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The Sunday Salon – February 5, 2012

CarrieK — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:03:34 +0000

Well, my weekend didn’t exactly turn out as planned. Sigh. Friday morning, I woke up all excited about going away for the weekend with Kevin. Kevin woke up with chills, fever, and body aches. I have to admit, my emotions leaned more to the “Why now?” variety, rather than the “Poor guy!” variety. Because we had used a discount to make our reservations, they were nonrefundable unless we cancelled 48 hours in advance. Too late, obviously. So, Kevin, the gorgeous man that he is, sent me on a “Just for Mom” getaway. I headed to Spokane Valley anyway, and reveled in some alone-time, trying not to feel too guilty that Kevin was at home feeling miserable.

It would have been a lot more fun if Kevin was with me, but I still managed to enjoy myself. As a homeschooling mom whose husband is unemployed (and before he was laid off, he telecommuted), alone-time is not in my vocabulary. I am very rarely alone – and if I am alone at home, there are always plenty of chores and other obligations to draw my attention. To be alone in a city with restaurants, movie theaters, and Barnes & Noble – and with a fantastic hotel room with a soaking tub waiting for me – felt very decadent.

I saw two movies in the theater: The Descendants and One for the Money. For the first, let me just say that George Clooney’s Oscar nod is very well deserved. It was excellent. For the second – you’ll just have to wait for my review later this week. I also watched One Day in the hotel room – what a disappointment. That is definitely not a book that translated well onto the screen. Plus, as much as I love Anne Hathaway, she couldn’t decide if Emma’s accent was Scottish, Londoner, or someplace else.

After some deliciously unhurried time at Barnes & Noble, I came away with four titles – you can see them in tomorrow’s Mailbox Monday post, even though they didn’t really arrive in my mailbox. I soaked in the tub with a book (a review copy that I didn’t mind getting a bit water-logged), read a lot, and tried not to feel guilty about having all this luxury to myself. I was hoping that by Saturday morning Kevin would feel good enough to join me and I’d keep the room for a second night, but he is still sick, so I came home last night, bringing home Chinese food for Kevin and I to eat while watching Blue Bloods on DVD.

Today, I will spend the morning – the last of our kid-free time – with Kevin. This afternoon, the kids will be home with Kevin, and I, being the only person in the family interested in watching the big game, will be watching the Super Bowl at my folks’ house. Go, Giants!

Will you be watching the game today? Or will you be reading – and if so, what?

I’ll leave you with a wrap-up of my reading in January:

Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

Tipperary by Frank Delaney – 4 stars – my review

While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delisnky (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (read-aloud) – 5 stars

That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry – 5 stars

Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry – 4 stars – my review

Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner – 3 stars – my review

The Passage by Justin Cronin (audiobook) – 5 stars – my review

What He Must Be If He Wants to Marry My Daughter by Voddie Baucham Jr. – 4 stars

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens – 5 stars – my review

The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen – 5 stars (review to come)

The Death Cure by James Dashner (read-aloud) – 5 stars – my review

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool (audiobook) – 5 stars (review to come)

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The Sunday Salon – January 29, 2012

CarrieK — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:09:58 +0000

It’s a funny thing – a week that is less scheduled flies by just as quickly as one that’s scheduled to the hilt. It was a productive week, with a fun Friday night to top it off. One of Natalie’s best friends appeared in our high school’s production of Crazy for You, a Gershwin musical. The kids and I had a lot of fun watching the Friday night performance.

Yesterday, I stayed home and did laundry and watched Real Steel with the boys. I also finished The Informationist by Taylor Stevens – ho. ly. cow. Fantastic thriller – my review will go up later this week.

I haven’t talked about my TV viewing lately. Anyone else loving the current season of Grey’s Anatomy? I think it’s getting it’s mojo back. I also finished last season of Castle – sob – and will catch up on this season via Hulu. Kevin and I have been watching season one of Blue Bloods on disc, and enjoying it so far. What have you been watching lately?

Not sure if I’ll have time to read much today, but if I do, I will be cuddling up with The Annotated Persuasion. What are you reading today?

Bookish posts this week:
~ Book Review: The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
~ Book Review: Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner
~ Book-to-Movie Review: Children of Men by P.D. James
~ Book Review: Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry

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The Sunday Salon – January 22, 2012

CarrieK — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:01:27 +0000

Another week has completely flown by! It was a good one, though – we got back into our school routine, and only had one day that included some meltdowns (theirs and mine). Friday morning, we gathered with other homeschooling families and watched the short film the kids have been working on in cinematography class. It was such a treat – a 25 minute film completely written, acted, filmed, edited, lighted, costumed, etc. by a class of twenty students, ages 10 to 17. My 13-year-old, Noah, was the chief editor, and received some high praise from the teacher about his leadership skills and responsibility, which made this mom’s heart proud.

The next couple of weeks should be a nice, relaxing treat, as the kids’ next enrichment classes don’t start until the week of February 6th. I love the variety of classes that are offered, but sometimes all the driving around is exhausting – not to mention making sure that we’re still getting all the basics covered, like math, spelling, language, science, history.

Next semester, Noah and Jonathan will both be taking the cinematography class again; Noah and Josiah will be taking geology (they get to go pan for gold, which makes Josiah, my rock-lover, very excited); Noah will continue guitar, Jonathan will continue piano, Natalie will continue voice; Noah will take a Lego robotics course; and Jon will take a computer game design course. See what I mean about how cool the classes are?

I’m also looking forward to the weekend after next. Every year, Kevin and I take one weekend away, using a bit of our income tax refund. (My husband is on the ball – he’s already e-filed and our return has been accepted!) We will spend one night down in Spokane Valley (I got an awesome Groupon in my e-mail for 30% off our favorite hotel) and a second night home alone – the kids will all spend the weekend with friends. I can’t wait for some kid-free time! I love my kids, but I can tell you that by this time each year, I need to be without them for a couple days.

Reading-wise, it was a pretty good week. In print, I finished Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner and Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry – reviews to come. On audio, I finished the 29-disc epic The Passage by Justin Cronin. I can NOT wait for the next book this summer – and I hope it is released on audio at the same time as it’s print release, and that it’s read by the amazing Scott Brick, because he made The Passage unforgettable.

I also had my first two DNFs of the year. I gave up on two audios. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John Le Carre was the first – the reader is excellent, but for a spy thriller, this book is pretty boring. I made it through two discs that threw so many characters at me that I got lost – and really it was all conversation and thinking about things – nothing happened! The second one was Anne Tyler’s Noah’s Compass. Tyler is usually a go-to author for me – I enjoy all her work – but the reader for this one talked very slowly, and wasn’t that great, so I gave up. I’m sure I’ll pick it up in print at some point.

So, I started some new books, and this is what I’m currently reading:

In print:
~ The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen
~ The Informationist by Taylor Stevens
~ The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry

On audio:
~ The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
~ Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

I’m not sure I’ll get much time to actually read them today, however. After church, Natalie and I are heading down to my folks’ house for the afternoon/evening. They DVR’ed the Golden Globes and the People’s Choice Awards and we’re going to indulge in some brain candy TV for a few hours. We don’t have cable or satellite at our house, plus this kind of show is much more fun to watch with others who are as passionate about movies as I am. We’ll dish on the gowns, the gorgeous men, etc. (Well, Mom, Nan, and I will. My Dad will pop in with dry comments about plastic surgery.)

What are you reading on this cold, January day?

Bookish posts this week:
~ Book Review: While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
~ One more week to vote for the March Ireland read-along book!

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The Sunday Salon – January 15, 2012

CarrieK — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 08:01:22 +0000

Well, I survived our first week back to school, but next time we have a break, I will remember not to schedule dentist appointments and haircut appointments our first week back. This week is going to be busy, too, though – with Jon having his 12-year-old physical and booster shots and my haircut appointment. Then on Friday, we will get together with the other families whose kids are in the cinematography class and watch the film they’ve been working on for the past semester. Noah has been working extra hard – he is the chief editor, and he spent all day Friday getting the finished project ready. On top of that, Natalie (my freshman), has a final for Health, a final project to complete for Washington State History, and midterms for Earth Science and Freshman Lit. Poor girl. It’s hard to believe the first semester will be over at the end of this week – it’s flown.

In spite of our busy schedule, I did finish three books this week. I finished listening to Barbara Delinsky’s While My Sister Sleeps on audio (review coming), and Wendell Berry’s short story collection That Distant Land (completely amazing) in print. The kids and I finished our read-aloud, The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (a reread for me). It ends with a doozy of a cliff-hanger, and we started right into The Death Cure without pausing for a breath. I’m very excited, as I’ve been wanting to read it since it first came out in the fall, but the boys wanted me to read the series aloud to them, so I waited.

I’m hoping to do some organizing today after church – I really want to make a complete list of my unread books, and put together a box to donate to the library. I have a ton of ARCs and review copies, too, that I don’t want to keep. I used to do frequent giveaways, but with Kevin out of work, I haven’t had the money to pay the shipping costs. I was considering listing them here on the blog – free to anyone who wants to send me a couple bucks via Paypal for media mail shipping costs, US only. What do you think – is this a tacky idea?

I’m still reading Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner. Megan and I are reading this together and then discussing each section on Twitter. I’m enjoying the book very much – and it’s especially fun to have someone to talk to about what I’m reading. We will be discussing the second quarter of the book tonight.

I’m also reading Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry and The Annotated Persuasion in print. On audio, I’m continuing with my reread of the epic-length The Passage by Justin Cronin, and have started John LeCarre’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It’s off to a slow start – not sure I’ll be able to do this one on audio, but we’ll see.

Well, that’s what’s going on in my reading – and non-reading – life these days. How about you? Anything new and exciting – bookish or otherwise?

Bookish posts this week:
~ Recommended reading for the Essay Challenge – plus, “Why read essays?”
~ Book Review: Tipperary by Frank Delaney
~ Audiobook Review: Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern

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Sunday Salon – January 8, 2012 (the “do I HAVE to go back to homeschool” edition)

CarrieK — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 08:01:56 +0000

I knew this day was coming. I watched the days on the calendar fly by, and this one approached with increasing speed. I have dreaded this day for three weeks, but there’s no denying it – it’s our last day of Christmas vacation. Sigh. Tomorrow, we will get up early and re-establish our school day routines. I am really hoping that it is not the Monday to top all Mondays.

It has been a wonderful vacation. We’ve taken the kids roller skating, to an aquatic center, spent time with family and friends, watched good movies together, played board games, rocked out to Wii Guitar Hero. And in the midst of all that, I did manage to find some time for reading this week. I finished two books: Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern on audio, and Tipperary by Frank Delaney in print. Two Irish authors, but neither book counts toward my Irish challenge totals, as I started them in 2011. Good first books of the year, though – I enjoyed them both. (Reviews to come.)

After church today, we will take the Christmas tree down. Honestly, by this time, I am very ready for it to go back in its box. We have a very small house, and while the tree and decorations are festive, they do add to the cramped, cluttered feel. I’m hoping to get some more reading time in this afternoon, as I’m in the middle of three excellent books in print, and two engrossing audios.

In print:
~ Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner
~ Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry
~ That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry

On audio:
~ While My Sister Sleeps by Barbara Delinsky
~ The Passage by Justin Cronin

I have to say that I am enjoying my current audio selections so much that I am finding things to do so that I can keep listening. A lot of that is due to the fact that they are read by two of my favorite audiobook narrators. Cassandra Campbell reads the Delinsky, and Scott Brick reads The Passage. So good.

With my Sunday Salon posts in 2012, I thought I’d try to get back in the habit of linking to my bookish posts from the previous week. Be sure to check out the giveaway, and also vote in the Ireland Challenge March Read-Along Book poll. You don’t have to be signed up for the challenge; if you’re interested in reading something Ireland-related during the month of March and discussing it with other readers/bloggers, you can definitely join in on the read-along.

~ Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Prize Pack Giveaway
~ Reading plans for 2012
~ Vote for the March Ireland Challenge Read-along Book
~ Book Review: Don’t Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala

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The Sunday Salon – January 1, 2012 – Happy New Year!

CarrieK — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 00:21:37 +0000

Welcome to 2012! I usually have my Sunday Salon posts written the day before, all ready to post at midnight, but I was busy watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 with Kevin and the boys and ringing in the New Year last night. Natalie was off with her youth group at their annual New Year’s Eve party, and it felt a little weird not having her at home. Every year seems to speed by faster, and the kids are growing up so quickly – I find it all a bit scary.

But, enough about that, or I’ll be a blubbering mess. I’ve been a busy bee around the blog (how’s that for alliteration) lately, putting up challenge pages for the challenges I’m joining and hosting, updating my blogroll, and paring down my Google Reader. I have posts going up this week with recommended reading for those of you joining the Ireland and Essay challenges (links above under “Reading Challenges I’m Hosting”) and also a fun giveaway, Cold War/spy thriller-style, on Friday.

I also have some plans for putting together a review database of Ireland-related reading, and adding to my personal review database with the addition of 4-star and 5-star read pages. That will have to wait, though. Today, we had our first service in our new church building, which was excellent, and then I came home, ate lunch, and took a nap.

I ended 2011 with four books still in progress, and so these are the first books I will be reading in 2012:

In print:
~ That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry (I can’t get enough of this man!)
~ Tipperary by Frank Delaney

On audio:
~ The Passage by Justin Cronin (this is a reread in preparation for book two’s release in July)
~ Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern

If I get a chance to read tonight, those will be the books that will be keeping me company. I also need to write our ~~Christmas~~ New Year’s letter and get ~~Christmas~~ New Year’s cards in the mail. I am really glad we still have one more week off of homeschooling!

I hope all of you had a wonderful first day of 2012. Here’s to a wonderful year of family, friends, and reading!

Books finished in December:

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Neighbors Are Watching by Debra Ginsberg – 3 stars – my review

The Bungalow by Sarah Jio – 4 stars – my review

The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne duMaurier – 3 stars – my review

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler – 4 stars – my review

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (audiobook) – 3 stars – my review

A Place on Earth by Wendell Berry – 5 stars – my review

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton (audio) – 4 stars

Naked by David Sedaris (audio) – 3 stars

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The Sunday Salon – December 18, 2011 (the “Christmas break has officially begun” edition)

CarrieK — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:29:12 +0000

We have officially started our Christmas break – three whole weeks of no homeschooling! I was counting on this week being hectic, as I was in charge of our church’s Christmas night service, but that’s not happening now. We moved into a new building this weekend, in spite of it not being quite ready, in order to avoid another exorbitant lease payment at the old place. The guys – and some of the ladies – have been working like crazy the last few weeks, sheetrocking, plumbing, wiring, painting, etc. – but it isn’t quite ready for us to be in there for services. So today, we will be in a banquet room in the restaurant adjoining our new building, and we should be able to start the New Year in our new sanctuary.

Long story short, I no longer have to worry about rehearsals this week. I am singing at my parents’ church on Christmas Eve, but that doesn’t require any organized practice time. This week will be spent doing fun things: decorating Christmas cookies at Mom and Dad’s tomorrow, playing games and watching movies with the kids, and lots of reading – culminating with Christmas Eve and Day at my folks’ house. I can’t imagine I will be posting a Sunday Salon next Sunday, as I will be going unplugged for the holiday.

Here are the books I’m reading for my break:

In print:
~ Dust and Decay by Jonathan Maberry
~ The Annotated Persuasion by Jane Austen
~ Tipperary by Frank Delaney
~ That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry

On audio:
~ V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
~ Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Ahern

Do you have any plans for the holidays – reading or otherwise?

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The Sunday Salon – December 11, 2011

CarrieK — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:27:27 +0000

Two weeks till Christmas! It took me by surprise a bit this year – I kept thinking there was still lots of time. But, I did get 99% of my shopping done online this week. Only have a couple of things to pick up here in town to finish up. And my wonderful mother is doing my wrapping again this year – she loves to wrap gifts, I hate it – so that’s one stress taken off my list.

I didn’t have time to do a links post yesterday, as I was down in Spokane shopping with Natalie and her two best friends. Natalie is turning 15! (insert blood-curdling shriek here) – on Tuesday. Friday night her friends slept over, had professional grade manicures provided by one of the girl’s moms, attempted to dye their hair with Koolaid (it didn’t work), and watched Spiderman. Then yesterday morning we headed south for a day of shopping and lunch at Olive Garden. It was a lot of fun – but I am so tired this morning!

No rest till this afternoon, though, as I’m leading worship at church this morning. Hopefully, a nap will be in the cards for after lunch.

I will be doing some reading today, too – I’m about 20 pages away from finishing The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne duMaurier. I’m also halfway through The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyne Mackler – the one book I treated myself to at B&N yesterday. While the girls ran from store to store, wading through frantic Christmas shoppers, I sat at a table with my caramel brulee latte and read half of my new book. It is fantastic! I’m also two-thirds of the way through Wendell Berry’s A Place on Earth, which is beautiful.

I’m off to start waking the family. Hope this Sunday finds you all well and with lots of good things to read! And if you’re looking for challenges for 2012, click over to the sign-up posts for the ones I’m hosting:

~ 2012 Essay Challenge
~ 2012 Ireland Challenge
~ 2012 Graham Green Challenge

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The Sunday Salon – December 4, 2011 (the “November reading wrap-up” edition)

CarrieK — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:33:32 +0000

This was a busy week – back to school, orthodontist appointment, haircuts for the boys, Natalie’s Christmas concert. Then last night, the boys were all at a friend’s house for his birthday party/sleepover, so Natalie and I had a girls’ night out and went to see Breaking Dawn: Part One. It was pretty good – I only laughed in one unintentionally funny spot.They did a fairly good job with it, for a Twilight movie.

Today, I’m leading songs at church. After church, I plan to catch up on a bit of housework and homeschool stuff, and then do some reading. I’m less tempted to waste time on Netflix, now that I finished Ally McBeal – though I am enjoying the last season of Brothers and Sisters. I’m trying to drag it out, though, and not burn through all the episodes too quickly. Here’s what I’m reading these days:

In print:
~ The Bungalow by Sarah Jio
~ The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne duMaurier
~ A Place on Earth by Wendell Berry

On audio:
~ Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane
~ V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Are you reading anything good today?

Books finished in November:

Fables Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham – 4 stars – my review

Second Nature: A Love Story by Jacquelyn Mitchard (audiobook) – 4 stars – my review

The Heroine’s Bookshelf: Life Lessons from Jane Austen to Laura Ingalls Wilder by Erin Blakemore – 4 stars – my review

Cross Currents by John Shors – 5 stars – my review

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (read-aloud) – 5 stars

Bonjour 40: A Paris Travel Log by Karen A. Chase – 4 stars – my review

Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition by Wendell Berry – 5 stars

Enclave by Ann Aguirre – 4 stars (review coming tomorrow)

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (audiobook) – 5 stars (review coming tomorrow)

A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead – 3 stars – my review

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Sunday Salon – November 27, 2011 (the “what I did on my Thanksgiving break” edition)

CarrieK — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:40:20 +0000

What I did on my Thanksgiving break:

~ Read.

~ Finished season 5 of Ally McBeal on Netflix.

~ Played Guitar Hero – drums AND guitar – with my kids.

~ Watched Larry Crowne with Kevin.

~ Read.

~ Made a cherry cream cheese pie.

~ Listened to Christmas music.

~ Spent a wonderful Thanksgiving with my folks: great food, lots of laughter, and a killer game of Scattergories.

~ Decorated our Christmas tree.

~ Watched Prep & Landing with my boys.

~ Read.

~ Watched The Princess Bride with the whole family.

~ Went to see The Tower Heist with my folks.

~ Finished three books: Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition by Wendell Berry; Enclave by Ann Aguirre; and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline on audio.

What I did not do on Thanksgiving break:

~ Go anywhere near a shopping center, mall or Walmart on Black Friday. Or Saturday. Or today.

~ Think about school.

~ Worry about finances.

All in all, it was a fantastic break – and I’m not ready for it to be over! I still have today, though, and I plan to suck every ounce of joy and relaxation that I can from it. This morning, we are heading to church for a Thanksgiving brunch. This afternoon, I will be spending with the family – maybe more Guitar Hero? And some reading from my current in-progress titles:

In print:
~ A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead
~ The Neighbors Are Watching by Debra Ginsberg

On audio:
~ Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
~ The Girl in the Blue Beret by Bobbie Ann Mason

How was your Thanksgiving? Did you do anything fun? Anything new? Read anything good?

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