Keris Stainton's Blog, page 63

A book that gave me the creeps

Day 10 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a book that gave me the creeps.'

American Psycho. Ugh.

I read this book at university and oh my god I hated it. I eventually forced myself to sit and read it through to the end so I could stop reading it, stop worrying about it, and get it out of my life.

 

Boy quotes (Part 8)

Yes, I've finally got round to downloading my Twitter feed and searching out the boy bits. 

Walked almost 4 miles this morning. Joe exclaimed at tractors, bikes, postmen, vans, trucks, motorbikes, sheep, cows, clouds #toddlerworld

Harry: "Can you get your books out of the way? Cos I've got the whole world!" He was carrying a globe.

Joe just put the teddy I've had since birth into his high chair and gave it some toast. Am now singing 'Circle of Life' and weeping.

Harry: "Did you know there's a word called 'yaveleh'?" Me: "No. Can you use it in a sentence?" Harry: "Yes. What does 'yaveleh' mean?"

Joe just called me "Middy" and then corrected himself. Harry calls me Middy, Joe calls me Mama!

Harry's just run out of the room, shouting "See ya later,

crocodile!" #fail

Joe helping me bake. If yelling "Mixing! MIXING! MIXING!" then trying to throw a step-stool at me is helping.

Woman in shop asked Harry if Joe was his "baby brother." Harry said, "I've never seen that baby before in all my life!"

My favourite crime novel

Day 9 of the 40 day book challenge is 'A favourite crime fiction book.'

I'm too wussy for crime novels. Pathetic, but true. I used to LOVE Patricia Cornwell books, but then I found they were freaking me out too much and I had to stop reading them (also, they got a bit rubbish).

Does A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss count? I think it's probably more a historical thriller than crime, but it's fabulous.

What's your favourite crime novel? Yes, you. 

A book that blew me away

Day 8 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a book that blew me away'.

Books blow me away all the time – that's sort of what I love about books – but I chose The Hunger Games because it's a book I really didn't expect to be blown away by.

I'd heard lots of chat about it online and I think a couple of people had recommended it, but I didn't fancy it at all. I'm not a big fan of dystopias in general and I knew The Hunger Games was pretty violent and I'm a total wuss about violence, so I still thought no. But then at my launch party for Della, lovely Brigid Coady (who I knew online, but hadn't met previously) raved about it to me and I decided to give it a try and… it blew me away.

I've just reread it for the YA course I've been teaching and it blew me away again. I haven't read the other two books in the series yet (worried they'll be disappointing), but I definitely will at some point. And I really hope the film lives up to the book.

Have you read it? What did you think? What book blew you away? Is anyone ever going to answer any of these questions? I feel like the guy at the end of Soap… 

My favourite YA book

Day 7 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a favourite YA book'.

You know what? Screw it, it's mine. Both of 'em.

A book that changed my life

Day 6 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a book that changed my life'.

I read Martha Beck's Finding Your Own North Star: How to Claim the Life You Were Meant to Live in various Barnes & Nobles while on the big US trip I've been wittering on about for the past couple of months (our budget was too tight to allow me to actually buy the book).

By the time we got back – and our first full day home was ten years ago today – I not only knew what I wanted to do with my life, but also what I needed to change. My life now could not be more different from my life before we went on our US trip. We bought a house, we've had two kids, I can call myself a writer (rather than an administrator) and I've had two books published.

I find it impossible to read anything written by Martha Beck without feeling inspired. She's far from po-faced and doesn't take herself too seriously. She's very funny and she's been through it, all of it, and isn't afraid to share her own experiences. If you're still not convinced, you can read some of her articles (and watch videos) on Oprah.com. Oh, didn't I mention she's Oprah's life coach? Recommendations don't come much higher than that…

Off into the world…

Right now, Joe is at preschool for the very first time.

I took him for a visit at the end of last term and stayed with him, but this morning was the first time we'd left him. And he was fine. More than fine. After about five minutes of him playing in the sandpit, I said, "We're going to have to go soon, okay?" He turned and clutched my shoulders, saying "No!" but immediately turned back to the sandpit, as if he'd done it for my benefit, but he was actually totally fine. Joker. So then we kissed him goodbye and we left. And he didn't even turn round.

It's good that he's so independent and everything, but would it kill him to at least pretend he'll miss us?!

My favourite non-fiction book

Day 5 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a favourite non-fiction book'.

I have written about this book so many times. I've bought it for friends. I've given my own copy away and bought a new one for myself. I've read it – I think – four times in less than four years. I read it again on holiday this summer. It helped me make the decision to have a second baby. Yes, it's Waiting for Birdy by Catherine Newman.

It's the sweetest, funniest, most life-affirming book. Every time I read it, I laugh out loud, I cry and I read bits out to David (probably the same bits each time, but it doesn't matter cos it's not like he listens when I read stuff out to him).

I emailed Catherine Newman to tell her how much I love the book and, you know, her and she sent me a lovely email back (and it didn't even include the words 'please never contact me again').

I love it. Obv.

What's your favourite non-fiction book? 

Chicago to home : 5 September 2001

How ER is this?!

On our last day we had a coffee then got the El just so I could ride it. We left a message for David's brother at his hotel and then walked along the waterfront to a restaurant called Bennigans. We had brunch there then went to the Field Museum. It was really great, quite like the Natural History Museum and it has a T-Rex named Sue.

Sue!

From there we picked up our bags and got the subway to the airport. The flight was actually quite good, particularly compared with the outward journey. I watched Shrek, had a bit of a sleep, read a bit, watched an episode of Clocking Off and then we were home. Sadly (and typically) it was foggy and raining.

Got the trains over to Wallasey and Leanne picked us up. Jake even cuter than before, Toby teething so a little grumpy. Had a nice afternoon with them and we're now watching England vs Albania.

Feels weird to be home, in fact I already can't remember what America felt like. 

A favourite translated book

Day 4 of the 40 day book challenge is 'a favourite translated book'.

I struggled a bit with this one. I couldn't remember which books I'd read that were translated, apart from Sophie's World which just kept popping into my head and wouldn't get out again. And then I remembered The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. And then I remembered One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I read them all around the same time (studying post-colonial fiction at university) and I've got them all mixed up in my head. So my favourite translated book is one of those three. Or all of them.