Libby's enjoying a late Christmas present...a window seat to the Bird Channel! With seven inches of snow, topped off with ice, the cardinals and finches have rediscovered our feeders. It's great entertainment for a cat-- and for us.
Watching them hurry in, so hungry.
Or just nibble quietly.
I love to see them feed each other. It reminds me what my friends (like you) do for me.
Equip me to keep going. Help me puff up my feathers against the cold, with energy in reserve to enjoy--and see--the wonders around me.
The elegance of the ordinary birds
As well as the flashier ones. We all need nourishment for the journey.
You know, all these redbirds remind me of a book I haven't reread in a while. Do you know it? It's one of my favorites. Perfect to read on a snowy afternoon like this one. Libby, I'll leave you to the window.
Don't worry about the birds, folks. Libby's an inside cat for the time being, and besides, some of those fellas look like they could take her, should she make a surprise appearance. Have a great Tuesday, y'all! Love, Becky
Did you trim your tree this weekend? My tannenbaum has been crouching naked in my living room since Thanksgiving, and I had such lovely visions of circling the tree with my family on Saturday, hot cocoa in hand, warm in the glow of the Christmas lights and the memories. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. Yet. (I still have hope.) But something glorious did happen, something completely selfish, though my family didn't seem to notice or mind (except at dinner time.) The something made me feel rested and satisfied and ready for Christmas: a book took over Decorating Day.
The book is Cold Mountain. Yes, the one that came out way back before Sam was even born, the book that sent Todd over the moon. He begged me to read it and promised that I'd love it so much that I'd want to name the child in my womb Ava or Inman. I was unmoved. I have this problem that whenever books get lots of hype, I can't make myself read them, no matter how glowing the reviews. I always give in after the hoopla has died down, once nobody wants to gush about them anymore. I don't know why I'm like that.
Anyway, I noticed it on a bookshelf on Friday afternoon, and finished reading the last page around 11 pm Saturday night. The tree was still naked, the laundry piles had grown, and my family was in serious need of vitamins, but I felt completely elevated, improved, just by reading the words, by knowing the characters and their story.
Maybe I'm just basking in the afterglow, but Cold Mountain gave me all that great writing can offer: an opportunity to deepen my experience with courage and honor, hope and pride, compassion and pity and sacrifice. (William Faulkner's words, not mine. :) ) After loving the book so much, I'm not sure I want to see the movie. Did you see it? What did you think? The trailer is beautiful, but it makes the story out to be all about the Civil War, which it's really not. Thoughthis clip has got to be the most romantic scene of all time. (Have a cold washcloth handy if you dare to watch it. It will make you swoon.)
Cold Mountain made me think of two other novels that recently moved me deeply, that also depict broken people trying to survive, to make the best of life that they can, to find beauty and truth and love. You probably read them long ago but I'll share them just the same, along with a few non fiction books I've enjoyed this year. Won't you tell me your latest faves? Now that I'm all rested, I'm ready to go shopping. Books make the perfect gift! First, the two novels: You must read this beautiful book. It's set in Crosby, Maine, and the thirteen short stories are linked together through the character of Olive Kitteridge. If I didn't know she was a fictional character, I'd swear she must be a distant cousin to grumpy Madame Mallet, from the pages of my French life. I've already read this book twice and have started on a third time. Hopefully I can hold off until after Christmas, or I may never get my cards sent out!
This is a horrifying, amazing book. It will stun and disgust you, but I don't know that I've ever any depiction more beautiful of the love a father has for his son.
So those are my three favorite works of fiction I've read this year. But there are works of non fiction that I've loved as well, all memoir. (Surprise, surprise. My favorite genre.)
When Timothy Tyson was ten years old, a young black man was murdered in Timothy's hometown of Oxford, North Carolina. This is the story of his quest to understand what happened. I'll never be able to forget this book, nor would I want to.
I found this book in my church library, took it home and promptly fell in love with it. It's #1 on my Christmas list. (Listening, Santa?) It's all about finding the sacred in everyday life, my favorite topic in the whole wide world.
I finished this book a few weeks ago, one woman's collection of stories of grace, discovered all over the world.
And lastly, this sweet one. The cover and title are PERFECT! It's the memoir of a Southern Baptist preacher's kid, and it's hilarious and touching and I loved every minute.
Won't you share your favorite books of the year with me? Have a wonder-full Monday, y'all! Love, Becky PS. If you've got a teen girl on your list or just enjoy young adult fiction, you've got to look at the Miracle Girl series. I LOVED Anne and May's chic lit books, so I knew they'd be good. I've only read the first one so far, but I found it smart, witty, and true to life. (And having teens in my house, I should know.) Plus they're friends of mine and lovely people. Go Anne and May! And go Cold Mountain! Better late than never!
Do you ever wish you could live inside a book? Or bring bits of that world into yours? You're not alone. The shops at Etsy are full of bookish souvenirs, and people are buying. And why not? Photo by OrderedChaos.etsy.com A wand on your coffee table might bring back the magic of first discovering Ollivander's.
I've been thinking about bookish souvenirs ever since two things happened: 1. We took Ben for a college trip to Duke and found out it has a Quidditch team. (Yes, they really do. Though I'm not sure that's worth the price of a Duke education.) 2. I started recreating the outhouse door from this favorite book of my husband's. You read correctly: an outhouse door. My husband and his friend Butch LOVE Lonesome Dove and quote it to each other whenever they get together. The door is important in the book because it keeps showing up in different forms: first as an actual outhouse door, then as a sign for the ranch the two main characters run together, then as the casket door when Gus dies. Finally, Call takes it apart and uses it as a cross for Gus's grave. So when it came time to give Butch a housewarming present for the apartment/airplane hangar he just built, (Butch is sort of a cowboy of the skies, and the building was a dream of his and his wife Alice before she died) Todd came up with the outhouse door idea. Luckily he found a photo of the prop used for the TV miniseries.
It was a really fun project to work on. I know it's kind of a weird gift, but Butch is crazy about that book. (I love that Butch's silhouette shows up in that photo.)
Maybe when people invest themselves fully into a book they love, they can't bear for it to end. Having something tangible to hold helps them keep the story alive. When we travel to far off lands, we bring home souvenirs. Aren't props from books the same sort of thing? What do you think?
Would this treasure from The Da Vinci Code be too geeky for you? You can buy it at Sky Mall, you know. Along with all sorts of strange things. I might not put a shiny new cryptex on my Santa list, but I will admit to touring Saint Sulpice the last time I was in Paris. (If you read/saw The Da Vinci Code, you know why.)
Now here's a souvenir I'd love to have. Photo by www.Brookish.etsy.com Does that quote sound familiar to you? It's Mr. Darcy's proposal line to Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.
If your Christmas is just not complete without Dickens' A Christmas Carol, then you need this ornament. Inside are quotes from the story. Great idea, huh? Photo by www.Brookish.etsy.com
If Catcher in the Rye is one of your favorites, you might enjoy this painting. Photo by www.AQuartzyLife.etsy.com
Can you guess which book inspired this necklace? Photo by www.MadameTeasley.etsy.com It's To Kill a Mockingbird. The artist writes: This necklace depicts Boo with a pair of scissors, a red crystal for a drop of blood, and a clear crystal because it seemed that he could tell the future-- he was there when Scout and Jem needed him.
This is such fun that I just might do book presents for my whole family this year. Here's my only problem: Todd is hinting for an outhouse door to match Butch's. Call me crazy, but I'm not hanging an outhouse door in our living room. I would let Todd pick out another book gift, but I'm afraid I know what he'd choose. Around this time of year he likes to quote from this book. Can you guess what souvenir he'd pick?
I like an eclectic style, but be assured that it doesn't include that lamp.
If you could have any keepsake from a book you love, what would it be? I'd love to hear about it! Have a wonder-full weekend, y'all! Love, Becky
PS. If any of these souvenirs interest you, a click on the photo should zap you over to its Etsy shop. Or maybe you'd prefer Edward's Volvo instead.
Hey friends, today I'd like to introduce you to The World's Best Place to Spend a Rainy Afternoon. It's not much to look at on the outside...
Unless the sight of crammed bookshelves makes you salivate. The store is just a few miles from my childhood home in Raleigh, NC, so I've been slobbering over it ever since it opened back in the mid 70's. (Be assured, I was a mere babe then.)
See the shelves on the outside? Those books are sold on the honor system for 10-25 cents a piece. Just drop your change in the slot in the door, and the store will donate the money from those near freebies to NC Public Radio. Last year it was enough change to provide This American Life to the local station! That's a hefty bit of pocket change!
Before I gush on and on about Reader's Corner, I should give a little explanation/disclaimer/debate topic of the day. Here goes: I have a rule about buying used books. It is: NEVER BUY USED BOOKS UNLESS THE BOOK HAS BEEN OUT IN BOOKSTORES FOR AT LEAST TWENTY YEARS. I never thought much about buying used books until I had a book in bookstores. Did you know for your average trade paperback book, the standard publishing contract gives the author 7.5% of the book's list price? So if I pay $10 for a new book at my local bookstore, the author gets 75 cents. (Cha-ching! Let's hire a limo!) But if I get the same book at a fine establishment like Reader's Corner, the poor author gets nothing. Nada. Rien. Poor little author. The world is a cruel, cruel place.
What's that you say? "But what if a book has been out fifty years? Shouldn't the author still get her 75 cents? What if it's been out twenty-one years? Your rule makes no sense." I say, "You're right. It's a silly rule. But I had to draw a line somewhere." "Then why go to used bookstores at all?" Okay. But what will people do with all the old books they don't want anymore? Add them to the landfill? Stack them in big piles in their bedroom until their doors won't open all the way and their husbands have to pass them pancakes under the door to keep them from starving to death? And what about people who really can't afford $14.95, but desperately want not just to read the book, but to OWN the book. And what about Skinflint Aunt Trudy who only buys used, so that she can afford to drive her cats to Las Vegas for her annual week of gambling and kitty massages? You want to stand in Aunt Trudy's way?
To all that I say, "I can't solve the world's problems. It's just my rule. Make up your own."
But before you turn your nose up at Reader's Corner, take a peek. And a sniff. Ah! Deliciously musty. The perfume of old books.
Reader's Corner was where I found Judy Blume, (we must, we must, we must increase our bust) and where I bought my first record album (Simon and Garfunkel--an oldie, even then.) And it's where I even found a few books I hid from my mother. (No freak outs allowed, Mom. They weren't that bad.) And now it's where Todd and I snatch up volumes of The American Guide series, put out by WPA writers. Plus other junk that looks good.
But one of the best things about Reader's Corner has nothing to do with books. Well, almost nothing. Take a closer look around the store and you'll find photos and various oddities taped all over the bookshelves and walls. These treasures were all discovered within the pages of the used books. Like these... (Click on the photos for a better look.) And this... And these... And these...
Any of those belong to you? Some are bizarre, some are hilarious, and some are just plain wild. At least they seemed wild in the 1940's.
I hope you enjoyed the bookstore tour. So what do you think about buying used books? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have a wonderful Wednesday, y'all! Love, Becky PS. Speaking of the wild, I thought I'd join in on the hoopla over this book turned movie. Has anyone seen it?
Cool, huh? Photos just don't do this topic justice. Won't you take a couple more minutes to hop over HEREand watch the video? Pretty please? It adds one more creative form to the pop up story/art mix--a beautiful song by Lisa Hannigan! Enjoy, my friends! Have a wonder-full Wednesday!
Before you skedaddle, tell me, do you have a favorite pop-up book? One for kids? Adults? The Pop-Up Book of Phobias? The one of nightmares? Now that my kids are long past the pop-up destroying stage, I just might start a new collection! Love, Becky
Today's Wonder of the World is...Summertime! Flickr photo by fourcotts Summertime, and the living is easy... Well mostly. At least for Tanner the Slobber Dog. Life's always pretty easy for that silly rascal. As long as he's willing to wear people shirts.
Can you tell by that photo that our summer is now in full swing? It started yesterday at high noon, with a sleepover blitz I like to call Testosterone Gone Wild, G version.
So far we've inhaled a year's full of smoke at the bowling alley (bringing back blissful memories of French cafes-- I have to admit I liked it,) eaten pizza, had our own version of World Wrestling Entertainment Smackdown (I just watched and trembled,) ridden bikes, played ball, sloshed batter all over my kitchen while making cupcakes, spray painted a stick, and hooked I don't know how many extension cords together to reach all the way to the tree house.
May I go on vacation now?
I know what I'll do. I'll make a list of some of the things I want to do this summer while the kids are home with me. That might bring me peace. Perhaps. I hope.
So what if I don't get as much of my writing work done as usual. At least summer comes with orange push ups. Flickr photo by melissann
And wading in streams. Flickr photo by Nathaniel Reinhart (Doesn't that photo make you want to get your feet wet? Bravo, Nathaniel!)
And losing myself in good books. This is the next one up on my list. Has anybody read it yet?
Summer's also the time I get to go to see my relatives in Kentucky! Hey Patrick and Jacob, my two sweet little cousins who are now all grown up even though I refuse to believe it. In my mind you will always be sticky from watermelon juice, sitting on that stump on my granddaddy's farm.
Summertime also gives us home grown tomatoes! See, they're coming right along now.
Summer is about the only time I watch movies. I want to see that one next.
Summer's also a great time to teach my kids things. This summer I plan to teach Ben that I will no longer do his laundry. I plan to teach Sarah to cook our dinner twice a week. And I plan to teach Sam to say Yes Ma'am and No Ma'am. Somehow he never has caught on to that, and it's tres importante in these parts. (By the way, would someone please tell me how to type the e in tres with an accent? I've tried doing ALT138 and blogger just has a fit. I'm finally tired of feeling like a numbskull.)
I also intend on doling out some highbrow TV education. In small doses, of course. We don't want their brains to rot. I'll sandwich the shows between starfish dissections and lectures on hydrogen bonding. Ha ha.
For Sam? Bewitched! He'll love Uncle Arthur and Dr. Bombay.
And for Ben, MASH.
For Sarah? Northern Exposure! That one is for me too. I adore that show.
And for my sweet husband, no TV. He watches enough on the History channel. He'd prefer this instead. Flickr photo by AmandaCowell
So what are your plans and projects for the summer? Any suggestions? I wish you lots of strawberry shortcake. Have a wonder-full Friday and a super weekend, y'all!