...("Rachel's rambling again!" --my sister)
Someone needs to invent a read-aloud machine. Must be able to read books aloud, with proper inflections, voices and accents. Will be useful during hours of hand-sewing.
My thimble keeps falling off. I should have counted how many times it clattered to the floor while I was sewing the binding on my stays. I'm thinking seriously about putting something sticky on my finger to keep it in place.
I taught 12 music lessons in the past two days and I'm done for the week. :D
And, with that out of the way, here's a book review:
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The Tale of Despereaux
"A rat is a rat is a rat. End of story. World without end. Amen."
"Kill him even if he's already dead," shouted Cook. "That's my philosophy with mice. If they're alive, kill them. If they're dead, kill them. That way you can be certain of having yourself a dead mouse, which is the only kind of mouse worth having."
I picked this book up because my sisters were reading it and I kept hearing them quote or read little bits of it, including the above...
A young, unlikely hero falls in love with a beautiful princess. He's practically disowned by his community and must overcome incredible odds to save his love... A fairly typical plot, except for one detail. The hero is a mouse. A small, rather sickly mouse. It's a tale of love, forgiveness, consequences, light and dark, mice, rats, servant girls, and soup.
I'm not quite sure what to say about it. It's certainly strange (a mouse deeply, irrevocably, head over heels in love with a princess girl?) and somewhat sad, between the doing and saying of the evil (I mean evil) rats, the dark and scary dungeon, and the lack of care between certain family members. I think it might be a little too troubling for younger children, personally. But the writing is good--hilarious at times. And there's a lot of depth; there are some good lessons about consequences, forgiveness, and love. It's...interesting.
"Now you're free. You see, you're not going into the dungeon because you have to, but because you choose to."
"Love, as we have already discussed, is a powerful, wonderful, ridiculous thing, capable of moving mountains. And spools of thread."
6 comments:
I have heard that first quote many times, but I never knew where it came from.:) It does sound like an interesting book....wonder if it's at all like the movie. Though, I've not seen the movie either.:)
The last book about a mouse I tried to read was a disaster. I don't think I made it past the first 5 pages.:P This one sounds like an improvement though!:D
Lucky you...finished with lessons for the week already?? I only have 8 more and I'm done for the week too!
Instead of frogs, it's mice??
I am going to have to read this book...I think. ;)
I totally agree on the read-aloud machine. Useful for hours of machine sewing, hours of driving, hours of baking... every time my hands are busy and my mind is not. Or maybe I should say when my mind is not where I want it to be or when it would rather be absorbed in the pages of a book than whatever else it pursues. It is almost never idle.
I've seen stick-on thimble things. I've never used a thimble personally as I avoid handsewing most of the time and cross-stitch has conveniently pre-made holes.
And I think Rachel's rambles are worth reading. :)
Oh is that were we have gone wrong Kristin? I wonder where we can find some mice...;D
Audiobooks are great for listening when you can't sit down with a book. I always have one going while I'm cooking, ironing, cleaning or whatever.:) Currently I'm listening to 'Foxe's Book of Martyrs.'
The Tale of Despereaux is a very good book. I've heard the movie is nothing in comparison to the book, so don't watch it. :P
Really Sarah? That's too bad because the main mouse character in the movie did look awfully cute!
But now my curiosity is aroused so I think I'll end up reading the book. *adding it to my list* ;)
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