Stuff! Things!

Howdy Bookworms,
On the off chance my husband reads my blog, he’s probably going to be annoyed by the title. One day when Sam was very small, I was upstairs nursing. I heard clattering and muttering from downstairs and asked what was going on. My eloquent husband responded with an agitated “Stuff fell!” And I was all “Uh, what stuff?” And he let out an exasperated “THINGS!” In his defense, this was during the phase of tiny babyhood where the grown ups get very little sleep. Still, whenever I feel like poking fun at Jim, I shout “STUFF! THIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS!” I’m a joy to be married to, I tell you what. Whew. Since I’ve been out of touch for a bit, I thought I’d fill you in on some stuff. THINGS, even.

FIRST: Some mornings when I drop Sammers off at daycare he can be a little cranky. One morning, one of the toddlers in his class walked up to him and handed him a stuffed dog. Apparently, the little doggy is Sammy’s favorite toy, and this sweet little boy thought it would cheer him up. Is your heart bursting yet? Because this story isn’t over. This “bring Sammy the doggy” thing has become a TREND. Even if Sam isn’t crying, frequently at either dropoff or pickup, someone will come up and bring Sam the doggy. At least four different toddlers under the age of 2 have tried to comfort my son by bringing him his favorite toy. I praise them lavishly for the behavior, obviously. Many, many “thank you”s and high fives have been given.

The doggy filter makes even the crankiest Sammers smile. Clearly, we’re VERY into doggies these days.

SECOND: I didn’t want to pollute the purity of that first point, so I’m making this a secondary note. My husband thinks the “bring Sammy the doggy” trend is evidence that Sam has become some sort of toddler daycare dictator. No faith in humanity, that one.

THIRD: I finished reading The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke and I thought it was great. It had a unique take on magic and time travel, which is very much in my wheelhouse. As you might expect, time travel wove into historical fiction, which got kind of painful at times. Not because the writing was bad, but because Nazis. Also, I don’t think I ever really understood how oppressive the government in East Berlin was under Soviet rule. Let’s just say it wouldn’t be my choice of time periods to accidentally stumble into. (The correct answer to “which fictional scenario in which you accidentally fall through time would you choose” is always “Jamie Fraser.”)

FOURTH: The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss came highly recommended to me by my bookish work friend and it was quite delightful. All those 19th Century mad scientist novels get a new lease on life through the eyes of their daughters (both literal and figurative.) Plus Sherlock Holmes? It’s a series, too, so sign me up for Book 2 of the Athena Club. I’m all in.

FIFTH: Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows by Balli Kaur Jaswal was awesome. It took some of the best elements from different genres and combined them into one delicious package. There was a lot of heart and humor, a bit of steam and romance, and mystery/thriller elements. I’m often smitten with stories of immigrant communities. Even though this book was set in London, the Punjabi community had a distinct small town feel. That’s not to say small towns aren’t problematic (this community definitely had ISSUES), but I simply adored this group of women.

SIXTH: Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen was just meh. Not cringeworthy or anything, just not super compelling. Granted, this is a young adult book so I am certainly NOT the intended audience. I’m sure there are teenagers out there for whom this novel would be important and helpful, but to my old lady self was kind of bored. Also, it was weirdly dated. You forget how much our lives have been influenced by smart phones until you read a novel released in 2008 where people just keep calling each other on their cell phones. I think it’s clear how not into this book I was given that I was so distracted by the technology.

I think that’s enough STUFF and THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS for one post. What have y’all been reading? 

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