Anonymous Comments

I've gotten a few anonymous comments lately. I've turned on comment moderation on all posts older than 15 days, and that has made it easier to catch the comment-bots that like to say things like:

Good day, sun shines!
There have were times of hardship when I felt unhappy missing knowledge about opportunities of getting high yields on investments. I was a dump and downright stupid person.
I have never imagined that there weren't any need in large initial investment.
Nowadays, I'm happy and lucky , I started take up real income.
It's all about how to choose a proper companion who uses your funds in a right way - that is incorporate it in real business, and shares the income with me.

You can ask, if there are such firms? I have to tell the truth, YES, there are. Please get to know about one of them: [link]

And:

Thanks for the informative information - I enjoyed reading it! I always enjoy this blog. :) Cheers, [hyper link called: Mother Giving Birth Video].

Interestingly, I also got this one, which was kind of a compliment and an insult at the same time. I took it mostly as a compliment, and I wondered why whoever said it desired anonymity:

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

I guess I'll take whatever compliments I can get.

Anecdotes

A couple of funny exchanges between Eric and me lately:

Last night we had some folks over, and we gave them some Mud Pie ice cream. It is chocolate ice cream marbled with more chocolate, and it is one of our favorites lately. After the ice cream was served our friend were commenting on how good it was, and one friend said that she was really happy because she got a big chunk of ice cream. Then Eric said, "Yes, I saw a big chunk as I was dishing the ice cream out, and I purposely avoided it so that I could save it for myself." I replied, "Eric! Haven't you learned anything from your mom about being a good host? That's terrible!" Everyone was laughing at Eric's comment and Eric replied to me, "No, see, it's okay, I did it so that I could entertain everybody with the story."

While watching Pride and Prejudice (the one with Collin Firth), right as Mr. Darcy is about to go swimming while Elizabeth is touring his property with her aunt and uncle:

Me: I would not go swimming in that water. It looks gross.
Eric: Is he about to go swimming?
Me: Yes! How can you not remember? Because during the movie you think Mr. Darcy is not very handsome but then he comes out of the water and he suddenly is very handsome, and it changes everything!
Eric: No, I don't remember that at all.

A Library at Home

One of the great things about house-sitting is that the people we house-sit for have a lot of books. Gads of books. Mountains of books. When I got here the other night and was waiting for Eric to finish getting ready for bed, I pulled the following off the shelves:

I think they will make a great start. And, bonus! There are no due dates.

In case the photo is not clear, the books are:

• These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner
• Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
• Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Only, probably not in that order. I've already started the first two. And I'm not entirely sure about The Lovely Bones. My friend, Trish, really hated it, but it's gotten pretty good reviews. Any thoughts?

Moving

We just completed our tenth move. We have been married four years and eight months. We should be experts at this by now.

After hanging out with friends until 2 a.m. on New Year's Eve, we had to go back to our apartment, finish getting out all our junk and clean it for the people who were moving in on New Year's Day.

We are still living in Provo, and we are house-sitting. The people for whom we are house-sitting will be returning in mid-April, so we won't be here very long. After getting to our new home at about 4:30 we had to bring in some more stuff from the car, locate various boxes and ready ourselves for bed. We were pretty much ready for bed when Eric realized he had forgotten his pillow in the car.

You know how some toddlers cannot go to sleep without their special blankies? Eric cannot go to sleep without his special pillow. Okay, it's isn't that bad, but he really does struggle without his pillow. His pillow is nothing fancy. In fact, it is the opposite of fancy. It is incredibly flat, but this suits Eric because he sleeps on his belly, and his head is rather large. Pillows that are not sufficiently flat (read: old) cause him to contort his head and neck in a rather uncomfortable way.

So, by the time Eric realizes that he hasn't got his pillow, he's already nearly in bed, which for Eric means that he is in his skivvies. He had already put clothes on to run out to the car twice, and he didn't want to go out again. It was nearing 5:30 at this point, so I handed him a blanket and told him that he could just use it.

I meant to use it as a pillow. He thought I meant to use it as a robe. Which he did. Then he came back in happily with his flat pillow, and we went to bed at 5:30.

And that is how we rang in 2010.

2009 Book Stats

For those of you who want a little more visual representation of my reading in 2009.

Total books read: 52

I read a lot in June. November was abysmal. December was catch-up time.

This year, I read a lot of series books and multiple books by the same author. There were eight authors for which I read at least two books. Some of these were books in a series. Others were not.
I was really proud of myself this year. About a third of the books I read were non-fiction. I feel like I learned a ton from the non-fictions that I read. Some were more dense and difficult to get through than others, but overall, I'm glad that I've rediscovered non-fiction.

Seven of the books I read this year were with my carpool buddy. They include:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
5. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

My top five suggestions for the year:

1. The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
2. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
3. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
4. David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory A. Prince and William Robert Wright
5. The Chosen by Chaim Potok

Do you have any idea how hard it was to just choose five?

What are the top 10% of the books you read this year? (Ahem, this means if you read fewer than ten books, you are not allowed to recommend. How else am I to maintain my intellectual elitism?) Fine, if you've read fewer than ten, you may recommend one. Not that I have to read it. I'm just curious.

Also, just so you know, only fourteen of the books from this year were ones I had read before. Only 3.8% were audio-books, which is quite different from last year's 38%.

2009 Books

January:

1. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin - (Abraham Lincoln was the best president ever. The end.)

2. The Culprit and the Cure; Why Lifestyle is the Culprit Behind America's Poor Health and how Transforming that Lifestyle Can be the Cure by Steven G. Aldana - (Longest title ever, but it was a really interesting read and it got me exercising and working really hard to eat better every day!)

3. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech - (I think I loved this even more than when I read it about ten years ago.)

February:

4. Atonement by Ian McEwan - (I was completely enthralled with the story. I loved the way this story was told, from different perspectives, although almost always with a third person narrator. I'd like to read more from this author.)

5. The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg - (I read this when I was about 14, and I really loved it then. This time I read it aloud with Eric, and we both enjoyed it, although I'm not sure I loved it quite as much this time.)

6. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright - (Overall, I liked it, even though I don't tend to go for this sort of Hallmark-movie-like book.)

7. Anne's House of Dreams* by Lucy Maud Montgomery - (I enjoyed listening to this while I treadmilled and did other sundry activities, but I think I'm done with the series.)

8. Saturday by Ian McEwan - (I liked the story-telling. I was not thrilled with the story.)

9. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster by Jon Krakauer - (Wow. This was an amazing story, and it was told incredibly well. I found myself constantly astonished at the difficulty of ascending Mt. Everest, but never really questioning why anybody would want to do it. Krakauer is an excellent writer, and I hope to read more from him in the future.)

March:

10. Our Search for Happiness by M. Russell Ballard - (This was a great book, and perfect for anybody who is interested in learning more about the LDS Church.)

11. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer - (I loved this one as much as I loved Into Thin Air. Krakauer is an amazing storyteller, and I was fascinated by Chris McCandless' ill-fated adventure. I have no need to go backpacking or camping in Alaska. Maybe an Alaskan cruise some time, but that's where I draw the line.)

12. The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck - (AMAZING! I can't wait to read more by her. And, pleasant perk! After I finished reading it, I mentioned it to my mom, and she said that Buck was one of her favorite authors when she was in high school.)

April

13. Germinal by Emile Zola - (This book turned me into even more of a socialist than I already was. I enjoy Zola's writing. He is a bit of a downer (think the French Hemingway), but I kind of like depressing books. They seem more real to me.)

14. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* by Lewis Carroll - (I enjoyed listening to this one and thinking about its philosophical questions. I don't have answers to them, but it definitely made me think as I smiled.)

15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - (LOVED. Can't wait for the next one. Highly recommend. Written for youth, and I found it surprisingly thought-provoking.)

16. David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism by Gregory A. Prince and William Robert Wright - (Every Mormon should read this book. Especially if you think Mormon Doctrine really is doctrine.)

May

17. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl - (My favorite quote:

An active life serves the purpose of giving man the opportunity to realize values in creative work, while a passive life of enjoyment affords him the opportunity to obtain fulfillment in experiencing beauty, art or nature. But there is also purpose in that life which is almost barren of both creation and enjoyment and which admits of but one possibility of high moral behavior: namely, in man's attitude to his existence restricted by external forces. A creative life and a life of enjoyment are banned to him. But not only creativeness and enjoyment are meaningful. If there is meaning in life at all, then there must be meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete.

This book was amazing. Everyone should read it.)

18. How the Garica Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez - (This book started with a sort of family tree, so I liked it immediately. It was a nice read about a Dominican family of four daughters who immigrates to New York. Easily classified in the "coming of age" category. I also loved the play on the title because in the Dominican Republic their surname has an accent over the i, but in America it does not.)

19. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - (Loved it in high school. Loved it even more this time.)

20. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt - (Absolutely loved the writing. The story was deeply engaging. I can't wait to read more of his writing.)

21. Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams - (This was an interesting book, and Jane Addams is an awesome lady. It was a bit difficult to plow through the whole thing, but it opened my eyes to some of the social movements during the end of the nineteenth century.)

June
22. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke - (A little slow at first, but then it picked up quite a bit. I'll definitely have to read the sequel.)

23. The Chosen by Chaim Potok - (A really intriguing story that is beautifully written. I couldn't and didn't wait to read the next book. Potok's balanced portrayal of conflict is impressive.)

24. The Promise by Chaim Potok - (I didn't love it quite as much as The Chosen, but it was still an exceptional book. I was again impressed with Potok's masterful depiction of conflict.)

25. Sarah: Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card - (I quite enjoyed this book. I was curious how Card would do outside of sci-fi, but it was thoroughly enjoyable.)

26. 'Tis by Frank McCourt - (I love McCourt's very distinct style. 'Tis is not heart-wrenching like Angela's Ashes; it's more of a coming-of-age story, and it's an excellent combination of entertaining and engaging. Entergaging?)

27. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling - (I read this in preparation of the movie. It was my third time with this book, and I must say I didn't enjoy it as much as the first two times. But it's still a very easy read and highly entertaining. And it did actually make me want to give #7 another go.)

28. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck - (This book was great. It was clever and funny, and it was sweet without being mushy. There are very few books that accomplish all of those things so successfully. I was very impressed and cannot wait to read more by Peck.)

July
29. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt - (Read this one aloud with Eric. I loved it from the start, but he took a while to really appreciate the humor. I would highly recommend this, especially to kids because it is a YA book.)

30. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - (This was my second time to read this one. I can appreciate Rowling's cleverness, but this is certainly not the best book in the series.)

31. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - (Amazing. Extremely well-written and incredibly thoughtful and moving.)

August
32. In the Beginning by Chaim Potok - (I adore this author. I liked this book, albeit not as much as I enjoyed The Chosen and The Promise.)

33. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - (Hands down my least favorite of the series.)

34. Rebekah: Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card - (I didn't enjoy this one as much as its predecessor. I felt like Card got a little too wrapped up in explaining every aspect of the characters' behavior, but it was still an enjoyable read.)

35. The Omnivore's Dilemma; A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan - (Everyone should read this book. I used to roll my eyes at people who frowned upon our society's industrial food chain, but I have a much better understanding about how devastating our industrial food chain really is, not only to our health, but to the environment as well.)

September
36. The Sound and the Fury by Stephen Faulkner - (This book is not for everyone. The writing is genius, though.)

37. My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok - (I enjoyed this book. This is the fourth Potok book I've read this year. It finally occurred to me while reading Asher Lev that Potok must have had issues with his father.)

38. Social Networking for Genealogists by Drew Smith - (I read this book because I was asked to review it for a genealogy publication.)

39. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - (This was my favorite the first time I read the series. I thoroughly enjoyed it this time too. Something about time-travel really does it for me.)

October
40. The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8. Lee - (Loved this book. It was just so interesting. The book is about Chinese food in America and around the world, but it's really about so much more. A great look at the pervasiveness of Chinese culture, food in America and the true origins of the fortune cookie.)

41. Rachel and Leah: Women of Genesis by Orson Scott Card - (I enjoyed this one. I think Card is a great writer, although sometimes I think he tries too hard to delve into the thoughts and feelings of his characters. That makes me find them less believable. But I think a lot of readers like that aspect of his writing.)

42. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Reed - (Great book, albeit gruesome. Ultimately, it is about survival and the will to survive. It made me think a lot about having a purpose in life, optimism and hope.)

43. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - (Highly enjoyable, although I preferred the first one. I think this one left too many strings untied.)

November
44. Here is Where we Meet by John Berger - (I didn't love it, but I also didn't hate it. My drawing teacher lent it to me and absolutely raved about it. I think it was a little too modern, even for me.)

45. The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery - (Rather slow and pretentious at first. And at the middle. But the end picked up, and I was bummed it was over.)

December
46. Untitled Book by Science Teacher Mommy - (I am totally counting this since it is a full-length book. I sent my thoughts straight to STM.)

47. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - (I hadn't read this since elementary school, I thoroughly enjoyed it. In my memory the stories took place earlier in American history.)

48. $20 Per Gallon; How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better by Christpher Steiner - (I liked it. It was interesting and thought-provoking. I am interested to see which of the changes he predicted, particularly in our energy technologies, really do come true.)

49. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder - (Such a great series. My favorite part is when Jack comes back.)

50. On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder - (My favorite parts are when Pa comes back.)

51. By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder - (I don't think I could ever tire of this series.)

52. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling - (This is when the series really starts to get exciting! I forgot how many things were different than the movie in this one.)

*I listened to an audiobook.