What I love – Snow Days! Tomorrow will be the third snow day for my kids – a new record I think. I will have to venture out tomorrow, but I’ve had two ‘gift’ days at home. I’ve made the most of those days, too! My girlfriend and I spent time each afternoon knitting, drinking tea and talking. A rare treat. Getting to each other’s house was a bit of an adventure, though. My house sits on a little rise and I slid from my door down to the sidewalk – at least I was still on my feet and not on my rear. My friend wiped out right on her front stoop, but was fortunatley unhurt. Of course, I’ve also been reading. At any given time I am in the middle of reading three or four (or five or six!) books. I started using Audible on my Kindle to listen to books as I do a lot of driving, so my capacity to devour books has increased. Right now I am listening to MOCKINGBIRD by Katheryn Erskine and read by Angela Jayne Rogers. It is a middle grade book about a girl with Asperger’s dealing with her brother’s death. It is a stunning book and Angela Jayne Rogers gets the ‘voice’ of 10-year old Caitlin so exactly right! I also recently finished MARCELO in the REAL WORLD by Francisco X. Stork which is for high schoolers and is about a boy with something like Asperger’s, although it is never clearly defined in the book. It, too, is an excellent book and both give a voice to children with learning disabilities. I found it very interesting to get into the head’s of Marcelo and Caitlin as they navigate the ‘real world’ without grasping many of the emotions and nuances that the rest of us feel. I’m almost finished with MOON OVER MANIFEST by Clare Vanderpool, this year’s Newbery winner. I love the supernatural aspect of the gypsy ‘Diviner’ and that it deals with the first World War and the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918. A little history lesson as we enjoy a terrific tale. For adult titles, I just finished HALF BROKE HORSES by Jeannette Walls, a ‘true-life novel’ about her grandmother’s remarkable life in Arizona, which I really enjoyed and now have to read her other book THE GLASS CASTLE. In the que are THE GIRLS FROM AMES, for my bookgroup and AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY: A NOVEL by Steve Martin as an audio books on my Kindle. So many books to get to! What are you reading?
Ernie in a jaunty jacket from Lands' End
