I Have Earrings That Do Nothing

Today, we did not leap off of cliffs or get sucked by leeches. We did not even get mud in our ears. We ate normal food that wasn't damp. We vacuumed. Some of us played computer games, (furtively!) and others of us read our books. We had a bush fire, but the wind was blowing gently in a friendly direction and our fire trace held it back, so there were no roaring infernos or sudden deadly fireballs and all we had to do was back-burn slightly and whack half-heartedly with rakes. Then we had a shower and went back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I even trimmed my toenails. I considered taking a picture of my flip-flops and feet, post-fire, covered with soot, chipped polish and dirt and looking really disgraceful, but I decided to spare you.

Recent Book List:

"The House Of The Spirits" by Isabel Allende was excellent, probably my favorite one by her. Though "Ines Of My Soul" comes close.

Sean is reading Terry Pratchett's "Sourcery" which is hilarious judging by his cackling. We have many of the "Discworld" series, and they are SO funny! And deep. And wise. Terry Pratchett is a genius.

"Natural Acts" by David Quammen is a collection of essays on Nature: the Octopus, the Bat, the Mosquito observed from a reverent and humorous perspective.

"Snow Flower And The Secret Fan" by Lisa See, about the lives of two girls in China. It begins "I am what they call in our village 'One who has not yet died' - a widow, eighty years old." I loved this story.

"Half Of A Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This is the story of the Biafra/Nigeria conflict, from the perspectives of two families. Sad but a must read. It hops forward in time, then back, which is tricky so beware.

Sean says to tell you that he doesn't ONLY read Terry Pratchett, in fact, he read "Half Of A Yellow Sun" FIRST and brought it for me and he reads lots of really cerebral stuff so there. Mostly these days Sean likes to read over my shoulder while I am blogging. Which makes concentration difficult. Not to mention the mobility of one's right arm. Ahem.

I just love it most when Sean reads hilarious stuff, because his giggling makes ME giggle and I look up from my book and say "What? What?" and make him read me all the funniest bits.

Yesterday when the boys and I were in a bookstore looking for homeschooly stuff, I made an impulse purchase. I NEVER buy on impulse! But this, I couldn't resist. A set of magnets with words for writing love poems. I took it home and wrote a haiku on the fridge with words like "kiss" and "eternity". Sean wrote a very long response which somehow managed to be pornographic and 'Finnegan's Wake'-esque, which I am sure wasn't the manufacturer's intention when they made the magnets. He refers to me in his poem as "amorous white thing" which cracked me up.

The boys have been reading the "Inkheart" books, and loving them until book three which they say isn't as good as the first two. Chas says that it seems as though the author forgot where she had meant the story to go, and it rambles. I haven't finished reading it yet either, so I can't say. Chas is reading Robert Graves' "I, Claudius", a brilliant and witty classic about the mad Romans in their declining days. He is also reading anything by Gerald Durrell and James Herriott that he can get his hands on.

Sam asked me to get "Beowulf" so I did. He likes olde English. We all read a book together called "Word Origins", an Oxford textbook for primary schools, and it really explained a lot. Why we have such ridiculous spellings in our language, for instance. Why "sausage" and "sauce" sound the same. Language is more exciting than we had realised. On that note, if you are interested in this, read "Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson. Word origins for grownups.

Does anyone else out there (besides Greengirl!) read several books at the same time? I seem to have passed this dubious habit on to my sons.

And now, I think I will think about dinner, and a glass of wine, while the day cools down and the sun sets into the smoke.

My legs are strong things
Unlike earrings that do nothing
But they are pretty

Comments

witchypoo said…
My earrings are also lazy buggers. But I love Terry Pratchit, so all is well.
Anonymous said…
Even your dull boring days are more fun than mine often are.

I am currently reading 3 or 4 books. Ilsa LOVED the first 2 Inkheart and hasn't read the 3rd. I haven't read most on your list but really like "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan." Also magnetic poetry, which was invented by the brother of a girl who used to work at a pizza joint (Escape from New York! NW Ptld) near us. Her name was Becky, and she quit her job to go help him run his soon multi-million-dollar business. I love magnetic poetry. And my earrings do something--they lose their backs and get lost!
Nan Sheppard said…
Wow, Planet Nomad! Ask him if he's read "Finnegan's Wake". That would explain a lot.
Nan Sheppard said…
"Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen-
core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy
isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair in vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe."

James Joyce, Finnegan's Wake.
Anonymous said…
Wow, you have been busy in your normal life. I did enjoy Snow Flower & THe Secret Fan--despite the fact that I could not STAND the main character. I found the history fascinating. I received I, Claudius last year for my birthday--I'll bump it up on my pile per your recommendation!

Ah, magnetic poetry--so much potential for bad and brilliant;)
Unknown said…
I have half a dozen books in progress (that I'm reading) and two I'm working on first drafts of(that I'm writing). Bad English, I know - the old dangling preposition.
Nan Sheppard said…
Dangling is fine, when it's earrings we're talking about!
Theresa said…
I remember that line from sesame street!! And they were singing ''la la la la''. I say it all the time :)

Does starting books and not finishing them but starting another count as the same thing?
Islandgirl said…
Multi-tasking/multi book reading reader here too..like everything else I do..I must have ADD or one of those alphabet thingies they like to label you with now. Send those books on over my way when you are done!