Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

That’s what I decided I’d be okay with, after I used up yesterday’s coherent hours cleaning my dining room and kitchen. After all, if I just posted Tuesday, what harm is it to move Wednesday’s post to Thursday? None, say I! Plus, it gave me time to finish Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron: A Graphic Novel, since heaven forbid I actually review one of my completed books that’s been waiting for a while. (Although to be fair, Miss Butterworth is a quick read, and none of the books still waiting are physically going back to the library.) If you’ve read much Julia Quinn, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Miss Butterworth; if not, well–think of it this way. Julia Quinn is sometimes referred to as a modern Jane Austen; if we go with that, Miss Butterworth is her Northanger Abbey.

In graphic novel form.

With possessed pigeons.

To be honest with you, I found the graphic novel version of the famous pigeon scene a bit too graphic, if you take my meaning; nevertheless, Miss Butterworth is a whirlwind of a fantastical, tongue-firmly-in-cheek good time. What breaks my heart is that Violet Charles, the illustrator who collaborated with Quinn, was in fact Quinn’s younger sister–the one who died in a car accident (ironically) in Utah, together with Quinn’s and Charles’ father. The blow of losing two loved ones simultaneously is unimaginable, although my extended family has reason to know that it happens; the literary blow of knowing that no more Quinn/Charles collaborations will grace the world is a quiet one, in comparison, but–I was bummed. Quinn fans will grieve–but they should also enjoy Miss Butterworth.

On the home front, my son’s last 6th grade band concert was last night, and he surprised us all by performing with the jazz band, even though he’s only been practicing with them, for fun, for the last month or two. He was beaming, and it was fantastic to see–or would have been, if he hadn’t been seated on the floor and almost completely hidden most of the time. (Not to mention that their first piece featured a guest saxophonist, who stood DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF MY SON. (Did I mention that, although tall for his age, he’s a young 6th grader, as well as possibly the ONLY 6th grader in jazz band? So the guest player pretty much stood in front of the shortest kid there.)

I’ve got dishes and PTA work on my docket for the rest of my morning–and the beginning of my afternoon–so I shall leave you to your respective Thursdays. And–based on the level of crazy-and-hyper my 9-year-old was exhibiting on the way to school today–good luck to us all!