Doctor's Office Choice Reads

Pritzer Awards Japanese Eco-Architect Shigeru Ban

"Cardboard Cathedral" in Christchurch New Zealand

Japanese Architect Shigeru Ban has been deemed the Rumpelstiskin of building design and that title earned him arguably the most prestigious award in architecture. He is the recipient of this year's Pritzer Prize. It was noted by the judges that they highly recognized his decades long contributions to natural disaster relief. He has been known to use matierials such as the cardboard in the structure above built after the devastating quakes in Christchurch New Zealand and the school below built after the 2008 Sichuan quakes killed almost 70,000 people. These purpose built structures have become permanent in some areas as the people of different regions embrace the architectural endeavors as symbols of a new future after the devastation caused by tsunamis, earthquakes, and landslides to name a few. Ban served as a juror for the prestigious prize and is the second Japanese architect in a row to win.

Chengdu temporary classroom built by Ban
Images courtesy of CNN.com

Christchurch City Libraries Book Sale

Book and sale are two of my favorite words so when the Christchurch City Libraries Annual Book Sale was announced, we were overwhelmed. Events are at Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre. There are books for all of us moms, dads, kids and babies. The artist, hobbyist, techie, musician and dabbler will all find book prices to shop with the best of them. With children's books priced at $1 and that is just the start of it. 

Hours are as follows:
Friday March 21       9-7 (note the later hours tonight)
Saturday March 22  9-4

Ample parking but come early  to #shopsmart and though they provide bags, bring your own! It's good for the earth and there are a lot of books. We went this morning and are now off to shop for a bookshelf...or two.

Pay with cash and EFTPOS only.
Pool and coffee bar in the same facility. Check available hours.

Summer Reading: The Glass Castle

We had to share our current book choice for the summer. Besides a quick re-read (for the fourth time) of The Great Gatsby, we've chosen Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle upon the recommendation of my sister. I am halfway through and since I've promised to pass it over to a friend tomorrow, I'm finishing it up tonight. This will be an easy feat. It is one of the best books we've read recently. It's funny, sad and honest all at the same time. You will be shocked yet compassionate as the story, "...of a nomadic, impoverished childhood", is told from the perspective of Walls who lived with her ingenious, alcoholic father and artist mother who had a complete disdain for the conventions of domestic life. 

The story opens in New York City as Walls, now a highly successful urbanite, passes her father as he is rummaging through rubbish on the city street. It took courage to retell this tale and you are sure to be as amazed as I was with her memoir. 

For ordering in NZ and the UK, use The Book Depository and order it here.

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Darth Vader For Dads

I came to bed tonight and found this book on my side. The children read it with their father again for storey time tonight. This is a new favorite in our house having bought it for Father's Day (which was this past weekend in the Southern Hemisphere) but the anticipation of the day had the kids pre-gifting this to dad weeks ago. Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown has an old-school quality depicting characters from the original three movies and intertwines it with creative new scenarios that would be part of the Skywalker's daily family life. Dealing with sisters, going to work with dad, schooling, playing, and all the other aspects of a pretty normal life of a father and son but it's Darth and four year old Luke. The illustrations are clean and colorful displaying images that are both familiar and hilarious. With each page turned you will vividly recognize scenes from the movies redone to amuse and entertain the entire family. We all laughed but did edit what pages we read with them. We have varying ages but our nine year old gets the most out of it. He laughs non-stop and we have noticed him choosing this one for silent reading.
In short, fathers and sons who are Star Wars fans will want to add this very funny and fresh book to their collection. It's off the beaten Star Wars path and defines a generation of devotees that are passing the Holy Trilogy on to their children. That includes us. Happy Reading!