Author: Jaclyn

by

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 17, 2020)

Happy President’s Day, friends.  If you have today off, I hope you’re out enjoying it!  I’m NOT off work, and actually I have a lot to do, so Sunday Scaries hit hard this weekend.  We didn’t actually do too much; it was a pretty low-key weekend.  Valentine’s Day was a bit of a roller-coaster, thanks to work.  The kids were off school (teacher development day) so I worked remotely, but it was a busy day – we had a huge deadline in one case and I was slamming through my to-do list all day long.  There were some good points: Steve and the kids gave me a gift card for a hot air balloon ride (!!!!!) and I took Peanut out for a girls’ date to the American Girl Store for “Hearts and Hugs: Memories with Mom.”  We had a yummy dinner and craft, and she got a book and a picnic set for her Wellie Wishers – but then we had to rush home so I could keep working.  I finally fell into bed at almost midnight; fortunately, I am not a huge Valentine’s Day person, or I’d have been pretty disappointed.

Saturday was a low-key around-the-house kind of day.  I folded epic amounts of laundry and made a library run – nothing too exciting.  (I mean, library runs are always exciting, but you know what I’m saying.)  On Sunday, the kids had earned a trip to the zoo, so we bundled up and made it there in time for a very short window to see the two adorable clouded leopard cubs.  Most of the animals were cuddled up in their dens, but we did see the zebra, the cheetah, the otters, and my favorite – the elephants – among others.  Didn’t see the lions this time, sadly.  The rest of Sunday was just knocking around the house, folding more laundry, restocking the kids’ school uniforms, the usual.  Next weekend I need some trail time.

Reading.  Quite a week in books!  I was churning through them the past few days.  On Monday, I finished up my re-read of Wish You Were Eyre, the penultimate installment in the charming Mother-Daughter Book Club series – always a delight.  With library deadlines looming over me, I turned to A Man Lay Dead – my first Ngaio Marsh, how can that be? – and loved it.  It was as charming as a murder mystery gets and I found myself laughing out loud at Marsh’s wit more than once.  Next up, The Princess of Cleves.  It might have been a case of right-book-wrong-time, but I was a bit underwhelmed.  The chatty and witty introduction – by Nancy Mitford, who translated the book from its original French – was the best part of it for me.  Although there were little moments, like when one of the characters describes Henry VIII to the titular Princess, concluding with “and he finally died after becoming quite enormous.”  But mostly, it wasn’t for me.  Apparently I was on a royalty kick, though, or just under a lot of library deadlines, because I went from The Princess of Cleves to American Royals.  The premise was a lot of fun and I flew through it – sometimes you just need something silly and not at all taxing, right?  Ended the weekend with The Poisoned Chocolates Case, which I’ve been saving to read around Valentine’s Day.  (It’s not related to Valentine’s Day, but – chocolates.)

Watching.  I’ve stopped trying to keep track of the kids’ jags.  They’re back on Zootopia, and I’ve seen it about three times this week.  It’s not my favorite of their obsessions, but they’ll be back on Harry Potter soon enough. Also: Bake-Off.  Sunday night.  Of course.

Listening.  Podcasts, podcasts, all the podcasts.  Bunch of different things.  And I had the inspired idea to fire up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on Audible one afternoon on the way home from school, to end an argument.  (Peanut wanted a podcast and Nugget wanted music.  Audiobook = the perfect compromise.)

Making.  Birthday party invitations for a certain fella who is turning FIVE next month.  Where has the time gone?  He asked for a bowling party, so that’s what we’re doing.  And lucky for me, there was only one bowling-themed option on Shutterfly, so no decision necessary.

Blogging.  I have two fun posts for you!  Themed Reads for February on Wednesday – three historical fiction titles about the African-American experience, in honor of Black History Month – and a very belated trail report from our New Year’s Day hike at Wilson Powell Wildlife Sanctuary in Old Chatham, NY, on Friday.

Loving.  Lamest loving ever, guys, so sorry in advance but – I have to tell you that the thing that has given me more joy than anything else is having no baskets of clean laundry in my room right now.  They are ALL folded and ALL put away.  It’s so much nicer to have a tidy space and I just feel less stressed when I’m not surrounded by chaos.  Given what the work landscape looks like for the next few months, I will take those small victories when I can get them.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?

by

The Winter List 2020

Somehow I fell off the wagon of making seasonal to-do lists towards the end of last year – they probably fell by the wayside with everything else when work got ridiculously busy.  I’m trying to strike a better balance in 2020, and that includes getting back into the habit of seeking out fun and joy each season, and writing about it here.  With that good intention set, here’s what I’m hoping to do this winter (including a couple of things I have already done, because as always, I’m running behind).

  • Go with Steve and the kids to see #AURORAinDC at ARTECHOUSE, an innovative art gallery that fuses art with technology to create interactive sensory experiences.  (This was a Christmas present to Steve, and we went in early January before the installation closed.)
  • Register and train for a spring 5K race.
  • Try a new cookbook recipe once a week!
  • Get rid of at least ten boxes from the basement.
  • Read another Trollope novel.
  • Make vegetarian Italian wedding soup.
  • Send out some baby gifts that are long past due!
  • Clean out the container garden.
  • Go for a winter walk by the Potomac.
  • Light candles and snuggle under a blanket.

There!  Some outdoor fun, some home organizing, some cooking and some coziness – that seems like a good season to me.

What’s on your winter to-do list?

by

Reading Round-Up: January 2020, Part Two

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here is part two of two posts sharing my reads for January, 2020…

Country Boy, by Richard Hillyer – One of the greatest delights of my reading life in recent years has been finding Slightly Foxed, and I have enjoyed every reading experience this gem of a publisher has provided me.  Country Boy, a memoir of growing up desperately poor and falling in love with books, was no exception.  Hillyer’s writing about his country neighbors was sensitive and loving, but honest too.

Wonder Woman, Vol. 1: The Just War, by G. Willow Wilson – I am a fan of everything Wilson does, and I anxiously awaited her take on my favorite superhero, Wonder Woman.  As expected, she delivered a wonderful story, with nods to mythology and legend, and clearly Diana Prince is safe in Wilson’s capable hands.

Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey #1), by Dorothy L. Sayers – Wanting to catch up on some of the golden age crime novels I hadn’t yet read, I downloaded the first Peter Wimsey to my kindle and read it on the plane, en route to New Orleans for a business trip.  It was good fun, although I like the Harriet Vane novels, and The Nine Tailors, better.

The Siren Years: A Canadian Diplomat Abroad 1937-1945, by Charles Ritchie – I picked up this recommendation from The Captive Reader, and it was a joy to read.  Ritchie knew everyone, and his insights into war and the nature of diplomacy were as interesting to read as his accounts of country house weekends.  I can’t wait to continue on with his diaries.

Madensky Square, by Eva Ibbotson – I actually had a hard time getting into Madensky Square, and ended up leaving it home in favor of my kindle while I was in New Orleans on business, then picking it up again when I returned.  It was beautifully written, uplifting in parts and heartbreaking in others, and I ended up loving the characters – Frau Susanna, Gernot, Nini, Daniel, little Sigi, the Schumacher family, and all the residents of the Square.  (The people want a book about Nini and Daniel!)

Murder in the White House (Capital Crimes #1), by Margaret Truman – I have had Margaret Truman’s DC mystery series on my list for the longest time.  Truman was the daughter of President Harry S. Truman, so she was well-placed to write about the inner workings of the Washington scene, and she does so in a completely captivating way.  (She also gets her DC details right, obviously, and as longtime readers know, nothing irritates me more than authors who get their facts wrong about my adopted hometown.)  This first installment was a lot of fun.

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, by Jenny Odell – I picked this one up because President Obama loved it.  Of course, as we all know, President Obama is a genius and the rest of us, mostly, are not.  How to Do Nothing went almost completely over my head, except for the parts about birds, which I did understand.  It might have been a case of right book, wrong time – coming at the end of a long, busy and stressful month at work and at home – but I found it a bit opaque.

The Lager Queen of Minnesota, by J. Ryan Stradal – I had loved Stradal’s debut novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, but was pretty underwhelmed by this sophomore effort.  The premise was good – Grandmas brewing beer! – but the characters were wooden and the ending felt clunky and rushed.  I’ll still read Stradal’s next book, but this one was a miss for me.

Whew!  That wraps up a big month of reading.  I had a wonderful month of turning pages, I really did.  The clear highlight from the second half of the month was The Siren Years, which I devoured.  But it’s always fun to visit with Lord Peter Wimsey and Wonder Woman (there’s a sentence I never though I’d write) and to curl up with another Slightly Foxed Edition.  And now – onward to February!  I have a stack of library books to get through, but I’m also enjoying reading from my own shelves more often, so expect another mix of both next month.

What are you reading these days?

by

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 10, 2020)

Gooooooood rainy Monday morning to you, friends.  First things first: Virginians, today is the deadline for registering to vote before the 2020 primary.  Have you checked your status yet?  If not, you can do so here.  (I was pretty sure I was all set, but it never hurts to be absolutely certain, so I re-checked this morning and yup, registration active.  Now I just have to decide which candidate will be getting my vote on Super Tuesday.)

Okay!  That out of the way, how were your weekends?  Mine was pretty good – not much to report.  On Saturday, we knocked around the neighborhood all day.  Walked down to the waterfront, as we do almost every weekend, and then Peanut and I peeled off and stopped by the new Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams that recently opened up in our neighborhood.  (We were going to make it a family outing, but Mr. “I Love Salad” Nugget didn’t want ice cream.)  Peanut had “milkiest chocolate” and I had “rainbow buttermilk frozen yogurt” – both delicious – and we brought home a few pints to enjoy with the boys later.  In the evening, Steve wanted to go out to dinner at Vermilion, one of the fanciest restaurants in town.  I laughed for a good three minutes before I realized that he was serious.  He even made reservations – that’s how serious.  Vermilion is so fancy they don’t even have a children’s menu, but the chef delivered with decadent spaghetti with butter and cheese for the kiddos, and Nugget also ate about a third of my kale salad.  (Don’t worry, I also had ravioli with truffles and 24-month aged Parmesan.)

On Sunday, Peanut and I got dressed in our fanciest blue outfits, picked up my pal Vanessa, and drove out to the wilds of suburban Alexandria for a baby shower.  My work wife Connie is expecting a baby boy this spring and her sister threw an epic “Baby Shark” themed shower – it was adorable, and the highlight (other than seeing the mom-to-be glowing and happy) was definitely the Baby Shark macarons.  Can you even???  The best thing about my job is the group of smart, kind, supportive women I work with – there’s no competition and no backstabbing (which has definitely not been the case at every job I’ve had), just a group of women lifting each other up and helping one another every day.  It’s not an easy job but we have a sisterhood that keeps us all going.

Reading.  After getting off to a little bit of a slumpy start in February, I churned through books last week!  Started the week with A Passage to India, but had to set it aside to knock off Life Among the Savages, which had an impending library deadline.  I read it in less than 24 hours, laughing my head off the entire time.  In fact – as I told my friend Susan – it was that rare book that caused “What’s wrong with that woman?” stares on the Metro, as I read about Shirley Jackson’s hilariously hapless parenting attempts with shaking shoulders and tears streaming down my face.  Susan and I agreed: that’s the mark of a really good book.  Anyway!  I bid a reluctant goodbye to Jackson and family, then turned back to A Passage to India, which I finished on Saturday morning.  The rest of the weekend was devoted to Wish You Were Eyre, the sixth book in the Mother-Daughter Book Club series – such fun.  I’ll finish it tonight and then, I think, I’ll turn to A Man Lay Dead, by Ngaio Marsh.

Watching.  Very little.  One or two episodes of The Great British Bake-Off, as usual.  I never have a rooting interest – all of the contestants are sweet and lovely and I’m always happy for the winner – but Steve and I love-love-love Henry this season.  He’s a literature student! and plays the organ at church! and we want to hire him to babysit our kids!  I was sorry to see poor Jamie go after the second episode, too, because Steve had me rolling with his shouted encouragements – “You did a good job, buddy!  That was a good guitar cookie!”

Listening.  Podcasts, here and there.  Mostly catching up on The Slightly Foxed Podcast, now that I’m up-to-date (sniffle) with Shedunnit.

Making.  Nugget and I baked banana tea bread with almonds and apricots on Saturday morning – yum.  I was flipping through Simply Divine, a collection of recipes from members of our local church, looking for cookies to make, and I came across a recipe for “banana tea bread.”  A few updates to add some mix-ins and I might have a new favorite banana bread.

Blogging.  Part II of January’s reading round-up on Wednesday, and a winter to-do list on Friday.  Do check in with me then!

Loving.  Last week, one of my sorority sisters posted on Facebook a link to an article entitled “Your Guide to Not Getting Murdered in an English Village.”  Obviously I had to read it, because obviously.  I laughed until I wept, but you know what?  The advice was really good.  For instance, avoid the village fête at all costs.  “If you enter a town while the fête is happening, you are already dead. The tea urn is filled with poison. The sponge cakes are full of glass. There’s an axe in the fortune telling tent. The coconuts are bombs. It’s like the Hunger Games, but dangerous.”  Also avoid the vicar (“If you are not dead yet, the vicar is obliged to kill you.”); the village shop (“They sell cheese, stamps, tea, and death.”); the gardener (“Their roses are perfect because of all the people under them.”) and basically the rest of the town and all of its inhabitants, too.  Pubs are safe, and so are dogs.  That’s it.   You guys.  Aside from this handy travel guide, which I have re-read several times, Crime Reads is fabulous.  How did I not know about a website devoted to featuring articles about mystery novels?  Bye, y’all, I won’t have time to blog anymore because I’ll be reading the entire back archives.  Just kidding.  Maybe.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?

by

AURORA @ ARTECHOUSE

My good friend (and former work wife) Samantha has been hounding me to check out ARTECHOUSE, an interactive art/tech gallery in DC – there are also locations in New York and Miami – for years now.  Several springs ago, ARTECHOUSE had a cherry blossom art experience, and Sam attended and has not stopped raving about it since.  She promised me that it was the kind of place that the kids would be into, and I promised her I’d look into it.  It took me awhile, but the stars finally aligned and I bought the whole family tickets to the #AURORAinDC experience that was running through the weekend after New Years.

We entered the gallery with a group of other people who had tickets for the same time slot, and everyone immediately spread out to different corners of the room.  It took us a little while to figure out how it all worked, but a helpful gallery employee explained how to “grow” the trees and create the snowflakes, and we all ran around like kids, exploring every nook and cranny of the gallery and creating our own enchanted forest.

I’ll just leave the pictures here for you.

(The kids invented a game called “summon the white stag” that involved placing their hands on the wall and chanting “White Stag.  White Stag.  White Stag.” over and over until a white stag – part of a light show cycle – appeared.  It was cute but also hella creepy.)

It was such a cool experience – I’m so glad we made it to ARTECHOUSE, finally, and now I’m keeping an eye on the website, ready to snatch up tickets again the next time there is an exhibit/experience that looks like something we would all enjoy.  Maybe Sam will join us as tour guide/babysitter.

Have you ever been to an interactive art experience?

by

Reading Round-Up: January 2020, Part One

Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here is part one of two posts sharing my reads for January, 2020…

New Year’s Day (Old New York #4), by Edith Wharton – I thought it would be fun to re-read Edith Wharton’s novella, New Year’s Day, on actual New Year’s Day… and it was.  I love this melancholy and ruminative story about things that are not what they seem, and I think I may make an annual re-read a tradition.

One Woman’s Year, by Stella Martin Currey – Another fun one to start off the year, I finished up this recent Persephone reprint, which combines commonplace book, diary, recipe collection and humor.  It’s such fun to revisit a slower, more seasonal time in my reading.

Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther, by Elizabeth von Arnim – Loved, loved, loved this novel in letters (one-sided) from the titular heroine, Rose-Marie Schmidt, to the vapid and useless Roger Anstruther.  Rose-Marie is a thoroughly wonderful character, and her letters to Mr Anstruther – who cannot at all appreciate what a gem his pen-pal is – are a delight.  Everything is in here – lovely nature writing, musings on books, elder-sisterly advice… I loved every page.

Great Goddesses, by Nikita Gill – I tore through this collection of poetry updating the Greek myths for modern times, and it was everything I want in a book of poems.  Often sad, always beautiful and thought-provoking, and very relevant.  Gill has another collection of poems and prose poems based on fairy tales, and I expect I will be seeking that out soon.

This is Where You Belong: The Art and Science of Loving the Place You Live, by Melody Warnick – This came recommended by Anne Bogel on her short-form podcast One Great Book, and I did enjoy it.  Some of Warnick’s lamenting about her struggles to love living in Blacksburg, Virginia – I have a friend there, and it’s actually a beautiful area – did come across as a bit tone-deaf and unaware of her privilege, but I mostly tuned that part out and focused on her practical suggestions (many of which would have come in more handy for me when I was miserable and homesick in Buffalo – I don’t really need help loving northern Virginia).

More to the Story, by Hena Khan – After loving Khan’s first middle-grade book, Amina’s Voice, I was eager to check out her homage to Little Women (with a Pakistani spin).  It was absolutely wonderful.  Jameela and her sisters felt so real – their struggles and heartaches and the love they had for each other, too – and I wanted to gather each one up for a big hug.

The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables, by Catherine Reid – I’ve been staring at this book on my shelf since my dear friend Susan gave it to me for Christmas 2018, and I finally got around to reading it – and staring wide-eyed at the gorgeous photographs.  It was absolutely stunning, and made me hanker for a return trip to PEI – my grandparents took me there on vacation when I was twelve, and I have never forgotten the beautiful scenery or the breathless excitement of being in “Anne’s house.”

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2020, by Lia Leendertz – I have come to cherish and eagerly look forward to Leendertz’s yearly almanacs, with their gorgeous nature writing and beautiful pen and ink illustrations – not to mention the garden tips, recipes and lore bursting from the pages.  I read 2020’s installment in one gulp, although I expect I will revisit it each month all year long – the new addition of a monthly section on what’s going on in the hedgerow was my favorite part.

Well, that takes us to about January 11th.  I meant to recap my entire month’s reading, but there were sixteen titles and I want to be respectful of your time and attention.  So I’ll do the rest next week and going forward either split each month to come into two parts or do just one omnibus recap at the end of the month as dictated by my reading list.  Anyway!  January got off to a strong start, as you can see – I enjoyed everything I read, to the point of finding it near impossible to pick a highlight.  Fraulein Schmidt and Mr Anstruther was definitely one, and The Landscapes of Anne of Green Gables was another, but really – the whole month was filled with one readerly delight after another.  In 2020 I have decided to worry less about buzzy new releases or literary trends and just read what makes me happy, and you can see the results – sixteen books (eight here and eight more to come), all of which I enjoyed.

How was your January’s reading?

 

by

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 3, 2020)

Okay, here we go, new week.  Imbolc blessings to all of you, and happy day-after-the-Superbowl and day-after-palindrome-day, and Monday.  Go sports team!  I’ll be honest, I didn’t know who was playing in the Superbowl this year until the teams ran out on the field.  I’m not a football fan, but I usually at least know who the two teams in the championship are – not this year.  That’s how checked out I’ve been, between traveling for work and then being super tired and also having to watch the country fall apart.  Anyway!  It was a low-key weekend.  Steve and Nugget had plans to go to an auto show on Saturday, and I had intended to take Peanut out for a girls’ day, maybe to tea at Laduree or the American Girl Store, but she was a hot mess at school all last week so we went to the grocery store instead.  I didn’t want to make it a completely miserable day for her, though, so I told her we could bake something in the afternoon.  She asked for apple pie, so I picked up the ingredients and got everything together.  The kids helped me mix up the pate brisee dough, but then they flaked (see what I did there?) as soon as it went into the fridge to chill.  So I ended up making the rest of the pie myself, which was maybe better, because it came out really well.  Sunday was another dialed down day.  I spent the morning going through some old cooking magazines, ripping out the few recipes I actually wanted to try and then recycling the rest, then took the kiddos to the playground to run off some energy in the afternoon.  Nugget has strep throat, poor guy, but still somehow wants to move at a hundred miles an hour all the time.  He sacked out early, though, and Steve and I ended the weekend with both kids in bed and asleep in the first quarter of the Big Game.  I didn’t make it to the end, either – I never do.

Reading.  Pretty decently busy reading week!  I finished Murder in the White House on Monday – so fun, and I will definitely continue with Margaret Truman’s Capital Crimes series.  Over the rest of the week, I alternated between How to Do Nothing, which President Obama loved but which was mostly over my head, and The Lager Queen of Minnesota.  After loving J. Ryan Stradal’s first book, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, I had high hopes for Lager Queen, but I felt mostly blah about it.  Finally, I spent the weekend with E. M. Forster’s masterpiece, A Passage to India, which I am loving.

Watching.  All the Harry Potter, still.  The kids are on a major jag and I love it.  Except for when they have “wizard duels” with Lincoln Logs and hit each other in the face.  I don’t love that part.  Steve and I also started series seven of The Great British Bake-Off, and I watched a few Superbowl commercials (“ghost cah!”).

Listening.  Working my way through all the back episodes of Shedunnit, still.  I’m down to five episodes to go and then I’ll be caught up.  Don’t know what I’m going to do with myself when I’m current.  I’ll have to listen to one of the other podcasts on my podcatcher.

Making.  Lots of cooking and baking.  In addition to the apple pie (which really was a huge success – the secret was adding more ice water than Martha Stewart thinks I really needed to) I made a super high protein chili (Impossible ground, black beans and quinoa) and a bunch of crudites for snacking this week.  Yum.

Blogging.  January books coming atcha on Wednesday, so clear your schedules because it’s a long post – I read a lot last month, and if I keep up this pace I’m going to have to start splitting my reading recaps into two posts a la Katie.  And on Friday, a belated look at our post-New Year’s visit to ARTECHOUSE for #AURORAinDC.  It’s not showing anymore, so I’m afraid I’ve missed the boat on alerting you all to something fun you can do next weekend, but I still want to share my snaps because it was a beautiful interactive art show.

Loving.  I try not to brag on my kids in this space, especially as they are getting older and I am more protective of their privacy.  But can I tell you how sweet little Nugget is?  This dear little boy, who when he grows up wants to be a scientist or a bunny and who wanted only one thing from Santa last year – a book about birds – had just one request for his birthday: he wants Hogwarts robes in his house colors.  What house?  You can probably guess, but our happy-go-lucky little fella, who plays with everyone and is always the cheeriest face on the playground, self-identifies as a Hufflepuff.  Of course!  I just love that his sweetness is his defining personality trait, and I love how much he embraces it.  (He takes after his dad, also a Hufflepuff.)  While I’d love some company in Ravenclaw, I am proud of my little badger and his lion sister.

Asking. What are you reading this week?

 

by

2019 in Books, Part III: Book Superlatives

It’s time for one of my favorite blog posts of the year!  For some reason, giving my books high school yearbook awards never fails to tickle me.  Enough prelude, y’all know what this post is.  Let’s go.

Brainiest.  Hermione Lee definitely takes the award this year, because no one but a certifiable genius could have written this tome of a biography and literary critique of Edith Wharton.  Also, her name is Hermione, so.

Best Looking.  Sometimes this superlative goes to that-girl-who-isn’t-conventionally-pretty-but-hot-damn-there’s-just-something-about-her, and that is Anne Boleyn in a nutshell.

Best Friends.  OMG!  This hardly ever happens, but the votes were tied.  Sloane, Ardie and Grace get the award for sticking together through thick and thin and maybe murder? but Deja and Josiah racked up just as many votes for their charming and sweet #goals friendship.

Class Clown.  Who but David Litt, official jokes writer for President Obama, could take the Class Clown superlative?  Just about anything that Obama said that was funny, you can bet – it had Litt’s fingerprints on it.

Biggest Jock.  So he gets injured early on – Marcus Aquila is the definition of the jock who grows up and joins the military.  Also, he’s brave and loyal and I think probably pretty nice to look at, so he gets the votes.

Teacher’s Pet.  Math geek Katherine gets this award, for her sheer determination to distinguish herself academically, and also because, um, well, read the book.

Biggest Nerd.  When you carry around a purple notebook full of poetry that you scribble out while huddled in the girls’ bathroom – even as an all-grown-up substitute teacher – you’re definitely a nerd.  But that’s okay, because nerds can still get the guy.

Most Creative.  Edith Holden is definitely the artsy dreamer of the bunch this year.  She’s the girl who is always wandering around with her head in the clouds, doodling pictures of flowers and birds in her notebook.

Most Opinionated.  Ben Rhodes, one of President Obama’s top foreign policy aides, had opinions coming out of his ears – and he lays them all out in his fantastic memoir.

Most Likely to End Up in Hollywood.  I was a little underwhelmed by the shifting narratives, but the stories of Sally, Irina and Olga seem tailor-made for the big screen.  Who wouldn’t want to see the glitz and glamor of 1950s D.C.?

Biggest Rebel.  Bri is definitely the rebel this year – determined to stun the world with her raps, heedless of any consequences.  And there are many, many consequences.

Biggest Loner.  When you are so determined to have your peace and quiet that you will literally commit murder to get it – like Maud – you’re definitely the biggest loner.  Piece of advice: DO NOT move into Maud’s apartment building.

Cutest Couple.  Alex Claremont-Diaz, First Son of General Adorableness, and Henry, Prince of Smoldering Glances and Falling Into Cakes, are definitely the cutest of all the cute couples this year.  What I wouldn’t give to roll with their crowd of jet-setting pals…

Prom King.  There’s no way Frank Gresham doesn’t win Prom King – this isn’t the year for a sleeper write-in joke vote.  Frank is the Captain of the football team, President of the student body, and clearly, the Prom King.

Prom Queen.  Party girl Daisy Jones is this year’s Prom Queen – how could she not be?  Both because she’s the life of every party, would look great with a crown, and because I want to see what Frank Gresham makes of her when the Prom Court dances in front of the entire senior class.

Most Likely to Succeed.  If there is one person who is bound and determined to meet every goal, it’s Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan.  Luckily she has her BFF, Amilyn Holdo, to lighten her up when she gets too steely-eyed and driven.

This post is always way too much fun.  Who would you give yearbook superlatives to from your booklist?

by

Themed Reads: Slow and Seasonal

The more frenetic and hectic life gets, the more I want to slow down, focus on things that are real and tangible, and live in a more mindful, seasonal way.  In many ways, that’s just not possible – but in many ways, it is, with a little attention.  At any time of year – but never more so than in January – I am devouring books about living seasonally and embracing the changes and delights that each month of the year brings.  Here are three.

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, by Edith Holden, is a gorgeous tour de force through the seasons.  Holden, the titular Edwardian lady, is an artist and naturalist who records the flora and fauna she observes on her regular tramps through her Warwickshire home all year long (and on one delightful holiday in Scotland and the north of England).  The book is organized in a month-by-month format, so you can follow along with Holden as her favorite fields and hedgerows burst into bloom and then out of it again.  Holden’s artwork is the highlight of the book (although I skipped hastily past the butterfly and moth illustrations, which will not surprise anyone), but her delightful “nature notes” are such fun to read.  I found myself wishing I could go back in time and join her on one of her expeditions.

One Woman’s Year, by Stella Martin Currey, will be irresistable to anyone who – like me – loves a good housewifely diary.  Persephone Books, which recently republished it, describes it as “a mixture of commonplace, diary, short story, recipes – and woodcuts.”  YES, I love all of these things.  As with The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady, One Woman’s Year is organized into a monthly format.  Each month begins with an essay (or short story – I suspect it’s a mix of fact and fiction) about something on the housewife’s mind, whether that’s choosing books for your children or redecorating your house on a shoestring budget.  The story/essay is followed by features including a recipe of the month (very 1950s recipes, too), the most- and least-liked jobs of the month, and a recommended outing for the children – everything from visiting the Tower of London to exploring the local telephone exchange.  Some of the descriptions – for instance, of Currey, her indulgent husband, and their two sons attempting to plant a new lawn in March – are absolutely hilarious.  And the whole thing, taken together, is a lovely and winding meander through a year.

The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2020, by Lia Leendertz, is the third of Leendertz’s monthly almanacs.  The first one was published in 2018; I’ve bought them each year, and they just keep getting better.  (Do check out the past years’ guides, as well.  While some things – like tide tables and dates for holidays and equinoxes and such – change from year to year, the garden task lists, monthly recipes, songs and legends are all evergreen.)  Each year’s almanac is a little different from the others’ the 2020 guide has a strong focus on the moon and also includes a new section on “what’s going on in the hedgerow” that was a delight to read for each month.  I read the 2019 guide month-by-month all year long, but blew through the 2020 guide in one gulp; either method works, and I’m sure I will be coming back to the 2020 almanac to test out the monthly recipes and gardening tips all year long.  I love slow, seasonal, nature-focused books and the Almanac series is a gorgeous addition.

Do you like reading about the changes of seasons?

by

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (January 27, 2020)

Gooooooooood morning, friends.  How were your weekends?  Mine was abbreviated – I got home from my weeklong trial advocacy course late on Saturday night.  (On Saturday morning I had to serve as a witness in one of the mock trials – the trials were on Friday and Saturday and everyone took a turn playing a witness on their off day from actually trying the case; my partner and I requested a Friday trial on the theory that it’s better to just rip the band-aid.)  The course was great and I left with a lot of good ideas, new friends and – most importantly – confidence.  But I am so glad to be home.  I landed back in D.C. at about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, and we spent Sunday just kicking around the neighborhood.  Had brunch at Virtue Feed & Grain, one of our favorite local spots, then Nugget and I bundled up and headed off on our usual Sunday round – the library (he biked, I walked) and then the playground.  It was a nice day, but I am still pretty burnt out.  Two weekends in a row with only one day off have been exhausting.

Reading.  Not much book time over the course of the week.  Especially as the week ground on closer to Friday, my trial partner and I were working late into the evenings, prepping our opening and closing statements, our direct and cross examination outlines, and our exhibits for the mock trial we had on Friday.  When I had a second to breathe, I mostly just zoned out.  Earlier in the week, I started The Siren Years, but I wasn’t able to pick it up again until Saturday, when I finished it in the airport while waiting for my flight back to D.C.  On the plane, I started Murder in the White House, the first installment in the “Capital Crimes” series by Margaret Truman (daughter of President Harry S. Truman).  I’m enjoying it so much, as I knew I would – I’ll probably finish it today.  When I left for my trip, I left Madensky Square at home (choosing to travel with just my kindle) and I finally finished it on Sunday evening; it was wonderful.  So – actually not a bad reading week at all, even if my book time mostly came in snatches of a few minutes here and a few minutes there.

Watching.  The same as always – just one episode of The Great British Bake-Off – but it was the final!  I actually cried, I was so happy for the winner.  Other than that, I watched lots and lots and lots of trial skills demonstrations.

Listening.  Lectures, mostly, and skills critiques in my trial advocacy course.  All very useful but not really interesting to most of you, so that’s that.  There were a few episodes of Shedunnit in there, too.  Still loving that.

Making.  An opening statement, and direct and cross examination of witnesses in my mock trial, and many notes from lectures and critiques at my week-long trial advocacy course.  And that’s about it.  No cooking, no crafting, no writing other than work…

Blogging.  Bookish week coming atcha!  I have January’s Themed Reads for you on Wednesday (and I promise February’s will not come on the final Wednesday of the month!) and the final installment in my three-part 2019 reading retrospective on Friday.  And with that, I will finally be ready to leave 2019 behind and dive into 2020.

Loving.  As we wind down our time in our current neighborhood, I am soaking up all the good stuff about it.  I’ve lived everywhere from deep in the country to walkable urban neighborhoods, and while there are good and bad things about each extreme, it’s been a lot of fun to be able to stroll out to the library, the independent bookstore, the playground, the wine bar, and more restaurants than I can count these past few years.  It’s not time to go quite yet – we’re getting there – and while we’re still in our current spot I am making a point to enjoy it.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?