My Reading Frenzy

What I've Read - What I am Reading - February 22, 2021

I have been remiss in posting anything here at all, but I am back with an overview of what I have been reading during these long, cold weeks. In addition to what I have read, am reading, and am listening to, I have added an "Up Next" section to preview what I have at the top of my TBR pile.

 

Read:

• The Best of Me (audiobook purchased from Audible) by David Sedaris I am thoroughly enjoying this one. I listened for hours the other day while working on a jigsaw puzzle while the snow fell.

 

• A Rogue of One's Own (egalley) by Evie Dunmore - Yep, romance is my go-to when I need a comfort read. The assurance that it will all work out in the end gets me through the frustrations every time. If only real life were so predictable.

 

• Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King - This is the most recent Mary Russell mystery to have been published. It takes place mainly in Monte Carlo and brings us back to Mrs. Hudson's story. I like these mysteries when I take a break from Elizabeth George and Louise Penny. The more recent novels have not lived up to the fascination I found in the earlier books, but I will keep reading unless they take another downturn. (Next book in the series is due out in June.)

 

• Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness - (library eaudiobook) I have loved watching the revival of Queer Eye over the past five seasons. Jonathan is a force of nature with his positivity and vision for each of their heroes. His book was personal in tone, as if we were sitting together having a chat. 

 

• The Bear and the Nightingale (purchased paperback at a DC independent bookstore) by Katherine Arden - This was recommended to me by a bookseller when I asked for something to follow the Daevabad trilogy. I loved its fairy tale and folklore roots as well as the magical and fierce Vasya. I am looking forward to the continuation of her story in The Girl in the Tower. 

 

• Dangerous Alliance (library ebook) by Jennieke Cohen - Eh, I finished it. The ending was satisfying, but predictable. The rest was also predictable and just ok. 

 

• Deception on His Mind (library ebook) by Elizabeth George - I am moving through these quickly because I can't get enough of definitive mystery solving. But I can take a break now and read one Louise Penny before the next Lynley mystery. This will be seamless, in part, because I have the next George installment in print having found it in a neighborhood Little Free Library and am not therefore beholden to when my library hold comes in.

 

• Fashionopolis (audiobook purchased from Audible) by Dana Thomas - This is not my first read about the dangerous waste associated with fast fashion, but this is the first to give equal time to designers and companies who are trying to shift the industry to sustainable practices. This is an important read for anyone interested in the the environmental impact of clothing production. 

 

• The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win (audiobook purchased from Audible) by Maria Konnikova - I am not sure when I last gave a book 5 stars in Goodreads, but this story earned every star. Wow! I found the mix of poker history, strategies, and play with Konnikova's personal progression to winner to be fascinating. She spends time with poker masters, game theorists, and psychologists as she learns about the world of poker, not only for the book, but also for herself. Some of the most interesting revelations are how what she learns about being successfully at the poker table spills into other areas of her life in positive ways. 

 

• All's Faire in Middle School (purchased paperback) by Victoria Jamieson - While this story does not quite live up to Roller Girl, Jamieson captures the challenges Imogene faces in attending middle school after previously being home schooled, while also exploring the respite the Renaissance Faire provides. This was a fun read.

 

• It Had to Be You (egalley) by Georgia Clark - This was a lovely romance. It could have dived right into some romance tropes, but Clark was able to write the love stories of a new widow, recently out queer woman, and music partners in a way that felt fresh even while the outcomes were expectedly happy.

 

 

Reading:

• Ghost (library ebook) by Jason Reynolds - I realized after watching an online chat between Reynold and Dr. Ibrahim X. Kendi that I have missed a few of Reynolds works, so I am jumping into the Track series with Ghost. I have two others on hold at the library. 

 

 

Listening:

• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton - I am only about 14 minutes into this listen, but settled in easily as Hamilton explores some of the ways food was important to her family as she grew up in New Hope, PA a town I have loved since high school visits during the annual geology trip. 

 

 

Up Next:

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - see "Read" for my thoughts about the first book in the trilogy. 
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.
• Amari and the Night Brothers (purchased hardback) by B.B. Alston - I admit it, sometimes I buy books for their covers. While the cover is spectacular, as soon as I read that Amari would be dealing with a ticking briefcase from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, I was in for the premise too. 

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

2020 Reading Reflections and Favorites

Wanting to write a post about everything I read in 2020 made me grateful for my diligence in logging everything I read on Goodreads. I was able to pull up my 2020 challenge and look at all the books I read this year, including dates and a look at the cover. I have always told my students the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies in many situations as a metaphor, but not when talking about books. Artists, marketers, and salespeople count on book covers being engaging in order to sell them to us. I am highly visual, and almost never buy a book simply for its cover, but the cover does imprint in my brain and help me remember reading it and at least a bit about it, making a walk down book-memory lane much easier. 

 

 

 

 

Here they are - My 2020 favorite reads:

In roughly in the order I read them.

• Happier at Home (eaudiobook from the library) by Gretchen Rubin - I have found valuable takeaways in all of Rubin's books, but this one hit exactly where I needed it to, when I needed it to. It was particularly prescient because I was isolated at home starting in March, not too long after finishing this listen. I was able to incorporate some of her ideas that in turn helped make staying at home less fraught with anxiety.
• Almost American Girl (purchased book) by Robin Ha - While I read this one as soon as it arrived in our library in February, it was not until August that I had the opportunity to watch an online discussion between Ha and Malaka Gharib, author of the graphic memoir I Was Their American Dream hosted by One More Page Books, an independent bookstore in Arlington, VA.
• City of Girls (egalley) by Elizabeth Gilbert - This is a work of historical fiction that takes place in 1940s New York City in the glamourous-ish theatre world. It reminded me very much of Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar with a young hero who longs to be New York theatre star. This year I also read Gilbert's Big Magic (non-fiction) about living a creative life. It just barely missed being on this list, though here it is I suppose. Ha!
• New Kid and Class Act (purchased books then gifted to my niece) by Jerry Craft - New Kid was the 2020 Newbery winner, the first for a graphic novel. Class Act is an equally thought provoking companion.
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (purchased audiobook from Audible) by Lori Gottlieb - Gottlieb chronicles her therapy journey after a sudden break up, while also sharing details of therapy patients she is seeing. And interesting look at therapy from both perspectives.
• The House in the Cerulean Sea (purchased book) by TJ Klune. This might be my favorite read of the year. It is one of the books I specifically sought at the beginning pandemic related isolation. The story of Linus Baker and the magical children he is seeking to help was a perfect mix of humor, heartbreak, and fantasy. I want to read it again to savor all the delights of the family they all become.  
• Buzz Saw: The Improbable Story of How the Washington Nationals Won the World Series (purchased book) by Jesse Dougherty - One of my most missed 2020 activities was baseball. We are and have been Washington Nationals fans, which made 2019 the culmination of 14 years of hopes with our first World Series win. It was tremendously disappointing to be deprived of all the celebrations that should have come at the beginning of the 2020 season. Dougherty's book came to me just when teams were cancelling spring training and the season was put on hold indefinitely. I derived great comfort from reliving the triumphant season through this book. I also had the opportunity to hear Dougherty discuss writing the book in  a live Twitter talk.
• Kingdom of the Blind (purchased book) by Louise Penny - Penny's mysteries get better and more sophisticated with every book. This one was particularly satisfying because it finished out a significant story arc. There are two books after this one, which I have not read. I try to stay a bit behind her publications so I do not run out. I have one with me in FL to read soon.
• A Banquet of Consequences (elibrary book) by Elizabeth George - I have found mysteries a great comfort during the pandemic, perhaps for the way they end with the solving of the crime. I read 8 Lynley mysteries this year, but this was my favorite.
• The Goldfinch (eaudiobook from the library) by Donna Tartt - I loved Tartt's The Secret History, I was less enamored of The Little Friend. The Goldfinch was wonderful. I listened to it because I balked at sitting with such a long book. In retrospect I would have torn through it, probably faster than I was able to listen. I had to pause twice because the audiobook was due back at the library before I could finish. In the end, I was on edge for most of it after the initial disaster, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It did, in spectacular fashion. I loved it.
• Magic Lessons (egalley) by Alice Hoffman - I saw the movie Practical Magic when it came out in 1998, having no idea it was based on a book, which I just read in 2019. I followed in 2020 with the others in the family of books, but this was my favorite, with its overtones of The Scarlet Letter.
• Untamed (eaudiobook from the library) by Glennon Doyle - This was my favorite non-fiction read/listen of the year. Doyle is amazing. She shares her own story in all her books, but somehow is also able to tap into the ways we all feel weak and not enough in our own situations, but then she offers badass wisdom to build us up. I like this one so much I also purchased this book to re-read and re-visit.
• Daevabad Trilogy (purchased books) by SA Chakraborty - Like I sometimes do, I rejected these books because they were too popular, everyone was reading them, I was going to be different. I am a fool because I LOVED them all. The benefit however of my stubborness is having been able to read all three books in a row without waiting. 
• The Year of Living Danishly (eaudiobook from the library) by Helen Russell - Having never lived outside the United States, I appreciated Russell's thorough exploration of her temporary (or so she thought) country. The book is organized by months, beginning when she arrives in January. She explores, in depth, 12 different facets of life in Denmark from work to motherhood to eating to winter to traditions. This detailed look at moving and living in another country was intriguing.
• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (purchased book) by Garth Nix - I have raved about this one more than once. It was definitely ending up on this list.
• Return of the Thief (purchased book) by Megan Whalen Turner - While I really liked how Turner wrapped up this six book series, reading it was an important reminder that sometimes it is a good idea to re-read earlier books.
• The Witches are Coming (eaudiobook from the library) by Lindy West - I recently listened to Shit, Actually, West's most recent publication, but this one is so far my favorite of hers. I need regular feminist commentary in my life so I do not get complacent. 
• A Promised Land (purchased audiobook from Audible) by Barack Obama - I was so eager for this one, I pre-ordered the audiobook. I spent much of the book lamenting the loss of dignity and integrity in the White House. (I am looking forward to their return next week.) But I also learned about aspects of law making and running for office I had not known. 

 

What were your 2020 favorite reads?

 

Some 2020 Reading Reflections (based on all my reading, not just my favorites)

1. I need more diversity in authors, particularly in non-fiction. I don't feel I need to diversify in genre as I read:

• fantasy
• science fiction
• literary fiction
• historical fiction
• romance
• mystery
• non-fiction 

In all of the above I read adult as well as YA and some middle grade (mostly realistic). There were also MANY graphic novels and comics in my reading year. These tended to be memoirs, realistic, and fantasy. I will admit I avoid horror, thrillers, crime. They just take the intensity of a mystery up a notch too far for me. 

2. I want to try to tackle more of my TBR this year rather than jumping immediately to new publications. I make no promises about this one. If I decide however that I am most satisfied when I read newer releases, I need to cull my physical shelves of older books I may never get to. They should find a home with someone else.

 

What reflections do you have on your 2020 reading life? What are you looking forward to in 2021?

 

Is it ok to skip the classics?

This is really a two part question: 

Should we read and study the classics as part of coursework at colleges and universities or as independent readers?        YES!

Should we teach the classics to high school students?        It depends.

(I believe this for the classics of any language or culture, though my experience is with and examples are from American and British literature.)

 

 

 

 

Benefits of reading the classics (from my point of view):

*Please note: The examples I provide come from my experience as an English major, English teacher in the United States, and independent reader and are in no way meant to trace the history of literature in a comprehensive way

• To gain an understanding of the origins of the writings of a country or culture 
  • Beowulf
  • Gilgamesh
  • The Iliad and The Odyssey
• To experience the progression of those writings through the ages
  
  • Shakespeare's plays and poems
  • The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
  • Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi's poetry
  • Religious texts such as the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, the Qur'an, the Bhagavad Gita
  • The ideas of the early Greek and Roman philosophers
• To experience the products of great thinkers and writers
  • Virginia Woolf
  • Thomas Hardy
  • Jane Austen
  • Gabriel García Márquez
  • Franz Kafka
  • Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  • Margaret Fuller
  • Henry David Thoreau
  • The Brontë sisters
  • George Eliot
  • Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • Oscar Wilde

The dangers of the classics are that too often the lists that make up the canon are missing works by marginalized voices including women and people of color, they are not necessarily well-written, and the context in which they were written is often lost on contemporary readers, especially teens. Additionally, when we force students to read texts we have chosen because we think they will be "good for them" we remove the freedom of choice that leads people to become life-long readers. If one of the goals of literature courses is to instill a love of reading, asking students to read what we have chosen from a list of books that are far removed from their experiences and context will not work.

Classics I would toss out:

• The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - Holden is whiny and angsty. This however is typical of many novels featuring teens who are lost and traumatized. What I think is harmful are Holden's attitudes toward homosexuality. There are many contemporary novels that deal with the same topics and themes as Catcher that take place in an era more relevant to today's teens without the problematic parts. Alternatives: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky or The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth (there are others, but these are two I have read)
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain - Only twice in my career did I teach this novel. Both times I was bothered by the use of the "n-word" but did not know how to undertake a conversation with my students about the problems of the novel. That oversight was a weakness in my teaching. But, I was also incensed by the behavior of Tom Sawyer in the last section of the book when he knows that Jim has been freed in Widow Douglas's will. Instead of jubilantly sharing this information immediately, Tom decides to plan an elaborate escape for his own entertainment, thus subjecting Jim to additional unnecessary captivity and emotional turmoil. We can have honest conversations about the history of slavery and racism in the United States with better books. Alternatives: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass or Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - This has many of the same problems as Huckleberry Finn, but adds the classism evident in the portrayal of the Ewell family. Alternatives: To encourage conversations about racial injustice, Monster by Walter Dean Myers or All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely. To encourage conversations about sexual assault, Speak (fiction) or Shout (non-fiction) by Laurie Halse Anderson or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

There are a number of other novels I would take out of the high school curriculum for a variety of reasons such as Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (literary blasphemy, I know), and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I may write another post about these, or just ask why if you are interested.

 

 

Classics I would keep teaching:

• The novels 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell and the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller - All three of these works were written to address events witnessed by their authors. Orwell's predictions about our lives under surveillance by our government as well as the rise of communism and fascism have relevance here and now. Miller's play about metaphorical and literal witch hunts is far too relevant to current events. Another contemporary classic I would add here is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. (I would not read this one with freshman or sophomores, but I think juniors and seniors have the maturity to have meaningful conversations about the novel.)
• Any of Jane Austen's novels with Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and Emma as first choices - Austen's commentary on society and the mores that unfairly target women and anyone not of the upper class are still relevant today. Students may feel removed from the time period, but the themes are fresh. If Austen's work seems too removed for students alternatives are: Pride by Ibi Zoboi or Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal.
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Anyone who knows me well knows this is my favorite novel. It is not without problems, but it is beautifully written with a tight structure. I believe it also offers opportunities to discuss sexism, sexual double-standards, hypocrisies of religion, as well as being a portrait of a resilient woman and single mother.
• The Importance of Being Ernest and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - I have previously discussed my love of Wilde's satire. I believe the personal relationships, humor, and word play in Ernest are accessible to modern students. Dorian Gray offers a more insidious, but equally compelling look at the superficialities of society.
• Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - This is a novel I first read as a senior in high school, then again in college, and then chose to teach to AP Literature seniors. I have always loved it. Hardy was ahead of his time. Tess is trapped between the old and new worlds in ways that leave her without the resources to thrive in either. Her experiences with hypocrisy, stigmatization of sexual behaviors, and learned helplessness serve to set her up for unhappiness and failure whatever choices she makes. (I am not doing this justice. I would love to go back into an English class to read this again with students.) If I were to teach a course on early feminist literature I would use this and The Scarlet Letter as two texts written by male authors in conversation with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Indiana by George Sand among others.

 

 

What are the classic works you would toss out? Which would you keep?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - October 12, 2020

This was a random reading week. At first I had NO time, then we arrived in Florida and I had TIME.   

 

Read:

Between the plane and beach morning, I finished If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane. I appreciated the main characters progression from someone who tied her identity to her male partner to seeing her value as an independent person. 

I started and finished The Geometry of Holding Hands by Alexander McCall Smith on the beach on Tuesday. This is Smith's 13^th Isabel Dalhousie novel. I have read them all. The descriptions of old Edinburgh, Scotland in these books are the main reason I wanted to visit there on our trip to the UK in June 2019. I think I remember this series being touted as mysteries at first, but the mysteries were generally of a domestic nature as in people trying to find lost relatives or Isabel getting involved in solving someone else's problems. The content of the stories has not changed, but I don't see them in the mystery genre any longer. 

Next I started and then finished Beach Read by Emily Henry. I thought this was going to be a lighter read than it turned out to be, but it was also more of a romance than I was expecting. I am not sure who commissions the design of book covers, but this one was misleading. I am not mad about it, but I don't feel like the cover did credit to the important work the two main characters did as they wrote books unlike those they had written previously. (I don't think the title is quite right either. I might have called it The Writing Bet or Two Authors: Two Lives, or something with more gravitas.) I embraced the meta nature of a novel about two novelists trying to approach new genres and topics that turned out to be personally therapeutic. This book spoke to the ways that writing about challenges in our lives can help us to confront them in realistic and healthy ways. 

Reading:

Now that I am home for a good long time, probably until Christmas time, I will finish The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. I also started Megan Whalen Turner's 6th book in The Thief series, Return of the Thief, a book, among others, which I have been looking forward to seeing published. 

 

Listening:

In the past week I have not listened to much at all. During the time I did spend driving, I continued The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.

When I finish this, I will move to Meaty by Samantha Irby. This is one of her earlier titles, but I loved both We are Never Meeting in Real Life and Wow, No Thank You to the point that I cried tears of laughter, so I think it will be an excellent investment of time. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What is Magical Realism?

I have just finished reading The Two Lives of Lydia Bird (2020) by Josie Silver, which prompted me to think about magical realism as a genre and revisit other books I have read in the genre. I found this book after reading and enjoying One Day in December (2018), which is not magical realism. I did not know this was magical realism until I started reading. Magical realism is not a genre I seek, but always like.

While I could describe what magical realism is well enough for you to understand, I found a satisfying definition and a discussion of the types of magical realism in this article in O Magazine from 2019. I particularly like this description offered by Ramona Ausubel, an award winning author:

"In other words, magical realism can be defined as stories rooted in reality—with a touch of, well, magic. They are fictional tales probable enough that they could actually happen, with a bit of whimsy.."

 

 

The first I read was Beloved by Toni Morrison as a junior in college. Sethe, the main character, escaped from slavery 18 years before, but has not escaped the horrors of that life. She is haunted by the ghost of her unnamed daughter and also by the memories of her past. The novel's realistic elements are a window to the experiences of someone formerly enslaved, while the magical elements ask the reader to accept that we cannot know or understand all the mental, emotional, and physical repercussions for someone who has suffered and lived on as Sethe has. The book is both painful and beautiful.

Another from college is The Metamorphosis (1915), a novella by Franz Kafka in which Gregor Samsa wakes one morning to find he has turned into an insect. There is no explanation for why or how this has happened. Samsa goes about his business to find there are professional and personal repercussions to his transformation. 

I also seem to remember having read The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, but cannot remember much of the story. (This will need to go on a list of novels to re-read.) The book appeared on all the lists of magical realism I looked at to jog my memory of what I have read. 

Joanne Harris is an author who seems to specialize in magical realism as seen in Chocolat (2000), which is also an excellent movie, The Girl with No Shadow (US title) (2009), Peaches for Monsieur le Curé (2013), and The Strawberry Thief (2019). I have read the first two, while the other two are on my extensive TBR list. The stories take place in a small French village, Lansquenet-sous-Tannes and Paris and feature Vianne Rocher a chocolate maker with a talent for guessing every patron's favorite. 

I have read three novels in which the emotions of cooking are a significant element. In Like Water for Chocolate (1989), by Laura Esquivel, the emotions Tita is feeling as she cooks a dish are then transferred to those who eat the dish. The opposite is the case for Rose in The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (2011), by Aimee Bender, who can taste the feelings of the cook. This is also true of Lumi in A Taste of Sage (2020), a romance by Yaffa S. Santos.

A.S. King is that rare case of author who I seek out because of the magical elements. I have read, in the order I read them:

• Ask the Passengers (2012) - Astrid sends thoughts and questions up to passing airplanes, in which a passenger hears and is prompted to their own introspection. 
• Reality Boy (2013) - This one is not magical realism, but an excellent book.
• Please Ignore Vera Dietz (2010) - This one is also just regular realism, but also highly recommended. 
• Glory O'Brien's History of the Future (2014) - Over night Glory gains the power to see a person's past and future in a glance.
• Dig (2019) - This one is my favorite. The story is told from the point of view of 5 teens and follows a twisty path all connected to the Hemmings family potato farm. This one is difficult to sum up in a few sentences. It is well worth keeping up with the twists and turns. 
• The Year we Fell From Space (2019) - This is a middle grade novel while the others are YA. (I was never prevented from reading any book I chose, and have adopted this philosophy as well, so if you want to know the age range for any book for young people there are resources like Common Sense Media to help guide you.)

And as I mentioned here, I recently acquired a copy of Still Life With Tornado (2016) that I am looking forward to reading soon. 

 

Other titles I have read and remember reading are:

• Belzhar (2014) - Meg Wolitzer - At a therapeutic boarding school, journal writing takes students to the alternate world of Belzhar.
• In Five Years (2020) - Rebecca Serle - One night Dannie skips ahead five years to a life she is not expecting, then wakes back in her time with mysteries she spends the next five years figuring out.
• Long Way Down (2019) - Jason Reynolds - As Will takes the elevator down toward a life changing act he is visited by ghosts of friends and family who help him to see what might come of his decision. This really does not do this novel in verse justice. I highly recommend just reading this one to feel the full power of the story. 
• Paris on Repeat (2020) - Amy Bearce - This is a Groundhog Day story in which Eve relives the same day of her 8th grade trip to Paris until she is able to fix some mistakes and take some risks to make the day "perfect."
• Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) - Zora Neale Hurston - Hurston is one of the authors from the past I would most like to meet. When I was looking at lists of magical realism novels, this one was a surprise, especially since I used to teach it and read it numerous times in the 15 years I was an English teacher. But in thinking about it, I realized the influence of nature on Janie brings in magical elements.  

 

While I don't care for the click-baity nature of this title, "11 questions you're too embarrassed to ask about magical realism," the content is well research and informative about the origins and progression of magical realism as a separate genre.

 

What are your favorite works of magical realism?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - September 14, 2020

A week and three quarters after the move, the apartment looks like a home and just about everything has found a place or been given away or donated, which does include some books. This means I was able to spend more time reading than I did last week. 

On Saturday I made a trip to Politics & Prose on Connecticut Ave. to pick up the latest Louise Penny mystery All The Devils are Here that was part of our ticket to the Zoom conversation between she and Hillary Clinton. 

 

 

 

 

Read:

Last week I began reading Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, which I finished this week. I enjoyed it and thought it was sassy, smart, and swoony. I liked both Annabelle and her love interest Montgomery. Each was layered and flawed as well as believably attracted to each other based on backstory and events in the novel. I appreciated the strong friendships between the women working for women's suffrage in the Victorian age in England. This was a slice of history I knew little about which prompted me to do some research to discover how the movement in England compared to that here in the United States the centenary of which is this year. I intend to read the next in the "A League of Extraordinary Women" series A Rogue of One's Own.

Over the week I also started and finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read Daisy Jones & the Six in November, which prompted me to seek another novel by Reid. The story of Evelyn Hugo is framed around her seven marriages, but the larger frame is that Evelyn commissions a talented but struggling writer, Monique Grant to interview her then write her biography after she passes away. The layers of both women's stories drew me into all the twists and turns of their lives.

I picked up two books in addition to the Louise Penny when I visited the bookstore. The first was the graphic novel, Wonder Woman Tempest Tossed, by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Leila Del Duca. It came with a signed book plate which was a surprise. I read it on Saturday evening. I want to read it again, but I think my 10 year old niece will like it too. 

I also bought Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King, which was also unexpectedly signed. I have read many of her works, each of which I have found surprising and mind-sparking. This one will go near the top of my TBR. 

 

Reading:

I am continuing to read The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty because I want to savor this last book in the trilogy. Since it is a library ebook due this week, I started The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. I will finish it early in the week. 

 

Listening:

I finished The King of Crows by Libba Bray, just in time for the digital audiobook to go back to the library today. The series ended satisfyingly. I am thinking of grabbing the book from my library so I can reread the last few chapters. One of the reasons Bray is one of my favorite YA authors is because she writes a variety of genres. I think my first Bray read was the Gemma Doyle trilogy, which I have read AND listened to and still ranks as my favorite of her work. 

In the car today I started Dreams from My Father, written and read by Barack Obama. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

One "New to Me" Author and One Old Favorite

This week I read both The Duff by Kody Keplinger, a "new to me" author and The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black, a perennial favorite.

I got The Duff for my Kindle because it was super inexpensive and there has been quite a bit of hype related to the release of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story. "DUFF" stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend." Early in the story, Wesley Rush, a womanizing type, tells our heroine Bianca that she is the DUFF for her friends and he is going to chat her up so her gorgeous friends will like and sleep with him. I was concerned that Bianca would fall for this guy who would cause her to seek a makeover and wham, bam: no more DUFF.

This is not what happens. While Bianca and Wesley do become involved, their relationship is more sophisticated than this. One of its strengths is they each accept the other as is. This is also the book's strength. While Bianca and Wesley struggle with family issues they become a support for each other in a sweet and completely un-saccharine way. It is lucky I had a snow day from work today because I stayed up much too late reading this.

Another powerful element is that Bianca's two best friends Casey and Jessica are true friends who do nothing but support each other. Nice to see a realistic portrayal of female friendships that do not involve trying to tear each other down.

I will hold off on seeing the movie until I hear how close it sticks to the book, but I am thinking I want to read both Midsummer's Nightmare and Lying out Loud to see if Keplinger's later efforts live up to her early promise.

It should be no surprise that I loved The Darkest Part of the Forest. I have met Holly Black and raved about her Curse workers series, and have only good thoughts about Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and The Iron Trial, which she wrote with Cassandra Clare. Again we have a story featuring a strong heroine who is flawed and real. In this case, she must work to save her town from the Folk who would destroy Fairfold in a power struggle. There's also a nice side of romance for Hazel and her brother Ben. This story really embraces what we mean when we talking about needing diverse books. The characters both human and faerie are not all white and straight, but the story is not about their differences, but rather about their experiences. And given my strong, sometimes negative feelings about trilogies, specifically the second book in trilogies, I am happy to say the end of this story makes me think this is a stand alone.

Gabi and David

I had been eyeing Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero even before it won the William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. I love the cover, which did its job in pushing me to want to know how the cover reflects the story. Metaphorically perhaps we should not judge books by their covers but literally I do and you do and so do all readers. If we did not, publishers would not put any effort in and all books would come in brown paper wrappers. This was the only book I paid for while I was at the ALA Midwinter conference, the award announcements gave me that extra little push to pick it up right away.

Gabi is a wonderful and complicated person, in other words a teen human being. She is confused by the mixed messages she gets from her Mexican/American community, and the media, and her mother, and her father, and her friends. She has a strong sense of self that is derailed when her family tells her she has the wrong friends or is making the wrong choices. One of her healing outlets is her journal and her poetry. The story is told in the form of her journal that begins with her senior year in high school and end just after graduation.

I liked Gabi a lot. She remarkable well with a number of issues in her life, from her father's drug addiction to her best friend's pregnancy. However, on top of all that is another friend coming out to his hostilely un-supportive family, a wayward brother, the arrival of a new sibling, a hypocritically, hypercritical aunt, college application and acceptance stress, school work, and a love life. I felt like all this was unrealistically dramatic. Perhaps one or two fewer wrenches might have given Gabi the opportunity to deal with each in a deeper way. I am not one to believe teens have it easy today, but YA literature plays an important role in helping teens in anguish. Giving Gabi less to contend with would have, I think, made it easier for readers to see themselves.

Dave Smith in Scott McCloud's The Sculptor has a number of issues himself. For one, he is a frustrated sculptor who had some early success, but has lost his muse. This sets him up perfectly in this "deal with the Death" story. There were many times I wanted to shake Dave and maybe even slap him and say "What are you doing?!?" He spends a bit too much time in a "Woe is me" mindset, but this just means I probably wouldn't be friends with him, not that I did not enjoy his story. Had I been paying more attention to the plot and less to the amazing, and detailed art, I might have seen the twist coming at the end, but my immersion in the blue and white drawings left me surprised by how it all turns out. For this I am glad. I dislike a fabulous twist ending that I can see coming.

Two really good books I am glad I spent some time with this cold weekend.

 

Three on a Theme - Wonder, Wings, and Wow

Recently I read three books with a similar premise. In each book the main character has a characteristic that sets him or her apart from others. The three books, in the order I read them are:

1.  Wonder by R.J Palacio

2.  El Deafo by Cece Bell

3. The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Both El Deafo and The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender were honored yesterday at the American Library Association Youth Media Awards. El Deafo was recognized as a Newbery Honor Book and The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. I was there in the audience when all the awards were announced. It was invigorating to be in a huge room surrounded by people who love and celebrate books. Wonder was published in 2012 and therefore not included in this years awards (I am just a bit behind on my TBR pile.)

I liked Wonder, but did not sob as so many others I know did. Maybe I was ready and resisted. Auggie is a great kid who was born with a "craniofacial difference" caused by an anomaly in his DNA. He has endured numerous operations and always felt his differences keenly. The book begins with the decision for  him to attend public school for the first time. As one might anticipate, some of his experiences are uplifting and others are not. Some kids bully him and others befriend him. In fact a great deal of what Auggie experiences is fairly typical for anyone in a new school in 5th grade. What I liked best about the story is the avoidance of saccharine, contrived feel-goodness. I think the other kids' initial reactions to Auggie are realistic. Some are horrified by him and others get to know him and cease to be put off by what makes him different.

What I did not like, was the ending. I felt like the change in some kids' attitudes and behaviors toward Auggie was to see him as a mascot rather than really embracing him. Practically speaking this is better than being cruel to him, but it still makes him an object rather than a person.

El Deafo was fabulous. Hands down, no ifs, ands, or buts this was a really interesting look into life as a kid with a difference. This is really more of a graphic memoir ala Tomboy by Liz Prince than a novel. At age 4 Cece contracts meningitis and loses most of her hearing. She now has to adapt to life as someone with hearing impairments that affect every day interactions including those with family, friends, and teachers. El Deafo is the superhero name Cece gives herself and later shares with friends. This is again a story about someone who is starting in a new school which is difficult enough without hearing impairment. This one reminded me a bit of Smile by Raina Telgemeier because of the detailed attention to day to day life. 

AND then there is Ava Lavender, who is born with wings. This is definitely magical realism in all its glory. I really liked it, and am still thinking about it. Probably too much like a former English teacher, looking for the symbolism. I will say, after reading, the title is haunting. I am almost at a loss to say what this story is about, but like most YA novels it is about the search for self, but in this case that self has wings. I did feel like there were some overtones of Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. These similarities are mostly connected to the experiences of Ava's mother and grandmother who get a fair amount of page time, which I enjoyed as an adult reader of YA.

Overall I appreciated the experience of reading about those different from myself. Certainly one of the benefits of reading diverse books!

Veronica Mars in all her glory.

I came to Veronica Mars fandom a bit late in the game. I have watched all three seasons of the TV show and the movie in 2014. Just yesterday I finished the book. My only regret is not spreading out her fabulousness....now I have to wait for another movie (wouldn't that be awesome) or the next book, which is due out in October. 

Veronica Mars, show, movie, and book, are great, not because they have well-wrought plots, but because of Veronica and the rest of the engaging characters.  The book was comforting in that not a word of dialogue felt out of character for anyone...I could picture each of them speaking and behaving just as the book described. This is perhaps the benefit of the show and movie coming before the book. The writer's job just meant staying true to the characters' roots, it doesn't hurt I suppose that Rob Thomas has been at the helm of all three projects. This does not mean Veronica, Wallace, Logan, Mac etc. are not free to grow and change, but that they develop naturally as a result of maturity and experience rather than at the whim of the plot. The only glaring flaw in the book, for me as a reader, was the lack of any references to Duncan.  Surely after 9 years he would have found some way to let them all know he is ok. 

I was also disappointed in Veronica's treatment of Piz in the movie.  If they were a couple through college and law school, he certainly deserved a more dignified and compassionate end to the relationship that what Veronica dished out.  She has never been characterized as heartless toward the good guy, in fact quite the opposite, one of her flaws as an investigator is her heart and passion for the job getting in the way of her good sense sometimes.

I am glad to have taken the advice of the Internets and started watching the show, but now where am I going to get a good dose of sassy blonde and witty banter while I wait until October?  Suggestions accepted in the comments!

Two Boys Kissing

is not really what you think it will be about.  Though it is about two boys kissing, but in true David Levithan style it is really addressing so much more.  The two boys in question are Harry and Craig who used to date.  Now they are kissing in order to break the world's record in a particularly attention getting way.  They will kiss over a weekend on the front lawn of their high school.  Harry's parents know he is gay and completely support this endeavor.  Craig's parents are less aware and less supportive than he and we would like.  We also follow the story of Avery, a transgendered boy, and Ryan who meet the night before the kiss begins at a gay prom and a long term couple, Peter and Neil.  Cooper also figures into the story as he is discovered on gay pick-up sites by his disgusted father.  Hovering over all these stories are the ghosts of gay men who have gone before, those who have died of AIDS and who are part of the generation that refused to hide despite some horrific repercussions.  They linger to watch as the world changes for the better for young men like those in the story. 

This is not a long novel, but it is lovely and sad, but hopeful that though we have come a long way, there is still work to be done.  So while the two kissing boys are at the center of the story, Levithan has really written a book about being gay.  He writes about how being gay is still what you are rather than one part of what you are, but he also writes of the day when this will no longer be the case. 

I think that Levithan does not back away from what has surely been controversial reaction and I am glad.  Someone needs to write books about the gay, teen experience for all the reasons we know YA literature is important: so kids do not feel alone in whatever they are experiencing, and so they know their stories are being told and read. 

McCafferty, Carson, and Turgeon

So my blogging has been sporadic since I moved to DC to work at the Library of Congress for the year, but since last Tuesday's government shut down my excuses for not writing have all but disappeared.  The good news is that I have mostly been using my time wisely to visit the museums and attractions that are still open and reading.  I finished three YA gems in the past few weeks:

1.  Jessica Darling's It List by Megan McCafferty  I will start by saying I loved McCafferty's YA/adult series about Jessica Darling that began with Sloppy Firsts.  Part of the appeal was the Ocean County, NJ setting.  But beside the frequent references to the Seaside boardwalk, Jessica Darling was a delightfully flawed main character.  Simply put, she is believably real, which to me is the mark of a well-written character.  This new novel takes us back to Jessica's middle school days.  This is obviously a bid to catch some younger readers who will hopefully follow Jessica through this new series and then move to the five original books.  It has been a while since I read them, but I feel the younger Jessica is true to her older self.  Her worries and challenges are also in line with those of actual 7th grade girls.  I definitely recommend this for actual middle school readers as well as those who liked the tales of Jessica's high school years.

2.  The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon I can freely admit I had not heard of this author when I won my copy of this book from The Beheld, a site dedicated to the deconstruction of beauty stereotypes.  The blogger was promoting the author as someone who turns fairy tales around to look at the dangerous underside of their presentation of "happily ever after."  This story combined Rapunzel and Snow White into a fairy tale mash-up.  While I appreciated the look at feminine power based on beauty and what happens when beauty fades, I did not feel the tale was entirely natural.  There were plot elements that felt contrived in order to meet the needs of the message, but since I felt the message was a positive one I can overlook the minor flaws.  I think this sort of retelling is important if only to remind us to consider stories from multiple perspectives.

3.  The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson I had to wait longer than I would have liked to read this because I had it shipped home rather than to DC and it sat there alone in its box until I could get it.  This was the final in the Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy.  I have kept reading despite the second book falling victim to the 2nd book syndrome. This was a satisfying end to the series, though I have not yet figured out if the author intended Christian/religious overtones or not.  It does not really matter because Elisa's story of having to find internal strength to lead her people trumps any reliance she has on a higher power....so I guess I answered my own question there. 

 

Right now I am finishing up Empty Mansions about Huguette Clark and started reading The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond. 

The end of the challenge

As I am moving TONIGHT/TOMORROW to Washington, DC, and will begin work on Monday, my book-a-day challenge for myself is officially ended. 

I read The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall.  I have enjoyed the first three books in this series.  They feel a bit old timey to me.  The stories are far from saccharine, but feel less heavy than other modern stories.  The Penderwicks have issues - dead mother, remarriage of father, and in this latest tale, close family friend Jeffrey deals with his difficult mother and step-father while also working through the problems associated with having never known his father.  The continual and strong presence of adults is reassuring to the characters and the reader.  In some middle-grade and YA book the adults are just absent, which is clearly realistic.  I believe these stories are also realistic in that while the kids try to deal with problems on their own, they always know there is an adult ready to bear the burden if needed.  I think it is a healthy portrayal of families that are not perfect, but are strong in their devotion to each other. 

After this I was able to finish The Hundred Dresses.  This is not the children's story by Eleanor Estes, but instead a look at 100 dress styles that have been significant in history.  The book was written by blogger and lexicographer Erin McKean who also wrote the novel The Secret Lives of Dresses which I enjoyed immensely.  I have been reading this one slowly at a pace of two to three dress styles a day. 

Currently I am reading Bellman and Black by Diane Setterfield who wrote The Thirteenth Tale, a gothic novel if ever there was one, which I loved.  (I remember clearly reading it on Christmas day 2007 which was a dreary, rainy day in NJ.  I was cozy by the fireplace and flew through the story, taking breaks only to help with dinner.)  I was lucky enough to receive an ARC and would love to post my review before release.  Hopefully if my exploring DC schedule is not too hectic, I will finish and blog about it next week. 

I am off to finish packing and maybe get a reading break this afternoon.

Making progress

So, I finished The Ogre Downstairs and A Study in Sherlock.  This one is a collection of short stories written by various mystery writers that all connect to Sherlock Holmes in some way.  I enjoyed the stories, but generally do not like to read short stories.  As a genre I love short stories, I loved teaching them.  Some of the best short story writers, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Chopin featured in my teaching for years, but for my own personal reading, I prefer something more sustained.

Next I moved to Trains and Lovers by Alexander McCall Smith.  I have not yet read anything by him that I did not like and some of them I have loved.  This one was a charming story of four people in a railway car from Edinburgh to London.  They share stories with each other that are intimate, yet not necessarily revealing of everything.  It is a lovely meditation on love, but also the ways that humans can connect if we just allow ourselves to trust in humanity and compassion. 

 

Just now I finished Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher.  I had only read one book by Chris Crutcher when I heard him speak at the VA librarian conference in 2011.  Afterwards I aquired a number of his books, but this is the first I have read.  Now I am hooked.  He has worked for years as a child protection specialist which makes me sad.  It makes me think that the stories he tells about what some kids go through are probably truer than I would like to know about, but his stories are real and told in clear, strong language so that we as readers know he is not sensationalizing or trying to embellish.  I have placed a few more of his books into my boxes to take to DC.  I do not want too much time to pass before I read another of his books.

 

Up next: The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.   

6 down....infinity to go

After challenging myself on August 4th to read a book a day until I finish the pile of kids books I have selected along with some books of short stories I need to finish, I have read six and a half books, and anticipate finishing the 1/2 today.  This means I am a bit ahead of the pace!  Yay me!

I have read:

I'll Pass for Your Comrade by Anita Silvey, which I mentioned in the original book challenge post.  I really liked this, but it left me wanted to know more about each woman Silvey mentions.  Right now I have no time for further research, but someday.... 

Next was Everything on a Waffle, by Polly Horvath, a Newbery Honor Book from 2002.  This one takes place in a quaint town in British Columbia with some stock characters like the gruff uncle, the quirky diner lady, and a sort-of orphan.  But when the plot veers away from the expected, the characters do as well, which is I suppose why this was considered for a Newbery. 

After that I read the companion books Just as Long as We're Together and Here's to You Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume.  I enjoyed both and they moved well covering just brief periods in the lives of 7th graders Stephanie, Rachel, and Alice.  These were not as delightful as Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing, nor as controversial as Are You There God it's Me Margaret, but were nonetheless good showings by Blume. 

The final book I have read so far in its entirety is Romeo Blue by Phoebe Stone, the sequel to The Romeo and Juliet Code, a book I LOVED!  Ironically I stated in my review that I would prefer their not to be a sequel, but there is and I read it and love it too!  Just goes to show how much I know.  I love Stone's phrasing, it is almost poetic, and since I dislike verse novels, I am surprised I like her style.  Because the book takes place during World War II, it is not primarily a happy story, but the way the characters go on with life, managing to find joy amid the awfulness is a real portrayal of life at this time.  It is historical fiction, without feeling like historical fiction.  I love historical fiction, but my students avoid it, but this is a book that might trick them. 

The book I am half done with is Diana Wynne Jones's The Ogre Downstairs.  It is really about step-families and not surprisingly, a magical chemical set.  So far I am enjoying it.  I find Jones's books fabulously inventive.  Other people may follow in her footsteps, but she is fresh and unique every time.  Not sure what I will move to after this one, it will depend on my mood later this afternoon when I finish. 

A Book a Day

I own a lot of books.  It was not always this way.  There was a time when I had to rely on other people to buy books for me.  This resulted in many, many rereads.  I suppose if this had not made me happy we would have gone more often to the library, but I loved Anne of Green Gables and its sequels so much, I did not mind.  Even after I was old enough for a job, I did not spend a great deal of money on books.  In college I had little time for personal reading as I had plenty to read in my classes as an English/Education major.  After I began teaching, I was again far too busy to read as much as I would have liked and needed to put my meager salary toward car payments, mortgage payments, and student loan payments.

So, when did it all begin?  I mark my descent into excessive book ownership from the summer I worked at B. Dalton in the mall.  I was about 7 years into my teaching career at the time and needed a summer job that would not wear me out too much.  Waitressing was not something at which I excelled and teaching summer school was not an alternative I wanted to pursue.  I was lucky enough to be hired and spent my summer talking to people about books, reading books, and buying books.  The discount was fabulous and even such a small store introduced me to books I would not have otherwise found.  My book buying ratcheted up a notch again when I was taking classes for my librarian licensure.  While other students were content to borrow all their class reading material from the library, I felt drawn to own everything I read.  

So, here I am 10 years after working as a book seller and 4 years after the start of my library education and my house is overrun.  I have been very aware of my buying tendencies for years, and have managed to curtail my purchasing with library cards from two different towns.  However, since new books are always being released that I feel I ne-e-e-e-e-d, I acquire much more quickly than I can read.  One problem I have is that when a book I want to read is released I buy it right away.  On more than one occasion the book languishes on my shelf until I take it down to the used bookstore or sell if off to Powell's without ever having read it.  I am trying to stop doing that, instead keeping a running list of books due out and holding off buying them until I am ready to read.  (This tactic works sometimes.)

Now, I am preparing to move to Washington, DC for a year to serve as the Teacher-in-Residence at the Library of Congress (luckily the books there are not available for check-out).  This means I need to pack up enough reading material to last about a month until my first visit home.  This took me approximately 5 minutes.  But this endeavor also left me staring at a significant number of books I would not be able to take right away, as well as, a significant list of books that have not yet been released, but that I will want to read before anything that has been relegated to the second string.  The question is: Do I get rid of these second stringers, or keep them around in the hopes that evenings on my own will result in greater reading time?

In doing some reorganizing and weeding this evening, I separated out a pile of books to read between now and the end of August when I officially move.  Most of these are short, children's or young adult books I can read at a pace of one a day.  Some are anthologies of short stories which I like, but have difficulty reading because of the choppy nature of the reading time.  I plan to read at least one book a day and still have time to pack and do all those other things one does when one is about to move away for a year. 

I started today with Schooled by Gordon Korman, which was sort of cheating since I brought the book home from work at the end of the school year, and do not own it.  Even though it was a bullying book, which I generally do not enjoy because they can be so cliche, I found this one refreshingly unique.  Cap (short for Capricorn) has been raised by his grandmother in what used to be a thriving commune, but is now just the two of them.  When she is injured and Cap must move in with a foster family and go to school for the first time, hilarity ensues.  Cap is a believable, wide-eyed innocent who is an easy target.  The story ends well, as expected, but Cap's sweetness is a nice change from the usual downtrodden protagonist. 

Before beginning this post, I began reading, I'll Pass for Your Comrade, by Anita Silvey.  I started with this one because during my recent week in a workshop at the National Archives, I learned about a women who had masqueraded as a man to fight in the Civil War.  She and others are explored in some detail in this book that has a remarkable number of pictures of women in uniform considering they were trying to hide in the ranks to fight as men.  I will finish this tomorrow and hopefully another of the pile I have selected for these few weeks.  

Updates on my "book-a-day" challenge to follow as the week goes on.

Summer Reading: Brain Candy or Lit-ra-chure

I seek out two different types of books in the summer. 

1.  Light reading that some would call "beach reading."  These are the books that are entertaining, often with a charming setting and a happy ending.  To that end I have already devoured Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams, Where Have all the Boys Gone?, and Amanda's Wedding, all by Jenny Colgan, a recent discovery of mine.  Additionally I have read Mr. Darcy's Dream by Elizabeth Aston, bittersweet by Sarah Ockler, and The Mystery of Mercy Close by Marian Keyes, though honestly I read that one before the school year officially ended, but mentally I was there already.  I can honestly say I enjoyed each of these books and have an extensive line up of this sort of reading ready for July and August.  I set my expectations low, but thus far have been happy to have been told a good story by competent to excellent writers.  

2.  Literature,  the types of books that require all my concentration.  This summer I WILL read both Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel, both of which have been on my shelf for an embarrassingly long time.  I also have a few by Salman Rushdie, both Midnight's Children that I am really looking forward to and The Satanic Verses.  Not too long ago I read Fall of Giants by Ken Follett, which I loved.  I have the sequel Winter of the World on deck for July as well as Pillars of the Earth.  These books are so chock full of characters and plot machinations that they need my full attention.  I also place non-fiction in this category.  I have trouble reading non-fiction sometimes as it does not always have the quick pace of a novel, but I pick subjects in which I am interested to keep me going.  I am currently two-thirds of the way through Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss.  The writing is excellent, exceeded only by the depth of research on the scary topic of processed foods. 

Fitting into neither the former category nor the latter are Legend by Marie Lu and The River of No Return by Bee Ridgeway.  These are not just entertaining, but also fodder for thought, but do not require quite the same level of intense reading as do Booker Prize winners Mantel and Rushdie.  Lu's book has a sequel to which I am looking forward, along with a bevy of other YA items I have been piling up in anticipation of summer.  I find that sometimes YA fits into the brain candy category and sometimes it does not.  I almost always like what I read in YA, but sometimes find the plots to be too predictable. 

 

Anyway, I wish a full shelf of summer reading for you all!

YA at its Finest

I recently read three really excellent YA titles:  A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff (which is admittedly a bit closer to middle grade than YA.), Enchanted by Alethea Kontis and Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zach Stentz.  I really enjoyed them all for different reasons.

A Tangle of Knots involves people coming together because of old and new attachments.  The story is really beautifully done as we meet individuals who turn out to have connections to others in the story.  They all cross each others paths and either become permanent parts of each others lives or help to foster other long term relationships after a chance encounter.  It is really well done, lining everyone up and untangling by the end.  It illustrates how closely related we all really are in this big family of humanity. 

Enchanted has some similar tangles in it.  Sunday is the 7th daughter of a 7th daughter making her particularly interesting in a family of unique people.  This story is a brilliant mash-up of many fairy tales including "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," "Jack and the Beanstalk," and others.  A tiny piece of each figures into the bigger story of Sunday and her immediate and extended family.  It is beautifully written  and ends with the possibility for a sequel that I personally would love to read. 

The main character in Colin Fischer loves a good mystery.  He likes the ordered thinking required to figure something out.  He takes notes on what he observes around him in a notebook.  He often ends a note with the word "Investigate."  Much of what Colin does is influenced by his Aspberger's Syndrome.  Unfortunately, this also causes problems for him as he begins high school on his own.  The story moves quickly and really only captures the first few weeks of Colin's time in high school but seems to accurately portray someone with Asperger's.  I would be interested to hear from a student like Colin to see how well done his characterization is.  

Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

is either a genius or insane.  I know, I know there is a fine line.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is quite simply brilliant.  If you have read it, you know why I cannot say much about the plot without ruining it all.  If you have not read it, I say...Nick and Amy are a generally happy couple with their share of problems like loss of jobs, ill parents, and a dwindling bank account.  None of this however seems important when Amy disappears the morning of their 5th anniversary.  Clearly based on the evidence and the stereotype, Nick is the prime suspect in the disappearance that may in fact be murder.  But this story is so full of twists and turns the reader cannot possibly keep up without long pauses to think about it all. 

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train is a charming novel about a day Elizabeth II of England leaves the palace to travel on her own to Edinburgh to see her beloved, decommissioned yacht, Brittannia.  While the possible inner thoughts of the queen are interesting, much of what The Queen thinks, feels, and does is mostly improbable.  However, the staff who spend their time serving her and tracking her to Scotland are vastly interesting and probably more realistic.  There is Shirley, The Queen's long-time dresser; Lady Anne, a Lady in Waiting; William, a butler; and Luke an equerry who has recently returned from combat in Afghanistan.  They are joined by Rajiv, an aspiring poet, who works in the cheese shop The Queen visits before deciding to go to Scotland.  Rebecca, who works in The Queen's Mews, is also swept along on the adventure.  All of these people have fascinating inner lives and interact with each other in telling ways.

The narrative switches from person to person watching the activities of the pairs as they try to catch up to The Queen before she finds herself alone and resourceless in Edinburgh in the middle of the night.  It is ironic I think, that The Queen who rarely finds herself alone, is the one person in the novel who does not have a partner on whom to rely during the journey.  Each person finds strength and a much needed foil in his or her travel companion, while The Queen most unusually has only her own wits on which to rely.  She rises to the challenge with no difficulty, but does dwell on her own connections to others, whether her subjects, her family, or her staff. 

I enjoyed learning about the inner workings of the royal household, which I imagine was quite accurate given the author's background.  The ancillary characters were full and as sympathetic  as The Queen.  While this might seem like a light tale, it really asks a great many questions about duty, family, and aging. 

If you are perhaps interested in a bit of crying

then I would recommend both One for the Murphy's by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles.  I cried during both of these books.  My threshold book for crying is Of Mice and Men so if you cried when George shoots Lennie then you will cry during these.

In One for the Murphy's, Carley moves in with the Murphy family as a foster child after her mother's new husband injures her and seriously injures her mother.  With the Murphy's, Carley is able to be part of a happy family.  They are by no means perfect, but they give Carley the sense of normalcy she needs after such a harrowing experience.  I won't ruin it by telling you how it all ends: with Carley going back to her mother or staying with the Murphy's, but I will say Carley realistic reactions, doubts, and changes really get to the heart of why it is tough to be a foster kid.  (On principal I wanted to avoid this book because of its "kid in snakers" cover, but I am glad I did not.)

 

See You at Harry's is again about family.  This time a family that owns Harry's, an ice cream shop and restaurant.  In addition to Fern, the main character, there are Holden, a high school freshman, who is just beginning to feel comfortable as a homosexual, Sara a recent high school graduate, and Charlie their three-year-old surprise brother in addition to their ex-hippie parents.  They are all getting along as best they can when tragedy strikes.  How they deal with this is the most singnificant part of the novel as each member of the family feels tremendous guilt, but must rely on the others for comfort and support.  This one is difficult to reveiw without giving away the key event, but the portrayal of this confused and hurt family is realistic.  On another note, I am glad to have found a book that deals with a homosexual character in a way that is appropriate for younger readers who may also be struggling with admittance and/or acceptance.