Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Because they’re supposed to remember everything, right? Except that it isn’t so much that I’m FORGETTING to post; it’s more that it’s distracting when kids are home, I’m truly trying to work on projects, and I’m too tired to concentrate an unfortunate amount of the time. (And I’ve been gone. I’ve been to the temple two mornings this week and to the school to meet with the principal one.) I did just finish listening to the audio fluff I’ve been distracting myself with, however, and so I figured I’d better just get the review over with. Because MEH.

Summer Ever After was available immediately and had a premise with promise–Jane is lonely, and since she loves romance novels, she comes up with a dating plan and decides to apply romance tropes to her dates. Her dating pool is small, since she doesn’t want to leave the small island she’s lived on all her life (which necessitates dating men who live there and plan to stay there, most of whom she’s known all of her life), but she starts out with plans. (The tropes get more painfully forced as she goes along, but she does have plans.)

Unfortunately, she’s had some level of crush on her best friend’s older brother since middle school. This is problematic because a)he’s a golf pro who travels a lot and doesn’t live on the island when he’s not traveling, and b)when his family moved to the island, girls pretended to be friends with his younger sister to get to know him, so she was sensitive about it. If I were Kortney Keisel, I would have concentrated a lot harder on the first issue rather than the second, because 3/4 of a book is really too long to spend focusing on the obstacle of “I can’t date him because it would break her heart, we can’t date because she wouldn’t approve, etc.” Seriously? They signed a BFF pact in middle school, sure, but that’s not a strong enough plot device to take seriously for that long.

The other problem we’re dealing with* is Keisel’s metaphors and similes. Is she aiming for over-the-top cheese for the laugh? I can’t quote any of them since I listened to the book without a physical copy to reference, but they were definitely too far over the top–they took me out of the moment, which is kind of death for a romance novel.

*There’s actually a third problem, but it’s probably a harder line to find for an adult novel. Summer Ever After is marketed as a “sweet” romantic comedy, which means (more or less) that any sex is happening off the page. The problem is that Keisel’s a bit heavy handed with talk of desire and passion to just not address the ‘are they or aren’t they’ issue. I’m perfectly happy for there to be no sex happening while dating, but avoiding the topic completely was not the way to go. Since we’re doing elephant metaphors, it’s the equivalent of inviting the elephant into the room and then refusing to acknowledge it. I get that having your main couple talk about it is more work, but either leave the elephant out or invite it to the table.

Anyway. It looks like each book in the series has a different author, so I’m pondering giving the second one a try out of morbid curiosity, but I’m not going to be actively seeking out any more Keisel novels. Summer Ever After was distracting, yes, but it was a little too fluffy for me.

Oh, wait. I took the littles (who, yeah, aren’t exactly so little anymore) to my friend Britt’s house until 2-ish. Our piano teacher wasn’t feeling well and cancelled lessons, and–that may be all I remember?

Summer is tough.

Sunday morning, though, I got to go to a missionary farewell for my friend Andrea’s oldest daughter, and between her talk and her sister’s piano solo, I was blown away. BOTH were beautiful.

And today? Today (with help from the kiddos) I cleaned out the main part of the fridge, which now looks lovely. The door will happen soon, I hope, but I also had to go to Costco and do some laundry, so there’s that. I do feel like I’m continually tackling overdue projects, and that’s a good thing; today, however, I’m just beat. Here’s hoping your summer is shaping up to be what you wanted it to be!

That’s seriously what I’m trying to kick–some congestion but mainly a throat that HURTS when I swallow. (But no fever or other strep symptoms, so there’s that.) Plus I had a deal of trouble falling asleep Sunday and Monday night, and I woke up horribly early Monday morning and couldn’t fall BACK asleep. On the other hand, I slept better last night and this morning my throat hurts less than it did, so I’m going to take that.

I also FINALLY managed to finish listening to/reading M.T. Anderson’s Elf Dog & Owl Head last night, which was an interesting journey. Not really my thing, to be honest with you, and yet it’s good enough that I enjoyed the read regardless; I even liked the majority of Junyi Wu’s illustrations, even though her style isn’t really my thing either. (I recognize the power of it, though.) I went into it thinking it was simply set during Covid, but it didn’t take long to realize that Anderson was more using the idea of Covid and Quarantine as a jumping off point. The forest and mountain by Clay’s house had a Vermont/New Hampshire feel for me, and the other worlds concept made me think of Susan Cooper’s ‘Dark is Rising’ sequence. DiRossi’s character development amused me, and I absolutely loved the sweater sheep.

These, however, are just random observations. The book follows a regular human boy’s experiences when he finds a dog that got caught in his world, and the story is filled with the unexpected. Both of his sisters get involved, if in entirely different ways, but ultimately, everything that happens can be tied to Elphinore. If you want an original and oddly powerful read for the summer, this one is definitely worth a try.

In the meantime, I’m sorry I missed Monday–feeling under the weather at the same time that we’re trying to find our summer routine is problematic. Here’s hoping for steady improvement for the rest of the week!

Seriously. Why else am I STILL so beat? Field Day/Graduation was an incredibly long day with a very late night (I exercised late and then took forever winding down), but I went to bed earlier than usual the next night, and I’ve certainly managed later mornings yesterday and today. Meh.

To be fair, I suppose I HAVE been busy at home. I’ve been trying to catch up on laundry, but also going through clothes that have been sitting around in limbo; yesterday I took pictures of a bunch of things I was having a hard time letting go of and put them in bags to go to the appropriate people. Yesterday I also went to a doctor’s appointment with my oldest and dropped a bunch of library books back at the library, and Thursday (the last day of school) we ordered Panda for our fundraiser. (I’m hoping we did well, but I haven’t heard yet.) Today we have places to go in the afternoon, though, so accomplishments at home will be kept to a minimum.

Anyway. This morning (while our choc-choc-chip-banana muffins were in the oven) I finished Nat a Chance, the 6th book in Maria Scrivan’s ‘Nat’ series of graphic novels. To be honest? I was torn about this one. I think its intended audience will enjoy it, and it has multiple good messages, but I didn’t feel like the plot development was up to Scrivan’s usual standards. It tried to convey more good messages than it had time to fully deliver. Still, the overriding idea–that we can do things we didn’t think were possible if we stop limiting ourselves with our own negative self-assessments–is a worthwhile one for the age (or for any age, really), and so it’s definitely a worthwhile read. Nat’s growth in self-confidence as she trains for a triathlon (her friend Zoe talks her into it) is nice to see, and her experience feels authentic.

I’ll have to see what my girlies think.

So–we were at my in-laws’ house all day Monday and yesterday was field day and my oldest child’s high school graduation.

I’m still wiped. Have a nice day!

…And it’s killing me. On Wednesday I was at the temple, at the high school to pick up my daughter and take her to the orthodondist, at Ream’s, and at an evening activity. Yesterday was my day this week to NOT GO ANYWHERE, which means my focus was on household chores until long past my limit for coherent writing; on the other hand, I did read to my second girlie, and although I tried to send her to bed before finishing the book, I ended up deciding that I had 15 or so more pages in me–and so we followed Jane through to the end. Which is why you’re getting a rushed (I have to be somewhere in half an hour) review of Jody J. Little’s Mostly the Honest Truth.

If I had to describe the book in a nutshell, I suppose I’d call it a typical first novel; Little has a solid, poignant (if slightly improbable) story to tell, but the execution sometimes suggests a less-experienced writer. I found “G” as a nickname to be slightly distracting, for example, and the legal intricacies of foster care make Jane’s situation a bit of a stretch. On the other hand, the often-painful details of family difficulties and tragedies are both original and all too realistic, and the outcome is hopeful without being too fairytale for its audience. Jane’s stints in foster care (during her pop’s stints in rehab) have been relatively similar until now, but her burned hand and the odd sort of commune she’s currently placed in give her a crucially different experience. And even if I found, say, Leslie Connor’s Waiting for Normal to be a more tightly written book on a similar topic, Jane’s journey is absolutely worth experiencing for yourself.

I enjoyed it enough that I’m about to put Little’s other book on hold.

I’m pretty sure I’ve had Emily Jenkins’ Invisible Inkling on my shelf ever since my son was in–ahem–4th grade. (He’s in 7th grade now.) I recall looking for book lists for 4th grade boys and checking out a few of the most promising titles; Inkling was one of them, only I didn’t get to previewing it until he’d proven himself a picky enough reader that it seemed a lot less promising for him. I still thought it looked fun, however, and so I started it in audio before changing my mind and reading it aloud with my 10-year-old; we finished it on Saturday while she was doing an epically massive sock chore.

The thing is–it’s weird. Not bad weird, mind you, but definitely weird. Inkling is an invisible furry creature that shows up in Hank’s parents’ ice cream shop looking for squash. (Their business is called ‘Big Round Pumpkin: Ice Cream for a Happy World.) Hank is especially ready for a friend, since his very best one recently moved away, and so begins a most unusual story. Inkling’s advice does not always translate well for humans, but he attempts to help Hank navigate life’s ups and downs anyway, and his perspective is definitely more realistic than those of some of the adults in his life. If you’re looking for a quirky school story with a bit of magical realism that isn’t intimidatingly long, give Inkling a try.

My 10-year-old liked it enough that I’ll be putting the next one on hold now.

In the meantime, my oldest graduated from seminary–and spoke at her graduation–yesterday, and afterwards my in-laws and my nephew and his wife came for dinner. Since Friday night was my niece’s graduation party in Davis County, I only had one free evening this weekend. Ah, May…

I’ve been getting frustrated at all the books I haven’t been finishing lately, and yet the evenings have been crazy busy with all of the May things. The days have been busy too, honestly, but yesterday I found myself desperately in need of some downtime, and I decided to SIT AND READ in the middle of the day. (Something I almost never do.) Accordingly, I did just that–I also went to Costco and deleted some emails and such, mind you–which is why I get to review Terri Libenson’s Always Anthony before passing it on to my older girlies later today.

I enjoyed Always Anthony. I enjoyed it MUCH more than Libenson’s last ‘Emmie & Friends’ book, Surprisingly Sarah, as a matter of fact. (I really, REALLY didn’t like the ‘two storyline’ idea.) Anthony is a solid character–basically nice, but flawed in completely relatable ways–and I had plenty in common with Leah, who gets assigned to tutor him in Language Arts. Their burgeoning friendship was actually the biggest stretch for me, but I liked it as a plot line, and all of the difficulties Anthony and Leah face over the course of the novel make for both good reading and good modelling of behavior. I’m looking forward to the next one in the series (which just barely came out, I believe.) In the meantime, this weekend is seminary graduation, I just had brunch with my closest cousin on my mom’s side, and I’ve got both my washer and my dryer going. How’s your Friday?

That’s about it, folks. It isn’t that all the things that are happening are bad–most of them are great–I just hate having something every night and/or day, you know? Last night was the senior awards banquet, tonight is my son’s last band concert AND a ward activity that my hubby and I are partially in charge of, and tomorrow night is my son’s first (last if his team loses) tournament flag football game plus a surprise party that my 15YO and her friend need a ride to…during the game. Not to mention that today is the PTA fundraiser–a fun run. (The high is supposed to be 58-ish and there’s rain in the forecast.) I showed up near the beginning and they were doing okay, so I asked when they had less help scheduled and I’ll be going back to help/help clean up this afternoon. Good times, right?

On the other hand, I love my kiddos and I’m grateful that they have activities and interests. It’s just–hectic. How’s your month of May going?

Barenaked Ladies released “One Week” while I was in college, and it was pretty pervasive. (Also “If I Had $1000000,” although that came out before I got to college.) I was all set to say that ‘it’s been one week since you looked at me’, except that then I realized it’s been more than that. Yeesh. In large part, I’ve still been trying to recover from being gone; last week was also PTA convention, however, and since I’ve agreed to be president next year, going most definitely mattered. On top of that, my son had a game, my oldest had some rough mental health days, my 15-year-old had a dance to go to and needed to try on dresses in Clearfield, and then–I crashed. What can I say?

On the plus side, my oldest is doing better, the dance is over (and she looked lovely!), my son won his game, and we voted to amend our bylaws. Go us! We had a quiet Mother’s Day at home and a dear friend of mine came to visit this morning; once she left I threw my dark towels in the washer and my lunch on the stove.

It’s almost ready, by the way. And I’ve been taking bites of my apple as I write. I’m going to focus on my food, then, with a simple thank you to all of the important women in my life.

You are loved.