First Novels

I am taking an advanced writing course this semester.

Yesterday, I finally sent in the first chapter of my first novel. I have written some short stories, memoir pieces and other small works but this is my first attempt at something big...

I am a little nervous waiting to hear back from my professor.

What I have enjoyed most is sharing my writing experiences with my daughter. When I started writing I was having some difficulties with the creative part. I find that writing creative non-fiction comes pretty easily to me, but fiction is much more difficult. To help me with my creativity I asked my daughter to help me by playing a character sketch game. In our game, we take the first person we see and tell who they are. Name, birthdate, where they live, hobbies, job, family, where they are going...whatever comes to mind. I find it much easier to be creative when I have something concrete to start with. We have come up with some pretty fun stories and we have had a few good laughs on the drive to school.

A few weeks ago I went to a used book sale and picked up an old book for my daughter...

Inside the front cover is an inscription that reads...Love to Gail, From Mum and Dad. For fun the other night I asked my daughter "Who is Gail?". In the past two days, she has written three chapters of "Gail's story". She has three pages of short character sketches for all of Gail's friends and family. She has been researching on the internet to discover what life was like in the 40s and 50s. She knows almost everything about Gail and is writing her story in the first person. Her story is really good. She is only twelve. She has inspired me to write more.

Our conversations have really helped me get to know my characters and I have learned that knowing your characters makes writing fiction just as easy as non-fiction. I'm not sure if my novel will be any good when it is finished, or what grade I will get or if I will ever get published; but, the time I have been spending with my daughter is something that I am so grateful for and will never forget.

Off my bookshelf May 2011

This month I have been trying to cram in more reading because I know I will not have as much opportunity to choose books to read over the coming months. I am starting a new semester of classes June 1st and I am planning on doing three semesters back to back to back. So, most of what I read will be chosen for me over the next 12 months. Luckily, this month I was able to get in a few great reads a couple of which I will be finishing up in June.

Here is what has come off my bookshelf this month:

I will be taking a creative non-fiction class and thought I would do a bit of light creative non-fiction reading to prepare...I love it. Great book of short stories.

I picked this up at our local farmer's market. It was co-written by one of my favourite farmers from Pilgrims Produce.

I have always loved reading about the last Romanovs and I found this book at a local used book sale. I thought it would be a fun read since it was written before records were more open and DNA testing had been done. I finished the book with a lot more questions than I thought I would...

After reading Anastasia I wanted more of the Romanovs...which led me to pick up this book (another used book sale find). I really loved this book. I recommend it to anyone interested in the Romanovs. This book is the memoirs of Olga Alexandrovna who was Tsar Nicholas Romanovs younger sister. I have read things from the Romanov perspective before but they were mainly journal entries and letters written prior to the revolution. This book was written much later and gives a really interesting perspective on events. So glad I read it!

This has been a great read for days when I am feeling a little overwhelmed. I have had a couple of those...A woman in the 50s with a...shall I say "unsupportive" husband and ten (yes ten...makes my four seem very easy) children. She wants to write and tries to earn extra money for her family by writing short stories and jingles. A good light read and it makes me feel like my life is pretty easy after all...so worth the read.

After reading about the Russians, I started missing the British...and I needed something to read on days I didn't feel like reading "light". I am really enjoying this book...I say enjoying because I am not quite finished...it is 800 pages so I am still working on it.

Sticking with the British theme...I picked up a few collector's editions on the Royal Wedding.

and then finishing off the month...a few more magazines...I think I bought too many this month...but they were all really good!

That was my May reading and what was off my bookshelf this month.

off my bookshelf April 2011

I am finally reconnected!

and just in case you were wondering what I have been reading...

here is what came off my bookshelf in April.

Quite possibly my favourite book of all time. I never tire of reading about Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. I have now completed all six Jane Austen novels this year. I think I may make reading all six a yearly tradition...

I will be taking a senior creative writing class (two actually) this semester and the professor advised reading more contemporary novels (most of the fiction I read are classics). So, I thought this would be a good time to read this. I wasn't too impressed and found myself wishing Jane Austen had written more and contemplating reading all of Dickens. I didn't really relate even though the book was about homemakers. I actually thought that the author didn't look too highly upon people who chose to stay at home. I didn't think it was really bad; I just didn't think it was very good and wouldn't read it again.

A book for beginner runners. I tried doing the "no program" program, but that did not really work for me. So I thought I would try this one. I have a strange relationship with running. I really enjoy running while I am doing it, I just have a difficult time trying to get myself out there to actually do it. I think I am always waiting for the "perfect" time which of course never comes. This is a pretty good program. Now to somehow get myself out there...

I splurged and bought a new cookbook...I really like it. There are a lot of usable recipes in here. Some of the easy recipes are things I already make myself and I was a little disappointed to learn that some of my great ideas are not so original. Apparently, Gwyneth Paltrow has some of the same ideas. My husband found it amusing as I read off a few of her recipes and tips that were nearly identical to mine. Aside from the lack of red meat (which my carnivorous family adores) this is how I eat (or would eat if I could afford tuna steaks and duck bacon).

I love the slow food movement. I really do. I read a quote once ( I have no idea who said it or where I found it). "If we are what we eat who wants to be fast, cheap and easy?" I keep it on my fridge along with a magnet of a snail (the slow food symbol). A great book with some really great looking recipes from chefs like Alice Waters, Rick Bayless and Daniel Boulud. I do understand that we don't always have time for really slow food but advanced planning helps and even cooking this way a few days a week helps. I am aiming for seven days a week...I am not there yet but I am working on it.

A lot of cookbooks were off the shelf this month (or actually being added to the shelf). I think it is the change in weather and the excitement I have over the farmer's markets opening and fresh, local, organic food being once again available. Also, there have been some great sales on and I have a very hard time passing up cookbooks on sale...especially when they cost less than the price of a magazine as these two french cookbooks did.

These two William's Sonoma cookbooks were deeply discounted as well and I am so glad I got them. The family meals cookbook is written to encourage those who don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen with family to get in there...which put me off a little (I'm already in there and thought the book wouldn't be for me) until I discovered the great "beginner" recipes like how to smoke your own salmon, cure your own bacon, make your own ricotta and create your own marshmallows. There are lots of really great family friendly recipes that are not only good for beginners but for those who already spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

And to finish off the month...

my favourite magazine...the British Edition of Country Living. I haven't seen an issue that I didn't love. This is my fantasy life.

Technical difficulties

The lack of posts this week have been due to technical difficulties.

I have been without internet service for nearly a week and it is starting to drive me a little crazy.

I have quickly borrowed a computer to check my emails and make a quick post just so you know I haven't deserted my blog. I am hoping to have the problem fixed shortly. In the meantime I have been taking a little computer break.

I have started packing for our summer move...and adding more boxes of books (just what every mover wants right? more boxes of books!) My husband's back is not thanking me. But, I really couldn't help it there was a large used book sale for the local museum and art gallery...and I think it is really important to support the arts! So I had to buy large quantities of books (just in case I have failed to get the point across previously...I really love books). I will now need a new book case and so my frugal buy may get a little more expensive; but it is still worth it to me.

In Nova Scotia we had a very large living room and a wall of books. Looking at that wall always made me feel so happy. I love that I can pick up a book off of my own library shelf on almost any subject that interests me. I suppose I am a little old fashioned...but I would much prefer to do my research from books (especially vintage books) than from the internet. And I love having books on hand when I need to write an essay rather than having to order them from the library and wait (a nod to my modern need for instant gratification). So this week I have had a boost from adding a number of very cool vintage books to my collection as well as a number of history, literature, architecture and art books...with a few cookbooks thrown in as well...due to some camera difficulties as well...no pictures yet.

Maybe that is one of the reasons I love books so much...they are so reliable with no technical difficulties.

Happy Easter!

Childish Things

I remember when I was young, listening to the radio with my mother. It seemed as if every song that came on was her "favourite song", or at least every other song was. I thought she was crazy. How could so many songs be her "favourite"; it didn't make any sense.

Now I understand. The more I read, the more quotes I find that I love. I have many, many favourites. My favourite can change at any moment depending on my mood. They may not all be my very favourite at this moment but have been a favourite at different times of my life. I love them and carry them with me.

Today, I thought I would write down my new favourite quote...for this moment anyway.

"When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up."
~ C.S. Lewis

 I was an early reader and read the Little House on the Prairie series, Charlotte's Web and others when I was six and seven. When I was ten I read Sweet Valley High books. At 11 and 12 and 13 I collected Stephen King and V.C. Andrews novels and I would stay up reading until the early morning hours because I was too frightened to go to sleep.

As an adult some of my favourite books are the Anne of Green Gables series (which I read for the first time when I was pregnant with my daughter), Little Women, The Secret Garden, the Little Princess, Harry Potter and many others. I read to my kids everyday and have loved exploring some of the literature I missed out on (or that wasn't available) when I was younger.

Photo Courtesy of William Rance

As I watch my 11 year old try desperately to seem more grown up: refusing to be in the room if a cartoon is on (because they are SO stupid), and not wanting to read "baby books" (anything with pictures) to her brothers because they are SO beneath her. I am reminded of my 11 year old self and how hard those pre-teen and teen years could be and how desperately I wanted to be an adult. I am grateful for age and the wisdom I have gained to know that it is okay to stand out and be different and it is also okay to just be a kid sometimes no matter what your age is.

Off My Bookshelf March 2011

Here is what has been off my bookshelf this month...

March has been a busy month and with my sister visiting many of my evenings have been spent visiting instead of reading...that and my daughter has acquired a few seasons of the Gilmore Girls and we have been catching up on a little of the TV we have missed over the past decade. So, lots of girl nights...which has been a nice change...next month it will be back to the books...I'm tired after a lot of late nights.

I found this 1975 cookbook at the local charity shop...lots of yummy goodies ...butter...flour...sugar...yum!

still looking for a large container for the fridge to hold my bread dough...I left my large tupperware containers in Nova Scotia...

This one made me want to go shopping...which I am guessing was the purpose of the book...lots of eye candy.

I ran across Gretchen Rubin's blog a month or so ago; I was intrigued and thought I would try reading her book. Easy to read, interesting insight...but I kept remembering a comment I once received from a geography professor on an essay of mine..."too many quotes". I have mixed feelings. She uses a lot of really great quotes but sometimes there are so many her voice gets lost among the quotes and it seems like she is just filling in words to link quotes. Overall a good read and an interesting project.

When I first seriously considered homeschooling my kids I bought a bunch of books for research. I really liked the idea of a literary education and not dumbing things down for my kids. I read a few books by Catherine Levison about the Charlotte Mason method (I also purchased the six book set of actual Charlotte Mason books...but they still sit on my shelf unread); they give a good overview of the Mason method.

Another book about homeschooling info. I thought that while we were having a little spring break I would continue to educate myself on some of the different methods of teaching out there.

So, that is what has been filling my head this month...what have you been reading?

a small helping of daily literature

For those of you who like to read...

I love to read. I read a lot. I generally have three or four books on the go at all times. In my house, there are books everywhere...in every room...and because my house is currently so small on nearly every surface.

Whenever possible, I pick up a book and read a page or a paragraph...whatever I can get in.

One of the saddest realizations I have ever had is that I will NEVER be able to read all the books that I want to.

Yes, I do realize I am a little odd; although, I prefer eccentric...that can be a good thing...right?

I was very happy yesterday to discover a new web site that allows me to read even more than I do already!

So, if you love reading as much as I do OR if you never find time to read this site is perfect!

Check out daily lit and they will send small snippets of books to your email account so you can read just a little bit every day. Or if you are like me you can say you are just checking your email when you are really sneaking in a bit of extra reading.

I am currently having them send me Jane Austen: Her Life and Letters by Austen-Leigh x2...in keeping with my Austen/English studies this quarter.

I was so happy to find them that I thought I would share. Hope you like them!

off my bookshelf February 2011

Another month with a lot of books...

Did I ever mention how much I love books?

This is what has been off my bookshelf this month...

My heart is still in England this month as I continue reading through Jane Austen's novels...Mansfield Park this month...another favourite. I actually suggested calling my third son Edmund but my hubby wouldn't go for it. Tudor England is one of my favourite historical periods so I am brushing up on some of my history with Henry VIII - Reformer and Tyrant. Not a great read for everyone, but I enjoy it.

And continuing with the British theme, my hubby and I have been reading this together. It is taking awhile to read as it is hard to find time to read together and because it is also a subject we are passionate about and the book often gets put aside for some heated discussion and a little bit of ranting on my part. (a small piece of advise...do not get me into a conversation on the industrial food system...I will have a lot to say...and my voice might rise a little...just ask those in the car with my dad and I over the week-end who got to listen to three hours of heated discussion...I think I may take after him just a little). That said, I do love reading the Prince of Wales and he (and his thousands and thousands of pounds worth of education) says things a lot more eloquently than I do.

On a similar and a lighter note...

this is what I have been reading with my kids. My eleven year old daughter and I have been reading one of my favourite books together...Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver ( my daughter and I have been wishing my hubby had a nice farm hidden somewhere we could go and live off of). It has been fun discussing what we can do...(our organic CSA emailed this week with this seasons prices and I can't wait to sign up!). My two oldest boys and I have been reading Farmer Boy and I am having fun sharing my love of Little House on the Prairie with them. (We have previously read Little House in the Big Woods which they also enjoyed but this one has a little more testosterone so it is more fun for them!) And all three boys have been enjoying Dr. Seuss this month.

I am always looking at different points of view and advise on how to make our homeschooling experience more effective and fun.

I picked these up at a used book sale in the fall for 50 cents each. I've been eyeing up the poached egg page. I have never made a poached egg. I have always been scared of failing miserably. As soon as I can get my hands on some VERY fresh eggs I am going to do it. 2 1/2 months until the farmer's markets open up...free range farm fresh eggs...can't wait!

I have picked out my first knitting pattern to attempt. I learned how to knit just over a year ago; but have only attempted scarves and face cloths and things I could do without a pattern. Next month...I am learning how to read patterns and mix colours...I hope it turns out!

And to satisfy my magazine obsession...

Can I just say how much I love How Women Cook! This is the second issue and it is on sale now...LOVE it!

This is what has caught my eye and held my interest this month. What have you been reading?

antique sale

Yesterday afternoon my mother so graciously offered to watch all four of my children so my husband and I could have some time together to go and see the local museum's annual antique sale. Neither of us had any money this week and she was maybe the wiser as she decided she would rather not see what she could not buy. I decided I wanted to go and see it anyway...

We "window shopped" the afternoon away and enjoyed ourselves very much. Although a few tables were a little painful to walk by. Two booths in particular made my heart ache... (no pictures...too many people shuffling along a little like cattle)

Two booths covered with vintage kitchenware...butter molds and churns, baking pans, manual egg beaters, depression glass, floral frogs, canning jars with glass lids and some really cool old wool carding equipment ( I also LOVE wool and sheep)...sigh...

I loved seeing all of the beautiful old items together. Even though I am a little (or more than a little) monetarily challenged, I did mangaged to buy a few small items...

A really cool Canadian history book published in 1915. It is actually a school text written for 10 to 14 year olds. I love reading history from a different point of view. The last chapter is about Canada's future; it will be interesting to read what that looked like less than 50 years after confederation. At only $2 I really couldn't walk away.

and a really cool brown transferware turkey plate by the Johnson Brothers for $5. I don't know how old it is...but I don't have a turkey plate yet in my transferware collection...

Even though I didn't get to buy EVERYTHING I wanted. We had a great afternoon wandering the aisles upon aisles of antiques hand in hand, spending time together...and I did get to bring home a few treasures.

Now I am off on a little road trip...me and the girl...my parents...sister in law and nephew....be back Monday...Have a good week-end!

the joys of homeschool

I started homeschooling my kids this year (for many, many reasons) Technically, we are schooling at home. In BC they have a program called distributed learning which gives parents the option of having their kids do school at home. They still follow the curriculum (mostly - I can pick and choose how they follow it) and they have a teacher they see once a week. They will still graduate with a diploma but they get to learn at home and I oversee the majority of their education.

I am really, really enjoying it.

One of my favourite things about homeschooling is our mornings. I love that we don't have to rush...I love that I don't have to pack lunches...and I love that I am able to finally take some time for myself.

We still wake up early but every morning the kids have some play time and I take an extra hour in my room to write in my journal and read a chapter (or two) of a book.

(to see what I was reading in January click here).

EVERY day...I promise you it sure beats waking up at the crack of dawn, jumping out of bed and rushing.

Every moment of my life felt like I was rushing somewhere...and nagging the kids to hurry up; because we were almost always late for something.

Now...ah...it is relaxed.

The kids have time to relax and play in the morning; we eat breakfast together as a family (minus of course my amazing hubby...if we could only figure out some way for him to stay home...)

and then, when we are all relaxed and feeling good about our day we begin school.

SO much better than the daily rush.

I love spending time with each child individually and watching them learn.

I love that they can move quickly on subjects that are easy for them and that they can take more time on those that they need extra help with. I love that they can get one on one help when they need it.

and I really love that in the middle of the day we can take some time to make cookies, or muffins, or bread or whatever we feel like making and that whoever wants to help out can help.

I love that my kids can play board games in the middle of the day if they choose to and that those board games give my 11 year old daughter something she will happily do with her brothers.

I love watching my kids as they grasp concepts and learn new things.

I feel like I have found the best of both worlds. I have my kids at home with me, I avoid all the things I don't like about the public school system and I still get access to what I feel are the benefits.

I love that I can make choices and live my life the way I want to live it.

off my bookshelf Jan 2011

In 2011 I decided that I wanted to read more. I already read a lot but over the past few years much of what I have been reading has been decided by university professors rather than by myself. So for 2011 I decided that I wanted to read a minimum of 52 books, at least one per week. In order to help me keep track of what I have been reading I have decided to post a monthly log of my progress. So, here is what has been off my bookshelf this month...

I love Jane Austen. I decided that I would like to read all six of her novels back to back this year. I am just finishing Emma. If I had to choose a place and time where I could have been born this would have been it, late 18th - early 19th century England. As a teen I was very nearly obsessed with all things English. I am definately an Anglophile. While most blogs I look at seem to have a fascination with France and all things vintage French (and I do love these things as well); my heart really is in England...

Continuing with the English theme... Monarchy gives a great general overview of the British monarchy (obviously) from the Tudors to the Windsors. It's a good easy read...as is Bryson's book. Bryson decides to travel through England by public transit and describes some of the changes that have taken place since his first trip in the 70s. While I enjoyed this book I did get a little upset by some of the descriptions of the "americanization" that is happening in some places (such as replacing small quaint high street shops with outside of town malls). When I finished it I had to switch back to Austen to replenish my pastoral, romantic notions.

I usually like to read more than one book at a time, just to satisfy my many moods. So while I love getting my British fix, sometimes I need a change...

I also love food writing or as Anthony Bourdain calls it: food porn. I love reading Anthony Bourdain and I hadn't read this one yet (I have previously read Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw). I don't know why I love reading Bourdain I guess it is because he is very informal, direct and he doesn't try to be politically correct; I love that. (While I personally love reading his works I would give a warning to anyone sensitive to swearing and/or people saying what they think and I don't really think any subject is taboo with Bourdain).

I got this for Christmas and have been reading it from cover to cover...

My boys recieved some "ologies" for Christmas and we have been reading through them this month.

My eight year old REALLY loves them, especially Monsterology. We have had to have a few discussions about how they are just stories as they are written like old scientific journals...very cool.

I have also been reading these with my eight year old. He is studying the Canadian Provinces in school for Social Studies and was learning about food that is produced in different regions...I thought it would be a good time to introduce him to reading cook books...and he actually enjoyed them. I am determined to have all my children in love with good food and knowing what to do with it before they leave home.

and as I mentioned in the original "off my bookshelf" last April...I have a bit of a magazine fetish. These are a few of my favourites. I have collected a large stack of the British Edition of Country Living magazine and I often encourage my husband to take a look at them so he can visualize what I would like my life to look like...

What have you been reading this month?

snow days

The snow is coming down heavily today...

The hubby has gone to work...

I am thinking about Nova Scotia and the winters we had there...

In winter most of the cute shops close down as everyone settles in for the winter. Any snow fall often results in school closures and/or road closures...on a heavy snowfall even the big box stores would close...but not here...out west we are a little tougher (or crazier)...we've taken long journeys through the rockies in weather much worse than any I saw in two years in Nova Scotia where my husband was once stuck in a road block for nearly fourteen hours with many others after the main highway was closed due to a few inches of snow.

Annoying at times...but also very peaceful. It was so nice to have an excuse to stay home and cuddle up with a good book and the family and read the day away...

so today...I am going to pretend I am in Nova Scotia and take a snow day...I'll just pretend my hubby is safe in his studio until he gets home from work...maybe it will snow all week-end! And just this once we can all pretend that we are back in Nova Scotia...we'll just ignore the strange looks we get when we tell people we took a "snow week-end"...do you think they will understand?

off my bookshelf

I read a lot. I always have. Some of my earliest memories are exploring the kids section of the White Rock library. I remember looking at shelves and pulling off book after book and thinking "I've read that, read that, read that". It was always a challenge to find something that I hadn't already read. Although, I did have favourites that made it back to my bedroom over and over again.

When I moved across the country with my family we had to get rid of a lot of stuff. We had a trailer that we towed across with us that contained all of our worldly possessions. About half of that trailer was filled with books. Every week I usually read (or read from) a number of books and  I thought I would share what has come off my bookshelf this week.

I've been wanting to read Walden for a long time and since I had to read sections of it for an American Literature class I am taking I thought I had a good excuse to buy it and read the whole thing...it's for school.

I love Michael Smith and his great no knead bread recipe. I think I have made at least fifty loaves since I got this book last fall. So easy and so good...I don't even buy bread anymore.

This is my 2 1/2 year olds "book of the week". He always seems to have a weekly favourite that I read to him over and over and over and over...I think I have read this book about 20 times this week. It is not the most polite of children's books, but it is pretty funny. My kids have all liked it anyway and it does help get rid of the grumps.

I LOVE the British Edition of Country Living magazine. I will drive long distances to get a copy. I have a fairly large collection that moved across the country with me. I have copies from the 90's that are still in style. I have been feeling kind of flowery this week, so I have been looking at a few appropriate copies. Did I say that I love this magazine?

It is my favourite.

As I said, I've been feeling flowery this week.

The other magazine I have been reading this week. I have a bit of a magazine addiction. I found after I had kids that I just didn't have time during the day to read books and I hate going through the day without reading something. I am getting better and I am cutting down. Only two this month...so far. 

My ten year old and I have been reading the Harry Potter series together. We read the first five and then took a long break to read some girly books ( the first three Anne of Green Gables, Black Beauty and A Little Princess) but decided we wanted to read the seventh book before seeing the movie (we've seen all the movies before reading the books) the sixth movie got us interested again so we are back at Hogwarts.

My 5 year old pulled this one off the shelf; he likes chickens. I often look at organic/farming books with the kids. They are always full of animals and food which entertain the kids (and me) and I get a break from the 21st reading of "What are you so grumpy about". It's a win/win really.

Another book I have been reading with my two year old; we both like it.

A couple books I have been rereading for my literature course. I'm just finishing off an essay on justice and have been rereading the books for quotes.

My current favourite cookbook. I love cookbooks. I read them from cover to cover. I always have a couple of cookbooks I am reading. This one is really making me want fresh food. Spring is SO SLOW in coming to Nova Scotia; it is coming but I want some fresh food now! I do hear that fresh food is available in Halifax...so maybe it's time for a trip. I am REALLY missing the organic CSA I belonged to before I moved...it's starting up again soon...aahh..fresh greens...rhubarb...radishes...I miss you.

My seven year olds pick...he loves dinosaurs. We have been working our way through this series...he is really enjoying them...we've been trying to imagine where we could go to find this place...first we need to find an ammonite fossil...we are looking.

So, that is what has come off my bookshelf this week. What have you taken off yours?