Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I have yet to read a Dusti Bowling book I didn’t love, although The Canyon’s Edge was emotionally wrenching. I finished her newest–Across the Desert–yesterday, and while I suppose it, too, is somewhat emotionally wrenching, it’s also triumphant in a very gritty sort of way. Jolene’s quest to find the online friend that crashed her Ultralight (a gas-powered glider) in the desert is scary and painful and full of obstacles; her quest for help in her own life is no different. On the other hand, she finds her way through both of them against considerable odds, making some amazing ally-friends along the way. Readers are going to cheer for Jolene even when they’re hurting for her, and by the end there will be relief and tears and all the feels for everyone. You AND your middle graders should definitely read this one!

In the meantime, we’re having a calm Saturday instead of last week’s insane one, and that’s a very good thing. It’s ALSO a rainy one, and for that we are truly, humbly grateful. God bless the firefighters in the west with rain as well!

That’s what Hockey Night in Kenya reminds me of, folks. Co-written by Danson Mutinda and Eric Walters, this ‘Battle of the Books’ pick follows Kitoo, a Kenyan orphan who learns about ice hockey from an old book too worn for the library to keep. With the encouragement of his friend, Nigosi, Kitoo investigates what hockey options there are in his own country–with surprising (and inspiring!) results. Hockey Night in Kenya has only 91 pages, some of them full page illustrations, and while it’s aimed for a younger audience than I prefer, it should have wide appeal for elementary school boys and be an good option for reluctant and/or struggling readers.

In other news, I got my hair cut and blown dry straight today, successfully freaking out my family in the process, and our PTA sponsored Fitness Fun night at the school–involving both a presentation from our amazing PE teacher and skating/scooting/biking/etc. around the pickup/dropoff lane–was definitely successful. Wahoo!

I probably wouldn’t have exerted myself to blog again today, given that I just got home from more than four hours volunteering at my kids’ elementary school, but Tara Dairman’s Stars So Sweet is due and not renewable by 9 tonight, and if I don’t review books BEFORE they go back to the library, there’s no telling when I might get around to it. Look at me getting forced back on track!

Anyway–the book. Dairman’s ‘Stars’ trilogy has made for a lovely reading aloud experience for my 13-year-old and me, and Stars So Sweet brings it to an end in a completely satisfying way. We see Gladys starting middle school and getting better at socializing in ways that suit her foodie personality; we also see her considering both her own career and her relationships with her family in ultimately healthy ways. (And in case that sounds boring, we have Sandy’s search for a legacy appropriate to an elementary-aged boy AND lines like “Gladys felt like a mini hot dog, all wrapped up in a puff pastry of love,” which was pretty hilarious to read aloud to a new teenager.) You’ll cheer for Gladys, her family, and friends; you’ll wish you were eating with them, too. If you like food, writing, or E.L. Konigsburg-y characters, don’t miss this trilogy!

I was really going to post on Friday–and then Sunday–and then, well, I didn’t. On Friday it was because I was waiting to review the book that I finished reading to my 13-year-old on Friday evening, only to find that I’d run out of brain power; yesterday I didn’t manage because oh my goodness, the crazy weekend and the tired. On Thursday morning my oldest had her big toenails worked on, which means that she wasn’t doing a ton on Friday and didn’t clean the church with her siblings and me on Saturday morning at 8. There was a service project at our building at 9, but donations were supposed to be dropped off at leaders’ houses the night before, so we didn’t really go the day of. (We dropped them off at the same neighbor’s house who took me in their truck to pick up the rest of the rocks to fill up the last bit of the park strip on Friday–we have great neighbors!) Britt’s youngest got baptized at 10, so we left the church building and the girls and I got dressed in our church clothes and headed there; when we got home I attacked the laundry, my hubby took our son to a birthday party and then left for the BYU game with his parents within the hour, I picked up my son and he left with friends to the same game, my older girls made cookies, I exercised, we ate dinner, cleaned up, packed up, and left for my in-laws’ house around 6:30, stopping for Sonic slushies and churros on the way. We had the house to ourselves, since Grandma and Grandpa were at the game, so my oldest went with me to pick up a cousin to come hang out with them after my youngest went to bed. She didn’t stay super late, but no one got to bed exactly on time, especially considering that the game that started at 8:15 went into double overtime. (No, the girls and I weren’t there, but I was tracking the score on my phone, and it was too close of a game not to stay up for it.) My oldest ended up not being able to sleep, so she and I were awake when my hubby and his parents and our boy got home at 1-ish or something.

No one slept well.

On Sunday we went to hear a nephew speak in his ward about the service mission he’s just begun and then a niece speak in her ward about the proselyting mission she leaves on next week; we brought the cookies my older girls made to both parties before packing up our overnight stuff and going home to do dishes, eat a little something for dinner, and get us all into bed early. (I was too tired to wash my hair last night, let alone write something comprehensible for y’all.)

And THAT brings us to today, right? It’s an even day, and that’s not ideal, but I finished reading Terri Libenson’s Remarkably Ruby during my son’s counseling appointment this morning, and if I don’t review it and pass it off to my 13-year-old posthaste, she’ll probably die. (Or something.) And honestly, I’m excited to both review it AND pass it on, because I thought it was excellent. I liked Truly Tyler and all, but Ruby resonated with me on a deeper level, engaging me far more thoroughly. (Which was nice, given that it’s the longest ‘Emmie & Friends’ book so far.) Ruby–aka Baked Bean Girl–is struggling through seventh grade, feeling alone and unable to do anything about it; Mia is running for 8th grade class president, but she’s starting to feel left out of her friend group and stressed out by the election. The girls used to be close, but that’s ancient history. Are their middle school journeys fated to meaningfully intersect? The ending might surprise you!

Okay, that was cheesy, but somehow that’s the direction the writing took me. The ending DID get me, though–I did NOT see it coming. Let me know if it gets you, too…

Sometime in the last ten years or so it occurred to me that coming up with a book title is hard. I can’t remember what book I was thinking of, but my thought process went something like, “That was a terrible title for that book, really, it SHOULD have been called…ummm…ummm…oh, snap…” On the other hand, published authors have editors and such on hand to help with that, right? which is why I only feel a little guilty saying that I totally enjoyed Katherine Center’s The Lost Husband, but dang, that was a lousy title for the book in question. For one, the husband is most definitely DEAD, and that’s not a spoiler–he’s already dead when the book starts. For another, well–the book’s not about him. It’s about Libby, her two children, and their journey to a different life with their Aunt/Great Aunt Jean, an honest-to-goodness farmer. There are a few other characters that matter, of course, but really, this is Libby’s journey, and the book focuses on her relationships with her mother (another difficult one, making me wonder about Katherine Center’s own mother), her aunt, her children–AND the hairy handyman who milks the goats with her. It’s a lot about healing, dealing with life’s challenges, and coming to terms with yourself–and a little about cheese. The Lost Husband is a thoroughly enjoyable book about a positive emotional journey, and I’d definitely recommend it as a thoughtful but cozy comfort read.

On the other hand, it’s NOT about a lost husband.

In other news, I missed Saturday and Monday because we spent Saturday prepping for Monday, and Monday working and hosting a BBQ. My hubby’s side of the family–just about all of the Utah ones PLUS the Virginia branch that flew in Monday morning–came to help us move our shed, fill it back up again, and prep and rock our park strip. (As in, put rocks down…although other interpretations are amusing to contemplate!) They came early to beat the heat, and since I had trouble falling asleep Sunday night and woke up at 5 on Monday with weird dreams and couldn’t get BACK to sleep, I was completely exhausted last night. On the other hand, my shed is no longer crooked and currently VERY neatly organized with room to spare, my garage is clean and I AM PARKED IN IT!, and my park strip is mostly rocked (we did run out before we were done). Not to mention that my fabulously helpful in-laws also demolished the weeds by my fence and reinforced our sagging mailbox. (No joke–family is an unimaginable blessing.) And if there were a few casualties of the drive to get rid of stuff, well–they pale in significance to what was accomplished.

That pretty much brings us up to date, folks. I can’t promise a post tomorrow, even though I’ll try, but in the meantime, have a lovely short week!

Sooo…last week my newly-13-year-old asked me to get her Flipping Forward Twisting Backward from the library. I’m not actually sure how she found it, but it’s a new verse novel about a girl who’s amazing at gymnastics but has made it to the 5th grade without anyone realizing that she can’t–not really–read. When her vice principal catches on, however, he offers her options she didn’t realize she had; the catch is that her mom has to consent, and her mother doesn’t actually believe her. (That last part was difficult for both the parent and the teacher in me, because really? I managed not to hate her by reminding myself that a relatively-recently-divorced single mother with an emotionally demanding job–surgeon–isn’t always thinking straight.)

I knew my girlie was excited about the book, but when it came in at the library on Tuesday, I took a good look at it and decided I could commit myself to read it quickly before passing it on. (If she’d been at loose ends for something to read, mind, I would have given it to her, but as far as I know, she’s solidly into at least two different books at the moment.) I started it on Tuesday and finished it yesterday, and I’m reviewing it before she gets home from school so that I can surprise her with it (she did seem a little glum when there weren’t any library books for her on library day). The best part is that it was beautiful. I especially appreciated the supportive friends and sister, and I think the intended audience is going to love it, since it won’t be judging the parents and teacher in the same way I can’t help doing. (Also, Flipping Forward packs plenty of feels into its 130-odd pages.) If you like verse novels, gymnastics, or Lynda Mullaly Hunt’s Fish in a Tree, don’t miss this one.

I finished Alison McGhee’s Dear Sister on Monday, and I have to say–its characterization of an older brother/younger sister relationship felt pitch perfect. It’s what I’m going to call a ‘highly illustrated epistolary novel,’ made up of cards/notes/pictures/etc. written (or drawn) by an older brother to his younger sister, from the time she was born to when he leaves for college. I loved the mix of comic aggravation and the honest growth of sentiment over time–such lovely feels! And that’s all I’m going to say about that, since it’s quite enough for you to be going on with as you read it yourself. Enjoy!

In the meantime, Friday’s PTA meeting is looming ever larger, but at least my de-junking around the house is bearing fruit! I suppose de-cluttering might be more accurate–I don’t know that I actually got rid of anything today–but either way, our game-and-coat closet now looks pretty fabulous inside, and every pack of face cards in there is complete. Wahoo! I did need a brief assist from my neighbor, who very kindly came over to fix a half-broken shelf, but I did it. What I didn’t do, however, is the dark load of wash I was planning on, and so I’m off to do that now. I hope your days were productive!

And here it is the 29th! I didn’t manage a post on the 25th because my hubby and I actually set aside the evening to watch “Top Gun: Maverick” together, and by the time it was done I was both tired and energized in an 80s music sort of way. I quite enjoyed the movie, which surprised me a bit; I saw “Hot Shots” before seeing the original “Top Gun,” and that warped my perception of it. “Maverick” did an impressive job of playing the nostalgia card while being a real movie with an actual plot in its own right, and creating a love interest out of a passing comment from the original movie was cleverly done.

The 27th, by contrast, was completely a family affair; we had a ward party in the evening for which we’d signed up to create a themed mini golf hole (AND bring a salad), so we spent the day doing regular Saturday chores and working on that and then the evening at the party, eating dinner and playing mini golf. We did a library theme, and it was fun, but I’m glad it’s over with. I get stressed about stuff that’s outside of my comfort zone!

Today I spent several hours at Fox Hills–my kids’ elementary school–working on the PTA membership drive and learning how to do the treasurer things that have to be done in time for our meeting this Friday. I am finally home, fed, and exercised, however, and that leaves me ready to review Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard, which was a lovely comfort read. Is the plot highly original? Well, no. Did I care? Nope, not at all. This is my second Katherine Center book, and both have featured female main characters with baggage (and difficult relationships with their mothers) who find love with the right guy. In The Bodyguard–which is nothing like the Kevin Costner/Whitney Houston movie, thank goodness–the right guy is an actor with a sweater-knitting, corgi-obsessed stalker, and the main character is the bodyguard assigned to protect him. There is banter, action, downhome comfiness, and a strong “While You Were Sleeping” vibe, plus the happy ending one wants when one has more responsibilities than usual in the next month or so. If you want something fun, sweet, and satisfying, I’d totally recommend this one.

So. When I shop for Pie Night–Pie Night being the night before Thanksgiving, you remember–I always make sure to get plenty of whatever ingredients I’m buying, because who wants to go BACK to the store at the last minute? Not this girl. Ever since Pie Night, then, I’ve been in the possession of an unopened, unneeded box of vanilla wafers–Walmart brand–because I didn’t end up needing the second box, and vanilla wafers aren’t really something we all just sit around and eat. (Oreos, on the other hand…) They technically expired in March or so, which eventually pushed me to google ways to use a random box of vanilla wafers, which led me to this Vanilla Wafer Cake. Why not? After all, I had all of the ingredients, and cake can be shared in a pinch. I accordingly made a Vanilla Wafer Cake when school started, because after school treats, right? I toasted the coconut, because it was easy enough to let it toast in a skillet while I crushed wafers, and I used chocolate chips instead of nuts, because I love my oldest daughter (and DON’T generally love nuts in cake). I opted to use a cheaper bundt pan because I found it first, though, and therein lay the problem.

The cake did not come out of the pan nicely.

On the other hand, I thought the cake was amazing. So sharing the cake was less of a thing, because it was pretty much a mess, but hey, I got to eat more of it myself! (A lot more, actually. Because kids at school. Not so good for my cholesterol.) If you have a box of vanilla wafers to spare, you should totally try it, because SO GOOD.

Just remember to carefully prep your best bundt pan.

Googling can be a dangerous thing, right? One minute you’re talking to a friend about the Patricia MacLachlan book you’re reading, wondering about her age in comparison to the other Patricias of the Patricia Trifecta, and the next minute you’re facing the tragic reality that TWO of the Patricias have died in the last 14 months, and only Patricia Polacco is still gifting the world with new books. Seriously! Patricia Reilly Giff died in June 2021, and Patricia MacLachlan this past March. I mean, okay, neither one of them was exactly young–or, okay, middle-aged, since they were both born in the 30s–but still! The tragedy!

Okay, now that THAT’S out of my system for the moment, I finished listening to A Secret Shared a day or three ago, and it was a small but complete serving of a lovely, rich, old-fashioned dessert. (All of MacLachlan’s books, of course, are relatively small.) Old-fashioned mostly because Nora and Ben call their parents ‘Father’ and ‘Mother’, and dessert because it’s a gentle tale of sweet, loving people that turns out exuberantly happily. If you or someone you know is part of a family that includes both biological and adopted siblings, read this when you need the literary equivalent of a perfect cup of hot chocolate on a chilly day. As for me, well–at least I have more books to go before I’m done with either deceased Patricia?