Kintropy In Action

As I have mentioned several times before I am a book-a-holic. There is no twelve step program needed, my children and husband come first. House cleaning rarely does. I find having a good book in progress keeps me grounded. My mind gets to have a vacation if my body doesn’t always get to.

My favourite genre is Fantasy. Anything with some wizards, dragons and a few fairies can hook me in seconds flat. Lately, the books that have been captivating my attention are not found in the regular Sci-Fi/Fantasy section. The books I've been excited about in the past few weeks are found in the young readers or young adult section. They are fantasy, there has been an expansion of good fantasy writing categorised in these "childrens''" sections.

Some of my friends, who get caught up in labels, need a little push to expand their minds and get past the labels retail establishments put on books to shelve them. When I say something is a great read. I'm not kidding. If you love the genre like I do, the fact that a book is in the children's section of a bookstore should not get in anyone way of reading it.

With that said I would like to put forward for your consideration the book called The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. I had picked up the book several times at the book store and read the cover and set it back down. War books are not my thing. So I would set it back down. Then I would pick up the Wizard Heir book and realise it is the second book and set it back down. I had done this several times over the year. This month I decided to buy the first book.

It is not about war in the traditional sense. It is about a boy thrust into a world of mystery and court type intrigue. I was hooked with in the first paragraph. I was pushed through the book with captivating questions almost answered. I liked that main character had family who loved him to deal with along with everything else. I immediately bought the next book when I was done and devoured it too.

--Mom

Posted by parents at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of my distractions over the last few weeks has been the book InkHeart by Cornelia Funke. Robert and I got MP3 players that are compatible with Audible.com. It is a site for downloading books read outloud.

When the main characters in this story read out loud, things from the book they are reading come out. If the character is reading the poem Ode to the Nightingale   by Wordsworth, by the end of reading, there is a nightingale flying around the room.

So I listened to the beautifully descriptive book read out loud into my mind. This is funny listening to a book about things coming to life when read out loud, while listening to it read out loud.

The characters were fun and scary. Dialogue in this book felt real. The scenery it conjured in my mind was rich and consuming. The reverent love of books for books sake theme was also comforting. The overall message of the import ants of family heartening.

It is nice to have an adventure story for a child that also involves a parent with them.

I can't wait till I can share this story with Gabriel and Hannah.

I am in anxious anticipation of what Hollywood has done this to this story.

--Mom

Posted by parents at 09:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I finally broke down and loaded Hannah's MP3 player.  Yes, Hannah has a Playskool MP3 player.  She received it for Chanukah, and I was sure of three things when I first saw it:

1. Either while loading the software or trying to upload songs into the player, I would experience an aggravating, several-hours-to-diagnose technical issue.  Rule:  I always start these projects an hour before bedtime.  Inevitably, sleep is a casualty.
   
2. Once installed, I would need to find some music to load to Hannah's player.
3. Music?  I know just the thing!  It's buried somewhere deep in the music stacks.  Days later, a search party would be organized to find me.

Well, 1. wasn't too bad, actually.  The MP3 player doesn't play .wma files, but manages just fine with mp3 conversion.  2 & 3 - well, I only disappeared for a few hours altogether.

In the end, Hannah received her first MP3 mix.  The "playtime" song list starts with the Fraggle Rock theme and includes Laurie Berkner, Barenaked Ladies, Milkshake, They Might Be Giants, and others.  It ends with The Fantastic Leslie's version of "Movin' Right Along" from The Muppet Movie.  Sleeptime includes more Laurie Berkner, David Sylvian, Arcadia (okay, I had fun on this side), and many other slower, quieter songs.

After several hours of putting this together, I handed it off to Hannah who had recently awoken from a nap.  She quickly connected the play button to both "Start Singing" and "Skip Song."  No song-pause was safe from her thumping hand!  Fraggle Rock often got the boot.  Laurie Berkner's "Victor Vito" didn't have a chance with the quiet start to the song.  They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse" got a full-play pass each time.  And "One Week" kinda grew on Hannah after the first pass or two.

So Hannah is enjoying her music (though, now, she sleeps - finally).  If you, too, grew up assembling mix tapes for every occassion, friend first-contacts, and dating tryouts, may I suggest:

Posted by Dad at 03:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I am always on the hunt for well-told (and, ideally, well-illustrated) Jewish-themed children's books.  It is not easy to find them.  Being a member of a 2% minority, I usually resign myself to the sacrificial B & N end cap.  It mysteriously appears two weeks before Passover and Chanukah, primarily because of their proximity to major Christian holidays, and disappears soon after.  

And usually I'm disappointed with what's there.  Outside of the internet and our local Judaica shop, I find it hard to find good books.  Most of the Jewish-themed children's book are descriptive and simple:

It is Chanukah.  We light candles.  Let's spin the dreidel.  "I had a little dreidel.  I made it out of clay."  Latkes, yum!  Bubbie and Zadie are visiting.  My, they are getting old.  Let's open presents!  Bubbie and Zadie didn't have video games like this when they were little!  Let's kick some video game....

Well, you get the idea. 

I was pleasantly surprised this year, however.  A new book, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming - a Christmas story, was lurking on a non-Chanukah end cap (across from cookbooks, believe it or not).  The writer:  Lemony Snicket.  You or your kids may have read some other works from this prodigious (and mysteriously difficult to interview) writer.  Like those, this is wry, dry, well written, and often insightful.  Somehow in a short, 43 pages, Mr. Snicket manages to spin a completely new Chanukah fable that discusses the major themes of Chanukah, explores assimilation and secularization (a favorite topic at my childhood synagogue), and reminds us that latkes are pleasantly crispy and brown.

Both Gabriel and Hannah love the book.  The latke often screams (which Janette and I play up as we read); Mom and I pause and enjoy the deeper themes and humor.  If you want a great book that the kids will grow up with and understand better/enjoy more as they get older, I think this one is a keeper.

-- Dad

P.S.  No idea why both Janette and I did book reviews back to back.  Must be thinking of presents.  Books are one of our major ones every year.  We eat books for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Posted by Dad at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I finished the book the Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. It was the third time I went to read it. It wasn’t that it didn’t catch my attention . The problems I had were more to do with the lack of tenderness the main character was experiencing. There was no nurturing. So I must have been pregnant the times I tried before.

This time it didn’t hit me as overly cruel.

Spoiler Alert--Read No Further--If you don't want plot points revealed 

I find it is a book about taking care of one another in the world. The main character’s motivation is pretty much she wants her friend back. Sure she has some great skills and dubious parentage but she is selfless in her selfishness. She risks everything to rescue her friend.

Sure there are other themes running through the book. One big theme that I believe that is causing a ruckus is the problems that can happen when individuals within an organized religion use their influence to generate power for themselves in the name of a religion. It also shows that it is not a good idea to experiment on human subjects just because it is possible, consequences should always be considered.

To sum up the themes are:

1. You are responcible for more then just yourself.
2. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
3. Just because something is possible doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

I am going to read the next two. I’m taking a detour to read the first Spiderwick novel. I’ve had it in my stack for over a year and it is coming out in a movie format too.

--Mom

PS. Hannah and I are reading the third Septimus Heap book Physik and Gabriel is working on See Otto books

Posted by parents at 11:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Today was one of Gabriel’s off school Mondays while Hannah had school today. So I took him along for the drop off. It used to be his preschool, so he wanted to bring his new picture book SuperHero ABC to show his old teachers. It is a fun book playing with letter sounds and creating a superhero whose abilities are all words that start with the same letter.

The sub for Hannah’s class (and one of Gabriel’s favorites) took the book and read it to the class. She did everything over the top and the kids and Gabriel laughed. Hannah kept turning to look at me, wanting to know why I wasn’t right next to her in circle.

We left after the story was read. When we came to pick up Hannah, we received a glowing report from her nurse. No melt-downs today. She tasted some of the snack. She is no longer putting toys at school in her mouth. The other little girls have been letting her know that it is not OK. The nurse also told me today that when the little girls were playing dress up, Hannah was riveted.

So that went really well with my day because I started working on her Halloween costume. Gabriel is going as Luigi from Mario brothers. So, I making a Princess Peach costume for Hannah. I got the bottom part on her today and she found it fascinating.

--Mom

Posted by parents at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

"She is my child," Charity objected.

"She was," Forthill corrected her, "if only for a time. Children are a precious gift, but they belong to no one but themselves. They are only lent us a little while." The priest folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorway." (Quote from Jim Butcher in his book Proven Guilty, page 416, 7^th paragraph)

I always find things in fiction that are full of truth. I was just finishing the book Proven Guilty. This quote was near the end and it made me smile. My own personnel philosophy as a parent is that my children are who they are, they are responsible for their behavior. My job is to help them find their talents and what there passions are and help them move in those directions. I don’t get to dictate who they are; I just get to let them know how to behave in society politely and pleasantly.

It also reminds me of the quickness of childhood. I try to hang onto moments. If Gabriel asks to cuddle I try to stop what I’m doing and give him that moment. I know eventually, I’ll have a teenager who will want me to give him space.

When Hannah wants me to sing another song. I remind myself that someday, another singer will make her cheer, and she will probably be embarrassed as if I break out in song.

--Mom

Posted by parents at 11:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When I was growing up I use to dream about having a house. What I dreamed about was one filled with books. I always wanted to live in a library. It seems I’ve been making that happen.

We were tagged by Jodi at Reimer Reason so here it goes:

Total Number of books:

LOL, This must be a joke. There is no way I can keep track of that.

Robert recommended this to me. It was sensational. It is a murder mystery set in a time where no one really dies but their consciousness is uploaded into a computer net. This allows for affordable transport between cities, continents and planets because there just needs a to be a body (or sleeve) waiting at the other end of the cable to upload into.

Current Book I’m Reading (I added this category)

Proven Guilty By Jim Butcher

It is a Dresden File book I started watching the show on USA last season and admit I’m craving more information on the character.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin (Looks fun haven’t read this author before)

Hexwood by Diane Wynne Jones (Cover text hooked me: "All I asked you for a Role-playing game. You never warned me I’d be pitched into it for real!")

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz (The preview for this as a movie looked fascinating plus I’m always looking for reads to recommend to future older Gabriel)

Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde: This books character goes into the subconscious of writers minds. There is a support group for the characters of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. The amount of levels going on in this books are mind numbing.

Jennifer Government by Maxx Barry: What the world could look like when dominated by big business such as Matel, Nike and Mastercard. It is scary and action packed.

Shape Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn: This book really explores the ideas of what is kind and what is cruel. It also goes into what makes a person human. It explores the idea of alien cultures through the use of characters who have been born other creatures and forced into a human shape.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb: Explores what is morality. Well crafted story of a boy growing up with interesting role models.

Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey: A talented girl finds her way in a world full of opposition. It’s a story of survival and strength of character. I also love to visit the world of Pern and Menolly is my favorite character to visit. This is my escape book.

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Whew! Looking up all the links took the most time especially with the little ones asking me for things in the middle.  I thought I would leave you with a picture of my to be read pile.

Posted by parents at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Jodi over at Reimer Reason tagged Janette and me for some book blogging, so here's my version, and I'm sure my bookaholic-wife will follow closely behind :-)

Total Number of Books

Eeek!  Ever?  I started reading early.  When I went to kindergarten and saw the library, I was in heaven.  I probably chewed through half a dozen books a month at minimum.  Slowed down considerably as I joined the working world.  Music traded places with books off-and-on as my passion, but I'd say I burned through several stacks of books so far in my lifetime.

Last Book Read

Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.  Dune was one of my all-time favorite series as a kid.  I read and re-read the first book 4-5 times (after getting past the first 50 or so pages after several first attempts).  The Sci-Fi Channel series based on Dune was pretty good; Lynch's film, in the long version, interesting.  The books still beat both, and the new books read well and are a little easier to get into.

Last Book Bought

We buy a ton of books regularly.  The last two I bought were magazines, though:  Highlights for Children (Halloween edition) and the newest Star Wars Legend comic for, er, Gabriel?  For Hannah, I bought a new DVD:  That Baby.  No image at Amazon.com yet, but you can see it more clearly here:  by the same people that brought us Oy!Baby 1 & 2.  Really - Hannah's favorites.

Five Meaningful Books

Hmmm... for me they would probably be

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.  I met Ray Bradbury when I was younger at a book signing; I heard him give a speech soon after.  He is an amazing storyteller.  This book, in particular, reads like a roller-coaster.  There are a few pages of monologue in the library with Mr. Dark, but outside of that, the book is almost entirely built from short sentences.  It's an amazing read, but I also kind of tore it apart trying to figure out how it "worked."  This book was important to learning how to improve my writing (which doesn't suffer from short sentences, I'm afraid).

Edgar Allen Poe - any short story collection.  Another early favorite & influence.  Yes, I have written many morbid horror stories.  Janette tries not to read them.  Especially when we're alone.  In a cabin.  In the woods.  Seriously - Janette will confirm.

This Is the Way The World Ends - James Morrow.  This is my first book-buying memory from the year I lived in San Francisco.  Great used bookstore that stayed open until midnight (but closed permanently not long after I left SF - sniff).  Great book, too.  What do you have if you mix Alice in Wonderland and mutually assured destruction?  This book.

The Sleep Book - Dr. Seuss.  This is one of the more memorable ones we forced my dad to read to us as kids.  When he got to the Moose Juice part, he had to read the two page spread without taking a breath.  Sadly, Gabriel is not a big Dr. Seuss fan.  Hannah is, though.  Provided she has my undivided attention, she's happy to listen to me read or talk or sing.

My 1986-87 high school yearbook.  Our theme was Born To Be Wild, and I was the editor-in-chief.  With the help of a good friend & co-editor, I ruled with an iron fist.  Well, actually, kind of, yeah.  I remember some staff circulating a petition (probably about actually having to do work during zero period).  My good friend intercepted & tore it up.  Ah, high school was fun.

Now to tag...

Terry, want to give this a shot? 

Posted by Dad at 09:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As I sit in the afterglow of a great rendition of a fantasy book on the big screen, I ponder my attraction to the genre. Specifically over the past years the high fantasy has been shoved to the side in my reading arsenal and I'm drawn to the new fantasy following in Anne Rices footsteps where the real meets the supernatural. I've always loved them, they are not horror, they just have character development of characters from horror. There use to be a couple here and there, now there is a complete explosion of them in the marketplace.

Don't get me wrong I still find and read the great High Fantasy book but I''m reading more of the altered reality type books. I use to just enjoy the escape from reality now it seems to be more personnel. I always thought I was pretty grounded before but, my daughter specifically brought reality home to me. I and my husband and like most characters in these books share an altered reality. I think all parents experience this when going from being without children to having children but, us parents of medically involved children have a pronounce change. It is hard for others to relate when you have experienced being home alone with your vent dependent child who manages to pull out the trach tube and g-tube at the same time.

It comes down to doing what all the heroes in the books have to do. You live in the moment suspend some of your society beliefs and make things happen. You feel the fear and function. I think that's why I particularly drawn to those types of books.

--Mom

Currently I'm reading The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross. It is pretty much a spy novel where the anti-terrorism involves preventing Demon summoning with applied advance mathematics on computers. I'm hooked and itching to dive back in.

My favorite of all time in this genre type is the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. This functions on so many levels I don't want to ruin it for any potential readers, but here is a line that may hook you. In the third book there is a group therapy session for the minor and major characters of Wuthering Heights. Imagine pop psychology getting a hold of Heathclift and Cathryn.

Some other must reads:

 Weather Warden books by Rachel Caine

Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison

Kitty Norvell books by Carrie Vaughn

Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

Diana Tregarde Investigations by Mercedes Lackey

Sometimes I wonder if all of these are written by the same author except with different pen names.

Posted by parents at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)