book talk: appropriateness???

So, in further full-nerd disclosure, I have to update you on this series that Jake and I are reading together. We are half-way through the third book, and thoroughly sucked in, loving every minute of it.The series combines really well-developed characters with the kind of adventure/fantasy that makes me love The Lord of the Rings series.

However, as we were reading the other night, I started to wonder...how appropriate are these books for kids? Jake and I sometimes talk about our hypothetical children (a term my friend, Crys, thinks is hilarious!), things we want to share with "them" from our childhood, and among the stuff I want to share is more than a few books. Maybe even these books.

But when? 

When is it ok, for example, for a kid to read a sex scene? Or a really violent battle scene? Or swear words?

I ask these questions, because it is something my parents thought about with me--precocious twelve-year-old that I was, I picked up the Odyssey along with this book about Greek mythology--and had to have some interesting conversations with mom and dad as a result.

What about you? Were you ever not allowed to read certain books because of their content? Would you allow/not allow your kids (real or hypothetical) to read certain books?

Meatless Monday: tostadas

For Christmas, my sister-in-law got me this cookbook:

It is apparently a seminal vegetarian tome. One of the best things about it, I think, is the fact that each recipe is handwritten, with cheerful illustrations to boot. Thanks, Rach!

I particularly enjoy this funny little picture, with a weird mouth demonstrating how to eat a tostada:

Which inspired me to add this delectable-looking recipe to our week's meal plan.

Happy Monday, all!

the joy of books

Oh my lord, this short stop-motion film is so spell-binding! It makes my little book-loving heart swell with joy. Of COURSE books have a secret life when we're not in the room with them!




"But before we walk in and catch them, they return to their place as quick as lightning!" ~Capt. Crewe, A Little Princess

Five Gratitudes

 Happy Friday!!!

1. I'm so very grateful it's Friday

2. I'm grateful Dowton Abbey is back on. (soooooo glad!)

3. I'm grateful that Anne Lamott is writing another book! (sounds so interesting)

4. I'm grateful that my friend decided on a fondue-themed birthday soiree for tonight!

 

 

5. I'm grateful for the upcoming holiday, to recognize Dr. King (and I'm grateful for the brave men and women of the Civil Rights movement who stood with him!)

What are you grateful for today?

book talk: adaptations

I am a lover of book adaptations on film. I don't know about you, but I tend to feel like they're a different species than the book, so I'm interested, rather than horrified (um, usually) at the differences between my interpretation and the production company's.

So, when I got  the mini-series adaptation of Charles Dickens' Little Dorritt for Christmas, I was excited to see what it would be like. 

Screenwrite Andrew Davies did not disappoint. (I mean, since he is the genius behind this classic, this one and this one, it is hard to imagine he'd "miss"...) As dishy as it was Dickensian, this mini-series kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters which Dickens wrote with such cheek become real in their quirky, complicated ways, and you truly root for them. Even, and maybe especially, the ones who have more obvious flaws. 

Another thing I really like about this story is the fact that money plays a much more complicated role than usual. It is a story about debt vs. financial freedom, but not in the same way as you'd see/read in say, Jane Austen. Money is not the "solver of all problems," and I really appreciated that. 

Mystery, romance, colorful characters, and a fantastic cast, this mini-series is worth a watch. Just be prepared to get sucked in, and maybe plan for a few marathons, because you'll want to know what happens next! (at least I did)

Meatless Monday: back into the swing

Hello, folks! I am happy to be back, mobile and in the swing of things:) Today was the first day of the Winter 2012 semester at my university, and so I duly donned my blazer and made the rounds of "syllabus day."

Can I just say? I really like all of my students! They seem great and fun and willing to hang with me, even if I am one of those instructors who gives homework on the first day!!! This is going to be a great semester, I just know it.

I am excited to get back into a real cooking rhythm again, too. No that I didn't l-o-v-e having my mom and grandmother and aunts and uncles and in-laws cook for me for several weeks! The holidays are always fun and kind of decadent like that. But now, I am ready to get back in the saddle.

In keeping with my soup commitment, I'll be making a pot of this yummy-sounding red lentil soup with turnip and parsley this week.

And since I just bought a passel of avocados yesterday...I'll be adding their "good-fat" lusciousness to black beans and rice, and this:

I know, I know, it isn't exactly meatless...but doesn't it look delectable? I'm excited to make it none-the-less:)

What about you? Are you excited that the holidays are over, or just exhausted? What are you going to be making at the beginning of this year?

happy new year!

Hey friends, I hope your new year is off to a glorious beginning! May you have lots of adventure, love and things to be grateful for in 2012. I'm looking forward to new challenges and bits of fun this year--to continuing Meatless Mondays and our Book Talks. I'm also keen to talk more about my teaching, and other fun things, too, like some fashion-y stuff and thoughts about life. I always love your feedback and participation in our discussions--can't wait to continue "hanging out" with you, here!

For now, though, don't be jealous: this is the view from where I'm sitting. My parents treated Jake and I, along with my sister and brother-in-law, to a Smoky Mountains getaway for New Year's weekend. We met up with family friends in Tennessee, which is mid-way between our family in the Mitten, and theirs in Florida. We've had a really nice, restorative time, gazing at the mountains, eating great food and playing games like charades and the  "Olympics" that my sis and her hubs made up for us--pool, air hockey and Wii bowling. It was really fun!

I am especially grateful to be up and at 'em these days. I had a gnarly back injury the Thursday before Christmas (perrrrrfect timing), which made me basically immobile for two weeks. Still sore, but way more normal-feeling, I'm grateful that I can sit in these rocking chairs without wanting to cry. 

Tomorrow, though, we pile in the car and head back to reality. Back to all the things I said I'd get done over break, and then didn't touch 'cause I was (literally) laid out on my back. Sigh. Trying not to get too overwhelmed by it all. Still, I'm so grateful to be able to share the good, the bad and the ugly with you, friends! Thank you so much for visiting here, for your comments and emails and general encouragement.   Here's to a wonderful, productive and grace-filled new year!!