2012 Books, Part 2

I came across two series this year that I thought were utterly absorbing, fun reads.  The first was a series called Wool (that transitions into a second series called Silo).  These seven installments total up about 1,050 pages, which I handily devoured and counted as two books on my list.

Interestingly, I get the impression that these books were written by an unpublished author who uploaded his writing to Amazon, and they took off through word of mouth, and insanely cheap pricing.  Now the movie rights have been purchased by Ridley Scott.  The future of books?  Crazy.  I read another great book this year with a similar beginning, called On The Island.

Wool is a science fiction series set a couple hundred years into the future, when the outside world has been poisoned and all the humans are living in immense underground silos, in a world that has been meticulously and perhaps maliciously designed.  One of the things I loved best about these books was that it seemed every half hour of reading yielded a mind-bending twist, a delicious, "wait, WHAT?"

I seem to be the last person in the universe to discover the Jack Reacher mystery series, by Lee Child.  But if not, I hearby recommend them to you.  I'm not a big fan of series in general, because I find that they just re-tread the same territory over and over.  But I haven't tired of these after the first seven books.  They are wicked page turners.

Jack Reacher is a former military police investigator, and has skills in investigation, weapons and combat that make the stories, ah, lively.  I'm not sure I like one more than another, so start with the first one, Killing Floor.  (And incidentally, I'm skeptical of the new movie Jack Reacher, I like Tom Cruise, and it's getting good reviews, but it all looks a little slick for my taste.)

More to come...

2012 Books, Part 1

I have had a GREAT year of reading, just outstanding, I feel more addicted to it than ever.  Part of the reason for this might be that I've gravitated to books that were fun and compelling, versus ambitious and intellectual.  So I've spent a lot of nights in bed, fighting to keep my eyes open for just one more page.  I feel lucky to have a hobby I care about that much.

I am on my fortieth book of the year right now, and even though I didn't manage any Tolstoy exactly, I still congratulate myself on a pretty impressive variety.

My favorite book this year - easily - was The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green.  It's a sharp-witted account of a relationship between two teenagers who are coping with cancer.  It's getting 5 stars on Amazon and has made just about every top 10 list there is, so I'm not breaking a whole lot of new ground here.  But trust me, read it.

I have more to mention, stay tuned...

Christmas Stockings

Took stuffed Christmas stockings to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Joes, where my kids stayed for a while when they were born. It always blows me away, how much these families appreciate the smallest gesture of support and encouragement. I feel thankful to have a project so near and dear to my heart.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

  We went to a Christmas party last night that was great for adults, but mind-bending for the kids.  Ada and Logan got to re-connect with several kids from their pre-pre-school daycare, so I spent a fair amount of time just checking on them, trying to feed them, and making sure we didn't forget about how to use the bathroom regularly.

I posted this video, to show the mob scene when Santa Clause was making his way to the house.  Love it!  Logan is in green, and Ada is at the top of the heap.  Ada asked Santa for a princess castle, Logan asked for a "bunny hunter" (the only explanation is 'it hunts for bunnies'), and they were both a little mystified to get a stuffed elephant and army men instead.

Before the party, Ada and Logan helped me wrap seven presents.  I was pretty impressed with the lack of scissor antics or tantrums.  I let them choose the gift, choose the paper for it, tape the sides (Logan is inexplicably talented at this), choose the tag, and sign their names on the paper.  On the example below, don't miss Ada's signature, in the upper left.  I believe she was intentionally demonstrating how much smaller she could make hers.

A Few Thanksgiving Pics From Chicago

Some of my favorite boys...

A family gathering in a noisy distracting bar...  Thanksgiving trip to Chicago...  And Ada and Logan's first sleepover, pre-pancakes.  It's a good life.  If you're wondering why I don't post on the blog more, here's your answer!  

Little Ski Bunnies

Ada and Logan got to try skiing for the first time this weekend, and they made the Arapahoe Basin website!  Check out the cute pic - Ada in the purple helmet, Logan black.