Almost there! August-Literacy 8

August was a light reading month for the Literacy challenge. I was house sitting a majority of that month, and out of town for a large portion of the time I was not house sitting.  This means that I was not often reading, and when I was, I was reading what was at hand.

I got three read in August (but one I had to leave at the house I was sitting, so it did not get to join the photo op).

 

We will start with the book that you do not see.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

This is one of those books that I have heard about for a long time, have intended to read, but never managed to get in my hands. I had always figured that because I have siblings 7 and 9 years younger than myself, I would just be able to snag it whenever they brought it home, but either they did not bring it home, or I was away at college at the time(dang, I never considered what a problem college would be).  Diary of a Wimpy kid is a very easy book to read, as it is a graphic novel. It is somewhat entertaining, watching the character deal with the mishaps of life as they happen to a middle schooler.  It is honest, in that sometimes the main character can be a little bit of a jerk, as we all can be, but rarely admit it to our journals. With all of that said, it is a book written specifically for children.  It did not give me the desire to read the next book.  There are some children's books that are written to be read by everybody, books that can snag anyone's interest.  This book is written just for children.  Good for Jeff Kinney, convincing boys to read more, making them look smarter with a book in their hand. Maybe it will encourage boys to branch out to more challenging material, but knowing my brothers, probably not.  If you have an 8-12 year old who needs something to read, this might be a good one for them(though I think that The Magic Tree House series probably has more literacy value to it).  For the adults out there, it's probably not worth your time, though I did not begrudge it my own time.  I enjoyed it for the silly, brainlessness I needed at the time.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

This book is a vacuum book. When you pick it up, it sucks you in.  You can't stop reading it, even if you want to.  It also has some disturbing scenes in it.  In the beginning, a 9th grader gets raped and murdered, and that scene is written in suggestive detail.  The remainder of the book is spent with the dead 9th grader, watching the world's response to losing her and trying to break the barrier between the two worlds to get her murderer caught.  The book is very interesting, and I might have liked it very much, if the author had not chosen to include the main character in a wild hare of a scene near the end of the book that swung the book into the category of "trying too hard to be teenage smut."  That's right, it threw sex into the story where there was no justification, and where honestly, it would probably be considered a stupid move by anyone but a teenager who has been told by countless books and movies how romantic sex is, and that no love story is complete without it.  That part was just plain weird.  That ploy, really, it ruined the book for me. It went from a "halfway decent book that would be a good read to suggest to people" book to a "don't bother" book for me. Had that one chapter had been completely removed from the book, it would still be a great book. It is not even just because there was sex, but the pure stupidity of that scene, which I can't even explain properly to you without spoiling the book for those of you who still intend to read it.  In conclusion, unfortunately, this book gets no reading suggestion from me, though I am glad I finally read it. In the end, it just was not a great book. It was shallow. I would like to add a little warning for certain parents of teenagers and teenagers: This book really has a lot of sex in it, not just the one scene that ruined the book.  It has a lot of disturbing elements, and a lot of scenes using "bad days" as legitimate excuses for really bad decisions, and it has a tendency to normalize casual sex.  Be careful about trusting books for your teenagers just because they come from the "Young Adult" section of the library. There are many untrustworthy books in that section hiding under the guise of literature.


The American Girl Kaya Series by Janet Beeler Shaw

In all technicality, yes, there are six books, and I would have counted them as such when I was 7-12, but as a 25 year old, it just seems wrong.  I would like to toss in an interesting fact about this series before we get into details: This series was written by the same author who wrote the Kirsten series. That may explain why I appreciated Kaya as much as I did. This series is about a Nez Perce girl during the decade before the declaration of independence was signed, which is also before her specific tribe has any visual contact with Europeans, though there are stories and rumors about the white skinned people, and her grandmother, as a girl, survived a small pox epidemic that raced through the different tribes at the first sound of the Europeans arrival. I really enjoyed this story, and I know that had this series been written when I was still in their target ages, it probably would have been one of my favorite American Girl collections, rivaling with Felicity of course.  Really that is an obvious choice, both girls have horses.  Felicity was a redhead, so of course there was an immediate bond there.  Kaya is Native American.  There are two things I have always known for sure about my heritage: Irish and Native American.  Sure, Kaya is Nez Perce, and my heritage claims Chickasaw and Cherokee, but I am pretty sure I would not have held that against Kaya when I was younger.  I like to keep up on the American girls(at least the historic ones), even though I have long outgrown them.  I have gotten behind on a few series, but Kaya is one I have been wanting to read for a long time and this is why: When I was in their target age range, I remember my constant question was, "Why don't they have a Native American girl?"  It seemed wrong to me to have a genre called "American Girl" and not have a collection about one of the first American girls.  Now, on to the series. I really appreciated these books. The stories were catching enough to make me want to pick up the next book.  True to American Girl, the stories were mainly about Kaya learning to be responsible, caring and patient.  Unlike many of the other American Girl characters, Nez Perce girls were expected to take on many family responsibilities at Kaya's age. I like that, while each book has its own climax and conclusion, there is also a larger story running through the series, with its climax and conclusion in the sixth book.  In book one, pardon me for ruining part of it, Kaya does something irresponsible that earns every child in the village a switching, and Kaya winds up with the disgraceful nickname "Magpie." Through the entire series, you see her trying to outgrow both the incident and the nickname, and eventually she learns to appreciate the lessons she learns through the torment of her nickname. In the second book, Kaya and her blind sister and Kaya's horse get kidnapped by a raiding party from another tribe.  Kaya manages to get away in following books, but the escape could not accommodate her sister's blindness, and they agree it is best so that Kaya can get help. Through the series, there is the constant task of trying to find her sister again.  I really enjoyed the educations tidbits that were slipped into the story, as well as the "Peek into the past" history segment found in the back of every American Girl book.  In conclusion of my opinion of this series, I believe it is the only thing I read that month that I thoroughly enjoyed.  I would recommend it to any adult brave enough to read a children's book, and all little girls who can be convinced to read it.  Yes, I do suggest these books.

And the conclusion of this Literacy blog means that for now, I am finally caught up in my literacy blogs!  Small happy dance moment inserted :::here:::

Thanks for reading.

July-Literacy Challenge 7

Time to catch up again!

These are the books I finished in July.  This time, all 3 books were new to me.  I don't begrudge this self imposed literacy challenge, but sometimes, much like homework, it is difficult to get around to writing the report.  Here we go!

Madness by Jossy Chako

This book is written by a missionary to India. He also is Indian. I came by his book because I had an amazing opportunity to hear him speak at a missions conference. It was an amazing presentation. In the book he tells about how he moved away to Australia as a young man, and ended up marrying an Australian. She persuaded him totake her to India for their honeymoon.  Jossy grew up in an area that was mainly Christian, and he was well provided for. The India he saw on his honeymoon was completely different, and though he never saw himself being the "missionary type" he realized his heart was aching for the people in his country.  Jossy also realized that there were many Indian pastors already reaching out to India on their own, with no training or support, and he saw his opportunity.  This story tells about his childhood, as well about what it took for him to start an organization. What impacted me the most in this book is the amount of faith of the different people in his life. Their faith and fervor for the Lord can easily put me to shame.  Also, I was struck by the oppressing darkness so many people live in.  They live in a world where demons possession is an obvious problem. That is a scary thought to me, to see the devil so blatantly at work, but then maybe I see the devil blatantly at work often, and explain it away so I can comfortably ignore him. The thing about having such an oppressing darkness, having the devil running so rampant is that these missionaries see amazing works of God. It takes a lot of faith to stand up in the midst of such intimidating darkness, and God meets them where and how they need Him.  It was an interesting book. I would not say that it is a must read. It is informative for anyone who wants to know about missionaries, and about India, as well as about starting a non-profit organization.  I definitely would not stop anyone from reading it.  It is not the best book I have ever read, but I also really appreciated it, and I don't think it was meant to be a best seller.  An added perk, is that it is a thin book, so it does not require a lot of commitment to finish it.

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

This is a typical English literature novel. Depending on my mood, I like those.  It was sometimes hard for me to get through, but in the end I did.  I go back an forth on whether I liked it.  It is about a young woman who marries an older widower.  When she moves onto his estate, she struggles in living under her husband's late wife's (Rebecca) shadow, and there is something strange going on with the staff and the mansion. Many times the main character feels as though she is being haunted, and there just seems to be a sinister, unwelcome spirit about the place, and especially the house manger.  Much of the book is about watching this young woman transition from a silly school girl with a silly inferiority complex very gradually become assertive, desperate woman.  I found it frustrating to sit inside the main character's head, when I just wanted to give her a good shake, tell her to be a big girl and start handling her problems, as they obviously weren't going away.  Part of this frustration, however is what kept me reading.  It's a little on the mystery side, as it slowly reveals hints about the darkness of the estate.  When it ended, and even still, I range between "That was a stupid book" and "I really liked thinking through that book."   You should know that, when it comes to English literature, I dislike it more often than I like it. The fact that it intrigued me at all is a compliment. My roommate enjoys this book thoroughly.  So, if you are the sort who thoroughly enjoys Victorian era English literature, with all of its rambling details, then by all means, you will enjoy it.  If not, then I probably would not recommend this book to you.

Loser by Jerry Spinelli.

This book was written at about a 5th-7th grade level. It is about the child who was doomed from the start to never fit in: uncoordinated, weird name, off-kilter interests, a strange tic, with passion for weird sounding words and a desire to shout them.  He is earnest and goodhearted, but somehow always manages to be misunderstood by even the adults in his life. He never seems to figure it out.  As I read the book, I truly enjoyed each scene and chapter as a well written narrative. It starts with "the loser" at the beginning of kindergarten, before he or any of the other children realize he is a loser, but really, it was only a matter of time.  As he and the children grow up, they slowly start to realize what he is: an outcast. Most of the time, our main character is so oblivious, he doesn't even notice that it should bother him to be an outcast.  The book is almost like peeking into the daily lives of children from kindergarten through seventh grade. The anecdotes are quite enjoyable.  The plot, on the other hand, I have turmoil over. The upfront plot is abnormal. It is linear, with little climax and no story arch. It it's like climbing a mountain half way, and stopping. At the end of all the anecdotes, you feel like you have learned nothing.  This book is tricky, though. It feels as though it has two plots, the story telling one, with all the anecdotes that don't add up to much, and the underlying plot that sneakily interweaves a slow paradigm shift in both "The Loser" and the kids who make up his community, caused by the sheer unyielding, unphased weirdness of the main character, and the fact that he, though weird, friendless, and an outcast, never understands that he should dislike who he is and his social position within the class.  Because of the sneaky, second plot line, I will have to conclude that, yes, I liked  The Loser.

And those, my friends, are the three books that filled July.  Coming soon, the books of August!

Somebody's running REALLY late...(Literacy, 5 )

For those of you who have been paying attention, you may have noticed that I have failed to write up my Literacy Challenge book reports for May and June, and that the end of July is rushing up.  I read the minimum required books (Just barely...squeaking by!), I just did not have the time to write about them.  Because I am running so late, this blog probably will never get any photos, sorry.

So here it goes.

May: Literacy Challenge- Update 5

I am ashamed to admit that one of the two books I am claiming for this month is Amelia Bedelia (by Peggy Parish) ... not that I am ashamed to read from that series, because they were some of my favorites when I was learning to read, and my most recent reading of them probably had me giggling more than when I read them at the age appropriate level. I am simply ashamed to admit, that I didn't end up reading more in May when it comes to the page tally. In my defense, however, it was a 3 book set.  The set included the first book, Amelia Bedelia, the second book, Come Back, Amelia Bedelia, and also Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia!   I actually had not realized until I ready it in May that I hadn't read Play Ball, Amelia Bedelia.  Amelia Bedelia is a maid. She is a very earnest worker, unfortunately, she is a very literal person.  Being a very literal person, she has a tendency to be considered a problem.  She is told to dust the furniture, so she spreads dusting powder all over the furniture, all the while saying, "This is very strange, at my home, we un-dust the furniture." but she does what she is told, and does it well.  There is a whole list of things she does, exactly as she is told, which in the end means that her employers are very frustrated with her, and nearly fire her every time, unfortunately for them, Amelia Bedelia has mad baking skills, and just as they are about to fire her, her employed happen to sink their teeth into the pie she made, and they decide to keep her, and adjust to telling Amelia Bedelia to "un-dust the furniture."  I enjoyed it thoroughly as a kid  for all the mix-ups I understood then. The play on words in these books is delightful. As an adult, I truly appreciated how sometimes, we very eagerly try to do a good job, try so hard to impress, and in the end get it all wrong.    I know the feeling all too well. I have been told I can make a mean pie crust... maybe I should attempt putting my own baking skills to "safety-net" uses. The best way to handle such utter failure is with a hint of humor, when all is said and done, and I appreciate Amelia Bedelia for both her workmanship and the sheer, rueful comedy of failure.

The second book of May was I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced  by Nujood Ali, Delphine Menoui, translated by Linda Coverdale.  This book has been looking at me for months, or, I should say, Nujood has been looking at me for months, as the cover of the book is a head shot of the little girl who relates the story.  Nujood Ali, as the title hints, was forced into marriage some time near the age of 10.  I found this book to be haunting, simply because of the tone in which the story was told.  It has a childish, simple, innocent feel to it, because the story is told like a 10 year old girl.  She was not a child raised to be a small adult, trained in the ways of womanhood before being turned over to a husband (not that such a situation is more justified). She was a child skipping happily through childhood in the most flippant way that any ten year old does when she was suddenly handed a head covering, and sent to live with her husband's family, far away from any of her own family.  She had never been warned about the details of adulthood.  The tone reflects this.  It is haunting read about the things she lived through when Nujood relates them in the simplistic, immature, bluntly honest way any of our own protected 10 year old girls might use when talking about the events of school yesterday.  The only difference is underlying, matter of fact numbness that threads through words she strings together. Nujood makes some very courageous choices, and did something that no child bride had managed to do up to that point. It was well worth the read.  The story, though disturbing, is discreet, never overusing details simply to shock a reader.  It is short, and well formed, and somewhat heartbreaking.  Would I suggest it to a friend? Yes, but probably with the warning that while the reading is not at all strenuous, the material is no light read.  The truly heartbreaking thing about this story is that it is not unique, it is just one of the very few to actually be printed.

And that sums up the books that I read in May.

Thanks for reading. Check back soon, if you are interested in the June update!

Oh, for the love of children's lit! (Literacy 4.5)

To finish the literacy update, I chose to keep the easy ones for the end

I talked to my cousin recently, and she was telling me that her daughter, who is  about to turn seven, has experienced a serious spurt in book love.  She has surpassed her reading level, and my cousin was discussing the need for more advanced, still appropriate books. As I thought about it, I realized, there are so many excellent books in the childrens section!  Fortunately for me, this young reader's birthday is coming up, which is a perfect excuse to buy her the delights of my childhood.  I bought them, and then... they sat there, just staring at me, asking me, "Are you really going to send us away without a read?"  And of course, I couldn't say no!  I hope the my first cousin once removed doesn't mind that I took a run through her books, but it seemed a shame to send her books that I could only vaguely remember the plot of.

The first was actually a new book to me: Good Job, Kanani by Lisa Yee. It is an American Girl book about a modern day girl living in Hawaii (Actually, this series is part of the American Girl Today section).  It is the second book in the series, which I got because, my little cousin has already devoured the 1st one, and I remember how longingly I waited for the next book in each American Girl series I read.  Apparently, in the first book, Kanani's cousin from New York came to visit, and while she was there they rescued a Hawaiian seal, which is an endangered species. In Good Job, Kanani Kanani has decided to raise money to protect the seals, and raise awareness, by running her Dad's snow cone cart with her best friend, Celina.  Celina has her heart set on learning to surf with Kanani this summer. Kanani is not very good, and quite honestly, surfing scares her.  Then a new girl, Jo, who is  good at surfing enters the picture, and begins surfing with Celina. The strains cause the girls to pull apart, but neither friend is willing to discuss it, and so the chasm grows.  I enjoyed the story, and it held the same feel that the American Girl books did that I grew up on. At first, I was disappointed that it was not a historic story, as I didn't feel there would be much education available in a modern day story aside from "be nice to your friends" but the book held a lot of information about the Hawaiian culture, which impressed me. Of course, everything ends happily and leaves the reader with the insatiable "I can do anything" sort of optimism, both of which hold true to the American Girl genre I know. While it isn't a book I suggest adults rush out and buy or else miss out on something amazing, it also isn't a book I would say "Don't do it" about.  It was good, it held my interest, and it was quick. If the adult had a young friend looking for reading material, it would provide an opportunity for the young friend to feel like they had a common topic of interest to discuss with the adult.  My Granny used to read books at my reading level, especially my American Girl books, and having those books available to discuss as equals and sharing "inside" jokes from the stories were real bond builders for us. (Think this review is rivaling the length of the book!)

The second book is one of my childhood favorites: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald.  I could make the longest review on this book, simply because of the love I have held for it, and its following series since early childhood.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in an upside down house, and has a hump on her back which children think holds all of her magic, she lets children dig for buried treasure in her backyard, and little girls brush and braid her long hair for as long as they want, and wears the hairstyle all day, afterward.  Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle loves children as real, legitimate people, rather than just second class people who might grow up into legitimate people, and she sees the good in even the worst of children, because according to her, bad behaviors are either just a disease or a bad habit, both of which can be cured.  Her methods for curing these behaviors are clever, and always shocking to parents, but they always work.  Each book, including the first one, is a series of 4-5 stories about different kids and their behaviors, and each story has interlinking details from another story. For example, Violet, in the story about Henry and his behavioral problem, is very well behaved, but we all know that two stories ago, she had a horrible temper tantrum disease, and in another story, we will see that Henry is quite well behaved while Dick suffers the never-sharing habit.  It allows for the underlying thought that while everyone can succumb to bad behavior, it doesn't mean they are bad to the core.  Truly, in each story, there really is no actual bad guy, just another kid who needs a lesson. I read portions of it out loud to my Mom, and two teenage siblings, and it had all of us, at one point or another, in giggles. It is just plain good stuff.  If you haven't read it, or haven't read it in a while, pick it up!

And third: Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary.  I had so much fun reading this book. When I read it as a child, I remember siding with Beezuz, because Ramona was such a problem while her sister was trying so hard. To be honest, I still mostly sided with Beezus. The difference is, this time, the trouble Ramona caused was so funny!  When I was younger, the trouble Ramona caused was not cute or funny, but serious business, because as an older sister, I knew for a fact that the older sister would be getting in trouble for the younger sister's trouble.  This read, I couldn't believe how cute and funny it was. I was torn, rooting for both Beezuz and Ramona. The only thing that I am sad about is that I didn't buy the whole Beverly Cleary series for my young cousin, because now, I would really like to read the rest of them!  Again, if you haven't read this book yet, rush to the store and start it while you wait in line to pay for it! If you read it a long time ago, read it again, it's good for the soul!

And that my blogfriends, is my conclusion of story corner, and the end of April's Literacy report. Now, I really need to get going on May's reading, or there will be very little to report then!

Wowza, Literacy, 4

So, I have been putting off this update on my literacy challenge for April mainly because I do not want to type this much.  The number looks pretty impressive, until you realize that 3 of the books were books I got for my cousin Keira, who will be 7 this months, and 2 of the books were easy-but interesting- reads from the Young Adult section.  All tallied, I finished 9 books this month, which definitely breaks my record of 3. Of those 9 books, 2 were old favorites, and 6 were new to me, one was... a hover book.

We've got a lot of books to run through, so let's get this party started, in order of being finished, first to last.

Parrot and Olivier in America by Peter Carey- This is a book I found in Costco. I am a fan of Costco's book section, because while the rest of the world is selling this book for $16, I got it for $8.  This book tells the story of two different men, one-Olivier- a young, born and bred French aristocrat, fleeing from yet another revolution in France. The second man-Parrot- an old, seasoned servant, born and English man, but well traveled. Olivier is sent by his mother to America, post Revolutionary war, pre Civil war. Parrot is sent as his manservant to protect Olivier, and to spy on his doings and report back to Olivier's mother.  While it takes a long time for the story to even get both characters in America, the story really seems to be a reflection of what America as a new country means to the two different classes.  For Olivier, raised in a life only below that of royalty, America means stepping down in class.  Because there really is no aristocracy in America yet, suddenly, he finds high-end middle class men (farmers turned bankers and such)approaching him as an equal.  Parrot, on the other hand, being a servant who has managed to get an education, has the opportunity to step from the bottom rung of society to the middle.  The story is told in chapters alternating between the narratives of Parrot and Olivier, which is often entertaining to hear both character's honest and opposite perspectives of the same situations.  The story also starts in each of the men's boyhoods, gradually working up to the "present" story of the men as adults, making us understand the reason the men think and behave as they do, which really makes us close to both characters.  Peter Carey writes in such a style that there were times I could have sworn Parrot and Olivier was written 100-200 years ago. It feels like a classic. The prose is beautiful. I had to stop and look up 5 words I did not know(that's a good number, enough to make me feel like I'm getting educated, but not enough for me to get irritated about having to find the dictionary again).  The place where it veers from its classic vibe is in its sexual references: they are a little more brazen that Charles Dickens might have stated.  Because of this, I would not recommend this book for a teenager. They are not elicit, however, there is enough detail to let one's imagination finish the picture. As far as sexual references are found in adult literature, this is probably as tactful as a non-Christian, modern author gets.  With all of this stated, I truly enjoyed this book, the story was interesting and vivid, the plot twists just enough, and the end is bittersweet.  Would I recommend this book?  For readers older than 20, yes.

Next up!
Out of Ashes by Keith Phillips.  This book is a look at the deeper cause of the LA riots, but even more than that, it is a call to care about our inner cities.  It tells true stories about people who grew up in some of the most dangerous parts of the inner city.  It explains why pulling oneself up by the bootstraps is not often available to the people the expression is applied to. It also gives a few examples of the different perspectives that people have depending on where they live, and why.  Dr. Keith Phillips has been working in LA since the Watts riots. He is the founder of World Impact and in this book he also explains why certain tactics of ministry work and why others fail.  For those of you involved in Compassion International ministries, you may find this book interesting, as they hold many of the same ministry beliefs.  This book is a good combination of stories (I nearly cried during some) and strategies, leaving the reader not only understanding the problem, which many books do, but also offering ideas towards solution (which I find many "call to action" books forget).  This book is well worth the read, and yes, I would recommend it! (And it is a quick read)

Holes by Louis Sachar- This book is a book that was popular when I was "too old" to be reading it, meaning early teens, but the kids 9 years younger than myself where required to read it in 4-6th grade, and were raving about it.  I have always told myself, one day I'll snag it from one of my siblings or their friends, but I never managed to do it.  Lately, I have been searching for it, because I really enjoyed the movie.  When I found it on sale at Borders, I snagged it. It was enjoyable. The movie followed the story pretty closely. For those of you who don't know the story: Young outcast, Stanley Yelnats always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  This is so when he is found to be in possession of stolen property.  He is given the option of juvenile hall or Camp Greenlakes. He chooses Camp Greenlakes, where the boys spend their entire stay digging holes.  None of this would have happened it if weren't for Stanley's No-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather, who according to family legend, brought down a curse on the heads of all the men in the family. Stanley doesn't really believe in the curse, but its good to have somebody to blame for all the bad luck he has, occasionally.  During his time at Camp Greenlakes, Stanley, often picked on at school, learns to toughen up, builds muscles, builds social skills, and gains friends.  The story is quite an entertaining one, a good read for anybody.  For parents with boys who are reluctant to read, this would be a good book, because it is not really girlie, and it has boy jokes, and even an old western story woven in. Recommended reading(even for adults)? Yes.

Elephant Run by Roland Smith- This book caught my attention in the independent readers section with its black and green cover, followed by an intriguing name.  It is about am adolescent English boy named Nick during WWII, whose mother sends him away from England because of the frequent bombings. She sends him to his father's tea plantation in Burma. When he gets there, it turns out, Burma is not any safer, as almost as soon as he gets there, the Japanese invade. His father's plantation is taken over, and he and his recently made friends are forced into servitude at the plantation, while his father is sent to a Prisoner of War camp, with the threat that if he attempts an escape, harm will come to Nick.  Nick realizes that with his own well being being held hostage against his father, it is up to Nick to escape and rescue his father. With the help of an elephant, and his Burmese friends, a dangerous plan is attempted.  This story was an interesting one. There were very few times where the story slowed too much. It was good read, with just enough sweet romance to make any preteen girl sigh, but only enough to just satisfy the girls, there is not enough to make a boy throw the book away.  The book was contracted, the publisher is Disney, this adult reader found that was evident in the tone of the book the entire time. However, just because it was there does not mean the book was a dud. It is like watching a "made-for-tv-movie" you understand from the beginning that it is of a different caliber.  With that understanding, I still enjoyed it, and I think it would be a good read for teenagers, as it does have quite a few educational tidbits in it, but I do not think this book will ever reach "classic literature" status, as Holes has (they came from the same bookshelf, by the way). Ten years down the road, I don't think I'll ever hear anyone say, "Gasp! You never read Elephant Run?!" However, while it is not necessarily a must read, it passed my time pleasurably, and if someone asked me for a light read, Yes, I would suggest Elephant Run.

Bottled Up by Jaye Murray- This is a Goodwill bookstore find, and not a bad one, I might add. It was well worth the 75 cents that caused it to be mine. Phillip, who prefers to be called Pip, is, at first glance, the typical pot head in high school.  He skips classes constantly, has a defiant and careless attitude, and really, just goes to school to avoid trouble at home.  Pip has a 5 year old brother-Mikey, and while he doesn't want to see Mikey destroyed by their alcoholic father, or start using drugs and alcohol, Pip really resents the fact that because his father is a lunatic, and his nothing of a mother, it falls to "Pip the pothead" to be the most responsible parent available to Mikey. Pip just wants to be left alone, to live in the numbness of marijuana, when a teacher finally loses patience with him and sends him to the principal's office for what turns out to be the last straw.  The principal intends to expel Pip, but as the principal reaches to call Pip's parents, sheer terror seizes Pip at the thought of what his father will do to him.  He works out a deal with the principal. Pip can stay in school, so long as he shows up to all of his classes, does not get sent back to the principal's office, and attends counseling.  When he gets to counseling, he finds out that there is a weekly urine test, and a 3 strike rule, 3 bad tests, and you are out, no more counseling. For Pip, no more counseling means no more school, which means unthinkable trouble at home.  The story is mainly about Pip's gradual returning from his haze to face his life, even though it sucks, and understanding that even though Mikey is not his son, and should not be his responsibility, Mikey is his brother, and Pip should care.  It is really a good story. This story contains some harsh language, as well as some abusive scenes, but I feel that without the language and the scenes, the story would not have been honest.  I am only putting the warning in for any readers looking for something for their teenagers. Honestly, I think, for this book, it really depends on the teenager, however, the language may be a cut off line for most parental guidelines.  Every sentence is not laden with foul language. In fact, it is sparsely used, but it is there. If it were a movie, it would probably be rated PG-13. If I were rating the book, I might rate it at PG-16 or 17.  With all of that said, I really appreciate this book. It is heart wrenching, and good, having a semi-satisfying ending that was definitely not written by Hallmark.  Yes, it was good read.

Whew!  Hang in there, blogfriends, that's 5 books down! If you have made it this far, you deserve a reward. You should buy yourself some chocolate! I am going to leave the next three books(all childrens books): Beezus and Ramona, Good Job, Kanani!, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for a later, and much shorter journal.  As it turns out, I have already written about the 9th book, in this blog post!

So, you are now free to go find yourself some chocolate! Thanks for reading!

Feels like sacrilege

For those of you who don't know, the Borders bookstore here in town is closing.  It happens to be my favorite book store. For a year, I worked at a restaurant in the same parking lot. Often, after work, I would trudge across the parking lot, immerse my fry-oil, burger scented soul in the soothing smell of books and relax in the library-like atmosphere.

Call me melodramatic, nerdy, or lame if you like, but throughout my life, bookstores have been a sanctuary to me.  This is probably because libraries have always been so far away. This bookstore, in particular, walking distance from the chaos of life, was my main sanctuary.  Even though I no longer work in the same shopping center, on days when have I felt extremely burdened, I might have been found meandering through the aisles of books, where music plays softly in the background, people use hushed voices, every shelf is packed full of books in an orderly manner, cushioned seats are placed haphazardly through the store, the essence of coffee lingers in the background adding spice to the friendly scent of pages and glue, nobody looks at me strangely if I spend hours there, people rarely break through my thoughts for conversation, and when they do, the conversation is hushed, brief, and purposeful.

Finding myself in the same parking lot, with no agenda, I followed the pull to my bookstore, even though I knew it was liquidating.  Before I even entered the store, I recognized a mayday cry in my soul.  People were flooding in like seagulls to a burger shack.  Bright red, orange, and yellow signs declared that "Everything must go!"  I disregarded the warning signs, and entered anyway.

People rummaged through bookshelves like they were at a yard sale...worse: an estate sale. There were shelves that were completely stripped of their books, merchandise strewn across the floor. Everybody was hustling through like it was a competition. Nobody used a library voice as they called back and forth about this deal or that.  People were wishing for shopping carts as they half-glanced at the covers of book and tossed them into their piles to purchase.  The obnoxious liquidation signs were overwhelming(hence the reason I can have a gadzillion perspective shots on signs all saying the same thing). Books were no longer strictly in their sections, but mashed together with nearby sections as shelves started looking more bare.

It felt so very wrong just watching.  Can I call the cops to report a riot? A grave robbing? It was like witnessing a temple raid.  It felt like at any moment, someone would commit some act of book sacrilege, maybe tear out a page of Victor Hugo to dispose of their bubble gum.

I know, I am being dramatic. To most of the world, it is just another business in decline. You will be happy to know that my inner turmoil did not reflect in my outward actions as I meandered, pretending the noisy, chaotic opportunists weren't ransacking my sanctuary. Honest: I did not lay down on the floor and cry, and I did not hit any one.

I selected two books for myself, according to my normal rules (Rule of Being Caitlin, #34: If at all possible, I should manage to leave the bookstore without spending more than $15, with a forgiveness clause of $2 for tax, or if I really want it), and got in line.

The line was delayed for a miserably long time by--I kid you not-- a woman trying to haggle better prices for her discounted items.  Bakersfield, is there NOTHING sacred?


That's all. I just needed to bemoan the thrashing and destruction of a building that I have a sentimental(but, thankfully, not a monetary) investment in.

Maybe it is wrong to find such solace in a bookstore. You might think that a Christian should not seek spiritual downtime in a business establishment. Maybe, but I don't think finding a peaceful place--even if it is in a business-- is wrong. The only thing I see wrong in finding a sanctuary in a bookstore is this: you never know when the economy will collapse and kill it, and then invite the vultures to pick it apart.

And so, my fellow book lovers and Borders meanderers, if you understand my sadness, feel free to have a proper moment of silence with me.

Farewell, dear Bakersfield Borders. Barnes and Noble will never truly be able to fill your space.

Overdue but done: Literacy, 3

Here is the overdue literacy update!  I met my goal in time, however, I just didn't manage to sit down and write the blog about it, until now.

I had hoped I would have more to report for March. I had hoped it would be my first 4 book month of the year, but as it turned out, I am easily distracted. The book I thought would be my fourth got interrupted when I found a copy of Lovely Bones in my friend's house while snowed in. At the time, I thought I would be spending an entire week or more snowed into her house, and so I reasoned that it would be better for me to read Lovely Bones and then go back to my book, so that when it was time to leave, the book that I needed to take with me would be my own...however, we got evacuated 16 chapters into Lovely Bones, and I left it at her house.  So, sometime in the near future, I will be pursuing another copy of Lovely Bones.  Despite this, I did meet both my hard set goal-at least 1 new book a month- and my ideal goal- at least 2 books a month.

Unshaken: Rising from the ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana by Dan Woolley and Jennifer Schuchmann was the first book to be taken down in March. Dan Woolley was one of the Americans working for Compassion International who got caught in the Haiti earthquake.  He and his photography partner had just walked into their hotel lobby, after an entire day traveling around Haiti, when the earthquake hit, and the 6 story hotel collapsed on them.  Dan found himself alone, and locked in a prison of shambles.  He made the decision to crawl into the open elevator, which very likely saved his life, however, shortly after making it into the elevator, an aftershock hit, and rubble closed him into the elevator, making his safe haven a prison at the same time.  Dan spent 65 hours under the hotel, and the book details his survival, but the majority, and best part of the book details what went through his mind, what battered his soul, and what led him up to this point in his life.  The book flashes between Dan in the elevator, and Dan's young marriage some ten or twelve years before, and dealing with his wife's sudden onset of severe depression.  My Mom posted after reading this book, "Besides being a good read about surviving being trapped in pitch dark for too long under a building it is also a very well written view into the life of depression. I think an especially good read for those who haven't lived it."

Amazingly, as intense and deep as this book can be, it does not feel heavy. There are some books I read that when I finish I am burdened with a lingering heaviness, an after taste of despair, because there was so much deep thought to muddle through.  Unshaken has that deep thought, but it did not leave me despaired, in fact, it left me energized with so many thoughts to think.  Believe it or not, though the book has its heart wrenching, thought provoking, seat gripping story to tell, it also has hope, and well placed humor.  Also, it is a quick read. Its thickness looks somewhat intimidating, but it moves fast.

So, would I recommend Unshaken to you? Most heartily, yes!  It is a great book, and though it is written by a Christian, I believe that even my non-Christian friends would enjoy this book.

After Unshaken, I took on Cane River by Lalita Tademy. I was excited, because I love historical fiction.  Sci-fi, modern day, political fiction, biographies, commentaries, mysteries are all great types of literature, however to me, reading one of those genres is like visiting some one else's house for the first time: it's fun, it's new, it's interesting, but it's not reflexively comfortable.  Reading historical fiction, on the other hand, is like going to Granny's house: a place to walk in, be hugged, kick off your shoes, find a couch with a sunspot warming it, grab a blanket and a bag of potato chips and belong.  Because of this comfort and haven I usually find in historic fiction, you must understand that Cane River disappointed me greatly. It was like being at a party, and realizing that while I had been invited, I wasn't really supposed to show up.  The book was boring and mechanical.  However, I have already written a full blog devoted to my disappointment in this book, and I did give a few positive points, so I will just conclude with this:  Would I recommend this book? Definitely, no.

After trudging through Cane River, I decided I deserved some candy reading, and I also realized that throughout this literacy challenge so far, I had not managed to visit some old favorites. This sent me straight to my parent's entryway bookshelf: the storage of all literature to ever be loved by anyone who has lived in that house.  What better reward for finishing a dull book than a Dahl book? 

The BFG by Roald Dahl has been a favorite of mine for almost as long as I can remember. When we were little, Mom used to pick a book and read them out loud to Jared and I.  I don't know if this was mainly done during the summer, but summer evenings are when I remember these reading times happening.  One of Mom's favorite authors is Roald Dahl, so usually, the book she picked was Roald Dahl.  I think that The BFG quickly became a favorite for Jared and me because it was so funny.  I mean, what kid between the ages of 6-11 would not love a book that has an entire chapter devoted to whizzpoppers? (For those of you who do not know, those are farts, and you need to go read The BFG, because that chapter still cracks me up, and you are being greatly deprived of happiness by not reading it.)  One thing I love about going back to read books from my childhood is that usually there were comments made about politics and life in general that were just plain hilarious, but I completely missed them when I was younger.  I guess perhaps the reason so many of my childhood reads are so enjoyable to the adult me is because often my books were picked/suggested by either my Mom or my Granny, and they like a good chuckle.
For those of you who don't know the plot, young Sophie could not sleep that night at the orphanage, and so she peeked out the window, and saw something she ought not. Soon she was kidnapped by a giant because of this, and the story goes from there, but I refuse to give away any more of the story than I already have!
Should you read The BFG? Yes. If you have never read this book, you need to break all speed limits (as safely and legally as possible) to your nearest book establishment and devour this book.  If you have read this book, but not in the past 5 years, should you reread it? I would suggest it!  In fact, you will likely see more Roald Dahl books popping up on this blog, because I have realized, I miss those books. I have already snagged Danny Champion of The World off my Mom's shelf for nearby future reading.

What is the reading forecast for April?
Well, I am about a hundred pages away from finishing Parrot & Olivier in America by Peter Carey.  I found it in Costco and couldn't resist(I do so love the Costco book section).
I have Danny Champion of the World by Roald Dahl on hand. I also just borrowed Out of the Ashes by Dr. Keith Phillips, which I am hoping to finish before this weekend, but we shall see about that.  Then there are the usual suspects that are hanging around my room, getting picked at, here an there.

That's pretty much it, for me. How is your reading?

Books and covers...(Literacy,2.5)

We have all heard the phrase, "Don't judge a book by its cover"  and usually we assume it's talking about ugly people. I am here to say, that it also applies to books with covers that look good.

Cane River, by Lalita Tademy, for example, is one of those books. I will admit it: When I saw this cover at the Goodwill Bookstore, it fell into my hand like it was metal and I was Magneto. Look at the cover.  

Doesn't that look enticing?  It looks like it is going to tell you a rich story, and pull you in and leave you wishing there was a sequel.  Not so much.  It is very roughly based on a true story...ish?  The author based it on her genealogy, after quitting her job to trace it. It started because of her great grandmother, Emily, who being genetically more white than black showed favoritism to her lighter grandchildren. The author felt a need to know what made Emily become Emily, and so she traced the family line back 3 generations.  The story starts with  Emily's grandmother, Suzette, as a 9 year old, and Suzette's mother, Elizabeth, living and working as slaves.  It works forward through the generations until it reaches the author's grandmother.

Prior to this book, the author's career was founded in the corporate world. I am not saying that every author has to live their entire lives being authors. I am just saying that this one, Lalita Tademy, is not a natural author. The words feel very awkward and mechanical in the beginning.  They tell a story, yes, but but they are not rhythmic, warming, or inviting words.  It reads very much like you were looking at her family tree and reading short paragraph summaries about each person's life: Suzette-house slave, raped by white man, had two babies, sold.  In the author's defense, she did write with better flow than that, but it rarely moves the reader to become emotionally involved.  Often, Lalita Tademy uses written portions from documents she found in her search, such as letters.  It was a good idea, however, it clashes horribly with her writing.  For example, she copied a letter written in response to her great-great-great-grandfather's letter, but she did not have the letter that he had written, so she had to make it up.  The difference in letter style and eloquence is staggering. She may have tried to mimic the style, but she failed, and the mix of the eloquently written documents, and her mechanical style is quite jarring to the reader.

In Lalita Tademy's defense, the closer the story gets to the present, the better the characters become.  Maybe it is because she had half a book to develop her writing style before that, but my theory is that the closer she got to present day, the more elderly people she had in the family to glean memories from.  The people she heard about from the elderly people definitely have more character depth than the people she had little more than names and sales registries.  Even the characters that started without character gained character the closer they got to her elders' memories.

My favorite character was adult Philomene, the daughter of Suzette. Really, if the book only told about Philomene's story, it would have been a great book.  Philomene started as a slave, daughter of a white man, was sold multiple times due to deaths of masters. In reaction to the civil war's ravages on the South, she ended up nearly living as an equal with her mistress in order for the household of 2 women and 7 children to survive.

Philomene made some very calculating decisions that, in the long run, were the redemption of her family after freedom, even though the present sacrifice was such that most women would have forgone the decision.  When the war ended, her daughter, Emily, was two, and had no real experience of slavery.  This lead to a very interesting observation within the story about the generation gap between ex-slaves and born-free children. A year after being granted freedom, Philomene picked up her children and left to seize it. Because of her earlier and continuing calculating decisions she was able to gain a sharecrop to work until she was able to gain her own property.  She united a majority of her family, which and been scattered some ten years before at an auction. Her children were privately tutored and given every training they might need to survive in an upper class world.  It really was amazing what this woman accomplished, starting at the age of 17.
Unfortunately, her story is smack dab in the middle of the 416 page book.  After her is Emily's story until Emily is 60 years old, and the tying up of lose ends to explain where the grandchildren had scattered.

The book is interesting to an extent, because there are actual photos of many of the people, and also copies of the papers used to learn Lalita Tademy's family history, such as slave auction receipts, news paper articles, hand written (in French) letters and census records.

If I were rating this book on Amazon, it would get 3/5 stars(Well, ideally 2.5/5, but Amazon doesn't allow that option).  I would not recommend this book to a friend if they asked me for a good read.  It is not the worst book I have ever read. Like I said, it has some interesting moments.  I just do not feel the interesting moments redeem the mechanical writing style, the predominance of one dimensional characters, and the sheer drudgery of  Cane River.

3 things for the 3rd day of the 3rd month

I am having a good week.  This makes me have a good mood, too!

First thing:  I finished my first book of the month.  Usually, I am sweating it for the first half of the month as I work on the first book, the whole while of enjoying the book, there's a background thought of, "I've got to make sure I at least get this one finished to meet my goal!"  And then after the first book in the month is finished, all the others are child's play.  Usually the first book is finished around the 15th.  This month, it's the 3rd.  Take that, March!  The book is Unshaken: Rising from the ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana by Dan Woolley (with Jennifer Schuchmann). Dan Woolley had just walked into the lobby of the 5 story hotel when the earthquake hit.  It took 3 seconds for the entire hotel to collapse.  He made his way to an open elevator, which quickly became his refuge and his prison.  He spent 65 hours under the Hotel Montana.  The book covers his survival, but it also covers his spiritual battle.  It addresses 2 kinds of darknesses: the darkness of being locked under 5 stories of hotel with no promise of rescue, and the darkness of clinical depression... and it is amazing how similar they are.  Summing up, this was a great read!  It flows well, and it draws you in.  There was never any point where I bawled, or had to stop reading because of tears.  Few books/movies ever manage to do that to me(cough cough Bridge to Terabithia cough cough), but there were definitely some moments where my eyelashes got wet.  Mom has first dibs on reading my copy, but I'll gladly take requests after her...first come first serve!

Second thing: I'm still just so happy about finally getting a letter from Abigail this week!  She is my monthly writer, and last month, I didn't get a letter!  I was getting a little nervous.  In reality, though, the gap in writing probably represents the period of time I got behind in my own writing to her some time in December. I didn't miss a month, but I definitely might have written at the beginning of November, and then again at the end of December.  So my anxiety is fair payback for the anxiety I probably caused her.  I asked Abigail a while ago how she managed to draw a computer so well. I was hoping to learn they had computer classes already at her project, or maybe at her school.  She says there are no computers at school, and the only computer she knows is at the Compassion Office, which she sees occasionally.  Apparently, it has her enchanted, because I have seen several drawings of computers show up on her letters to me(There was another one on this letter).

 
  She was very excited to hear about Josh's (then)upcoming wedding, and asked for more information about it. She'll be happy to learn soon that I have already sent her not only information about the day, but photos!  Abigail's prayer went out to Joshua this time.  "Congratulations to Joshua. She pray that he will have a happy marriage."  It is so good to hear from her again.  Abigail is such a cheerful, thoughtful little spirit!

Third thing: As many of you know, I am working on the direction in my life. I had grand plans after college, and those plans shattered.  The recovery portion that followed afterward has finally come to a point that allows for more than just sweeping up pieces and repairing that which is reparable, it is finally at a point of upward building.  My back is finally heading towards working properly again, and all of the legal issues are rapidly dissipating.  These are very liberating things!  I have been doing a lot of praying lately, trying to determine where to go from here.  I do not want to go into too many details, but I am finally starting to get a feeling of a possible forward motion.  I went to an informational meeting on some possibilities last night, and it just feels so very right. I am excited at the prospect of not just trudging past failures, but leaping into new possibilities! How's that for being frustratingly vague?  The point of the "third thing" being mentioned is that I am really excited just at the possibility, and I would really appreciate your prayers as I make my decisions that I would make my decisions based on wisdom and God's leading, and not succumb to making a decision simply out of eagerness to start a new adventure.

Those are my three things for today.  As it is also Thursday, you  get a joke or riddle of some sort.  This one comes from my Mom. I had forgotten it until she posted it the other day, but I do remember that it was one of my favorites as a teenager!

The 13 year old, the pilot, and the smartest man in the world:

There were three people in an airplane. The pilot, a 13 year old boy, and the smartest man in the world.  The smartest man in the world often reminded them of his status throughout the trip.

The plane started having engine problems, and they discovered that there were only two parachutes. They began to discuss who should use the parachutes, when the smartest man in the world grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The pilot, being the better man, then told the boy that he should take the second chute. But the boy was doubled over laughing.  The boy responded, "That's okay! We will both take parachutes! The smartest man in the world just took my backpack!" 


Have a nice Thursday!

-Caitlin

Keeping up: Literacy, 2

Starting at the beginning of the year, I challenged myself to read more.  The details being that I should read one new(to me) book a month, and ideally I would read at least 2 books.
February is over, and I get to count that as the second successful month of the year.

I finished A Tale of Two Cities, which was my hover book for multiple years(At last, I'm free!).  It took a lot of will power, so when that was done, I allowed myself a book I've been eying for a  while now, Under The Overpass, and an easier book with an interesting cover, Wringer.

The main question I pose to myself when people ask me if I would suggest a book to them is, "Would I be willing to read this book again?"  If my answer is no, I am not likely to suggest the book to someone else.  Sometimes, a book is excellent, and the amount of effort it required from me was so high that I would likely never read it again, so, I would consider that an exception to my instant "no" clause.   

A Tale of Two Cities  is one of those exceptions.  I might, someday, possibly in 10 years, be willing to read it again, but really, it took sooooo much work out of me to finish it, it will take ten years to work up to that decision, BUT it is an excellent book!  It should be read.  It has an insane number of details, especially historic political details, that grate on a reader's endurance, but in the end all of those details work together, and make the story excellent.  It is dry and boring until 2/3 into the book, and then it is dry and interesting.  That big finish? The one that makes you gasp and consider getting misty eyed? Yeah, Mr. Dickens really knows how to cling onto it, because he literally holds on to it until the l...a...s...t stinking page!  There is no real warming up to it, and then BLAM!  One paragraph, on the last page, and it switches you from calling the blasted book "The nightmarish slavemaster" to "That gorgeous book."  In summary, I have told people that I think I am suffering Stockholm's syndrome with this blasted book, but I think I love it. This is the reason why I deserved a treat.  Concluding this book, would I suggest this book to you? Yes, but only with the warning that it will be a lot of work.

Under The Overpass (by Mike Yankoski) was my special treat. The first time I laid eyes on the book was at my Granny's church library.  I knew that being a guest from out of town, I should probably not snag their last remaining copy.  When I came across it while house sitting, I knew that I needed to quickly finish "The nightmarish slave master" so that I could bum this book out of my friends' library.  It is about a Christian young man, who attended a Christian college, who needed to know if his faith was genuine or just born of his life of plenty. He found a partner, and lived 5 months as homeless men in 5 of some of the most heavily homeless populated cities in America, and journaled throughout it, and then came back and wrote this book.  The purpose?  He answers this question on page 19: "1. To better understand the life of the homeless in America, and to see firsthand how the church is responding to their needs. 2.To encourage others to 'live out loud' for Christ in whatever ways God is asking them to. 3. To learn personally what it means to depend on Christ for my daily physical needs, and to experience contentment and confidence in him."  The book is raw, honest, and easily devoured.  It is somewhat choppy, consisting of short stories that don't often have a conclusion, or a desired conclusion, because the stories are real life, and sometimes we are not told the ends of the stories we encounter in real life.  It was good food for thought, while also being an easy read (it's double spaced, you will feel like a real genius flying through chapters at the speed you do).  So, would I suggest Under the Overpass to you? Yes.  I would even suggest it to non-Christian friends.

And finally, Wringer by Jerry Spinelli.  This book slipped in by the skin of its tooth, this month.  I finished it yesterday, and had honestly not expected it to be a February book.  It is from the Young Readers section of the Goodwill Bookstore.  I picked it up because of the creepy cover art and Newberry Medal on it.  I realized later that the Newberry Medal had actually been awarded for  the author's other book, Maniac Magee.  It's good to visit the chapter book section. I am actually a fan of children's chapter books, because they are written so differently. They know that if they do not grab the kid's attention upfront, the kid will not finish. Smart. This one is about a town that annually has a pigeon shooting competition in order to raise money for the maintenance of the park.  Boys, 10 and up, are given the job of clearing the field of the dead pigeons, and wringing the necks of the injured pigeons.  The pigeons are then used as fertilizer.  The main character starts off as a young child not understanding why they need to kill the pigeons, to understanding that soon it will be his job to be a wringer, and dreading his tenth birthday.  He lives in a town that "hates pigeons" and he doesn't, but he also knows that if he does not fulfill his job as a wringer, he'll never be able to hold his head up at school again.  After this, there are few predictable twists in the story to complicate it.  The reason I read this level of books, though, is because usually they are really good at enrapturing the reader. This one wasn't.  As a reader, you feel close to feeling with the main character, but he never manages to break through the wall that changes your reason to read from being because "it's interesting" to being because "I feel what he feels and I must know what happens."  The author grazes by areas that could have delved deeper, drawn the reader in, but instead he almost deals with them as a nuisance, a distraction from his pigeons.  In my opinion, which won't matter much, because you don't know the characters, the main character's best friend is far too nice, far too quick to forgive and forget, which makes her a character that lacks depth. What are we teaching kids? That we can treat our friends in the worst ways we can imagine so long as when we decide we need a friend again we turn around and say, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me."  The book ends exactly as the beginning led you to believe it would, without even making you think for a minute that it might not end that way.  In the end though, I know I can't judge it too harshly, as this book is written for 4th-6th graders.  25 year olds who read books for 10 year olds aren't allowed to be upset with the books.  It was an interesting book, that I finished like I might finish a newspaper article, but had I been 10 and reading this book, I would not have finished it.  And so, would I recommend Wringer to anyone? No, however, I would not stop you from reading it, if you decided to do so. It wasn't a complete waste of time.

Welcome to March!  Next up?

 

I'm not really sure, as far as the whole month goes, but I am still dabbling in My Friend Flicka and Sherlock Holmes when the moods strike, and I am working quickly through Unshaken which so far is an incredibly good book by Dan Wooley about his experience of being trapped under the earthquake rubble of Haiti a year ago.  Ten chapters in, and it has already stolen a few tears, here and there.  I am a little concerned about this month's reading, because as you might notice, all of the books I have left in my reserve are hardback, thick books... I knocked off my easy ones last month, after needing a break from "The Nightmarish slave master." 

As far as the Literacy Challenge goes, though, I am really enjoying it. I really have missed reading, and getting to experience at least one adventure a month has been quite enjoyable for me!  I am sure my family is about to strangle me if they have to hear, "That's interesting, I've been reading a book this week that talks about that subject, and..." one more time, but I guess they'll either have to become more patient, or I'll have to become more durable, because I don't think it's likely to stop any time soon.

If you have made it to the end of this post, congratulations! You can almost count it as one of your monthly books, it was so long!

Thanks for reading,

-Caitlin

The Literacy Challenge

I love to read. More specifically, I love to read non-assigned, good books.  I have  friends who pick up books and read them to the end, whether they like them or not.  I have friends that, during the height of finals in senior year which all textbooks try to kill a soul, still managed to read at least one extra-curricular book a month.  I am a little more fickle than that, I am afraid.  I have a tendency to put a book down and leave it unfinished if it dares to bore me. In fact, up until high school, I devoured books like they were my only source of oxygen. That slowed down a bit when in high school, I found myself bogged down by keeping up with school reading assignments. When I got to college, this sad pattern continued. When I graduated and started working in the ambulance, my available time for reading increased, and so for a moment, my demands for books went up again, and then I got switched to the office, where reading books is generally frowned upon during office hours.  All of this to say, I really have missed reading. So I am trying something new this year, and I know I may not succeed every month, but it's a plan that I like.

Read at least one book a month. 

A majority of my friends just started laughing hysterically at me, because they are closer to reading a book/week, but that's okay, I'm okay with being their comic relief, occasionally.  To be more specific with my plan, I want to read at least two books a month, but I will consider a month a success if at least one book is read.  And by "read" I mean an actual paper book. (Some of you may know, that I love a good audiobook...those I usually do two a month only because my finances limit me from doing more).  The requirements for the monthly books are these: Must be a paper book, at least one book/month must be new to me.  Beyond that, it really doesn't matter what the book is, how thick it is, who it was written for, or the topic. The majority of the books will be selected by my meandering through the Goodwill Book store(A wonderful place where a blender mix of books are available for $0.25-$1.50/each...these books will be denoted by GWB in the future), but I'm also open to gifts, loans, and suggestions.  And so my meandering lit adventure has begun!

So far, I must say that I am into the second month of year with a good starting success rate. For January, I finished When She Was Good by Norma Fox Mazer(GWB), Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard (GWB)(Quite a small book, considering it has two authors) suggested to me by my college friend, Peter, and Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry (The author of The Giver.... Thanks, Morgan!).  I'm feeling smarter already.

Now it is February.  I have a bigger task at hand, because I have a variety of books I am reading right now, and I know I need to choose at least one to actually finish this month! I also just received Unshaken: Rising from the Ruins of Haiti's Hotel Montana in the mail.  So many choices!  As my challenge goes forward, I may start giving updates and recommendations on books, but mostly, I'm just using this blog as accountability ;-), thanks for being there for the sake of my intelligence, blogfriends!

So far, this month's range of books are:

• The Adventures and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes(Another hearty thanks to Morgan!)
• A Tale of Two Cities(This is one of my hover books... I've been reading it off and on for years, depending ony my tolerance level for boredom)
• Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Technically my car book, which is there for reading when stuck at appointments, but I'm thinking it may be time to end this particular road trip)
• My Friend, Flicka (I've read it multiple times, however, I have not read it since I was 11)
• Unshaken

We shall see which books turn up finished this month!