Hello! During my nearly 2 month hiatus, summer came with heat, humidity, and striking sunsets.
Actually, the weather has been extraordinarily good for the most part. Other than one or two weeks in June, we have had tolerably warm days and pleasantly chilly nights.
Looking back to my last post, I really enjoyed memo-ing in May. It was just soothing to sit quietly outside and reflect on the most significant bits of my day. I hope you tried it.
Since it's summer--let's talk about reading! My latest read was Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan. Took me a week to finish, because I always feel guilty sitting down with a book instead of whatever else I think I have to do, but it was worth the time!
Summary: Katya is the daughter of the lady-in-waiting to the Empress of Russia, during the reign of Tsar Nikolai II. The story follows her life from naive childhood in 1913 to trial-changed adulthood in 1918. Used to the lavish life of an aristocratic family, she is forced to come to terms with the harsh existence of the peasants as Russia crumbles.
Why I liked it: This is a much examined period in history, looked at in this book from a child's perspective. The smattering of Russian throughout struck my linguist heart. The imagery in the story brings it full circle. Ms. Whelan's words are artistry, and although she uses conspicuous metaphors and old idioms, somehow the language is not contrived; it is new and alive. I marked up my garage sale copy (in pencil!). Now I can go back to turns of phrase I liked and re-enjoy, share, and hopefully reproduce them.
A couple favorites:
"The winter would not stop. In the Summer Garden the statues were hidden under a blanket of white" (p186, HarperCollins edition).
"Beyond that, time was an endless ocean I could not see across" (p272).
If you're interested in the inspiration behind the book, I found a good author interview: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1342&context=lajm
Actually, the weather has been extraordinarily good for the most part. Other than one or two weeks in June, we have had tolerably warm days and pleasantly chilly nights.
Looking back to my last post, I really enjoyed memo-ing in May. It was just soothing to sit quietly outside and reflect on the most significant bits of my day. I hope you tried it.
Since it's summer--let's talk about reading! My latest read was Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan. Took me a week to finish, because I always feel guilty sitting down with a book instead of whatever else I think I have to do, but it was worth the time!
Summary: Katya is the daughter of the lady-in-waiting to the Empress of Russia, during the reign of Tsar Nikolai II. The story follows her life from naive childhood in 1913 to trial-changed adulthood in 1918. Used to the lavish life of an aristocratic family, she is forced to come to terms with the harsh existence of the peasants as Russia crumbles.
Why I liked it: This is a much examined period in history, looked at in this book from a child's perspective. The smattering of Russian throughout struck my linguist heart. The imagery in the story brings it full circle. Ms. Whelan's words are artistry, and although she uses conspicuous metaphors and old idioms, somehow the language is not contrived; it is new and alive. I marked up my garage sale copy (in pencil!). Now I can go back to turns of phrase I liked and re-enjoy, share, and hopefully reproduce them.
A couple favorites:
"The winter would not stop. In the Summer Garden the statues were hidden under a blanket of white" (p186, HarperCollins edition).
"Beyond that, time was an endless ocean I could not see across" (p272).
If you're interested in the inspiration behind the book, I found a good author interview: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1342&context=lajm
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