Avonlea Revisited

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery

I grabbed this off the bookshelf one day while Caleb was perusing Democracy in America and therefore not interested in me. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop and now I'm on the fourth book (out of 6 about Anne, 2 more about her children). It's refreshing to read a book with such a spritely air and flow. I can't believe it's been so long since I read them all. If you're heard of these books, you've probably read them and will know if you want to read them again, so I won't go into details. I just wanted to share how much fun I was having reading them all over again.

I also have to mention my absolute favorite L.M. Montgomery book which I have read about once a year (not counting all the times I just flip directly to the last few chapters). It's The Blue Castle, lesser known, but superior to all the Anne and Emily books. I recommend all women rush out and grab it now off library or store shelves! I'm still trying to convince Josh we should name our daughter (if we ever have one) Valancy after the heroine.

Just a bit of trivia for you, Josh and I were supposed to go to Prince Edward Island for our honeymoon, but an airline pilot strike thwarted us. (We ended up in northern California, booked the day before the wedding, and had a wonderful time.)

Timepieces of the Past

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
by Dava Sobel

Ms. Sobel is a science writer with a special place in her heart for John Harrison, whose exquisite clocks are at the heart of this book. She describes their movements and innovations in flowing prose. More importantly, John Harrison was a genius who was unfairly treated during his lifetime. It's a quick little read and well worth the time, especially if you have any interest in history, engineering, timepieces or sailing.

Special thanks to Dan who suggested I'd enjoy this book and even leant me his copy.

A Catholic Tragedy

Brideshead Revisited
by Evelyn Waugh

I read this book over a year ago, started this post and then promptly got sucked into other life events. I didn't want to just delete the post, though, because it's a great book. Following the lives of a Catholic family through the eyes of a dear friend and lover (who is certainly not Catholic), we see how they live through their faith or in hopeless denial of it. I think it would be a particularly great book for a book club, especially one interested in matters of faith, but the compelling story is enough for any discussions.

I don't want to give (much) away, but I'll add my favorite quote from the book:

"'Living in sin'; not just doing wrong, as I did when I went to America; doing wrong, knowing it is wrong, stopping doing it, forgetting. That's not what they mean...Living in sin, with sin, by sin, for sin, every hour, every day, year in, year out. Waking up with sin in the morning, seeing the curtains drawn on sin, bathing it, dressing it, clipping diamonds to it, feeding it, showing it round, giving it a good time, putting it to sleep at night with a tablet of Dial if it's fretful."

She's speaking of actually living with a man who is not her husband, but I love this quote because it doesn't have to be about adultery. It's an amazing description of life for anyone who's committing what he or she knows is a sin and yet continues to do so - and hints at the self-inflicted suffering and weight that becomes overwhelming.

You can check out a biography of Evelyn Waugh at his alma mater. Here's a link to an article by the man who first interested me in the book, George Weigel for First Things (another plug for the magazine).

After reading the book, Josh and I rented the series from Netflix. It follows the book very closely and I recommend it as well.

Don't Be Pushy

The Trouble with Perfect
by Elisabeth Guthrie and Kathy Matthews

I agree with nearly everything in this book, and it was an easy read (a plus with a toddler in the house), but I'm still not sure if I want to recommend it. Why? Because it just makes sense, so you shouldn't need to read a book like this. I guess most of our friends don't fall into the crazy $30,000 a year preschool or life is over group, though we certainly ran into people like that in New York.

Let me sum up the book for you:

1. Don't be pushy - in sports, academics or other activities. Let kids do what's enjoyable and let them quit if it's not fun anymore. (Except the piano. I'm bound and determined Caleb will learn to play. He doesn't have to do any recitals and never has to tell anyone, but I think it'll be good for him, and all the other kids we have. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I always wanted to take piano lessons and never had the chance...)

2. Instead of signing your kids up for swimming (or soccer or baseball or softball), consider playing pick-up games with them instead. Good exercise for everyone and the kids will probably enjoy it more than organized sports anyway. Kids love to spend time with their parents. And parents shouldn't be afraid they don't know enough to share. (No offense to those teaching organized sports. I'm sure that's great, too. And we signed Caleb up for swimming lessons, but at his age we had to go. And we learned lots of things that we can do with him in the water without the class. He loves it.)

3. Realize that Mommy and Me classes are for Mommy, not the baby. There's nothing wrong with these classes, but they are not required (or necessarily even helpful) for baby's development. There may, however, be real benefits to giving Mommy (or Daddy) a reason to get out of the house and socialize with other parents.

4. Be realistic about giving your kids medication. Some kids need it, but a lot of kids are just more active or more creative than their classmates. Should they really be medicated for being themselves?

5. Ivy League college does not equal life-long happiness. Find a balance between encouraging academic and collegiate goals and helping kids understand there are some tremendous colleges out there that aren't in the top 20 of the Newsweek rankings. Josh and I both loved Dartmouth, but we recognize that it's not the place for everyone and that many other colleges can offer a great education. This one is a little easier for us than you might imagine since Josh will probably be a professor. That means, our kids are going to school where they receive free (or reduced) tuition or they're paying for it themselves. Sorry, kids, that's life. (Usually, they have many choices. We won't force them to go to the college where Josh teaches.)

6. Don't lie, cheat or steal to help your kids get ahead. They'll know it. It sets a bad example and undermines their confidence (in themselves and in your love for them). Plus, it's wrong.

I'm sure there are a lot of other little lessons that might be helpful, but these are some main points. If there's anything above you didn't already know, go ahead and read the book. Otherwise, go play with your kids.

An Article from First Things

First Things is one of Josh's favorite magazines, and one I usually enjoy as well. In the March 2006 issue was an article of particular interest to me, for reasons I think you'll understand.

In Moral Labor, by Agnes R. Howard (of Gordon College in Wenham, MA)

No, it's not about labor or unions, and it's not really about morality. Read the article in honor of Mother's Day (just a couple of weeks away). I also encourage you to subscribe to the magazine.