 parts of your heritage:1) Norwegian2) German (These are the main ones. According to my mother, there's also English, French, Scottish, Irish, Belgian, and Swiss.) 2 things that scare you:1. Not knowing what's going on2. Stormy nights2 of your everyday essentials:1) Reading2) Carbohydrates2 things you are wearing right

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1136685818270651052006-01-07T18:54:00.000-07:002006-01-07T19:03:38.286-07:00

Reading has always been such a necessary part of life for me that I've never thought of looking back at the previous year's book list or making a new one for the coming year. Other than the occasional "Read more classics", books haven't figured much in my New Year's resolutions. I like the idea of such a summing-up, but I'm afraid the urge to read at whim might prove too overwhelming. On the

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1135403875540403532005-12-23T22:49:00.000-07:002005-12-23T22:57:55.550-07:00

Merry Christmas! After a tedious drive through Portland this afternoon we rescued two sisters from the airport, and tomorrow will head up to my mother's house for a long weekend of feasting and fun. I can't wait. This week has been tough, for various reasons, and I really need the distraction of, well, Christmas. There are only two things that keep this weekend from promising perfection--one is

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1135130676183660992005-12-20T18:43:00.000-07:002005-12-20T19:04:36.196-07:00

It's official: my husband and I are library junkies. Since we moved to this apartment in July, we've gotten into the habit of walking up to the library about three times a week, which feels slightly excessive. Sometimes I even check out books I know I won't ever read! Anyway, as a special treat for our anniversary today, we decided to drive over to a bigger library branch (don't worry, we're also

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1134850665928127162005-12-17T12:34:00.000-07:002005-12-17T13:17:45.940-07:00

Reader beware: I've had coffee this morning. Odious and I do not drink coffee often, for the good reason that it makes both of us astonishingly unproductive. We spent over an hour at the dining table talking about our house plans; all well and good, but nothing actually got done. And since we have Christmas packages to box up and mail, gingerbread men to be frosted, and 7-layer bars to bake,

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1134352130079079792005-12-11T18:45:00.000-07:002005-12-11T18:48:50.093-07:00

So Semicolon wants to know more about my list of novels that don't make you want to kill yourself. Always happy to oblige! Of the five she mentioned, I've previously reviewed Bread Alone, The Deed of Paksenarrion, and Tam Lin. The review of Bread Alone includes a decent synopsis, but the other two are not so clear. Both are fantasy novels, I'll say right off, since I know there are those who

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1134192264420789912005-12-09T22:11:00.000-07:002005-12-09T22:24:24.430-07:00

It took me a while to finish Their Eyes Were Watching God. This was partly because the book was so unlike what I'd expected; the back cover blurb implied that while the main character had to survive two difficult marriages, the love she finally found was true and meaningful. Boy, if I ever meet a man like Tea Cake, I'll run in the opposite direction. Janie had only known him for a little while

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1134019937481683932005-12-07T22:24:00.000-07:002005-12-07T22:32:17.493-07:00

Semicolon listed the Christmas songs she doesn't like, after reading which Odious gave an excellent demonstration of what he does to people who sing "Jingle Bell Rock". Sometimes he overreacts to things.I have to say, I really can't think of any Christmas songs I hate. After a while I do get tired of them, but probably the only ones that make me roll my eyes at the opening bars are "Jingle Bells"

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1133311497974509832005-11-29T17:37:00.000-07:002005-11-29T18:24:33.240-07:00

Because everybody else is doing it...Since the Times put out its list of 100 best novels, it seems to be quite the thing to make one's own list. Of course, I did it a long time ago, before it was cool, but since I love lists I thought I might as well try another one. But then I got bogged down in trying to figure out what books should be on a list of best novels; it could, of course, mean one's

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1132794951677591792005-11-23T18:07:00.000-07:002005-11-23T18:15:51.686-07:00

As a child I read a great deal of Madeleine L'Engle's books, but for some reason the Murry quartet were the only ones that stayed with me. I know I read some of the Austin books, but as our library didn't have them all, my comprehension was spotty; therefore it's been truly delightful to revisit them recently. The one I just read was quite possibly my favorite L'Engle so far (besides Many Waters,

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1132012755703235842005-11-14T16:39:00.000-07:002005-11-14T16:59:15.713-07:00

Odious is in the middle of his self-named NaNoReMo, chronicled on his own blog. However, despite his devouring of novels in a day, I've found it fairly easy to keep ahead in lazy leaps. Unfortunately he still has a lot of the good stuff before him, while I'm down to the books I didn't read because I didn't want to. I decided to give Hemingway another chance, and managed a slog through A Farewell

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1130203300145195542005-10-24T19:10:00.000-06:002005-10-24T19:21:40.150-06:00

Visiting a bookstore when one has no money is a very bad idea, especially when the display of new hardbacks holds such temptations...Making It Up, Penelope LivelyWild Ducks Flying Backward: The Short Writings of Tom RobbinsShaman's Crossing, Robin Hobb13 Steps Down, Ruth RendellThe Trouble With Poetry, Billy CollinsRereadings: Seventeen Authors Revisit Books They Love, Anne Fadiman, ed.Anansi

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1129957057309644312005-10-21T22:45:00.000-06:002005-10-21T22:57:37.316-06:00

I recently made a deal with a friend that I would read Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles if she would read the Lord of the Rings (since we had respectively managed to miss these fine books in our childhoods). I think she got the better end of the deal.I liked the Prydain books, really. But they reminded me too much of a video game (Odious says I may be somewhat biased in my view of video games

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1127869325895234282005-09-27T18:54:00.000-06:002005-09-27T19:02:05.900-06:00

I didn't intend to read all of Michael Cunningham's new book all in one go, but with one cat curled up next to me and the other on my stomach, I wasn't going anywhere. Specimen Days was interesting, and I enjoyed it, but I'm not totally sure what it was about. Walt Whitman's poetry was a major theme, but I just don't really know what happened; it didn't click for me immediately the way The Hours

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1127425415628705392005-09-22T15:34:00.000-06:002005-09-22T15:43:35.633-06:00

I just remembered that we copied a bunch of CDs onto the computer a while back, and there are quite a few I haven't yet burned or even really listened to; so the past couple days I've been treating myself to some new music--Cowboy Junkies, Gillian Welch, and Over the Rhine. While listening to OTR's album "Films For Radio", I discovered that one of the songs on it was written by Dido--what a great

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1127329372492689502005-09-21T12:42:00.000-06:002005-09-21T13:02:52.500-06:00

It's not often that I see movies that either I really like or that I have anything to say about, but we've been on a lucky streak lately. For anybody interested in good films now that the days are growing shorter and evenings are better for snuggling on the couch than going for a good walk, try these...*The penguin movie, a.k.a. "March of the Penguins"--the National Geographic film in theatres

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1126915220826369862005-09-16T17:38:00.000-06:002005-09-16T18:00:20.833-06:00

The best thing about Kara Dalkey's Blood of the Goddess trilogy was that it (by a very random thought train) inspired me to start a new story that is going quite well. Actually I did enjoy the trilogy, although nothing much had really taken place by the time it was over. It starts out with a young apothecary's apprentice, Thomas Chinnery, en route to China to seek out new herbs and treatments for

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1126420820091406872005-09-11T00:37:00.000-06:002005-09-11T00:40:20.096-06:00

Odious says I am not pastoral enough.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1125896099214624592005-09-04T22:49:00.000-06:002005-09-04T22:54:59.220-06:00

It's come to me in a dream--the seventh book in the series will be Harry Potter and the Chef's Knife, detailing the adventures of Ron and Harry as they discover the secrets of Saint Theresa of Avila, who ate nothing but mayonnaise. Yes, I really did dream that, and would probably prefer to read such an absurdity than whatever J.K. Rowling comes up with next. After the Half-Blood Prince, I have no

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1125285766392146762005-08-28T21:17:00.000-06:002005-08-28T21:22:46.393-06:00

Our new apartment boasts a rectangular nicho in each bedroom, a feature we like but have been unable to properly utilize, as they seem to call for large urns or unusual flower arrangements. But finally the cats have discovered their true use--the perfect spot for hauissh. As I could not possibly explain this very odd game, I will direct you to Diane Duane's most excellent Book of Night With Moon,

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1125285282313275862005-08-28T20:55:00.000-06:002005-08-28T21:14:42.320-06:00

I've just spent an embarrassingly long time laughing over the archives on Waiter Rant--no matter where you go, restaurants are all the same. It's pretty amazing to work in a place where you can see both the best and worst of people, though (sadly) usually the latter. I've realized that there are inumerable ways for people to display their ignorance and cluelessness--the stories are endless. I had

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1124393319269444912005-08-18T12:48:00.000-06:002005-08-18T13:28:39.276-06:00

The first time I tried to read How To Read A Book, I threw it across the room. In my defense, I was only sixteen, and Mortimer Adler can be that way sometimes. I am less sensitive to his pomposity now, and have decided that How To Read A Book should be a summer reading requirement for all tutors and students at St. John's. This is a particularly strong desire since we attended an alumni seminar

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1123888184129756272005-08-12T16:55:00.000-06:002005-08-12T17:09:44.133-06:00

25 reasons to homeschool. Not an exhaustive list by any means, but an amusing one! Reading... in between work and company (after this summer I don't feel so lonely anymore!), which doesn't leave much time for blogging or anything else, really. I've been buying books and checking out enormous stacks from the library as if my life depended on it, and then realizing I just want to bury myself in fun

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1121044298817244732005-07-10T18:54:00.000-06:002005-07-10T19:11:38.823-06:00

Elizabeth Hand's latest novel, Mortal Love, is probably the only book I've ever read where I had no idea what was going on until the last chapter. And even then it wasn't so clear. But it was fascinating enough that I persevered, and am still thinking about it several days later. It's about the Pre-Raphaelites, and the muse that gave them a glimpse into another world. Hand's style has not,

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1120328824809371592005-07-02T11:57:00.000-06:002005-07-02T12:27:04.816-06:00

According to my sister, I am among the 7% of women not suffering from an eating disorder. Of course, as Odious pointed out, one can hardly call it a disorder at that percentage; rather, it's simply female behavior (I wonder if it's a recent development?). Anyway, I can honestly say that I am not obsessed with my weight, eating habits, or physical image. I'm interested in nutrition (Superfoods!),

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1119656059128908732005-06-24T17:09:00.000-06:002005-06-24T17:34:19.133-06:00

I drank too much alcohol last night, got too little sleep, drank too much coffee at work, am working a double today, and haven't eaten anything since breakfast. What better conditions under which to post? Anyway, I've been catching up on blogs, and for the first time in a while felt like writing something here.I'd been wanting to read Wives and Daughters for a while, since I like Elizabeth

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1119049115944845542005-06-17T16:54:00.000-06:002005-06-17T16:58:35.946-06:00

I apologize to anyone who's been checking my blog lately. I have had barely enough time to check my email, and am not feeling at all inspired to write. I'll post again later on, but for the moment I'm going to withdraw from the blogosphere. TTFN!

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1116280693247745542005-05-16T15:56:00.000-06:002005-05-16T15:58:13.246-06:00

See also where it began and other takes on the meme.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1116280342604794872005-05-16T15:42:00.000-06:002005-05-16T15:52:22.610-06:00

I found this meme at Semicolon, and had to spend some time thinking about it before attempting my own. It came out rather suddenly this morning after my shower, and though there's much more I could have said, this is what fell onto the page. Tomorrow I might write a different one.Where I Am From...I am from bright hard winter mornings, sun glittering off the snow, thermometer stuck at fifteen

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1114819617355336112005-04-29T16:56:00.000-06:002005-04-29T18:06:57.356-06:00

My life of leisure is over, thank heaven. I've acquired a second job as a server at the Sweet Oregon Grill, where I hope to work as much as possible and make vats of money. This is unlikely, but we can still hope. I recently read both Delia Sherman's novels, which I have mixed feelings about. The Porcelain Dove was, I think, the better book, but didn't hold my interest as well and collapsed a bit

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1113891754057487722005-04-19T00:14:00.000-06:002005-04-19T00:22:34.056-06:00

I'll have to remember this. It reminds me a lot of the descriptions of birth in Spiritual Midwifery, though without the psychedelic grooviness. My mind is a whirlpool of thoughts today, brought on a number of things. Every time I visit my mother's new house, I want to stay there out in the country, away from the craziness of this life. And things are really crazy right now, with finances, plans

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1113525369533765272005-04-14T18:33:00.000-06:002005-04-14T18:36:09.533-06:00

A few lines from Wendell Berry:I go among trees and sit still.All my stirring becomes quietaround me like circles on water.My tasks lie in their placeswhere I left them, asleep like cattle.from A Timbered Choir

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1113525218499349402005-04-14T18:18:00.000-06:002005-04-14T18:33:38.500-06:00

I've given up on Seeds of Deception. I was going to be diligent and at least skim through the rest of the book, but I just couldn't. Rob Waller, Mind and Media's Reviewer of the Week, was kinder than I was, but still said about the same things. It's just not very good! However, I've started on my next book, and it is excellent. Of course, it's hard not to be excellent when you're talking about

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1113193082377457112005-04-10T22:05:00.000-06:002005-04-10T22:18:02.380-06:00

After talking with Jack about midwife and doula training, I decided to go to the library and pick up a couple of books on the subject. Bad idea. As if the biological clock weren't ALREADY in overdrive! Last week I read Catherine Taylor's Giving Birth, and while the first part made me mad, I loved the second part and have been freaking Odious out by occasionally sighing about how much I want a

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1113025053902791132005-04-08T23:29:00.000-06:002005-04-08T23:37:33.903-06:00

In honor of National Poetry Month, a few lines from one of my favorite poets:Myself unholy, from myself unholyTo the sweet living of my friends I look--Eye-greeting doves bright-counter to the rook,Fresh brooks to salt sand-teasing waters shoaly:--And they are purer, but alas! not solelyThe unquestion'd readings of a blotless book.And so my trust confused, struck, and shookYields to the sultry

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1112814318280028272005-04-06T12:40:00.000-06:002005-04-06T13:05:18.283-06:00

Catching up on blogs after only a weekend away is quite a task! I guess I'm not quite so dedicated a blogger as some... But I had a lovely weekend, marred only by Odious's absence--thanks to a scheduling snafu at work, he was unable to join me and our friends in Seattle on a delightful trip to Victoria. I'd decided when we moved here that I was not about to waste my proximity to another country

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1112322473473530392005-03-31T19:23:00.000-07:002005-03-31T19:27:53.473-07:00

I'm mad at Eleanor Cameron. I was really enjoying The Court of the Stone Children until I decided to look up the French artist Jean Louis Baptiste Chrysostome who features greatly in the novel. After twenty minutes on the Internet, I was forced to admit that he does not exist--she made him up! It makes me so mad because I loved the descriptions of his paintings and really wanted to see them to

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1112038500929373682005-03-28T12:32:00.000-07:002005-03-31T19:29:38.150-07:00

Personality Disorder Test Results Paranoid || 10% Schizoid |||||||||||||||| 66% Schizotypal |||||||||||||| 58% Antisocial |||||||||||| 50% Borderline |||||| 22% Histrionic |||||| 30% Narcissistic |||||||||||| 46% Avoidant |||||| 26% Dependent |||||||||| 34% Obsessive-Compulsive |||||||||||||||| 66% Take Free Personality Disorder Testpersonality tests by

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1112038311983628692005-03-28T12:31:00.000-07:002005-03-28T12:31:51.986-07:00

After watching the new Bollywood film "Bride and Prejudice" (an excellent movie), I was inspired to check out from the library the work of two Indian authors, Jhumpa Lahiri and Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Though the former has apparently won some award or other, I found her short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, greatly inferior to all the books I've read by the latter. Divakaruni

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111822320135354782005-03-25T11:31:00.000-07:002005-03-26T00:32:55.546-07:00

I like Mother Earth News a lot. It's practical, useful, and inspiring, and it encourages individuals to change the world by starting in their own homes. Hence I'm disturbed when an article seems to contradict the purpose of the magazine with a statement like this: ...the environment has lost some of its sizzle as an electoral issue. The biggest issues in the last election appear to have been

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111732497482366062005-03-24T22:34:00.000-07:002005-03-24T23:34:57.483-07:00

Once again I learn that not everyone can be a writer--or a good writer, at least--no matter how interesting the story to be told. I picked up On the Wing hopeful of a captivating narrative about falcons, but sadly Alan Tennant doesn't possess the knack for such an endeavor. His story is an unusual one, and I enjoyed reading about his travels, but he made the mistake of keeping too close to the

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111612294949512142005-03-23T14:08:00.000-07:002005-03-23T14:11:34.950-07:00

Lars Walker says what I've been thinking about literature, and tried to express in my post on Virginia Woolf.

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111610944551627032005-03-23T13:47:00.000-07:002005-03-23T13:49:04.553-07:00

I found this meme at The Library of Babel, who in turn found it at The Little Professor. Which authors have you read ten or more books by? L.M. Montgomery (she's the winning author on our bookshelves for number of books we own by one person--it's something like 25)Charles de Lint (he's in 2nd or 3rd, vying with James Branch Cabell)Louisa May AlcottC.S. Lewis Agatha ChristieEllis Peters/Edith

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111478197516539122005-03-22T00:34:00.000-07:002005-03-22T00:56:37.516-07:00

You may have noticed the Mind and Media logo on my sidebar, just below the links--yes, I am an EXCLUSIVE REVIEWER. That's right. Ahem. Anyway, Mind and Media is a new business intended to help promote Christian authors via the blogging world, as well as being, in my understanding, a bit of an experiment to show how much of an impact blogs can have on advertising. I came across it either on

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111182409784935442005-03-18T14:45:00.000-07:002005-03-18T14:46:49.786-07:00

Sherry of Semicolon has asked if Virginia Woolf is indeed a militant feminist and hence to be avoided, or if she should take her daughter's advice and read her books. Now, in my somewhat vague mind militant feminism has something to do with bra-burning, so I'm not quite sure how to answer the question... I always take a book with me to work, since there is usually some down time where I haven't

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111101720731511112005-03-17T16:19:00.000-07:002005-03-17T16:22:00.733-07:00

I was feeling a little hungry for food writing the other day, so I picked up one of my favorites--M.F.K. Fisher's The Art of Eating. It's an omnibus of five of her books, some of which are amusingly revised. I like them all, but I think my particular favorite is The Gastronomical Me, mainly because it gives her personal history with food. It gets a little odd at the end, with vague mentions of

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1111011752261682172005-03-16T15:21:00.000-07:002005-03-16T15:22:32.263-07:00

After making an attempt to read Kate Dicamillo's The Tale of Despereaux and finding it unpleasantly self-aware and poorly-written (maybe I should've read the whole thing, but I really don't know how it got a Newbery Award!), I was hesitant about Because of Winn-Dixie. Oddly enough it was the review of the recently released movie that inspired me to try the book, and I am so glad I did. I read it

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1110835523690433192005-03-14T14:07:00.000-07:002005-03-14T14:25:23.693-07:00

Well, I thought I was done blogging for the day, but then I went surfing and found some memes to try and stuff to link to... so enjoy, you get extra for once.Quite a few folks have done the meme about the first five movie quotes to pop into your head, so I won't try to attribute it to anyone. Here are mine--and this was hard (but fun), I'm not good at these things:1. "'I know I'm different, but

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1110833400011364212005-03-14T13:47:00.000-07:002005-03-14T13:50:00.013-07:00

Well, looks like once again my mother's gotten me hooked on something. She's been staying with us for the past month while she works on renovating the farmhouse she just bought, and as a treat after the long days of labor she's reading "potato chip" books--mysteries and thrillers of various ilk. I'm not sure what made her pick up Minette Walters, but as soon as she finishes one she has to stop at

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4127843.post-1110769486901909042005-03-13T19:04:00.000-07:002005-03-13T20:04:46.903-07:00

I've been thinking about titles. It's always been difficult for me to come up with meaningful titles for my own stories--it's definitely an art, and one that I think few people possess. Certainly many writers have needed great help from their editors in choosing appropriate ones (which of the following screams classic to you--The Great Gatsby or Petruchio in West Egg?). One of the things I don't

Katyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08735700811620271979noreply@blogger.com1