"May the odds be always in your favor!"

Harry and I are definitely Hunger Games fans - and the movie did not disappoint us.

We both re-read the book before we went to see the film - but I don't think it would have mattered. I think you could enjoy the film without reading the book.

I, along with countless other fans, enjoyed the film immensely. I've been hearing negative comments - but they really weren't fans - some who have not read the book - and say they don't want to - say they can't quite get over the idea of children being sent out to kill one another.

I think the film is more about how governments - tyrannical ones especially - ultimately cannot control people completely - there will always be those who can't be subdued.

And isn't that fortunate??

Second Time Around

I read this book a few years ago and certainly enjoyed it. Then my book group chose it for our selection this month, and I decided to re-read it. I often don't re-read books, but I may change my mind on that score.

For one thing, if it's been a long enough time, it seems almost like a first read - obviously I'm not retaining much. I am famous for "skimming" books to get through them quickly. I feel like I know how to dispense with scenic descriptions and lengthy ruminations. This probably contributes to the lack of recall on some scores.

Also, a good story usually can handle a second reading. I enjoyed reading this the second time - I thought I had the outline of the story pretty well set, but I had forgotten several significant details.

And since I want to take part in the book group discussion, a reading closer to the time of the meeting is pretty essential.

If you didn't check it out the first time I recommended it, check it out this time!!

Katie's wedding

Katie's wedding was a lovely affair. I also enjoyed seeing some of the photos on Facebook.

I liked this one - who knew the neighborhood could look so good??

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Reading when I ought to be doing other things!

I have been reading of late - in fact very late!! I was up until 1:30 this morning finishing up a book in fact!! I get that way - I read when I ought to be doing other stuff!!

I found this on a "give and take" shelf at Curves. I remember once when I sent RoseAnn a little Swedish cap that Alice had sent - from Sweden of course - and RoseAnn said that it made Jennifer look like a "little Hutterite!" I knew nothing about Hutterites then - now I know a bit more. This is a true memoir about a woman whose family left the Hutterite colony they were living in - and the impact it had on her life. It wasn't stunningly well-written, but it was interesting and informative.

Found this on the shelf Marcie keeps in her classroom for students during SSR. She wasn't sure where she'd gotten it - then remembered that a publisher had sent it to her - maybe they thought she'd order it for her class. It's not really adolescent fare - but it is a compelling read - about a dystopian society where women are devalued and controlled. A disturbing story on one level, but well-crafted and almost believable.

Jan in the main office suggested this when I was asking for book recommendations for my book group. My group wasn't interested, but I started it - and stayed up late to finish it early this a.m!! It is also compelling, well-written, and somewhat disturbing. It's about a young woman who is kidnapped and held captive for 7 years. The author has emphatically stated that it's not the Jaycee Duggard story in fiction, or a re-telling of the Austrian Frietzel family either. She just wondered what the effect would be of raising a child in a very limited environment, and she explores that idea. The story is told from the point of view of the woman's 5 year old son - that part is poignant and riveting at the same time.

So now I have the newest Grisham on order at Amazon. And I'm going to order the latest Maisie Dobbs as soon as I finish this.

"I'm Barbara and I'm a bookaholic!!"

A quiet weekend -

Except for the chaos of "springing forward," there was not too much action around here. On Sunday I drove out with Greg and his son Jacob, and we went to church with Mom and Donna. We visited afterwards and then had a nice lunch. It is great to get to know Greg and his family better.

Saturday I hosted a little retirement luncheon for Eleanor Esqueda. Several people had conflicts, so several of the "old guard" were not there. But those of us who were had a fine time together.

I made the Weight Watcher's potato soup recipe - it was yummy - go for it!

Hope the week ahead is as quiet as the weekend - I had "prepared" for the time change, so I felt like that went well too. And I had a lovely facial on Friday after school - maybe that's what made it all so "mellow!!"

Happy Birthday Relief Society!

Tonight was our Relief Society birthday celebration. As the events associated with Relief Society morph and change from "work day" to "homemaking" to "Enrichment" to "Relief Society whatever they are," I sometimes fear that maybe something has been lost in translation!!

But tonight we had a great Relief Society Birthday Party, complete with taco salad, some of Dawn's delicious chocolate ganoche cake, and a wonderful talk by one of my fave LDS authors, Lael Littke. It was a treat to sit at the table with her too!!

The theme was creativity - there were lots of displays of the creative efforts of the women in our ward and two lovely musical numbers. Then Sister Littke shared thoughts and experiences she has had over the years as she has pursued her career as the author of over 40 novels. One of my favorite lines from her remarks came as she was sharing some thoughts from Elder Uchtdorf. She commented that she was glad to hear from the brethren as they encouraged women to be the best they could be. "And he's so good to look at too."

I'm sure my girls remember lots of Lael Littke books that have been in our household over the years. I actually had forgotten how much of the Mormon fiction Phoebe, Eliza, and Hannah had consumed over the years until I hunted in Google Images! Prom Dress has been a school favorite too. I told Lael how I had bought multiple copies of Prom Dress because the girls who borrowed it from me never returned it!

Remember Run, Ducky, Run? And Getting Rid of Rhoda? She also wrote, along with two other women whose names escape me at the moment, the Almost Sisters trio. Those books are a great read for a summer day if you are in the market! And the Mink Creek stories are a good read too.

I sometimes fancy myself a writer. The truth is, however, that I am not quite willing to "give it my all" and "giving it your all" is definitely a requirement for gaining status as an author.

I will continue to find satisfaction in blogging, writing newsletters, penning missives to friends, other writing tasks such as journaling, and writing family stories.

And I will always be glad for the writers like Sister Littke who do give it their all!