Proof that Reading is Necessary for Life

Alan Bradley's newest
Flavia de Luce Novel and Holiday Mug

And I quote from the character of Ophelia (Daffy) de Luce, page 205 of Alan Bradley's I Am Half-sick of Shadows, "Books are like oxygen to a deep-sea diver...take them away and you might as well begin counting the bubbles." There, see right on the page was the proof I needed to support my honest belief that I would die if I couldn't read. Books are like oxygen, and the mitochondria in our cells can't carry out cellular respiration without it (oxygen that is not books). Cellular respiration is the way in which glucose in the blood stream is broken down into carbon dioxide, water, and transfers the energy from the broken chemical bonds to the energy carrying molecule of life called adenosine triphosphate, commonly known as ATP. Bet you didn't think you'd get a Biology lesson from this posting did you, but let's face it if you enjoy Flavia's antics you probably enjoy science enough to appreciate her passion for chemistry.

I myself am a fan of chemistry (I should be since I spend much of my day teaching it and biology to high  school students) and love to read about Flavia's plans for using her knowledge to outwit her sisters and the criminals she encounters. I won't spoil the out come of this story for you except to say our spunky gal Flavia comes through in the end.

As an aside, pictured with my copy of the newest Flavia novel is a holiday themed mug full of coffee. Caffeine, readers does not give us true energy, only food which is converted into ATP for all of life's energy needs can do that. Caffeine is a chemical that can play with our nervous system speeding up the activity of certain neurotransmitters and giving us the impression of energy. Watch out for it, too much of a good thing can be harmful.  Of course except reading. Then again, "She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain." - Louisa May Alcott

Inspiration for writing

A wise piece of advice I saw in a book one day was Betsy Woodman's quote "Never go a day without turning out a line." (p. 165) from her book Jana Bibi's Excellent Fortunes (Henry Holt & Company c. 2012). They were words used to encourage a writer. It was in this story that I learned that the Hindu God Ganesh is the god of writers.
I did a quick search to learn a little more and discovered that Ganesh is the Elephant headed god and is the Remover of Obstacles and the Lord of Beginnings. He is attributed to be the patron of the arts and sciences. Once I had read this I felt a kinship to Ganesh. I am a lover of the arts and of science and at this time in my life (mid-life that is) I truly find myself in a position of beginnings. Not to mention there are many obstacles in my life that I feel the need to be removed so that I can move forward. Isn't fascinating that Ganesh is responsible for these two duties, often we can not begin something new until we remove the obstacles of the old. Lately, I find that I am the biggest obstacle to my new beginnings. I'm trying to cling to the old ways which have not been working for me and hoping things will change, talk about the definition of insanity.

"It seems a bit mad," she said.
"Mrs. Laird," said Ramachandran, "the thing with madness is it often works much better than method. And when method fails, madness is absolutely essential." p. 133-134.

I like that. We're all a little mad here. (Thanks to Alice and her land of wonder)

Father Christmas and a Christmas Mystery

I am in the middle of Alan Bradley's newest Flavia de Luce novel titled, I Am Half-sick of Shadows. If you are not familiar with this series I highly recommend them especially if you are a science geek. Flavia is an eleven year old girl who has taken up an interest in chemistry following in the footsteps of a great uncle. Flavia's lives in the family manor of Buckshaw where she dabbles in the chemistry lab in the abandoned east wing. Most often she likes to brew up all types of terrible concoctions in order to get even with her two infuriating older sisters.



Images of Father Christmas
better known as Santa Claus

In this story she is out to capture Father Christmas in order to prove that he exists. Her sisters have told her that he doesn't. She has brewed up a batch Birdlime hoping to coat the chimney hence trapping Father Christmas. In the meantime holiday festivities are starting up and a movie crew is in the house having rented it as the backdrop for a new production (Flavia's family is a little hard up for cash at the moment and her father is trying to raise some by letting the house). The murder has occurred, sorry no spoilers here, the police have been called in, and Flavia's ready to give a hand to solve the crime. It's a good read. Plus as a chemistry teacher it's a tad bit of a busman's holiday.

These are all examples of cross stitch ornaments featuring Santa that I have done over the years. Most of them are Dimensions Designs.

Christmas is a coming...

During December one of my favorite things to do is read or re-read stories with a Christmas theme. For example, Ngaio Marsh's Tied Up in Tinsel is one of my favorites. This story feature's Agatha Troy, the artist wife of Inspector Roderick Alleyn, taking a turn getting mixed up in the middle of a crime. Rory, as his wife calls him, only enters the story mid-way through. The story takes place in the fabulously restored home of Hilary Bill-Tasman who has hired ex-cons (murders to be exact) to serve as his staff. Everyone is preparing for the Christmas holidays, decorating the house and tree, cooking up delicious goodies, drinking hot toddies, taking brisk walks on icy moors, and someone is plotting murder.

This weekend we decorated the tree which reminded me of one of the scenes from Marsh's story where Troy and Bill-Tasman are decorating the Christmas tree in an all golden theme. Pictured here is an example of a vintage ornament that came to me from my grandparents. These were produced by the Shiny Brite company which closed its doors in 1962. I have also included a picture of the boxes. One box features Uncle Sam shaking hands with Santa Claus endorsing these decorations as American made. Want to read more and learn about these interesting ornaments? Visit http://www.sheilazellerinteriors.com/tag/shiny-brite-ornaments

Pink Shiny Brite

Packaging for Shiny Brite Ornaments

Cooking Books vs. Cook Books

Have you ever found yourself getting very hungry from reading a book. It seems that more and more books feature food in them. Scenes of fabulous meals, family feasts, or sexy romantic meals for two. Even in my favorite genre, the mystery, food is featured more prominently. To start with there's Diane Mott Davidson's caterer, Goldy Schulz, one of the first detective/chef characters I encountered. When Goldy wasn't out looking for clues or running into or from the bad guys she was in her kitchen whipping up wonderful meals and decadent desserts. Recipes included. Follow that up with baker and cookie shop owner, Hannah Swensen, the sweet creation of Joanna Fluke. I've broken down and purchased ingredients with the intention of baking up some of the cookie recipes featured. Chocolate chip cookies anyone?

Then there's books that are all about cooking. Take for example Julie Powell's memoir Julie and Julia about the year she took to cook her way through Julia Child's quintesential cooking tome. Or a look at Paris through the eyes of pastry chef, David Lebovitch, in his book The Sweet Life in Paris (I must confess that this one is still sitting on the bookshelf waiting to be read. Or still a look at cooking in Tuscany with Frances Mayes in her most recent memoir Everyday in Tuscany  which was chucka-block full of recipes using the fresh produce from her garden or local markets.

Then there's the cook books. Last night I was searching for my favorite apple crisp recipe. I couldn't find it. I know I clipped it from some source years ago but couldn't lay my hands on it in my recipe scrapbook. I eventually went to the old standby my husband's grandmother's 1955 copy of the Good Housekeeping Cook Book. I looked through and found something that would work, or rather in the end I put together a recipe. Let's face it after hundreds of meals, I figure I've learned a thing or two about how to cook. Anyways, I got to flipping through the pages and got a kick out of some of the what I consider antiquated expressions and ingredients, for example what is a number 2 sized can of fruit? But wait, on page 344 I came across the recipe for toast. Yes, that's right toast. You can make it in your oven, under the broiler, in a skillet, use a waffle iron, or the best yet - an electric toaster. And I quote, "Just pop bread into toaster. Today's toasters are better than ever." And you thought boiling water was hard. Oh by the way if you need help with that one just follow this link.

The joy of multitasking and reading

I love hands free reading. I've started a new audiobook today, The Baker Street Brothers. It is how I manage to read and stitch at the same time. Here are a couple of examples of the work I have been able to get done while "reading." Both of these works are from the Dimension's Gold Collection.

Books - a cheap way to travel

Unfortunately, I am not blessed with unlimited time or money in order to travel the world. I do, however, have the local library which can fulfill that need. Today's trip has sent me to the Dordogne region of France with Chief of Police Bruno Courreges, the creation of author Martin Walker, as my tour guide. The newest "Mystery of the French Countryside" is titled The Crowded Grave. Already I have been introduced to many of the region's famous attributes which are to play key roles in this story. The ducks and geese of the region are destined to become the famous foie gras, but not if the members of PETA have anything to say about it. The local archaeological dig searching for more traces of our Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal ancestors (this is the home of the famous cave paintings of Lascaux) is the burial site of a not so ancient dead body. Political intrigue in the guise of Spanish-French forces dealing with the Basque ETA terrorist group forms another angle in the multi sided structure of this engaging novel.

I discovered Bruno and his charming village of St. Denis earlier this year, or could it be as long ago as the summer or fall of 2011, when I picked up The Dark Vineyard at the library. I went back to read his debut in Bruno, Chief of Police and a further case in Black Diamond. In these other stories we have met his boss the Mayor; his friends among the force, Isabelle (and former lover) and J-J; the towns people and friends; the rugby club; his hunting buddies; and his newer love interest Pamela, the "crazy British" woman. We've also gotten a glimpse of Bruno's history and the history of France much of which I was not familiar with. These are not your Peter Mayle type stories of sunny Provence. Although rural in nature, brutal murder happens even in the "quietest" places. People aren't always what they seem, and sometimes the good guys bend the rules to see that justice is served.