The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (with Jeffrey Zaslow), Hyperion, 2008.
a stolen life by Jaycee Dugard, Simon & Schuster, 2011.
I read these two memoirs back-to-back. In Pausch's book, his life is soon to end, being cut short due to pancreatic cancer. In Dugard's book, her childhood was stolen by a kidnapper who raped her, in the process fathering her two children. She lost 18 years of her childhood. Pausch died at age 47, leaving behind a wife and three young children.
I had picked up Pausch's book because it had been a best-seller a few years ago. I'm sure it was because of the sensation of his last lecture itself, and the popularity of it. I'll have to watch it sometime, because the book itself didn't do much for me. (For my own future reference: www.thelastlecture.com)
Dugard's book was riveting. I wanted to find out the answer to, "How can a human being endure such a horrible condition?" I didn't discover the answer--maybe it's unexplainable--but her journey was incredible to read.
- Shortened Lives
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lmlawson- March 19th, 10:31
- Every Man in This Village is a Liar
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- lmlawson
- March 6th, 10:01
an education in war, by Megan K. Stack. Doubleday, 2010.
I picked this book up because it seemed "important," and I put off reading it at first because I was afraid it would be boring or confusing. It is an important book--what topic can be more current than the Middle East?--but it was neither boring nor confusing.
Regarding the title: It's based on an ancient Greek logic problem. A Cretan philosopher declared, "All Cretans are liars." Is he lying? Then he's telling the truth. Is he telling the truth? Then he must be lying.
The author was a foreign correspondent for the LA Times for several significant years. She is slightly younger than me, but close enough that I can consider her a contemporary. Maybe that's why I could relate to her story.
The book begins and ends on the same theme: You can survive and not survive both at the same time.
- The Taste of Salt
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- lmlawson
- February 22nd, 10:22
. . . by Martha Southgate.
What is this book about? Well, it's about an African-American woman living in a white world, who learns that love is hard work and entails sweat and tears. I can't remember what attracted me to the book--maybe the cover, with its stack of sea salt that would look at home in a rock shop or a spice store. I found that the character of Josie seemed very real to me, even though I can't directly relate to her, not just because of race but because of her family situation (her brother is an alcoholic who is on his second attempt at rehab). I really enjoyed this book, and found it deeply affecting.
- A Merry Christmas Eve, Indeed
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- lmlawson
- December 22nd, 2011
It's official: the Bengals game will not be aired Christmas Eve, as it's been blacked out locally. I guess not enough people want to go to the game. (Gee, I wonder why?)
A local news station has a poll up to gauge opinion on how local residents feel about this pressing issue. The scale runs from 1 to 10, with 10 being "Hearbroken. My Christmas Eve is ruined." I voted 4 ("Pleased. I'd rather watch a Christmas story."), but I'm in the minority. Currently 1 ("Ecstatic. I'd rather untangle Christmas lights.") is winning.
- I Like Big Books
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- lmlawson
- September 19th, 2011
- Bless This Mouse
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- lmlawson
- August 5th, 2011
I picked up Bless This Mouse because a) what could be cuter than mice? and b) the author, Lois Lowry, is a two-time Newbery Medalist. It opens with a diagram of a church, as the book features church mice (as opposed to field mice), so if you get terms like "apse" and "narthex" confused, don't worry! Although not designated as Catholic, I believe that the church is, indeed, Catholic, as it features Father Murphy at Saint Bartholomew's (although I guess it could be Episcopalian). Again, don't be put off by terms like "surplices": if you're not familiar, you'll be educated (this is a kids' book, after all).
Although the book is most definitely children's literature, there's enough to keep an adult interested and amused. In fact, the first chapter, "A Bad Time for Babies!," made me wonder if the author was going to make the book too mature for kids. Lowry was able to tackle some pretty difficult issues--death, reproduction, religion--without being belilttling or heavy-handed.
Some of the plot revolves around two critical events for the mice: the Blessing of the Animals ceremony (which, if it rains, would mean CATS in the church!) and the Great X (some of the church ladies spot the mice, which means the exterminator must be called).
The illustrations, by Eric Rohmann (a Caldecott Medalist), add to the story, but the story itself has enough humor and character to stand by itself, if being read aloud (which I did to the kids; we shared the pictures periodically).
I'll quote one of my favorite passages here, as it shows the humor and, as anyone who's been around horses can attest, accuracy with which the animals are depicted:
"Last year a young girl had brought her horse, its bridle entwined with fall asters and ribbons. Walking beside its owner, the horse suddenly paused and peed what seemed to be gallons onto a groundcover of periwinkle. Everyone in the procession waited politely, because there is no way to interrupt a horse mid-pee. The priest, Father Murphy, a passionate gardener, closed his eyes during the wait, and many people suspected he was praying for the survival of his periwinkle."
By the end of the book you'll miss seeing Hildegarde, Roderick, Harvey (the irritating youngster) and Ignatious (the old mouse who used to live in a university library). I hope there's another book with these characters in store, because, as one of the kids said at the end, "You mean that's the end?!"
Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry, illustrations by Eric Rohmann, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2011, 152 pages.
- Time to De-Clutter
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- lmlawson
- July 31st, 2011
. . . and get rid of some old VHS tapes that the kids used to enjoy, but have outgrown. These include:
Veggie Tales Always a lot of fun, especially Silly Songs with Larry! (One of the silly songs, "Lips," had a picture of Sonny Bono in it, which was changed in a later edition because of his tragic demise in a skiing accident.)- Madame Blueberry
- Dave and the Giant Pickle
- Very Silly Songs!
- Silly Sing-Along 2
- Lyle the Kindly Viking
- King George and the Ducky
- Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed
Winnie the Pooh Some classics, and some more recent.- Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
- Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Too
- Piglet's Big Movie
- The Book of Pooh
Bob the Builder A birthday present for David from Grandma & Grandpa. Cute.- The Knights of Fix-a-Lot
Care Bears- Care Bear Town Parade Was included as a freebie with a Care Bear for Stephanie from Aunt Clara & Uncle Chill
Little People Came with Little People sets (which I loved as much as the kids)- Discovering things that go
- Discovering Animals at the Farm
- Discovering Vehicles at the Garage
- Big Discoveries, Volume 1
Blue's Clues The originals with Steve!- Telling Time with Blue
- Blue's Safari
- Kids Keep You Humble
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- lmlawson
- March 8th, 2011
In one of my volunteer roles, I make copies for the second grade teachers at my kids' school. One of the regular assignments is a page which is photocopied on colored paper and then folded in half, making it look like a booklet.
During snack time today, I asked my second grade daughter if she noticed that I had copied this week's booklet on red paper, since the topic was firefighters. She gave me a funny look.
"You chose that color?!" Well, yeah, the teachers say to use colored paper, and I usually randomly choose, but I thought I'd be clever and choose red. Impressed on how well that fit?
"You should've chosen blue. Fire starts as blue before it looks red."
"Yeah," my son piped up. "And firefighters use water to put out the fire, so blue definitely would have been better."
Oh. There was one time I picked a color paper, looked at the theme later, and then realized I could've picked something specific. I reassured myself that it didn't really matter much.
"Oh, you mean when we had that story on frogs?" Um, yeah, that must've been the one. I guess I should've picked green. "You picked purple, Mom."
Gee, I'm glad somebody noticed my work . . . I think. :-)
- Lady of the Butterflies
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- lmlawson
- March 1st, 2011
I've been wanting to blog about this book, because I loved it, but I'm going to have the author herself describe it to you:Lady of the Butterflies is the fictionalised story of Lady Eleanor Glanville, the first female butterfly collector. The Glanville Fritillary is named after her but she is best remembered for the fact that her relations overturned her will on the grounds that no sane person would 'go in pursuit of butterflies'. Set in Somerset and London during the turbulent time of the Restoration, Lady of the Butterflies is a dramatic tale of passion, prejudice and death by poison, of riot and rebellion, science and superstition, of madness and metamorphosis. It is also about the beauty of butterflies, about hope, transformation and redemption.
(From http://www.fionamountain.com/)
I liked this book because:
1) It transports you in time & place to a setting that is significant in the history of science (England of the mid to late 1600s)
2) It's fascinating to recall a time when spontaneous generation was believed in, and metamorphosis was debated
3) It reminds me of England and its rugged beauty
4) The main character is a strong female
5) The romance provides an entertaining dimension
6) I appreciate the perspective on female identity and motherhood
7) The (true!) story about whether or not the land should be drained reflects an environmental perspective that's relevant to today
8) I enjoyed the twists & turns of the plot
9) The characters seemed very real to me (They were indeed historical figures, but they came to life in the book's pages)
10) I didn't want to put this book down!
Lady of the Butterflies Fiona Mountain, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 2009, 533 pages.
Two historic quotes from the book:
You ask what is the use of butterflies? I reply to adorn the world and delight the eyes of men; to brighten the countryside like so many golden jewels. To contemplate their exquisite beauty and variety is to experience the truest pleasure. To gaze enquiringly at such elegance of color and form devised by the ingenuity of nature and painted by her artist's pencil, is to acknowledge and adore the imprint of the art of God.
John Ray, History of Insects, 1704
If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.
Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)
- What kind of nerd am I?
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- lmlawson
- February 28th, 2011
Didn't know there was such a thing, but I took the quiz & the description does fit me:What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Social NerdYou're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a hippie, but some of you may be tree-huggers. You're the type of people who are interested in bettering the world. You're possible the least nerdy of them all; unless you participate in other activies that paled your nerdiness compared to your involvement in social activities. Whatever the case, we could still use more of you around. ^_^
Drama Nerd Musician Science/Math Nerd Literature Nerd Gamer/Computer Nerd Artistic Nerd Anime Nerd What Be Your Nerd Type?
Quiz Created on GoToQuiz
