Mommy Brain

Egermeier’s Bible Story Book: A Complete Narration from Genesis to Revelation for Young and Old by Elsie E. Egermeier
Favorite Poems Old and New selected by Helen Ferris
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Christmas Around the World by Mary D. Lankford
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Seventh Garfield Treasury by Jim Davis

The Adventure Bible for Young Readers
The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket
The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket
The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket
I Hate Rules: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo #5 by Nancy Krulik
Girls Don’t Have Cooties: Katie Kazoo, Switcheroo #4 by Nancy Krulik

First off, the author’s name. Could she have been anything else? She had to be a writer, right? Just saying.

I said a few days ago that I didn’t expect to finish any more books before the end of the year. That was before I opened this gem on Christmas morning. This book should be read by anyone who loves to read and wants to write. Can you want to write without loving to read? Hmmmmm….. I don’t see how.

Ms. Prose showed me how to read, how I should be reading in order to be a writer. And this book is so lovely, it made me feel like a better writer just having read it! Each chapter examines a different aspect of writing, from the minute detail like word choice, to broader topics like dialogue and character. Along the way, the author quotes passages from the great writers and shows why the choices they made have created classics. (As a result, there are a few new authors added to my to-read list.) As I read this book, Ms. Prose’s love for reading and the craft of writing fills every page, and made my fingers itch to start writing something truly beautiful.

Here are a few favorite passages:

“Part of a reader’s job is to find out why certain writers endure. This may require some rewiring, unhooking the connection that makes you think you have to have an opinion about the book and reconnecting that wire to whatever terminal lets you see reading as something that might move or delight you. You will do yourself a disservice if you confine your reading to the rising star whose six-figure, two-book contract might seem to indicate where your own work should be heading. I’m not saying you shouldn’t read such writers, some of whom are excellent and deserving of celebrity. I’m only pointing out that they represent the dot at the end of the long, glorious, complex sentence in which literature has been written.

With so much reading ahead of you, the temptation might be to speed up. But in fact it’s essential to slow down and read every word. Because one important thing that can be learned by reading slowly is the seemingly obvious underappreciated fact that language is the medium we use in much the same way a composer uses notes, the way a painter uses paint. I realize it may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how easily we lose sight of the fact that words are the raw material out of which literature is crafted.

Every page was once a blank page, just as every word that appears on it now was not always there, but instead reflects the final result of countless large and small deliberations. All the elements of good writing depend on the writer’s skill in choosing one word instead of another. And what grabs and keeps our interest has everything to do with those choices.” p. 15-16

“The well-made sentence transcends time and genre. A beautiful sentence is a beautiful sentence, regardless of when it was written, or whether it appears in a play or a magazine article.” p. 36

“When we humans speak, we are not merely communicating information but attempting to make an impression and achieve a goal. And sometimes we are hoping to prevent the listener from noticing what we are not saying, which is often not merely distracting but, we fear, as audible as what we are saying. As a result, dialogue usually contains as much or even more subtext than it does text. More is going on under the surface than on it. One mark of bad written dialogue is that it is only doing one thing, at most, at once.” p. 144

“Reading Chekhov, I felt not happy, exactly, but as close to happiness as I knew I was likely to come. And it occurred to me that this was the pleasure and mystery of reading, as well as the answer to those who say that books will disappear. For now, books are still the best way of taking great art and its consolations along with us on a bus.” p. 235

“When we think about how many terrifying things people are called on to do every day as they fight fires, defend their rights, perform brain surgery, give birth, drive on the freeway, and wash skycraper windows, it seems frivolous, self-indulgent, and self-important to talk about writing as an act that requires courage. What could be safer than sitting at your desk, lightly tapping a few keys, pushing your chair back, and pausing to see what marvelous tidbits of art your brain has brought forth to amuse you?

And yet most people who have tried to write have experienced not only the need for bravery but a failure of nerve as the real or imagined consequences, faults and humiliations, exposures and inadequacies dance before their eyes and across the empty screen or page. The fear of writing badly, of revealing something you would rather keep hidden, of losing the good opinion of the world, of violating your own high standards, or of discovering something about yourself that you would just as soon not know - those are just a few of the phantoms scary enough to make the writer wonder if there might be a job available washing skyscraper windows.

All of which brings up yet another reason to read. Literature is an endless source of courage and confirmation. The reader and beginning writer can count on being heartened by all the brave and original works that have been written without the slightest regard for how strange or risky they were, or for what the writer’s mother might have thought when she read them.” p. 249-250

Last week, I finished my Master To-Read List, complete with Amazon links and everything - but now it’s gone! Well, part of it is there - but only a fraction of it. So if you click on the link on the sidebar, that’s not the whole thing - I’m trying to figure out how to get it back. Or else I’ll have to do it all again. Sob.

Kevin and I are home right now - alone! He’s downstairs on his computer - I’m upstairs on mine. Pathetic, I know. But in our defense, we did just get back from dinner, and we are meeting in a short while in the living room to watch Lady in the Water.

We are enjoying this blissful date night thanks to my wonderful friend Michelle and her equally wonderful husband Don, who invited all three of our boys to their house for a sleepover and Game Cube blowout. Natalie is staying with Grandmama and Papa, and voila!, we get dinner out, a movie to watch, and a morning to sleep in.

A few days ago when I listed my favorite Christmas presents, I neglected to mention the wonderful gift Michelle gave me - probably because she gave it to me a couple weeks ago, knowing that we were taking a few weeks off of school and I would have more reading time available. She gave me a first edition of Trinity by Leon Uris, one of my favoritest, favoritest books in the whole world! (You can read more about how much I love this book here - and here.) Plus, she also gave me a copy of Redemption, the sequel. I tell you, book-loving friends make the best gift-givers.

Well, I’m off to watch a movie with my hubby. I don’t know if I’ll post again before 2007, so Happy New Year, everyone!

Time for another reading challenge. For this challenge, winter means from now until the end of February - at least, for me.

To start with, I want to finish all of my current in progress books:

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose

Redemption by Leon Uris

Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour

The Collected Works of Emily Dickinson

Proverbs and Sayings of Ireland Edited by Sean Gaffney & Seamus Cashman

Bibliotopia: Mr. Gilbar’s Book of Books & Catch-all of Literary Facts And Curiosities Compiled by Steven Gilbar

I also want to read at least five more from the top portion of my Master To-Read List. The top portion includes books that I currently own and are waiting to be read.

Well, since we don’t have any servants to give the day off and to gift with our leftovers, I’ll be serving leftovers for dinner and giving myself the day off! I even had leftover cobbler for breakfast.

Our Christmas was wonderful, but today seems like a letdown since Kevin had to go back to work. He had Thursday and Friday off, so we had a long weekend and I really shouldn’t complain. On Saturday, Kevin took the kids sledding for a couple hours in the afternoon and later that evening we all went swimming at the local indoor pool. The kids slept really good that night!

On Christmas Eve, I cleaned house and made green bean casserole and raspberry cobbler while watching the heart-breaking Seahawks vs. Chargers game. That evening we went to a Christmas Eve service at a local church we’ve been visiting. The service was very nice - lots of beautiful music - but a little long. It was at least an hour and a half and didn’t start until 7 p.m., so by the time we looked at lights on the way home, we only had an hour or so to visit with our friends who came by for cookies and egg nog. All in all, though, it was a very nice Christmas Eve. And the service really focused on Who Christmas is about, and the kids didn’t get too crazy, so all was well.

Kevin and I stayed up much too late, though, watching season one of Battlestar Galactica. I dragged myself out of bed at 7:15, thinking I told my parents to come at 8:30. I took a quick shower, woke Kevin up who needed a shower and to wrap my presents (he’s even more of a procrastinator than I am!). I had just eaten a quick piece of toast and made sure the kids were dressed when my parents arrived - at 8:00! I had told them 8, but told myself 8:30. Oops!

Opening presents is so much fun - especially when the kids have carefully picked out gifts for each other. They were (almost) more excited to see everyone open the gifts from them than they were to see their own gifts. Almost.

We gave and received some really nice things. Among the greatest hits were this for Kevin:

This for Natalie:

This for Noah (the 100-piece kit, I couldn’t fine a link to it):

For Jonathan:

For Josiah:

I can’t pick a favorite, so here’s what I received:

This is from my lovely sister Andrea, and I already started reading it:

From Kevin:

(That way I can stop borrowing his every time I have to drive down to Chewelah for Nan’s ballet class.)

And I used my last Club Mom check and a Barnes & Noble card earned with the last of my monthly Club Mom points to purchase seasons 3 and 4 of this:

Nothing like buying yourself a Christmas gift! So what was your favorite gift?

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light,
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.

The baking is finished, the presents are wrapped. I am mostly ready, and that is a good feeling. Tomorrow will be spent doing some housecleaning and just being lazy. Probably reading and watching some Monarch of the Glen.

Sunday, I will be making some of Christmas dinner ahead of time - the green bean casserole, the cobbler - while I watch the Seahawks game. Those long commercial and half-time breaks are great for getting things done! I will also do last minute straightening up. At 7 p.m. we will attend a Christmas Eve service and then come home with some friends for goodies and egg nog.

Christmas morning, my parents will arrive early in order to keep the kids from spontaneously combusting from impatience to open their presents. I am fixing Christmas dinner, so my day will be busy, but it will be fun. I probably won’t be posting again until after Christmas.

Here are a few links for those few of you who are still with me during this busy, blessed time of year:

~You’ve probably already heard, but J. K. Rowling announced the title for Harry Potter 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now if she would just give us a release date!

~If you need some mindless fun in the midst of all the holiday preparations, try this game. But keep in mind, it’s addicting! My husband sent me this link from work, and I had to keep playing until I beat his score. Just had to.

~Lastly, here is a beautiful article by Luci Shaw about Mary and her experiences as the mother of Jesus: Yes to Shame and Glory.

I hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

This was the first time that I had planned my reading out for the year ahead. I found out that my list was much too ambitious to allow for all the books I would pick up that weren’t on the list. Instead of doing the same thing for 2007, I have compiled a Master To-Read List that I will choose from (I’ll be posting it soon), but with no time limits attached. That allows for all the new releases and loans from friends, etc., that will come up along the way. Here’s what I did accomplish this year:

Reading from my planned list for the year:

Cooks Overboard by Joanne Spence - 2-and-a-half stars

1776 by David McCullough - 3 stars - my thoughts

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott - 4 stars -
favorite passages

Homestead by Rosina Lippi - 5 stars - favorite passages

The Fulness of Times by Ron Rennick - 3 and a half stars

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids On 25 Words Or Less by Terry Ryan - 4 stars - my thoughts

Imagined London: A Tour of the World’s Greatest Fictional City by Anna Quindlen - 3 stars

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion - 3 stars - my thoughts

Club Sandwich by Lisa Samson - 4 stars

Light From Heaven by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (audiobook) - 4 stars

Jack’s Life: A Memory of C. S. Lewis by Douglas H. Gresham - 4 stars - favorite passages

S is for Silence by Sue Grafton - 5 stars

Good Grief by Lolly Winston - 4 stars - my thoughts

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman’s Soul by John and Stasi Eldredge - 2 and a half stars - my thoughts

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - 3 and a half stars

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell & Dustin Thomason - 3 stars

The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs - 4 stars - my thoughts and some favorite passages

The Novelist by Angela Hunt - 4 stars

Atonement by Ian McEwan - 2 and a half stars

Fresh Brewed Life by Nicole Johnson (re-read) - 5 stars - my (many) thoughts

The Falls by Joyce Carol Oates - 2 stars

Obsessed by Ted Dekker - 3 stars

Last Light by Terri Blackstock - 3 and a half stars

Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancey - 4 stars - favorite passages and my thoughts

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz - 3 stars

Soul Survivor: How My Faith Survived the Church by Philip Yancey - 5 stars - some of my favorite passages

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 5 stars

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh - 3 and a half stars - favorite passage

Trinity by Leon Uris - 4 and a half stars - thoughts and a favorite passage

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien - 4 stars - my thoughts

Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading: Finding and Losing Myself In Books by Maureen Corrigan - 2 and a half stars - my thoughts

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby - 3 and a half stars

Levi’s Will by W. Dale Cramer (audiobook) - 4 stars

Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead - 3 stars

The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart - 4 stars - my thoughts

A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L’Engle - 4 stars - my thoughts and favorite passages

Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton - 3 stars - my thoughts, favorite passages

The Ha-Ha by Dave King - 2 and a half stars

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - 4 stars - favorite passages

A Year With C. S. Lewis: Daily Readings From His Classic Works - 5 stars

“Off-the-List” Reading:

Everything and a Kite by Ray Romano (audiobook) - 3 stars

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher (audiobook) - 4 stars

The Unschooling Handbook: How to Use the Whole World As Your Child’s Classroom by Mary Griffith - 4 stars

A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson - 2 and a half stars

A Light in the Window by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

A Common Life by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

The Way of the Wilderking by Jonathan Rogers - 3 and a half stars

These High Green Hills by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling - 4 stars

Out to Canaan by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

A New Song by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 4 and a half stars

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling - 4 and a half stars

In This Mountain by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 5 stars

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling - 5 stars

Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon (audiobook) - 4 stars

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling - 4 stars

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling - 4 stars

Night Light by Terri Blackstock - 3 stars

Monster by Frank Peretti (audiobook) - 3 and a half stars

The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler (audiobook) - 4 stars

Letters to Children by C. S. Lewis - 4 stars

Pirates by Celia Rees (audiobook) - 4 and a half stars - review

Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen (audiobook) - 4 stars

Persuasion by Jane Austen - 5 stars - favorite passage

Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott (audiobook) - 3 stars

Sisterchicks Say Ooh La La! by Robin Jones Gunn (audiobook) - 3 and a half stars

Looking for God in Harry Potter by John Granger - 4 stars - review

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - 5 stars

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen - 4 stars - my thoughts

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - 5 stars - review

Sisterchicks Down Under by Robin Jones Gunn (audiobook) - 3 and a half stars

Angels in the Snow: A Novella by Melody Carlson - 3 and a half stars

No Room at the Inn: A Novella by Melody Carlson - 3 and a half stars

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose - 5 stars - my thoughts

Reviewed for Active Christian Media:

Living Under God by Toby Mac & Michael Tait - 3 stars - review

Connecting With Your Kids by Timothy Smith - 3 and a half stars - review

The Witness by Dee Henderson - 4 stars - review

Credo: Believing in Something to Die For by Ray Pritchard - 4 stars - review

Global Deception: The UN’s Stealth Assault on America’s Freedom by Joseph A. Klein - 3 stars - review

The Bark of the Bog Owl (The Wilderking Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Rogers - 4 and a half stars - review

The Secret of the Swamp King (The Wilderking Trilogy, Book 2) by Jonathan Rogers - 4 stars - review

Presumed Guilty by James Scott Bell - 4 stars - review

Divine by Karen Kingsbury - 4 stars - review

He Talk Like a White Boy by Joseph C. Phillips - 4 stars - review

Before I Wake by Dee Henderson - 3 and a half stars - review

Reviewed for the author:

Magdalene by Angela Elwell Hunt - 4 stars - review

Confessions of Super Mom by Melanie Lynne Hauser - 3 and a half stars - review

Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? by Phillip Yancey - 4 and a half stars - review

Straight Up by Lisa Samson - 5 stars - review

Books I read aloud to the kids:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling - 4 and a half stars

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis - 3 and a half stars

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle - 3 and a half stars

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo - 4 stars

Books on my list that I’m currently reading and will finish after New Year’s:

Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L’Amour

The Collected Works of Emily Dickinson

Books on my list that I didn’t get to:

The March by E. L. Doctorow

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

A Widow’s Walk: A Memoir of 9/11 by Marian Fontana

Fourth Dawn by Bodie & Brock Thoene

Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult

More Than Words: Contemporary Writers on the Works That Shaped Them by James C. Schapp & Philip Yancey, editors

The Last Disciple by Sigmund Brouwer & Hank Hanegraaff

The Last Sacrifice by Sigmund Brouwer & Hank Hanegraaff

The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. White

God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It by Jim Wallis

Rise to Rebellion: A Novel of the American Revolution by Jeffrey Shaara

The Glorious Cause: A Novel of the American Revolution by Jeffrey Shaara

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman

To America: Personal Reflections of an Historian by Stephen Ambrose (picked it up at Barnes & Noble)

Rating system:

1 star - Hated It!
2 stars - Didn’t Like It
3 stars - Liked It
4 stars - Really Liked It
5 stars - Loved It!

I did this meme last year, and thought it would be interesting to do it again now that another year has gone by.

What did you do in 2006 that you’ve never done before?
I took my kids to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?
No. Don’t get me started!

Did anyone close to you give birth?
Not this year.

Did anyone close to you die?
No.

What countries did you visit?
Only Canada.

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
Self-control.

What date from 2006 will remain etched in your memory and why?
June 15th, the day we drove to my sister’s in Silverdale. It was quite an adventure - and not in a good way.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Sticking to our homeschooling schedule. Giving up coffee.

What was your biggest failure?
My weight loss efforts.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
A pretty nasty allergic reaction to an antibiotic that brought on some adrenaline problems and panic attacks. They are (mostly) gone, though.

What was the best thing you bought?
Saxon Math. I am SO glad we switched.

Where did most of your money go?
Bills, car repairs. My Club Mom money mostly went for books.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Kevin’s promotion.

What scripture is a theme of 2006?
I’ll stick to the same one from last year.

2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV)
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

Compared to this time last year are you:

a. Happier or sadder?
Hmmm. This is a difficult question. We left our church of nine years and that resulted in drifting apart from a close friend. I’m feeling a little unsure of what God has for me right now for my music ministry and writing. So as far as those things go, I guess I could say sadder. But on the other hand, I’ve been blessed with a new friend who is like a sister-by-heart; I really believe that one of the reasons God had her family move here from Bellingham was for me and my sons. I’m feeling optimistic about the church we visited on Sunday. Financially, we’re in a better place than we’ve been in years. The kids are all healthy, and so are Kevin and I. So in those ways, I am truly blessed, and, therefore, happier. And, really, my happiness shouldn’t depend on any of those things, right? Realistically it does, but I’m trying to not be as swayed by my circumstances.

b. Thinner or fatter?
About the same, unfortunately.

c. Richer or poorer?
Richer - less debt and a little more income.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing - other than blogging.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying.

How did you spend Christmas?
We haven’t spent it yet. On Christmas Eve, we will attend a Christmas Eve service and then share Christmas cookies and egg nog with good friends. On Christmas Day, my parents are coming over early to have the tree and I will be fixing Christmas dinner. It will be quiet, since all of my sisters will be spending Christmas with their husbands’ families.

Did you fall in love in 2006?
Well, I did watch Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth for the first time!

What was your favorite TV show?
House, Heroes, and Monarch of the Glen on DVD.

What was the best book you read?
Persuasion, The Thirteenth Tale, and I re-read all the Mitford books. I know, that’s more than one, but believe me, I could’ve listed a lot more.

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2006?
Chris Rice

What did you want and get?
To go visit my sister.

What did you want and not get?
Can’t think of anything.

What was your favorite film this year?
The Prestige was really good. I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head.

What did you do on your birthday?
Went out to dinner with my family and my parents.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding a new church.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
I don’t have a “personal fashion concept”. I wear what’s clean and what’s comfortable, and occasionally dress up for church. (Same answer as last year.)

What kept you sane?
Reading.

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Alastair MacKenzie

What political issue stirred you the most?
I tried to ignore politics this year.

Who did you miss?
Andrea, Debra, and Marni - my sisters.

Who was the best new person you met?
Michelle

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
That all Christians are the Body of Christ, no matter what denomination or local church you attend.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Can’t think of one, but I’ll come back and update if I do.

Let me know if you decide to do this meme on your site.