Summer Reading Ended Before Summer Actually Did

Summer drew to a close at 3:o9 a.m. GMT 9/23 for the year of 2010. In good old Central time that is 10:09 p.m. 9/22. Summer is over and it is now time to report how I did in my Summer Reading. The answer is I did lousy. I hoped to read 20 books and read less than 10.


This is the book that did me in.



















I have heard for many years how the book was far superior to the movie. So instead of watching the movie, I got the book from the library. I found the premise of the book very captivating. Time travelers in literature, are a generally glorified lot. The idea of time travel as genetic defect is very intriguing. From the excellent prologue on, this book shows the time traveller and his wife both with many adverse effects of his disease.


I really did enjoy the dual narration from the principal characters. I especially liked when they were both describing the same scenes from differing POV. I also liked how the story moved in and out of time but still maintained a chronal cohesiveness.


However, at times the cohesiveness would slip and I would not know when or where the characters were forcing me to go back and read again. The book is also quite lengthymhich is okay when done right. The secret of a great book is no matter how long it is, when you are finished you still want to know more. If you make the book over long you run into the possibility that the reader may stop wanting to know more even before they finish reading. Or in this case, I ended up needing to have been told more than I actually was. Unanswered questions after 500 pages are in my mind never a good thing.


I often will read several books at a time and I read Time Travellers Wife in fits and spurts. In between those spurts I started several other books but only finished one.





















I am a big David Rosenfelt especially his Andy Carpenter series. Dog Tags is not one of Rosenfelt's or Carpenter's better efforts. I don't mind if his plots go to the dogs but I'd hate to see his writing head there as well.

As a whole it was a pretty good book. But there were some things on a book level and a series level that I found unsettling. On the book level, I am used to twists and turns of the legal and illegal worlds that Rosenfelt sometimes makes us privy to. However, I thought the subplot concerning the jury was either underdeveloped, poorly conceived, extremely unrealistic, or all three. on a series level, while I liked the addition of a new 2nd chair lawyer, I don't like the direction Rosenfelt seems to be heading with some of the other ensemble characters. Willie's role in this book was far too contrived. Also, I miss song talking!


So, there we have it. While I have not achieved my goal of 10 books read, I have achieved my goal of reviewing each book I did read and posting those reviews here. Sometime later this fall I hope to put up a Summer Reading 2010 page on this blog so you can have all the reviews in one more manageable place.

Next Time: Fall T.V.

In which I give away Mavis Beacon.

It's been a little while since I participated in WFMW and it's also label time here at Home School Dad. Today we complete the 3 way tie for # 12 with Crazy Dave's Giveaways.

One of the things I first noticed when I started reading blogs were the cool give-a-ways. I love winning things, but more importantly I love to give things away. The problem has been that for many of my give-a-ways I have had too few people participating, even though I linked it to several give-away sites, some that are now defunct.

Even when I did get a winner, I sometimes had trouble getting the winner to come forward. This has kept me from expanding this section of my blog and Crazy Dave has gone into semi-retirement.

Today he comes out of retirement to offer areal cool product for any one willing to enter.

About a year ago my Dad called me up and wondered if I wanted a typing program he had on CD ROM. My Dad and I are very similar in that we don't mind clutter. We are a little different in how we don't mind it. I don't mind it because If I had my own way I would collect every scrap of anything on the off chance I might need it again. My Dad doesn't mind clutter as long as it's not in his house. So, he calls me up every couple weeks with something he wants to unload on me. Now my wife likes to curb my propensity for clutter by putting my clutter on the curb. So we have come to an understanding. I say no to my Dad as often as I can. My Dad just moves on to the next child in his Rollerdex. (Yes, our last name is Roller, and that was a bad pun.)

On this occasion, I said yes to my Dad because Amy and I had been talking about getting the kids involved in a typing program. My Dad gave me the disc and I put it somewhere and moved on with my life.

Fast forward to June 2010. Amy and I are at the Home School Convention and we remember that we want the kids to take typing. So we bought a CD Rom called Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. I forgot all about the fact that I already had a copy of it that my Dad gave me.

About a week later I found the copy my Dad gave me and the 2 oldest kids and I started using it. It is a fantastic program that allows children and adults to progress at their own pace. What I like best about it is that the kids just love using it.

Here is what the opening screen looks like when my oldest starts her lessons.

Here is a sample lesson that I have been working on.

That is why Mavis Beacon works for me. I'd like it toy work for you also. We are using version 15 and I am offering an unopened copy of version 18 to the hundredth caller. I have been advised I do not have a radio show and have not given out my telephone # so I will go ahead and give this copy to a random commenter. If you post about this giveaway on your blog or Facebook page or other social media, leave another comment with the link. Also, if you are a follower of my blog just say I am a follower on your comment and I will give you one more entry. If you are not a follower of my blog, this would be a good time to do so.

This give-a-way will end at 6 pm central time Sunday October 3rd. So please leave a comment and join my give-a-way. I will believe it will be just your type.

For more of the Carnival of Homeschooling click here. To get back to WFMW click here.

Next Time: Summer Reading

Nancy Faust Appreciation Day at Sox Game,

It's Six word Saturday over at Showmyface.com. I am heading to go see the Chicago White Sox play the Detroit Tigers a little later today. My Six words will be White Sox related. Ordinarily it would be something simple like: Don't lose 5 in a row! Nice, simple to the point. But today I could care a little less whether the slumping Sox win or not than I usually do. Today's festivities off the field are more important to me than the game on the field.

Nah Nah Nancy Hey Hey Goodbye

Today is Nancy Faust Day at the game. Nancy is the long time organist for the White Sox. When I say long time, I ain't Whistling Dixie. She started in 1970. She is retiring this season. Faust is a White Sox legend famous for playing little musical interludes introducing batters and between innings. Her most famous and most often invention is where I get my Six Words today. In 1977 Nancy took an old song by the band Steam called "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and played it each time the opposing pitcher was removed during an inning. This became especially effective with the entire contingent of Sox fans present bellowing the chorus at the top of their collective lungs.

For this and many reasons Nancy is an iconic figure for the White Sox. After the 2005 season she was given a World Series Ring. Today they are giving the first 10000 fans Nancy Faust Bobble Heads. I may not be one of those, but I am glad Amy and I will be there to celebrate 41 seasons in Faust place.

For more Six Word Saturday click here

Next Time: A Typical Give-a-way

First 4 weeks of new school year

At the beginning of the 2010 2011 school year I decided to write weekly journal entries about what was going on at school. I decided to post those at one of my other blogs, Izola Becker Home School. Last week I became aware that a blog I follow, Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers has a weekly feature where you can link up weekly summaries such as mine called Weekly Wrap-up

I have decided to make my weekly summaries available on this blog as well. Every 4 weeks or so I'll put the most recent ones in a post.
















Here are the first 4.

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4



Next Time: Six Word Saturday

I found out where puppyisms come from.

This evening Princess Puppy got a small scratch. Amy put some ointment on it and Puppy said some phrase to me that I had never heard anyone in our family ever say. I don't remember exactly what she said it but it was something like it hurts something awful. I looked at her and said "where do you come up with these sayings?" Without a moment's hesitations she looked me straight in the eye and said "I feel them." She is our puppy, 4 going on 35.

Next Time: A month full of weekly wrap-ups