This October, instead of traveling to Europe, Mima and Boppie road tripped it up to Yellowstone via the Grand Tetons. It sounded like a fabulous trip, and we're now trying to decide between that and the Grand Canyon for our 2015 summer vacation.
As I noted while reading Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman has a fascinating imagination. His creativity dwarfs that of other writers, with the otherwordly mingling among the mundane, and horrors around any corner.
Enter Nobody Owens, the hero of The Graveyard Book, Gaiman's captivating reimagining of The Jungle Book. A young orphan who wanders into a graveyard, he's adopted by loving ghost parents and watched over by a guardian who is neither living nor dead. Bod, as he is called, is given the Freedom of the Graveyard, and its inhabitants teach him their tricks, from Fading to the Fear.
The man named Jack, who murdered Bod's birth family, has not forgotten about the boy who got away. Bod knows nothing of that family, but his guardian and other of his graveyard friends have every intention of keeping him safe. While Bod begins to wonder about the human world, with its schools and its other kids, his friends head into battle to stave off his unknown foes.
The Graveyard Book is a short read, intended for audiences much younger than myself. Gaiman's writing style has not grown on me, but his imagination has me captivated. I will yet read more.
Next up: A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series. Might as well knock out the rest of these books while I'm at it!
I know I've had trouble finding much time to write for the last couple of months. I've got postcards to post, travel and dives to detail and much more to share. Unfortunately, time in front of the screen - especially the one attached to my hard drive filled with photos - has been light. I'll do my best to improve.
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I've been watching the HBO series A Game of Thrones since it started a 3.5 seasons ago, and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite Joker plowing through the books by George R.R. Martin (and swearing I'd love them), I just hadn't given them a shot. Yet. I just finished the first book in the series, and found that it was quite enjoyable. Truth be told, it's tough to put down.
First of all, I find that reading the book helps a viewer of the show to figure out who is whom and where they came from. There are SOOOO many characters, though, that I was not able to read without flipping regularly to the cast of characters in the book's appendix. Still, characters in the show frequently are named once and then off screen for enough episodes I can't for the life of me recall when we last saw them. The book helps.
And even though I do know the general plot - season 1 of the show hews closely to the first novel - it's complicated and enjoyable enough to keep me engaged in the reading of it. I find the premise to be quite compelling: seven kingdoms, loosely held together, with the question of rightful rule very much unanswered. The ruling houses and the dynamics between them are interesting, and the reader begins to gain insight into them from the onset. I also find the supernatural elements to be particularly intriguing.
The book is written from multiple points of view, changing with each chapter, so while the story is all told in the third person, the narrator colors the perspective. Martin handles this surprisingly adeptly, and certain of the narrators are particularly well executed. Tyrion is the most amusing; Jon's chapters are probably my favorite; and Dany is a stronger character even than she is depicted on the show.
My critiques all fall into one category: the violence is a bit much. Particularly that against women. I could honestly do without all the rape and brothels.
Still, I will certainly continue the series, although I may opt for a change of pace after the second book. So next up: A Clash of Kings, also by George R.R. Martin.
Despite my expectations, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre bears stark contrast with the Jane Austen novels I've come to love. Her Victorian style is somehow darker, with hints of the supernatural or of magical realism. Bronte also seems not to prize physical beauty, or more, to associate it with serious character flaws. This is romance that has entertained for over 150 years, and it's a novel that is certain to do so for another 150.
The titular Jane Eyre is an orphan, living as a near-servant in the home of her maternal uncle's widow and her three spoiled children. At the age of 10 she is sent to Lowood, a strict, often cruel boarding school many miles away, never to return. At Lowood, however, her independence and aptitude for learning allow her to carve out a niche with staff and students who help her to survive. Upon graduation, she is given a teaching post. Still, she longs to try life on her own, and advertises for and accepts a governess position at an estate she's never seen.
The residents of Thornfield Hall, including her French charge Adele and Mrs. Fairfax the housekeeper, are a somewhat odd but tight bunch. The master of the house is rarely there, and a well-kept secret creeps around the edges. While Jane is already finding a comfortable place there, it is with the initial arrival of Mr. Rochester that her world is rocked.
The romance of Jane and Mr. Rochester will come as a surprise to no one, even one such as I who didn't actually know the plot in advance. What was a surprise, however, is the earnest nature of this romance, the genuine love and pleasure it generates, the passion... and the great lengths that Rochester goes to in order to ensure his love is honestly and deeply returned.
Enter the mystery of Thornfield Hall. As the reader begins to fear, all cannot go this easily for our long-enduring Jane. She's forced to make a decision that tears out her own heart, and the next chapter in her journey begins dreadfully. Her character and strength again pull her up by her tiny little bootstraps, setting the stage for the goofy coincidences chapter. But trust me, you'll forgive that contrivance in the end.
In addition to the modernity of the plot and certain of the devices, I also truly enjoyed the character of Jane Eyre. She is strong, intelligent, witty, brave, not just a little tough, and very plain-looking. In short, she's not a typical Victorian heroine, but one with interesting and compelling layers. The supporting characters are similarly atypical, whether physically unattractive, or emotionally shallow and weak. There is a reason this book has endured.
Next up: After the most recent episode of HBO's series Game of Thrones, I cannot but embark on the first book of A Song of Ice and Fire. Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin... here I come!
Yes, I've been remiss. But as we learned last year, so has the Mexican postal service.
Mima and Boppie returned to Cozumel at the end of January, and took the time to share some of the wildlife with the Bug and the Bunny. Their hotel had flamingos, iguanas, turtles and parrots all hither and thither! Joker and I don't have too many years before the girls can dive with us... and between their keen interest in the reef fishes, and their keen interest in wearing my snorkel and mask in the bath tub, something tells me they'll be coming along soon.
This post is long overdue, but I hope it's better late than never. My incredible sister, Jessie Danielson, is a candidate for House District 24. We could not be prouder of her, or more excited for the prospects of her district's constituents.
Jessie's been involved in politics since college, and we've all known for years that hers was a name we'd see in office. We just didn't know when, although we were pretty sure she'd start in Colorado. When her district's incumbent announced she wasn't running for reelection, Jessie stepped up.
I'll let her words speak for her, since I fear mine would not do her justice (or I might sound a wee bit biased). Check out her website (www.JessieDanielson.com) to learn more. But suffice it to say we are huge supporters, as are many of the voters I've been speaking to on the phone. She'll be a fantastic representative - but she needs to get on the ballot first. While even I don't understand the intricacies of the primary process, I do know that it's a critical time for fundraising. If you can help in any way - even just $50 makes a real difference - now is the time. You'll find the link and mailing address on her site.
So I'm proud of my sister, and the girls are so excited for their Aunt Jessie. Like her Facebook page, donate to her campaign, leave a comment of support here... All that you do will help Jessie get where she belongs. And you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you helped her out, way back when.
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| Donate now, and one of these snazzy postcards can be yours, too! |
Apologies for the hiatus; more on that later, perhaps.
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So on to my first book review of 2014: Titus Groan, the first book in Mervyn Peake's mid-20th century Gothic trilogy. Or, his Dickensian-style prose trilogy. Or maybe his fantasy trilogy. His grotesque trilogy?... It's been described as all of these and more. Suffice it to say that categorization of this book is not simple, but the work itself is, without question, worth reading.
The novel opens with the birth of the titular Titus Groan, 77th Earl of Gormenghast. Gormenghast is a remote earldom with the Gormenghast Castle - a mostly-deserted Gothic monstrosity - at its center, located seemingly long ago, somewhere unattached to our linear time or physical location, though without any time warps or other magic. In fact, life at Gormenghast Castle is decidedly un-magic in any way. Castle life, rather, revolves around endless rituals which must be performed in a particular way at a particular time, and for no particular reason that anyone alive could possibly remember. And we are not talking about a population of the young and sprightly. These are some OLD, gnarly dudes.
So the birth of Titus to Lord Sepulchrave, the 76th Earl of Gormenghast, and Countess Gertrude, his enormous wife, changes things up a bit. In addition to there being new, and rather uncommon, rituals to perform, the level of activity simply picks up a bit. The other occurrence of note on this day is the arrival of Steerpike, a 17-year-old Machiavellian youth who escapes the dingy kitchens to try his luck elsewhere in the castle. If his red eyes don't give it away immediately, his actions soon tell you which side of good and evil he's on.
The novel's action takes place over the next 18 months, so Titus remains more prop than actual character throughout, but there are plenty of true characters to go around. Steerpike's primary foil Mr. Flay, the very tall and spidery-moving steward to Sepulchrave, who has another nemesis in the fat, grotesque castle chef Swelter. The castle's Doctor Prunesquallor, smart and toothy with a sharp wit he points at the less intellectually endowed, but who shows a fondness for Titus' older sister Fuchsia. Prunesquallor's sister Irma, angular, unattractive and hell-bent on being a lady. Nanny Slagg, tiny and self-depricating, whose finest hat is adorned with glass grapes. Sepulchrave's twin sisters Cora and Clarice, always clad in purple, "their faces, identical to the point of indecency, were quite expressionless, as though they were the preliminary lay-outs for faces and were waiting for sentience to be injected." Also, Gertrude has a hundred white cats and allows birds to roost in her ample bosom.
Peake weaves a story about this motley crew that is incongruously enjoyable, but it's not the plot itself that makes the book such a treasure. It's the writing - Peake's prose - his humor, his description, his choices of words. It's the Castle as a setting that becomes a character in its own right. It's the glimpses seen of the world outside the Castle walls, whetting the appetite for more. The major plot tentpoles are seen coming for miles, but you can't peel your eyes away when they come to pass. Peake's writing is masterful.
Next up: I have this book as a trilogy and it weighs a ton, so I'm afraid it'll stay home for spring break. I'll read the second installment, Gormenghast, soon. But first, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I've never read it and very much look forward to doing so.
In between Christmas and New Years, Joker and I made a very quick, commando trip to Des Moines for a cousin's wedding. While the primary purpose of our visit was for Joker to meet some of my relatives, many for the first time - and for me to get to know them better - we did get to see a little of the downtown. There was more to offer than I'd expected from this little midwest city.
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| Postcard of the beautiful capital, sent to the Bug & Bunny |
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| T8 by Mark di Suvero |
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| Untitled (Three Dancing Figures, version C) by Keith Haring |
By the end of Mockingjay, the third and final book in Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy, I was pretty ready for the series to be over. The first person present narration had grown tedious, the bizarre love triangle held no interest for me, I'd grown weary of Katniss whining. But there were some bright spots and I'd still categorize it as an enjoyable read.
The book picks up shortly after the events of Catching Fire. Katniss and some of the other victors have been rescued by the rebels of District 13. Peeta and a couple others were captured by the Capitol and are being subjected to who-knows-what kinds of torture. Although she feels no particular affinity for them, the rebels want Katniss to serve as their Mockingjay - a sort of figurehead for the rebellion to keep them fired up. She eventually agrees, as the book's title implies.
Life in District 13 is something of a drag, but the primary point of these scenes seems to be Katniss rekindling her relationship with Gale. Which doesn't do much for me - yeah, he seems like a way hotter choice than Peeta, but a couple of tongue kisses followed by petulant pouting a romance does not make. Soon, though, the Mockingjay and her security forces (which, of course, includes Gale) need to head into battle for some propaganda filming.
The war has some very violent, bloody action, and the plot moves quickly through some exciting scenes. Katniss has her own goals, which don't always align with the rebel forces. She is, however, something of a force herself, earning the loyalty and respect of her fellow soldiers much the way she earned allies in the Hunger Games arena.
The near-final scenes were great, suspenseful and emotional, but the epilogue should have been jettisoned. In all, it was a fun conclusion to the series. But perhaps it would have been better to have taken a break between installments.
Next up: Santa left The Gormenghast Novels, a trilogy that's considered by many to be the preeminent grotesque fantasy classic, on a par with The Lord of the Rings. I think Santa has my reading tastes pegged, and am very excited to dig in.
Suzanne Collins' follow-up to The Hunger Games started out leaving me cold. That romantic love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale dominated the first section of the book. Or so I thought. Just below the surface the reader begins to learn about a rebellion building up in a number of the outlying districts. A rebellion brought on by Katniss' move at the end of the prior Games that allowed her and Peeta both to win.
This rebellion is where things begin to get interesting. Panem's Capitol controls the media, so it's not like it makes the news. Ordinary citizens in the Capitol hear, for example, that weather in District 4 has caused a shortage of seafood. But when Peeta and Katniss embark on their Victory Tour across the districts, they start to see and hear things. Unrest has begun, and Katniss is its hero. Also, they see adults get killed. Seems like the shit just might be gettin' real.
The action begins in earnest when the premise of the Quarter Quell - a twist in the rules for every 25th Hunger Games - is announced, and Katniss and Peeta learn that they'll be back in the arena along with other former victors. This means their mentor - and all of Panem - already knows (and, in many cases, adores) their competition. The action during the Games is pretty exciting, and there are some twists I honestly didn't see coming. And the ending does quite the opposite of wrapping things up in a bow. It - surprisingly, I might add - sets up for a very interesting conclusion to the trilogy.
Another quick and enjoyable read. Another sad use of first person, present tense. [N.b., perhaps that style appeals to young adults for some reason? I couldn't imagine.] And yes, I'll finish the trilogy next.
Next up: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. I've come too far to stop now!
So our household has gotten a bug, and gotten it good. Not the nice Bug, although she was the first to come down. Poor little thing had a fever for hours on Sunday night, barely budged from the couch on Monday... and *still* had a temperature last night so is on day three of stay-at-home. Luckily she feels pretty fine, so I picked up her missed class work to keep her busy today.
The Bunny got it last night. After a great day of school, she was whiny and crying during dinner (which was pasta; the food clearly could not have been the cause). Lo and behold, fever there, too. So she's home, too. And she also feels pretty fine.
I might be the most pathetic. I'm all sniffly, achy, freezing (especially in my office, where I have on snow boots, my hat, a warm sweater and a scarf - no joke - it's terrible), coughing, feverish and headachy. So I'm a somewhat lousy Doctor Mom. Which I suppose is why I'm at work and Joker is home with the girls.
Joker's been home free.
On the plus side, with any luck this will be long gone before Christmas celebrations begin in earnest. (Although let's be honest here... there's a fairly good chance of Joker contracting it right before we leave for my extended family party on Sunday afternoon. Right?)
The weekend before Thanksgiving I hopped on a plane and headed east. The destination? Sunny New Haven, CT where the Game (or, if you didn't go to Yale, the "Harvard-Yale Game") was being played. I was all set to meet up with my girlfriends and enjoy a kid-free weekend of fun.
It started with a truly terrible day of travel. Although that started with me cruising through security with my boots on my feet, so I had no clue it would go awry.
Anyhoo, I finally arrived at the hotel, put down my stuff and met Lynne, Maureen and Aldina at the bars. We drank some beer. Then we ate late-night pizza. Perfect.
In the morning, we got up, threw on our oh-so-cold-weather tailgating clothes, chugged some coffee and hit the fields. Tailgating was a blast. The Game itself? Well, let's just say Yale isn't the football powerhouse it may have once been. We lost with aplomb. We (meaning my friends and me) did, however, manage to situate ourselves inside a skybox that was rolling with beer, wine and old friends. It was great to reconnect, see the inside of the Bowl again... and (of course) return to the tailgates.
After that, we hit Yorkside for chow, old school style. Then the hotel bar for drinks and conversations about zombies. That part is new school style. So was the fancy brunch on Sunday, complete with oysters and mac and cheese. I guess that's the way to roll when you roll back to campus.
Lest it be said I never read mainstream pop novels, I just breezed through Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. It happened rather by accident - facing a four-hour delay on my way to New Haven, I simply couldn't imagine bellying up to the bar with my multi-generational Saharan Desert saga. So, Hunger Games.
I definitely enjoyed it. Highbrow, complex literature it was not, but it's fun. If you're not already familiar, the story tells of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who claims only one of the totally lame names in the book. The Capitol of dystopian Panem, a nation that has grown up where the U.S. of A. once was, keeps control of its twelve outlying districts by forcing them to compete in an annual event. The names of a teenage boy and girl from each District are picked at random, kids who have been selected to represent their districts in a highly staged battle to the death. Only one of the twenty-four comes out alive.
So Katniss' younger sister's name gets pulled, and Katniss volunteers to take her place. She rightfully assumes she'll be better suited to this competition, given she's been hunting illegally in the outlying woods to feed her mother and sister since her father was killed some years prior. Katniss and Peeta Mellark, the (also unfortunately named) District 12 boy, are then hauled off to the Capitol with their mentor (a prior year's winner) and a team of stylists.
The world inside the Hunger Games arena - and the governmental machinations behind the scenes that made it all possible - are enjoyable and thought out. The book's well paced, there's plenty of action and it's rather less gruesome than it could be. The whole romance thing - a contrived triangle between Katniss, Peeta and a guy named Gale - I could have lived without.
Next up: Despite the impression I have that the romance nonsense will dominate, I'm going to burn through The Hunger Games: Catching Fire next. And if that doesn't make me too nauseous, I'll probably read Mockingjay right after that.
Somehow or another, and without nearly enough warning, the Bunny turned four last week. We celebrated in world-class style over several days, and can hopefully have a little time now to recover.
The parties kicked off with frosted, sprinkled brownies at school on her actual birthday. Then we took dinner (per Bunny's request: baked ziti, meatballs, carrot sticks with ranch dressing) to Aunt Jessie's house for a party with Mima, Boppie and the great-grands. Not only did she get a rainbow ice cream cake, but she also got some super fun presents. And the Bug did pretty well, too, raking in her share of un-birthday gifts.
Yesterday was the Bunny's very first Friend Party, and a pile of four-year-olds, their siblings and their parents came over for an afternoon of fun. We stole a fantastic idea from our friends and temporarily converted the garage into a rec room, complete with astroturf, picnic tables, coloring stations, hula hoops and a disco ball. The kids had a blast. The grownups did, too.
So what changes has turning four brought to our little Bunny? Well, she's still all curls and attitude. She can now pronounce her letter "l"s, which is actually a little disappointing to me. She's doing great in school and forging new friendships. The Bug is still her very best buddy, although they do argue with a bit too much frequency. She's getting closer to actually swimming; she's excited for ski season; and she did eventually enjoy playing soccer. She still likes to cuddle with Mommy. She loves our little black cats. She doesn't have nearly the sweet tooth of her sister, but she'll take a slice of cheese pizza any day. Hilarious things come out of her mouth, including her recent adoption of the phrase "What the...." (She also recently told me not to call her "smartiepants" any more. "Call me smartie, and call my pants pants.") The Bunny? She's just a sweet little pumpkin pie who makes us all smile.
We had a really fun Halloween this year - the kids are just about the perfect age for all the shenanigans. So even though it's a week ago already, here are a few fun highlights.
We were late to pick out our pumpkins, but were so happy to buy them at J.P. Total's, a local business that had been hit pretty hard by the recent flooding. As expected, the pumpkins were awesome, the animatronics amusing and the cider tasty. When we carved 'em that evening, the Bug wanted a scary pumpkin like Joker. The Bunny initially wanted a happy princess pumpkin, but as soon as she saw Daddy's, the order changed to MAD PRINCESS.
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| Mine? Clearly Surprise!!! Followed by Bug's, Joker's and MAD PRINCESS! |
On Saturday we met up with Mima and Boppie at The Wild Animal Sanctuary, near the town of Keenesburg, about an hour drive north and east from Evergreen. This place is amazing! You should go. Bring binoculars.
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| Chase is re-learning how to be a tiger. |
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| You do not want to cuddle with Tabitha. I promise. |
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| Giant caboose; tiny face. Bears are funny. |
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| One of the Bolivian lion prides, with Morrison (the camel) beyond. |
Last week the girls got a postcard from someone different - Cousin Lily! She and her family spent Columbus Day at the Storm King Art Center, a place we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves just a couple of years ago! Even the glimpse of one piece on a postcard had us fondly remembering the day we visited. It's a museum that is absolutely worth seeing. Thanks, Lily, for thinking of us!
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| Maya Lin's Storm King Wavefield |
Last Friday night, the Bug's school had a dance. Yes, I know she's in the first grade. Yes, I am fully aware that we have plenty of years still ahead, during which there will be ample opportunity to introduce our children to highly awkward social situations.
Nonetheless, it was a dance. And since the Bug wanted to go, we went.
It has taken almost four months for me to finish the 1100+ pages of Alexandre Dumas' masterpiece The Count of Monte Cristo - which can only be chalked up to the sheer size of the book. It's wonderful to read, the story is fantastic, the characters are complex and the book deserves all of its renown.
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| In order to take just the middle 100 pages backpacking, I had to cut my copy into thirds. |
After spending some time in Athens, Mima and Boppie hit the islands. What a paradise for their anniversary trip - stunning views, beach time, incredible food, ouzo, more food. They even looked up an artist Joker once knew on Santorini! What a lovely time they had - I look forward to following in their steps myself sometime.
