Snips Snails and Pigtails

I was contacted and asked to review a brand new book by Ninni Holmqvist. Unfortunately, I just didn't have time to read it and passed it off to a friend of mine. I have posted her wonderful review below...



The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist


Holmqvist’s novel which takes place in the near future is beautifully written; sometimes the language is almost painfully descriptive. At times; reading this novel is more like watching a movie, with ever single action described in extensive detail. The main character, Dorrit is a woman who has just turned 50 years old and is now deemed as a “dispensable,” in her society; someone who is no longer needed in the community as a whole being. Women over 50 and men over 60 are required to move into the unit, where they are to participate in experiments of all different sorts, with their lives ending by making their “final donation,” which means donating vital organs to those who are “needed,” out in the community. The majority of needed people are parents, who are wanted to be kept alive to raise their children. The novel spans over two years, and at the beginning, other types of needed (or protected) people worked in professions such as in the government, are teachers or doctors and didn’t necessarily need to have children. Nevertheless at the end of the novel, even those involved in those professions are no longer protected from having to make the ultimate sacrifice. Women and men, who do not produce children in the outside community, are seen as outcasts. Even though this novel takes place in Sweden, there seems to also be a stigma against people who do not have families in our own country. People with children and people without are considered worlds apart.

I find it interesting that the word community is relegated to more of a negative thing, even though everyone in the unit, ends up making the ultimate sacrifice to the community. There are negative and reciprocal feelings that the “dispensable” and the “needed” have for each other. I also found it interesting that people with children are rarely referred to as husband and wife. They are referred to as “partners,” who do not have to necessarily be married or even be of opposite genders. Another issue that disturbed me is that the leap does not seem to be a very large one between our current assisted living centers or nursing homes for the elderly to places like the unit. One issue that bothered me about this book is that Holmqvist never seems to state whether the need for vital organs has increased dramatically due to a rise in cancer or other factors, or if it is just a natural progression. There is a huge movement in the U.S., for people to donate their organs if they die. In this state, you can check a box on your drivers’ license that states you are a donor. My father thinks that everyone should have to donate their organs that die. He sees it as a waste when people do not. So in reality, how far are we away from places like units?

Dorrit is a writer who never has constant work and she was poor. In the unit, she never has to worry about buying food, clothes or any other necessities. She has access to state of the art exercise machines, gyms, classes, a swimming pool, a sauna as well as wonderful dining and entertainment. However, there is this constant underlying feeling of panic. People never know when their friends might disappear; they never know what negative effects they could have from the medical experiments in which they are forced to take part. The generations within the unit are very short. Living over 3 years in the unit is something of an anomaly. Within these walls with no windows but a domed ceiling that lets the “dispensable” look at the night sky, Dorrit finds friends that she never had out in the community and she also falls in love. The twists that happen at the end of the book are interesting but the decisions she makes because of what happens to her are remarkable. I recommend this book to people who enjoy fiction that may be closer to the truth, to those who enjoy friendship, love, but are willing to deal with disturbing issues that are raised within the pages.
--Review by Heather Cory


Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Unit-Ninni-Holmqvist/dp/1590513134/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243206307&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Unit/Ninni-Holmqvist/e/9781590513132/?itm=1

Winner of the brand new book, The Fairy Chronicles by J.H. Sweet, is...

Chandra, of Our Wonderful Life

Congratulations!!!

To the rest of you, thank you for playing. Come back soon because I'll be having another free giveaway in the next week or so.

I thought it would be fun to do something different. Instead of me writting to you... you write to me!

Leave me a *comment somewhere on my site telling me what you like most about my blog.

I'll then put your name in a drawing for a FREE Gymboree Activity Kit!!






The contest will run through Wednesday March 13th. I'll announce the winners(2) here on Thursday March 14th.
Good luck!

Not only do I love Gymboree's clothes, but the Princess also took some classes at our local Gymboree Play and Music Center including Baby Signs. We really enjoyed ourselves.

But it gets better...
Today I got a few new books. Did you know Gymboree has Books???


"Key Porter Books announces 2008 Spring Collection"


Gymboree’s PLAY & LEARN: 1001 FUN ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR BABY AND CHILD by Gymboree child development experts, is a must-have resource for parents and anyone who spends time with babies and young kids. Kid-tested, parent-friendly activities are ideal for spontaneous fun with no complicated preparation necessary, while chapter introductions highlight developmental milestones for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers.


It's super easy to flip through with the ages clearly displayed on the edge of each page. Different colors also help separate the age groups. I can find the chapter for 3o+ month olds, within seconds. (There's nothing worse than a big book that is loaded information but you have a hard time FINDING any of it!)

Here's an example of what you'll find in the book...

#631 Test the Taste Buds
Try this sensory-exploration game when you're in the kitchen. Have your little one close his eyes tightly and open his mouth. Pop something yummy in, then see if he can guess what it is. A piece of banana? A chocolate chip? Now ask him to hold his nose and try again- what differences does he notice?

How fun!


We also got 2 of the new board books.


Parents, Caregivers and Children alike will enjoy counting from one friendly frog to ten buzzing bees, seeing letters in action, exploring the world of color, and discovering shapes in common objects with four new Gymboree board books: NUMBERS, ALPHABET, COLORS and SHAPES. Translations with pronunciation guides make it easy to name key shapes, colors and numbers in French, German, Italian and Spanish for budding linguists.


Yes, that's right they even have different languages. Did you know a triangle was a dreieck (DRY-eck) in German? I sure didn't! I LOVE these books, even I might learn something.

Keep your eye out for these brand new books, I highly recommend them.



PLAY & LEARN: 1001 FUN ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR BABY AND CHILD ISBN: 978-155470-033-2; 240 pages; $24.95, paper; pub. date: March, 2008


NUMBERS ISBN: 978-155470-032-9; SHAPES ISBN: 978-155470-040-X
COLORS ISBN: 978-155470-039-6; ALPHABET ISBN: 978-155470-031-0
$7.95 each; board book; 6 ½ x 5 ¼”; ages 1 and up; pub. date: February, 2008

Potty Train In Three Days


Hmmm. Sounds too good to be true? Usually, when it sounds too good to be true, it is! This book got great reviews though, so we shall see.

I received this book today from Paperback Swap and I've already read the entire thing. Front to back. Sure it's not a very large book, but it was good none the less. It made a lot of sense and I agreed with most everything it said. (Most, but not all) Regardless, we've decided to go for it full force. 'The Princess' is ready to potty train, she has every single sign of readiness listed in this book and others.

With the encouragement of the book, the two of us threw away her diapys this evening. (She calls them diapys) I got a large trash bag and she helped me throw them away. Technically, I'm really supposed to throw them away but I just can't bring myself to be so wasteful. I've recovered them from the Trash now that she's in bed and I will hold onto them for my little niece. (Or 'The Princess' should this plan fail miserably)

I've never in my life done such a thing before. I mean, we've gone cold turkey! What have I done?? By tomorrow afternoon when I am on my 2nd or 3rd load of laundry I'm really going to be questioning myself....

Oiy! Wish us luck in this potty training endeavor. We're going to need it for sure.

I'm not sure how I stumbled on Paperback Swap, but it was only about a week ago. I signed up and I am totally hooked now! It's so neat. Let me tell you how it works...

I listed some of our previously read books on the site (you have to list at least 9 books to get in the club) and I got 3 free book credits. So I could immediately order 3 books right away - They are mailed directly to me and you pay nothing! No strings attached. No gimmicks. No spam mail. Nothing!

When another member selects one of my books that I have listed, I mail it to them. Yes, I pay for the postage. But then I get a book credit and I can select another book that I want. So another Club Member returns the favor and mails me one of their books free of charge. For every book I mail out, I get another book in return - a true shared system!

Oh! And it's not just Paperback books, they allow hardcover and board books as well.

I've been eying some potty training books for 'The Princess' but I really didn't want to pay full price. Well, this was the perfect solution and I've got 2 already on the way! I've also swapped for some Sandra Boynton books,
.....they are her favorites and are very hard to find used!

Interested in joining? Trust me, there really are no strings attached. It's the next best thing to Freecycle. Check out PaperBackSwap.comto see for yourself: