Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 157

"A road's a kind of holy thing"

Loved this passage in today's chapter of Adam of the Road. Young Adam's father, Roger, is a minstrel in the service of Sir Edmund de Lisle. Adam has just been removed from a boys' school at St. Alban's Abbey and is thrilled to be travelling with his father once again.

"My faith," said Adam, "look at the road." It stretched ahead of them across a long, level field and up a hill so far away that the men and horses on it looked like chessmen. For the first time since they had started, Adam...

Generation Gap

Me (singing): What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and uh-understaaaanding…

Rilla: Mommy, that's not how the Fresh Beat Band sounds.

Job Security

Rilla: Mommy, I changed my mind. I'm not going to be a princess OR a necklace maker.

Me: Oh? What are you going to be?

Rilla: Your child!

Betsy-Tacy Excitement

This afternoon, Jennifer Hart (aka @bookclubgirl) posted a picture of the Carney's House Party/Winona's Pony Cart and Emily of Deep Valley reissues with those gorgeous Vera Neville covers. The official pub date is less than a month away. Squee!

I got a sneak peek at Mitali Perkins's foreword for Emily of Deep Valley, and it is quite moving: an account of her discovery of the Maud Hart Lovelace books—and Emily in particular—as a young newcomer to America, "wandering the stacks of the...

Recently Read

And by recently, I mean "in 2010." There have been a lot of books I've read this year that I've wanted to write about but haven't had a chance. Maybe tonight I can at least jot down notes about a few of them.

Memento Mori by Muriel Spark. What a peculiar book. I mean that in the best way. Maud Newton's enthusiasm for this novel spurred me to read it. An assortment of elderly folks are being disturbed by anonymous phone calls—the caller's voice varies—addressing them by name and saying...

Since You Asked

Got lots of requests to post photos of the timeline. Here you go, but I must point out that you didn't specify *good* photos.

We began this timeline when Jane was about six years old. She was on a major Magic Tree House kick that year, and she got super excited by the idea of printing out little images of the book covers and gluing them onto a timeline. (Glueing? My spellcheck says no, but it looks better to me that way. Whatevs.)

I bought a roll of art paper and tacked it to the hall wall...

Middle Ages Rabbit Trail

In no particular order, some books and links we've been enjoying this week:

Adam of the Road. Newbery-winning middle-grade novel by Elizabeth Janet Gray. We're only on chapter three so I haven't much to share about it yet, but it's delightful so far. Young Adam's father is Roger the minstrel, and Roger has been off at a respected minstrel school in France while Adam's attending school at St. Alban's. And now Roger's coming back, and I'm guessing from the title that Adam's hopes will be...

Who's on First, the Crustacean Version

In the car on the way home from piano…

Rilla: Crap!

Rose and Bean (aghast): What???

Rilla, pointing at picture on restaurant sign: Red crap.

Rose: CRAB. You mean CRAB.

Rilla: Right, crap.

Rose: No, really!! It's CRAB.

Beanie: Huh? I thought it was Red Lobster.

He Sees Me So Clearly

Me: Can you believe how scratched up my glasses are? It's like looking through a screen door.

Him: Well, you've had them forever. You should get new ones.

Me: Nah. I don't wear them enough to justify the expense.

Him: But you wear them every night after you take your contacts out!

Me: Yeah, but not for very long. You know. There are things I'll spend money on, and things I won't.

Him: Ah yes. Glasses don't plug in.

Delicious Links for September 4, 2010

• Missing Pigs « educating alice —Monica Edinger's list of the ten best pigs (yes, pigs) in literature.

• Free Watercolor Project To Paint: Stained Glass Irises—HT Jenn

• Gluten Free Orange Almond Bread Pudding Recipe