Our cucumbers and zucchini, started in a hotbox, are almost ready to join our tomatoes, peppers, carrots, rosemary, and strawberries in the ground. After a couple of mid-70s days, I got my hair cut for summer. It won't be long until I start back to my swim class at the Y.
I finished a lot of very short books this week, including Haiku Before Haiku (poetry), I Really Needed This Today (a book of aphorisms), Notes from a Public Typewriter (a collection of notes typed on a typewriter in a bookstore), The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories (very short stories), and 300 Arguments (not sure how you'd classify this one, but it consists of 300 sentences that sounded like aphorisms).
I also finished the most poorly edited ebook I have ever read, a translation from French to English, of old French fairy tales. It was unreadable at times, with the wrong use of verb tenses, incorrect pronouns, and incorrect translations. There were many pages that were scanned so badly that they could not be read. I am very unhappy with that ebook. I wish I could get my money back for it. At least I can warn others.
I read Rewilding, a book that encourages us all to get closer to nature. Some of (quite a lot, actually) it sounds as silly as you might be imagining, but I think the basic idea behind it is solid.
I finished three wonderful books this week. After watching the recent Masterpiece version of the classic book, I read and loved Howards End. A fascinating story that I think I will probably reread one of these days. Thank you, Kathy of BermudaOnion's Weblog, for your review of Tightrope: Americans Reaching for Hope. It's a wonderful examination of the problems of America along with some solutions. I finally finished Paris in Winter, a memoir of all the winters American author David Coggins spent in Paris. My post about Paris in Winter is here.
I'm reading Dreyer's English, recommended highly by Wendy of Falconer's Library (who, in an odd twist, thought I had recommended it to her...who did recommend it to her, btw?) I do not want this book to end.
Anne of Head Full of Books inspired me to post Favorite Books I Read Published in the Last Decade.
I liked this podcast this week: How to Get More Pleasure and Fulfillment Out of Your Reading. Alan Jacobs, author of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, speaks to this topic. I love the idea of Reading at Whim. His focus on limiting social media appeals to me. And I should do as Jacobs recommends and do more rereading.
Oh dear. From the Guardian: Children Are Reading Less Than Ever, Research Reveals
The Mindful March calendar, from Action for Happiness, is available here.
My husband and I started out the year with a plan to watch all the Star Wars movies in the correct time order. We only got a few movies in when we decided to start over and watch them with my sister and brother-in-law for our Sunday movie get-together. Here's where we are:
- Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (set 32 years before A New Hope)
- Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (22 years before)
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (19 years before)
- Solo: A Star Wars Story (about a decade before)
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (ends moments before ANH)
- Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (three years after A New Hope)
- Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (four years after)
- Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (34 years after)
- Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (34 years after)
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (35 years after)
I'm very happy you found your way to the Sunday Salon. There are no real requirements to linking up at Sunday Salon. Sunday Salon is simply a place for us to link up and to share what we have been doing during the week. Sunday Salon is a great way to visit other blogs and join in the conversations going on there.
Some of the things we often talk about at the Sunday Salon:
- What was your week like?
- Read any good books? Tell us about them.
- What other bookish things did you do?
- What else is going on in your life?
Other places where you may like to link up over the weekend are below. Click on the picture to visit the site.
My linkup for Sunday Salon is below.
Mm tomatoes from the garden... one of my favorites. Can't wait for yummy garden food!
ReplyDeleteI'm saddened to see that news about kids reading. I hope that changes.
Your Star Wars watching looks fun. :)
We have had an amazing winter garden, with oodles of kale and broccoli and Brussels sprouts. I need to take a photo, I think.
DeleteKale and broccoli are favorites of min too. Yummy. :)
DeleteI need to read Notes from a Public Typewriter. Someone left an old manual typewriter in our store for a while and it was a lot of fun. First of all, a lot of kids didn't know what it was or know how to use it. I had to teach people how to capitalize and how to make an exclamation point. People left some really nice notes.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed Tightrope too.
I will send it to you. A manual typewriter is such fun.
DeleteLet's see your haircut. And your garden. :) I like short books, I cannot lie.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I'm reading, at your recommendation, I'm now using Pauses For Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days throughout Lent in addition to another daily reading book that I'm using throughout the year. Thanks for mentioning Pauses for Lent. It's good so far.
In the order you're going with the Star Wars series, it gets better here on out. :)
I shall post some photos next week. So glad you like Pauses.
DeleteI recently got a copy of Tightrope as well and am really looking forward to reading it. Regarding the badly edited book... what were the publishers thinking?! That's so frustrating to read a book like it. I am impressed that you managed to finish it as I would have given up early.
ReplyDeleteIt's an ebook, and it's a translation, and it is the only way I could find to read this 1001 Children's Book. I really need to post my review on Amazon.
Deletei miss tomatoes...fresh from the garden. when we were kids we would eat them like apples. nowadays, the store bought tomatoes don't even seem to have much of a smell or taste to them. :-(
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
There's nothing like tomatoes from our garden.
DeleteInteresting line up of books. I hope you enjoy the Star Wars marathon of movies. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be making a lot more sense, watching the movies in time order.
DeleteI would like to get a few things planted outside this year, but I'll have to wait until the ground thaws. And kudos to you for watching all of the Star Wars. We watched the three originals back in the day and the one, maybe two, that came out after that much later. I would have no idea what's going on.
ReplyDeleteI was horribly confused with Star Wars, and now I'm starting to get the story right.
DeleteMy husband and I have been thinking about re-watching all of the Star Wars movies (also in order) with our kids! I recently found a movie poster at a thrift store that has us feeling the Star Wars-vibe. ;)
ReplyDeleteOur local library partners with the schools in the area, so the kids get library cards as soon as their students. They can check books out at of the libraries using their student ID numbers. There are no fines or late fees associated with those accounts, and it's supposed to encourage children to read, even if their parents aren't inclined to set them up at the library. We also read ALL THE TIME with ours. They love going to the library, and we typically go once a week. Books are read every night, and often throughout the day. :)
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
I'm so glad you are doing all you can to encourage a love of reading.
DeleteI really need to read Howards End soon. I've had it on my shelf for years but never got around to it. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteYes, it's the perfect time, with the new Masterpiece out, if you have access to that.
DeleteI know a good few kids who read, so hope they keep bucking the trend! A shame about the fairy tales book - you can return Kindle books at least, I think. And I have a few books on rewilding but more about agriculture and returning land to nature.
ReplyDeleteThe fairy tale book was a ridiculous seven hundred pages, and about a hundred were impossible to read. Maybe I will try to return it. I wonder if that is allowed if you read (much of) it.
DeleteI am happy to hear you enjoyed Howards End. I read it years ago and couldn't really get into to it. I would like to watch the TV show, though.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week!
Maybe you will be like me and read it after you watch it.
DeleteI work hard at getting my grandchildren to read. Getting them Kindles and books for Christmas and birthday. This year I got my 7 year old granddaughter a Kids Kindle Paperwhite and when she leaned she couldn't play games on it she was quite upset even though she also has a Kinle Fire for that. She was here last weekend and brought the Paperwhite along and we spent an hour each night reading and she told me she was s orry she got mad, she loves it. I plan to try that with the boys the next time the Paperwhites are on sale.
ReplyDeleteIt was wonderful to have the Kindle with us in Paris. My sister's grandchildren begged me to download books from my library back home and then read them aloud.
DeleteYou read s such an interesting variety of books, I like the sound of Notes from a Public Typewriter.
ReplyDeleteI have always meant to create a small vegetable garden but ?I never seem to. About the only thing I grow is spring onion on my window sill.
Wishing you a mindful March
We started quite small, with just a container of dirt and some tomato seeds, long ago.
DeleteActually, you CAN return ebooks to Amazon, if that's where you bought it, because of quality issues. And yum! I love home-grown tomatoes. This year we have decided we are going to grow some of the cherry varieties you can grow in a hanging basket. Have a lovely week, Deb:)
ReplyDeleteWell, thank you very much, Sarah. I think I shall do that.
DeleteIf I had a patio of some kind I would probably try to grow a few things but we don't have any outside room here.
ReplyDeleteIf you have a window, you could even grow a few tomatoes there.
DeleteWe want to watch the Star Wars movies in the correct order too. Love your Sunday movie idea. Too funny about the book recommendation. I love fresh from the garden vegetables. Too soon to plant here.
ReplyDeleteWe love our time with my sister and her husband.
DeleteOoops! I hit enter before I finished filling out my name in the Mr. Linky's widget :(
ReplyDeleteI have never watched the Star Wars movies.
I think I edited it for you!
DeleteI had to Google "aphorisms". LOL Adding Notes From a Public Typewriter and Dryer's English to my TBR. I might check out that podcast about getting more pleasure and fulfillment out of my reading, too.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week, Deb!
I'm not terribly sure I could explain what one is.
DeleteHow frustrating about the badly edited poetry! We just got back from Disney World and seeing the new Star Wars themed world has really inspired us to do a rewatch of Star Wars. I think Rogue One is my favorite and then The Empire Strikes Back but I'll have to see if I change my mind after we see them order. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteIt makes so much sense now that we are watching them in order. I found them all at our library.
DeleteI'm really glad you're enjoying Dreyer's English--that would be even MORE embarrassing if you didn't! I just can't work up enough enthusiasm to watch the Star Wars movies like that. I enjoyed the original 3 when they came out, but fell asleep when I tried to watch some of the prequels.
ReplyDeleteYou know how hard I work at getting kids to read--just dropped $70 at Powell's this morning on books my students had requested, from manga to The Three Musketeers (from the kid currently reading War & Peace). Devices are SUCH a temptation. I think even as adults who love books, many of us accidentally spend precious reading time mindlessly scrolling. For kids, it's even more tempting. My own daughter is driving me nuts with her reliance on technology over books.
You work your heart out for the students at your school. We are fighting a wicked enemy. So many temptations out there.
DeleteI’m looking forward to summer, but we have another 2+ months of snow. I think I’m the only person in the world who has never seen a Star Wars movie. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Two plus months of snow? Oh my goodness. Can't imagine. I hope to swim this week. Outdoors.
DeleteI wish I had time for a veggie garden. I always enjoyed tending it and all of the fresh produce. And I want to branch out in my reading. Try some different genres and more non fiction.
ReplyDeleteI don't do anything in my garden that is difficult.
DeleteI'd love to have a veggie garden but the yard would take more prep work than I'm willing to do right now.
ReplyDeleteWe have had a garden since my oldest son would toddle out in it and pull up carrots and eat them.
DeleteThanks for that link to the podcast - really enjoyed that episode and some of the articles linked to in the show notes. His post on how to read is good too.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to check out all of your short books. Their titles have me curious. Rewilding sound interesting, I'll look for a copy.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest grandson (10) reads a lot. My oldest son still reads, amd my daughter in law and oldest granddaughter read a bit. My daughter and youngest son used to but they don't anymore :(
I haven't seen any of the Star Wars movies except bits of the first one. My sons keep telling me I need to watch them. I guess I should.
We still have two feet of snow on the ground in my part of Minnesota. You read quite an interesting variety of books this week. Come see my week here. Happy reading
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for gardening!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I checked out Rewilding and had to return it before I could read it. I will have to get it again. :)
I too read & reviewed Dreyer's English last year and enjoyed it. It was right up my alley. Here are my thoughts on it at :
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thecuecard.com/books/the-falconer-and-dreyers-english/
Thanks for the book! It was such a pleasant surprise on a gloomy day.
ReplyDelete