Monday, May 17, 2010

Books for Big Girls and Big-Looking Boys

I never showed you what my kids gave me for my recent birthday.



Somehow my family has managed to pick up on my Betsy-Tacy fixation. Now, each of these volumes contains TWO books from Betsy's high school years and beyond -- including her European tour and her first year of marriage to her soulmate, whose name is ... No. I can't spoil you. There's Heaven to Betsy/Betsy in Spite of Herself, Betsy Was a Junior/Betsy and Joe, and Betsy and the Great World/Betsy's Wedding. You'll just have to read them for yourself, and I dare you not to be utterly charmed by the heroine and her fiercely loyal family, who never questions the idea that Betsy is destined for greatness as a writer and always puts the coffee pot on in times of crisis.

I've had my nose in these books for the past week or so, and haven't been good for a whole lot else except modeling a love of literature to my young students. The end of the final book is approaching though -- oh, bittersweet! -- and then my house can return to its characteristic state of gleaming, orderly perfection.


Now, now. It's not nice to snort your drink out through your nose.

More bookish stuff: Fellow Austenland fans rejoice! The lovely Ms. Hale is penning a sequel! Midnight in Austenland should be out some time next year.

And finally. My oldest child? The boy who rode around in a sling for the first year of his life, slept on my pillow, and otherwise experienced quite peaceable beginnings?  Look what he's been into all weekend.


 I'm sure it was just last Tuesday that I was tucking him into an organic cotton onesie. How did this happen? Please send help. You'll find me sheltered in a locked closet, reading a book. Over and out.



7 comments:

Unknown said...

Now that I am done cleaning up the mess I just made snorting out my nose:) I must say that at least he is not yet boiling the squirrel he just shot with his new pellet gun on your stove - whole! and you didn't open your freezer only to find a beheaded cardinal and two other little darlings accompanying him in his frozen state - all headless. These are the makings of my life with a 13 1/2 yo DS!
I'm all for recalling the cuddly days of onsies and scrunchy necks and toddling about tossing the dog her breakfast one morsel at a time while clad in his snuggly feety jammies while the cool air seeps in through the morning sunlight! Those are the memories I will cherish. The others? well, let's just say they make for decent story telling.

~cjoy said...

It's not nice to make me snort hot coffee out my nose. Hmph!

And I think you're looking for an excuse to hide away with more bookage versus cleaning...

Val said...

Just came upon your blog via the Sweet Nest, and was charmed by the look of these books! I think I'll have to go scrounging for one next time I'm at the library. Thanks for the suggestion!

Amy Tague said...

JEALOUS! I LOVE me some Betsy, Tacy, and Tib.. with her fluffy yellow hair, in the chocolate-covered house.

Mini Weapons Of Mass Destruction might be the coolest looking book I've ever seen.

When I'm in the middle of a good book, my house ends up looking like the hatch after it exploded.

Saints and Spinners said...

I was so pleased when the Betsy-Tacy high school books were reissued. I'm glad that Emily of Deep Valley will be reissued, too, with a forward by Mitali Perkins (October 2010). At my seven year old daughter's request, we're rereading Betsy-Tacy, but I'm insisting that she wait for the high school books until she's old enough to read them herself.

Vanessa said...

I tried to reserve Austenland at the library and could not, so I had to settle with Becoming Jane. Have you read that?

Anne said...

So happy to hear about the Austenland sequel - thanks for sharing! And I'll have to check that last book out for Drew!