reading notes, entry 10...

I am having a fair bit of trouble concentrating lately. And a fair bit of trouble stringing together words in a sensible manner. Feeling rather, I don't know the right word--flighty? unfocused? Anyway, I just haven't felt like I was up to writing reviews (there's a fair bit of lazy in that feeling as well) of the last few books I've finished. But just to give my future self the briefest of reminders about my reading experiences with these books, I thought I'd just throw them all together here with just a few sentences on each.

*The Other Side of Dawn by John Marsden. Yep, Max and I finished up the series. While it really was time for the series to come to a close, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't saddened by the fact that it's over. I will miss these characters so. damn. much! It's pretty much impossible to say much about this book without slipping into spoiler mode for previous books. I can say that the epilogue broke my heart a bit, but seemed about as realistic as it could be. I know there's a sequel series (The Ellie Chronicles), but I haven't decided whether or not to read them. Have any of you read them? Do they stand up to The Tomorrow series?

*Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. Ummm, wow. This book. Yeah. My heart ached, deeply ached, through nearly every one of its 582 pages. It was a dizzying ride. It was both gritty and beautiful. And I loved it. So very, very much.

*The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. Oh goodness. I thought this book was simply gorgeous. Sad, frightening, and oh so gorgeous. Magical. Touch your heart and leave a permanent mark sort of magical.

*Hero by Perry Moore. This book surprised the heck out of me. It's not that I didn't expect to like it--with Ana's and Chris's recommendations, I knew I couldn't go wrong. But I loved this book sooooooo much more than I would have guessed. There are probably literally hundreds of things to love about this book (see Ana's and Chris's reviews for many of them), but I think the one thing that I personally loved most was the reminder that everyone has a story. And everyone has pain, and everyone struggles to get through stuff. And we can't possibly know what a person is going through unless they share it. So whenever possible, be ever kinder, be ever more patient, give the benefit of the doubt.

*Strawberry Panic: The Complete Manga Collection by Sakurako Kimino. By "complete manga collection," they mean it collects the two volumes that were written into one. Unfortunately, there is a final third to the story that was never finished in a manga version. Originally, the overall story was written as a series of short stories, and then became so popular that it was made into English translation mangas and light novels. I don't know why the manga series wasn't finished. Annie encouraged me to read this book, and she did warn me that it wasn't "finished." I honestly didn't think I would become so invested in the story that I'd mind...but I was wrong--I want to know what happens! Luckily, the light novel series was finished and Annie owns it as well. So Annie--why the hell didn't you recommend I read that instead???? :P  A few words about the story: exclusive girls' school, lesbians, sweet yet odd, secrets, pretty art.

*Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt. Chose this to be one of Gray's lit reads for school this upcoming year--didn't know anything about it really, it just came recommended by a friend. It ended up being one of those books that caught me off guard. As in I was reading along, enjoying it okay but not being overly impressed. And then, it just went from being an "okay" book to being an "I love" book in the last quarter of the book. I'm always amazed, and obviously pleasantly surprised, at how some books can do that.

*****
And because I didn't feel like gathering these books back up to take photos, I'll just throw in a gratuitous kitty picture instead:

*****
Soooo Debi...what happened to your themed reading months? Doesn't appear that you managed to stick to July's theme of "finishing previously unfinished books" here.

Doesn't appear that way because I didn't. I just wasn't excited about it, so I took the month off. And I don't feel one little iota of guilt over it either! But for August, I'm back on theme with "nature and the environment" month, and I am very much looking forward to it! So many books in this house to choose from for this category, and I know that I won't be able to read even a small fraction of those I'd like to...but all is well, as I know I shall quite an enjoyable month of reading. :)

reading notes, entry 9...

A Delicate Balance: Living Successfully with Chronic Illness by Susan Milstrey Wells.

It's been a while since I've had a reading entry. I've actually been reading a lot...but finishing little. Yep, lots of books on the go right now.

The title of this book, A Delicate Balance, refers to the delicate balances that people with chronic illnesses must find. The balance between medical treatment and self-care. The balance between acceptance and giving in or giving up. The balance between being productive and taking care of oneself. All of us in this life have to find balance in numerous ways--some of us seem to master it more easily, but I think it's something that we all deal with. This book deals with the particular issues that people with chronic illness face.

Anyway, I'm not quite sure why it took me so long to finish this one. My dear friend Eva recommended it to me, and I immediately put a hold on it at the library...and then it took me all my renewals to actually finish it. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, because for the most part I did. But I'm guessing that with any sort of book like this, some parts will be more relevant to oneself than others. Honestly, there were some bits that annoyed my cranky, skeptical side. Not annoyed enough to want to throw the book across the room or anything (thank goodness, as it is a library copy), as I do understand that she wanted to include a broad range of people's experiences, but annoyed enough to set down the book for days at a time before diving back in again.

Thing is, the parts that were relevant, well, they made up for the rest. I don't think anyone would deny how much it can mean to simply feel understood. There is great comfort, and sometimes, great empowerment, in that feeling. And even if this book had nothing else to offer, for that alone I'd recommend it anyone trying to learn to live with chronic illness.

And for me, there were other benefits. I had a breakthrough of sorts. As one woman put it, "...I believed it intellectually, but on an emotional level, I did not accept what the diagnosis meant for me. I went on trying to live like a normal person." While I don't like the use of the word "normal," the point of this section of the book is that so many people with chronic illness try to pretend to the outside world that they are still the healthy person they were before. Hell, not just to the outside world but to themselves as well. Unfortunately, while the act can be maintained to a greater or lesser degree for a period of time, clinging to that act is only making things worse. I'd sort of been coming around to realizing this on my own in the last few months, but it was really helpful to read this right now. Ever since I was diagnosed, I've been able to tell people I have fibromyalgia and I've been able to admit to the pain and the fatigue and the cognitive issues...yes, intellectually I got it. But I have consistently refused to admit that I need to adjust my life. Or even when I could admit that I needed to, I couldn't actually *do* it. I'm hoping this book will help me don a brave, but not false, face and make some changes.

Maybe my favorite aspect of this book was its ultimate positive outlook, while not ignoring or minimizing the sucktacular aspects of chronic illness. And my favorite line, a quote by Edith Wharton from the beginning of the final chapter:

In spite of illness...one can remain alive long past the usual date of disintegration if one is unafraid of change, insatiable in intellectual curiosity, interested in big things, and happy in small ways. 

I think that is the way I'd like to live, chronic illness or no.

reading notes, entry 8...

*Shine by Lauren Myracle.

Why I read now:

I've wanted to read it ever since Heather recommended it. And she did put it on my happiness project list. :) And it works perfectly for glbt theme month.


Where I got it:

Bought it new. In fact, I wanted it so badly after Heather read it that I couldn't even wait for it to come out in paperback. But yeah, then didn't get around to reading it until now.


Random thoughts:

*Love the cover.

*It begins with a newspaper article that was so horrifying that it made me sick. Literally. Because while fiction, the hate crime described is all too real. A teenage boy, Patrick, is brutally attacked because he is gay. He's now in a coma.

*The sense of place in this book is so amazing, and it feels flawlessly authentic. When an author pulls this off with this much skill, it's impossible not to place myself right into the setting and feel as if I'm somehow part of the story.

*Cat. The story is told from her point of view. And Cat--she feels authentic too. Cat--I understand her all too well. I get the shutting down and withdrawing and keeping it all inside thing that can happen when something horrible happens to you. But poor Cat--now she's blaming herself for what happened to Patrick, telling herself that if she hadn't shut down a couple years ago then she somehow could have prevented what happened to her childhood best friend.

*Just finished. Read the last 200+ pages non-stop. I rarely do that anymore. (Mostly because I rarely have a chunk of free time that long, but also because I've become so distractible in the last couple years.) But this book, I. could. not. put. it. down. And it was more than just a page turner. It was just soooooooo good. Hard though. Really hard. A lot of things in this book hurt.

*I love YA. But I must admit that the stories, or rather the overall setting and feel of the stories, seldom hold a lot of resemblance to my teenage years. (And yes, so of that is undoubtedly just because my teenage years were so long ago. Not that I don't vividly remember them, just that the world changes.) Anyway, The Body of Christopher Creed (another book I loved!) and this book are really the only two I can think of that just completely took me back to my high school days.

*Whew--talk about a cast of flawed characters! Yet again, the word that comes to mind is authentic. And for the most part, that only made me want to comfort, made me root for them all the more.


Bottom line:

I LOVED THIS BOOK. (Thank you, Heather!!!)


Quote:

I knew there were certain sadnesses a person had no choice but to live through, but I put my arm around her anyway. I decided a hug did make a difference, and even if it was the tiniest difference ever, it was better than nothing. (p. 343-344)

Postcard quotes sent:

Chris--2 melancholy

*****
Just wanted to mention that I may be largely absent from the blogging world for a few weeks. Annie might guest post a few more times, as she's reading some interesting books. But I likely won't be posting or even reading blogs much. Nothing wrong, it's just that super busy time of the homeschool year where final quarterly reports are due and the huge task of writing up next year's plans must be done. (Technically next year's plans are not due until the end of the summer, but getting them done right away allows me to start prepping everything now.) Anyway, I know it totally doesn't need said, as we all understand because we all have our busier spurts where we just can't keep up with blog reading, but I wanted to say it anyway--I'll miss you.

guest post 2...

Yep, pulling in the reinforcements again as I try to get my act back together for this blogging thing. (Wait, I just implied that I once had my act together, which of course, isn't really true. But whatever.) Thanks again, Annie!

*****
This time I'll be discussing Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Bad Science is a popular science book, so it's fairly accessible and easy to understand - but there's no dumbing down here, either. There's not an abundance of medical jargon, thankfully, but Goldacre is a writer as much as he's a doctor - he knows what he's going to say, and he says it. Bad Science, in the author's words, "follows a natural crescendo, from the foolishness of quacks, via the credence they are given in the mainstream media, through the tricks of the £30 billion food supplements industry, the evils of the £300 billion pharmaceuticals industry, the tragedy of science reporting, and on to cases where people have wound up in prison, derided, or dead, simply through the poor understanding of statistics and evidence that pervades our society." The opening chapter is a short discussion of detox foot baths that claim to draw out "toxins" from one's body, turning the water a murky brown. With a simple experiment and some investigation, Goldacre quickly debunks this claim, showing that the simple natural process of rusting is what's really causing this brown coloration, and not the presence of the ambivalently-worded "toxins," whatever those might actually be. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, where Goldacre moves from tackling fairly minor, more obvious quack products to larger threats to science and society such as self-branded nutritional therapists and alternative medicine proponents advocating against the use of AIDS drugs. 

The book is British, as one can probably tell from the quote, so non-British readers may not be entirely familiar with some of the people Goldacre mentions, like Patrick Holford and Gillian McKeith. However, there are surely equivalents of these people wherever the reader may live - nutritionists (not the academic kind, those who study the actual science of nutrition, but the ones who market food supplements with their faces plastered across the packaging and have PhDs from suspicious colleges) are pervasive and have far too much power in our society. Goldacre's book, though not overly simplified, is accessible for any reader with a basic understanding of how science works. Even for those well-versed in science it's sure to be informative, as many people are unaware of how truly pervasive bad science and statistics are in the media, medicine, and everywhere else.

a new month, a new theme...

Sheesh...we're nearly a week into June already??? Really??? Dear Time, Please slow the eff down!!! Sincerely, Me

Even worse, we're nearly a week into the month and I haven't yet finished my first book for GLBT Theme Month. (Surprisingly, I have finished three books, but none of them are on theme--one that I started last month, one for school, and one that I was reading with Max.)

This is the pile of possibles I pulled from my shelves for this month. And there's too many of them I'm really hoping to get to for one month. I'm about halfway through Shine...and I am loving it! (Thank you, Heather!) But what should I read after that? There's too many good choices. Any suggestions? I'm thinking maybe Middlesex--I cannot help but think of Ana when I think of this book and thinking of Ana always makes me happy, plus I had the audiobook out from the library before and was absolutely loving it until my little CD player quit working. But after that? What books should I make a concerted effort to get to this month?

On another note, we're leaving this evening on a semi-spontaneous trip. :)  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! See you next week.

guest post 1...

a.k.a. "taking advantage of my daughter post 1." She's such a good sport, this one. When I asked Annie if she would write a few thoughts on some of the books she's been reading, she not only said "yes"  but she didn't even try to make me feel guilty for asking. :)  Thank you, Annie!

*****

This week I read Class Matters, by correspondents of the New York Times. This is an anthology of articles, all on class and economic status, collected from the pages of (suprisingly) the Times by some of their most dedicated and talented reporters. Many people do not realize that class is a big deal, or at least, don't think it's as important as it once was. However, this is far from true. Even as class lines seemingly blur, with material items becoming more available to everyone (Oh, "poor" people with iPhones - they can't really be THAT poor then, right? Wrong.), economic mobility is in fact decreasing, and the wage gap is widening. In fact, as some of the later articles discuss, the "hyper-rich" are leaving even those we consider wealthy behind in terms of income.

All of the articles are very interesting; they use the lives of real people to convey to the reader the vivid understanding that mere graphs and data cannot. The very first article after the introduction, and one of my favorites, uses the examples of three people who have had heart attacks to convey the shocking disparity between class lines. A wealthy architect, a middle-class businessman, and a maid barely scraping by - all of them have had a heart attack, but the treatment they received during and after the crisis is drastically different. This first chapter does a magnificent job of showing how far-reaching the effects of class truly are. It not only affects what sort of care one receives immediately, but also how able they are to follow up on a decent treatment plan afterward. For a rich architect, it's simple to join a gym and start eating healthy, fresh meals every day. For a housekeeper who has grown up on the fatty foods that are all she can afford and is a devoted smoker, it just isn't that easy. This first article is more far-reaching than the others, encompassing people of all classes, and that is why it serves as a great introduction. It sets the stage for what follows, and what follows is a lot: discussions of cross-class relationships, the nomadic lifestyles of some of the upper middle-class, the effects of education on upward mobility, and the lives of the people at the very top of America's class pyramid are just a few of the topics covered.

Class Matters, if a bit dated (it was compiled in 2005), is incredibly informative to readers of all types. Even someone who doesn't know anything about economics will have no trouble understanding this book. This is important, because the topics covered here are important - people need to know about the truth of class inequality, and how it affects everyone, not just the very poor or the very rich. To someone new to the subject, Class Matters offers an excellent introduction. Even to those who are more informed, there's likely to be some new information here.  Overall, this is an excellent book and a highly recommended read.

reading notes, entry 7...

*Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed My Life by Stephanie Staal.

Why I read this now:

Okay, so I've wanted to read this ever since reading Ana's review. Then even more when Ana gave it to me.

But I hesitated. Because I was afraid much of it would be lost on me due to the fact that I haven't read any of the great books of feminism and know little of feminist theory.

Ah, but then when Annie and I were trying to decide what classes she would take at MCC next year and what she would study at home, she asked if we could study feminism. This is both seriously awesome and seriously daunting for me. Awesome--I get to read and discuss feminists writings with my intelligent, insightful daughter. Daunting--where the hell do I begin in planning this class?!! Yeah, enter this book...you know, along with pestering my dear friend Ana. :)

Random thoughts:

*Okay, I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't this. I wasn't expecting this book to feel so personal. I wasn't expecting to cry, for heaven's sake! Ha--and it's not even like Staal's story and mine are all that similar. And yet there's no denying I could relate all too well with her feelings.  LOL--and I'm only on page 8.

*Waaaahhh!!! I still love this book. I do. But want to pout for a moment, because it just completely spoiled The Awakening for me. I know, I know, what I have expected from a book subtitled "How the Great Books of Feminism Change My Life," right? But still...waaaaaaahhhhh.

*I'm sorry to say that that's were my random notes came to an end. Not because there wasn't plenty more I wanted to write down, but I was just so sucked into the book, and my thoughts were often conflicting, and well, I just didn't get around to jotting anything down. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I would have shared many of my thoughts anyway. At this point they're a bit of a confused jumble, and are definitely too personal. Not too personal to *ever* share, but more just the kind of things that I need time with myself to untangle and tease out. I can say that I enjoyed this book A LOT. And that it made me even more excited to have this reading adventure with Annie on the horizon.


Quotes:

The act of rereading, as I have learned over the years, is an especially revealing one; in its capacity to conjure up our previous selves.... Books may appear as so many words on a page, static, when actually they are ever changing--shifting, a palimpsest onto which the narrative of the reader's life is continually taking form." (p. 10)

Mary Wollstonecraft is an imperfect heroine, but I find her all the more compelling for the weaknesses braided into her strengths, the spectacular failures alongside her many triumphs. When Wollstonecraft found herself living her worst fear as an unwed mother, desolate enough to try to take her own life, she nevertheless managed to survive--to thrive even, and to love again. She took full charge of her destiny, and in that respect, she was the best inspiration I had come across in a long time, a much needed reminder that rejecting marriage and motherhood was not the only way to be a revolutionary, but simply the most obvious. (p. 76)

Of course, since ancient times, women have been the targets of discrimination and denigration--and indeed, still are--but these women perceived a historical moment in which it was incumbent upon them to stand up and protest. The moment did not last long, but its reputation of infamy certainly has--which speaks volumes to our cultural discomfort with rebellious women. (p. 162)

They understood that housework is largely about power and respect--not all the time, but often enough. Consider the way housework becomes a public slur, a weapon leveled against the woman who enters the public sphere and is told to iron some man's shirt or some other form of "get back in the kitchen, where you belong." While cooking and cleaning can sometimes be soothing, satisfying even, this is not about the triumphs of the occasional spring cleaning or the pleasure of a home-cooked meal; this is about housework being presented as some sort of genetic destiny. (p. 177) 

Words I had to look up:

prurient--having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters


Stuff I am now eager to read:

*Adam, Eve, and the Serpent by Elaine Pagels (Ha! And if anyone had told me I'd want to read this book before now, I'd have laughed--hopefully not to their face, but inside my head anyway.)
*"The Politics of Housework" by Pat Mainard
*The Fear of Flying by Erica Jong
*Baghdad Burning by Riverbend


Quote postcards sent:

Chris: 1 with "melancholy"

reading notes, entry 6...

*The Fever: How Malaria Has Ruled Humankind for 500,000 Years by Sonia Shah.

Why I read it now:

It came very highly recommended by Eva, and it fit into the medical/psychological issues theme month, and it was sitting right there on the library shelf taunting me.


Overall thoughts:

I loved this book! It was not only well-written and completely accessible, it was fascinating as hell. Nothing about malaria is uncomplicated. Every facet of the story is complex, from the continual evolution of Plasmodia to the pharmacologic efforts to stop it to the differing views of those who live day-to-day with malaria and those in the Western world who are so determined to wipe it out. Malaria has played major roles in world history, as well as major roles in personal histories. And Sonia Shah does a wonderful job relating all these facets of this much-feared disease.

I'd like to say that this is a hopeful book, but it's not. But what Sonia Shah produced with this book is a well-rounded and realistic look at malaria on this planet of ours.


Just a few of the interesting tidbits contained in its pages:

*Plasmodium has seven different forms during its life cycle.

*Once a mosquito is sated with blood, she flies to a vertical surface and spends 45 minutes excreting all the water from the blood so she is once again light enough to fly unburdened.

*While I already knew of malaria's connection to sickle cell, I had never before heard of its connection to favism. Actually, I don't believe I'd ever even heard of favism before at all.

*The Romans had some interesting "cures" for malaria. Being a vegetarian, I wold have had to choose the honeysuckle dissolved in wine over the liver of a seven-year-old mouse or the bedbugs eaten with eggs and wine.


New-to-me words:

transmogrify--to change in appearance or form, especially strangely or grotesquely

impluvia--a cistern or tank in Roman dwellings set in the atrium to receive water from the roof


Quote postcards sent:

Heather: 1 with "capricious"

reading notes, entry 5...

*Ruined Landscapes: Paintings of the Balkan War Zone, paintings by Laura Buxton and text by Ross Yockey.

Why I read it now:

Total impulse grab from the library--I saw it while looking for a couple other art books I wanted for Gray's schooling.

Overall thoughts:

Laura Buxton's paintings are beautiful. But they rip your heart out and bring tears to your eyes. I found it interesting that she chose not to include people in her paintings. And it yielded a surprisingly powerful effect.

As powerful as Buxton's paintings are, I was grateful fot he narrative. For the background. I feel as if I understand the war more than I did before and less than I did before. I can't find the right words to explain that contradiction.

Quote:

Mostar's population was 130,000 before the war. One-third of those were Muslims or Bosniaks, one-third Croats. About one-fifth called themselves Serbs, and the rest identified themselves simply as Yugoslavs. By the time Laura Buxton arrived in Mostar with her canvases, only 60,000 people remained in the city, roughly split between Muslims and Croats. Since everyone she met looked and sounded very much like everyone else, the artist painted their streets and homes, their places of business, without regard for the labels they affixed to one another. She was in the ratna zona, the war zone, where fear played no favorites. (p. 21)

Books from the bibliography I'd really like to read:

Love Thy Neighbor: A Story of War by Peter Maass
Seasons in Hell: Understanding Bosnia's War by Ed Velliamy

Side note:

I'm also more eager than ever to watch the documentary Chris told me about--The Death of Yugoslavia.

New-to-me words:

campanile--a bell tower, especially one freestanding from the body of a church (p. 37)

pentimento--the revealing of a painting or part of a painting that has been covered over by a later painting

Quote postcards sent:

Chris: 1 with "melancholic"

tidbits and babblings...mostly on the never-ending battle for sanity...

*Never-ending feeling of being behind. On everything. Same old-same old. I get overwhelmed, barrel full-steam ahead in one area to make myself feel better, end up feeling worse because I'm then even farther behind on everything else. I know this is largely a problem within my own head, as opposed to outside of it. Ana put it perfectly yesterday when she said, "...I should know that holding on to 'shoulds' is the bane of my life..." 

*I started thinking about Christmas a couple days ago...and I nearly broke down. I'm already feeling like I'm way behind, and I just can't stand the thought of so much stress coming around as it does every year. Self-imposed stress, at that. So I made decision...and I'm going to try so damn hard to stick with it. I am taking this Christmas off. No, not from Christmas itself, of course. But from the "I have to do everything, and I have to do it all by my own hands" mentality. In other words, I am not making our Christmas cards this year, I am not making gifts this year (well, maybe just a couple...but not a couple hundred!), I am not making a dozen different kinds of cookies, etc. I'm just not. I'm not. I'm not.

*My physical health has, well, pretty much sucked the past few weeks. Even here I am my own worst enemy...I constantly do things I know I shouldn't do. I don't know when the very real fact that my stubbornness is doing me no favors will ever truly take hold in my head, but I know it needs to. 

*I am excited as all get out over the fact that there is now less than a month left of the school year!!! I only wish there wasn't still so much to do. :(  And of course, as soon as this year is over, it's time to start working on next year...but the pressure doesn't feel as crushing during that first month of summer vacation and I am greatly looking forward to that. :D

*I feel awful that I haven't been participating in Saturday Farmers Market as of late. (Just as I feel awful about not yet having sent a thank you note to my dear friend Jean for the wonderful surprise that arrived from her in the mail a few days ago, and about all the as-of-yet unreturned emails sitting in my inbox, and...) But hopefully next week I'll have a post up, as things have definitely changed since my last garden update. 

*I can't believe May is almost over, which means medical/psychological theme month is almost over as well. I didn't get all that many "theme" books read, but I enjoyed all the ones I did read, some more than others. And I have one I'm still hoping to finish as well, one I'm really enjoying. I didn't post about a cool moonlight by Angela Johnson, but I really liked it. It was sweet, but not saccharine. It had a unique feel to it, almost magical though it was set wholly in the realistic world. It was the first of Johnson's books I've read, but it definitely won't be the last. And happily, I know I already own a couple others. Another I read but didn't post about for this month's theme was Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante. What a unique voice this book had! And I enjoyed it, but honestly not as much as I thought I was going to. I think that may have been a matter of false expectations though, as I really thought it was going to be more of a mystery. I was blown away by the author's ability to pull off this story from Dr. Jennifer White's point of view though. Which is the point of view of an intelligent, fiercely independent woman falling further and further under Alzheimer's grip. It was impossible not to feel deeply for this woman, and yet, I can easily say she wasn't a person whom I would have been friends with in real life. It's not so much that I disliked her, but we're two very different people. To be honest, I didn't feel like I would have been close to any of the major characters in this book, except maybe the policewoman (and she wasn't really a major character). Anyway, that means I read four books (Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, A Cool Moonlight, Turn of Mind, and Silent to the Bone) for this theme (five if I finish The Fever in time). I am really looking forward to next month's glbt theme, and hope to read many more books than I did this month (but I make myself no promises). 

reading notes, entry 4...

Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg.

Why I read it now:

Because I love Konigsburg's books, especially The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which was one of my very favorite books as a kid. Seriously, the amount of time I spent daydreaming that I lived in a museum after reading that book for the first time = A LOT. Plus it fits the broad medical/psychological issues theme month.

Overall thoughts:

Okay, right up front--the use of the femme fatale trope annoyed me. But now that that's been said, I have to admit that I still loved this book. I loved the things it had to say about friendship and about family and about communication and about silence.

Thirteen-year-olds Branwell and Connor have been friends since nursery school, though as of late there has been a change, a strain on their relationship. And Connor doesn't exactly know why Bran is pulling away.

But when Branwell ends up in a behavioral unit unable to speak, there is no hesitation on Connor's part--he is there for Branwell. Nikki, Branwell's infant sister, is in the hospital in a coma. What happened is the question. The au pair says Branwell dropped her, but Branwell has said nothing. Connor believes in his friend--believes he did nothing to harm Nikki, and just as importantly, believes his muteness is real, not an act.

The way Connor stuck by his friend, never gave up trying to find the real story, was wonderful, yes, but it was also realistic. There were times he felt frustrated and times he felt under-appreciated. But his love and respect for his friend always won out.

Favorite character:

Margaret, Connor's much older half-sister. She was smart, and a bit of a smart-ass. Still, after all these many years, harboring hurt feelings when it comes to her father leaving her mother for Connor's mother, she has never held it against Connor. Margaret's and Connor's relationship is filled with not just love, but respect and trust, and I pretty much loved every scene where they were together.

New-to-me words:

peruke--a type of wig for men, fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries

Quotes I loved:

"Since Branwell's silence, I've thought a lot about listening, and I've decided it is an art. Just as our English teacher told us you can put too many adverbs and adjectives into a sentence--it's called overwriting--you can put too many meanings into a statement. I call it overlistening." (p. 180)

"Waiting takes up a lot more energy than people give it credit for." (p. 208)

"No one said anything, and even though I thought I had gotten quite used to silence, this one had a peculiar ache.
Tina pulled back the blanket that had been shielding Nikki's face from the cold, and Nikki looked up and smiled at Branwell, and the silence suddenly seemed musical." (p. 260)

reading notes, entry 3...

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande.

A few reasons why I loved this book:

*It was well-written and informative.
*But even more importantly, it was insightful, passionate, and thoughtful...and it never felt heavy-handed.
*It reaffirmed my love of essays.
*It made me think about issues I'd never before considered.
*It reminded me that there are always more than one side to a story.
*While the essays all fit his overriding theme of what it takes to be a good doctor (his opinion is that there are three major qualities--diligence, doing right, and ingenuity--and the essays were divided into sections based on these qualities), there was a wonderful variety of topics covered, from the care of soldiers in war zones to doctors who participate in executions and from the continuing battle against polio to the state of childbirth in the United States, to name just a few.
*I was impressed with the author's honesty, and with his humility.

A couple things I am grateful for:

*I already own his collection Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science.
*I'm not a doctor.

*****
So May is "medical/psychological issues theme month." And yes, as always, we're (by we, I mean Chris and I, as happily for me, he decided to join me in this themed reading experiment) trying to keep the themes very broad...so issues such as dealing with trauma and the like are also included. I gathered up the books from my shelves that jumped out at me for this month:

I haven't even raided Rich's shelves yet. Of course, let's face it--I don't actually need to. It's already the 8th day of the month...and yeah, I've finished *one* book. I think I'm going to read A Cool Moonlight by Angela Johnson next. It's pretty short though, so is there anything in that pile that you'd strongly recommend for after that?

reading notes, entry 2...and a couple other tidbits...

Burning for Revenge by John Marsden.

Max and I are still working our way through this series, and yes, we're still enjoying it. (Burning for Revenge is the fifth book.) This series is violent. Not surprising, as the books are about war and how a group of teenagers try to survive. In a sense, I'm almost glad they're violent, because I just wouldn't want war to be sugar-coated. And these books ask a lot of good questions...questions about humanity, about morality, about friendship, about trust.

But last night, this book pissed me off. And I found myself for the second time this year censoring one of my children's experiences with a book. This was much different than the first time though. Luckily, my brain reads just a tiny bit ahead of my mouth, and I was able to exercise the option of deleting a few words.

Here's the sentence, told from Ellie's point of view:

I know they taught us at school that girls shouldn't feel under pressure from guys, and guys won't die if they don't get what they want, but in real life it's not that easy.

When I read it to Max, I deleted that last clause, "but in real life it's not that easy." In a sense, there's truth to the whole thing, because no interaction between two people is ever simple enough to be fully explained in a few words. But face it, that's not what's being said here. Nope, what we've got here is just another perpetuation of the same old, same old--guys can't control themselves so it's up to girls not to be raped. So yeah, I didn't read that last bit because THERE IS NO "BUT"!!! And yeah, we were still able to have a conversation about the topic, without the reinforcement of a troublesome idea.

*****
Okay, enough of my pissed-offed-ness...let's move on to a bit of happy stuff...

*I just want to say a GARGANTUAN THANK YOU to Lu for directing me to The Old Reader. If there's anyone else out there who hasn't figured out what to do about Google Reader going away, especially if you're not particularly tech-savvy, The Old Reader might be your answer. Seriously, it was easy even for me to figure out, being as non-tech-savvy as the come. And thus far, I must say that I am loving how it works!

*Dewey's Read-a-Thon is just a few days away now! And I am sooooo excited! Dewey has been on my mind a lot lately, even more than usual. Not sure why. But I feel especially grateful right now to be looking forward to this day of joyful reading that Dewey gave birth to.

*And look what just arrived on my doorstep:

From my incredibly sweet husband, I'm assuming. I put it on my wish list but didn't actually order it as we've been trying very hard to not spend unnecessary money the last several months. So yeah, I think he broke the rules but I am exceedingly appreciative that he did. :)

reading notes, entry 1...and some really cool news...

I made an executive decision. It's my blog so I can do that. In fact, it's pretty much the only place I can, so why not take advantage of that power, huh? :P Yeah, anyway...it's no secret that I pretty much suck at anything remotely bordering the lands of book reviewing. And because I feel that way, it's really not a lot of fun. BUT! I do love books, and reading, and talking about books and reading. So what's a person to do? Well, I'm going to try a little experiment. I may find out that I hate it, in which case it too will go to the wayside where so many of my other experiments have gone. No biggie.

Reading notes. Yep, as in the kind of notes I write down in little notebooks while I'm reading when I'm not feeling too lazy. (Unfortunately, I feel too lazy a lot.) But I've decided to use my blog as my little notebook. Now let me warn you, these are *not* deep thoughts we're talking about here. More just my observations, reactions, quotes, ponderings and wonderings. Or the "how frickin' cool is that?!!" stuff I learn. That's what today's entry is (though I fully understand that I may be the only person to rate it as such).

A Planet of Viruses by Carl Zimmer.

Okay, so I didn't even realize there were viruses in ocean. But hey, until less than twenty years ago, scientists thought marine viruses were fairly rare, so I don't feel so bad about my ignorance. Turns out viruses in the ocean are rather abundant (understatement alert).

Yep, a graduate student, Lita Proctor, decided to look more closely, and what she found astounded scientists. Her finding were replicated by other researchers, and scientists now generally agree that there are 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 viruses in the sea. (That number is one nonillion--I had to look it up.)

It is hard to find a point of comparison to make sense of such a large number. Viruses outnumber all other residents of the ocean by about fifteen to one. If you put all the viruses of the oceans on a scale, they would equal the weight of seventy-five million blue whales. And if you lined up all the viruses in the ocean end to end, they would stretch out past the nearest sixty galaxies.

My mind is officially boggled.

*******************
OMG OMG OMG!!! This has absolutely *nothing* to do with the above, but I just had to share because it's just so damn exciting!!! Ms. Annie got some incredible news today!!! She had entered the college's annual writing contest. I'm not sure how big the English department is, but the college itself has between 17,000 and 18,000 students, so it's not a tiny school. Anyway, there were five categories, and Annie entered a piece in three of them--poetry, short story, and literary essay. She came in first place in the literary essay category and second place in the short story category. The professor who called to let her know made it point to tell her that it's a rare event when someone places in more than one category. To say she is over-the-moon happy would not be an exaggeration. :D The only downside--she has to speak at the awards dinner, and she is definitely not looking forward to that. But I'm pretty sure it doesn't really put that big a dent in her current elation. Another little bit of awesomeness--the literary essay she wrote was on Sarah Water's Tipping the Velvet. (Read the damn book already, Debra Anne!)

LOL--you know, in a way this does sort of tie in to what I was saying above. Here I am, can't even write a book review worth squat to save my life...and the kiddo is here winning an award for a literary essay. Switched at birth perhaps?

Annie, I know this was evident from the screaming I did over the phone when you called to tell me, but sweetie, I am SO. DAMN. HAPPY. for you!!! Way to go, Sugar...you are so awesome in so many ways!!!

lately...

~~~in the reading room~~~
Just finished up Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Awesome, unique, YA fantasy. Loved it. Hoping to pick up her book Who Fears Death tonight at the library. Still working my way through Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm, and still enjoying it immensely. Lots of haphazard reading for school, as in reading chapters here and there for certain subjects/topics. Max and I are about three-quarters of the way through Burning for Revenge, the fifth book in the Tomorrow series. Major adrenaline pumping, I tell you. Note to self: Get sixth book soon! Gray and I are making slow progress through the first book of the Pendragon series, The Merchant of Death. Not really far enough to make a judgment yet, but we're both certainly enjoying it enough to continue. Super excited about Dewey's Read-a-Thon though I can't quite believe it's barely over a week away--April, where the hell have you gone?!!


~~~in the classroom~~~
School, obviously. :P Actually today Gray went to school with Rich, as its the day Rich takes his environmental science class to the wastewater treatment facility. Informative, if pungent, field trip for the young man. Mostly this week Gray has been finishing up a bunch of projects and assignments on his own for the third quarter. (Fourth quarter starts next Monday.) I've spent many, many hours preparing for our final quarter over the last couple weeks, and will spend many, many more before all is said and done. But my immediate future is reserved for writing up quarterly reports for the third quarter, which are due Monday. I've nearly finished Annie's, and will soon move on to Gray's. So don't like this particular task.


~~~in the yard and garden~~~
Okay, so there are no plants actually in the food gardens yet. But I've got seedlings galore started inside. And *really* need to get more going--poor neglected tomato seeds. Rich has made some progress in the preparations for putting in our new garden areas though. He tore apart an old rotting wooden playground piece, saving the bottom portion to become the fencing area of our soon-to-be strawberry patch. He got it moved into place, but hasn't prepared the soil or added the wire fencing to keep out the bunnies and groundhogs. I've been spending a few minutes every morning (while Max and I have our vehicle counting competition before the bus comes) dealing with the mess that is our flower garden. If I keep at it, maybe it will be ready by the time things start blooming. Yeah, probably not. :P


~~~in blogland~~~
I've given up stressing out about blogging. As in posting, that is. Period. But I am rather frustrated about reading blogs. After the announcement about google reader going away, I tried to figure out a few other readers, but gave up rather quickly. Decided to just give up google reader cold turkey and add a blogroll back on my blog. But *enormous sigh* it just doesn't feel like it's working. Not only is it a pain, but much worse I feel like I'm missing soooo many posts. I mean like even posts by people on my blogroll. *more sighs* I don't know--it's time I either try with another reader again or just learn to accept that I'm going to miss posts sometimes.

~~~in the craft room~~~
Project Life and I, well we just aren't getting on all too well these days. Honestly, it's not PL's fault; it's mine. I just haven't been in the mood. PL, I do still love you. I promise I do. But we just need a little time apart. One of these days though, if you'll still have me, we'll have a joyous reunion and hopefully I'll learn to treat you a little better from then on. And then there's Annie's birthday sweater. Hmmmm, Annie's birthday has come and gone...and said birthday sweater still isn't finished. If I finish it before month's end that should be good...I mean who doesn't love a surprise late birthday gift, right? The thing I've spent the most time on lately is my t-shirt rug, though even it has loooong way to go before it's finished.


~~~in the health arena~~~
Had routine bloodwork done recently. Got possibly good news. I'm still vitamin D deficient despite the daily supplements, and I'm still severely anemic despite the daily iron supplements. So mega-doses of vitamin D and up the iron supplements. Why this is good news is that both could potentially be reasons why I've been feeling so craptacular lately. Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle pain and of course anemia causes fatigue...so it could be that my fibro is not actually worsening after all but just feels that way because of these other problems. Problems that *should* be remedied fairly easily. *fingers crossed*

~~~in the kitchen~~~
My bread machine's been getting a workout this week. And my crockpot was put to use to loading up the freezer with homemade veggie broth. Oooh, and I tried a delicious new recipe called Chewy Granola Bars. Big hit. Think they'll go into heavy rotation. In fact, I could see making a batch every week to have them around for breakfasts. Though honestly, they taste damn near desertlike. :)

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor...random thoughts....

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor.

On the cover of this book, there's a blurb by Ursula K. Le Guin:

There's more vivid imagination in a page of Nnedi Okorafor's work than in whole volumes of ordinary fantasy epics.

Being a relative newbie to fantasy, especially in terms of quantity and breadth of reading, I can't really say if I agree with Le Guin's statement, but I'm totally going to take her at her word. What I can say from my own experience is that Akata Witch felt completely fresh and unique. While it's embarrassing to admit my complete ignorance of Nigerian cultures, I must because I suspect reading this book with more cultural awareness would make it all the more wonderful an experience. Though in a sense, that also seems impossible, because truly wonderful it was.

It is the story of Sunny, born in America to Igbo parents. Her family moves back to Nigeria when Sunny is nine years old. This fact alone gives Sunny's classmates reason to tease her, call her "akata witch," a derogatory term for foreign-born blacks. Add to that the fact that Sunny is albino, and well, let's just say that Sunny isn't exactly the most popular girl in school. Sunny is intelligent, loves to read, and has awesome foot skills with a soccer ball (though she can only play with her brothers in the evening because of her albinism).

Sunny eventually realizes something else about herself thanks to some new friends, Orlu a boy who befriends her at school and his out-of-school friend Chichi. What they suspect and help Sunny prove is that she's got magical powers. Orlu and Chichi do as well, though they've known this all their lives as they come from Leopard bloodlines. (Leopard People are those with magical powers.) Sunny, on the other hand, is what is called a free agent. Sort of like a muggle-born in Harry Potter's world, I suppose. Leopard People live both in the magical world and in the world of the Lambs (those without magical powers). But the Lambs know nothing of the Leopard world. This makes life difficult for Sunny, as she has to keep her "Leopard life" secret from her family. And soon Sunny is attending Leopard School twice a week (Wed. nights at midnight and Saturdays) with Orlu, Chichi, and another boy from America named Sasha. Attending two schools, learning about two worlds, living two lives...it's both exhausting and exhilarating for Sunny.

I don't want to tell much more about the story...oh, but there is a serial killer...so yeah, this book definitely has its dark moments. But I want to talk about how I felt about the book. Did I mention yet that I loved it? If I didn't, I should be flogged. Because love it, I did! There is a richness to the world Nnedi Okorafor creates, a richness you can almost feel viscerally. It's mysterious, vivid, and yes, frightening at times. It somehow manages to feel simultaneously fantastical and real. And the characters...oh my, I love these kids. Four very different personalities. They fight and tease and disagree, all within these friendships that become strong and powerful. (I totally admit it--I'm a sucker for those sort of friendships that might seem, if not exactly improbable at least a bit unlikely on the surface.)

If I had one complaint about the book, it would be with "the big climactic scene" (I put that phrase in quotes because it's a little too simplistic but I can't really explain without spoilers). Anyway, I felt that things went a little too quickly, a little too easily. BUT...I also have this nagging feeling that the reason I feel that way is because I missed something. I don't know why I have that feeling, but I do. In fact, I really ought to go back and read the last few chapters again. Ha--I just did, but still am left in the same boat.

This is a book I got out from the library...but it's a book that I will now be buying to have a copy of my very own. And yes, I am definitely looking forward to reading Nnedi Okorafor's other books. :)

tidbits and babblings...

*Boo. I do believe I'm getting sick. It could be that I'm just entering a flare with the fibro, the pain just started going crazy on my last evening and hasn't let up. But I've just got this inkling that there's more to it. Just please don't be the flu too.

*Yay! I started a new book for Once Upon a Time that I'm really loving! Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. It's early, but I am completely sucked in! In fact, I sort of wish I'd saved this book for Dewey's Read-a-Thon because it's the kind of book that just begs to be devoured in a single sitting.

*Boo. Work is going full tilt on the housing development that's being built behind us. So depressing. I can't wait for the trees to leaf out so I don't have to see it anymore. At the moment, it's hard to ignore as the spot where I generally work is at our bedroom window which faces right out towards it. I'm hoping the trees will help at least a bit with the noise as well. It's so damn noisy--construction vehicles from 7:30 to 5:00 Monday through Saturday. And how much more annoying will it be when it warms up and we want to have the windows open and are spending lots of time in the yard and garden. *sigh*

*Yay! Max heads off to middle school next year. While I'm not at all familiar with the school and how they do things, we have learned that the kids and teachers are divided into three different houses. The letters just went out about what houses the kids will be in. Max has made two really good friends since we've moved here--and all three of them will be in the same house!

*Boo. And Yay! Rich and I get to go to Max's soon-to-be middle school tonight. Not really an orientation, but more of an initial look around and meet the teachers for his particular house. This is a boo simply because I'm not feeling well and because I hate being in crowds of people. But really it's a Yay! I've never before even seen the outside of the building, let alone the inside, so it will be nice to get acquainted with the place that Maxidoodle is going to be spending much of the next three years. I sort of wish he got to come along, but this is a "for parents only" sort of thing...and there's plenty more opportunities for us all to get to know the school coming up in the future here.

*Yay! The mallard couple on the pond/swamp just makes me so happy. I love watching them. While I hate assuming that I can tell what other species think and feel, I just can't help but view this couple as so in love. Seriously, they are just so very sweet to watch.

*Boo. Well, it's happened. I've let myself get really far behind on Project Life. The one thing I didn't want to do with this project...because I know myself all too well, and this is usually the thing that causes me to fail. I'm not giving up, but I know it's going to take determination and perseverance to get caught back up. And you know, I'm just not feeling it right now.

*Yay! I did start a new crafty project that I'm really excited about! Yes, I did tell myself that I couldn't start any new crochet projects until I finished some. Apparently, I'm not a good listener. But I forgive myself...mostly because this is one of those projects that is coming out even better than I'd had it pictured in my mind. :) I decided to put all those old, outgrown, stained, and/or holey tees that I've been saving for a bajillion years and slowly turning into t-shirt yarn to use. See I decided to start the painting/building stuff/fixing up around this house. I've started with the little hallway--I know, talk about anti-climactic, huh? :P There's not much to be done. Mostly just painting-ish stuff. And maybe putting together a small gallery wall. And, getting/making some sort of runner to add some color to the area. And yep, that's where the t-shirt yarn comes in--I decided to crochet a runner for the space. I haven't gotten far yet, but I do so love how it's turning out:

*Yay! While I'm not generally as eager as most people to say goodbye to winter (good thing, as we're to have a bit of snow this morning, followed by freezing rain), I'm by no means upset by the arrival of spring. And there is just something magical about those first blooms, isn't there? The daffodils have oodles of buds, and while they aren't yet blooming, I suspect they will be soon. In the meantime though, we have coltsfoot and glory of the snow! :D  With last year's freakish weather, they bloomed extremely early so they had come and gone before me moved in last year...extra Yay! for happy surprises!

*Yay! It looks like there's a very good chance that we're going to have a special guest staying with us sometime in the next month or so. Probably not nice of me to tease by not saying who (it's someone most of you know), but it's one of those "not my place to talk about first" things. But it is a definite happy thing. :)

*Yay! Oh my gosh, speaking of happy things--Andi's post...massive happy tears! Not only am I obviously happy for Andi and her fiance--she sounds blissfully happy, but sheesh, the whole Andi and Heather are finally going to meet in person thing! I just feel like I could burst open with joy thinking about it! And it makes me all the more hopeful that I really, really, really will meet Ana in person one of these days...that would be a dream come true! That *will* be a dream come true!

Lots more Yays than Boos...life is good.

Once Upon a Time month...an extremely rambly update the first...

My reading began with Philip Pullman's Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm. I was pretty certain going in that I would love this book, after all, what's not to love--Philip Pullman and fairy tales--pretty much a no-brainer. Ahhh, but I discovered that I not only love this book, I am utterly enchanted by it. Enchanted.

I wish very much that I was more knowledgeable about fairy tales, but the fact is that I'm almost afraid to talk about reading them at all for fear of embarrassing myself. It's really only in the past few years that I've begun reading them at all; they were not really a part of my childhood. But I find such delight in them. And I love them in every which way they are told, from the old "originals" right up to the modern fill-in-the-gaps, explore-the-motivations, see-it-from-another-angle retellings that are so popular today.

Anyway, back to the book...I've now read the first ten tales. I easily could have ignored all my responsibilities and curled up in my chair and devoured the whole thing by now, but with a great show of willpower, I've made myself slow down. I just want this book to last. In one of the myriad of games I play with myself, I decided that I get to read ten tales and then I must set the book aside and read another book. Hopefully this will still allow me to finish it by the end of the month however.

When I first heard of this book, I assumed that this was a book of reinventions. It wasn't until I read Ana's incredibly wonderful review that I realized they were not. Instead they are a selection of Grimm's tales (50 of them, I believe) told by Philip Pullman. In other words, they are the same stories as one would read in one of the versions of fairy tales that the Grimms published but told in Philip Pullman's words. And each story comes with a short commentary afterward by Pullman.

I said earlier that I was enchanted by these tales. And while this is very true, it's an enchantment I can't quite explain. Because nearly all these tales have elements that bother me. They are not the kind of stories I would tell my children with the purpose of exposing them to great moral lessons. The princess in "The Frog King" is a rude, spoiled brat and yet she is rewarded. This goes against my deepest wish for myself and my kiddos in life--BE KIND.

Anyway, of the first ten tales, there were a few widely familiar ones such as "The Frog King," "Rapunzel," and "Hansel and Gretel." While "Hansel and Gretel" is a favorite of mine (largely because of some of the retellings I've fallen in love with, such as "A Delicate Architecture" by Catherynne M. Valente and "Hansel's Eyes," by Garth Nix), I think I was even more taken with a few of the tales that were completely unfamiliar to me. "The Twelve Brothers," "The Three Little Men in the Woods," and "The Three Snake Leaves" all captivated me.

One of the innate qualities of fairy tales is that the characters are more like caricatures. And I believe that is one of the things that makes them so perfect for retellings. Quest for Screen was the perfect impetus to get me to finally view one of these wonderful retellings. During Eva's wonderful visit last November she convinced me that I really needed to watch Once Upon a Time, and while I immediately added it to my instant queue on netflix, I never got around to starting it. Until this week. And then what happened? Well, I gobbled up the entire first season! I was obsessed, I tell you, like the show cast a spell right over me.

I realize that I'm even less adept at discussing movies/TV than I am about books, so trying to explain what it is about this show that stole my heart isn't easy. I loved the characters...all of them, actually. I adore the way that even the "evil" characters are made human. There are reasons and heartbreaks that helped shape the way they behave. Everyone's lives have pain. And I love how the characters all respond differently to it. I love the clever ways in which the writers combined and reimaged stories, like with Belle and Rumpelstiltskin. I love the beautiful scenery. I love that while we see lots of traditional gender roles, we also see them turned upside down. I don't, however, love how white the show is--seriously, this show could be so wonderfully diverse, and it just isn't. (Does season 2 get any better on this front? *fingers crossed*)

And speaking of season 2, I wonder how long it will be until it gets to netflix? While I wait, I think I'm going to start a rewatching of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Actually I did rewatch season 1 not all that long ago...ha, but I don't care--I'm still going to start over from the beginning and hopefully finish all three seasons before the end of the month. Why this sudden urge? I blame Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Search, Part One. This is the book I read after finishing my first ten tales. I know I said it of The Promise, but I cannot help but say it again--the way Gene Luen Yang and company have been able to keep these graphic novels true to whole feel of the series simply awes me. The Search, Part One brings me back to the world, and more importantly, to the characters that I love so very much. (Except for Toph...I missed her!) The search referred to in the title is the search for Zuko's and Azula's mother. We finally get a look at her life, and learn how she comes to marry Ozai. I don't want to say too much, but there are some interesting revelations. I love this story so damn much, and I couldn't be more grateful that these graphic novels exist to keep the story going.

I guess the only other thing I have to mention for this update is that we all went to see The Hobbit at the dollar theater on Easter. I knew that I would enjoy the movie, but was still reluctant to go. I just have a very hard time watching a screen and not doing something "productive" at the same time, so sitting in a theater can be akin to torture for me. Well, The Hobbit captivated me so completely that I didn't once miss having my crocheting or any such thing with me. Ridiculous as it sounds, that's pretty high praise from me. :P

So all in all, my first week immersed in Once Upon a Time have been nothing short of delightful!

a month of food and gardening reads...

Food and gardening theme month flew by just as quickly as the previous ones. As predicted I only managed to read five theme books (the last of which I actually finished up here on this first morning of April), and while I would have loved to read many more, I'm for the most part pleased with my selections. It did make me more anxious than ever to get the garden going, but the snow flying outside my window attests to the fact that those days are still a ways off. Anyway, here's a short look at what I read this month (with each mini review written when I finished the book):

*Food: The New Gold by Kathlyn Gay.

When I was at the library last time, I decided to see what I might be able to find in the way of food ethics books for Gray. After all, it would be nice to have another buddy join me for food and gardening month. And Gray is very interested in the topic. He loves movies like Food, Inc. and King Corn, and one of his favorite books is Chew On This, which he's now read three or four times. I managed to find this book that looked as if it fit my "basic yet broad" criteria.

Having just read it, I must admit I'm disappointed. NOT because it's a bad book. It definitely isn't. But because it fit my criteria too well. :P It covered a wide variety of issues under the whole food ethics umbrella. Not everything, but then how could any book (especially one of this short length) cover everything--poverty, class inequality, corporate greed, bad government policies, the myriad of environmental issues, etc. etc. etc. My disappointment stems from the fact that it was too basic. So yeah, *my* bad. Not the book's fault.

So while this book may not have been the book for Gray, who already has his feet wet, I do think it would make a great introduction for kids who are totally new to the subject. It talked about food insecurity and factory farming and agribusiness and monoculture and the effects of global warming on food production and GMOs and politics and many other things...it just didn't go into much depth on anything.

*****
Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity by Lester R. Brown.

For the second time this year, I've come across an "Everyone NEEDS to Read This Book" book. I don't often feel that way, really...I realize that people tastes differ and whatnot. But this book is not a matter of taste, it's a matter of importance. It's not a book that is going to make anyone smile, but its a book that ought to make everyone think.

This paragraph from the last chapter in the book, gives one a good overview of the book itself:

Scientists and many other concerned individuals have long sensed that the world economy had moved onto an environmentally unsustainable path. This has been evident to anyone who tracks trends such as deforestation, soil erosion, aquifer depletion, collapsing fisheries, and the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. What was not so clear was exactly where this unsustainable path would lead. It now seems that the most imminent effect will be tightening supplies of food. Food is the weak link in our modern civilization--just as it was for the Sumerians, Mayans, and many other civilizations that have come and gone. They could not separate their fate from that of their food supply. Nor can we.

The issues in this book were not, for the most part, new to me, yet I was still somewhat staggered reading these up-to-date findings. Scary stuff. Made scarier still by the recent political maneuverings and land grabs being made around the world.

Full Planet, Empty Plates is a very quick read...both because it's only 120 odd pages long and because it's so compelling you won't want to put it down.

*****

*Homegrown Honey Bees: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping Your First Year, from Hiving to Honey Harvest by Alethea Morrison.

Rich and I would really like to enter the world of beekeeping. Not this summer, probably not even next summer, as there are just so. many. things. that still need done around this place. And we know that beekeeping will take time and dedication. But even though this endeavor is a few years in the future, I wanted to start doing some research and learning now. And Homegrown Honey Bees was a perfect place to start. The "An Absolute Beginner's Guide" part of the title was dead-on accurate. There was a lot of information on bees themselves that I already knew, but I can't hold that against the author...because I was completely ignorant when it came to most of the things she covered. The author carefully walked through all the facets of beekeeping in your first year. Though I'm sure we'll be doing a lot more reading as well, I can see this book becoming a go-to source when we finally decide the time is right.

In addition to all the information contained in this book (from the various ways to purchase bees to the necessary equipment to inspecting your hive to harvesting honey and so so so so so much more), the book was loaded with wonderful photography by the author's husband, Mars Vilaubi. In addition to oodles of photographs to help illustrate the process of various beekeeping practices, there are truly stunning macro photographs of bees themselves.

*****
Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities by Amy Stewart.

Wicked Plants was a fascinating and utterly fun read. In the introduction, Steward writes:

I confess that I am enchanted by the plant kingdom's criminal element. I love a good good villian... There is something beguiling about sharing their dark little secrets. And these secrets don't just lurk in a remote jungle. They're in our own backyards.

And I must confess that I was equally enchanted by reading these dark little secrets she shared.

If I have one regret about my experience with this book, it would be that I read it too quickly. There is so much information in this book and I devoured it too quickly to let much of it truly soak in and take up residence in my memory. I see a reread in my future, a much slower, more leisurely read, probably with lots of note-taking.

Stewart orders the entries alphabetically and each plant receives a label at the top: deadly, illegal, intoxicating, dangerous, painful, destructive, or offensive. Contained in each entry are bits of scientific, historical, social, and cultural information. Oh yeah, and lots of references to literature. I smiled on the very first page of the introduction when she spoke of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappaccini's Daughter," a short story I adore.

Adding to the pure delight of this book are the beautiful etchings of Briony Morrow-Cribbs. I'm seriously tempted to buy another copy of this book to cut out and frame some of its stunning art.

I will definitely be reading more of Stewart's books (including The Drunken Botanist, which I gave Rich for his Easter present), but I guess they will have to wait as food and gardening theme month has come to an end.

*****
I also read Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon and talked about it here.

Plenty...random thoughts...

*Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon.

Plenty falls in that category of books one might call "food memoirs." In Lu's recent review of Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (which I still have not read--bad me), she noted that is some ways the book already felt dated, as today many more people have again begun paying attention to where their food is coming from. This book was published in the same year (2007), so I'm sure that the same point could be raised here. But that in no way took away from my enjoyment in reading this book. And I still learned from it.

Alisa and James came across as real as real can be. I adored them both. They wrote this book with an honesty that captured my heart. James is one of those people who when he comes up with an idea, he commits to it wholeheartedly. So when he proposed that he and Alisa should spend an entire year eating only foods produced within a 100-mile radius of their apartment in Vancouver, British Columbia, Alisa knew that is she agreed it would not be some half-assed effort. Still she agreed, and the 100-mile diet was born.

James and Alisa write the book in alternating chapters, each chapter encompassing a month of their experience. We get glimpses of their respective childhood's and how their relations with family and food intersect. We witness the stress of this venture exacerbate a rocky period in Alisa's and Jame's relationship. But mostly we hear about their adventures in finding local food. And through them, meet other interesting folks--fishermen, beekeepers, walnut farmers, and the list goes on.

James and Alisa do sometimes talk about the state of the environment and agribusiness and the like, but that is not the focus of this book. It is a memoir, a story of their experiment. I never felt a tone of condescension in their words. And they certainly don't claim that everyone can, in terms of their life situation, eat a purely local diet. (Believe me, they don't sugarcoat their experience or try to make it sound easy even for people sharing their class advantages.)

You know, on a personal level, I tend to stress myself out quite a bit over things like this. The only way I've been able to find some sort of peace within myself is to consistently tell myself that every action I make has consequences. (This applies to much more than eating locally.) And I just try to continually up the number of "good" choices I make. (And yes, "good" is in quotations because it is infinitely more complicated than that.) When it comes to the issue of eating locally--yes, we have a garden that we expand yearly, we can and freeze and dry in season foods to use throughout the year, we shop at local farmers' markets, etc. BUT try as I might I have yet to able to give up coffee (not to mention spices, citrus fruit, etc. etc. etc.), we have by no means cut processed foods entirely from our diet, I have not mastered the art of replacing all our sugar with honey...seriously, this list could go on forever. And you know, even if everyone who was in a position to make better food choices (and so many people simply aren't) did so, it wouldn't come close to fixing all the things that are wrong in our food systems anyway. Doesn't mean I should quit doing what I can do though.

Anyway, like I said, that's not what this book is--the authors do not claim to have all the answers. Instead they tell a personal story with charm, humor, and heart.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that they included a recipe with each month. And OMG--how I want to try the one for Maple Walnut Crepes. Sheesh, I'm drooling all over again just thinking about it.

(This was originally intended to be part of my food/gardening themed reading wrap-up, but it seems I got a bit chatty, so I figured I ought to just give it its own post.)