So . . . a chicken crapped on me
Is that supposed to be good luck? Let's hope so. Also the chicken had been eating watermelon. Like, a lot of watermelon. Be sure to add that to the visual.
The chicken owners, about 30 seconds prior, suggested that a super good choice would be for me to pick up the chicken and hold it still so that the Tiny Dark Lord could pet it. Aaaaaand I think you know where I'm going with this. So now TDL knows what it's like to pet a chicken. YOU ARE WELCOME. Isn't motherhood such an awesome stream of indignities?
Other updates that may or may not involve fecal matter:
Still pregnant. (Yay!) Am officially 3/4ths of the way through. Commence panicking about giant monster babies and exploded bottoms in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .
Still knitting. Want to see? Too bad, you have to.
 |
| Newborn vertebrae |
 |
| In Threes (for Jenny's girl child) |
 |
| Cabled baby hat |
Reading. I actually have read a few books! I know. I stun myself. First I kept choosing lame books that made me wonder if maybe my brain was broken or I just suddenly hated reading (see: broken brain). But then I got some good stuff and now we're back on track.
The lame:
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan, which I was listening to on audio and didn't finish. Maybe I stopped just as things were about to get good but so help me I just couldn't care, the heroine is a moron. Stupid Tooth, more like. Maybe if I pick up the paper version I'll be able to move ahead faster. Juliet Stevenson does the audio and I kept expecting to hear, "I never compliment myself, but my friends say I do know how to make a sandwich," or possibly, "Get your lesbian feet out of my shoes!" Which would have been awesome.
Courtship and Curses by Marisa Doyle. Regency romance plus witchcraft should have been a no-brain winner, and yet! Snoozefest. Nobody even makes out in the gardens outside Almack's! FAIL.
Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich. Also an audiobook. So, um, it turns out that when you are listening you can suddenly tell that she isn't a good writer of dialogue. Like, at all. Did everyone else already know this? And half the thing read like a Mapquest of Boston. Okay, Janet, I get that you've been to Boston.
The good:
Still Alice by Lisa Genova. Breaks your dang heart but so good!
The Birth House by Ami McKay. Yes, the obstetrician villain could have used some dimension but I still liked it.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (was a fortunately-timed reread for my book group)
The checked-out-from-library to read:
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Wait Til Next Year: A Memoir by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The purchase-requested-from-library-so-who-even-knows-when-I'll-get to read:
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store by Robin Sloane
The Hypnotists's Love Story by Liane Moriarty
Angelina's Bachelors: A Novel with Food by Brian O'Reilly (Really, anything that tacks on "with food" in the title gets a second look from me)
Has anyone read any of these? Care to weigh in?
I'm Steph, a librarian and mom of 3 (not sure how that happened). Let's chat books, food, Sumptuous Literary Adaptations, poop, knitting and maybe some crazy Mormon Feminism.
22 comments:
I listened to "Between Shades of Gray" and liked it. I read "Mr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore" and also really enjoyed that one. Also I thought it was cool that the cover glowed in the dark.
Hooray for pregnancy, boo for chicken poop. My maternity leave ends in a week and a half and it's killing me how fast it's gone!
P.s., maybe someday you can teach me how to knit precious things with a toddler and baby brain. Nora got a garter-stitch blanket in really nice yarn.
Between Shades of Gray is lovely and a good example of how to write about tough stuff in an age-appropriate way. Happy reading and pregnancy!
I read Mr. Penumbra and liked it okay (enough to finish it), but Steve l-o-v-e-d it. If I'd realized the cover glowed in the dark, I would have liked it more. Also read Hypnotist's Love Story and enjoyed that one quite a lot.
Also, Steve didn't leave that comment. I did. It's creepy when you think you're posting as yourself and a slightly weird picture of your spouse that someone took for professional purposes appears.
The cover glows? That IS really cool.
Rachael, I fully expect a knitting hiatus once baby brain sets in! Lately TDL has been better about keeping himself amused, which helps.
Congratulations on your new baby, I was so excited to see your news!!
My favorite line from this post: "isn't motherhood such an awesome stream of indignities?" Haha, so true!
Ooh, the kitchen house is ah-mazing!! It led to the most rousing discussion my group group has ever had. But it is quite polarizing, half of us thought it was brilliant art, half thought satan was the co-author.
And of course I must go read everything you recommended.
*book group, not group group
I love love love What Alice Forgot (like, probably top 10 book for me), but I've found all her other books fairly medium. In fact, I just finished her newest one (The Husband's Secret) yesterday and was just kind of dumbstruck by how bizarre it was. Same with Hypnotist's Love Story.
Just read it this morning and loved it, thanks!
Sorry you were creeped out by your husband, MBC! ;-)
Ok now I'm even more excited to read The Kitchen House. Thank you!
Janssen, I love What Alice Forgot too but was underwhelmed by The Last Anniversary. Will see if I have a similar reaction to her newer stuff. Maybe everyone's love for Alice is more about US and the way we relate to it than it is about her writing? Hmmm ... deep thoughts.
I read Angelina's Bachelors. It was a SLCO Reader's Choice nominee... either last time, or the time before. It kind of felt like a Nora Roberts book. If I were to review it, I'd give it 2.5 stars, I liked it. Better than meh, not the best thing in the world. Pretty sure there were recipes in it (it's been awhile) and the descriptions of the food were fabulous.
Beth, if the food descriptions were fabulous and it's "better than meh," I'll take it! :-)
a) I love that I've read a book before you. (you've given me good reads in the past)
b) That book is The Kitchen House. I stayed up late reading it a few nights. And what the author said about how she came to write the book was a draw-in. The story reminded me of a V.C.Andrews (which I am ashamed to admit I read in Jr. High) book cleaned up and pulled back 200 years.
I listened to What Alice Forgot and apparently it was the Australian version of the book because at my book group people were talking about love letters and in the audio Grandmama has a blog instead of these old love letters. I emailed Ms. Moriarty about it and she said her US publisher didn't like the blog and wanted it changed. I personally preferred the blog...it was much funnier.
I was also let down by Hypnotist's Love Story.
Oh bummer! I bought and just started Sweet Tooth. I was hoping it was going to get better. *sigh* I guess I better get on with moving on with my life and a different book. Thanks for posting the goods!
@Anna B
Anna, you should keep going on Sweet Tooth! That way you can tell me if I made a mistake in putting it down. Like how I'm basically sacrificing you there?
Post a Comment