Merry (chockfull!) Month of May

Hello hello!

Wow, I was absent for a long time there.
A month and then some, to be exact.
But you have to understand, I was suuuuper busy and updating my blog just fell by the wayside.
To make it up to ya'll, I will now give an overview of just what it was I was so busy with in May, starting with...

1) Origami Lucky Stars
As I'd mentioned briefly back in April, I had been slated to help decorate for CWS's annual Spring Fling adults-only dance. In my mind, I was envisioning making a bunch of little origami lucky stars that would hang off branches throughout the gym in a woodland-esque scene.
Unfortunately, after a couple of weeks of feverishly folding 200+ stars, the Spring Fling got cancelled suddenly, so I was a bit left in the lurch.
Nah, not really.
I ended up giving a few away for Mei's 11th birthday (お誕生日おめでとう！), incorporating them into Japanese lessons and Sunday School class and...this!

Rainbow order, of course.

So yeah, I now consider myself quite an expert at Lucky Star creation, so if you ever wanna learn, just let me know! I work with 8"+ long strips cut to 1/2" but my goal is to get down to 5 mm to use in jewelry and the like ;)

2) Student Exodus
Some of you may recall my 2016 New Year's Resolution post back in January, wherein I mentioned wanting to do something to divert waste during the great student move-out happening in June. Well, after thinking about it over five months, I finally came up with a plan which I set into motion the third day of May.

The doorhangers come with move-out timeline/calendar and two complimentary bags

I pretty much adopted what OSU does for their on-campus residents, and tweaked it to work for the Greek houses (frats and sororities) that I targeted for this. The idea is that the students can turn their move-out into more of a donation drive, with their unwanted items going to local non-profits and families in need.
 I dished out the resources and materials for 1000 "move-out kits" total, but at this point have only handed out 400 or so between a dozen or so Greek houses. Oh, well. The leftovers can be used for next year too ;)
Next week will really be the busy week of winging by the houses and picking up the items to redistribute.
I'm nervous but excited! It's the first year anyone's done this (from what I can tell) and I've gotten lots of positive responses from folks I've told. The GT will even be covering it too, so yay!
Watch out for more updates on that next week and beyond ;)

3) Audiobooks
So between these two repetitive and time-consuming tasks, I've found myself with a lot of time to listen to audiobooks!
Within three weeks, I listened to:
George Orwell's "1984"
Jane Austen's "Pride & Prejudice"
Paulo Coelho's "The Alchemist"
and now I'm 30 minutes away from finishing a podfic for the BBC Sherlock show called "Disregard the Danger."

I love audiobooks for their multi-tasking capabilities, and I must say that I have a couple of preferences when it comes to them.
Firstly, I like one reader to narrate the entire book, doing all the characters' voices and everything. None of this "cast of voice actors to do all the characters" B.S. ;P
I also like them to be hella long. "The Alchemist" was just over four hours long which was too short for me, sir.

Anyway, I don't know what I'll be listening to next, but I'll be sure to share it when I'm done.

4) Art
There was also quite a lot of art done this month!
Ella, the resident artist of the family, has been developing her style more and more, especially with the help of a new desk (thank god for curbside finds!) and her Pokemon book.
Here's one drawing of hers that particularly tickles me pink, which she did for my 32nd birthday:

Rick & Morty forever and ever.

Just look at Morty's cheek! It's bulging from the cake that's in his mouth. Awesome, right?? :D
Myself, I've been working a lot with the local schools and artists groups, but got to do something I'd never done before! I worked with the Corvallis Drink & Draw Social Group!
The group usually meets at a pub or other such location to draw in a social setting. But they'd never had a themed session with a clothed model so I got to be their first one :)
The theme was "Cowgirl" and it was a lovely time with a super lovely and talented group.
Below are two pieces created by the lady who runs it, the very talented Patricia Smith:

Held each pose for 30 min. Not bad! :D

Jason Courtney also shared some with their Facebook group page, that you can see here. Wow, so talented!!!

5) Lamprey Creek
As for an outdoor activity, I'd like to share with you what we have been up to as far as Lamprey Creek.
Thanks to the proactive and wonderful Tess Hoffman, CWS will be an official contributor to the restoration of the newly named Lamprey Creek in MLK Jr. Park here in Corvallis.
What that means is on the first Saturday of May we helped clear away the blackberry bushes chocking up the creek; and last Saturday we helped set up and take down the official awakening ceremony.
It's good to show the kids that volunteerism is what makes the world go 'round, especially for such a noble cause as this.

Ella sporting her CWS shirt!

It was a good time, and I look forward to coming back in the fall to help plant a garden or two! :D

Those were pretty much the main things I thought I'd share from the month of May.
I feel I ought to share a recent photo of William too, so here he is on May 1st at our church's "Lego Day" event:

So excited with his teacher Miss Louise.

I've also been playing a lot of piano, and even memorized a beautiful piece by Brian Crain in just one week! It's called "At the Ivy Gates" and it's just lovely.
I also hope to pick back up Amelie's "Comptine d'Un Autre Été" and hopefully a Rick & Morty song or two!!!!! I suddenly feel like I can do it! Wish me luck~!

 Oh, I also got to translate the remaining volumes of this super sweet manga called "Kilala Princess":

かわいい〜♡

Can't wait to read it to Ella. I think she'd really take to the art and storytelling devices~

We also had three families over for dinner on three different weekends, which is pretty big for us, but something that we definitely want (need!) to do more often.
We've discovered that the trick is making it a "build your own ____" kind of dinner. Examples include "build your own burrito" and "build your own sandwich." "Build your own pizza" is a good one too ;)

Well, that is all I have to say about May.
June is gonna be awesome busy in its own way and hopefully I'll be better about updating so that I don't have to dump a bunch of stuff on you in one go. :D

Til then, thanks for stopping by, take care and Happy Merry (chockfull!) Month of May!!

Sunny Sunday :)

Hello again!

So last I wrote, I mentioned how Ella was having a sleepover with her buddy Beatrix.

As expected, it went fabulously!
Honestly, barely felt like anything was that different from usual, everything was just so absolutely seamless. :)
I really ought to have taken more photos, because they did everything from dancing ballet, to playing the yard, coming to Church this morning, and everything in between. William was even included in most of their play, making for a harmonious little trio of kiddos.

The gloriously sunny weather really helped facilitate that, as it just generally gave a light 'n' happy air to the place :)

While on one our our jaunts outside, the kids made these little daisy caterpillars:

I was considering videotaping them giving a tutorial on how to make them :D

Church, in particular, was very sweet because it was Family Service day, and Ella was really into it. She even requested a Hymnal to follow along with the singing. NICE!
And William signed his little name in the Friendship Booklet they have in every pew to see who's joining them that particular Sunday.
He did such a bang-up job, I asked him to recreate it when we got home:

"WILLIAM" or more literally "AIIWLLM"

Not bad, if I do say so myself! :D
Reminds me of when Ella was starting to copy little word, and her letters didn't obey the left-to-right orientation that the English language follows. Ha!

Speaking of the kids putting pen to paper, I thought I'd take a little snapshot of a doodle Ella did today:

"The Jewel Pokemon"

That's right, Pokemon is back, in a big way for the kiddos! Particularly because Dash's birthday gift for Ella came in yesterday: The Pokemon Deluxe Essential Handbook!!!
The kids spent many an hour drooling over the in-depth analyses of every Pokemon, and I can foresee Ella incorporating it into her drawings now.


It really was just an overall lovely weekend, and a great way to start off the coming week.
I hope you all enjoyed your Sunday/weekend too and I will catch you next time!
Til then, take care and Happy Sunny Sunday!!

Reads of Summer 2105

Hey there, ho there~!


So some posts ago, I had mentioned all these books I've been reading, yeah?
I'm thinking the reason I've been able to reach (for pleasure!) so much more than usual is because of really taking advantage of my Kindle!

Thanks to my aunt and cousin, I was recommended the following stellar titles:

1) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
A romance-mystery set in 1940's Barcelona~! The perfect read to accompany my first weeks here in Spain. My cousin and I are such fans of it, that we are going to take a book tour themed on it, that will take us through the city, hitting up real sites featured in the book! Just a lovely read, when all is said and done :)

2) The Physician by Noah Gordon
Set in a time period I haven't really read much about (1100's!) it's a fascinating glimpse at life in England and then the Middle East during the Middle Ages. It's what inspired me to get juggling this summer! And and the real kicker is that Mr. Noah Gordon is a Massachusetts man who even gives thanks to Smith College in the Afterword for their help with the research for the period.

3) Momo by Michael Ende
By the author of The Neverending Story! A much shorter read than the others with real fantastic elements, the moment I read page one, I knew this was a book I'd have to read to the children. Just a delight and an inspiration, I must say, on the merits of enjoying time rather than rushing around. Just finished reading it to Ella tonight. ;)


Besides these novels, I've always read a smattering of fanfics, from HTTYD-ROTG to Kingsman. :D
And a bunch of 同人誌~~~

That is all for now~
I'm starting "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde right now, and not yet totally enthralled in it, but holding on because, well, it must be a classic for a reason, right? :/

Besides having read "Momo" as the nightly bedtime story to the kids, I spent almost all of July reading this epic fanfiction about an OC in the Pokemon world, that was literally 55 chapters @_@ That's really long for a fanfic, for those of you unfamiliar with them. It was called "Spirited" and when all is said and done, I honestly can't say that I recommend it @_@ Even if you are a Pokemon fan...

I've also had pretty good reception reading books from the library to the children that that I read in both languages, the original Castellano and then my English translation. Even hazarded a few Catalan books this way! :D

I think the next thing I'll read them is this little beauty here:

"Mil Años de Cuentos"  is a collection of stories and legends that are perfect for reading aloud as my cousins were pretty much brought up on it :)


Are you all having a successful literary summer? :D
What good books have you read lately?
I would love to hear about it!!

Until then, take care and Happy Reads of Summer 2015!!

The Poisonwood Bible

Hello, hello!

It probably feels like a long time since I made a post about a book I've read, but it's not because I'm not reading books...just not posting about it or plain not finishing them yet. ;)

The last book I read was Proof of Heaven by Dr. Eben Alexander.

I read it while on our trip to D.C. for the Leonada (the family reunion on my grandmother's side of the family) back in August/Sept.

It was a lovely read, soothing and reassuring if you choose to believe in the kind of afterlife the author allegedly experienced. Which I have chosen to do. I don't know why I never made a post about it -- maybe it's because I don't feel I can write about it without giving it away or fear of failing to describe it in a way that won't make people roll their eyes with cynicism. Myself, I'm not one to think about near-death experiences or ponder the afterlife, so this book was very different from what I usual read, and one that I am glad I picked up. My mother's recommendation, no surprise there ;)

If you have a moment and are interested in stretching your mind a bit in a direction you don't usually let it go in, then do yourself a favor and pick up this book.
It's a quick read, especially when you read the large print edition which I just so happen to be a fan of. ;)

Now for the most recent book I just finished:
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

The second Barbara Kingsolver book I've ever been exposed to, but definitely not the last. I aim to read every book of hers that our library carries, if possible. Her prose is so beautiful, bordering on poetry a lot of the time, and always touching upon a myriad of issues that strike a chord with me, even if I don't always recognize that they do beforehand.

I am proud to say that I was able to finish this book in four days while knitting Christmas presents, taking brisk walks, bicycling, and working at the college all at the same time.
How, you ask? Because I technically listened to an audio version of it that I got from audible.com.

My first really good audiobook experience was listening to Douglas Adams' The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul which we listened to in the car with my mom on some long roadtrip somewhere in our early teens... I want to say it was when college-hunting, but I think I was too young for that then. Hmm... Either way, that was the first one and ever since that, I've had a deep appreciation for audiobooks.

Another recent good audiobook was The Road by Cormac McCarthy.
Also a library rental and one that Dash and I enjoyed every evening in bed while Ella Rose slept next to us. It was good to be able to enjoy a book simultaneously like that together so that we could discuss it the next day and always be on the same "page" in it. Though it was hardly an uplifting title, phew!

The narrator for The Poisonwood Bible was the perfect choice because either she naturally had a faint Southern accent or was just really good at mimicking one, because most of the characters in the book are from Georgia and she did a great job with them.
There are themes of conquest-submission, growing up and out from under your parents' influence, the hardships of motherhood, and family bonds in general.

It was a very rich read and I look forward to getting another audiobook soon that I can enjoy while walking the dog or hopping the bike for a quick errand. Just a nice little companion to take on such outings. Or, better yet, listening to while knitting on the sofa and such.

Before that, though, I have to finish this collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman that I am borrowing from a friend. I like reading one little story every night before turning out the light. It's so nice reading good old fiction after what was a pretty long stint of non-fiction.

Oh, well! You learn lots from either type, I think.

Until next time, take care, happy reading and Happy Poisonwood Bible!

Two Books Read!

Howdy all,

I'm happy to announce that I recently finished two books this past week.
One fiction, one nonfiction.

I actually got the large print edition from the library ;)

The fiction title was "World War Z" by Max Brooks.
Just in time for the film coming out tomorrow!!
Kathy originally read this back in early spring, and told me lots about it, but I had to read it myself before I got watch the movie.
I really enjoyed this book, because it was formatted as though there had been a war against zombies and the author was holding interviews with survivors of the experience -- so I didn't have to worry about beloved characters dying or anything. They're all alive to tell the story!
The way that the book is a compilation of at least a dozen or so interviews with people from all walks of life and all regions of the world makes me wonder how they are going to do a film adaptation of it... I've seen exactly one trailer for it that featured Brad Pitt so I guess they're going to turn him into some kind of central main character~? We'll see...
The book was a fascinating account of how the world might react to any major crisis, not just the unlikely zombie scenario. Like how, when it comes to rebuilding society from the ground up, it's not "creative directors" and "stock analysts" we'll need, but masons and farmers -- people with the old skillz who can create what we honestly need to survive (shelter, food, etc).
All in all, a great read~!!

The other title was "Affluenza" by John de Graaf, David Wann, and Thomas H Naylor.
I actually started this book back in, what, April? So it's taken me a while to get through it, but very much worth it!
It's based on this PBS special, so that's kind of interesting that it's a book that came after a film. But anyway, it basically breaks down the aspects of the US lifestyle that are bad for our wallets, our health, and our planet. The lifestyle being namely the obsessive quest for material gain. The book treats these aspects as symptoms of a disease (affluenza) and covers the root(s) to it, the current problems it's causing, and then "remedies" for it.
It's a lot of information -- some depressing, some hopeful -- and all-in-all a reminder of why I am choosing the kind of life I have: my aspirations to be even less car-dependent, working less to make family and community more of a priority, and hoping to raise my children in a way that does not lead to them having affluenza either.
I know I'm doing a crummy job describing this book, but do yourself a favor and either watch the documentary (also available at the Corvallis library!) or read the book.
And then talk to me about it -- I'd love to discuss it! :)

That's all for now.
I now just started a book on parenting/commercialism -- right in line with those other socioeconomic books I read earlier this spring ("Radical Homemakers", and "Your Money Or Your Life"), right? ;)

Til then, take care and Happy Books Read!!

Radical Homemakers

Hey there~!

So this post is about a week overdue.
I finally finished Radical Homemakers, which is feels like I'd been reading since some time in Winter @_@
I can't remember which friend inspired me to read it, but I know at least two ladies who have read and recommended it. And with good reason!

Here is what I have to say about this incredible book:

Radical Homemakers looks at a number of different Americans in their quest to "reclaim domesticity from a consumer culture" from varying situations (old, young, East Coast, no kids, totally off-grid, living in L.A., etc. etc.) and explores how we got where we are; why we might want to consider reclaiming some kind of "domesticity" (or more importantly, break away from this consumption-based culture); and how to go about it.

I especially liked the second half of the book that covers how to go about pursuing a life of a radical homemaker, because it didn't give some kind of step-by-step program of what particular activities to engage in or classes to take. It was more about the mindset. The perseverance it takes. The mental hurdles to overcome to look at our lives and ask ourselves if we are really living in tune with our values. I also liked that the author, Shannon Hayes, was very realistic about the realities that come with a more "outside the box" lifestyle as the ones described, where it's not all "feed the chickens in the warmth of the rising sun while the children are happily setting the table for a wholesome breakfast of homegrown oats and Papa strums a merry tune on the banjo" (this isn't a direct quote from the book, just something akin to what she wrote). It's hard work, where a clean house probably isn't going to happen, energy levels take dips, children bicker and refuse to cooperate, and convenience food will be resorted to. I just really liked that realistic and forgiving look at the whole picture of these "radical homemakers".

And all in all, it inspired me to challenge myself to do more for my family and for my community not through dollars earned/spent but through fostering friendships, building skills, and finding the good things in life that are free. That's why Ella and I got our (tiny) garden started, the Clothing Swap stepped it up a notch, and I have my eye on more urban gleaning this summer!

If you are interested in all things anti-consumer culture and pro-DIY, check out this book.
I would like to recommend this for a Book Club -- but first I have to join one, right?? :D

What have you been reading these days?

Until next time, take care and Happy Radical Homemakers!

Another book read!

Howdy, howdy

So I just finished this book in less than a week!
Thank you, Nana, for being the kids' main playmate these days, thereby giving me time to actually kick back and consume a book.
That, plus the book was all of 144 pages. Teeny tiny.

The book is called "Put Your Life on a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet" by Gregory Paul Johnson.
I was intrigued because I'm on a bit of a minimalism kick (thanks to Kathy) and came across it while browsing the "self-help/simplicity" section of the library.

Mr. Johnson definitely made good points on how simple living is better for you, your community, and the world in general...though it didn't necessarily teach me anything I didn't already know. He talks about shrinking your utility bill by saving water and turning off the lights, etc etc. and the health benefits of opting for a bicycle over a car. All stuff that I know and (try to) live by. But there were definitely some gold nuggets mixed in with all the "heard this before" material.

One thing it really re-inspired me to get even more serious about being car-free. He shares a story of something his father told him which was pretty much "it takes less time to get from Des Moines to Iowa City by bike than by car". When his son, Gregory Johnson, asks him how this can be, his father points out that nobody considers all the time and energy it takes to acquire a car in the first place. All the hours it takes to work a job to earn the money needed to afford the car to then be able to take your trip from De Moines to Iowa City. A bicycle costs a fraction of a car, so you can be on your way in far less time. And so, it can take less time in the long run to go by bike than by car in many situations.
I liked that little story and the point that the father made.
"Put Your Life on a Diet" talked a lot about stuff like that -- your life energy vs. financial gains dichotomy. He mentions this book "Your Money Or Your Life" by Vicki Robin too, which I just checked out of the library! I'm going to read that next.

Apparently, I'm on something of an economics kick. Because I'm also reading "Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture" by Shannon Hayes. I feel that the title says it all, but it really has me pumped about trying to detach myself from standard economic spending practices to save money or at least divert it to causes that I believe in (local economy, etc). Fascinating!

So there you have it.
A couple of books that I am interested in and would recommend.
"Put Your Life on a Diet" is good for a quick read and if you need to refresh your goals of a simpler life, and it doesn't make you feel like you should be living in 140 square feet. Just working toward something like that ;)

Anyway, take care and I hope you have time to read too -- it feels great!
Until next time, Happy Book reading!!

Books of 2012

Hey, everybody.

So I just (re)discovered this list I had been keeping on my bedside table.
It's a list of all the books I've read since January 2011 in chronological order.
That is, all the books I've read since mid-pregnancy all the way to today.
I thought I would take this time to share it with you here, with accompanying milestones of the past year as well as impressions, etc.

Here goes!


(1) The Passage by Justin Cronin
Ugh, such a scary book for me. I was reading it while Dash was away so this must have been late last January. Wow, about a year ago on the dot! Anyway, it really got under my skin and into my head and put me in a bad space, so I quit reading it before the end. Which I have no regrets about whatsoever, so nyah!

(2) Into The Forest by Jean Hegland
Such a good book!!!!! It was the local "ResNet" (Resilience Network) that mentioned the book on one of the email newsletters I received. The lady who recommended it pointed out that it's an apocalypse scenario minus the typical "savior man who rescues the group" scenario. I, in turn, recommended it to my twin sis, Kathy, who also ate it right up and we have since shared many a memory about this remarkable story. I read it as a part of my 2012 (Doom's Day Preparation) New Year Resolution ;)

(3) The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
I read this at the recommendation of the local ladies' Book Club that I meant to join. I was down with a cold or something because I remember many an uninterrupted hour of reading this on the sofa in the living room. Just my kind of book, where you follow the lives of many generations of people. Highly recommend it!

(4) Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
Kathy read this book waaaaaay back in high school, and I don't know how I came across it but I finally decided to read it myself. It was...an okay read. I would have probably enjoyed it and been titillated by it more in high school like Kathy was, but oh well. Not a complete waste of time.

(5) Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin
It was about this time that I was getting into mega baby-mode for the impending birth of William. So this must have been around early March or so. Great for all the accounts of births on The Farm. Everyone feeling all "high" and "groovy" all the time -- love the dated lingo :D The second half of the book is more like a manual on how to care for pregnant women and deliver babies (a real midwife's handbook!) but I was more into the story at this point, not the know-how.

(6) Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert E. Bradley
Dash and I had read this book while pregnant with Ella Rose very early on it really shaped our philosophy on the kind of birth we wanted to have. I re-read it last March just to refresh my memory on the stages of birth and such. Every expectant mother should read this book if they want to have an empowered birth.

(7) Permission to mother: going beyond the standard-of-care to nurture our children by Denise Punger
Another baby-related book, but also about childrearing. I didn't really learn anything new here. It was just to stroke my ego that I was doing things right by going the "attachment parenting" way because this doctor-turned-mother backed up all the theories of AP with hard biological evidence. Buya.

(8) Blankets by Craig Thompson
I had read this comic back in college right after it had hit the headlines, and was so moved by it that it brought me to tears. Then I bought a copy and got it signed for my birthday a couple of years back (as seen here!) but never re-read it. Only kept it all untouched and pristine on my shelf. But then out of the blue, right before William was born (so this must be eaaaaarly April), I decided to re-read it. And sadly enough it simply didn't strike me the same way it had when I was in college. Am I getting old and cynical? I hope not...

(9) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
This was the book I read in the days following William's birth, so mid-April. I had a lot of time on my hands with all the resting and sleeping-baby-watching I was doing. Dash had read his back during our honeymoon in '08 but I finally picked it up on my babymoon. Ha! I just noticed that "moon" coincidence. Funny~ Anyway, it's a fantastically inspirational book that made me want to start a garden right then and there. And did I? ...Well, no, but this is the year that becomes a reality!! 

(10) Infant Potty Training Basics by Laurie Boucke
I probably re-read this in William's first month of life because I pretty much started elimination communicating with him in his first week, but felt like I could use a refresher and some good advice again. I had read this back when Ella Rose was 6 months old or so, and it's definitely a good book for those interested in trying EC with their little ones.

(11) Siblings Without Rivalry by Adele Faber & Elizabeth Mazlish
I also read this within William's first month of life because frankly I was not having an easy time adjusting to having a second baby. I mean it, Ella Rose was my world. So when William came along, she was not having it and I was not knowing what to do! This book is gold. Granted, it doesn't cover much about "introducing baby" but it does have great advice for raising multiple kids in general, in a way that respects each child's personhood and brings harmony to a family. Recommended to me by the fantastic Melissa & Julie. ♡

(12) Beyond the Sling by Mayim Bialik
This mus have been around June or so, when my mother-in-law came to visit. I guess I was feeling like I needed some "expert" advice to have on-hand as reference to justify my parenting approach. Mayim was the star actress on the show "Blossom" from the 90's for those who remember, but she then went on to get a PhD in neuroscience and her education also helped shape her philosophies as an attached parent. Loved it. And never really had to refer to it to justify anything. Go figure!

(13) Going Green: True Tales from Gleaners, Scavengers & Dumpster Divers edited by Laura Pritchett
Ah, yes. The most vivid memory I have regarding this book is riding in the back of the new camper on our way down to our friends' wedding in Pasadena. I randomly saw it on the "Staff Picks" table at the library and it simply called to me. Probably because it was that time of year when all the college kids bail and leave behind all this valuable stuff by the side of the road. I was in scavenging mode.

(14) Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Some time before our trip down, I watched a documentary on OPB about the advent of Earth Day and the whole environmental movement of the 70's. And many a time, this book was mentioned, so I checked it out from the library before we made our journey, and read quite a bit of this on the way down and back up. Truth be told, I didn't read it to the very end, but really it was getting a little redundant toward the end, reiterating how bad chemicals are for wildlife and, in turn, ourselves. Still, I did learn new things and overall it felt good to be reading something that inspired such a monumental shift in the national psyche.

(15) Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer
Another EC book! Now I'm confused. I must have written this out of order on my list, because I could have sworn that I was also reading this while my mother-in-law was visiting. Or, at least, it was in the bathroom during her stay, because I remember wondering if she'd glimpsed the title and wondered what on earth we were up to. But just as with "Beyond the Sling", no comments were made. Huh.

(16) Infant Potty Training by Laurie Boucke
That's right. Another EC book. With Ella Rose, I was committed to EC, but for some reason, with William I feel down right devoted. It feels like I am explaining it and sharing it with more people than ever, so I am trying to get as much literature about it under my belt as I can. I am not quite sure when I got to reading this one -- I guess it was over the course of late summer. It's a big one. The version that I read back in number (10) was just the parred down version, roughly 1/4 its size. The full Infant Potty Training manual is mega thick. Anyway, I feel that it is worth it to look into EC and our local library has plenty of wonderful resources on it.

(17) Undressed Art: Why We Draw by Peter Steinhart
Flashforward to just after Christmas. That's when I read this book. Which means I was 100% bookless for the entirety of autumn and early winter. Eegad, what was I up to?? I'm not quite sure... Anyway, I already wrote about this book back at this post. And the reason I picked it up is because I'm passionate about figure drawing and maybe even have a future in writing something about it... More on that later I'm sure ;)

(18) People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry
Already wrote about it here.

(19) Diaper Free Baby by Christine Gross-Loh
And now for the book I am reading right now.
I'm pretty sure that once I'm done with this book I will have read not only every book on the topic of EC that our library carries, but every book on EC that is out there. Since I might be giving a talk on this at the Live & Learn With Your Baby class that I am taking with William, and I really inundating myself with all things EC (reading it, doing it more consistently, using EC wear -- more on that in tomorrow's post!!)


Phew!
And now those are all the books I have read from January 2012 to January 2013.
I can't believe it was close to 20!!!!
I guess it comes in waves. And I'm glad that most of the books are ones I would recommend. Nothing worse than reading a book and, by the end, feeling like it was not even all that worth it to read...

Well, I hope you check out some of my recommendations and until tomorrow -- Happy Reading!!

People Who Eat Darkness

Greetings, all.

Pardon the creepy post title, but that is the name of the book I recently finished.
People who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--and the Evil That Swallowed Her Up is the entire title (phew!) and it's by Richard Lloyd Parry, a reporter who covered this bizarre case from beginning to end.

I was recommended by this book by a good friend, and she was right when she said it was hard to put down. It's over 400 pages long and I finished it in a week! Very atypical for me, indeed. Especially post-child! That says something about the energy of the book, wouldn't you say?

Before I first went to Japan in 2004, I remember my mom trying to scare me with the tale of this "young blonde woman whose body was found chopped up under a tub on the beach". Gruesome, yes, but lo! It's that very same story! Who'd have thought it would show up in my life again? Only this time, it's not just hearsay -- this book is so thorough I really feel like an expert on the subject on this young lady, Lucie Blackman.
And it's nuts to think that I was in Japan during this case's hearings and never caught wind of it... Hmm.

What I found most intriguing about this book, was its explanations of the Japanese police and judicial systems. Fascinating. And this is coming from someone who never thought she would be interested in things like court cases, let alone those of another country. Well, this book has just turned that all around.

Coupled with my recent dive into Sherlock Holmes (as I mentioned a couple posts back), I am really finding myself intrigued by things like investigations, unsolved mysteries, and the power that seemingly small observations can have in cracking a case!

I highly recommend this book to those who want a good read.