On the recommendation of my friend Andrea I read Lois Lowry's book "The Willoughbys".
I loved reading Lowry's books when I was younger and it was nice to go back in time and read something by her again. The Willoughbys is a tongue and cheek homage to classic children's stories. It begins with the four Willoughby children; Tim - the eldest, Jane - the youngest, and the twins Barnaby A and Barnaby B. They are old fashioned children who have parents who dislike them or forget about them all together.
Every children's story cliche appears in this book and the author kindly spells out which story she is referencing (for those who may not know already). The story moves at a quick pace and doesn't get hung up on the details of the why, when, and how. All though this is technically a children's book, adults can appreciate the humor and will get more out of the references than some younger readers.
What I really enjoyed was the expansive vocabulary the author uses. She doesn't try to dumb things down and even includes a helpful glossary in the back with witty definitions of some of the more troublesome words. There is so much I want to say about this book, but I don't want to give anything away. For a book that is only 157 pages long it is jam packed. Fans of the "Series of Unfortunate Events" would also get a kick out of this story.
If you are interested in reading "The Willoughbys" by Lois Lowry you can find it at Barnes and Noble or in the Juvenile section at your local library.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Nothing new yet . . .
The past week has been really crazy with school and the kids. Too many quizzes, tests, and assignments. Plus I'm transitioning the kids from the babysitter to home. In short I haven't been reading any books (except text books) this week. After Tuesday things should slow down and I'll pick up something light to read before the craziness of finals.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Hour I First Believed
I decided to go with something different from what I would normally read this week. I read Wally Lamb's latest book "The Hour I First Believed". This is the first time I have read one of his novels, but I have heard great things about some of his previous novels and thought I would give this one a try.
The story centers around Caelum Quirk and his wife Maureen. They both work at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. By some twist in fate Caelum was across the country at the funeral of a family member while his wife, the school nurse, hid in a closet praying that her life would not be snuffed out in the hail of gunfire brought on by two teenage gunmen. From this moment the shaky lives they led before are forever changed. While Maureen fights her own demons , Caelum begins to discover family secrets long hidden.
I really wanted to like this book. Lamb has a great flow to his words, but there was just too much for one book. The narration was all over the place and it made the whole work feel disorganized. Although the author tried to make Caelum's flaws forgivable give the hand that he has been dealt, often he comes of sounding like a jerk. Many of the main characters were not fleshed out enough to make me care about them, especially Maureen. She was easily the most complex character in the book, but little was done with her except showing her downward spiral through the somewhat oblivious eyes of Caelum. Some of the revelations Caelum experiences are good reading, but there is just too much drama for this one book to hold, I think it would have worked better as two separate stories as opposed to one large tragedy.
If you are interested in reading "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb you can find it at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
The story centers around Caelum Quirk and his wife Maureen. They both work at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. By some twist in fate Caelum was across the country at the funeral of a family member while his wife, the school nurse, hid in a closet praying that her life would not be snuffed out in the hail of gunfire brought on by two teenage gunmen. From this moment the shaky lives they led before are forever changed. While Maureen fights her own demons , Caelum begins to discover family secrets long hidden.
I really wanted to like this book. Lamb has a great flow to his words, but there was just too much for one book. The narration was all over the place and it made the whole work feel disorganized. Although the author tried to make Caelum's flaws forgivable give the hand that he has been dealt, often he comes of sounding like a jerk. Many of the main characters were not fleshed out enough to make me care about them, especially Maureen. She was easily the most complex character in the book, but little was done with her except showing her downward spiral through the somewhat oblivious eyes of Caelum. Some of the revelations Caelum experiences are good reading, but there is just too much drama for this one book to hold, I think it would have worked better as two separate stories as opposed to one large tragedy.
If you are interested in reading "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb you can find it at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
Children's Book of the Week
This week I'm choosing a book by one of the greatest preschool author/illustrators ever. Sandra Boynton injects humor and fun into all her books. One of the few authors I don't mind reading over and over again - which is often since my kids like her books as much as I do, if not more.
We read one of her new books today "Fifteen Animals!" and my kids loved it! Both of my kids are really into counting right now and this book was perfect because they could count along and each page has the number on it as well. My son also liked naming all the animals and making their sounds. Another great feature about this book is that it comes with a free song that can be downloaded.
You can find "Fifteen Animals!" by Sandra Boynton at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
We read one of her new books today "Fifteen Animals!" and my kids loved it! Both of my kids are really into counting right now and this book was perfect because they could count along and each page has the number on it as well. My son also liked naming all the animals and making their sounds. Another great feature about this book is that it comes with a free song that can be downloaded.
You can find "Fifteen Animals!" by Sandra Boynton at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Looking for a new title
I think I need a new title for my blog. Unfortunately I'm pretty drained in the creative department right now and nothing I think of seems to click. I want something creative and memorable, but not too cutesy or cliche.
Monday, February 9, 2009
8 Books Already!
I'm pretty impressed with myself! This time last year I'm pretty sure I was on my first book still. Hopefully I can keep this pace up! I think I am doing so well this year because my kids are a bit older and more self sufficient so I can read more frequently during the day instead of waiting for them to go to bed.
I have a couple books set aside for this week, but I'm not sure which one I want to read yet. The way I normally decide is to read the first chapter and if I keep going that is the one I'm going to read. I hope to have something started by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.
I have a couple books set aside for this week, but I'm not sure which one I want to read yet. The way I normally decide is to read the first chapter and if I keep going that is the one I'm going to read. I hope to have something started by tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest.
Book Review
The other book I read this weekend was "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer. This is the final book in the Twilight series (YAY!)
What can I say . . . I liked about 1/3 of the book. Most of what I liked was written from Jacob's point of view. His thoughts and opinions didn't bother me nearly as much as Bella's.
With that said - here's the thing I really dislike and is prevalent throughout the series. I don't think Bella is realistic in her emotions about becoming a vampire. I understand love is a powerful thing, I love my own husband dearly and would jump through fire for him, but I would have also been concerned about leaving my family and friends and all the other human things that would be given up. Bella's character rarely if at all thinks about the difficult decision she is about to make and how it will affect her family. She doesn't have a conflict when it comes to the literal life and death decision she has made - she has made it and accepted it. The only time she waivers is when she finds out how good the sex is between her and Edward and she is afraid it won't be the same after she is changed. I'm sorry but sex is pretty far down on the list of things I would be thinking about if I was poised to give up my humanity.
I also find that the conflicts that Meyer does come up with are forced and utterly hard to believe even in the fictional world she has created. She also made it too easy for Bella to transition from human to vampire. If this was slowing her story down then she should have created a separate book for the encounter with the Volturi. Sometime I felt that she was just writing to see how many pages she could write since each book is longer than the previous one.
As I have written in the past - the central idea of the story was good and so much good material could have come from it. But just because you have a degree in English Literature does not mean you can write. I am so glad to be finished with this series - I really wished that I could like more about it, but the utterly lack of maturity in the writing, stretched plot lines, and my dislike of the main character made it hard.
This weekend I actually sucked it up and went to see the movie Twilight - and although there were some things I didn't like (mostly camera angles and too many close-ups) I have to say for the first time ever that the movie was better than the book. Hopefully with a different director for New Moon I might like that movie as well - especially since of the four books I dislike that one the most.
If you would like to read Breaking Dawn you can find it at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
What can I say . . . I liked about 1/3 of the book. Most of what I liked was written from Jacob's point of view. His thoughts and opinions didn't bother me nearly as much as Bella's.
With that said - here's the thing I really dislike and is prevalent throughout the series. I don't think Bella is realistic in her emotions about becoming a vampire. I understand love is a powerful thing, I love my own husband dearly and would jump through fire for him, but I would have also been concerned about leaving my family and friends and all the other human things that would be given up. Bella's character rarely if at all thinks about the difficult decision she is about to make and how it will affect her family. She doesn't have a conflict when it comes to the literal life and death decision she has made - she has made it and accepted it. The only time she waivers is when she finds out how good the sex is between her and Edward and she is afraid it won't be the same after she is changed. I'm sorry but sex is pretty far down on the list of things I would be thinking about if I was poised to give up my humanity.
I also find that the conflicts that Meyer does come up with are forced and utterly hard to believe even in the fictional world she has created. She also made it too easy for Bella to transition from human to vampire. If this was slowing her story down then she should have created a separate book for the encounter with the Volturi. Sometime I felt that she was just writing to see how many pages she could write since each book is longer than the previous one.
As I have written in the past - the central idea of the story was good and so much good material could have come from it. But just because you have a degree in English Literature does not mean you can write. I am so glad to be finished with this series - I really wished that I could like more about it, but the utterly lack of maturity in the writing, stretched plot lines, and my dislike of the main character made it hard.
This weekend I actually sucked it up and went to see the movie Twilight - and although there were some things I didn't like (mostly camera angles and too many close-ups) I have to say for the first time ever that the movie was better than the book. Hopefully with a different director for New Moon I might like that movie as well - especially since of the four books I dislike that one the most.
If you would like to read Breaking Dawn you can find it at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
Book Review
This weekend I read "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss.
This is a beautiful book. The majority of the book centers around two people, Leo Gursky and Alma Singer.
Leo is a Polish Jew who managed to escape the Nazis during World War II. Before the war he wrote a book for the woman he loved Alma. Alma left for America before the war and Leo tried to make his way to her but the war interfered. He left his manuscript with a trusted friend and believed that it did not survive. He talks about his daily life and obsessions as he nears death.
Alma Singer is a 15 year old girl who was named after the character in a book called The History of Love. Her mother has been in a state of constant grieving since the death of Alma's father seven years earlier. Alma also has to deal with her younger brother Bird who believes he is the Messiah. She struggles with the memories of her father and the grief her mother feels. When a mysterious stranger asks her mother to translate The History of Love into English, Alma becomes suddenly intrigued by the woman she is named for.
The book is full of twists and turns as Leo and Alma try to find meaning in their lives. Each main character has their own voice. Krauss does a fantastic job making each characters soliloquy stand out. There is no confusion over who is talking, but for those who might have trouble at the top of each chapter is a symbol that represents the character that is speaking in the chapter. Sadly there is no happy ending, just a beautiful reminder that life is what it is and that you can't live it in the past.
I think this is probably the best book I have read so far this year. You can find The History of Love at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
This is a beautiful book. The majority of the book centers around two people, Leo Gursky and Alma Singer.
Leo is a Polish Jew who managed to escape the Nazis during World War II. Before the war he wrote a book for the woman he loved Alma. Alma left for America before the war and Leo tried to make his way to her but the war interfered. He left his manuscript with a trusted friend and believed that it did not survive. He talks about his daily life and obsessions as he nears death.
Alma Singer is a 15 year old girl who was named after the character in a book called The History of Love. Her mother has been in a state of constant grieving since the death of Alma's father seven years earlier. Alma also has to deal with her younger brother Bird who believes he is the Messiah. She struggles with the memories of her father and the grief her mother feels. When a mysterious stranger asks her mother to translate The History of Love into English, Alma becomes suddenly intrigued by the woman she is named for.
The book is full of twists and turns as Leo and Alma try to find meaning in their lives. Each main character has their own voice. Krauss does a fantastic job making each characters soliloquy stand out. There is no confusion over who is talking, but for those who might have trouble at the top of each chapter is a symbol that represents the character that is speaking in the chapter. Sadly there is no happy ending, just a beautiful reminder that life is what it is and that you can't live it in the past.
I think this is probably the best book I have read so far this year. You can find The History of Love at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Internet Down
Currently I'm writing this from the local library - unfortunately my internet is down until at least tomorrow - maybe longer. I am reading two new books which I will hopefully finish tomorrow and I should have an update and review by Tuesday - Wednesday at the latest. I will also make my children's book pick on Tuesday since I know I will be at the library that day.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Children's Book Pick of the Week
"Food for thought: The complete book of concepts for growing minds" by Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers
This book is fantastic! Concepts such as shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites are presented through the kid friendly medium of food. Each page has a beautiful photograph of the carved fruits and veggies. For example for the number 9, there are 9 nine frogs created by green bell peppers. The creativity involved is just amazing.
My kids love looking at this book. The pictures are so engaging that often my reading services are not required. But if I am asked to read this book I don't mind because the food sculptures are just so amazing to look at.
This book is available at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
This book is fantastic! Concepts such as shapes, colors, numbers, letters, and opposites are presented through the kid friendly medium of food. Each page has a beautiful photograph of the carved fruits and veggies. For example for the number 9, there are 9 nine frogs created by green bell peppers. The creativity involved is just amazing.My kids love looking at this book. The pictures are so engaging that often my reading services are not required. But if I am asked to read this book I don't mind because the food sculptures are just so amazing to look at.
This book is available at Barnes and Noble or your local library.
Children's Book of the Week
I thought I would add a little section to my blog to review children's books. Since I have two small children of my own I read about 15 books a day. Before I started teaching I would pick children's books based on the illustrations or the title. Over the years and thousands of books later I have learned what makes a good book not only for the kids, but for the adult reader as well.
For February and March I plan on introducing one book a week on Wednesdays. If all goes well I may take a stab at picking books based on age groups sometime this spring.
Books will be rated based on these factors:
*Length for Age Group - is it too long, too short, etc. . .
*Language for Age Group - do the kids understand the vocabulary of the story.
*Illustrations - are they enhancing the story or are they too busy.
*Topic - age appropriate content.
*Understandability - can the child retell the story and answer questions
*and the 15 Test - can an adult read it 15 times without throwing it at the wall.
For February and March I plan on introducing one book a week on Wednesdays. If all goes well I may take a stab at picking books based on age groups sometime this spring.
Books will be rated based on these factors:
*Length for Age Group - is it too long, too short, etc. . .
*Language for Age Group - do the kids understand the vocabulary of the story.
*Illustrations - are they enhancing the story or are they too busy.
*Topic - age appropriate content.
*Understandability - can the child retell the story and answer questions
*and the 15 Test - can an adult read it 15 times without throwing it at the wall.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Book Selection
This week I chose to read "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill.
This is a true story about a man who thought he had it all - job with a major advertising firm, loving wife and children. And then it all started to unravel - losing his job because of his age, losing his wife due to an affair, and to top it all off he has been diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor that is taking his hearing with it.
One day Michael Gates Gill was sitting in a Starbucks worrying about where he will find the money to pay his rent, how he will pay for his operation, and how to provide health insurance for his young son . . . when a young woman asked him if he would like a job. This was the beginning of a new life for Mike as he became know to the many friends he would make working at the Starbucks on Ninety-Third and Broadway in Manhattan.
I liked this book. I liked the lessons Mike learned about what it meant to show and receive respect and what it means to be happy. He tried his best to change his way of thinking, sometimes he had some missteps but he kept on working at it. One thing that did annoy me about the book was the constant name dropping. Every single chapter Mike would reflect on some part of his past which inevitably meant he was going to discuss meeting a famous or important person. I understand that he probably did meet and work with these people, but it just proved to me that Mike wasn't ready to give up that part of his past. Aside from that the overall message of the book was good and I do recommend it.
If you're interested in reading "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill, you can find it at Barnes and Noble or at your local library.
This is a true story about a man who thought he had it all - job with a major advertising firm, loving wife and children. And then it all started to unravel - losing his job because of his age, losing his wife due to an affair, and to top it all off he has been diagnosed with a slow growing brain tumor that is taking his hearing with it.
One day Michael Gates Gill was sitting in a Starbucks worrying about where he will find the money to pay his rent, how he will pay for his operation, and how to provide health insurance for his young son . . . when a young woman asked him if he would like a job. This was the beginning of a new life for Mike as he became know to the many friends he would make working at the Starbucks on Ninety-Third and Broadway in Manhattan.
I liked this book. I liked the lessons Mike learned about what it meant to show and receive respect and what it means to be happy. He tried his best to change his way of thinking, sometimes he had some missteps but he kept on working at it. One thing that did annoy me about the book was the constant name dropping. Every single chapter Mike would reflect on some part of his past which inevitably meant he was going to discuss meeting a famous or important person. I understand that he probably did meet and work with these people, but it just proved to me that Mike wasn't ready to give up that part of his past. Aside from that the overall message of the book was good and I do recommend it.
If you're interested in reading "How Starbucks Saved My Life" by Michael Gates Gill, you can find it at Barnes and Noble or at your local library.
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