Grace Lin's Blog, page 100

a pearl for memory's golden casket

Here's a photo I took of most of my family gathered together to watch the 4th of July fireworks. We're all busy and it seems like time flashes by so it's nice to take a moment and realize, if only in retrospect, these are the faces of those I love most. Not as loud or as brilliant as fireworks, but beautiful nonetheless.

booktalk tuesday

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia Maclachlan

IndieBound Description: "Did Mama sing every day?"
Caleb asks his sister Anna.
"Every-single-day," she answers.
"Papa sang, too."

Their mother died the day after Caleb was born. Their house on the prairie is quiet now, and Papa doesn't sing anymore. Then Papa puts an ad in the paper, asking for a wife, and he receives a letter from one Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton, of Maine. Papa, Anna, and Caleb write back. Caleb asks if she sings. Sarah decides to come for a month. She writes Papa: I will come by train. I will wear a yellow bonnet. I am plain and tall, and Tell them I sing. Anna and Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she like them? Will she stay?

My Thoughts: Such a jewel of a book! It is a slim volume but so lovely. It is a real lesson to authors that when it comes to writing less can be so much more. These days as I struggle with words, I am really in awe of how much story, character and emotion Patricia Maclachlan told by so few words.

on my desk monday

This is the famous Cafe Du Monde coffee that I bought as a gift for the Sasquatch to try during my trip to New Orleans. He's a bit reluctant to try it. And I don't drink coffee. I think it might be sitting on the desk for a long time.

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!
Today's word is:
swim
yóuyǒng

fortune cookie friday

"Blame yourself if you have no branches or leaves; don't accuse the sun of playing favorites. "
-Chinese Proverb

yum

I admit I am not much of a cook. I like to bake, I like watching other people cook and I like to eat but somehow when I cook I tend to lose interest.

This is especially dangerous when I am writing. In the middle of boiling something, I'll realize that perfect line for the character to say and run to my computer for "only a minute." Suffice to say, it is never only a minute and dinner is ruined.

Lucky for me, I have a very understanding Sasquatch who has taken over dinner duty. And let me say he has taken over dinner duty in a way I could never achieve. Most recently, in honor of my Asian-themed novel-writing, he tried out a recipe to make us an Asian-themed dinner.

Rice porridge with crab, chicken and soft cooked egg from the May 29th New York Times Magazine
I thought I was in a restaurant! And it was soooo good. It's given me an idea for a new picture book too!

This is also why I've gained so much weight since marriage.

what can you do with an old red shoe?

My college years were during the age of grunge and combat boots were the rage. In attempt to be cool and artsy, I bought a pair of bright red Doc Martens--mainly because I loved the color and they were on sale (I was a poor college student!), even though they were a good 2 sizes too large on me.

Needless to say, over the years, I realized that these oversized, red boots made me look like Ronald McDonald and weren't very comfortable. But somehow, I didn't have the heart to throw them away. So, I left them in storage at my parent's house where they have been for years.

Recently, when I returned to visit, I saw this is what my mother had done to them:



Ha ha!

Coincidentally, my mother's creative gardening venture is the same project my friend Anna Alter titled her book on.

Next, I think my mom should consult Anna on what to do with my old cassette tapes of the Cure.

booktalk tuesday

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

IndieBound Description: Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.

When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.

Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them—an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

My Thoughts: This was one of the most honored books in 2010, so much so that they had to redesign the cover to fit all the fancy medals on it! Completely well deserved, it was my choice to win the Newbery last year, though I had not read Moon over Manifest (the winner) so can't really comment.

on my desk monday

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon hit the NY Times list again! It fell off last week, but bounced to #9 on Sunday! This is quite a roller coaster!

Sunday Chinese School

Welcome to Sunday Chinese School, where we learn a Chinese word (or phrase) a week with my mom!
Today's word is:
friend
péngyou