Dreamland

Confluence.

 
 
The Surface Design Association conference, Confluence, starts today -- four days of galleries, receptions, speakers,  demonstrations, and a fashion show which will feature the work of two friends in my protege group:  Beth Kendrick (first photo above) and Beverly Westra (second photo above).  We kicked off the event with a lovely protege-potluck last night (and temperatures a good 20 degrees lower than our record-setting 103 the day before).  And the icing on the cake is assisting with an Alabama Chanin workshop here on Monday.  (I am already counting the days until her new book comes out...next spring!)

Ready for summer.

 
Does anything feel as great as walking out of a bookstore with your arms full of books?  (Actually, walking out of a library with my arms full of books is a close second.)  I've been burning the candle at both ends for a month now and treated myself to a few titles on my list.

I first heard about Room last fall on my favorite radio program, Midmorning, on Minnesota Public Radio.  (You can stream it online, or get the podcast, if you don't live in Minnesota.)  Then my mom told me she read it and recommended it.  Now, my mom and I do not have the same taste in books.  She is a very fast reader and I am a very slow reader.  I'm also just a teensy bit of a book snob.  So I have had this one on my list simply to find out how it could possibly please both my mom and Kerri Miller!

Cutting for Stone was suggested during my anniversary week.  I don't often buy a book when recommended by only one person -- especially one person I don't even know -- but I am intrigued by the author (and the weight of it).  I was also buoyed by the success of another suggestion from anniversary week:  The Cookbook Collector -- I had read several of Allegra Goodman's books already, loved one (Kaaterskill Falls), sort-of-liked another (Paradise Park), and was bored to the point of skimming with the last (Intuition). 

Two people I trust recommended The Elegance of the Hedgehog.  Honestly, I don't have any idea what it's even about.  I saw it, I added it to the stack.

The used bookstore was my first stop, and I came out with Deaf Sentence.  I discovered David Lodge when I studied in London for a semester in college (in the mid-80's, gasp).  He's a master of British farce and "the campus novel."  I think I'm drawn to books about academics as my way of living that other life.  (Another reason Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner is on my favorites list.)

I picked up Rick Riordan's Throne of Fire to read with the kids this summer.  I like to have one book just for the three of us who are home during the day, and last summer we read the first in the series.  They're thick enough to take up most of the summer and have enough action to keep us engaged despite gaps when we don't have time to read.  I'm so looking forward to those lazy summer mornings reading with the kids (even if I have to get up two hours earlier to work first).

As a family read-aloud, we are just finishing up The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma.  I love this series!  The writing is delicious, the characters are entertaining, the plots are compelling, and the lettering and illustrations for each chapter are absolutely lovely.  Now the problem becomes:  what on earth can we read next?  We've already read all the Narnia books, all the Harry Potter books (twice), the Prydain Chronicles, the Half Magic series, and a couple dozen other random titles (everything from The Wizard of Oz to Bridge to Terabithia).  Any suggestions for well-written, engaging books that appeal to kids and their grown-ups?

 

Quote of the Week No. 7

 
Quote of the Week is back!  Purchase this week's quote here.

Recycled Friday.

 

 

 

Love Your Letters Workshop.

Today is the last day to purchase the workshop at the introductory rate of $32 + shipping.  This course is for anyone who wants to like their own handwriting just a bit more -- with my very best tips for making your writing straighter/neater/more consistent/more fluid.  Worksheet packets are going in the mail today and this afternoon I'll be sending out a welcome via email with instructions for accessing the blog.  To join me, click on the Love Your Letters button in the upper left corner.  I can't wait to get started!