"Look, there's no metaphysics on earth like chocolates."
~Fernando Pessoa
“Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or
form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up. If you feel
bad, send yourself a card. You must be worth it...”
~Jeanette Winterson
It's Valentine's Day! A day for flowers, chocolate, and expressions of love. Or like. Or maybe just some chocolate the next day when it's all on sale.
I have three girls. They all had valentines to make. For the past four years or so, I haven't bought valentines. I did for a couple years, but I just couldn't see spending money on some pieces of paper that the kids were going to look at for a second before discarding because there was no candy attached. So, the girls make their cards. I have no idea what the parents of the kids in their class think about us. I would guess they think I'm a nut. They're partly right. I am nuts; but more than that, I'm cheap. We have paper, crayons, markers, pens, pencils, tape and glue. And the kids have time.
I like making cards. I used to buy them, but this way I can get a card that really says what I think & feel. Instead of spending time finding the card that says the right thing; I make my own that says exactly what I feel, although much less poetically. Sometimes I just find a quote I like and use that. I always do some artwork on the front of the card. I feel like it's more personal. I may not have words, but I can create something. They might not be great, but they are cheaper than Hallmark. It takes some time, but I've got time. I just spend an hour less doing something else. I'm sure I won't miss too much online during that time. My book will wait. The dishes can soak. The laundry can sit in the dryer and get a little more wrinkled.
I like getting cards that people have spent time making. I understand that my husband isn't an artist. I understand that he isn't a poet. I appreciate the efforts he goes to when making me a card. My kids have varying degrees of creativity and interest in making cards. I appreciate the effort they put into them. I think they have fun. I don't think they mind that they're the only kids in class who make their own valentines. They seem to be proud of the fact that they make the cards themselves. This year I didn't help them. At all. I might have helped one of them track down the list of kids in their classroom, but that's it.
And that's just the way I like it.
I'll pick up a heart shaped box of chocolates for myself on Friday when they're on sale.
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt." ~Charles M. Schulz
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.”
“Elton John?”
“Close. Ernest Hemingway. In his own way, sort of the rock star of his time.”
―
Kami Garcia,
Beautiful Creatures
I've been reading more than one book at a time lately. Except that one of those books is an audio book. I got the recommendation from a friend of mine (Thanks, Ann!) and decided to download the audio book instead of reading the actual book. It's a young adult novel,there are witches and other supernatural creatures, and I knew I wouldn't have to finish reading one book to move onto this one when I found the audio option. I have not minded the long car rides I've had to take lately, and the apicoectomy I had this morning was a breeze all because I had a book to listen to.
What is Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl about? Teen casters, the yearning to break out of a small town by a restless teen, the longing to find a home, the fight between light and dark, young love, funny old women, the powers that can be found in a library, and a dog. That's really just the tip of the iceberg. There's more to it than that. It's a perfect escape book. A little bit of this and a little bit of that, with some laughs thrown in for good measure.
It's so great to have books available for download with your library card. If you don't like them, you don't have to beat yourself up over money wasted. Which is what I would have done if I had paid for The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht instead of getting it for free with my library card. Even though I didn't like The Tiger's Wife, I thought the narrator did a great job reading it. Beautiful Creatures is even better. You can tell the difference between the main characters and it's just one guy reading the story. There are also some sound effects added to enhance the story. It's really been hard to quit listening, in much the same way that a really good book can be hard to put down. This is my first experience with an audio book like that.
Teen books are fun. I now have a new series to recommend to other readers who like this type of book. And by "this type of book" I mean anyone with a penchant for the mystical, and anyone who loves young adult fiction. Also, anyone who thinks librarians are heroes. Because, they are. Aunt Marian is a great librarian. At least so far. I'm not done with the book yet.
The movie opens the day before Valentine's Day, and although I probably won't make it to the theater to see it, I'll be sure to check it out once it comes to the library. If you hadn't heard of the Beautiful Creatures series of books, now you have. I look forward to reading the next three books in the series. Now that you know about them, you can check them out for yourself!
“I'm just the librarian. I can only give you the books. I can't give you the answers."
- Aunt Marian in "Beautiful Creatures”
―
Kami Garcia
