What we are reading

Eliot is now hooked on Anselm's old favourite, Bill Peet. These books have complex story lines and great illustrations, not to mention environmental themes, and have served for both of them as a critical transition point between the tedious baby stories and chapter books. The down side is that they take a long time to read.

We are reading Anselm The Secret Garden, which was written with him in mind.. secrets, gardens, cautious, private friendships between girls and boys, a connection with the earth and wild things. Turns out I love reading anything where I get to put on a British accent ("Nobody, my dear, could call me a fussy man-- but I do like a little bit of butter to my bread!").

I recently finished The Yiddish Policemen's Union, by Michael Chabon. Totally original and reeking with intelligence and wit at the small scale. Precise capture of the balance of nauseating and sublime that is Ashkenazi Judaism.

Blaise is on a joint kick of Chabon and Neal Stephenson (Cryptonomicon, etc: guy books). Amazingly, he is reading a lot. All those electronic power-downs during takeoffs presumably.