The conclusion to The Andromeda Strain was kinda laughable. I mean, how could one take that whole thumb bit seriously? And how is it that in the middle of an epic biological warfare crisis, Benjamin Bratt and his lady friend find the time to run on the stairmaster and then pause for smooching? Anyone else watch?
Remember when I mentioned gardening over the weekend? Well, my thighs were killing me last night! I go the gym 2-3 times a week, but I never do squats because I HATE THEM. So now I am in pain. What a pansy!
What I've been reading:
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village (2007), by Laura Amy Schlitz. The '07 Newbery winner, by the author of the very charming A Drowned Maiden's Hair (reviewed here). Schlitz originally wrote these monologues to be performed by middle school students studying the Medieval Period (She is a librarian at the Park School in Baltimore). For the book she added notes and short background essays on life in the Middle Ages. This book brought history alive so beautifully and made me wish I was teaching just so I could use it in the classroom.
The Little White Horse (originally published 1946), by Elizabeth Goudge. Billed as one of J.K. Rowling's favorite childhood reads, recently recced by![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
valancy_s, and soon to be a movie starring Ioan Gruffud and Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra in The Golden Compass). I thought I'd read this several years ago, but must have set it aside after a few chapters because of the twee. I was much more in the mood for it this time around. When her father dies, Maria Merryweather is sent to live with her uncle at the beautiful Moonacre Manor. She quickly falls in love with the Manor and all its inhabitants, both human and animal. But if she wants to live there happily ever after she must confront those who threaten Moonacre and do her part to resolve an ancient conflict. The story is full of magic and goodness and comfort -- even the scary bad guys can be trusted to keep their word!
On the Ruin of Britain, by Gildas, translated by J. A. Giles. This 6th century monk's rant about the downfall of Christian Britain is the earliest document mentioning the Saxon defeat at Badon Hill (a battle in which the British forces may have been led by a King Arthur sort of person). It's supposed to be a history, but Gildas spends most of his time lambasting the great number of people who are "daily rushing headlong down to hell." Kind of a funny read.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (2004, 2nd ed.), by Renni Browne and Dave King. I bought this book after a few agents recced it, but never sat down to read it cover to cover until a few days ago. Wow. It's fascinating to read and bursting with great advice for writers in the revising stage. (I would advise you not to read it before you start a project -- you might be overwhelmed.) I really think it would be worth my while to create a rubric or checklist from it -- perhaps I'll share some snippets in the near future.
Madapple (2008), by Christina Meldrum. The buzz on this book totally sucked me in (Vanity Fair raves about a YA novel!), and I mostly enjoyed it. It's a hard one to summarize, though. Aslaug lives an isolated life with her mother -- she is well-educated and knows how to live off the land, but barely knows how to interact with other people. When her mother dies, Aslaug runs away from suspicious policemen and social workers to find her evangelist aunt and cousins living in a nearby town. Aslaug is soon captivated by her aunt's religious fervor and her cousin Rune's quiet intensity. Then something happens to Aslaug, and she doesn't know if it's a miracle or a crime. The first half of the book seemed to move very slowly, but then the pace picked up so much that it was over quite quickly and I was left wishing for a more detailed resolution.
Remember when I mentioned gardening over the weekend? Well, my thighs were killing me last night! I go the gym 2-3 times a week, but I never do squats because I HATE THEM. So now I am in pain. What a pansy!
What I've been reading:
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village (2007), by Laura Amy Schlitz. The '07 Newbery winner, by the author of the very charming A Drowned Maiden's Hair (reviewed here). Schlitz originally wrote these monologues to be performed by middle school students studying the Medieval Period (She is a librarian at the Park School in Baltimore). For the book she added notes and short background essays on life in the Middle Ages. This book brought history alive so beautifully and made me wish I was teaching just so I could use it in the classroom.
The Little White Horse (originally published 1946), by Elizabeth Goudge. Billed as one of J.K. Rowling's favorite childhood reads, recently recced by
valancy_s, and soon to be a movie starring Ioan Gruffud and Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra in The Golden Compass). I thought I'd read this several years ago, but must have set it aside after a few chapters because of the twee. I was much more in the mood for it this time around. When her father dies, Maria Merryweather is sent to live with her uncle at the beautiful Moonacre Manor. She quickly falls in love with the Manor and all its inhabitants, both human and animal. But if she wants to live there happily ever after she must confront those who threaten Moonacre and do her part to resolve an ancient conflict. The story is full of magic and goodness and comfort -- even the scary bad guys can be trusted to keep their word! On the Ruin of Britain, by Gildas, translated by J. A. Giles. This 6th century monk's rant about the downfall of Christian Britain is the earliest document mentioning the Saxon defeat at Badon Hill (a battle in which the British forces may have been led by a King Arthur sort of person). It's supposed to be a history, but Gildas spends most of his time lambasting the great number of people who are "daily rushing headlong down to hell." Kind of a funny read.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers (2004, 2nd ed.), by Renni Browne and Dave King. I bought this book after a few agents recced it, but never sat down to read it cover to cover until a few days ago. Wow. It's fascinating to read and bursting with great advice for writers in the revising stage. (I would advise you not to read it before you start a project -- you might be overwhelmed.) I really think it would be worth my while to create a rubric or checklist from it -- perhaps I'll share some snippets in the near future.
Madapple (2008), by Christina Meldrum. The buzz on this book totally sucked me in (Vanity Fair raves about a YA novel!), and I mostly enjoyed it. It's a hard one to summarize, though. Aslaug lives an isolated life with her mother -- she is well-educated and knows how to live off the land, but barely knows how to interact with other people. When her mother dies, Aslaug runs away from suspicious policemen and social workers to find her evangelist aunt and cousins living in a nearby town. Aslaug is soon captivated by her aunt's religious fervor and her cousin Rune's quiet intensity. Then something happens to Aslaug, and she doesn't know if it's a miracle or a crime. The first half of the book seemed to move very slowly, but then the pace picked up so much that it was over quite quickly and I was left wishing for a more detailed resolution.
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