I love school. It was my escape, it was where I learned new things. Especially when I taught.
Blah! Boring! I had a whole thing planned but by the time I sat down to write this my energy, and muses had left the building! I do intend to write more on this some time. And it’ll all be based on those first sentences.
In the music realm, my violin is moving SO SLOW! I figured out I was over resining the bow. This is where a live teacher would have helped a lot. Getting my lessons via YouTube can be risky. But I can now squeakily play Twinkle, Twinkle (ABCD…), and Mary Had A Little Lamb, and started Jingle Bells. Nothing sounds like music. The positioning of violin and bow are still awkward. The instrument seems to hold tuning well, now that I’ve figured it out.
Ah, but, wrap me in plastic and kill me Dexter! This theme song that I picked up from MusicNotes has been tough!!! It looks easy. But not for me. I don’t usually have to listen to the song to get it. Thank goodness MusicNotes has a track to listen to. Even so, I couldn’t get the way it was written. I have finally memorized the beginning.
But midway, there is another section that sends me to a ‘nice cup of tea.’ Okay, let me explain. No. I can’t. Here:
Again. Short spurts. Still very slow. AND I do ‘air playing’ nearly 24/7 I find myself working on it in my sleep.
Thankfully, Succession Theme is recognizable. It’s fun to play the whole piano! Lots of ledger lines or octave lines to reach out for.
Speaking of
Piano time!
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was cute. I’m not much of a short story fan, but this fits the moment. I needed something to read after the last book left me an hour from sleep time. It is fun to finish a book in an hour or so.
I had this one tucked away in my Audible library. Jennifer Jill Araya, the narrator, was able to keep the characters fresh and sincere.
There are a couple more novellas following this one. I plan to get them and finish the story.
Sadly, we didn’t get a new dog. (Details below.)
I had this page set up last night with two choices one if we got a dog and one if we didn’t. My hopes were high but the majority were too large for us. Adorable, yes, and I wanted them all! But realistically we need something smaller. The two smaller ones were already taken. The one I had hoped to get the day before, Birdie was taken yesterday. She was an adorable chihuahua mix. Oh, well. At least we’ve offically started the search.
Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by Neil deGrasse Tyson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Yawn! I was looking forward to our personal astrophysicist narrating his own book. But alas, they found the most boring narrator, JD Jackson. I could still hear Neil deGrasse Tyson’s sense of wonder and humor coming through, but if they were hoping to rev up some interest in science, this audiobook falls with my 8 AM monotone chemistry teacher from high school. I have always loved science. When the bus got us kids to school early, I’d run to the library and find Popular Science magazine. And despite Mr. ‘Chem teacher,’ I stayed true to my actual waking hours interests. And this book will not dull my science passion.
That said, I have to admit to being lost a lot. I let the narrator drone on and often found something interesting every now and then. Mr. Tyson, please read to us with your science enthusiasm shining through!
Still, maybe it is due to reading at bedtime? Maybe others will love this audiobook. In this case, I suggest a paper book or Kindle.
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am quite the Kristin Hannah fan now. After The Women, I had to read this when it appeared as a suggestion on Libby. Knowing Julia Whelan, the narrator, sealed the deal. She is the most excellent reader. She seems to intuitively read Ms. Hannah’s characters, making the whole story alive and relevant.
Hannah can write historical fiction so that the facts, ‘names and dates’ type of history get lost in following love and family.
After following the book to the conclusion, I was happy to find a bit of discussion about the writing procedure and even Ms. Whelan’s way of narrating. I am still quite interested in that process.
We Baby Boomers can remember hearing about the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression from our grandparents and parents. Even though I was forced to read Grapes of Wrath (ugh!) and remember dusty pictures in the history textbooks, this made the historical events real.
I highly recommend this audiobook!
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Carol Burnett (Narrator), Seth Meyers (Narrator), & 6 more,* including the author, actress, and comedienne Amy Poehler, made this probably the best memoir I’ve heard (read?). Yeah, I doubt it was nearly as fun in book form. These guests made the game of writing one’s autobiography nearly impossible to win.
I’m not much of a fan of Saturday Night Live, etc. But I do love experiencing stepping into other people’s lives. It brings about a bit of understanding for the world to see how similar we all are and enjoy individual differences.
I did have to be careful as this was my bedtime book. I about popped my eyeballs as I suppressed laughs. I didn’t want to wake the household. It was fun.
Maybe my favorite part was that Amy didn’t dwell on a tortured childhood. Sure, she had her share of problems, but she seemed to own her mistakes and forgive others’ errors as much as she could, making the book more about living life and things that have worked for her.
This was a Libby audiobook. I’m so grateful for how the libraries help us.
Happiness is a warm puppy. This is the comic that came to me as I saw our prompt.
Meanwhile… The kittens are getting closer to the point of maybe coming in for the winter (and forever home). Maybe to them happiness will be a warm home with nice people? I got them a kitty tree to climb or hide in. Pictures when we can get them calm. LOL!
How can one still have these feelings nearly a year and a half later?
Fur-baby love happens. And it’s haphazard, dangerous, and enriching. When it does I will be happy (er).
I can still barely breathe and my legs feel like they’re stuck. Oh, yeah. I’ve been sitting here in the recliner holding my breath while watching:
Wow! Just two actresses and the ocean!
The Lying Life of Adults by Elena Ferrante
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sometimes, I finish a Libby book with nothing to read next, and Libby suggested this. I thought, ‘Oooh, a little Italian to read. Not a lot, but it is situated in Italy, so the characters sometimes throw out a few words or cities that make me feel like I am traveling.
And to seal the deal, Marisa Tomei narrated. I felt I couldn’t go wrong.
I was wrong. I’ve been around Italian families and seen the passion of their discussions. Not arguments, disputes of passion. It was uncomfortable to be around, for me. I have never enjoyed conflict of any kind. And I have never seen a mind change during these extreme philosophical dilemmas.
Add in a preteen, and it blows up. Her hormones and anger set fire to the pages. Maybe when I was a raging teen, I would have liked it better. But this was too much. I saved it for my bedtime. Big mistake. I’d be angry with the kid, her parents, aunt, and friends as I drifted into slumberland unprepared.
Marisa Tomei put all the fire required for this reading into every beat of each sentence. For her part, I raised the rating from two to three stars.
Look, all the ratings go from five stars to zero. So, I think everyone comes into the book with their circumstances and upbringing, which can color how we perceive books and everything else in life. So give it a try and see if it’s for you.
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 100 books for the 2013 Reading Challenge! 115 of 100 (115%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 225 books for the 2012 Reading Challenge! 225 of 225 (100%)
Congrats! You have completed your goal of reading 200 books for the 2011 Reading Challenge! 204 of 200 (102%)
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