Gratitude

I am thankful for my family, my friends, my pets, and my job.

I am grateful that I have money to support myself and to spend.

I am happy that's it never a decision between gas or food, but rather between chicken or pork chops.

I am indebted to my wonderful husband who supports me in whatever I do.

I am thankful that my worries are about getting in shape and not about anything worse.

I am happy that my worries this year are how well will I do with the BEST and how can this year be better for the kids, and not worries about how to get a hard-to-come by English teaching job.

I appreciate that I live in a place where I rarely see traffic but regularly see beautiful scenery.

I am happy that I drive by a steamy river every fall, a frozen river every winter, and a roaring one every spring.

haiku hurtle

autumn leaves pour down
fast losing their crisp crackle
too like cheap cornflakes

New Faux-Twitters

Fulfilling my need for twittering and those of the moment status updates on Facebook:

Mel is

• A writing teacher who would rather read than write.
• A reader who wishes that there was some good TV on tonight.
• A person who fights against materialism yet totally wants a flat screen TV - because everyone else has one
• A person who only pays $12 for cable, so what's the point of a good TV?
• Who definitely needs a new laptop before a new TV.
• Feeling guilty that she hasn't eaten that pomegranate yet. Hey! Those things are a time investment!
• Reading Rumors, although Terry said it wasn't too good - but the cover is irresistible.
  

Wicked Lovely (YA) by Melisssa Marr

Wicked Lovely.

Oh, if only stories lived up to their titles. Wicked Lovely isn't a bad story; in fact, it's quite good. But still not as good as its title.

Plot Synopsis:

Wicked Lovely is about Aislinn, a human girl, who has the ability to see fairies. Throughout her life, she has strictly adhered to the rules: Never speak with or engage a fairy. Contrary to belief, most fairies are neither kind nor complacent. They are capricious and cruel. Their viciousness may alight on anyone who rouses their interest. Unfortunately, Aislinn discovers that the dethroned Summer King, Keenan, has chosen her to be the next Summer Queen. But, of course, nothing is ever that easy. Keenan has searched for centuries for the right Queen who will help him realize his full power. Throughout the ages, those chosen girls have been given a choice: Take the challenge to see if they are truly the Summer Queen and become Keenan's true partner or turn into a Summer fairy. Those who have taken the challenge and failed become "Winter Girls." Aislinn is the Keenan's newest pick.

But Aislinn is a modern girl, and she wants to have her cake and eat it, too. Although Aislinn feels in her heart that she is the true Summer Queen, she is unwilling to give up her mortal love.


Critique:
The world of the fairies is fully flushed out and completely intriguing, which is why I'm eager to move onto the next book in the series, Ink Exchange. What isn't completely understood is how the two worlds, mortal and fairy, are related. What are the fairies' interests in humans? If the Winter Queen is getting closer to winning her battle - a win which would affect fairies and humans alike - wouldn't humans feel the change? Basically, I'm a sucker for background information.

The prose is poetic at times ("Then he bent down and kissed her, lips open against hers. It was like swallowing sunshine...p.224) and sometimes over the top, but never to the Stephanie Meyers' level.

Character development is best in Keenan, who is at times arrogant and self-centered and at other times the charming Fairy King that one would expect. It is also outstandingly developed in Donia, the Winter Girl, who is torn for her love for Keenan and her desire to have her chilly mantle taken on by a new Winter Girl.

Although Aislinn is a modern girl who refuses to give in easily to Keenan, things still work out a tad bit too well for her. Then again, this is a Young Adult novel.

Grade: B+

Bad Teaching, Good Day

Yesterday was a bad teaching day. Everything was out of focus and I was always two steps off.
From waking up late, to the pimple I'm still sporting on my chin, to my shoes which broke in the middle of the day, to a giant container of pretzels hitting me on the head. And throw in some crappy teaching to boot.

But after that my day picked up. My husband and I went to John Henry's with friends, and then we went shopping at Target.

I know it doesn't sound like much, but I hadn't been to Target in perhaps two months. And Target is my favorite store!

Reading Right Now:
Wicked Lovely
An Ironman Comic

Would Rather Be Reading:
An adult fiction book about Henry VII.

More Reads

Night Shift by Stephen King.
Excellent, excellent book of short stories. In particular, "Night Surf" was unbelievable. One of the best endings to a short story that I have read in ages.

Bone (YA) by Jeff Smith.
After a few years of recommending this graphic novel to kids, I finally took my own advice. Now, I am not a fan of comics or graphic novels. Although my kid sister went through an exceptionally long, intense animae/manga phase, I couldn't bear to read one. I really did enjoy the Maus series, and I have read City of Light, City of Dark by Avi. But that's about it.

It didn't take me long to get into this; it only took me the will power to get over my stubborn reluctance to go comic book. The illustrations are charming (I think that probably sounds like an insult, but it's not meant to be), and easy on the eye. The three characters from Bone, when together, got on my nerves immensely. However, when alone were bearable. Soon after the first few pages, Fone Bone, the protagonist, is separated from the others. He meets up with several fantastical characters: a talking preying mantis-type creature and its giant cousin, man-sized rats, and a dragon. All of whom can talk. He is then helped by the beautiful Thorn, a human girl, and her wily grandma.

This is high fantasy. But it works. I'm eager to get the second edition.

Grade: A

Election Day

Can we tip the scale?

Halloween Happenings

I had a lovely though hectic Halloween. I consumed too many Tootsie Rolls. I read a lot of Stephen King's Night Shift. I looked over a small mound of papers that needed grading, and I tended to some of them. This weekend felt surreal. In a way that is odd but not scary. And for that very lack of eeriness, my weekend feels a bit like a bad dream.

Maybe it's just the daylight savings time. Maybe not.