Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

When I think of how quickly I used to finish books, I kind of want to weep; four children later, I can’t usually concentrate well enough to read while they’re awake, and so I read a few pages before bed and take weeks to finish just about ANYTHING.

Which makes me want to scream.

It’s my stage of life for the moment, though, and I wouldn’t skip it, because then I’d miss out on my kiddos.  It occurred to me a few weeks ago, however, that some of the books waiting for my attention could be read aloud with some of my kids, enabling me to actually get to some of them before I die.  (No hyperbole here.)  I decided to start modestly with an 80-page (some of which have illustrations) biography that I thought would interest my two older girls, and it’s absolutely working!  They moan when I stop at night, I’m halfway through a book I wouldn’t have had the time to start otherwise, and we get to spend reading time together on a level up from picture books.  (We do that, too–don’t worry.)  I’ll review the book we’re on when we finish it, but in the meantime, wahoo!  Success!  Family time!  All the things!

Now I just have to decide what we’re going to read together next…

My first experience with an author has to be a certain level of excellent to convince me that the next book I see by him or her is automatically worth a read; Bomb:  The Race to Build–And Steal–The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon earned Steve Sheinkin that level of instant credibility handily.  Which is why, despite the not-my-style cover, I did everything I could to get my hands on Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler as soon as possible.  A new series about historical figures quitting history in frustration to pursue other careers, because kids in schools everywhere are claiming history is boring?  If it’s by the author of Bomb, sign me up.  I may not love the cover art, but I imagine its target audience will find it amusing, and the story itself was a fast-and-funny romp from beginning to end.  And I do mean FAST.  Whereas Bomb would challenge the vast majority of elementary schoolers, this new “Time Twisters” series is ideal for second graders or so; older elementary grades are likely to enjoy it, but it’s still far easier than what I typically give my third grader to read, as well as what she picks out for herself.  This first book focuses very specifically on a single event in Lincoln’s life–1860’s presidential election–rather than trying for an overview.  That’s probably wise for the length and style, really–once you got going with Lincoln, where would you stop?–but it will be interesting to see my fifth grader’s reaction (she said she’d give it a try, because it looked funny).  I’ll keep you posted!

We’ve talked about how my hubby gets birthday brownies at work, right–because I HATE MAKING CUPCAKES?  (I’d do it for him if he loved them more than anything else, but luckily he’s a big fan of brownies.)  This year’s offering ended up being these Cheesecake Brownies, which I doubled for a 10 by 15 pan (or whatever that next size up from 9 by 13 is).  And really, what can I say?  They were decadent, they were terrible for you, and they were delicious.  I will say that the birthday boy and I both thought that the flavors balanced better after they’d cooled, but they certainly weren’t a hardship to eat warm, either.  If you’re in the mood for some cheesecake-y goodness married with chocolate-y brownie, look no further.  (And if you’re not, well–we’ll have to agree to disagree.  Certainly your waistline will be the better for it.)

Originally, this post had a different title AND a different, lovingly labored-over opening paragraph.  THAT, however, was before I completed my revisions on said opening paragraph and decided to get the kids and myself out the door to a park; I figured I could finish the post later.  As I headed off to brush my teeth and get my 3-year-old dressed, I did think to wonder if drafts were saved automatically or if I ought to look into doing it myself, but hey, we were only going to be gone a few hours, right?

Yeah.  Guess whose computer somehow turned off in our absence?  That’d be MINE.  Goodbye then, thoroughly-revised-opening-paragraph, because I don’t have it in me to recreate you.  Instead, here’s a recap:  I love me a good memoir, I was thrilled to receive a copy of So Happiness to Meet You:  Foolishly, Blissfully Stranded in Vietnam for review, and I was even more thrilled that it didn’t disappoint.  (I’m not sure why it took me so long to say–essentially–that, but there you go.  We’re more or less caught up now.  On to the review!)

Karin Esterhammer is a travel writer who decided to move her family from LA to Vietnam after getting laid off during the Great Recession.  (I didn’t realize that ‘Great Recession’ was an official name, by the way–you learn something new every day, right?)  There, she figured, they could teach English, live cheaply, and rent the LA home they could no longer afford to live in.

She was sort of right.

Two-plus years later, Esterhammer and her family moved back to the States.  It was a bumpier ride than expected–when isn’t it, really?–but one worth reading about; Karin’s own adventures adjusting to her environment, struggling with the language, and falling in love with the country are interspersed with the incredible life experiences of her Vietnamese friends and neighbors, the difficulties in successfully homeschooling an autistic child, and her husband’s employment roller coaster.  I laughed, I gasped, and (occasionally) I cringed, because that’s what happens with real life, right?  The ending felt abrupt, but no more to me than to the Esterhammers, I imagine; reality is nothing if not lacking in predictably-paced story arcs.  At the end of the day, I was riveted by one family’s experiences and learned a bit of what they learned without ever leaving my living room.  What more could you ask for in a memoir?

I really am, okay?  I was all set to review a book tonight, and then I looked at the load of delicate wash–the one with the fancy dresses with glittery stuff on them–waiting to be done, and I decided that I couldn’t put my girlies off any more (because the glittery dresses sure aren’t MINE).  EVEN if I then didn’t feel like I had the energy to review a book before bed.  (It’s sad that this has to be an either/or choice, but this is the stage of life I’m in!)  And so, instead of you getting a book review, they get clean fancy dresses.  There’s always Monday, right?

What with spring break, Easter, and my hubby’s birthday, I’m afraid I’ve gotten a bit behind on book reviews.  That being the case, today you get brief reviews of two books that either one or both of my girlies have been waiting for!

The Invisible Fran is the third installment in Jim Benton’s ‘Franny K. Stein, Mad Scientist’ series; in it, Franny learns the folly of belittling other people’s interests AND defeats a ketchup-shooting robot (with the help of some of her classmates).  What’s not to love?  Benton does an amazing job of embedding a worthwhile lesson (moral?) inside a thoroughly entertaining and easy-to-read adventure, so if you’ve got an emerging or a reluctant reader, don’t miss these.

The Return of Zita the Spacegirl is a third installment as well; sadly, it also appears to be the final one, at least for now.  Zita joins with friends both old and new to save a planet from a maniacal overlord–which is fun all by itself–with a twist that took me completely by surprise.  This trilogy has just gotten better as it goes along, which makes me want to write Ben Hatke a letter asking if there will be more about Zita eventually.  Even if there isn’t, however, you at least want to read what there is!  Graphic novels and sci-fi are two genres I don’t actively seek out, but Hatke hooked me.

There you have it, folks!  Goodnight!

Since tomorrow is my hubby’s birthday, my fabulous mother-in-law offered to come down this week and tend the kiddos so that we could go out.  Tonight, we ate way, way too much at Texas Roadhouse (it was so good, though!) and then went to see “Ready Player One.”  I’ll admit, I haven’t read the book–I usually do that first–but I had a blast at the movie.  There was a lot of minor profanity–it was VERY 80s in that regard–but that was my only complaint.  Go see it!

Today is Easter, and the day we celebrated my hubby’s birthday with his family, and the second day of our church’s semiannual general conference.

It was a good day.

However,* since it’s after 9 and we just got home from my in-law’s house, I’m making this a short and simple post.  I made Sandy’s Chocolate Cake Recipe for today’s birthday celebration, and it was moist and rich and flavorful and thoroughly delightful.  (It was also forgiving, which was a good thing given the timing of the day!)  I’d make it again, which is saying something for a layer cake.  Next time you’re looking for something rich, moist, and chocolaty, look no further!

*Sorry, Mrs. DiDonato.  It pained me not to tuck the ‘however’ in, but it sounded weird when I tried it.

And that, folks, is why no review happened on the 29th–by the time I got home from hanging with family, I hurried into my bedtime routine and then hurried off to bed.  As for tonight, well–I’m just poopered.  Tomorrow?  Hopefully?  We’ll see how perky I feel then…

Svetlana Chmakova is quickly moving up my list of graphic novelists to keep track of.  Both my older girlies loved Awkward and now we’re passing Brave around; it started with my 8-year-old, but I picked it up yesterday and finished it just before it was time to turn out my light.

I kind of loved it.

For the first little bit I didn’t actually expect to; Jensen seemed less relatable to me personally, at least at first.   The more I read, however, the more engrossed I was.  I remember being at the edge of a group, worrying about keeping your place and your friends; I remember finding a new group of people unexpectedly, the sheer wonder and joy of it.  I was afraid for a few pages that the school dress code plot line would go places that annoyed me, but the way it was handled was open-ended in a way that worked nicely for the story.  Brave is a book with rather a strong message–a moral to the story, so to speak–but it completely works.  Graphic novels with depth and breadth that are still appropriate for my 8-year-old aren’t as easy to find as I might prefer, but Chmakova has written at least two–AND Crush, another companion to Awkward and Brave looks to be due out this October.  My girlies–and I–will be waiting!