Spring!  It’s always a little iffy, but I think I can now safely declare that it’s here.  There are daffodils brightening up my morning commute, and the trees are beginning to bud.  At this rate, we’ll have leaves by Mother’s Day (my wish for the past three years, since I first moved to Buffalo).  And in the meantime, how better to celebrate spring than by reading books that feature, or somehow involve, gardens?

My first pick, of course, has to be The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  For many of us – me included – it is the definitive spring read.  Young Mary Lennox is sent from India, the only home she has ever known, to be ward in the house of a wealthy, but reclusive, uncle.  “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” is bored and resentful – until she gets “a bit o’ earth” to nurture.  Soon Mary discovers a walled garden, neglected since the mistress of the house passed away.  With the help of local boy Dickon, Mary gradually comes out of her own shell and then turns her attention to drawing out her fretful, hypochondriac cousin Colin.  Soon the crisp spring air, warm sunshine, cheerful robins and budding garden are working miracles on both lonely children – but what will happen if Mary, Dickon and Colin are discovered in the forbidden garden?

Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote novels for adults as well as two famous “children’s” classics – A Little Princess being the other.  I’ve not yet read her adult books, although they are on my list.  If they’re anything near as delightful as The Secret Garden, they must be pure magic.  I know that many love A Little Princess, and I do too, but The Secret Garden holds a special place in my heart.  It has been one of my favorite books since I was very, very small, and it’s a perfect spring read.

 In The Enchanted April, by Elizabeth von Arnim, four strangers (or near-strangers) rent an Italian castle together, and their souls are healed by “wisteria and sunshine.”  On a rainy day in Hampstead, Lotty Wilkins spies an advertisement for an Italian castle for rent for the month of April.  Dreaming of escaping the cold weather and an even colder marriage, Lotty allows herself to fantasize about a month in paradise – but actually renting the castle seems out of reach.  That changes quickly when Lotty sees Rose Arbuthnot, a casual acquaintance, sighing over the same ad.  Lotty convinces a reluctant Rose to come along for the ride and together the two women convince Mrs. Fisher, an elderly (and rather grumpy) widow, and young socialite Lady Caroline Dester, to combine forces and funds.  At first, the project seems to be going poorly – there is some squabbling, mainly spearheaded by Mrs. Fisher, over garden access.  But the Italian countryside soon works its magic over all of the ladies.  Lotty and Rose spend hours sitting in one of the gardens that Mrs. Fisher permits them to use, and rambling through the wilderness.  Lady Caroline (“Scrap,” to her friends) dozes in the sunshine and soon comes out of her shell as well, and even cantankerous Mrs. Fisher finds herself soothed and calmed by the peaceful retreat.

The descriptions of flowers and gardens in The Enchanted April are truly luscious, but the true magic of this spellbinding book is in the relationships between the four women.  A month that begins on the strength of a tenuous, and new, friendship between Rose and Lotty soon sees bonds formed and nurtured, as wisteria is nurtured by the warm Italian sun.  I read this for the first time this spring, and it’s going to be an annual tradition.

Henrietta is the wife of a Devonshire doctor, mother of two grown children, and feeling useless when we first meet her in Henrietta’s War, by Joyce Dennys.  World War II has broken out and she is generally disqualified from the war work that most other women in the village are doing, as her role is to “take care of the doctor” and she simply can’t be spared for anything else.  As a result, Henrietta is bored and embarrassed by her seeming uselessness, and she spends quite a lot of time pottering about in her garden and relating her activities therein to her “dear childhood’s friend” Robert, to whom she writes breezy, newsy letters to cheer up his service at the front.  Henrietta is far from useless in the village, but she actually is rather useless in the garden, which is refreshing, and her tribulations are quite funny.  Anyone who has struggled to keep plants alive (coughTHISgirlcough) will recognize Henrietta’s frustration, and nod along in relief – we’re not the only black thumbs out there!

Henrietta’s War doesn’t focus on the garden, but Henrietta herself spends a great deal of time in it, trying to get plants to grow and fending off visitors from her garden gate.  It’s a joy to read about her day-to-day life in the English countryside, and I can only imagine how cheering such letters would be for a weary serviceman like Robert.

Honorable mentions (fair warning; I haven’t read all of these):

• Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth von Arnim – I’m midway through this diary of a young mother who escapes to her garden in all seasons; her descriptions of her joy in planting and tending are delightful, but her marriage makes me sad.
• Sissinghurst: Vita Sackville-West and the Creation of a Garden, by Vita Sackville-West and Sarah Raven – I’ve never read any of Vita Sackville-West’s writing, but she’s on my list.  She might be the most famous English garden maven, so I look forward to reading about her love affair with Sissinghurst, the lauded English garden she built.
• English Country Houses, by Vita Sackville-West – Another one that I would like to read sooner than later, Sackville-West’s guide to the great houses of her native England ostensibly focuses mainly on the homes’ architecture, history and cultural place.  But this is Sackville-West we’re talking about, so I’d bet that the gardens play a major role as well.

What books are getting you in a spring frame of mind?

We had the most glorious weekend!  After I survived last week, thanks to my hearing being rescheduled (for this coming week, and I have a night meeting, an Important Lunch, and two filings in addition to the hearing, so it’s going to be another packed one) I really should have worked the weekend to get ahead, but the weather was glorious and I was burnt out and I just wanted to enjoy.  So I did.  On Saturday we headed out for a hike at a new-to-us spot, Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, and did some bird-spotting.  (More to come when I get pictures uploaded – yes, I used the dSLR!)  On Sunday we did another quick hike at Times Beach Nature Preserve, then hit up Canalside; we were hoping to get Peanut a good hour in the sandbox, but it was under construction so we just wandered around, checked out the boats, and felt the sun on our faces.  I’m an obsessive weather-watcher and I’ve been eyeing the forecast and am cautiously optimistic that it really is spring now.  Time will tell.

As for reading this week, I got more done than expected given the workload.  I guess it helps that it was only the workload this week – no one was sent home sick from school, and parents were healthy too.  Let’s hope that lasts.  I finished Kindred, by Octavia Butler, which I’ve been meaning to read for ages.  It was very compelling, but it was violent.  I suppose it had to be, since the main character was traveling back in time and the past is the past and she ended up in a particularly violent era, but wow, was it ever hard to read.  I needed something easier on the soul after closing Kindred for the last time, so I quickly plowed through Honey for a Child’s Heart – more on this when I do my monthly review roundup, but meh – and then spent the weekend on An Irish Country Doctor.  I had sort of low expectations for An Irish Country Doctor, not because I thought it would be a bad book – the series is beloved, after all – but medical stories are really REALLY not my cup of tea.  As doctor books go, though, this was enjoyable enough that I think I will continue on with the series, at least for a few books.  I do wish the main characters had been a vicar and curate instead of doctors, though – that would have been more my street.

Next up, I’m starting Get in Trouble, a collection of short stories by Kelly Link, because I’m out of renewals at the library and it’s been bumped to the top of the heap as a result.  It looks great and creative and I’m hoping that I can get past my general preference for novels over short stories and appreciate it.  After that… well, I have seventeen other books checked out of the library, so I’m sure I will find something to read.

I have a bookish couple of weeks in store for you here, starting with this week – a great pick for my diverse kidlit project to go along with National Poetry Month on Wednesday, and a spring reading list of books that feature gardens on Friday.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date.  Thanks for the inspiration!

What are you reading this week?

It’s April, which means National Poetry Month, which means it’s time for me to share another poem by my favorite poet, ee cummings.  I love cummings all year round, of course, but never more than in spring, when dark nights, burgeoning flowers and silvery slivers of moon seem all designed to be enjoyed to the tune of wild and sweet words.  So this April, I’ve found for you…

O sweet spontaneous

O sweet spontaneous
earth how often have
the
doting

fingers of
prurient philosophers pinched
and
poked

the
has the naughty thumb
of science prodded
thy

beauty .
how
often have religions taken
thee upon their scraggy knees
squeezing and

buffeting thee that thou mightest conceive
gods
(but
true

to the incomparable
couch of death thy
rhythmic
lover

thou answerest

them only with

spring)

Happy National Poetry Month!

Psst – if you like ee cummings, I’ve shared more of his poems here:

if everything happens that can’t be done
i am a little church
little tree
love is more thicker than forget
i carry your heart
spring is like a perhaps hand

Happy Monday, my friends!  I’m heading into what I am hoping will be my last crrrrrrazy week for a little while.  I’ve got speaking engagements on Monday and Wednesday, a Very Important Meeting on Tuesday, and a hearing scheduled for Thursday and Friday (which may be rescheduled, and honestly I’m hoping that it will, because I’m behind on everything after two weeks of almost constant sickness for everyone in the family, and a week of that falling when Steve was out of town and I had to hold down the fort almost completely on my own).  I am staring down the barrel of one of those weeks when I don’t know how I’m going to get it all done – even after I worked both days this weekend to try to stay on top of the workload.  I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to this week being over, and to taking a big, deep breath next weekend.

So, despite starting the week with the stomach flu and fighting through crazy work stress the rest of the week, I did actually have a good few days of reading there.  Diary of a Provincial Lady has been on my list for awhile now (thanks, Amazon recommendations!) and finally I decided it was time to put in a request and call it up from the library closed stacks.  I was LOLing within the first couple of pages, and cracking up every few pages throughout the book – and now I can’t wait to read the rest in the series (there are four).  How had I never read any E.M. Delafield before?  I’m a convert.  I finished Provincial Lady on Friday night after nibbling at it all week (didn’t want it to end!) and then read The Story of Hong Gildong, a new translation of a classic Korean work that Penguin has just republished, over Saturday (when I wasn’t working).  I enjoyed the gorgeous imagery – the descriptions of mountainous hideaways had me imagining Colorado – and the story was packed full of adventure and thrills.

Now I’m finally checking off another book that’s been on my to-read list for ages (years, in fact): Kindred, by Octavia Butler.  Back when I first switched from food blogging to book blogging, a reader suggested Butler to me and recommended starting with Kindred, and I put it on my list accordingly, but had never gotten to it before now.  It’s time!  What with everything I have going on this week, it may be the only book I finish, but I’ll be sure to let you know my thoughts.

Coming up on the blog: a National Poetry Month post (your annual dose of e.e. cummings!) on Wednesday, and a meditation on never being bored (I never am, and it’s a blessing and a curse!) on Friday.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Date.  Thanks for the inspiration!

What are you reading this week?

Sorry for the late post today, guys.  I’m home sick with the dreaded stomach flu – we’re pretty sure Nugget brought it into the house this time, and Peanut got nailed too.  (So far Daddy is unscathed – fingers crossed he stays that way.)  It was the last thing I needed because last week was a doozy.  I like to post pictures of our weekend adventures for these posts, but today, nothing is quite as appropriate as the picture above – that was naptime on Tuesday.  Yes, Tuesday.  Steve left last Sunday (Easter – so sad) for a week-long business trip.  I was dreading it, because I was swamped at work and holding down the fort all on my own was going to be stressful no matter what.  Then, about three hours after dropping the kids off at school on Monday, I got a call from Peanut’s teacher – she had a fever and I had to come get her.  I retrieved her, took her home and reconciled myself to working from home while she watched Curious George.  Two hours later, I got another call – Nugget was getting the boot from his classroom, too.  And so began a week of downward spiraling into kid fever hell while trying to keep my head above water at work and juggling child care and two kids who were both plastered to my face every second.  I ended up cobbling together a Wednesday that included Grandpa (for Nugget) and a trip to my office (for Peanut) and finally got them both back to school on Tuesday.  Unsurprisingly, I was beat by Friday and was looking forward to a relaxing weekend – which didn’t happen.  Nugget was sick on Saturday, and Daddy had a headache, and then Peanut and I got hit with our current horror on Sunday.  And now I’ve gone on for way too long about what a miserable week it was.  Let’s just hope for something better this week.

Given what a mess the week was, I’m kind of surprised that I read as much as I did.  I ended up polishing off The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend and reading most of What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours in bed while Peanut snuggled next to me at night, after we put Nugget down, as a way to both get extra reading time in and encourage Peanut to fall asleep a little earlier (and kick that fever).  As I wrote last week, I was underwhelmed by Broken Wheel.  I did end up really enjoying What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours – it was incredibly well-written and creative.  I didn’t find every story equally engaging, but that’s par for the course with me and short story collections (and one reason I don’t often pick them up).  I finished What Is Not Yours on Friday night and immediately plowed through Men Explain Things To Me, which was incredible and distressing and should be required reading for everyone.  (There are a couple of essays in there I really want Steve to read, but I returned it to the library; hopefully I can find the specific essays online.)  Then I started Jane Steele, which was the only other library book I’d brought home for the weekend, but almost immediately felt it wasn’t for me, at least not right now.  I may pick it up again in the future, but for now I was looking for something lighter (and less violent) so back to the library it went and I grabbed one of my birthday books – the absolutely hilarious Very British Problems – instead.  And polished that off in a day.

Up next in reading, I will have to return to my library book stack, but they’re all at work and I’m home moaning on the couch, so that will wait until tomorrow.  TV for me tonight, and then I think I’ll dive into Diary of a Provincial Lady, which I’ve been wanting to read for awhile and which I recently requested from the library closed stacks.  Can’t wait.

What are you reading this week?

Happy Easter Monday, to my friends who were celebrating this weekend, and happy new week to those who weren’t.  We had a quiet weekend at home – on Saturday Peanut and I attended a birthday party for one of her school friends, and on Sunday we celebrated Easter with a family hike, and later a trip to the playground.  The Easter Bunny didn’t go too crazy on the kids’ Easter baskets – he never does – but they each got something to read and a few small treats.  Peanut received a paper-mache egg painted with Peter Rabbit, with some candies inside, a chocolate bunny, and a boxed set of four of the Brambly Hedge stories.  Nugget got Camp Rex (sequel to Peanut’s old favorite Tea Rex) and a dinosaur sippy cup and bowl.

Not much reading this week and weekend – it’s been particularly busy.  I finally finished The Queen of the Night, by Alexander Chee, which took the better part of a week.  It was very well-written, but I was underwhelmed in light of the hype surrounding it.  I loved the imagery and the gorgeous set writing, but I found the characters a bit wooden (even the heroine, although she less so than the others) and the central romance seemed slightly forced.  There was a big twist that I predicted a mile away, which always puts me off a book slightly, although there was a smaller twist that I didn’t see coming. In all, a rather mixed bag on The Queen of the Night – I’d recommend it, but I’m not waxing poetic about it as others are in the blogosphere.  Another one that has been a little underwhelming is The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend.  It’s a huge bestseller and I’m seeing it everywhere, so perhaps my expectations were unrealistically high.  But about 130 pages from the end, I’m finding it hard to care about the characters or believe the story.  I’m also – and this may be a lawyer thing, so those of you non-attorneys may not care about this – distracted by Sara’s immigration situation.  She travels to the U.S. on a tourist visa and even says early on in the book that she can’t work – but she opens a bookstore selling the books of her deceased pen pal.  Questions, I have them all.  Where is the money that she brings in from the bookstore going, since she can’t work on her tourist visa?  Why isn’t ICE asking questions?  How can she sell her pen pal’s books?  Was there a will?  Did her pen pal die intestate?  There are ways of disposing of people’s property when they pass away, and it isn’t to let some random stay in their house claiming to be their pen pal, and then start selling their stuff.  What is happening here?  I’m afraid I’m too distracted by these questions to really enjoy the story.

Up next on the reading stack is What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, the new collection of short stories by Helen Oyeyemi, and then more digging in the library stack, which keeps growing.  I’m not expecting to have much reading time this week, so we’ll see how it goes.

On the blog: early spring adventures here in WNY on Wednesday, and back to Colorado on Friday.  See you around!

What are you reading this week?

Happy spring, fellow readers!  Winter is in retreat, but at least where I live, it’s not gone yet.  On the technical first day of spring, it was below freezing, and we’ve had snow a few times since (just flurries, not to worry).  Still, it’s cold out, no matter what the calendar says, and some nice warming comfort food would be just what the doctor ordered. 

Enter Bee-bim Bop!, by Linda Sue Park, a bouncy, joyful ode to one of the most delicious (in my humble opinion) of rice dishes: the Korean rice bowl known as bibimbap.

In Bee-bim Bop!, a little girl accompanies her mother to the grocery store to pick up ingredients for their family dinner – hungry hungry hungry for some BEE-BIM BOP!

When they get home, the cooking begins.  Mama chops vegetables, slices meat, and flips eggs.  And her extremely willing sous-chef volunteers to help, too.

It doesn’t go very well – oops.

Looks like Mama is running a tight ship.  You spill water, you mop it up.  I could take a lesson from Mama, since a certain little someone is always making messes in my house and not mopping them up.

Soon it’s time for the family to come to the table.  They gather together, bless their meal, and then dig in.

We first read Bee-bim Bop! during a visit to the Explore and More children’s museum in East Aurora, and I knew right away that we would love having it for our family library.  And not just because I love bibimbap (which I used to get at a fantastic Korean restaurant at D.C., and man, could I go for some bibimbap right now) but because the jaunty rhythm was just delightful.  The little girl’s obvious joy at cooking and preparing a meal with her mom is infectious, and it’s a lovely, happy ode to family dinners and to one of the most famous Korean dishes.  I am hoping to introduce my kids to food and cultural traditions from all around the world, and what better way than through a delightful book?

Have you had bibimbap?

Yawwwwwwn.  Good morning, y’all.  How were your weekends?  Ours was fun, and busy celebrating the turn of the seasons – about which, more next week.  But it’s possible that the most exciting part of the weekend was the newest addition to Peanut’s library – wait for it – an early reader, much-abridged version of Anne of Green Gables.  We’ve been reading it all weekend, and Steve now has a basic introduction to the story that was, no big deal, but just the formative literary experience of my childhood, whatever.  I think I might convince him to read Anne.  (And then it’s only a short step to the rest of the Anne books, and then the Emily books, and then Jane and the Story Girl, and I’m not plotting at all.)

It’s been a slow week for reading.  I’m making my way through The Queen of the Night, which is sumptuous and fantastic, but is taking a little while to get through.  Of course, because nothing can be simple, I’ve got two more new books out from the library – What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours, and The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, and naturally they’re both due back on the same day, which also happens to be the day The Queen of the Night is due back, too.  I don’t think I can renew any of them, nor do I think I can finish all three in time to avoid overdue fees.  And then I’m still nibbling away at The Enchanted April (and really enjoying it) on iBooks.

On the blog this week – my March pick for Diverse KidLit on Wednesday, and a Black Friday hike on Friday.  Check back!

What are you reading this week, my friends?

Another week gone.  This one was better but I’m still in a bit of a funk from my comically awful week at the end of February.  I’m doing my best to shake it, though.  This was one of those weekends that had us running around the entire time, but it was a lot of fun.  On Saturday morning we attended a surprise birthday brunch for a friend.  It was such a great morning.  Our friend was very surprised, and thrilled, and everyone had a fabulous time at the party.  The kids loved running around together and the grownups sipped mimosas and chatted – it was perfect.  After the brunch we headed back to our townhouse and spent a few frantic hours cleaning up and finishing unpacking the living room.  I was just D-O-N-E with the boxes and I announced that we were going to have the living room in shape before our evening plans.  And we made it – just in time.  Just after we finished our unpacking extravaganza, Grandpa arrived at 6:30 to babysit, and Steve and I headed out to a fundraiser at the kids’ preschool.  It was a lovely night and we had a blast sipping wine and chatting with other parents.  The highlight of the evening was a live auction of art pieces prepared by each classroom.  I wasn’t planning to participate, but somewhat on a whim ended up bidding on the piece created by Nugget’s classroom – and I won!  It’s an underwater scene and the fish – if you can’t tell – are made by hand- and footprints; one from each kid in Nugget’s class.  I have a hunch which print is Nugget’s, but I’m hoping his teacher can confirm.  On Sunday we were invited to join a group at a roller derby, but ended up passing because someone was still awake and running around like a maniac when we got home from the fundraiser.  So Peanut had a snuggly day at home and Nugget and I ran errands most of Sunday.  Not exactly a restful weekend, but fun.

As for reading, the week itself was slow but I polished off two books over the weekend – score.  I took most of the week over it, but I finished Jam on the Vine on Saturday and was really impressed with the writing and the character development.  I learned a lot from the book as well, but interested readers be forewarned: there are some very upsetting scenes of violence in the book.  Fortunately, I was able to keep the mood light even with a pretty serious read, as I also had My Man Jeeves on the go on my phone.  (Side note: why did it take me so long to realize I could download public domain books for free on iBooks?  I went a bit crazy with downloads this week.)  I finished Jeeves on Sunday and now have two new books on the go: Bill Bryson’s latest, The Road to Little Dribbling, out from the library, and The Enchanted April on my phone.  I’m excited about both; I was already laughing so hard I was crying about three sentences into Little Dribbling, and April is one that has been on my list for awhile.  So I’m looking ahead to what should be a good week in reading.

A look ahead to the rest of the week on the blog: I’ve got a final round-up of all of my monthly hikes from 2015 coming to you on Wednesday, and on Friday, Nugget’s TWELVE MONTH update.  Can you believe he’ll be one year old in just a few days?  I can’t even talk about it.  Hold me.

What are you reading this week, my friends?