I want to buy a book

That declaration in itself took me by surprise. But maybe Jennifer knew that if she said that I'd practically be throwing the car keys her way to go to the book store.

She came back with Pride Prejudice and Zombies for me, and The Last Lecture for herself. Oh, and conned dad into buying her a $60 pair of tennis shoes after her org. pair were stolen last week out of her locker at school.

A permission slip for what?

Mom, you need to sign these slips while I am thinking about it - say daughter at about 6 a.m. this morning as we both emerge from the shower.

"OK, what exactly am I signing?" I say, as I scribble away.

"They are permission slips,one for seeing Schindler's List, and the other in case I'm assigned to read Catcher in the Rye"

"I just gave you the book to read, and we've already watch the film together, why do I need to sign this?"

"They just want to make sure you're okay with it...don't argue, just sign."

Catcher in the Rye

While rushing to the Borders book store to buy a gift card for my bro-in-law (don't ask my why my hubby isn't doing this, esp. since George is HIS bro and I thought the adults weren't going to exchange gifts anymore...long story) we passed a big stand honoring JD Salinger and, of course, Catcher in the Rye.

Surprisingly, my daughter hadn't read this yet, even tho she's in AP Honors Lit, so I plunked down the $6.99 for the paperback and gave it to her.

"Trust me, you'll like this..it's sarcastic."

The first sentence had her, so now she's busy plowing through the literary version of Rebel Without a Cause.

And rereading it myself quickly, I was surprised at how good it was. Even tho my first read of the book was in my 20s, I realize now, JD had figured out how teenagers or almost teenagers talk - which I think explains much as to why the book has endured so well, whether it's on the must-read lit list or not.

For those you that have forgotten the first sentence, which hooked Jennifer, here it is-

"If you really want to hear about, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield type of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth."


And the guy at the bookstore says that JD has many more books that haven't been published yet, so maybe J and I will get to read them for the first time together.

Packages are unwrapped, J taking a milk bath, like Cleopatra

You read this right.

All the packages are unwrapped, and although few yielded surprises (she picked them out herself), J still is gleaning the gifts, as she unwrapped a few from grandma today, and I bought her a book tonight. I figured, why not, so I bought her a book - 1000 things you can do to make yourself more beautiful and cool, or something that. So she quickly flipped it open, and read about Cleo taking milk baths.

So right now, I'm hearing the plumbing roaring with water in her bathroom, as she packed in 2 pints of milk. Now her complexion is perfect as far as I can tell, but oh well, as long as she's reading, I'm paying.

Free throws and Heathcliff

Jennifer is now trying to make 300 free throws to raise $$ for the b-ball booster club. Tho how much of that the C team will ever see is questionable. (they have the rattiest of uniforms).

On the way to that event this am, she starts talking about Wuthering Heights again and HOW MUCH SHE LOVES THAT BOOK.

She's started underlining her favorite parts (including the line used in Twilight) and starts asking me about my favorite paragraphs. Umm, haven't read that book in about 5 years darling, prompt my memory.

To which she obliges and it starts to come back. She wants to show me this one paragraph when she gets home that she loves, even more than parts of GWTW, which is saying something.

I suggested The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. The ending of that book is simply magical, IMO.

Twilight, all the time

For the last several months, my daughter has be forgoing TV, movies, almost anything else but reading the Twilight series. I'll give her credit, she finished the last book last night. At first she wanted to go to Southcenter, at 4 a.m with all the other teen girls and wait for a chance to see Jacob and crew.

I said "no way." Not going to stand in line for hours, for the chance for Jacob, not even the top tier cast, to sign a poster. But I will be taking her to the movie next Thursday, or Friday, at midnight for the first showing. And she will be going to school the next day, three hours or not.

Here is some of the day, this Monday, on the Seattle Times Web page. I also heard that there was a riot and broken nose at the San Fran event, where Edward showed up. Glad I wasn't there.

Here is a great spoof of the series, by my friend Martha B. from her facebook page.

Pictures from Summit Entertainment Web page.

That's the way girls are

After reading through the first part of the vampire-love book series "Twilight," Jennifer came into my bedroom this am to declare it good.

She simply couldn't put it down. And can't wait for the movie next month, now that Harry Potter's been bumped until next July.

Now, granted, she has to read this book for her book project. And she tried one book, got bored, so I suggested this one. I'd started the four-book series in the middle and had to backtrack. And it's a good read all in all. Not that it's harry potter, or great American Lit, but I'm a softy for vampire books.

But J. had overhead a women friend and I talk about the books, and how Bella is so IN LOVE and obsessed with Edward, she stages her entire life around him. We (both 40-somethings) discussed how that seemed a bit anti-woman.

"But that's just the way we fall in love," Jennifer said.

I shot her a suspicious look.

"No, I'm not, if you don't count the crush I have on Riley," she said.