A Single Layer

Children's Book Alert: Apparently, Valentine's Day is coming soon. I know this because all of the fixtures and promotions at work declare the holiday with an unnatural fervour. One book we are celebrating this month (that is, it joins the ranks of all the other pink and red books that feature hearts or the word 'love' in the title upon our promotional table at the department's entrance) has caught my particular fancy, and I am posting it here. Observe it's ornate cover illustration. And read it. It is sweetly funny. It will make you smile.

I had entertained the thought that twenty-five (almost) years and a masters degree would finally make me exempt from that most inevitable of female roles: babysitting. But such is not the case. (Please accept apology if you are a babysitting male or unbabysitting female. I admire you both.) Here I am after having just put to bed my recent charges, stealing someone's feeble wireless connection while curled up on a couch clearly chosen by an interior designer sometime before the house was occupied by real humans. If you have never had the pleasure of spending quality time in a Country Club home, let me enlighten you. Country Club dwellers purchase their homes predecorated. There are many reasons for this. First, it always looks good when company comes. There is no object out of place, because every object was chosen by a professional. But that's the trick, you see. You are not allowed to change anything after you move in. Nevermind that you've bought the thing, that the decor...

Not to overwhelm you with new posts after weeks of silence, but I don't want to forget to post this fascinating photo Amanda and I took while at the library a few weeks ago: Notice anything odd? Look closely.

Heard this on the trailer for 'Peaceful Warrior' many moons ago. Finally found it. Where else but YouTube? 'Breathe Me' by Sia:

I have a feeling this blog is going to turn into a book review site. Not sure how I feel about that. Nevertheless, here's a heads-up that another review is on its way. (How many blogs are given over to personal opinions about books, movies, and music? Am I prepared to enter that horde?) On my breaks at work, those same precious fifteen-minute interludes that brought me through Despereaux , I am now reading Jerry Spinelli's book for teens: Stargirl . If anyone feels like reading it along with me, I've just finished the part about the basketball game. So far, it's a book I think you should read. Despereaux' s better, but this is certainly worth one's while. Here's why: There are a lot of books out for teenagers that are set within the sphere of a high school. Movies too (think Ten Things I Hate About You, Clueless , and other non-adaptation films). These usually address the interactions between social groups, as if these social groups - though perhaps lamentab...

Chatting with my mother, I realise it has been ages since last I updated this forum of Mollinian thought. Mother suggests the following as an entry: The Christmas rush is over and I have enjoyed my fulfilling job helping people select quality children's literature at Barnes and Noble. This is true. Would you like a wider offering of thought? Or broader? How 'bout a book suggestion? (This should probably be posted on my readers' blog, shared with Edinburgh friends): I have just finished reading The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. It is a book that every one should read - man and beast, woman and bird. It is about a mouse, a rat, a princess, a non-princess, and soup. Yes, the rodents do talk. No, it is not obnoxiously cloying and cute, unreasonable, unbelievable, or silly. Read it. You will feel both loved and known. You will feel enlightened in the real sense of a window opening the morning into a dark room. You will want to praise it to all your friends in similar fas...