Found another good coming of age novel: I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith (The same Dodie Smith who wrote A Hundred and One Dalmations).
Fun book. An old castle in England, an impoverished genius, gargoyles in the kitchen, a practical pastor with a refreshing view of faith, an older sister with secrets . . . and a younger sister trying to figure them all out. While she tries to figure herself out. And figure love out. With occasional references to Bronte and Austen. Nice, very nice.
And the writing's not bad either. No clever phrases turning necessarily, but lovely images and nice snapshots of personality. (Gotta love the bohemian Topaz.) I'm going to find a used copy somewhere and put it next to my new copy of Guernsey. When I sleep, I'll imagine that the two books could have each over for tea, crumpets, and lovely, lively conversation.
If you are looking for a good holiday read, try this one. Take some cocoa with you and enjoy.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Girl of the Limberlost
Just finished A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. Published originally in 1909, it's a coming of age novel about Elnora Comstock in backwoods Indiana at the turn of the century.
Somewhere I missed this one. I would've loved it during my Anne of Green Gables years. After the Little House on the Prairie Series, after the Stretfield Shoes books, after A Little Princess and the Secret Garden. Right there. Right after those. That's when I would've loved this book. Next to Daddy Long Legs. That's where it should be kept.
I like it now, and I need to buy a copy to have on my shelves for Unnamed Daughter. (Some mothers find out they are having a girl and buy Girl Fetus hairbows and shoes. I plan which books I need to have ready for her in fourteen years.)
The writing is dated, of course. There's preaching and moralizing and passages of philosophy. Elnora, the main character, has very few flaws. She gives away her lunch to orphans, works hard and never complains, and isn't even tempted by the Unattainable. Her motives are pure. She loves moths, especially the ugly ones. She's polite to mean girls. Gag me already.
But yet. She's feisty and determined and overcomes difficulty. I had to like her, even when I thought she needed to save her lunch for herself.
Jenny, get this one for Emma. Liz, get this one for Amelia. And both of you will like reading it for yourself. And Meg in Sheridan, see if your library has this one. You'd probably like it, too.
Somewhere I missed this one. I would've loved it during my Anne of Green Gables years. After the Little House on the Prairie Series, after the Stretfield Shoes books, after A Little Princess and the Secret Garden. Right there. Right after those. That's when I would've loved this book. Next to Daddy Long Legs. That's where it should be kept.
I like it now, and I need to buy a copy to have on my shelves for Unnamed Daughter. (Some mothers find out they are having a girl and buy Girl Fetus hairbows and shoes. I plan which books I need to have ready for her in fourteen years.)
The writing is dated, of course. There's preaching and moralizing and passages of philosophy. Elnora, the main character, has very few flaws. She gives away her lunch to orphans, works hard and never complains, and isn't even tempted by the Unattainable. Her motives are pure. She loves moths, especially the ugly ones. She's polite to mean girls. Gag me already.
But yet. She's feisty and determined and overcomes difficulty. I had to like her, even when I thought she needed to save her lunch for herself.
Jenny, get this one for Emma. Liz, get this one for Amelia. And both of you will like reading it for yourself. And Meg in Sheridan, see if your library has this one. You'd probably like it, too.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Hero of the Ages
I tried to jump into Brandon Sanderson's Hero of the Ages, the last in this sci fi trilogy.
But I couldn't remember the nuances of the characters so I'm going to have to read the first two books before I can proceed. Since I liked these books, this will be no chore.
Maybe over the holidays. This would be a good holiday trilogy to escape into. Since I skip over the fight scenes, battle scenes, war scenes, and creepy monster creature description scenes, it probably won't take me very long.
But I couldn't remember the nuances of the characters so I'm going to have to read the first two books before I can proceed. Since I liked these books, this will be no chore.
Maybe over the holidays. This would be a good holiday trilogy to escape into. Since I skip over the fight scenes, battle scenes, war scenes, and creepy monster creature description scenes, it probably won't take me very long.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Four books
1. So after recommending My Antonia to Katy, I went back and read it again. Delightful. I'm glad I own this book. The more I see of life, the richer this book becomes to me. When I read it the first time, at the sagacious age of twenty, I didn't get much of it. Or, rather, I hadn't met even real people to see the truth in Cather's characters. But experience is a powerful magnifying glass: so reading about people who grow up and move away, and ambition that comes to fruition, and memories of past friendships that grow sweeter with the passage of time, and some women who are happy to make hearty meals and have people eat them . . . true, all true, I say. If you haven't read My Antonia in the past five years, give it another go.
2. I am happily making my way through Essays of E.B. White, by the same E.B. White of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. No children's book, this one. But charming and poignant all the same. Charm, really, and strong, graceful writing. Non-fiction, personal essays of E.B. White's musings. I'm going to buy a copy of this for my shelves. It's going to be on my "Can you recommend a good book?" list. And the format is fun because you can sit down and read an essay all by itself, and feel like you've had a good literary feast.
Liz, go find a copy. You'll love this book.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. When my sister Liz told me I should read this one and described it: a woman tells of her neglectful parents and deprived childhood, it sounded too dark for me. Liz tried to tell me that no, really, there was light in it . . . I was silly and put off reading it. I just couldn't handle an "I hate my parents and I was a victim growing up" book.
But I finally read it, and Liz was right (Liz usually is right, and she usually thinks that I'm right, yet another reason that we get along.) This is about Walls's neglected upbringing. But it's also about the innonence of the world through the eyes of a trusting child. And as Walls grows up, that innocence melts away. But what is left is compassion and love, not bitterness. (OK, a little bitterness, but in a justified way, not in a whiney way.)
And the writing is just plain good.
So thumbs up on that one.
4. Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris (probably mostly by Harris). YA lit, fiction. Good. Jenny, Emma might like this since she's been having such fun with Shakespeare. Might be nice to have her read some historical fiction from the time period: 1559-1568. This novel is about Mary Queen of Scots, and about her fool/jester/confidante/friend. I liked it. I've never been driven to dive deep into Scottish history, and this was a tantalizing taste. A perfect place to start.
Clean, not sketchy. I'd let my kids read it (both my own and my students). The writing is better than most YA lit writing, and the story moves along. Not too history heavy. Just right.
2. I am happily making my way through Essays of E.B. White, by the same E.B. White of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. No children's book, this one. But charming and poignant all the same. Charm, really, and strong, graceful writing. Non-fiction, personal essays of E.B. White's musings. I'm going to buy a copy of this for my shelves. It's going to be on my "Can you recommend a good book?" list. And the format is fun because you can sit down and read an essay all by itself, and feel like you've had a good literary feast.
Liz, go find a copy. You'll love this book.
3. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. When my sister Liz told me I should read this one and described it: a woman tells of her neglectful parents and deprived childhood, it sounded too dark for me. Liz tried to tell me that no, really, there was light in it . . . I was silly and put off reading it. I just couldn't handle an "I hate my parents and I was a victim growing up" book.
But I finally read it, and Liz was right (Liz usually is right, and she usually thinks that I'm right, yet another reason that we get along.) This is about Walls's neglected upbringing. But it's also about the innonence of the world through the eyes of a trusting child. And as Walls grows up, that innocence melts away. But what is left is compassion and love, not bitterness. (OK, a little bitterness, but in a justified way, not in a whiney way.)
And the writing is just plain good.
So thumbs up on that one.
4. Queen's Own Fool by Jane Yolen and Robert Harris (probably mostly by Harris). YA lit, fiction. Good. Jenny, Emma might like this since she's been having such fun with Shakespeare. Might be nice to have her read some historical fiction from the time period: 1559-1568. This novel is about Mary Queen of Scots, and about her fool/jester/confidante/friend. I liked it. I've never been driven to dive deep into Scottish history, and this was a tantalizing taste. A perfect place to start.
Clean, not sketchy. I'd let my kids read it (both my own and my students). The writing is better than most YA lit writing, and the story moves along. Not too history heavy. Just right.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Katy's post, postscript
Months ago, Katy asked me to come up with some historical fiction that could be used in a history class. I didn't forget, I just had a tough time getting to it. But now that I'm feeling better, I can finally reply. Or start to reply. This entry is the postscript, which I'm doing first, so that I can take this pile of books off my dresser. Really, that's the reason. After three months, I want to clean off my dresser---and these books sit, waiting to be blogged about.
I'll do the real list as soon as I can find it. It's in a notebook. Somewhere.
So here's the postscript. Postscript because I'm not sure this is what you need, Katy, but here's what else I was thinking about. It's not necessarily historical fiction and I'm not sure you can use it, but you might find something here.
For ancient Japan: The Tale of Gengi is your best bet. VERY ancient Japan courtly love. Very classic poetry and music themed. Very romantic, if you will. But I wouldn't use the whole book, or assign the whole book. Just assign the first chapter and have them do a short answer on it. Maybe a question about how this reflects the importance of the arts in ancient Japan. Honestly, I don't think most high schoolers could get through the entire book. I still want to keep looking for good historical fiction of ancient Japan. This isn't it, but the only thing I could find.
Late 1880-early 1920's in American history: You can't overlook Cather's My Antonia, about the immigrant family on the prairie. Cather is a genius writer, and the story is great. I'm still unclear what "progressive" is in American history, so I wonder if this is the time period you want. I would think that you AP juniors could handle this. Don't dizzy the freshman with it.
Ancient Islam (I think that's one you were looking for). This one stumped me. I tried all sorts of historical fiction---there isn't much, and I couldn't find anything to recommend. So give them snippets of the Koran. I studied the whole thing in a history of civ class and I really enjoyed it. I think most religious writing is absolutely beautiful, and the Koran is a shining example of lovely language.
You could do an extra credit assignment with your upperclassmen where you chose a few passages and asked them to compare the concepts in these passages with their own belief (or non-belief) in the Divine. Tell them you wouldn't be grading on their belief (or lack thereof), just on their comparison and their understanding of the concepts in the Koran. Hey, if you'll make the assignment due before February or after April, I'd even grade them for you. :)
To elaborate further on other religions (which have to be a topic if you are dealing with the cooresponding historic time periods)
Zen Buddism: Well Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig, of course. I could never get through this one myself, but I'm sure you could find a student or two who would eat this up. Not for the whole class, I don't think, just as an extra credit option for someone who wanted to tackle it.
And Taoism: The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff. Again, you'd have to have students self-select into reading the entire works. But they are worth the trek to understanding Taoism.
And, incidentally, the best commentary/contrast explanation I've ever read, the most succinct yet interesting, about the differences between Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, is found on pages 1-7 of The Tao of Pooh, in the chapter called The How of Pooh. Excellent contrast. That chapter would be worth taking in your classroom.
So that's the tip of the iceberg so far, Katy. I'll post the rest of the iceberg when I can unearth it.
I'll do the real list as soon as I can find it. It's in a notebook. Somewhere.
So here's the postscript. Postscript because I'm not sure this is what you need, Katy, but here's what else I was thinking about. It's not necessarily historical fiction and I'm not sure you can use it, but you might find something here.
For ancient Japan: The Tale of Gengi is your best bet. VERY ancient Japan courtly love. Very classic poetry and music themed. Very romantic, if you will. But I wouldn't use the whole book, or assign the whole book. Just assign the first chapter and have them do a short answer on it. Maybe a question about how this reflects the importance of the arts in ancient Japan. Honestly, I don't think most high schoolers could get through the entire book. I still want to keep looking for good historical fiction of ancient Japan. This isn't it, but the only thing I could find.
Late 1880-early 1920's in American history: You can't overlook Cather's My Antonia, about the immigrant family on the prairie. Cather is a genius writer, and the story is great. I'm still unclear what "progressive" is in American history, so I wonder if this is the time period you want. I would think that you AP juniors could handle this. Don't dizzy the freshman with it.
Ancient Islam (I think that's one you were looking for). This one stumped me. I tried all sorts of historical fiction---there isn't much, and I couldn't find anything to recommend. So give them snippets of the Koran. I studied the whole thing in a history of civ class and I really enjoyed it. I think most religious writing is absolutely beautiful, and the Koran is a shining example of lovely language.
You could do an extra credit assignment with your upperclassmen where you chose a few passages and asked them to compare the concepts in these passages with their own belief (or non-belief) in the Divine. Tell them you wouldn't be grading on their belief (or lack thereof), just on their comparison and their understanding of the concepts in the Koran. Hey, if you'll make the assignment due before February or after April, I'd even grade them for you. :)
To elaborate further on other religions (which have to be a topic if you are dealing with the cooresponding historic time periods)
Zen Buddism: Well Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Pirsig, of course. I could never get through this one myself, but I'm sure you could find a student or two who would eat this up. Not for the whole class, I don't think, just as an extra credit option for someone who wanted to tackle it.
And Taoism: The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff. Again, you'd have to have students self-select into reading the entire works. But they are worth the trek to understanding Taoism.
And, incidentally, the best commentary/contrast explanation I've ever read, the most succinct yet interesting, about the differences between Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, is found on pages 1-7 of The Tao of Pooh, in the chapter called The How of Pooh. Excellent contrast. That chapter would be worth taking in your classroom.
So that's the tip of the iceberg so far, Katy. I'll post the rest of the iceberg when I can unearth it.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Good Earth
Also in the beginning weeks of my morning sickness, I read The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I'd heard of this book---mostly from women rolling their eyes and alluding the birthing scenes in which O-lan, one of the main characters, gives birth alone in her hut and then goes back to work.
Simply put, The Good Earth is a classic. I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to it.
If I were still writing papers for my English classes, this would be an easy novel to write about. Using a historical approach, I'd say this novel, published in the late 1930s, is a reflection of the depression-era American psyche realizing its link to the land. Then I'd trace the resurgence in popularity in the 1970s to the Age of Aquarius "The Earth is our Mother" and "Rise up, Women, and stop being oppressed" thinking. Piece of cake analysis. If Kristen C. would proofread it for me, I'm sure it would get an "A".
Because there are a LOT of "The Earth is our Mother/The Earth is everything/The Earth is a being" undertones. Which is fine. It's also a classic tale of the rise and fall of Wang Lung, a farmer who rose because of hard work, and fell because of lust and greed (mostly lust).
There's fodder for a hundred research papers in this novel. For many, many book club discussions, and blog posts.
There's also (shocker) a prostitute. If that offends you, you'll see it coming long enough beforehand to skip it.
(Confessional: I didn't read all of this book either. But I read most of it. I really enjoyed reading about Wang Lung's rise, his struggles, his strength. I skipped over most of his fall---I was morning sick and in no mood for actions of a morally declining character which made me want to puke. I wanted to puke enough as it was, I didn't need any help. Someday when I can stomach the fall, I'll go back and read that part. But not the prostitute scenes. I always skip those no matter what the state is of my quease.)
Last note: The writing is brilliant. Truly. And the characters are superb.
Sarah O., if you haven't read this one yet, I think you'd like it. Glad you liked Ender's Game.
Simply put, The Good Earth is a classic. I don't know why it's taken me so long to get to it.
If I were still writing papers for my English classes, this would be an easy novel to write about. Using a historical approach, I'd say this novel, published in the late 1930s, is a reflection of the depression-era American psyche realizing its link to the land. Then I'd trace the resurgence in popularity in the 1970s to the Age of Aquarius "The Earth is our Mother" and "Rise up, Women, and stop being oppressed" thinking. Piece of cake analysis. If Kristen C. would proofread it for me, I'm sure it would get an "A".
Because there are a LOT of "The Earth is our Mother/The Earth is everything/The Earth is a being" undertones. Which is fine. It's also a classic tale of the rise and fall of Wang Lung, a farmer who rose because of hard work, and fell because of lust and greed (mostly lust).
There's fodder for a hundred research papers in this novel. For many, many book club discussions, and blog posts.
There's also (shocker) a prostitute. If that offends you, you'll see it coming long enough beforehand to skip it.
(Confessional: I didn't read all of this book either. But I read most of it. I really enjoyed reading about Wang Lung's rise, his struggles, his strength. I skipped over most of his fall---I was morning sick and in no mood for actions of a morally declining character which made me want to puke. I wanted to puke enough as it was, I didn't need any help. Someday when I can stomach the fall, I'll go back and read that part. But not the prostitute scenes. I always skip those no matter what the state is of my quease.)
Last note: The writing is brilliant. Truly. And the characters are superb.
Sarah O., if you haven't read this one yet, I think you'd like it. Glad you liked Ender's Game.
Vindication
So a recent study out says that airline pilots who ate a high-fat diet did better under stressful conditions that pilots without the high fat in their diets.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iyc_OWa8mklMHzd6ERMgFTr72WNgD9B5QI100
You mean that the brain, consisting of fat, does better when the body has some fat in its system? Go figure.
No wonder why I just wanted Wheat Thins and tubs of cream cheese when writing my thesis. See? It was all about my brain.
And no wonder pregnant and nursing moms crave fatty foods---the moms' bodies are making the brains of their little babes.
So you can just pass those Guittard bittersweet chocolate chips right over here.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iyc_OWa8mklMHzd6ERMgFTr72WNgD9B5QI100
You mean that the brain, consisting of fat, does better when the body has some fat in its system? Go figure.
No wonder why I just wanted Wheat Thins and tubs of cream cheese when writing my thesis. See? It was all about my brain.
And no wonder pregnant and nursing moms crave fatty foods---the moms' bodies are making the brains of their little babes.
So you can just pass those Guittard bittersweet chocolate chips right over here.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Dogs, Hamlet, and Lessons Unlearned
Weeks ago I read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Well, most of it. I got bored at about page 300 and skipped to the end. Once I read the end, I found no reason to go back and read the part I skipped. (So if there's anything questionable in that last chunk, I can't tell you.)
The writing is what makes the book worth reading. Wroblewski obviously beat his draft over and over until it came out shining. Here's a sample from page two: "Past the turn he spotted the lantern, a gourd of ruby glass envined in black wire, the flame within a rose that sprang and licked at the throat of the glass, skewing rib-shadows across the door."
"Gourd of ruby glass?" "Envined?" "Rib-shadows?" Who is this guy? Marvelous.
The other thing I liked was the development of the dog characters. Surprising, since I don't even think pet stories are all that funny.
So good book. Well written. Worth reading. If you need a plot summary, go to Amazon. I wouldn't do it justice.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! I am now going to spoil the book for you. Turn back if you don't want me to do so.
There were two things I did not like about the book.
1. The main female character, Trudy, is married to a good man (not perfect, but good). They have a good (not perfect, but good) marriage. They are the parents of Edgar, the main character. But then Edgar's father, Gar, dies mysteriously. Spoiler: Gar's brother, Claude, killed him.
Claude is slimy. Claude is a liar. Claude leeches. Claude is a jerk.
So then, with Gar gone, Trudy hooks up with Claude. The author gives all sorts of excuses as to why Trudy made this decision---she needs a man to help her run the farm, Claude reminds her of Gar. Claude is fun.
No excuse. I wanted to yell at her. Didn't she learn anything in her dating years? Stay away from men who lie. Don't stay with someone who cons you. There are really good guys in the world---those are the ones you count among your dearest friends. Eventually, you marry one of them. And there are other men who have the integrity of jello (wobble, wobble)---those are the ones to kick in the shins. Run away! Run away!
And after being married already to Gar (a good guy), why on earth would she saddle herself with someone less?
Didn't make any sense to me. Not at all. Any woman of sense knows it's better to lose the farm than to lose her dignity.
2. The whole plot was too Shakespeare for me. Uncle. Nephew. Mother/Sister-in-Law/Wife. The men kill each other in the end.
It was like Hamlet, only with some interesting dog characters thrown in.
(pause)
Yet still, I leaf through the pages and I know that I liked reading this book. Too long, yes, (thus the Deborahskip), but a stellar first work for Wroblewski. I hope to see more from him. I'd expect great things.
The writing is what makes the book worth reading. Wroblewski obviously beat his draft over and over until it came out shining. Here's a sample from page two: "Past the turn he spotted the lantern, a gourd of ruby glass envined in black wire, the flame within a rose that sprang and licked at the throat of the glass, skewing rib-shadows across the door."
"Gourd of ruby glass?" "Envined?" "Rib-shadows?" Who is this guy? Marvelous.
The other thing I liked was the development of the dog characters. Surprising, since I don't even think pet stories are all that funny.
So good book. Well written. Worth reading. If you need a plot summary, go to Amazon. I wouldn't do it justice.
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! I am now going to spoil the book for you. Turn back if you don't want me to do so.
There were two things I did not like about the book.
1. The main female character, Trudy, is married to a good man (not perfect, but good). They have a good (not perfect, but good) marriage. They are the parents of Edgar, the main character. But then Edgar's father, Gar, dies mysteriously. Spoiler: Gar's brother, Claude, killed him.
Claude is slimy. Claude is a liar. Claude leeches. Claude is a jerk.
So then, with Gar gone, Trudy hooks up with Claude. The author gives all sorts of excuses as to why Trudy made this decision---she needs a man to help her run the farm, Claude reminds her of Gar. Claude is fun.
No excuse. I wanted to yell at her. Didn't she learn anything in her dating years? Stay away from men who lie. Don't stay with someone who cons you. There are really good guys in the world---those are the ones you count among your dearest friends. Eventually, you marry one of them. And there are other men who have the integrity of jello (wobble, wobble)---those are the ones to kick in the shins. Run away! Run away!
And after being married already to Gar (a good guy), why on earth would she saddle herself with someone less?
Didn't make any sense to me. Not at all. Any woman of sense knows it's better to lose the farm than to lose her dignity.
2. The whole plot was too Shakespeare for me. Uncle. Nephew. Mother/Sister-in-Law/Wife. The men kill each other in the end.
It was like Hamlet, only with some interesting dog characters thrown in.
(pause)
Yet still, I leaf through the pages and I know that I liked reading this book. Too long, yes, (thus the Deborahskip), but a stellar first work for Wroblewski. I hope to see more from him. I'd expect great things.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Comfort Food
Someone should do a study about the correlation between food cravings and literature cravings.* They should use pregnant women: what are the women craving---Spicy? Bland? Familiar? Exotic?---and see if there is a literature/food connection. Because there is with me. All I want is comfort food in both areas.
Here's what I've been craving (or able to stomach): Greek avgolemono soup, potato chips, and chocolate ice cream.
Here's what I've been reading: Guernsey, The Red Tent (avoid that one if you are hypersensitive to content), Ender's Game, most of Xenocide, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and snatches of both Jane Eyre and The Tao of Pooh. I'm sure if my nausea continues that I'd move right to Daddy Long Legs, The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, and through the Anne of Green Gables series.
See? Comfort food, all.
But I'm feeling better, I think, at least for today, so I have some other ideas. At least four books come to mind.
So moving on to new books. . . anyone have any suggestions for my list?
*Maybe no one else gets literature cravings. Maybe no one else wakes up and thinks, "What I really need is a good dose of Valentine Wiggin" or "I think I need a shot of Robert Frost poetry---perfect!" That's OK. You can settle for just having chocolate ice cream cravings. That's probably more normal.
Here's what I've been craving (or able to stomach): Greek avgolemono soup, potato chips, and chocolate ice cream.
Here's what I've been reading: Guernsey, The Red Tent (avoid that one if you are hypersensitive to content), Ender's Game, most of Xenocide, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and snatches of both Jane Eyre and The Tao of Pooh. I'm sure if my nausea continues that I'd move right to Daddy Long Legs, The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, and through the Anne of Green Gables series.
See? Comfort food, all.
But I'm feeling better, I think, at least for today, so I have some other ideas. At least four books come to mind.
So moving on to new books. . . anyone have any suggestions for my list?
*Maybe no one else gets literature cravings. Maybe no one else wakes up and thinks, "What I really need is a good dose of Valentine Wiggin" or "I think I need a shot of Robert Frost poetry---perfect!" That's OK. You can settle for just having chocolate ice cream cravings. That's probably more normal.
Dallas trip
I rarely post pictures on this blog, but here's one of my family for those of you who know my siblings. We were all together in Dallas for my brother's wedding a month or so ago. Here I am, just beginning to show my pregnancy.
And here is one of me and Eric.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
After a long hiatus, it's not even about books
TADA! I'm finally posting again. I've been out on maternity leave: not a baby now, but one coming early next spring (or late winter---is March spring or winter? It's certainly spring where we live. But in North Dakota, it's probably still winter). At any rate, it's been quite a first trimester, and I haven't been blogging. I have been reading, and I'll update you on that soon, but I wanted to do another random post of the things that our family has been reviewing: all the ready made frozen foods from Trader Joes. Here's what we thought:
1. Their pizza. Not bad. I'm not a pizza person anyway, but this is passable. I give it a 7.
2. Frozen burritos (with salsa verde). Eric was so unimpressed, I didn't even try them. 4.
3. The chow mein. Too syrupy. 5.
4. The chicken empanadas. Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. These were great. The boys didn't want them---too bad, more for us. 9.
We've also been eating a lot of ready-made frozen pot pie from Save Mart. 6.
And Eric's meal of choice to feed the boys is Costco corn dogs. I give them a 2 (blech), but the boys (all my boys) adore them and would give them closer to an 8.
There you go. I'm signing off now. Even writing this blog post is making me queasy.
I hope my body gets the message that my second trimester is upon us. It's about time.
1. Their pizza. Not bad. I'm not a pizza person anyway, but this is passable. I give it a 7.
2. Frozen burritos (with salsa verde). Eric was so unimpressed, I didn't even try them. 4.
3. The chow mein. Too syrupy. 5.
4. The chicken empanadas. Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. These were great. The boys didn't want them---too bad, more for us. 9.
We've also been eating a lot of ready-made frozen pot pie from Save Mart. 6.
And Eric's meal of choice to feed the boys is Costco corn dogs. I give them a 2 (blech), but the boys (all my boys) adore them and would give them closer to an 8.
There you go. I'm signing off now. Even writing this blog post is making me queasy.
I hope my body gets the message that my second trimester is upon us. It's about time.
Friday, August 7, 2009
The Last Lecture
I found a gem.
Go read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon when asked to give his last lecture---not because he's retiring from work, but because he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. This book is his lecture, and his thoughts, about his life and living.
Perhaps it's because my father-in-law just passed away that reading this book came at the perfect time for me.
It's good. Funny. Upbeat. Sincere. I laughed during the book, I bawled at the end. Not that emotional response necessarily an indicator of good writing, but in this case, this book got to me.
Not as heavy as Tuesdays with Morrie, but along the same lines. I think you'll like it.
Go read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Pausch is a professor at Carnegie Mellon when asked to give his last lecture---not because he's retiring from work, but because he's diagnosed with terminal cancer. This book is his lecture, and his thoughts, about his life and living.
Perhaps it's because my father-in-law just passed away that reading this book came at the perfect time for me.
It's good. Funny. Upbeat. Sincere. I laughed during the book, I bawled at the end. Not that emotional response necessarily an indicator of good writing, but in this case, this book got to me.
Not as heavy as Tuesdays with Morrie, but along the same lines. I think you'll like it.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Mystery Book Revealed
The Mystery Book that's been taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R for me to finish is The Omnivore's Dilemma by Pollan. Pollan tracks the origins of four meals: one from McDonalds, one of "organic" food, one of non-organic food, and one that he hunted and gathered.
The book is long.
Pollan is thorough. With the exection of the fact that he talks about corn for half of the book, I thought the thoroughness was warranted.
But book is very good. Pollan is a good writer, witty, charming, conversational, intelligent.
The reason that it too me so long is because there are definite agendas about this book and it's hard not to internalize them. I had to pause when I found myself seriously considering applying all of Pollan's agendas. For example: corn syrup . . . bad. So I was checking all labels. Industrialized meat: bad. So I was balking at buying frozen chicken breasts at Costco. Lentils from my favorite Indian supermarket: bad, they've been shipped overseas. See? I had to read a little while, pause, let my food habits stabilize, and then go back and read some more. I have changed my buying and eating habits some---I think that's the point---but I didn't want to push myself into culinary neurosis.
Here are some of the changes that I have tried to make:
1. I do, actually, avoid corn syrup. Why does it need to be in processed tomato sauce anyway?
2. I do cook more vegetarian meals. Lentils, beans, that sort of thing.
3. I do try to buy local. I make exeptions for important things like pineapple and chocolate.
4. I do eat free range beef. It's the beef that wanders my dad's back pasture, actually, so I know exactly where the cow was raised.
Here's a sample of food that I think Pollan would approve of:
1. Strawberry jam, made by my mother, from the berries she bought down the road from her house.
2. Beef from my dad's cows. He raises them. Names them---I once had a roommate who wouldn't eat my beef because it had a name. Better than having a number in a feedlot, I say.
3. A nectarine from the farmer's market by my house.
4. Yogurt with no corn syrup.
So now Mystery Book has been completed. It was a lovely feast. Enjoy.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Blackbird Pond
A while ago, I did a top ten post on young adult literature that I thought was worth reading as an adult. I could only come up with nine, and some readers suggested The Witch of Blackbird Pond as a possibility for number ten.
So I finally read it again (while reading another book: you'll still have to wait for that one---Why is it taking Deborah so long? Why doesn't she just finish Mystery Book and get on with it? What's the deal? You'll have to wait and then I'll explain. I'm almost done with Mystery Book. Stay tuned.)
Blackbird Pond was great, of course, and I think it should be read again and again. This is one good example of historical fiction that makes me wonder why more middle school/high school history teachers don't teach historical fiction when they teach history. There's some really good stuff in Blackbird Pond about pre-revolution America, Quakers, Puritans, etc. Had this been an extra credit option when I did American history as a junior in high school, I would have done it. And liked it. And learned from it.
Jenny, I think Emma might be old enough for Blackbird Pond. Certainly as a read-aloud. Would be a good basis for early American history discussion.
So I finally read it again (while reading another book: you'll still have to wait for that one---Why is it taking Deborah so long? Why doesn't she just finish Mystery Book and get on with it? What's the deal? You'll have to wait and then I'll explain. I'm almost done with Mystery Book. Stay tuned.)
Blackbird Pond was great, of course, and I think it should be read again and again. This is one good example of historical fiction that makes me wonder why more middle school/high school history teachers don't teach historical fiction when they teach history. There's some really good stuff in Blackbird Pond about pre-revolution America, Quakers, Puritans, etc. Had this been an extra credit option when I did American history as a junior in high school, I would have done it. And liked it. And learned from it.
Jenny, I think Emma might be old enough for Blackbird Pond. Certainly as a read-aloud. Would be a good basis for early American history discussion.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I think we miss some of that now
The biography bug hasn't hit me yet; I'm still a fiction gal. But I like to peruse biographies every now and then to see if I've developed a taste for the genre. I recently pored over Linda Lear's Beatrix Potter biography. Titled Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature. I didn't read all of it, but enough to know that Lear is an interesting writer and a solid researcher. I was most fascinated by how much of Potter's life was spend studying and observing and drawing animals---Potter paid the price for her ability to draw creatures and make them life-like and fantastic at the same time. I think we miss some of that now---it's not in our culture for people to take time to "just" draw and watch. Pity. I think we're missing something.
So then the biography led me, of course, to Potter's fictional children's stories. I knew she wrote Peter Rabbit, but I had not met Timmy Tippytoes or Jemima Puddleduck or Duchess the Dog. These books are adorable! I'm going to put them on my Amazon.com wishlist and collect a bunch. They are not flashy (think: not David Shannon, whose work I adore). They are clever and charming. If you don't want to read the biography, at least venture into some of Beatrix Potter's lesser known fiction. It will delight both the child and the adult in you.
(But Liz, check out the biography. I think you'll like it.)
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The problem with blogging about books
The problem about blogging about books is that it takes me a long time to have something to write about in a new post. It's not like a recipe blog where, poof, I can whip something up and TADA! Blog entry!
I'm currently reading three books simultaneously and I'll report on them soon. Some people think this is akin to book adultery, to read three books at the same time. I don't think it's disloyal, just interesting. It's like having three good friends all on speaker phone.
But I can tell you about Schwartz's bestseller, The Commoner. It amazes me what gets on the bestseller lists sometimes. I'd call The Commoner "good", but it's not enough to trip over an electric fence for, which is what "Bestseller List" conjures in my mind: stampeding readers willing to throw themselves in the path of danger just for a glimpse of chapter four. Schwartz writes in a 1st person female voice about the fictional life of a commoner in Japanese society marrying the crown prince.
The story was good, the writing was lovely (artistic even), but it was the voice that threw me off. I haven't yet encountered a male writer who can do a first person female voice that sings for me. Potok tried to do it in Davita's Harp, but it wasn't quite there. I could never put my finger on it in either book: but the narrator in both cases was missing . . . . something. But what it was, I could not say.
But still. Good work, readable. Interesting.
I'm currently reading three books simultaneously and I'll report on them soon. Some people think this is akin to book adultery, to read three books at the same time. I don't think it's disloyal, just interesting. It's like having three good friends all on speaker phone.
But I can tell you about Schwartz's bestseller, The Commoner. It amazes me what gets on the bestseller lists sometimes. I'd call The Commoner "good", but it's not enough to trip over an electric fence for, which is what "Bestseller List" conjures in my mind: stampeding readers willing to throw themselves in the path of danger just for a glimpse of chapter four. Schwartz writes in a 1st person female voice about the fictional life of a commoner in Japanese society marrying the crown prince.
The story was good, the writing was lovely (artistic even), but it was the voice that threw me off. I haven't yet encountered a male writer who can do a first person female voice that sings for me. Potok tried to do it in Davita's Harp, but it wasn't quite there. I could never put my finger on it in either book: but the narrator in both cases was missing . . . . something. But what it was, I could not say.
But still. Good work, readable. Interesting.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Saddle up
I finally found a book to give hope to Guernsey fans. Honestly, I was worried that I'd never find another good book again and I would wither away, pining.
But saddle up, cowgirls, and get ready for a wild ride. I've found a book that will put the spice back in your chili.
Read These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. This came recommended from two sources: one, my friend Lys-An, who always finds the good stuff and two, from a woman on a plane who overheard me mention the title and turned around in her seat to tell me that she LOVES this book.
I liked it from the start, and by page eight, I was hooked. The passage that did it was when the narrator, teenage Sarah, is describing how she shot a deer and some other girls in her wagon train are shocked. Sarah says, "They said so many times oh my, oh my, that I thought I might of stood on my head and sang a song it was so strange to them. Well I lived in the territory all my life and I got four brothers and a girl has got to get along."
Hook. Line. Sinker. Right til the very end.
Just trust me. Go find the book. Meg in Sheridan, request that your library buy it.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Religion was the theme. But I wasn't expecting it.
I recently finished the next two books in the Ember series, The Prophet of Yonwood and The Diamond of Darkhold, as well as The Language of Bees by Laurie King.
The Prophet of Yonwood was well written and had an interesting plotline---jumping back to pre-city-of-Ember days. Ah, delicious twist, to take a book in the series backward before you go forwards again. Like a flashback, but with an entire book. Good story, good characters. But anti-religion, so I won't be keeping a copy on my shelves for one of my future teenagers to find. The anti-religion theme isn't overt, which is why it was scary, just as scary as the underlying (but obvious) anti-religiousness of The Subtle Knife by Pullman. DuPrau wouldn't admit that she's anti-religion, but that would be denial.
The Diamond of Darkhold was good. Recommendable if you like the rest of the Ember works. I liked the wrapping up at the end. Left me with a nice sigh of, "Oh. How nice." Since I am usually more likely to argue with an author's ending, this was a pleasant surprise.
As for Laurie King's The Language of Bees: I was excited about this one. Waited for it. Bought the hardback so I could read it on the plane (sans children, thus the reading material). And King clipped right along. King is blindingly intelligent on a range of subjects so it's refreshing when she wanders into places I wouldn't expect: Beekeeping anyone? Norse mythology? Celtic sites?
A joy.
My first complaint, though, is that King (again) played on the "religious organizations/leaders are underhanded" generalization. She's done this before (in Regiment) so I didn't think she'd go there again. Yet off she went.
Trite.
Worse than "The butler did it".
Well written. Well researched. I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters she introduced. But I won't keep a copy on my shelves---for the reasons above, but also because there's more sexuality in this book than I've seen in the others in the series, and legitimizing of relationships with which I don't agree. If any of the above will offend you, skip The Language of Bees. I'll find something just as good for you, but less questionable.
The Prophet of Yonwood was well written and had an interesting plotline---jumping back to pre-city-of-Ember days. Ah, delicious twist, to take a book in the series backward before you go forwards again. Like a flashback, but with an entire book. Good story, good characters. But anti-religion, so I won't be keeping a copy on my shelves for one of my future teenagers to find. The anti-religion theme isn't overt, which is why it was scary, just as scary as the underlying (but obvious) anti-religiousness of The Subtle Knife by Pullman. DuPrau wouldn't admit that she's anti-religion, but that would be denial.
The Diamond of Darkhold was good. Recommendable if you like the rest of the Ember works. I liked the wrapping up at the end. Left me with a nice sigh of, "Oh. How nice." Since I am usually more likely to argue with an author's ending, this was a pleasant surprise.
As for Laurie King's The Language of Bees: I was excited about this one. Waited for it. Bought the hardback so I could read it on the plane (sans children, thus the reading material). And King clipped right along. King is blindingly intelligent on a range of subjects so it's refreshing when she wanders into places I wouldn't expect: Beekeeping anyone? Norse mythology? Celtic sites?
A joy.
My first complaint, though, is that King (again) played on the "religious organizations/leaders are underhanded" generalization. She's done this before (in Regiment) so I didn't think she'd go there again. Yet off she went.
Trite.
Worse than "The butler did it".
Well written. Well researched. I thoroughly enjoyed the new characters she introduced. But I won't keep a copy on my shelves---for the reasons above, but also because there's more sexuality in this book than I've seen in the others in the series, and legitimizing of relationships with which I don't agree. If any of the above will offend you, skip The Language of Bees. I'll find something just as good for you, but less questionable.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
War and Peace
Has anyone actually read Tolstoy's War and Peace? It's sitting on my shelf, daring me to try to get through it again. Meaning: I tried to read it once and stopped. Not meaning: I'm trying to read it another time.
Anyone besides JoBecka.
Because if you can tell me that, really, it's worth reading, I'll try again. If not, I've got a few sci fi that look more interesting.
Anyone besides JoBecka.
Because if you can tell me that, really, it's worth reading, I'll try again. If not, I've got a few sci fi that look more interesting.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
People of Sparks
I read the sequel to The City of Ember. It's called the People of Sparks. I thought it was better than the first book. If I were teaching a history class, any history class, this is the book I'd have my class read.
It's good. I was pleasantly surprised.
It's good. I was pleasantly surprised.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Guernsey pouting
I've been away from my book blog for a while, trying to find something to recommend that as good as Guernsey. I would stay away, I vowed, until I could wow you with something fabulous.
Finally I concluded that I need to stop looking for Guernsey reincarnated. It's not to be found. But if you are still pining for Guernsey, and want something like it/sort of, then try 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. Delightful non-fiction letters between Hanff and a bookseller on 84 Charing Cross Road. Hanff is sassy and fun. Quick read.
If you are looking for a great book, however, try Fleishman's Seedfolks, the narrative about a fictional community garden and its gardeners. Poignant. Inspiring. It will make you want to put your hands in humus and get to know your neighbors. If you are looking for more Guernsey, this is like recommending Beethoven to you when you are looking for Bach. Sorry. But if you want a good book, do read Seedfolks. Short. You can read it in an afternoon or two. (Anjanette, really, this is just SHORT short, not Deborah short.)
I can also recommend The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis, which was recommended to me by the darling and daring Sarah Comin Baker. The main character, Bathsheva, a Jewish convert, comes to Memphis to surround herself with the Jewish orthodox community. That's the plot. It's good. The writing is delicious. Written partly in the first person "we" (as in "we the ladies of the town"), you'll hear all the small towns/religious communities/church congregation concerns and cares. Confessions and complaints. For me, this book was part Turlock, CA; part Montpelier, CA; and part every-ward-I've-ever-been-in. Funny in parts, heart-breaking in others. Mirvis doesn't shy away from serious themes: outward vs. inward religion, repentence and forgiveness, how to teach children to be religious while letting them develop their own religiousness. Good book. I liked it. Read it and come back and talk about it with me. This would be great for a book club book.
And lastly (the next in my line of YA novels), I read Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth. About a Brahmin child widow in the time of Ghandi. But great window, really, into India of that time and the Brahmin culture. Good. I would not have liked it as a teenager, but I get it now. Since I know very little about India of Ghandi's time, this was a nice introduction. Nothing scandalous. Clean. Decently written.
Finally I concluded that I need to stop looking for Guernsey reincarnated. It's not to be found. But if you are still pining for Guernsey, and want something like it/sort of, then try 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. Delightful non-fiction letters between Hanff and a bookseller on 84 Charing Cross Road. Hanff is sassy and fun. Quick read.
If you are looking for a great book, however, try Fleishman's Seedfolks, the narrative about a fictional community garden and its gardeners. Poignant. Inspiring. It will make you want to put your hands in humus and get to know your neighbors. If you are looking for more Guernsey, this is like recommending Beethoven to you when you are looking for Bach. Sorry. But if you want a good book, do read Seedfolks. Short. You can read it in an afternoon or two. (Anjanette, really, this is just SHORT short, not Deborah short.)
I can also recommend The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis, which was recommended to me by the darling and daring Sarah Comin Baker. The main character, Bathsheva, a Jewish convert, comes to Memphis to surround herself with the Jewish orthodox community. That's the plot. It's good. The writing is delicious. Written partly in the first person "we" (as in "we the ladies of the town"), you'll hear all the small towns/religious communities/church congregation concerns and cares. Confessions and complaints. For me, this book was part Turlock, CA; part Montpelier, CA; and part every-ward-I've-ever-been-in. Funny in parts, heart-breaking in others. Mirvis doesn't shy away from serious themes: outward vs. inward religion, repentence and forgiveness, how to teach children to be religious while letting them develop their own religiousness. Good book. I liked it. Read it and come back and talk about it with me. This would be great for a book club book.
And lastly (the next in my line of YA novels), I read Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth. About a Brahmin child widow in the time of Ghandi. But great window, really, into India of that time and the Brahmin culture. Good. I would not have liked it as a teenager, but I get it now. Since I know very little about India of Ghandi's time, this was a nice introduction. Nothing scandalous. Clean. Decently written.
Monday, March 9, 2009
For Jenny Baker: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Jenny asked if I'd read The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau and I hadn't, so I did.
It was good. Plot was good. Character development was good. Ending was good---I skipped to end by about page thirty. Read it. Nice! So I went back and read the book. The writing is decent---not art, but decent. (Stephanie Meyers proved that artistic writing isn't what sells anyway. Plot sells. Character sells.) Jenny, Emma can read this and be fine. Nothing questionable. I'm not sure that I'll go on to read the rest of the series today, but someday I'll own the series for my kids when they are tweens.
It reminded me, actually, of Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running out of Time. Similar plotlines. Young hero and heroines find themselves in the middle of a community experiment gone bad. The adults won't solve the problem, or admit there is one, so it's up to the youth. Who face danger head on and, with cunning, face the problem. I think that Ember and Running would be nice compliments for discussion. You could have Emma read both and then talk about the similarity in themes. That would be good, actually.
It was good. Plot was good. Character development was good. Ending was good---I skipped to end by about page thirty. Read it. Nice! So I went back and read the book. The writing is decent---not art, but decent. (Stephanie Meyers proved that artistic writing isn't what sells anyway. Plot sells. Character sells.) Jenny, Emma can read this and be fine. Nothing questionable. I'm not sure that I'll go on to read the rest of the series today, but someday I'll own the series for my kids when they are tweens.
It reminded me, actually, of Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running out of Time. Similar plotlines. Young hero and heroines find themselves in the middle of a community experiment gone bad. The adults won't solve the problem, or admit there is one, so it's up to the youth. Who face danger head on and, with cunning, face the problem. I think that Ember and Running would be nice compliments for discussion. You could have Emma read both and then talk about the similarity in themes. That would be good, actually.
The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs
I just finished The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. Subtitle: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. I had already read Jacob's The Know it All (One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World). Here's what I can tell you about Jacobs:
1. He's a decent writer. Witty. Clever. Intelligent.
2. He isn't afraid to talk about his own insecurities and neuroses, which is nice, because his issues make my own insecurities and neuroses look farily normal. Comforting to find such humanity.
3. He obssessively pores over the Internet looking for blog posts about what people think about his book. (AJ, if you are reading this, leave a comment and I will send you and Julie and Jasper and Zane and Lucas some of my killer vegan peanut butter cookies. They're good even though I am not a vegan.)
4. He is the editor of Esquire, so he can not be depended on to edit out sketchy ideas or sketchy scenes or even his own sketchy thoughts. Since I am something of a prude about what I'll read---I skip passages when it looks questionable. I can't tell you for sure, but I'm usually correct, and what I skipped was sketchy.
5. I laugh out loud when I read his work. He is funny. Funny, funny, funny. If he were put in the same room with my brother Aaron, he would find his match for funny. So funny.
Having said that, I enjoyed the book. My favorite theme was that religion can't be something we just do and study---it really is about what we become because of what we know. And that holiness is found in the mundane.
Marianne, I think you'd like this one.
1. He's a decent writer. Witty. Clever. Intelligent.
2. He isn't afraid to talk about his own insecurities and neuroses, which is nice, because his issues make my own insecurities and neuroses look farily normal. Comforting to find such humanity.
3. He obssessively pores over the Internet looking for blog posts about what people think about his book. (AJ, if you are reading this, leave a comment and I will send you and Julie and Jasper and Zane and Lucas some of my killer vegan peanut butter cookies. They're good even though I am not a vegan.)
4. He is the editor of Esquire, so he can not be depended on to edit out sketchy ideas or sketchy scenes or even his own sketchy thoughts. Since I am something of a prude about what I'll read---I skip passages when it looks questionable. I can't tell you for sure, but I'm usually correct, and what I skipped was sketchy.
5. I laugh out loud when I read his work. He is funny. Funny, funny, funny. If he were put in the same room with my brother Aaron, he would find his match for funny. So funny.
Having said that, I enjoyed the book. My favorite theme was that religion can't be something we just do and study---it really is about what we become because of what we know. And that holiness is found in the mundane.
Marianne, I think you'd like this one.
If you liked Guernsey
If you like Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society, you should try The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. It's delightful. Not as good as Guernsey (in my opinion), but good all the same and worth reading. I'm going to try more Sandra Dallas someday and report back. I tried to do her Alice's Tulips and didn't care for it. But maybe that book was the runt of the litter. I'll give Dallas another chance.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
*Have you met Charlie Ravioli? If not, you should. He's one funny guy.
There are many things I studied in graduate school that I haven't thought about since. But there are a few pearls that come back every now and then. One is the theoretical work of Wayne Booth, who wrote The Company We Keep. The gist is that when re read, we create a relationship with characters or authors, etc. Like . . . once you've met Alice in Wonderland, they you have a relationship with her, of sorts. That's the way simplified version, buy you get the idea.
But on that note, you need to meet Charlie Ravioli. He's one funny guy. I found him in the book Through the Children's Gate, by Adam Gopnik. Gopnik is a fantastic writer. This guy knows how to capitalize. He gets a little parenthesis happy---which is like speaking my language becuase I am (unedited) the queen of dashes. In this book, Gopnik writes a series of personal essays about his experiences returning back to the US after living in Paris for five years. I haven't read the whole book, but what I have read is superb. Funny. Insightful. Intelligent. Witty. Entertaining. Thought provoking. Good stuff so far. Can't vouch for all the content, but what I have seen is just fine.
Anyway. Charlie Ravioli appears in the essay "Bumping into Mr. Ravioli." It's worth finding the book in the library or going to Borders to sit in their comfy chairs just to read this chapter. Really. It's good.
So go read it. And then come back and let me know that you know him so I can say something like, "I felt like I was talking to Charlie Ravioli . . . " and you'll know what I'll mean and we'll both sigh and say, "Yeah. That Charlie Ravioli. It's like that sometimes."
I do this with Emmanuel Levinas and my cousin Dave. We nod. And we get it.
But trust me. Go meet Charlie Ravioli.
But on that note, you need to meet Charlie Ravioli. He's one funny guy. I found him in the book Through the Children's Gate, by Adam Gopnik. Gopnik is a fantastic writer. This guy knows how to capitalize. He gets a little parenthesis happy---which is like speaking my language becuase I am (unedited) the queen of dashes. In this book, Gopnik writes a series of personal essays about his experiences returning back to the US after living in Paris for five years. I haven't read the whole book, but what I have read is superb. Funny. Insightful. Intelligent. Witty. Entertaining. Thought provoking. Good stuff so far. Can't vouch for all the content, but what I have seen is just fine.
Anyway. Charlie Ravioli appears in the essay "Bumping into Mr. Ravioli." It's worth finding the book in the library or going to Borders to sit in their comfy chairs just to read this chapter. Really. It's good.
So go read it. And then come back and let me know that you know him so I can say something like, "I felt like I was talking to Charlie Ravioli . . . " and you'll know what I'll mean and we'll both sigh and say, "Yeah. That Charlie Ravioli. It's like that sometimes."
I do this with Emmanuel Levinas and my cousin Dave. We nod. And we get it.
But trust me. Go meet Charlie Ravioli.
Seer and the Sword, City of Masks
I don't get much time to browse in the library anymore. When I take the kids, I spend most of my time trying to keep the kids from pulling the books off the shelves. So when I want new books, I have to look fast. Usually I come up with duds, but sometimes I find some good stuff. Which is what I was lucky to find on my last trip---really good stuff. I was in the mood for more YA lit, so I pulled two from the shelf. Both good. Both well done.
The first is The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley. Fantasy, with a good strong female character---which isn't what you always find so that was a nice suprise. Nice writing. Good plot. Little nuggets about human nature. Good. Perfect for a tween, nice escape if you are an adult and you just want a pleasant YA fantasy. There are more in the series and I'm glad. If I get lonely for the characters, I'll go read the rest.
The second is The City of Masks by Mary Hoffman. Fantasy again, this one with an alternate world much like Venice, Italy. The fun thing about this book is the it delves into 1700 Italy (sort of). Not history heavy, which wouldn't work in a YA novel anyway, but there's enough truth about the past to make it authentic and interesting. Hoffman likes Italy and you can tell. This book also had another delightful heroine with a strong mind and spirit. Yet another book in a series. Yet another series I wouldn't blanch to read.
So there are two books that I would've recommended to the tween crowd who want something clean, well written, interesting, and worth reading.
Bravo, Hanley and Hoffman. Well done.
(End note: If you don't like fantasty, don't understand fantasy, and don't ever want to read fantasy, skip these. It's OK. The authors will never know and I won't be offended.)
The first is The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley. Fantasy, with a good strong female character---which isn't what you always find so that was a nice suprise. Nice writing. Good plot. Little nuggets about human nature. Good. Perfect for a tween, nice escape if you are an adult and you just want a pleasant YA fantasy. There are more in the series and I'm glad. If I get lonely for the characters, I'll go read the rest.
The second is The City of Masks by Mary Hoffman. Fantasy again, this one with an alternate world much like Venice, Italy. The fun thing about this book is the it delves into 1700 Italy (sort of). Not history heavy, which wouldn't work in a YA novel anyway, but there's enough truth about the past to make it authentic and interesting. Hoffman likes Italy and you can tell. This book also had another delightful heroine with a strong mind and spirit. Yet another book in a series. Yet another series I wouldn't blanch to read.
So there are two books that I would've recommended to the tween crowd who want something clean, well written, interesting, and worth reading.
Bravo, Hanley and Hoffman. Well done.
(End note: If you don't like fantasty, don't understand fantasy, and don't ever want to read fantasy, skip these. It's OK. The authors will never know and I won't be offended.)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
I've been plowing through Wild Swans, Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang for some time now. Writing is good, and Jung's insights, about humanity in general in the context of Chinese history, are good as well.
But it's long. It's way long.
It's way, way, way long.
I don't have a problem with long books, just as I don't have a problem with long conversations. But both need to end when it's time to end. And when I'm falling asleep either having a conversation or reading a book, it's probably time to just say, "Oh, that was lovely to see you. I'll be going now."
The basis for the book is that Jung's grandmother was a concubine during the end of the reign of the warlords in China. Her mother was a part of the Communist revolution, and Jung herself experienced Mao's cultural revolution and the aftermath (as heretofore mentioned in the bland Red Scarf Girl). Jung chronicles their lives and loves, their living and their struggles. Their determination and their strength. Great plot.
It's not that I'm bored with the book, I've just had enough. I've eaten all the turkey and stuffing I can hold and gone back for seconds on chocolate pie. Finite. Ja acabou. Ja esta. I'm done, thank you, that was lovely.
If you are a purist who needs to know how it ends, I'll tell you because I've skimmed it. Jung's family gets old and dies and Jung moves to London. Where she is happy.
Once again, if you are interested in Chinese history, this would be good for you. And it's fine with me if you stop at about page 360. That's about where the meal ended for me.
But it's long. It's way long.
It's way, way, way long.
I don't have a problem with long books, just as I don't have a problem with long conversations. But both need to end when it's time to end. And when I'm falling asleep either having a conversation or reading a book, it's probably time to just say, "Oh, that was lovely to see you. I'll be going now."
The basis for the book is that Jung's grandmother was a concubine during the end of the reign of the warlords in China. Her mother was a part of the Communist revolution, and Jung herself experienced Mao's cultural revolution and the aftermath (as heretofore mentioned in the bland Red Scarf Girl). Jung chronicles their lives and loves, their living and their struggles. Their determination and their strength. Great plot.
It's not that I'm bored with the book, I've just had enough. I've eaten all the turkey and stuffing I can hold and gone back for seconds on chocolate pie. Finite. Ja acabou. Ja esta. I'm done, thank you, that was lovely.
If you are a purist who needs to know how it ends, I'll tell you because I've skimmed it. Jung's family gets old and dies and Jung moves to London. Where she is happy.
Once again, if you are interested in Chinese history, this would be good for you. And it's fine with me if you stop at about page 360. That's about where the meal ended for me.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Meg in Sheridan
Meg in Sheridan,
I keep meaning to mention . . . if your library doesn't have the books that you are looking for, you can write them a letter and suggest they purchase specific titles. (Some libraries have this feature in their library websites.) I find that most libraries (and Netflix, for example) are looking for things that people want to read (or watch). So if you suggest, maybe they will listen.
Good luck!
I keep meaning to mention . . . if your library doesn't have the books that you are looking for, you can write them a letter and suggest they purchase specific titles. (Some libraries have this feature in their library websites.) I find that most libraries (and Netflix, for example) are looking for things that people want to read (or watch). So if you suggest, maybe they will listen.
Good luck!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Transferring * books
Pre-entry note: As most of you know, I have a blog about our family that's on a private distribution list. On that blog, I have previously written entries about what I was reading. I'm going to transfer all the book entries to this blog. So if you've been following that blog, and those entries, you can skip these. You already read them. I'm putting them here so all the book entries are in the same place---as requested by Kristen. Now all the book entries will be in the same place. I will mark them with a * in the title.
Laurie R. King is one of my new favorite authors. I've been re-reading her Mary Russell series (just finished books one and two, now I'm on to three), and they are absolutely delicious. Great plots. Crisp dialogue. Intelligent references. Fantastic main character. King has brought to life a strong, witty, determined main character in Mary Russell. I always like it when I find stong, well written female protagonists in any genre, but it's all the more satisfying to find them in mystery/suspense. But I wouldn't call it a "woman's book" any more than I'd call other books "men's books". It's just a good book.
But on that note . . . here are three "women's genre" books that are stereotypically marketed to women and drive me crazy.
1. MEN ARE ALL EVIL books. A few months ago I chose seven books from a recommended reading list put together by the San Jose Book Club Convention. I got them from my library and began to skim. They all sounded the same. Unhappy, depressed woman in India. Unhappy, depressed woman in Mexico. Unhappy, depressed woman in Minnesota. And all of them had serious, serious "We hate men" undertones. This deeply bothered me. I returned all the books.
2. WOMEN ARE OBSESSED WITH FOOD books. I've found this in two places---a well known mystery series and one of the books that Dessert Book lauded last summer as a good book for book clubs. The second book was formulaic. There are five women. Chapter one: Woman one has a problem. Gets together with the other four. Long descriptive passages about what everyone is eating. Women solve the problem. Chapter Two: Another woman has a problem. Gets together with the other four. Long descriptive passages about what everyone is eating. Women solve the problem. Chapter Three: Woman three has a problem . . . etc.
I got sick of reading what everyone was eating. Does the author thing that her readership are perpetual dieters who can vicariously get satisfaction from the food that other people ingest? Or is the assumed readership subsisting on funeral potatoes and jello and therefore entranced with words such as "proscuitto", "tarragon", and "escarole". I didn't finish that book either.
3. WOMEN WHINE books. Here I have to mention an unfortunate experience with one my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card. I really, really like Card's writing. But not in his Women of the Covenant series. I came to these books hoping to see what I knew Card was cabable of giving: well developed, strong, interesting characters.
But in the book I read, the one about Bilhah, Zilpah, Rachel, and Leah, I grew more and more flustered as the novel wore on. The characters just weren't very interesting. The only one who seemed to have two functional synapses in her head was Bilhah. Leah just whined and whined. After about chapter three, Leah would start in on her emotional blathering and I would skip to the next section.
I felt like Card had betrayed me. Why didn't he include intelligent characters in this series as well? He's fully capable. I've seen him do it with women and with men. I think I'll give one more of the books in this series a try. But if I don't find an intelligent heroine, I'm going back to the Ender series. (Maybe he should tackle the story of Deborah, the prophetess. No whiney women there, neither in Deborah nor in Jael.)
Another author, new on the scene, that I'd recommend is Brandon Sanderson. I met Brandon in a writing class at BYU and he has developed into quite an author. His first book, Elantris (which I had the pleasure to peek at in manuscript form) was good, but his second book, Mistborn, is even better. Yet another intelligent, captivating female main character. I look forward to seeing great things from Brandon, and I can't wait to read the sequel to Mistborn.
But I digress. Back to Laurie R. King. She's great and I give her series two thumbs up. I found very little questionable content (if there is some, I either can't remember it or I didn't find it offensive). I hope there are more books to come.
Laurie R. King is one of my new favorite authors. I've been re-reading her Mary Russell series (just finished books one and two, now I'm on to three), and they are absolutely delicious. Great plots. Crisp dialogue. Intelligent references. Fantastic main character. King has brought to life a strong, witty, determined main character in Mary Russell. I always like it when I find stong, well written female protagonists in any genre, but it's all the more satisfying to find them in mystery/suspense. But I wouldn't call it a "woman's book" any more than I'd call other books "men's books". It's just a good book.
But on that note . . . here are three "women's genre" books that are stereotypically marketed to women and drive me crazy.
1. MEN ARE ALL EVIL books. A few months ago I chose seven books from a recommended reading list put together by the San Jose Book Club Convention. I got them from my library and began to skim. They all sounded the same. Unhappy, depressed woman in India. Unhappy, depressed woman in Mexico. Unhappy, depressed woman in Minnesota. And all of them had serious, serious "We hate men" undertones. This deeply bothered me. I returned all the books.
2. WOMEN ARE OBSESSED WITH FOOD books. I've found this in two places---a well known mystery series and one of the books that Dessert Book lauded last summer as a good book for book clubs. The second book was formulaic. There are five women. Chapter one: Woman one has a problem. Gets together with the other four. Long descriptive passages about what everyone is eating. Women solve the problem. Chapter Two: Another woman has a problem. Gets together with the other four. Long descriptive passages about what everyone is eating. Women solve the problem. Chapter Three: Woman three has a problem . . . etc.
I got sick of reading what everyone was eating. Does the author thing that her readership are perpetual dieters who can vicariously get satisfaction from the food that other people ingest? Or is the assumed readership subsisting on funeral potatoes and jello and therefore entranced with words such as "proscuitto", "tarragon", and "escarole". I didn't finish that book either.
3. WOMEN WHINE books. Here I have to mention an unfortunate experience with one my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card. I really, really like Card's writing. But not in his Women of the Covenant series. I came to these books hoping to see what I knew Card was cabable of giving: well developed, strong, interesting characters.
But in the book I read, the one about Bilhah, Zilpah, Rachel, and Leah, I grew more and more flustered as the novel wore on. The characters just weren't very interesting. The only one who seemed to have two functional synapses in her head was Bilhah. Leah just whined and whined. After about chapter three, Leah would start in on her emotional blathering and I would skip to the next section.
I felt like Card had betrayed me. Why didn't he include intelligent characters in this series as well? He's fully capable. I've seen him do it with women and with men. I think I'll give one more of the books in this series a try. But if I don't find an intelligent heroine, I'm going back to the Ender series. (Maybe he should tackle the story of Deborah, the prophetess. No whiney women there, neither in Deborah nor in Jael.)
Another author, new on the scene, that I'd recommend is Brandon Sanderson. I met Brandon in a writing class at BYU and he has developed into quite an author. His first book, Elantris (which I had the pleasure to peek at in manuscript form) was good, but his second book, Mistborn, is even better. Yet another intelligent, captivating female main character. I look forward to seeing great things from Brandon, and I can't wait to read the sequel to Mistborn.
But I digress. Back to Laurie R. King. She's great and I give her series two thumbs up. I found very little questionable content (if there is some, I either can't remember it or I didn't find it offensive). I hope there are more books to come.
Friday, February 20, 2009
And one on Netflix
If you Netflix, put the BBC production of Charles Dickens' Bleak House in your queue. The one with Gillian Anderson.
I've never read Bleak House, but now I want to.
This three disk series is great. Positively fabulous. We loved it. We stayed up way too late watching it. We started Disk three on Thursday at 10:30 PM, telling ourselves we weren't going to watch all three hours. We lied.
The production is fabulous. FAB YOU LOUS. And Dickens is a master. Look for the themes of bondage and redemption, forgiveness and grudge, secrets, being a child, being a captive, being a deliverer, and so forth.
I could write a paper on Bleak House. Actually, I could write more than that.
Kristen C., now that you are done with Foyles War, try this one. Then call me so we can talk about it.
I've never read Bleak House, but now I want to.
This three disk series is great. Positively fabulous. We loved it. We stayed up way too late watching it. We started Disk three on Thursday at 10:30 PM, telling ourselves we weren't going to watch all three hours. We lied.
The production is fabulous. FAB YOU LOUS. And Dickens is a master. Look for the themes of bondage and redemption, forgiveness and grudge, secrets, being a child, being a captive, being a deliverer, and so forth.
I could write a paper on Bleak House. Actually, I could write more than that.
Kristen C., now that you are done with Foyles War, try this one. Then call me so we can talk about it.
Try these again
If you read these as a child, or if you haven't discovered them yet, try these.
Deborah's Top 9 (see number 10) that are worth Rediscovering as an Adult
1. A Little Princess by Francess Hodgson Burnett
2. The Secret Garden by Burnett
3. Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery. Montgomery is clever and witty. I missed that when I read these before.
4. The Laura Ingalls Wilder books. If you don't want to do them all, just read These Happy Golden Years.
5. Peter Pan by Barrie
6. The Jungle Book by Kipling. Shocking to read these as an adult and find such strong themes of atonement and redemption. I thought it was just a cute story, but no, no, no. There's depth there. Who knew?
7. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
8. Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
9. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
(10. This would be a better list if there were 1o. I'm going to have to come back. I'm sure I'll think of a tenth at a random time. Like scrubbing the kitchen floor. Or while changing a poopy. THis is when my mind wanders.)
You can pass on Judy Blume. Pass, pass, pass. If you were already subjected to her, you don't need to go there again. Ditto on Cynthia Voight. Dicey will just have to be depressed somewhere else, but not in your library.
Deborah's Top 9 (see number 10) that are worth Rediscovering as an Adult
1. A Little Princess by Francess Hodgson Burnett
2. The Secret Garden by Burnett
3. Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery. Montgomery is clever and witty. I missed that when I read these before.
4. The Laura Ingalls Wilder books. If you don't want to do them all, just read These Happy Golden Years.
5. Peter Pan by Barrie
6. The Jungle Book by Kipling. Shocking to read these as an adult and find such strong themes of atonement and redemption. I thought it was just a cute story, but no, no, no. There's depth there. Who knew?
7. Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers
8. Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
9. Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
(10. This would be a better list if there were 1o. I'm going to have to come back. I'm sure I'll think of a tenth at a random time. Like scrubbing the kitchen floor. Or while changing a poopy. THis is when my mind wanders.)
You can pass on Judy Blume. Pass, pass, pass. If you were already subjected to her, you don't need to go there again. Ditto on Cynthia Voight. Dicey will just have to be depressed somewhere else, but not in your library.
Factory Girls, Enna Burning
I read Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie Chang. Not bad. Good writing. Worth reading if you are interested in the topic, pass on it if you aren't. With a crisp writing no-nonsense voice, Chang explores the lives of young women in China who have left their rural countryside homes to work for the factories of China. I found it interesting for the most part---the boring parts I skipped.
I'm also breezing through Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Much, much better than Austenland, thank you Shannon. This genre is where Hale shines. I ruined some of the book for myself because I already read the next in the series so I know the storyline of this one. Nevertheless, not bad.
I'm also breezing through Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Much, much better than Austenland, thank you Shannon. This genre is where Hale shines. I ruined some of the book for myself because I already read the next in the series so I know the storyline of this one. Nevertheless, not bad.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Austenland, Striped Pajames, Guernsey Literary
So I picked up Austenland by Shannon Hale with low expectations, having heard from my friend Mariann that it was a disappointment.
I hate it when my low expectations are met.
Hale can write. She has great characters, and she can do a great plot.
But she didn't.
Austenland started fine and then crashed in flames. Ashes were all that were left at the end.
Here's a list of just some of the problems with this book: too many make-out scenes. I skip these anyway (my husband is more fun to kiss than reading about someone else kissing their paramour), but there were a lot. The themes are good: what's real and what's illusion in the game of love, but there's no development. And the last scene when Jane leaves WITH a man was unnecessary. The point of the whole book was that she could learn to be a whole person by herself, in reality. So it would've been better had she left---whole---to find another whole person. Together they might've had a chance. But the Mr. Nobley shows up at the airport at the end thing---pointless. Mariann pointed out it would've been better had she found someone on the plane. At least he would've been a whole, real man who wore jeans instead of breeches.
So four thumbs down for Austenland, which is the two thumbs I have, and two more thumbs because Hale can do better than this.
But. The Boy in the Stried Pajamas by John Boyne was fabulous. Really honestly fabulous. Subtle. Powerful. Shook the plate techonics of my mind. It's about a nine year old boy and his experiences being the son of a Commandant of a concentration camp in WWII Poland.
And it's just plain good. So different from say, Elie Wiesel's Night, which I taught my 8th grade English class. My problem with Night was that it was so shocking and graphic. Something to read alone, painfully, but not something that I wanted to journey with 8th graders. But Striped Pajamas I would teach. All the meaning, all the power, all the message, all the atrocity, but gently.
Yes, Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Boyne is one of the best authors I've ever read, ever, who can speak in another person's point of view and make it authentic. I can't say enough good about this book. It should be required reading for everyone. (Wouldn't that be a concept---a Universal Required Reading List---Want your driver's license? Want to buy groceries? Not yet, you haven't done your reading.
But I digress.)
I also loved, loved, loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society by Shaffer and Barrows. It's been a while since I've been so charmed by a book. Completely and utterly mesmerized and charmed. I didn't read it---I inhaled it. S and B are fantastic writers and they are masters of character. Takes place in WWII London and thereabouts. Deals with the war, yes, but that's the backdrop. It's really about life and laughter and friendship and love. Go read it and then come talk to me about it. Or we can go play Dead Bride (That's from the book. If you don't read the book, you'll have to play Dead Bride with Charlie Ravioli.)
My only problem with Guernsey is that it ended.
I wish there were a sequel.
I hate it when my low expectations are met.
Hale can write. She has great characters, and she can do a great plot.
But she didn't.
Austenland started fine and then crashed in flames. Ashes were all that were left at the end.
Here's a list of just some of the problems with this book: too many make-out scenes. I skip these anyway (my husband is more fun to kiss than reading about someone else kissing their paramour), but there were a lot. The themes are good: what's real and what's illusion in the game of love, but there's no development. And the last scene when Jane leaves WITH a man was unnecessary. The point of the whole book was that she could learn to be a whole person by herself, in reality. So it would've been better had she left---whole---to find another whole person. Together they might've had a chance. But the Mr. Nobley shows up at the airport at the end thing---pointless. Mariann pointed out it would've been better had she found someone on the plane. At least he would've been a whole, real man who wore jeans instead of breeches.
So four thumbs down for Austenland, which is the two thumbs I have, and two more thumbs because Hale can do better than this.
But. The Boy in the Stried Pajamas by John Boyne was fabulous. Really honestly fabulous. Subtle. Powerful. Shook the plate techonics of my mind. It's about a nine year old boy and his experiences being the son of a Commandant of a concentration camp in WWII Poland.
And it's just plain good. So different from say, Elie Wiesel's Night, which I taught my 8th grade English class. My problem with Night was that it was so shocking and graphic. Something to read alone, painfully, but not something that I wanted to journey with 8th graders. But Striped Pajamas I would teach. All the meaning, all the power, all the message, all the atrocity, but gently.
Yes, Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Boyne is one of the best authors I've ever read, ever, who can speak in another person's point of view and make it authentic. I can't say enough good about this book. It should be required reading for everyone. (Wouldn't that be a concept---a Universal Required Reading List---Want your driver's license? Want to buy groceries? Not yet, you haven't done your reading.
But I digress.)
I also loved, loved, loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Peel Society by Shaffer and Barrows. It's been a while since I've been so charmed by a book. Completely and utterly mesmerized and charmed. I didn't read it---I inhaled it. S and B are fantastic writers and they are masters of character. Takes place in WWII London and thereabouts. Deals with the war, yes, but that's the backdrop. It's really about life and laughter and friendship and love. Go read it and then come talk to me about it. Or we can go play Dead Bride (That's from the book. If you don't read the book, you'll have to play Dead Bride with Charlie Ravioli.)
My only problem with Guernsey is that it ended.
I wish there were a sequel.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Shannon Hale, Red Scarf Girl, Daughter of Destiny
I didn't jump on the Harry Potter bandwagon until Book two (or three?) had already come out. I'd heard the hype and finally read one. And I was thrilled there were more in the series and they'd already been published! No waiting! Yes!
This is how I'm feeling about my latest authorial discovery: Shannon Hale. Grand, grand, grand. YA writer and good at what she does. I wasn't too impressed with her first book, Princess Academy, even though it was a Newberry Honor book (what do they know?). But I adore her Bayern series. Goose Girl was great, River Secrets was fantastic, and I expect great things for Enna Burning and any other Bayern books. Hale also wrote Austenland for adults, and that's on my list.
So thumbs up for Shannon Hale. She writes for that hard-to-write-for tween audience. Old enough to cognitively understand "grown-up" writing, but too young for adult themes. I lean conservatively as to what I think it appropriate for tweens, and Hale does just fine. When I have a daughter, I'll buy her everything that Hale has written. I think my sons will like her work as well. And she is great for adults who want a good novel. (Anjanette and Liz, try this one. Start with Goose Girl. Then let me know what you think.)
Thumbs down, on the other hand, for Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang. I was expecting great things from this book because it's one of the novels taught at a sister school in my previous school district. The English teachers there love it. Personal narrative about a young girl experiencing the cultural revolution of Mao Tse Tung in China. Fascinating topic. Good characters.
But poor writing. Bland:
"Shut up," she said.
Thank you very much. BOOORRRRING.
Sad, because it had great plot potential. Fell flat. I think it would be fine taught in a history class, but as literature . . . no way. Just didn't have it.
But speaking of historical narratives---I've also been perusing Benazir Bhutto's Daughter of Destiny. Bhutto was the first female prime minister in Pakistan and was assassinated in 2007. I know so little about Pakistan, but this is a compelling read. I have been skimming it, but I need to just settle down and read it from the start. She's a good writer. I like it. I'd recommend it.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
The Wednesday Wars
I just finished The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt.
It's great. I laughed and laughed during the book and cried at the end. Not that an emotional response is the best way to judge a book, but this one I enjoyed.
Schmidt is a good writer to start with, but when he writes about something that I know---7th grade English class, for instance, it's a winning combination of reader and author.
The plot is, basically, a student spends Wednesday afternoons with his 7th grade English teacher while the rest of his classmates attend out-of-school religious instruction. And the teacher (can you imagine) uses the time to teach him Shakespeare.
But the book really is a classic coming-of-age novel. Usually these bore me (think Julie of the Wolves) just a little, but this one is choice. And Schmidt can really tell a story and come up with a good plot.
I was destined to love this book. It starts slow, but it doesn't take long to pick up speed. I read it in two days. Two thumbs up.
It's great. I laughed and laughed during the book and cried at the end. Not that an emotional response is the best way to judge a book, but this one I enjoyed.
Schmidt is a good writer to start with, but when he writes about something that I know---7th grade English class, for instance, it's a winning combination of reader and author.
The plot is, basically, a student spends Wednesday afternoons with his 7th grade English teacher while the rest of his classmates attend out-of-school religious instruction. And the teacher (can you imagine) uses the time to teach him Shakespeare.
But the book really is a classic coming-of-age novel. Usually these bore me (think Julie of the Wolves) just a little, but this one is choice. And Schmidt can really tell a story and come up with a good plot.
I was destined to love this book. It starts slow, but it doesn't take long to pick up speed. I read it in two days. Two thumbs up.
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