Melissa Wiley's Blog, page 200
April 17, 2009
Martha, Charlotte, and Boys
I’m bumping up this question from the comments because I thought some of you might be able to answer more authoritatively (pun intended) than I.
Dani Joy asks,
“I recomend your books to parents with young girls but do you think my boys might like to read the books? I haven´t thought they would but I haven’t read them yet either.”
The feedback I’ve gotten from parents, teachers, and, yes, boys!, over the years has been gratifyingly enthusiastic. I’ve been told there’s enough grit and adventure in th
“Fortify Your Inner Life”
Scott just sent me the link to this LA Times article about the great Irish poet Seamus Heaney.
In a recent interview, Heaney said he was often asked what the value of poetry was during times of economic recession. The answer, he explained, is that it is at just such moments of crisis that people realize that they do not live by economics alone. “If poetry and the arts do anything, they can fortify your inner life, your inwardness,” Heaney said.
At first, that may seem like a quaint observation — o
April 16, 2009
How Does He Love Me?
Let me count the books.
After Scott left for the day, I found this on my pillow.
’Cause I’d said I was dying to read it.
Yup, he’s a keeper, all right.
Art Doesn’t Always Imitate Life
With all the Susan Boyle links everywhere, it’s not surprising I’ve got the Les Mis soundtrack playing in my head. Turns out it can be really distressing to one’s husband and children when one absentmindedly belts out “I Dreamed a Dream” while washing the breakfast dishes. And not just because I’m no Susan Boyle or Patti LuPone.
“I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living…”
Whoops! Sorry, guys. It’s just lyrics. I don’t really think we all live in a yellow submarine, eit
April 15, 2009
One Year Ago Today
We were in Barcelona. I can’t believe it’s been a year.
My Barcelona journal. Hooray for blogging because I’d never have written all that down otherwise.
“It was a glorious experience. I had no idea what a jewel Barcelona is. While Scott worked (poor thing), I soaked myself in museums, architecture, Gaudi. Everywhere I turned there was art. Our evenings were spent in the company of some of the world’s best comic book artists and writers, and I thoroughly enjoyed the long and lively discussions tha
Dear Godmother
Huck thanks you very much!
(Those shoes, I could die!)
April 13, 2009
April Days
I took a little blog break for Easter. Meant to leave you with a pretty picture on top, but forgot and what you got was Hugh Laurie. Ah, well. It’s a nice face.
I can’t believe we’re halfway through April already. Slow down, life. Not that we’ve been excessively busy. Pretty mellow here of late, really. Last week all our usual activities were canceled for spring break. We hung out at home, played lots of Legend of Zelda, made pizza (thanks again for the help—I think we’ll make another one for din
April 9, 2009
About This Week’s Episode of House
Did anybody see it coming?
April 8, 2009
And the TBR Pile Grows…
…faster than it shrinks.
One step forward, two steps back, so the saying goes. Only in this case it’s: one book behind me, half a dozen ahead. I finished Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict today, about which more later, maybe (I didn’t love it), which actually is one of the fourteen books from the TBR stack I shared in March. But after a stroll through blogland today, I find I have added (gulp) six more titles to my library hold list.
Tomorrow I’ll come back and add links to where I read about th
