Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (09/09/2014)

I bought my first Christmas present this weekend. It is a silly gift, but one I think that will be well received. Now that I have a tentative surgery date, I have to buckle down and get my Christmas shopping done before then. I will be in the middle of recovery come the holidays.  

We had an extremely busy weekend. The new soccer season began Saturday. Mouse moved up an age level and is now in the "big" kid class. She had a lot of fun that first class and said she cannot wait until next Saturday. Mouse did very well in the older class, without a parent by her side. It is amazing how much she has learned since she first started the classes when she was two years old. We also spent a little time at the park and the library. The library air conditioning felt so good after being in the summer heat!  We followed that up with a visit to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate the beginning of the soccer season.  It's one of Mouse's favorite places to go.  I just hope she doesn't expect us to go every Saturday.

Sunday was just as busy. The morning was perfect for a day at the pool with Mouse and her best friend, our usual summer Sunday routine. I watched as the storm clouds begin to roll in in the distance. The wind had picked up just as we were leaving, and, by the time we were on the freeway headed for lunch and ice cream to celebrate an early birthday, the rain started coming down hard and fast. We later learned of reports of flooding of city streets, trees had come down, closing roads and damaging property, and the power was out in some areas. It hadn't even rained that long.

Today my daughter is officially 3 1/2, and I am, well, I'm a year older.


Weekends tend not to be the time I get much reading in, unfortunately, and this past weekend was no different.  I currently am reading two books for A More Diverse Universe Event hosted by Aarti of Booklust, which begins next Sunday. The first is One World: A Global Anthology of Short Stories, which includes stories written by a variety of different authors, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri, among others. The short stories span many continents and cultures. The few I have read so far are quite good. The book I am reading is Ash by Malinda Lo. Ash is a re-telling of Cinderella about a young girl, abused by her stepmother, who longs for the fairies to take her away from it all.  She doesn't have a fairy godmother per say, but there there is a fairy who takes an interest in her, and, of course, the required love interest, a royal huntress. It is a young adult fantasy type novel. I am already in love with the writing and care deeply for young Aisling. 

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?



Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


I thought I would share the opening of Malinda Lo's Ash with you today:
Aisling's mother died at midsummer. She had fallen sick so suddenly that some of the villagers wondered if the fairies had come and taken her, for she was still young and beautiful. She was buried three days later beneath the hawthorn tree behind the house, just as twilight was darkening the sky.

 Would you continue reading?



© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

50 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday, Wendy! I hope you've a great day with your family.

    Mouse seems to be doing great with the soccer; I can tell she's enjoying every moments with all the pics you shared with us. :)

    I enjoyed reading Ash. Looking forward to your thoughts.

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    1. Melody - Thank you, Melody! I'm so proud of Mouse. She has such fun playing with the other children. She really enjoys playing, and I love seeing her so happy.

      I am glad to hear you enjoyed Ash! I'm almost to the half way point.

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  2. Happy Birthday to you!! I can't believe how big Mouse is already!

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    1. Kathy - Thank you! She's growing so fast. I look back at her photos from just six months ago, and I see so much difference, physically and developmentally.

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  3. Happy Birthday!!!! I hope it's the start of a wonderful year for you.

    Mouse looks so big kicking that soccer ball! It's great that she's comfortable enough to do it without you by her side. She's growing up. :)

    Enjoy your birthday week. I hope you end up fitting in lots of reading. I'm reading We Were Liars right now (I started it already knowing how it ends--I came across a spoiler by accident--and I really, really wish I didn't know this information!).

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    1. A.M.B. - Thank you!

      I felt relieved when I saw other parents helping their children (in case Mouse needed help too), but Mouse insisted on doing it all on her own. We'll see if it lasts. :-) I do think it helps though, being with the older kids. I think most of the kids are probably around 4ish with a couple or so who might be 5.

      I hate it when I run into a spoiler before I'm ready! I'm sorry.

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  4. This book sounds sad, but sadness does not stop me from picking up a book. I am adding this one to the list. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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    1. Laurel-Rain - It has been sad so far. I feel bad for Aisling. She's lonely and treated so poorly. I am hopeful for a happy ending though. :-)

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  5. My granddaughter is the same age as Mouse, and she wants to do everything herself too. It's a delightful (and sometimes challenging) age, isn't it?
    I enjoyed the opening paragraph of ASH and would read more to find out what happens to Aisling.
    Here's the link to my Tuesday post: Retirement Can Be Murder.

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    1. Sandra - It is a delightful age. :-) I just love it--most of the time. Haha

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  6. The Tornado loves Chuck E Cheese too! We've gone on New Year's Eve since the younger kids were older and it's surprisingly fun. This past year he was old enough that we reawakened the old tradition and I didn't think we were ever going to get him out of there! I love soccer and am glad the Mouse is enjoying it as well! I think they frequently do better without us by our side. I know my kids always listened better to other people than they did to me! Happy birthday!!! Hope it's a fabulous day. I love that milk glass dish in the picture!

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    1. Katherine - I hadn't thought of going for New Year's Eve. I'll have to look into that when Mouse is a little older.

      Mouse was complaining about not being able to play soccer this summer and then the week before she started saying she didn't want to play. I'm so glad she's changed her mind again. LOL I think you are right though. Mouse seems to listen better to others when I'm not standing right next to her.

      The milk glass dish is new to me, once belonging to my husband's grandmother. I really like it too. :-)

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  7. Yes, I like this one. I would definitely continue to read Ash.

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  8. Yes I would continue reading. I'm glad you are enjoying it. Happy Birthday. It sounds like you had a lovely weekend. We had a lot of rain yesterday and flooding in the area. I just said to my mother, this is the start of the holiday season, at least for buying gifts.

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    1. Pat - Thanks! My staff surprised me this morning by taking me out for breakfast at work. :-)

      I hope you weren't affected by the flooding.

      It's never too early to start shopping for the holidays, but I'm notorious for waiting until the last minute.

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  9. The intro is interesting and I like the front cover but I think I'd need to read a bit more. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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  10. Happy Birthday Wendy! Enjoy your special day!
    Mouse sounds like she's really enjoying soccer. My kids loved Chuck E Cheese, I remember those days well.

    I leave my Xmas shopping till the last minute, even every year I swear I won't.

    Enjoy your week.


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    1. Thank you, Naida!

      Mouse does enjoy her soccer class. :-) Chuck E. Cheese is fun. It's a lot different than I remember it as a kid, but we always have a good time when we are there.

      I mail most of my gifts out and so last minute shopping has never been a real option for me, but usually I wait until the last minute I can to shop for the holiday, if that counts. LOL

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  11. Happy Birthday Wendy. Not sure that the intro and book works for me, but hope you like it.

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    1. Diane - Thank you! So far I'm enjoying Ash very much. :-)

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  12. Happy birthdy Wendy, I hope it is spent doing all the things you love and with your family :)

    Lainy http://www.alwaysreading.net

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    1. Lainy - Thank you! I'm looking forward to seeing my family tonight after work. :-)

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  13. Happy B-Day Wendy!

    The teaser sounds great!

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  14. Happy birthday, Wendy. Hope it's the start of a good year for you. I remember the days when my kids played soccer--we spent lots of time at the filed in all kinds of weather. Both of the books you're reading sound interesting to me--hope you're enjoying them.

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    1. Catherine - Thank you! So far the year has started out good! Hopefully it will stay that way :-)

      Fortunately, right now they cancel the soccer lessons on rainy days, but I imagine that will change when she really starts playing games.

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  15. I adore fairy books, so thanks so much for that! I'm all over it :-)

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  16. I think I would need to know more about the book before deciding...

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    1. Sarah - As I said above, it's basically a Cinderella re-telling. :-)

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  17. It sounds like a great intro . . . hope the book is a winner for you!

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  18. Happy belated birthday, Wendy! I am sorry you have to deal with surgery around the holidays.

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    1. Irene - Thank you, Irene! Having the surgery around that time is a mixed blessing really. I'll be glad when it's over.

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  19. Happy Birthday! I do like the intro and would keep reading.

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  20. Happy Birthday! I'm impressed that you've started Christmas shopping. I have only just started thinking about gifts. Good intro. Hope its a good one for you.

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    1. Margot - It's a must since I won't be able to do it closer to the holidays. I'm terrible as I usually wait until the last minute. :-S

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  21. Happy Birthday and Many Happy Returns :)
    Enjoy every minute with Mouse - oh, they grow up so quickly!!!

    I do enjoy that opener and would continue reading
    The Pegster Reads

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    1. Peggy - Thank you! Yes, they do grow quickly, don't they? I remember when Mouse was still in diapers!

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  22. Wendy hope you had a fabulous birthday! Look at Mouse go - she's so cute! What a bummer that you have to deal with surgery around the holidays - although when is a good time for that right? Good for you for getting your shopping started so you won't be overwhelmed!

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    1. Iliana - Thank you! I had a really nice birthday. :-) Yes, no time is really good for surgery. Hopefully it will go well though and I'll be better for it. That's the plan anyway.

      I told my husband the other day I wanted to get our Christmas photos done before the surgery, which probably means decorating early for the holidays. Neither one of us is sure we are up for that. LOL

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  23. Happy Belated Birthday, Wendy! And yes, I would continue reading.

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  24. Replies
    1. Kelley - It really was sad. I felt terrible for Aisling.

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