Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton
I was considering buying this book when I saw it on the New Items shelf at the libary! I love saving money and reading good books, so this was perfect. This book is based on the blog maintained by the author. It's an amazing project, but I'm not going to get into it too much here. Basically, he takes pictures of people in New York and talks to them a bit, if they are willing. He includes some portion of what they say with their photo. It can be really powerful.
My burgeoning interest in photography has me loving this. I've known about this project for a while, but didn't get too into it. I'm bad at tracking things like this that are constantly updated. This book is a collection of some of the photos and interviews from the blog. Since it's largely photos, you can read through it pretty quickly, but the photos are definitely worth giving attention to. It's quite poignant at times and addresses a lot of different topics that can hit home for people.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
I've seen this as a giveaway book on Goodreads a bunch, but it just didn't seem that appealing to me. I expect it to be okay, but nothing terribly exciting. I'm only two chapters in, and it's interesting, but it really hasn't grabbed me yet. I'm not very far though, so I'm certainly going to keep going. This was also on the New Items shelf at the library, so I figured I'd pick it up for a light read in between all of the obligatory things I've had to read lately.
Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
Man, I haven't read this one since about seventh or eighth grade. I think I missed a lot then, because oh my goodness I do not remember it being so racist! Basic story line: a guy takes out a loan to help his friend get married, then thinks he can't pay it back, then the new wife saves the day by dressing up as a lawyer and stopping the crazy thing that the loaner guy demanded as payment. There is a ton of racism against the loaner, Shylock, because he's a Jew. The hard thing is that as a modern audience, we generally think that's terrible, but back then the audience would be right on board with the Jew hate. Portia, the wife, is also racist because her various suitors come from all over the globe. She makes fun of them as the stereotypes of their land, and at one point dismisses the Prince of Morocco because he's black.
This story is really racist, but it's also not as happy as a comedy usually would be. Antonio is sad at the beginning, resigns himself to death, is saved from death and made super rich, but is also still left alone at the end, and even more so because he now has lost his two best friends to their happy marriages. But even the marriages aren't the happy since the wives start it off by telling the husbands that they had sex with other men while they were gone. These happy-ending marriages are based on uneasy wariness. It's not really a comedy or a tragedy. It's happy and sad. It's a very interesting play in that way; definitely good to discuss with a group.
This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
This was a required book for my young adult lit class, and I really did not like it. It won some awards, and that's great, but man it did not work for me. It's a graphic novel done in a purply-grayscale color. I didn't love it because it felt like nothing happened. I can see its merit in certain situations or for certain people, but it bored and frustrated me. These two girls around 12 years old are friends at their summer cabin place. One girl's mother has some kind of issue and her parents are obviously fighting about it, which we eventually uncover. There is a local girl, about 17, who gets pregnant and her boyfriend won't help her out. That's essentially it. Part of what started this off on a terrible foot for me is that the boyfriend is presented as the guy one girl has a crush on, which really creeped me out because I had thought that he was about 70 years old and had no teeth. That made everything after it a hard leap for me because that was still how I saw him.
Meh.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Friday, November 20, 2015
November 15 - 21
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
This book made me laugh a LOT, which is awesome to begin with. For a book about cancer, it was hilarious. Actually, though, I think I want to rephrase that: this book is not about cancer, it's about people. One of them happens to have cancer. There is a blurb about this book with a quote that roughly says "This book begs comparison to The Fault in Our Stars, but it's really quite funny!" I really hate that quote. This book is nothing at all similar to The Fault in Our Stars. It's actually funny. It's not all complainy. It's realistic. It's mot trying to be all meta and deep about cancer and life and death. That has it's place, I guess, but jeez, this book was just SO MUCH BETTER. Love story? Nope. No romance. Deep sad ending with death? Nope. Things just happen. For once, a book that has the balls to be... predictable? I don't know that that's quite right. But frankly, right at the beginning it's "She has cancer and will most likely die." At the end, it's "She had cancer, and she died." I feel like this does more justice to the difficulties and pain of cancer than trying to be tricky and sneaky about who might die in a novel. Cancer sucks, and it is often truly just unstoppable.
(In a horrible coincidence, my reading of these two notable books with people who have cancer in it coincided with learning about a cancer diagnosis of someone I grew up with. It looks like she'll be okay, but again, cancer sucks.)
Bomb! by Steve Sheinkin
I'm still plowing through this one. I'm not sure why it's taking so long, since it's very interesting and well-written! It's incredibly interesting to me to see a remarkably unbiased story in these pages. How did Sheinkin manage to write about the KGB in a way that makes me feel sympathetic at times? For spies? That is some incredible disinterest right there. I don't have a lot more to add, other than that this is yet another great example of nonfiction!!
Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
Unexpectedly, I really liked this play. It's all politics and speeches, and yet it feels like the most realistic play of Shakespeare's that I've read so far (especially for a tragedy). I feel for the main character, though I hesitate to say the same for the title character. Coriolanus is in many ways a different man from Caius Martius; the moment Martius receives the title Coriolanus in honor of his victory over the Volscians, he is basically screwed. He knows that he is not going to do well with begging the plebians who are far below his exalted status for their votes for him as their Consul. He repeatedly tells those who plead with him to apologize and beg for forgiveness and lie that there is no way he will be able to do that convincingly because he is so firmly against ever betraying the truth of his heart. I love this play because it raises many difficult questions. Is Coriolanus' tragic flaw that he won't lie? That would be quite a commentary on societal expectations and rules.
We were so close to a happy ending, but of course it couldn't happen. This has to be the least tragic tragedy in Shakespeare's ouevre, though. Only Coriolanus dies. This is unheard of. The ending is so quiet, Coriolanus so truly confused. We were all so close, and in the end, I am not even sure if I am upset with Aufidius or not. The people I am most upset with in this whole play are exactly that: the people. The mobs! They change their minds over and over and ruin everything in their thirst for equality and blood. In this story, it should have been the mob who met their downfall, as they were the ones who seemed to toss around the idea of vengeance like it was nothing.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Remember this series? I mostly do. I read these books sometime around May this year, and I LOVED them! Unfortunately for me, it was a more recent series, so this last book in the series was only just released this fall. I finally got my hands on it! (Shoutout to Overdrive and Merrimack Valley Library Consortium!) It's almost 700 pages long, which I was quite surprised by, but I'm pleased that this ending will be appropriately convoluted and epic as is fitting for a series like this. I'm about 150 pages in at the moment, and yes, it is appropriately convoluted and epic. Now, I'm going to stop writing and get back to reading!!
This book made me laugh a LOT, which is awesome to begin with. For a book about cancer, it was hilarious. Actually, though, I think I want to rephrase that: this book is not about cancer, it's about people. One of them happens to have cancer. There is a blurb about this book with a quote that roughly says "This book begs comparison to The Fault in Our Stars, but it's really quite funny!" I really hate that quote. This book is nothing at all similar to The Fault in Our Stars. It's actually funny. It's not all complainy. It's realistic. It's mot trying to be all meta and deep about cancer and life and death. That has it's place, I guess, but jeez, this book was just SO MUCH BETTER. Love story? Nope. No romance. Deep sad ending with death? Nope. Things just happen. For once, a book that has the balls to be... predictable? I don't know that that's quite right. But frankly, right at the beginning it's "She has cancer and will most likely die." At the end, it's "She had cancer, and she died." I feel like this does more justice to the difficulties and pain of cancer than trying to be tricky and sneaky about who might die in a novel. Cancer sucks, and it is often truly just unstoppable.
(In a horrible coincidence, my reading of these two notable books with people who have cancer in it coincided with learning about a cancer diagnosis of someone I grew up with. It looks like she'll be okay, but again, cancer sucks.)
Bomb! by Steve Sheinkin
I'm still plowing through this one. I'm not sure why it's taking so long, since it's very interesting and well-written! It's incredibly interesting to me to see a remarkably unbiased story in these pages. How did Sheinkin manage to write about the KGB in a way that makes me feel sympathetic at times? For spies? That is some incredible disinterest right there. I don't have a lot more to add, other than that this is yet another great example of nonfiction!!
Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
Unexpectedly, I really liked this play. It's all politics and speeches, and yet it feels like the most realistic play of Shakespeare's that I've read so far (especially for a tragedy). I feel for the main character, though I hesitate to say the same for the title character. Coriolanus is in many ways a different man from Caius Martius; the moment Martius receives the title Coriolanus in honor of his victory over the Volscians, he is basically screwed. He knows that he is not going to do well with begging the plebians who are far below his exalted status for their votes for him as their Consul. He repeatedly tells those who plead with him to apologize and beg for forgiveness and lie that there is no way he will be able to do that convincingly because he is so firmly against ever betraying the truth of his heart. I love this play because it raises many difficult questions. Is Coriolanus' tragic flaw that he won't lie? That would be quite a commentary on societal expectations and rules.
We were so close to a happy ending, but of course it couldn't happen. This has to be the least tragic tragedy in Shakespeare's ouevre, though. Only Coriolanus dies. This is unheard of. The ending is so quiet, Coriolanus so truly confused. We were all so close, and in the end, I am not even sure if I am upset with Aufidius or not. The people I am most upset with in this whole play are exactly that: the people. The mobs! They change their minds over and over and ruin everything in their thirst for equality and blood. In this story, it should have been the mob who met their downfall, as they were the ones who seemed to toss around the idea of vengeance like it was nothing.
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Remember this series? I mostly do. I read these books sometime around May this year, and I LOVED them! Unfortunately for me, it was a more recent series, so this last book in the series was only just released this fall. I finally got my hands on it! (Shoutout to Overdrive and Merrimack Valley Library Consortium!) It's almost 700 pages long, which I was quite surprised by, but I'm pleased that this ending will be appropriately convoluted and epic as is fitting for a series like this. I'm about 150 pages in at the moment, and yes, it is appropriately convoluted and epic. Now, I'm going to stop writing and get back to reading!!
Friday, October 23, 2015
October 18 - 24
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
I can't believe how much I'm actually enjoying this! My experience in the past with A Room of One's Own had me cursing the name of Virginia Woolf, and when I saw her name on one of my class's reading lists, I groaned and moaned like a... person who doesn't like Virginia Woolf. This second part, Time Passes, was kind of difficult to get through since it's narrating a house changing over years of being empty. It was surprisingly awkward since there was no real narrator and no characters. Just shadows and dust. Apparently, Woolf herself didn't even know what to do with that section and was happy anybody even liked it. Well, I plowed through it. I actually just finished the book, and what has stuck with me most throughout the whole thing is the interaction of characters with isolation, loneliness, and being alone. They are not considered to be all the same thing in this novel, and this is probably what I'm going to focus my thesis on for this year. Last time I had to read Woolf, I wouldn't even write the 5-page paper assigned, which was the first time I had ever refused to do an assignment and something that has never happened since. Now, I'm planning to write a 20+ page paper on her, and feel like I might even blow past that page length. How things have changed.
Teaching Hope by the Freedom Writer Teachers & Erin Gruwell
You know, I finally finished this, and it's a good thing. I was getting really tired of it for some reason. I've read it in sections over the course of a month or so now for my philosophy of education class, and man, it just dragged on for me. I think my issue was that it was organized by category of the story, so I would be bombarded with sixty pages of depressing stories about teaching at once. Then another sixty pages of great moments in teaching. Then another sixty about getting ready to teach. The stories sort of lost their impact when read en masse like that, and I started being unfazed and even annoyed with it by the end. (See this reflection on the final chapter where I'm straight-up annoyed.) Also in that link are my reflections on each section, which is why I hadn't been including it in these; I've already been writing about it.
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
I'm only 58 pages in to this book, and yet also 20 chapters! It's one of those books. It's intriguing, though. I'm feeling aspects of other books creeping into it, which is a little unimpressive, but I'm still curious to see where this next dystopian-based book heads. To the moon, apparently. (Also, how is it possible that the Google Chrome dictionary doesn't have dystopian in it?)
King Lear by William Shakespeare
You know, I'm pretty unimpressed with this one. It could be because we're reading it right after Othello which is probably my favorite Shakespeare play, but King Lear is just sort of boring to me. He's a father who makes his kids play the "who loves me most" game until they get what they want, get sick of him, and decide to kill him. Now, I think their decision to kill him is disturbingly extreme and sudden, but he's also been super childish in his dealings with them (not to mention sort of an idiot, as is expected from our tragic figure of the play's title). Oddly enough, I kept feeling like I had read this already and then I realized it's because Mr. Ramsay in To The Lighthouse is just as needy and childish towards Mrs. Ramsay (and basically every other woman in the novel).
I can't believe how much I'm actually enjoying this! My experience in the past with A Room of One's Own had me cursing the name of Virginia Woolf, and when I saw her name on one of my class's reading lists, I groaned and moaned like a... person who doesn't like Virginia Woolf. This second part, Time Passes, was kind of difficult to get through since it's narrating a house changing over years of being empty. It was surprisingly awkward since there was no real narrator and no characters. Just shadows and dust. Apparently, Woolf herself didn't even know what to do with that section and was happy anybody even liked it. Well, I plowed through it. I actually just finished the book, and what has stuck with me most throughout the whole thing is the interaction of characters with isolation, loneliness, and being alone. They are not considered to be all the same thing in this novel, and this is probably what I'm going to focus my thesis on for this year. Last time I had to read Woolf, I wouldn't even write the 5-page paper assigned, which was the first time I had ever refused to do an assignment and something that has never happened since. Now, I'm planning to write a 20+ page paper on her, and feel like I might even blow past that page length. How things have changed.
Teaching Hope by the Freedom Writer Teachers & Erin Gruwell
You know, I finally finished this, and it's a good thing. I was getting really tired of it for some reason. I've read it in sections over the course of a month or so now for my philosophy of education class, and man, it just dragged on for me. I think my issue was that it was organized by category of the story, so I would be bombarded with sixty pages of depressing stories about teaching at once. Then another sixty pages of great moments in teaching. Then another sixty about getting ready to teach. The stories sort of lost their impact when read en masse like that, and I started being unfazed and even annoyed with it by the end. (See this reflection on the final chapter where I'm straight-up annoyed.) Also in that link are my reflections on each section, which is why I hadn't been including it in these; I've already been writing about it.
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
I'm only 58 pages in to this book, and yet also 20 chapters! It's one of those books. It's intriguing, though. I'm feeling aspects of other books creeping into it, which is a little unimpressive, but I'm still curious to see where this next dystopian-based book heads. To the moon, apparently. (Also, how is it possible that the Google Chrome dictionary doesn't have dystopian in it?)
King Lear by William Shakespeare
You know, I'm pretty unimpressed with this one. It could be because we're reading it right after Othello which is probably my favorite Shakespeare play, but King Lear is just sort of boring to me. He's a father who makes his kids play the "who loves me most" game until they get what they want, get sick of him, and decide to kill him. Now, I think their decision to kill him is disturbingly extreme and sudden, but he's also been super childish in his dealings with them (not to mention sort of an idiot, as is expected from our tragic figure of the play's title). Oddly enough, I kept feeling like I had read this already and then I realized it's because Mr. Ramsay in To The Lighthouse is just as needy and childish towards Mrs. Ramsay (and basically every other woman in the novel).
Saturday, September 26, 2015
September 20 - 26
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Finally finished this up! I wasn't totally impressed with the ending as a story, but the ideas in the novel were intriguing enough. This is like the original young adult dystopian novel that has recently become so popular. Lois Lowry knew what was up before there was even a genre for what she was writing. I see, though, why I was so unimpressed with this when I read it roughly twelve years ago. The story is kind of flat, with interesting things that are seen and then forgotten. The ending was rather abrupt, too. It leaves me with a feeling that it only brushed the surface of these ideas. Usually it would be fine to leave some of the interpretation to the reader, but with so little authorial input to guide, it ended up just sort of trailing off for me. So not amazing, but good enough that I would have it in my class for any interested students.
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
I've only read about 70 pages of this so far because I'm trying to pace myself and save it, but it's already blown me away! It started out pretty harmless, and then looked like it would be a Tom and Huck kind of story mixed with To Kill A Mockingbird (interestingly, both books that are mentioned by the main character), where the main characters focus on this kind of crazy character that the kids all treat as some scary myth. It's a common enough plot line. However, upon entering the secret clearing, it took QUITE a drastic turn with the scraped and abused girl hanging dead from a tree. Well dang.
I was really impressed by how Silvey wrote the character Charlie realistically in this scene. It didn't feel like one of those books where the characters discover a dead person and are totally okay with hiding the body and investigating the murder themselves. Charlie is traumatized. I'm surprised he didn't get physically ill. His description of having to touch the girl to move her feels incredibly relatable and exactly what I would expect to feel in that kind of situation. Both Charlie and Jasper are painfully aware of the legal ramifications they could easily face, unlike the usual ignorant cheery kid who doesn't consider the rules of the real world. It was just very well done.
There was also, amazingly, a moment of absolute hilarity for me after this dead girl has been dropped into a lake by her boyfriend. How is that even possible? While the characters try to drink and smoke their terror and pain away, Charlie makes a comment about how he hates both of these vices that reading promised him he would adore! He cites one character who holds up booze like a housewife in a commercial, and the way Holden Caulfield reaches for cigarettes like an act of faith. He goes on to speculate about what sex might be like if it's as bad as these other vices he was promised he'd love. It's absolutely WONDERFUL, and I'll update this with the actual quote when I have the book on me again.
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
This book has been taunting me on my shelf since my first week back at school. Remember when I read We Were Liars? Yeah, well, this has been around just as long as that book. I finally got to it, and HOLY CRAP I LOVED IT FROM THE DEDICATION PAGE. It's dedicated to WRIMOS, also known as the fervent writers who participate in National Novel Writing Month every November with a 50,000 word target. This book is really two books. Two different stories. It's incredibly meta and I adore it already, though fair warning: this book is definitely not for someone who dislikes keeping track of different character story lines (think Game of Thrones but somehow even more complicated since the two characters don't even live in the same universe). One character is a 18-year-old girl who got her NaNoWriMo novel signed to a published and is going to New York after high school to revise it and write a sequel. The other half of the book is the novel that this girl wrote. It has so far been entirely unacknowledged in the WriMo story that it is in fact a story. I'm very curious, knowing Westerfeld, if he's going to turn this on its head at some point....
(Also, the book is visually awesome with the WriMo story designated by dark strips of black at the top and bottom of the pages. B-E-A-Utiful!)
Finally finished this up! I wasn't totally impressed with the ending as a story, but the ideas in the novel were intriguing enough. This is like the original young adult dystopian novel that has recently become so popular. Lois Lowry knew what was up before there was even a genre for what she was writing. I see, though, why I was so unimpressed with this when I read it roughly twelve years ago. The story is kind of flat, with interesting things that are seen and then forgotten. The ending was rather abrupt, too. It leaves me with a feeling that it only brushed the surface of these ideas. Usually it would be fine to leave some of the interpretation to the reader, but with so little authorial input to guide, it ended up just sort of trailing off for me. So not amazing, but good enough that I would have it in my class for any interested students.
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
I've only read about 70 pages of this so far because I'm trying to pace myself and save it, but it's already blown me away! It started out pretty harmless, and then looked like it would be a Tom and Huck kind of story mixed with To Kill A Mockingbird (interestingly, both books that are mentioned by the main character), where the main characters focus on this kind of crazy character that the kids all treat as some scary myth. It's a common enough plot line. However, upon entering the secret clearing, it took QUITE a drastic turn with the scraped and abused girl hanging dead from a tree. Well dang.
I was really impressed by how Silvey wrote the character Charlie realistically in this scene. It didn't feel like one of those books where the characters discover a dead person and are totally okay with hiding the body and investigating the murder themselves. Charlie is traumatized. I'm surprised he didn't get physically ill. His description of having to touch the girl to move her feels incredibly relatable and exactly what I would expect to feel in that kind of situation. Both Charlie and Jasper are painfully aware of the legal ramifications they could easily face, unlike the usual ignorant cheery kid who doesn't consider the rules of the real world. It was just very well done.
There was also, amazingly, a moment of absolute hilarity for me after this dead girl has been dropped into a lake by her boyfriend. How is that even possible? While the characters try to drink and smoke their terror and pain away, Charlie makes a comment about how he hates both of these vices that reading promised him he would adore! He cites one character who holds up booze like a housewife in a commercial, and the way Holden Caulfield reaches for cigarettes like an act of faith. He goes on to speculate about what sex might be like if it's as bad as these other vices he was promised he'd love. It's absolutely WONDERFUL, and I'll update this with the actual quote when I have the book on me again.
Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
This book has been taunting me on my shelf since my first week back at school. Remember when I read We Were Liars? Yeah, well, this has been around just as long as that book. I finally got to it, and HOLY CRAP I LOVED IT FROM THE DEDICATION PAGE. It's dedicated to WRIMOS, also known as the fervent writers who participate in National Novel Writing Month every November with a 50,000 word target. This book is really two books. Two different stories. It's incredibly meta and I adore it already, though fair warning: this book is definitely not for someone who dislikes keeping track of different character story lines (think Game of Thrones but somehow even more complicated since the two characters don't even live in the same universe). One character is a 18-year-old girl who got her NaNoWriMo novel signed to a published and is going to New York after high school to revise it and write a sequel. The other half of the book is the novel that this girl wrote. It has so far been entirely unacknowledged in the WriMo story that it is in fact a story. I'm very curious, knowing Westerfeld, if he's going to turn this on its head at some point....
(Also, the book is visually awesome with the WriMo story designated by dark strips of black at the top and bottom of the pages. B-E-A-Utiful!)
Saturday, September 19, 2015
September 13 - 19
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
I have been wanting to read this since my professor read aloud the first few pages in a class in Spring of 2014. It caught my attention immediately with the mindless destruction, and the mysterious character of The Avenger. I needed to know more. I finally got my hands on a copy and devoured it within just a few days. Just a page beyond where my professor had stopped, I was torn from the book into a far darker side of the story than I expected when I learned that not only was the house despoiled, but the youngest daughter of the family as well. Raped and in a coma. I thought that was dark, but then to discover that The Avenger is more properly titled The Murderer was a blow to the head. This book was just remarkably good. I'm going to remember this for a long time, and will definitely have this book in my future classroom if I'm able.
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon
I love the idea of blackout poetry and I always have. It makes me feel like I could make interesting poetry, although reading some of the ones that this guy came up with make me feel inadequate already. They were really funny! I don't know how he manages it. If I ever am able to get newspapers regularly I'll start doing this for sure. I'm about halfway through, mostly because I want to ration them. It feels weird to read poetry straight through. I'll probably buy this book at some point, because I think it would be a very accessible introduction to poetry for students. Plus it's really funny, and I'd love to have access to it for myself as well! Favorite so far: "The Family Jewels."
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
I'm not very far into this, but I'm still already baffled by how much of this I absolutely did not remember from when I read it probably... twelve years ago? I read The Giver earlier this summer and had largely that same response, so I wanted to see if it would be like that for this not-quite-sequel of the same series. Answer: yes, it absolutely is. I didn't read too much more of this this week because of the other books that really sucked me in, but it's next up on the schedule.
I have been wanting to read this since my professor read aloud the first few pages in a class in Spring of 2014. It caught my attention immediately with the mindless destruction, and the mysterious character of The Avenger. I needed to know more. I finally got my hands on a copy and devoured it within just a few days. Just a page beyond where my professor had stopped, I was torn from the book into a far darker side of the story than I expected when I learned that not only was the house despoiled, but the youngest daughter of the family as well. Raped and in a coma. I thought that was dark, but then to discover that The Avenger is more properly titled The Murderer was a blow to the head. This book was just remarkably good. I'm going to remember this for a long time, and will definitely have this book in my future classroom if I'm able.
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon
I love the idea of blackout poetry and I always have. It makes me feel like I could make interesting poetry, although reading some of the ones that this guy came up with make me feel inadequate already. They were really funny! I don't know how he manages it. If I ever am able to get newspapers regularly I'll start doing this for sure. I'm about halfway through, mostly because I want to ration them. It feels weird to read poetry straight through. I'll probably buy this book at some point, because I think it would be a very accessible introduction to poetry for students. Plus it's really funny, and I'd love to have access to it for myself as well! Favorite so far: "The Family Jewels."
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
I'm not very far into this, but I'm still already baffled by how much of this I absolutely did not remember from when I read it probably... twelve years ago? I read The Giver earlier this summer and had largely that same response, so I wanted to see if it would be like that for this not-quite-sequel of the same series. Answer: yes, it absolutely is. I didn't read too much more of this this week because of the other books that really sucked me in, but it's next up on the schedule.
Saturday, September 12, 2015
September 6 - 12
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
(Incarceron #2)
So I actually started this a while ago and then sort of lagged on it for a while once I go back to school. There were so many new and exciting things to read! So I dropped this when I was about 2/3 done, and actually at quite a dramatic moment (a weird habit of mine). The ending was pretty impressive though, and I was certainly fooled by the identity of Sapphique. The mysteries of the realm were finally revealed, although at a certain point in this book they weren't really so much of a secret anymore. This book had an ending that doesn't actually resolve everything prettily. There are some still-bad situations going on, and some things that are left uncertain at best. However, I tend to like those kinds of endings because they often feel more realistic (in a book about a living prison...). Overall: solid. I'm a huge fan of this two-book thing, because it was just long enough. Three books can get tiring, but the end of one book can leave you wanting more.
Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Though this was assigned reading for my Young Adult Literature class, it really didn't feel like it. It actually wasn't even assigned yet; I just decided to read it because it sounded good. I get why it was assigned though. I was taken by surprise with how this book handles topics like abuse at home, a war-scarred brother, and assumptions made by community members. The view of the student whose teacher's treated him terribly, didn't believe in him, and basically just assumed that he would never amount to anything was especially powerful for me (most likely due to my designs to become a teacher myself). I am able to console myself with the thought that this novel was set in the 1960s (ish), a time when attitudes and standards for teaching were significantly different. Still, the mood of the student when teachers treated him well and as an individual rather than as his brothers before him with bad reputations... it was just stunning. I know this is fiction, but it certainly represents the truth well.
The not-quite-lead-poisoning at the end caught me extremely off guard. I love the way it was handled: never explicitly stated, the reader has to infer what is going on with Lil, meaning you can never be quite sure. All you know are the statistics, which, of course, don't mean anything. (Another love: this character switch from detailing everything and a fascination with statistics to a firm and repeated declaration that statistics do not matter.) As with the other book I finished up this week, the ending leaves so much in the air. I love it. I appreciate an author who refuses to tie everything up for the reader and hold the reader's hand and say, "and then everyone got better and got married and lived happily ever after in a castle made of candy!" This is not some crazy mix of a Shakespearean fairy tale comedy.
This is real.
(She says about fiction.)
(It's still so true.)
(Incarceron #2)
So I actually started this a while ago and then sort of lagged on it for a while once I go back to school. There were so many new and exciting things to read! So I dropped this when I was about 2/3 done, and actually at quite a dramatic moment (a weird habit of mine). The ending was pretty impressive though, and I was certainly fooled by the identity of Sapphique. The mysteries of the realm were finally revealed, although at a certain point in this book they weren't really so much of a secret anymore. This book had an ending that doesn't actually resolve everything prettily. There are some still-bad situations going on, and some things that are left uncertain at best. However, I tend to like those kinds of endings because they often feel more realistic (in a book about a living prison...). Overall: solid. I'm a huge fan of this two-book thing, because it was just long enough. Three books can get tiring, but the end of one book can leave you wanting more.
Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Though this was assigned reading for my Young Adult Literature class, it really didn't feel like it. It actually wasn't even assigned yet; I just decided to read it because it sounded good. I get why it was assigned though. I was taken by surprise with how this book handles topics like abuse at home, a war-scarred brother, and assumptions made by community members. The view of the student whose teacher's treated him terribly, didn't believe in him, and basically just assumed that he would never amount to anything was especially powerful for me (most likely due to my designs to become a teacher myself). I am able to console myself with the thought that this novel was set in the 1960s (ish), a time when attitudes and standards for teaching were significantly different. Still, the mood of the student when teachers treated him well and as an individual rather than as his brothers before him with bad reputations... it was just stunning. I know this is fiction, but it certainly represents the truth well.
The not-quite-lead-poisoning at the end caught me extremely off guard. I love the way it was handled: never explicitly stated, the reader has to infer what is going on with Lil, meaning you can never be quite sure. All you know are the statistics, which, of course, don't mean anything. (Another love: this character switch from detailing everything and a fascination with statistics to a firm and repeated declaration that statistics do not matter.) As with the other book I finished up this week, the ending leaves so much in the air. I love it. I appreciate an author who refuses to tie everything up for the reader and hold the reader's hand and say, "and then everyone got better and got married and lived happily ever after in a castle made of candy!" This is not some crazy mix of a Shakespearean fairy tale comedy.
This is real.
(She says about fiction.)
(It's still so true.)
Monday, May 18, 2015
May 10 - 16
Critical Analyses
These have been my life this last week as I raced to find the perfect ideas and quotations to work into my capstone thesis work for my 400-level English class, Terrific Liars (about unreliable narrators, very interesting!). It was a 20-page beast of a paper, and I'm so proud of what I managed! However, this week was nuts and after reading hundred of pages of criticism, I wasn't exactly feeling up to reading when I got home from a flurry of goodbyes and packing and unpacking. BUSY BUSY BUSY! But I have a whole long list of books to read and a few to get back to that had to be interrupted (Hello, Wicked and A Handmaid's Tale!).
UPDATE: I actually managed to get in a little bit of reading for FUN this week!! :D
These have been my life this last week as I raced to find the perfect ideas and quotations to work into my capstone thesis work for my 400-level English class, Terrific Liars (about unreliable narrators, very interesting!). It was a 20-page beast of a paper, and I'm so proud of what I managed! However, this week was nuts and after reading hundred of pages of criticism, I wasn't exactly feeling up to reading when I got home from a flurry of goodbyes and packing and unpacking. BUSY BUSY BUSY! But I have a whole long list of books to read and a few to get back to that had to be interrupted (Hello, Wicked and A Handmaid's Tale!).
UPDATE: I actually managed to get in a little bit of reading for FUN this week!! :D
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
So I was at the used bookstore today, and I saw this sitting on a shelf. I have to admit, the cover of it is quite beautiful and eye-catching. It was only $7 and for a used copy, it was in really great condition. I've been interested in reading this one for a while now, because I've heard so much about it and the author. For any who don't know, Amy Chua has been accused of many things, and basically she totes a kind of screaming yet affectionate yet focused parental method and puts down the gentle individual-based method that she describes many Americans and Western families as having. I'm not too far and yet, but there has already been a moment that caught me off guard, and made me kind of cringe and cool towards her. She described early on a moment with her 3 year old daughter who refuses to play a simple tune on the piano. Amy decides a pro priate course of action is to put her three-year-old outside into a snowstorm until she will apologize promise to play what her mother wants. The three year old is stubborn, and refuses, staying outside and slowly freezing. It's a really uncomfortable moment for me, because I can't imagine ever being able to validate doing that to a child. Or anyone, really. So after reading that, I kind of knew what sort of person I would be reading about, and adjusted my expectations accordingly. We'll see how this goes. I am intrigued.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
April 26 - May 2
Luckily...
I was able to get back on track this week, and it felt goooood. They were for school unfortunately, so they're not exactly the books I've had waiting for me on my shelf for so long, but I did choose them and they were good reads.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
I had to read a novel in verse for a project, and thought of this one immediately. It's a pretty popular one, and I had never read it, so I thought I would give it a try. I picked it up off the shelf at the library that evening and read it in about a half hour. I more or less knew the story, but I still enjoyed it. I think it did a pretty decent job showing the transition and reluctance people often have with poetry, and it did it in a pretty short amount of space. It seems like it would be a pretty good one to read with your kid before bed or something.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
So this is the book I chose for the actual novel-in-verse project I needed to do. I found a list on goodreads and was desperately trying to find something that wasn't 1)depressed teens or 2)love-struck teens or 3)depresssed love-struck teens. Amazingly, I did find it. Even more amazing though is that one of the quotes on the back from a reviewer was actually accurate! They never seem to help much. It more or less says that the book is interesting because it focuses not on a racial culture, but on the culture of poverty, which transcends all racial boundaries. It was an intriguing book for sure. A young girl being raised by her mother is working hard hard hard to be able to have enough money to go to college. She picks up a babysitting job for a seventeen-year-old girl named Jolly who has two young kids, about 5 and 2 years old. The narrator helps out at the home, experiences some really terrible things with this young mother, as well as some really amazing things, she tries to help, fails, succeeds... it's actually a quite well-written and moving story that feels very realistic and honest. The ending is not exactly happy, but again it's honest and realistic. It feels good. It's an optimistic, hopeful ending that made me feel ready to start my day full of an incredible load of work.
I was able to get back on track this week, and it felt goooood. They were for school unfortunately, so they're not exactly the books I've had waiting for me on my shelf for so long, but I did choose them and they were good reads.
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
I had to read a novel in verse for a project, and thought of this one immediately. It's a pretty popular one, and I had never read it, so I thought I would give it a try. I picked it up off the shelf at the library that evening and read it in about a half hour. I more or less knew the story, but I still enjoyed it. I think it did a pretty decent job showing the transition and reluctance people often have with poetry, and it did it in a pretty short amount of space. It seems like it would be a pretty good one to read with your kid before bed or something.
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff
So this is the book I chose for the actual novel-in-verse project I needed to do. I found a list on goodreads and was desperately trying to find something that wasn't 1)depressed teens or 2)love-struck teens or 3)depresssed love-struck teens. Amazingly, I did find it. Even more amazing though is that one of the quotes on the back from a reviewer was actually accurate! They never seem to help much. It more or less says that the book is interesting because it focuses not on a racial culture, but on the culture of poverty, which transcends all racial boundaries. It was an intriguing book for sure. A young girl being raised by her mother is working hard hard hard to be able to have enough money to go to college. She picks up a babysitting job for a seventeen-year-old girl named Jolly who has two young kids, about 5 and 2 years old. The narrator helps out at the home, experiences some really terrible things with this young mother, as well as some really amazing things, she tries to help, fails, succeeds... it's actually a quite well-written and moving story that feels very realistic and honest. The ending is not exactly happy, but again it's honest and realistic. It feels good. It's an optimistic, hopeful ending that made me feel ready to start my day full of an incredible load of work.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
April 19 - 25
OH MY GOD this is my life.
Ah jeez, I'm doing this one late again. I have a great reason though, I promise! I helped out with a spring fling event that went until 2 am on Saturday and then had to get up for 7am on Saturday to help set up for Battle of the Bands, a.k.a. yet another spring fling event. That went until about 1am Sunday. Sunday was sleep and a boatload of homework, Monday was a continuation of the boatload, Tuesday was a day of classes, and today has been meetings, work, symposium, and more meetings, and more work, BUT HERE IT IS!
Unfortunately...
for the first time in the course of this blog, I don't think I actually read a single word of a book this whole week. That's so horribly sad for me. Dx Actually, you know what? I did finish up the end of
We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
So I did read something, though it was only about 30 pages. If it helps, I did write several pages though. This book... it was weird. The narrator is permanently in we, but the final line pulls the reader in by addressing "you" and it's very confusing when suddenly someone expects that you totally understand everything that was going on because you were a part of it all when the whole time you were hearing it as a separate narrated story. How confusing! It was an odd book, and even after this time I've had to give it some thought, I'm still just a little... baffled. It felt like the book version of the t.v. show The Office right to the end. It took a bit of a dark turn, but even that... I don't know. Ugh, this one is such a mess.
Ah jeez, I'm doing this one late again. I have a great reason though, I promise! I helped out with a spring fling event that went until 2 am on Saturday and then had to get up for 7am on Saturday to help set up for Battle of the Bands, a.k.a. yet another spring fling event. That went until about 1am Sunday. Sunday was sleep and a boatload of homework, Monday was a continuation of the boatload, Tuesday was a day of classes, and today has been meetings, work, symposium, and more meetings, and more work, BUT HERE IT IS!
Unfortunately...
for the first time in the course of this blog, I don't think I actually read a single word of a book this whole week. That's so horribly sad for me. Dx Actually, you know what? I did finish up the end of
We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
So I did read something, though it was only about 30 pages. If it helps, I did write several pages though. This book... it was weird. The narrator is permanently in we, but the final line pulls the reader in by addressing "you" and it's very confusing when suddenly someone expects that you totally understand everything that was going on because you were a part of it all when the whole time you were hearing it as a separate narrated story. How confusing! It was an odd book, and even after this time I've had to give it some thought, I'm still just a little... baffled. It felt like the book version of the t.v. show The Office right to the end. It took a bit of a dark turn, but even that... I don't know. Ugh, this one is such a mess.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
April 12 - 18
Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris
This book is kind of like the t.v. show The Office. It's just a story about a bunch of people who work at a job that they sometimes hate with people who they sometimes hate. It took me a while to get into it at all---just like it did with The Office. The interesting part of this book is that it's written in... uhm, plural person? I don't even know what to call it because I've never encountered it before. It's written entirely as "we." "We always knew..." "Those of us who wanted bagels would have to wait to hear Benny's story." It's very strange. The story is very heavily focused on dialogue, and is written in such a way as to encourage that group mentality to the point where sometimes you might need to backtrack to figure out who is saying what and at what point chronologically it occurs. The plot is also constructed in a really strange way, because it's a story that's almost entirely stories related by other people being yet again related. There are times where it will be Benny telling Marcia a story, and it will turn to the scene played out between Benny and Chris and suddenly Marcia will say something, apparently having entered the scene between the two men, and it will then simply resume. It's very realistic, but I can see it being confusing at times. I'm still a little baffled by this book. It's like I'm reading a diary that a whole group of people wrote together, or took turns writing in but did so in third person so no one knew who said what. The characters are developed in a roundabout way since everything is largely he-said-she-said. I didn't know it was even possible to write a book this way.
This book is kind of like the t.v. show The Office. It's just a story about a bunch of people who work at a job that they sometimes hate with people who they sometimes hate. It took me a while to get into it at all---just like it did with The Office. The interesting part of this book is that it's written in... uhm, plural person? I don't even know what to call it because I've never encountered it before. It's written entirely as "we." "We always knew..." "Those of us who wanted bagels would have to wait to hear Benny's story." It's very strange. The story is very heavily focused on dialogue, and is written in such a way as to encourage that group mentality to the point where sometimes you might need to backtrack to figure out who is saying what and at what point chronologically it occurs. The plot is also constructed in a really strange way, because it's a story that's almost entirely stories related by other people being yet again related. There are times where it will be Benny telling Marcia a story, and it will turn to the scene played out between Benny and Chris and suddenly Marcia will say something, apparently having entered the scene between the two men, and it will then simply resume. It's very realistic, but I can see it being confusing at times. I'm still a little baffled by this book. It's like I'm reading a diary that a whole group of people wrote together, or took turns writing in but did so in third person so no one knew who said what. The characters are developed in a roundabout way since everything is largely he-said-she-said. I didn't know it was even possible to write a book this way.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
March 1 - 7
Hello March! It's starting to feel like spring, even with the several feet of snow and temperatures in the teens.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My goodness this kid swears a lot! It's very distracting and bothersome. If I wanted to listen to a fourteen-year-old, I'd go help out at the high school. I can say that Salinger did at least capture the voice well, but JEEZ, on a personal level it was hard to deal with and I nearly put it down every time I started again. I think it was a large part of why that relatively short book took me so long to get through.
Kind of dull. Someone in class this week used it as an example of "a book with no plot." I used Country of the Pointed Firs as my example, if you recall that one (it's in here somewhere...). I guess I agree with that argument. I think the most interesting thing about the book was the way it was a tragi-comedy. Holden puts on a face, and that is supposed to be funny (and at times it certainly is), but he is one sad boy. The world has got him down and he just hates everything except his little sister and his dead brother. The only thing he ever seems to not hate is children, which is a sign of how he views them as uncorrupted at their young ages, unlike everyone and everything else in the world (in his mind). That could be an interesting consideration of the novel, but as a simple story, it was pretty lacking. I think any depth from this book comes in discussion.
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal] by Zoe Heller
A floaty new teacher named Sheba stumbles into a young male student's arms. Their ages and positions as teacher and pupil are obvious problems, forcing them to keep everything under wraps. The fact that Sheba has a husband and children certainly don't make things any easier. We already know that she has been exposed, and is evidently being taken care of by a friend in her time of need. How did this all happen? That's what this kind friend of Sheba is here to tell us about.
I was surprised by how much I liked this book! Maybe I'm just a sucker for teacher drama since it plays to my interests, but the characters were unexpected and their interactions even more so. The narrator felt like she was losing it a bit at the end there, and it had a distinctly creepy feeling to it that I couldn't quite place that I can't wait to discuss with everyone. The usual role reversal was refreshing, and some of the points made in the story via other characters' comments and judgments made me chuckle. It feels like a novel packed with moments that could be used for anyone's political agenda. Feminism and double standards? Definitely. To Catch a Predator-esque commentary about our children's safety? You betcha. Help services about abusive relationships? In a number of surprising ways, without a doubt.
Legend by Marie Lu
This is the same lady who recently published The Young Elites which I read a few weeks back. I didn't realize that when I bought it on sale on Google Play the other night, but I guess I've found a new author I like. This is a distinctly young adult dystopian novel, as I've been diving into quite voraciously lately (when I have time, that is). I'm very barely into this one, only a few chapters (maybe thirty pages) but I'm already quite drawn in! Stay tuned!
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
My goodness this kid swears a lot! It's very distracting and bothersome. If I wanted to listen to a fourteen-year-old, I'd go help out at the high school. I can say that Salinger did at least capture the voice well, but JEEZ, on a personal level it was hard to deal with and I nearly put it down every time I started again. I think it was a large part of why that relatively short book took me so long to get through.
Kind of dull. Someone in class this week used it as an example of "a book with no plot." I used Country of the Pointed Firs as my example, if you recall that one (it's in here somewhere...). I guess I agree with that argument. I think the most interesting thing about the book was the way it was a tragi-comedy. Holden puts on a face, and that is supposed to be funny (and at times it certainly is), but he is one sad boy. The world has got him down and he just hates everything except his little sister and his dead brother. The only thing he ever seems to not hate is children, which is a sign of how he views them as uncorrupted at their young ages, unlike everyone and everything else in the world (in his mind). That could be an interesting consideration of the novel, but as a simple story, it was pretty lacking. I think any depth from this book comes in discussion.
What Was She Thinking? [Notes on a Scandal] by Zoe Heller
A floaty new teacher named Sheba stumbles into a young male student's arms. Their ages and positions as teacher and pupil are obvious problems, forcing them to keep everything under wraps. The fact that Sheba has a husband and children certainly don't make things any easier. We already know that she has been exposed, and is evidently being taken care of by a friend in her time of need. How did this all happen? That's what this kind friend of Sheba is here to tell us about.
I was surprised by how much I liked this book! Maybe I'm just a sucker for teacher drama since it plays to my interests, but the characters were unexpected and their interactions even more so. The narrator felt like she was losing it a bit at the end there, and it had a distinctly creepy feeling to it that I couldn't quite place that I can't wait to discuss with everyone. The usual role reversal was refreshing, and some of the points made in the story via other characters' comments and judgments made me chuckle. It feels like a novel packed with moments that could be used for anyone's political agenda. Feminism and double standards? Definitely. To Catch a Predator-esque commentary about our children's safety? You betcha. Help services about abusive relationships? In a number of surprising ways, without a doubt.
Legend by Marie Lu
This is the same lady who recently published The Young Elites which I read a few weeks back. I didn't realize that when I bought it on sale on Google Play the other night, but I guess I've found a new author I like. This is a distinctly young adult dystopian novel, as I've been diving into quite voraciously lately (when I have time, that is). I'm very barely into this one, only a few chapters (maybe thirty pages) but I'm already quite drawn in! Stay tuned!
Monday, February 23, 2015
February 15 - 21
Break this week! And a book I've had on hold for a while had the extreme good fortune to become available this week, while I actually had time to read it!
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
This is the book I had been waiting for. It was a nice splash of YA in the midst of my 400-level English kind of readings. I powered through it in a night, and was surprised by it. It has the pretty standard lines of YA through it, but there were some aspects that had me go, "Oh! That's new!" The protagonist was abused horribly as a young girl, which isn't terribly surprising. However, she's also pretty much established as a horrifying murderer, and her magic is powered by hate and fear, both her own and others'. THAT'S pretty... grisly, I suppose, for a nice little young-adult novel. But definitely the most surprising part---
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Well, this one was for school. I thought I would really hate it, and I kind of did for a while. As I pushed through, I developed a better understanding of it though. This book is an interesting hybrid told in an unusual way. The narrator is the friend of a poet who was murdered. The friend takes it upon himself to provide explanatory notes to his friend's poem so that he can publish it posthumously. However, the narrator just turns everything into a story about his homeland and his king there, like some kind of absurdly patriotic guy who's so upset that his friend didn't write the poem about the stories the narrator told him about his homeland that he's using the poem and established author's fame to hijack it and tell his own story.
That's all true. However, it makes a little more sense when you learn through the process of the egotistical narrator's notes that
The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card
I didn't actually get much farther in this, but I did listen to some of it so I wanted to include it in here. Clearly, as you can tell from the VOLUMES I had to say about the other two books this week, I had a lot of other things on my mind. :)
The Young Elites by Marie Lu
This is the book I had been waiting for. It was a nice splash of YA in the midst of my 400-level English kind of readings. I powered through it in a night, and was surprised by it. It has the pretty standard lines of YA through it, but there were some aspects that had me go, "Oh! That's new!" The protagonist was abused horribly as a young girl, which isn't terribly surprising. However, she's also pretty much established as a horrifying murderer, and her magic is powered by hate and fear, both her own and others'. THAT'S pretty... grisly, I suppose, for a nice little young-adult novel. But definitely the most surprising part---
**HUGE SPOILERS**
was that the prince, the man they were all fighting to put back in power, the love interest even, DIES. And not in any way that lets you imagine, "Oh, maybe he's not really dead and he's just pretending for the sake of the duel!" No. This guy is gutted with a sword straight through his body, guts hanging out and everything. And not only that, but it's the main girl's fault. She attacked him in a blind terror and then his opponent totally gutted him. So... she's not doing so hot in this novel. There was an epilogue in another country though, that suggested we might see him reanimated like a zombie, albeit with some unknown yet creepy complications...I think we'll see....Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Well, this one was for school. I thought I would really hate it, and I kind of did for a while. As I pushed through, I developed a better understanding of it though. This book is an interesting hybrid told in an unusual way. The narrator is the friend of a poet who was murdered. The friend takes it upon himself to provide explanatory notes to his friend's poem so that he can publish it posthumously. However, the narrator just turns everything into a story about his homeland and his king there, like some kind of absurdly patriotic guy who's so upset that his friend didn't write the poem about the stories the narrator told him about his homeland that he's using the poem and established author's fame to hijack it and tell his own story.
That's all true. However, it makes a little more sense when you learn through the process of the egotistical narrator's notes that
**HUGE SPOILERS**
(well, maybe not... but still.)
he's actually the king he knows so much about. It becomes obvious pretty early on, but he never actually gets to the point of expressly admitting it until the last twenty pages or so, when he finally shifts from "The king thought this" to "I couldn't believe how..." (shifts from a clearly false third-person to a more honest first-person). The ending was... odd. The parallel stories were interestingly woven though, and by the end I had a more invested interest and respect for the narrator, the story, and the actual author, Nabokov, for weaving such contrasting threads into a complementary tapestry.The Gate Thief by Orson Scott Card
I didn't actually get much farther in this, but I did listen to some of it so I wanted to include it in here. Clearly, as you can tell from the VOLUMES I had to say about the other two books this week, I had a lot of other things on my mind. :)
Saturday, February 7, 2015
February 1 - 7
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
This was... a pretty odd book. It makes sense, considering the fact that I read it in my unreliable narrators class, but still. An odd book. The narrator is never given a name, a gender, nor a description. Everything we know is about the person's thoughts and actions and emotions, rather than their appearance of sexual preference. The narrator is bisexual regardless, as he/she recounts relationships with both men and women. It causes an interesting read of the novel as you go through because at some moments, you find yourself viewing the narrator as a male (punching Elgin certainly isn't very ladylike, now, is it?) and at others, the narrator seems more female (referring to guilt from a past relationship of casual sex reminds me of social stigma towards women).
The ending was also interestingly vague. It seems to have been implying that the narrator and Louise got back together somehow, like Louise had come to the cabin and overheard the final conversation with Ms. Right (ha). If that's the case though, why would the narrator have been writing the piece? It seems to have been implied throughout the novel that the narrator was writing to Louise in his/her time of separation and mourning, but then why would the narrator write in that final part? Possibly just for closure, but still, something to think about.
In terms of language, this book had some really incredible lines and sentiments. I have so many sticky notes and underlines in this book that are just marked with ♥ because it simply sounded beautiful. If for no other reason, read this book to experience that delight of language.
This was... a pretty odd book. It makes sense, considering the fact that I read it in my unreliable narrators class, but still. An odd book. The narrator is never given a name, a gender, nor a description. Everything we know is about the person's thoughts and actions and emotions, rather than their appearance of sexual preference. The narrator is bisexual regardless, as he/she recounts relationships with both men and women. It causes an interesting read of the novel as you go through because at some moments, you find yourself viewing the narrator as a male (punching Elgin certainly isn't very ladylike, now, is it?) and at others, the narrator seems more female (referring to guilt from a past relationship of casual sex reminds me of social stigma towards women).
The ending was also interestingly vague. It seems to have been implying that the narrator and Louise got back together somehow, like Louise had come to the cabin and overheard the final conversation with Ms. Right (ha). If that's the case though, why would the narrator have been writing the piece? It seems to have been implied throughout the novel that the narrator was writing to Louise in his/her time of separation and mourning, but then why would the narrator write in that final part? Possibly just for closure, but still, something to think about.
In terms of language, this book had some really incredible lines and sentiments. I have so many sticky notes and underlines in this book that are just marked with ♥ because it simply sounded beautiful. If for no other reason, read this book to experience that delight of language.
Friday, January 30, 2015
January 25 - 31
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Well, I was right. I had to force myself to stick with it a bit. It wasn't poorly written or anything, it's just not what keeps my attention in general. Simply doesn't do it for me. Prepare for some major spoilers: the narrator, James Sheppard, is the murderer. OOOOHH. (Read sarcastically.) I'm not all that surprised by the revelation...it felt almost... weak. I had really been curious as to whose motivations we could have matched to the murder, I started to feel for the characters, to fear my favorites being the murderer. Unfortunately, when Poirot turned around and said "Aha, it is you!" and Sheppard began to address the reader in his final apology chapter, I was rather deflated and more or less skimmed my way through it. Blah, blah, blah. It felt to me like when someone asks you the safest way to do something, and tells you the safest way is not to do it. That's a stupid answer. That's not doing it safely, that's not doing it at all. Maybe I'm a bit jaded and these "big twists" don't seem so big to me anymore because I've read a good amount of stories where that's the case. I think the fact that straight up mystery novels just aren't my thing had a lot to do with it too.
Besides the disappointing conclusion, the book was written well and everything. It would probably work for the right kind of reader. For me, though, it all feels too distant and far away. From the phrases I didn't understand to the distinct old-timey feel of it, everything was too foreign for me to view it realistically and have any kind of appropriate emotional response. When clues consist of colors of boots and secret engagements, I just don't buy it. It felt cartoony, like Scooby-Doo was going to come around any moment with his own input. It especially paled in comparison with a five page short story I read at the same time as this, that was far more chilling and disturbing. FIVE PAGES, and it was so realistic and twisted that I shivered at the end and went to hug someone. If that sounds intriguing to you, check out Queeny by Ridley Pearson, from "The Best American Mystery Stories 2007" (Otto Penzler).
Well, I was right. I had to force myself to stick with it a bit. It wasn't poorly written or anything, it's just not what keeps my attention in general. Simply doesn't do it for me. Prepare for some major spoilers: the narrator, James Sheppard, is the murderer. OOOOHH. (Read sarcastically.) I'm not all that surprised by the revelation...it felt almost... weak. I had really been curious as to whose motivations we could have matched to the murder, I started to feel for the characters, to fear my favorites being the murderer. Unfortunately, when Poirot turned around and said "Aha, it is you!" and Sheppard began to address the reader in his final apology chapter, I was rather deflated and more or less skimmed my way through it. Blah, blah, blah. It felt to me like when someone asks you the safest way to do something, and tells you the safest way is not to do it. That's a stupid answer. That's not doing it safely, that's not doing it at all. Maybe I'm a bit jaded and these "big twists" don't seem so big to me anymore because I've read a good amount of stories where that's the case. I think the fact that straight up mystery novels just aren't my thing had a lot to do with it too.
Besides the disappointing conclusion, the book was written well and everything. It would probably work for the right kind of reader. For me, though, it all feels too distant and far away. From the phrases I didn't understand to the distinct old-timey feel of it, everything was too foreign for me to view it realistically and have any kind of appropriate emotional response. When clues consist of colors of boots and secret engagements, I just don't buy it. It felt cartoony, like Scooby-Doo was going to come around any moment with his own input. It especially paled in comparison with a five page short story I read at the same time as this, that was far more chilling and disturbing. FIVE PAGES, and it was so realistic and twisted that I shivered at the end and went to hug someone. If that sounds intriguing to you, check out Queeny by Ridley Pearson, from "The Best American Mystery Stories 2007" (Otto Penzler).
Saturday, January 24, 2015
January 18 - 24
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
Finished! Very cleverly done, this book. I watched the movie again after I had finished it and really, both are so cleverly done. It was interesting to read this book knowing the way it ends because I was able to pick up on the little hints and tips throughout the novel, to see things that the narrator himself didn't see (like how we never know his name...!). I'm still not sure how I feel about spoilers on this blog, even though I don't exactly think I'll have a huge readership or anything. I guess this will be a short entry, because I don't think I'll forget how this story ends.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I haven't read much of this yet, mostly because I've been pretty invested in Fight Club. I'm a little worried I'll have some trouble getting through it because mystery novels---straight up mystery, like a classic whodunnit---isn't really my thing. It just doesn't compel me enough. That's the vibe I've been getting even so far, only a little way in. There's a little bit more intrigue than I had anticipated, so that at least might lead somewhere engaging enough, but I'm still a bit wary. We'll see how it goes.
Finished! Very cleverly done, this book. I watched the movie again after I had finished it and really, both are so cleverly done. It was interesting to read this book knowing the way it ends because I was able to pick up on the little hints and tips throughout the novel, to see things that the narrator himself didn't see (like how we never know his name...!). I'm still not sure how I feel about spoilers on this blog, even though I don't exactly think I'll have a huge readership or anything. I guess this will be a short entry, because I don't think I'll forget how this story ends.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I haven't read much of this yet, mostly because I've been pretty invested in Fight Club. I'm a little worried I'll have some trouble getting through it because mystery novels---straight up mystery, like a classic whodunnit---isn't really my thing. It just doesn't compel me enough. That's the vibe I've been getting even so far, only a little way in. There's a little bit more intrigue than I had anticipated, so that at least might lead somewhere engaging enough, but I'm still a bit wary. We'll see how it goes.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
December 7 - 13
The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
Well, I finally finished this! And... it continued in largely the same vein. We learn about the characters when they tell us stories. The narrator left and then it ended. I wish we had had class to discuss this because I'm still not feeling like I got much from it. Discussing it with a group of intelligent people would have helped.
Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest
Its finals week, and I have re-read several chapters of this in-depth now. I have mentioned it before, and it's still holding up okay...for a textbook.
Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire (#5) by Naomi Novik
This book is so exciting! I love hearing from Temeraire's perspective. Also, I was totally right: he led a rebellion of epic proportions and became a ranking officer! HA! I guess the joke is on them now! Anyway, it's just fantastic. After trying to kill all the dragons in the world, those officers deserve such an appropriate kind of embarrassment. I'm still suspicious of Iskierka, though she's acting all obedient and such now. I just don't see it lasting. Temeraire and some of the others are headed off to the front to keep Napoleon at bay, so we're getting to the exciting ending, I'm guessing!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
This was one of the books I found by browsing through books that were available as an e-book through my library at home. What a find! While it wasn't anything insane or totally new, it was enough to draw me in and keep me in until I finished it. I almost let myself be late for a dinner date so that I could finish it! I managed to put it down for a few hours though, and finished it in about a day. So, definitely a solid book. An 18-year-old female assassin of incredible renown is taken from a slave labor camp and entered into the king's competition for royal assassin, basically. There's some magic sprinkled in, and of course a love story with a handsome prince. **SPOILER UPCOMING** LUCKILY, their love story was ended before the end, thank GOODNESS, because I didn't really like that direction. It ended as well as it could, but the prince was all dramatic and "I could never be with someone else now that I know her!" so we'll see how he does with it, I guess. I'm glad she's going for the guard instead. He's more real, and I suspect he has ties to magic somehow...maybe he can see it too? He also has a way cooler name. **END SPOILERS*
Anyway, I'm currently waiting for a copy of the next one in the series. It made for a nice day's light read in a time of turmoil (so much work for finals!!).
Well, I finally finished this! And... it continued in largely the same vein. We learn about the characters when they tell us stories. The narrator left and then it ended. I wish we had had class to discuss this because I'm still not feeling like I got much from it. Discussing it with a group of intelligent people would have helped.
Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest
Its finals week, and I have re-read several chapters of this in-depth now. I have mentioned it before, and it's still holding up okay...for a textbook.
Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire (#5) by Naomi Novik
This book is so exciting! I love hearing from Temeraire's perspective. Also, I was totally right: he led a rebellion of epic proportions and became a ranking officer! HA! I guess the joke is on them now! Anyway, it's just fantastic. After trying to kill all the dragons in the world, those officers deserve such an appropriate kind of embarrassment. I'm still suspicious of Iskierka, though she's acting all obedient and such now. I just don't see it lasting. Temeraire and some of the others are headed off to the front to keep Napoleon at bay, so we're getting to the exciting ending, I'm guessing!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
This was one of the books I found by browsing through books that were available as an e-book through my library at home. What a find! While it wasn't anything insane or totally new, it was enough to draw me in and keep me in until I finished it. I almost let myself be late for a dinner date so that I could finish it! I managed to put it down for a few hours though, and finished it in about a day. So, definitely a solid book. An 18-year-old female assassin of incredible renown is taken from a slave labor camp and entered into the king's competition for royal assassin, basically. There's some magic sprinkled in, and of course a love story with a handsome prince. **SPOILER UPCOMING** LUCKILY, their love story was ended before the end, thank GOODNESS, because I didn't really like that direction. It ended as well as it could, but the prince was all dramatic and "I could never be with someone else now that I know her!" so we'll see how he does with it, I guess. I'm glad she's going for the guard instead. He's more real, and I suspect he has ties to magic somehow...maybe he can see it too? He also has a way cooler name. **END SPOILERS*
Anyway, I'm currently waiting for a copy of the next one in the series. It made for a nice day's light read in a time of turmoil (so much work for finals!!).
Saturday, December 6, 2014
November 30 - December 6
Empire of Ivory: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik
I finally finished this one! It was pretty solid, and introduced some new issues and elements. I also finally got o the point where I found out in the eighth book which I accidentally began what Laurence does to commit treason (!!). It was pretty much excellent, especially the ending. It dropped off in the middle of the action on a cliffhanger---very well done!
Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Luckily, this one picked up right where the last one left off, so I didn't really have to wait to see what happened. I"m only about a third of the way through, but the threat of death is hanging over Laurence's head (pretty literally!). I really like that I'm getting the novel straight from Temeraire though since he's super interesting. He seems to be up to something, something rebellious and exciting!
The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
So far, not much has really happened in this book. The majority of our class discussion was "does this book have a plot?" Not "what is the plot?" but does it even have one. We also talked about old people. So yeah, not a lot going on. Unsurprisingly, it takes place in Maine. ;) It's largely an examination of the characters of the old people who live in the town that the narrator is visiting. Not much really happens. I'm genuinely not super sure what... was... why it was written, I suppose. My thought is that it was somewhat meta, and the novel was sort of a post-product of an actual experience of the writer that was hinted at in the novel. That doesn't really sound right either, but I can't think of anything else despite lengthy group discussions.
I finally finished this one! It was pretty solid, and introduced some new issues and elements. I also finally got o the point where I found out in the eighth book which I accidentally began what Laurence does to commit treason (!!). It was pretty much excellent, especially the ending. It dropped off in the middle of the action on a cliffhanger---very well done!
Victory of Eagles: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Luckily, this one picked up right where the last one left off, so I didn't really have to wait to see what happened. I"m only about a third of the way through, but the threat of death is hanging over Laurence's head (pretty literally!). I really like that I'm getting the novel straight from Temeraire though since he's super interesting. He seems to be up to something, something rebellious and exciting!
The Country of Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett
So far, not much has really happened in this book. The majority of our class discussion was "does this book have a plot?" Not "what is the plot?" but does it even have one. We also talked about old people. So yeah, not a lot going on. Unsurprisingly, it takes place in Maine. ;) It's largely an examination of the characters of the old people who live in the town that the narrator is visiting. Not much really happens. I'm genuinely not super sure what... was... why it was written, I suppose. My thought is that it was somewhat meta, and the novel was sort of a post-product of an actual experience of the writer that was hinted at in the novel. That doesn't really sound right either, but I can't think of anything else despite lengthy group discussions.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
November 9 - 15
The Hermaphrodite by Julia Ward Howe
This is a book for my early American novel class that has one of those names and covers that makes you feel a little weird to read it in public. I am, however, enjoying it for the most part. It hasn't been a struggle to get through and reads like a memoir, so of course I love it. There was a section of pages where the main character turns to God in a philosophical, rambling kind of way that I skimmed pretty generously, but other than that, it's been intriguing at the least. As for the history of the book itself, it was actually an unpublished set of manuscripts that aren't super related or even close to complete. The random sections that could be found were compiled by the man who put my edition together in the order he thought made the most sense, but there's really no set way to do it since the author never seemed to intend to publish it. It's very outside her canon, so it's even more intriguing. Reading the scattered bits at the "end" was quite interesting, and it's definitely a good thing I'm not one of those people who has issues when the author "doesn't tell you what happens at the end."
Empire of Ivory: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Yes! I was finally able to get the copy and time to read this! I'm only about a quarter of the way through at the moment, but there was an excellent twist that I did not see coming at all! I'm really excited to keep reading and I hope I continue to have time to do so! Temeraire is, as always, an excellent and intriguing character, and the addition to the wily young Kazilik dragon (a fire-breather!) has me groaning in frustration and smiling indulgently at her antics. The ferals are a clever addition, and quite frankly, the dragons are always the most interesting characters. This could be my own personal inclination rather than the writing, but I think in this case it's just inevitable. They're so interesting! Anyway, I'm going to go read some more of it while I have the time!
This is a book for my early American novel class that has one of those names and covers that makes you feel a little weird to read it in public. I am, however, enjoying it for the most part. It hasn't been a struggle to get through and reads like a memoir, so of course I love it. There was a section of pages where the main character turns to God in a philosophical, rambling kind of way that I skimmed pretty generously, but other than that, it's been intriguing at the least. As for the history of the book itself, it was actually an unpublished set of manuscripts that aren't super related or even close to complete. The random sections that could be found were compiled by the man who put my edition together in the order he thought made the most sense, but there's really no set way to do it since the author never seemed to intend to publish it. It's very outside her canon, so it's even more intriguing. Reading the scattered bits at the "end" was quite interesting, and it's definitely a good thing I'm not one of those people who has issues when the author "doesn't tell you what happens at the end."
Empire of Ivory: A Novel of Temeraire by Naomi Novik
Yes! I was finally able to get the copy and time to read this! I'm only about a quarter of the way through at the moment, but there was an excellent twist that I did not see coming at all! I'm really excited to keep reading and I hope I continue to have time to do so! Temeraire is, as always, an excellent and intriguing character, and the addition to the wily young Kazilik dragon (a fire-breather!) has me groaning in frustration and smiling indulgently at her antics. The ferals are a clever addition, and quite frankly, the dragons are always the most interesting characters. This could be my own personal inclination rather than the writing, but I think in this case it's just inevitable. They're so interesting! Anyway, I'm going to go read some more of it while I have the time!
Friday, November 7, 2014
November 2 - 8
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Yep, I finally finished it, and for the most part enjoyed this novel. We discussed the juxtaposition of how this novel provided a great push for abolition in the United States, and yet portrays largely stereotyped and racialized characters such as Chloe as Mammy, Tom as the Good Christion (reminds me of Equiano a bit there), Tom's children and Topsy as the Wild African, and various cunning Sambos throughout. Some good stuff in here, and I also enjoyed the journeys that moved away from each other: Tom to the south, George and Eliza to the north.
Twitter help pages
Yes, Twitter. I finally created an account after reading so much and hearing firsthand from teachers I respect that Twitter is an excellent source of information and ideas for teachers. I bit the bullet, and I'm actually really loving it! However, Twitter is quite different from other social media I've played around with, and has taken some adjusting and some Google searches. In addition to these help pages...
Various Education Articles
My hopes for Twitter came true, and I actually discovered a new app just for organizing all of the readings and links and videos I've been finding! Twitter is a concise feed of helpful ideas and interesting theories, when you use it properly (i.e. not following meme characters).
As for the app I mentioned, it's called Pocket, and it's pretty fabulous. It saves articles, videos, whatever you want, across different platforms (laptop, tablet, smartphone) and downloads them so you can view them offline. You add things through the share button, read it later. It has tagging features as is pretty standard these days, and you can easily send an article to someone else (regardless of if they have the app or not). If you're interested, check it out here at getpocket.com, or search for it in whatever your smartphone store may be. I'll see you there!
Yep, I finally finished it, and for the most part enjoyed this novel. We discussed the juxtaposition of how this novel provided a great push for abolition in the United States, and yet portrays largely stereotyped and racialized characters such as Chloe as Mammy, Tom as the Good Christion (reminds me of Equiano a bit there), Tom's children and Topsy as the Wild African, and various cunning Sambos throughout. Some good stuff in here, and I also enjoyed the journeys that moved away from each other: Tom to the south, George and Eliza to the north.
Twitter help pages
Yes, Twitter. I finally created an account after reading so much and hearing firsthand from teachers I respect that Twitter is an excellent source of information and ideas for teachers. I bit the bullet, and I'm actually really loving it! However, Twitter is quite different from other social media I've played around with, and has taken some adjusting and some Google searches. In addition to these help pages...
Various Education Articles
My hopes for Twitter came true, and I actually discovered a new app just for organizing all of the readings and links and videos I've been finding! Twitter is a concise feed of helpful ideas and interesting theories, when you use it properly (i.e. not following meme characters).
As for the app I mentioned, it's called Pocket, and it's pretty fabulous. It saves articles, videos, whatever you want, across different platforms (laptop, tablet, smartphone) and downloads them so you can view them offline. You add things through the share button, read it later. It has tagging features as is pretty standard these days, and you can easily send an article to someone else (regardless of if they have the app or not). If you're interested, check it out here at getpocket.com, or search for it in whatever your smartphone store may be. I'll see you there!
Saturday, November 1, 2014
October 26 - November 1
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
I have plowed through about half of this, although I still have a few hundred pages to go before class this upcoming week (yikes!). Luckily, it's a wonderful novel, one that I'm enjoying immensely and quite thankful for the required reading. The characters are delightful. Stowe did a great job blurring and simultaneously stressing the lines of race in this book, and I thoroughly enjoy the wit and fervor that appears in unexpected places and people. I must admit, everything about this book is not what I expected---in the best kinds of ways!
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 1864
This is part of a really cool project for my American Novel class. We were assigned to choose a newspaper from the 1800s and read several copies of it. The one I chose was Frank Leslie's, as mentioned above, and it was based out of New York. The newspapers each had a specific format, which mainly featured a front page story on current civil war developments, followed by a summary of war events by state, as well as some local news and "chit-chat." The rest of each issue was split between submitted stories, poems, and even jokes by readers, and about two pages of ads to end. I developed favorite sections, which I would skip to first (those being "chit-chat," "accidents and offences," "Fun for the Family" jokes, and the ads). There was also a contest winner's story that was in the process of being published serially, about a chapter a week. The illustrated portion of the title was showcased in numerous multi-page sketches and illustrations done by a nameless "special artist" who would recount battle scenes, last week's fair, and decorated war heroes. Apparently they were featured as inserts that were sometimes even carved on wood or thin sheets of metal! How cool! Anyway, it's pretty awesome, and the year that I was reading (1864) can be found here.
I have plowed through about half of this, although I still have a few hundred pages to go before class this upcoming week (yikes!). Luckily, it's a wonderful novel, one that I'm enjoying immensely and quite thankful for the required reading. The characters are delightful. Stowe did a great job blurring and simultaneously stressing the lines of race in this book, and I thoroughly enjoy the wit and fervor that appears in unexpected places and people. I must admit, everything about this book is not what I expected---in the best kinds of ways!
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, 1864
This is part of a really cool project for my American Novel class. We were assigned to choose a newspaper from the 1800s and read several copies of it. The one I chose was Frank Leslie's, as mentioned above, and it was based out of New York. The newspapers each had a specific format, which mainly featured a front page story on current civil war developments, followed by a summary of war events by state, as well as some local news and "chit-chat." The rest of each issue was split between submitted stories, poems, and even jokes by readers, and about two pages of ads to end. I developed favorite sections, which I would skip to first (those being "chit-chat," "accidents and offences," "Fun for the Family" jokes, and the ads). There was also a contest winner's story that was in the process of being published serially, about a chapter a week. The illustrated portion of the title was showcased in numerous multi-page sketches and illustrations done by a nameless "special artist" who would recount battle scenes, last week's fair, and decorated war heroes. Apparently they were featured as inserts that were sometimes even carved on wood or thin sheets of metal! How cool! Anyway, it's pretty awesome, and the year that I was reading (1864) can be found here.
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