If I could find a way to knit, read a novel, write a novel, listen to the day’s podcast from The Book Show, watch the West Wing and dunk a milk arrowroot (that’s a bickie) in my coffee, without dropping the soggy bit in it, all at the same time I would have achieved the ultimate in pleasure-multi-tasking-bliss.And I would also be awesome … and would probably look something like a three-headed octopus.

A brief sampling of the many profound thoughts that circulate my brain on a semi-regular basis.

In other news:

War and Peace

… is coming along … slooooowwwwwly. Two months in and I’m not even halfway. Starting to feel like I’m going to be reading it for the rest of my life.

Reading aloud a chapter book

I had thought Finn was a little young (4 1/2) to be sitting and listening to a chapter book but when I saw a large format version of James and the Giant Peach in a local bookstore I knew it would be a perfect introduction to chapter books. It has a colour illustration on every two pages so he always has something to look at as well as listen too. It’s a great transition between picture books and chapter books. I’ve read James and the Giant Peach several times myself but never aloud and now, having discovered how wonderful it is to read aloud I have an even greater appreciation for Dahl and his genius.

We’ve just bought Fantastic Mr Fox in the same large format so I think we’ll just work our way through the Dahl collection. That should keep us going for a while. (Of course we’re still reading lots of picture books and will be for many years yet.)

Embroidered classics

Penguin will soon (October) be releasing a series of classic novels with gorgeous covers printed using a sculptural-embossing technique and based on the embroidered designs of Jillian Tamaki (one very creative lady). Me like a lot. 

Books Without Borders

Written by a former Borders employee this fascinating article offers an insider’s take on what it was like to work for Borders in the early days and some of the reasons for its eventual demise.

We Can’t Teach Students to Love Reading

 

Man Booker 2011 Longlist

 

OFF TOPIC

Angus & Julia Stone singing ‘You’re The One That I Want’.