Skippy the Kangaroo

I'm in the middle of reading several books at once right now, which means I'm not finishing anything to tell about. So, I'll tell about the latest Netflix rental. I am a lover of all things Australian, so it's no surprise that I put The Adventures of Skippy, Volume 1 in my queue. I wasn't sure if I'd enjoy it or not, but it was great. It is a TV show from the 1990s fron Australia. (There was an original Skippy in the 1960s, but I don't believe that is on DVD, and if it is, it's not available in the USA.) Skippy is like an Australian Lassie. It's a great family show, and it's also wonderful to be able to see the day to day life in Australia -- the public school uniforms, the orange pay phones, even the telephones that sound two short rings instead of one long one.) Skippy is a cutie, but I keep trying to think of Skippy as male, when she is female. :) The twins, Lou and Jerry, get into several adventures and, of course, learn lessons like not to ride a dirt bike in a national park, why heritage is important -- only after they find Aborigese paintings in a cave they decide to make into a 'cubby house'. It's good family entertainment, but I think that older kids and teens might be a bit bored with it. I enjoyed it, but then again I enjoy Australian animals, and I would rather something be a little predictible than a lot of sex and violence.

1979 Newberry Award Winner

I am probably the only non-parent who pours over a homeschool catalog. I love reading the Sonlight catalog, and if I ever have kids, I will definately use their program. It's based on books -- for most subjects instead of giving kids a textbook, the required reading is through fiction and non-fiction books! They have a great selection, and I can go down the catlog and think, "Oh, that was a great book", or "I loved that book", or "That one made me cry", etc. I'm using the catalog to help formulate a wish list of books because I want to read more they think are great books for those in school.

It was no surprise for me to find that The Westing Game is reading within the Sonlight catalog. It's far fetched, but it's a wonderfully spun yarn. There is an apartment building built with certain people in mind -- all of whom may be Westing's heirs. After Westing is murdered, there is a game to see who can solve the murder and become the sole heir of the Westing Estate.

This is a wonderful book, and I don't know how I never read it when I was growing up. My guess is that our library didn't have it, as they didn't get many newer books in. (One of my favorite sections of our library was the "Childhood of Famous Americans" section, and most were the original 1950s editions.) I would have loved this book as a child, but I still liked it as an adult. As a child, the sense of wonder and "Wow! That could happen to me" would have been there, but unfortunately, that leaves when you grow up.

It's a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone, esp. if you have children!

Guess what is coming!

The last book I finished was Expect a Miracle : 7 Spiritual Steps to Finding the Right Relationship . I didn't find anything in it I didn't already know. I needed a few dollars to bump an Amazon order into free shipping, and it looked more interestring than it was.

Coming in July! I'm so excited. . .




I can't wait to get this!

Another mystery. . .

I was in a thrift shop the other day and saw Stranger in the Woods: A Hattie Farwell Mystery for 25¢. I thought it looked interestring, and bought it. The only bad thing I have to say about the book is this: the dialogue doesn't seem natural. For instance, Hattie tells the police office she saw a hand "protroding". Wouldn't the more natural thing to say is "Sticking out from under the leaves"? The dialogue that seemed forced was at the beginning of the book, and this was a real spine tingler. The basic story is a man is stalking a lady who just moved into a new sub-division -- so new that her family is the only one living there. Hattie solves the mystery but not in time before . . . I won't give the ending. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was the dialogue in the beginning, but if you can look past that, you'll have a great read!

A childhood favorite.

I love children's books. In fact, I took a children's literature class in college for the mere reason I enjoy reading children'd books.

I always loved the Fudge series when I was growing up and always wished there were more. Well, immagine how happy I was when I recently found out there was a new one just published in the last few years! Double Fudge by Judy Blume was my most recent read.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. It was rather far-fetched in places, such as the Hatchers going to D.C. and then finding a long lost cousin who comes to stay with them for a while. I didnt' like the fact that it seemed like the cousin's family was portrayed as plain weird including homeschooling, but then I realized the original Hatcher family was pretty weird and they went to public school, so I guess the Hatchers are just strange if they homeschool or not! LOL!

It may be because I'm no longer 8 years old, but I didn't think this was as good as the original Fudge books, but then again adults aren't the target audience here. :)

Motorcycling around the world

After a DVD from Netflix arrived busted, I decided to watch Long Way Round -- a DVD set where Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman ride their motorcycles from the UK through Europe, into Asia, and then get on a plane, fly to Alaska and ride to New York City. It's not something I would have chosen to watch, but there was nothing on TV and I had recently been sent this as a contest win. This was unedited in language and there was some nudity when they were washing in rivers. Overall, it was a really neat series. It was so amazing to see how different people lived in Mongolia than across the border in Russia. I tend to think of myself as someone who can eat anything set in front of me. I may be a bit pickier at home, but if I'm a guest somewhere I can pretty much force anything down. However, they were served male parts of animals different times, and I don't know if I could have eatten that. They did try them.

It's a shame that Mongolia can't be a tourist destination, at least not easily. I think it would be a facinating place to visit, although I don't know I would want to eat Mongolian food! There are only 80 miles of paved roads in the entire country of Mongolia. Isn't that incredible to think about?

It was also amazing when they were in Russia how there was so little and the roads were so difficult and impassible at times. After a short plane flight to Alaska, they were able to buy anything they wanted. Amazing how a few miles of water can make the biggest difference.

Yes, milady. . . Part Three

The long anticipated final disk of Manor House arrived, and I enjoyed it just as much as I did the other disks in the series. I think this was by far the best "House" series I've seen yet. I realize the people upstairs had no clue how hard they were making life for people downstairs and I wonder what they thought when they saw the DVDs. It's amazing that people lived like that. The parties and such were such extravagence. It seems so wasteful to have such parties. To think that we could still be living like that if it were not for industrial revolution and WWI just boggles the mind.

Just so everyone knows. . .

I have somehow had my blog so that I didn't see any comments left, so if you left a comment, I never saw it. I believe it is fixed now.

What a blonde thing to do, and I'm not even blonde. LOL! In honor of my blunder, I'll share this BLONDE JOKE that Tammy posted on her blog.

Christian dieting?

Let me begin by saying that I don't agree with all that is in these books. (Do we ever? If we agreed with everything we read, why not just write it ourselves? LOL!) I read the book Lay Aside the Weight this week. I don't agree with T.D. Jakes on a lot of stuff, but this was a good book, anyway. However, I looked at his website, and see he has re-gained much of the weight he lost. (Although he still appears to be thinner than what he was before this book.) I think one reason I liked this book is because of the more practical approach it takes with weight loss. (Much like the book First Place: Lose Weight and Keep It Off Forever does.) I've seen more impratical Christian guides to weight loss. If I'm hungry, I'd prefer the knowledge to eat a healthy snack instead of praying as More of Jesus, Less of Me seems to promote. (Knowledge is power, and in the case of Christian dieting, knowledge is weight loss! I never had any nutrition lessons when I was in school, and so I need to learn the basics of healthy eating!) Even with the pray instead of eat weight loss program I felt this book seemed to promote, I thought it was still better than God's Answer to Fat: Loose it. Yes, that is correct, loose and not lose. I don't know why, but I've always had an interest in Christian diet books and the approach they take -- is it more pratical? More spiritual? A combination? Does it include how to handle church dinners? :) I've been known to enjoy reading weird stuff, and I guess this is one of those quirks. Anyone else enjoy reading Christian diet books?

Swapping books

I signed up for Paperback swap tonight.

After hoping for books in trade at

Bookcrossing.com and getting an e-mail back saying they had already been traded at paperback swap, I decided it was time for me to sign up.

God is Love

I finished reading God: A Good Father -- I'm not sure I agree with all of the theology or the every way the author used to approach the subject of God being good, but I think this book is definately needed. I've heard so many times that God is just watching for us to mess up -- when I was growing up my church used to sing "Be Careful little eyes what you See" as "The Father up Above is looking down below". It wasn't until I was an adult I heard it sung "The Father up Above is looking down in love". I've been afraid of God for so long I'm just now beginning to be able to enjoy His love.

G'Day Mate!

Have you ever been so relieved to finish a book? I am thrilled to report that last night I finished Australia : True Stories of Life Down Under (Travelers' Tales) as it is a thick book. Three-hundred sixty-four pages to be exact. I'm no stranger to literature from Australia (I actually read The Tree of Man by Nobel Prize winning author Patrick White as well as other fiction from Down Under.) One thing that Australian fiction seems to have is melancholy. When you think about it, it's no wonder. This country is isolated, and it's a very unforgiving country. The last story I read in this book was about a hurricane that hit during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race. I believe the isolation and melancholy made this book difficult to wade through at time, but there were stories that I really enjoyed. I loved the story of the mice infesting the van in the Outback, although I'm not sure I would have loved the story had I experienced it first-hand. The Travelers' Tales series is a fun series I enjoyed last year with interestring bits of travel writing compiled into theme or place. I have a few more and not sure which one I'll start next!

Play it again, Spam

I finished reading Play it Again, Spam which was a gift in a Christmas exchange. I was a bit disappointed, as I have read better books in the PennDutch mystery series, but it was still enjoyable. Still, too much Magdalena Yoder too close together can cause a type of indigestion from books if that is possible. (I say read only 2 books near each other and give yourself at least a three month break between them.) That is not to say they aren't good, but a bit predictable. I enjoy the author's humor, but she does have a tendancy to repeat the same jokes in each book. I received two other PennDutch Inn mysteries for Christmas, and I think I will keep them until I go on a trip somewhere. They are rather light reading and I could easily follow along even if I got bumped into by a drink cart going down the ailse of an airplane! LOL! I would say this is probably the least favorite of the PennDutch series I've read, but as I said, it still was funny in places. I don't think I would ever try the recipes using Spam, though! :)

Yes, milady. . . Part Two

Unfortunately, the mail will not run on Monday because I can't wait for the next disk! :) I watched the second disk of Manor House tonight. I'm wondering what will happen. The family is seemingly becoming accustomed to having everything done for them (there's even help to put stockings on for the lady of the house!). The servants are becoming incressingly upset at having to do so much work. Even the butler, who has been siding with the family has become upset with the way things are going at the moment. I can't wait for disk three. There are only "houses" to watch from two more eras, and I'm not too happy at that. I have really enjoyed these.

Since it's fallen off the front page, here's another link to join Blingo. It's a great search engine, and you can win prizes. It's for real, and I've won EIGHT prizes with them!

40 Below in Fairbanks

I found this video at the library this week, and I must say there's much to be said for my Netflix subscription. :) The video looked quite familiar, and it's possible that I may have seen it when I was a child. (After all, it from 1986.) The video itself was okay, but the music scared the guinea pigs. My aunt lives in Fairbanks, and it's possible she sent this as a gift for the family at one point because it did look familiar, though I cant recall ever watching it before. I'm hoping to take a trip and visit her this summer, but I don't think it will be 40 below when I visit since I'm aiming for summer.

Sushi, anyone?

Yesterday I was in the library and the book Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat caught my eye. I'm not a huge fan of Asian food. I like Chinese maybe twice a year, and I had my first sushi in September at a greasy chopstick in Florida. (Just joking, the food was actually very good.)

I wasn't sure what to think about this book, but I found it facinating. Granted, I probably won't be fixing wasabi anytime soon, nor any of the other dishes that are mentioned, but the author does a great job of explaining some of the reasons that the Japanese don't have an obesity epidemic like the United States does. Some of the reason are quite obvious -- such as walking most everywhere you go. One thing she suggests is to serve each type of food in a different dish, and to get smaller plates. She said the looks of a meal are as importatnt as the food, and the different dishes add beauty. With the small plates and bowls she comments you can have seconds or thirds and still be eatting less on average as one average American plate.

She also goes through the different foods that are important in the Japanese diet saying why they are so important and gives tips for cooking them if you are so inclined. There's plenty of recipes to help you out should you wish to do so.

Also, she recommends eatting with chopsticks. I know this slows down eatting, and when you eat slower you often don't eat as fast. (Plus, some people find eatting with chopsticks pretty impressive.) LOL!

Yes, milady. . .

Tonight was spent in front of the TV again. I love my Netflix subscription, and today's mail brought disc one of the Manor House DVD series. It was facinating to watch. I'm so glad I didn't live in Edwardian England. I wouldn't have wanted to have been a scullery maid, nor would I have wanted to have spent five or six hours a day dressing to be proper for the meals and such. There are still two more discs to go in the series, and I cannot wait to see them. I thought this was much more interestring and enjoyable to watch than The 1900 House although I did enjoy 1940s house this is still much more interestring than either of those. (I liked the Dad getting his dream of building an Anderson shelter in the 1940s house. It wasn't as he had expected.) I cannot believe the extravagence of Edwardian England. I wonder if our neighbors across the pond would still be living like that had there not been the world wars. Since I only have disc one so far, I'm wondering if they will get a scullery maid who will stay, and even wondering further why anyone would volunteer for such a project knowing they would be the scullery maid! I suppose to each his or her own, though.

A movie about bingo?

I am weird. I enjoy documentaries. I saw on Netflix Bingo! The Documentary and I just had to add it to my queue. It arrived today, and I really enjoyed this. I know it wasn't suppossed to be funny, but it had me laughing more than most comedies. Why? Because the people reminded me of people I know. I'd say, "Hey doesn't that look like ____" and before you know it, someone else reminded us of someone else. I'm not sure I'd ever want to watch it again, but I do enjoy documentaries, and this was no different. I don't know why it caught my eye. I don't play bingo. Well, I did one summer when I was young with my grandmother at a local carnival. She paid for my cards, and I won almost every night, and she let me keep the money. I haven't played since as I prefer Scrabble!

All about the people you find in church. . .

Last night I finished reading this book: See All the People Under the Steeple by Jacob D. Eppinga . It was a fun and enjoyable read. He did a good job of letting us see the shortcomings of those of us in churches, yet it wasn't a book where he made fun of people. There were times I laughed outloud, and times I smiled as I read about his experiences with different people who are in the church. Be it the wall that came down, went up, and came down, or the firemen who replaced lights in the church, you could tell that each memory was held precious to him, even if he was exasperated at the time. Definately a fun read!

Addicted to Religion?

This morning I finished reading the book When God Becomes A Drug by Leo Booth. I've written two reviews online about this book already, but it was an excellent book about an addiction that isn't very thought about. Booth doesn't mean the average religious experience in any religion, but looks at it the extremes, such as donating so much money it would send a family into bankruptcy, preaching against things you secretly indulge in, etc. He notes that addiction to religion can happen in any religion, not just ones that would most likely come to mind.

Look inside a life with Autism

I recently saw the book Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism at Goodwill and thought it looked interestring. This was an absolutely amazing book. I would say it's one of the best I've ever read. I could have done without the details of the inhumane treatment in some slaughterhouses, but it's amazing that a lady with autism has helped changed the meat industry. To be honest, I wasn't as interested in the part about her work as much as I was in the accounts of how she thinks, social interactions, etc. This is an excellent book, and one I will recommend to several people.