Posts from the ‘Library visits’ Category
A week or two ago, I received an email from the Vancouver International Writers Festival, asking if I would be willing to review a book for them (How COOL is that?!). I replied ‘yes’ and Simon and Schuster sent me a shiny new hardcover to read!
Anyhow. I am embarrassingly late posting this review, because Jodi Picoult will be reading from her book Sing You Home at Saint Andrew’s Wesley Church TOMORROW at 7:30pm.
Sunday, March 13, 7pm
St Andrew’s Wesley United Church
Vancouver, BC
1022 Nelson Street (at Burrard)
I have some adventures going on with the kiddies tomorrow and am hoping I will be back in time to be able to attend – because I did like the book and would love to hear Picoult speak.
Sing You Home is the story of a woman desperate to have a family, despite a horrific string of losses and challenges. Told from the perspective of three main characters, this book had me hooked from the first few pages.
Now, I started one of Picoult’s books a few years ago. I was sick with the flu and in need of some escapist fiction. Unfortunately, this particular book told the story of a father dealing with the date-rape of his daughter. You know how sometimes you just don’t feel like being sad and horrified? I didn’t finish it.
Sing You Home wasn’t like that. You kind of knew it would turn out well in the end. It was like a girly John Grisham. I was fully entertained and quick to pick up the book whenever I had a spare moment.
It also made me realize that I should really lighten-up when it comes to selecting novels. I tend to think I either need to read a classic, or a literary prize-winner, or a work of heavy historical fiction (so that I can learn something while I am reading.). As a result, I don’t read nearly as much as I should – which is ironic because I am the type of person to watch the same romantic comedy over and over again. Escapist watching, OK…. escapist reading, Not OK. Sounds dumb, right? (I watch way too many movies and Grey’s Anatomy DVDs). Anita Shreve, Stephenie Meyer, Jodi Picoult, John Irving…. all writers of good escapist fiction.
Another reason I would like to hear Jodi Picoult speak is because she is an insanely successful and prolific writer who also happens to have three kids. We all know how curious I am about moms who can juggle creative work and babies. So, I would like to see her in person.
Anyone want to come with me?
Looking for a good family read? Or a good cry maybe? E and W held it together… the rest of us? Not so much.
The Seamstress of Salzburg is a beautifully illustrated story about a young seamstress, pushed beyond her limits to make beautiful dresses for the wealthy women of Salzburg. As a kid, I would check this book out of my school library over and over again.
I found a copy a few years ago, while working as a Librarian at UBC. It appears that the UBC Education Library has an amazing collection of children’s books, untouched by the public masses. One of these days, I would love to find a copy of my very own. They do exist, but cost a zillion dollars via the rare book sellers.
I found these books at the North Vancouver District Library yesterday. Sven’s Bridge:
and On Market Street:
Lobel’s stories are simple, thoughtful and so beautiful to look at. She also wrote a book called Potatoes, Potatoes, about two brothers going to war against each other.
E and I had a party at the library yesterday. She came home with the Little House Cookbook and Lemony Snicket DVD. I came home with this:
Do you remember AZ’s Golf Shpants? Look, real ones:
And where can I wear this? Is there time to make one before Christmas festivities start?
And another thing – I have been feeling a bit bratty since my post about how slow it has been getting settled into our new place. I blame the Swine Flu for my whiny behaviour. Of course I appreciate how fortunate I am to have a living room (even one piled with stuff). I don’t want to come across as spoiled. In my defence, even if I lived in a cardboard box, I would want to make it a nice one. You know… pretty, comfortable and with a shelf or two.
Every so often, I’ll go on a little library catalogue shopping spree, placing requests for a million different books on a million different topics. Last week, I managed to order a stack of books on the following: clothing of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, home canning, Greek costume (more on that later) and jam-making. Where to start?
The Alabama Stitch Book. When AZ and I were in San Francisco last year, I picked up a shirt at Anthropologie by Project Alabama. It is a blue wrap thingy, with a fun leaf applique across the shoulder and side. I love it. Natalie Chanin, the woman who started Project Alabama, now runs a company called Alabama Chanin (ethical, sustainable, lovely). Chanin published the Alabama Stitch Book in 2008. It is full of great projects, many using fabric from old t-shirts. My favourite idea is the “beaded applique swing skirt” with beading across the bottom. Chanin recommends adding more and more beads over time. I love this idea: creating a simple skirt out of recycled material and slowly making it fabulous.
For the past few months, I have been putting more effort into being a good little community participant. That was my resolution in September. So, I volunteered for a few things… which snowballed into a few more things (gulp). The good thing about volunteering is that you can take-on jobs you LIKE doing and do these things from HOME – which is essential in my current at-home-mom-state. I am doing lots of event planning for the school and a library association. I am having fun, making friends and feeling sufficiently challenged. Except now I can’t help but think about how nice it would be to get paid for my work. Flexible, enjoyable, fulfilling, high-paying (tee hee), useful, part-time work.
I picked-up this book last week. I am only about 20 pages in. So far, it’s pretty inspiring:
I have been working a bit lately. Though family life is calmer when I don’t, my job fits in pretty well. It is five minutes from my house, it pays well, I only have to work three hours at a time and I work evenings, so AZ can get home to be the dinner/bedtime guy (quality daddy time, right?). Also, for the most part, it is a low-stress job. I sit behind a desk, helping students find books. I don’t have to do dinner dishes and I don’t have to watch anyone grump about how they are “too full for chicken, but not for bread”. It’s kind of a nice break.
During my last shift, I found this:
Forget bonnets. I am making little Dutch caps! I have already asked AZ to whittle me a hat block (which is kind of a wooden mold you shape steamed felt over). This may be too ‘out there’, but it is funny to think about.
I found this book too. It includes patterns and notes for 22 dresses:
There are so many fun resources out there.
We have been on a huge library kick these days. Books AND videos. I have decided that TV watching is perfectly acceptable if the show is a ‘classic’ from my own childhood – Sesame Street, Pollyanna, Little House on the Prairie and the Anne of Green Gables mini-series with Megan Follows ….. all good! Now, if I could only find some Fraggle Rock. Remember Faerie Tale Theatre? With Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Beals in Cinderella or Bernadette Peters and Christopher Reeve in Sleeping Beauty? VPL has ‘em all…
