Happy holidays!

I spent Christmas in D.C. We (Dave and I) drove.

When driving, one can pack a whole heck of a lot more books than flying. So I did. Naturally. And as I move on to the next part of my journey (wedding in Boston), I am realizing how little I actually read in the past week. Ah, well. There's something to be said for spending time with nieces and other family. We need breaks sometimes, even from reading.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 1873 to 1877

I'm doing it. I'm taking on this tome. And you know what? So far, so good. I'm really enjoying the atmosphere: Moscow and Saint Petersburg in the mid-19th century. It's cold. They're rich. There's a pervading divide between the haves and the have nots. All the names are full of hard constants. What's not to like? It kind of makes me want to take the train somewhere, but I have the feeling Amtrak out of Indianapolis isn't quite as romantic as Tolstoy's story.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basile E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, 1967

It is my mission to get a student in my library to check out this book. What's wrong with these kids?! Maybe it is the boring cover and it is pretty dated, but I LOVED this middle grade fiction novel back in the day. A girl and her brother run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sleep in antique beds and collect money from the fountains. What more could you want from a book? So I am rereading From the Mixed-Up Files this break so I can really push it come January. And when my sister-in-law saw it on my nightstand, she about died. She could never remember the title but just the story she had read and loved as a kid. So now she knows! Isn't that the best?

Snow by Uri Shulevitz, 1998

This one goes out to my two nieces. Snow is one of my favorite kid's books. It is a short, lovely story about a boy looking to the sky waiting and watching for just one snowflake and then another and then another before the whole town square is blanketed. But the best part of the book isn't the story, it is the wonderful, beautiful illustrations with muted colors. If you don't believe me, Shulevitz won the Caldecott, and that counts for something.

AND...

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne, 2011

Dave and I have been listening to this audiobook on and off for the past few road trips. I'll be honest: it isn't my favorite, BUT it is a great audiobook. You can kind of zone in and out because there isn't much of a linear narrative. This adult nonfiction describes the Comanche Indians primarily in the mid-19th century. This powerful tribe could ride a horse better than anyone in town...or on the frontier including the settlers. And let it be known: the settlers and the Comanches did not get along. If you have a weak stomach, you might have trouble reading (or hearing) the brutal scenes, some battles and some skirmishes. I recommend Empire of the Summer Moon as an audiobook choice.

I hope you all had a great holiday and are gearing up for New Year's! Any resolutions on the table?

Thanks for the images, BarnesandNoble.com!

Meeting Gollum

I'm exhausted.

And full...still.

And I am reveling in all that was Lincoln. Saw it this afternoon and really enjoyed it. Was it the best movie I ever saw? No. And if you're expecting a sweeping saga on the Civil War and the mysterious Mary Todd, you'll be disappointed. The movie focuses on Lincoln's political maneuvering in early 1865 as he works towards passing the Thirteenth Ammendment to formally abolish slavery while the Civil War draws to a close. My grandma was disappointed and felt it was more of a documentary than a feature film, but I was very interested in the work done to gather those pivotal votes. And really, it just made me want to scurry back to Indianapolis and spend a long sunday with Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, the book which the movie Lincoln is based on, the book that is sitting on my nightstand with a bookmark secured snuggly somewhere in the middle of chapter 2!

Tis the season of the book turned movie, and I am woefully behind on my reading. In addition to my Civil War reading, I am a few chapters in to my reread of The Hobbit (definitely have to brush up before the movie comes out) and am lamenting my poor Anna Karenina. That book has been on my bookshelf for years, and I've started it so many times! Now that darn movie is coming out, and I'll be too weak to resist going to see it. And forevermore, my experience with a Russian literary classic will forever be tarnished with images of Keira Knightley and Jude Law. Such is the plight of the book made movie.

I leave you this scence from The Hobbit cartoon movie (1980) to bring you back. It haunted my childhood dreams. And you know what? I'm skeptical anything Peter Jackson comes up with can top this:

Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving is upon us!

My mom and grandma are making our feast so I'll be in my hometown eating mashed potatoes, struggling with the pecan pie I've committed to make, and turkey trotting. That's right: Dave and I will be up bright and early to run a 10K around town. The route goes right by my house so I figure we can just detour through the front door if we're feeling really unmotivated or if the smell of stuffing is just too good to pass up. My idea is this trot will both alleviate the guilt of overeating later in the day, AND it will get get us out of the house. I love, LOVE Thanksgiving, but my one hang up is, if you're hosting, you end up in your house all day. You never leave. And you can't even find a quiet corner for 10 minutes to read a book or just stare at the ceiling because you've got to be social and all. This trot will get us out the door and doing something instead of lolling around, and we'll only watch 10 hours of football that day instead of 12. That's worth something. And we should be back in time to catch one of my favorite Thanksgiving day traditions: the parades!

Other things I'm doing this weekend:

• going to a college basketball game at my hometown's little university
• driving through the farm up the road that sets up a Christmas light display
• cleaning the gutters 
• maybe seeing Lincoln or Anna Karenina
• AND putting up Christmas lights for my mom

Things I will NOT be doing this weekend:

• participating in the charade that is the Friday after Thanksgiving...you can find me raking leaves, eating turkey sandwiches, and walking off the damage done on Thursday.

What are you doing for the holiday? Where will you be? Make my day and comment below!