"It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas"

I recorded this yesterday at Maddie's dance class.  She will be missing her December recital, so this is the best you will see of her.  I think she's doing fantastic!!

Book Review of The Book Thief

The Book Thief By Markus Zusak 576 pages. Knopf Books for Young Readers, c2007. $9.59

This book came to me highly recommended.  It's a Book Sense Book of the Year (2006)Award winner!  Everywhere I look there is nothing but glowing praise for this book.  I, however, did not particularly like this book.The narrator is Death.  What a fascinating idea!  The humor and imagery were amazing.  The writing was interesting, intense and unique.  But, it is another WWII story about a little poor girl in Germany.  You know how it's going to end...nothing but tears.Perhaps if I hadn't already read the Diary of Anne Frank, I would have enjoyed this better.  Maybe I'll even recommend this book to my kids instead of the Diary.  But, probably not.  It just lacks the realism that Anne Frank had to offer. While this book is excellent in form, it is not one I recommend - unless of course you feel like a good cry.

Our Kindergarten Feast

Maddie's kindergarten class had a feast today.  She dressed up like a pilgrim and ate pumpkin pie, popcorn, and other goodies.  Ryan came to class too and loved every minute of it!  He wishes that he could be in kindergarten too!

Upward Bound and the Derby

Monday was Macky's last night with his basketball team.  He had a nice time with his team, but is very glad that it's over.  He's decided that kung fu is his favorite and we will do just that for a while. Upward Bound was just fantastic though.  For his last night, they put on a big show at the Neighborhood Church.  They had a unicyclist and juggler come in and entertain the children.  He was unbelievable.  His unicycle was frighteningly tall, don't you think?
Last Saturday was the pinewood derby.  Spencer and Mac had lots of fun making their car.  They put weights into the car and carved it.  They painted it yellow with scary snakes to intimidate the other cars.  Unfortunately, they didn't spend enough time on their wheels, and apparently that was their downfall.  Mac didn't win, but he had fun at the event.  Grampie Bob came too, and they all enjoyed the BBQ.

Book Review of The Brothers

The Great and the Terrible, Volume 1: Prologue, The Brothers By Chris Stewart 224 pages. Deseret Book, c2003. $17.95

I really want to read the fourth book in this series, but I just had to start at the beginning.  I hate to start a series in the middle!  This first volume of the Great and Terrible series takes place in the premortal existence.  We learn about a valiant family who is torn apart by the war in Heaven.  Satan is in open rebellion and is working hard to bring all the spirits he can to his side, while Christ and Michael are doing all that they can to not loose anyone. 

The book is very interesting.  I enjoyed Chris Stewart’

s perspective.  Previously I had not put much thought into what life was like before the Creation.  Stewart helped me to feel like a fly on the wall during great events.  I think it moved a bit slowly, but picked up steam near the end.  I will continue reading the series to see where he takes me. 

Book Review of Catering to Nobody

Catering to Nobody By Diane Mott Davidson 301 pages. Bantam Books, c2002. $7.99

Our story opens with Goldy catering a wake.  Unfortunately her ex-father-in-law gynecologist Fritz Korman gets sick and Goldy is accused of poisoning him.  The police shut down Goldy’

s catering business until they can clear her name.  As the police are very busy, Goldy takes matters into her own hands to prove her innocence.  Along the way, she gives us recipes and a peak into small town life.

I enjoyed this book.  It is a quick read that is entertaining.  It’s really fun to come across so many interesting recipes while reading a mystery.  It’

s a one-of-a-kind series.  I am hoping to try a recipe from the book soon and will post my experience.

Book Review of Tangled Roots

Tangled Roots By G.G. Vandagriff 294 pages. Deseret Book, c2007. $14.95

Tangled Roots is the third book in a mystery series about two women who do genealogical research. Alex Campbell and her friend Briggie research a genogram to help a young girl in trouble. While researching her ancestors, they discover unsolved murders that others have tried to keep secret. As they try to find the killer(s), they find themselves in serious danger.This book surprised me. I expected it to be terrible. A genealogy mystery? Come on. But, it was actually decent. I can see how some get very into genealogy. If you like a mystery, you may enjoy this book.

Book Review of Peony in Love

Peony in Love
By Lisa See
280 pages. Random House, c2007.
$13.79 (Costco)

Peony in Love is a beautiful work of historical fiction. Lisa See masterfully weaves seventeenth century Chinese life into a powerful love story.
Through the story I learned a great deal about Chinese beliefs, values, and customs. The love story is unique and mystifying. I could not predict what was to come on each page. I had so much fun being surprised!
The best feature of this novel, aside from the flowing melodic language, was the strong message of feminine power. The same women who tortured themselves to have perfect bound feet, used that determination to write and publish – during a time when women had not done so before. Remarkable!
I highly recommend this passionate and entertaining book.

Book Review of Mothers of the Prophets

Mothers of the Prophets
Revised Edition
By Leonard J. Arrington, Susan Arrington Madsen, and Emily Madsen Jones
275 pages. Bookcraft, c2001.
$18.95

Mothers of the Prophets has a chapter for each mother of a latter-day prophet, starting with Lucy Mack Smith and going all the way through to Ada Bitner Hinkley. The book also includes family photos of many of the women and their families. The book was originally written by Leonard Arrington and Susan Madsen, but was revised and updated by Susan Madsen and Emily Jones.
While this book is interesting and fact-filled, it is hard to get through. The lives of these women are often inspiring, but I felt that much of their experiences were sugar-coated. I read the word “perfect” one too many times. It is also mostly just a listing of facts. Facts that I would not normally have access to, granted, but dry nonetheless.
The most redeeming quality of the book was the glimpses into different generations of time. It was easy to see how we (mothers) are all connected. We all want what is best for our children and strive to achieve that at all costs. These mothers endured hardships unparalleled to push forward the restored gospel and instill the desire to do so within their children.
I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in genealogy or history – but probably not so someone looking for a fast read, or entertainment.

Book Review of Three Tickets to Peoria

The Company of Good Women, Volume 2: Three Tickets to Peoria By Nancy Anderson, Lael Littke, and Carol Hofeling Morris 374 pages. Deseret Book, c2007. $15.95

Three Tickets to Peoria shows the maturing relationship between Deenie, Erin, Gabby, and Juneau. All of the women have guilty secrets exposed. They must face the consequences of their secrets and the secrets of others. These women come together to strengthen one another and push each other forward.I really liked this book. It kept me busy for a weekend! The characters are so well developed, they seem real. The situations they find themselves in could (and probably do!) really happen. One of my favorite aspects of the book is how powerful these women are. They are all mothers, but they all strive to find self-fulfillment in interesting and exciting ways. Many of the problems are not solved and I look forward to the resolution in the third and final book of this series.

Bytheway, It's John

I try to always have something in the car for the kids to listen to. Recently we listened to this "squeaky clean comedy" CD by John Bytheway. If you love John, you'll love this CD. If you've heard him speak before, you've probably heard many of the jokes. However, I found out in this CD that John has a great singing voice. He changed the words to many LDS songs - he made them HI-larious. We really enjoyed listening to it. He proves that comedy can be clean!

Poetry Speaks to Children

I have been reading Poetry Speaks to Children to my Maddie. She LOVES it. When I'm tired of reading, she puts in the CD that came along with it and listens to the authors read their poetry. It's magical! My sister-in-law keeps her CD in the car.  The children love listening to poetry on the way to school.