February Fire

There are few things I enjoy more than curling up in front of the fire with a warm drink and a good book.  Things are going pretty slow with me physically.  Due to prior pregnancy problems and early contractions, I am forbidden to exercise at all....argh!  At least I haven't been stuck on bed rest (yet..hopefully never) like I was with Violet.

Slowing down doesn't come easily to me.  I'm a 'doing and going' kind of person.  I like to have several irons in the fire.  I like to be able to move swiftly from one thing to the next....put a layer of paint on a project, go start a load of laundry, write a blog post, water plants, start dinner.  Now, I have to move slowly and between carefully scheduled projects to conserve energy.  Blah.

I'm reading "The Night Circus"by Erin Morgenstern.   I've been looking forward to this book for a really long time.  I have high hopes.

Since I've written (and am currently editing and revising) a Young Adult Novel, I'm trying to read more YA Fiction.  I've recently read:

"Eragon" by Christopher Paolini 

Anyone who enjoyed Tolkien's Lord of the Rings books would like this.  It's the first in a trilogy.

"The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

Part of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, this was a quick read.  It was definitely geared toward junior high-ish boys, so there were parts that didn't click with me.  Still, it was appropriate for the genre.

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

I am a sucker for odd photographs, so this book immediately appealed to me.  Original vintage photos are interspersed throughout the narrative, becoming part of the story.  Don't get this one via Kindle...the handwritten letters and photographs are a visceral experience you don't want to miss.   I don't know about you guys, but I need a solid book in my hands.

The Little Girl Giraffe receiving her daily squeezes.

Violet racked up lots of sugar on Valentine's Day.  This was the morning of her Valentine's Party at her school.  She could hardly wait.  She kept asking, "Is it time?  Is it time for the party?  Is it time yet?  Can I eat the heart cookies now?"

Violet isn't really playing playing yet, but I like to give her time to test it out.  Even when they don't know their notes yet, I think it's valuable to let kids tinker with instruments.  She's old enough to place the harp on her shoulder and be gentle with the strings now.

It's probably presumptuous on my part, but I've already bought a book of harp duets.  I hope hope hope Violet or Baby #2 will want to play.  I will let them pursue any instrument they're interested in, but it would be nice if they wanted to learn an instrument we already have.

Comments

[Jill James]

You are going to LOVE The Night Circus but it takes a lot of mental energy to conjure up those scenes (not like Geek Love though)....enjoy your down time because you will not have any with 2 young children!

Eerie how we have the same taste in books.....have wanted to read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children but forgot about it until you mentioned it.

and what about Violet playing the harp in her giraffe outfit?! Love Love Love!!! Kind of looks like an Anthropologie ad....

p.s. I am not a rude person even though I haven't written you a proper e-mail back....

[stacy]

So have you read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children yet. When I saw the cover of the book I wanted to read it soooo bad but then I read someone's blog and they had hated it. Just curious.

Let me know how The Night Circus is. I have that one on my library book list.

Violet and the giraffe outfit.....there's just no words.

[Vanessa {A Fanciful Twist}]

Oh Laura, you lovely, I do feel for you. But you are baking a beautiful heaven scented creature in your belly. So, I don't think jumping would be good for that either way ;)

OH, I had forgotten about your Violet bed rest! Yes, letters and so much fun we had whilst you were baking that baby ;)

I know it can probably seem so frustrating.

But, only a few more months and then, back to jumping and 56 projects at once for you!! xo

I have had the night circus in my hot little hands for a couple of months. And, I have read 3 pages. What is it with me?

I really easily love and breeze through biographies and such. And, I do love fairytales - but sometimes, I really have to focus on fiction. I heard it is incredible - and a couple of people had asked me if I had written it under a pen name???!!

Crazy funny right?

I thought that was so curious and hilarious, that I just had to get it.

But now - to read it. I must I must!

OKay - back to Friday night piano dusting - love, V

[Carlin]

Firstly, I love love love Percy Jackson. Secondly, I despise Eragon, and did even when I was however old that I was the target audience. I hate Paolini's writing style in the first book, and he didn't know what a trilogy was (he kept calling it a trilogy until after he released the third book, then decided to make it a quartet. What.) and yeah. I have strong feelings for that book ^^;

The Hunger Games is a book that is currently insanely popular among the YA crowd, as well as some older young adults. The Maze Runner is also popular, but it is intensely creepy and struck me as a horror book. I and my reader-friend both read it, and neither one of us could sleep afterwards.

I don't know if you've read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow, but they're both classic YA novels, and so so good. They're sci-fi, and I don't know if you're trying to focus on a specific kind of book...

Sorry, I see books and I go, "AHHH! THIS IS MY AREA OF EXPERTISE!"

I really hope you don't get put on bed rest, and with the "try to keep it low-key" order, I can at least empathize. It must also be trying to try to keep things low-key with Violet, although it's good that she's excited for the baby rather than thinking it's a usurper. I wish you the best of fortune with both aspects of your pregnancy!

Violet, of course, is absolutely adorable as always (alliteration!), and I really love the pictures of her with her daddy. I don't have all that many pictures of myself from being a baby, let alone doing things with my parents, so I really think that's a great thing for her to have :)

Good luck to you!