The Wind In The Willows

A while ago I picked up a copy of The Wind In The Willows from the library to read to Sebastian. I own at least one copy, of course, but can't find it; some day I hope I'll have enough shelf space to hold all my books so I can alphabetize them.

Anyway, I have to admit that I was worried that the book might be too advanced for Sebastian. And at first, my fears seemed prophetic: the story didn't seem to interest him very much, and he often asked to read something else (or read one of his own books to me). I had carefully picked an unabridged edition (TWitW is often abridged, with "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" chapter being the most frequent casualty), but I found myself abridging the book on the fly. The language is truly lovely, but at Sebastian's age some of the longer descriptive passages just don't work.

Three nights ago I picked up the book with the private resolution that if Sebastian didn't get more interested in it that night, I'd return it to the library and wait a year before trying again.
( Read more... )

The Wind In The Willows

A while ago I picked up a copy of The Wind In The Willows from the library to read to Sebastian. I own at least one copy, of course, but can't find it; some day I hope I'll have enough shelf space to hold all my books so I can alphabetize them.

Anyway, I have to admit that I was worried that the book might be too advanced for Sebastian. And at first, my fears seemed prophetic: the story didn't seem to interest him very much, and he often asked to read something else (or read one of his own books to me). I had carefully picked an unabridged edition (TWitW is often abridged, with "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" chapter being the most frequent casualty), but I found myself abridging the book on the fly. The language is truly lovely, but at Sebastian's age some of the longer descriptive passages just don't work.

Three nights ago I picked up the book with the private resolution that if Sebastian didn't get more interested in it that night, I'd return it to the library and wait a year before trying again.
( Read more... )

Biting my tongue

One of the most common questions on Askville (and I'll spare you the poor spelling and/or textspeak) is "I had unprotected sex and my period is late. Could I be pregnant?"

I couldn't resist answering one guy (in the discussion board) who asked if his girlfriend could be pregnant:

---

Yes, she's pregnant. It's triplets, two boys and one girl. All three have brown eyes; one of the boys will grow to 6'2", and the other will be exactly 6 feet tall. The girl will be 5'7", and left-handed. Her favorite flavor of ice cream will be rocky road, while the boys will both prefer chocolate.

...

Look, we don't know. We CAN'T know. Have her take a test or see her OB/GYN.

---

And now I'm struggling not to post a question of my own:

I had sex and didn't use birth control. I haven't had my period...ever. Could I be pregnant?

P.S. I am male.

Biting my tongue

One of the most common questions on Askville (and I'll spare you the poor spelling and/or textspeak) is "I had unprotected sex and my period is late. Could I be pregnant?"

I couldn't resist answering one guy (in the discussion board) who asked if his girlfriend could be pregnant:

---

Yes, she's pregnant. It's triplets, two boys and one girl. All three have brown eyes; one of the boys will grow to 6'2", and the other will be exactly 6 feet tall. The girl will be 5'7", and left-handed. Her favorite flavor of ice cream will be rocky road, while the boys will both prefer chocolate.

...

Look, we don't know. We CAN'T know. Have her take a test or see her OB/GYN.

---

And now I'm struggling not to post a question of my own:

I had sex and didn't use birth control. I haven't had my period...ever. Could I be pregnant?

P.S. I am male.

GoodReads Review: Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil by Whit Masterson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

The best of the old pulp noir mystery and detective novels have an immediacy that really grabs you. They don't feel dated at all, even sixty or more years after publication. Almost all of Fredric Brown's work has that quality. So does Catcher in the Rye, although of course that's not a mystery or noir.

Touch of Evil (originally titled Badge of Evil, but renamed after the release of the Orson Welles movie that was loosely based on the book) has that timeless quality, too. It's short, particularly compared to modern novels, but the story is gripping and carries the reader along. It's a tale of corruption as old as the institution of law itself.

The plot moves swiftly, with no slow patches at all. If anything, it seems to draw to a close a little too quickly, and be a little too sparse; I'd have liked to read a bit more detail about the lives of the Holt family. But all in all it's a very enjoyable book, and re-reads well. I strongly recommend it, and will be searching out other books by the authors ("Whit Masterson" being the pseudonym of two co-authors).

View all my reviews.

GoodReads Review: Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil by Whit Masterson

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars

The best of the old pulp noir mystery and detective novels have an immediacy that really grabs you. They don't feel dated at all, even sixty or more years after publication. Almost all of Fredric Brown's work has that quality. So does Catcher in the Rye, although of course that's not a mystery or noir.

Touch of Evil (originally titled Badge of Evil, but renamed after the release of the Orson Welles movie that was loosely based on the book) has that timeless quality, too. It's short, particularly compared to modern novels, but the story is gripping and carries the reader along. It's a tale of corruption as old as the institution of law itself.

The plot moves swiftly, with no slow patches at all. If anything, it seems to draw to a close a little too quickly, and be a little too sparse; I'd have liked to read a bit more detail about the lives of the Holt family. But all in all it's a very enjoyable book, and re-reads well. I strongly recommend it, and will be searching out other books by the authors ("Whit Masterson" being the pseudonym of two co-authors).

View all my reviews.

(drum beat)

Somebody on Askville asked for "a god low sodium chicken pot pie recipe".

So I suggested they use deviled chicken. :D

(drum beat)

Somebody on Askville asked for "a god low sodium chicken pot pie recipe".

So I suggested they use deviled chicken. :D