Happy 12 days of Christmas!

As a working mom, I have it better than most.  My commute is 5 minutes, I leave at 8 and am home by 4 and have no homework to do at night.  That being said, preparing for Christmas is still a huge grind!  I don't know how other Moms that work longer hours do it.  It is stressful--extra shopping, all that wrapping, all those last minute gifts, parties to prepare for, special food to make, the house to clean and decorate!  I could't sleep for 2 weeks prior to Christmas I was so stressed out.  It is all worth it though!  Christmas day arrives and it is truly special.  It is not all the gifts that make it special, it is the traditions and time spent with family. 

After Christmas--those days from Christmas day until Epiphany, aka the 12 days of Christmas that I love.  All the busyness and preparation is over and we can relax and enjoy the season.  I leave all my Christmas decorations up until the 6th (or the weekend closest to this day).We make cookies as we eat them (instead of making a ton all at once before Christmas and having them so stale); we watch special holiday movies together; I have time to cook, so we eat delicious meals together, and most-importantly just relax!  I look forward to being able to hibernate and relax all fall.  After an active summer of activities and being outside and a busy fall full of back-to-school events that merges into crazy days of too many actives, events, and homework I really need this time to just chill relax and recover for round 2.  

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand Translated by Louis Untermeyer

Sometime ago, I subscribed to The Easton Press' 100 greatest books. I have a thing for really nice, leather bound books--they are so beautiful and such a joy to read! Currently, I have 24 of the 100 and I take one down from time to time to read. This one I started over the summer, put it down when school started and have finished it over Christmas break. This is one, I probably would never have decided to read on my own, but because it was part of the 100 I decided to read it. I, of course, am familiar with the story, but found myself pleasantly surprised and really enjoying the story. It was difficult at first to adjust to reading the language and the way the text was presented in play form, but I quickly became used to that and just enjoyed what is a classic story that is still a great read today!

The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton by Jane Smiley

My daughter goes to school at the University of Kansas where the mascot is the Jayhawk.  In Lawrence there are also a lot of things named with "Free State" at the beginning and I, at first, didn't think much about it, but slowly I began to realize what a significant history Kansas has regarding slavery.  I also love Oprah--I subscribe to her magazine and page to the books section as soon as it arrives in the mail.  Well, in one issue, I read about The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton, which instantly intrigued me.  A book that would maybe explain what happened in Kansas, I immediately put it on my to-read list.  It took me a while to decide to order it and then a while longer to decide to begin reading it and a while longer to actually read it (I took a break for several months), but have finally finished it! 

I think the cover and title are misleading--I would have never picked it up without reading about it in Oprah.  It makes me think of some stuffy Victorian novel about a rich woman traveling and that is not what the book is about. 

I truly enjoyed the story!  That is not to say that I didn't become bogged down and have to take a break from time to time.  The author's writing style does not make one want to stay up all night reading, but what a rich story!  I learned things I didn't know about the Kansas-Missouri border war, it's roll in Kansas being a free state, and the subsequent civil war.  The book, told from the point of view of Lidie Newton, takes us from Quincy, Illinois to Lawrence, Kansas and back during the turbulent times of 1855, a time when Kansas was still a territory. 

A great book!  Anyone interested in Kansas history and the civil war should definitely read this book.  Told from the point of view of someone there experiencing it brought the events to reality in a much better way than if just reading about it in a dry non-fiction book. 

My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry by Fredrik Backman

I picked up this book mostly because I has read A Man Called Ove and really enjoyed that story.  It was full of quirky, interesting characters and Ove himself was a bit different. This book was also full of really interesting characters that were a joy to read about.  The little girl that is the main character was, like Ove, a bit different and kind of set apart from the main stream.  The girl's grandmother was wacky and full of life.  The relationship between the girl and her grandmother was very close; the grandmother would watch out for the girl and help cheer her up in the most interesting ways when she had a bad day.  The building where she lived was full of characters that were revealed over the course of the book.  Like a Man Called Ove, Backman  revealed details about the story, bit by bit, but was able to hold our attention because of the strength of the characters and the interesting, quirky girl.

I didn't like the fairytales that were a large part of the book, I struggled to pay attention to the details as I was reading them and only later discovered that I should have been paying attention because they revealed important details about the story.

Overall, a great story and a fun read.  I love reading Backman's characters because they are "different" in the most, fun interesting ways.  Since a lot of people struggle with being "different" or out of the main stream, It is nice to read such great stories featuring people that are "different."

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Illustrated by Yelena Bryksenkova

I've seen the movie and the stage production of the book several times and have read other Dickens' books, but had never read A Christmas Carol, so this year I decided it was time to rectify that.  If I was going to read it, I wanted a beautiful, illustrated version to read, so I scoured the internet and found this one by illustrator Yelena Bryksenkova and it is perfect.  Beautiful Illustrations, nice thick paper, good binding, and a ribbon place marker all at a pretty reasonable price!  It was a joy to hold and read.

I'm not going to say a lot about the book--everyone pretty much knows the story!  I enjoyed the book and was glad I took the time to read the book instead of just watching the movie.  It is a great story to remind us to be kind to other people, to think of others, and to help those who need help.  A good thing to keep in mind, especially at Christmas time. 

December Read--Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan

After spending most of the fall with Lewis and Clark, I was in the mood for a lighthearted Christmas story.  I purchased this book realizing several things:  1)  "Christmas" books often have very little about the Christmas holiday in them.  2) I knew it was a book in a series, but didn't know anything about the books that came before this one.  3)  The blurb on the back of the book sounded intriguing--a Christmas storm on an island.

Once home with my extravagant purchase (I have been trying not to purchase novels) I happily dove in once December 1st hit. (In my house, one does not begin celebrating the Christmas season until then.)The story was cute--a baker who lives on an island, but quickly started to annoy me:

*The main character's boyfriend, Huckle, mostly just laid around from what I could tell.  What did he do all day?  He seemed a bit lazy to me.  If he wasn't working, why didn't he help Polly at the bakery?
*The couple's pet puffin, seemed ridiculous.  Really, who would let a puffin loose in a house and (shuttering) in a bakery.  All that nasty bird poo all over, the thought of it made me sick.  
*The side story about the best friend who cheated on her new husband seemed a bit depressing to be in a Christmas story.
*Same goes for the father who abandoned her story line.
*The storm wan't what I was expecting.  It didn't really hamper much and didn't show up until the end of the book, making the line from the back of the book completely misleading.

So, in the end a decent story, but misleading, annoying and depressing at times.  Not at all what I was hoping for.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

When my son was in 6th grade he came home from school all excited about this book called Wonder.  He really liked it and wanted his own copy to read (the special edition from Target with the Julian chapter in it.)  He read it and put it on his book shelf and I forgot about it until I heard it was going to be a movie and I thought I should finally read it.  Well, I finally did and I was a bit underwhelmed.  After all the hype, excitement, and love out there about the book/movie, I think I was expecting too much.   

I did enjoy the book.  The story and told from all the different points of view was surprisingly interesting; I usually find that annoying in stories.  I think I wanted more depth and more details, which I guess isn't very realistic for a children's book.  I gave it 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.   The Julian chapter was my favorite part of the book.  After the entire book of reading how awful Julian was, it was very interesting to read why he did what he did.  It was a good reminder to have compassion for people that don't behave well, you never know what is going on in their lives and that when you do make mistakes, you can apologize and move on with your life. 

After my college-age daughter has read the book, all three of us are going to go see the movie over Christmas break!  I am excited to see the movie version.