Hello Japan! Appreciate Japanese Film

Hello Japan! “is a monthly mini-challenge focusing on Japanese literature and culture. Each month there will be a new task which relates to some aspect of life in Japan. Anyone is welcome to join in any time”  hosted by tanabata of In Spring it is the Dawn.

I discovered this mini-challenge in the beginning of February.  Since my 14 year old daughter, EM,  is interested in Japan, I thought this could be a fun thing to do with her.

For February, tanabata asked us to appreciated Japanese film.  She gave us some ideas, EM and I went with viewing two films.  To read about her other ideas, and to view other participants posts click on Hello Japan! February.



Departures
Language: Japanese
Subtitles: English
Release Date: 2008

Product Description:
When his orchestra disbands, Daigo Kobayashi moves back to his hometown and takes a job preparing corpses for burial. Too embarrassed to admit his new career to his family, Daigo keeps his profession a secret, until he’s faced with the death of someone close to him. Academy Award Winner for Best Foreign Film.


At first,  I thought Departures’ subtitles would be distracting, they were not.  I appreciated hearing the Japanese language while reading the English, and that aspect, I feel, added to my positive viewing experience.  It added to the whole culture of the movie.

The movie was far more entertaining than the description would lead you to believe.  I found the story to be touching and just plain good.  There were times that the acting was a bit much, and I just had to laugh.  EM laughed as well.  However, overall, the movie was well worth the viewing.  I will add, viewing this movie with EM was a simple pleasure for me, I am glad I took this time with her.



Spirited Away
Japanese Animation
Written and  Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Language:  English
Release Date: 2001

Product Description from Wikipedia:
The film follows a sullen ten-year-old girl who is in the process of moving to a new town (presumably in the countryside) with her family, and chronicles her adventures in a world of spirits and monsters.



I chose this animation for my girls, most specifically for EJ, my 10 year old daughter.  She loves to draw and watch this type of animation. When I asked her to watch the movie with me, she exclaimed, “That is my favorite movie!”    I was surprised to hear that because I have not heard of the movie before taking on this mini-challenge. When I first started viewing the movie, I did not expect to like it as much as I did. 

Not only was Spirited Away incredibly entertaining, it carried a wonderful message  of strength, courage, and doing what is right. The animation was absolutely fantastic, it was not cheesy, or over the top. The dialogue, animation and plot line flowed throughout the film. I was entertained right from the start all the way through to the end.  I can see why Spirited Away is one of daughter’s favorite animated films.  It has now become a favorite of mine.

Spirited Away is a wonderful film for family viewing.
A film that I would like to own.



February’s mini-challenge was to appreciate Japanese film.  I can say, without a doubt, that is exactly what I did.  I appreciated Japanese film.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

Sarah’s Key
by Tatiana De Rosnay
copyright 2007
pages 293
Source: Purchased book
Read for Historical Fiction Reading Challenge and Royal Reviews

Back Cover:
Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

First Sentence:
The girl was the first to hear the loud pounding on the door.

Sarah's Key is a beautifully written story that alternates between the lives of Julia and Sarah. Two women who were born decades apart, in different countries. Two women who were effected by the Holocaust, one in a far greater degree. The alternating stories of these women was easily followed as their lives seamlessly and smoothly intertwined. Their stories spoke to my heart and mind.

As I became completely and thoroughly swept into the story, I learned about a horrible time in France's history,Velodrome d’Hiver Roundup (known as Vel’ d’Hiv’) . The arrest of 3,031 men, 5,802 women and 4,051 children took place on July 16 - 17 1942. The injustice, and indignities fell upon these Jews as they waited at Vel’ d’Hiv’, transported to the internment camp at Drancy and finally sent on to Auschwitz, to their deaths. The French police were directly responsible for the arrests, and detention. This piece of French history was not taught about in schools, citizens did not talk of it, it was not nationally recognized. In 1995, The French President, Jacques Chirac officially recognized France's role in Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup.

Photo Source: Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence

The foremost thing that I took away from this book is the resounding necessity to remember. To remember the Holocaust, to honor those who were the victims of a most horrible crime, who were treated as less than human, and were cruelly murdered in the camps of Auschwitz. Those who were detained, and murder are not the only ones to remember as we should also remember those whose lives were personally touched by the victims. We should also remember the family of the survivors as well as those who helped the Jews to escape the horrors of the camps. We should also remember those who helped the survivors piece back their lives. We should never forgot this horrible time in history.



Photo Source: Holocaust-History.org
A child, Francine Beirach, who was arrested during the Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup

The author, while stating that she did not write Sarah's Key as historical fiction, did a wonderful job weaving the enormity of the Vel’ d’Hiv’ Roundup into the story through the fictional eyes of Sarah, and Julia. Ms. De Rosnay instilled the feeling of current times as if the characters were historically real. I was swept into the emotions of Sarah, and Julia's lives. I felt the confusion, horror, and sadness. I wept.

There is depth, and intrigue throughout the story.
Sarah's Key is a story not to be missed.

Zakhor. Al Tichkah.
(Remember. Never forget.)

Reagan Arthur Books Challenge

Kathy at BermudaOnion and Julie at Booking Mama are hosting a perpetual reading challenge with no minimums, no time limit. This challenge is specific for books from the Reagan Arthur Books imprint.

Yes, I am signing up for another challenge. Hmmm….thinking I may be a little off my rocker. Oh well, I do want to read several titles that are apart of this challenge. What better reason is there to join a challenge? Besides, there is no time limit or required number of books.

You can read which books are apart of the Reagan Arthur Books, sign-up, and find links of reviews from other participants at the Reagan Arthur Books Challenge blog.

I will list the books I have read for the challenge here on this post.

Happy Birthday Tea Party

My sister, mom, and I enjoy having tea parties. For the most part, we have tea parties with our children to celebrate special moments; big, and small.

Wednesday, February 24th, marked the day that my niece, SA, was born five years ago! She will have her birthday party on Saturday, but we could not let the day pass without some sort of celebration.

We had a Happy Birthday Tea Party. A simple party, yet one that highlighted and celebrated SA.

For our tea party we had; egg salad sandwiches (mom made, and a staple at our tea parties), chopped salad (we do love salad), orange slices, grapes, fancy cookies (I keep forgetting the brand name, but never forget what the package looks like while at the store), and, of course, tea served out of a tea pot into mom’s tea cups.

The cookies and fruit were displayed on a tiered plate, while the sandwiches were on a platter. Mom’s American Girl Doll dressed in their Olympic outfits were displayed on the table along with a vase of flower.

The girls, SA, SM and GD had great fun! Oh yes, the tea party would not be complete without some added culture. This party’s culture came in the form of the girls, dressed up in their ballet outfits, watching a DVD ballet class, and dancing along.

It was a fun Wednesday afternoon, celebrating SA’s 5th Birthday!

Sometimes….I feel guilty

Life of Mom: make breakfast, lunch, dinner, do laundry, housework, etc….Not for me! I do not always happily do these areas of motherhood. Actually, many times I loathe the idea that I have to do these things, most especially, since I do have children who are capable. So, I have them help. Their actual help is not always given willingly, but I hold my ground, they help.

Sometimes….sometimes, I feel guilty. I feel guilty that I am not a cheerful, and shiny morning mom. I am a mom who rolls out of bed because I have to get the bare basics done before the children head off to school. Shiny, I am not. Cheerful, not quite.

The bare basics? That would be IJ. Out of the four who leave the home by 0730, IJ is the one who is dependant upon me to get him up, dress him, feed him, pack his lunch, get his coat on, and out the door on time. He, thankfully, complies. Still though, he needs the assist. The girls, well, they are where I feel a bit of guilt. They wake up (to their own alarm clocks), make their breakfast (if they eat, which they are doing lately, thankfully), make their lunch and get out the door on time without any reminders from me. They truly are independent in this area of life. That is great, but sometimes I feel guilty that I do not help them, at all. Well, sometimes in a blue moon, I do help. Still though, a mom should make their kids breakfast with a smiling face. Right? A mom should pack the lunches with a smiling face. Right? A mom should send the children off to school with a kiss, hug, and smiling face. Right? The last statement has made me laugh. The 14 year old and 12 year old are not into the hugs and kisses, they cringe each time I make them participate in this activity, but a smiling face would be good, and accepted by them.

No worries though, my guilt ridden moments only last for a few seconds. I suppose, ultimately, I do not feel that guilty otherwise I would change. Also, my children are independent, is that not one of our goals as a Mom – to raise our children to be independent and reliable people? That is one of my goals.

No worries, when I do start to feel a tad guilty, my compadre co-worker will blatantly remind me that this a good thing; the children do not need my assistance in the morning. That is our goal: to raise our children to be independent and reliable people.

Yes, you do see seven children, one is Benjamin’s girlfriend, Randie.
Left to Right: IJ, Randie-Lynn, Benjamin, ED, GD, EM, EJ

Where did this post come from? This morning, my sometimes guilt ridden moment arrived, ever so briefly, with my 10 year old daughter as she gave me a hug, and kiss goodbye. The guilt ridden moment passed as quickly as it came during our morning goodbye phrase that we say to each other; “Peace and joy to you this day.”

If you are a parent, do you ever have moments of parenting guilt even when you know that all is good?

Voyageurs by Margaret Elphinstone

Voyageurs
by Margaret Elphinstone
Copyright 2003
Pages 466
Source: Library Copy
Read for Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Back Cover:
The year is 1811 and the fledgling U.S. empire is about to embark on war with Britain. Mark Greenhow, a young, peaceful Quaker, leaves northern England to find his sister, Rachel, a missionary missing and presumed dead in the wilds of wartime Canada. As a result, this thoughtful, earnest young man is thrown into a world of roughneck fur traders, British spies, and embattled Native Americans while struggling to survive in deepest Canada. Along the way, his religious convictions and familial loyalty are tested by the passion evoked in him by a beautiful young woman he encounters in his travels.

First Sentence:
Where to begin? When I look at that first letter now, the paper is soft with much folding, and the ink is beginning to turn brown.

I liked this story a whole lot. It is one of those stories that slowly and subtly drew me into the lives of the characters most especially into Mark's life. Through Mark, I was brought into the life of his sister, Rachel. With much interest, I wanted to know what happened to Rachel. I wanted to know her story. For me, Mark's stream of writing was mesmerizing. He included footnotes for which I gravitated towards. I was glad for them as they gave further insight into a location, person, event, etc. I felt the footnotes gave depth to the story while not taking away from the flow of the narration. I did enjoy reading of his interactions with the settlers, Indians and other Quakers. Mark, himself, became intriguing as I grew to love his manner of speech and thoughts along with his persistence and determination. Beyond Mark, what I really loved about Voyageurs was the setting and his travels.

Voyageurs is a French word for traveler but for this book it also directly refers to a group of men who work for a company who paddle canoes, handle baggage...they are laborers. If you are like me, and appreciate when the title for the book fits the story, you will find that Voyageurs is an appropriate title. This truly is a story about a travelers of all sorts. While Voyageurs is an historical fiction, I think I would put this story into the genre of geographical fiction. Is there such a thing? Probably not, so, I will go with historical fiction as there certainly are historical tidbits throughout.

Voyageurs gave an incredible flavor of the Canadian geography during the early 1800's. You could say, with this book, I was a bit of a geography geek. I absolutely found myself entranced with the travel from the start in England, Mark's first steps on Canadian soil, Montreal, and his voyage through Upper Canada, down into the American territory of the Great Lakes (Lake Michigan). Usually I am not into reading maps while I read a story. However, since Voyageurs greatly intrigued me with the geography, I found myself with incredible interest pouring over the one map that was included in the book. I would flip to the map to pinpoint each new location that was mentioned. By doing this, I gained a greater appreciation for the travel. Through Mark's travels I was given an idea of the hardships and beauty that surrounded those who lived during this time period, in this region. The story along with the map fed my incredible intrigue, and fascination with the geographical layout of the Great Lakes as I have forever pondered how people lived, and survived in this region without the conveniences of today.

Voyageurs is a wonderful story that I really did love.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is at all interested in reading a good historical fiction set in Canada during the early 1800’s.

St. Peter’s Church, Lent, and a Book…

February 17th was Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent. During this past week, I found myself reflecting upon the passion of Christ. I also found myself reflecting upon the very short time I spent in Israel in February 2008. I was fortunate for an opportunity to travel to Israel with my son (Ben), daughter (GD) and Dad. While there, I was able to visit and spend time with my brother and his family. I was also able to take in many historical sites along with the geography of the land. There is much about this trip that will remain with me, much that gave me a sense of awe. The one site that had a profound effect upon me was our visit into the Old City Jerusalem, more specifically St. Peter's Church in Gallicantu.

These are the doors. They are massive, engraved and awesome.


The tile mosaic throughout the church was simply breathtaking.

I remember being in complete awe of the church, of the site, of the significance that this church holds. We were able to view the area where it is thought that Jesus was imprisoned. Regardless if this is fact or not, this viewing struck me to my core. I became filled with emotion of how Christ suffered for me, for you. St. Peter's church effected me to a far greater depth than our visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. While visiting St Peter's I felt a connection. This day will forever be etched in my mind.

This is the back of the church.

This past Ash Wednesday, I started my journey through the book, Parables and Passion: Jesus' stories for the days of Lent. This book offers six weeks worth of 5 daily readings per week. Each week starts off with a parable with the following daily readings consisting of parable references, a prayer and spiritual exercise. I went though this book (almost fully) last year and found the daily readings doable and focused. I appreciate the simplicity yet meaningful layout.
Last Wednesday, While going through the first reading of the Lenten season, I was once again brought back to my remembrance of St. Peter's church as I read the following passage.

Lent offers both a remembered and an anticipated journey to those who set out on it's observance. Lent remembers those narratives in the Gospel where Jesus and the disciples slowly but decisively make their way toward Jerusalem.

My visit to St Peter's Church vividly came back along with the emotion I felt two years ago. The sacrifice of Christ is profound. I have, once again, been reminded of Christ's love and sacrifice. I have once again felt that I must spend daily time with Him.

Are you using a devotional type book to help you focus on the Lenten season? If so, which one?

Other Stuff:
St. Peter's Church in Gallicantu - this site has some wonderful photos of the church along with some great information.
Lent 2010 Calendar – a calendar of daily Lent activity ideas.
Lent/Easter 2010 – Family Conversations

Family Fun: 6 Meaningful Easter Traditions
Family Devotional Activities for Easter
Memorable Resurrection Sunday Activities

At some point before Easter, I plan on viewing, once again, The Passion of The Christ. The girls are old enough so I am going to have them view this movie with me.

I will leave you with the song that moves me. It gets me thinking.

Talented Kids….Benjamin

One of the things I embrace and celebrate about my children is the talents they each exhibit. I have decided to highlight each child and their talent(s).

Benjamin – age 19 (almost 20)

Okay…this kid took to photography about 4 years ago. This thrilled me that he showed such an interest in this area.
He took the high school photography path that I took but he is far better than I. He thought about pursuing photography as a major but has decided to take a different career path. Still, he pursues photography as a hobby for which I am glad.

These are just a few photos of his that I like.

March 6, 2008
Kenosha
Taken with Nikon D50

Sept. 24, 2007
Ben’s friend: nosegrab front air tail stall
Nikon D70

February 16 2008
This one of the walls surrounding the Old City of Jerusalem. I believe this is looking towards the Dung Gate. I may be wrong though as I confused all the gates, except for Jaffa Gate.
Benji and I, along with Grace, walked along the wall so he could take photos at night. The walk was rather exhausting as the streets have a few steep inclines. It was a wonderful experience.

February 12, 2010
A creek near his school.

To view a few more photos, you can go to my photo blog - ME.

Bumps, Scrapes, and Lacerations….

The short version:
GD was jumping around last night. She fell onto my bed’s footboard. She obtained a laceration under her chin. This is her first injury beyond the bruises and scrapes of childhood. She is fine.

In all fairness to GD, this photo is not her best. She just woke up and I subjected her to the cruelty of a morning photo. I realized this morning that I did not take a photo of her laceration. That is not like me. Yes, I am one of those Moms who takes pictures of her children’s misfortunes. Also, the photos on this post were taken with my Palm Pre as I had no other camera available to me.

The long version:
IJ has an annoying habit of climbing onto my dresser, jumping off of dresser onto my bed, and finally jumping from my bed to his bed. Many times, before he jumps to my bed he will just bounce around on my bed for a bit. GD thinks this is grand fun so she joins in. Although, she does not quite jump from furniture to furniture yet. She will climb the dresser. She will jump on my bed. She thinks the most fun is stepping onto my bed’s headboard ledge and then jump from there onto the bed.

Do we allow such activity? No, we do not. We scold and pull the offenders off of the furniture. The problem, they do said activity while we are occupied with another task.

Last night, while I was working and Robert was cooking dinner, the offenders decided to partake in this jumping activity. This time, GD experienced her first injury. Until last night, the most she has experienced is a a few bruises and scrapes. Wait a minute…a few? No way, that girl has experienced far more than a few bruises and scrapes but she has not ever injured herself to where we would question the need for medical attention. Anyway, last night, while jumping on my bed she fell. She hit her chin on the bed’s footboard. The underneath of her chin was lacerated. This injury occurred around 5 pm. Thankfully my Mom had not quite left our home. Robert called her back in. They could not fully decide if GD needed stitches yet they did not call me at work. In retrospect, I am thankful for that because I would not have been able to leave nor would I have been able to make an assessment over the phone. I did call home before leaving work so my Mom then told me of GD’s adventure into the world of lacerations.

Upon my arrival at home (about 830 pm), I was able to assess GD.

Now, here is the thing. GD is the sixth child. She is youngest which means she is right behind IJ. Those two statements should give you a clue to how upset we were with her laceration. If you have not guessed yet, let me tell you, we were not upset. IJ has had so many injuries in his six years of life that we are a bit desensitized. What that means, we do not run to the doctor for injuries, lacerations and whatnot. IJ has trained us to know what are worrisome injuries, questionable injuries, and the “Ahhh…your okay, let’s move on” injuries. I pretty much have a few rules, if the bleeding does not stop...go to the doctor. If you are still feeling pain (depending on type of pain) in say about two weeks...go to the doctor....etc...

With GD, we chose to butterfly the laceration, and then place Band-Aids on top to reinforce the butterfly strips. She probably could have used stitches but I weighed a few things: the cost ($100 ER visit since doctor’s office is closed), scarring possibility and location. I decided the laceration was not worth $100. She most likely will have a scar but even with stitches that would probably occur. The laceration is located under her chin so the scar will not be that visible. Yes, it will take a bit longer to heal this way but the bottom line….no need for medical treatment let alone the $100 deductible.

The laceration is located where the middle bandage is. The bottom and top band-aides are there to keep the butterfly tape from peeling off. Again, photo was taken with my Palm Pre.

This morning, I wonder, did GD benefit from our experience and lack of need to rush our children to the doctor over everything? I say yes, we were calm. She is fine. She actually handled the whole thing superbly. She calmly let me assess her. She cooperated with holding her head still while we placed the bandages. She really has not whined at all. Of course, she cried when it first happened, but otherwise, GD is a trooper.

Have to end this post with an adorable photo I took of GD last week. She was wearing one of her bitty babies while carrying the other with her arm. GD does love using her MT to carry her babies.
A girl after my own heart! :)

A few photos of GD and I using our favorite MT back in 2008.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Feb. 15th

What Are You Reading?

This fun weekly event that is now being hosted by Sheila at One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books.

For this event, participants post about books completed last week, currently reading and plan to read for this coming week.

Check out One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books to see what others are reading.

A variety of things happened during the past week.
The lovely flu caught up to our home…it went through five of the six kids plus myself. Yay…it was ever so much fun! Once we got that over with…snow arrived. Now that truly is fun! We had a great time towards the end of the week playing outside. For me, I took photos. Which brings me to my newest project…a new blog just for my photos called ME. My photo blog’s purpose is for the posting of my photo-a-day ‘adventures with the hopes that I will improve and learn new skills. The pictures at times will be a bit boring and other times a bit more interesting. I also plan on having a bit of fun with this blog with a monthly post, Blast from the Past. That post will feature older photos that I have taken throughout many years….maybe even some photos that Ben has taken. Blast from the Past post will serve as my motivator to help me organize all my non-digital photos, even my digital pictures from several years back.
You may take a gander at my photo blog, ME, if you are curious.

Last week :

Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron
I read another book by this author, When You Went Away, that I loved! Crossing the Bridge did not disappoint me….I loved this book as well! You can read my review here.

Currently Reading:

Voyageurs: A Novel by Margaret Elphinstone
I am 100 pages into this read and am very much enjoying the story.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I am reading this book as part of the Classic Reads Book Club.
This week I will read chapters 23-33. I am enjoying this story. There is much to think about with the layers of this story. Layers that I would not necessarily have thought of if it were not for the questions being asked with the Classic Reads Book Club. I am wondering though, how will I write a review for this book? I am thinking that I will not because really, how can I sum up a book such as this? How could I talk about it in any sort of intelligent way? I cannot. What I can say though….I really like this story thus far and would recommended to everyone to read it at least once.

Up Next:

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
I will be reading this book as part of Semicolon’s book club.

Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the for America’s Independence by Carol Berkin
This book has been sitting on my piano for a month. It is time that I read this book as I am very interested. PLUS it does belong to the library and I must return it soon.

Side Note: Did you notice that The Heretic’s Daughter is missing? I have not read the book and have realized, at this point, I do not want to read it that much. I have so many other books that I do want to read so this book is off the list….for now.

What are you reading this week?

Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron

Crossing the Bridge
by Michael Baron
copyright 2010
Pages 320
Source: Own Copy
Read for Wish I Read That Challenge 2010

Back Cover:
Hugh Penders has been stuck in neutral for nearly a decade since his brother Chase died in a car accident. He carries with him two secrets that he has never been able to share with anyone: that he believes he might have been able to prevent the accident, and that he was deeply in love with Chase's girlfriend, Iris.
When Hugh's father suffers a debilitating heart attack, Hugh must return to the New England home he's been running away from for the past ten years. One day, he encounters Iris - who has long since moved away - on the street. They begin a friendship and Hugh believes he's falling in love with Iris all over again.
But the ghost of Chase haunts both of them. And when each reveals a truth the other never knew, their lives, their vision of Chase, and their chances for a future together will change forever.

First Sentence:
They closed the Pine River Bridge for six hours after my brother drove off it.

I have concluded that I am a fan of Michael Baron. This state of fandom started with When You Went Away and has continued with Crossing the Bridge. There is something intoxicating about Mr. Baron's writing as his style brings me right into the story. I found myself mesmerized by the smoothness and flow of the words. I would re-read passages not because I didn't understand but because of the complete beauty and simplicity of the words. The way the words were strung together would give me pause and then I would want to re-read not willing to let go of the moment. The language and flow of the writing kept a nice steady pace that gave me a sense of belonging to the story. I loved that throughout the story, the author seamlessly weaved music related tidbits such as band names and songs. This touch added a nice flair to the reality of Hugh as I was swept into his world. A world that I did not want to leave.

Crossing the Bridge immersed my thoughts and emotions into the lives of the characters, most especially with Hugh as this story is told from his perspective. He is a soul who lost his center with the death if his brother, Chase. With that sense of loss, Hugh has wandered through life. Still, I found him very appealing even with his wandering nomadic way of living. His thoughts and feelings struck my core. I was captured by Hugh's remembrances of his brother,his life wanderings, his inability to forgive himself and move on from his brother's death. I was also captured by Hugh's take on the one woman in his life that truly captivated him. The woman who produced in Hugh a broad range of feelings including love. His relationship with Iris was touching and very moving.
Hugh felt real. He felt like he could be a friend, a relative, a neighbor.

This is a beautiful story that makes a compelling read with richly written characters. Their interactions, dialogue and thoughts brought a deep sense of satisfaction for me as I felt drawn to them as if they were tangible people.

Simply, Crossing the Bridge touched my being through the everyday life struggles and triumphs that encompass Hugh. A heartfelt story of remembrance, loss, forgiveness and love that satisfied me to my core.

Yes, I am a fan of Mr. Baron's. I will keep his books on my shelf for future re-reads. I am looking forward to his next book, The Journey Home, to be released May 11, 2010.

In Case You Are Interested….

I am announcing my new photo blog, ME….Momentary Exposures….random moments and observations from ME.

My photo blog will be the place that I post about my photo-a-day adventures, attempting to improve and gain new photography skills.

You are most welcomed to visit my new blog, view my photos. Keep in mind though, I am in the process of learning, creating and hopefully improving. Some days the photos will be a bit boring while other days a bit more interesting.

So, in case you are interested, my photo blog’s address is: http://me-ibeeeg.blogspot.com/

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? Feb. 8th

What Are You Reading?

This fun weekly event that is now being hosted by Sheila at One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books.

For this event, participants post about books completed last week, currently reading and plan to read for this coming week.

Check out One Person’s Journey Through a World of Books to see what others are reading.

It has been great fun participating in this meme over at J.Kaye’s blog. I am gad that I have gotten to know J.Kaye, she was a fabulous host. I love her blog as well.

Sheila will now be hosting this meme and looks like she has some neat things planned. I have been getting to know Sheila a tiny bit via memes that we have participated in. I look forward to getting to know her more and have a feeling that she will be a fabulous host just as J.Kaye was.

Last week :

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Sarah’s Key is a story not to be missed!

My review will be posted over at Royal Reviews sometime during the week of Feb. 15th. It will also be posted here towards the end of Feb. or early march.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman
I enjoyed this fabulous read very much but it was not entirely what I expected. You can read my review here.

Currently Reading:

Voyageurs: A Novel by Margaret Elphinstone
Finally, finally…I am going to start this read. I look forward to it. I have scanned a few pages…I am intrigued.

Crossing the Bridge by Michael Baron
I read another book by this author, When You Went Away, that I loved! I look forward to reading this book and hope I love it as well.

Up Next:

East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I am reading this book as part of the Classic Reads Book Club.
Last week I read chapters 12-22. This week, I am setting the book aside but don’t let that fool you into thinking that I do not like this read because I absolutely do. East of Eden is a fantastic story.

The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent

What are you reading this week?