What I’m Into: November 2017

November wasn’t my best month. It’s a dreary month here in Ontario, and Felix hasn’t let us sleep in weeks.

Here is a photo that basically sums it up my feelings about this month: (Mom, avert your eyes)

Plus, it’s Felix’s birth month, which is really triggering. Everything reminds me of that horrific first year.

All the more reason to seek out beauty when I can! Also, look how happy and adorable my kids look on his birthday.

(The quality of the photo is crap because IT’S NOVEMBER AND WE HAVEN’T SEEN THE FREAKING SUN IN A MONTH WHY DOES THIS MONTH EVEN EXIST)

Anyway, here are a few things I enjoyed this month.

(Audio)Books

The Princess Bride by William Goldman; read by Rob Reiner. My family didn’t have a VCR growing up, so I never saw the classic films of the 80’s and 90’s that all my peers talk about so fondly, including this one. (I saw The Princess Bride for the first time when Felix was in the hospital. I saw E.T. for the first time this last summer.) That being said, this audiobook version was refreshingly witty and fun, and only 6 hours long.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson. This book was surprisingly fantastic, especially the first and last parts. (The middle you could honestly probably skip, but the first and final chapters are worth the ticket price alone.) The book is a “guide to suffering, and how to do it well.” He encourages you to ask yourself, “What pain do you want in your life?” I really appreciated how it helped me reframe pain and suffering, and helps you to figure out what in life is worth giving f*cks about. (I promise this is by far the sweariest post in the history of this blog.)

Children’s Picture Books

A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson; Illustrated by  Barbara McClintock. This is the first book of poetry that has captured Lydia’s imagination. We loved reading a few poems out loud every night before bed, and she even spontaneously memorized a short poem she thought was funny. The poems are so evocative of childhood magic. A few poems made me cringe in terms of their Victorian ethno- and androcentrism, but overall it’s a lovely collection. There are lots of illustrated versions out there — some probably more beautiful than this one — but this one is still quite charming, and at least attempts to show some diversity.

Imagine a City by Elise Hurst. This book feels like a timeless classic (I would have guessed from the 60’s or 70’s), but was actually just published in 2014. The illustrations are gorgeous, full of magical detail. You can look at them over and over again and find something new and amusing every time — flying fish weaving between gargoyles and rabbits reading the newspaper. It has a Narnian feel to it, if that’s a selling point. I happened to pick it up off the library shelf and immediately fell in love.

Children’s Read-Aloud Chapter Books

Astrid’s Dragon by Karen Christian. The author actually sent me this book to share with Lydia, no strings attached. It’s a sweet little story about a plucky little girl and a slightly incompetent but well-intentioned dragon who causes mischief in the kingdom, which they must work together to resolve. Lydia was immediately struck by the charming illustrations (as was I!) and the appealing subject matter. I now think it would make a better early reader than a read-aloud — we finished it in two sittings — but it was still an enjoyable read. I’m sure she’ll return to on her own when she finally decides that learning to read is worth her time.

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park. If you’re not familiar with this book series, they’re narrated by a hilarious, precocious and slightly hyperactive kindergartner/first-grader as she experiences such firsts as starting school, losing a tooth, and getting a baby brother. We tried these books about a year ago, and Lydia (then 5) just didn’t get the humour. This year we decided to give them another try and she has been delighted. They’re meant to be read by children themselves, so they’re very quick as a read-aloud — generally only taking about two or three nights — but we got a whole stack from her aunties so we’re going through a bunch of them at bedtime.

Poppy by Avi. This is an exciting (perhaps a little scary and violent) story about a brave mouse who must confront the terrifying owl who rules the woods for the sake of her family. The despotic ruler turns out to be different than she had believed, as well as her family’s lifelong enemy, the porcupine. We both enjoyed the story.

A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle. This book was a bit mature for a six-year-old (the main protagonist is in high school, for example), but she still found it riveting. It was fun for me to revisit a childhood favourite — perhaps the the first book to get me hooked on science fiction. Kamazotz and IT were still as terrifying as ever.

Movies

Thor Ragnarok – I’m an unapologetic Marvel fan and I don’t care what you say about it. However, the earlier Thor movies were by far my least favourite of the franchise. I found them boring and uninspired. But Thor Ragnarok is now my absolute favourite Marvel movie so far! I was stunned by how laugh-out-loud hilarious it was! I was busting a gut in the theater. The dialogue is witty and full of unexpected humour. Visually, it’s unlike any of its predecessors — colourful and exuberant. I loved every minute of it.

I came home from the theater and did some research, and found out why it was so fresh and funny: it was directed by New Zealand director Taika Waititi. He directed such quirky New Zealand comedies as the Flight of the Concords TV series and The Hunt for the Wilderpeople. I’ve been raving about it to all my superhero-averse friends ever since.

Crochet

I’ve done a fair amount of knitting over the last few months, so I decided to switch to crochet, mostly to keep up my skills. One night when I was up with Felix I started to hook this sly fox hat for Lydia. I’m quite pleased with the finished product! I like how it snugly covers the ears. (Details on Ravelry.)

Next up, I’m working on a textured cactus pillow!

That’s about it! Hope your month was better than mine. What have you enjoyed this month?

P. S. Follow me on Instagram to get more of my complaining, book recommendations, and crafty crafting!

*Linking up with Leigh Kramer, as usual.

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