what little I've read...

I can't believe how little I've read this month. *sigh*

In fact, I guess I may as well admit defeat in Callista's Book to Movie Challenge. With only a week to go, I still have two books to finish. Hopefully, I will manage to finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets...I've already started it and can't help but pick it up any spare minute I can find. But I was also supposed to read Zodiac, and I haven't even started it yet. Oh well...







Finished up another for the Book Awards Challenge. New and Selected Poems by Mary Oliver. I really love poetry, but for whatever reason, don't get around to reading it very often anymore. Mary Oliver is one of my favorites. Her poetry is just so down-to-earth, so accessible. I feel like I can relate to her in so many ways...she's definitely an outdoors gal. If only I could do the wonders of nature justice the way she does. Take for example this passage from "Little Owl Who Lives in the Orchard"...

it's not size but surge that tells us
when we're in touch with something real,
and when I hear him in the orchard
fluttering
down the little aluminum
ladder of his scream--
when I see his wings open, like two ferns,

a flurry of palpitations
as cold as sleet
rackets across the marshlands
of my heart,
like a wild spring day.

Ahh, yes, I definitely wish I could write like that.


Finished up one for both the Newbery Challenge and Joy's 2nds Challenge. I thoroughly enjoyed The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler was one of my all-time favorites books as a kid...I used to daydream about hiding away in a museum all the time. So why I never read any of her other books, I have no idea. Better late than never, I suppose. But I do wish I'd read this one as a kid, too...I just know I would have loved it! It's the story of four six-graders and the teacher who "chooses" them for the school's Academic Bowl team. Each of the kids has a story to tell, and each of their stories send out tendrils infiltrating the others' tales. It's humorous and clever, and yes, a bit heart-warming, too.

And finally, I also finished up Animal Farm, for the New Authors Challenge. Hard to believe I've never read any George Orwell, huh? I've only been meaning to read this one and Nineteen Eighty-Four for, oh, twenty-five years or so. Once again, better late than never. This is actually our current literature selection for homeschooling right now. And a good choice, I think, for many reasons. It's given us a chance to explore the Russian Revolution a bit. A chance to talk about allegory. And most importantly, a chance to enjoy a really good story! (Though I thoroughly admit, I did find it more than slightly depressing.)

in my own little world of books

Time again for this week's Booking through Thursday. I feel silly even playing this week, since my answer is simply "no".

This week's question:

Have you ever written an author a fan letter?

Did you get an answer?

Did it spark a conversation? A meeting?

Like I already said, No.


So onto other book news...

I finished my second of eight for the Newbery Challenge a couple nights ago. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. I hate even saying this, but I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It may be that I just had overly high expectations for it. I don't know. I've read more children's and YA lit lately than I have in a very long time. And I've read a few that I really fell in love with. Like Kira Kira and Esperanza Rising. And I think I was hoping this would be another of those. Especially since it was a Newbery Medal winner.

I'm not saying that this wasn't a good book. It was. I enjoyed it. I just didn't fall in love with it. And I must say, I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed this book much more when I was young. (Annie read it a couple years ago, and enjoyed it much more than I just did.)

Anyway, that's just my opinion, for what that's worth.

a wonderful book

I just finished up Bridge to Terabithia. I'm not even going to write a review really. But I will say that I absolutely loved the book! Despite the fact that Annie read the book, and Rich and Annie saw the movie, I didn't really know anything about the story. And I have to say those last few chapters caught me totally off-guard. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling. I tried to hold them back, but it just made my throat hurt in that way it does when I try to "not cry". I think the tears were not only about the book though. I think that they were for Nattie and her family as well. I couldn't help but think of Nattie as I read this book, as it was Nattie's Newbery Challenge that made me pick it up in the first place. I hope her family is coping as well as can be expected. The posts her "daddy" wrote on her blog while she was in the hospital were so tender and full of love.

in tribute

We've been so busy this past weekend that I haven't had time to post anything, but I did try to check in on everyone else's blogs at least once. I was so saddened when I went to Nattie's yesterday. She valiantly fought and lost her battle with stomach cancer. When I first started reading her blog just a few short months ago when Annie and I signed up for her Newbery Challenge, she was well. But during that short period of time, she became very ill, found out she had cancer, had surgery, and then passed away. When I say valiantly, that is an understatement. Nattie had such an amazingly positive outlook! Truly, truly an inspiration! I didn't even know her, and I will honestly miss her.

I had a hard time deciding what to do with the Newbery Challenge now. I just can't bring myself to tell Annie about Nattie. I don't know why, but I can't. Not yet anyway. And I'm guessing that Nattie would want everyone to keep on reading. So I am going to continue with the challenge, remembering Nattie with every book I read.

here we go again...

Well, as I said earlier, Annie and I are signing up for another reading challenge. Someone just shoot me, please. I know that I really should not be doing this, but I couldn't resist...I mean it's The Newbery Challenge! Nattie Writes is hosting. It was easy to throw together a list of books I really, really, really wanted to read anyway...

1. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
3. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
4. The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
5. Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (thanks for the recommendation, Kelli!)
6. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
7. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
8. The High Power of Lucky by Susan Patron