Spring beckons…

The birds as singing. The tiny buds on the trees are bursting into glorious greenery. The weather is warmer. Our vege patch is producing copious quantities of fruit & vegetables. And with the return of the warmer weather, along comes my mojo! Woo-hoo, I’m back on the wagon, ready for a beautiful, soul-stirring season of creating! I love spring & summer. In winter, I curl into myself, my creative spirit huddles deep inside, afraid of the icy studio should it poke it’s head out to check if the seasons have once again changed.

But today. A beautiful, so-warm-it’s-almost-hot spring day, I urged that creative spirit to be still. To just watch & absorb the moments that make life wonderful. Sitting in the sun, playing in the sandpit, reading a book. A clothesline of clean clothes flapping in the wind. A clean house. A freshly baked cake. Two small boys who are able to melt me heart with the cheekiest of grins, and the cutest turns of phrase. A day for us. For revelling in the wonder that is spring time.

And yes, for those paying attention to the ramblings of a woman drunk on breathing pollen-laden spring air, I’ve been a-reading. I’m a member of the Doubleday Book Club, and to round out my 12-month club commitment, I treated myself to a wonderful historical novel by the talented Phillippa Gregory, finished as I lay on the back lawn, the sun streaming through the leaves of the tree above me, two small boys playing at my side. And I am anxiously stalking the postie for the arrival of my next book – the newie from Audrey Niffenegger, she of The Time Travellers Wife talent. Oh yeah, I’m excited! So with 34 books down, I’m looking shakey for a target of 50, but we’ll see how we go! (And as an aside – any of you other challenge girls interested in maybe a little bookmark swap? I think the rest of you are all sewing girls too… Leave a comment and let me know if you are keen!)

The list as it stands:

2. Fishing for Stars – Bryce Courtney (fiction, new/gift) ***1/2 (Jan 09)

3. The Time Travellers Wife – Audrey Niffenegger (fiction, re-read for the 736th time) ****1/2 (Feb 09)

4. The Adventure of English:A biography of a Language – Melvin Bragg(non-fiction, re-read for the 312th time) ***1/2 (Feb 09)

5. Vet in a Spin – James Herriot (non-fiction, memoir, re-read) **** (Feb 09)

6. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – James Herriot (non-fiction, memoir, re-read) ***1/2 (Feb 09)

7. Various Flavours of Coffee – Anthony Capella (fiction, library find) ***1/2 (Feb 09)

8. How to help you child read & write – Dr Dominic Wyse (non-fiction, library find) *** (Feb 09)

9. Before I Wake – John Scott (fiction, library find) (in progress, contemplating giving up!)

10. From Here to Maternity – Sinead Moriarty (fiction, chick-lit, library find) **** (March 09)

11. Dog Stories – James Herriot (non-fiction, memoirs, re-read) *** (March 09)

12. The Planets – Dava Sobel (non-fiction, astronomy, new/gift) **** (March 09)

13. Creative Play for Your Baby – Christopher Clouder & Janni Nicol (non-fiction, Steiner based play & craft, new) ***** (March 09)

14. The Writing Class – Jincy Willitt (fiction, light crime/homour, library find) **** (April 09)

15. Australia Street – Ann Whitehead (fiction, drama, library find) **** (April 09)

16. Behind the Bestsellers – Jenny Bond & Chris Sheedy (non-fiction, literature history, library find) ****1/2 (April 09)

17. But Wait, There’s More… – Robert Crawford (non-fiction, advertising, library find) ** (April 09)

18. Sacred Influence – Gary Thomas (non-fiction, Christian marriage, from my neglected collection) **** (April 09)

19. Princesses and Po.rn$tars – Emily McIntyre (non-fiction, modern feminism, library find) **** (May 09)

20. Wings above Billabong – Mary Grant Bruce (fiction, childrens/young teens fiction, well-read favourite) **** (May 09)

21. We Need to Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver (fiction, drama, library find)***1/2 (May 09)

22. The Pilot’s Wife – Anita Shreve (fiction, drama, library find) ****1/2 (May 09)

23. Double Fault – Lionel Shriver (fiction) **** (May 09)

24. The Last Time They Met – Anita Shreve (fiction) **** (June 09) 

25. Road to Paradise – Paullina Simons (fiction) ***1/2 (July 09)

26. Lessons in Heartbreak – Cathy Kelly (fiction) **** (July 09)

27. 1788 – David Hill (nonfiction, Australian History) ***(Aug 09)

28. Blue Paws – Matt McCredie (nonfiction, police dog memoirs) ***1/2 (Aug 09)

29. The No-Cry Sleep Solution – Elizabeth Pantley (nonfiction, attachment parenting) ****1/2 (Aug 09)

30. Fit to be Tied – Bill & Lynne Hybels (non-fiction, Christian marriage) **** (Aug 09)

31. Landscape Photography – Steve Parish (non-fiction, photography) ***(Sept 09)

32. Dear Fatty – Dawn French (non-fiction, auto-biography) *** (Sept 09)

33. The Wal-Mart Effect (non-fiction, economics/business) **** (Oct 09)

34. The White Queen, Phillippa Gregory (fiction, historical drama)****(Oct 09)