Tuesdays

Mum recommended (and let me borrow) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Album.  I have been reading it while I lie on the bed with a heat pad or ice on my shoulder (heat come before the physical therapy, ice comes after and is accompanied by electrical shock...most assuredly my favorite part) as part of my physical therapy.  It amounts to about 30 minutes every time and provides for great reading of books that I don't have to read for school (it is my little treat to myself).  Well, that aside, the book was wonderful, exploring life, and its meanings, from the eyes of a man struggling with Lou Gehrig's Disease.  His insight has helped me to explore some of the areas of my own life that I am not finding full satisfaction in (even though for most of those areas I didn't even know were not satisfied until I read).  I would recommend it, and Mum, I will get that back to you when you come out here! 

Dad Who?

It has been a long while since you have heard from dad in these pages. Life has been fast and furious and at times very stressful. I will take a minute and try to update where mom has not already gone as she has done very well in keeping you posted on our move, or lack thereof.

First, the past month at United. You are all aware from the media that United has gone through a “Reduction in Force” and the impact, while not affecting my employment status, has had a deep impact on me. Hours of phone calls, conferences, worksheets, evaluations and so on and so forth. At one point in the process, mom, acting as my sanity safety net, would call every 2-3 hours to just check on me, well, and to tell me what day it was because I really didn’t know. Thank you dear. That is behind us for now. Hopefully for a long time. Bring the price of oil down!

OK, books -- Jodi, I too agree about Angels and Demons and I am looking forward to the movie. However, as a side note, the Catholic Church has banned any filming in European churches. I believe I have read all of Dan Brown's books (lot of air time the past four years) and I like them all. Currently I am working through Tom Clancy. I finally figured out the order and am now going in order of those I have not read. Really should be done that way. Would love to have more of them made into movies, although many have been: Hunt for Red October, Sum of all Fears, Clear and Present Danger and one that escapes me for now. As far as Church reading, my life has been greatly blessed by “Fire in the Covenant” the story of the Martin and Willie Handcart Company and Latter-Day Prophets Speak. The latter is just reference quotes but I have found the source of many quotes that I have heard over the years and didn’t know who made them.

Well, thanks for reading and the pictures, well, they are evidence I really have been to the places I claim to have seen.

More books

I am really excited to read Twilight as Heather has recommenced but have to wait until someone returns it to the library.

Books I have read and recommend.

The Spiderwick Chronicles.  Definitely an easy read for adults but older children would enjoy it as well.  The movie is very different but enjoyable as well.  It is about three children who discover a world of fairies and their adventures.  

Junie B. Jones books. . . Michael and Joshua are enjoying them so they are good for early and late readers alike.  Just fun for boys or girls!

The BFG.  If you have not read this I highly recommend it.  It is a fun book but it really made me think about some things in society. . . very unexpected!  Fun read, but I'm not done yet, so don't tell me how it ends.

And now you can see that I only read children's stories, so I'm really excited to read a grown up book!  :)

For Mom & Dad and Joe & Heather

My Book Choices

OK, since I'm soliciting and complaining that people aren't contributing (or not reading, I suppose—Heather and Jodi aside!) I thought it best that I contribute my own.  At first I couldn't think of any that I've enjoyed besides those already mentioned, but suddenly my mind opened.  We've done TONS of driving this summer, so audiobooks have become our fast friends, and I've listened to my share both on the road and while I exercise.  I love audiobooks for exercise, and all of these are available on iTunes.  Here's what I've enjoyed and/or plan to enjoy this summer:

For the Older Folk:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.  Better known as The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.  It's really hard to beat these for deep, solid literature masquerading as children's fare.  I'm in book 5, and plowing forth toward The Last Battle.  There are 7 in all.  You think there might be something significant about that number?  hmm?
• Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews.  This is so much different than you would ever expect, and I'm only half way through, but it's magical.  If you can, listen to it rather than read it, because she reads it herself, and you know everything sounds sophisticated, magical, and downright regal when Julie Andrews says it, even "pisspot" (apparently that's just what the British call a chamber pot, no nastiness intended.)  I'm not even half way through, but it's amazing, simply riveting.
• Night by Elie Wiesel.  This is a much-revered holocaust survivor novel, and is one of several of his.  I've not started this one yet, but I'm really looking forward to it and I'm confident recommending it, although I'm not sure how harsh it is.  I suppose I'll just have to exercise more so I can get through the others and on to this one.  If my recommendation changes, I'll let you know.

For Children:

• The Magic Tree House books.  Our children are in love.  They read them, they listen to them, they enjoy the educational guides that are published with them (deeper scholar information that relates to certain ones) and they are downright interesting and fun.  They cover everything from Dinosaurs to the Civil War and more.  It's an amazingly simple way to teach history and lots of it in fair detail.
• The Secrets of Droon series.  Michael enjoys these as well, but I think they were a little more challenging than he wanted for casual reading.  They're a little less educationally oriented, and I think our kids preferred the flat out knowledge soaking in the other series.
• THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS.  No books are more loved in our house than these.  Liz bought like 30 in a set on eBay and we've not regretted a dime.  They are so crammed full of knowledge, information, fact and magic that one just can't deny a child one (or 30) of these.  Yesterday there was one sitting in the bathroom while I was doing my bathroom thing, and I picked it up and learned all about the wastewater treatment process.  Appropriate, I thought.  Who knew you could teach kids about that and make them beg for more?  Joshua recommended the short volume on Bats.  I'll have to look at it tomorrow.

So there you go.  Books from James to you.  The lists are on the left over there, and you'll see if you click on a title, you'll be taken to a website that will let you explore (most are just on Amazon.com.)  May your reading be gratifying and fruitful.  Who's next?

Happy anniversary to like half of us. I also love the Dan Brown books. He has two others I absolutely loved. "Digital Fortress" and "Deception Point". "The Monster at the End of the Book" is also a classic. All the hype aside, the "Twilight" series is well worth a good read.

Books I like

K, I'll name a few books I would recommend.

I like "A Distant Prayer" by Joseph Banks.  This is an LDS man who served in WWII in the air force.  He was shot down over enemy-lines and became a prisoner of war.  The book is about how prayer and his reliance on Heavenly Father got him through it all.  (also, I knew his grandson)

A really exciting book is "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown.  This is the prequel to "Davinci Code" and in my opinion much intriguing and exciting.  It's a thriller.  I heard some girl say the other day it was to sensationalized, so it might be a little much for some people.

Favorite kids' book: "The Monster at the End of This Book", a Sesame Street book.  It's got Grover in it and has a funny/cute/surprising ending of Grover himself being the monster at the end of the book that he's previously scared/nervous about.  Very cute.