Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I was out later in the afternoon than I expected to be today, and I was worried about getting dinner on the table when I got home; I had chicken thawing and was more or less committed to a dinner plan, but I hate to be rushed when I’m making a recipe for the first time. (Okay, I hate to be rushed at ANY time, but some times are definitely worse than others.) I managed, however, to get this Chicken Cordon Bleu Skillet on the table in less than an hour, and given that I made a homemade cream-of-whatever soup substitute, I’m calling that a serious win. And folks–it was tasty. Not necessarily I’d-pay-a-fortune-for-this-in-a-restaurant tasty, but definitely this-was-easy-and-totally-enjoyable-to-eat tasty, and who doesn’t love that? The homemade soup was my only substitution–oh, unless you count penne for egg noodles, because I don’t particularly like egg noodles–and besides salting as well as peppering the chicken (because seriously), I pretty much just followed the recipe. The next time you need a quick meal and you’ve got chicken, ham, and Swiss cheese, this is the meal for you; two out of my four kiddos gave it two thumbs up. Enjoy!

I finished listening to Rob Buyea’s The Perfect Secret today, and I actually liked it even better than its predecessor (that would be The Perfect Score). It had me pretty much from the get-go, and its plot progression was nicely balanced; I enjoyed each part of it instead of wishing some parts away to get to others, which doesn’t always happen. So good! It has its flaws, certainly–Trevor’s transformation is somewhat incredible, and the relationship between Randi and Jane seems also a bit too suddenly changed–but they’re feel-good flaws, and at least there are difficulties to balance them out. Think of Gary D. Schmidt’s Okay for Now—The Perfect Secret isn’t quite as good, because NOBODY’S quite as good at what he does as Gary D. Schmidt, but it’s quite good and it’s something of the same vibe. Add to that the rotating narrators–which make it more of a gender neutral read than many–and middle grade kids really shouldn’t miss this one.

Fans of Mary Balogh ought to enjoy the title of this post, given that the book in question is a book about marriage. The Marriage Bureau: The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London IS slightly surreal, however–make no mistake about that. From the strange happenings to the occasional incredible coincidence, this story of a matchmaking service is both fascinating and homey, satisfying and bizarre. I won’t bother with a more detailed description, since the book is exactly what the subtitle says it is, but if you have any interest in the social history of World War II, in the reality of individual lives in London during a period of constant turmoil, this is the book for you. It’s on the episodic side, lending itself to reading smaller amounts at a time, but it’s pretty much ALWAYS interesting.

(It’s also overdue at the library and I’m going today, which is why I resumed reviews on an even day of the month. We’ll see if I manage a review tomorrow…)

I finished The Terrible Two’s Last Laugh the other day, and I have to say, it’s sad to see it over. A series that’s going to appeal to excellent readers and struggling readers alike is a rare find, and one that will make you chuckle is an added bonus. Don’t miss Miles and Niles’ last year at Yawnee Valley Science and Letters Academy! (Be warned, though–there’s a definite bitter-sweetness to the ending.)

On a different note, I’m taking some time off for the next week or two so I can spend time with family. Look for me mid-month!

It’s later than I planned, because my hubby and I started a puzzle together, but I wanted to review Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse so that it can go back to the library tomorrow. (I have a curbside pickup scheduled, so I’ll be there, and there were 90-odd holds on this one last I checked, so it seems the courteous thing to do.) It’s an incredibly quick read–much more art than text–and a beautiful one; it also went over well with my two older girls, which I didn’t quite expect. It’s almost more a collection of pithy insights into life than a book, and the art is all over the spectrum–some of it is barely sketched while other pages look finished, if you know what I mean. I thought it was a beautiful book, but I also weighed the words more than the illustrations, because I always focus on words (if there are any). The art does have a surprisingly compelling quality, however, given the the nature of it. To be truly accurate, the book itself is art–the text and illustrations together create a work of art that is more than the sum of its parts. Pick this one up from your local bookstore and give it a read; when you’re done, decide whether you want to keep it or give it away, and act accordingly. Either way, it will be worth it.

Today I finished listening to Bat and the End of Everything, and while it didn’t go quite where I thought it was going, the ending was surprisingly satisfying. The title felt ominous, and I was preparing myself for heartstring tugs, but I actually found End of Everything to be a warmer and fuzzier read than its immediate predecessor. Bat does have changes to face, but the way his family rallies around him helps; one of his challenges even nudges him into a new friendship. I was actually worried about the ending seeming unrealistic, but it ended differently than I expected–and the ending worked. Between learning about animals and gaining insight into a brain that works differently, I’ve really enjoyed the experience of Elana Arnold’s Bat books.

Yes, folks, we’ve now had TWO curbside pickups at the library; we also still have books sitting in various book drops, in various stages of quarantine. Who even knows how many books we have checked out on our cards? (It kind of drives me crazy, to be honest, but that’s the OCD part of me speaking; I totally get why we’re doing it.) Book review to follow tomorrow…

On the one hand, am I even still TRYING to post every other day? Because I missed two posts in a row, and that’s just kind of sad. On the other hand, for the second year in a row my children have been to the graves of all four sets of their great-grandparents on Memorial Day weekend (or thereabouts), and I’m calling that a win. I didn’t grow up visiting graves because no one related to us was buried close by, but I think it’s a nice tradition. We’re trying!

Now. As far as books go, I’m finally getting to my review of Michael Morpurgo’s Listen to the Moon. I picked it up because it seemed like just my cup of tea–a girl rescued from an island off of the coast of Cornwall shortly after the sinking of the Lusitania, a girl who can’t speak but hums to the moon, and the family that takes her in and tries to help her find herself again. But is she German? The rest of the community is ready to condemn her if she is…

Yup. Totally my thing. And I enjoyed both it and the background information provided at the end. I can’t help but be grateful, however, that I listened to it; I feel like the pacing might have been odd if I’d been reading. The book has a few different narrators, and while we gradually learn the girl’s story over the course of the book, the family who rescues her (and, as far as we know, the girl herself) know nothing of her past until more than 300 pages in. The ending just felt–abrupt. Still, I was most definitely drawn into the story; fans of historical fiction should enjoy this one.

Yeah, I missed another post–and I wasn’t going to. Once I got in the shower, though, it slipped my mind. (Not that I should have put it off that late, but still.)

Today, however, I finished listening to one of THIS YEAR’S Newbery Honor books. (Can you believe it?!) Alicia Williams’ Genesis Begins Again sounded painful to me, and honestly, I wouldn’t have gone for it so soon after it won if I hadn’t noticed it as ‘new in audio’ while checking Libby. Since I had the print copy checked out, it seemed like fate–something else I could read during Quarantine, so that it could actually go back to the library after it reopens. And so–I jumped into Genesis’s world.

Wow. It was painful–there’s no denying that–and yet it managed to still be an amazing read. It didn’t just beat me down with depressing (I’m looking at you, Poisonwood Bible); instead, I cared about Genesis and rooted for her and wanted to hug her and rock her as if she were my own. (EVEN when I also wanted to shake her for some of her choices.) This isn’t an easy book to read, but it’s a good read, and I don’t always say that about books that make me hurt for a main character that much. It’s powerful, it’s engaging, and it’s hopeful while not being unrealistic; it also makes you think about skin color in the specific sense. Not white or black or brown, but shades of skin color. And I could keep writing for another 10 minutes and not do it any more justice, so I’m leaving it there. So good, Alicia D. Williams. SO GOOD.

I missed again, and I’m sorry about that. I’ve been struggling lately!

Anyway. Last night I finished listening to The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother, and I have to say–it was fascinating. How an Orthodox Jew born in Poland spent her girlhood in the American South and then met and married a black man in New York–in 1936–seems baffling (to say the least–this is why “truth is stranger than fiction” is a thing), but James McBride relates his and his mother’s story with a compassion and directness that makes for an exceptionally readable memoir. (And one well worth reading.) Pick this up when you need to enter someone else’s world and be reminded of what human beings are capable of; I can almost promise that you’ll be glad you did.