The Adoration of Jenna Fox...random thoughts

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson.

First off, let me say thanks to Becky, for it was she would urged me to pick this book up. Secondly, let me say that I have no idea of how to review this book. The problem being that I just don't want to give too much away. This is truly a book where you want to allow things to be slowly revealed to you.

I can say that Jenna Fox is a 17-year-old girl, who is trying to discover who she is. But not entirely in the way a normal teenager must search for their identity and meaning in life. No, Jenna just woke up from a coma and doesn't remember anything about herself. Gradually, she remembers little snippets about her former life, but nothing that gives her a feel for "who she is".

Maybe that is all any life is composed of, trivia that eventually adds up to a person...

I found that to be an interesting thought. But believe me, this book is nowhere as simple as I've made it sound.

It is definitely one those books that gets you thinking about many issues. Most especially, what is it that makes us human?

And there's lots to ponder in the realm of medical ethics.

And I must admit, as a parent, it left me a little unsettled, thinking about the lengths I might go to save one of my children.

Okay, I realize this isn't much of a review...like I said, I really don't want to give anything about the story away. But I loved it. I found Jenna utterly believable. And I loved the interesting way the book was written...in short "not quite chapters". And the way the author made me think about the meaning of words that inhabit our daily lives.

*****

If you have reviewed this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews
Kim at Bold Blue Adventure

*****

Read for:



A-Z Reading Challenge.








42 Challenge.













The YA Reading Challenge. (a substitute)

Sky Burial...random thoughts

Sky Burial by Xinran.

I've been awfully irked with myself lately for joining so many challenges. So many that I rarely seem to finish them. But this book was truly an example of the good that comes from reading challenges. What would the chances have been that I would have read this book without Joy's A-Z Reading Challenge? I can honestly say, practically zero. But I needed an "X" author, so I picked this one up from the library. And wow...am I glad I did! This may well make my top five reads of the year.

But you know, it's hard to explain what I loved so much about it. I've read that it's a love story. And it is, but it's so much more than that. It's one woman's journey from China to Tibet to search for her husband who is supposedly lost in the war. Young doctors in China, Shu Wen and her husband, Kenju, are married only a few weeks before Kenju heads off to Tibet with high hopes of helping the people there. Just a couple months after this Wen receives word that her husband is killed. But no one seems to have any more information than that. Wen decides that she must go to Tibet to find her husband, so she joins the army as a doctor.

What follows is a thirty year journey to the truth. It is a heart-breaking, fascinating journey. Early on, Wen is separated from her fellow Chinese. But not before saving the life of a young Tibetan woman, whose story is equally as interesting as Shu Wen's. Because of Wen's kindness, this young woman then helps keep Wen alive. They are taken in by a nomadic Tibetan family who truly live off the land in this very beautiful, but very harsh land. Wen very slowly learns their language and their religion and their way of life.

You know what...I am really not doing this book justice. It's such a touching story. It's rich in culture. It's rich in beauty. It's rich in emotion. And yes, we do finally learn of Kenju's fate, which is a powerful story all on its own.

*****

If you have reviewed this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll be happy to add it here. Thanks.

Natasha at Maw Books
Medb at Medb's Montage
Melody at Melody's Reading Corner

*****

Read for:


The A-Z Challenge.

The Quickie...random thoughts

The Quickie by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. To be perfectly honest, I had no immediate plans for reading this book. But Rich read it last week, and for the three or four nights it took him to read it, I would hear him murmuring things like, "My god, what could possibly happen next?!!" and "You've got to be kidding me!" The clincher came when he said, "They really should have put a warning label on the cover for people with heart conditions." How was I supposed to resist this? Especially when I realized that it would count for a Q title in Joy's A-Z Challenge.

All that being said, personally I'm not inclined to think it needs that warning label. I've definitely read more suspenseful books than this one. But then again, I did really enjoy it. I used to be a huge James Patterson fan. I really loved the early books in his Cross series. The last couple have lacked that zing though. I'm not sure if it's just that my reading tastes have changed in some ways or that the series has started to become a bit stale. Either way, I haven't entirely given up reading them, so I obviously still see something in them.

Anyway, back to The Quickie (which, by the way, is not part of the Cross series). Frankly, it's a bit hard to talk about the plot. It just never quits. Seriously, it's just one twist after another. Some I saw coming, but many caught me totally off-guard. And I'm afraid to even talk about the beginning for fear of giving something away. Many years ago, I read A Simple Plan by Scott Smith. The first half of The Quickie brought that book to mind. The actual events of the two books have nothing in common, but it's that whole idea of good people making one simple mistake and ending up digging themselves in deeper and deeper and deeper. And then things get even more bizarre.

I'm sorry, this is about worthless as a book review, huh? But like I said, I just don't want to say anything to ruin any parts of it for anyone inclined to read it. Bottom line, if you like thrillers, you might enjoy this one. And even if you don't, you won't have wasted much time because it is a super fast read (and that's saying something coming from me).

*****

If you've read this book, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll be sure to add it here. Thanks.

*****

Read for:


A-Z Reading Challenge.

Peter Pan...random thoughts

I'm so tired right now that I probably shouldn't even be attempting this review (we had a garage sale today, and will be having it again tomorrow...ugh!), but since this is the last day of May, I figure I better get this in as it's for the Celebrate the Author Challenge.

So anyway. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. Hard to believe one can reach my age without having read this, huh? But true nonetheless. And what did I think? Well, I hate admitting, but I didn't fall madly in love with this story. I read this aloud to the kiddos, and that may have been part of the problem. Now that sounds simply awful, doesn't it? It's not that I don't enjoy reading aloud to them, I swear...I, of course, love our reading time. But this book simply wasn't an easy book to read aloud. I had a hard time with the flow. Which I'm sure wouldn't have been a problem if I'd been reading it silently to myself. On top of that, there were a lot of "big words" for the little guys. Some pages, they would interrupt as many as three or four times to ask what a word meant. I'm glad they want to learn some new vocabulary, of course, but whew...can that make for some loooong reading sessions just trying to get through a chapter or two.

This book also led to some interesting discussions. Particularly because of the less than flattering, stereotypical images of "redskins". I hate reading things like this in books and I hate even more having the kids exposed to them. But it's so much better encountering them together so we have a chance to talk about them. You know, those real life teaching moments.

I, of course, am a grown-up. And as everyone who knows anything about Peter Pan, that is not a good thing. So, my opinion of this book isn't the opinion that really matters, is it? From the mouths of the youngsters when asked what they thought:

Annie: I really loved it!

Gray: It was okay. Sometimes it was hard to understand.

Annie: I didn't think it was hard. I just thought it was a great story.

Max: I thought it was good. I'd give it a five if we were rating it. (We use a 5 point rating system with picture books.)

Gray: No, not a five, but it was pretty good.

So there you have it...the munchkins seem to think it was quite a worthwhile read.

*****

If you have also reviewed this book, please leave me a link in the comments and I'll add it here. Thanks.

*****

Read for:




Celebrate the Author Challenge.

Initials Reading Challenge.

A-Z Reading Challenge.

Decades Challenge '08.

Read-aloud.

The Rose and the Beast...random thoughts

The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block. I first have to say that this book caught me totally off-guard. Being new to the world of fairy tales, and even more so to the world of fairy tale retellings, I suppose it's not surprising that I'm just now finding out what a vast variety of story telling this genre encompasses. The nine tales contained within this book are unlike any I had read. They have a very urban flavor to them.

Edgy. Seductive. Dark. And yet lyrical.

These stories are so incredibly beautifully written, and they are so hauntingly tragic. The subject matter isn't pretty...child sexual abuse, heroin addiction, serial murder. And yet the language is utterly enchanting.

Fires like dragon's breath consumed the poppies and lupine, the jacaranda trees that once flowered purple in sudden overnight bursts of exuberance as if startled at their own capacity for gorgeousness.

And the stories hold their own enchantment as well, for through all the harsh realities, Block manages to show us the true magical power of love. I admit it, I was mesmerized. As always seems to be the case with a collection of stories, I enjoyed some more than others. The only one I didn't really like, however, was Tiny. And the other eight stories were more than enough to make up for my disappointment in this one. Charm was definitely among my favorites. As was Beast, which I thought was a brilliant way to reinterpret Beauty and the Beast.

I had originally planned to use this for Annie's fairy tale unit, but have changed my mind. She's certainly no stranger to young adult books, nor to tough issues like the ones contained within these stories. But I'm afraid she doesn't quite have the maturity to deal with these issues in the way they happen to be told within the pages of this book. They are maybe just a bit too raw for her, if that makes any sense.

*****

If you have also reviewed this book, please leave a link in the comments and I will be sure to post it here. Thanks.

*****

Read for:














Once Upon a Time II.

Margaret A. Edwards Reading Challenge.

A-Z Reading Challenge.

Th1rteen R3asons Why...random thoughts

More random than ever, I'm afraid. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure if I can put together any kind of coherent review at all. This book got to me on a gut level. There were things in this book that just took me back 25+ years and plopped me right back into high school. I wish I could explain. But while I would be o.k. talking to many of my blog friends about this, I'm just not willing to throw this out there for the whole world, if you know what I mean.

I can say that I think that this is a book that every upper middle school/high school kid should read. I know this book is fiction, and it's entertainment, but I really think it could be so much more to kids as well. A chance to let some see they're not alone. A wake up call to many that their actions have consequences, horrible consequences that they may never even be aware of.

The book is really told by two people at the same time. Clay receives in the mail a box of cassette tapes recorded by Hannah. Hannah committed suicide a few short weeks ago. The cassettes tell Hannah's story, what led her to the drastic solution she chose. Clay's thoughts and actions are interspersed throughout the book as he listens to Hannah's voice talk about the actions of those around her and how these actions affected her. For the first couple of pages, I found the constant flip-flopping from Hannah to Clay irritating, but that irritation quickly subsided. I think it turned out to be the perfect way to tell this story.

Again, I apologize, I realize this isn't much of review. I thought about waiting a few days to write it, but ultimately decided that wouldn't make much difference. The good news is that I know there are others out there who have reviewed it. If you're one of them, please leave me your link I'll add it. Thanks.

*****

*Becky of Becky's Book Reviews
*Dewey of The Hidden Side of the Leaf
*Joy of Thoughts of Joy
*Alison of So Many Books, So Little Time
*Alessandra at Out of the Blue
*Eva at A Striped Armchair
*****

Read for:


Young Adult Reading Challenge.

Numbers Challenge.



A-Z Reading Challenge.

Homeschooling.

Horns & Wrinkles...random thoughts

Horns & Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson. I was really in the mood for a cute, fun story...and let me tell you this one truly fit the bill! It was utterly adorable! Hmmm...in the first two sentences, I've already used the words "cute" and "adorable". This is quite funny, considering most of the characters in this book are anything but! Take for example, Jim Dandy Eel-Tongue, Biz Mossbottom, and Stump Fishfly, three river trolls. They are somewhat less than attractive with their speckled scales, stubby tails, webbed feet, and long claws, not to mention the stench they sport due in part to their river home and in part to their poor hygiene. And in addition to their physical lack of adorable-ness, they are not particularly loaded with fine character traits. No, politeness, honesty, helpfulness, none of these are high on their list of priorities. And yet, they grew on me. They really did.

And don't you just love their names? Lots of good names in this book, my favorites being Fancy Leechlicker, who doesn't really play a big part in the story other than the fact that she's married to Jim Dandy, and Bodacious Deepthink, the evil rock troll. Bodacious Deepthink...one could really go far with a name like that, don't you think?

Anyway, on to the story. Claire, an 12-year-old girl, with an affinity for toads and turtles and the like, lives in a small town along the upper Mississippi River. Strange things seem to happen near the river. No one really likes to talk about these strange "rivery" things, but then again, everyone seems to have a story to tell. The book begins when Duke, Claire's cousin, dangles her by her ankles from an old bridge over the river. This is not unusual behavior for Duke. He's a bully through and through. Remember how I said that the river trolls grew on me...well, Duke never did. But Duke pays the price for his mean spiritedness. As he's dangling his younger cousin from the bridge, some of this river magic visits them in the form of an old lady. From a boat on the river, she saves Claire. And another bit of river magic lands upon Duke, changing his nose into a horn. And every time Duke lets loose with some bullying, his horn grows longer in a painful way.

The adventure is just beginning...Duke "befriends" the three river trolls, his parents are turned to stone, the river trolls search for fallen stars to save their own fathers, Duke continues with his physical transformation...

Eventually it is left to an unlikely foursome (Claire, the old lady, who is really a Blue Wing fairy, Stump, the river troll, and Reliable St. John, a cricket who is incapable of telling the truth) to save the day. As I said above, this is just a totally adorable little tale.

There was one passage I particularly loved. Perhaps because I found it so tempting to believe. Or maybe I really do believe it. Anyway, this occurs when Claire asks the old lady why she doesn't have a name...

"My name's gone into a spell," she said at last. "A spell that lets magic work along this stretch of river. If it wasn't for the spell, the magic folk around here would have all been drowned a century ago by these modern times."

"How can you be drowned by time?" I frowned.

"Very easily," she sighed, turning away from me to gaze out the window at the river. "A long while ago, magic worked anywhere in this world. Magic folk lived where they wanted, practiced magic as they like. Not at all like these days, when magic sputters and fizzes at best. Just try walking through a brick wall. You'll see what I mean. Today there's only a few enchanted pockets left here and there, protected by spells that shield them from the passing of time. We dare not stick a toe outside the spell protecting us or we freeze up worse than ice."

"Even in summer?"

"Especially in the summer. I'm talking of a different kind of cold than you're thinking of, my dear. Cold caused by time is a cold that you feel on the inside. More like loneliness than ice. And when any of us feels it, we can't help but burn ourselves up trying to keep warm. Usually we magic folk stay warm by migrating, like birds in the fall, but those of us along the river here have been left behind, stranded."

"How'd that happen?"

"Miscalculations," she said with a grim look that discouraged follow-up questions.

"But where do you migrate to?" I asked.

"Other worlds, where the time for magic is now."

I nodded slowly, thinking of those other worlds until a thought occurred to me.

"If you're like the birds, does that mean you come back in the spring?"

"Oh, yes," the old lady said, brightening. "That's what we're waiting for. Our spring, when magic will work all over this world again...."

Oh, don't you just wish their spring would arrive?!!

By the way, the art in this book...unbelievably charming! Yes, one of those books I bought because of the cover. Just a week or so ago, Carl featured the artist, Nicoletta Ceccoli, in his Friday Favorites post. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already read it.

My only regret concerning this book was that I didn't read it aloud to the boys. I know they would love it...I can just hear Gray saying, "Just one more chapter." And then, "Just one more chapter." And again with, "Just one more chapter." (But I did tell Rich that it would be the perfect choice for his next read-aloud with the boys, after they finish A Series of Unfortunate Events.)


















And finally, I haven't yet read any other reviews of this book, but if you've written one, please leave me a link in the comments and I'll be sure to add it here. Thanks.

Natasha at Maw Books
Deslily at Here, There, and Everywhere
Annie at Words by Annie
Medbie

Fahrenheit 451...random thoughts

Fahrenheit 451. While this is only my third book by Mr. Bradbury, I just have to say that his writing is just the most exquisite I've ever read. And yes, I do love his stories, but its his writing that really blows me away.

"It was a pleasure to burn.

It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed. With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of the blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history...."

Thus begins Fahrenheit 451. I could spend years trying, and still never be able to put words together in such an amazing way. But now, having said all that, I have to admit that, for the most part, I wasn't quite as captivated by the writing in this book as I was by that in either Something Wicked This Way Comes or The Halloween Tree. The reason for that may be, though I'm not sure, that this story was just more thought-provoking. While Something Wicked This Way Comes is wonderfully sinister in its own way, Fahrenheit 451 was even more terrifying because of its utter plausibility.

Guy Montag is a fireman. But the profession of fireman in this novel is far different from what it is today. Firemen in Fahrenheit 451 destroy, as opposed to preserve. And what they destroy is books. And homes that hide books. And sometimes even the people who own these books.

In the space of just a single week, Guy Montag's world is turned upside down. Though really, the seeds of this tumultuous turn-around were sown long before. Montag just hadn't realized this before meeting Clarisse, a seventeen-year-old girl who still found wonder and beauty in the world. And because she did find wonder and beauty in the world, she was considered crazy. Montag's brief talks with Clarisse awaken something inside him. Later in this life-altering week, Montag witnesses a woman choose to burn with her books as opposed to living without them. From here, his world begins spinning out of control...

As I said earlier, this book was all the more terrifying because of its plausibility. The censorship of books in this tale did not begin with the government, though it did eventually become illegal to read books. It began with apathy. With people choosing to give up books on their own. With people choosing to spend their time in rooms comprised of wall-sized screens. Do I really see this book as a prophecy of what's to come? No. I'd like to believe it couldn't really happen. But then there's a lot happening in this world that seems unfathomable.

This is Annie's and my next literature selection for school, and it should make for some interesting conversations. But as for me, I'm anxious to now dive into another book for Once Upon a Time II.

LIfe As We Knew It...Random Thoughts

After reading a book like Ender's Game, which was such an incredibly emotional experience for me, I was afraid that next book I read couldn't possibly get a fair shake. That no matter how good it was, it would be a let-down. I'm happy to say that wasn't the case. No, I'm not claiming that Life As We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, has made my top reads of all-time list the way Ender's Game did. But I was able to let this book tell its own story, without interference.

I hadn't heard of Life As We Knew It until reading Somer's review. And after reading her review, I immediately headed to our library's website and requested it. After all, Somer's review did contain the words "post-apocalyptic"...how is a girl to resist that?!!

Miranda is pretty much your average 16-year-old girl as the book begins. She worries about her grades. Her friends are growing and changing as kids do. Miranda had been an ice skater until a broken ankle sidelined her, and she then took up swimming instead. But all these normal teenage concerns become a thing of the past when a freak event changes life on Earth for everyone.

Everyone knows that an asteroid is going to hit the moon. It's a big event, drawing people out of their homes to watch. But something goes wrong, something the scientists didn't predict. It turns out that the asteroid is denser than predicted, and it manages to knock the moon out of its normal orbit. The moon is now noticeably larger in the sky. And the effects of this are immediately felt around the world, as gravitational forces related to the moon are thrown askew. Tsunamis. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. Millions die.

Life As We Knew It is Miranda's personal account of life in the year following this catastrophic event, told through her journal entries. Miranda is a good kid. And like even the best of teenagers, or people in general for that matter, she has her selfish moments. But through this story of survival, we watch Miranda grow into one incredible woman. It's a story of survival, but it's also a story of family, a story of sacrifice, a story of hope.

I admit I was in tears near the end of the book (I know, I'm an emotional mess). But mostly this book terrified the heck out of me. It was easy to imagine my family in this situation, and having to fully admit that we would not have survived for long. But it really was a compelling read, and I found myself time and again saying, "I'll just read one more entry." Which would lead to another entry and another, as I blowing off all the things I should have been doing. As far as post-apocalyptic stories go, this definitely can't compare to The Stand (what book can?), but I honestly enjoyed it very much.

Anyone else interested in reading it might want to check out Becky's post. She's heading up an on-line book discussion group in May featuring Life As We Knew It. (I would have waited until then to read it myself, but I already had it from the library when I heard about it and was afraid I wouldn't be able to get it back during the appropriate time.)

Life Artist....random thoughts (and some other book stuff)

Life Artist, by Ali Edwards. Yes, it's a scrapbooking book. But really, it's so much more. It's a creativity booster...it's a self-help guide...it's a love letter to life itself.

Ali Edwards is inspiration personified. And it's not just her art, it's Ali herself. It's her attitude, her way of looking at life and not letting a single moment escape her notice. She's down-to-earth and refuses to take herself too seriously. She's not a "life is nothing but sunshine and roses" type of person, yet she exudes joy. She has a remarkable ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. But I've never met Ali Edwards, so how can I possibly feel I her well enough to say all this about her? Read her words, get lost in her art...she's there sharing herself.

I wish my life left more time for scrapbooking. For creating, in general. Someday it will again. And for now, I squeeze in moments when I can. And when I need a shot of inspiration, I guarantee this book will be able to provide me with a dose.













Hooray! I'm now caught up on my book reviews. Which means I finally have a chance to show off all the books I got last week for my birthday (outright gifts and gift card purchases):



It's a varied assortment...from a nice, used hardback copy of The Stand Complete and Uncut to replace my original torn and tattered paperback copy (so sweet of Rich to think of finding this one)...to a few selections that can be directly traced to other blogger's reviews, such as Carl's review of Eclipse One and Eva's review of The Lost Boys...to a couple from my friend Kim that I'd never even heard of, but I'm sure I'll enjoy because we have similar tastes...to a few complete impulse buys...to a few from my wishlist.

Okay, but now I have to start dealing with my problem. This book accumulation problem. It would be bad enough if I was the only one in this house with this particular affliction, but I'm not. Believe it or not, Rich is probably even worse than I am, and Annie is equally as bad. Even the boys, who aren't rabid about reading, each have more books than can possibly fit in their bookcases. Anyway, I was so inspired by Jean Pierre's success in battle that I'm going to start trying to tame my own monster. I realize I have no hope of actually slaying it, as Jean Pierre's doing, but maybe I can beat it into submission. At least I can try. I'm going to start with one small step and see how it goes...the old "buy one new book for each five I get read" trick. And I suppose it shouldn't even count if a book I read isn't mine, because that isn't really taming my own overgrown beast, is it? Cross your fingers for me, would you?

The Field Guide...random thoughts

Well, I had thought that I would whip out one last review today (of Life Artist) and then finally be caught up. That's because I didn't anticipate the way Gray would get sucked into The Field Guide (the first of The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black). Usually 20 to 30 minutes is the limit for the boys' attention spans when it comes to being read to. (Though Gray will, on occasion, read to himself for longer stretches, he's just not of the book-devouring breed that his older sister is.) Anyway, it speaks volumes about this little book's appeal that he had me reading it straight through to the end. And he wanted me to start the next one, but my voice was protesting...it's not used to talking non-stop for more than an hour like that.

After their father leaves them, Jared Grace, along with his mom, his twin brother Simon, and his older sister Mallory, move from the city to an old, dilapidated house belonging to the children's great-aunt Lucinda. (Aunt Lucinda is currently residing in "the nuthouse".) No one is happy about this move. But Mallory has her fencing obsession. And Simon has his myriad of pets. And Jared has his propensity for trouble-making...or so his mother seems to believe. It was in part an incident at his old school that prompted his mother to move the family.

And when trouble immediately finds the Grace family in their new abode, Mrs. Grace is quick to blame Jared again. But is he really the cause of the malicious mischief that is occurring? Or does the book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, which Jared finds in the attic, hold the real answers?

This book does tell a fun little tale. From dumb waiters to cockroach art to tadpoles frozen in ice cubes. Oh, and the artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi...wow, completely charming. The book honestly wouldn't be the same without it. Gray is looking forward to continuing the journey, and I'm so glad I'm along for the ride.

more babbling...and hopefully a book review or two

I think I'm going to have to quit reading, so I don't have to write these book reviews anymore. It wouldn't be nearly so agonizing if I could just do a decent job at it. But then again, if I had to be good at something to do it, I wouldn't be left doing much at all. Ooooh...I think that thought just triggered my 6 Word Memoir.

Finding acceptance and contentment in imperfection.

I was so glad Becky tagged me with this one. Ever since I first heard about these 6 word memoirs on NPR a few weeks back, I've thought I'd like to write one. But I never actually took a minute to stop and really think about it. Turns out I didn't really need to stop and think about it though...seems as if when it was ready, it just popped out on its own.

Boy, I am really babbling here, aren't I? I guess now I should maybe go ahead and post the meme, huh?

6 Word Memoir

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag five more blogs with links
5. Remember to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

So, there you go the official blog-meme version. But now I'm pretty much going to blow off the tagging others part. I do hope EVERYONE will do it...they are so much fun to read!

Well, that was a nice diversion. But here I am with that darn book review still to write. Okay, let's just get this over with...


Notes from a Small Island: An Affectionate Portrait of Britain, by Bill Bryson. One of the reasons I've been dreading writing this review is the amazing mix of feelings I have about this book. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it. Or more appropriately I should say, at times I loved it and at times I hated it. I gained nothing magical from this book, and I don't suppose it really has left me with anything lasting.

But I do now understand why Bryson is such a popular guy. (This is the first book of his I've ever read.) The man is funny. I'm sure to tally the number of times he had me laughing out loud, I'd have to use a few toes to go along with all my fingers. But even while I was laughing, I was beginning to get annoyed. By about half-way through the book, I just got fed up with his bitching and complaining. It wasn't even that I disagreed with him. And some of his rants were actually quite hilarious. But I just started feeling like at times the tone of the book was leaning too heavily to the negative...I mean his subtitle is "An Affectionate Portrait of Britain" after all. And in Bryson's defense, it really does come through quite strongly how much he loves Britain and the people who call it home. In fact, the last couple of pages left me a little weepy.

I guess I should have explained the basic "story" here first...Mr. Bryson, born and raised in the U.S., moved to Great Britain as a young man. He lived there for 20 years, marrying and starting a family. He and his family decided to move to the U.S. But before he left, he wanted to travel the through Britain one last time. So he sets off on a 7-week journey through England, Wales, and Scotland, visiting sites and cities he's seen before and many he hasn't. He travels by train, by bus, very occasionally by rental car, and by foot. This book is the story of this journey.

Okay, now back to my rambling thoughts. It was wonderful to hear about each city's unique flavor. It was wonderful to learn a bit about each city's history. But inevitably, Bryson found himself voicing the same complaints. Mostly to do with the loss to "progress" of the historical sites and buildings and overall feel in each city. As I said, it's not that I disagree. I find that a horrible loss as well. But it got to be like the proverbial broken record. Go to another city, walk around, complain about the horridly ugly new buildings.

In a way, I feel like I'm not being fair. Because there was so much about this book I really did enjoy. But then again, as I got farther and farther into the book, I found it harder and harder to make myself pick it up and read it. Yeah, I know, this is far from a helpful review, huh? Sorry about that. I guess it does say something that I still would really like to read A Walk in the Woods (which was the book I'd meant to read in the first place, but couldn't find it in our myriad of bookshelves when the time came).

Hooray! Along with filling in my "N title" for Joy's A-Z Challenge, this also finishes up Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge. I really enjoyed this challenge a great deal...for one thing, it got me to finally read some classic authors that have been embarrassingly absent from my previous endeavors. My list included The Halloween Tree (Bradbury), The War of the Worlds (Wells), A Christmas Carol (Dickens), I Was a Rat (Pullman), Animal Farm (Orwell), and Notes from a Small Island (Bryson). Thanks, Ariel, for hosting such a fun challenge!

By the way, and this has nothing to do with anything, but we didn't get the predicted amounts of snowfall. Ended up with 10 inches, so I can't complain too much (though 16 still sounds like more fun...oops, that's sort of complaining, isn't it?).

babbling, mostly about books

Just the other day, Max sat scratching his little legs and said to me, "I hate winter! It's itchy and I can't ride my bike."

While I'm right there with him on the whole issue of dry winter skin, I really couldn't disagree more about winter in general. I've always loved winter. Heck, I love each and every season. But dang, this winter has been a real let-down. We've just had so little of the beautiful white flakes this year. They're saying that the storm that's arriving now should leave us with 12-16" by tomorrow morning, but at this point I'm not holding my breath. Crossing my fingers, yes, but not holding my breath.

But snow is not supposed to be the subject of this post. Books are. Book reviews, specifically. I'd really like to get caught up. Ah, but first I must admit failure in Kailana's Four-Legged Friends Reading Challenge. But failure's relative, right? I did read two pretty darn enjoyable books because of this challenge (Charlotte's Web and The Tale of Despereaux). Oooh, if I stick in Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM (which wasn't on my list, but I did read) for Ginger Pye (which was on my list, but I didn't read), I could really count this as a "win"...but I guess that's kinda cheating at this point, huh? Anyway, thank you Kailana for a wonderful challenge!

Hmmm...what can I ramble on about now to get out of these blasted book reviews? Yes, I'm pathetic. Truly pathetic.


Oh O.K.--I Was a Rat, by Philip Pullman. Loved this book! Loved, loved, loved it! It was so utterly charming! I knew that Annie and I had to read this one for our fairy tale exploration after reading Nymeth's wonderful review. Yes, it is a fairy tale retold. But no, I won't tell you which one. You really don't want the surprise ruined, do you?

The story begins with the arrival of a little boy to the door of Bob and Joan, an older childless couple. Bob, a cobbler, and Joan, a washerwoman, had always wanted a child, but it just never happened for them. The little boy knocked on their door and announced, "I was a rat." No explanation, just "I was a rat."

Roger, as the couple starts calling him, is a sweet, lovable fellow, but one who tends to gnaw the most unusual things. And he has a knack for landing himself in trouble, though really through no fault of his own. When Roger first shows up on their doorstep, Bob and Joan try to do the right thing and find out where this little guy belongs. They try the police and the hospital, but really get nowhere with a host of very unhelpful people. The dear couple without openly discussing it, just take Roger in as their own. But then trouble strikes and Roger is lost. He encounters a host of quite unscrupulous characters, before Bob and Joan once again find him. And even then Roger isn't safe...it takes a princess to come to the rescue (this is a fairy tale, after all).

As I said, it is an utterly charming book. Perfectly delightful.

Though not my original choice, this book is filling in the animal category for Annie's What's In a Name Challenge. It also fulfills another slot in Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge...can you believe this is the first Philip Pullman book I've read (shame on me!). And last but not least, this will fill in the "I title" slot in Joy's A-Z Challenge.













Well, damn. Once again, I really wanted to get caught up on my reviews, and once again, I just can't seem to do it. Guess I'm only good for one at a time. There's always tomorrow, right?

The War of the Worlds...random thoughts

Last week during my at-home mini-vacation, I did manage to finish up a few books. Not nearly as many as I should have, I suppose, but such is the life of an extremely slow reader. The one drawback to having finished these books is that I now have to review them. Well, I guess I don't actually "have" to...there's no gun to my head or anything...but as three of the four of them are for challenges, it does seem the right thing to do. They're quite a varied lot, and I thoroughly adored three of them. As for the fourth, well, I'll try to explain my feelings when I talk about it.

First up...The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells. Though I've wanted to read this book for a while, it was really Carl's Sci-Fi Experience that urged me to pick it up at this particular time. Oh, and am I glad it did...so thank you, Carl! I can't tell you how much I loved this book...in fact, it's my favorite read of the year so far. (O.K., O.K., I know I haven't really knocked that many out so far this year, but still.)

I honestly didn't know what to expect from this book. I, of course, did know the general idea...Martians invading Earth. But beyond that, no clue. And as I've never read anything by H.G. Wells, I didn't know what to expect from his writing. I'm willing to admit that I tend to be slightly "afraid" of classics sometimes, that I sometimes don't have the level of appreciation that I probably should. But I needn't have worried here. The War of the Worlds was exceedingly readable. And fun. And suspenseful. And quite simply a great story.

I'm certainly no science fiction aficionado (one of the reasons Carl's Sci-Fi Experience appealed to me so much was the opportunity to expand my horizons a bit), but this book definitely contains some of my stereotypical visions for the genre. Ah, but the way Wells wrote about them was just wonderful...

We've got Martians:

"I think everyone expected to see a man emerge--possibly something a little unlike us terrestrial men, but in all essentials a man. I know I did. But, looking, I presently saw something stirring within the shadow: greyish billowy movements, one above another, and then two luminous disks--like eyes. Then something resembling a little grey snake, about the thickness of a walking stick, coiled up out of the writhing middle, and wriggled in the air toward me--and then another."

We've got heat rays:

"However it is done, it is certain that a beam of heat is the essence of the matter. Heat, and invisible, instead of visible, light. Whatever is combustible flashes into flame at its touch, lead runs like water, it softens iron, cracks and melts glass, and when it falls upon water, incontinently that explodes into steam.

That night nearly forty people lay under the starlight about the pit, charred and distorted beyond recognition, and all night long the common from Horsell to Maybury was deserted and brightly ablaze."

We've got giant metal "monsters":

"And this Thing I saw! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over the young pine trees, and smashing them aside in its career; a walking engine of glittering metal, striding now across the heather; articulate ropes of steel dangling from it, and the clattering tumult of its passage mingling with the riot of the thunder. A flash, and it came out vividly, heeling over one way with two feet in the air, to vanish and reappear almost instantly as it seemed, with the next flash, a hundred yards nearer."

As I said this book is quite suspenseful. Frightening. I can only imagine how much more so it must have been back when it was first published. I think one of the ways Wells managed to keep me so involved was through his first person narrative. Unless I missed something somewhere, we never even learn the man's name. And while the story takes place over just a few short weeks, we witness this man going through a life-time's worth of emotions.

I have enjoyed the Sci-Fi Experience so much that I'm going to attempt to squeeze in one last book before its official end. With all the wonderful things I've read about Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, how can I possibly resist any longer? I know Chris will be proud of me.

Anyway, in addition to the Sci-Fi Experience, this book will fill the "W title" slot in Joy's A-Z Challenge, the 1890s slot in 3M's Decades Challenge (though this wasn't one of my original choices), and fulfill another requirement in Ariel's Unread Authors Challenge. Four for the price of one...can't beat that, huh?




Hmmm...I'd originally planned to post all of my reviews in one post, but I think that might just be too long, huh? Guess I'll be back later with another.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH...random thoughts

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O'Brien, was my January selection for Becky's Celebrate the Author Reading Challenge. And since today is the last day of January, I guess I'd better get my "review" written...

The rats living under the rosebush at the Fitzgibbon farm are anything but ordinary. They are extremely intelligent escapees from a research lab. Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, must turn to these rats to help save the life of her sick son, Timothy.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what to write about this book. I enjoyed it. I didn't fall madly in love with it. However, I think there's a very good chance that I would have fallen madly in love with it as a child...it really seems like the kind of book that would have captured me then.

All of my book choices for this particular challenge were made with "the boys" in mind. That is, I'm reading them aloud to my 5- and 7-year-old little monkeys. So, I thought maybe I should pass along their opinions of the book as well...

"It was good." Initial response from Gray. He is a man of few words. But upon further questioning, I did gather a couple more tidbits. He loved the adventurous nature of the book. He was very fond of one of the characters, a rat named Justin. But it bothered him that we didn't really know what happened to Justin at the end of the book ...was he one of the rats who died? (I admit that I really wanted to know as well, but would have to say that the way it was written was probably more effective and had a more realistic ring to it.)

Max enjoyed the book as well, though he did take issue with the fact that Dragon, the cat, was portrayed as a bad guy. In actuality, Dragon wasn't really the bad guy, but Max seems to think that every cat deserves to the hero.

The only other comment I could elicit: "How come every book we read has rats in it?" Of course, not every book we read has rats, but we have been on a roll lately, with Charlotte's Web, The Tale of Despereaux, and now Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.

Hmmm...so there you go. Really living up to the title "random thoughts" today, aren't I?

The Giver...random thoughts

(This is also my first book down in the Decades '08 Challenge.)

The Giver by Lois Lowry...what a great little book. Given Lois Lowry's reputation and all the raves I've heard about this book, I admit I had pretty high expectations. And I wasn't disappointed. I enjoyed this little book immensely.

One of the main reasons I picked this one up was to use it for homeschooling. And I have to admit that I think knowing that Annie and I will be using a book for a literature selection somehow distorts my experience. Maybe "distort" isn't quite the right word, I don't know. When I'm reading entirely for pleasure though, I'm free to just get lost in the story. I admit it...I'm not a big analyzer of the written word. (Which is probably why I can't write a decent review to save my life.) Maybe I'm just shallow, but usually I just enjoy letting a book capture my emotions. Sure, there are definitely times when a book forces me to think...and I love that. I just don't go looking for it.

But I have to dig a little deeper when I know that Annie and will be discussing it. For instance, The Giver will give us great opportunities for delving into subjects like genetic engineering and euthanasia. If I'd been reading purely for pleasure, I would have allowed myself to experience the topics viscerally without the pressure of needing to put all my feelings into words.

I have no idea if any of what I just wrote will make a lick of sense to anyone but me. If not, I apologize.

So, The Giver...it's the story of Jonas, a boy ultimately chosen for an unimaginable job. He lives in a community free of crime and violence and unemployment. Yet this community is also free of love and other true emotion. The people are entirely without choice; everything from their career to their spouse is chosen for them. They do not even get to bear their own children. Yet they know no other way and seem quite content in their existence. When Jonas is chosen as the new Receiver, he must take on the burden of all knowledge of the way life could be and once was...both the painful and the joyful. But is this a burden he can bear?

As I said at the beginning, I enjoyed this book immensely. It is a book I can definitely see myself reading again. If by slight chance there is someone out there who has not yet read this one, my recommendation would be to change that.

*****

If you have reviewed this book, please feel free to leave a link in the comments, and I will add it here. Thanks.

Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot

The Cobra Event...a few random thoughts

I actually started reading this book way back in October during Dewey's 24-hour readathon. But I didn't make that big of dent in it at the time, and though I was enjoying it, I somehow managed to set it aside and move on to other things. But I decided that I really needed to pick it back up and finish it. And I'm very glad I did.

I originally picked up The Cobra Event, by Richard Preston, at a thrift store, because it sounded like a good medical thriller. And it was a good medical thriller...one of the best I've read. You might also call it a crime thriller or a political thriller, as there were definitely elements of all these things.

At times the book was definitely a fast-paced read, but then it would slow you down with what could nearly be called scientific lessons in bioterrorism and genetic engineering. I found these sections fascinating, however. And while on the surface, this may sound a bit disjointed, Preston really made it work overall.

I will say that there are some rather gruesome descriptions in this book. What this bio-engineered virus does to a person is not a pretty sight, so if you read this one, be prepared. And also be prepared to live with a feeling of dread still residing in your gut long after the final pages have been read.



Yeah, another slot filled in on Joy's A-Z Challenge! 2 down, only 50 to go...

Alice in Sunderland...random thoughts

My first ever graphic novel. And wow...talk about an eye-opening experience! Not reading a graphic novel before this was not a judgmental choice. I wouldn't even call it a choice, as it was never a conscious decision to not read one. They just never really entered my field of view, if you know what I mean.

But that said, I will admit that I had some seriously off-base preconceived notions about the world of graphic novels. Manga and superheroes...that was as far as it went in my mind. And I have nothing against either manga or superheroes, by the way, but I never felt the need to delve into them. (Though Annie, of course, loves manga. I'm fairly certain Annie has never met a genre she didn't like.)

Anyway, it was Nymeth's wonderful review of Alice in Sunderland
that got me intrigued. So intrigued that I immediately got on our library's website and requested it through inter-library loan. And I must say I enjoyed every minute I spent with this book. And frankly, that was a lot of minutes!

Alice in Sunderland is a piece of non-fiction. Bryan Talbot must have spent an unbelievable amount of time researching this work. It is just jam-packed with so much information! In general, it is about Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell and their links to Sunderland in the northeast of the country. But it is so much more...

The history of Sunderland and the surrounding area is explored in wonderful detail. From prehistory to modern day. So much information that I can't claim to have retained more than a fraction of it. Talbot did an incredible job of weaving the stories of a large number of people and events all together into one fascinating book. The familiar names that popped up in this book were numerous, from musicians like The Beatles, Grace Slick, and Marilyn Manson to authors like Neil Gaiman and James Herriot and from artists like Dave McKean and Ralph Steadman to serial murderers like Jack the Ripper and Mary Ann Cotton. Talbot expounded on many of the area's myths (my personal favorite being the Lambton Worm). He even included a brief history of comics.

Talbot explored some of the sights one can see in the area today, both from older times and modern. In fact, if Rich and I ever get to take the England/Scotland trip we dream of taking someday, I will do everything in my power to make sure we can visit the St. Peter's Riverside Sculpture Trail.

And as if my TBR list wasn't long enough already, I wrote down three more titles from the pages of this book that sounded quite interesting.

This truly was a great introduction to the world of graphic novels for me. Thank you Nymeth...I never would have read this if it hadn't been for your review. And I must say, I'm more excited than ever to dive into Dewey's Graphic Novels Challenge.


And hooray...I get to fill in my first slot of Joy's A-Z Challenge now!