I'll warn you now. This is going to be a major post. I haven't been posting as much since school started back, so I don't feel as guilty making a long post. =)
I stomped around a little in the snow, taking pictures until my legs were numb (I didn't exactly dress very warmly...I was only planning on being out a few minutes) and my camera batteries died. Before I deleted any, I had taken 65 pictures! Good grief. =) I also threw a few snowballs at my mom and dad in our driveway.
So I've been doing a lot of reading this weekend. Reading novels when I should have been doing homework. Because I take a break from homework, saying that I'll only read a chapter. Then, that chapter ends so good that I just have to keep reading. I'm a terrible procrastinator. Remember those four books that came about a week ago? I've read them all. I finished the last one last night.
"Once Again to Zelda," by Marlene Wagman-Geller, was pretty interesting. I loved reading the stories behind some of the dedications. But others were just downright depressing. By the end of it, I was wondering if any famous authors lived a good clean life without having affairs, controversy, or substance addictions.
"Havah," by Tosca Lee, makes you think about the creation story and Adam and Eve. I mean, really think about it, more than just reading it occasionally in the Bible. Sometimes it was a little odd, and by the end, there were so many children, grandchildren, and relatives that I could hardly keep up with who was who. But just think of how it would be to have experienced perfect life in the garden...the way that God intended for life to be. And then to make a mistake and have to live for the rest of your life in this fallen world, a dirty reflection of how things had been. How miserable would that be? Anyway, it was a really thought-provoking book and I liked it a lot.
And then there was "The Magician's Elephant," by Kate DiCamillo, which I read off and on in about 2 hours last night. I loved it. I love children's books anyway, and this semester I'm taking a Children's Literature class where I'm not only encouraged but required to read kid's books. It's so great. =) But this book was sweet, sad, happy, humorous, magical, and perfect for reading on a cold, snowy evening. The characters were amazing and incredibly deep for a children's book, and even in this short little story, you felt as if you knew them. Here are two of my favorite parts:
"As the snow fell, Sister Marie, who sat by the door at the Orphanage of the Sisters of Perpetual Light, dreamed, too. She dreamed that she was flying high over the world, her habit spread out on either side of her like dark wings. She was terribly pleased, because she had always believed that she could fly. And now here she was, doing what she had long suspected she could do, and she could not deny that it was gratifying in the extreme. Sister Marie looked down at the world below her and saw millions and millions of stars and thought, I am not flying over the earth at all. Why, I am flying higher than that. I am flying over the very tops of the stars. I am looking down at the sky. And then she realized that no, no, it was the earth that she was flying over, and that she was looking not at the stars but at the creatures of the world, and that they were all, they were each-beggars, dogs, orphans, kings, elephants, soldiers-emitting pulses of light. The whole of creation glowed. Sister Marie's heart grew large in her chest, and her heart, expanding in such a way, allowed her to fly higher and then higher still-but no matter how high she flew, she never lost sight of the glowing earth below her. "Oh," said Sister Marie out loud in her sleep, in her chair by the door, "how wonderful. Didn't I know it? I did. I did. I knew it all along." -Chapter 15
"There is as much magic in making things disappear as there is in making them appear. More, perhaps. The undoing is almost always more difficult than the doing." -Chapter 18
I was very impressed. Now I'm anxious to read more of Kate DiCamillo's stories. I've read "Because of Winn-Dixie" and loved it, and I've heard nothing but good things about all of her books as well.
Well, if you've lasted this long, I thank you and will end here. =) I have some school stuff I need to do. We didn't have church today, and I'm not used to having so much free time on Sundays. I'm so excited for "Emma" tonight (and "Lost" on Tuesday...and "Survivor" on Thursday! But especially "Emma"). I also want to welcome my two newest followers, Emily and her mom!
Until next time,
Kristin (missvintagegirl)
Wow lots of snow! Looks beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the warm welcome! Your photos are gorgeous! I love a fresh, sparkly snowfall. Mmmmmm... Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteYour books sound great. I'm trying to finish a bunch of books I've started but lately haven't had much time to read. I either need to learn to get by on less sleep or I need to give up blogging!
My girls are watching Emma right now. I hope you enjoy it as much as they do! It's kind of funny - they're in my and dear husband's bedroom watching because our other TV doesn't get channel 2. I didn't want to start in the middle so I'll have to watch it another time.
Have a great week!