This Book Makes Me Happy

This year I hope
I truly learn
to fly-kick
not to kick anyone
so much as
to fly.

I’m writing this post mid grammar fair. One of my students just gave everyone a kid-size bag of pretzels after she taught us about how to use apostrophes in joint vs. individual possession.  I couldn’t help myself—two times I said, “these pretzels are making me thirsty.”  One precocious student’s eyes lit up; he parroted it back in his best George Costanza.  Seinfeld has that effect on people.  I love stuff that has a long-lasting effect on me.

I won’t soon forget the book I just finished reading to the boys: Inside Out and Back Again.  Luke and Jonah enjoyed it; I loved it.  They knew nothing about the fall of a place named Saigon.  Nor could they understand a 10-year-old girl’s plight of leaving home with only one personal item for a place as foreign as the moon: Alabama. This beautiful novel-in-verse naturally inspires empathy for refugees.  Remarkably, it doesn’t come off feeling heavy as much as heart-warming. And it will leave you thinking about Kim Ha and her family for some time.

Posted by Tracy

Weekly Wrap-Up

I think books are like people, in the sense that they'll turn up in your life when you most need them.—Emma Thompson

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

Emma Thompson. One of my favorite imaginary BFFs. Audible has just released a reading by her of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw and I can't download it fast enough. Who knows, maybe the lovely Ms. Thompson can even convince Tracy to give listening a try.

We're swooning over this online book/shop. We were sold the minute we saw one of our all-time favorite reading quotes in print.  Our books are begging to be slipped into this for safe keeping. All we have to say about this is "Hear, hear!"

Wanna get your chef on? Check out this year's award-winning cookbooks.

If you love food and flowers (who doesn't) you'll love this blog. It will make you want to move to a little cabin in the Northern California woods. Cheer up your Insta feed by following her here. And brighten your recipe bookshelf with her delightful cookbook. (She's got one for kiddos too.) I have no idea how practical or good her recipes are, I tend to buy cookbooks for the eye candy and the eternal hope that someday I'll turn into a domestic goddess.

Want to read 54 books a year? According to Time, you'll need to read an hour a day. For some of us, that may feel like a pipe dream right now. In case you missed it, check out our post on finding time to read when there's no time to read.

Posted by Rachel

June's Book Club Selection

You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.  —Madeleine L'Engle

731. That's the number of pages in the book we originally planned for June's book club selection. Fresh off the pity train, that's just too steep a mountain to climb. Ain't nobody got time for that...around here, anyway. Sorry history, and Alexander Hamilton, you'll have to wait. We're going with a brand new book instead—hot off the literary presses as of May 3rd. How's that for on top of our game? We were sold the minute we read this review from the New York Times: "Wrenching and true...comparisons to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story—one full of grace and stark, brutal beauty."

So Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk it is! Don't let the fact that it's a novel for ages 10 and up scare you off—it's receiving stunning reviews from the young and old alike. Here's hoping we all love it as much as Cam and Phil love the latest Silverton novel.

Posted by Rachel

The Pity Train has Derailed at the Corner of Suck it Up and Get to Work

Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live.

Rachel and I had a small pity party last week: heavy on the pity, light on the party.  And while it’s not like us to brood, we did a pretty good job of it.  This probably won’t come as a shock to you if you’re reading this lone post since last week—time is bullying us and clearly winning. No one likes a bully, least of all these two spent girls. We may or may not have imagined that more than half way through our lives we’d be writing in a cottage after a carefree morning helping sun-kissed grand littles build sandcastles at the beach. Or at the very least we’d be touring bookstores in London “for the blog.” Well, we have yet to write with the soothing sounds of ocean in our ears. Big Ben’s chime is barely a memory.

It’s a good thing we’re eternally hopeful.  It’s a good thing we’ve both read Anna Quindlen’s A Short Guide to a Happy Life. Quindlen doesn’t profess to be an expert in discussing the happy life, but her perspective underscores her qualifications.  Her advice is as sage as it is sound: “Get a life in which you are not alone. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger paycheck, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?  Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Each time you look at your diploma, remember that you are still a student, still learning how to best treasure your connection to others. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. Kiss your Mom. Hug your Dad. Get a life in which you are generous.”  Thank you Anna.  I needed that reminder post pity party.  

So the next time you’re feelin down or need a possibility check (far better than the reality kind), pick up this little treasure that began as a Villanova commencement address. It will only take 15 minutes of your time to feel better and aright.  If you put a high a premium on perspective, you’ll go back to this one over and over again.

Posted by Tracy

A Bouquet of Books

A book is a gift you can open again and again. —Garrison Keillor

My friend Ramona with her Bouquet of Books for Mother's Day.

I got a Swiffer for Mother’s day.  A Swiffer, I said!  Who thinks my daughter (who does not read this blog) was sending me a message? A horrible, terrible, no good, very bad message. I did order myself two new books that she wrapped up and placed neatly next to the household cleaning product that will “revolutionize the way I clean.” Books and a pair of Frye sneakers rescued me from I-Got-Cleaning-Productitis for Mother’s Day. I can’t say enough about the redeeming power of good reads.

While I try never to play the envy game, I have a good friend who gives his lovely and bright wife Ramona a bouquet of books for Mother’s Day—oh, what I wouldn’t give for an awesome spray o’ paperbacks! Not just any paperbacks either, one homerun after another. He delivered big time this year with the following arrangement: Wonder, A Man Called Ove, The Invention of Wings, The Pearl that Broke Its Shell and one I’d never heard of, Ready Player One. I cannot applaud the man loudly enough.  So the next time you’re stumped about what to give your mother, sister, bestie, or brother with a passion for publications, go for a posy of paperbacks.  They’re bound to bring you bunches of praise.  Can I get a hear, hear?

Posted by Tracy

Weekly Wrap-Up

At that moment we knew that as long as we used our brains, we were not victims. By striking out to write our own ticket, we would grow up to be like our mother, winners. —Terry Ryan

WHAT WE LOVE THIS WEEK

Moms. Seriously, we're big fans...of our own mothers and being moms ourselves. If we were the pulled-together bloggers we've never professed to be, we'd have posted fabulous gift ideas a week or two ago in honor of tomorrow's love your mama day. Sigh. Can't blame this one on the intern either; he dutifully sent helpful links weeks ago. For those of you as time-challenged as we are, here are a few last minute gift ideas from the list our mighty intern scrounged up for us: Who wouldn't love one of these darling bookmarks from Anthropologie? Or these coasters? Cement your status as favorite by giving your mom a first edition of Pride and Prejudice. Best. Gift. Ever.

We're loving Goodread's list of favorite book moms and their words of wisdom. Did your favorite fictional mom make the cut? We'd add Charlie Kate and Sophia from Charms for the Easy Life.  I'm sure there are others we'd add that I'll think of immediately after posting this...

Two memoirs we love with beautiful tributes to their moms are All Over but the Shoutin' (see Tracy's review here) and The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.

Want to instantly feel better either about your mom or your own mothering skills? Read one of these: The Glass Castle, The Help, or Tender at the Bone.

Posted by Rachel

Despicable Genius

It’s 6:30 a.m. Not my favorite hour. I’m in the Cemetery Gym (yes, it’s called that)—time for Luke’s workout.  My son’s strength trainer is a despicable genius. There aren’t really words to describe the man. Let’s just say he was in beast mode when Marshawn Lynch was in diapers. But the man has his moments…I’ll give him that.  He just told one young patron, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.”  Amen Leighton, amen. For a gym junkie who rejected Harvard, he can be strangely insightful at times.  

So, to mix it up a little, I thought I’d ask some muscleheads with minds to share their favorite reads.  Leighton was unequivocal about his pick: Who Moved my Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson.  He said everyone should read this book.  It makes you think and it’s highly instructive.  The book aims to help people deal with change. Sounds like it has universal appeal to me.  One reviewer said this of Leighton’s fave: “the lessons it teaches can benefit literally anyone, young or old, rich or poor, looking for less stress and more success in every aspect of work and life.”  Time for me to figure out who moved the cheese.  

Provo’s finest and funniest, police officer Tyler Nisonger, weighed in on his favorite read in between breathy reps. The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey was his clear winner. The book focuses on how trust is an essential ingredient for any high-performance, successful organization. This will likely appeal to entrepreneurs and business guys alike. I won’t lie, I trust Covey. And I have to admit these picks might have been well worth the early morning hour and a few sincere yawns come high noon.

Posted by Tracy

Finding Joy in the Ordinary

"Ms. Silver and the great nation of China might think that this is the Year of the Rabbit," said Papa. "But I know—and I know everything—that this is the year of Billy Miller." 

I’m watching basketball when I should be blogging—Golden State has me under a hypnotic spell.  If I’m being honest, it’s the year of Steph Curry much more so than The Year of Billy Miller. The boys and I finished Kevin Henkes' 2014 Newberry Honor Book last night.  Billy was endearing, but I closed the cover somewhat surprised by the accolades bestowed on a book that felt fairly common.  Maybe that was the point? Maybe quiet common lives are something to behold nowadays. I know I’d stop and stare at vanilla right about now. 

Nothing extraordinary takes place in Henkes’ pages, but there is substance to his story.  It’s about a somewhat progressive family and the ordinary moments that can inspire a smile. Clearly, the Millers have carved a path leading to functionality and family love. When Billy read his poem to his mother, I was reminded of Oliver reciting his tribute to Bill Murray in St. Vincent.  The boys liked Billy Miller, so I liked Billy Miller. But, if I had my druthers, I’d choose a better Henkes’ selection...and there are lots of them.    

Posted by Tracy