Yum, Yum

When Eli outgrew his crib, we moved him into a big-boy bed in a now shared room with Ben and I--for the first time in my life--got an office. One small room with a desk and, well, yes, a pull-out couch because it's our guest room, too. But mostly it is my office, with a tall bookshelf stacked with my old grad student books (the ones I wasn't so sick of that I sold back), and my favorite novels, and tons of anthologies, and one little picture book about food that never made it down to the kitchen, where it belongs. It's a collection of Andy Warhol's comments about food, illustrated with his drawings, and now everyday after his nap, Eli comes bombing down the hall with his blanket and his bear and his bunny and his two doggies and his ball (because ever since our trip east last month he is a dog, he says, who needs to sleep with a ball), and he pulls the book off the shelf and says, "Mama, let's read Yum Yum!" So we do.

Some of the lines are profound:
"Progress is very important and exciting in everything except food."

And some of them are not so profound:
"Tab is Tab, and no matter how rich you are, you can't get a better one."

Some are sweet truisms:
"It's nice to have a little breakfast made for you."

And some make excellent points:
"When you want an orange, you don't want someone asking you, 'An orange what?'"

This is my favorite line:
"I love the way the smell of each fruit gets into the rough wood of the crates and into the tissue-paper wrappings."

And this is Eli's:
My only regret was that I didn't have an ice cream scoop in my pocket.

I don't remember how the book came to us, but I'm glad we have it. As Eli says, "I'm great fond of this book!"

Pay It Forward Book Exchange

JP Mom won this week's give-away, but here's another for all of you. I confess I haven't read either of these books, but they look like good curl up on the couch with a cup of tea kind of novels...

This week's books:
The Friday Night Knitting Club, by Kate Jacobs and Shopaholic & Baby, by Sophie Kinsella

Leave me a comment saying you want to enter by the end of the day Tuesday, April 8th and I'll announce a winner next week.

The fine print, as devised by Overwhelmed with Joy:

"1) Once a month (or so) I'll pick a book to give away to one lucky reader (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be a book that someone has shared with me that I really like. It’ll probably be a paperback, just to make things easier, but no guarantees.

2) Details on how you can enter to win will be listed below.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book), or donate it to your local library or shelter. If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let her know so she can publish a post plugging your giveaway and directing readers your way!

So there you have it, the Pay It Forward Book Exchange, designed to encourage people to read, to share good books, to possibly get you out of your reading comfort zone, and to get fun stuff in the mail instead of just bills!"

Pay It Forward Book Exchange

It's been a while, and the pile of books on my desk threatens to tumble over and crush me, so I'm giving away two books this week; look for another give away soon!

This week's books:
Mothers Need Time-Outs, Too by Susan Callahan, Anne Nolen and Katrin Schumann
I didn't read this one -- it arrived in the mail last week, I don't know why. I don't need to spend my time off reading about taking time off, but maybe you know someone who does?

I Married My Mother-in-Law and other tales of in-laws we can't live with -- and can't live without, edited by Ilena Silverman, with essays by Michael Chabon, Ayelet Waldman, Kathryn Harrison and others. There are some nice pieces in here, and it's not all in-law bashing. And who doesn't love an anthology, really? Not me.

Leave me a comment saying you want to enter by the end of the day Friday, April 4th and I'll announce a winner next week.

The fine print, as devised by Overwhelmed with Joy:

"1) Once a month (or so) I'll pick a book to give away to one lucky reader (you don’t have to have a blog to enter). It may be a book that I’ve purchased new or used, or it may be a book that someone has shared with me that I really like. It’ll probably be a paperback, just to make things easier, but no guarantees.

2) Details on how you can enter to win will be listed below.

3) If you’re the lucky winner of the book giveaway I ask that you, in turn, host a drawing to give that book away for free to one of your readers, after you’ve had a chance to read it (let’s say, within a month after you’ve received the book), or donate it to your local library or shelter. If you mail the book out using the media/book rate that the post office offers it’s pretty inexpensive.

4) If you’re really motivated and want to host your own “Pay It Forward” giveaway at any time, feel free to grab the button above to use on your own blog. Just let her know so she can publish a post plugging your giveaway and directing readers your way!

So there you have it, the Pay It Forward Book Exchange, designed to encourage people to read, to share good books, to possibly get you out of your reading comfort zone, and to get fun stuff in the mail instead of just bills!"

A Life in Just Six Words

Inspired by Hemingway, who (maybe) wrote:
"For sale: baby shoes. Never Worn."
6-word memoirs by various writers.

My "memoir" earned a comp copy.
The entry? Inspired by my book:
"Closed a door, opened a life."
Pretentious? perhaps, but certainly heartfelt, true.

I can't put the book down!
My copy from e-friend Felicia Sullivan.
Her entry, page 150, quoted here:
"Weird quiet girl, fading from view."
Others worth a look; my sister's:
"Learned reading, writing, forgot arithmetic"
(Though note, it's only five words!)

Also love this, from Ariana Huffington:
"Fearlessness is the mother of reinvention."
And also, from writer Daniel Handler:
"What? Lemony Snicket? Lemony Snicket? What?"
or commercial approach from Martha Clarkson:
"Detergent girl: Bold. Tide. Cheer. All."
And a thoughtful entry; Arthur Harris:
"Good, evil use the same font."
Brilliant understatement from Roy Blount, Jr:
"Maybe you had to be there."
And I relate to Barb Piper:
"Rich in degrees and student loans"
Ayelet Waldman always makes me laugh:
"New Jersey to California. Thank god."

Get the book; read some more.

Nice Timing

The fortune in my cookie tonight:

The world will soon be ready to receive your talents.

And they're ready to be received.