2009
i don’t need the daytime
maura @ 10:11 pm
So I thought I’d write about TV, how disappointing it’s been recently which is making me grumpy. But then I realized that the end result of disappointing TV these days is that I’ve been reading more, so I thought I’d do a (some of) what we’re reading post.
Me:
The Cloud Atlas, by Liam Callanan
Someone recommended this to me ages ago, then I forgot about it. Recently I saw it mentioned again, just in time for a wave of intense fiction longing. So far (I’m about 1/3 of the way through) it’s a great story about WWII set in Alaska, with rice-paper bombs and personal intrigue and religious mystery. Ever since Smilla I’m a sucker for fantastical mysteries set in snowy locales. I’ve had it for a while but haven’t finished it yet because I had to pause when a new book I’d requested came into the library (which I assume I won’t be able to renew, unlike this book, which is older and thus less in demand).
Her Fearful Symmetry, by Audrey Niffenegger
This is the new book. I seem to be reading it fast (150 pages yesterday, I think), because I don’t expect that I’ll be able to renew it. Also I keep reading bad reviews of it and I guess I’m eager to get to the bad part. I’m about halfway and it’s decent so far. Not as good as Time Traveler’s Wife, but I think that some people only get to write one great book. TTW is definitely nothing to sneeze at — if I were Niffenegger, I’d be happy to sit on my vast piles of cash and paint (apparently she is an artist as well). Anyway, this one’s about identical twin sisters who are the daughters of an identical twin who was estranged from her identical twin who dies and leaves the daughters her flat in London. It’s also a mystery. She does write some nice, dreamy, descriptive prose, which I like.
Jonathan:
Predictably Irrational, by Dan Ariely
This book has a fetching blue and orange cover, and is an exploration of the variety of reasons that people don’t always behave rationally. Sometimes Jonathan will recount bits of it to me, like the part about the experiments in which people were given money and no money to perform tasks and they more willingly helped people out when no money was involved. Which, to me, proves that money is evil.
The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia, by Laura Miller
I remember reading about this when it came out but then it dropped off my radar. I don’t think that Jonathan’s started it yet; we will probably need to renew it if we’re both going to read it. I read the Narnia books multiple times both as a kid and a (now, agnostic) adult, and lately I’ve been thinking about when Gus will read them, so this book should be interesting.
Gus:
Dragon Slayers’ Academy, by Kate McMullan
Gus LOVES this book series, which is sort of a Harry Potter for the younger set with dragons instead of wizards. They’re pretty good, too, funny plots and reasonably complex language with a fair number of pictures interspersed throughout. Plus, they’ve taught him Pig Latin. He’s on book 14 (of 19) which for some reason the library only has ONE copy of, so we bought it and plan to donate it to the library when he’s finished.
Calvin & Hobbes (various), by Bill Watterson
Jonathan gave Gus his old C&H about a year ago, but now that Gus is older he’s really smack in the middle of the C&H demographic. So we got another 3 books from the most recent Scholastic flyer to come home from school. We did have a little bit of a splashing problem in the bath tonight when Godzilla destroyed Tokyo, but otherwise it’s been fun to watch Gus devour these, laughing all the way.
8 comments on “i don’t need the daytime”
Ha, so hilarious, you are right, the book I keep hearing about is “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell (rather than “The Cloud Atlas” by Liam Callanan which I am currently reading). Funny! Well, I will finish the one and order up the other, I suppose.
Gus is still really into these Dragon Slayers books, though we only have 5 left so I don’t know what we’ll do then. Also Franny K. Stein Mad Scientist, though in truth they are a little below his reading level (and there are only 7 of those, too). But he loves them. He’s getting pickier which is a pain — what’s Henry reading now? Maybe we will try Garfield, too.
Calvin & Hobbes are great but apparently not suitable for SSR (sustained silent reading) at school due to the non-silence part (i.e. uncontrollable giggling)! Also very bad for right-before-bed, same reason. We will probably see some very creative snowmen this winter, though.
Very big in 4th grade are Wimpy Kid books — new release tomorrow! He also went to the Spiderwick signing! Ben saw our local comic book guy there. Good time had by all. Pearls Before Swine also popular — his friend got put in the hall for reading it during math (in Montessori! harsh!).
Has anyone written a parody of the Magic Treehouse yet? I think I could do it in my sleep — I always thought the whirling & spinning would make Annie & Jack toss their cookies. Thank goodness those days are over but we still have all the books (+ research guides) so may have to revisit 2x (or maybe just 1x if they’re both into it at the same time).
I’ve also found that reading Goodnight Moon really calms *me* down at the end of the day! A. is getting tired of it, too bad! Things 1 & 2 love What Was I Scared Of? (thanks!!!) esp. the part where he pokes the pale green pants in the butt!
People keep sending me books to review for the blog. I have about a 10-inch stack. Some are so boring I could cry.
re: Narnia, though, did you know they were Xian when you 1st read them or did you learn that later? I didn’t know it until I heard that a religion class was reading them, was probably 7th grade by then. I could never get into these, not sure why.
Ditto w/L’Engle, though she is more upfront Xian in some of the books, Protestants running amok through time + space! I think anyone would like them, though, they are not fundie or anything (in fact fundies never liked her much). Well I am biased, they rank near Harriet & Ramona for me!
Yeah, I didn’t realize they were all Christian until later, too. Same w/L’Engle. I keep not offering to read Gus either of them because I want him to read them himself, but I think there aren’t enough pictures for him to get into them quite yet.
We’d forgotten about Spiderwick but put the new all-in-one set on his bday wishlist. And I think he’s probably ready for the movie, too. Have heard good things about Wimpy Kid, and a 4th grader Gus is friends with is reading them, too.
I am mostly happy that Gus never really got into those Treehouse books, they are SO awful! Magic librarian, my butt. Though sometimes I wish he did, since there are 800 bazillion of them — then he would never run out of things to read.
Got Wimpy Kid, he read most of it on the way home, tried to read some of it during dinner but was stopped…anyway he read the whole thing & was still giggling this morning!
Cool, we should try it! Finished with C&H here, reading Invention of Hugo Cabret at bedtime (started tonight). So pretty!
[…] Atlas is really good. I’m still in the middle of the other Cloud Atlas, which is a bit surreal. And the Mitchell book has a sticker in the back with the correct author […]
Henry just discovered Calvin and Hobbes, but he’s also smitten on Garfield. BTW, the Cardboard Genius books you suggested were a HUGE hit, so thanks. Feel free to pass along any other suggestions.
I agree, Smilla was wonderful. I too like books, particularly mysteries, set in cold weather, but I thought I read the Cloud Atlas and it was by David Mitchell. I’m so confused!