Lousy Lessons, Lovely Largess, Liking&Longing, and T.J.

I just finished another Children's Literature (the class I am taking presently) book, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. I am usually a push over for books of any kind: a lover of the words, a nut for the story, best friends with the characters, just in love with the whole thing! Not this time though... What started out with elements of a cute and funny children's story, actually turns out to be, in my opinion, kind of a terrible message for kids. These kids run away from home because they are mad at their parents for doing... nothing. They don't care how it is making them feel really- worried, scared, "frantic"- they sneak around, feel proud of tricking the adults, break in, lie, steal money, and the ending thought of the book is about keeping secrets. The old lady they look up to encourages them to ignore their conscience and find happiness in having your special secret. And the two kids argue the entire time, which is also made to seem like an acceptable thing.. I kinda feel like these are not.. good things, to be teaching kids...
That makes it sound like an all together horrid book.. it was not. On a more positive side, it was great writing. Such fun diction for children and an interesting way to tell the story. The whole book was actually a letter from the narrator to her lawyer. And she loves these children. Konigsburg definitely has a talent with words and plot! My favorite line of the book was,

"lying in bed just before going to sleep is the worst time for organized thinking; it is the best time for free thinking. Ideas drift like clouds in an undecided breeze, taking first this direction and then that."

So true.

Now I am on to the next book: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I am so excited for this book because I have been wanting to read some Lowry ever since I had the chance to meet her and listen to her speak to a little gathering of students at my school! It was amazing! She is amazing! And I learned a lot about her, how and why she writes, and little tidbits about the background of her books, like where the picture of the girl on the cover of Number the Stars comes from. Apparently she tried out photography for a while and photographed this beautiful young lady a long time ago. Mrs. Lowry is really fun too.

So those are my most recent book adventures.

This made me very happy:
Today, I got a package in the mail that I was not expecting. It was from my cousin in Utah. (Me, my cousin, and her husband a few years ago)
Last time her and I we're together we had lovely one o'clock in the morning discussions about our favorite stories! It was so fun and she has such a great collection of books (organized beautifully by color in her adorable house)! Well, in this package, she sent me a picture she said "fits me perfectly" and that I just love! It is already framed and on my wall. Here it is.
All of those books have real titles on them and then the quote in the middle is by Thomas Jefferson, who I already greatly respect. It says, "I cannot live with books" I love that he said that!! So fun!
And it goes perfectly with my room, which over the past few months has accumulated a bit of a theme... She knows me well.

This is a lamp made out of old book pages decoupaged onto a lamp shade. I got the idea from someone on etsy.com! So easy and fun! It is sitting on two of the books I have used for ripping apart and covering in glue.

The bookshelves my dad helped me make (or really the other way around...). More books have started sneaking themselves into other parts of my room as well now.. shelves in my nightstand, my closet, on top and inside my amoir.. I can't help it. I guess I am preparing to fill that dream library of mine!
Cool thing is that most of these books have been gifts or old antique books or just used books. They are each a story within a story!


The new collection of books that I am just dying for is this...
The Penguin Classics hardcover collection. It is Jane Austen, Charolette Bronte, Homer, Charles Dickens, and many more delightful authors and stories in these just beautiful covers!

If I had to choose just one from this collection, it would definitely be Jane Eyre. I have been looking for a copy of Jane Eyre that I liked for years! After I read the book, and fell in love with it, I knew I had to find just the right one to add to my collection, and the only ones I have ever found have those old paintings of dramatic lovers or are very plain or something else undesirable and unfitting for a story like this one! Then one day, low and behold, there it sat, in my school's bookstore, just calling my name. That is, until I turned it upside down and saw the price tag... I am a college student after all...

As dear Thomas Jefferson said,
"I cannot live without my books"

I completely agree Mr. Jefferson.