the bassoon king

I still have six more books to post after this one which means that unless I double up, I will not be finishing in 2017. Likely, I won't double up and I won't end up finishing until February. C'est la vie.

Well, I present The Bassoon King.

"Leia, don't you know that's a clarinet and not a bassoon?" Well I didn't play bassoon in high school so this is the woodwind instrument that was available. Don't start with me!

The very first thing that surprised me about this book was how spiritual Rainn Wilson is. Is faith listed right there in the title of the book? Yes. Did I think he was going to discuss faith as in how much he has? No. You watch one television show and all of a sudden you think you know everything there is to know about Dwight K. Schrute, RIGHT?!

On people who wouldn't watch the American Office because they were fans of the British Office:
And, as for statement number two, when your loyalty to a handful of episodes of a brilliant TV show actually prevents you disdainfully from watching another version, something is wrong with you. Just check it out. Give it a gander. It's not gonna hurt you. You're not going to lose hipster street cred by saying, "Yeah, I checked out the NBC remake of The Office and I liked it/didn't like it."

This hit me 100% because of someone previously in my life who was dead set against watching How I Met Your Mother because it was "too much like Friends and wasn't made during the sitcom era". Like what in the actual fuck does that even mean?!

Rainn talked a lot about a lot of different things. It was all really interesting but I was more focused and interested in his acting career and his time on The Office. If you are a fan, I would recommend this book because it went into a lot of detail and it was a cool inside look.



Bears. Beets. Books.
Leia

merry christmas

Ah, yes. The year Santa had to eat some dirty ass cookies off the floor.

 Poor Piper! I was too focused on them smiling for the pictures that I had no idea those cookies were so close to the edge of the plate. She was absolutely heartbroken but here I am looking at the photo series for the hundredth time with tears in my eyes from laughter. And seriously, Kennedy trying to contain her laughter is so hilarious to me.

10 second rule.

Leia

the book thief

I actually felt quite horrible when I was scanning my shelves after putting away the book I read prior to this when my eyes fell on this book and I realized I had never read it. I got it for Christmas one year while I was in high school; likely the year that it was a best seller. Somehow it got shuffled to the point where it became a normal fixture in my collection and became out of sight. But voila! The Book Thief's time had come!

And guys, I have really enjoyed being extra with my book pics. It's great and I definitely forced Brendon to help me capture it.

Death tells us about the plight of Liesel Meminger during the rise of Nazi Germany in the late 1930's. Leisel has it rough. First she loses her brother and then is thrown into foster care during war times. Luckily she finds herself with a family that is on the right side of history and they fight for the Jew's and shelter one for many months on a promise that Hans (her foster father)had made years prior.

He was not well-educated or political, but if nothing else, he was a man who appreciated fairness. A Jew had once saved his life and he couldn't forget that. He couldn't join a party that antagonized people in such a way. Also, much like Alex Steiner, some of his most loyal customers were Jewish. Like many of the Jews believed, he didn't think the hatred could last, and it was a conscious decision not to follow Hitler. On many levels, it was a disastrous one.

How frightening that this mantra is something we're currently hearing the United States! But Hans? This man is GOLDEN. G O L D E N.

But Hans Junior wasn't finished. He stepped closer and said, "You're either for the Führer or against him - and I can see that you're against him. You always have been." Liesel watched Hans Junior in the face, fixated on the thinness of his lips and the rocky line of his bottom teeth. "It's pathetic - how a man can stand by an do nothing as a whole nation cleans out the garbage and makes itself great."

Prior to our current leadership I always questioned if I had grown up during segregation and such would I have been on the right side of things? If my government was eloquently telling me that people were bad and simply did not have the right to be equal would I have stood up or even thought that something was fucked up? I like to definitely think that I would have been. I like to think that I would have done the right thing. Listening to Voldemort speak confirms notions that I would've done the right thing.

This book was really great and I wish that I had read it sooner, but part of me is glad that I didn't read it until I was out of my teens and well into adulthood. It's heartbreaking and also hopeful. I would definitely recommend it.



Saumensch.
Leia

piper + the penny

You know how you can tell that you've been a parent for more than six years and are currently in the midst of your third year with your second kid? When Piper nonchalantly tells you that she ate a penny and you go to Google instead of the emergency room. I mean, really we've only had one trip to the emergency room ever but you get the gist. 

She and Kennedy were getting ready for bed when I get summoned. Kennedy just simply states, "Mom, Piper said she ate a penny." *major eye roll and sighs*

When I get upstairs, they've both tucked themselves in to Kennedy's bed and thus my interrogation can begin.

Me: "Piper, did you really eat a penny?"

Piper: *slowly nods her head*

Me: "Are you sure it was a penny?"

Piper: *slowly nods her head*

Kennedy: "Well, maybe it was candy and she just thought it was a penny."

Me: "Did you chew it?"

Piper: *slowly shakes her head*

Me:

 

So needless to say, the internet told us that since penny's are fairly small and not sharp (and since she wasn't choking) that we just need to watch for it. And honestly, I'm still not even fairly certain this actually transpired! Yes, she told me what she did, but she's a bright kid and she knows what a penny is and that they certainly are not food. We'll see, I guess! Tonight at 8:00pm will mark 48 hours after said ingestion of questionable coin.

I'll make sure she gets seconds at all meals, now.

Leia

the woman in cabin 10

Tried to catch up but I'm actually managing to fall further behind.

Ah, The Woman in Cabin 10. Yet another book I didn't read the synopsis on because I love Ruth Ware and when I saw the book I didn't even care to know what it was about, just that I wanted to read it and it was my personal treat after hosting and making it through Piper's birthday. What did this get me? I thought it was going to be about another mystery in the woods. But lo and behold they meant Cabin 10 as in a cruise ship cabin. AND DUH, LEIA! LOOK AT THE COVER A LITTLE CLOSER. Clearly those are fucking ocean waves.

Ruth Ware did not disappoint. Is Lo crazy? Is she sane? Who is who and what the hell is going on aboard this vessel!? It was somewhat reminiscent of The Girl on the Train in that it was truly hard to pick a perspective to believe as reality. The ending got a little rushed with the details and the layers, but without getting too Stephen King and going on for fourteen years I think it worked.

Generally if you are a fan of suspense-thrillers I think you would enjoy this. Also, check out In a Dark, Dark Wood. Not sure which I liked more. I need to pick up The Lying Game soon, as well.



Richard Branson meets the most dangerous game.
Leia

conversations with piper

Haha, this kid never ceases to amaze me while simultaneously pissing me off. I love her to death but lately she has been such a smart aleck. Two of her favorite phrases are "fiiiiiiiiine" and "just kidding". Would you like some examples?

^^ turd

Piper: "Brr, I'm cold!"

Me: "Would you like me to go get your house coat?"

Piper: "Um, no."
Me: "Hold on, let me just show you."

*shows house coat*

Piper: "Um, no."

Me: "You'll be warm if you wear it, though!"

Piper: "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine."

Me: "Okay, it's time to stop what you're doing."
Piper: "No, I'm okay."

Me: "Do you need a spank?"

Piper: "Oh, I'm just kidding!"

Well, Pipes, that's now how "just kidding" works.

Leia

fight club 2

EXTRA behind on posting books for this year. And currently I'm *ahead* of my Goodreads reading challenge and on par to read more than my goal! Also, I'm officially in a book club now! More on that later, though.

Okay, so Fight Club 2! Somehow I missed all whisperings and talkings of this book. I stumbled across it randomly and sent a snap to Brendon because of how excited I was, and he surprised me with it a few days later. Such a sweet husband.

In my haste, I didn't even really read the synopsis or do much research so first off, I didn't even realize it was a graphic novel. You would think the 5 names or the beautifully illustrated cover would have been an indicator. Chuck Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors. Some of ideas are lost on me and go right over my head or don't come full circle, and this was no exception. While reading his books my mind is constantly turning, and I think I sometimes will unnecessarily focus on something that I think is supposed to be important and then miss the actual twist or meaning.

This article was nice to read after finishing. I would definitely recommend if you are a fan of his franchise; specifically Fight Club.



The first rule of Fight Club.
Leia

first term conferences

Conferences. Probably one of the most exciting things about having school age kids amirite..............?  All of us just holding our breath and crossing our fingers hoping they haven't told some off the wall story about us at home that could potentially brand us as psychotic parents. SO FUN. Extra proud of my girl, though. To think about her maybe only being in kindergarten this year makes my brain hurt. She is above current grade level for reading (she's where they want her to be at the end of the year) and above grade level for mathematics (WHAT). It makes me happy that she's not struggling like I so often imagine happening with our decision to take the early kindergarten recommendation last year. The kid looks forward to school and doesn't complain much. Except after breaks or if she's not particularly excited about one of her specials. This year the problem class is Spanish and she's actually enjoying technology!

Me: "How was school today?"

Kennedy: "Horrible."

Me: "Horrible?! Why?"

Kennedy: "Just kidding. It was great."

The kid is a card, I tell ya.

Leia