The Emperor’s New Clothes

by Carol8 Comments
"The Emperor's New Clothes" from Andersen's Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen Finally a fairy tale with no evil step-mothers, no wicked witches, no damsels in distress waiting for a knight to save them. The Emperor is obsessed with his wardrobe and hires two weavers who promise to make a beautiful cloth that will be invisible to anyone who was not fit for their job or who was "extraordinarily simple in character." I'm sure you know what happens next. The weavers are frauds and just pantomiming work at their looms, but anyone who comes to view the cloth pretends that they can in fact see it, that it is beautiful. Once the "suit" is finished, the weavers help the Emperor put it on and he wears it for a procession through town. All the villagers admire the beautiful fabric until a child calls out that the Emperor has "nothing at all on." Others take up the cry. The Emperor was vexed, for...
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The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

by Carol11 Comments
The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse This was my first meeting with Jeeves, and I must admit that I enjoyed the audiobook immensely. The book is a series of very loosely linked stories. In most of them, young, wealthy Wooster or his pal Bingo Little get in some sticky situation often involving a woman or gambling, and it is up to Wooster's genius butler Jeeves to solve the problem. Sometimes Wooster asks Jeeves for help and sometimes Jeeves takes care of the situation before Wooster even realizes there is cause for concern. I have to say that some of the situations Wooster found himself were just hilarious. My personal favorite, though, is when he goes to the country and bets on the which of the local parsons will deliver the longest sermon. The narrator's accent and the British slang were a treat for me and just added to the fun. I will definitely be reading more of the Jeeves books. First published in 1923 6...
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The Help by Kathryn Stockett

by Carol17 Comments
The Help by Kathryn Stockett I loved this book. I know it was on just about everyone's best of '09 lists, but it took me until now to finally read it. Everyone was right; it's a wonderful book, definitely worth reading. Skeeter has returned home to Jackson, Mississippi after graduating from Old Miss. It's 1962 and she's a twenty-two year old woman who is ready to make her mark on the world, has aspirations of becoming a writer and is advised to start by writing about what disturbs her. With the help of Aibileen, a black maid who is raising her 17th white child but whose own son has died, Skeeter begins to collect the stories of these black women who the upper class families rely on but don't necessarily trust, need but don't respect. Skeeter, Aibileen, and all those who work with them are crossing the lines that divide the town, could literally have their lives ruined or taken because of...
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The Funny One

by Carol8 Comments
I'm not the pretty sister. I'm not the smart sister either. I am the funny one. I've been called that for so long, for so many years, in fact, that all of my life I thought it was one word: Funnyone. (pg. 1, Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani) So, who are you? The funny one, the smart one, the dependable one, the unpredictable one, the brave one, the cautious one? Did you answer? I hope you said "all of the above." There are so many facets to each of us that to allow ourselves to be pigeonholed is a shame. I hope I'm unpredictable at least once in a while. Even though I haven't really started the book yet, I'm willing to bet that there's much more to Valentine than being "the funny one." Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. I cheated, but the rules are easy. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give...
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Snow photos

by Carol14 Comments
We got about 1 1/2 feet of snow Friday and Saturday, which is a lot more than we usually get at one time here in eastern Ohio. We were lucky. Our power didn't go out. David's brother and a friend of ours spent the night on Friday and helped dig us out Saturday afternoon. Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures....
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The Millennium Party by Walter Jon Williams

by Carol6 Comments
"The Millennium Party" by Walter Jon Williams Williams gives us a short, sharp look at the future in this brief story. Darien and his wife are celebrating their thousandth anniversary, but in this future world, everyone has multiple brains that they interchange, each with its own purpose. For the celebration, Darien slots the brain that holds only the good, loving, passionate memories, none of the disagreements, arguments hurts, reflecting their life together as "one enchanted jewel after another." The evening does sound perfect, the setting, food wine all customized just for the two of them, but for the reader the severe compartmentalization of each aspect of life is de-humanizing. People are the result of all their experiences, good and bad, all their roles. While it would be nice to choose what to remember, life would lose it's richness. We wouldn't cherish our relationships as much. It's disturbing, really, so different from how we process emotions, thoughts, feelings. You can find the short story...
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