Our House in the Middle of Our Street

 a moody December scene at Glen Valley I am just squeaking into the final few days for this post, and I am so glad I had Christmas break to boost a few more books into this somewhat meagre offering for Fall of 2024!  What did you read that you loved?  No Bootstraps When You're Barefoot by Wes Hall - This was a memoir I read for my bookclub, and although I found the first part very interesting, I read at least 75+ pages of his job (working his way up the 'wall street of Toronto') and I still don't know what he does.  This author grew up in Jamaica and honestly his ingenuity, quick learning ability, and resourcefulness helped him achieve amazing things, but it did feel a bit hollow toward the end. I don't think that was the intention, I just didn't overly love it.  The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo - Again, I will read anything DiCamillo writes and be the first to have it ordered to my library! This lovely, nostalgic, and somewhat dour (at times) little middle...

  The moon and Mt. Baker as seen from the Glen Valley dike trail, September sunset Although I did finish some book titles in September and October, they weren't as abundant as I would have hoped. So it goes! Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell - I've said it before and I'll say it again - I will read just about anything this millennial Omahan woman will write. She's just a tad older than me but everything in her atmospheric romantic comedies is just right . I recognize the places, the humor, and the stories from another lifetime. I think I read this in about three days. I typically don't go for steamy lit (like, at all - zero interest), but I wanted to read this one. There's just a small bit in one scene that I found easy to skip over.  The Mueller Report by Shannon Wheeler - Listen, I didn't want to read a 450+ page report about the Russian interference in the 2016 election, and neither do you. But read about the main events and findings within a 1.5 hour graphi...

Ani and I took the train down to Portland in late August when she had finished up her first full-time summer job. We had a very quick 48 hours in the city.  It had been 6 years since we were there and we basically planned our trip around Powell's Books! We hadn't been there since 2018, but a lot of the city is boarded up, from our uber drivers, as a result of covid and businesses leaving.  A wall in just a small bit of the section of Newbery's! Imagine! On Tuesday afternoon, after our train arrived, we stopped in for just an hour to Powell's, and then walked to Tita's Juice bar for some smoothies. Later we ate dinner at Mother's Bistro - which was said to be a local favorite. I think we missed the memo on skipping dinner if we weren't able to make brunch. It was underwhelming and half the staff we interacted with were honestly terrible! The other was fantastic. Wouldn't go back unless it was brunch.  Ani's first Stumptown coffee. She liked, but nothi...

  Glen Valley dyke trail, early July, 6AM Watership Down (graphic novel) adapted by Richard Adams - I have never read this classic novel, but the graphic novel has stunning illustrations and I knew I'd read it this way if I had it from the library. I'm glad I read it as a graphic novel - I don't know that the premise of the story would entice me (well, it hadn't thus far anyway) to read it in its original format, but having the illustrations certainly helped me understand the storyline.  Swim Team (graphic novel) by Johnnie Christmas - Just a little piece of middle-grade, graphic novel candy for summer. The equivalent, I suppose, of most people's "beach reads"! The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbury - I followed along (late, however) with Joy Clarkson's online book club on her substack. I had bought this book at least a decade ago at a thrift store, then gave it away to someone (who?!) and then finally got it from the library and I finished i...

  Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in late May Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard - This book was both poetic and raw, and had a few disgusting parts, along with a few achingly beautiful parts. I will never forget that a type of waterbug can literally suck out the guts of a frog and leave the skin like an orange rind. (If I had to know it, you do, too.) The depth of discovery Dillard found around Tinker Creek, not only of the active natural world, but what that means to us as humans, was surely why this book won a Pulitzer in 1975. Highly recommend, but it's not a page-turner, it's a slow savour.  Worm  (graphic novel) by Edel Rodriguez - This graphic memoir was SO good! It is the story of Edel (mostly his childhood) in Cuba and his life from 'before' and then the communist takeover, through his family's escape by boat in the Mariel Boatlift of 1980 . Rodriguez went on to become a very famous artist, and has had numerous artwork on...

17! You're FINALLY 17! You can drive independently, and you have read the manual, watched professional drivers and gleaned tips from others about this test that you've been dreaming about for years. You were given a car by a friend of ours, cleaned it to perfection, fixed it up in places, and have driven your sister and friends all over for the past week in near-unbridled joy. I am so happy for you (and I'd be lying if I wasn't happy for me, too)! You are such a mature and kind-hearted young man. You have big plans and are taking the steps to proactively execute them. You are sweet to your sister even if you'd deny it in front of your friends, and your relationship with her has come full-circle back to being as close as you two were in your littlest years.  You have so many goals and you work hard to achieve them! You prioritize what's important to you, and are willing to cut the rest. Although I sometimes wonder how you will remember to get to appointments with...

  Whistler in early March on a bluebird day Sigh. It's September 5th when I'm writing this. I hate that I'm so late with these because I can't remember much from 5 months ago. I remember liking or not liking a book, and I might have a memory or two - an image or a sentence I liked, but I didn't keep great records of some of these. So, peanuts. It's what I can offer! Above Ground by Clint Smith - This book of poetry was (very likely found) via Padrig O'Touma's Poetry Unbound podcast, where I find most of my poetry books to read. I remember liking this book, but I can't remember anything else about it. Sorry! Parasitic Oscillations by Madhur Anand - I also remember liking this one. There was nature, grieving the poet's parents, and tension. Darn it I wish I could give you more, but I guess you'll just have to read it and get back to me.  Somehow by Anne Lamott - I will read anything this lady writes. This one was okay. It wasn't her best...

A very early morning walk in Fort Langley  I am currently typing this post in August - late August - because for some reason I just could not get blogging done (even though I want to record the books and vacations!). I had an empty summer (of no kids in the house) and a full summer (friend visiting, caretaking, extra work hours) and a few days away in each month and now it's over! The kids go back to school in approximately 7 days! Wild.  Anyway, for these posts, I'm going to hope that these were the books I read 'around this time'. I can't be sure, because I don't keep notes on when exactly I finish a book, just a paper list and a pinterest board that I try to remember to update. Here we go! North End Love Songs by Katherena Vermette - This collection of poetry was completed in a day, as they are quite short, but they are very heavy. Vermette connects the natural world (often birds) with the abuse and trauma Indigenous youth experience(d) over the course of ma...

  Atlanta down by the Aquarium. I wish I had 3 days here! In February the girls and I had a quick 4 day (2 travel days!) time spent together. We needed a place that was 1 flight each, in a warmer climate (because...February and potential weather risks...) that our friend Ali to drive to from Virginia. Atlanta!  The closer the date got, I realized we would NOT be staying in Atlanta, but fulfilling my friend's dreams to go to Universal Studios and experience Harry Potter together. Ali had never been and she had been dying to go. I had just been there about 10 months before and loved it...it just meant a lot more driving.  Mardi Gras parade at Universal Studios. Incredible! Before Emily got into town, Ali and I had time to check out the Atlanta Aquarium. We practically ran through it in two hours, but the shark area was incredible. A whale shark! Huge mantas! Hammerheads everywhere! Even dolphins blowing bubble rings! It's an expensive event, so I'd strongly recommend going ...

  a December sunrise in Fort Langley  A final nod to the books I read in 2023! Just squeezing by on Jan 1, 2024.  For how busy the last six weeks before Christmas break were, I sure was able to read a lot! A few of these were poetry or comics, which do go faster than a memoir or novel, but the four read-alouds done for homeschool with the kids were NOT easy reads (well, aside from Little Women ), and one was incredibly long and bleak...! What Kind of Woman? by Kate Baer - This poetry collection was probably my favorite of the year. It had poems that made me go "YESSSS" by the end of it; mostly they were about motherhood and how society views women, hilarious and honest and just the right amount of description/editing.  All My Knotted - Up Life by Beth Moore - One of the best memoirs I read this year, I've been an avid fan-girl of Moore's for over a decade. I love her bible studies, her humor, and her integrity, and in this story of her life she reveals some things t...

  a gorgeous early sunrise in Fort Langley As noted earlier, this list is compact and July - Dec titles' posts are being completed (finally. Hallelujah!) over my Christmas break. Onto the Fall! The kids and I have read some excellent classics this year so far, with more on the Winter/Spring horizon.  Revenge of the Librarians: Cartoons by Tom Gauld - This was a silly little comic book that was almost like the Far Side but with Librarian/book people humor. Read it in one sitting, laughed a lot. LOTS of book references; for the literati that's enticing.  Hidden Systems by Dan Nott - Ok. Another comic book (non-fiction) that was SO fascinating I actually made Ani read it for part of her Science work. This book describes in words AND helpful drawn pictures how the internet, electricity, and water systems are all around us and yet I knew next to NONE of this information. When any of these systems don't work, our lives basically come to a standstill, so I'd guess that most pe...

Dan explaining his film vision to us at the Goonies/Oregon film museum Last Fall, the GSW went on a 'spouse trip' down to Oceanside, Oregon for a week of relaxation, meals together, some fun outings, and nonstop laughter. It was a blast!  the view of the stacks at sunset We would take daily morning walks, have breakfast together, and plan our day. We visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory, went to the Goonies and Oregon Film Museum, played at the beach tons, and even got a professional photographer to take friend pictures for us! our 7 hour road trip on the bike - a first Being on the bike for 7 hours straight was a bit much for me - we had to stop every couple hours so I could stretch and get some feeling back into my legs. If we were to do this again, I'd probably rather cap it at 5 hours a day or less. I almost fell asleep back there - it was so relaxing and smooth! My carsick friend also enjoyed a few rides on the bike around the curvy coast.  foggy mornings in Oceanside,...