Deb Nance
Forget everything you think you know about writing. Throw all the information you've obtained in school about how to write. All of that is useless. Writing doesn't come from your logical, thoughtful brain. It's really out of your control and it's only when you let go of that control that you can write.
And, thus, my difficulty.
“One, two; yi, er.
Side by side, Lunzi and Huangchi
came out of the factory.
One, two; yi, er.
Side by side, Lunzi and Huangchi sat
in a bicycle shop in Beijing....
They wished they could stay like this forever.”
Two bicycles become friends. Then a girl buys the yellow bike. A boy comes later and buys the red bike. How will the two friends ever find each other again?
A lovely story, with a hint of mystery and poetic writing, that takes you all around Beijing. Strong ending.
“One day, Ellery found an old purple bicycle.
Suddenly, it sprung up and—thwack!—shook off the mud, dints, and rust.
The bicycle circled Ellery who spun around, chasing it with excitement and wonder.”
Ellery finds a magical purple bicycle and it becomes her companion on many adventures. For a time, she forgets the bicycle and the bicycle is sad, but then, to her joy, she is reunited with the bike later in life.
There's something life-affirming, something heartening, joyful, about the illustrations and the story of Ellery's Magic Bicycle. You can't help but adore this purple bicycle that grows with its beloved owner and chooses her companions for her and shares delightful romps with her.
I ran across Bon Appetit, Bertie entirely by accident, and what a lovely accident it was. Bertie and his family win a surprise trip to Paris. While they are there, the family becomes quite hungry, so Bertie seeks out the kitchen in the hotel, and accidentally orders food for twenty-two rather than for Room 22, as was his intent. So much fun! And such lovely illustrations.
Who could resist this picture book? Yes, it's all about animal bottoms. All the animals—the rabbit, the hippo, the elephant, the tiger, the zebra, the giraffe, and more—all of them share the wonders of their bottoms.
I've really done it now. I'll never be Librarian of the Year if I hate the Bible of librarians, now will I? And I do. I hate this book. I'm sorry, my fellow librarians, but I loathe this book for the same reason that I loathe all textbooks...a know-it-all voice...color-by-numbers, one-shoe-fits-all, this-is-how-you-do-it text...tedious, tedious, tedious....
Belinda is set to dance in Paris, but—oh no!—her ballet shoes accidentally were rerouted to Pago Pago. She must go all over Paris in search of replacements before her ballet begins.
There couldn't be a more fun way to travel all over Paris than traveling with Belinda in search of ballet shoes. She manages to hit all the highlights, and solve her problem and the problems of others along the way.
I am a huge fan of Marilynne Robinson's book, Gilead, so Housekeeping has always been a book that I have wanted to read.
Now I have. I am sad to say that it isn't a new favorite.
Housekeeping is the story of two sisters who grow up with a succession of poor mother figures. One of the sisters, Lucille, adjusts to the lack of structure in her life by assimilating to the larger culture. The other sister, Ruth, adjusts by taking on a nomadic life.
I was struck by the loneliness of the characters, and to their inability to form deep relationships with others.
It was not a read that I enjoyed or would share with others.
“A wave might seem to be a simple thing, but in fact it's the most complicated form in nature. Scientists even find it difficult to agree on a basic, all-around definition of what a wave is. Many, but not all, waves move a disturbance through a medium. That disturbance is usually, but not always, energy. A wave can store that energy or dissipate it. Paradoxically, it's both an object and a motion....In order to exist, wave require a disturbing force and a restoring force.”
I knew nothing about waves before I read this book-for-book-club book; honestly, I don't think I wanted to know anything about waves.
Well, that's what I thought. Wrong.
Susan Casey is one of those amazing nonfiction writers that can take on a subject that might make you roll your eyes in boredom and explain it in ways that not only are easily understood but are also captivating.
“When you're actually on a giant wave...the experience is like a collage of sensory impressions. There may be a flash of white spray, a sudden jolt, a feeling of energy surging beneath your feet, the suspension of time so that ten seconds stretch like taffy across a violent blue universe. Inside the barrel, a place that surfers regard with reverence, light and water and motion add up to something transcendent. It's an exquisite suspension of all things mundane, in which nothing matters but living in that particular instant. Some people spend thirty years meditating to capture this feeling. Other ingest psychedelic drugs. For big-wave surfers, a brief ride on a mountain of water does the trick.”
Casey explores the world of big-wave surfers, as well as taking on stories of some of the most huge waves known to man. It is absolutely mesmerizing.
Yes, you are reading correctly: F. Scott Fitzgerald. It's the story of a man who was born old and grew younger and younger as time passed. A little story, well told.
First read: the single best book I've read this year.
Very inspiring take on our society's
urgent need for civility from an
intelligent and articulate law
professor. I highly recommend this book.
(Yes! Believe it or not,
a book on civility written by a lawyer! LOL)
And that snide, side comment, Carter might
say, is the very type of thing that undermines
our world. Sorry. Apologies to all lawyers.
No more sarcasm. No more cynicism.
I love A.J. Jacobs and I was very happy to see that he has written a new book. In the past, Jacobs has written what I call challenge books; Jacobs sets a challenge for himself and has tried to accomplish his goal. In the past, Jacobs has tried to be as healthy as possible; improve himself by following others' advice; become the smartest person in the world; follow the Bible literally. In Thanks a Thousand, Jacobs sets out to thank anyone who had anything to do with his morning cup of coffee. This turns out to be a herculean task; Jacobs ends up finding that he needs to thank virtually everyone in the world.
It's a fun and (somewhat) inspiring book about the power of gratitude on one's happiness. I think Jacobs is actually a slightly less snarky person after this experiment.
And I am off...off for a year of Oz.
Lory at Entering the Enchanted Castle will start a readalong of the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. The Book Stop, home of a fellow Oz fan, will be joining Lory as co-host.
There are 14 books, and the plan is to start in December and read in published order through January of 2025.
If you're not up for such a commitment, though, there will be a stopping point at the end of the first six books. Baum actually tried to end the series here — he wanted to write other things — but his fans wouldn't let him, so he reluctantly went back to writing an Oz book a year till the end of his life. The later books have some good parts, but the first six are probably the strongest. You'll get a good taste of Oz that way, even if you don't go further.
It's not necessary to read all of them, or read them in order. Feel free to dip in as you wish.
There will be a monthly post on each book, at The Enchanted Castle or at The Book Stop or both, and a roundup of any posts that are shared with us. #Ozathon24 is the hashtag for sharing.
Part I: Essential Oz Adventures
December, 2023: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
January, 2024: The Marvelous Land of Oz
February, 2024: Ozma of Oz
March, 2024: Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz
April, 2024: The Road to Oz
May, 2024: The Emerald City of Oz
Part II: Further Journeys in Oz
June, 2024: The Patchwork Girl of Oz
July, 2024: Tik-Tok of Oz
August, 2024: The Scarecrow of Oz
September, 2024: Rinkitink in Oz
October, 2024: The Lost Princess of Oz
November, 2024: The Tin Woodman of Oz
December, 2024: The Magic of Oz
January, 2025: Glinda of Oz
An online book club chose Finding Dor0thy. Then our film club picked Wizard of Oz. It seemed like a good time to reread The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
If you are a fan of the movie, you will find little to disturb you. Some scenes in the movie have been condensed from the book (the witch makes four attempts to secure the four wanderers before succeeding in the book, rather than the one in the movie) and the trip to visit the good witch after the departure of the wizard is omitted completely in the movie, and, of course, the beginning and ending scenes in Kansas are a completely fabrication in the movie, but the movie has generally stayed true to the book.
I think children will still find the book captivating.
Wakawakaloch hates her name. It's a name everyone has trouble with. It's a name people make fun of. It's a name she can never find on a t-shirt. Then a wise one suggests she learn the history of her name and she suddenly has new respect for her complex name.
It's a fun look at names and the difficulties we have with them.
“...and so straight to my first fixed aim, Lucca, where I settled my self for ten days—as I supposed. It turned out forty years....”
Brian Lindquist takes us street by street, church by church, palace by palace, family by family, through the city of Lucca, in the heart of Italy. It's the perfect guide for anyone visiting this beautiful town.
Let's take a look at this book. Open it...whoosh! You are way, way up in space, looking down on this beautiful earth. Now tap and you zoom in, down into the ocean. Shake it. You can feel the splash of the waves on your face.
A fun, almost interactive board book for our youngest residents of this world to have a first look at this place they live.
Max the cat is on the attack. Fish, the dog, shoestrings, socks...what will Max attack next?
A fun story of Max on the prowl.
A girl serendipitously gets a ticket to a concert and serendipitously becomes a musician, too. A little story of the way little things snap and pop together to become something else which crackles against something else...and so on...and so on....in the beautiful music of life....