Lynness- Oliver Sacks

Just finished reading Oliver Sacks latest- The Mind's Eye.  It is shorter and more personal than some of his other books: one whole chapter is entirely about his own experience with losing vision in one eye.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I'm a nerd.  Makes me want to write to him and ask about my own head.  Maybe the fact that I don't visualize much of what I read is that my reading is so visual instead of oral?  By that I mean that I concentrate on the look of the words on the page rather than speaking them to myself as I read.  I do not have a photographic memory, but- without consciously trying to commit this to memory-  I remembered a word's approximate location on the page and the shape of the word when I later decided to go back to find the word and look it up.  (If my memory were photographic, I could scan my page in memory to find the word I wanted to look up!)  I can't hold an image in memory for very long, and I can't focus in on it- I can recognize people in my "mind's eye", but if I try to examine them more closely or look for more detail my image kind of 'falls apart', even with people I know very well, like my family.  I can draw, but I have to have an object to draw in front of me.  I cannot hold a realistic image in my mind and draw from it.  Sign language is a visual language and to describe location and spatial relationships with sign language, you have to have a visual image of them yourself, which I rarely do.  If I were describing my own living room I imagine I would have a general image, but interpreting for others requires one to place people and object in various places in your signing space so that you can refer to them, and I have a harder time keeping straight where they are, because I have no actual visual construct....

ANYWAY, Oliver Sacks books always make me think about thinking.  Won't it be amazing when we have all the answers about how our minds work?!

Lynness- Recent reads

I just finished the complete Sherlock Holmes, over 1000 pages.  It wasn't taxing, though- because all but 4 are short stories, so I'd read a few every night, etc. over several weeks.   Most books I speed through because I want to find out what happens. With this, you get that every few pages, so you can stretch it out over a longer period, but still get the satisfaction of resolution and answers.  Many of the stories do tend to be similar: more of a feel though, than actual details of cases.  Two of the stories, however, had THE EXACT SAME conversation in the opening scene....oops.
I also read Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.
Wondering what to read next...any assignment or really good reads lately?

Lynness: reading for Aug-Sept

I posted about the bios I read in August, but while searching for bios to read, I came across Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time.  I didn't get around to reading it for August and I almost returned it, but decided to renew it and maybe I'd give it a whirl.  I was just starting it last week when I decided to look for some books that would fit the bill for this month.  I clicked around a bit and found Powell Book's Puddly Awards list.  What was the non-fiction winner?  This book.  Turns out it's won a fair number of other awards as well (pasted from the Wikipedia article on the book):

• Kiriyama Prize
• Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year
• Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association – Nonfiction Award
• Montana Honor Book Award
• Borders Bookstore Original Voices Selection
• Banff Mountain Festival Book Award Finalist
• Dayton Literary Prize Nonfiction Award – runner up
• People Magazine – Critics Choice
• Publisher’s Weekly – Starred Review
• Mom's Choice Award 2009 ^[14]
• 2009 Italy: Premio Gambrinus “Giuseppe Mazzotti” ^[15]
• Powell Book's Puddly Award (nonfiction), Portland ^[16]
• 2010 The Christopher Award: "To affirm the highest values of the human spirit" ^[17]
• 2010 The Mason Award - Extraordinary contribution in literature (George Mason University DC)^[18]

I finished it and requested the next.  It's the kind of book that makes you want to do good and change the world too.  I highly recommend it.

I also read the Hunger Games trilogy.  I liked the first book, but each successive book left me a little more dissatisfied than the one before.  I'm not sure why.  I don't know if it was the plot or the writing or the characters or what.  I wanted to finish the books because I wanted to see how it all turned out, but not because the reading compelled me like it did in the first one.
I know one thing: if they ever make this into a movie, I will not see it.  Waaaayyy too graphic.  I don't want to see what I read about.  (Good thing I don't visualize what I read about unless I make an specific effort.)  I agree with Rae- not for kids.

Raehink: My August reads

For my biography, I read two books about Laura Bush--one written by her and one about her. I learned a lot about her and have decided I would love having her as a friend. She loves books, birds, Texas, reading, this country, her family, her bed, and her husband. And probably her husband in bed :)

I have finished Mockingjay and am fully satisfied with the trilogy. My one misgiving is the fact that they are being marketed to children who probably don't need to be reading them. It's pretty mature material, in my opinion. I was completely taken aback by one particularly violent scene. It caught me so off guard that I actually gasped out loud and clutched my shirt. Wow. Effective writing.

Lynness: I adore the Candy Bomber (Gail Halvorsen). I first learned about him when I stayed in Berlin with the Boatrights. I read a couple of books about the Berlin Airlift as well as a biography of him. I've always wanted to meet him and was so disappointed to realize that the whole time I was at BYU, he was part of the administration. I could have walked into his office any time, I imagine. He's an amazing man. Glad you discovered him.

Check out www.bookswim.com

Someday when I have lots of disposable income...

Happy reading!

Raehink: September Reading

Read an award winner--any award. We did this one before, but it's been quite a while. And I'm limiting it to just the past ten years. That should narrow things down a bit. So--an award-winning book written in the past decade. Return and report.

Happy reading!

Lulu: WOW

I wholeheartedly and strongly recommend reading Confronting the Myth of Self-Esteem: Twelve Keys to Finding Peace (by Ester Rasband). The author is LDS and bases her findings (about self-esteem and confidence) around gospel truth. It is perspective-changing, necessary.

Lynness: biographies

I wasn't sure who I wanted to read about, so I just browsed at the library a bit.  (For some reason, I'm hyper-aware that the first phrase of that sentence is so wrong, grammatically, but saying "I wasn't sure about whom I wanted to read" sound too stiff.)  I ended up taking home a few books I couldn't get into, but I also brought home and enjoyed a ?middle-school? grade level book about the Candy Bomber (and realized he was LDS and lives in Utah) and a book called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind about a young teen in Malawi who was forced to drop out of school for economic reasons but, aided by some textbooks he found at a small donated library, built windmills from junkyard scraps to power lights and eventually water pumps for his family's home.  This is not something that happened decades ago- he's only 22 or 23 now.  I really enjoyed his story.  Check him out on Wikipedia.

Lulu: A great link!

http://bookyap.com/

Lulu: My addition to what Annie's read--

Though I'm not sure I'll be going "by the book" and reading a biography this month, I figured I'd follow in Annie's footsteps and list some of what I've read/am reading--it's a lot, or at least more than usual, which I'm happy about.

HAVE READ: The Mysterious Benedict Society (oh man, I LOVED this, and the kids are loving it--I finished it ahead of them because I couldn't stop myself from reading onward each night after reading to them...)
Gregor the Overlander, books 1 & 2. I love Suzanne Collins. Simple and straightforward writing style but always a good story to back it up!
The Giraffe, the Pelly and Me. I realized just how many Roald Dahl books have slipped under our radar. We're (me and the kids are) happy to find there are several we haven't read yet! This one was short and sweet.

READING:
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
The Lacuna (the latest Barbara Kingsolver book; much about this book is new for me; I feel like it's one of those books that I read where I finish and feel like I was MEANT to read it and NEEDED to read it)

GOING TO READ:
Confronting the Myth of Self-Esteem - a recommendation from my therapist (no joke). The author uses gospel truths to take on the whole idea of self-esteem, etc.
Gregory the Overlander, book 3
Peace Like a River
These Is My Words
Mockingjay (again, love that Suzanne Collins...)

What's been read... or discarded since May

Read:
Catch Me If You Can, by Frank W. Abagnale *****

A Is For Alibi, by Sue Grafton *****

Junie B Jones Books 1-8, by Barbara Park (We listened to these on CD while riding in the car! Even LV would ask questions about what he was hearing! We had a great time with these!!!) *****

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
(Yes I FINALLY read it, and LOVED it!! I have a total crush on Edward!! ;D)*****

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway (I enjoyed the story but I didn't GET IT, if there WAS anything to GET....) ***

Eat The Cookie Buy The Shoes, by Joyce Meyer (LOVED this book!! I finished it in one day!!) *****

Discarded:
Desires Captive, Just not into that mushy love stuff LOL

A Journal For Jordan by, Dana Canedy I really wanted to read this, got half way don't and could have cared less, so I took it of my night stand!!

August Reading

I checked our old posts and it's been a while since we've read a biography. So, do it. Read about someone. Report.

(I'm making this easy for myself. I'm just starting Laura Bush's autobiography for another book group...)

Happy reading!

Lynness- recent reads

Peace Like a River- I enjoyed it, am requesting the author's 2nd novel (not a series).  Went very quickly.

Confucious Lives Next Door: What living in the East can teach us about living in the West- I found it interesting, but it probably doesn't have wide reader appeal.  Really wonder how Mim and Blake's experience compares.  This was written about 10 years before they lived in Japan.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek- Read a chapter and returned it. I've started this sentence 3 times to try to describe it and I can't.  It wasn't bad, just didn't strike a chord with me and ended up being just page after page of blah, blah, blah, blah....

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment- AJ Jacobs is always interesting and entertaining and you learn things you never knew (maybe some that you never wanted too, as well.)

Lynness- short stories and other reading

I checked out a book called something like 'greatest American short stories' to get a start.  I found a story by O. Henry and read it and decided to get a collection of his, of which I have now read probably 75%.  I am sure you are all familiar with one of his best know works, The Gift of the Magi, but he offers much more.  A very few fell flat for me, but most have the clever twist he is known for, good writing, attention to detail, and a thorough understanding of human behavior.  And a surprising number of words I don't know.   I consider myself to be fairly well-read.  I love geeky games (Balderdash or Quidler anyone?).  I got proposed to with a DICTIONARY for goodness sakes, but I have had to look up words at an alarming rate!

I also checked out some of Roald Dahl's short stories.  I believe these were written before his children's books, and he has a reputation for being ingenious as well as macabre and sometimes racy in his adult literature.  I browsed a bit, and read a couple, but then got into O. Henry.

Another book I read yesterday is Buy-ology- Truth and Lies About Why We Buy, by Martin Lindstrom.  Nathan had picked it up for me when he went by the library, thinking it was my type of book (he really knows me, I guess) and I devoured it and wished there were more.  I found it to be not only engaging writing (though it could've lost a few expletives), but also a very interesting and potentially useful subject matter.  It's the sort of book that makes you examine why you do things and ask more questions.  It's the sort of book that makes me want to write a response to the author.  Not adoring, not critical- but autobiographical- about what I recognized in myself, and what connections I made, as well as how I am different (or think I am, anyway) from the normal shopper (likely because I put a premium on economy and care little for brands and didn't grow up with a TV and generally watch maybe 3 hours of TV a month).

I have requested an eclectic mix of books from the library this week...
Peace Like a River
Confucious Lives Next Door
The Hunger Games (won't get this for a few months, I'm sure)
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
A Company of Swans
The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment

Raehink: July reading

I hope everyone had a safe and sane Fourth of July celebration. Our assignment for the month of July is to read a short story or two or three...your choice of author and type. Have fun. Return and report.

Happy summer reading!

Lynness- PS

PS- I thought of Liz and Pat Saturday- we were making our way through
Georgetown without a map or GPS, trying to get back to 395 after coming
down from the temple on Wisconson Ave. Sam and Warren were following-
they're out here in VA for a few months of contract work with the Navy.

Lynness: quickie

I read some of Bailey White's vignettes.  I meant to read more, but the month has gotten away from me.  They were okay- the book I owned and had read before: Mama Makes Up Her Mind (and other dangers of Southern living) was better than the couple I read.

Liz: June choice

I'll be reading Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by Fannie Flagg, which I started but didn't finish. I really liked it! I just had to return it to the library and then I sort of forgot . . . I feel so busy with getting ready to move that I haven't had/made a lot of reading time other than scriptures . . .

I love you all! BTW, Abby, I felt the exact same way about These is My Words--anyone else? I highly recommend that book! It won't get out of your head, and that is a good thing!! I haven't read Sarah's Quilt yet but I want to.

Have a great day, everyone!

Abby: June reading assigment and things I've read

I'm excited to read one of the many "southern reads" that are out there! After reading the assignment, titles kept coming to mind and I discovered that I've read a lot more southern novels than I'd realized. And I've loved each of them. Thinking of some right now...Gone With the Wind, Fried Green Tomatoes, Cold Sassy Tree, Leaving Cold Sassy, New Mercies, Scarlett, and To Kill a Mockingbird.

As I looked through Rae's links, I also noticed how often southern stories are turned into movies. Big Fish, The Color Purple, Fried Green Tomatoes, Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Secret Life of Bees, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, and Cold Mountain. I'm sure there are MANY more...

Lately, I don't keep a list of the books I'm reading but I am, as always, reading. I just finished These is My Words and Sarah's Quilt. Actually, I finished Sarah's Quilt about a week ago and These is My Words about two weeks ago. But I can't get them out of my head. I don't want to either. What a rich story. And what character depth. And there were so many truths in there that apply to any decade or century and any situation. I find myself thinking about my own struggles and then in creep Sarah's words or my own musings as to how she would have approached my life. Right after I finished reading, and even while I was reading, I stopped myself a few times from responding to Eric and the girls in "Arizona Territory" vernacular. :)

For this month, I'm going to check out Cold Mountain, Hissy Fit, and Raney and see what strikes my fancy!

Oh, and I can't remember if we posted this here or not, but the Eulalie book someone asked about...it's Eulalie and the Hopping Head by David Small (thanks to my Dad and Lynness for both looking into it and figuring it out).

Also...any of you with fond memories of Brer Rabbit, there's a company uploading free copies of old story recordings that are free for download. If I remember right, there are two versions of Brer Rabbit/Uncle Remus stories.

The Kindness of Strangers

I'm reading The Help at the moment for another book group, and it has inspired our June reading assignment. Look for something Southern--set in the South, written by a Southern author, or built around mainly Southern characters. Lounge and laugh. If I could have a sweet tea right now, I surely would.

Here are some links to help you out if need be:

http://www.pastemagazine.com/high_gravity/2008/06/10-great-books-of-southern-fiction.html

http://www.bpl.org/research/adultbooklists/southern.htm

http://www.kdl.org/categories/print/490

Any takers on the reference in the title? It refers to a favorite line from a great playwright...

Happy reading!

Lynness- May reads

Well, I perused Square Foot Gardening (the updated version), and read 3 autobiographical books of food critics (Ruth Reichl, Mimi Sheraton, and Moira someone), none of whom I had ever heard of before this year.  I read them all at the same time, so I think I have a pretty firm understanding of a food critic's world now, though I have all their personal histories all jumbled up.  They all traveled extensively and speak other languages and know how to cook well themselves.

I could never be a food critic.  When I considered going on a mission, my biggest fear was not knocking on doors or walking up to perfect strangers and sharing the gospel.  No- it was that I would have to eat what I was served!  I will confess now- I am a picky person.  I don't like tomato-based sauces (i.e., ketchup, marinara), I don't like cheese (especially melted) or chocolate or soda.  I'm not a mushroom or olive fan, I can eat lemon-flavored stuff, but don't particularly care for it...etc.  And believe me, I'm better than I was.  This may sound a little strange, but for not liking so many things, I don't have a very discerning palate.  I can't tell what spices are in things by taste or what's missing, or what would go well with a certain food.  For all that, I am a pretty decent cook.  Not inventive or superb, but I turn out quality food pretty regularly.  But what I would really like is to understand the chemistry of cooking better (and I have read a book on it- I just need to do it 5 more times and with ingredients in hand as I do so).  I want to understand what ingredients to change in order to make certain desired results occur.  I want my gravy to thicken nicely every time, instead of about half the time.
Even though I'm picky, these food critic books make me want to taste authentic ethnic cuisines or to try a black truffle or caviar (on an expense account, of course).  Some sound positively revolting though: steak tartare? foie gras? rotten shark?  Not me.

But I guess my favorite book I read on food this month would be "Plenty" about the couple who started the 100-mile diet, eating only things that grow within a 100 miles of them.  It makes it kind of hard to find some normal staples, and the winter months get a little lean on the veggies, but it does give some food for thought (pun intended).  I don't know that I would try it though.  I could go without lots of things, meat included (although I don't know that I could ever fill up Nathan's hollow legs on a veggie diet), but I don't think I could do without bananas or grapes or tomatoes in the winter.  (I had a tomato this week that was from Canada- how in the world is it more cost effective for the store to get a tomato from Canada- it's colder and further away?!?!)

Raehink: May Reading

I'm going to make our May assignment really easy. It will be the same topic that our RS book group is tackling--read a gardening or food book. It can be fiction or non, your choice. You choose the parameters. Have fun with this one. We are heading into that time of year when we get to plant gardens and eat summer foods. So prepare and enjoy!

Lynness - re Lonesome Dove. I felt like you did at first until I went back and read McMurtry's entire "series" of books starring Gus and Woodrow. Now they are my buddies. I love the characters Larry created and even sometimes dream about them. They become almost like real people when you know their early years as well as their later ones. But, I agree, the books are a definite investment of your time...

Happy reading!

March and April

There are a couple of books that I read as a youth that immediately came to mind for March's read. Island Of The Blue Dolphin, by Scott O'Dell, being the first. Once it was available I checked it out from the library but never really got into it. I returned it on the next visit. Others on my mind were Go Ask Alice, which I would have read, I'm sure not finding the same outcome from the first time. I was about 14, or 15. I stayed up ALL NIGHT, read the entire book, and my Rae didn't make me go to school the next day. My mind was so blown!! :) A couple of Goosebumps, and Gooseflumps crossed my mind, but knew that they probably would NOT hold my interest now hahaha. BUT... when I was 15 I read Where Are The Children, by Mary Higgins Clark. I have always remembered how SCARED I was as I read this book. The first "adult" book, I had ever read. I had no intentions on re-reading it, until one afternoon, THERE IT WAS!!! On the swap shelf at our library! I gasped out loud, held it for a moment, and placed it into my bag! It was such a quick easy read this time ;D I don't know if I enjoyed it the same as I did then, but it was still a good suspense, which is probably my favorite type of genre for both movies and books!! I also learned that Where Are The Children was Clark's first suspense. That did intrigue me!! :) I own a couple more by her, and look forward to reading them!

Aprils Read's I cheated a listened to some more audio books! :)
Fahrenheit 451 which I only read because of the reviews I saw others give it. BUT!! I loved it! I was barely in chapter 5 when I called Chela and told her she HAD to read it! I loved the end! The idea that WE ARE BOOKS. We carry with us what we learn and know! That the men had memorized sections, and could be recalled mentally when the time was right!! Strange but SSOOOO enjoyable!! I also listened to Sidney Poitier's The Measure Of A Man. My desire to read this comes from my crazy want to read all the books Oprah has picked. (Don't ask me why!!) BUT i loved this book! It was performed by Poitier, and just like his work on the screen he drew me in! I love him :) want to know him! Want to see all his films, and actually rented some from the library. Lillie's Of The Field, with which he became the first Black American to receive the Academy Award for Best Actor! And Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Prior to the book I had no connection with this actor/man, but after reading his Autobiography I would love to see more of his work!!!

At the end of Measure Of A Man's recording, the Harper Books people suggested "thinking of the little ones around you" as far as listening to audio books. So... today at the library I did just that! I checked out Junie B. Jones (Ive never read these!) CD Edition: Books 1-8;..The Stupid Smelly Bus, ..a Little Monkey Business, .. Her Big Fat Mouth, .. Some Sneeky Peeky Spying, .. the Yucky Blucky Fruitcake, ..That Meanie Jim's Birthday, .. Loves Handsom Warren, .. a Monster Under Her Bed. We will be listening to these books in the car, just as before. Both Lany and I enjoyed it this afternoon. I think they are funny, and I am excited to be listening with her!

I am looking forward to May's topic, but really want to FINISH the books that Ive started: The Dream Giver, The Secret (a re-read), Catch Me If You Can, Spiderwick (to L&L), Desires Captive (hahahahaha awesome!! My first Harlequin, I picked a couple up for my April read :D), A is For Alibi, and A Journal For Jordan (the winner as far as length on my night stand!!!), also just picked up A Light In The Attic today. The children LOVE Falling Up, so I'm VERY excited to get this one started!!

xoxo

Lynness: Lonesome Dove

I read Lonesome Dove for my Western on the strength of it being on most of the "Best Westerns" short lists and that my grandmother taped it from TV when it ran as a mini-series.  Other than that I knew nothing about it: I had thought the title probably referred to a Native American's name, not a town set in southern Texas.  The writing is well done, the characterizations are excellent, the various storylines progress and converge nicely, but at the end I felt I had misused my time.  There was a lot of drinking and prostitution, but it didn't feel gratuitous or even overdone- it felt very true to life as I imagine it would have been around the 1870's on the frontier.  That wasn't the biggest part of the problem.  *Spoiler warning*  The problem was that EVERYONE that was more than someone you met in passing was either dead or despondent at the end of the book.  Especially the ones you care about most.  Now, I'm not saying it should've ended like a Disney movie: that would've been unrealistic.  But I think it's unrealistic, too, to leave everybody hopeless.  So my basic objection is that there's enough in real life to get you down if you let it- I don't need to add to it.  It did make me think about what the pioneers went through, though.

Abby: Answers for Annie & Lynness

Annie, Jim Dale has recorded ALL of the Harry Potter books! We love his recordings of them. Did you know that he's the "quack" doctor in Pete's Dragon? The one who always messes up when he says "Passamaquaddy". (And here I am totally messing up the spelling...but at least you know how to say it if you need it! hahaha) Your reading streak is awesome! I've added some to my list from yours. And my girls have also loved The Spiderwick Chronicles. There is another series called Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, but we haven't read it yet.

Lynness, thanks for looking up Eulalie. That is exactly the book we were all thinking of. It's funny, my dad emailed me with the title a couple of days after I posted that. I forgot to mention it here. I'll have to see if I can get it at our library here.

Reading!... and Listening!

Last summer I started to read To Kill a Mockingbird. I got over half way done, and set it down! I tried so many times to pick it back up, but I could never read more than one page, I just wasn't feelin it! Almost 6 months later, I decided to listen to it on CD. And woohoo I finished it! It was fun to listen to! I did have a problem though. From the very beginning of the book, I imagined Scout Her family, and her neighbors as black. I KNEW they were white, but my imagination made them black. Which made it hard to follow when the book spoke of differences between Cal, and Tom, and the black community!!! UGH!!

I read the Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. Very easy read. I enjoyed the story! Being positive, having positive energy is like a bus. You are the driver, and your positive energy will bring people 'on board'. :) One quote I took away and really want to remember is, "To blessed to be stressed"!!!

Going for my second book on tape, I listened to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! It was performed by Jim Dale! I VERY MUCH enjoyed his performance!!! He did the different voices and all!! It was fun to be read to like this! I hope that Jim Dale is also the performer for the next book!

Ive decided to LISTEN to Fahrenheit 451 for my April read. Its not really anything I would just pick up and read BUT I have seen others reviews, so I was curious!

I am very much on a reading fix! If you follow me on good reads, you will see that I have TONS of 'currently reading". Currently on my night stand are: My Scriptures, The Love Dare by Stephan Kendrick, A Journal For Jordan by Dana Canedy (another book I started bazillion months ago and just have no desire to finish), Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale(I have been enjoying this book little bits at a time! I REALLY like this book!!), The Dream Giver by Bruce Wikinson (a gift from a friend <3), 'A' is for Alibi by Sue Grafton (picked up from the swap shelve), a re-read of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne, and an out loud read to Lany of The Spidewick Chronicles #1 by Holly Black!!!

Yeah!! That's A LOT!!!!! <3

Lynness: April reading

I think I'll try a Western. I don't know if I've ever read one. Not
that I hate them or anything, I think I just had the conception that
they were too formulaic and something of a joke- you know, kind of like
the Road Runner cartoons. Actually, one of the few western-style movies
I've ever seen, "The Villain", was a parody of those cartoons, with
Arnold Schwarzenegar (sp?) playing Handsome Stranger, a beautiful damsel
in distress, a villain, and the guy who does the voice of Templeton the
rat on the classic animated Charlotte's Web as an Indian chief. I kind
of have the mindset that reading a western would be like that.

Raehink: April Reading

For our April read, I am challenging you to read a book within a genre that you don't usually read--for whatever reason. If you don't read westerns, try one. No sci-fi? Give it a shot. Abhor fantasy. Try anyway. So stretch yourself this month by reading a book you would normally NOT choose! It will be interesting to see what y'all come up with.

Here's a small list of genres if you are unable to think of one right off the bat:

Fantasy

Mystery

Historical fiction

Nonfiction

Biography

Autobiography

Folktales

Poetry

Romance

Humor

Thriller

Horror

There are plenty more and the ones listed can be broken down into subgenres. Have fun with this assignment and try to really do something out of the ordinary--for you!

Happy reading!

Lynness: Re: Abby: Look who's joined us!

I was looking back through old posts...I plugged "Eulalie and the Talking Heads" into Amazon and found "Eulalie and the Hopping Head" by David Small.  Is that it?

Abby wrote:

I don't know how it happened, but Qait hasn't been a member of the blog before! So she's here now! She asked if it was okay if she didn't always read what we were reading, and I of course told her that was fine. I told her she should share a post she had on her family blog about children's books. I've already requested all of them from my library.

Lulu and Qait were both talking about a book called Eulalie and the Talking Heads. Anyone know the actual title and author? No amount of google searches brought it up.

Lynness: Re: Making Time to Read, my recent reads, some suggestions?

I've been meaning to replay to the last couple of posts for days...I think all of us that post here are of the same opinion as Qait- books are necessary!  I get myself in trouble sometimes though: I DO shut off the rest of the world and then I suddenly realize that I've been reading for 2 hours and the girls' WHOLE naptime is gone and I haven't done half the things I meant to or maybe I burned the bread or whatever.  I'm sure I neglect my kids occasionally!  I'm so into my books that Nathan knows that if he wants any response then he has to get my attention first before talking or I will miss all of it.  He can't just start a conversation while I'm in a book, or it will be very one-sided.  (Or it will make no sense and I may agree to all sorts of things, which I'm sure my kids will take advantage of one day).  Isaiah is exactly the same.  You can tell him to do something and if he's in a book, he either doesn't hear or gives a vague "okay" and continues and has no idea what he will shortly be in trouble for not doing when he said he would.

As far as books on tape (CD/mp3/whatever), I don't really have any patience for them.  I read very quickly and, to me, they take waaay too long to finish.  Also, I am NOT an audio-learner: I often find it hard to concentrate on the spoken word alone- I wouldn't get a thing out of Conference this weekend if I had to listen to the radio.  And I usually can't hear over the dishwasher/microwave/kids/etc... anyway.  That being said- my mom read to us up until I was in college.  I didn't mind that it was so slow because it was her (and that was when I didn't have so much responsibility of my own- I could sit for an hour doing nothing but listening).

Here's what I have read most recently...I'm very into non-fiction currently
An Edible History of Humanity (Tom Standage)- fascinating insights into how food has shaped civilizations.  I liked it so much that I read another of his books: The Victorian Internet- about the invention of the telegraph and how it changed society.  There are some very striking parallels with the changes the Internet has made in our day.  I plan to get another of his books: A History of the World in 6 Glasses and just realized when I umped to Amazon to make sure I got the title right that I have read another of his books, about the Turk an 18th century chess playing 'machine'.
I also read Get Me Out!, a history of childbirth through the ages, from groaning cake to sperm banks, from no men allowed to most OBs being male.  It made me realize that (although we're not currently trying), I am ready for pregnancy and childbirth again- whenever that should happen.  Any earlier than this I would not have been (Tabitha will be 8 months on Friday).  While I'm not quite up there with Abby on the no pain, and I'm not ready to try an at home delivery like Jennica, I do enjoy (in a weird way and in retrospect) labor and delivery and I think the world of my midwives!
And I'm browsing Square-Foot Gardening and have high expectations for this new yard with no trees!!

We have finished the My Father's Dragon series and have plenty of books, but I'm wondering what some of your favorite chapter-book reads are for kids.  Keep in mind that I have to appeal to an almost 8 year old boy and a barely 3 year old girl at the same time.  We're thinking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory next, or maybe the Mary Poppins books.

Annie to Qait's "Making Time"

I am a slow reader mostly due to my attention span!! But I DO love to read!! Ive previously thought of books on tape, or scripture even but I always thought I would space out and not absorb anything. Recently with my Arbonne biz I have been listening to training that I download onto my phone. One day while I was listening I said to my self, "Self". Myself said, "Hum". ... hehehe I thought, "Hey I CAN absorb this, and actually ENJOY the process of getting ready in the morning while being entertained".
SO... I checked out some books on CD from the library, ( To Kill A Mockingbird being one, I read over half the book, finally set it down, all of a sudden 3 months had gone by and I just couldn't seem to get back into it, BUT I wanted to finish!!) and IM IN LOVE!! Doing the dishes can be fun, while I listen away, deeply enthralled in a dream. (All while still being able to hear the children ;D)

Can I add a side note? We can always be to busy to do anything in life. Its making the time and changing bad habits that allow us to enjoy the good ones!!

QAIT: Making Time to Read

I mentioned some time back how I love to read and can hardly help myself some days; Michael's sister said she's just got far too much to do to fit reading in.

I think I could say the same thing! I mean, my time is measured very differently since I'm not in school or holding a [paying] job (as in, other than Mommy). But I love books! And they're so necessary to me! I know not everyone has to feel like that, but I get hungry for stories and knowledge and new ideas, and reading feeds me so satisfyingly! It's comparable to the satisfaction of creating something even, like when I doodle or play the harp. Does that make sense? I don't know how that works.

My laundry still gets done, and I really don't neglect Ender. Or Michael. But whether I mean to make time to read or not, I do it!

PS: Once in a while, it's frustrating to read because now that I'm a mom, I'm practically incapable of shutting off the world when I tuck my nose in a book. And I'm a slow reader (I tend to actually say the words in my mind--with the right voice and everything--and if the book says "they paused a moment" sometimes I can't help but pause a moment)! I used to be able to focus so well, and now I feel like every sentence I read is infused with the sounds of whatever Ender's doing, anything Michael says, the goings-on of the family--I've got a Mom-Antenna tuned for any calls to duty! :)

Lynness: forgot to post this

The Olympics were a great incentive for my kids to get ready for bed on time: if they were brushed, dressed, washed, prayed, etc, then we would do family prayer and scripture and turn on the Olympics at 8pm and watch for 15 to 30 minutes before we banished them to their bedrooms and watched more ourselves.  (I'm glad they're over- we stayed up too late too often.)  After the Olympics I decided to keep this going, but with books.  Isaiah's bedtime is 8:15 on school nights, and Ruth used to be 1/2 hour earlier, but she was trying to give up naps, so we recently pushed it back.  Now that they're going to bed at the same time, we can do this sort of thing: the deal is that if they are both in bed at 8pm, Nathan reads to them from the hall until 8:15.  He decided to start with My Father's Dragon, which Janis (I think) had read to him and his sibs growing up.  The kids are enjoying it and are quick to jump in bed for a daddy read!

Lynness: Feb, March

Well, I re-read the first Norby book, to see what I thought of it now and to preview it for Isaiah.  I had read it in elementary school (since I couldn't find anything from my teenage years that I loved that I don't still occasionally re-read) and wanted to see how it compared.  Predictably enough, it was shorter in length than I remembered and not quite the brilliant fiction I supposed it was then.  But it was still a decent read and Isaiah absolutely loved it.  So, I went online to reserve the second book.  The library, strangely, has books 1, 3 and 5.  His school library (which is where I found them when I read them- different school, same county school system) doesn't have any.  Hmmm- birthday present??  But then I'd have to get #1 also.  Are they THAT good??  Still undecided.
I did have one laugh-aloud moment while reading this book: the main character's name is Jeff Wells.  His brother's name is Fargo.  I think they even list his name as "Wells, Fargo" at some point in the book.  Completely missed that when I was a kid.  Of course, I probably didn't know what Wells Fargo was, then.  And, if I did, I probably wouldn't have picked up on it, given the way I read.  (Same with the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next books- never noticed anything odd about Commander Braxton-Hicks' name until Nathan pointed it out, but I did get Millon de Floss, though not on the first go-round).
I think for March I'll get some picture books I loved as a child to share with my kids.  Three of us had piano lessons one after the other, so there was always waiting around time while the others were in lessons at our teacher's home.  I spent them (after quickly practicing what I hadn't that week on the keyboard-with-headphones conveniently located nearby) reading everything on the bookshelf.  There were lots of lovely and memorable books- I'll have to see if I can find any of them in our library.

Liz: Dahl, Fannie & Scoresby

Better late than never? I wanted to read Harriet the Spy but I never checked it out; I loved that book as a teen, (I think I was a teen) and it was that book that made me love tomato sandwiches. But guess what I did read? I read the BFG, which is something I am not sure I read all the way through--or maybe portions of it were read to me--anyhow, I was familiar with it, but reading it this time felt like the first time. I loved it. I love the inventive vocabulary, and so did the boys, especially Seth. I love the story, too. I read it to my boys, Seth (8) and Josh (6), and both of them loved it. I am going through my Roald Dahl collection with them. We are reading James and the Giant Peach currently.

I am trying to finish the book called Can't Wait to Get to Heaven, by the same lady that wrote Fried Green Tomatoes (don't have the book nearby or I'd type her name--Fannie something) for another book club. I like it, I just don't make/have a lot of time to read it right now. I'm also reading a book about raising moral children in an immoral world, by Scoresby, recommended by a friend.

Just thought I'd post a note--since I haven't for a while. Hope you all are well!

QAIT: February reading

I changed my mind about reading the dragon books by Patricia C. Wrede. I finally remembered a book I loved when I was about 12-- The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare!

At first it seemed like the writing was too transparent when it tried to make the love interest ...interesting. You know, desirable and everything. But as I read on, I realized the writing is incredibly beautiful! I've decided I still love this book. I can still relate with all the varied feelings and emotions Kit goes through, and I still got very teary-eyed when the town was so blind to think Kit's old friend was a witch.

That was a fun reading "assignment"... (at one point, I sat to read with the intent to stay only 15 minutes, and I ended up finishing the book).

Raehink: March Read

A hearty welcome to Qait! We've been waiting for you...I love the titles you've added here and on your personal blog. I have heard good things about Jonathan Strange, but haven't had the pleasure of reading it yet.

It sounds as though everyone is enjoying the February assignment. I have read a couple of Nancy Drew books and have even shared them with Ivan. He has been amused and I have had fun remembering why I loved them in the first place. I also reread Charlotte's Web. Haven't tackled Harriet yet but I did notice a TV movie that will be on soon called Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars. That cracked me up. They keep trying to update anything that was good back in the day.

Our March assignment will be somewhat a continuation of the February read. Many schools will be celebrating the Read Across America phenomenon on March 2 (which is Dr Seuss' birthday) and I thought it would be fun to participate. The official NEA event "calls for every child to be reading in the company of a caring adult." Notice they didn't say responsible or literate adult :)

So, for the month of March and in the spirit of Reading Across America, continue reading those memorable books from February and throw in a couple of good picture books to boot. Then read WITH your loved ones, regardless of their age. I'm still a child at heart and I love to read in the company of anyone :) Enjoy the month and report your discoveries.

Happy reading!

QAIT: Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

Have any of you ever read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke? I feel a little guilty because I haven't finished it! I LOVE IT, but I'm hardly halfway through! I think we moved in the middle of my reading, so even though it got put away on the shelf in plain view, I never picked it up again. Kind of sad.

Michael loved it. It's about magicians in perhaps the 1800s, and the author makes it seem like historical fiction with footnotes and a few real events thrown in...it starts with some people discussing magicianry and how it's really just a fun hobby of tricks and things...but then there's one person who believes it's far more than tricks, so he seeks the training of a reclusive man who can perhaps teach him to be a real magician.

I really, really like it... but I kind of feel like I have so many books to read, I wonder if I want to dig that one out of the basement. Have any of you read it? Do you like it? I wish I could better tell you to read it. I mean, if I'd finished it, I'd totally tell you you HAVE to read it. But I can't well do that right now! :D

QAIT: February reading assignment

It's been hard for me to think of something, but when I was talking to Michael's sister, she mentioned a book she just read, Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede. I remember loving the character Cimmorene for her tomboyishness, being a sort of maid for a cave of dragons. And I felt like it wasn't too shallow of a book.

We'll see now, I guess! There are about four books, maybe five with that whole dragon thing.

I just can't think of many. And I still really enjoy reading YA books, often more than books meant for my age...although, in my defense, I have read many, many classics, and if I haven't read it, I've likely heard of it and have some idea of what it's about. :)

I think it would be kind of fun to read lots of books from my tweens this month--if I could just remember them!

Abby: Look who's joined us!

I don't know how it happened, but Qait hasn't been a member of the blog before! So she's here now! She asked if it was okay if she didn't always read what we were reading, and I of course told her that was fine. I told her she should share a post she had on her family blog about children's books. I've already requested all of them from my library.

Lulu and Qait were both talking about a book called Eulalie and the Talking Heads. Anyone know the actual title and author? No amount of google searches brought it up.

Qait: Children's Books

I adore this book. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen is so sweet! Michael and I laughed aloud while reading this to Ender, and Ender even laughed while enjoying the darling pictures! It's kind of an ugly-duckling story but with far more charm (and the crocodile isn't changing into anything fancy). I HIGHLY recommend it. I want to own it.

If you're looking for some literature that is incredibly uplifting, masterfully written, stimulating for any brain, and brilliantly plotted, this book is at the top of the list (The Stupids... by Hary Allard and James Marshall). Hahahaha. Just kidding. It's at the bottom. But I have such fond memories of my mother cracking up while reading these books to us (because they ARE stupid), and even fonder memories of us being stupid and remembering the book. Have you ever gotten in an elevator and forgotten to push the buttons? "The Stupids ride the elevator." Maybe that's why I love these books--it makes it easier to laugh when I do something stupid knowing The Stupids always do something stupid.

Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis is a cute and imaginative book. The author's also written "Not a Box," which might suggest she lacks imagination for titles, but the books encourage children to be creative with ordinary objects (the stick can be all sorts of things). That's important to me. Somedays I feel weary of toys because they're practically manufactured to do all the thinking for kids (well, kind of). Some of my better childhood memories come from being insanely creative with everything around me (A fence as a cannon? It worked)!

There are lots of Mr. Sillypants books by M. K. Brown and I haven't actually read them all, but I remember reading this book with my sister. We even have a picture of us together with it! Hm, now I need to see if I can find it anywhere. Anyway, simply put, Mr. Sillypants really is silly.

I'm not sure if the title or the art intrigued me the most, but neither disappointed me. I did kind of wish it went into scientific-like details of the supernatural talent of eating books (that just sounds fun to me), but the story takes it a good direction anyway. The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers is one that I think any kid might enjoy because the very idea of eating books is cool!

I love just about anything written by William Steig. His art is almost childish, comparable to Quentin Blake's illustrations. And the storylines are clever, funny and sweet. In this book, Pete's a Pizza, a boy is very bored and doesn't know what to do. His father pretends Pete is a pizza and plays with him, putting "food" on the boy and "baking him." It makes me think of something either my parents would do with us or Michael would do with Ender.

Thank heaven for brilliant librarians! I've wanted to find this book for ages, and I finally just asked the librarian if she knew what book I might be thinking of. I described it like this "A grandpa is telling his grandkids about how his house got flooded when he was a child, and it was funny to me because the child version of the grandpa still had a mustache. But I can't remember anything else!" The librarian smiled sweetly. "Sounds like James Stevenson! Yes, 'We Hate Rain,' does that look like the right book?" HALLELUIAH!!!!

In the same conversation (she'd sparked my faith), I said "Maybe you'd know another book I've been wanting to find. I read it when I was about 11, so all I can remember is that it took place in England--they called trucks "lorries"--and there was a kind of battle between the peddlers and truckers..." A librarian around the corner poked her head around a bookcase and said "The Pushcart War. Darn funny book!" I couldn't stop smiling. I've put a picture of something that's apparently based on the original novel, but the link goes to the original. Whatever!

Again, bothering the same librarian--I couldn't help myself!--I asked if she knew about a book where a boy drank the stories through a straw. She had to think maybe a minute before she recalled the title for me! AMAZING woman! I read The Ink Drinker by Eric Sanvoisin when I was about 10. I loved it so much! I loved the book even more by the fact that the author wrote in his bio-note that if someone were to write to him, he would send them a straw--guaranteed.

I have yet to read the sequel! Oh my! I just realized in my search that there are two morebooks! Happy day! :) that's two separate links there.
I love librarians. And libraries. Books make me so happy!

Abby requested I repost this. :) Maybe more to come? This is the first time I made the effort to do this...

Lynness: February reads post

Oops- I hadn't even realized I sent it to Lulu- here's a fix- Abby, just delete the other and here is the original.

So, I clicked on Lulu's link for A Room Made of Windows to see what it was about, since I wasn't familiar with it.  I looked down the Amazon page a bit to the "Customers who bought this also bought" part and found that I actually had read some of her other books- some of the "Mushroom Planet" ones.  I clicked on The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet and scrolled down to the same section, where I found other books I had read: The Enormous Egg, The Mad Scientists' Club, Half Magic, among others, and I saw one I thought I might have read: The Forgotten Door.  Turns out I hadn't, but then I started looking for the one I thought it was.  All I remembered was that it was about a door or something that went underground, there were mushrooms (what is it about mushrooms?) and a king maybe and Gog or Oog or Og.  Using that I finally found the title- The Secret World of Og, a Canadian tale from the 50's that seems to be much-beloved and not readily found at your local US library.  This was all probably elementary school stuff, so maybe I'll try something earlier than teen for my February read, since I can't seem to think of anything that fits the bill there.  Notice how all these are sci-fi/fantasy type?  I also remember reading the first 4 or so of Isaac Asimov's Norby series in elementary school.  Anyway, I've been having fun romping around Amazon, finding old friends from the bookshelf.

Lulu: Pardon.

Ahem....

Lynness emailed me that post below and I assumed she wanted it on the family blog, so I copied and pasted it...and it became enormous. So...I apologize, and have no idea how to fix it.

Abby?

Lulu: What a cool assignment!

Aunt Rae, I am SO thrilled about this month's assignment. I love a good re-read, but especially a nostalgic re-read.

First, I'm going to read A Room Made of Windows, by Eleanor Cameron. I don't remember a whole lot of the subject matter--I loved the main character, Julia, and her room with tons of windows (hence the title), and I remember loving the way I felt as I read it. So I'm excited to read it again.

I might also re-read the Wrinkle in Time series, Jane Eyre, or Dragonwyck.

Lynness- February: reads revisited

Maybe I grew up early, or maybe I still haven't...I still occasionally re-read many of the same books I read as a tween and teen: A Wrinkle in Time, etc., Anne of Green Gables, etc., King of the Wind and Misty of Chincoteague, Madeline Brent's Tregaron's Daughter, Stranger at Wildings, and Moonraker's Bride (these were introduced to me by my 8th grade English teacher), and Jane Eyre.  I'm trying to figure out what else I loved then that I don't already have and haven't read since then.

Raehink: I could go...

...on a tear with this assignment! I was having a hard time sleeping last night and began to think of favorite books I read as a teen. Wow. I think I will just head over to the library tomorrow and pull a whole bunch off the shelf. They shouldn't take near as long to read now, right? I may even read some Nancy Drew!

I heartily approve of Eric joining us. I have been in two book groups that included men. They didn't always read what we ladies read, but when they did, their perspective was fresh and interesting. The Good Earth and Follow the River are two titles that come to mind. We needed the male perspective on those reads.

I have FINISHED all the books needed for my teen immigrant experience project. Now to write the paper! Then. I. Am. Done. Finis. Complete.

Then on to Statistics...three more classes and a capstone, ladies.

Happy reading!

Abby: February reading assignment

Rae, I love the idea for our February reading choice. I was immediately able to think of a book that would meet the assignment and I'm excited. The longer it takes me to choose a book, the less likely I am to pick one for the month.

When I read Eric the assignment, he said he wants to be part of our book club. :) Isn't it funny that we haven't had any of the guys contribute? Have we ever discussed that? He's mulling over what he would re-read from his teen years.

I will be reading Tamora Pierce's series about a girl named Alanna, beginning with Alanna: The First Adventure. There are four books and I don't know how many I'll get to, but I'm really curious to see what I'll think of them now. I loved them as a teen.

Raehink: February assignment

Chela and I have just joined a Relief Society book group. Our February assignment for that group is ROMANCE. I thought about making it easy next month and assigning us the same topic, but that would be too easy.

I have just finished the book Shelf Discovery by Lizzie Skurnick. You can learn more about it on the GoodReads site, if you like. I wasn't bowled over by the book, but it did make me mentally reminisce about the books I read and loved as a teen. Then I heard about JD Salinger dying this past week. I've never been a fan of his, and especially disliked Catcher in the Rye. But his death gave me the idea for our February read.

Find a book (not necessarily a classic, but one geared toward teens) that you read and loved as a teen and see if you can duplicate the experience. I bet we will find that these books are quite different when read as adults. I think I will reread Harriet the Spy and The Long Secret, two books that I lived and breathed as a tween. Have fun with your choices. Report back. And, as always,

Happy reading!

Lynness: 2 recent books

I finished North and South and enjoyed it very much.  I think I'll buy it with my Barnes and Noble gift card I got for Christmas from Ben.  (As much as I love books- so much so that Nathan and I got engaged at a Barnes and Noble in Orem- I rarely buy them except at thrift stores.  I guess I'm just too stingy to buy something purely for pleasure, especially when I can probably eventually get it at the library or borrow from someone.  And I won't buy a book I've never read- I might not like it!  Anyway, I liked this one enough to re-read it at some point AND I have a gift card, so....).  The movie is moderately different from the book toward the end, but only in HOW things happen- just simplifying the logistics and making it flow better.  The feel is true to the book.

I also read The Water is Wide, by Pat Conroy, about his teaching experiences on Daufuskie Island (near Hilton Head, SC, Gullah population) in the 60's.  It was full of profanity, but intriguing.  It makes me want to find out what's happened to the kids in the story and to the island and education there in general since then.

On a literary note, PBS is now showing the BBC's (I think) latest version of Emma.  It's 3 2-hour episodes, of which only the first has played.  Imagine Dumbledore as Mr. Woodhouse!!  I don't really think he fits the part, but everyone else is fine.  I don't think I would've figured out who he was unless I hadn't just been reading North and South, but the guy who plays Frederick in the movie version of North and South is Frank Churchill in this version of Emma.  They have added to the story, but it does help to explain some of the parts of the original a little more clearly.

Lynness- January read PS

I guess I should say, "So far the MOVIE is very true to the BOOK,"
instead of the other way around, huh?

Lynness - January read

I know the assignment was to find a book that I've been meaning to read (which I did, Redwall), but I've been wanting to read North and South (not the John Jakes Civil War one- this is set in England) and our library system doesn't have it.  (Though they have another novel- Cranford- by the author, Elizabeth Gaskell, which I find tedious and can't get into).  I thought about buying it, since I liked the movie so much, but then realized that it was written in 1855 and was probably in the public domain.  Project Gutenberg had the text, and although it's definitely not my favorite way to read, I am enjoying it and have lain Redwall aside for now.  If you like Jane Austen or Charlotte Bronte, you'll like this.  If you have trouble getting into this type of book, start with the movie: 4 hour-long episodes on 2 DVDs produced by the BBC.  Although I hear the ending is altered a little, so far the book is very true to the movie.  Each chapter starts with a verse, and I just LOVED the image that I have put in bold in this one prior to chapter 6.

'Unwatch'd the garden bough shall sway,
The tender blossom flutter down,
Unloved that beech will gather brown,
The maple burn itself away;

Unloved, the sun-flower, shining fair,
Ray round with flames her disk of seed,
And many a rose-carnation feed
With summer spice the humming air;

*    *    *    *    *    *

Till from the garden and the wild
A fresh association blow,
And year by year the landscape grow
Familiar to the stranger's child;

As year by year the labourer tills
His wonted glebe, or lops the glades;
And year by year our memory fades
From all the circle of the hills.'
TENNYSON

Abby: April of 2007?!

Wow, Rae (Lulu)! I hadn't realized that. Amazing. I feel like I've fallen off the "reporting" end of my reading, but I'm still reading. Still reading books and still reading here about the books everyone else is reading. :)

I recently read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. It was a fun, light, read, but overall I was annoyed at the writing style. Has anyone else ever read something where the main characters are a little too stupid? Where it takes them ages to realize what you can see very early on? I suppose that has happened to me before but previous stories have managed to be detailed and captivating enough that I never minded. Anyway, just an observation...

I'm re-reading The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle (a Christmas present). I love this book. So much. It's the first in a two book set about a concert pianist.

I'm trying to decide what to read next. Something new. Something that will draw me in. Haven't settled on anything yet. I sure wish the third book of the Hunger Games series was out! That was awesome.

But I also have these books waiting on my shelf: Food, Inc., Finding Flow, Nurtured by Love (Shinichi Suzuki), and Ability Development from Age Zero (Shinichi Suzuki).

Lulu: Also--

--do all of you realize this blog has been up and running since April of 2007? Almost 3 years! I think that's awesome!

Lulu: My dalliance with Dallas

(As in author Sandra Dallas, and "dalliance" as in its first definition: a trifling away of time; dawdling....a trifling away of time is hilariously accurate, as I spent a good 4 hours reading her books today.)

Abby first recommended The Persian Pickle Club to me, and that was the first Sandra Dallas book I read. I loved it. Her books are always full of really great historical details (historical fiction? but with suspense and almost always a bit of a mystery), vivid characters, and at the heart, a great plot. There is always some unexpected twist! I usually consider myself a pretty good predictive reader, but every book of hers has surprised me in at least some small way.

So for this month, I have finally gotten to those other Dallas books I have been wanting to read! Abby recommended The Chili Queen (which I thoroughly enjoyed), and then I read Alice's Tulips and have started on The Diary of Mattie Spenser.

The Chili Queen involved [SPOILER ALERT...ish] some skilled con artists and some Wild West-type characters, and the rich background stories for each character could have spawned a few more novels.
Alice's Tulips made me cry and laugh--a lot of both. Alice's husband is a Union soldier in the Civil War, and during the two years that he is gone, Alice goes through some horrible things, and some less horrible things, but comes out of it with so much growth and refinement...I really loved the story.
The Diary of Mattie Spenser is about a girl who married a man she hardly knew (quite common then, really) and went out west to Colorado with him to start an entirely new life.
Tallgrass, which I plan to read after Mattie, is about the Japanese internment camps in the U.S. during WWII.
And lastly: Buster Midnight's Cafe is about a forties-era Hollywood star (her rise and fall, I guess).

I'm also reading Nightlight, a ridiculous and hilarious parody of Twilight. (Maddie sent it to me) I was laughing so hard it hurt and had tears (of laughter) running down my cheeks by page 5.

Raehink: Redwall

Lynness, I read three of the Redwall series (including that first one) with William several years ago. I thought they were delightful. Beccy's boys also enjoy them. But then I like animal stories. I loved Wind in the Willows, Watership Down, Rabbit Hill, Stuart Little, and of course, just about every Marguerite Henry horse book ever published! I like the Redwall books because the stories appealed to my adult tastes even though the main characters were animals. I hope you like them, but if not, there are plenty of other good books out there for you to find :)

I am working feverishly to finish up my Adult Lit class. It has taken far too long. I'm now reading a whole bunch of teen immigration experience novels. They are all good so far but are also running all together in my mind. I will be glad to get my paper written and move on to Statistics. Never thought I would say that!

It will be nice to read what I want for a change. We have started a book group in our Relief Society. It's still in its infancy and we are still working out the kinks as far as running it, but there seems to be a fair amount of excitement regarding it. I love being involved in the groups and am always amazed at what other people find to read that I have never heard of...

Happy reading!

Lynness: January Reading

Ok, I finished Freakonomics, got about halfway through Midnight's Children before I had to return it.  (I checked out about 5 books at once and read that one last.  Turns out I should've read it first b/c I couldn't renew it b/c someone else had a hold on it after me.  I have put it on hold again to finish it.)  I also read The Zookeepers Wife, about the Warsaw Zoo and its directors in German-occupied Poland.  It's interesting, but doesn't seem well organized.  Some of the sentences and paragraphs seem almost like they were pasted in the wrong place by accident.  I read some of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories (kind of trippy...) and the book I am reading for the actual assignment is Redwall.  My sister gave it to me a couple of years ago and I haven't read it yet.  So far I'm having trouble getting into it, but I am going to keep on until I'm a little further in, at least.  Has anyone tried that one?  I have to tell you, I have absolutely no patience for The Wind and the Willows.  Maybe it's the fact that this is all animals, too.

Raehink: January Reading

A most happy 2010 to each of you. The assignment for January is to find a book, any book, that you've been meaning to get to forever and just haven't yet. You know, the one on your shelf that just sits there waiting...waiting...waiting! Put it out of its misery by READING it.

Happy reading in a brand new year!