Buried in books

I love to read. Well, I used to love to read. Now it seems it's become yet another chore, another failing.

I have myriad magazines strategically placed around the house (yes, including in the bathroom) yet I can't get through them all. This past weekend I threw a stack -- a STACK! -- of magazines I'd not yet read into the recycle bin. There was Real Simple, O Magazine, Health, MORE, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens ... all with April, May and/or June dates. Unread. All the tips and recipes and insight within never even glanced at. Now they await Thursday's recycle pickup.

Yes, I know I could have taken them to the senior center or the hospital where others would have happily enjoyed their contents. But that takes time. And a lack of time is the reason I have stacks of magazines sitting unread in the first place.

Lack of time is also the reason I have stacks of books sitting unread. Well, lack of time and the fact the UPS guy, the USPS guy and the FedEx guy keep coming to my door ... with more and more books ... with more and more obligation ... because I'm supposed to review them.

And I can't. I simply cannot read books fast enough to get all the reviews done that I need to do for Grandma's Briefs. Yes, I can just stop accepting review books, stop seeking out sources for more. Thing is, I want keep getting them because I want to provide readers with reviews of upcoming literary selections. (And, to be honest, I want to keep receiving books directly from publishers and PR firms. It fills my bookshelves ... and if you know me, you know that full bookshelves warm my heart to an embarrassingly obsessive degree.)

So, because I am now buried in books (proof of which is the photo above of the books I've received in the past couple months!) I'm looking for help. I'm looking for help from YOU.

I would like to share some of my books in exchange for reviews credited to you and posted in the Grandma's Briefs Back Room. All you have to do is let me know if you want to write a review of 400-600 words on a book of my choosing by commenting below with "YES, I want to help" and whether you'd prefer I send you a book of fiction or non-fiction. Be sure to include your e-mail address. I'll choose a couple reviewers to help me out and get back to each for a mailing address and to give details on how the review process will work. (If I don't choose you the first time around, hang tight ... I've always got more books on the way!)

I can't pay you for reviewing a book ... but you will get to keep the free book.

One note of caution, though: If you're unable to get a book read and reviewed in a time frame of a couple weeks, beware of signing up for "free book" offers. That's exactly what got me buried in books to begin with!

Thanks, guys!

Today's question:

What book would you love to read again for the first time?

Schoolboy charm

Last week was Bubby's very first week of preschool, and he survived with minimal meltdowns. Only one big meltdown, to be exact, but that should be expected from a two-year-old getting the hang of an 8 a.m. to about 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday gig.

Preston did the first-day drop-off duty with the schoolboy while Pre-K teacher Mommy had first-day duty in the classroom -- a classroom directly across the hall from Bubby's classroom, if you can believe such luck! Here's the photo Preston took on his phone of the major event then graciously passed along:

Ah, my little big boy.

According to all reports, Bubby did just fine with his first day of school. That evening, his teacher e-mailed Megan two more photos -- the other two photos in this post -- showing what fun he had throughout the day.

I'm not sure if Mrs. L (whose real name I can never remember except that it has an ending that sounds something like "peanut") is just a super fantastic teacher and e-mailed photos to the parents of all twelve of the toddlers in her class, or if it was special treatment for a fellow teacher who happens to be the parent of one of her students.

Either way, Megan was pretty happy to see the highlights of Bubby's first day. And I was pretty happy to steal the photos off Megan's blog for use here. (Thanks, Meg!)

During his first week of formal schooling, Bubby learned lots. But it wasn't learning letters (of which Bubby already knows all of those in his name) or colors (of which Bubby already knows all the basic ones) that were his greatest achievement. It was pooping. Yep, you heard me right. Bubby pooped ... in a big boy toilet ... at school! Something he'd never done outside of the comfort of his own potty chair before. It required no begging, pleading, bribing or anything of the sort.

(I personally think it might have been the allure of the preschool's miniature toilets installed specifically for little ones that led to his crowning achievement so early in his academic career.)

Whatever the reason may be -- and the reason remains unclear at this point since he's not duplicated the accomplishment as of yet -- Bubby received TWO suckers from his teacher for his work. When he talked to Gramma that evening, his most enthusiastic comment about his school day was "Two suckers! TWO SUCKERS!"

Megan, who's been using the ONE-sucker reward system for potty training, had only this to say: "Thanks a lot, Mrs. L!"

Ya better stock up on suckers, Meg. Seems the lesson of the day is that TWO suckers are better than one. And clearly the secret to success!

Today's question:

What important lesson have you recently learned?

Photo replay

Bubby upon returning home to his beloved Roxy.

August 12, 2010

Today's question:

What was your first pet? What did you name it?