Movie Review: Spare Parts

Spare Parts 2015 ★★★½

Starring George Lopez, Marisa Tomei, Jaime Lee Curtis

How four underdogs from the mean streets of Phoenix took on the best from M.I.T. in the national underwater bot championship.

That's the tagline from the Wired article, La Vida Robot, that brought these four kids to national attention. Don't go read that article until you've seen the movie though because when this movie says "based on a true story" they aren't kidding. This movie hews surprisingly close to the real story.

Oscar, Luis, Christian, and Lorenzo are brought together for very different reasons to form their high school's robot club. They'd never seen an ocean, had no funds, and would be going up against top schools from all over the country. Teacher and club sponsor Frank Cameron (George Lopez) has his own problems, beginning with the reason he left a lucrative engineering career to teach in an underfunded school. He cares nothing for the club and is not very encouraging about their chances but as they all gradually connect he becomes a true mentor.

Along the way we meet the plucky, slightly wacky principal (Jaime Lee Curtis) and the savvy computer teacher (Marisa Tomei) who makes Frank invest his whole self in teaching. These stars are what initially attracted me to the film and Tomei in particular reminded us of what good acting can be done with seemingly little effort. The acting was good all round, in fact, with George Lopez being the only weak link and showing a fairly limited range. Luckily the story really centers on the young men and those actors were engaging and invested us in the story. Until the story is set up the it feels a bit like a TV movie but once the tale is in full swing the movie blossoms into life and loses any stiffness.

Spare Parts also provided insights into Hispanic life. The kids are all undocumented Mexican-Americans. The many ways being "without papers" injects itself into each person's life were eye opening to me. Illegal immigration is a flash point and I almost didn't mention this detail because of that. But it was a fact of life for the real kids in this story and to leave it out of the movie would have been to serve up something bland to the audience. The fact is that the kids aren't debating politics or economics here. They are simply trying to live their lives as best as possible under difficult conditions that occasionally arise. That is how the movie treats it. It is not a soap box by any means.

We know the overall outline of the story as we enter the theater. Determination and ingenuity can surmount incredible odds. The kids become their best selves by rising above what is not provided by an overtaxed school system and what is denied by a system where it is easy to get lost in the cracks. But just because a story is recognizable doesn't mean it is not worth seeing, especially since this one hews so close to the truth. We are given these stories so they remind us that we ourselves can overcome adversity, even when we can't see the path ahead of us.

Spare Parts is a heart-warming family film that not only families will find well worth watching.

Worth a Thousand Words: A Country Scene

Taken by Scott D. Danielson

Well Said: Death, Be Not Proud

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

John Donne (1572–1631)

I'd often heard the line "Death, be not proud" tossed off but I'd never read the poem. In context, it is very powerful. I especially like "From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow". It reminds me of what a natural process death is. That might sound perverse or silly of me to have lost that connection but I had. And it was nice to have it restored, especially with Donne's further reminder that death has no power over us ultimately.

I Like Michael Keaton Now More Than Ever

His Golden Globe acceptance speech was humble, touching, and honest. I don't watch a lot of speeches, especially from awards ceremonies but this is worth seeing.

Via Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacon's Bench.

Worth a Thousand Words: Ice Patterns

Ice Patterns
taken by Remo Savisaar

Weekend Joke: For Jenny and Other Librarians

Many thanks to Doug Savage for allowing me to share this.

Worth a Thousand Words: Basket of Fruit

Basket of Fruit, Caravaggio

I am not usually a fan of still life paintings but this one has something that draws me to it. Must be the Caravaggio factor.

Via Lines & Colors where there are interesting detail close ups and more information.

Worth a Thousand Words: The Winter's Tale

Himmapaan, Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale,
Act V, Scene III (clockwise from left: Perdita, Leontes, Hermione and Paulina).

Northanger Abbey on SFFaudio

I know, a fantasy and science fiction audiobook podcast does seem like a funny place to find Northanger Abbey. But where there's a will (and a funny book about gothic novels), there's a way. Jesse Willis and I discuss this lesser-known classic by Jane Austen at SFFaudio.

These Just In: Interesting Books for the New Year

Two devotionals arrived in a very timely fashion on New Year's Eve. Obviously I haven't had a chance to use either but they are both very appealing to my love of the saints and interest in the desert fathers.

A Daily Catholic Moment: Ten Minutes a Day Alone With God by Peter Celano

Simple, straightforward, and Catholic are the adjectives that might best describe this book of wisdom and spiritual practice. For each day you will find a verse or two from Holy Scripture, followed by a reflection from one of the great saints or writers of the Church and then a short prayer or intention.

Daily inspirations from the saints include Athanasius, Catherine of Siena, Francis of Assisi ... Great writers, poets and theologians past and present include Dr. Benet Tvedten OSB, Enzo Bianchi, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Day ...

It's interesting that compiler Peter Celano used a variety of different translations for scripture. I think that might make me look up different translations to see how they compare. That's a good thing in my book.

Here's a sample:

MAY 1

I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the assembly I will praise you.
— Psalm 22:23 (NAB)

"I have said that St. Francis deliberately did not see the wood for the trees. It is even more true that he deliberately did not see the mob for the men. What distinguishes this very genuine democrat from any mere demagogue is that he never either deceived or was deceived by the illusion of mass-suggestion. Whatever his taste in monsters, he never saw before him a many-headed beast. He only saw the image of God multiplied but never monotonous."—G. K. Chesterton

Help me today to see every person in the image of You.

A Little Daily Wisdom from the Early Church by Bernard Bangley

Following Christ’s example, many early Christians around the Mediterranean retreated to the desert for contemplation. These were ordinary men and women with a strong spiritual awareness. By the fourth century thousands had endured the rigors of desert survival. While they accepted visitors, they preferred long hours of solitude and quiet. They were not prolific writers. Instead, people jotted down the things they said. These sayings and anecdotes ultimately became parts of written collections. A Little Daily Wisdom from the Early Church gathers the best of this material, expressing it in clear, modern English. Each brief insight becomes a nugget for our own daily meditation throughout a year. With this book we can experience spiritual growth in our own quiet corner of this busy world.

Here's a sample:

6 MAY

The Lord is in his holy temple;

let all the earth keep silence before him!

Habakkuk 2:20

An Egyptian hermit said, "If you desire a spiritual pilgrimage, begin by closing your mouth."

Keep silence before the Lord.

The following two books look very interesting after a quick review of their introductions. Both are somewhat intellectual and I won't be getting through them in a hurry. However, they seem balanced and I wanted to let you know about them. The publisher description accompanies each.

Heaven Can Wait: Purgatory in Catholic Devotional and Popular Culture by Diana Walsh Pasulka

After purgatory was officially defined by the Catholic Church in the thirteenth century, its location became a topic of heated debate and philosophical speculation: Was purgatory located on the earth, or within it? Were its fires real or figurative?

Diana Walsh Pasulka offers a groundbreaking historical exploration of spatial and material concepts of purgatory, beginning with scholastic theologians William of Auvergne and Thomas Aquinas, who wrote about the location of purgatory and questioned whether its torments were physical or solely spiritual. In the same period, writers of devotional literature located purgatory within the earth, near hell, and even in Ireland. In the early modern era, a counter-movement of theologians downplayed purgatory's spatial dimensions, preferring to depict it in abstract terms--a view strengthened during the French Enlightenment, when references to purgatory as a terrestrial location or a place of real fire were ridiculed by anti-Catholic polemicists and discouraged by the Church.

The debate surrounding purgatory's materiality has never ended: even today members of post-millennial ''purgatory apostolates'' maintain that purgatory is an actual, physical place. Heaven Can Wait provides crucial insight into the theological problem of purgatory's materiality (or lack thereof) over the past seven hundred years.

Mary in Scripture, Liturgy, and the Catholic Tradition by René Laurentin

Examines the invigorating presence of Mary in the mystery of the redemption that is the heart of the life of the church. The author contemplates her presence in the course of Scripture, human and ecclesial history, the church fathers, the mystics, and others.

Blogging Around: The Family Edition

Two quick links to stories that are all about the Incarnation (remember we're not done with Christmas yet) because they are about family: the art of marriage and the many loving ways mothers and babies connect.

Master of the Winking Eyes,
Madonna and Child, ca. 1450

Did the Virgin Mary Tickle the Baby Jesus?

This was sent to me by the Reningers and how well they know me! I mentioned last week our priest's meditation on holding baby Jesus. This Dominicana blog post, prompted by the Picturing Mary exhibit, continues to expand our answers to Jesus' question, "Who do you say I am?" Be sure to read it all.

Happily, Pisano and the Master of the Winking Eyes have discovered and shared with us the divine intoxication of God’s true humanity in Jesus Christ, and how radically complete and all-the-way-down that is. When the Word was made flesh, he really became like us in all things but sin; and even then, he took on our sinful nature without suffering its moral brokenness in order to purify, heal, and elevate it, so that through his life, death, and resurrection, every good thing humans do can be a place where they meet Christ. That means that Jesus is as human as it gets: he got exhausted, took naps (although he had nowhere to lay his head), took baths, trimmed his beard, learned to walk and talk, and, as little babies are wont to do, squealed and squirmed with joy during mother-son playtime.

Complementarity of Men and Women as a Pas de Deux of Marriage

A New York Times piece about ballet prompted The Anchoress's thoughts toward complementarity in marriage. Too often we think about the differences between the sexes as something to overcome or battle, like a mountain to conquer together in marriage.  Reading about it in ballet terms shifts our focus to one of completing each other to create something better and new. Beautiful.

This Marina Harss piece is about partnerships in dance, of course, and yet it makes a point about complementarity that, when used with regards to traditional marriage, often inspires a sneer: men and women are different, and they have very different strengths, which allow them to do very different things; those strengths complement each other, permitting each to reach their greatest potentiality and self-expression. She relies on the gentle strength of his lift to help her achieve moments of transcendent, heart-stopping beauty. He gets to share, with his own subdued steadiness, and together they create something, and its totality is a composition of wonder.

Outside of the ballet, a man and woman, partnered, become a similar unit of awesome creation. Within a personal partnership (let’s call it a marriage) there exists a need for different types, different strengths, skills and instincts, and specific roles — with trained and measured responsibilities necessary in order to create that which transcends. One lifts, the other extends; one is the centering pole about which the other may fly and turn and reach, until both are raised to something new.

Weekend Joke: Question

Many thanks to xkcd for allowing me to share this!

2015 Book Challenge (and some movies) - UPDATED

UPDATE - END OF 2015
I wound up getting distracted from a lot of these about halfway through the year. The movies list was especially ignored. Yet, I am glad for this list because it did give me direction and I read books I might have missed otherwise.

==========

I was really delighted to get an email recently from a couple who follow along on my book challenges. They actually have read some of the books that I myself am reading.

This is power indeed! I will try to always use it for good and not evil. Therefore, rest assured that no Dostoevsky will enter these portals again!

You can find my 2014 Book Challenge here, with the results recorded. Overall it was very rewarding with only a few duds in the batch and I actually read most of the books on my list.

As before I'm carrying a few books over. And I may not get through all these. It isn't an assignment but a way to keep from getting distracted from these goals.

FICTION

1. Don Quixote
   I thought I'd read this last year but did what I have done twice before: read the first adventure, put it down "for a little while" and never picked it up again. I have the audiobook narrated by Simon Vance, thanks to the library, and will give this a try that way since audio has opened up so many good books to me which I couldn't get through otherwise.
   REACTION: even with an audiobook I only got through 20 chapters before feeling as if every adventure was a repeat of the one before. More or less. On the other hand, I did get through 20 chapters. I'm willing to admit this is a classic for good reason. Those reasons will just have to remain hidden from me as I'm giving up and moving on.
   
2. The House of Seven Gables
   I love his short stories and enjoyed The Scarlet Letter. Let's see what this lesser known novel is like.
   READ IT: loved this book which is so different from The Scarlet Letter. It almost is like a shorter Dickens novel with the oddball characters and descriptive passages.
3. North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
   I was intrigued because Rose enjoyed this book and Heather Ordover did it last year at CraftLit. However, I wasn't crazy about the narrator and having seen that Juliet Stevenson has a reading at Audible (voice of Jane Austen, audiobook narrator extraordinaire) I thought I'd mosey along at my own pace.
   
4. Philip K. Dick
   I'm not sure which book I'll choose but I enjoyed The Galactic Pot-Healer so much when I read it a few years ago that I thought I'd try another.
   
5. Poetry
   I'm not sure why I've suddenly gotten interested in poetry but I am going to find a basic classic poetry anthology and read a poem aloud every day. We'll see how that works out.
   
   (Just to clarify I have never cared about poetry and so have ignored it most of my life. I know about the fog on little cat feet and the road less taken, as well as the man who wasn't there ... but that's about the extent of it. Any recommendations to read T.S. Eliot are going to have to wait until I can tell Tennyson from Wordsworth.)
   
   READ IT: 101 Classic Poems edited by Roy Cook - love this book and my poem a day. In fact, I love it so much I'm rereading it, a poem per day.

NONFICTION

1. Art - A New History by Paul Johnson
   I've been taking my time and enjoying this greatly but really would like to finish this book. 2015 is the year! It will happen!
   REACTION: It took me three years but I finished it! What a wonderful book! It is one I could easily see myself leisurely rereading. The intertwining of history outside of the art world made it really come alive and it has come to mind in a variety of contexts since I began reading it. It really enriched my worldview.
2. The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
   It is interesting just how often I am helped in everyday life by The Hobbit, believe it or not. I want to know Tolkien's thoughts in his own words now instead of just reading his fiction.
   REACTION: I really enjoyed the personal letters. Unfortunately there weren't nearly as many of those as I'd have liked. Most of the letters had to do with answering questions about The Lord of the Rings. At the time this book came out that was probably a good choice. People hadn't minded Tolkien's letters for information and no books were available which summed up a lot of that info for us. However, now there is a lot of that information out there and so I eventually wound up skipping over those letters. I'll probably never reread this (as opposed to my feelings about The Habit of Being) but I'm glad to have read them once.
3. Churchill: The Power of Words
   Tom read this and really liked it, except for a few speeches here and there. I'd like to read it but if I don't put it on this list it will never happen.
   ABANDONED: NOT because of the book but because I picked up the audio version of Boris Johnson's The Churchill Factor. That covered Churchill's life and used enough of his speeches that I have had enough Churchill for now. It was a really entertaining way to learn more about that great man. Perhaps some other time for this one.
4. Through a Night of Horrors: Voices from the 1900 Galveston Storm
   Another one that Tom read which I'd like to read. Tom's grandmother survived the great storm when she was 6 and so he's got a natural interest in the event. Flipping through it I was caught up in the immediacy of the voices as the story unfolded via letters, diary entries, and interviews.
5. The King's Good Servant But God's First: The Life and Writings of St. Thomas More by James Monti
   I've been wanting to read about St. Thomas More's life and his writings. This looks tailor-made!

REREAD

For no other reason than I enjoyed them the first time round but want to see if they stand up to rereading.

1. The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman
   REACTION: I loved this book just as much as the first time I read it. I couldn't put it down and read it obsessively until I finished it in a few days. Highly recommended.
2. The Soul of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman—decided I didn't want to reread this after all. One Ruhlman this year was enough.
3. Cruel Beauty

MOVIES

I see that I didn't challenge myself last year. The results - without a list I didn't challenge myself much. So let's queue that baby up again.

1. Sophie Scholl - The Final Days
2. Laura
   REACTION We loved this classic noir film, especially the hard boiled detective investigating the murder.
   

   Mark McPherson: When a dame gets killed, she doesn't worry about how she looks.
   Waldo Lydecker: Will you stop calling her a dame?

3. Deliver Us From Evil
4. Tsotsi
5. City of God
6. The Exorcism of Emily Rose
7. Rashomon
8. Cloud Atlas

2014 Book Awards, Part 2

More awards which should speak for themselves. (Links go to reviews.)

DON'T HATE ME BECAUSE I'M BEAUTIFUL

• S.

A HECKUVA GOOD TIME

• Pretty Good Number One
• Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

IN MY HEAD, EVERY DAY

• A Song for Nagasaki
• The Smile of a Ragpicker
• Jane Austen's books

NOW IT MAKES SENSE!

• Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?
• The Narnia Code
• Planet Narnia
• A Jane Austen Education

DEBUTANTE OF THE YEAR

• Ancillary Justice
• The Martian

TILT YOUR HEAD LIKE THIS

• David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants

THE YEAR OF:

• Jane Austen
• C.S. Lewis
• Japanese Catholics

This one I'll explain. The Japanese Catholics and Jane Austen served to make me regularly mindful that I must be mindful of how I treat others. 

Meanwhile, I not only read C.S. Lewis's space trilogy, but began working my way through audiobooks of his theological writing. I'd read Mere Christianity recently but never his other nonfiction. These not only served as practical devotionals but also overlapped with Jane Austen and the Japanese Catholics in how I lived and, interestingly, how I understood the other books in my ken.

It's not a combination I'd have known to choose but one that I am sincerely grateful I fell into. I guess God not only looks out for fools but for those grabbing books at random off of shelves.

2014 Book Awards, Part 1

Rather than take my usual "defined in 10 words" route, these book awards should be self-explanatory. (Links go to my reviews.)

MARRY ME

• The Rosie Project
• Cruel Beauty

IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME

• Les Miserables

WORTH BEING CRUSHED IN BED

• The Source

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE? 

• Nancie McDermott
• Jane Austen

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS?

• C.S. Lewis's Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength

THE END OF THE AFFAIR

• New Watch

More tomorrow!

Worth a Thousand Words: Snow in Germany

Snow in Germany
taken by my brother

This is one of those times when a picture really is worth a thousand words. It conveys a sense of cold, beauty, and winter more tangible than any translation into language.

Blogging Around: The "It's Still Christmas" Edition

We had a really wonderful Christmas, beginning the Saturday before when Rose came home from L.A. to make our joy complete. We entered into a whirlwind of family parties, food, games, and nonstop talking.

Rose has returned to California but in the Catholic liturgical year the Christmas season continues. Here are a few interesting stories to keep us all in the mood.

Nine Reasons Analog Games Are Awesome

The Art of Manliness blog reminds us that board games, card games and the like aren't just for Christmas. It's too easy to fall into playing computer games and watching movies together for entertainment without realizing that we lose a lot of human interaction ... and fun ... by not playing regular games together.

The Good Lord Needs Drama In His Life Too

I swing by The Rhino Times every Thursday to read Orson Scott Card's column, Uncle Orson Reviews Everything. This week I saw Scott D. Yost's piece about Christmas and spiritual warfare. It's a good 'un so be sure you read it all.

... spiritual war is like any other war: We’re all in it together, and we all have to be on high alert, not just for ourselves, but also for those around us. And, especially when it comes to your close friends and family, you really have to always watch out for each other and keep an eye out for when they’re under attack. And sometimes that means you have to give cover fire, or tackle them into a foxhole, or drag them out of harm’s way, and it means that sometimes they have to do that for you.

That’s exactly why God gave us all this almost magical ability to detect, to feel, to know, when our friends or family members are in trouble, even if we’re not around them or talking to them. That’s why, when you have a weak moment, and you need help, the doorbell rings, and it’s your best friend stopping by unexpectedly with a six-pack of beer, just to talk. Or why, at that very moment, your phone rings and it’s someone close to you you haven’t seen in a long time who suddenly got the urge to call you. We have that ability so that we can help protect each other.

Pittsburgh Hospital Sends Christmas Babies Home in Stockings

The Deacon's Bench has the story and the adorable photo.

Celebrating Our First Christmas with Alzheimer’s Disease: Laughter Allowed

A touching story rooted in deep Catholic faith. Via Sticking the Corners.

I cannot count the things that have been moved to the strangest places. ... She has hair curlers that keep vanishing. I have found them in the garage, in the refrigerator, and under the kitchen sink. We had been searching for them and when I found them in the refrigerator I said loudly, “Here they are.”

She was standing nearby and turned to see me lifting the bag from next to the milk. I quickly asked, “Can I use these for curly fries?” I began to laugh and she shook her head and smiled. I gave her a hug, opened the freezer door and tossed the curlers in. “They are not frozen enough,” I said. She began to laugh and so did I and, although shrouded in a dark moment, we laughed our way into the brightness of a new moment.

Favorite Movies of 2014

My favorite movies seen in 2014 with descriptions in 10 words or less. In the approximate order in which I saw them. Links are to reviews.

• Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon, director)
  If all Shakespeare movies were like this, I'd love Shakespeare.
  
  
• Gravity
  Gravity. Not mentioned once in the movie. But integral.
  
  
• Captain Phillips
  Intense. Just remember to breathe.
  
  
• I Confess
  We should all have a priest as good as this.
  
  
• Mud
  Where I learned to not hate Matthew McConaughey.
  
  
• The Guard
  Directed by a McDonagh. Which means clever, humorous, and nuanced.
  
  
• Calvary
  Not for the faint-of-heart. But simply astounding.
  
  
• Spinning Plates
  It's not what you cook. It's why.
  
  
• That Guy ... Who Was in That Thing
  16 faces you recognize but can't name. 16 fascinating stories of Hollywood.
  
  
• Halloween
  It defined a genre. And deservedly so.
  
  
• Mama
  A supernatural thriller I didn't want to love, but couldn't resist.

Worth a Thousand Words: Schumann's Tagesbar

Schumann's Tagesbar in Munich
by Edward B. Gordon

I've said many a time that I love paintings which include modern jobs. Photographs tell one sort of story but it will be lovely for future generations to have paintings which portray our modern age. No one does that better than Edward G. Gordon.

Blogging Around: The Christmas Edition

Via Arts Everyday Living where there is interesting
 information about Dickens and his most famous story

A CHRISTMAS CAROL AT CRAFTLIT
Heather Ordover is sharing a book from her premium feed which she calls "audiobooks with benefits." You get her interesting and insightful commentary before and after the chapters (staves) are read aloud. It really enriches the understanding of the story. The CraftLit iTunes feed has these or you can pick them up here:

• A Christmas Carol 1
• A Christmas Carol 2
• A Christmas Carol 3

SANTA PREPARES YOU FOR BELIEF

... Santa doesn't prepare you for disillusionment—he prepares you for belief. He's a kind of training-wheel Jesus, presenting aspects of faith in a manner that kids can handle.

"If the Santa story is a type of the Jesus story, [it] persists because the Jesus story is true," Dr. Edie wrote."It is true because it reveals that all life ultimately comes to us as a gift. It is true in proclaiming that the receiving of this gift occurs in the sharing of it. It is true in its testimony to the powers above...as benevolent, close at hand, and definitely not us."

In other words, Santa is like a stage set. At a certain point, it is rolled away, revealing a story still more impossible to believe, where the sun shines, the trees glisten, and the presents patiently wait beneath theJohnston's tree.

Rich Cohen, WSJ essay Learning That There's No Santa Taught Me to Believe

I never understood the idea that finding out there was no Santa taught you to distrust grown ups or religion or anything. Perhaps that was because my parents steadfastly denied any claims that they were Santa until we were old enough to let it go ourselves. I was fairly old as such things go before that happened. And then being let in on the secret and allowed to participate in giving that joy to my younger siblings made it a sacred trust. That's why I like this piece which I found a bit meandering in the middle but which brought it home in style.

PAPA PANOV'S SPECIAL CHRISTMAS BY LEO TOLSTOY
I came across this story after having a big success reading The Gift of the Magi to my mother-in-law whose on-again, off-again dementia made it difficult to connect with during visits. She stopped gazing into the air, met my eyes intently for the duration of the tale, and asked me to read to her again when it was done.

Buoyed by my success I went looking for other such simple tales to read. It didn't take long to find Papa Panov's Special Christmas which intrigued me because of the famous author. It quickly became one of our favorite stories and was the last one I read to her before she died.

So it touched me when I saw that The Christmas Stocking podcast is featuring a reading. You don't have to listen. You can read it at Google Books.

THE SNOWMAN 
Joseph Susanka offers us a holiday special: the Oscar-nominated, BAFTA-winning version of Raymond Briggs’ “The Snowman.”