Charles Perrault's Birthday!

Thank you, Google Doodles, for telling me that today is Charles Perrault's birthday!

 

I love fairy tales - especially well-illustrated ones! In honor of his birthday, here are my favorite illustrated versions of these tales! (And a few more fun books as well!)

Puss in Boots

Cinderella

Sleeping Beauty

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Perrault's Fairy Tales

I hope you have as much fun reading them as I do!

Things I Love Tuesday : Audible

Well, after 6 years, I finally gave up my trusty iPod Nano + Creative speaker and joined the ranks of those who use their smartphones for everything, including my always-necessary audiobooks.

I am still a huge fan of my local library, so I use the Overdrive app for free, instantly downloadable audiobooks that you can borrow.

But for things the library doesn't have, I saved my pennies and got myself an annual subscription to Audible.com. (This is actually my 2nd year!) You get 12 credits to use whenever and other audiobooks are discounted. I buy cheaper books/shows and save my credits for more expensive ones.

The app is great, the instant gratification is phenomenal. You can download previously purchased books from the cloud, or get new ones. 

I have a whole homepage on my phone dedicated to various audiobook players.

Now I just need to figure out the perfect bluetooth speaker situation  (one that can rival my little Creative speaker). Any ideas? Anyone else use/love Audible?

Semi-Annual Check-in :)

There is a lot going on over here, and when I get a chance to open my computer without a baby banging on the keys (so…in a few years? Hahaha) I have a lot to say!

We’re in the process of moving back to our hometown, (a pretty unexpected life change for us – but hey, what parts of life aren’t unexpected!), so I’d like to actually post some “finished” pictures of rooms (the nursery!) and some thoughts on some of the renovations we’ve done after living with them for a while, as well as some posts about things we’re doing to get our house on the market. Oh well, the posts will come in good time. One day I’ll hopefully blog so much my fingers will fall off.

For now, I’ll cheat and just post some baby pictures I’ve been taking since Porcupine turned one…

Our move is certainly not something we were planning on – I thought I’d be in this house forever! And I was accumulating stuff with that mindset :) I’ve been reading (and listening to) and re-reading/listening to The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, and it is making a HUGE difference in what I’m getting rid of and how I plan to approach moving into, fixing up, and decorating our new house. I can’t wait to share the journey! (if I get the chance!)

Gifts for Lincoln

I realize it’s the home stretch here now for Christmas, and maybe it’s too late to order these things online, but I’m still posting some awesome books I found for my friend Janis’ little son, Lincoln. You might need some awesome kids books any time of year!

The Velveteen Rabbit

I found this set at Kohl’s, in their Kohl’s Cares for Kids section, where the proceeds to go charity. So it’s cute and you’re benefiting others when you buy! Win win.  Anyway, how cute, right? The Velveteen Rabbit and a velveteen rabbit. I couldn’t pass it up.

I think and hope that they’re still in the store, because I’d like to pick up another set or two before Christmas!

Paul Thurlby’s Alphabet

This was a Pinterest find! As soon as I saw some of the illustrations posted, I tracked down the book and couldn’t be happier!

Who wouldn’t get excited about their letters when they’re illustrated like this?

I found the book at Walmart.com where the dust jacket folds out into a poster with all the letters/pictures on it, that you could totally use to decorate your kid’s room! And it’s also on Amazon (but no poster).

ABCs from the Met

I found two different book of ABCs with pictures from the Metropolitan Museum of Art! How cool, right? Learning ABCs and getting some fine art exposure at the same time seems pretty awesome.  One’s a board book and one’s a hardcover.

You’re never too young to start appreciating fine art, right?

I also got him a copy of Of Thee I Sing, which I’ve gushed over before, and made him some name art that I will post about tomorrow! 

In shopping for these books, I’ve also found quite a few more good ones that I’ve started collecting for his birthday, so I’ll post about those for you too! (Also, Janis, so you don’t buy them!) ;)

What good kids books have you found lately?

Ideal Bookshelf Book and House of Hepworths

So, I’ve been telling you how I’ve bought (and been in love with) some of Jane Mount’s “Ideal Bookshelf” prints on 20x200.

I just found out (via Cup of Jo) that she’s illustrated a whole book of ideal bookshelves! My Ideal Bookshelf is totally going on my Christmas wishlist!

Head over to Cup of Jo for some more pictures from inside the book!

………………..

And here’s a new blog I’ve been reading: House of Hepworths.

I can’t remember how I found it…it was either Pinterest or Young House Love. :)

She’s got lots of great ideas, including this “fake pinch pleat” which I totally plan on using when I finally get to making my living room curtains.

I’m also in the process of making some Christmas artwork inspired by this post.

And this post.

Head over there and check it out!

Book Report: Of Thee I Sing, The Princess Bride, and The Witness for the Prosecution

Here’s a quick rundown of three short books/stories I’ve been reading.

I’m still in the middle of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride, but let me tell you, the book is every bit as good as the movie that we’ve all seen. Reading it, I totally know why they made it into a film…it’s almost written as one! Quickly paced, full of love and adventure! I think it’s a fun, must-read for many ages!

 

I just got Barack Obama’s children’s book, Of Thee I Sing, from Amazon, after listening to the audiobook from the library. It is amazing and much better than I expected. The illustrations are fantastic and the story is a cute, uplifting mini American history lesson, with a bit about various Americans like Georgia O’Keefe, Jackie Robinson, Sitting Bull, Billie Holliday, Helen Keller, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Neil Armstrong, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, woven into a tale of being unique and loved. A fitting children’s book to be written by the President of the United States. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it myself, and I feel like I’ll be reading it and gifting it to every kid I know!

 

Just recently, Brandon and I watched the 1957 movie version of Agatha Christie’s The Witness for the Prosecution, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Marlene Dietrich. It was really good, a true classic. It prompted me to re-read the short story, which is one of my favorites, with its stunning twist ending.

Happy reading/watching this weekend!

Book Report: At Home by Bill Bryson

So my friend, Ashley, gave me this book as a bridesmaid’s gift.  I am a nerd and I love audiobooks, so it was ridiculously perfect.

(Here’s Ashley and me at her wedding.)

(I made both of our dresses!)

The book’s called At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson.

Here’s what’s funny about the English language. I thought the book was called At Home: A Short History of a Private Life.

That would have been a very different book. I read the back of the packaging, which started out, “Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped.” I sort of stopped reading there and began listening…so I was expecting a book about his life.

Then it was turning out to be a book about history.

And I re-read the title. And all of the back of the packaging. And said “Ohhhh” to myself.  A short history of private life.

Once I understood what the book was going to be about, it became one of the best books I’ve ever read/listened to. There was so much information in it that I listened to it twice. I told Brandon he should listen to it and he listened to it twice, too.

So here’s what really happens in the book: Author Bill Bryson takes a closer look at the rooms and objects in his English country house to tell the history of the past 150 years (and before) and how all that history shows itself in our homes. In short, At Home gives the who and the why to almost everything you experience in your daily life.

From why our homes look the way they do, in terms of building materials, paint colors, and lighting fixtures; to Alexander Graham Bell’s father-in-law defending his patents in court, thus securing the future of AT&T; to why many English homes have bricked up windows or no windows at all; to Thomas Edison’s plan for all-concrete houses; to how corn is not self-sowing, therefore could not and would not exist without man; to how different ancient cultures all invented the wheel at separate times independently, and each had completely different uses for it; to how most of the food we eat originated in the stone age; to why the Eiffel Tower was built; to how modern steel was invented by an amateur because no qualified individual would attempt the procedure for fear of it exploding; to how turning cotton into fabric was so difficult yet desirable that creating and inventing the processes to accomplish it became known as the Industrial Revolution.

It’s a book you wouldn’t expect to be cool, but it’s one of the coolest book you’ll ever read.  Bill Bryson’s writing and subtle sense of humor turn what could be boring history into amazing trivia, conversation starters, and interesting tidbits to impress your friends.

You’d never guess that salt and pepper were so interesting.

Book Report: Dracula

(Even though my degree is in English Language and Literature, I don’t feel that I’m really great at real book reports. :) The problem is that I just love reading for reading’s sake and learning new things for learning’s sake.

So pretend that you’ve asked me what I’m reading, what I thought of it, and if I think you should read it, too, and that’s what you’ll get from my book reports.)

 

I’ve been on a re-reading kick lately: re-reading things from high school and college, just for fun, with no papers to write or themes to analyze. I just finished Dracula by Bram Stoker. I read it (or most of it) in a Women in Victorian Literature class at the U of C. And though I haven’t seen any Dracula movies (I’m scared of everything), I can definitely tell you that the book’s not like any of the movies.

Here’s what I’ll tell you about Dracula.

It’s not short. But as I posted previously, I like long books lately, because they entertain me during hours of driving, painting, and cleaning. (Like before there was TV, and long books were all you had.) Stoker describes a world totally different than we’re used to: Dracula’s lair and environs and Victorian England; and sometimes those descriptions are lengthy. Lengthy, but entertaining, as all the various parts of the story come together.

Even though I’m scared of everything, I liked Dracula because these people hunted Dracula during the day, when he’s his weakest; at times, completely defenseless. This is smart. Who would really try to kill the super-strong, ultra-fast, shape-shifting Dracula at night, when he’s at the height of his power? Idiots. That’s who.

The book is in a diary format, so you’re getting first hand accounts of the various characters’ day/thoughts/encounters. It was totally great to get to know the characters and you were always at the mercy of their ignorance…truly discovering the Dracula mystery as they did.

Mina Murray Harker is awesome. She’s emotionally strong and super-smart. She has the brilliant idea to gather the various diaries and accounts from the members of the Dracula-hunting party so that she can piece together the puzzle. She figures a ton of stuff out for the men of the group, and each time they feel they should leave her out because she’s a fragile woman, everything goes wrong. You go, girl. Show those guys what’s up.

I listened to this version of the audiobook from my local library, but I also referenced this Norton critical edition of the book as I read, which had great footnotes about nuances and various Victorian language connotations that really fleshed out the book as I read.

Things I Love Thursday: My iPod and Creative Speaker

Last Thursday, I told you about my love for audiobooks.

Today, I’m going to tell you about how I listen to them.

I have definitely listened to audiobooks on CD, on cassette (after digging out a Walkman…because I don’t think we have any other cassette players in the house!) and on my first iPod (not even a color display!) but my current set up is the best. It’s “old” in the world of iPods, but it’s great, and I’m not even sure how the new models will/would compare!

A blast from the past! My college graduation party in 2004 with my first iPod!

My current setup includes an iPod Nano 3rd generation (which I got in…gasp! 2008) and a Creative TravelSound i80 Speaker Dock. The whole package is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and makes for audiobook-listening on the go!

My 3rd gen iPod Nano and Creative TravelSound i80 Speaker.
Bonus, you can see the hour-long track that I use the click-wheel to navigate through!

This set up has served me well for the past 4ish years, and has even been dropped in the toilet once. The speaker has a rechargeable battery, so I plug it in every once in a while overnight and I’m good to go. (Also, when you plug in the whole shebang, the iPod gets charged, too!)  The sound quality isn’t fantastic (say, compared to a Bose Wave Radio) but it’s good enough for my books! The speaker is loud enough to be heard over my sewing machine and our extra-loud vent hood. :)

Lately, I’ve been downloading my books from the library’s online collection, but when I have to make iPod-friendly audiobooks from CDs, I use these great instructions:

http://aldoblog.com/audiobooks/itunes/importing-audio-cds/

This method creates CD-length tracks (usually about an hour each), so each disc of your audiobook CD is one track on your iPod. They’re neat and easy to navigate.

Well, they’re easy to navigate on my 3rd gen iPod Nano. I like the click-wheel for navigating within these hour-long tracks. I haven’t tried doing this on a new iPod Nano with the touch screen, but I know I didn’t like the in-track navigating on the iPod Touch, that little slider bar just wasn’t precise enough. (And, good to know: most downloaded audiobooks do have “chapter” markings which make them easier to navigate, but most downloaded MP3 audiobooks are still just hour-long tracks with no divisions…so the click-wheel is nice.)

I haven’t yet found another truly portable speaker system for newer iPods. I think some of them have an external speaker, but I’m not sure it would be loud enough for my needs. (The book has to be louder than my sewing machine at full speed!) The Creative TravelSound i80 doesn’t get crazy loud, but so far, it’s almost always loud enough for me!  (In fact, in my worry that I won’t find another great system, I totally ordered another Creative speaker from Amazon…as a back-up in case mine dies! Haha, what a worry-wart! And I guess if my iPod dies, I’ll have to turn to eBay?)

If you find a newer system that works, let me know! And I’ll do likewise! :)

(PS On my super-loud riding lawn mower, I use earbuds!)

Things I Love Thursday: Audiobooks

In my various attempts at blogging before, I’ve chatted about my love of audiobooks, but this will be the first time, I believe, on Frankfully. :)

I love audiobooks.

I listen to them while I’m working on the house, while I’m painting, while I’m sewing, while I’m cooking, while I’m driving, while I’m mowing the lawn, and while I’m in the shower.  And probably more times.

I don’t usually just sit and listen to books (which is what most people think when I say I listen to audiobooks), I listen to them while I’m doing other things. But sometimes they’re so good, I do end up just sitting and listening till the good part’s over.

It started while Brandon and I were dating in college. He lived in Lafayette, IN, and I lived in Chicago. That 2 hour drive back and forth and back and forth could be pretty sleepy at times. And then someone told me to listen to Harry Potter.

It was amazing. Jim Dale, the reader, really made the story come to life. His reading and J.K. Rowling’s writing made listening to that book like watching a movie in my head, while driving my car! Amazing. And since I was invested in the story, I didn’t get sleepy.

My addiction to audiobooks got worse when I was out of college and started sewing more (as a part-time source of income).  I’d watch TV while I sewed, but the problem was…I’d end up watching TV instead of sewing.  I remembered my dad used to buy us tapes (cassette tapes!) of Fibber McGee and Molly radio shows for our road trips when I was a kid. So I started listening to those, then I remembered audiobooks! Cha-ching! Interesting stories that helped keep my focus on whatever project I was sewing. And as a bonus, having something great to listen to helped me get through all the boring parts of sewing that would usually lose my interest.

Which is how my addiction to audiobooks became complete. Boring wall to paint? Audiobook. Stuck in traffic and want to scream? No problem: more time for audiobook. Have to cut yards and yards of fabric into multitude of squares to eventually turn into handbags? Audiobook. Gotta mow an acre of lawn? Audiobook. In fact, is there someone else’s lawn I can cut while I’m at it? :) You get the idea.

Thank goodness for the iPod. You know what? I’ll post about the means to my audiobook addiction later. And I’ll post about what I read/listen to. For now, maybe try an audiobook out yourself!  I get mine from the library in CD form or by digital download. I love you, library!  Good ones that I want to keep or good ones that the library doesn’t have, I get from Amazon.  There’s Audible, too, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet.

Read an audiobook! ;)