snapshots (lisa, our pictures came out so blurry we didn't make the cut. but we know we were there)

Next up:

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael
by Elisabeth Elliot

May 3
10 am
Melanie's

be there or be square

bring your bad selves:

saturday
10 am
lisa's

Loving this book

So, I finally got my copy in the mail and love it so far. It is a bit out of date, but she puts in words and explains things that I have felt about creating. I always talk about how I'm not creative, but she does not allow that out; not only that but then tells me how I am indeed creative, I just didn't realize it. Great pick, Darby!

In the great green room there was a telephone

The majority of my reading these days starts with those words, or "Diggers are good at dig, dig, digging." or "The sun has set not long ago, now everybody goes below." or even "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish." They're great, and certainly well-loved, books around here, but I will admit that there are only so many times one can read the same book in a day without feeling at least a little loony.

A friend recently recommended the blog fantastic books for 6 and under, and it really is a great resource written by a mom about the library books her preschoolers have loved. Variety is a good thing. I need to make a list before our next library run.

resource for enriching daily life...

i've seen this book and read the author's blog occasionally, and think it intersects nicely with hidden art. it's a (more current) discussion of creativity and family life by a really cool mom. a couple of omaha friends have highly recommended it.

books we've also read

Here's a few more: A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian (read right before My Lovely Enemny), by Marina Lewycka, and Housekeeping (read right before Oracle Bones), by Marilyn Robinson. We read Memoirs before Housekeeping, I think. The others were even earlier - before my time!

Authors: Caroline Cox for This Immoral Trade, and Peter Hessler for Oracle Bones. I couldn't figure out how to update the sidebar! :)

Wah-Wah

this is the film that came to mind while reading half of a yellow sun. it's about the british expat community in 1960s swaziland, just prior to swaziland gaining independence from the empire. click the here to watch a trailer.

books we've read

i tried to make a list of everything we've read (see column on the right) but was hopelessly confused about what we read, and when we read it. if you have additions, corrections, or a list that puts the books in the proper order, you can either change it yourself via the dashboard or post a comment and i'll change it. gracias.

monsieur kouchner

Bernard Kouchner, a famous humanitarian who is now the foreign minister of France, also tried to aid the Biafran people. He founded the organization Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) as a response to the suffering. This cover story gives good background info.

blog virgin

Hi all, I don't have anything interesting to say. I've only just ordered the book, but thought I would post as practice since this is my first ever attempt at blogging...can I now call myself a blogger? Chris wondered what one does on a blog post, so I showed him Darby's and he said "oh, so it's like writing a journal but everyone gets to read it..." I guess that's accurate :) Maybe someday I'll get really adventuresome and add a picture. Now wouldn't that be something?! :)

write, the beloved country

Thank you Darby for setting this in motion. Here's a link to a Vanity Fair list of recommended African lit. I couldn't find their bit about C.N. Adichie, but Ishmael Beah makes an appearance here: Write, the Beloved Country

a bit of Biafra trivia

I heard a random fact last night: in the late 60's John Lennon declined to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth in protest of the British government's involvement in Biafra. Interesting to know that at least some people in the West were paying attention...

maiden post

welcome to the blog! you're all authorized to add anything, change anything, and post at will. happy blogging...