Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett My rating: 4 of 5 stars Yet another excellent Tiffany Aching book in Discworld,using as Pratchett does Tiffany and the witches as an exploration in true service and magic. This tale is a pivotal one in the Tiffany Aching saga, often referred to in later books (she’s “the girl who kissed Winter”). It has a dash of a favorite theme of mine, the importance of stories/folklore/tales/legends. But the book shines most in its interesting circumspection of the topic of what it means to be human (a question more commonly addressed in science fiction, not fantasy).

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Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys My rating: 4 of 5 stars How many people have had confused search results with this book when confusing the “Between” and “Fifty” title words? Amusing stories aside, though, this book centers on the little-told situation of refugees on the Soviet-side of World War 2. It depicts the extremities of starvation, Siberian death in the cold, and the inhumanity capable by humans. It features tragedy and hope, with a very real depiction of the value of dignity despite the consummately degrading, tarnishing situations that make dignity seem impossible.

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Bus Driver Diaries: Stories From the Driver’s Seat by Tory C. Anderson My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Bus Driver Diaries is a series of vignettes from the life of an unusual bus driver. By no means a story, it’s a book of little scenes and brief flashes. You spend moments observing country children who run to the end of gravel roads to catch a passing school bus. In other scenes you wind down terrifying mountain roads in the middle of a blizzard.

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Catching a Storyfish by Janice N. Harrington My rating: 5 of 5 stars Reading this (note: as comprised of poetry, it needs to be read in text, not audio) was a small journey for me. Not really knowing what I was getting into I began unsure and with some criticism. The power of the verse didn’t stand up to poetry anthologies or masterpieces of lyric prose that I’ve read before. It didn’t compare to Shel Silverstein or, a little closer to its audience, “Please Bury Me in the Library,” either.

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Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo My rating: 4 of 5 stars The book that everyone recommended after I was impressed by DiCamillo’s “Raymie Nightingale”. Her most famous and highly celebrated work, this had much in common with Raymie: a child’s view of life troubled by a broken family, set in the south, finding joy in rich relationships. This was much more a children’s book than Raymie, though, which was definitely young adult.

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I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett My rating: 5 of 5 stars My second Terry Pratchett novel after “Guards, Guards!” I was very pleased with this one. Prescient of several of today’s “Good Witch” stories, Pratchett weaves a tale with his characteristic playfullness and skillful wordplay that features a forceful yet caring woman who demonstrates that real magic is about caring for people and doing what others are too busy to even be aware needs doing.

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Thoughts on IntellecutalTakeout’s “Why America Has a Generation of Little Men". There are various explanations for the decline of manliness or manly success in today’s culture. Examples include women now receiving more education than men, and young men being more likely to live with their parents than women of the same age. The article lists several of the explanations that have been thrown around: The decline of physical labor The arrangement of the education system The decline of apprenticeships The social emphatuation with man-bashing Add to these, suggests IntellectualTakeout, Bertrand Russel’s thoughts on the importance of monotony:

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What would Anne Shirley would say to the pop-slogan, “Be Yourself”? Facebook is built on an idea of having one face that you show the world. At first this might seem like a good idea–as if it’s the honest thing. The problem? Humans don’t work that way. We should not generally behave as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady, who sees no difference between treating a duchess as a flower girl and treating a flower girl as a duchess.

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This was my first “Smarter Everyday” viewing and I was very impressed. Yeah, the science was cool (especially for those of us who haven’t spent much time in a car with a balloon), but what really impressed me was just what he’s doing here, enjoying an activity with his kids in a wholesome way, and sharing that moment with us. In a way, he’s demonstrating being a Digital Media Dad.

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“Let it Go” has gone viral in virtually every form; but here are some of the very best remixes/takes on Frozen. Working with Lemons This was called to my attention because the father of these girls was a co-worker of my wife. Apparently 414 million other viewers discovered it before me, though. Multiple Languages “Let It Go” in 40 languages; this fantastic view of the international distribution also gives insight into how different languages sound.

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