Things have been fairly routine around here, nothing too exciting, not too hectic either. I’ve been mostly working on the apartment (still haven’t painted the bathroom) and finishing up some school stuff. It’s quieting down at work though, so that’s kind of nice after the past few months. I’ll be AWOL this weekend as my BF arrives from England for the summer! We’re spending next week out at camp helping for school groups. So here is a little meme to tide my blogging buddies over with:

• One book you’re currently reading: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
• One book that changed your life: The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
• One book you’d want on a deserted island: whichever book I am currently reading when I get stranded on the island.
• One book you’ve read more than once: I rarely do this, but I would like to read The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger again.
• One book you’ve never been able to finish: War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
• One book that made you laugh: A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
• One book that made you cry: (just one!? I cry a lot while reading) Lucky by Alice Sebold
• One book you keep rereading: Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss (used to have it memorized too!)
• One book you’ve been meaning to read: The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
• One book you believe everyone should read: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

So a few weeks ago I moved into my own apartment (before and after photos to come) and earlier this week I moved the boys — Chico and Henry. Chico adapted very well and quite quickly, as he didn’t really leave his immediate home (aka cage). Henry on the other hand, didn’t know what to think. First of all, I shoved him into a medium-sized carrier. My sister’s cat is more than willing to go into the carrier — in fact she loves small spaces and going under covers… not Henry. He started tossing his weight around the carrier which made it extremely difficult to carry smoothly.

When we finally got inside, Henry went slinking off into the bedroom, and was momentarily stunned to see my bed there. As you may recall, he’s been quite fine at my parent’s house with the empty bedroom, and I was hoping he’d be okay with a new surroundings with all the same interior stuff… He liked hiding under the bed though.

Also, my box springs are actually sliced down the middle because they’re for a double bed and wouldn’t fit around  the corner of the stairs in my parent’s house. So my dad cut the frame almost in half, so that it could bend to get around the corner. With the box springs cut down the middle, the cheese-cloth stuff on the back was left open. Soon Henry found a new exciting toy (aka hiding place).

But those photos are from a couple days ago and he’s adjusting fine now. He still likes the bedroom best, but he’s always liked my bedroom best (even at my parent’s house). And don’t worry — his appetite is normal and he’s using his box. He’s back to being his normal snuggly self!

The Old Brown Suitcase narrates the story of Slava and her family as a Jewish family living in Poland during the Second World War. The story details her childhood, a war-torn Poland, being forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, having to leave her parents and her baby sister, and many other events. When Slava and her family finally made it to Canada, she had to become “Elizabeth” and still hide their past in towns in Quebec and Ontario.

The story juxtaposes heart-wrenching scenes from a child’s life in war-torn Poland with the life of a teenager trying to adjust to a new country in time of peace. In Canada, it is not easy for Slava to build a bridge between two cultures; nor is it easy to live with the turmoil of her immediate past. At the same time she must face the new challenges involved in being an immigrant, a Jew and a teenage girl. [Publisher: Ronsdale Press]

It was really unique to read a story about a Jewish family during WWII that didn’t actually practice Judaism, but were still persecuted. This award-winning story was written by British Columbian author, Lillian Boraks-Nemetz, who survived the Holocaust in Warsaw, Poland. It’s a straight-forward plot, but it is a story with a lot of power and emotion. I think this novel especially important for youth studying WWII to read as it relates directly to the humanist aspect of war-torn communities, not only the historic facts. Highly recommended children’s literature.

Victoria Day is a Canadian statutory holiday celebrated on the last Monday before or on 24 May, in honour of both Queen Victoria’s birthday and the current reigning Canadian sovereign’s official birthday. It has been marked since before Canada was formed, originally falling on the sovereign’s actual birthday, and continues to be celebrated across the country on a fixed date and in various fashions, also being considered an informal mark of the beginning of the summer season. [via Wikipedia]

It’s hard to identify fully with a holiday that doesn’t mark a significant event in history, but it does give you more of a chance to recognize your history. The origins of Canada are not to be forgotten — just because we were once governed by the Queen of England does not mean that we can’t still make our own mark in the world.

Many people use the May Long Weekend to go camping or go away for the weekend. I think that as long as you’re appreciating our beautiful country/province, that is a fantastic use! I wish that I was able to do something appreciative of our country.

I would love to be in Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, on this holiday because here in Vancouver we don’t really celebrate. My friend from Ottawa is always complaining about how Canada Day (July 1) is celebrated in Vancouver; that’s another holiday I would love to be elsewhere for!

I read this book in about three days; It was a quick, enjoyable read. I picked the book up at the Vancouver Public Library seasonal Book Sale. They basically clear out a ton of collection and donations in a huge sale.

From the publisher:

For as long as she can remember, Dana Clarke has longed for the stability of home and family. Now she has married a man she adores, whose heritage can be traced back to the Mayflower, and she is about to give birth to their first child. But what should be the happiest day of her life becomes the day her world falls apart. Her daughter is born beautiful and healthy, and in addition, unmistakably African-American in appearance. Dana’s determination to discover the truth about her baby’s heritage becomes a shocking, poignant journey.

A neat underlying backstory that I found very interesting was a knit shop that Dana’s grandma owned and ran. Very cool touch. Felt a little bit like The Friday Night Knitting Club without trying too hard. I laughed out loud at one point when they’re rushing to the hospital because Dana has gone into labour, and Hugh picks up the hospital bag and knitting falls out. And Hugh says, “What are there eight balls in here?” and Dana replies, “Six, but it’s heavy worsted, which means not much yardage, and I didn’t want to risk running out. Don’t be impatient, Hugh. Knitting comforts me.” And then Hugh glances at the closet which contains her stash and she says, “it’s not as big as some…” LOL

The writing of Barbara Delinsky is easy to read, calm, and soft. She captures the characters, their flawas and strengths, and balances dialogue with description very well. A little predictable, but not in a dead-obvious-the-characters-must-be-stupid way. Still, I enjoyed the book, but can’t say much more without delving into the plot line and risking spoilers!