Book Club: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Image from The Book Depository.

Well… it’s a long time since I have reviewed a book from our book club. We are still going strong.

This will be the first of a few quicker reviews.

I might try  25-50 word reviews this year.

Here goes.

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.

It’s science fiction.

It has an un-satistying ending.

We didn’t like it and we couldn’t to talk about it for more than 2 minutes.

Life is short.

I wouldn’t bother.

Image from The book Depository.

That’s all. I’m going to love reviewing books like this. Let me know if you like it.

Our next book was A Visit from The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

Pride and Prejudice is 200 years old.

Image from austenprose. Cover Artwork by Kazuko Nomoto

Yesterday marked 200 years since Pride and Prejudice by ‘A Lady’. The ‘Lady we now know as Jane Austin.

To celebrate, I sat the girls (and Tim) down to watch the movie. We also began reading the novel aloud to each other…. very Jane Austin indeed.

I have mentioned before that I have only recently become a reader, so I didn’t grow up reading and dreaming of Mr Darcy. Which I think is good, as I didn’t go looking for a fictional character to marry.

So while I don’t want my girls to go looking for their Mr Darcy, (because let’s face it, most of us don’t want to be insulted rudely to others at our first meeting…. and would never give him a second chance)  I do want them reading books that have stood the test of time, and to read about times, situations and lives that are very different from their own. I want them to be able to look back and forward with critical minds, aware that what they experience in the day to day is not all there is……. I also think there is only so much dystopian, zombie and fantasy  fiction the brain can take.

Anything else I should encourage them to read?

Any other anniversaries coming up?

What book have you most enjoyed reading aloud to someone?

 

Advent 2012 ….. part d (the great fiasco)

…..week 3 Advent 2012

16: Sunday

Activity: Serve lunch to NTE mission team and church. 14year old, 9 year old, Tim and I did this one. 6 year old did her best to not need much supervision. A few other families from church helped as well. All in all pretty successful. (12 year old had a birthday party so was unable to participate.)

Had a bible verse planned but didn’t read it.

Extra Joy: Tim and the girls went to the local coffee shops Christmas party. I was all talked out and couldn’t face another conversation so stayed at home.

17: Monday

Activity: Dinner with Cousins. Really, really fun. With almost 3 teens (taking up much space) we are moving into a new phase of fun. Great fun joking about which mediocre superpower we would want…… which super power we think would be not very useful to us.

…..and how much enjoying movies can cost us.

I am loving this new phase of life with no bottoms to wipe or children to hand feed. Wasn’t sure I’d make it…. but we have. Hang in there if you’re not there yet. Older kids can be very funny and helpful and entertaining.

18: Tuesday too pooped for anything. Didn’t do the things planned.

…. a great post by Jodi of  ‘Sewfearless’ came into my inbox today, and it really rang true this year. Have a read if you feel like you are failing Christmas. We don’t even have a family photo all together that would have made a great Christmas card.

19: Wednesday Last day of school YAAAAAY

Activity:

Dinner with family friends (planned). Great to get to know friends better and better.

Had a reading but didn’t read it.

20: Thursday

Had things planned but ended up at the pool with school friends and families… Great time. Had other activities planned and readings to read, but didn’t do them.

21: Friday

Didn’t do our reading for advent, although we had planned to, just enjoyed each others company….. over the activity.

Activity: Watch a christmas DVD We all enjoyed Arthur Christmas.

Pleasantly surprised by the number of nativities! The Salvo’s playing carols in a front yard, kids busking for charity…..even an ice-cream van!

22: Saturday

Last minute christmas shopping and packing for holidays.

Extra Joy: We did surprise the girls today, giving them a set amount of money to spend at our favourite book shop in the city. What a great treat it is to have kids who love reading. Tim and I even indulged in some holiday reading.

Did our activity though…..

Activity: Go and see the Local Christmas Lights.

Red tail-lights in the local Christmas Light traffic jam.

Not really being very faithful with our advent this year. I am thinking a ‘non-christmas’ month of readings and activities may be a good idea. We have loved being together though and spending time with friends. I guess it’s good to embrace the moment and not be a control freak!

Some people take their Christmas lights very seriously.

Love this….

…shadow work. Image from here.

Scallyoop Scoop!

Tuxedo Sam (other characters available) USB sticks.

Today I want to tell you all about a fantastic online store.

It’s owned by my fabulous little sister Hayley and a friend… so I am a little bias in my recommendation…. but after I have shown you a small selection of an enormous range of products, I am sure you will agree with me.

Firstly, I will show you some of the items we have enjoyed from Scallyoop and a few reasons why I like them…. and then give you my recommendations for Christmas….. and leave you with a special offer!

Tuxedo Sam (and Friends) USB stick. 14 year old has one and loves it! Once the kids get to high school the USB becomes their best friend. These little guys wont be lost like the boring generic kind…. and are easily recognisable. Even Dad’s and nephew’s would enjoy these.

Djeco Art Nouveau Workshop.

Djeco make fabulous product. They provide great structured art projects which are vital for building skills. Over the years we have enjoyed many of these craft boxes. They are beautiful indeed.

Covering crafts from colouring, collage, puppet making, folding and knitting these sets ….made for boys as well as girls are highly recommended.

Made by the same company (and often included in the kits) are these felt painting textas and oil pastels. Be warned however….once you buy a child these beautiful textas they will never want normal ones. They make truly beautiful marks and last and last. Well worth the investment.

The oil pastels are also lovely to create art with. you will want to sit alongside your child and draw with them. I think they are better for older children ….. maybe 8+ as they can be a little messy (like oil pastels are)

Felt paint textas.

Oil Pastels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ni Hao Noodle Bowl. Now $19.95

The Ni Hao Noodle bowl is a fun way to introduce chopsticks to your children. The set comes with a noodle bowl, a patterned plate and a cute set of ‘kid friendly’ chopsticks. The little rubber man holds the chopsticks together making the pinching action that much easier! ….almost like holding a pencil and squeezing. A great gift for 6+ noodle lovers.

 

Roll-up chalk placemat.

We have enjoyed our chalk placement outside and inside. The girls use it to make signs on the cubby house and I sometimes use it to write a list of jobs for them to do…. It’s so much more fun to rub a job off with your hand after doing it!

Alice in Wonderland necklace or brooch.

What is not to love about this sweet Alice in Wonderland necklace (also available as a brooch)? Wood cut and light. Beautiful. You can also get other Alice in Wonderland characters.

Ride on Lady Bug.

The ride on bug.… yes, sadly we are past this, but have many fond memories of the girls zooming around on these. Stylistically so much more beautiful than the plastic ride on…and great for imaginary play.

Skwish classic.

Past this one too but loved it when the girls were very little. I loved the lightness of the elastic and wood….didn’t hurt when it inevitably hit them in the face! Skish Classic.

Throwing Game Klop.

I think my all time favourite gift from Scallyoop is Klop. A fantastic park game. It plays like a cross between bowls and boules with a twist or two.

Our family regularly take Klop to the park just with us or with friends and play across generations. The game is well weighted so adult or child can win….. but it’s not all luck. Brilliant!

Now….. my picks for this Christmas and beyond.

Ziggy Platter….. How groovy!

This one is for me! Yes there are gifts for adults too!

Balsam wood postcard…… can think of a few granddads who would like one of these.

Love this idea! …..and Balsam wood Plane Card just $7.95

Kokeshis Paper Dolls…. great holiday fun.

Another Djeco kit! Un-tricky origami Only $12.50

Beautiful wooden 3 layer puzzle.

How about this exquisite wooden puzzle? Lovely.

Make-a-do. Reusable connective pieces for creating straight from the recycling box.

I have loved these for a while. Such a great idea for the ‘construction kids’. Make-a-do kits.

There you have it!

Some of the best gifts you will find…. and you don’t need to go to the shops! Yay.

The site has soooo many more things to love….. and if you get in quick (before Dec 9) adding the code scallyoop10 will give you $10 off if you spend over $30 and put you into the draw for a $150 scallyoop shopping spree.

Why are you still here?

 

 

Advent 2011 page now available.

Rocks for advent? all the details by clicking on the photo.

Some of you may have noticed a new page below my header…. and not a moment too soon. (like everything I do).

I have collated our advent calendar activities, readings and adventures for you to share and use.

We went with the ‘December is very busy’ approach and although we had a parcel for each day in December we planned from the start to open more than one each day and include some of our communities activities within the calendar.

It worked pretty well…..and included NO LOLLIES but ROCKS!

More advent ideas can be found here if this one doesn’t float your boat.

Yes! This is the week to be finalising your advent plans, if you haven’t already.

Painted rocks for advent.

Book Club: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Image from The Book Depository.

As I mentioned in my last review, my book club read this a while ago….and I neglected to post a review….. so we will see how my memory serves me!

The Help by Kathryn Stockett was a great read. Fascinating and concerning, convicting and humourous.

Set in Jackson Mississippi in the 1960’s, the book falls into the category of historical fiction, but reads like the ‘book within a book’. This was a time of segregation, violence and the silencing of half the community.

The story swaps between three different narrators, two  African American maids and the educated child of a well off white family.

It’s a story about telling your story. Speaking up for what is right and good, whatever the price. It’s also a story about love, genuine friendship and secrets.

We loved it.

I think it helped that Australia didn’t share in this type of oppression and segregation….although we have other issues! It would be hard to read as an American…I would imagine, especially if you grew up during this time and thoughtlessly went along with it!

Image from The Book Depository

We thought we were all capable of this same sort of ‘following along with the norm’.

We talked about what issues are with us that would cost to speak out about, but are compelled to.

We felt quite trapped in the ‘mind your own business’ mentality we live in.

Those of us that had seen the movie thought it had left out a pivotal experience, which resulted in the movie missing the gravitas the book achieved. Did anyone else experience this?

All in all a great read and a fabulous holiday read ….if you are looking for something this summer.

Next book: This Charming Man by Marian Keyes.

 

 

Musical Miniatures.

My original strips. See what I am doing with them by clicking on the picture.

Facebook Friday.

Yay! Cathy has made herself a Mini Library and ‘launched it this week in Metford. 

See more ideas for free mini libraries here and here and here.

I was thinking I should say….’I’ll stop talking about it now’ …. but I don’t think I will 🙂

Book Club: All that I am by Anna Funder.

Image from Book Depository.

As I have mentioned a couple of times…. I am a bit behind on the book club posts, and just as I thought I had caught up… I realised that I had left out “The Help” by Kathryn Sprockett so I will blog it’s review next.

First, let me review All That I Am by Anna Funder.

Some of you will have hear of this book as it has won awards recently, but as we know, awards given by a literary body and books readers enjoy reading can be too different things.

This book was no different.

Written in a chapter by chapter recount that flips from present to past, it is set simultaneously in Bondi Sydney and across Europe during the political and social cauldron that was the second world war.

Anne Funder is a researcher, no question there, but as will all historical fiction I was left with the feeling of uncertainty as to where the fiction began and the history ended.

Do others have this experience with this genre’?

Image from Book Depository.

Because I didn’t continue studying history past the minimum requirement for high school, my knowledge of this period of history is extremely sketchy. Often I felt ‘not knowledgeable enough’ to know details that I’m sure would have illuminated the read….. and the opposite is also true…. I didn’t know enough to refute false historical readings…. which always occur when reading one person’s account of any historical period.

The characters themselves were interesting and somewhat developed, if at some levels unbelievable. I loved her first person ‘Ruth’….. especially as an ageing woman.

It’s a book worth the time and effort, although it wouldn’t reach my ‘must read before you die’ list.

Have you read it?

What was your take?