Lisa's By The Book Blog

2011-12-26T20:03:00.000-08:00

We the Animals by Justin Torres
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

View all my reviews

2011-10-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Look at these adorable cookie cutters. I just love when something common is re-done to be something cool!
http://www.otisfundraisingideas.com/fundraisingideas/10-very-cool-cookie-cutters

2011-10-19T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Job by Douglas Kennedy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was pretty good. Suspenseful.

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2011-09-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My son read this and asked me to read it so we could talk about it. Great book. It is really a jumping off point for much discussion about family, disabilities, museums, and much, much more.

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2011-09-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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2011-07-21T18:52:00.000-07:00

The Line by Olga Grushin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great writing. Compelling characters. A page turner. Even better once I read more about what the book was based on (but DON'T read about that first).

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2011-07-19T11:45:00.000-07:00

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't know why I only "really liked" this book instead of loved it. Wonderful writing. To me, I felt like I was really in South America reading this. Something about the writing style gave it a foreign sense. Perhaps I did not care about the characters as much as I expected? I think that was it. Beautiful to read.

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From the Land of the Moon

2011-07-02T19:39:00.001-07:00

From the Land of the Moon by Milena Agus
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was the best book I've read in a very long time. Great writing, great story, surprises throughout. Beautiful.

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2011-06-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Fun book about, well, fun.

2011-06-22T18:34:00.001-07:00

The Game Makers: The Story of Parker Brothers, from Tiddledy Winks to Trivial Pursuit by Philip E. Orbanes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love books like these that tell the story of a family or business. This one I really enjoyed. My master's is in Leisure Studies so this was right up my alley. Well done - could be edited down a bit. Not every single detail needs to go into a book. Overall, enjoyed it.

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2011-06-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

I tried. I can't finish. 70% through but it's just so badly written. It's an assault to my intelligence. Great title, though.

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Goodbye, Gretchen

2011-05-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Such a good dog. A long, healthy, happy life. Today, one month shy of being 14 years old, she had to be put down. We knew it was coming and that did not make it ONE bit easier.

2011-05-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

Ready for tomorrow's biographical presentation of Ben Franklin.

2011-04-11T17:36:00.001-07:00

The Adults: A Novel by Alison Espach

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book started out really interesting. I read 25% of it the first night. Amazing writing, clever storytelling and characters. But halfway through the book...it fizzled. It seemed the author spent way more time on the first half then quickly had to finish to meet a deadline or something. Characters didn't develop fully, and the quality of writing seemed closer to first than final draft, so that was disappointing.

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Book Review: A Widow's Story

2011-04-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

A Widow's Story: A Memoir by Joyce Carol Oates

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've not read anything by JCO before, but wow, her writing is perfection. The subject matter is tough, sad, heartbreaking, but so well done.

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Scrapbook Storage

2010-12-12T14:44:00.001-08:00

I was featured in this article about scrapbook storage.
http://www.sj-r.com/features/x1966819452/A-place-for-your-scrapbook-stuff

Disney Cruise Fish Extender Gifts for our Cruisemates

2010-09-11T19:53:00.000-07:00

As every scrapbooker knows, scraplifting is a common practice! And that's what I did. For our Disney Cruise gift exchange, I made these paper bag scrapbooks. I made 20 so far. Every one is very different because for the most part I used items that I had on hand. What a great way to get rid of extra crafting materials!

Things I still have to do:

1. Make more. So far 22 families have signed up but the sign-up deadline is midnight October 15, so I'm going to wait until then to make however many more we need.

2. Make a cute little poem or explanation about what this is, so they know that it's a scrapbook, and that all that is left is to plop in photos and journal a bit if they wish.

Elle's Studio Blog - Journaling!

2010-08-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited! A 3-week class about journaling - and it starts right when I'm on vacation (staycation). Perfect timing! It's not too late to join in on the fun!

Disney Cruise Fish Extender

2010-07-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

My mom made us this Fish Extender for our Disney Cruise in November. So adorable! She just whipped it up using sample photos I'd found on the DIS Discussion Forum. Cute!!

Free time? Exercise!

2010-07-10T16:00:00.001-07:00

Working Moms - Here's a book for you.

2010-06-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin van Ogtrop

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book! Kristin van Ogtrop captures the lives of working mothers perfectly. It's funny but not just a joke book at all. Great perspective.

View all my reviews >>

Come back, Dillon.

2010-03-11T21:19:00.000-08:00

Oh yes...

Come back, Dillon!

http://www.soaps.com/generalhospital/news/id/7291/General_Hospital_Poll_Scott_Clifton_Back_as_Dillon/

My husband and I have fond memories of Dillon's humor and antics. Let's find out how he did in his career as a movie director!

Disclaimer: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review. Sponsor will be handling prize fulfillment.

Win a General Hospital Poster!

2010-03-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

Heads up, General Hospital Fans! Angie at 5 Vinez Monkeys is hosting a giveaway to celebrate her time as a General Hospital Mom Ambassador. One lucky winner will receive a digitally reproduced poster featuring autographs from 17 of the leading stars of the show! To learn more about the contest, and to enter to win, be sure to stop by before March 13th.

Disclaimer: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review. Sponsor will be handling prize fulfillment.

Where's that Mother of the Year Award?

2010-03-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

8 year old son: "Mom, you've been watching General Hospital since you were my age, right?"
Me: "Yes."
Son: "Well, move over. I'm going to watch too."

(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)

I know what happened in 1985. This is NOT it.

2010-03-02T18:10:00.001-08:00

Model Home: A Novel by Eric Puchner

I'm still reading this but I'm PISSED. Where was Mr Puchner's editor? Part 1 takes place in 1985 and there are tons of errors - I must assume that his editor was just a child (if that) in 1985 because so many things did NOT happen in 1985. A few examples: we did not say "mosh" in 1985. It was called slam dancing. How could the father take money from the son's 529 plan when 529s were established in 1996? In the 1980s we said handicapped, not disabled. It's so sloppy. I like the book and will continue on, but this is bothersome to me, and I expect better from this publishing house.

View all my reviews >>

Johnny Zacchara speaks!

2010-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

As a General Hospital Brand Ambassador, I got access to this never-before-seen interview with Brandon Barash of General Hospital, the actor who plays Johnny Zacchara.

Q: What would you do if you could turn back time?
A: I would meet Benjamin Franklin.

Q: What do you do in your down time?
A: I like playing music, standing on my head, walking around in nature -- and if I’m really feeling ambitious, I’ll do all three at the same time.

Q: What is the best way to prepare for a love scene?
A: The best way to prepare for a love scene is by spending lots of hours at the gym.

Q: What is your favorite sport?
A: Basketball – college or NBA.

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t an actor?
A: If I could not act I would NOT be one of those people who give you tickets for expired parking meter. I would be a surgeon or a police office in Alaska. Only in Alaska.

Q: Describe your perfect date.
A: My perfect date is being with a girl I can talk to.

Q: What is one of your favorite things to do?
A: When it is just me and my dad my favorite thing is to sit outside, drink a scotch and talk about nothing.

Q: What do you do for Thanksgiving?
A: I spend Thanksgiving with both sides of my large extended family.

Q: describe your most memorable moment on GH.
A: When Jonny was shot 5 times and survived it, recovered and went to a wedding the next day.

Q: What was the most memorable moment of pop culture in 2009?
A: Clearly it was when we lost the late and great MJ.

(I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.)

Remembering Stone

2010-02-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

This week on GH, Robin talked about Stone and their romance and how he died from AIDS. I loved that story line and was so happy to hear about it again. In fact, I still own my copy of Robin's Diary. My husband's twin brother has had AIDS for 11 years and is pretty healthy, although he has tons of meds to take. AIDS is still out there, and if GH can help raise awareness about how to prevent AIDS, that's great.

Note: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

I love GH!

2010-02-19T09:11:00.000-08:00

I'm now an official General Hospital Brand Ambassador. I'm passionate about General Hospital and have been watching since the mid- to late-1970s when I would watch with my Grandma Schroeder whenever I'd stay with her. My family had a VCR early in the days of VCRs and I'd tape the show every day. Now, of course, we DVR the show. My husband has followed the story lines with me for the 20 years we've been together and he really adds to my enjoyment of GH.

Note: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for ABC Daytime and will receive a tote bag or other General Hospital branded items to facilitate my review.

This is a salad?!

2010-02-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

This lovely recipe is just an example of Grandma's recipes that I'm typing for her cookbook. What makes this salad? The fact that an actual lime is a fruit (although no actual limes are used in the making of this salad). Or maybe it's the pineapple. Still, if it were me, I'd call this "Lime Dessert."

Lime Salad

To prepare: Serve chilled.

Ingredients	Directions
1 pkg lime jello 2 c. hot water 1 dozen marshmallows ½ c. whipped cream ½ c. salad dressing 1 can crushed pineapple 1 pkg. cream cheese	Disolve jello in water. Add marshmallows. When set, add remaining ingredients.

Typing of recipes has commenced!

2010-02-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

I've begun in earnest typing the recipes for my grandma's cookbook. Some are so crazy.

Just a couple examples:

In a recipe for "Baked Dish": "brown hamburger bales." What does that mean?
What is corn canning powder?

There are many recipes that I do not need to ever try! But, once it's a finished cookbook, I truly believe this is going to be a project that our family will cherish.

February Resolution!

2010-02-02T08:23:00.001-08:00

Well, I didn't make any new year's resolutions, so I've made a February resolution. Instead of playing Spider Solitaire while watching tv, I'm going to start to actually type up the recipes that I've been trying over the last several months. My goal is a cookbook by December 2010 and I need to set aside time for actual production of the book. So, to type, to type...time to type!

Simple Mom Book Group

2010-01-21T06:16:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, a guidebook to the welfare of families everywhere. Join me!

December 29 Digiscrap: Christmas Correspondence

2010-01-06T15:21:00.000-08:00

Kind of mundane, but part of this project is to capture the everyday moments.

December 28 Digiscrap

2010-01-06T15:20:00.001-08:00

Photos of Ethan's week with my parents.

December 27 Digiscrap

2010-01-06T12:18:00.001-08:00

December 26 Digiscrap

2010-01-06T12:16:00.001-08:00

On the day after Christmas we went to Boone for snow tubing. I stayed in the lodge and read since I had not packed a coat or pants for snow. But we all had fun.

December 25 Digiscrap: Christmas Day

2010-01-02T19:36:00.001-08:00

I decided not to journal. Christmas is Christmas, right?

December 23 Digiscrap: Stockings

2010-01-02T16:01:00.000-08:00

What a great idea to actually document the Christmas stockings that my mom and I have made everyone. Thanks, again, to Jessica Sprague for the Holidays at Hand class!

December 24: Digiscrap

2010-01-01T20:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve: it's pretty typical that we provide a craft for everyone to do. Some years it's cookies. This year Ethan picked the craft: everyone got to paint a ceramic ornament. I had to include this page because it's so funny how my mom and sister-in-law seem to be doing their projects without any cares that Rodd was topless next to him, and Ethan topless across from them. I'd told Ethan to take his shirt off so he didn't get paint on it, and Rodd followed the command, too.

December 22 Digiscrap

2010-01-01T19:40:00.000-08:00

Today's assignment was to think about our holiday rituals--things we do every year.

December 21 Digiscrap: 2nd Grade Party

2010-01-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

2nd Grade Holiday Party!

Grandma's Christmas Salad

2009-12-29T19:53:00.001-08:00

Let's face it. We were in Iowa and when we say salad in Iowa, more times than not it means jello. This was actually very tasty and easy to make. Pineapple and strawberries.

Grandma's Deviled Ham Spread

2009-12-29T19:50:00.000-08:00

This did NOT go over well on Christmas Eve. I guess it's dated? Not every recipe from Grandma's collection is going to be a hit.

Grandma's Holiday Fudge

2009-12-29T19:49:00.001-08:00

I made this recipe for a dinner party I hosted, then took some to work. It was an easy stovetop recipe and the guests enjoyed the fudge!

December 20 Digiscrap

2009-12-29T19:44:00.001-08:00

When asked what I feel incredibly fortunate or grateful for, of course I chose my family!

December 19 Digiscrap

2009-12-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

A night out!

December 18 Digiscrap

2009-12-18T20:01:00.001-08:00

For today I just took some photos around the house of things to remember.

December 17 Digiscrap: Santa

2009-12-18T19:45:00.001-08:00

Today's topic was Santa. Wow, the size of gifts sure do go up as he gets older!

December 16 Digiscrap: Gifts

2009-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Gifts Gifts Gifts!

Another day of noticing and appreciating the little moments of Christmas.

December 15 digiscrap: Hope

2009-12-15T19:54:00.000-08:00

Our conversation about hope and what it means to us sure did make for a good dinner discussion. We talked about Jesus and Ethan asked us to explain how Jesus could be considered God and wonderful and then later in life people were so mean to him...good question, and one we also can ask when thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr., Ghandi, and so many others.

December 14 Digiscrap

2009-12-15T19:36:00.000-08:00

Church holiday pageant.

December 13 Digiscrap

2009-12-15T19:34:00.001-08:00

I just love our Christmas tree. And I really love the person who invented pre-lit trees.

Favorite Christmas Movies

2009-12-15T19:31:00.000-08:00

What I learned from this page theme is that we sure don't have many Christmas movies. But our DVR is FULL of taped Christmas specials we tape and watch every year.

December 7th digiscrap

2009-12-15T19:02:00.001-08:00

We had a family discussion of what we consider special Christmas foods. Complete consensus: COOKIES!

Frozen Fruit Salad

2009-12-15T13:46:00.000-08:00

From Grandma Schroeder's recipe box: Frozen Fruit Salad. I made it last night to celebrate my coworker Teresa's birthday at work today.

Our favorite Christmas books

2009-12-14T20:28:00.001-08:00

We have so many Christmas-themed books...and scrapbooks and photo albums!

Journey to Bethlehem

2009-12-14T20:26:00.001-08:00

An annual tradition for my family, now preserved on a scrapbook page!

Raspberry Parfait Pie

2009-12-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

This week we're saying goodbye to our secretary Dawn as she takes a new position. So, I dug into my grandma's recipe cards and made this raspberry parfait pie. Yet another photo for the cookbook.

December 10

2009-12-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Our assignment for this day was to think about favorite childhood holiday sights. Lots of memories to choose from, but here were the ones we are sharing for this page.

December 8

2009-12-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

This calendar is one of my most treasured possessions. I'm so happy that Jessica Sprague gave me the opportunity to take the Holidays in Hand class. Otherwise, I'd never have thought to scrapbook this really important part of my Christmases.

December 6 Digiscrap

2009-12-06T15:25:00.001-08:00

We have different favorite symbols, but light was the common trait of all the things our family members like about the holidays.

December 5th Digiscrap

2009-12-06T14:59:00.000-08:00

We had quite a discussion about a favorite Christmas song, and we just couldn't agree, so I listed each of our favorite songs (for the moment, not all-time favorites).

December 4th Digiscrap

2009-12-06T14:57:00.001-08:00

Here's our December 4th page. For our activity, we went through all of the school and other charity projects and made a list of things to buy people who are less fortunate.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

2009-12-06T13:48:00.000-08:00

Back to the Cookbook project...these cookies are my Grandma's recipe. My church had a cookie exchange yesterday, so I dug into my grandma's recipe box.

They turned out very well. One of the church ladies gave it a try and said they were wonderful. She asked about the spices, which are cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. She said the cloves make the cookie unique. Pretty tasty.

December 3: Joy

2009-12-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

Today we cuddled by the fire and talked about Joy. Ethan's job was to photograph something joyful in our home, and he chose our two snow globes. I've never been a snow globe fan...but he loves them, so we display them prominently in our living room.

December 2

2009-12-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here's the December 2nd page of Holidays in Hand. At dinner we talked about favorite memories of cooking with family, and our photo assignment was to photograph things that are warm.

I am LOVING digital scrapbooking.

December 1

2009-12-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in a Holidays in Hand scrapbooking session with Jessica Sprague. Here's my page for December 1, where we were encouraged to welcome December.

Donate Tiny Purses

2009-11-01T18:11:00.001-08:00

alt="Mocha Mommas Purse Drive" title="Mocha Mommas Purse Drive" border="0" />

My friend Kelly has coordinated this great purse drive to provide students at Lanphier High School in Springfield with purses that are small enough for them to carry in school (school rule is size of a sheet of paper).

A week in October

2009-10-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

Just a random week in the life of my family.

Adventure

2009-10-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

I made this last weekend - not 100% happy with it, but I did learn a few techniques.

The More Things Change

2009-10-12T20:44:00.001-07:00

I made this layout tonight in my Type + Writer 2 class via Jessica Sprague website.

When I Dance...

2009-10-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of fun putting this digital page together. The best part was interviewing Ethan, asking him a whole bunch of questions about his life and his feelings. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.

Hey Little Boy

2009-10-07T10:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another page I did in the Jessica Sprague Type + Writer class.

The Story of a Woman

2009-10-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

I'm learning PhotoShop and LOVING it. I'm a paper scrapbooker, but this doing some of my work digitally really opens up my options, so I'm considering doing some hybrid/blended work. I'm taking a two-part online class on Type + Writing. Here is one of our projects.

Flikr Class

2009-09-23T09:08:00.001-07:00

angel
Originally uploaded by lisawhelpley

I'm testing inserting a Flikr photo while taking a Flikr Class.

2009-09-15T09:09:00.001-07:00

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. It's written from a dog's perspective which seemed silly to me before I started it, but you get used to it and it's a pretty interesting way to tell a story, in this case anyway. Given that I cried last night at the book's end, and then I cried again this morning telling my husband just a brief outline of the story, I'd say it moved me!

View all my reviews >>

2009-09-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved, loved, loved this book. Great characters. Captivating story.

View all my reviews >>

Cookbook update

2009-08-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

I have not given up my cookbook idea, but as I read my grandma's recipes and other extended family members' recipes, I have realized I need to scale back this project. And, the recipes are almost all desserts and salads...and a whole lot of them are dated and don't sound so good. So, I'm thinking about what to do, and in the meantime, I've given my mom the recipes to review to make sure I've tagged them with the correct contributor (making sure what I've said is a recipe from Aunt Esther is really hers, etc.).

Recipe: Raspberry Chiffon Pie

2009-07-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

This is Grandma Schroeder's recipe.

It was difficult to make because the recipe did not list all ingredients (at least not in the ingredient list) and the instructions were very

unclear about what got mixed together.

In fact, I left out the final layer because it seemed perfect as it was, without the raw egg whites and other ingredients.

Certainly this recipe needed work and I'm not positive I'll put it in the final cookbook.

Recipe from Grandma's collection

2009-07-22T11:31:00.000-07:00

I made this Orange Toast. I remembered it just by name. My mom remembers making it for a 4-H project, but she said that it was indeed her mother's recipe. Basically, it's frosted toast! Pretty picture, though, right?

Learning more in Photo Shop

2009-07-19T15:45:00.001-07:00

My 14-day Photoshop tutorial is over but I had some free time today (while the boy napped for 3 hours leaning on me!). I made this using an Asian kit free from Jessica Sprague. Hope it looks nice when I get the print from Shapfish!

Photoshop class

2009-07-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Using textures, brushes, etc.!

Photoshop class

2009-07-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a photoshop class. Here's the first project - I learned to add layers. Of course if I'd known it would say "sassy" I may have chosen a different photo!

2009-07-01T11:47:00.001-07:00

One Dog Happy by Molly McNett

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was a GREAT book of short stories. It's not, as the cover might lead you to think, a book about dog stories. I found McNett's writing compelling, engaging, and sometimes heartbreaking. You can tell why she won the Iowa Short Fiction Award. Each story was different but each one really was "wow."

View all my reviews.

Walter's Ice Cream

2009-06-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of Walter's Ice Cream - homemade ice cream from Walter Peterson, my grandpa.

(photo: Andrea Peterson)

Advice from Cheryl Jamison

2009-06-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

I talked to award-winning cookbook and travel writer Cheryl Jamison last night about this project. She advised me to make sure to photocopy any legible recipe cards. She emphasized the importance of capturing handwriting from family members, and wow, that was something I hadn't imagined being able to do, but of course it's possible! It will add so much to the family memories to have handwriting in there. Cheryl also advised me to store the cards in an archive-safe box to protect them from further deterioration. Great advice!

New Project - Family Cookbooks!

2009-06-16T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last month my mom told me she has recipes from her mom, mother-in-law, and all the recipes she's collected over the years. She wanted to organize them and since I love cooking with recipes AND I love organizing, I volunteered. This is the first post about what I hope will only take 18 months to develop a cookbook for friends and family of "heritage" recipes.

My first steps:
1. Find software that will allow me to enter recipes and tag them by contributor and food type.
2. Begin making at least two recipes a week and photograph the food, to spice up the cookbooks.
3. Research "best practices" on food photography.

Well, that's enough for now. Suggestions welcome!

2009-06-10T12:18:00.000-07:00

The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I hope this is made into a movie someday. It's sad, funny and moving, and all of the characters seem so real.

View all my reviews.

2009-04-26T17:58:00.001-07:00

It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita by Heather B. Armstrong

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Everybody age 25-45 should read this book, especially people contemplating being parents and new parents. If I'd read this in 2001 I would have enjoyed my baby YEARS before I could enjoy him. People don't tell you the honest truth about having a child and this book really does give you one person's very real experience. Wonderful and funny writing.

View all my reviews.

2009-03-30T19:47:00.002-07:00

Delicate Edible Birds: And Other Stories by Lauren Groff

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read this like I read most books of short stories--if the story doesn't catch my attention, I move on after about 2 pages. That didn't happen very often in this book. Most of the stories were moving and a few were truly riveting. Good writing and interesting characters.

View all my reviews.

Borders

2009-03-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

I love getting instructions for making scrapbook page borders. It’s fun to make a bunch of borders with different themes and then when you are scrapbooking something, say a night when you get snowed in, you have a ready-made “snowed in” border and matching journal box!

2009-03-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

The Slide: A Novel by Kyle Beachy

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
I loved most of this book but can't rate it higher than "liked it" because there were some weird parts (talking to a dead brother, for instance). And was it me, but it seemed like there were some error/copy editing errors through the book.

That said: good characters, interesting story line. Perhaps too many characters for this short of a book.

View all my reviews.

Catching Genius

2009-03-07T08:11:00.001-08:00

Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book of two sisters and their lives that converge when packing up their mother's beach home. I cared about the characters and I think this would be a great movie.

View all my reviews.

Uninspiring essays about cooking and eating alone

2009-02-03T17:32:00.001-08:00

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant by Jenni Ferrari-Adler

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was okay but just okay. The essays lacked inspiration.

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Book Review: State by State

2009-01-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

State by State: A Panoramic Portrait of America by Matt Weiland

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Someone reviewed this as being written by authors native to each state and that is not the case, which is perhaps the problem. Another problem is that you can't find 50 Dave Eggers or Susan Orleans, so you get some states with less-than-stellar (or lazy) writers. Of the states I read, Ohio and Illinois were lovely...well written, with genuine love for the state as well as facts and information. Iowa's essay (my native state) was written by someone who didn't seem to know anything about Iowa. I think he was just visiting. For instance, how could you be in Iowa and have to LEARN the difference between field corn and sweet corn? That's something Iowans are born knowing! (Just kidding, but really, come on.) Anyone at University of Iowa's writers' school surely could have written something much, much better. Michigan's essay was sweet but written by someone who had only lived there a few years of his life.

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The Story of Forgetting: wonderful book

2008-12-30T12:38:00.000-08:00

The Story of Forgetting: A Novel by Stefan Merrill Block

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is an EXCELLENT book. Written so well, I can hardly believe it's from a first-time author who is so young. The voices were authentic and you could see the settings, they were so well described. I flew through this book, just because it was so good I didn't want to stop. After you read it, check out the author's website for insight into why he wrote it, and how.

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Great book review

2008-10-28T17:48:00.001-07:00

Downtown Owl: A Novel by Chuck Klosterman

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This story of midwest small-town life in 1983/84 was like walking out of my high school memories (or walking back into them?). He had (almost) everything just right for the period, from fashion to though processes. I loved it. Only 2 things stuck with me that seem like today not then: 1) someone says "whatever" one time -- I don't remember this back then. 2) twice "hook up" is used and that was not a 1980s phrase. I liked the characters and loved the ending.

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Book recommendaton: Paper Bag Princess

2008-06-24T06:27:00.001-07:00

The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
My new favorite kids book. I highly recommend for any mother of a girl, AND for mothers of boys. Explain to your boy that he can't be the boss. Girl power!

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Smart Women, Smart Use of Time?

2008-03-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Today I took time off of work to attend a State of Illinois-sponsored conference titled, Smart Women, Smart Money. The registation promised sessions on balancing career and family, starting/growing your own business, women breaking the corporate glass ceiling and getting into senior management, and more. Well, I got there and the event program had completely different topics. The first 30-minute session was a woman from a private for-profit insurance company who told us how to save HER company money (choose generic drugs, know which prompt care clinic to go to before an accident happens, other common sense stuff, but not exactly on-topic and oh-so-biased). After that there were two breakout sessions and I attended one that was about fattening your finances through the internet. We were told how to see if a site was "secure", remember to switch passwords ...and not much else. I decided that this was not a "smart" way to use my time, and time is money! So I left and spent some of the day on my own, thinking about our investments and taking some long-due action to increase our savings and decrease savings. Smarter use of time!!

Faculty and Staff Campaign Begins

2008-03-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

We just launched our 3rd annual Faculty and Staff Campaign at UIS. Over 40 volunteers across campus will be talking to their colleagues about the importance of employee giving at UIS, and will encourage their colleagues to make a gift. Our theme is "Oh, the places we'll go" but overall, every year, we try to remind everyone it's about: Your Interest. Your Choice. Some employees give to their own department, but many do not---and it's all okay. What matters is that you give to what matters most (at that moment) to you. We'll have fun this month, I know.