Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I started The Giant and How He Humbugged America quite a while ago but set it aside to read some other things; I finally finished it last night, and I’m still basking in the glow of bringing a long project to completion!  (Which is silly, really–it’s got less than a hundred pages.  But still.)

I’ve read at least five other Jim Murphy books, including two Newberys.  I’m in a stage of life where adult nonfiction requires more time and focus than I’ve got, and so intermediate nonfiction affords me the opportunity to indulge my passion for history in a way that seems, you know, possible.  When I grabbed this one from the library I knew very little about the topic, other than that the Cardiff Giant was a thing–and a hoax of a thing.  Interestingly, I think I enjoyed this somewhat less than Murphy’s others (at least the ones I’ve read) for precisely that reason.  In general, I like reading about people, and the Cardiff Giant being a ‘thing’ meant fewer details about people (not to mention that what details there were to be had are close to 150 years old!).  It’s still a fascinating story, however, and a bit mind blowing as well.  What kind of person puts that kind of time, money, and planning into such a hoax?

One of the best features of Murphy’s book is how he ends it, in my opinion; instead of leaving the Giant to be an isolated incident in his readers’ minds, he takes us through a history of hoaxes and frauds that continues into the 21st century.  Historical context and relevancy are invaluable in a good piece of nonfiction, and Jim Murphy does a fine job of both.  If the idea of an elaborately planned 19th century hoax interests you, try this one; if not, check out his other titles.  You’re bound to find a few that grab your attention.

I’ve been saying for more than a year that graphic novels aren’t my thing, but I have to say–I really enjoyed Matthew Loux’s The Time Museum.  I don’t read much fantasy or sci-fi anymore, but it occurs to me that graphic novels may be a way for me to occasionally do it without an overwhelming time commitment; The Time Museum was an enjoyable read and a complete plot that took me less than a week (of crazy July time, no less!) to read.  What’s not to love?  The idea of a museum outside of time and the time travelers who seek out exhibits of value for it is a neat one, while Delia and her competitors (friends?) feel like a group the book’s target audience should enjoy.  (I assume.  I enjoyed them, certainly.  At almost 38, however, I suppose I’m just guessing at this point.)  My only complaint was Delia’s reticence where the Grey Earl is concerned, but that’s probably not unrealistic.  On the other hand, the friendships, the time-missions, and the twists were far more engrossing than I expected them to be, which is why I’m telling those with latter elementary schoolers or junior highers (we’re just going to call that a word, okay?)–don’t miss this one!

I was absolutely going to review another book on Friday, but that got swallowed up in the last minute “what do we wear for the family picture” confusion, and then we were staying with one of my hubby’s sisters overnight so that we could be in said picture and then head out for the family Amazing Race afterwards.  If you’ve never had such an event, by the way, I highly recommend it–although it’s hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than the sister- and brother-in-law who plan ours. (It’s actually another one of my hubby’s sisters and her husband.  Now I wish I’d asked their permission to use real names on here, because he’s got four sisters altogether, and getting the plurals and pronouns right–or at least clear–is giving me fits at the moment!)  I wish I had the time and energy to give you a full rundown, but since both of those are lacking, I’ll content myself with applauding the winning team, which included my oldest.  My team was third, my hubby’s was sixth, and it was both a fun and a very full day.

Anyway.  While we’re on the topic of fun things, you should really grab the The 3-2-3 Detective Agency:  The Disappearance of Dave Warthog for your elementary schoolers.  I put it on hold because my kids really liked a picture book by the same author, and while the writing is not as clever and fabulous as it could possibly be, the plot is hysterical and the illustrations complement it nicely.  Have you ever wondered what would happen if a hyperactive sloth, an insignificant rat, an aspiring actress/penguin, and a dung beetle/gourmet chef met each other and a donkey detective-to-be on a train?  Well, my friends, wonder no more.  Jenny Donkey convinces the others to join her at her new detective agency offices, where they begin investigating the disappearance of animals from all over Whiska City.  Their investigations lead them to a hair salon, a gated poodle community, and a great deal of cotton candy–all in the course of a 74-page graphic novel.  It flirts with a bit of bathroom humor in one spot but doesn’t fully commit, and the rest of it is just bizarrely funny.  Give it a try, because your kids are going to laugh–and so are you!

I do apologize if I’ve gotten that song stuck in your head, but really, it summed up the last week or two nicely.  In summer family comes to town…in summer we go to visit family, which involves packing and preparations and general distractions…in summer we have birthdays, and holidays…in summer we have ALL THE THINGS.   Which is, of course, why I disappeared for–well, however long it’s been since my last post.  I missed a post or two because I had family IN town and I was simultaneously preparing to go OUT of town, and then, of course, I was out of town.  We drove back from Idaho on Monday, which was my son’s birthday, but stopped to celebrate with the other side of the family and spent the night and the day of the 4th there before coming home.

We’re tired.

BUT–my sweet, stubborn boy is 5, and the kids got to bed on time tonight.  Life is good!

Now.  Before I left for Idaho–my parents and my siblings and their families are all up there now–I decided to forget trying to finish the book I was actively reading and focus on SHORT books, since vacation makes for distracted reading time.  The good news is that I’ve managed to finish three of the books I brought, and I’m more than halfway through the fourth (sure, three of the four are graphic novels, but I take what I can get!).  My first triumph was The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet, which was every bit as well done as TSZMRP Macbeth (we’re going with that abbreviation henceforth, by the way; typing the full name out is exhausting!).*  I did wonder about the casting at first–a rooster and a bear? really?–but it made sense by the end of the book.  Once again, the creators managed to keep the essence of a Shakespearean tragedy while marrying it to a comedic graphic novel, which is an impressive feat.  The difficulty may explain why only two of these have been written, but I’m holding out a forlorn hope for more.  We’ll see what happens!

*In all fairness, I have to admit that I didn’t like this one quite as much as Macbeth–but that reflects my feelings about the actual plays rather than any flaw in the book.  Who doesn’t like the Scottish play better?

Yesterday my oldest girl went to Lagoon-A-Beach (yes, I had to google that spelling) with cousins and two trading-off aunts, because my in-laws are awesome; I stayed home with my other three, and while my two-year-old was napping, I may or may not have bribed the other two to clean.

Okay, I totally bribed them.  But in my defense, it was more because they each had to clean something up ALONE, one inside, one outside; those two are not so much fans of the cleaning alone.  And really, the bribe was for making treats together; they didn’t get any until after dinner, when we all tried them.  (Although that was more because they had to cool and then be refrigerated for two hours…)

ANYWAY.  To make a long story slightly shorter, we tried these “Decadent Semisweet Cookie Bars” from 101 Things To Do With Chocolate–which is totally worth the $5 that Amazon is charging for it–and they were both easy and surprisingly delicious for a recipe with only 5 ingredients.  My daughter stirred the melting chocolate chips/sweetened condensed milk/vanilla mixture while my son counted out the Oreos and then helped pat the crust into the pan; both of them also figured prominently in the licking of scrapers after the treats were in the oven!  Here are the specifics, so that you can make your own pan of chocolate loveliness at your (in)discretion…

Crush about 22 Oreos (or knock-offs) into fine crumbs and mix with 4 T of melted butter.  Press that into a 9 x 13 pan.  Next, heat 1 C of chocolate chips, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and about a t of vanilla over low heat until the chocolate chips are melted and everything is combined; pour that evenly over the crust.  (Don’t expect it to spread nicely from the middle without picking up crumbs from the crust.)  Sprinkle another cup of chocolate chips over the top of that, and then crumble the remaining Oreos from the package over the top of that.  Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, allow to cool, and then refrigerate for a couple of hours before cutting into bars.

These were tasty, people.  I was afraid they’d be a little one-note, flavor-wise, but no.  These need to happen in your kitchen–because this will definitely not be the last time they happen in mine!

Okay, I did remember once or twice on Saturday that I was due to post, but wowsers.  I spent the day with my oldest daughter and a couple of nieces at Lagoon, Utah’s big amusement park, and then I did mad laundry and dishes and took the older two girls Father’s Day shopping and worked on a brief talk (I spoke in church) and a primary lesson (I also subbed for my oldest daughter’s class).  Sunday, of course, was Father’s Day, so in addition to the talk and the lesson there were treats to make and vegetables to chop and a present to wrap and an evening at my in-laws’.  And TODAY my friend and I took the kids on a “kid-friendly” hike that was a bit steep for the two-year-olds; there was dirt on fresh sunscreen (it STICKS) and then the waterfall and then more dirt on various-degrees-of-wet clothes.  (There were also slushies afterwards, because we were driving home during Sonic’s happy hour and managed–between the two of us–to remember where one was on the way home.)  And then there were various baths and showers, because no one was allowed inside on the carpet without them.  (Because SO.  MUCH.  DIRT.)  And THEN there was dinner for eleven.

The good news is that my dishwasher has run, I’ve done two loads of wash today, I’ve washed four things by hand (which I LOATHE doing), and I’ve read my scriptures.  The bad news is that a)after all that, I still need to practice the piano, which leaves me zero extra energy to review anything, and b)it’s supposed to hit 100 tomorrow.  (I hate triple digit temperatures.)  And so–until Wednesday, folks.  Stay cool out there!

I just finished The Year of the Garden, which is set before Andrea Cheng’s other Anna Wang books, and I was glancing at the back cover before closing it when “she passed away in 2015” caught my eye.  How sad is that?  Her “Year of…” series handles difficult topics with sweetness, grace, and honesty; both of my older girls have enjoyed it with me.  This latest was actually published posthumously, which makes it one of the two finished manuscripts she left behind (according to her website).  It’s unclear whether the other is out yet, so I’m still hoping!  In the meantime, I’ll be passing Year of the Garden on to my 7-year-old.  (Incidentally, she’ll be over the moon–the plot features a baby bunny.)  In it we see Anna adjusting to her family’s move from an apartment complex to a house.  What she learns about friendship–and gardening!–are valuable lessons for any elementary schooler, so make sure your kiddoes don’t miss this one.

“This,” my friends, is a 74 page graphic novel entitled The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth.  Because when the patrons have left and the Stratford Zoo is closed up for the night, what else would the animals be doing?  From the audience to the play itself, this book is purely fabulous (how could it not be?!).  My favorite lines may have been–“Double, double/Toil and/Trouble,/Fire burn and/Cauldron bubble,/Eat the king,/The plot will/Thicken,/Go on, Macbeth,/He tastes like/Chicken.”  (Macbeth is a lion.)

Really, I’m just going to leave it there.  Because you KNOW you need this in your life.

I’m being completely serious.  This is a true story that feels sort of like a cross between “Erin Brockovich” and The Rainmaker, except that the details are even more compelling.  Between 1981 and 1987, 50% of the hemophiliac community in the U.S. contracted HIV through contaminated clotting factor extracted from contaminated blood.  Too many of them were children, but the casualties also included adults (and spouses, since some of the doctors treating such patients weren’t immediately forthcoming about their infection).  Vial 023 is a father’s story of his son’s death and his family’s subsequent fight for justice and recognition from the pharmaceutical companies who used blood from high risk donors for far too long.  (Because you know where you can get cheap blood?  In PRISON.)  The Crosses were willing to initiate legal action on their son’s behalf in a time when people were irrational and hateful about those with AIDS, and they became tireless leaders and supporters of those in like situations.  After a 10-year legal battle, which they eventually realized was unwinnable, Gary Cross was again the initiator, this time of a change in strategy that led to an entirely different outcome than either side expected.

This is an incredible story.

In the interest of full disclosure, Cross is not in any way a writer–but this story speaks for itself.  A great movie director could make the ultimate settlement a cinematic scene to remember; I’m truly hoping one of them does.  In the meantime, this is a book that needs to be read.

And if you happen to know Steven Spielberg?  Tell him to read it, too!

When I first started reading Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales, there were only six; I finished the 6th one the other night, however, and was overjoyed to see that the next one has a title and a release date.  (It’s called Raid of No Return, about the Doolittle raid, and it’s coming in November–wahoo!)  Tonight, however, I get to focus on Alamo All-Stars, and I have to say–how does Nathan Hale do it?  How does he take a tragic piece of history–Texas LOST at the Alamo, and PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE DIED–and turn it into an appealing, amusing, entertaining, and yet historically accurate graphic novel?  I assumed I wouldn’t like this one as much as its predecessors, because an older biography of Davy Crockett that I read painted a fairly damning portrait of the Alamo, one of hubris and defiance of direct orders.  I came away from it feeling like it was a case of testosterone triumphing over common sense, when in reality nothing was as clear cut as all that. Texas wasn’t a part of the U.S. at the time, its leadership wasn’t firmly settled into a chain of command, and by the time the Alamo defenders knew they were doomed, surrender and retreat wasn’t a terribly viable option.  Hence–doomed.  (Although women, children, and slaves–interestingly–were spared.  Since Texas history isn’t actually a thing in Rhode Island elementary schools, I had no idea.)

The doom notwithstanding, Hale manages to focus on, not the trivial, but the long term struggle for Texan independence and the bigger picture of that struggle. Nathan Hale the spy has a Mexican counterpart who was swallowed up by El Gran Libro Enorme de la Historia Mexicana and is also telling stories from his country’s history to delay his execution.  (He comes with a three man firing squad, who immediately bond with the Hangman.)  The Mexican viewpoint provides the perfect counterpoint, perspective-wise.  Alamo All-Stars manages to focus on the Alamo while telling the story of Texan independence, and it does it with both humor and respect–all while hitting a home run on behalf of reluctant readers everywhere.

Don’t miss this one.