late night reading (don't tell)

Review by SB

Let me explain about the story before I tell you about what I think about it. Well there's a really smart kid who has awesome parents. The dads a magician and his mums a doctor. He has a next door neighbour who is really mysterious his name is Theodore Guzman. Now what I think of it. When you start off reading it it's pretty boring TILL! he thinks of making a play and then [any parents reading this immediately turn off your computer] Now kids NOT ADULTS! when it gets in the play you'll be begging to read more even when it's 4.00am [but don't]. Its a great book and you should buy it if you are awesome like me!

Santa's reading

An email was sent to me asking for ideas for children's books for Christmas - I'm always looking for good recommendations (and quirky books) so thought it was a great idea. From memory - these are some of the books that have been read and loved in our house. There were a LOT more picture books over the years, but that time of my life was dominated by sleep deprivation so I can't remember any of them......

Also these books will mostly appeal to boys aged 5-11 as that's the only experience I have! These first recommendations are however the exception as I've either given as gifts or read myself:

• Fancy Nancy books by Jane O'Connor- hilarious girls books with beautiful illustrations (age 5-7)


• Winnie the Pooh - a classic, loved by all who read it or have it read to them


• The Chronicles of Narnia - another classic


• Magic Faraway Tree and Enchanted Forest - loved by both my boys, me and little girls I know (age 5-11)

The next lot are picture books but a bit more advanced and my boys love them all:

• Asterix - how my 9 year old reads the names of these characters is something to behold! Best read to yourself or get someone who is good at ridiculous names


• Tin tin - Daddy reads most characters, SB reads Tin Tin and JB read snowy (he mostly barks!)


• Julia Donaldsons' books: The Gruffalo, Gruffalo's child and Room on a broom - great stories and fantastic illustrations, perfect to read aloud and use silly voices (ages 5-8)


• The Shaggy Gully Times by Jackie French - very clever and even the pictures tell a story (age 7-9)


• Graeme Base books eg: Enigma, The Waterhole - the drawings in these books are what make them so amazing, but there are hidden pictures and cryptic clues throughout the books to keep them looking and trying to work out mysteries. (ages 7-11)

Lastly, but not least, some recent favourites of the boys:

• Flat Stanley books by Jeff Brown - a boy gets flattened by a falling picture board and has great adventures as a result of being so thin - great concept and good adventures for little boys (age 5-8)


• Andy Griffiths series eg: Just crazy, just stupid, just Macbeth, Zombie Bums from Uranuz and The day my bum went psycho - you get the idea.....


• The Cabbage Patch kids by Paul Jennings - lots of stories of farting and adventures - weird combination but predictably the boys love them (age 7-11)


• Big,big book of Gibblewort the Goblin by Victor Kelleher - an irish goblin is sent to Australia and hates it. He has the worst adventures and is miserable - lots of australiana in it and puss and warts and bad smells - hence they love it (age 6-9)


• Astrosaurs Collection books by Steve Cole: Dinosaurs in space - I think - both boys reading them and loving them but must confess I haven't even looked at one - so that must be a good thing?


• You are a bad man Mr Gum (and the follow up books) by Andy Stanton - I loved these - once again a book I bought purely because I loved the cover but it was excellent and well worth hunting down a copy if you can.

Phew - I know there are more but that should do it for now......

Summer Eating

How fantastic are these photos by Kate - it almost makes 40C on Sunday bearable. Kate if you could now just whip me up a menu for a girls lunch (with vegetarian option) I will be even happier!!

New book

Ooh very exciting - a new book! 

Inspired by my friends Mouse's beautiful new Frida Kahlo print - I had to buy this book purely for the gorgeous cover. Sadly I have bought many books simply because I liked the covers and have found many gems that way too. I loved Barbara Kingsolver's previous book 'The Poisonwood Bible' - so am hoping I enjoy this one as much - I'll let you know.

'The Poisonwood Bible' had a profound effect on me in that I often wonder which child I would help first in the case of a disaster (fire, flood, burglary). Do you remember that tragic story of that poor mother in the tsunami in Bali where she had two children (a toddler and an infant) and had to hand her toddler to someone else to help because she could only hold onto a tree and the baby but not the toddler as well? I can't remember what the outcome was but I hope I am never in a situation that requires that kind of decision.

Off to brave the heat....

Too hot to handle

It is hot - damn hot!

Can't believe its 37C today and 39C later this week - crikey what is Feb going to be like???

SWIMMING

By SB: Its hot that's why I'm talking about swimming today. Swimming is a very good exercise and fun. Now maybe you have the same feeling when you go underwater - you feel like you're floating in air. My favourite things to do in the pool is:

1. marco polo
2. dad throwing me 
3. water pistol fight 
4. me giving  JB a piggyback. 

I'm not very good at swimming but I still enjoy it. I have swimming lessons at 5.30 and it ends at 7.00 so I'm pretty tired after swimming.

Mental notes

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer"

My poor friends are so used to this time of year - and are so patient with me as it approaches. Its been a busy year (working part-time, completing Gold Coast marathon, renovating the house - nearly forgot about that! and having been touched by a few tragic stories) and as the weather improves and the holidays approach my poor great friends hear my lament:

Me:"That's it - there has got to be an easier way to make money. I wish I had a job I loved! I don't think I'm fulfilling any of my roles to my satisfaction - none of my balls are in the air any more, they are all on the floor somewhere being chased by the cats".

Girls:" You are right - life is too short - quit your job and work out what makes you happy."

Me: "Excellent idea" I quit (again).......

Then March comes around, kids are back at school, school fees loom large, I want to go on holidays to Africa (or Fiji, Noosa or New Zealand etc etc) and I am at a loss what to do with myself:

Me:" Girls, guess what? I've got a new fantastic job - it pays well, I only have to work a couple of days / week and I don't have to work school holidays. Isn't it fantastic!"

Girls:" Mmmm do you love it?"

Me:" Well it pays well and they promise I won't have to work more than I want to...."

Girls: "We've heard that before"

Me:"I know, I know. This time it will be different."

Then October comes around, I've worked every school holidays and am now sometimes working nights and weekends.....and the girls are still my friends and I can't imagine how they put up with this annual ridiculous saga that is my life.

How does anyone find the balance? Is it all a feminist myth?

Promise my next story will be about books....

Another mothering joy

One of the joys of motherhood is the unpredictability of things. 

Just when you have a glorious day planned (and I am a planner) - or just a day of work (which is where I should be today) - along comes something to change your plans completely! And today we have....nits! Excellent - just spent 2 hours de-lousing child who is now in a trance watching 'Valiant' while I get to vacuum and wash all the linen.  

Hubby is reading chapters of Harry Potter to both boys every night (delightful for me!) in said child's bed - so I guess I need to de-louse everyone. SB has already read all the Harry Potters but they both look forward to their Harry Potter time with Daddy. I'm apparently not allowed to read instead of Daddy because he doesn't want to miss out - but I think its just because he reads with such great voices and they love their Daddy time.

He has actually read to the boys each night (other than the occasional night off when wining or dining!) since they were born - and is very happy that they are now in chapter books!! I wonder if this is why they both love to read or do you think kids are just born liking books? 

Actually I need to find some new books for SB (9 years old) who devours books and has finished all the ones I bought recently - time to scour the bookshops and see what's around (but not today....).

Can you believe its nearly Christmas - and no, I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet!! Have absolutely no idea what to buy the 'children who have everything' - hopefully Santa has some good ideas.... How outrageous that the Christmas decorations were in store in October this year - is it just me or are the years going quicker (yes, I know its a sign of getting older - terrific).

(Why does my scalp feel itchy??).

I now have to go and watch TMNT video (yes I know he should be outside playing or we should be doing craft together - but yes I am a bad mother) as JB does not like to do anything without an audience - luckily my little boy makes me laugh a lot. (Honestly - once got home from work to find babysitter sitting on the edge of the bath reading to JB while he did a poo - what will he be like when he's older????)

Recent reads

These books were all lent to me to read by my dear friend Jodi - she and I share very similar reading tastes so I always love getting new recommendations from her.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin: Still in the process of reading this, but its very quirky and almost an old-fashioned book set in San Francisco in the 1970s. Yet to decide if I love it..

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler: This novel tells the story of a year in the life of Liam Pennywell, a man in his sixty-first year. Noah's Compass is about memory and tis loss, about incidents and relationships which open up sight lines into a painful past long dead for a man who becomes aware that merely trying to stay afloat may not be enough. Nice easy read but couldn't relate to any of the characters and found Liam's apathy to life a bit depressing- probably won't recommend it to any of my friends.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga: I've read so many great books lately that were set in India (Q&A, The Usual Suspects come to mind instantly) that I wasn't really in the mood for another one. The White Tiger is very funny, very sad and very cleverly written - its reading books like this that make me realise I could never be a writer! ITs hard to describe what this book is about - but I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Beautiful, sad, fascinating ,sad, stunning. Purple Hibiscus is about fifteen-year-old Kambili who lives in fear of her father based in Nigeria at the time of a military coup. Although I loved the book, her father was such an unlikeable character that any time he was mentioned in the book I felt fear in the pit of my stomach for Kambili - its horrifying to try and comprehend that anyone could do these thing to children (even if it is only in a book).

Thanks for those Jodi - looking forward to reading 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog" next.

In future blogs I will write about some of my past favourite books - the ones I would recommend without hesitation - there are SO many.....

Reading physics

Hi - this is SB aged 9  - lover of books, DSi and swimming. I'll add my posts too to this blog - mainly about books I've read and the games I love and why. Firstly books...

J.K ROWLING.

 Harry potter: 

Enthusiastic stories of laughter and action. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:A story of wonder and magic is enjoyable especially this one full of funny things and lots of action scenes.

Richard  Newsome

THE BILLIONAIRE'S CURSE

Blurb:Gerald has just become the richest thirteen-year-old on the planet. The world's most valuable diamond has been stolen, and it seems there has been a murder. Now Gerald's life is in danger.

I'll recommend this book for people who love detectives and action. Oh! and I may want to tell you that it was only released in 2009.A great story about people who you would love to be. So parents if your son/daughter needs a book then buy this book.

BILL WATTERSON

The indispensable CALVIN AND HOBBES!

Parents if you think one of your kids is naughty then get a load of calvin then compare them and see if your kid is bad or not. now kids if you want to crack up laughing then plead your parents to buy it.Calvin is a naughty hilarious and imaginative kid while Hobbes [calvins stuffed tiger who calvin brings to life] is well mannered and smart but cheeky and annoying and he lies a lot.

 

JB's reading challenge

JB (aged 7) has decided to read ALL his I can read it by myself Books - listed below are the books he has read this week and what he thinks (as dictated by JB himself).
 

• Go, Dog. Go! By PD Eastman: it was fun
  
• The Bear Detectives By S & J Berenstain: It was funny when Papa Bear wrestled the scarecrow
  
• Put me in the Zoo By R Lopshire: My favourite page is ‘I put them high up in the air. My spots fly here. My spots fly there. It was fun.
  
• Book of Riddles By Bennet Cerf: My favourite riddle is ‘what kind of animal can jump higher than a house?’ ‘All kinds of animals, houses can’t jump!’
  
• The Bears Holiday By S & J Berenstain: I liked it when Papa bear thought a whale’s mouth was a dark cave!
  
• A Fish out of Water By Helen Palmer: I liked it when the fish grew ‘so humungous’.
  

That’s all the stories I have read so far.....

One More Chapter

Today is the start of another new chapter. My life is made up of many chapters (some not very exciting or interesting and others I think could make their own book). I’m setting up this blog to write about the people, the books and the adventures that are making up the chapters in my life.

The little boys in my life get read to every night - and invariably each night the reading ends with “Just one more chapter please”. So  - I will try and write about the books we love, the books we are reading and the books that have made an impression. The boys SB and JB are also keen to write their own book reviews, so we will also endeavour to write these too.