Things I love about The Chef and a few book reviews too.

The Chef said one of the most romantic things ever last week.

It was Superbowl Sunday.  I asked him, "Don't you just want to skip the game and watch Downton Abbey with me instead?"  And he said, "Yeah, kind of, I do."

He just finished reading The Trumpet of the Swan to Edmund and they are looking for their next bedtime book.  I suggested Little Britches by Ralph Moody, or Prince Caspian as we just listened to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. 

 
Or the new Richard Peck book, Secret at Sea.  But I'm reading Secret at Sea right now, and it's kind of girly.  It's not only that the main characters are three girl mice and one boy mouse, but there are lots of dresses and hats and corsets and duchesses and princesses and husband-hunting throughout.  That's what I mean by girly.  But it's very good!  Of course, anything by Richard Peck is worthwhile reading in my opinion.  But maybe not the best choice for a manly man who reads to his man-child at bedtime. 

I also finished reading My Unfair Godmother last week.  It has no objectionable content, but man, it was hard to get through.  Waaaaaaaaaaay tooooo long.  About halfway through, I thought, "Well, that wraps everything up, should be over soon."  Boy, was I wrong.  It went on and on and on. 

I'm sure there are plenty of seventh grade girls who would love to spend several hours, days, weeks reading about modern day Tansy Miller, her wacky "fair" godmother (but she's not that good at being a fairy godmother), and her three wishes.  One wish brings Robin Hood and his merry gang of thieves to the present, and another sends Tansy and her whole family plus her brother's cute friend to England during the reign of Prince John (Robin Hood's Prince John) which also happens to be the fairytale of Rumplestiltskin.  Confused yet? 

If you would like to read a good re-telling of the Rumplestiltskin story, check out Gary D. Schmidt's Straw into Gold.  Much better.