Card Catalogue

One of my New Year's resolutions was to try and not incur any library fines this year. That lasted about 12 days, but I'm still proud to say that so far, I've only racked up 60 cents in overdue charges -- pretty good for a gal who was regularly paying a couple of dollars each month!

The Toronto Public Library has a great collection, which I take full advantage anytime I hear of another *great read*. I love that I can put a book on hold and then when it finally comes up in my queue I've totally forgotten about it so it's like a surprise as to what I'm going to read next!

Lately, I've devoured a few good reads:

• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

This book has been on my *to read* list forever and I finally got around to picking up an audio copy for my commute.

I was a bit annoyed that at the beginning and end of every cd the announcer stated "this is disc ___ of The Perks of Being a Wallflower" but in the end this was a blessing in disguise as I realized that after listening to disc 5, disc 4 was starting! Oops! Luckily, it wasn't too hard to listen to the discs slightly out of order.

As for the actual story, I love this book. it is such a great coming-of-age tale of a sweet ninth grader who is socially awkward and brilliant beyond his years. Though it's been a few years since I was in junior high/high school, this book brought back a wave of memories and emotions of a time that was both tumultuous and triumphant. A perfect quote from the book: "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be."

Definitely read it before the movie comes out next year!

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This was our Book Club pick for February, but I was a bit delinquent and didn't get to reading it until after our meeting. My consensus only 50 pages into it was that I was a bit worried it was going to be too gruesome and gory for me. Once I got going, I'll admit it was hard to put down. Even with the brutality, the story was compelling and left me wanting more. I don't think I'll jump right into the 2nd and 3rd books of the trilogy, but they're definitely on my radar now.

• Unbearable Lightness by Portia de Rossi

I really wanted to like this book, and at the beginning, it was fairly engrossing, but by the middle I found myself skipping passages and almost entire pages. I think this would've have been an excellent magazine article, but as a book, I felt it went on a bit too much. I could relate to some of what Portia went through, but again, felt like it was just a really long diary entry that wasn't especially interesting.

• Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

I think I've used the adjective "heart-wrenching" a lot this year when describing the books I've read, and Little Bee is no different. The story was difficult at times, and more than heart-wrenching, it was gut-wrenching. but it was very well written and captivating. I definitely couldn't put it down and often fell asleep with it on my face. I can't really divulge too much about the story because the author explicitly asks that readers let other readers find out for themselves, so you're going to have to pick it up and tell me what you think.

• Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler

I wouldn't have picked this book up on my own, but luckily it was sent to me by the lovely and wonderful, Claire. I loved ending my day with a few pages at the Homesick Restaurant and was sad when it was finished. The story follows Pearl, a single mother, and her 3 children as they grow up in their dysfunctional family in Baltimore from sometime in the 1940s to 1975.

At first, it was really hard for me to connect with any of the characters because I didn't like any of them, but by the end I felt empathy and even a bond with them all. I liked that each chapter was from the point-of-view of a different character, with some overlap so I got to read how each character may have reacted to a particular instance.

I'd recommend this book to anyone...though it is not "beach read", it was fairly quick to get through and very thought-provoking.

Well, there you have it, just an inkling of what's taking up real estate on my night stand. Oh, and at the time of this post's publication, my fines were up to 90 cents and an official block was put on my account! Have to remedy that pronto!

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Weekend Update

After a week that felt like it would never end, the weekend arrived and is now almost over! Both Indy and E have been battling illnesses, thankfully at different times of the week, but still not fun for them. Indy is finally healthy though E still has a pesky cold.

Our weekends usually include watching SNL and one of our favourite segments is Weekend Update. Here is my Weekend Update:

^via

Friday -- 416BookClub: I didn't finish reading this month's book choice, The Hunger Games, but I plan to, even though the subject matter is a bit gruesome for me. Faiza, Judy, Marta, Naaz and I met at the new-ish midtown restaurant, the Burger Cellar for tasty burgers [mine was topped with Gruyere cheese and mushroom ragout], the best-sweet-potato-fries-I've-ever-had dipped in chipotle mayo, and Kawartha Dairy's delicious Moose Tracks ice cream. Oh, and I can't forget Marta's fantastic suggestion that we order fried pickles! Now I know why Snooki loves them so much!

As tired as I was, it was great catching up with the 416BC girls. Next month's my pick so I need to choose a fun eatery for us to try!

Saturday -- I took a couple of hours to myself while Indy napped to go shopping for a dress for next weekend's Pink Party [fun!] and groceries [boring]. E and I needed a low-key evening to ourselves, so we stayed in and caught up on our PVR'd shows while enjoying delicious Mexican Hot Chocolate with mini marshmallows. Kary's post put me on the quest to find some in Toronto, and I lucked out today while grocery shopping.
Sunday -- The weather is finally warming up . . . to a balmy 3 degrees Celsius today! We ventured to the park, which was desolate. Not a single other soul joined us in our trek through knee-deep snow, though if they did, Indy would probably have invited them to join him in a snow snack!

I hope this trend continues because my family has been missing our daily walks, which hasn't been good for anyone! I'm definitely one of those people whose mood is affected by the lack of sunshine. I've heard that taking Vitamin D supplements can help battle that.

Do any of you get down when the weather is bad? Have you found ways to help your mood?

Hope you're all having a restful Sunday and gearing up for a great week!

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Oops, day 15 was MIA!

[day 15: Cooper sulking on the couch while my book group girls and I ate Marta's delicious chocolate and cheese fondue 15 ft away.]

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What I loved in January...

I'm a product junky, I will admit that. I like trying new things, whether it be toiletries to easy-to-prepare foods to new electronic gadgets. I can get obsessive about researching new products just to find the best one out there. And I can't pass up a deal!

I love to share my new finds with anyone who will listen because who doesn't love a good thing? Of course, each month I'm also going to share those new found treasures and good ol' standbys with you too! Head on over to the blog, Keep on S'myelin to see K*OS's January list!

Here is a smidgen of the things I heart this past month:

1. Monthly get together with my book club girls, even if I don't finish the book each month. This month we're reading Marion Keyes's The Brightest Star in the Sky. I'm trying really hard to finish it before our next meeting!


2. Last month's book club pick, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.


3. Audio books. My first foray into the spoken book world was with the wonderful story, Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger. Definitely makes the commute to work much more bearable.
   
   
4. Aveeno Baby Wash: so gentle and safe for Indio, but unlike many other *hippie* products, this one also smells great!
   
   
5. Dollarama: The swankiest of dollar stores, Dollarama is fun-tastic! You can find *almost* everything here [I still haven't found any larger-than-address-size labels though.]
   
   
6. Mail! Sending and receiving *real* snail mail.
   
   
7. Clover Leaf Flavoured Tuna. Quick'n'easy when my hands are full of a squirming 1-yr old but my belly's empty! My favourite flavours are sundried tomato and basil and spicy peanut satay. So good over salad or pasta.
   

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Listening to...

...the audio version of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger of The Time Traveler's Wife fame. 

I have moaned about my commute to work almost everyday since I started back in September and mentioned to anyone who would listen that I miss being able to walk to work each day.  My current commute is anywhere from 35-90 minutes one way, which is made worse by the drivel that emanates from the radio morning shows.

In an effort to curb my complaining and read more books, I decided to give audio books a try.  Well, after a few false starts with missing cds, getting the wrong book, etc, I was finally able to get my hands on Her Fearful Symmetry, a book I've had on my *to read* list since it was released.  This morning I began listening to it and I'm officially hooked!  I've only listened to 1.5 discs out of 12, but the story is great, the woman reading is captivating, and I'm not stuck listening to the same songs over and over between what feels like hours of unending radio talk about nothing.

I think audio books are going to be in regular rotation in the car, especially since I can request them from the local library.  A free indulgence is always a good one! 

And now I'm actually looking forward to driving to work in the morning!

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Just one more page...

For as long as I can remember, I have been a bibliophile. I can't walk into a bookstore without buying something. I always take out more books than I can read from the library. And without a doubt, I always have a pile of books on my nightstand.

In the past, that pile would quickly be replaced with new books as I worked my way through my collection. It was habit to read before bed, sometimes for a couple of hours. These days, I'm lucky to get through a page or two before falling asleep. Motherhood and the bad habit of functioning on as little sleep as possible are my two biggest obstacles to staying awake.

My friend, Faiza, started up a book group for a couple of her friends and their friends back in September. I was excited to be part of the inaugural group and eager to meet new book fanatics.

So far we have met twice, and both times, I have been delinquent in reading the book by the date of our meeting.The worst part is the first book was MY choice! Since then, I pledged to get to bed earlier so that I could read more. Well, I still go to bed way too late, but I am reading more, often telling E, "Just one more page..." before turning out the lights. Luckily for me, E can sleep with the light on and he doesn't hold me to my one-more-page promises.

Fortunately, I've already read our next selection: White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. I read it ages ago and didn't love it, but at least I read it!
These days, I'm still reading last month's selection, Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill, which is an incredible book. Even though I haven't finished it [yet] I highly recommend it to anyone.
Alright, my nightstand is calling...Hopefully, I'll get through more than a page tonight.

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