my books - Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (2009) by Jamie Ford

Wiki writes

"Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is historical fiction. It is a bestselling novel (2009) by Jamie Ford about the love and friendship between Henry Lee, a Chinese boy, and Keiko Okabe, a Japanese girl, during the Japanese internment in World War II."

and

"The Kirkus Review hailed the novel as "A timely debut that not only reminds readers of a shameful episode in American history, but cautions us to examine the present and take heed we don’t repeat those injustices."  Kevin Clouther of Booklist mentions that "Although Ford does not have anything especially novel to say about a familiar subject (the interplay between race and family), he writes earnestly and cares for his characters, who consistently defy stereotype." "

This was a book assigned by one of my book groups. I did finish it. However I did not finish it in time to attend the group meeting. I did not want the ending spoiled (for me) by the discussion in the group, so I chose not to go.

As I was talking about this book (as I listened) with my husband, he said - it is a Romeo and Juliet.

It does not end the same as Romeo and Juliet (double deaths), but that theme is accurate.

The twist of Chinese and Japanese, in the USA, was interesting all the way through the book. The majority of the story was from the Chinese point of view, not the Japanese. Although the impact on the Japanese society in the USA was clearly demonstrated.

That cultural component made it a very different internment camp story. I would guess. I can't say for sure because I have not read any other internment camp stories.

The time line jumps between WWII days and also the 1980's. But it does not jump annoyingly. The passages are clearly understood.

I did like this book. I think the title is really great.

September is Balance Awareness Month

As you know, this is a subject important to me.

I found a blog with some interesting articles.

More Mehndi Pictures

Some of these pictures are the same people, at different times.

They are so well trained that as soon as middle finishes, they say - take a picture.

Clothing alterations - This is the one with pictures of taking in knit tops (links from past alteration posts included in this post too)

I have talked about taking in knit tops many times over the years.

My shoulders and bust remain solid. I buy tops to fit (those, the largest part of me).

I have mentioned I am very careful not to wear things that hang straight down from my breasts. That very much feels like maternity clothes to me.

So I have taken in the lower half of many of my knit tops since 2009.

Here is a series of pictures showing exactly how I take in these tops.

Again, as always, experiment on things you do not care about first, or even tops from Good Will that will not cause sadness if they end up in the rag bag. When in doubt, BASTE, either by hand, with pins, on huge stitch length on machine. Working with tops inside out, basting, trying on, helps.

Stretchy knit tops require something other than a regular straight stitch. Can straight stitch and then put a zigzag right next to it, in seam allowance side of the straight stitch line. Can use a serger (ask around if you do not have one, a friend might). A serger is set up to CUT the shirt as you sew, so experiment on rags if this is new to you. Or there are special stitches on some machines that mimic a serger or do a forward, backward straight stitch. Experiment on rags to be sure tension is right for your fabric.

I measure over 1" from the side seam at the bottom edge of the top and then draw a line straight up to the under arm seam (red line).

I sew a straight seam ON the line. I serge next to the straight seam. The serger cuts the excess fabric as it sews.

Ditto red line.

Ditto seam line.

Yes, it is a subtle bit of alteration, but it makes all the difference in the world on how I feel in these tops. There is more information in the Knit Top Alteration link below.

BONUS -

Long darts in two jackets and two blouses (6/30/2013) 

Book shelves at our house - oldest

Yes, his window seat is very long, access storage by lifting lid under cushion. Those are plantation blinds, synthetic so they can be washed. We only have cloth curtains in one room of the house - youngest's. The rest of the windows are either uncovered (living room, studio, kitchen, husband's office) or have these plantation blinds (bedrooms, bathroom, computer room). We have many, of that same light fixture, all over the house. Above night stands, above window seats. There are two in oldest's room alone. I have extras of the globes, but have not broken one yet. That beadboard is all over the house too. It is in all three bathrooms. What you see here, and in the studio and in both sides of middle's room is the ends of what was cut off the bathroom boards. Our Amish carpenters used every last scrap.

Our extra refrigerator is to the lower left of this picture. That gymnastics mat still has been put to good use over the years. The pot and crock pot are now with oldest on east coast (I took this picture in May). That telephone does work. There is a bit of a surprise on the book shelf. Can you see it?

One of my very favorite things that came on the truck from my husband's mother's house clean out. She used him the same way that we do - on a shelf of books. He is papier-mâché and very light weight. That is a deep shelf, a couple stacks of books deep. Oldest has many more on the east coast with him. 

My books - Life of Pi (2001) by Yann Martel

Wiki notes:

Life of Pi is a fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist, Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, a Tamil boy from Pondicherry, explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

The novel, which has sold more than ten million copies worldwide, was rejected by at least five London publishing houses before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won the Man Booker Prize for Fiction the following year. It was also chosen for CBC Radio's Canada Reads 2003, where it was championed by author Nancy Lee. The French translation, L'Histoire de Pi, was chosen in the French CBC version of the contest Le combat des livres, where it was championed by Louise Forestier.  The novel won the 2003 Boeke Prize, a South African novel award. In 2004, it won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in Best Adult Fiction for years 2001–2003. In 2012 it was adapted into a theatrical feature film directed by Ang Lee with a screenplay by David Magee.

No, I did not see the movie. Not planning to see it. Yes, I know it is excellent.  I just have found that movies are never as good as the book (for me).

To be very honest, I had no interest in reading this book (before I started).

I mentioned last week I was switching to a contemporary book in hopes that would help me get back into the swing of my audio books.

This was the next contemporary book on my list.

I thought - I will just start it. If it does not hold my attention (at all), I will just switch to the next book on my list.

My mind wandered a bit for the first couple chapters. But then I got into the flow of it and discovered it was a good book choice for me (at this time) for several reasons:
- the chapters are very short
- the topics are all inner related, but switch regularly to hold interest
- it is unusual, never know what is coming next
- it is straight foward, simple to understand (for the most part)

So, I did very well with this book and enjoyed it very much.

The entire book is not the boy in the boat with the tiger. From seeing the clips from the movie, I actually thought it might be (the entire book). I think that was the reason I was not really looking foward to it.

I enjoyed the religious bits, as much of the time ME lived here, the huge parallels between Christianity and Muslim were a common topic of interest. It was not a stretch for me to add Hindu to the mix.

ME is a girl from the middle east who lived with us for just over a year (2010-2011, I think). Some people pick up stray kittens, I picked up a stray ME.

Do not be alarmed, it is not a religious book (per say), it is simply part of what happened.


I liked this book very much. It definitely was the right book, at the right time. It spoke to me on many levels.

Oldest's Desk and Chairs (east coast)

You might remember this chair -

Hard to believe I posted that poor of a picture once, let alone twice. . .


I bought that chair at a garage sale earlier this spring.

It fit in the backseat of my car and youngest and I took it to the oldest in June.

He is in a furnished apartment. He just signed the lease for his second year. While youngest and I were there, we sorted out what (of the furnished things) he did and did not use. His landlord came and picked up the rejects (bar stools for counter, small table and two very uncomfortable chairs, a room divider, baskets, pillows).

When all of that was cleared away, he still had couch and two end tables, chair and ottoman, coffee table, dresser, bed. And two small side tables that belong to oldest.

Last year he made do with the pedestal table that belonged with the two chairs as a desk. Not ideal.

With the extra room and the desk chair, we hunted for the most economical, but good, desk scenario for him.

Our first thought was Ikea. But there is not one near him. Shipping was $100. And everything he looked at would involve a truck for future moves (everything he owns still fits in his car, but he is up to two trips now, everything went in one trip when he moved east.)

After looking at all the online options, he ended up with two folding tables from Office Depot. They have free shipping on all orders over $50 (yes, even something as heavy as a table). And he ordered each separately, to be able to use two coupons.

One table is 29"H x 30"W x 60"D ($164.99).
The other is 29"H x 24"W x 48"D ($114.99)
Both of those prices are without discount and before tax.
I think I paid $40 for the good quality desk chair.

When we were considering options, I had him put his beach towels on the floor, measured out to the various sizes, to see how the tables fit.

These tables will last forever and can be used in a multitude of ways and are nice surfaces for writing.

My husband uses a set up similar to this in his home office.

My sewing machines (closet under the stairs) are set up on a little table just like this (want very small tables for sewing machines so the tables do not bounce as the machine runs).

Oldest said he noticed his productivity was easier as soon as he got these tables for, in essence, a clean work station in place.

We did not go to one farmer's market this summer, on purpose

Summer 2012, the kids and I went to a farmer's market nearly every week.

And in my mind, it was the summer of the bread stuff.

Yes, we bought fruit and veggies at each market.

But the kids also bought rolls, bread, muffins at every market.

Most of these carb products were from the same lady. And this started because her selling point was home ground grain.

I did not eat any of these bread stuffs, but the kids did.

I was enabling the kids eating the bread stuff by going to the farmers markets, all summer.

Early spring 2013, I started ordering organic fruit and veggies thru our farmers box.

I can order very specific quantities from a very large list of produce.

No baked goods.

No impulse buying.

No influence from anyone else, I do the ordering each week.

No enabling anyone else to poor food habits, because my farmers box is all whole foods produce, while the farmers markets are full of all kinds of poor food choices.

My books - Kidnapped (1886) by Robert Louis Stevenson

Wiki notes: 

 Kidnapped is a historical fiction adventure novel by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. Written as a "boys' novel" and first published in the magazine Young Folks from May to July 1886, the novel has attracted the praise and admiration of writers as diverse as Henry James, Jorge Luis Borges, and Seamus Heaney. A sequel, Catriona, was published in 1893.

As historical fiction, it is set around 18th-century Scottish events, notably the "Appin Murder", which occurred near Ballachulish in 1752 in the aftermath of the Jacobite Rising. Many of the characters, and one of the principals, Alan Breck Stewart, were real people. The political situation of the time is portrayed from different viewpoints, and the Scottish Highlanders are treated sympathetically.

Yes, I did listen to this book. It was slow going, over the last week, but I did manage to do it.

If you remember, I was not able to listen to audio books the end of the summer (right about the time middle was going back to school). At that time I needed pop music.

How did I do? Well, I certainly could not pass a test on the content of Kidnapped. But I did manage to hang on to the main points well enough to follow the plot.

I do tend to like the classic "boy books", so that helped. Yes, I did like this book, even though I was in somewhat of a muddled state as I listened.

I am switching it up to a modern book next, to see if I do better.

My books - The Portrait of a Lady (1881) by Henry James (this is the one where I talk about not being able to listen to audio books and needing pop music)

Wiki notes:

The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880–81 and then as a book in 1881. It is one of James's most popular long novels, and is regarded by critics as one of his finest. The Portrait of a Lady is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who "affronts her destiny" and finds it overwhelming.  . . .  Like many of James's novels, it is set in Europe, mostly England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of James's early period, this novel reflects James's continuing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old, often to the detriment of the former. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, and betrayal.

This is my first Henry James novel.

If you remember, he is an author much discussed (The Ambassadors, Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James) by Azar Nafisi in Reading Lolita in Tehran (2003).

If you can't recall any/all Henry James books -
Watch and Ward (1871)
Roderick Hudson (1875)
The American (1877)
The Europeans (1878)
Confidence (1879)
Washington Square (1880)
The Portrait of a Lady (1881)
The Bostonians (1886)
The Princess Casamassima (1886)
The Reverberator (1888)
The Tragic Muse (1890)
The Other House (1896)
The Spoils of Poynton (1897)
What Maisie Knew (1897)
The Awkward Age (1899)
The Sacred Fount (1901)
The Wings of the Dove (1902)
The Ambassadors (1903)
The Golden Bowl (1904)
The Whole Family (collaborative novel with eleven other authors, 1908)
The Outcry (1911)
The Ivory Tower (unfinished, published posthumously 1917)
The Sense of the Past (unfinished, published posthumously 1917)

I listened to the first third of this audible book and did fine with it.

When I started the second third, it did not hold my attention AT ALL. I abandoned it.

Part of this (abandonment) was the book.

Part of it was me.  I have a lot going on and my attention span is about two seconds.

I have not been able to listen to any audible books this week or the two before it.

Since the girls have been with me much of the time, we have been listening to pop music stations instead.

Even when I am in the car, by myself, I have actually needed the music.

I am not sure if this will settle down, or stay with me for a while. It is a telling marker in my life, but I am not sure whether it is positive or negative.

All things paint - Painted plate pictures, bonus painted clothes pins pictures, and paint bin pictures

We (youngest, middle and I) attended a local art demonstration and exhibit.

There was wine and cheese and crackers. We passed on the wine, and had water.

Middle is part mouse. She is a cheese girl. As she was eating, she was looking at the plastic plates they used at the bar. She came home with three.

If I had been thinking, I would have taken pictures at each step.

When she started, she asked for ideas. I referred her back to specific painted letters colors (we love). And I suggested varying over all design and geometric.

She did her own thing with those tiny suggestions to get her started. And I guess that is part if the reason I didn't take step by step pictures. I think they were mostly done the next time I saw them.

Notice she put a flower (of sorts) in the center of each (unifying).

And her colors coordinate well without being too matchy-matchy.

And each piece has a distinct personality.




All painting was done on the back of the plate.

She painted the design first (on the back) with puffy paint (nose tipped bottle).

And then she painted the background (on the back also) with a brush, acrylic paint.

Notice the one plate has two background colors. If you look at the front, you will see how she layered the backgrounds. She left a window for the last background color (the green).

When she was done, she sprayed sealer (on the back).

Part of the 'pattern' you see on the back of the plates is (partly) the pattern 'weave' in the plastic on the back of the plates (you can best see it on the turquoise rim on the back of the plate with the green center).  The other part of the pattern you see on the back, is the design paint.

These plates are in NO way washable.

She is using them, at college, as a place to deposit keys, earrings, rings, change, etc.










Painted clothes pins -

These are youngest's. I think middle painted a few of the designs. It is very hard to get pictures of things attached to magnets. They tend to 'move'. As I type that, realize I should have put them on the refrigerator to take the picture. (My guess is middle did that in first picture.)

And these are the same pins as in the above picture, with a friend's pins and middle's original pins (they have magnets in this picture, magnets were added to youngest's and friend's later) added.

Paint bin -

At the time we cleaned out the closet under the stairs, June 2013, the "new" paint bin looked like this:

June 2013 paint bin

Then middle found ANOTHER small bucket of paint bottles in her desk cupboard.

So the very large empty bin (on the top shelf, in the picture, just below) of the Art Shelves behind the door, became the new home for all things paint. You can see the old paint bin on the right side of the third shelf from the top in this same (June 2013) picture below.

Picture from June 2013

New Paint bin, yes, it is lovely.

Swaddling Blankets - rectangular, receiving blankets do not work (in my opinion), we make great big square ones as baby shower gifts.

"Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloth so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted."

Here is a video on how to swaddle, if it is a new topic to you. I suspect most of you, like me, could swaddle with your eyes closed, in the dark, in the middle of the night, still to this day. . .

I swaddle like the midwife demonstrates (personally), not like male doctor.  Middle is a very good swaddler. She practiced on a life size baby doll with a video (when a friend was having a baby). 

We use 100% cotton flannel. 

Do not EVER pay full price for anything at a fabric store or craft store, they run coupons (40-50% off) all the time. They often accept competitor's coupons. They run sales all the time.

We have the store cut the fabric so it will be a perfect square when we have cut off the selvage edge. Different bolts of fabric are different widths, even from the same manufacturer (often). We have our clerk check each bolt by measuring the fabric, selvage to selvage and looking at the width of each selvage strip. 

We cut off the selvage, turn the edges under twice (so the raw edge is captured) and sew with a small, straight stitch, all the way around four sides of the blanket. A small zigzag stitch could be used too. But the 100% cotton flannel will not be stretchy, so zigzag is not required.

After all the cutting, sewing is done, we wash twice, using hypo allergenic liquid Tide. We dry twice too, using the scent free Bounce. 

Here are the blankets we made for middle's friend:

(They are doing very well, baby arrived in May.)

Middle did NOT paint these, we found them, already painted at a craft store and they were very inexpensive. 

My books - Tender is the Night (1934) by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Wiki notes:

Tender Is the Night is a novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was his fourth and final completed novel, and was first published in Scribner's Magazine between January–April, 1934 in four issues. The title is taken from the poem "Ode to a Nightingale" by John Keats.

In 1932, Fitzgerald's wife Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald was hospitalized for schizophrenia in Baltimore, Maryland. The author rented the "la Paix" estate in the suburb of Towson to work on this book, the story of the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young psychoanalyst and his wife, Nicole, who is also one of his patients. It was Fitzgerald's first novel in nine years, and the last that he would complete. While working on the book he several times ran out of cash and had to borrow from his editor and agent, and write short stories for commercial magazines. The early 1930s, when Fitzgerald was conceiving and working on the book, were certainly the darkest years of his life, and accordingly, the novel has its bleak elements.

Two versions of this novel are in print. The first version, published in 1934, uses flashbacks while the second revised version, prepared by Fitzgerald's friend and noted critic Malcolm Cowley on the basis of notes for a revision left by Fitzgerald, is ordered chronologically; this version was first published posthumously in 1951. Critics have suggested that Cowley's revision was undertaken due to negative reviews of the temporal  structure of the book on its first release.

In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Tender Is the Night 28th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

The version I used was a download from Audible. When I read the above information from Wiki, I sent a note to Audible's customer service, asking which version I (actually) had.

My version is narrated by Peter Marinker.
And the cover looks like this -

Audible responded -
Based on your email, I understand you want to know the version of the book you have in your account. I'll be happy to assist. I have done some research and found  the book you currently have is the original  and the other book on the website is the version his friend Crowley released.

The other book on the website, has a cover looking like this -

If by any chance you have listened to both versions. Or if you believe Audible customer service gave me the wrong information, I would appreciate an update in comments.





I read The Great Gatsby (1925) in 2012 
(it was actually a reread, I am pretty sure I read it long ago also).

I read This Side of Paradise (1920) earlier this year 
(2013).


The Great Gatsby was okay. I understood it easily, I finished it. I read it over a year ago, I remember it clearly (still today). No, I did not see the movie.

I did not care for This Side of Paradise, but I finished it. To be honest, as I sit here, a few months after reading it, I can't remember one thing about it.

I had positive expectations for Tender is the Night, because it is the later of the three books. I looked at the publish dates and thought - he got better as he went along (in his writing career) and I just didn't like the earliest book. I thought - I bet I will like Tender is the Night, I bet it will be okay . . . So, I did not go in with a negative attitude. I also did not go in with unrealistically high expectations.

It is rare I do not finish a book.

But to be honest, I listened to a couple hours of Tender is the Night, read the whole SparkNotes summary section for all the book's chapters TWICE, and then walked away from this book.

I had no interest, I wasn't sure what was going on because no part of it held my attention, I have other book deadlines. Tender is the Night was not an assigned book. It was on my To Read list of books my long standing group read before I joined.

I am clearly not a F. Scott Fitzgerald girl.

Shorts under skirts. (Middle's bloomers)

In grade school, both my girls, and all the other girls, wore shorts under their uniform jumpers (K-4) and uniform skirts (4-8). So both my girls are very used to that feel.

Youngest is very much a dress and skirt girl. But since she is so short (5') most skirts and dresses are a good length on her (now).  She still wears volleyball shorts under somethings, but not always. She wears tights on occasion and leggings. The rest of this post is about middle, because youngest's under skirt needs are good to go.




This whole thing started because middle bought a new dress while I was on the east coast. It was one we had seen, she was out shopping while I was gone, and found it on clearance, called me, I told her to go ahead and get it. The dress is on the shorter side. And is a very light color. So she needed a pair of beige/nude shorts (or something) to wear under it.

Middle also has shorter, what I would call, flirty skirts where she really needs to wear something under them.

We are not talking about butt cheek showing short dresses and skirts, we are just talking about short for our house dresses and skirts.

Volleyball shorts work a great deal of the time, but not under everything, and certainly not under light colored things.

At Macy's, Chicago loop, we found a very good solution.

These work extremely well for her.

One pair is nude/beige and the other is black.

They are just the right length on 5'4" middle.

There was another option with slightly longer 'legs' that were too long on middle. They would have hanging/hung out below dresses and skirts. They would probably work perfectly on taller women.

These are exactly enough coverage without falling below her skirt or dress hem line. And if they do show a little, in certain positions, it will be obvious to people they are not looking at her underwear. In other words, people will be relieved to see them.

And I think she wears these as shorts (under dresses and skirts) with a pair of underwear on under them. For coverage and so they do not need washed after each wearing.






She also wears tights or capris or leggings under fall/winter skirts.

I found fleece leggings last winter she loved.

She wore heavier skirts, with fleece leggins, on campus, all winter.

She has been asked if she is Mennonite, just a couple times. The people asking were not Mennonite, if they were, they would know she is not by the brightness of her skirts and the fact she cuts her hair. She has also been asked if she is Muslim. Which also cracks her up because she does not wear a head scarf. We realize not all Muslim's do. But in this area, they do. And middle looks hippy dippy trippy in many of her outfits. Her style is distinct.

She is very much a skirt or dress girl.

So, am I.

The story of my iPad, suddenly - c-h-a-r-g-i-n-g - v-e-r-y - s-l-o-w-l-y . . .

In the weeks leading up to my three weeks of travel/vacation, I had noticed my iPad was taking longer and longer to charge each time.

You might already know what I am about to say, but I did not know. And oldest didn't think to ask me the right question when I mentioned the slow charge either.

In my travels, oldest and I happened on an Apple store.

And after the clerk looked at my iPad, and did not see anything wrong with it, she led me over to a gadgets wall and pointed to a specific charger and asked if that was the one I was using.

No, it was not.

When we investigated further, I was using a phone charger and maybe an old iPod charger. I was using the right cord. But the part that plugs in the wall socket, was not the right one for an iPad.

I HAD gotten the right one with my iPad, but at some point, with all the plugs in the house, I had switched.

A iPad charger can charge a phone (if I understood correctly), but a phone charger is not strong enough to charge an iPad. A iPod charger is not strong enough for an iPad either.

Oldest said the clerk was very smart to think of this so quickly into our conversation. My guess is I am not the first 50 something to come in asking about a slow iPad charge.

The two chargers I was (incorrectly) using are on the left. The actual iPad charger is on the right. My cord works in all three.


I LOVE MY iPad. 

I have said this before - to me it is a geriatric iPod. 

Bigger screen, bigger buttons. 

And I 100% understand an iPad is not a mini lap top.

My expectation for it are realistic. 

I have learned how to work around some of the limitations. 

I use it for things it IS built TO DO.

My books - Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe

NOTE: One of my book group facilitators sent me this link:
NPR Best of the Summer: 6 Books the Critics Adore.







 Wiki notes:

Things Fall Apart is an English-language novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe published in 1958. It is seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English, and one of the first African novels written in English to receive global critical acclaim. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa and widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world. The title of the novel comes from William Butler Yeats' poem "The Second Coming".

The novel depicts the life of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion in Umuofia—one of a fictional group of nine villages in Nigeria, inhabited by the Igbo people (in the novel, "Ibo"). It describes his family and personal history, the customs and society of the Igbo, and the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Igbo community during the late nineteenth century.

I have certainly not read as much African literature as someone who majored in that area in school. But it does seem to be assigned pretty regularly by my three book groups.

This was a totally new book for me. I had never even heard the title.

To be honest, it was assigned with Heart of Darkness. The two books were paired as one month's reading. My husband picked up this (Heart of Darkness) CD from the library, brought it home and said he didn't think I should listen to it. I did read it long ago (maybe for lit class). So, I decided to just read the new one, Things Fall Apart, and let the other go.

Yes, this is an African book. It is not a starving children, African book (just so you know).

"Things Fall Apart is set in the 1890s and portrays the clash between Nigeria’s white colonial government and the traditional culture of the indigenous Igbo people."

The entire book is NOT about the 'clash'. Instead the majority of the book sets up the culture. And it is very interesting. It is the last part of the book which addresses the clash.

As I read the SparkNotes context section, where I got that quote (above), I could understand why my book facilitator assigned Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart together. The SparkNotes section talks about both of these books. Things Fall Apart was written as a response to Heart of Darkness.

I thought this book was most excellent. I really enjoyed it. If you remember, I loved Cry, The Beloved Country. I would put this on that same level.

It took me a little bit to get used to the African names. But the author does a good job of putting context with the name, most of the time (his third wife, his good friend, his uncle).

I listened to this whole book, straight through on a major driving day. In fact the driving was so massive, I finished The Red Pony before this book, listened to the whole of this book, and then started next week's book, all on the same day.

Things Fall Apart (very much) held my interest once I got used to the rhythm of it, early in the book.

The version I listened to was narrated by Peter Francis James. He was most excellent for this book (in my opinion). Bless his heart for getting all the African names (assumedly) correct.

More Mehndi Pictures

I apologize in advance if there are any repeat mehndi pictures. I looked and I think these are all new (to posting).  Although at least one was taken 6 months ago - the one with the Seek name tag must be from January (that is when she went).

I have no idea about the ones with all the dirty laundry as I do not recognize the floor. It is not from our house. It is not her college dorm. If it is at one of middle's friend's houses, the mom is just better off not knowing her laundry room was immortalized.

If you are interested in more mehndi, clicking on the link at the bottom of this post will take you to past posts.

No, it is not your eyes. The carpet is nicely in focus, the foot is actually out of focus. That is the one drawback of automatic focus.

The henna that middle uses comes in a tube/cone. We buy it at a middle eastern grocery store. Either the owner has a good memory for faces or middle is one of the few Caucasian shoppers, because as soon as she walks in the door, he points to the henna.

It is possible to mix henna also. Middle just is use to his supply.

(Can't say this loudly enough - NEVER use black henna nor let anyone put it on you.)

All of the above pictures are what it looks like when she first applies it. That is the best time to get a pic as the henna is very dark, in its paste form. Then that layer brushes/scrapes off and these last two pictures are what remains.

Middle went to stay with a family while youngest and I were on the east coast. She went with two full tubes. Half way through the week, they had to make an emergency run for more.

We saw an African American (very dark pigment) with white mehndi, done in sort of African looking style, this week.