catching up with more mini-babble

What I read the past few weeks:

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd.

*As I just read and reviewed this a couple years ago, there's really no need to say much now. But it might be worth mentioning that I loved this book even more this time around. Not sure I would have thought that possible.






Fables: March of the Wooden Soldiers by Bill Willingham.

*Damn. This series just keeps getting better and better!
*These books are making me want to delve deeper into the world of fairy tales and folktales. Occasionally I come across a character that I have no idea who it is. While this doesn't detract from the story, I know that I would likely get even more from the books if I had more background knowledge. And not only that, these characters are just so dang interesting that I want read more, more, more. (And many thanks, Nymeth, for continually answering my questions, and never making me feel like a pest.)
*Misc. thoughts: I would occasionally like to smack Prince Charming across his smug pretty face. I hope we get to see a lot more of Rose Red in the future; I've missed her since she's been more in the periphery. The wooden soldier "assembly line" cracked me up. Frau Totenkinder can kick ass, huh?

The History of Us: Reconstruction and Reform, 1865-1896 (Book 7) by Joy Hakim.

*I know I don't usually talk about the books we use for homeschooling. (Well, with the exception of the ones we read for "literature" units, that is.) But I just felt the need to mention this series, because it is just so awesome! And I was confident they would be as it was Dewey who recommended them to me. I don't know that anyone who reads this will be in the market for middle grade U.S. history books, but if so, you just can't go wrong with these.
*A few of the things I love: They cover more obscure pieces of history, along with the more well-known events. They look at things from various points of view. They don't try to cover up or put a pretty face on the uglier parts of this country's past.

Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon.

*To be honest, when I read the introduction, I worried. Despite the fact that I already fully support Fair Trade, I worried that Dean Cycon was going to come across as "holier than thou." Happily, I was wrong! Is he passionate about making sure farmers get fair prices for their labor? Yes! Is he passionate about preserving indigenous cultures around the world? Yes! Is he passionate about taking care of the Earth? Yes! But he is not in any way condescending or arrogant. In fact, he's really quite a goofball. (And I have a very soft spot for goofballs.)
*This book is full of the stories of unfairness. I won't lie, some of these stories break the heart. But it doesn't stop there...from these heartbreaking stories come stories of hope. Beautiful, touching stories of hope. Does he claim that Fair Trade can solve all the problems of the world? Of course not. But in countries around the globe, we hear stories of creative solutions and of differences made.
*Yes, I did just say that this book is full of heartbreak and hope. But it's also full of humor. Often at the author's expense...he's definitely not afraid to laugh at himself. I found myself smiling often, and one time laughing heartily aloud.
*And on top of all that, this book provides a fascinating look at several cultures around the world. We visit countries as diverse as Guatemala, Ethiopia, Sumatra, and Papua New Guinea (and others, too).
*Though the copy I read was from the library, I'm hoping to have a giveaway later when things settle down around here (please, please, please let that be soon). In the meantime, if you'd like to see what this fellow Dean Cycon and his company Dean's Beans are all about, visit here.

No More Strangers Now: Young Voices from a New South Africa, interviews by Tim McKee, photographs by Anne Blackshaw.

*One thing I love about homeschooling is the amount of wonderful books I read that I otherwise probably wouldn't. (Of course, in a way, it's one of the things I hate, too...as I'm left with so little time for spur of the moment fun reading.) Anyway, this is one of those books that I probably wouldn't have read on my own, and well, that would have been my loss.
*This book features interviews of twelve teenage South Africans, each with a very distinct background. Among others, we meet a teen born in exile as her mother worked for the ANC, a Afrikaner teen living the rural life, a teen living in a small village that is still ruled by a chief.
*These interviews were done just a few years after Nelson Mandela was elected president. The varying viewpoints were fascinating. The one thread that seemed to run through them all was hope. Not naivety. But hope. I would so very much love to see a follow up to this book, to hear what each of these teens thinks now that another decade has passed. How their lives and views have changed since then.
*Oh, and I also wanted to mention that this book is filled with truly lovely black and white photos.

Legend of Chun Hyang by CLAMP.

*To be perfectly honest, the reason I read this book right now was because I still needed a book for the folklore category of the Once Upon a Time challenge, and the cover of the book said, "The Legend of Chun Hyang is one of Korea's most enduring folktales..." I'm not at all familiar with Korean folklore, and I have no idea how much this book reflects the original folktale. But now I am really interested to find out, because I fell in love with the spitfire heroine, Chun Hyang.
*This is the first manga by CLAMP, of whom I've heard such good things. And I did enjoy this book, but I didn't out-and-out love it. Honestly, it could be that I still need more exposure to manga in general, as it at times felt a little disjointed to me.
*The art in this book is beautiful.



The Sandman: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman.

*I've finally figured out which, The Sandman or Fables, is my favorite. Whichever I'm reading at the time. ;)
*I have really, really loved this series from the beginning, even Preludes and Nocturnes, which I know some people aren't overly fond of. But I think this may be my favorite book so far. I so adored these characters! I liked Barbie far more sans Ken (not that I disliked her previously, but I didn't feel like I knew her all that well before). And Wanda, and Hazel, and Foxglove...how could one not love them?!! And Thessaly...well, she's definitely left me wanting to know more about her, that's for sure.
*It may take some effort not to have nightmares of George's face on the wall...shudder.
*I really wish I could say something about the end, but I don't want to give any spoilers. Let's just say that Death allowed me to end the book with a smile, when I had been seething over ignorance and intolerance.

we interrupt this blogging break...

to do some mini babbling...

Because I'm using these books for challenges, I feel I have to say something about them. In other words, this is my pathetic attempt at assuaging my guilt.

Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby.

*I did a really good job at doling these out sparingly (like one a week) for a while. Then I chucked all willpower straight out the window and simply devoured the rest in one sitting. Oh well. I am somewhat comforted by the fact that I have Songbook sitting on the shelf waiting for me.
*I totally lost count of how many times I laughed out loud.
*An unforeseen event: I am now thinking about NOT reading a book I had long planned to read. And it's not even that Mr. Hornby didn't like the book. He did. But in speaking of The Road, he said, "There are some images now embedded in my memory that I don't especially want there."
*At first I was rather proud of myself for keeping down the number of books to add to my wishlist. By the end, though...well...
--Tender Hooks by Beth Ann Fennelly
--Digging to America by Anne Tyler
--Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning by Jonathan Mahler
--Stasiland: Stories from the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder
--Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
--Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
--A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus
--The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
--The Ghost by Robert Harris

Looking for Bobowicz and The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater.




*Our first venture into the books of Daniel Pinkwater. Won't be our last. While not our favorite ever read-alouds, they were still nonetheless very enjoyable.
*Written decades apart, these two books follow the stories of two different generations of kids and their relationships with a 266-pound chicken named Henrietta. Yes, a 266-pound chicken can cause a great deal of mayhem. But trust me, she's a very sweet chicken.
*These books have a wonderful, almost-but-not-quite old-fashioned feel to them. Maybe it's just the way Pinkwater very much captured the feelings of my own childhood, the freedom to explore, the need for adventure. Of course, those things haven't gone out of style (just ask my kids!) so I'm not sure why I used the term old-fashioned. I just can't quite capture the feeling I'm looking for here. Oh well.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding.

*One day, after telling Annie to read the next two chapters of this book, she said, "Good. I love this book...it's so creepy!" And that is exactly how I remember feeling about it when I first read it in middle school. When I read it as a kid, I saw myself on the island and found it very scary. Reading it now, I couldn't help but picture my kids on the island. And that's even more disturbing. A lot more disturbing. One more example of how motherhood impacts my reading. And of course, that's not just true of motherhood but of all our experiences--they all play a part in how any book might affect us.
*I know a lot of people hate this book, but I just can't help but like it. I admit that I'm much more of an emotional reader than an intellectual one. Not that those two things are mutually exclusive by any means. But what I mean is that I'm not all that adept at analyzing what I read. I just go with my gut and my heart. But reading books with Annie tends to make me search a little deeper, and we definitely had some great discussions during this book. Are people born "good" or "evil"? What does it take to be a good leader? What does it mean to be "civilized"? How responsible are we for the well-being of others? Discussions about mob mentality. Racism. Symbolism.
*There were times when the writing frustrated me. Not that it's difficult reading. More that at times I had a tough time visualizing his descriptions. Likely that was just me. At other times, however, I liked the writing a great deal, as here: "He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet, rushing through the forest towards the open beach." This sentence, in context, was extremely vivid in my mind.
*All in all, while this book may not make my top 5 reads of the year, I really do think I liked it as much this time around as I did as a kid.


Fables: Animal Farm and Fables: Storybook Love by Bill Willingham.

*The Farm really can't be all that far from here...if only I could find my way through their protective spells.
*What are the chances of reading about a pig's head on a stick in two different books on the same day?!!
*Goldilocks--a fomenter of revolution...who'da thunk it?

*As much as I loved Animal Farm, it pained me horribly to see Shere Khan die. In fact, I'm having a hard time accepting it when any of the characters die. I mean, they're just not supposed to, right?!!

*Okay, in moving on to Storybook Love, I have to say I've changed my mind about that last statement. I was more than happy to see a couple someones bite the dust. If they really did. Yeah, I can't really say anything more for fear of spoiling.
*This one started and ended with little side stories that didn't have much to do with the main story arc. While I honestly did enjoy them, especially "Bag O' Bones," I do prefer the main story. And I'm eager as hell to crack open the next one to see what's going to happen with Snow and Bigby!
*Despite the fact that I'm now just through #3 in the series, I'm already soooo sad thinking about getting to the end. I hope no one will hurt me, but I think I may just like these more than The Sandman. Then again, maybe not. That's a very tough call. Especially since I'm not even half way through either series yet.



The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz.

*This book totally rocked! (Yes, I think my lovable science nerd husband is rubbing off on me.)
*Seriously, if you'd like to learn about genetics, DNA, inheritance, etc., I just can't recommend this book highly enough. It's extremely accessible. In one way, it's a tad cutesy, but it is by no means simplistic.
*Because I read this for the science challenge, I wrote a short review here if you're interested.

Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know about Fast Food by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson.

*Yep, same guy who wrote Fast Food Nation, which by the way, I am even more anxious to read now.
*This book made me sad. It also made me mad. Usually at the same time.
*Had I not already joined Annie in the meat-free lifestyle, this book surely would have done it. Not that this book is any way, shape, or form an attack on people who eat meat. Honest.
*Frankly, I think this should be required reading in schools. It is that good. And it is that important.

*****

and while I'm at it, I might as well get caught up on meting out the blame...

from the library:


*Javatrekker: Dispatches from the World of Fair Trade Coffee by Dean Cycon (point for Eva!)
*No More Strangers Now: Young Voices from a New South Africa interviews by Tim McKee
*The Sandman: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman
*The Sandman: Fables & Reflections by Neil Gaiman

from PaperbackSwap:



*Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger (point for Eva!)
*Feed by M.T. Anderson
*Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books by Francesca Lia Block
*The Witching Hour by Anne Rice (point for Chris!)

bought with gift card:



*Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
*Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon (point for Melody!)
*Lux the Poet by Martin Millar
*The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (point for Becky, who first made me add it to my wish list, and point for Chris, who shoved me right over the edge and made me buy it!)

from the little closeout books store:



*The Midnighters: Blue Moon (book 3) by Scott Westerfeld
*The Magic Thief: Book One by Sarah Prineas (point for DesLily!)
*The Treasures of the Weatherby by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
*The Epidemic: A Global Story of AIDS by Jonathan Engel

and last, but not least, the books I just wanted so bad I had to order them:



*Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (point for Nymeth!)
*The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For by Alison Bechdel

*****

I will publish May's wrap-up tomorrow, but other than that I'm still on my mission to get through this school year. Will hopefully be back in a few weeks. 'Cause damn, do I miss you all!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time...random thoughts

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Yes, I know the rest of the planet read this book five years ago. What can I say, "cutting edge" and "Debi" just don't belong in the same sentence. Anyway, this is definitely one of those cases of better late than never, because I absolutely loved this book! Really, truly loved it.

You know, I'm not even sure I've ever read a review of this book. (I suspect most of you read it in the days before I started blogging.) But I had certainly heard of it, word of mouth and all. And I've honestly wanted to read it for a very long time, but just could never seem to get around to it. What finally pushed me over the edge was Charlotte Moore, author of George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, & Autism. She mentioned really enjoying The Curious Incident and stated how very authentic it felt to her. To me that was high praise, and it seemed time to get off lazy butt and go dig the book off the shelves.

So, what did I love so much about this book? Is it cheating to say nearly everything? The book is told from Christopher Boone's perspective. In fact, Christopher wrote the book...it's his written version of the story of finding his neighbor's dog, who had been killed with a pitchfork, and his subsequent story of detecting to find out who had done it. Christopher is a fifteen-year-old boy with an autism spectrum disorder. I fell completely in love with Christopher and found myself feeling utterly privileged to be allowed to view his world through his eyes. (And yes, I do know this is a fictional book, but it was one I found so incredibly believably that I couldn't stop myself from feeling these emotions.)

And speaking of emotions, Christopher does not intuitively understand the emotions others are feeling. So his narrative doesn't ascribe emotions onto others. Yet he talks about the things that happen, the words that are spoken. And somehow you end up with a remarkable full story of what his parents, particularly his father, are going through. In case you haven't read this, I don't want to go into particulars, but Christopher's father does something that I find unbearably despicable. And yet I can't find him thoroughly unlikable. It is so very evident to the reader how much he loves his son. Being human, he is certainly fallible. But he never stops trying to do everything he can for Christopher, even if his judgments are sometimes faulty.

But there is so much more I loved about this book, too. Coming from Christopher's perspective made this a thoroughly unique experience. Christopher loves mathematics and science. He loves logic and figuring out puzzles. And all these things come out in his writing. The chapters, instead of being labeled with cardinal numbers as is usual, are numbered by prime numbers. He includes diagrams and sketches. He explains scientific phenomena. And none of this is ever for a second boring, but instead completely fascinating.

If I have any complaint at all, it would be that it seemed to end so quickly. But to have it done any other way, I suspect, would have taken away from its authenticity. So it's actually not a complaint at all.

Compelling. I see no way this book won't make my top reads of the year list.

*****

Other opinions:

Dewey at The Hidden Side of a Leaf (Okay, how did I not know that Dewey had reviewed this?!!)
Michelle at 1 More Chapter
Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog
Blue Archipelago
Natasha at Maw Books Blog

If I've missed your review, please forgive me. And leave me a link in the comments and I will gladly add it to the list. Thanks.

*****

I have loads of blame to dish out (yes, Rich spoiled me rotten for Mother's Day), but I'm so behind in absolutely everything (including blog reading, for which I truly apologize) that I'm afraid I'm probably just going to have to wait a day or two to get to it. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

bits of babble

Perpetually behind. I have no plans of being buried and having a headstone, but if I were, I think those might be the words I'd choose for it. ;) Anyway, I figured that I ought to try to catch up a little bit on my babbling before the read-a-thon. You know, because after the read-a-thon, I'll have an enormous new pile of books to babble about. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, two does not qualify as an enormous pile, does it? This does make a nice diversion from cleaning the bathroom though.

Fax From Sarajevo: A Story of Survival by Joe Kubert.

While very different in so many ways, it is hard not be think of Art Speigelman's Maus when reading this book. For both chronicle the story of a family struggling to survive in the midst of atrocity. Both families the target of genocidal monsters, not because of anything they've done but simply because they exist. The books are actually quite different though. Both visually, and in the manner the stories are told.

Joe Kubert had long been friends with Ervin Rustemagic and his family, having first met decades ago at a European Cartoonists' Convention. During the 18-months his family is trapped in Sarajevo, Ervin finds his lifeline to the world outside through a fax machine. Joe and a few of Ervin's other friends from around the world read Ervin's story as it unfolds through these faxes. And they fight desperately through any means they can think of to rescue the Rustemagic family from the hell in which they are imprisoned.

The book tells their story through a variety of ways, through the faxes, through the art and words of the graphic novel story, through photos taken both before and during the siege, and through a chapter by chapter narrative included at the end of the book. This is both a personal family story, and the story of a city, a nation, a people caught in a web of human cruelty. Victims of ethnic cleansing. Are there any two uglier words in the English language than "ethnic cleansing"? I don't know, but perhaps "apathy" ranks right up there.

The Dead & the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

For a while, I wasn't actually sure if I wanted to read this book. Not because I didn't like the companion novel, Life As We Knew It, but because I liked it so much. I guess I was sort of leery about how Pfeffer could tell another story about 'the same event' and make it equally compelling. Well, she did! While the catalyst for devastation (an asteroid striking the moon and knocking it into a closer orbit to Earth) and the devastating events happening around the world are the same in each novel, the stories told in the books are most definitely not. And when I now stop and think about it, I realize there could be millions of stories written and none would be the same. Pfeffer did a wonderful job in both of these novels at making the stories feel real, feel authentic. In Life As We Knew It, we witnessed the survival of Miranda, a teenage girl in small town America; in The Dead & the Gone, we witness an entirely new set of struggles through the eyes of Alex, a teenage boy in New York City. Alex's parents are lost on the first night, and he is left to keep his two younger sisters safe. It's a story of family. A story of survival. A story of faith. A story of growth. It's terrifying, horrifying, emotional, and definitely hard to put down. And yes, not surprisingly, it had me blubbering like an idiot.

The Sandman: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman.

We begin with a family reunion of sorts. Destiny calls the Endless together so that events might take their proper course. Said events include Dream's return to hell to release his former love Nada, Lucifer's abandonment of hell, gods and demons visiting the Heart of the Dreaming to beg, threaten, and bribe...and so much more. All of this is told with such depth and intelligence that I again found myself in awe of Mr. Gaiman. I also found myself wishing that I had a little more of that depth and intelligence, because I'm sure there was even more to be gleaned from the book if I had had the insight.

I will be saddened when I reach the end of this series. And yet I'll be ever-so-happy as well, because I can then start it all over again. (And I somehow have this feeling that I may just enjoy it even more on the second time around. Though at the same time that seems impossible...how could I possibly enjoy it more?)

George & Sam: Two Boys, One Family, and Autism by Charlotte Moore.

This is one of those books I read because of Nick Hornby and those wonderful columns he wrote for The Believer. In his foreword to this book, Mr. Hornby guesses that the majority of people reading it have been in some way been touched by autism. That would be true of me; there is autism in our family, but I won't go into that for reasons of privacy. I'm not sure if that's the reason why I picked up this book. But I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend it to anyone whether personally touched by autism or not.

Charlotte Moore is the mother of three sons, George, Sam, and Jake. George and Sam are autistic; Jake is not. Charlotte Moore is wonderfully engaging and intelligent. She's amazing. And I think part of why she's so amazing is that she probably doesn't see herself as so. It's hard not to try to imagine myself in her shoes...but when I did, I found myself horribly lacking. I think what I admired most, marveled at most, was her adaptability. She's forthright, honest even when it might be easier not to be. Most of all, she not only loves her children for who they are, she accepts and respects them for who they are. Maybe that sounds obviously simple. But face it, there are many parents who can't seem to manage that even without the challenges of autism in a family.

And while Moore definitely talks about the sometimes nearly overwhelming challenges, she also speaks of the joys. Moore discusses the scientific theories and whatnot, but she focuses very much on her own personal family story. And she speaks a great deal about the conclusions she's reached about various pieces of this vast autism puzzle. What she has to say is very illuminating. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed "getting to know" her wonderful sons. And I truly learned a great deal from this book.

There is just one small thing I want to mention, however. And it's not a criticism of the book. In fact, it doesn't have much to do with the book, except for the fact that it at one point raised these concerns in my head, concerns that I've dealt with many times. Moore is telling her story. She never says "this is exactly how it is for every person with autism." And I think it's important to remember that. In fact, she shares how very different George and Sam are from one another. But she does often compare their behavior to that of Jake, using Jake as the example of a neurotypical child who reaches all the milestones at the correct times, etc. And it was here that I wanted to say, "But just because your baby/child doesn't fit all these so-called "normal" standards, it doesn't mean that he has autism." And you know, I know that Moore knows that...as I said it's her family's story. The reason it even struck me was because as an infant, Gray was much more like her son George than he was like her son Jake. And Gray is not autistic. However, he has had other neurological problems, with seizures. And definite sensory issues. Maybe that's why there's this overlap. I don't know. My point being, that yes, I do understand why in watching a child's development it can be important to notice how and when they reach these milestones. It's just that I worry that sometimes people have too narrow a definition of "normal." It can be frustrating and heartbreaking to watch people try to apply a "label" to Gray, simply because he is different. From teachers to friends to relatives, most of whom I am confident were well-intentioned, we've gotten diagnoses ranging from ADHD to Asperger's to bipolar disorder. Our diagnosis, and the one that is supported by his doctors, is that he's Gray.

Oh crap...you know, in a way, I feel tempted to just delete that entire last paragraph. Because I in NO WAY want anyone to think I am minimizing the benefits of diagnosing autism early. Truly I'm not! Okay, how about I just shut up now, and tell you to just go read this book. :)


*****

Other opinions:

Becky at Becky's Book Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
Chris at Stuff As Dreams Are Made On (The Dead & the Gone)
Jimmy and J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog (The Dead & the Gone)
Jia at Dear Author (The Dead & the Gone)
NathanKP at Inkweaver Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
The Reading Zone (The Dead & the Gone)
The Sleepy Reader (The Dead & the Gone)
Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin' Book Reviews (The Dead & the Gone)
Heather at Book Addiction (The Dead & the Gone)
Sharon at Shermeree's Musings (The Dead & the Gone)
Book Dweeb (The Dead & the Gone)
Bookshelves of Doom (The Dead & the Gone)
Fyrefly's Book Blog (The Absolute Sandman Vol. 2)
Jenny's Books (Season of Mists)

If you've reviewed one of the above books, and I've missed your review, please feel free to leave my a link in the comments, and I will happily add it to the list. Thanks!