Tabitha book

Click here to view this photo book larger

On Wednesday I was checking my email, and I realized I had a coupon for a photo book.  Not just any coupon, a 50% off coupon.  And, I've been thinking about making a photo book for Tabitha.  It's been one of those, "I'll get to that" sort of things, although I've totally felt justified in pushing in back time and again.  Because there is only so much we can take, and processing photos was not making the cut.

But this week, I felt up to it, and my coupon was expiring that day, so I worked on the book when we were at home, not out running around in the beautiful weather.

Emily MAY have only gotten yogurt for dinner, until it was bedtime when I realized she was probably hungry, and got her more food.  (And by "may," yes, I mean it happened, but she is always capable of finding food if she is hungry, which she has demonstrated on many occasion, so I don't think she was starving.)

Hopefully the link works for you, and the book loads.  It may just take forever to load (like everything did, about 10 years ago, remember that?)

The book is a collection of photos from Tabitha's life, and journal entries I wrote during her life, in either her journal, my journal, or her sister's journal.  I don't differentiate which; I figured I wrote all of them, and I didn't have to cite myself :)  After I ordered it, I thought that maybe I should have included things from my blog.  Because I don't have entries for her last month of life (there are photos), since I was writing in the journals about once a month.

But I liked the way it turned out.  There is a button on the website where you can order your own copy, if you wish.  I have a coupon (for 25% off) that I can send you, and shipping should be free, since the book is over $30.  But please, don't feel obligated to order one, if you don't want to.  I'm not getting anything if you do.  I just wanted to share her with all of you.

Howl's Moving Castle

Since I am recommending this book (over on the right hand side in my list of books you should read), I am going to review it.

This book is excellent.  I missed lunch yesterday because I wanted to read it, and I forgot about eating my orange (which I regretted later, when I started getting dizzy at work).

The main character is a girl named Sophie, who is transformed into an old woman in the first few chapters, and ends up as a cleaning lady for a wizard name Howl, who has a moving castle.  Howl has many different assumed names, and a magic door that opens to different places.  I am usually able to tell what will happen in books, but despite having already seen the movie, I was still surprised by some of the plot twists.  And if I tell you anymore, I might be giving away to much, so you should just read the book.  Or watch the movie.

About the movie--it is a few years old, and was made in Japan by one of their great animation directors--Hayao Miyazaki.  Dan is a great fan of his works, and we own a lot of them.  The movie is also excellent, but they changed the plot and characters to work as a movie.  Which is why I didn't know exactly how the book would turn out, or about the characters who were very different in the book and movie.

The Lightening Thief (the movie)

Dan and I went to see The Lightening Thief yesterday.  I had loved the books, and so wanted to see the movie.  I had high expectations.

For those who haven't read the books, the basic premise of the books, and movie, is that the Greek myths are real, and there are children of gods and mortals who need to be trained and protected in the world today.

I was not impressed.  Yes, I know, books usually have to be changed in order to make movies.  But they changed so much of the plot.  And, they merged two characters in the book--Annabeth, the brainy, blonde daughter of Anthena, and Clarisse, the angry daughter of Ares (god of war), into one person.

Annabeth is supposed to be blonde.  She is supposed to be smart.  She is supposed to have a magic hat that lets her turn invisible.  While she does fight, she also uses her brains.  And she only fights with a knife.  Not a sword, like they had her use in the movie.  They turned her into a great fighter, who is also beautiful.

Annabeth is also supposed to be conflicted about her love for both Percy and Luke, who she doesn't really like in the movie.

And Luke is supposed to be a great guy, which is what makes his betrayal so surprising and hurtful.  And why Annabeth can't give up on him.

I can understand (but not really like) why they simplified the plot.  And changed some of the underlying reasons things are happening.  They only had two hours.  But they destroyed one of my favorite characters.  And the movie was not awesome.  If the movie was awesome, it might have been alright.  But it wasn't.

"The No-Cry Sleep Solution" by Elizabeth Pantley

We've had trouble getting Emily to sleep (check out my post from a few months ago).  Recently I put some books about how to get your child to sleep on hold at the library.  In the meantime, Dan read an article in one of my baby magazines, and we tried the let Emily cry it out method again.  Which worked better this time, and she is sleeping better.  And, she is sleeping in her crib, instead of between Dan and me.

One of the books I had put on hold was "The No-Cry Sleep Solution" (since we were having problems with Emily NOT falling asleep if we just left her in her crib--and the idea that she wouldn't be crying herself to sleep appealed to me).  Since she is still not napping, I checked out the book.

The author is the mother of 4 kids, and believes in not letting your child cry.  She is also a co-sleeping fan (but doesn't push that idea, just supports it, in her book) and she is a breast-feeder.  But her book is for all parents, and she describes different methods to use depending on the particular habits of your child (co-sleeper or crib sleeper for instance).  At the outset of her book, she outlines the overall plan parents should follow--including learning about sleeping behaviors, and creating a plan to address the problems your child has.  And then sticking with it--her sleep solutions take weeks to change habits, but you don't have to let your child cry it out.  She also offers many different methods to consider, that you can tailor to your child and your family's needs.

I liked that she addressed both your own feelings about your baby's sleep patterns (do you enjoy the alone time, even if you get no sleep) and why you want to change (can you barely function, or does everyone else seem to think you need to change).  Also, she has a couple chapters at the end aimed just at the parent--on their sleep, and giving you a little perspective in the conclusion chapter.

The author has a great, personable writing style, and you can tell she's been through this, too.  She also includes quotes from the moms about their children's sleep or their application of her methods.  It's not a very long book (about 250 pages) and its not a hard read.  Perfect for a desperate mom who's just trying to figure out how to get junior to go to sleep so she can finally do so herself.  But without having to let them cry (or scream) themselves to sleep in a different room.

A lot of her advice was things we tried with Emily, or thought about trying, but didn't stick it out long enough for her to change her habits.  So, we still have naps to work on.  And I think we'll try some of the suggestions (helping Emily learn to like her crib, continuing to encourage her attachment to a lovey, and responding during the night to cries instead of letting her just cry--which as, the author pointed out, is a lot easier to handle once you get some sleep yourself.)

As an added bonus, here is a great quote from one of the last chapters:
"79 percent of women reported sleep problems during pregnancy.  (Personally, I think this figure is far too low--probably because the 21 percent who checked the "no" box in this poll were just too tired to understand the question.)"

The Color of Magic (adapted from books by Terry Pratchett)

I love Terry Pratchett.  He is one of my favorite authors.  His series of young adult books set in the discworld are some of my very favorite books.

However, if you haven't read the rest of his books, which are parodies of society, set on a flat planet which rests on elephants which are on a turtle swimming through space, you probably won't appreciate his books as much.  His adult books a great, and except for an occasional off-color joke, they are usually very clean.

I have read almost every single discworld book he has written.  If you want to spend months (or weeks, if you are a really quick reader) immersed in several intertwining plot lines and not-so-subtle roasting of society, history, and human failings, then read these books.

But I digress.  The real subject of this post is the movie The Color of Magic which covers the first two books by Terry Pratchett, The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic.  It was fantastic.  Sean Austin played Twoflower, the discworld's first tourist, and did an exceptional job.  Rincewind was older than I expected, but turned out beautifully.  And there was the luggage.  It was awesome.  (The luggage is a trunk made from sentient wood, which follows its owner wherever it goes.  It also eats people occasionally.)

If you have read the Terry Pratchett books, you will love this movie.  If you haven't, you might be hopelessly lost, and might find it somewhat amusing.  Or maybe you will love it too.

Magic Kingdom for Sale--Sold! by Terry Brooks

Dan has recommended the Magic Kingdom books to me several times over the course of our courtship and marriage.  A while ago he got all the books in the series from the library, and started reading the first volume of three.  After a couple months I finally snitched it from him and read the first novel.

The book is about a lawyer in Chicago who lost his wife a year ago, and has withdrawn from most contact in the world--he still goes to work, but that's about it.  He's disillusioned about his profession and he feels disconnected from the rest of the world.  He finds an ad for a magic kingdom, and decides to look into it, and then buy it.  The rest of the book is about his quest to truly become king of the land he has bought the kingship for.

Besides the one naked scene in the middle of the book, and his frequent cussing, this book is great.  It is extremely well written.  I was sure it was one of Terry Brooks more recent novels, since I pictured the main character in current day Chicago, but Dan told me it was written about 20 years ago. 

If you like fantasy books, this is one to read.

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

I just read this book, and it took me about a day.  (I stayed up until 2 in the morning reading, and then finished it the next day).  I decided to read this one because my sister told me I'd enjoy it, and I'm on a fantasy kick right now.  It was great.

The book is a Cinderella story of sorts, but well done.  Instead of a fairy god-mother, the main character (Lucinda) meets a person from a different, magical world, who helps Lucinda after Lucinda does something for them.

There are also two possible love interests in the book.  And the character does not end up with the one that I thought she would.  Which I am okay with.  Also, there is a goat, who is very smart, and I was sure was a human in disguise most of the book, but its never said to be a human, just a smart goat.

This is definitely a young adult book--no deep writing, but a solid plot, decent characters, and a giggle worthy love story.  Also, it is a little dark (for example, the main character is hit regularly by her step-aunt).  But it's nothing super gruesome, just not perhaps appropriate for 6 year olds.  So read this, if you like young adult fantasy.