Ella Enchanted Mini Review

#40 - Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Copyright 1992 Harper Collins YA Fantasy 232 pages

I'm going to borrow from Jenclair and do a 6-word review:

Fairy grants obedience; gift is curse

When Ella's lengthy wail inspires a fairy to give her the gift of obedience at birth, it becomes a painful curse. Rather than simply becoming obedient, Ella must obey any direct instruction given to her. Ella finds ways to delay her obedience, but she can't break the spell and nobody knows where to find the fairy who gave it to her in order for her to beg her to remove the gift that has become such a terrible curse.

Ella Enchanted is a retelling of Cinderella. Eventually, Ella becomes a lowly servant because of the fairy's gift and falls in love with a prince. I think it was a testament to the author's writing skill that it took me quite a while to realize that the book was based on Cinderella, but maybe that just means I'm slow. The book is, however, unique in many ways. Since it was the third Levine book I've read in the past month, I began to see certain patterns from previous books and it didn't spark my imagination or capture me the same way The Two Princesses of Bamarre and Fairest did. Bear in mind that it's very unusual for me to read several books by the same author within a year. I tend to like variety more than consistency, so it's not surprising that I liked the second book a little less than the first and the third a bit less than the second. And, yet, if I reflect on the three stories, I'd still have to say The Two Princesses of Bamarre was the most meaningful and adventurous of the three. Now, I wish I hadn't parted with my copy. Definitely an author worth reading, Ella Enchanted is a Newbery Honor book but not my personal favorite.

Just finished:
Vicksburg and Warren County: A History of People and Place by Pamela Lea Grillis

Walked in the door, today:
The Queen of Sleepy Eye by Patti Hill - Thank you, Brittanie!!!
London Orbital by Iain Sinclair
Quantum Success by Sandra Anne Taylor

Another taste of Norway:

Wishing everyone a lovely, happy, wahooey weekend!

Well, it was storming, you see . . . belated wahoos, again

So, I didn't get to the wahoos on Wednesday, again, for the same reason as last week . . . storms. It crashed and flashed and rumbled and basically God kicked over the proverbial bucket (quite a gully-washer, in other words), so things were unplugged most of yesterday and well into today. I will try to get the wahoos ready on the normal day, next week. In the meantime:

1. Wahoo for our kite couple, nesting across the street. One is shown, above. I added the "string", but I'll bet you'd already figured that out.

2. Although I still haven't finished planting everything and we've gone beyond the good planting weather -- in other words, the humidity and mosquitoes have descended -- I got a good bit done and things that I stuck in the ground a week or two ago are now blooming vigorously, as are some of the perennials I planted last spring. I love watching things bloom and grow, so wahoo for blooming things! My sidebar should be updated more regularly, now that things are blooming. The white flower is a moss rose and the pinks are dianthus. They seem to be sharing planter space very nicely.


3. Kiddo and I went to see Iron Man on Saturday, on the way to pick up hubby at the airport. This was Kiddo's idea. He still doesn't mind going to the theater with his mom, even though he's now 16. And, he had the intelligence to appeal to my budget-minded nature by mentioning that we just happened to be heading that direction anyway, so why not stop by the theater? Well, that worked. I think I've mentioned we no longer have a theater in Vicksburg. It now costs more to drive to the theater and back than it does to buy a brand-new $20 DVD. Stopping on the way while on another errand works for me, though. We really enjoyed Iron Man, so wahoo for a chance to get out and see a movie!

4. Wahoo for that stupid camera of mine. It has some sort of electrical problem that causes it to misfire, now and then, but I love it. Anything is subject matter, as you can see from the following photo.


5. Still envious of hubby's trip to Norway, even though he actually lost a brand new book (horrors!) because he was in such a big hurry to get off a bus upon which he had to sit next to a Very Smelly Person for 8 hours. Ewww.

I just love a country with lots of sheep and snow. So, wahoo for the photos hubby brought home. I'll try to forgive him for going to yet another wonderful country without me, but I make no promises.


6. I finished a book because of the rain, yesterday! Wahoo! An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor is an Estella review book, so the review will be posted around the first of June.

7. Wahoo for emergency books in the trunk of the car!! Yesterday, I was unexpectedly detained at poolside; and, since I'd just finished reading An Irish Country Village, I had nothing in my purse. Fortunately, I keep spare books in a basket in my trunk and had three to choose from. I chose The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman. So far, so good.

Very wahooey week, yes? I could go on, but I'll stop. Wishing you a life that is bursting with wahoos and flowers and, if necessary, antihistamines.

Blame it on Maggie - Giving in to the Southern Reading Challenge

I really did not plan to give in and join another challenge (note that I have ditched the Year of Reading Dangerously challenge, because I simply fell too far behind -- maybe next year) but Maggie is persuasive!! Plus, the Southern Reading Challenge is simple and straightforward:

The rules are easy: 3 Southern Setting Books by Southern Authors in 3 Months beginning May 15 through August 15!

And, Maggie mentioned chocolate-covered pecans in there, somewhere. Well, shucks, how can you pass up a thing like the potential for winning chocolate-covered pecans?

As usual, I'm not willing to simply choose and list three books because I know my own fickle nature (plus, I have plenty of Southern Lit/Southern author works lying about). Instead, I've been piling up books to choose from. Here's what I've got to choose from, so far:

1. The Rabbit Factory - Larry Brown
2. Homesick - Sela Ward
3. Soldier's Pay - William Faulkner (?? - not sure if the setting will work)
4. Return of the Stardust Cowgirl - Marsha Moyer
5. Run with the Horsemen - Ferrol Sams
6. The Known World - Edward P. Jones
7. Confederates in the Attic - Tony Horwitz
8. Giant - Edna Ferber
9. Hell at the Breech - Tom Franklin
10. When Crickets Cry - Charles Martin
11. Vicksburg - James Reasoner
12. Them - Nathan McCall
13. High Cotton - Gerard Helferich - returned to library unfinished, darn it
14. Vicksburg & Warren County: A History of People and Place - Pamela Lea Grillis Finished on 5/15/08 (it was short)
15. The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen Finished on 5/29/09
16. In the Land of Dreamy Dreams by Ellen Gilchrist

Numbers 13 and 14 are library books, so I'll have to read them hastily or they'll fall off the list. I have a Eudora Welty or two, somewhere, but I can't find them at the moment. Seems like I have plenty to choose from, anyway. And, I'd really like to get my mitts on a copy of Mudbound, which I drooled over in Borders on Sunday.

My personal recommendations:

I love Larry Brown's nonfiction: On Fire and Billy Ray's Farm. Nobody gives you a sense of who Mississippians really are like Larry, in my humble opinion, for better or worse. May he rest in peace. I must have read both of those Brown books prior to becoming a blogger because I can't find reviews to link to on my blog, unfortunately. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen seems to be a book that receives rather polarized reviews, but I loved it. A friend told me the author has a new book coming out in June, as well. Wahoo for that! Maggie's review of Garden Spells can be found here. When I read Faulkner's The Unvanquished, I had to keep a dictionary on my lap; I wrote and defined vocabulary words in a spiral-bound notebook. I'm pretty sure the eldest (who was supposed to read the book for AP English -- I read along in order to quiz him and he failed my off-the-cuff test) never even cracked the book.

Two of the books on my list are Texas books. Is Texas considered a part of the South? I'm not sure. But, if heat were the only qualification, I know it would fit in just fine. If not, I'll have to knock Giant and Return of the Stardust Cowgirl off my list, although I want to read them both, anyway. I'll close this post with a photo of cotton taken in the Mississippi Delta in September of last year.

Now, I just have to try to hold out for three days because I'm really anxious to get started.

*Note on sheep video, below* - Husband says the bleating sound is definitely the sheep, not his cohort trying to catch their attention. Thank goodness for that.

Happy Southern Reading!

Sheep Vid Hubby Took in Norway

I haven't been able to ask the husband whether the sheep were baaaa-ing or one of his friends was trying to lure the sheep by making a baaaa sound, but here you go. At the very least, the little lambs are adorable.

Defining Dulcie by Paul Acampora

#39 Defining Dulcie by Paul Acampora
Copyright 2006
Dial Books YA Fiction
168 pages
4/5

As we rolled out of town, Mom gripped the steering wheel like she was trying to strangle a chicken. I stared into the passenger-side mirror at my grandfather growing smaller in the distance. Then I watched the suitcases and cardboard boxes piled high in the bed of the truck. A flap on one carton started to blow loose, and just as we made a sharp left-hand turn onto the interstate, the box burst open. Stockings and socks and underwear, both mine and Mom's, sailed into the breeze. "Dulcie," Mom said, unaware of the undergarment parade behind us, "it's going to be okay. We're going to be all right."

"Maybe," I said, "but we're not going to be comfortable."

"It looks like we've reached the part of the project often referred to in technical terms as the what-the-hell-have-we-done-moment."

"Dulcie," said Frank, "I think you're confusing normal with reasonable."

I went back to the dictionary. "Reasonable. Being within the bounds of common sense. Rational. Not excessive or extreme."

Frank took the book from my hands. He flipped to a new page and read out loud. "Mother. A woman who conceives, gives birth to, and/or raises a child." He looked up. "There's nothing in there about normal, rational or reasonable."

"That's no excuse," I said. "And, what's with the and/or?"

"Give your mother a break," said Frank, "and/or remember that she's had just as tough a year as you."

Defining Dulcie tells about a 16-year-old girl whose father has recently died. Dulcie's mother impulsively decides to sell just about everything she and her daughter own and move to California to start a new life, presumably with the intent of also abandoning painful memories. But when Dulcie's mom informs Dulcie that she's bought a new Volvo and is going to trade in the ancient truck that belonged to Dulcie's father, Dulcie is horrified and knows she's not ready to part with the last of her father's possessions. So, she steals the truck and drives back home to Connecticut, where she moves in with her grandfather and discovers, by way of a new friendship, that life could be much worse.

I ordered Defining Dulcie from Paperback Swap on the recommendation of one of my reading twins, Sharon. I think I liked the idea as much as the story itself, but it was executed well. The story nicely blends humor with the more serious issue of grief and is not just about Dulcie defining who she is, but about friendship and love, loss and life, affection for words and unexpected connections.

I loved the characters in Defining Dulcie. When Dulcie's new friend showed up, I thought she was less clearly defined (and maybe a bit too much like Dulcie, her father and her grandfather) than she should have been. There a few too many characters with the same quirky sense of humor. And, yet, I loved their unique brand of humor and found the story a refreshing, light read and very enjoyable..

Thumbs up, 4/5 - Dulcie, her father (who is described in flashback scenes) and her grandfather are all such lovable characters that you can't help but gobble up this book for the sheer joy of their dialogue. I'd definitely like to read more by this author. Defining Dulcie is a witty, warm , bittersweet tale of love, laughter and life. It's short -- almost too short -- but a great little snack of a book.

Just finished: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. Now I have to locate the movie. I've checked it out from the library in the past, but I didn't get around to viewing. And, yet, the movie managed to invade my thoughts. I knew that Anne Hathaway played Ella, so the Ella I visualized had Anne's face. The prince will probably be shockingly different from my imagined prince. They usually are.

New neighbors: We have a couple of Mississippi kites (the bird, not the thing on a string) building a nest in a huge oak tree across the street from us. I hope to get some decent photos, soon. I've watched one of them -- probably the male, if my earlier sparrow homebuilding post is evidence of who does the building -- bringing home bits and pieces for their nest, but I was gardening at the time. My camera prefers not to be embedded with dirt and sweat, so I have just begun to attempt to capture them on film. While I was watching for kites, a hawk swooped fairly low, nearby. He was really beautiful. You'll just have to trust me on that, since I didn't manage to photograph him, either.

I just realized: I'm coming up on my 2-year blogiversary in about a month. Or, is it spelled bloggiversary? Either way, the spell-check robot objects. Point being, I had to go back through numerous posts in order to determine when I began blogging and discovered this little bit of bloggery posting about the book Shopportunity! by Kate Newlin and how it made me observing the contents of my home analytically:

Who'd have thought that a book about shopping--describing the reasons discount stores have yanked away the thrill of the hunt--could be a fascinating read? Newlin has me looking around my home, pondering the junk cramming practically every corner. Oh, my gosh. What a tacky cesspool of cheapness. What a ponderously mountainous mess of unnecessary trinkets. What a tragic homage to the cut-price and pointless. What a disaster of epic proportions!

Well, that really describes the packrat problem rather well, doesn't it?

Hubby is back from Norway (but leaving in the morning -- not happy about that). He did not bring me a Viking. He did, however, bring evidence that Vikings once lived in the area he visited:

Well, cool. I guess that'll do. Huzzybuns did bring me a sweater -- which will, of course, be packed away for the next 6 months but we can't fault him because, "The Canadians talked me into it." Oh, those Canadians. So persuasive.

More photos of Norway forthcoming (because I figure y'all can join in on the painful envy I'm experiencing -- or at least enjoy the view). Of critical importance . . . must learn how to upload a video to YouTube and embed because you have got to see the video of the sheep. It is just the cutest darned thing I've seen in ages.

Happy, happy day!

The Disagreement by Nick Taylor

#37 The Disagreement by Nick Taylor
Copyright 2008
Simon & Schuster Historical Fiction (ARC)
360 pages
3/5

What led you to pick up this book? It was sent to me for review by Simon & Schuster.

Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending. John Muro's father was first a physician and then made his fortune as a manufacturer of clothing. Upon the outbreak of "the disagreement", aka the Civil War, the elder Muro acquires an order for uniforms that should keep the family in good circumstances. Young John Alan, however, is disappointed to find that he will now be unable to attend medical school in Philadelphia. Send to a school in Charlottesville, Virginia instead, John finds himself swept into tending the war wounded and mesmerized by a beautiful young woman named Lorrie. As the Civil War rages, John and Lorrie are oddly insulated from its effects. John continues to do his doctoring, while his family's fortune crumbles to pieces and he falls madly in love.

What did you like most about the book? I liked the time period. I've probably read another Civil War novel (I've definitely read some non-fiction) but at the moment, I can't recall a single title. It was a nice change of pace. It also was nicely written, with an easy flow.

What did you think of the characters? The characters were none too likable. John Muro is utterly wrapped up in himself, his girlfriend and his work. But, his work serves only to inflate his own ego. If you really sit back and analyze the book (and I'd love to talk to more people who've read this one), it appears that John is not only inured to the sights, sounds and smells of the wounded that he treats but totally unable to step outside himself for even a moment. He comes off as slightly inhuman, extraordinarily egotistical, maybe even cowardly. His reaction to his family's plight baffled me.

Share a favorite scene from the book: There's an interesting scene in which Lorrie puts on a bit of a feast for the doctors. My husband knows his history better than I do, so I asked him if he knew anything about whether or not such a thing might have really happened -- the idea that someone finagled food from the farmers to put on a fancy dinner. He said yes, "but only the amongst the really wealthy."

3/5 - I can't say this was more than an average read, simply because the protagonist was so totally untouched, emotionally and physically, by the war. There was never any real sense of deprivation, anguish, loss, frustration . . . there wasn't a lot of emoting, really, apart from a bit of love angst and worry about his schooling. Also, there was never any concern about how he was going to pay for his schooling, when his family fell upon hard times. Perhaps his job was meant to pay for his classes but I don't believe there was any mention of that, nor any concern on John's part.

In general: Nyeh, nothing great. The Disagreement read a little bit like it was written by an English major who crammed on his history in the library and found a few interesting tidbits around which to revolve his plot. That sounds awful, but the writing flowed. I'm not sure I found it totally believable and I disliked the lack of emotion -- I didn't like John Alan Muro at all, in fact. There were several times that I recall thinking that if I knew him I'd kick him in the shins. But, believe it or not, I enjoyed the book and I'm glad I read it. It just wasn't anything to get excited about.

Next Up: A review of Defining Dulcie by Paul Acampora. I've decided to skip reviewing It Happened in Oklahoma, although I may do a mini-review, later on. I've also finished An Irish Country Doctor and am reading An Irish Country Village, but I'll review those as a set for Estella.

Speaking of Which: I completely forgot to post a link to the latest Estella issue, mostly because I haven't yet read it. But, I will. It's always wonderful.

Hope everyone has a terrific weekend! I'll be fetching the husband from the airport. Wahoo for that!

Bookfool, who prefers having the husband under the damaged roof with her.

Wordless Flowery Wahoos - One Day Late

Well, of course there's a lizard. You knew there had to be a lizard. He says, "Pardon my peeling face, please." Or, he probably would, if he could speak human.

I'll try to get some reviews written, soon. Please pardon the lack of posts and blog-hopping. Between gardening, chauffeuring and getting roof estimates, I am one busy and tired chick.

Happy belated Wahoo Day!

Bookfool on the run

Apologizing to Lizards

I had the best of intentions. I've begun a review of It Happened in Oklahoma and The Disagreement's review is brewing in my head. But, since the big storm ate a chunk of my roof after I had to drop my husband off for a trip to Norway, where a Coke costs $6 and luggage apparently disappears but reappears just as you begin to smell really gamey, I just can't concentrate very well. And, the Mother's Day promotions are really pissing me off. Plus, I've got to get that gardening done before it's too late, so I've been outside digging, weeding, pulling down vines, planting, watering, and apologizing to lizards.

Seriously, they're out there displaying, getting their lizardly groove on, and I keep yanking out their hiding spots. So I've been pulling out weeds and saying, "Sorry, sorry, sorry lizards." The mosquitoes are not apologizing to me. Nasty suckers.

I also have been outdoors with the camera. Who'd have thunk? So, this is a photograph and babble post, only. Warning, the following images are a little disturbing in an "animals chew on each other" way but they're also kind of cute - not gory. Still,I'll just babble a bit more, so you can be forewarned. The picture I'm about to post is a photo of a darling little chipmunk who has, hopefully, just had an epiphany and decided to turn his life around after being chomped (most of this sentence was stolen from Carrie, who is tremendously witty) and then dumped in the grass by the evil vampire kitty who once took a bite out of little old me. It was interesting, though, because the cat dropped the chipmunk and the little chippy froze -- literally, stood as still as a statue, so still that I was able to walk right up to it (and around it) to snap photos. So, this is a photo of cat acting nonchalant and chipmunk playing, "Maybe I'll get lucky and he'll go away."

And he did, in fact, get lucky; I chased off the cat. When the chipmunk only ran partway into the bushes, prompting an attempted return by Vampire Kitty, I yelled at Chippy to "Run! Run! Run!" He took my advice.

Oh, ouchie. You can relax, now. The rest is all easy.

A pretty I just planted:

And, what happens when the teenager leaves his dresser drawer open:

I love the OSEI's photo of the day (from yesterday). Actually, I just love satellite photos, but I thought this one was particularly interesting. It made me start singing, "Ain't it voggy outside!" Be glad you missed that moment.

Happy, happy day!

Bookfool, off to take a nap

6 Random Things About Me

CJ tagged me for this meme and, since I'm trying to cool off and stop thinking about my mosquito bites after attempting a temporary roof fix (I failed dismally -- will try again, tomorrow, and hope that the red wasp goes away), I figured it's a great way to distract myself.

6 Random Things About Me:

1. I inherited a terrible, terrible malady from my paternal grandmother: I'm a packrat. I'm trying to undo the damage from years of clinging to Stuff and it's like digging a hole to China with a baby spoon.

2. My husband and I once spray-painted a car in our garage using a government-reject gas mask to keep from inhaling the fumes. We painted our Volkswagen Jetta flat silver and everywhere we went, people asked us if it was a DeLorean. Jettas were boxy and angular back in the 80's, but still . . . didn't look like a DeLorean to either of us. The paint job turned out great, though, and the car was cute.

3. This is so embarrassing. Honestly, I hope nobody reads this one . . . just skip on past. I once bought a Bay City Rollers album and I can still sing the lyrics to Saturday Night. In case you're not familiar with them, here they are in all their fashion and hairdo horror:

4. I was named after my mother's high-school best friend. I've seen photos of my namesake, but I've never met her and never visited Washington, the state in which my mother attended high school.

5. I never, ever eat chicken with my hands. I cut it off the bone with a knife and fork. Everyone else seems to consider chicken "finger food". I'm lucky to talk myself into eating it at all.

6. My dream home is a log cabin in the Colorado Rockies. I love mountains and gurgling streams, dry, cold air and the smell of pine. And, I adore snow and the wild animals you see in the area (provided I'm not in a tent, on the ground, imagining the sounds of a bear snuffling just inches away -- that bothers me).

I don't know who has completed this meme and who hasn't, so I'm just going to randomly tag a few people and say, "Feel free to ignore the tagging."

Hez's Mom and Knitting Enthusiast Carrie
Chris the Fantasy Freak and Tremendously Cool Dude in New Orleans
Teddy Rose, Who I Adore Because She Obviously Loves Animals
Trish in Dallas, Whose Cat is So Cute I Keep Hoping for More Photos (hint)
Heather, Who Has Beautiful Kiddies and is Not Going to Let You Forget It

Gotta go. This day has done me in and I completely forgot to feed my teenager. Oops.

Bookfool, aka Lonely Airhead with Invisible (riiiiight) Teenager

Email Goes Wacko; Bookfool Follows

Just a brief note to let any who may have emailed me at my bellsouth account know that my email has gone completely wacko. If you've written to me at that address, it may possibly have been chomped by the ether, sorry. I'll let y'all know when the situation resolves. Anyone who needs to communicate with me can send a telepathic message or ask me for my yahoo address, although I'm much better at prophetic dreams than telepathy. Also, it's raining and totally gross outside. The thunder has occasionally shut me down. The lights are flickering madly. And, my husband just left for Norway (without me, yes). This is, therefore, my current mood:

I'm going to go read. It's the only way I can hope to salvage my Friday. Wishing all a happy weekend.

Bookfool, hoping husband will honor the request to bring home a Viking (I don't ask for much)

Loose Ends: Short Stories and Poems by Les Combs

#35 Loose Ends: Short Stories and Poems by Les Combs
Copyright 2008
Lulu Press (www.lulu.com)
217 pages
4/5

What led you to pick up this book? The author is a friend of a friend. I've read some of his stories, in the past, and enjoyed them. So, when my friend Cindi asked if I'd be willing to read and review the book, I jumped at the chance.

Summarize, if you would please, without giving anything away. Since the book is a collection of Les Combs' short stories and poems, I'll summarize a few favorites:

Harry B: A reporter assigned to interview a group of devil worshipers invading Arkansas meets with an awkward fate.

Amana from Heaven: A man whose death was caused by a falling refrigerator finds himself in an interesting heavenly predicament.

Tumbleweed: After his wife kicks him out and ends up with most of their possessions, Custis takes off on a hitchhiking journey. When the story opens up, Custis isn't certain whether he's in Kansas or Oklahoma, but he's certainly found trouble. And, trouble follows him wherever he goes. This story is worth the price of the book; it's a riot.

That Woman: A recently widowed man who was happily married for many years finds himself hoodwinked into a second marriage and meekly allows the new wife to alter his life until she goes one step too far.

What did you like most about the book? There were quite a few stories that made me smile or chuckle. I love a clever, surprising, smile-inducing story. A book full of them is even better.

What did you think of the characters? They were a varied lot and I had a few particular favorites, but there's a wide enough variety that they can't be easily described in one paragraph. Better to read the book. If I had to choose a couple of favorites, they'd be trouble-magnet Custis and the widowed Walter.

Favorite Quotes:

There's a lot of sky over west Texas with not much of interest under it. -- Tumbleweed

You see, it's all on account of a woman. I never met anyone like her in my whole life, and now she's gone. Walked right out that door over there and left me trying to fix a broke heart by pouring Budweiser on it. -- Scars

Irvin had acquired a look of panic surrounded by desperation with a touch of terror. -- The Ceremony

Thumbs up, 4/5 - I really enjoyed the stories in this book. Poetry is a hard sell for me, so admittedly I paid more attention to the stories than the poems; but, I found the storytelling witty and the author often takes the reader in totally unexpected directions. I love that.

In general: I think Loose Ends would probably fit into the "Southern Lit" category, as many of the stories are set in Arkansas or thereabouts. Both dialogue and narrative often have what I would term a "down home" Southern influence without falling so heavily into dialect that they become annoying.

Next up: Reviews of
It Happened in Oklahoma by Robert L. Dorman and
The Disagreement by Nick Taylor.

Just finished:
An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

Just walked in the door:
Moonstruck by Susan Grant (Squeee! Thanks, Susan!!!)
Demons Are a Ghoul's Best Friend (Thanks, Tammy!!!)

Husband's favorite lizard photo of the week:

Warning: If you don't like being stared at and you aren't fond of reptiles, this photo might creep you out.


Wowee, talk about a direct gaze.

Book Drawing Results

Updated to show results only:

#1 - The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle (ARC) --

Winner: Tasses of Many a Quaint and Curious Volume








#2 - Leftovers by Laura Weiss (ARC) -- Winner: Tanabata of In Spring it is the Dawn










#3 - The Last Single Woman in America -- Winner: Raidergirl3 of
An Adventure in Reading





Congratulations to the winners!!



Next up will be a review of Loose Ends by Les Combs.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

#34 Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
Copyright 2006
Harper Collins Young Adult Fantasy
326 pages
4/5

What led you to pick up this book? After reading The Two Princesses of Bamarre by the same author, I was eager to read more of her work.

Summarize the plot but don't give away the ending. Aza has a stunningly beautiful voice and a family who loves her dearly, regardless of how she looks (and the fact that she was adopted after a guest in their inn abandoned her). Aza and is unattractive enough that insults by the patrons are simply a way of life, yet in a land where singing is an integral part of life, her voice is her saving grace. When a duchess and regular customer of the inn is left lacking an attendant due to illness, Aza is asked to step in and accompany the duchess to the king's wedding. While at the castle, Aza's voice and ability to throw it (which Aza calls "illusing") catch the attention of the new queen, who coerces Aza into illusing when the queen must sing, in order to both protect the queen's reputation and disguise her own lack of talent. When the deception is discovered, Aza must run for her life; and, in the process she learns much about herself and how little appearances really count.

What did you like most about the book? I liked the theme about beauty being more than skin deep, the adventurous scenes when Aza had to run and hide from the queen, the fast pace, and the warmth of Aza's adopted family. I also loved the gentle romance between Aza and the prince.

What did you think of the characters? They were, for the most part, distinctively polarized; you were meant to either love them or hate them, as in fairy tales. While I didn't adore Aza in the way I did Meryl and Addie in The Two Princesses of Bamarre, Aza was easy to like and her family was particularly charming. The king was lovely, the prince was kind and the duchess and queen were cringe-inducing.

Share a favorite scene from the book: I can't remember any particular scene, but I really enjoyed the time during which Aza was forced to hide out with gnomes.

Thumbs up, 4/5 - Adventure, love and lies with a touch of romance. Once I became involved with the characters, I had difficulty setting the book down.

In general: An enchanting book with a lovely, positive theme. Not as good as The Two Princesses of Bamarre; but, had I reviewed The Two Princesses, it would have received a 5/5. Not many books are worth a perfect rating, so I definitely think Fairest is worth the time.

I'll do the book drawing, above, at approximately 7pm, Central Time (U.S.). Must go plant flowers while the weather is cooperating.

Floody Vicksburg Photos

As promised, the following are photos of the high water in downtown Vicksburg when the Mississippi crested, last Saturday. After this, I'll get back to book chatter because I've finally finished some books!!! Squeee! Anyway . . . click on any image to enlarge. Starting with my worst photo, taken through the windshield as we were heading to the dock (always a bad idea taking photos through extra glass), this is a photo of the old train depot. Note the proximity of the barge behind the building. That's probably the freakiest thing about this view:

Another view of the proximity of that barge, this time as seen behind the dock walls. Bear in mind that barges are humongous; I'll post a view from up the hill, which shows slightly better perspective. Most of the panels of this wall now contain murals showing scenes from Vicksburg history . The murals are absolutely beautiful and well worth the drive to downtown Vicksburg, if you're ever in the area.


Another view of the dock entrance, with a glimpse of a couple more murals.

Looking uphill from the dock area (Levee St.) to the Old Courthouse Museum (the building with the clock tower).

The flood gauge shows how long it's been since the water has reached this depth:

Maybe it has to do with being married to an engineer or related to someone who died tragically in a flash flood, but I would never, ever step up to a wall holding back flood waters the way this fellow did:


A view from the upper level of a downtown casino parking garage (Horizon Casino), which shows the completely inundated parking/dock area. The barge is so long that it took three frames to photograph the entire length.

Coming up, next:

Reviews of Fairest by Gail Carson Levine and Loose Ends by Les Combs.

Just walked in the door, yesterday:

Spin by Robert Charles Wilson and
Why Your Life Sucks and What You Can Do About It by Alan H. Cohen

Question to ask self when shorts that were tight last week suddenly become loose:

Did I lose weight or did the elastic just give out?

Happy Reading!

Wahoo! Wednesday

Just FYI, that's a photo of a painting in Woolaroc Museum, about a dozen miles away from Bartlesville, OK. I had loads of fun at Woolaroc on a sunny, cool Saturday. If you ever happen to find yourself wandering around in northeast Oklahoma, it's worth a stop.

How long has it been since I wahooed? Too long, I think. The time has come for all good men and women to drop everything and wahoo.

Spring has sprung! Wahoo for the new kids on the block:


Wahoo for family. These are my guys:

Handsome Eldest with Traveling Cat, who has now been to Oklahoma three times (very wahooey -- she's an excellent traveler):

This is just a wahoo because it's kind of funny. Saturday the Mississippi was due to crest at Vicksburg and we heard the river hasn't been this high since 1973, so we sauntered downtown to look at the high water. Click on the photo to take a gander at the sign describing the "waterfront expansion project" on the riverfront in downtown Vicksburg. This photo shows the entrance to the riverfront dock, usually a dock with two rows of parking and a slope down to the water:


Haven't finished a book, yet, but I'm now balancing five. I think it's just that I'm so excited to be back to reading that I want to read everything at once. I'm currently reading:

The Disagreement by Nick Taylor
Loose Ends: Short Stories and Poems by Les Combs
It Happened in Oklahoma by Robert L. Dorman
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine and
Cabin Pressure by Josh Wolk

I'm enjoying all of them. I don't have much reading time, thanks to the mess the guys made while I was gone, the urgent need to get our den finished up so we can stop tripping over furniture, and an annoying migraine that won't give up and go away. But, hey, I'm still glad to be home. I'll take whatever reading time I can squeeze in.

Next up:
More flood photos
Book drawing post

You can hardly wait, right? Have a happy day, wherever you are!

Monday Malarkey Returns

First, to lighten the mood, a photo from home, which I cheezeburgered or lol'd (not sure quite what to call it -- click on photo to see the whole thing, since it doesn't fit quite right):


moar funny pictures

You like?

Reading News: Nil. Nada. Zero. Zippo. Zilch.

Kidding. Actually, I am finally back to reading and I did manage to complete 2 books since I last babbled:

A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (Really!!! I actually finished it!!!) - Not quite sure what I thought of it, though. It was by turns brilliant and exhausting. I had to set it aside frequently, just because the author's style overwhelmed me a bit. And, yet, I just had to know what was going to happen, so I kept returning to the book until I reached the end. Kookie loved it. You should read her review. I'm a little too pathetic to do it justice, at the moment.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine - By the author of Ella Enchanted (which I have not read). The least courageous of two princesses must suck it up and go in search of a cure for the Gray Death or kiss her beloved sister goodbye. I absolutely loved this young adult fantasy/adventure. In fact, I loved it so much that I wanted to share it and knew just who to send it to, when I finished. But, first, I asked my son to please hurry up and read it because he kept picking it up and making "Hmmm, interesting," noises. He whipped through it in one night and I popped it into the mail.

Speaking of mail:

Now that I'm home I need to get rid of a few books, so stay tuned for a future drawing post.

Goodness, gracious, it's wet out there:

We went downtown to see the crest of the Mississippi River in Vicksburg on Saturday. It was a stunningly beautiful day, cool and dry with temperatures in the lower 70's. I'll share photos of the flood water, tomorrow, because I can't seem to add extra photos and move them beyond my lol pic.

Many thanks to all who have sent or posted supportive messages. I'm so glad to be back to the Bloggy World.

Big, Smoochy Hugs,

Bookfool, very, very glad to be home

In Loving Memory

RICHER THAN GOLD

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be --
I had a mother who read to me.
-- Strickland Gillilan (1869-1954)

My mother, Edy: June 22, 1933 - April 9, 2008

Wordless Wahoos

Well, not totally wordless. Top to bottom, from a drive around the roads near my sister's house:
Scissor-tailed flycatcher on barbed wire (the state bird of Oklahoma)
Meadowlark (my mother told me it's the state bird of Nebraska)
Cows and an oil pump

Things I see on a normal day, and a finished book!!!

I had some fun, this weekend (!!!!). First, I went for a drive in the countryside and took a trip to Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Refuge on Saturday afternoon. I took loads of photos. Sunday, I was able to get away to my in-laws' house to upload a handful. Yippee! I've separated them so that I can stretch recent photos out for a bit, to make the blog a bit less dull. Today, a few photos of things outside my sister's house. Huge thanks to the in-laws for the food, company and internet time!

Here's one of my favorite photos of my sister's dog, Buddy, giving me the sweet, "Please-please-please walk me or play with me or chase me or anything" look. Buddy is part dachsund and part something . . . not sure what . . . and 100% loveable. Note how he's holding himself as if he can't quite sit all the way down and is poised to leap forward. He's an eager little fellow.



Buddy has been ignoring the squirrels, which I definitely appreciate. Apparently, he does sometimes hunt them, but they're so entertaining that it's a relief to see the pupster ignoring their antics. Squirrels in Bartlesville are very different from our Southern fox squirrels. Here, they have little gray squirrels, which are quite cute.

My brother-in-law told me they had a family with three baby squirrels in their yard, last year, and that the babies provided a great deal of entertainment. "They play like kittens," he informed me, "chasing each other and jumping over each other, tussling. Such fun to watch." I felt a little envious. But, even the individual squirrels have been amusing, so there will be a few more squirrel photos in upcoming posts. The photo above looks practically posed, like he's graduating from Squirrel High School, but I liked the lighting, so there you go.

Not far from the driveway is a lovely forsythia bush. This isn't a very good photo, but the backdrop of that dark blue sky against sunny lemon blooms is so pretty.

While I've been immersed in caregiving, I've had a bit of trouble with losing track of time. So, pardon the huge delay posting a link to Estella's Revenge. The latest issue has been up for days. I managed to read a few articles and, of course, they were all superb. Is "superb" an uppity word? Anyway, I enjoyed them. Since I took the time to read and went back to fetch a link, Estella has gotten a spiffy new header. Cool.

You can find my review of Pat Barker's Life Class, here. It was not a favorite read, but I did like Barker's voice and plan to read more of her work.

Last night, I finished my first read for the month of April! Wahoo! It's The Olive Season by Carol Drinkwater. The Olive Season is the second of two memoirs by Drinkwater which tell of her experiences on the olive farm in Provence that she and her husband purchased and tend to between film jobs. I was surprised to see that the author's face is familiar. For some reason, I envision her dressed in period clothing from WWII, although I haven't looked up her filmography to find out what films or television shows in which I might have seen her perform. Drinkwater's writing is lovely and welcoming. You feel as if you've been allowed to peek into her charming country life and it's mostly quite uplifting as she has a love of nature and life that truly leaps off the page. The latter half is quite emotional, due to a terrible loss that occurred during the time period covered in this particular memoir, and yet it ends on a positive note.

I'm hoping to finish A Fraction of the Whole, tonight or tomorrow. Also reading:

It Happened in Oklahoma by Robert L. Dorman and

Loose Ends: Short Stories and Poems by Les Combs. The first short story in this book made me smile and was nicely unexpected, so I'm really looking forward to reading the rest.

Hope everyone had a terrific weekend!

Bookfool on the Prairie

They Tell Me It's Tuesday

I hear it's Tuesday, but you really lose track of time when your days don't vary much. So, assuming it's Tuesday, it's time for Tuesday Twaddle -- an essentially meaningless title that gives me free reign to continue babbling about anything and nothing. Mostly nothing.

I am reading slowly . . . but. At least I'm reading. I'm still working on A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz. Someday, I'm going to finish that book. In the meantime, though, I took a brief break from Fraction, over the weekend, and read:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Of course, I can't paste an image of the book, at the moment, so I'll just give you a link. The Absolutely True Diary, etc., is classified as "juvenile fiction". I'll call it Young Adult but only because I feel like it. TATDoaP-TI (abbreviated -- that is one heck of a long title) is the story of Junior, a youngster who tells his story in narrative and cartoons, as opposed to dated diary entries. Junior is an aspiring cartoonist who lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Born with fluid on the brain, Junior wears glasses, stutters, has seizures, and is picked on at school by everyone but his best friend, Rowdy.

After he's expelled, Junior speaks to a teacher who advises him not to waste his brains and his life on the reservation. Junior takes the teacher's advice and moves to an all-white school in a neighboring farm town. It's difficult even making his way to school. Some days his alcoholic father can drive him, some days he can't. Sometimes the car works, sometimes it doesn't. At times he can hitchhike; at other times he ends up walking the full 22 miles. But, Junior is determined to improve himself and faces each challenge admirably. Meanwhile, back at "the rez," he's considered a traitor. Rowdy won't speak to him and Junior must face loss upon loss in addition to being rejected by his own people.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a National Book Award winner. And, much as I often like to pooh-pooh those awards, I think it's an awesome story of facing up to challenges, refusing to give in, choosing to better one's self despite huge odds against success. It's much deserving of the award. TATDoaP-TI was another impulse purchase (because Books are Blankies for some of us) and, boy, am I glad I bought it. There's a quote by Neil Gaiman that I love, on the back cover:

Excellent in every way, poignant and really funny and heartwarming and honest and wise and smart . . . I have no doubt that in a year or so it'll both be winning awards and being banned. --Neil Gaiman

I agree on all counts. Except, I have no idea whether the book has been banned, but it wouldn't surprise me. The fact is, the book is written from the viewpoint of a boy who writes with such honesty that those crude, rude, vulgar, anatomically-worded moments wouldn't be right if they weren't written exactly as they are. And there, I think, the book differs from a lot of books. Everything fits. Yeah, you might not want your kid to read it. And, yet, a young adult can learn a great deal from the book -- about poverty, prejudice, strength, grief, love, respect . . . there's such a huge spectrum of emotion in this book that I can't possibly say a bad thing about it. I loved it and couldn't put it down. Huge thumbs up.

And, now . . . some twaddle.

Soup, soup, soup

My brother-in-law comes home (remember, I'm in my sister's house) for lunch every day. Even on "goody days", which used to be simple but now involve rather a feast, according to D., he comes home and warms up some soup because, "I'm not really a cubicle kind of a guy. I need to walk away, just for a short time." D. eats Campbell's Chunky Chicken & Sausage Gumbo, every single day. And, I do mean every single day. One day is cooking day and the next is microwave day. He heats up a can, eats half, saves the other half in a Tupperware container, zaps it the next day, heats up a can the next, eats half . . . on and on. People are so funny. But, just FYI, that is one of the best Campbell's soups I've ever tasted.

Bark, bark, bark

I've been taking photos of Buddy, my sister's dog. My sister didn't want a dog, actually, but D. said, "You needed a dog. So, I got you Buddy." And, she adores him. However, she's at work all day and I'm not willing to go out for a muddy paw-print stamping until evening, so poor old Buddy is a wee bit lonely. The next-door neighbor is an avid gardener and he's usually outside at least part of the day, wearing rubber boots and wielding a shovel. I've seen the neighbor sit down beside the wire fence that separates Sister's yard from Neighbor's. There, he chats away with Buddy for a time, and then off he goes with his shovel to dig and plant. It's rather lovely and touching. I wish I could post some more photos of Buddy. And, the neighbor's yard is gorgeous. He has a host of golden daffodils blooming up a storm, back there. Beautiful!

Movies and a Short Story

This past weekend I drove to my mother's house to run her appliances, flush her toilets, check the lightbulbs, etc. To help fill the time, I watched Atonement and Martian Child. Mini reviews:

Atonement: I've got the book, but I haven't read it. Someday I will; I don't mind doing things backwards, since I began comparing books to their screenplays, just for fun. As to the movie, I thought the scenery was beautiful, particularly in and around the house where early events take place. It always amazes me how my mind can't seem to summon up the kind of glamour, size, detail, and beauty of those English country homes. Film, in this case, captures something my imagination shortchanges. However, the story was just flat sad and I don't like a great deal of gasping (can we say, "melodrama"?) in a movie. Plus, I just don't like that scarecrow-stick actress who played Cecelia, Keira Knightly. She's a decent actress but she's so pretty she's ugly, if you know what I mean. I find her distracting. The movie belonged to James McAvoy, in my humble opinion. I've yet to see him act and not feel totally blown away. He's brilliant, emotional, perfectly human in looks and movement and speech. I love him.

Martian Child: Gah. I love John Cusack. I just love, love, love John Cusack. I've been hooked on Cusack since Say Anything. Is it the looks, the style, the adaptability, the height? Maybe all of the above. I think he's the bees' knees. Having said that, I also happen to think the storyline was awesome, touching, and perfect. It is also clean, funny, heart-warming, beautifully set, believable and well-acted by everyone. The cast is amazing. I loved Martian Child. And, fortunately, I bought the copy I watched. Yippee! I can watch it over and over and over. What a happy thought. I wish there were more movies like Martian Child. Someday, Hollywood will figure out that we don't really need all that swearing, sex, and violence. We get excited about humanity, about emotion, about happy moments, laughter and great acting. At least, that's my hope (and what I love in a movie).

Over the weekend, I was unable to locate the power cord for my laptop, hence the lack of posting and blog-hopping. Plus, things are getting a little bit intense, around here. So, please forgive me if I'm only able to zip in and out. I have located the power cord, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll be able to get away on the weekend, this week. We shall see. Hope everyone is having a terrific week.

Bookfool, dashing off, again