Sunday, March 28, 2010

Sunday Salon: Book Fair go bye-bye


Good morning friends! Even though I have been posting every day, I feel I have been away on a long journey, the journey being the Book Fair. Running this event requires most of my time the week leading up to it, and the week of. I absolutely love the look on the little ones' faces when they come into the fair for the first time. I remember all of the excitement I felt when I was their age, pouring over the catalog and prioritizing my reading "needs". Being a Catholic school, we also have a table of religious books, and I can't even tell you how my heart melted when I saw a little boy rejecting a Transformers book and begging for a children's Bible. That all being said, this is the fourth fair I have run and I'm ready to move on to a different challenge. It was with relief that I bid this whole business goodbye on Friday afternoon!





































We are also ramping up for our Adult Literacy League "Reading Between the Wines" event on April 9. We had our last official meeting this week, and are solidifying all of the details. Believe it or not, but we have 60 author-signed books on the auction, thanks to all of you and your generosity!

My son also had a field trip to St. Augustine on Friday, and because I went on this trip with my daughter and life has to be fair, I took time off from the Book Fair to visit one of my favorite Florida cities, the oldest European-established city in the US in fact. I never tire of seeing the old coquina walls, the Castillo de San Marco, the ancient churches, shopping on St. George Street, the cobbled roads, and the Fountain of Youth. I had to leave the field trip early to finish up the Book Fair, but was totally worth it.

Unfortunately, while I was on the field trip, I received a text from my friend Julie (one of my high school friends that I cruised with last October) that a mutual friend from high school died of unknown causes on Thursday night. We had all gotten reacquainted through Facebook, and had been planning on getting together when I come up to Indiana this July. It is hard to even get my head around the death of a 43 year-old woman who should have had a lifetime ahead of her; someone who I had just been messaging on Facebook three days prior. May God bless her soul.

I fear my reading has been on the back burner for all of the above reasons. I am still reading "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver. It is dark, guys. It is genius, but at the same time like slogging through an underground sewer tunnel, and I just can't read it for long. With the reclaiming of my life next week, I hope to finish it and move on to a number of shorter books that my daughter has read and wants me to read so we can discuss. I am listening to "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston on audio, and am nearly finished. Ms. Hurston is one amazing author with a breathtaking gift, and am proud to call her a local author. I know they made this book into a TV movie, so I may do a Read the Book/See the Movie review. The kids and I have about a half a disc left on the 5th Harry Potter book, and am officially overdue to return the audio. I have renewed the maximum number of times, and just have to ride it out and pay my penance.

This morning I had to bid my parents goodbye, as they leave their winter home down here next door to us, and go back to Indiana. Life gets a whole lot harder when they are not around, that is for sure. It leaves me feeling a little melancholy.

I prepare myself for a tiny bit of normalcy next week...cleaning my disgustingly filthy house, preparing a proper meal of an evening, and regular exercise. It is also Holy Week, which is a very special time. On Thursday, the kids' begin their Spring Break as well. I'm really looking forward to all of it! Happy Palm Sunday!

27 comments:

Ana S. said...

I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying Their Eyes Were Watching God, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts. And We Need to Talk About Kevin does sound incredibly dark. Not that this is a bad thing, but yeah, when a book is very intense emotionally I tend to read it more slowly.

Have a great week, Sandy :)

Harvee said...

Good luck with We Need to Talk about Kevin. Hope you enjoy it.

Unknown said...

I think you will love Kevin, especially once you've reached the end - I know why you you feel the need to read it slowly. I often read a darker, complex book at the same time as a lighter one.

I can imagine how it must feel to have your parents leave. Mine don't live close by so I never have that convienience, but know it must be wonderful to have that option available, at least for some of the year.

bermudaonion said...

You are one busy woman! I hope you have a relaxing Spring Break. I sure do wish I could attend Reading Between the Wines and bid on some of those books!

Beth F said...

Wow! HOpe your life settles down and I'm so sorry to hear about your friend.

Enjoy the week and the season (not being a Christian, I'm unclear of the proper holiday sentiment).

Jen - Devourer of Books said...

I hope everything calms down for you in the next week.

Unknown said...

I think Their Eyes Were Watching God is an amazing book. I also listened to it on tape. I have a very difficult time reading books written in dialect, which it is, but hearing it read by someone who could do the dialect justice was great.

Trisha said...

I think listening to Their Eyes Were Watching God is a brilliant idea. I believe Halle Berry stars in the film - and who doesn't like Halle?

My grandparents move down to Florida for winter (away from the family). It's so fun to see it the opposite way for you and yours.

JoAnn said...

First, I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Also, I didn't realize your parents live next door in the winter - how wonderful that must be!

The Clifford blow-up is so cute. We used to have one of the high school students walk around in a Clifford suit all day - the little kids loved it. Certainly understand the need to move on to new challenges. I tended to have those correspond to my kids moving on to the next level school.

Their Eyes Were Watching God is a fabulous audio. I'm guessing you have the version read by Ruby Dee?

Amy said...

congrats on a smashing success with the book fair and I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend.

I love your description of "Kevin" (slogging through a sewer tunnel) and might need to appropriate it at some point. :)

Darlene said...

You're always so busy Sandy. I get exhausted reading about all you manage to accomplish in a week.

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Life is so fragile.

Alyce said...

I'm glad to hear that the book fair is done and that it was a success. Believe it or not I don't remember going to book fairs as a kid. I'll have to ask my husband if it's just my faulty memory and if we really did have them (we went to the same schools as kids). My kids' schools don't have them either, so it's fun to see what you've been up to.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. That kind of loss is never easy.

Molly said...

I didn't know your parents lived next door in the winter? What a blessing that must be!

A girl from St. Augustine lived across the hall from me last summer. Her descriptions of the area sound lovely!

I agree, We Need to Talk About Kevin is dark - and it is a book that will stay with you for a long, long time!

Heidenkind said...

I remember book fairs from when I was a kid! Good times. :)

Melody said...

I always anticipated for book fairs when I was in school! Thanks for bringing back those fond memories! :D

I've to add Their Eyes Were Watching God onto my wishlist since I've heard nothing but raves about that book!

Hope you've a great week ahead!

Jenners said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. That is so shocking and sad. You just never know what life is going to do.

And "Kevin" is a fantastic book but defintiely dark and depressing. wait until you get to the end!!!

Good luck with all your bookish things ... you're going to need another vacation soon!

Ti said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Such sad news. It really makes your think.

Gavin said...

Sandy - I hope things calm down for you. I have to send you a huge "Thank You" plus a hug for suggesting I download the audio version of The Help and give it a try. I am loving it.

"Their Eyes Were Watching God" is a wonder, I'm glad you are enjoying it. I tried reading "We Need To Talk About Kevin" at the end of last year and struggled with it. Will pick it up again at some point. And I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Unexpected loss like that is always a shock so take care of yourself and have a good week.

Iliana said...

It's so good to catch up on your blog. I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. I'm sure that is shocking. Hugs!

And, I totally didn't get my act together to send you a book or two for the adult literacy fair. I'm so sorry but I'm so behind on, well life! I'm sure it'll be a great success though.

ds said...

One book fair down, one literacy auction to go...You make my head spin with all of your projects, Sandy! I'll be very curious to know your "official" thoughts about Their Eyes Were Watching God because I am in the early stages of reading it. Am finding that on the page it requires a large amount of time and concentration (both lacking here at the moment)--the dialect, I think--but she is one heck of a writer.

Lovely that you have your parents so close for part of the year, at least. And I am truly sorry about your friend. That is difficult...

Alice said...

Sandy, that's one great Book Fair and field trip!

I'm really sorry to read about your friend's death.

Here's to a better week ahead!

Susan said...

Congrats on the successful Book Fair! Yay! Another notch on your belt.

I love St. Augustine, too! My sister doesn't live too far from there. She lives in Hawthorne, which doesn't have much going for it. The best thing is Judy's Pizza and Sis is the "Judy" therein!

Zora Neale Hurston is one of my MIL's favorite authors and she loved that book and the TV movie.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It's very hard to absorb such shocking news. ((hugs))

Kathleen said...

Sounds like you have had a wonderful and terrible week all at once. I'm so sorry to hear about your high school friend. Those bits of news always freak me out when they come and the older I get the more I hear these stories! Glad the book fair went well as I know for all of your hard work you touched many young lives!

Zibilee said...

Sandy, I am so sorry to hear about your friend, please take it easy this week. I also wanted to say that I am a volunteer for Scholastic books as well. I usually work at the warehouse during their seasonal sales, and am looking forward to the upcoming big sale. It's a great opportunity for me to get books for my kids, and I always come home with a truckload of stuff. I hope that this week is more calm for you, and that you enjoy a happy Easter with your family!

Anna said...

So sorry to hear about your friend. We Need to Talk About Kevin is a dark book. I felt a heaviness for a few days after reading it.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

caite said...

gosh, so sad about your friend...

I do envy your trip to St. Augustine. I was only there once, for a day, which is a ridiculously short time. It is a place I must get back to...not to mention the lovely lighthouse.

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

Oh, Sandy, I'm so sorry to learn about your friend; we're never prepared for news like that.