Catching Up Takes Time

I've read several books and have fallen off the bandwagon of reviewing them here. I'll try to get that caught up in the next month or so.

Earlier this week I read Richard Paul Evan's book The Christmas Box. Not overly preachy, but a call to remember to cherish all the moments we have...not just the memories of Christmas. For that, I appreciate this book that could be classified as seasonal yet is able to be valid at any time of the year.

I am currently reading c.s. lewis' Screwtape Letters. I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, but it has remained elusive. Our library recently obtained a copy and now I'm enjoying it.

Dystopian Novels, A Favorite

I found Lauren DeStefano's book, WITHER, interesting. I put it in the caliber of most Young Adult authors, as there were things that I felt were inconsistent to the "futuristic" advances and limits placed in the book. However, I could read the novel quickly and I was not distracted by poor writing. She's beneath Suzanne Collins' THE HUNGER GAMES but miles above Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series. There were obvious gaps in the story that I would have preferred to be filled in, or more development perhaps, but it was still an interesting read and I wasn't left at the end thinking that it was a waste of time. Of course, she has a leg-up since I'm a sucker for dystopian novels anyway.

Put it Down, NOW

I picked up a novel that I thought might be interesting and very helpful to me as I am working on a book in a similar scope at the moment. However, after only a few pages, I had to put the book down. It was all too disturbing for me.
I understand that what I was reading was real and is an awful, awful moment in history, but for some reason, I don't feel like reading this novel was going to be uplifting in any way. I've read other books concerning the Holocaust including other survivor accounts of Auschwitz, but this put me over the edge in a matter of pages. I doubt I will ever return to this novel, although I am sure there is a multitude of interesting and important information in those pages. It is just too dark and daunting for me to read it...especially before bed.

Going Postal: Complete

I don't know what happened for me to lose interest because I did like this book. I would recommend this to someone who enjoys a little bit of a strange world and some humorous play on words. Sorry, Terry Prachett, it was funny and entertaining, I just read it in the wrong season.

Queen Hereafter

I think I'm on a little kick of learning about queens. I'm a bit of a bee when it comes to books: give me something pretty to draw my attention to and I'll probably pick it up. Once again, the cover artist needs a pay raise because I was drawn to the book by the cover art.
I wasn't disappointed with the book, either. I don't know much about Scottish history, but this lady surely seems interesting and a worthwhile research project. I can truly relate to her need to be ultra rigid with religious discipline, but hopefully I've found more of a balance than Queen Margaret ever seemed to find.
We have such interesting characters and moments in history and yet unless you are proactive about learning about such things, you would never even know.
I will be looking for Susan Fraser King's other novel Lady MacBeth because Queen Hereafter, a novel following the time period given in Lady MacBeth, was so well written. Historical fiction: YES, please!

Delta Wedding Flop

I can't say that I'm too fond of this book and yet it was the title I chose for discussion for GWBC in September. FLOP!! It's so sad because the summary sounded oh so interesting. It definitely was NOT what I thought I'd be reading. I'm one who needs continuity with characters and I don't necessarily want to know what EACH character is thinking. Choose one or two and go with it; don't hop about to everyone's thoughts. I think the same ideas could have been portrayed if the author restricted herself to an omniscient voice instead of the limited voice of multiple characters. It confused me at times for which character I was listening to and it just made it a jumbled mess, which was kind of part of the book, but more so than needed.
A dislike on this title. Sorry, Eudora Welty...and I had such hopes.

On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

My sister recommended or mentioned this title to me within a few weeks of it being chosen as the book of the month by the GWBC.
I can't say that I gained any new insight or that it impacted my life in any grand way. However, I can say that I was unaware that the Puyallup Fairgrounds were once used as a temporary internment camp for Japanese Americans. Strange. It's just so interesting how we as a people try to hide the past or make it better than it was. To view world and local history from an unbiased perspective would be truly eye opening.
Yep, and that's about it. I'm sure I would have gotten more out of it with another read, but I have such a list of wants to read that I'm spinning through other titles that I have less interest in.

The Gift of Fear

This is just a brief tidbit, but I am enjoying The Gift of Fear written by Gavin De Becker. There are a lot of things in this book that I have to say I agree with and wish people would consider his words and how they pertain to their lives.
He has a second book which pertains to children, for which I am anxious to start reading.

A Review of History

While wandering around the library last week, a book caught my eye. It wasn't the title, it was the picture on the cover. I have a thing for beautiful things and the hairstyle of this woman was gorgeous. So, I picked it up and saw that it was Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra, for which she won a Pulitzer Prize. It's easy to see why, too. A great writer who tries to piece together the history of a woman who has lived forever in infamy because most of the things recorded were done so by her enemies.
It's been an interesting book and a great review of my Classical Civilization courses in college. I love when more of the puzzle pieces get put together and she does a great job of presenting what was recorded and proposing other plausible and logical possibilities.
For those who love history and want to understand more about our own society by reading of that which lead to our current standards, read this book!

Going Postal

I'm not sure what I think of this book. It started off funny and entertaining and then went downhill. I think I just got bored of the silliness. I just finished reading The Princess Bride and that was, well, silly, too. So, apparently there is a cap to how much I can read consecutively.
Perhaps another time I'll finish the book, but it isn't on my "urge to read" list at the moment. I probably need to give it back to my friend and then I can borrow it at a later date, but I'm into a sort of non-fiction stage right now.
Bad timing? I suppose. I'll give it another go in a couple months. But, for now, I'm going to leave the post. (...a shame, too...I only have about 100 pages left...)

The Princess Bride

After chatting with a couple of my friends, we decided that reading The Princess Bride this summer would be fun. Summer is a time to relax, refresh, and enjoy. And, that's how I kicked off my summer, by reading this book.
Hilarious story-telling. Just great fun! And, I have to disagree with people who say it is "exactly the same as the movie." NO IT ISN'T!! There are parts missing from the movie! You know so much more about Prince Humperdink by reading the book than just watching the movie. Now, if said persons meant that it reads very much like the movie, yes. The voice is the same. However, if you haven't read the book and have enjoyed the movie, READ THE BOOK!! You'll love it because you love the movie.
And, there is plenty there for literary analysis...voice, satire, etc. If I ever get to teach literature, I'd love to have this as one of the books we read. It simply illustrates so many of the literary terms one studies but in a very playful, lighthearted way.
Yes, I enjoyed it and I think you will too, so stop reading this, go find it at a library or book store and start reading it!!

The Handmaid's Tale

I picked up this novel over a year ago and never got to it. I think I may have opened it, but never got to read it before it was due. So, I returned it and never thought about it until a friend read and recommended it. I lazily got back around to borrowing it from the library again and read it this past week.
Umm...yes!! I really like this book. Granted, I wish I could edit it a little for some strong word usage, but really, it has a lot of thoughts behind it. There are so many discussion points that I can't even begin to delineate them here. Just take a breath, read and ponder.
I think I used to really enjoy historical novels. I still like them, but I find that I really am interested in dystopian novels. I can't think of one I didn't like. Of course, I've always been vaguely interested in politics...not the politics side, but the influence side of politics and decisions and governing. Dystopian novels allow you to look at things in your own society and question the purpose around them. It's just a different way of viewing things that opens your eyes to new understanding.
I think Animal Farm is better (as in milder) for a high schooler to read, but this is one that is going on my recommended reads list. Who knows, perhaps some day I will teach a class on dystopian novels at some unknown college. That'd be cool!

The Great Gatsby, Round Two

I know I read this book before. However, upon re-reading it, I didn't remember anything. I had things underlined, but apparently didn't get too much out of the novel the first time. Although I think the novel F. Scott Fitzgerald has a great aptitude for writing, I can't say that I actually gleaned anything more than some quotable quotes from this second read.
Ah, but perhaps I'm just in a funk about reading.

Freakonomics

Interesting concept, but I find it a bit...lackluster.
His purpose: expose people to a different way of thinking about things they are told, assume, are exposed to.
Problem: He sets himself up as being basically above other experts and founds his answers as if THAT is the correct answer. If you are trying to teach people not to just believe or accept everything they read/hear, don't write a book expecting people to accept your answers and solutions that way.
This book would have been much more powerful if he presented his solutions as POSSIBILITIES instead of "the real answer".
Of course, perhaps I look at it this way because I am a person who already questions things when I hear about them. I don't accept things as truths until I can experiment on them and test them out and see how I feel about them.