CATHERINE MICHAELS, AUTHOR
  • Welcome!
  • Gull Island Romance
    • Sand, Sea, and Second Chances
  • Meet Catherine
  • Contact Catherine
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Children's Books by Cat Michaels
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone
  • Welcome!
  • Gull Island Romance
    • Sand, Sea, and Second Chances
  • Meet Catherine
  • Contact Catherine
  • Cat's Corner: Blogging About Books, Writing, and More
  • Children's Books by Cat Michaels
    • Sweet T and the Turtle Team >
      • Just Between Sam and Me
    • Finding Fuzzy: A You-Decide Tale of a Lost Friend
    • Sweet T and the North Wind
    • The Magical Aquarium
  • FREE STUFF in the Kids' Zone

Cat's Corner

Blogging About Books, Writing, Travel, Film & More

Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change yucks

3/9/2018

6 Comments

 

​Ah, springtime!  Chirping robins. Tender blossoms, AND ... cue the collective moan ... spring ahead clocks one hour. 
 
This weekend signals the annual time shift (in the US).  An inescapable event.  Like needing a root canal.  When possible, I take vacation on the Monday following the switch.  Cannot face springing ahead to the office minus 60 minutes of sleep.
 
To ease your transition, read on to find four literary and entertainment classics that will help you feel more kindly about time.

Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change Yucks - catmichaelswriter.com


​For Middle-Grade, YA Readers
 
A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L’Engle

Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change Yucks - catmichaelswriter.com
Timey-Wimey
Three supernatural beings transport teen Meg Murry and friends through the universe by tessering or folding back the universe to create a  wrinkle in time and space.
 
About the Book
​The first of four books about Meg and friends, this children’s sy-fy classic published in 1963 immerses readers in brilliant adventures and imaginative worlds. 
 
Meg, a bright high-schooler, struggles at school and doesn’t fit in with the crowd. Her brother, Charles Wallace, has the same challenges. Everyone thinks Charles Wallace is dumb, but he’s actually a genius with the unique gift of reading people’s minds.  He befriends three aliens, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, who whisk away the siblings and Meg’s friend, Calvin O’Keefe, to new worlds. 
 
This is more than a jolly jaunt. The children are on a mission to save Meg’s gifted scientist father held captive by aliens on a distant planet.  They must also find a way to destroy the Dark Thing, an evil force threatening to take over the universe. 

What You'll Love About Wrinkle in Time
This book cemented my love of fantasy and science-fiction when I read it as a teen. But there was a depth to this tale Teen Cat didn’t realize.

Like Meg, I didn’t fit with the high school crowd.  My adolescences felt lonely and unhappy. Engle delivers subtle messages I now recognize about inclusivity, courage and friendship.  Her writing shows that everyone deserves to be loved; everyone can find courage to break from the pack and embrace his or her unique path.  The author crafts gems like:
​
"If you aren’t unhappy sometimes you don’t know how to be happy."
​
"I’m different, and I like being different."

"There’s nothing the matter with his mind. 
​He just does things in his own way and his own time."


​When Ava Duverny’s film, starring Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon as the three Misses, opens in March 2018, a new generation of young readers will find their wrinkle in time. And you'll be lining up at the Cineplex alongside them to rediscover L’Engle’s wonders.



​The Invention of Hugo Cabret
by Brian Selznick 
Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change Yucks - catmichaelswriter.com
Timey-Wimey
Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lovingly tends to 27 clocks in the great Paris train station of 1931. Author Brian Selznick also turns clocks back metaphorically in a charming scene about the early days of the cinema and one of the first motion pictures made, Georges Méliès’ A Trip to the Moon.   
 
About the Book
Hugo lives hidden in the walls of the busy train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world collides with an eccentric bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, treasured notebook, stolen key, mechanical man, and hidden message from Hugo's dead father drive this intricate and tender mystery.
 
What You'll Love About Hugo
The book’s 500 pages won’t put kids off because text is padded with drop-dead illustrations that earned the author/artist a 2008 Caldecott Medal.  Hugo is more like a graphic novel, and that’s a kid magnet right there, especially for reluctant readers, who use drawings for content clues.  Hey, you'll be dazzled by Selznick's glorious illustrations, too.

Like Wrinkle in Time, 2011's charming film retelling of this tale will have you and the kids wanting a closer look at the book. 



​For Grown-ups


The Time Keeper
By Mitch Albom
Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change Yucks - catmichaelswriter.com
​
Timey-Wimey
In this short fable, the first man on earth to count hours on a clock morphs into Father Time.
 
About the Book
The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift, time. The mortal is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years, more TIME.

Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a chance to redeem himself IF he can teach two earthly people the true meaning of time.
 
What You’ll Love about The Time Keeper
In the mood for a gentle, quick read? This one nails it.  Like his Tuesdays with Morrie and Five People You Meet in Heaven, Albom crafts another feel-good read
 
The plot unfolds between three main characters: Father Time, a dying elderly businessman, and a heart-broken teenage girl.  Though the author’s non-linear plot shifts between time periods (think moving from the Tower of Babel to 21st-century iPhones) and from multiple perspective of its diverse trio of protagonists, Albom ties the pieces together perfectly.  Best, he delivers that happy ending.

Four Literary Ways to Beat Time Change Yucks - catmichaelswriter.com
From "The Timekeeper"

For Geeks and Sci-Fi Fans Ages 9 and Up

Blink
Doctor Who
Season 3, Episode 10


Timey-Wimey
From the Doctor himself: Best. Description. Ever!
People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly ... time-y wimey ... stuff.

About Blink
Blink is one of my all-time fave Dr. Who episodes.  Featuring David Tennant’s Doctor #10 and a young Carey Mulligan as heroine Sally Sparrow, the Doctor travels across time to save the world from the demonic Weeping Angels.

These creepy statues remain rooted in place and look innocent ... until you blink.  Then they stalk you, coming nearer with each closed eyelid, and turn you to stone. Super-scary!  First time I saw this episode, I covered my eyes with a pillow in every shot where the Angels menaced and tried not to blink.
 
In a now-classic scene, Sally Sparrow plays a recorded message the Doctor made in the future for her.  He offers Sally a brilliant explanation of time travel, so that she will believe him and take necessary action to ward off Weeping Angels in her time. Here’s the priceless 15-second snippet:
​


​What You’ll Love About The Weeping Angels
Director Stephen Moffat excels at making ordinary things scary.  You will never look at a statue the same way again!  Delightfully frightful, but not gory or sensationalized, Blink is a perfect boo-fest for kids 9 years and older.

Your Turn
​I hope these four gems help lessen your time change chaos.  What do you do to cope with losing an hour or traveling across time zones?  Or are you among the lucky ones not bothered by time shifts?  Please share your thoughts in the comment section.   

Thanks for stopping by.  Like what you see?  
Don’t miss a post!
Send this blog to your RSS feed or email.
Subscribe
Picture

join cat's tribe here

   Twitter   Facebook   Pinterest   Goodreads   Amazon   Instagram

6 Comments
Rosie Russell link
3/9/2018 09:32:09 am

What a great post about "time" Cat!
I will have to look these books up and read them. I know our guys loved "Wrinkle in Time," and we have here somewhere. I'm looking forward to the movie.

Thanks again for sharing this with us. As my brother-in-law would always, always say, "Don't forget to check your batteries in your smoke alarms when you change the clocks." :)

Happy time change,
Rosie

Reply
CatMichaels link
3/11/2018 09:32:32 am

Actually, the time change is a great reminder to check smoke detector batteries, Rosie. I believe you’d like any of these timely reads...they’re short, sweet, and deliver powerful messags for readers of all ages.

Reply
Julie Gorges link
3/10/2018 10:16:31 am

I wish they would just leave the time alone! Great suggestions for books about time though. Read The Time Keeper - it was a different and interesting read. Thanks for thinking of a way to have fun with time!

Reply
Cat Michaels link
3/11/2018 09:36:18 am

LOL...my mother would always go on about the evils of time changing, Julie. I try to go with the flow. I’m glad you enjoyed Timekeeper. Albom is a master of his genre of feel-good reads.

Reply
Carmela Dutra link
3/10/2018 10:25:17 am

I most definitely hate time change!

Three books I never have read but have an interest in. Especially the one you mentioned, The Time Keeper. I have a Wrinkle in Time on my bookshelf. I found a copy at a little free library.

Maybe I’ll pick up a book tonight off myself and start a time-traveling adventure to take my mind off it. Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Cat Michaels link
3/11/2018 09:46:11 am

Yep, time change, espcially losing an hour, is brutal, Carmela. I feel for parents who get little ones off to school and ready for bed on the Monday after.

I hope you’ll enjoy these timely reads. You may even find the film version of Hugo streaming online!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Cat Michaels

    Blogging about books, writing, family life,  travel and  more good stuff.


    Meet Cat
    ​INSIDE the pages

    a newsletter for bibliophiles on writing, books and cool stuff readers love
    Be an Insider. Download your FREE e-short story about love and new beginnings today!
    Picture
    I'M IN! Snag my free e-short story HERE
    P.S. We hate spam and keep your email safe.. 

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Archives

    May 2024
    July 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013

Proudly powered by Weebly