The Drowning Tree

The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ahh, Carol Goodman. Returning to her novels is like ordering your favorite meal at a restaurant. You know exactly what to expect and will most likely enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed this one.

Juno McKay sees her best friend Christine Webb off at the train station after their fifteenth-year college reunion. Christine had just delivered a lecture at the Penrose College Library, shocking the crowd with little known details about the founding Penrose family. The next day, Christine disappears.

I find it easy to submerge myself in Goodman's descriptive prose. In The Drowning Tree, she took me to New York to the Hudson River and artfully wove descriptions of water throughout the novel. References to stained glass, mythology and dreams of a former lover blended well with the story line and kept me thinking about the book throughout the day until I could get back to it. If I have one criticism on this one it would be that the last few chapters lacked some of the drama and suspense I have come to expect from Goodman, but still I stayed up late reading just one more page until the story was over. Thanks to Marika for lending it to me!

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from the second graders...

I had a sub yesterday at work, and as part of the plans I left I asked her to have the kids write me letters with advice on having a baby. Most of them seem to know what babies need. Here are a couple of their ideas:

"Don't let the baby eat anything off the floor. Don't let the baby fall off the couch."
-Hayden

"Teach the baby to walk. And teach him to run. You will be a great mom. Make sure that he is not allergic to pets. I love you."
-Nia

"Feed it every day. Also, if you have a pack of gum do not leave it around. He will get into it. I hope you have fun with your baby. Oh yeah, never let the baby cuss at all because there will be a consequence. Have fun and good luck. You will need it."
-Jabez

"I wonder what you're gonna name him. I would name him Josh."
-Marissa

"Do not forget to buy baby food for him and a lot of diapers. Also, buy Huggies baby wipes. If your baby boy is crying buy a lot of baby toys, a warm blanket and a bottle and sit on the couch with him. To be a perfect mom stay close to your baby."
-Blake

"If Bree and the baby do not get along, do not be too strict. When a baby cries that usually means they are hungry or they went to the bathroom. Babies need a nap every day. Make sure you give him lots of attention."
-Kevin

"When it starts crying you can give it some milk. You can also send it to daycare, or you can not go to work. First ask your boss if you can be excused."
-Jeannie

"First, you take him home. Then, you put the boy on the bed. One of you go buy baby stuff if you did not. Take turns taking care of the baby."
-Alyssa

"Rock him for a little while before you put him to bed. Don't give him too much attention or Bree will get jealous. Be as nice to them as you are to us. Give Bree a lot of attention, believe me, I know. Good luck!"
-Danielle (a big sister herself)

"The baby is always hungry. You may have to feed the baby 4 or 5 times a day. A baby has to eat something squishy. Oh and remember, ALWAYS BURP IT AFTER IT EATS!"
-Kara

New post on Belly Chat.

Advice from my second graders!

saying good-bye, again

Aunt Kathy, you are dearly missed.

Christmas, 2005
Glad we have this picture.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book has been getting a lot of attention on the book websites I follow. I liked the title and the fact that it had a strong female protagonist. Plus the reviews made it sound like a real page-turner. So it was that I found myself in Target one afternoon and against my better judgment, turned down the book aisle. Despite the pile of books I had waiting for me at home, including three new ones that had recently arrived in the mail from paperbackswap.com, this one was tossed into the cart and on the way home with me.

So now what to say...

Well, it certainly was not what I expected. Crime books are not usually on my to-read list. At almost 600 pages long, this is a murder mystery made complex with the addition of crime in the financial industry with two main characters who are easy to like and root for. Set in Sweden, the names and Swedish references were confusing. How much IS a kronor in American dollars, anyway? I never bothered to look it up. Tattooed, possibly autistic protagonist Lisbeth Salander intrigued me from the start. I always appreciate strong female characters. Trouble is, I had no idea that violence towards women was a theme in this book. I could have done with out some of those descriptions. Lisbeth teamed up with journalist Mikael Blomkvist to solve a forty year old mystery of the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a member of one of Sweden's wealthiest families.

At times, I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what happened.

Other times, I felt disgusted and wanted to toss it out.

The most compelling part of the story for me, the murder mystery, was resolved around page 500. There were still almost 100 pages left which dealt with the financial industry which I felt was a bit of a let down, drawn-out ending. In my opinion the financial stuff was mostly a bore.

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blah - and gratitude

Feeling a bit frustrated and unhappy today... Blah.
My remedy is gratitude.

Today I am grateful because...

Navigating the snow and ice this morning was a success, I made it to work with no issues.

My new student, #27, doesn't appear to be a behavior problem.

Baby boy is healthy and moving.

My daughter's face yesterday was priceless when she showed us her new Snow White outfit.

We, and particularly my pack-rat husband, are making progress on cleaning out the basement to get it ready for the office so that our son will have a nursery. Slow progress, but better than nothing.