Some hapless Penguin staff member left Jeanette Winterson’s next book (or a portion of the book) on a bench in a London train station. Can you imagine?
I wonder what the lucky woman thought of The Stone Gods… I wonder if Winterson will send her a signed preview copy, she should – don’t you think? Is it a new children’s novel or adult? Does anyone know?
(Thank you Reading Matters!)
Why couldn’t I have found this in a tube station? Read More »
Finally! I don’t have to hear TW talk about how my mother didn’t teach me important stuff when I was a child. My mother taught me how to knit and hers didn’t! hahaha, my mother will be so pleased. Those phone calls I make to her saying “why didn’t you teach me ____, TW says everybody’s mother taught them that!” are not her favorite phone calls.
Now just because I have realized I do know how to knit, because my mother taught me (just throwing that in again ’cause it is rare for me to be able to say that last part) doesn’t mean I am a knitter. Or that I am going to start attending Stich n Bitch. Oh no. When I realized last night that I do remember how to knit, I also realized there is a reason why I haven’t been knitting all these years. I don’t really like knitting.
It was fun to take the needles away from TW and knit a row real quick and hand it back – sort of smugly, I will admit. And it was more fun to take the needles away from TW and purl a row real quick and hand it back – even more smugly. But no, I don’t think knitting is something I’m going to become fixated on or passionate about.
It’s enough for me to say “MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME TO KNIT!” hahaha
A few years ago, RJ asked Santa for a pogo stick. Santa, being the obliging sort, provided. RJ pogo’d a little, but she’s not a great pogo-er so she put the stick aside. Prince J tried to pogo. Once. E loves the idea of the pogo stick but she doesn’t have enough weight to make it really pogo the way she would like. Chris and Michelle did some pogo-ing that Christmas. The half-child, who no longer lives with us, also pogo-d and liked it. But, mostly, the pogo stick sits on the front porch right next to the front door – forgotten and unused.
Except…
Except when Michelle and Christopher bring a new friend over to our house. Then, the pogo stick is a much loved, much used toy.
We will hear a car drive up. We will hear older teen and young adult voices outside. And then, we’ll hear a joyful “wowwwwwwwww a pogo stick!!!!” and then much bouncing ensues. And an awful lot of laughter, too.
These older teens and young adults love that pogo stick. It is really a great welcome mat.
Technorati Tags: pogostick, teens, youngadults, welcomemat
A Pogo Stick is the Perfect Welcome Mat Read More »
Just as I was about to give up on ever getting a preview book from Harper Collins First Look, I discover an email saying “congratulations! you were selected!” Yeaaaaaaaaa! I read further, wondering which book I am going to receive and I start to laugh – out – loud! Perfect. It just doesn’t get any more perfect.
The Men’s Guide to Women’s Bathrooms
Heh. Who better to review a book about bathrooms than me? Nobody! I have strong feelings about bathrooms. I have a collection of photographs that I have taken in bathrooms all over the world. I firmly believe that all of the world’s problems could be solved within 5 years if we did away with the men’s room and women’s room and went unisex! Also, my s/o spends a lot of time in the bathroom and of course, with six children there have been a lot of interesting bathroom experiences.
So yea, Harper Collins was smart to send this little book to me. Their timing was good too because it arrived when I was just about to finish Stanley Park. In fact the arrival of the bright and shiny new preview copy was enough to push me to finish that last chapter. Without this book, I’d probably still be reading Stanley Park. But this isn’t about Stanley Park, it’s about The Men’s Guide to Women’s Bathrooms so let’s talk about that.
First, it’s chick lit. Pure and simple chick lit. Which is good. Those people who bash chick lit, they know nothing about relaxing with a book and just letting your mind go with the flow. They know nothing about laugh out loud sillyness. They know nothing about, well, anything. I like chick lit. So there.
As is the case in many books for women (aka chick lit!) the featured character, Claire St John, is newly divorced. She’s also a lawyer who has left New York City and headed home to Austin, Texas. She’s living in her mom’s rental house and she has no money to speak of. She also doesn’t have a job and she doesn’t REALLY want to be a lawyer. She has good friends, including the token gay boy. She also has great shoes.
Claire gets the brilliant idea to write a book about women’s bathrooms. Which is a good idea. But an even better idea is to explain women’s bathroom to men, because men are clueless. More clueless than people who rag on chick lit.
As you might expect, newly divorced ex-lawyer and aspiring writer has some issues with her ex-husband that she needs to resolve. She has single friends who are looking for “the one” and finding themselves with “the wrong one”. She has a mom who is just kooky enough to remind you of your own mother (or in my case, my ex mother in law). I already mentioned gay guy friend, right? Last but not least, Claire has a new guy in her life – a guy she’s falling for, too hard and too fast. That’s never good, as everybody knows.
Don’t worry, there’s a happy ending! Oh, I almost forgot, I loved the salsa and tortilla chips and brie – excellent move. Excellent.
Fun chick lit. Even more fun if you have any fondness for Austin, Texas or SXSW or ummm Duck Tours!
Thank you Harper Collins First Look – and Jo Barrett!
I love First Look and bathrooms, too! Read More »
I am so busy at work, I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how busy. And on top of that, my replacement work laptop arrived – so I took a break and set it up which isn’t really any kind of break at all. Then it hit me – Friday – I have to do cupcake toppers! But what’s the theme?
TW said “women’s history” – I rolled my eyes as she started describing some glass ceiling cupcakes. Err, right, like I can find glass ceiling cupcake toppers. I’m good but not that good. Then she’s rambling about hellcats and Roe V Wade buttons and I finally told her to shush and go read her email since her son is sending us poetry. Which makes me nervous. Heh.
So, in honor of 13 year old poetry lovers everywhere – I dub this Robert Frost Day and suggest miles to go cupcakes.
Updated for more details and add an image, because Lee needs the visuals or something…. This image comes from the link and the link takes you to a CafePress store. The image is actually a ceramic ornament which will be too expensive for cupcake toppers (though a nice keepsake for kids if you do have a poet party). You can, however, create a pin or a round magnet using this idea. Or, run down to Michaels and grab a button making machine and make your own buttons.
Daily Dose of Cupcake Toppers Read More »
Stanley Park was one strange foodie book. I liked the foodie part but the whole storyline about the homeless people and the “children” in Stanley Park was just weird. Though I do understand the underlying theme and I realize that without the homeless storyline, the twist that occurred on “opening night” wouldn’t have happened. And that was pretty brilliant. No I’m not telling you what happened, read it for yourself and see.
I’ve been to Stanley Park, have you?
A weird foodie book Read More »
Good grief, could you Gainesville folks get out and VOTE and make those poor polling place people happy? I thought they were going to hug us this morning, they were so darn pleased to see us. I am thinking the polls have been a wee bit slow and these people are bored stiff.
Go. Vote. I know it’s just a little vote, but it’s still important. And remember, if you don’t take part in democracy, the right to vote just might be taken away from you – it happened in our little corner of the world, just down the street in Alachua.
Go. Vote. NOW.
Go ahead and congratulate me.
It’s the only explanation I can come up with for why I have had this weird queasy thing going on yesterday and today. Then, out of the blue, I am craving Kentucky Fried Chicken.
A baby, cool! I was planning on adopting but this is much better. Now about that KFC… would it be wrong of me to end my boycott due to the Papal Fish Sandwich Blessing issue?
It’s been so long since I read a Stephen King novel, I’d forgotten just how LONG they can be (and usually are). Lisey’s Story seemed longer than most because of the whole writing and language thing. It was good, but LONG, LONG, LONG.
Something it made me wonder about – has King’s wife, Tabitha King, written anything besides that book about the girl basketball player? That was good and I remember I used to check the library occasionally to see if she’d written anything else. (I just looked – good grief, she’s written a lot of books. I’m going to have to reserve a few at the library.)
Technorati Tags: stephenking, liseysstory, fiction, horror