| Thursday, June 24, 2010 |
| Spring Reading Thing - Wrap Up |
 I'm ashamed to admit I didn't read everything on my list. I've yet to dive into Wuthering Heights, arguably the one my mind told me I should most definitely read first, but what was exciting won out. I also didn't read Nurture Shock yet, so the kids will just have to continue on with my being a horrible mom and praising them too much (umm...do I have a bias going into this one?)
The Women - Never have I wanted a Kindle more than for this book. I probably worked off a whole frappaccino getting up to grab the dictionary for this book. But now words like "rubicund", "excoriating", "loggia", and "tourbillion" are in my aresenal so watch out. The novel itself read a bit like The Great Gatsby in that it used the main character's eye to view the flamboyant one. In this case, that's enigmatic Frank Lloyd Wright. Nick was replaced by the Japanese-American, Tadashi Sato, who was perhaps the most likeable of all, and a perfect way for Boyle to keep with his usual themes of racial/social inequality to have a person of Japanese decent's voice during WW2 and the period of internment camps here in the states.
I did find myself relating to Wright's mistress (the one who was gruesomely offed by the help) “She did the best she could, but she began to feel as if she were out of breath all the time, as if dusk followed dawn without an interval, without surcease, and the first thing to suffer was her writing. She simply didn’t have time for it. Or for reading either. Or reflection. Or even walks over the hills or a swim in the lake or anything else, her every waking moment focused on keeping the household from collapse while Frank ran to Chicago and back again.” (399). Talk about how it is to be a mom! Needless to say, this novel was an enjoyable insight into Wright's life, but didn't make me change my opinions about much.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Wow was this book well written. It was so much like Austen's style of writing that you'd think Kitana blades and burning a freshly killed
"mankey dreadful" was in the original. Mr. Darcy is forever attractive and Elizabeth even more the strong warrior as she battles her emotions and brain-feasting zombies. I highly recommend! Beware though, there's a litany of novels following in Pride's footsteps and I have no idea if any could live up to this one, maybe start with those?
The Wordy Shipmates - I'm about halfway through this novel and I can say that author Sarah Vowell is the rock star of Early American Lit Analysis. She's not only hilarious, insightful, and relative, she has taught me in a small stack of pages, everything that four months of ENG 257A (Early American Lit) taught me, but she's infinitely better. I understand political discourse and Puritanical sermons aren't for everyone, but every American should be somewhat familiar with it since it's the foundations of our country and the spin that every politician likes to break out for his own end. This a great intro into that world.
I added The Help by Kathryn Stockett. All of the stories are extremely provoking, and while a good read, I don't know that it was so original that I would call it a must read. Maybe it's a bit more personable for moms and caregivers, and it'll certainly make you laugh and cry at points, but reminded me of too many other books and movies about Civil Rights.
I also added the Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer. What can I say? Meyer isn't a great writer, she doesn't blow my mind with ideas, but she can turn out a story that leaves me craving more and Tanner didn't disappoint. Plus, it lays the ground rules for how vampires can repair themselves in times of amputation (it's the venom spit, but of course!)
Kid-wise
100 Cupboards wan't great at first. Baseball? Midwest? Groan! But it got good and fast. I think Goose might not be ready for some of the later ones and I can't imagine jumping into the second or third books without having read the first. The idea is delicious, though, and makes for imaginations to run wild (though for magic doors to other worlds my favorite is still C.S. Lewis' The Magician's Nephew.
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey- Geez! These just keep getting better! They're such engaging, exciting stories. I really hope that this series continues. The plot reminds kids that there is nothing that they can't do and the adults aren't completely absentee or helpless either, even if they are MIA fairly often.
We added two Dahl books. They're rereads and intrinsically linked to being a kid for me.
We also added the Eddie Dickens series by Phillip Ardaugh. Not only are these funny, they're extremely informative. Ardaugh's style of silly plot and slipping in facts is a bit like the Lemony Snickett Series but Britain set and wonderful. Stoats, Love Pumpkins, Queen Victoria, and McPheeeeeee! are constant conversation points for Goose now. This should be read by all kids!
Oh and that pile of magazines? It's bigger. Dwell and Lego magazine have been added to my subscriptions, and while Lego magazine isn't something I actually read, it does get thrown atop the pile to make my stack of mags so intimidating that I'm contemplating getting another Guinea Pig just so that the pages aren't wasted and can be used as cage lining for it's lifespan.
In summation, the one book I read that I think everyone should read, knowing it's not for everyone is the Wordy Shipmates. The Kid's genre is a toss up between Mysterious Benedict Society Perious Journey and any of the five Eddie Dickens books we've read thusfar. |
posted by Lori @ 7:50 AM  |
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| 1 Comments: |
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have to make time for Wuthering Heights. In the end you will like it and it does get exciting once you hit the middle to the end. You'll enjoy it! Happy Reading!
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Name: Lori
Home: Sacramento-ish, California, United States
About Me: I want to make things better.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. You have to make time for Wuthering Heights. In the end you will like it and it does get exciting once you hit the middle to the end. You'll enjoy it! Happy Reading!