'Freddy laughed..."That's the funny thing about adventures. I've had my share of them in my time, as you know, and my experience is that either you're'Freddy laughed..."That's the funny thing about adventures. I've had my share of them in my time, as you know, and my experience is that either you're too busy to think whether you're enjoying them or not, or else you're just scared. And yet there must be something about them that you like, too, or else you wouldn't go on trying to have more."'
Freddy the pig and his two duck friends go up in a hot air balloon, but when it comes time to let the balloon down, the valve doesn't work. Freddy is accused of stealing the balloon. Can Freddy figure out a way to get the balloon back to its owner without being arrested and sent to prison?
Does anyone else remember the talking pig, Freddy, who, along with his animal friends, set off on their various adventures? I couldn't resist picking up this book at a library sale some years ago, but it has been lingering on my shelves for too long. Now it will be off to a new reader via my LFL....more
This book sounded like it would be helpful with meeting my goal of becoming a better listener this year.
It was.
Here are some of my notes.
At a time wheThis book sounded like it would be helpful with meeting my goal of becoming a better listener this year.
It was.
Here are some of my notes.
At a time when our relationships are increasingly mediated through devices that lack the warmth and honesty of a face-to-face interaction; when we are moving farther from home, and more frequently; when our social ties are weaker, our anxiety levels higher, and loneliness is on the rise; in a culture of self-promotion, overwork, and political and racial divisiveness; and in the midst of unexpected global crises that keep us not just culturally but physically far apart from each other, we need to feel connected more than ever—and listening provides a way forward.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (pp. xiii-xiv). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
form, I began to observe what made others around me effective listeners. These individuals seemed to have many of the qualities we researchers are trained in: curiosity, empathy, and the ability to ask thoughtful questions.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. xv). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
We often stop listening because we think we know what the other person is going to say...because we have an informed opinion about how they will respond...or because we have an idea of how we think they should respond...Sometimes we even assume our own experience is the same as others, and expect others will respond like we would....
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 5). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
One of the most common—and easiest—listening mistakes we can make in surface listening mode is to project our own feelings, ideas, or experiences onto others.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 7). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Surface listening can also include behaviors like multitasking, interrupting others, mentally checking out, or continually bringing a conversation back to what we want to talk about.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 7). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
When we listen with empathy, our conversation partner should feel not just comfortable but seen and known in some way. We do this by listening not just for what is said but also for what is meant—and then going deeper still to understand what is felt.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (pp. 8-9). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I tell my participants I am like “neutral Switzerland”—I will pass no judgment on their opinion or perspective; I want to hear it all. “You cannot hurt my feelings,” I say, before inviting them to share with me the good, the bad, and the ugly. I also admit that I do not have all the answers and that I am ready to be wrong.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 15). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Getting curious means being open to learning more about a topic, idea, or person—even if it does not initially pique our interest.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 18). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
It turns out humans can be over threshold, too: certain conditions can throw us off our game and make it harder to stay present and have the productive, empathetic conversations we seek.
Vengoechea, Ximena. Listen Like You Mean It (p. 39). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Tomorrow is Alice's fortieth birthday. She's not happy but she's not unhappy. She has an apartment, a job, a best friend. But her dad is in the hospitTomorrow is Alice's fortieth birthday. She's not happy but she's not unhappy. She has an apartment, a job, a best friend. But her dad is in the hospital, dying.
Alice wakes up the next morning to find she is sixteen, and suddenly Alice wonders, What would happen if...
Now wasn't this a fun ride?! Time travel. Doing things differently and seeing what happens. What's important in life. A delight....more
"You cannot cut an apple with an apple. You cannot cut an orange with an orange. You can, if you have a knife, cut an apple or an orange. Or slice ope"You cannot cut an apple with an apple. You cannot cut an orange with an orange. You can, if you have a knife, cut an apple or an orange. Or slice open the underbelly of a fish. Or, if your hands are steady enough and the blade is sharp enough, sever an umbilical cord."
Two young girls, Agnès and Fabienne. An intense friendship.
"You can slash a book. There are different ways to measure depth, but not many readers measure a book's depth with a knife, making a cut from the first page all the way down to the last. Why not, I wonder."
Fabienne is the mastermind. Agnès follows her lead.
"You can hand the knife to another person, betting with yourself how deep a wound he or she is willing to inflict. You can be the inflicter of the wound."
Fabienne concocts a scheme to write a book. The book is about all the awful things that happen in their provincial village in France. Fabienne convinces Agnès to claim to be the sole author of the book.
"One half orange plus another half orange do not make a full orange again. And that is where my story begins. An orange that did not think itself good enough for a knife, and an orange that never dreamed of turning itself into a knife. Cut and be cut, neither interested me back then."
Two young girls, Agnès and Fabienne. An intense friendship...
Cautionary note: This is not a thriller. Don't go into reading this novel expecting a story where characters are clearly defined. It is not a novel where a plot develops and things happen and other things happen as a result of those things.
Instead, this novel feels like a story that the characters told to the author, a story the author in which the author had no input, but a story with characters that feel very true, a story that feels very true.
I will say that when I closed the book, I felt disappointed. I wanted things to happen; things did not happen. I wanted big revelations; there are no big revelations. But as time went on after I finished the book, I liked the book more and more. I am still thinking about the book a day later. I will probably keep thinking about this book. By the end of the year, I may think it's one of the best books I read in 2023....more
S. E. Lee spent time interviewing his father, Joe, and used his recollections of a life that began in the 1890s to write this personal memoir. Joe wasS. E. Lee spent time interviewing his father, Joe, and used his recollections of a life that began in the 1890s to write this personal memoir. Joe was my grandpa's good friend when they were children and as they grew up in north Louisiana. The book was given to my grandma after my grandpa died, and my grandma passed it on to my dad, and my dad passed it on to me. The chapters about Joe's childhood were my favorites, filled with details about what the family ate and how they worked.
The last chapter was a shocker. Its title? The Ku Klux Klan! Yes, Joe was a member, but he says he was pressured into joining, that he really never knew what they did, and that he never did anything with the group. Oh my. I do hope my grandpa wasn't involved with that. I guess I will never know now....more
Maria is the ten-year-old orphan mistress of the poverty-stricken remains of the old Malplaquet estate, and her life is misery. She's been placed in tMaria is the ten-year-old orphan mistress of the poverty-stricken remains of the old Malplaquet estate, and her life is misery. She's been placed in the hands of a governess and a vicar who despise her and her only friend is an absent-minded professor who spends most of his time lost in the past.
Then her life changes dramatically when Maria discovers there is a complete civilization of people, tiny people, only inches tall, living on an island in the far corner of her estate.
The strength of this book, like the strength of the other T. H. White books I've read, is how he creates---whether they are charming or vile---endearing characters. You can't help but be riveted when White's characters begin to speak. Each character is unique and compelling....more
How many times have people recommended this book to me? At least a hundred, I'm sure. But I was determined to stay away from it. I've been encouraged How many times have people recommended this book to me? At least a hundred, I'm sure. But I was determined to stay away from it. I've been encouraged to read celebrity memoirs before, and, time and time again, I was disappointed. Celebrities can't write, I told myself.
Then a copy of Born a Crime appeared in my Little Free Library, and I was tempted. Why not try it?
I've had to adapt my former precept to most celebrities can't write. Trevor Noah is the exception. Not only can Noah write, he can write with the best of them.
This is the story of Trevor Noah's young life, growing up in the worst of times in South Africa, with a white father and a black mother. He tells the stories of his life trying to fit in at school with a racial group that accepts him (is he white? is he black? is he colored?) when none of them really do. He tells stories of his mother and his older relatives and their beliefs. He tells stories of South Africa. And all of these are tinged with humor and deep emotion....more
Mina Holland takes us on a foodie trip around the world, sharing the cuisines and histories of the cuisines of 40 different cultures. She focuses a grMina Holland takes us on a foodie trip around the world, sharing the cuisines and histories of the cuisines of 40 different cultures. She focuses a great deal of the book on European cuisines, especially France and Italy....more
We watched The Wasp Woman, a film from 1959, on Kanopy this week. I think Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars is the children's book-equivalent:
(1) Lots of acWe watched The Wasp Woman, a film from 1959, on Kanopy this week. I think Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars is the children's book-equivalent:
(1) Lots of action. (2) Inexplicable things happen (Miss Pickerell wanders into a rocket in her pasture and the ship takes off, the crew mistakenly believing that Pickerell is a crew member they were awaiting; Pickerell is able to crochet onboard the spaceship; the ship is able to land and take off again). (3) Post-1951 (that's the Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars copyright) knowledge of Mars makes some of the events of the story unlikely (especially the look of Mars as the crew takes a stroll on the planet). (4) Flag-waving belief in the power of science to do incredible things.
Still, Pickerell is a strong woman character, who obeys the captain except when an emergency arises. ...more
I've been hearing about Small Things Like These for weeks now, and everything I heard about it was good, so I have been waiting and waiting for the siI've been hearing about Small Things Like These for weeks now, and everything I heard about it was good, so I have been waiting and waiting for the single copy of it in our huge library system to arrive for me for a long time. I worried that I might have pumped up my expectations for this book, and that I would be disappointed; I did not.
Small Things Like These is a small book about small lives in a small town. Bill Furlong is a coal merchant, and it's winter, and Furlong is busily trying to keep all his customers fully stocked. He is married and has five girls, and he's respected in the community, but his life was not always so smooth. His mother became pregnant with him out of wedlock, and things could have been horrible for Bill and his mother, but, unexpectedly, his mother's employer kept her on, and everything changed for Bill.
When Bill is faced with a difficult situation, he must make a moral judgment about how to proceed. Whatever path he decides to take will not be easy.
Here are some quotes that might offer some small spoilers...read with caution...
“What was it all for? Furlong wondered. The work and the constant worry. Getting up in the dark and going to the yard, making the deliveries, one after another, the whole day long, then coming home in the dark and trying to wash the black off himself and sitting into a dinner at the table and falling asleep before waking in the dark to meet a version of the same thing, yet again. Might things never change or develop into something else, or new?”
“Always it was the same, Furlong thought; always they carried mechanically on without pause, to the next job at hand. What would life be like, he wondered, if they were given time to think and reflect over things? Might their lives be different or much the same – or would they just lose the run of themselves?”
“He found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another? Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian, and face yourself in the mirror?”
“He thought of Mrs Wilson, of her daily kindnesses, of how she had corrected and encouraged him, of the small things she had said and done and had refused to do and say and what she must have known, the things which, when added up, amounted to a life. Had it not been for her, his mother might very well have wound up in that place. In an earlier time, it could have been his own mother he was saving – if saving was what this could be called. And only God knew what would have happened to him, where he might have ended up.”...more
Books under 200 pages and tell a powerful story...that's the criteria Kenneth C. Davis uses to make his list of It's obvious I should keep this short.
Books under 200 pages and tell a powerful story...that's the criteria Kenneth C. Davis uses to make his list of great short books. He also chose to skip books he'd already read and short story collections.
For each of the fifty-eight books he features in the book, Davis shares the first lines, a plot summary, information about the author, reasons for reading the book, and what to read next....more
As children, siblings Byron and Bennie are close but they grow apart as they get older. Bennie becomes estranged from her parents, too, after her pareAs children, siblings Byron and Bennie are close but they grow apart as they get older. Bennie becomes estranged from her parents, too, after her parents express their dismay about Bennie's relationship choices.
And then Byron and Bennie's father dies. It isn't many years later that Byron and Bennie's mother dies, too. When their mother dies, the two learn that their mother has left them a recording, and the recording reveals the surprising secrets their mother kept about her life.
The Caribbean setting of their mother's youth was fresh and fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the complex lives of the many diverse characters in the story. The black cake served as a lovely metaphor for the lives and experiences of the characters.
Gil leaves the life he has in New York and starts over in Arizona, buying a house sight unseen except for some Internet photos, and he chooses to begiGil leaves the life he has in New York and starts over in Arizona, buying a house sight unseen except for some Internet photos, and he chooses to begin his new life with a walk out west. He gets settled in his new home, and it isn't long before the house next door, also for sale, has new owners and a family soon moves in. The house next door has a glass wall that permits Gil to look in on their day-to-day activities. Gil and the family quickly get to know each other and become friends.
A quietly meditative book that centers on Gil, a man with a traumatic start to life, but who has a gift for establishing relationships with people, who has a magical way of daring to gently speak truth and work through difficulties, who is a deep and genuine friend to all he comes to know.
The author is masterful at creating scenes that are emotionally resonant without resorting to tanks and cannonballs. Millet draws an intricate picture of life in our world, pulling in elements of human society as well as the natural world, and respects her readers enough to allow us to take away from the scenes what we will. And we do. Dinosaurs is the sort of story that makes us keep going back to the book after we have finished it and rereading parts and thinking about the story and the characters again and again. ...more
“EMOTIONAL TROUBLE —UNHAPPINESS— IS ESSENTIALLY OUR OWN CREATION.”
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be For a tiny book, I had a lot of take-aways:
“EMOTIONAL TROUBLE —UNHAPPINESS— IS ESSENTIALLY OUR OWN CREATION.”
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be Inspired) (p. 4). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
What are we doing wrong?
I think this is largely due to two things: The first reason is our lack of knowledge of reality (essentially because we are absent a holistic view); the second reason is a self-centered attitude.
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be Inspired) (p. 5). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
So how can I change things?
On one level, you can see negative things, but at a deeper level, you can still be calm,
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be Inspired) (p. 36). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
If it can be overcome, there's no need to worry, because you can make an effort and take action to make change. If there's no way to overcome it, there's no need to worry either, because there is no action you can take to change the situation.
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be Inspired) (p. 81). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
And how about the Dalai Lama's final sentence:
Think more about others' well-being, then your own problem and sickness will feel less painful. Otherwise, I don't know.
Dalai Lama. Be Happy (The Dalai Lama’s Be Inspired) (p. 85). Hampton Roads Publishing. Kindle Edition.
Gelong Thubten tells how he came to become a monk and shares what he has learned about meditation. The book is filled with short guided meditation praGelong Thubten tells how he came to become a monk and shares what he has learned about meditation. The book is filled with short guided meditation practices to ease a learner into becoming a daily meditator....more
Steve Martin writes about his experiences in the movies and doing standup and cartoonist Harry Bliss illustrates Martin's stories.Steve Martin writes about his experiences in the movies and doing standup and cartoonist Harry Bliss illustrates Martin's stories....more
Nils is a little boy who causes trouble wherever he goes, especially among the animals on his farm. One day he captures an elf and when the elf gets fNils is a little boy who causes trouble wherever he goes, especially among the animals on his farm. One day he captures an elf and when the elf gets free, he changes Nils into an elf. Nils takes off with the family goose, joining wild geese migrating over Sweden.
The author weaves lots of intriguing folktales and stories into her book, folktales and stories that are more interesting and unexpected than the typically moralistic children's stories of that time. For me, these stories and folktales were the best part of the book.
Nils grows in character as he experiences many trials on his trip with the geese, and that is interesting and unexpected, too.
The descriptions of Sweden? Whew. Very, very detailed. I could have done with much less of that....more
Julia Zarankin didn't mean to become a birder. It didn't take right away. And when it did, she wasn't a very good birder. She still isn't a very good Julia Zarankin didn't mean to become a birder. It didn't take right away. And when it did, she wasn't a very good birder. She still isn't a very good birder. But she loves being a birder. A lot.
This is a must-read book for anyone who loves birding....more
"Everywhere, behind closed doors, people are dying, and people are grieving them. It's the most basic fact about human life---tied with birth, I guess "Everywhere, behind closed doors, people are dying, and people are grieving them. It's the most basic fact about human life---tied with birth, I guess---but it's startling too. Everybody dies and yet it's unendurable."
Ashley has been best friends with Edith for her whole life. And now Edith is sick. Very, very sick. Dying. What is Ashley to do but to pack Edi up and bring her to a hospice nearby and spend all the time Edi has left together?
"Fly, be free! I want to say. I want to say, Stay with me forever! Come to think of it, these are the two things I want to say to everyone I love most."
What a lovely, lovely book. About dying and death, but, also, about living.
Kate is breaking up with her boyfriend, she's turning forty, and she hates her job.
What else could go wrong?
Well, there's Cecily. Somehow Kate gets wrKate is breaking up with her boyfriend, she's turning forty, and she hates her job.
What else could go wrong?
Well, there's Cecily. Somehow Kate gets wrangled into volunteering at an old folks' home and she meets Cecily.
What a character Cecily is. Blunt. Truthful. Out-and-out rude, really. But somehow she also inspires people to shed the old bad stuff and go for what you want.
A few quotes:
"That’s one of the worst things about the whole indignity of getting old—things are taken from you constantly: your possessions, your hips, your eyesight.”
Zimmerman, Vicky. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (p. 124). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
"What can’t be disguised must be utilized. Don’t apologize—improvise."
Zimmerman, Vicky. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (p. 367). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
"But she’s learned that “closure” is something you only get in an episode of Friends. In real life, you live with mess and loose ends and unsent draft emails in your inbox."
Zimmerman, Vicky. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (p. 368). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
"Oftentimes, when making a dessert, you’ll find a pinch of salt brings out the sweetness in the dish far more than extra sugar. It sounds counterintuitive but it is a fact, and one I’ve thought about often. What’s true in the kitchen is often true more generally in life."
Zimmerman, Vicky. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (p. 376). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition.
"Male or female, that cat will be named Cecily because all cats are like Cecily—contrary, exquisitely standoffish, fussy about food—and sometimes they pretend they don’t need you or love you even though they do."
Zimmerman, Vicky. Miss Cecily's Recipes for Exceptional Ladies (p. 377). Sourcebooks. Kindle Edition. ...more
How to rate The Real Work? What classification do I give it? Who is the target audience for this book? Besides people who love Gopnik like me, I mean?How to rate The Real Work? What classification do I give it? Who is the target audience for this book? Besides people who love Gopnik like me, I mean?
Gopnik explores the idea of mastering a task. He tries to learn how to do several types of work. All of the types of work take many years of practice before mastery is achieved. Gopnik works with a baker, an artist, a dancer, a boxer, and a driving instructor.
As always, Gopnik writes about his experiences masterfully (if you will), combining a picture of the actual work encounters with Gopnik's brilliant philosophical musings about the experiences. ...more
Edmond Dantes is on the brink of marriage to the person he loves and he has just been promoted to captain when he is arrested for a crime he did not cEdmond Dantes is on the brink of marriage to the person he loves and he has just been promoted to captain when he is arrested for a crime he did not commit. He is taken to prison without a trial and he is left in his cell for years without visitors or recourse. Then he meets a fellow prisoner and Dantes discovers a way to escape. When he returns to the world, he is determined to wreak revenge on those who had him unjustly imprisoned. But is that the proper direction he should go?
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