[frowny face]

White collar, seasons 1 through 4, with Matt Bomer.  I have been watching this in the evenings instead of blogging.  I'm enjoying it quite a bit-- it's a good match for me.  The crimes are interesting and complex (not always believable but certainly fun), there are just enough personal life plots mixed in, and the characters are likable. 

The one thing I really didn't like is that, especially in the first season, Peter has a number of lines talking about being afraid of making his wife angry.  However, his wife is a calm, relaxed, and understanding person.  The workaholic afraid of upsetting his wife was lazy writing.  He should be trying to make her happy because he is in love with her, but that would have been written a different way.  Otherwise, lovely.

The little prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, translated by Richard Howard.  I'm not really clear on why this is such a classic.  Yes, there were some observations and comments about human nature, but they weren't particularly deep.  The characters aren't particularly realistic or likable. 

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys.  I didn't like this either.  White collar is just the excuse; I don't like to blog when I didn't enjoy reading the books. 

I found this very difficult to read, largely because of the writing-- the author didn't use commas where they belong, she used commas where she should have used semicolons, and she mixed fragments into her writing.  The story is told from multiple characters' viewpoints, but switches are not clearly marked.  It wasn't enjoyable to have to wade through. 

I skimmed an introduction by some scholar in the beginning of the book that talked about the fate of the characters and such, but in reality the story isn't that deep.  It is unfortunate for the characters that their lives turned out that way, but each is not to blame for the unhappiness of the other.

Ikigai: The Japanese secret to a long and happy life by Hector Garcia and Frances Miralles.  This is why I don't like self-help books: each presents their way as the best way for everyone, without discussing different approaches that might work better for a certain type of person over another, and without citing sources or discussing scientifically why the proposed approach is best.  This book is perfect for people who have already decided that this is how they want to approach health.

The three ninja pigs by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Dan Santat.  This was read aloud during a staff activity.  It is a cute picture book and appropriate for ages 3-6: not too text-heavy but with a broad vocabulary; colorful, simple illustrations, not too crowded; fun twist on a story kids will probably already be familiar with by that age.