Many thanks go out to my husband who first heard about this first book on the radio. Thumbs up for CBC! You may be asking yourself why I read a parenting book when I don't have any children or are planning on having any in the next nine months. My answer is this: I was curious. It's the same answer I give when people ask why I tried haggis (and I was in Scotland) and it's probably the same answer I gave as a child that got me trouble one too many times. Yes, curiosity killed the cat but as far as I can tell, I am still alive.

So being my rather curious self I said, "Self, I feel like reading this parenting book." To clarify it's not really a parenting book. It is not filled with how to's or do not's, it is an American mother talking about her experiences as she raises her children in Paris because she notices that people in Paris raise their children differently. 

Bringing Up Bebe by Pamela Druckerman was good book and really makes you think about different cultures and ways of life. For more great references on different cultures and babies please watch the documentary called: Babies


Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson is now that I think about it more, also about different cultures. The heart of the story lies with Major Pettigrew as he finds himself becoming friends with the local shopkeeper in his small town. As their relationship grows he finds himself being drawn more and more towards her while finding the opinions of those around him to be not as friendly because she is a shopkeeper and a foreigner. 

This book is so cute! I know that seems ridiculous to say but it is! It is also very thoughtful but it just makes you want love to win the day! It is a book worthy reading, smiling over, and cheering for.

The Wakeful Dreamer


 
Happy belated Easter! 

When I finally stop trying swim against the current of my life and actually float along with it, I find that everything becomes better. What actually helps with this is turning a three day weekend into a four day weekend. Don't be mad because you didn't think of it first.

Making some space gave me time to think about things I like and not just the things I need to do.  One thing I love that you may not know about is: tiny houses. The idea of living in a small space is exciting to me for some reason. I think I like the challenge or maybe how organized everything seems.

Check out some great designs here: http://tinyhouseblog.com/

The Wakeful Dreamer


 
"The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking."   

Many thanks go out to my friend, Nhi, who suggested these wonderful books to me. Many apologies go out to her as well because I read them before she was finished.

Despite the fact that the library had only the second book of the trilogy (this seems to happen often), my Kindle came to rescue and fed my addiction. So, what do I tell you about these books, other then the obvious fact that you should read them? 

Well, first you should know that they are young adult novels, which I find myself enjoying very much these days (see: Hunger Games). The main character, Todd Hewitt, is nearing his thirteenth birthday and on that day he will be a man. He lives in a town where there are no women and men's thoughts can be heard by everyone, this is called The Noise. 

Imagine every thought on display, every emotion, and other people can read them? This of course makes Todd more then a little frustrated and makes him even more anxious to become a man and not just a boy. Soon Todd realizes that his world is not as he knew it to be... I don't want to say too much because of course I'd like you to find out what happens for yourself.

Some really neat things about the books include: the whole first book is written form the view point of Todd and he is a settler on the New World so his language is and grammar are terrible because he never went to school. What is so great about this is that Patrick Ness has written certain words phonetically - the way Todd would say and understand them. Another great thing about the books is that all the animals have The Noise as well and you learn very quickly that not all of them have a lot to say. 

Props also go to Ness for creating some really great, crazy bad guys. They are so mentally unstable and deceptive that you can't always believe what is happening. There is also some great character development in the main characters, like Todd, that makes it hard to believe that by the end of the trilogy he is hardly a teenager. 


So, have I convinced you yet to read them? 

The Wakeful Dreamer
 
I'm a big fan of things that are free. I think most people are. And the best part of getting free things is sharing them. Know now that I still am going to do a blog about my Kindle but on this rainy Manic Monday I'm going to share a website where you can get free Kindle books. So if you don't have a Kindle, I'm sorry.


But for those of you who do, you should try: e-book fling. I warn you now that like most websites it caters greatly to the USA but for us Canadians there is still fun to be had. If you sign up (for free) they will "fling" you a free book every month. I think it's every month because I just signed up last month and have not been getting a free book every week so I think my assumption is correct.

There's no obligation to even download a book but isn't it nice to treat yourself once in a while?

The Wakeful Dreamer 
 

It's April! As my first resolution (other then doing laundry) is to blog about the books I've read so that I can start April on track again. And here we go!

I have this problem where I don't know what to do when I start to read a book and realize that I don't like it. I know the answer is to just stop reading it and I actually think about putting the book down but there is always this glimmer of hope that maybe I'll like it. Maybe. With this idea in my head, I read it till the end and realize... that I just suffered through a whole book and did not enjoy myself. 

Unfortunately, this was the case with The Last September by Elizabeth Bowen. I was drawn in by the cover and then when I read the back I thought it would be good. And it is in its own way... I know that sounds strange but I'll explain it like this: I'm not really fond of The Great Gatsby. We had to read it in high school and although I understand it to be a great novel, I just never really connected with it. The Last September had the same feel to me and I just never felt like I was drawn into the story...

While some books attract me because of their covers, others get me because of their titles. And because they are free. Which happened to be the case with The Confessions of an Las Vegas Motorcop by H. D. Justice. 

I read it on my Kindle (for free!) and it was exactly what you would expect it to be: full of some wild and crazy stories about motorists in Las Vegas. It was amusing to say the least. 

Sorry if this doesn't feel like a very complete review of these books. I did read them a bit ago and they were just okay to me. I've just recently finished a trilogy that makes me excited about blogging for Thursday, so stay tuned!

The Wakeful Dreamer