January interview

Joie de vivre

active, amiable

data tracker, discerning

endearing

1. We’ve read a lot of books over the years. What book(s) are you especially glad you read and why?

Wow hard question.  I can’t think of a book I wish I hadn’t read.  I love that we read from such a wide variety of subjects.  I really loved Life of Pi, but I’m not quite sure why – the ending really threw me off – made me wonder how often I accept things at face value without realizing their true depth (and what the face value is covering up).  Some books haven’t been easy to read, but they’ve opened my eyes to many hard and painful things that I think are necessary to know in our world.

2. Recall one of the most memorable discussions that we’ve had.

            Again, I can’t think of a discussion that I came away thinking “wasted time.” Our discussions are always enlightening and fun - even when I haven’t read the book.

3. Where is your favorite place to read?

I love to read on the couch in our living room – all warm and wrapped up in a blanket (with a Diet Coke and some chocolate close by!).

4. What does your family think about book group?

They like it - mostly.  When I’m reading a really good book, I pretty much go awol for a few days while I’m reading.  I will be the first to admit that I’m OCD (or CDO because it really needs to be alphabetized) and usually can’t stop reading until I’m finished.  However, I’ll talk about the book to my family, so sometimes we’ll get a fun book discussion going on in our kitchen – even though I’m usually the only one who has read the book. (And now that I think about it, it’s pretty much me doing all the talking. Hmmm, is that really a discussion?)

5. Besides reading, what is your favorite way to spend your time?

            Playing games with my family.          

6. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.

            Oh I talk about myself so much that there is nothing my book group doesn’t know about me.  I’m a one-way street, a black hole, it’s all me, me, me!  haha!  Wait, did you know that when I was a little girl my parents fed me whale blubber?  Bet you all didn’t know that!  (My final secret: now I’m completely transparent, there’s nothing left to hide.)

Emma

Masterpiece Classics is airing a new adaptation of "Emma" tonight on PBS. It's a three-part series and if you miss an episode you can view it online from January 25 - March 9, 2010.

2010 Award Winners

ALA announced the 2010 literary awards this morning.

Newbery Award Winner

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

Newbery Honor Award Winners

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

Caldecott Award Winner

The Lion & the Mouse illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney

Caldecott Honor Books

All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman 

Blink discussion revisited

Laughing - a lot.

Yummy food - a lot of that, too.

Surprising stories:

Queenie told how she refused to give a gunman the money from the cash register when she was a freshman and lived to tell the tale. What a "frisky frosh"!

Beau Cheveaux told how she sent home flyers to all the students at the elementary school with a misprint of the word "public." (Use your imagination if you were not there.)

Moab did a great job leading the discussion and, Ambi, it's too bad you weren't able to come. She passed around the frontal view of the kouros.

We had so much to say that we stayed, and stayed and stayed.

And laughed and laughed and laughed.

And ate a lot too.

Many mentioned how they wanted recipes. Here's mine:

1. Drive to Allen's.

2. Buy a bag of chip and the fresh salsa in the refrigerated box by the deli.

3. Open the chip bag and the salsa container.

4. Serve.

Hermana's Meringue Cookies

2 egg whites

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup sugar

1 small pkg. chocolate chips

Beat eggs to frothy mixture, add salt, cream of tartar. Add sugar slowly to mixture and beat at high until stiff peaks form. Add vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips. Using a small scoop, place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Blink

Malcolm Gladwell

If you are interested in watching a video of  Anderson Cooper interviewing Malcolm Gladwell about his book Outliers, click here. I love the 10,000 hour rule.

Introduction:

The Statue That Didn't Look Right

kouros at J. Paul Getty Museum

Chapter One:

The Theory of Thin Slices: How a Little Bit of Knowledge Goes a Long Way

John Gottman

These are two of John Gottman's books. I think they are both excellent.

It also might be interesting to watch a video of John Gottman explaining his thirty year research on marriage.

Chapter Two:

The Locked Door: The Secret Life of Snap Decisions

Vic Braden

See what Vic Braden says about getting started at tennis.

Chapter Three:

The Warren Harding Error: Why We Fall for Tall, Dark, and Handsome Men

Take the Implicit Association Test

here.

Chapter Four:

Paul Van Riper's Big Victory: Creating Structure for Spontaneity

Paul Van Riper

Click here if you are interested in reading an interview with Paul Van Riper.

Chapter Five:

The Right - and Wrong - Way to Ask People What They Want

Kenna

Listen to him.

Aeron chair

Chapter Six:

Seven Seconds in the Bronx: The Delicate Art of Mind Reading

Amadou Diallo

41 shots by Bruce Springsteen

41 shots, and we'll take that ride
'Cross this bloody river to the other side
41 shots, cut through the night
You're kneeling over his body in the vestibule
Praying for his life

Well, is it a gun, is it a knife
Is it a wallet, this is your life
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
It ain't no secret (it ain't no secret)
No secret my friend
You can get killed just for living in your American skin

Paul Ekman

The TV series, Lie to Me, is loosely based on Ekman's research.

You can learn to read microexpressions here.

Conclusion:

Listening with Your Eyes: The Lessons of Blink

Yea for blind auditions. If not for them, perhaps Jenny Oaks Baker would not have had the opportunity to become first violinist for the National Symphony Orchestra.

A Reader's Resolutions

I resolve to:

1. Read only when all my other responsibilities have been taken care of.
2. Comment and/or post on the blog.
3. Organize my library by subject and then alphabetically.
4. Become a better listener at book discussions so that Tower will never be forced to raise her hand.
5. Never let book group attendance stand in the way of more important activities: Enrichment, children's concerts, leadership meetings, etc.
6. Quit acquiring books so that I never have to double-stack the books on the shelves.
7. Read every chosen book throughout the year before the discussion.
8. Agree with everyone's opinion.
9. Never deface a book by writing in it--or folding down a corner of a page.
10. Not eat lunch the days of the potluck in order to eat more of Apple's broccoli salad.

2009 in Review

We lost a member.

We gained a member.

We had members go on sabbatical.

We had long lost members return.

We read:

3 True Stories:

a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide

a professor dying of cancer

a woman lawyer during Iranian Revolution

2 Children’s Stories:

Eighth grade boy in the 60s

Fable - rabbit who learned to love

2 Historical fiction:

Holocaust story narrated by death

A leper girl in Hawaii during the early 1900s

1 Classic:

An allegorical novel - boy’s spiritual journey during the time of Buddha

1 Fairy-tale:

Re-telling of Cinderella

1 Mystery:

Small town prejudice in the south during World War II

1 Contemporary Novel:

Girl sues her parents for medical emancipation.