What's new

Thanks so much to everyone who left me such caring messages on my last post. I really do appreciate your thoughtfulness. My back is feeling better, but is not better - I'm still having pain but I think things are improving slowly.


I have failed miserably at the Non-Fiction Five Challenge. I did read the number of non-fiction books required (actually, more since I read 8 instead of 5) but none of them were on my original list. I think this just goes to show that I am not meant to sign up for challenges. I simply want to read what I want to read when I want to read it. I do feel a bit strange about this, I'll admit. So many people seem to really enjoy doing the challenges, it makes me wonder why I don't want to be so 'challenged', that perhaps I am lacking in some way. In any case, this means no more challenges for me and that is okay. For the same reason, I don't think I would make a very good paid reviewer - not that my reviews are any good, but a bit of the pleasure is gone for me when there are deadlines to be met. Thank you Joy for hosting this challenge - it's not you, it's me!

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On to happier things.

I had the distinct pleasure of watching the BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South this past weekend. Oh, my. I loved it, I really, really loved it and would say it is one of my favorite 'costume dramas' ever. I haven't read this book, though it is on my nightstand now, and was surprised at the similarities between this and Pride and Prejudice. I thought it was just brilliantly filmed. The scenes in the Northern city of Milton are so drab and colorless and when the action shifts to London or 'the South' the colors and light are so vivid and dramatic. All in all, very well done, I loved the actors in their respective roles and I cannot believe I waited so long to see this.

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I was lucky enough to be the winner of Karen's BAFTA drawing this past summer. (There is another drawing going on right now, so do visit Karen and sign up). Karen sent me the lovely book you see here - A Childhood in Scotland by Christian Miller and it demanded to be read this past weekend. It is a small book, really that could be my only complaint about it, that I wished it were longer. Childhood is a memoir of Miller's childhood years spend at her family's estate in Scotland in the 1920's and is a wonderful example of what life was like for the upper classes. It is really about day to day life - Miller describes the castle she lives in, how bitingly cold it is, mealtimes, her schooling, the gardens, hunting expeditions - simply a wonderful look at a time gone by. What struck me the most reading this was the experience of children at this time. Certainly Miller's situation was better than most, but reading some the following excerpts made me feel very sad.

"..outside the schoolroom, I was rationed to one question a day"

".. my parents refused to answer me;they looked on my curiosity as mildly amusing, but also as something that should not - because it was a nuisance to grown-ups--be indulged."

"three of the twelve indoor servants....were employed for the sole purpose of making sure that my parents had as little as possible to do with us."

"In my entire childhood, for instance, I only once remember my mother giving me my bath.."

"Our parents never went on holiday with us."

Miller writes at one point that upon her father's death, she is confused as to why everyone expects her to cry - she never knew him, was only frightened of him - why would she be upset?

You could certainly argue that children today have too much say in their own lives and the lives of their families; there must be a happy medium. Thank you so much Karen for such a wonderful book, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Edited to add: If anyone knows if the castle (as she described it) Christian Miller lived in is currently a place that can be visited, I'd love to know about it. Not that I'll probably get the chance to visit it, but there might be photographs online.

I Won! And I read some books, too.

I won a prize from the Non-Fiction Five Challenge! It is a flipklip which holds your book open so you don't need to use your hands. I was not the first to use it.



My little one said it was too hard to hold the book while she listened to her Frances CD. Thanks so much to Joy for the flipklip and for hosting this challenge.

I have finished two books in the past few days. The first is The Accomplice by Kathryn Heyman. This book is a fictional account of the wreck of the Batavia, a Dutch ship, off the coast of Australia in 1629. The story is told from the point of view of Judith Bastiaansz, daughter of the minister on the ship. The first half of the novel details how Judith and her family come to set sail on the Batavia and daily life on the ship. At this point in the novel, I was feeling a bit confused about some of the characters and their motivations so I did some research about the true story of this shipwreck. This was helpful in understanding the story better, but did take away a bit from the suspense of what the inside flap describes as 'one of the most shocking events of the seventeenth century'. Heyman describes what life was like at sea for months at a time; I particularly liked how Judith's mother was written, you could sense her misgivings about the trip and increasing depression as it went on. The story of what was so shocking can be found here. This part of the book was very difficult to read and quite horrific. Overall, I am glad I read this book as I had no prior knowledge of these events.

The second book I finished was Plan B by Emily Barr. This was an entertaining book and a good choice for me to read in between working all weekend. I enjoy Barr's writing and the bit of suspense she includes in each of her books.

In other news, I was browsing the library's list of what they have on order and realized Lisa See has a new book coming out. I loved her last novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan. My girlfriend that I recommended it to described it as 'everything I was looking for in a book'. High praise indeed.

Julia Child by Laura Shapiro

Did you know that Julia Child had plastic surgery? Multiple times? I didn't, and I thought that was going to be the only new information I learned from this book which is part of the Penguin Lives series. These books are short, less than 200 pages and I wondered how much one could learn about someone in such a short book. I've read My Life in France which was written by Child and her nephew and it was a wonderful memoir but I wanted to read something more objective.

The book covers Julia's early life, her relationship with Paul Child, the BOOK, the television shows, and finally the aftermath. The final 2 chapters made the book worthwhile. Julia's prejudice against homosexuals is described at length. It turns out Julia was a supporter of MSG, canned food when prepared correctly, and the various government food boards and councils which support industrial farming. She was opposed to the organic, local, sustainable food movement, calling it's advocates 'cultists'. I find this all so fascinating, coming from a woman who lived to cook and eat. Apparently she believed simple preparations were boring, and ingredients, irregardless of quality, could taste wonderful when prepared well.

All in all, I found this a quick read, and ultimately enlightening about Julia's views.

I will include this as my first entry in the Non-fiction Five Challenge.

My First Challenge

It is with some anxiety that I announce my participation in my first challenge, The Non-Fiction Five Challenge. I'm feeling anxious because I really like to make my reading decisions depending on my mood, what I've just read, and not have a PLAN to keep to. In view of that, the real challenge for me will be to finish what I've set out to read, since I tend to read a fair amount of non-fiction anyway.

The books I've chosen are all ones I've been interested in for a while and just haven't gotten around to. Here is my list:

1. Because I Said So by Camille Peri and Kate Moss
2. There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene
3. Triangle by David Von Drehle
4. Red Azalea by Anchee Min
5. Diana Mosley by Anne de Courcy

Alternates include:

1. Strapless by Deborah Davis
2. Pioneer Women by Joanna L. Stratton
3. Something that may strike my fancy