The Golden Compass

On New Year's Day, Frank, Anna and I went to see the movie The Golden Compass. I enjoyed it. The special effects were good, but not overdone. I think there was more to the story than what the movie could portray. That's usually why I like to read the book first and then do a comparison between the book and movie.

I had ordered The Golden Compass and the other two books in the trilogy through Anna's Scholastic Book school order (I love those things!). But they were sold out of it and we had to wait a while until they got more to send. (I imagine they were so popular because of the movie.)

Anna finally got the books the other day. I took them out of her backpack to look at them and see what the other two were about. I didn't intend to but I started reading the first chapter of The Golden Compass. Uh-oh, I knew I was in trouble and needed to put the book down and step away.

See, I love books. That's why most of the time I try not to pick them up. Because once I start reading, most of the time I can't put it down until I'm finished. Nothing gets done - projects, cooking dinner, anything. When I received the last Harry Potter book in the mail, I started reading it in the afternoon and didn't stop until I finished it at 6:30 a.m. the next morning. O.k., I don't do that with all books, but usually I end up reading longer than I should.

I haven't picked up The Golden Compass again since Anna will want us to read it to her (and I know I won't be able to control myself if I do). She's almost 11 and we still read to her. I don't know what I will do when she doesn't want us to any more because I really enjoy reading all the kids books, too. (There are already a few she's read on her own that I will have to read on my own.) It's great to be able to discuss with her what's going on in the books. Frank always has one book he's reading to her and I always have a different one I'm reading to her at the same time (this way we can take turns reading to her if the other person is busy or has something to do).

That night after I had unintentionally got caught up in the first chapter, a poem popped into my head while I was trying to fall asleep in bed. Usually it is pictures and ideas that pop into my head, not usually words. But sometimes. I knew I would forget it in the morning if I didn't write it down. I got up to scribble it on some paper. It goes like this:

The power of the book
grips me.
I pick it up and
cannot put it down.
I know what
awaits me,
and yet,
I open it and
am trapped.
The world goes on
around me,
unseen
until the very end.

What do you think would be a good title for this?

Haiku

I haven't written much on the blog lately as my parents are visiting us. However, as I was cleaning up for their arrival, I found Anna's notebook from her writing camp a couple of weeks ago. Looking through her work and some of the exercises they had, I was inspired. So here is my haiku:

Hope

Angry cloud cover

Threatening, darkening sky

Sun arrow shoots through