The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum. This was a nice fun read for the holiday season. I enjoyed that he addressed concerns little ones might have of Santa's origins. I found it interesting that the reindeer have different names from our usual Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixon, et al. It was a relatively quick read and well done. Or at least I enjoyed it. It's always fun to have something to help bring in the season of Christmas in recreational reading.

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings This was a fun read. It reminded me of Lord of the Rings. I especially like the fact that there is at least one main female character. I also like that Garion is curious and asks questions, even though they aren't always answered or are sometimes rebuffed. I think it's sort of funny watching Aunt Pol come up with things for Garion to do to keep him out of trouble... that seems rather typical of mothers. Wouldn't it be better to have him actively excited about learning or researching something (like when he was picking up the Drasnian sign language) instead of reacting to his chosen use of free time? I was also surprised she didn't teach him to read sooner. I do sympathize with her desire for comfortable lodging, and I also like that she likes to keep Garion close and hesitates letting him out of her sight. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Attachment and Development by Susan Goldberg

Attachment and Development quotes I like:
Page 43 : "Secure adults (termed 'autonomous') value intimate relationships and acknowledge the effects of those relationships."
Page 43 : "Dismissing adults ... usually have little to say about the attachment experiences of their childhood.... Their ability to recount specific incidents is limited....the dismissing adult forces the interviewer to bear the responsibility of the interview by giving short, minimally informative answers."
Page 44: "Preoccupied adults become so entangled in the details of early experiences that they are unable to provide an overview. They are still engaged in angry struggles with their parents over old issues....they often fail to answer the question they were asked....the preoccupied adult forces the interviewer to struggle to maintain the interview on topic."
Page 58 : "Thus secure infants learn that their signals of distress elicit a maternal response that is likely to reduce distress, avoidant infants learn that their distress signals will not enlist maternal assistance, and they develop strategies to comfort or distract themselves, and resistant infants learn that the mother is unpredictable, and they become preoccupied with maintaining her attention."

Quote from a friend

This is just a cute quote from a friend:

We can all use a miracle now and again. But we can save the magic for after the interview.

-MVO

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis This one was pretty much as expected. Although now in this day and age there are many more temptations and ways to go about developing the vices Screwtapes suggests in his letters (addictions, internet, etc.). I think it would have been a lot more fun with the letters from Wormwood as well, but you do get the brunt of his messages in Screwtape's letters. A relatively quick read, with friendly reminders of vices to avoid.

Seven stories of Christmas love by Leo Buscaglia

This was also a nice break from my normal reading for Christmas. The short stories remind us there is more to life. They are also a friendly reminder to enjoy time with our friends & family. Seven Stories of Christmas Love at WorldCat

Mistletoe Mysteries by Charlotte McLeod

Well, this was a nice little break from my usual mystery. It contained several short stories, which I was able to get in here and there during the Christmas season. I liked how each story was a quick read and a mystery as well. Mistletoe Mysteries at WorldCat

Escape Velocity by Christopher Stasheff

This was a fun read. Nothing like a crew romping through the universe to save the world. There weren't really any quotes that stuck out to me. A few type-Os and a little light swearing. I enjoy good old-fashioned science fiction. The two main talking points seemed to be the ability to teach without actually having the role of teacher, and the mentality where one is willing to swap freedom for security.

Potty Training Your Baby by Katie Van Pelt

Wow. That was a quick read. I didn't know you could start preparing your child for toilet use before the age of one. As I read this, my baby is 13 months old. I should have read this earlier.

One topic discussed here that I like is the idea of not pressuring your child to go when just because you put them on the toilet. It's an opportunity, not a mandate. How would you like it if someone told you that you had to excrete wastes at a certain time each day?

I also like the point to explain to your child what is going on.... that way they know what a wet diaper is, what passing gas is, and what a bowel movement is. How are they going to know if someone doesn't teach them?

Zen and the Art of Happiness by Chris Prentiss

Well, this appears to be the typical book about being one with the universe. It's a great reminder that we need to look on the bright side of things. How can I learn from this situation or how does it make me a better person? How is this in my best interest?

(I read this one before some of the other's in my queue because my mother gave it to me and suggested I read it. Sometimes I get depressed, so it helps to remember to enjoy life.)

Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Well, sorry it's been so long since I last posted. With baby here and working full time I hardly have time to blog about much. Now that I've had a little time off work I've been able to do some reading....

My favorite quote from this book (which I purchased at a thrift shop for 50 cents):
" ... for Peace is nigh
Where Wisdom's voice has found a listening heart."

I think that is so true. Oftimes wisdom will speak peace to our hearts. So I think we need to keep our hearts open to wisdom's whispering. Hearts can so often make rash actions or words that will spark contention. There is prudence in the patient heart.

Jules Verne

From Journey to the center of the Earth:

page 33: "... foreigners have their own libraries, and our first consideration is, that our humbler classes should be highly educated. Fortunately, the love of study is innate in [certain] people."

I like this quote, because "the love of study" is an attribute I would love my posterity to have. It's much easier to play than it is to study, and it's much easier to love play than study. The love of learning and the love of books / reading are practically in my mind the same thing - provided that we learn from the books we read. There are other books from which we don't learn, but are merely entertained.

This leads to another thought that I often talk about with my parents. Being a producer vs. being a consumer. If you think about your day, how many times have you been a consumer of goods compared with the number of times you've been a producer? I think the answer to that question is a good reflection of whether we value production or consumption. Children often inadvertently learn these behaviors from their parents.

What I've read so far in 2010

Well, I've decided that I'm going to keep my book reviews here on Blogspot.
That way you can get an idea of what I think about certain books and you can also see what I'm reading / have read.

Here's a list of books read this year:

• The Arthurian Omen by G. G. Vandagriff - good mystery book. Kept me on the edge of my seat.
  
• The Secret - this is a self-help book with no plot. Hard to keep my attention. Like reading a text book.
• Irish Fairy Tales - Nice short stories often with a moral associated.
• True Names... And Other Dangers by Vernor Vinge - fun, short, science fiction stories.
• 100 Malicious Little Mysteries - A collection of mysteries written in 2000 words or less. I didn't finish this, I only got further along.

I'm hoping that by having a place to retain book reviews of what I have read that I will do a better job of reading more and thinking about the books I've read.

I couple of good questions I found myself thinking about after reading The Arthurian Omen were:

If I found out I had a serious mental illness that affected others, would I be able to live with myself?

How far does forgiveness go? I know it's supposed to be a virtue and it's better for us to forgive everything, but there is a point where it is better that one man suffer than that the entire nation / population continue to suffer the misdeeds of one. "The good of the many outweigh the good of the one."

I think I'll also post from my collection of quotes occasionally as well. Right now my collection of quotes is in a spiral bound notebook. It would be much more accessible if I would post it online, along with comments of why I like the quotes.