Story In a Jar: Bedtime Stories

Q: Do you remember having a favorite nursery rhyme or bedtime story? What was it?

A: We had an old, hand-me-down, avocado green sofa in our living room, and some of my earliest memories are of curling up next to my mom with my brother on her other side while she read to us before bed. It was during these story times that she introduced us to books such as The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House On the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables, Pippi Longstockings, and The Boxcar Children. I have no doubt that my ongoing love/obsession of reading originated on that green couch listening to my mom's voice.

Some nights we had a special treat when my dad was home and would tell us stories from his experiences while serving as a missionary in Argentina for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had only been a member of the Church for a short time before leaving home and essentially paving his own way to live as a full-time missionary. I didn't understand the sacrifices he made until much later. At that time, I mostly appreciated it for the stories he told which I never tired of hearing.

Fast forward to my own parenting years, and a favorite children's book of mine remains Goodnight Moon. I recall growing up with that one as well, but I particularly liked reading it to my kids when they were little. One reason, I'm sure, was that it's short enough that after a long, tiring day you can get through it without expending too much energy. But more than that, there is something soothing about the simple sentences and engaging and repetitive artwork.

Reads of 2015

• Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
• A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
• Rules by Cynthia Lord
• Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead
• Dust of Eden by Mariko Nagai
• Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
• These Is My Words by Nancy Turner
• Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
• Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl by Kate McCafferty
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
• Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
• The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble
• How to Be a Heroine by Samantha Ellis
• Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
• War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• We Die Alone by David Howarth
• An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor
• Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
• Peony by Pearl S. Buck
• The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
• Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
• Gray Mountain by John Grisham
• Paperboy by Vince Vawter
• I Am David by Anne Holm
• Gifted Hands by Ben Carson, M.D.
• Ruins by Dan Wells
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
• Skinny by Donna Cooner
• Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

Still love to read

As per tradition, here's my list of books read during the year. A nice, varied selection in my opinion. The one that had the greatest impact on me was Merrill's Marauders. My grandpa -- Paka -- served as a Marauder captain in World War II. He wasn't one to talk much about his experiences, but he started to dictate his memoirs many years ago at my dad's request. Unfortunately, he put the project on hold as my grandma's Parkinson's disease progressed and she required more care. When Paka suddenly passed from an aneurysm, the rest of his story remained untold.

I'm not sure how it all came about, but my dad learned about Gavin Mortimer's research and shared what he had collected of Paka's memoirs. Mortimer included some of Paka's memories and quotes in the book, which made the reading very personal. Even though Paka's contribution to the bulk of the book was minimal, I knew his actual contribution to the war effort and participation in the struggles and horrors in this part of the Pacific theater were absolute. I didn't need to see his name in every battle scene or hear his direct reaction to events to realize he was there -- that he watched his friends die, that he suffered from heat and bugs and hunger and fatigue, that he wondered whether or not he would make it out alive. I already had a great deal of respect for my grandpa, but this book expanded and deepened those feelings.

• My Family for the War by Anne C. Voorhoeve
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis
• Cress by Marissa Meyer
• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• The Pigeon Pie Mystery by Julia Stuart
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez
• Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
• Merrill's Marauders by Gavin Mortimer
• Cinder by Marissa Meyer
• The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal
• The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
• Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
• Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
• Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
• A Letter of Mary by Laurie R. King
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Blackmoore by Julianne Donaldson
• The Fault In Our Stars by John Green
• Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey
• A Daughter of Zion by Bodie Thoene
• The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel
• Garment of Shadows by Laurie R. King

Who needs goodreads?

Okay, so I am a goodreads member and enjoy their periodic emails updating me on books my friends have read. It helps me add even more books to my mental wish-to-read list. I just can't make myself update my profile. I don't have the patience for it and it's like #723 on my list of things to do. But I've got to stick with precedent and record exactly how nerdy I am. Here's what I read in 2013 (I had a hard time keeping up on it this year, so hopefully it's all correct, not that it really matters).

• Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
• Dracula by Bram Stoker
• Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
• William Henry is a Fine Name by Cathy Gohlke
• Insurgent by Veronica Roth
• Divergent by Veronica Roth
• Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
• Forest Born by Shannon Hale
• True (...Sort Of) by Katherine Hannigan
• Molokai by Alan Brennert
• Beyonders: Chasing the Prophecy by Brandon Mull
• Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
• River Secrets by Shannon Hale
• Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
• The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
• Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
• The Year of Goodbyes by Debbie Levy
• City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
• Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young
• Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
• The Gates of Zion by Bodie Thoene
• Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax
• Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell
• North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
• Austenland by Shannon Hale
• Enna Burning by Shannon Hale
• The Candy Shop War: Arcade Catastrophe by Brandon Mull
• The Curious Incident of a Dog In the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
• Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

I may have to call this the year of Shannon Hale. She certainly seems to dominate the list. Overall, though, I feel like I covered the genres fairly well. Heavy on the YA fiction, yes, but I'm really okay with that. And never fear, I've already gotten a start on my 2014 list. Good books make me happy.

Just plain fun

I just finished reading Austenland by Shannon Hale, and as I set it down I did so with a smile on my face. Maybe more like a silly grin. I enjoyed it immensely in a guilty pleasure sort of way. I knew it had captured me upon opening to the dedication page:

For Colin Firth

You're a really great guy, but I'm married,

so I think we should just be friends.

Win! I was already a Hale fan, having read The Goose Girl and Princess Academy several years ago. In comparison, this book is geared toward a more adult crowd. [Read: lots of making out and, in the words of main character Jane, "Zings". Not really offensive, but not a kid book either.] Austenland assumes of its readers a fairly adequate knowledge of Jane Austen's [and other writers'] literary works. I must shamefacedly admit I was sub par in that regard, and at times it went over my head. And, of course, if you haven't watched the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, do that first or you'll really be lost. This book also lacks some of the lovely prose that won me in Hale's other books. In the end, however, I giggled a lot and read late into the night, happily tucked in my covers with this very recommend-able book that was such great fun.

Books read in 2012

For my own record, here we go again. Just solidifying my reputation as a bookworm. I believe my favorites this year were These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner, Vienna Prelude by Bodie and Brock Thoene, and Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax. I surprised myself that two of these are historical fiction. I never thought of myself as much of a history buff, but I guess if you cloak it in right story? It was also a privilege to read Little Sun, the first draft of the first novel written by my sister-in-law. She's currently looking for an agent, and I'm rooting for her. I also had a good experience last school year helping Marissa prepare for the battle of the books. She is very much not like me when it comes to books, so the only way I could get her to read what she needed to was to get up early every morning before school and take turns reading out loud. As a confirmed night-owl, this wasn't always my favorite thing, but very positive for both of us. Read on, now, if you care to. 

• The Book of Mormon
• The Host by Stephenie Meyer
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis
• These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
• No Apology by Mitt Romney
• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• A Light in the Window (The Mitford Years #2) by Jan Karon
• With Child by Laurie R. King
• Partials by Dan Wells
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
• The Final Warning (Maximum Ride #4) by Jamaes Patterson
• All But My Life by Gerda Weissman Klein
• Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports (Maximum Ride #3) by James Patterson
• Seeds of Rebellion (Beyonders #2) by Brandon Mull
• School's Out--Forever (Maximum Ride #2) by James Patterson
• Little Sun by Ashley S.
• Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara
• The Scorcerer of the North (Ranger's Apprentice #5) by John Flanagan
• Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant #1) by Bodie and Brock Thoene
• The Battle for Skandia (Ranger's Apprentice #4) by John Flanagan
• The Icebound Land (Ranger's Apprentice #3) by John Flanagan
• Strangely Normal by J Kevin Morris
• Night by Elie Wiesel
• The Burning Bridge (Ranger's Apprentice #2) by John Flanagan
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
• Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith
• The White Mountains by John Christopher
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz
• Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
• My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
• The Ruins of Gorlan (Ranger's Apprentice #1) by John Flanagan
• Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
• Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax
• Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Ms. Potter, How Does Your Garden Grow?

I grew up loving Peter Rabbit. My mom read it to me when I was young, and I thoroughly enjoy sharing it with my kids now. I have decided, however, that Beatrix Potter must not have grown a garden. Here's the reasoning behind my hypothesis:

We have voles.

 

Okay, so a vole isn't quite the same as a snuggly little bunny, but it wreaks havoc on a garden just the same. I have recently developed an unexpected sympathy with Mr. McGregor, the maligned farmer who turned poor Peter's father into rabbit pie. The scene below has been comically recreated by Jeremy and me as we wage war upon these creatures. Just replace the rake with a shovel, and you've got the general idea.

"Stop, thief!"

Are we heartless animal haters? I like to think not. But if you could see all the nibbles in my potatoes and carrots and tomatoes and squash we have so carefully tended and urged to grow, you would understand my vengeance. Just like I now understand the villainous Mr. McGregor and am quite certain that Ms. Potter a garden did not grow.

Another Quote I Liked

This one is from Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara, an historical fiction about the American Revolution. It is taken from a conversation between General George Washington and his wife, Martha, in which Washington expresses his doubt that the colonial army can secure the needed artillery and conduct its defense in the mire of winter conditions. I imagine the author took his fair share of literary license, but I still appreciated the sentiment shared in this passage, beginning with Martha.

"Where's your faith, George?"

"You do a much better job communicating with Providence than I do. The pure of heart are provided a better reception."

She had heard this from him before.

"God measures the heart. It is not for you to so easily dismiss yourself from His care."

Ah, what a little pearl. A good reminder for all of us from time to time.

I'll Have Some Milk With That

The other day Morgan said, "I wish cookies had seeds."

"Really?" I asked. "Why?"

"Then I would take them [the seeds] out and eat them [the cookies], and then I would put them [the seeds] in the dirt and we'd have a cookie tree!"

Yes, please.

And speaking of wishes, here's a quote from the most recent book I read, Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls:

"... I do believe that any wish you make can come true if you help the wish. I don't think that the Lord meant for our lives to be so simple and easy that every time we wanted something, all we had to do was wish for it and we'd get it. I don't believe that at all. If that were true, there would be a lot of lazy people in this old world. No one would be working. Everyone would be wishing for what they needed or wanted."

"Papa," I asked, "how can you help a wish?"

"Oh, there are a lot of ways," Papa said. "Hard work, faith, patience, and determination. I think prayer and really believing in your wish can help more than anything else."

What I Read in 2011

I love to read, and I don't doubt I spend more than my fair share of time doing it. I suppose I could use my time more effectively. My house could be cleaner. I could plan my shopping trips and coupon strategies more thoroughly. I could help Morgan dress up her Polly Pocket princesses [actually, I can read and do that]. On the other hand, I could while away the hours playing Angry Birds or posting complaints on Facebook.

I find repose in a good book. My book club makes me happy. I savor beautifully crafted words. For my personal record, these are the books on my "Reads and Rereads" sidebar from last year. I just have to note my favorite find of the year was Leif Enger. I thought his use of words was masterful. If you're looking for authentic characters and language to relish, you should check him out.

• Daughters in My Kingdom by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
  
• The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz
• A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
• The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Beyonders: A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull
• So Brave, Young and Handsome by Leif Enger
• The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
• At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
• Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
• Loud and Clear by Anna Quindlen
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
• When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Last Olympian (Percy Jackson #5) by Rick Riordan
• The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
• Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
• The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson #4) by Rick Riordan
• The Brothers Karamozov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson #3) by Rick Riordan
• The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson #2) by Rick Riordan
• The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison
• The Grass Harp by Truman Capote
• Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

Moon Party

Did you know that last night was International Observe the Moon Night? Well, it was, and that is it's official name. I didn't know until I saw a flyer advertising a moon party at our little local library. I was a bit skeptical, but they successfully sold the nerd in me by stating they would have telescopes. Yeah!

The weather all day yesterday left me fearing any lunar observations would fail, but the kids ran home from the park [and their most excellent flag football game] at dark saying, "We can see the moon!" By this time I was frankly done for the day and still had to vacuum, dust, finish laundry, put sheets on beds, bathe the kids, and clean my bathroom. And it was cold outside. And Jeremy was at the BYU game. And I dislike crowds. But my curiosity won out. We grabbed some jackets and headed over to our blessed gem of a library. [More on that another day.]

We did find a decent crowd gathered. I overheard the head librarian say they had expected about 100 people but ended up with more like 400. Outside they had about half a dozen telescopes of various sizes set up. They had a station for building construction paper rockets to then launch with an air compressor. Another station had a "moon landscape" obstacle course through which the kids took turns guiding a computer-controlled rover. There was free pizza and water and cookies and moon pies [which were gone before we arrived]. Inside the library was a coloring station and computer games to test your ability to land a rocket. We ended up spending about 2 hours at the party. The sky ended up incredibly clear, and the moon was in top notch form. We also snuck a peek at Jupiter, which was bright in the eastern sky, and several of its moons [I was told it has upwards of 60]. I'm not an astronomy buff by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something about space and the planets that fascinates. After all my balking, and in spite of a late night for the kids and not finishing all my jobs, I'm glad we ventured out. Three cheers for the moon, and for itty bitty libraries.

Now if I may diverge for a moment, I just passed Marissa on the stairs. She had blankets stuffed in both of her shoulders and must have noticed the confused look I gave her, because she explained, "We're playing tackle football." Why do these things make me laugh so hard?

Book Edition -- The Grass Harp

I finished The Grass Harp by Truman Capote a few months ago. It was a unique little story with some beautifully descriptive passages. Here was one of my favorites:

Wind surprised, pealed the leaves, parted night clouds; showers of starlight were let loose: our candle, as though intimidated by the incandescence of the opening, star-stabbed sky, toppled, and we could see, unwrapped above us, a late wayaway wintery moon: it was like a slice of snow, near and far creatures called to it, hunched moon-eyed frogs, a claw-voiced wildcat. Catherine hauled out the rose scrapquilt, insisting Dolly wrap it around herself; then she tucked her arms around me and scratched my head until I let it relax on her bosom -- You cold? she said, and I wiggled closer: she was good and warm as the old kitchen.

Ahh, don't you just want to curl up and witness that night sky?

The story itself mostly took place in a tree house, which might explain why I enjoyed it. I spent a good deal of my younger years in the trees. The home in which I lived from about the age of 5 until 10 had a fantastic tree house wedged between 3 huge trees in our backyard. The fort had a ledge around 2 of its sides, 2 windows, and a trap door. We played for hours in that fort [except for the period of time when an opossum was decomposing underneath the bottom level], and I have lots of funny memories from my time spent there. Maybe someday I'll make a list of some of them. If I wasn't in the tree house, you might have found me climbing up another tree in our yard and swinging out of it on the rope swing. It was a pretty great back yard.

Back to the book -- it included a few other short stories I could have done without. They left me with a disturbed and unresolved feeling and sort of tainted my experience with The Grass Harp. Overall, however, if you are seeking some lovely language and a transport back to your childhood, you might find it in this quirky tale.

"Terrifical"

Some things just get better with age. Ramona Quimby, I am convinced, is one of those things. I read several of the books by Beverly Cleary as a kid. Aside from just being fun to read, I remember thinking it was pretty nifty that the main character had the same name as my mom. That was about it.

Then about a year and a half ago, Marissa and I were looking for something to read together at night. I borrowed a box set of the Ramona books from my mom, and Marissa and I dove in. I thoroughly enjoyed the books in so many ways. Mostly, I marveled at how Beverly Cleary so perfectly captured the imagination, the worries, the antics, and the mindset of an eight-year-old girl. Marissa was about the same age as Ramona at the time, and I felt myself propelled into her world. At one point while reading Ramona and Her Mother, I actually started to cry [much to the puzzlement of Marissa] simply because I felt like Cleary provided me a lens through which I could better understand my daughter. On top of that, I appreciated the descriptions of Oregon, which brought me back to growing up there, wearing rubber boots to school, jumping in mud puddles, and finding worms after a rain storm.

Last night I had the TV to myself and watched the movie Ramona and Beezus, and it felt like a blissful guilty pleasure. I loved the portrayals of Ramona's brilliant imagination, her desire to be good and responsible, the neat and not-so-neat of family relationships. It impressed me how the themes written about in the late 70's and early 80's translated so well to a modern story. I laughed out loud and cried a little bit, too. I should probably mention that Marissa also watched the movie at least a couple of times while we had it. Definitely a treat for younger sisters, older sisters, daughters, mothers, and fathers. [Sorry, brothers. It's nothing personal. Although you might like it, too.] If Ramona Quimby needs a fan club, we could probably start here.

Book Edition -- Our Mutual Friend

I have been stuck in the winter doldrums lately and was complaining to Jeremy the other day about my general lack of energy and enthusiasm. He said, "I know what you need. You need a different book." My husband knows me so well. I think he was right. But I couldn't just abandon Dickens. That would feel wrong. And since I'd already plowed through about 650 pages, I figured I could handle another 100 or so. Now I can finally say I just finished reading my first book of the year: Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. I have to admit it was a doozy. If I were to rate it, I would have to divide the rating between the quality of the book vs. how I felt about it. Quality: probably 4 out of 5 stars. Feelings: more like a 2.

I will contribute my feelings in great part to the timing of this read. First, I read it over Christmas. This means many distractions and lots of things to get done, which equals not a lot of time to delve into a book. Second, I started my new church calling of gospel doctrine teacher, which also means many distractions and lots of other things to read, again equaling not a lot of time to devote to the book.

Overall, I thought Dickens showed greatness in his descriptions, in his creation of caricatures, and in developing a complex and interwoven plot. On the other hand, I struggled keeping some of the characters straight for about the first half of the substantial book. I could see value in reading this as a serial, which it was originally over a period of 19 months, just to break things up. Knowing this, I felt pretty good about finishing it in 2 1/2.

Needless to say, I can already feel my spirits rising in anticipation of a new book. I'm sure Jeremy will be grateful.