Wow! How is it the middle of February all ready? There is a good reason for the silence — we had a great trip to San Diego, enjoyed the sunshine and thought about our “ocean science.” I’ll share some of that in the next few days. For now, I want to tell you about a few books we’ve enjoyed in the past month.
The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth. This book, with its wonderful illustrations, is one I remember from my childhood. I began reading it aloud to the little kids, and as usual with books I am reading aloud to them, I had to hide it so that they wouldn’t finish it before I did! It is the story of a boy whose hen hatches out a Triceratops. Definitely not scientific, but a great read-aloud nonetheless.
Dinner: A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach. I came home one evening last month to an Amazon package on my bed. Since I hadn’t ordered anything, I was sure I was going to be in trouble with Shandy for an “accidental” purchase. Instead, I found a gift card from my mother and this great story/cookbook. For those of us who believe getting dinner on the table for the family every night should be a top priority, this book is a definite must read. Whether you are already a pro, or need a “dinner doula” as she calls herself at one point, you will enjoy the book and the recipes.
Raising Demons and Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson. The only thing I had ever read by this author was her famous short story The Lottery. When I heard that she had written some autobiographical books with these titles, I was instantly interested. Some of the things she chronicles (searching for her cigarettes, and moving the brandy and cigarettes around from bed to bed while sleeping with sick children) are shocking to a more modern way of life, these were humorous books that were good, relaxing reading. I also checked out from the library a book of her short stories, and these were not relaxing at all. In the two I read, children were involved in discussion that I can only describe as horror. I did not continue reading.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. The last time I read this book, I was in high school. Now, both my teenagers were assigned this book as part of their curriculum, and so I read along. This is a well-written, tragic work, even if you don’t buy into the Jesus Christ allegory that my high school teacher tried to sell us. It means much more to me now than it did when I was a teenager, and is so often the case with classics. The assignment I chose for myself on this book was to match a candy bar to each character. I’m still working on that one!
Soon . . . sunshine and ocean pictures! Stop back by!
What have you been reading? Please leave me a comment.
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