This is my 2nd year working as an elementary school librarian. The Scholastic Book Fair is a crazy busy fun time for me. So busy, that I didn't get any photos from our fair, but I did manage to take some of the fair at Ben's preschool. It is always such an exciting time and a great way to get excited for books while raising money for schools and libraries.
Spending a summer day in NYC is always a treat. Dan was a trooper and accompanied me to the New York Public Library! Here is a photograph of one of the famed library lions.
I was thrilled to find myself in the midst of a free exhibition called The ABC of it - Why Children's Books Matter. This could not have been more perfectly planned! I delighted through the displays of the exhibit with my husband in tow.
We couldn't resist the Goodnight Moon photo opp! How many times have we read this aloud to our babies? Such a wonderful, classic bedtime story that sings and soothes in its simplicity.
I was intrigued by this article on Anne Carroll Moore. It makes me want to learn more about her and about the history of children in libraries. (Even more so because I also have an extreme dislike of Stuart Little.)
As far as the rest of the library - I couldn't find any books. I even asked one of the volunteers there why there weren't any, and she told me that the NYPL is a reference library. Oh well, at least I did find an old-fashioned card catalog and a super cool lion water fountain!
My friend Jonie told me about an opportunity to apply to become a giver for World Book Night. I loved the idea, applied, and was picked for the job! On April 23, 2013 (The anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday) thousands of people around the country gave away books to promote reading. The title I had to give was a young adult novel called Looking for Alaska by John Green. I gave most of the copies away to parents of my students, and the leftovers went to teachers at my school.
2012 was a year of memoirs for me. I read 4 of them! (A lot for me in one year.) I enjoyed them all, and especially:
Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
What struck me most about this book was Anne Lammott's complete honesty.
We all have friends who are not afraid to say what they are thinking,
and that is what this book was like for me, like getting into her head
and innermost thoughts and nothing, nothing was sacred or unspeakable.
Some things were laugh out loud funny, or achingly sad, or OMG I cannot
believe she put that in print her son is going to READ this someday for
crying out loud! It made me rethink about how open and honest I want to
be with my children. (But maybe not quite that far!) I enjoyed this book
for so many reasons. Of course there is the parenting aspect but also
her views on faith and religion and strength and on how hard it is to
say good-bye but how it is what we all will do. I look forward to
reading more from Lamott.
Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert
A
very interesting work on the subject of marriage. I am a fan of
Gilbert's work (Eat, Pray, Love is a favorite!) and enjoyed this one as
well. Gilbert created a compelling blend of non-fiction research on
marriage mixed with her personal story of love and separation due to
politics. When the love of her life, Felipe, is detained at the American
border, arrested, told he can never again enter America and returned to
his native country Gilbert has some big decisions to make. This very
much mirrored the experiences of my friend Corinne, whose own true love
was stopped at our border and sent back to his native England. (In fact,
my friend Corinne and the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, seem to have many
shared experiences and would likely be good friends!)
Not a memoir, but another favorite from 2012: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin I thoroughly enjoyed this
magical story based a bit on Chinese fairytales with an adventure
reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz. I read this book out loud to my 2nd
grade class, my busy 2nd grade class, and even they sat spellbound as
the tale of Minli unfolded. I would highly recommend this book! You may
even discover the secret to happiness if you read it. This is one that
is sticking with me and will be shared with many children that I will
meet. I can't wait until my own are old enough to enjoy it and the
lessons it shares!
Erin's Book List 2012
23. Shanghai Girls by Lisa See
22. 1st to Die by James Patterson
21. When Teaching Gets Tough: Smart Ways to Reclaim Your Game by Allen Mendler
20. Bereft by Chris Womersly
19. Word After Word After Word by Patricia McLaughlin
18. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
17. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
16. Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
15. Half Magic by Edward Eager
14. Poser: My Life in Twenty Three Yoga Poses by Clair Dederer
13. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
12. Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College by Doug Lemov
11. Faithful Place (Dublin Murder Squad #3) by Tana French
10. The Shadows (The Books of Elsewhere #1) by Jacqueline West
9. One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
8. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
7. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott
6. Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
5. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
4. The Trouble With Chickens by Doreen Cronin
3. Abandon (Abandon Trilogy #1) by Meg Cabot
2. The Borrowers (The Borrowers #1) by Mary Norton
1. Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace With Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert
Friday, November 16, 2012
Ever since her little brother was born, Brianna has been very protective of her bedroom. It has been strictly off-limits for little Ben. So what a treat it was when she invited him in to listen to a story and take a little rest!
When I read the description of this book I thought - bingo! Something I could totally relate to. A mom, trying to balance work and children and marriage and life and YOGA - just like me! I quickly added the book to my cart and got started on it right away.
That was over two months ago. Granted, I've been very busy in those two months, but for it to take me so long to finish this memoir means it didn't really resonate with me the way I'd hoped it would. I loved the metaphor of tying yoga poses with life, but eventually it began to feel contrived and more like a book about a person's life with some yoga tossed in.
That said, there were some parts of this book that did speak to me, things I'd like to remember and take away from it. Like this quote:
"I always had a book, in fact. When I was a kid, and a wish came my way, bu means of an early star or a white horse or a ringed rock, I always wished for the same thing. I wished that I might have the power to enter any book I liked and live there."
Wow. If only I had thought of that while I was a kid, rather than wishing for Barbies.
I liked what she learned from an instructor at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, about the uselessness of being good. This is something I plan to remember:
"I'm not sure 'good' is a very helpful word. If you're busy being good, you're probably going to miss this. You're going to miss the real stuff that's going on all around you. No, 'good' doesn't really come into it." Truly, I spend way too much time on good.
And as this is an election year and I find myself feeling jaded and uninterested, this quote from a historian she interviewed from Susan B. Anthony:
"We will someday be heeded, and... everybody will think it was always so, just exactly as many young people think that all the privileges, all the freedom, all the enjoyments which woman now possesses always were hers. They have no idea of how every single inch of ground that she stands upon today has been gained by the hard work of some little handful of women in the past."
For the yoga side, it was also fun to see the Sanskrit in print: "Samasthiti! Urdhva virasana! Uttanasana! Ardha uttanasana! Chaturanga dandasana! Urdhva mukha svanasana!" (If you've ever been in yoga with a teacher prompting you in Sanskrit - you know exactly how this sounds!)
Here it is: my motivation. Volume 2 of our blog book arrived safely and in great condition! This one encompasses the years 2010 (a big year - the year Ben joined our family) and 2011. At 253 pages it is a bit longer than the first volume.
Blogging is such an easy way to capture memories from these busy years and knowing that I can have my posts and photos printed into a book keeps me posting. There is so much to remember and already our family enjoys reminiscing with these books.
22 books in 2011. That is close to 2 books per month - though it never works out that way! I actually have decided to be a bit more careful about the counting... It has been stopping me from starting some of the huge novels I have on my shelf waiting. I should stop counting.
I do love keeping track of what I have read. One of my favorite websites - www.goodreads.com - is helping me to do that! If you haven't joined I recommend that you do.
On my 2011 list there were some gems, and really only one book that I did not like. Bloodrootby Amy Greene was a disappointment. I came across reviews for this book and it sounded so wonderful that I actually couldn't wait for it and bought it right away. While the author did wonders with the setting, Bloodroot Mountain was so well described I visited it in my dreams at night, the rest of the story was dark and depressing. I was glad to be done with this one.
A book I am so glad to have read! I read this classic out loud to my second grade class. I found a copy in our school library and was happy to see that is was not abridged. The original is so much better than the Disney movie. Getting to know the real Tinkerbell, sharing Peter's love of adventure, sympathizing with Wendy once she had grown up and saw the yearning in her own daughter's eyes to escape to the Neverland while knowing she could no longer go with her. This book moved me in many ways. It was written over one hundred years ago and at times was a read-aloud challenge for me, language has changed so much through the years and I never know how much to stop and explain, or if I should just continue. I usually continue. I feel that it was an excellent novel to expose my students to even with the vocabulary and language piece, or maybe even because of it. Some days it was harder for the kids to stick with me than others, but when we got to the last chapter all of us were riveted. It is a timeless story, fair to the dilemma of growing up vs. remaining a child. Genius. Magical. “You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting.”
Tana French's gift of description drew me in to this novel and made me feel a part of it. The second book in a trilogy, this is the story of detective Cassie Maddox working undercover as a girl who turned up murdered. Maddox slipped into the murdered girl's place in a house with four close roommates to determine if one of them was the killer, or if it was a mysterious person from her sordid past.
And I was right there with her. Wondering if she would give the game away, wondering about every person she encountered, wondering how she would flush out the killer in the end? (And THANK YOU Tana French for leaving out the loathsome violent details, unlike in other books such as Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.) This was a wonderful novel of suspense, and I took away a quote from this book that I continue to appreciate:
“There's a Spanish proverb," he said, "that's always fascinated me. "Take what you want and pay for it, says God.'" "I don't believe in God," Daniel said, "but that principle seems, to me, to have a divinity of its own; a kind of blazing purity. What could be simpler, or more crucial? You can have anything you want, as long as you accept that there is a price and that you will have to pay it.”
Her Fearful Symmetry, for me, was a quirky ghost story and unlike anything I have ever read or even imagined. I found the characters very interesting and well-developed. The setting was critical to the plot and there were many surprises. I enjoyed this book! I love this author, and look forward to what Niffenegger will think up next.
I have started 2012 with reading Commited: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriageby Elizabeth Gilbert. This book was mailed to me from halfway around the world by my dear Australian friend, Lisa. (A birthday tradition we have started, sending a favorite paperback novel!) Please comment and tell me what you have enjoyed reading lately - I would love to know!
Erin's Book List, 2011
22. The Secret Magdalene by Ki Longfellow
read December 27, 2011
21. Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings
read December 10, 2011
20. 5 Cheesy Stories: About Friendship, Bravery, Bullying and More by Patsy Clairmont
read November 17, 2011
19. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
read November 10, 2011
18. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
read October 16, 2011
17. The Likeness (Dublin Murder Squad #2) by Tana French
read September 22, 2011
16. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
read August 22, 2011
15. The Lady's Slipper by Deborah Swift
read June 26, 2011
14. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Alexie Sherman
read June 5, 2011
13. The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator's Rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child by Ron Clark
read May 28, 2011
12. Fudge-a-mania by Judy Blume
read May 28, 2011
11. In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1) by Tana French
read May 26, 2011
10. I Fooled You by Johanna Hurwitz
read May 15, 2011
9. Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
read April 27, 2011
8. Lift by Kelly Corrigan
read April 23, 2011
7. Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman
read April 18, 2011
6. The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, A Toltec Wisdom Book by Miguel Ruiz
read April 14, 2011
5. Bloodroot by Amy Greene
read March 27, 2011
4. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
read March 17, 2011
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows
read February 28, 2011
2. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
read February 28, 2011
1. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
read January 16, 2011.
Loved this little book. Written as a letter to her daughters, I found myself feeling like I could have been the one to write it many times throughout. Corrigan talks about memories and impermanence:
"I heard once that the average person barely knows ten stores from childhood and those are based more on photographs and retellings than memory. So even with all the videos we take, the two boxes of snapshots under my desk, and the 1,276 photos in folders on the computer, you'll be lucky to end up with a dozen stories. You won't remember how it started with us, the things that I know about you that you don't even know about yourselves. We won't come back here."
She goes on to talk about how the person she is as her children are young and she is writing is different than the person she will be when they are older. I understand that feeling all too well as I struggle to make memories with my small children every day and to fully grasp and appreciate each moment, be it amazing and wonderful or frustrating and difficult.
I also enjoyed her writing style to her daughters - she surprised me by writing to them as though they were mature adults when reading. Whenever I think of writing to my kids it is with their childish nature in mind. It's interesting to think about their adult take on things. She says, "I don't know when you'll read this. Maybe when you're a teenager? No, probably later, when you're on the verge of parenthood and it occurs to you for the first time that someone has been loving you for that long."
It took my breath away near the end when Corrigan talked about the tender moments she and her girls share when she tells them they were her dream. In Bree's room above her window is a plaque that reads, "I am a dream come true" and I tell her, and will tell her brother, that they are my dreams come true.
I read this book out loud to my second grade class. I found a copy in our school library and was happy to see that is was not abridged. The original is so much better than the Disney movie. Getting to know the real Tinkerbell, sharing Peter's love of adventure, sympathizing with Wendy once she had grown up and saw the yearning in her own daughter's eyes to escape to the Neverland while knowing she could no longer go with her. This book moved me in many ways. It was written over one hundred years ago and at times was a read-aloud challenge for me, language has changed so much through the years and I never know how much to stop and explain, or if I should just continue. I usually continue. I feel that it was an excellent novel to expose my students to even with the vocabulary and language piece, or maybe even because of it. Some days it was harder for the kids to stick with me than others, but when we got to the last chapter all of us were riveted. It is a timeless story, fair to the dilemma of growing up vs. remaining a child. Genius. Magical.
(From the last chapter)
"Why can't you fly now, mother?
Because I am grown up, dearest. When people grow up they forget the way.
Why do they forget the way?
Because they are no longer gay and innocent and heartless. It is only the gay and innocent and heartless who can fly."
23 books in 2010. Not too bad, really, considering the busy year it was!
What follows is the list of titles, complete with links so you can learn more about a particular book if it sounds interesting to you. All links will take you to one of my favorite websites: goodreads.com. Lately I have been too tired to keep up with writing reviews, but I miss it and (perhaps) will make it a goal in 2011. (Oh the pressure! I already have so much on my plate, we'll see about that...)
And now for some thoughts on my year in books. There were more highlights than lowlights, with Life of Pi winning the award for my most-hated-book-of-2010. This novel has made me reconsider my need to always finish what I start. Why do that? As the cliche' goes, "so many books, so little time," so why waste time with the garbage? With this one, I kept expecting it to get better and knew there would be a twist at the end. Regrettably, it was not redeemed in the end and I left it feeling like I must have missed the point.
As far as a favorite for 2010, well happily there were many and that is impossible to decide. Instead, I will share a few that stuck with me and which I highly recommend.
This is it, the reader's jackpot, what I hope for in every book I choose to pick up and read: the one-I-can't-put-down. In the nation of Panem (once known as North America) 16 year old Katniss Everdeen is chosen to represent her district by participating in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. This book had me hooked from page one. It was expertly paced and riveting from beginning to end. Better still, I knew there were two more books to keep the story going when I finished this one.
This piece of historical fiction fascinated me. Stockett chose a topic close to her heart for her first novel, set in Jackson, Mississippi in the turbulent 1960s. This is the story of 3 very different but equally strong southern women. Skeeter, an awkward young white woman has just graduated from college and returned home, longing to make a break into the journalism world. Aibileen is a wise, black maid raising her seventeenth white child. And Minny is a sassy, short-tempered maid whose mouth gets her into a lot of trouble.Through a series of events, these three women come together and embark on a dangerous project in an effort to stand up against injustice.
One thing that I love, love, LOVE is to find a good read aloud for my students. Read aloud time is the best part of my teaching day, and this year my class and I had a blast with this easy to read chapter book. The blend of easy rhymes and silly humor kept the attention of all 27 of my students, and especially the boys! We had a great laugh together with this one, it will be read every year from now on.
I am so thankful that I had this book with me at the doctor's office this year while I waited for four hours (pregnant and without food or water) to have my blood sugar levels tested. The difficult day was made better with a good book to occupy my mind. In this novel, Juno McKay sees her best friend Christine Webb off at the train station after their fifteenth-year college reunion. Christine had just delivered a lecture at the Penrose College Library, shocking the crowd with little known details about the founding Penrose family. The next day, Christine disappears. Mystery writer Carol Goodman continues to be one of my favorite authors.
Now I am on to creating my book list for 2011. I am looking for new material, so please share titles you have enjoyed!
This book is all the rage at school, and was lent to me by a very good fifth grader friend. I decided to share it with my second graders, but found it...moreThis book is all the rage at school, and was lent to me by a very good fifth grader friend. I decided to share it with my second graders, but found it a bit too dull and confusing for that age group. My class seemed to enjoy it despite my reservations, and a couple of kids ordered the entire series from our recent book order. They are super excited to check the series out at the library as well, so if nothing else at least it sparked an interest. I've heard it compared to Da Vinci Code, but for kids. (less)[edit]
Tully and Kate meet as teenagers in the seventies and become best friends. This book follows their lives as they choose different roads, yet somehow r...moreTully and Kate meet as teenagers in the seventies and become best friends. This book follows their lives as they choose different roads, yet somehow remain close through the years.
Some gems, I enjoyed reading about the pop culture of life in the different decades and felt connected to the Pacific Northwest setting. The characters Tully and Kate grew on me and had me rooting for them to succeed. I appreciated the mother-daughter dynamic as well as the forever friendship between girls who grew into women.
But this book took me forever to read. Two whole months. I even read another novel in the middle of reading this one (something I never do!) At times it felt like a chore. There just wasn't enough momentum in the story to keep my full attention. (less)[edit]
Book 3 in The Hunger Game series did not live up to the promise created by the other 2 books. It was a bit of a let down, but it did provide closure t...moreBook 3 in The Hunger Game series did not live up to the promise created by the other 2 books. It was a bit of a let down, but it did provide closure to the story.(less)[edit]
What impresses me most about both this book and The Hunger Games is Collins' ability to keep me reading. Like most people, I try to stop reading at th...moreWhat impresses me most about both this book and The Hunger Games is Collins' ability to keep me reading. Like most people, I try to stop reading at the end of a chapter so that I am not lost when I pick the book up again. With these books that is impossible. Collins is a master of suspenseful cliffhangers, I simply could not stop reading.
Except that I finished the book. And it ended with a major cliffhanger. And the third one isn't out yet. Crap!!(less)[edit]
One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to find the perfect book to go with my trip. I often look for books with settings similar to the pla...moreOne of my favorite things to do when traveling is to find the perfect book to go with my trip. I often look for books with settings similar to the place I will be, thus for my trip to Montauk, Long Island I chose a book set in Nantucket.
The Castaways are a group of four couples, friends who all live on the island. One of the couples dies in a boating accident, leaving the rest of the friends to cope with the deaths. Each chapter is told by a different person, representing the lives of the castaways from six different perspectives as they try to sort out their feelings and find answers to questions surrounding the circumstances of the accident.
Initially, I had a difficult time with this book and wasn't excited to read it. I had been looking for a fun, engrossing beach read and wasn't expecting to read about people dealing with grief over the loss of friends. However, by the second half of the book I found myself invested in the characters. Hilderbrand (in this novel - the only one of hers I've read)does what Anita Shreve does so well, she creates personalities of people that feel real to me by the time I've finished the book. (less)[edit]
Quick read, and like the rest of the Twilight series I did enjoy this novella. This is the first occasion I've had to read the same story from the per...moreQuick read, and like the rest of the Twilight series I did enjoy this novella. This is the first occasion I've had to read the same story from the perspectives of other characters, and I appreciate Meyer's willingness to do that. Some parts of this book were a bit cheesy overall, but I was impressed with the way it held my attention even though we know how it ends. (less)[edit]
I read this book before. It was called The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman. It was also about a family who received a "gift" of special pow...moreI read this book before. It was called The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman. It was also about a family who received a "gift" of special powers on their thirteenth birthday, but was written for adults rather than children. I must say I liked Hoffman's version better.
Law's story would be great to read aloud in 4th or 5th grade, and I do think I may share her similes and metaphors from the first few pages during writing time with my second graders. (less)[edit]
While not my favorite book by Anita Shreve, I was impressed again by her ability to bring characters to life. This novel brings seven former schoolmat...moreWhile not my favorite book by Anita Shreve, I was impressed again by her ability to bring characters to life. This novel brings seven former schoolmates together to an inn in the Berkshire Mountains for a wedding, and that is where the plot ends. It is the characters who make this novel worth reading. Shreve delicately paints the portraits of seven people, breathing life into them and leaving me feeling like I know them and was there at the wedding myself. About second chances, A Wedding in December also explores the idea of the road not taken and made me question what I would do if given a second chance. (less)[edit]
A novel in verse, I read this entire book while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office this week. It is a follow up to the endearing Love ...moreA novel in verse, I read this entire book while sitting in the waiting room of the doctor's office this week. It is a follow up to the endearing Love That Dog, another novel in verse also written by Sharon Creech. This book makes me wish I taught in an intermediate grade. It continues the story of Jack, a student in Miss Stretchberry's class who is inspired by the poetry she shares with them and works to find his own voice through writing poems. In this novel, he describes his relationship with a neighborhood cat:
I hate that cat
like a dog hates a rat
I said I hate that cat
like a dog hates a rat
Hate to see it in the morning
hate to see that
F A T black cat.
Jack uses poetry to explore more complicated feelings about important things in his life as well, including feelings he has about his mother and the sadness he feels about losing his beloved dog.
These books are sweet, endearing and succinct and would be great to read now for National Poetry Month. The things I could do with these books in an intermediate classroom! (less)[edit]
I guess I missed the life boat on this one. The story of a young boy who is shipwrecked and manages to survive for 227 days at sea while sharing a lif...moreI guess I missed the life boat on this one. The story of a young boy who is shipwrecked and manages to survive for 227 days at sea while sharing a life boat with a tiger, I had heard great things about this book. I was not impressed. I found it tedious and had to force myself to read it, and the symbolism did not get me thinking about life or religion in any different or enlightened way. I made myself continue reading because I knew some twist or momentous occasion was waiting for me at the end, one which I hoped would make me see the previous 300 or so pages in a new, fascinating light, but I was disappointed in the way the book ended as well.(less)[edit]
I finished reading The Help last night, but it seems it hasn't finished with me just yet. I keep thinking about the story and the characters as if the...moreI finished reading The Help last night, but it seems it hasn't finished with me just yet. I keep thinking about the story and the characters as if they are dear friends of mine. Kathryn Stockett chose a topic close to her heart for her first novel, set in Jackson, Mississippi in the turbulent 1960s. This is the story of 3 very different but equally strong southern women. Skeeter, an awkward young white woman has just graduated from college and returned home, longing to make a break into the journalism world. Aibileen is a wise, black maid raising her seventeenth white child. And Minny is a sassy, short-tempered maid whose mouth gets her into a lot of trouble.
Through a series of events, these three women come together and embark on a dangerous project in an effort to stand up against injustice. I was fascinated by this story, even more so after learning that it is loosely based on some of the author's own experiences growing up with a black maid as a caregiver. (less)[edit]
The follow-up to The Daily Five, my teammates and I tackled this one this year as well. There are a lot of good ideas and information here. Implementi...moreThe follow-up to The Daily Five, my teammates and I tackled this one this year as well. There are a lot of good ideas and information here. Implementing both books at the same time has been a bit of a challenge, so there are pieces I feel I've successfully taken on with my second graders this year and others I hope to improve on. I love the personal goal setting - so powerful to put kids in charge of their own learning! This is truly a resource I will hang on to and continue to use to grow as an educator. (less)[edit]
Ahh, Carol Goodman. Returning to her novels is like ordering your favorite meal at a restaurant. You know exactly what to expect and will most likely ...moreAhh, Carol Goodman. Returning to her novels is like ordering your favorite meal at a restaurant. You know exactly what to expect and will most likely enjoy it. I certainly enjoyed this one.
Juno McKay sees her best friend Christine Webb off at the train station after their fifteenth-year college reunion. Christine had just delivered a lecture at the Penrose College Library, shocking the crowd with little known details about the founding Penrose family. The next day, Christine disappears.
I find it easy to submerge myself in Goodman's descriptive prose. In The Drowning Tree, she took me to New York to the Hudson River and artfully wove descriptions of water throughout the novel. References to stained glass, mythology and dreams of a former lover blended well with the story line and kept me thinking about the book throughout the day until I could get back to it. If I have one criticism on this one it would be that the last few chapters lacked some of the drama and suspense I have come to expect from Goodman, but still I stayed up late reading just one more page until the story was over. Thanks to Marika for lending it to me! (less)[edit]
This book has been getting a lot of attention on the book websites I follow. I liked the title and the fact that it had a strong female protagonist. P...moreThis book has been getting a lot of attention on the book websites I follow. I liked the title and the fact that it had a strong female protagonist. Plus the reviews made it sound like a real page-turner. So it was that I found myself in Target one afternoon and against my better judgment, turned down the book aisle. Despite the pile of books I had waiting for me at home, including three new ones that had recently arrived in the mail from paperbackswap.com, this one was tossed into the cart and on the way home with me.
So now what to say...
Well, it certainly was not what I expected. Crime books are not usually on my to-read list. At almost 600 pages long, this is a murder mystery made complex with the addition of crime in the financial industry with two main characters who are easy to like and root for. Set in Sweden, the names and Swedish references were confusing. How much IS a kronor in American dollars, anyway? I never bothered to look it up. Tattooed, possibly autistic protagonist Lisbeth Salander intrigued me from the start. I always appreciate strong female characters. Trouble is, I had no idea that violence towards women was a theme in this book. I could have done with out some of those descriptions. Lisbeth teamed up with journalist Mikael Blomkvist to solve a forty year old mystery of the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a member of one of Sweden's wealthiest families.
At times, I couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what happened.
Other times, I felt disgusted and wanted to toss it out.
The most compelling part of the story for me, the murder mystery, was resolved around page 500. There were still almost 100 pages left which dealt with the financial industry which I felt was a bit of a let down, drawn-out ending. In my opinion the financial stuff was mostly a bore. (less)[edit]
Criss Cross won the Newbery Award in 2006. I wanted to like this book, but honestly it just b...moreSo maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind?
Criss Cross won the Newbery Award in 2006. I wanted to like this book, but honestly it just bored me. I had to re-read the chapters because it was so uninteresting that my mind would totally wander to other things. I finished it last night and then this morning tried to remember how it ended, but for the life of me I can't recall.
In the beginning, I was drawn into the poetic language and hopeful that maybe it would resemble the poetic novels that I love by Sharon Creech. No such luck. I can't say that I will be reading anything by this author again. (less)[edit]
I was first drawn to this book due to the setting. The Hawaiian Islands captured my senses 5 years ago on my honeymoon and I believe my family and I w...moreI was first drawn to this book due to the setting. The Hawaiian Islands captured my senses 5 years ago on my honeymoon and I believe my family and I will forever be pulled towards them, longing to return. I have yet to venture to the small island of Moloka'i, but now having read this book I will know so much more about its history when I am someday lucky enough to visit.
The novel opens during a turbulent time in Hawaii's history, the late 1800s when Hawaiians were succumbing to a tragic and mysterious disease, leprosy. At this time the disease was not understood, and out of fear anyone with symptoms was immediately quarantined, and eventually sent away to a leper colony on Moloka'i. After my initial shock at the idea of families being torn apart and people being removed from their lives, I began to consider the ramifications of such a disease. Alternatively, had the infected remained where they were, would Hawaii have seen more loss of life? Were there other options that would have helped, rather than ostracizing those infected?
Sadly, many people were sent to finish out their lives on Moloka'i. In this work of historical fiction, Alan Brennert intoduces us to seven year old Rachel Kalama, a girl who develops the telltale sores and, despite all efforts to keep them hidden, is ripped away from her family. What enfolds is her story of hope in the face of disaster, as she navigates a new path with a collection of friends and acquaintances who will become her new family. Rachel's character is an inspiration of strength in the face of adversity, and an example of what can happen when you take what you're given and make the best of life's circumstances. I very much enjoyed getting to know her in this novel. Moloka'i captivated me from page one all the way through to the satisfying conclusion.(less)[edit]
Written by one of my favorite authors, Mercy Watson to the Rescue is an endearing little story about a pig who loves to eat buttered toast. Packaged l...moreWritten by one of my favorite authors, Mercy Watson to the Rescue is an endearing little story about a pig who loves to eat buttered toast. Packaged like a chapter book but full of appealingly bright illustrations, this was the perfect read-aloud to welcome my second grade class back from break. They loved it, and I love that it is a series of books sure to delight young readers who are excited for the transition to chapter books. (less)[edit]
Poser: My Life in Twenty-three Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer
Lift by Kelly Corrigan
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
