Girl Detective

I waited a while on the reserve list at the library to get the Momofuku Milk Bar baking book by the chef at the famous NYC bakery. I was excited to try some of the recipes.

Till I read them. I paged through the entire book, and think I found two that didn’t include glucose, or other odd ingredients like corn powder. This is a book that doesn’t translate well for this home chef, who doesn’t want to go anywhere special or online for special ingredients, or use corn syrup or glucose rather than cane sugar.

Next time I’m in NYC, though, I’m totally visiting. The stories, photos, and baked goods are stunning.

I’d never read Flannery O’Connor before, which felt like a huge omission as I fancy myself a writer. So when I started a book group last year, her names was one of the first to go on my TBR list, and we’re starting off the year by reading her first novel, Wise Blood, in January.

That morning Enoch Emery knew when he woke up that today the person he could show it to was going to come. He knew by his blood. He had wise blood like his daddy.

Wise Blood is a short book, just over 200 pages with wide margins. But it’s an uneasy read, and a provoking one. A young man named Hazel Motes takes the train to a bigger city than the tiny place he grew up, and meets an array of strange and amazing folks. He brazenly proclaims a heresy, saying he’s founding The Church of Christ Without Christ, and yet he continues to seek the company and blessing of a blind preacher, all the while pursued by another unusual fellow named Enoch. This is a powerful book, one that immediately provoked me to seek more about its author. I now have her biography by Brad Gooch, and have begun reading the Complete Collected Stories, which contain four of the chapters of Wise Blood. It is a rare book that sort of pushes me out of the reading experience with a hunger for more information, and this book is one of them. I look forward to gleaning more as I continue to ruminate on it.

This is the third entry of Christmas movies, (here are the first and second.) Apparently, Connie Willis is not a compatible movie recommender for my husband and me. In the back of her story collection, Miracle, which I enjoyed, she lists a dozen Christmas movies she recommends. I was looking for a new gem in there, but mostly found duds.

The Three Godfathers (1948). On Willis’ list. John Wayne, John Ford, a Christmas western! Should be terrific, right? We watched with the boys, who actually rather liked it, though my husband and I were unimpressed by the heavy-handed symbolism, and he slept through much of it.

The Miracle at Morgan’s Creek (1944), directed by Preston Sturges. Also on Willis’ list. Great comedic director Preston Sturges–should be great, right? The slapstick felt forced and it was a rather strange little movie about a woman who finds herself knocked up at Christmastime. Good, but not one to add to the rotation every year.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) Not a Christmas movie, you say? Well, it was out at Christmas, so my husband I went on a date to see it. Solid, and very good, it evokes the 70’s both in look and in filmic and storytelling style. Aside from a handful of too-brutal shots, this was quietly impressive, and I loved the performances.

The Ref (1994). Dennis Leary in his first starring ranting role. This is good. Funny, with some great lines. Not a classic for the ages, but one that we’ll probably watch again next year.

You’ve Got Mail (1998). As The Shop Around the Corner is my favorite holiday movie, many people have asked over the years if I’ve seen this, one of its remakes (the other is Judy Garland’s In the Good Old Summertime.) Wish I’d consulted Timeout Movie Guide before we watched it. They sum it up well: TRAVESTY. And it is. Hated it. Go watch Shop Around the Corner.

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) A solid action flick and good date night and popcorn flick. Some dodgy plot points, and Paula Patton as the token female was the weak link in a strong cast, but then she was surrounded by Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner, so perhaps she just looked bad in comparison? I’d love to have more than one woman in the next one, and to have them both be awesome, and not just pretty stick figures.

The Sure Thing (1985). Willis’ list reminded me that this is a Christmas movie! And one of my favorites from when I was a teen. Still funny and eminently quotable.

Gib’s friend: Forget her, I hear she only likes intellectuals
Gib: So? I’m intellectual and stuff.
Gib’s friend: You’re flunking English. That’s your mother tongue, and stuff.

Meet John Doe (1941). Also on Willis’ list. Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck directed by Frank Capra–should be great, right? Nope, a slog, and one that gets increasingly preachy and shrill as it goes on. Again, wish I’d checked the film guide before committing to this one.

I thought we were done with the Christmas movies, what with it being Epiphany and all, but in cleaning up we discovered Scrooged, which I’d bought and forgotten about. I wished we’d stopped with Sure Thing and gone out on a high note, since John Doe was such a drag. Not sure whether to just put Scrooged away till next year, or give it a go. Perhaps I’ll consult my movie guide first.

I was a fan of Jennifer Reese’s when she was books editor at Entertainment Weekly. When they downsized books, though, they let her go. I did some searching, and was happy to find her blogging online at Tipsy Baker. She’s recently taken many of her home-economics-gone-mad escapades and written them up, along with recipes, in Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, which I reviewed earlier this week at Simple Good and Tasty, one of the other sites I write for.

For each food, Reese advises whether to make it or buy it. Granola? Make. Grape nuts? Buy. Hot dog buns? Make. Hamburger buns? Buy. Mayonnaise? Both. Like most modern food lovers, Reese values seasonal, local, sustainably produced foods. But she’s not a harsh ideologue. She acknowledges that sometimes you’re up for making things from scratch and sometimes you’re not.

It’s a cookbook as well as a charming food memoir. Highly recommended.

When I watched the dvd of Bridget Jones’ Diary as part of our holiday movie fest, I realized I could no longer remember what the similarities and differences to the book were. So re-reading Bridget at the first of the year was a joy. Many of the things in the movie, the best things, are lifted straight out from the book, weird stuff in the book is elided or changed. Overall, the movie is a faithful adaptation, retaining the spirit if not all of the details. The book made me laugh, and was a cheering way to start the year.

Teckla is the third novel in the sword and sorcery Vlad Taltos series, and it was something of a slog for me, especially when compared to its predecessors Jhereg and Yendi. Revolution of peasants and a failing relationship do not make for a fun read. Read the series, but don’t start with this one.

From USA Today, and accessible yet provocative column, “Why You Don’t Really Have Free Will” (via The Morning News)

The debate about free will, long the purview of philosophers alone, has been given new life by scientists, especially neuroscientists studying how the brain works. And what they’re finding supports the idea that free will is a complete illusion.

Apparently I’m not really deciding whether go to the coffee shop today, or anything else. I’ll be mulling over this for a while.

Russell Hoban died earlier this month. I read his books about Frances the badger and the out-of-print Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas when I was a child. I read them now to my own children. I watched the Emmet Otter muppet adaptation with my family earlier this month. This lesser-known holiday special was written up both at NPR and the Onion AV Club this year.. I read Hoban’s The Mouse and His Child to my sons earlier this year. And I finally read his cult classic, Riddley Walker, which has now become one of the first books I think about when some book/movie/comic trots out an apocalyptic trope. Hoban’s books have been and are so important to me. I’m sad for his passing, but will continue to celebrate his weird, lovely and wide-spanning works. Via.

No links or italics here, sorry. Links are in individual entries in 2011 Movies link on the right.

Favorite Things I Watched: Bridesmaids, Thor, The Wire Season 4 (my favorite thus far), Captain America, Moneyball, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Slings and Arrows, Spaced

Good to Watch Again: Die Hard, 16 Candles, Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, North by Northwest, Stand by Me, Out of Sight, Ocean’s 11, Iron Man,Bridget Jones’ Diary, The Shop Around the Corner

Good with the kids: Ponyo, Nausicaa, A Christmas Story, The Muppets, The Muppets Christmas Carol

Not so good with the kids: Kung Fu Panda 2, Tangled, Megamind

Kind of hated: Dark Crystal, Black Swan, The Illusionist, Ghost Writer, Weird Science, Rio, 500 Days of Summer

2011 Movies:

Die Hard
Megamind
The September Issue
A Prophet
True Grit (2010)
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
Real Genius
Greenberg
High Noon
Ponyo
Tangled
Ghost Writer
Spaced (television series)
Hamlet (BBC, David Tennant)
16 Candles
Weird Science
Groundhog Day
Night Train to Munich
Ghostbusters
The Kids Are Alright
The Man Who Knew Too Much
North by Northwest
Charade
The Three Musketeers (Gene Kelly one)
Fahrenheight 451
Stand by Me
Thor
Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work
Anchorman
Kung Fu Panda
Jane Eyre (2011)
Kung Fu Panda 2
Exit Through the Gift Shop
The American
The Secret in their Eyes
500 Days of Summer
The Town
Slings and Arrows S1 and 2
Hamlet (Ethan Hawke)
Rio
Ratatouille
Donnie Darko
The Fighter
Fair Game
The Illusionist
Bridesmaids
The Hours
The Muppets Take Manhattan
Nausicaa
Easy A
Black Swan
Out of Sight
The Good German
The Informant!
The Social Network
Ocean’s 11
Zodiac
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Ocean’s 12
Zombieland
A Knight’s Tale
Captain America
Let the Right One In
Murder My Sweet
The Muppets (2011)
The Dark Crystal
The Wire S4
Bridget Jones’ Diary
The Shop Around the Corner
A Christmas Story
The Lemon Drop Kid
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Moneyball
While You Were Sleeping

And the hits just keep on comin’. I have very much adopted the 12 days of Christmas as the boundary for the holiday, since I often don’t get my act together till about 11pm on Christmas Eve.

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992). 8yo Drake and 5yo Guppy had to be cajoled into this, but both enjoyed it a lot by the end, unlike Emmet Otter, which only Drake and I enjoyed. G. Grod slept through much of it. An interestingly faithful adaptation.

Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe (2011). Good, not great. It felt like current show runner and writer Stephen Moffatt was protesting WAY too hard that Women Are Smarter, perhaps in response to the many critics who say that his writing along gender lines isn’t exactly forward thinking. But Matt Smith does funny doctor very well: “I _know!_”

While You Were Sleeping. Recommended by Connie Willis in her collection of Christmas stories, Miracle. Sandra Bullock is a lonely singleton who accidentally gets enveloped by the family of a man in a coma. Released in ‘95, it looked and felt more like an ’80s flick. Hokey, with a terrible and manipulative soundtrack, it’s strangely winning, largely due to Bullock’s and Bill Pullman’s charm.

Best Books I Read Last Year (loved): A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. I finished it, then read it immediately again. It was intriguing, complex, and engagingly constructed. I hugely enjoyed William Gibson’s Bigend trilogy: Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero Country. The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall took Utah polygamy and made it sympathetic and even universal. The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson is a deep and moving American family portrait. Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse was so rich and complex I read it twice.

Other Books with both Style and Substance (really liked): The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, What Was She Thinking, Genghis Khan, The Hours, Half of a Yellow Sun, God on the Rocks, The Funny Man, Freedom, The Death of Adam, The Memory Artists

Worthy re-reads: In the Woods, The Likeness, Gilead, Carter Beats the Devil, The Road, Handmaid’s Tale, The History of Love

Enjoyable reads: I Think I Love You, Bad Marie, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, House of Tomorrow, Lamb, D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths, News to Me, Savages, The Thousand, The Gargoyle, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, The Family Fang, Jhereg, Yendi, Miracle, The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine

Previously recommended-to-me classics I’m glad I finally read: Life with Jeeves, Riddley Walker, The Master and Margarita

Really Good Graphic Novels: The Alcoholic, Drinking at the Movies, Fables (though not Super Team), Dream Country, Unwritten, Finder, Batwoman: Elegy, Sweet Tooth

Kind of hated, or at least actively disliked parts: Ex Machina v10, Room, One Day, The Finkler Question, The Red Tent, Absence of Mind, Gingerbread Girl, The Fate of the Artist, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Everything is Illuminated, An Equal Music, Special Topics in Calamity Physics, Fables: Super Team, Blood, Bones & Butter

Read with the kids: The Mouse and his Child (too complex and dark for 5 and 7yo), Odd and the Frost Giants, The Magician’s Nephew (wish we’d started with Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe), Charlotte’s Web. 5yo Guppy had trouble with most of these, but liked Odd and Charlotte by the end. My husband is now reading them Lord of the Rings following the Hobbit, and they’re enjoying them a lot; I think the enthusiasm of the reader in this case helps a lot.

No links or even italics here: too much info to cram in on the last day of the year. For links, look in 2011 Books link to the right.

Ex Machina v 10 by Bryan K Vaughn
The Alchoholic by Jonathan Ames
Drinking at the Movies: Julisa Wertz
Fables v 14: Bill Willingham
Pattern Recognition: William Gibson
Life with Jeeves: Wodehouse
In the Woods: Tana French
The Likeness: Tana French
Spook Country: William Gibson
Zero History: William Gibson
Room: Emma Donaghue
Gilead: Marilynne Robinson
I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson
One Day: David Nicholls
Carter Beats the Devil: Glen David Gold
The Finkler Question: Harold Jacobson
The Road: Cormac McCarthy
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
Nox: Anne Carson
Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: Aimee Bender
Handmaid’s Tale: Atwood
What Was She Thinking (Notes on a Scandal): Zoe Heller
Negotiating with the Dead: Atwood
Riddley Walker: Russell Hoban
The Death of Adam: Marilynne Robinson
House of Tomorrow: Peter Bognanni
The Red Tent: Anita Diamant
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Lamb by Christopher Moore
Dream Country: Neil Gaiman
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World:
Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse: Louise Erdrich
The Mouse and His Child by Russell Hoban
Unwritten v1 by Peter Gross
Fables: Rose Red by Bill Willingham
Absence of Mind: Marilynne Robinson
Finder: Voice: Carla Speed McNeil
Batwoman: Elegy: Greg Rucka
The Wordy Shipmates: Sarah Vowell
Gingerbread Girl: Paul Tobin
Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse again
American Gods: Neil Gaiman
The Magician’s Nephew: C.S. Lewis
Odd and the Frost Giants: Neil Gaiman
D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths
Mrs Dalloway: Woolf
Planetary: Warren Ellis
The Hours: Michael Cunningham
News to Me: Laurie Hertzel
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency: Douglas Adams
The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul: Douglas Adams
The Mrs. Dalloway Reader: ed. Francine Prose
Half of a Yellow Sun: C. Adiche
Everything is Illuminated: Jonathan Safran Foer
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Jonathan Safran Foer
The Lonely Polygamist: Brady Udall
Savages: Dan Wilson
The Magician’s Elephant: Kate DiCamillo
The Fate of the Artist: Eddie Campbell
God on the Rocks: Jane Gardam
The Thousand: Kevin Guilfoile
Finder, library 1: Carla Speed McNeil
The Gargoyle: Andrew Davidson
The History of Love: Nicole Krauss
An Equal Music: Vikram Seth
The Year We Left Home: Jean Thompson
Master and Margarita: Bulgakov
Unwritten v 4: Peter Carey
Sweet Tooth v1: Jeff Lemire
Special Topics in Calamity Physics: Marisha Pessl
Sweet Tooth v2: Jeff Lemire
Get in if You Want to Live: John Jodzio
The Girl of Fire and Thorns: Rae Carson
Sweet Tooth v3: Lemire
The Funny Man: John Warner
Freedom: Jonathan Franzen
Is Everyone Hanging Out without Me? Mindy Kaling
The Family Fang: Kevin Wilson
Jhereg: Steven Brust
The Memory Artists: Jeffrey Moore
Fables v16: Willingham
Yendi: Brust
Miracle and Other Christmas Stories by Connie Willis
The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine: Alina Bronsky
Blood Bones and Butter: Gabrielle Hamilton
Charlotte’s Web: E.B. White

Subtitled “The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef,” Gabrielle Hamilton’s memoir Blood Bones and Butter was one I wanted to love. Then, as I read it, I wanted to like it in a sustained manner. By the end, though, I was finishing it just to finish it.

It has some wonderful stuff in it, particularly about the value of hard work, the echoes of childhood trauma, and kitchen culture. But for me, Hamilton’s book lacks a key element to a good memoir: a sense of humor, about oneself particularly. The book’s subject matter is not light stuff: childhood neglect, early drug abuse and an unpleasant marriage. But these felt all the heavier to read because of skipping around in time, and describing things in detail, multiple times, like her relationship with her sister:

“She’s the only one in my family who’s held on tight to me, and I will never let go of her.” (153)

“I fully and completely and 100 percent understand and comprehend what she is saying–to its fullest meaning–within hte first fifteen seconds. And unfailingly by the end of the third sentence. I’m not saying I’m that smart. I’m saying I get her that well. We Two Are One.” (154)

“I understand every single word of it, every stop for gas, every detour. I think exactly what she thinks.” (154)

“she’s the only member of my family that I still know the entire, detailed landscape of.” (156)

A few times she would announce an event as if the reader should know it, then go on to describe it. Why not just lead up to it? Further, she includes the insight of an older person who’s gone through therapy when writing events and relationships, rather than showing us those things through herself at that stage.

This book made my fingers itch to edit it: arrange events in chronological order, cut excessive description, remove the hindsight, and gently emphasize points of tenderness and humor. Despite some good parts, I can’t recommend it. It’s reviews are positive, though, so I’m in the minority on this one. YMMV.

My friend of New Century Reading recommended The Hottest Dishes of the Tartar Cuisine by Alina Bronsky. She mentioned it was an interesting contrast to Bulgakov’s Master and Margarita, I found this novel had the same kind of staggering, head-tilting, WTF-ness as that Russian classic. It’s a funny, bizarre and tragic story (sometimes all at once) of three generations of Russian women with a Tartar background told by the fearsome and boggling grandmother, Rosalinda who was hateful, but not necessarily without charm, or at least wit, however lacerating:

Sulfia wasn’t very gifted. In fact, to be honest, I’d say she was rather stupid. And yet somehow she was my daughter–worse still, my only daughter…

But I also felt sorry for her…This daughter I did have was deformed and bore no resemblance to her mother. She was short–she only came up to my shoulders. She had no figure whatsoever. She had small eyes, and a crooked mouth. And, as I said, she was stupid. She was already seventeen years old, too, so there was little chance she would get any smarter.

But as the book goes on, we learn that perhaps Sulfia isn’t as stupid as Rosa thinks, and perhaps Rosa is not the most reliable narrator. Bizarre, but entertaining.

Christmas season, and time to break out the Christmas books and DVDs. Our collection and things we borrow from the library gets a little longer each year. Like the “5 Gifts” post, I will try to post this earlier, say after Thanksgiving, next year.

Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. A Muppet production based on a favorite book from my childhood by Russell and Lillian Hoban, who also wrote the Frances the badger books. The video adheres closely to the story and the Muppets are a perfect fit. 8yo Drake and I enjoyed this. 5yo Guppy said he hated it, and my husband G. Grod slept through much of it, as he does every year.

Bridget Jones’ Diary. Not for the kids, and not exactly a Christmas movie, but it starts and ends at the holidays, and I love it. I love the casting (Hugh Grant and Colin Firth), the soundtrack and timing, the humor. I feel like I might be a bad feminist for loving it so, what with Bridget only redeeming herself in the end by getting the guy, having humiliated herself yet again, by racing around town in her tiger-striped undies. Don’t care. Love.

A Charlie Brown Christmas. Guppy got to pick this one. He and Drake both loved it, though I’m not sure they’re reliable critics, as they also loved the lame ass sequel on the DVD.

The Shop Around the Corner. Not with the kids. Perhaps my favorite Christmas film, and one I love much better than that other Jimmy Stewart classic. Remade as In the Good Old Summertime and You’ve Got Mail.

A Christmas Story. No one in our family had ever seen this, which some friends considered travesty, one we corrected this year. Enjoyable, funny, but I think it’s classic would grow with repeat viewings, which we haven’t had yet. Drake liked it; Guppy didn’t.

Shaun the Sheep: We Wish Ewe a Merry Christmas (with Seasons Bleatings!) Guppy picked this, since he hated the last one. Both boys were delighted and cackled gleefully and often, as they always do with the Shaun DVDs. If you’re a Wallace and Gromit fan and haven’t checked them out, do.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. When Guppy was younger–two or three years ago?–we watched this and he hid his eyes and said he didn’t like the green guy. He’s acquired the taste though, and loved it this year.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Before watching, Guppy said he didn’t like it. After, he’d changed his mind. Both boys were confused by the shunning of Rudolph. I’m convinced that Hermie’s (why does it sometimes sound like Herbie?) dentistry is a deliberate metaphor for something else. And the defanging of the Bumble seems more cruel every year.

The Lemon Drop Kid. Recommended by Connie Willis in her MIracle and Other Christmas Stories. Bob Hope as a con artist who owes a gangster money by Christmas. Good, not great, but has him singing Silver Bells with his co-star. Worth it, if not must-watch for every year.

More to come…

My husband’s a fan of Willis’ books, but I’d not yet read them, so figured her Christmas book Miracle and Other Christmas Stories was as good as any to start with. In it, she has several short stories, all about weird aspects of Christmas, like what if a spirit turned up in your house, or if Mary and Joseph showed up at a church on Christmas Eve? The stories are good, but even better is her introduction and her end notes, in which she details her love of the holidays (e.g., Miracle on 34th Street), her dislike of certain aspects (the universal adulation of It’s a Wonderful Life) and includes lists of recommended reading and movies, several of which I hadn’t even heard of that are now on my list. (The Lemon Drop Kid? The Three Godfathers?) And I’ll certainly be seeking out more Willis books in the new year.

I dove into Steven Brust’s second Vlad Taltos novel, Yendi, and finished the next day, kind of bummed I had other reading to do before tearing into the third book. These are wildly entertaining sword-and-sorcery tales, and Brust can plot like a mothereffer. The world of the books is fascinating and complex. These books hold up marvelously these 20 years later, even if they do conform to a lot of the fantasy tropes that Diana Wynne Jones tweaked in her clever The Tough Guide to Fantasyland.

My only gripe is that there are brothels and the league of witches is called The Bitch Patrol. If we can create a fantasy world, can’t we imagine a world without prostitution, of where sex workers are honored, not exploited? Joss Whedon tried and failed epically to do the latter in Firefly, though Carla Speed McNeil does an interesting take on it in her series Finder.

Sigh. Three days later than last year.

From the archives, on gift giving for kids:
Star Tribune 12/24/89 - Pat Gardner “Tender Years”

The weeks of hectic preparation are coming to a close. Within days, the magic will begin to unfold for our children and, vicariously through them, for us. Just as we remember those wonderful Christmas Eves and mornings long ago, our children will one day look back on these days. How will they remember them? What are you giving your children this year?

I know one family of modest means that makes a great effort to celebrate Christmas in the best way possible. Their children always find five gifts under the tree. And more than that, the gifts are always accompanied by a parent. Here’s how they do it.

The children always receive a gift to hug and love. Sometimes it’s a doll or maybe a stuffed animal. Every Christmas each child has something to care for, to carry along and finally at night to share a bed, secrets and dreams.

The wise parents know that the children will themselves learn to care for others by practicing on dolls and stuffed animals. Mom and Dad demonstrate rocking the stuffed bear and wiping the doll’s face. They talk about being gentle and giving care.

More important, they treat their children tenderly. They make a special effort at this busy time of year for a little more lap time, more frequent hugs and all the physical care and attention their young children need.

The children in this family always receive something to read. The parents know that to give them books is to give them wings. The little ones get books, and the big ones get books. Books aren’t foreign to any member of this family. Books are treasures. And more than that, they become a daily connection between parent and child.

The wise parents know that the best way to raise a reader is to read to a child….They share curiosity. They take the time to listen patiently to their beginning reader. They share discoveries. Through books, these parents explore worlds within their home and beyond their front door with all of their children.

The children receive toys and games. These parents are concerned about each child’s skills and find fun ways to enhance their present capabilities and encourage further development. For a grasping baby, a crib gym; for a beginning walker, a push toy; for a pre-schooler, a shape and color sorter; for a beginning reader, a game of sequence and strategy.

The parents know that play is the work of childhood. They understand that to meet a child at her level of accomplishment is to encourage success in play. Success stimulates motivation and interest in a challenge. So the parents judge their toy and game choices carefully. Not too easy, but not too hard.

They they do the most important thing. They play with their children. The children see that learning is a toy, that it’s fun to challenge oneself, that play can be a very social activity, that it’s OK to win and also to lose and that Mom and Dad wholeheartedly approve of play.

The children in this family always receive a gift of activity. From a simple ball or jump rope to a basketball hoop or a pair of ice skates, they always have one gift that encourages action.

The parents know that those children who, by nature, are very active may need to be channeled into acceptable and appropriate activities. And they know that those children who, by nature, are very passive may need to be encouraged to move with purpose. But their message to their children is that physical activity is important and good.

These parents make their message clear by joining their children in physical play. They skate and play catch. They’re on the floor with their crawlers and walk hand in hand with their toddlers. They get bumped and bruised and laugh and shout. They sled and they bowl. And many times in the next few weeks when resting on the couch sounds much more inviting, these parents will give their kids one more gift. They’ll get up and play with them.

The children always receive a gift of artistic expression. They might find crayons, paints or markers in their stockings. It might be a gift of clay this year or rubber stamps or scissors and glue. The materials change, but the object remains the same: create with joy.

These wise parents aren’t terribly concerned about the mess of finger paints. They’re more concerned about the exposure to unique sensations. They want their children to use their imaginations. They want their children to approach life in a hands-on fashion. And they want them to express themselves through their artistic activities in ways that exceed their vocabularies.

After taking more than a year off after Season 3 of The Wire, my husband and I watched Season 4 in a blaze. This is the one about the kids, the schools and the mayoral race, and I flat-out loved it. This is my favorite of the seasons thus far, and I think it was because of the kids. Like always, the series breaks my heart then builds it back up. It gives and it takes away. Phenomenal storytelling and characterizations. If you haven’t watched, you should. And winter re-run season is a great time. Go spend some time in Baltimore.

HOLY CATS, PEOPLE! The complete series is at amazon right now for $82. What are you waiting for?

The sixteenth graphic novel in the Fables series, Fables: Super Team didn’t move me much. While it was a more light-hearted counter to the last, very dark, book (to which it was a coda), it still felt…thin. Rather like they hadn’t been able to contain the story in the last collection, it spilled over a little, then they stretched it to its own collection. Not a good one to start with. Go back to the first graphic novel for that.

Also, a plug to visit your local comic store, which you can find at the Comic Shop Locator, where it was available a week before it is at bookshops and amazon.

I was spurred to re-read (original post here) Jeffrey Moore’s The Memory Artists when I resumed work on my endless novel-in-progress.*

One of the main characters (there are several), Noel Burun, has a combination of synesthesia (he sees letters and sounds in color) which is linked to hypermnesia, an overly elaborate memory system (similar ot photographic, or eidetic, memory). The different way his brain works makes it hard for him to function in society, so he mostly spends time in a psychology lab doing tests with his mentor, Emile Vorta, the fictional editor of the book, adding sometimes illuminating, sometimes hilarious, and always suspect end notes. He lives in a crumbling mansion with his mother, whose memory is deteriorating rapidly as a result of Alzheimer’s disease and is fast becoming exhausted of money and physical resources in caring for her.

Orbiting Noel are a sarcastic friend from the lab, a woman with a singular hole in her memory, and a genial doofus-savant. Chapters switch from third person, focusing on one of two of these at time, or individual journals, the mother’s being particularly heartbreaking. All these combine for a complex portrait of friendship, a few mysteries, and an interesting consideration of opposites and extremes. While it had a bit too much wrapping up in just a few pages at the end, the entire book, its characters, and its neurological topics were all utterly engaging to me. A lovely book, with lots of great visuals, that’s worth tracking down, since it seems to be out of print in the US.

* When Guppy started kindergarten this fall, I rejoined my writing group and decided I wanted to have another go at a novel where the main character has synesthesia (a cross wiring of the senses). I’ve been working on it for years (9 as of November; sigh) yet the break I took from when Guppy was 1.5 to starting school at 5.5 felt like a productive one, generating a few plot ideas to make the novel more complex, timely, and (I hope) interesting.