Book Drought

I just haven't been able to read too much for the past couple of weeks, but I have started again with a bang.

I am starting Brothers by Da Chen.

In the first three pages, a character is born. His mom is flying (and I won't tell you why or how) and he is born in midair. As they are flying in the air, the umbilical cord is still attached, but it eventually breaks! So, the mom and kid are separated, and he stops flying WOW.

I finished The Widow's War: A Novel by Sally Gunning. Ok, I chose it for the cover, and thought that it took place in the 1800s, but it actually takes place in the 1700s, in New England.

I guess this is my year for reading about Puritan women.

I hope that my reading drought is over.

Books - Book Review - The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3) - Lemony Snicket

The Wide Window (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 3)
by Lemony Snicket (Book on CD)

I am tutoring a young student who is having some reading issues. So, I borrowed this book and book on CD set from the library.

The book is good for young readers. The narrator is the author, and he changes voices for each character and changes his tone of voice, depending on the situation.

The book is an excellent one for learning vocabulary and U.S. idiomatic expressions. The author uses them in the sentence, and then explains the word or phrase.

The plot is not scary for older children. The only caveat that I have is that any child who has really suffered and survived a tsunami or hurricane should not pick up this book, because the most difficult situation involves the Baudelaire children trying to sail the lake in a small boat during a hurricane.

I like the name of Captain Sham; it describes the character to a T. If Aunt Josephine went to a therapist to discuss all her fears, the therapist would be able to retire in a few months! The children are very brave and have more common sense that most adults in the novel. If only everyone could be like them.

I have borrowed Book 4 from the library, and we are going to start on that.

If you know of a child who has difficult in reading, I do recommend books on CD. I received this suggestion from a relative, and I am grateful for it.

The Post-‘Kane Chronicles: Life in the New New Orleans or Living in a Third World City in a First World Country

The Post-‘Kane Chronicles: Life in the New New Orleans or Living in a Third World City in a First World Country

Friends have been asking me how it’s like living in New Orleans again. Well, the short answer is: it’s not the same city that I remember. This city was one of the last cities in the US to get any trends; the natives would remark that we lived in a Banana Republic.

I am living the Thornton Wilder quotation, “You can never go home again” every single day. It’s sort of like an episode of the Twilight Zone (Rod Sterling version) also.

The idea of writing down how life is at this moment was paralyzing. So many things have changed for me and my fellow residents.

Therefore, I just decided to write it down in little chunks. Just like I am living my life right now, in the moment, for the most part.

As something pertinent comes up, I will link it here.

On this blog’s sidebar, I will let you know when I update an entry, so you can keep up.
Book Club - 6/21/2006
Books for others - 6/9/2006
Books on Tape - 9/22/2006
Magazines (10/2/2006)
TV buring up- 9/26/2006

Stuff - Magazines – From Famine to Feast

I have been trying to catch up with my magazines for the past two weeks!

After the ‘Kane flooded out the main processing of the U.S Post Office in New Orleans, no magazines, catalogs, or junk mail was being delivered to the city.

Everyone was happy about not getting the junk mail; some were craving their catalogs, but everyone missed their magazines.

When I returned to New Orleans in mid-October 2005, the magazines were the same ones that were on sale before the ‘Kane hit: Britney Spears was still pregnant with Kid No. 1, and Brad Pitt was still married to Jennifer what’s her name.

All the grocery stores sold out of every magazine as soon as the shelves were stocked. Even the tabloids were selling quickly. Magazine withdrawal, big time. If anyone had old magazines, they were eagerly grabbed up by others and not disdained.

A hoity-toity natural foods grocery store, that shall remain Wholey anonymous, was even stocking Newsweek, Cosmo, and O! Horrors, horrors.

Well, the processing center is now dried out, and magazines started being delivered again.

I am enjoying all of the following:

Reader’s Digest – a fav since I was about 10. The jokes relieve the stress, plus I get a compilation of the best articles in the country.

Economist – I find out what else is happening in the world, besides ‘Kane news.

Smithsonian – a fav since I was 11. I recently read about an Egyptian Queen who was erased from history, despite her good ruling skills.

Ladies Home Journal – I like reading about the marriage column, in case I want to do that again. I also see what concerns regular women have.

Now that I am more confident of service, I might get these two next:

From California, Artitude – to feed my visual creativity
From England - Mslexia to feed my writing creativity

Now, I have to find time to get back to the books…