Monday, February 28, 2011

What My Kids Are Reading

In the past I have shared from time to time what my kids are reading - or what we are reading together. I haven't done that in a while, and it seems like I should, given that we are finally back in the groove of our nighttime reading before bed ritual.

My oldest daughter has read a variety of things lately. She will go from reading a book straight through, to picking one up only to be lured by something that seems more appealing, to abandoning the first only to return to it later. She also enjoys browsing catalogs before bed (it's too bad I am a major mail order person because we get tons of catalogs!). Lately Big Sister has read Smile and The Dork Diaries which are both quick, high interest reads. She also quickly read the Kanani books (2011's American Girls' doll).



Middle Sister, who is my child that is more interested in a variety of other activities besides reading received Twosomes: Love Poems from the Animal Kingdom by Marilyn Singe, a cute poem book for Valentine's Day. I was worried she wouldn't be very excited about it because it is so small in size. Yet, that is probably what makes it sooo cute. These little two line poems are just perfect for Middle Sister. She took it along to school that day, read it on the bus, had her teacher read it to the class, and then later shared it with my parents.





Little Sister is all about the book Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein. A Caldecott Honor book, I purchased it from a book order and have read and re-read it many times. Thankfully, it is short so re-reading it is not too terrible. And, it make me laugh every time, too. Being a princess-y type of girl, Little Sister is also thrilled with the DK Disney Princess Encyclopedia that she checked out. I think I will be ordering this one for the school library because I can see many of my girly-girls loving it!

For our bedtime reading, we are still reading a few picture books, but have also been working on Charlotte's Web. This is a re-read for my oldest daughters. However, Middle Sister was very young when we read it and doesn't really remember it. And, Little Sister picked it out as the chapter book she wants me to read to her. Sometimes it is hard to be the youngest child, always trying to keep up with older siblings. The other book that my oldest two girls are totally into is the Phyllis Reynolds Naylor series beginning with The Boys Start the War. Last night we finished the fifth book, A Traitor Among the Boys. Tonight we will begin book six, A Spy Among the Girls. I would have thought that by now I would need a break from these books, but I am quite enjoying them msyelf. The question now is what to do when we have read all nine. It's a good thing I have been jotting down book titles that I am hoping to get to at some point, so I know I won't be without ideas!

Candy Bomber


I am always on the look out for good non-fiction for my students. A lot of my students are interested in reading non-fiction books, but I have to be careful that the items I am selecting are not too text dense which easily discourages them. This is hard because many of the topics my students want to read about are age appropriate, yet they lack the reading skills to understand what they have checked out.

When I saw Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Michael O. Tunnell being reviewed, I knew instantly that my students would enjoy this book yet I hesitated knowing that it might be a bit too hard for them. Luckily my public library had a copy of this one, so I was able to read it before deciding if this book would be a good fit in my library.

While this book would definitely be for my fourth and fifth grade students it was not too hard as I feared. The story is fascinating and I am sure I will easily be able to sell this one to my students.

Gail Halvorsen, on an airlift to Berlin in 1948, met a group of children to whom he gave just a few pieces of gum. Although the gum was not nearly enough for all the children, from that brief meeting, Halvorsen began to develop a plan to ease the suffering of these children. In 1948, the Communists were controlling West Berlin and trying to starve the city's inhabitants, cutting them off from everything else. Halvorsen began to drop candy to the children of West Berlin, bringing a small bit of happiness to these children in the midst of much suffering. When others got wind of Halvorsen's plan they donated sweets to help these Berlin children.

Candy Bomber is written by Tunnell with the help of Halvorsen who contributed his own artifacts from his days as the "candy bomber." Tunnell is able to convey what a remarkable person Halvorsen is with his idea of candy bombing these children, but also through interviews and his own participation in this book.

In addition to the text being accessible by my upper elementary students, there are many photographs and other artifacts that will appeal to my readers. This is a great non-fiction selection of a unique story in history.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Shattered


Karen Robards is one of those authors whose name I have heard for years. However, up until a few days ago I had never read any of her work.

Shattered is a novel of suspense - and was very hard to put down.

Lisa Grant has come home to live with her mother who is dying of ALS. While still living at home she takes a job as a researcher with her former crush, Scott Buchanan, who the county DA. Banished to the basement to look at cold cases, Lisa comes across a file about the disappearance of the Garcia family - mother, father, and two young children- almost thirty years ago. As Lisa looks at the pictures in the file she is shocked to see that she looks nearly identical to the mother, Angela Garcia. Once Lisa begins investigating this cold case strange things begin to happen to her, and it seems that someone is out to silence Lisa for good.

There were plenty of twists and turns in this story, along with a bit of sexual tension as things heat up with Lisa and Scott. There are parts of this story that were resolved a bit too neatly, but this novel reminded me a bit of Mary Higgins Clark's books that I always enjoy. This first taste of Robards work was definitely positive, and I will be sure to look for more of her books. Lucky for me that Robards already has many published books for me to choose from.

Sunday Salon

Another weekend flying by. Yesterday my two oldest daughters started ice skating lessons. I am glad that they both enjoyed it and hadn't totally forgotten everything they learned last year. It snowed almost all day yesterday, and although not much accumulated, it is still looking like winter around here. A week or so ago we were spoiled with temps nearing 60 degrees. What a tease!



Today is church, a dinner after church that my daughters are very excited about because they also get out games for afterward. Last year was our first year of doing this and it was a great time. My middle daughter has a Girl Scout outing this afternoon, so I get to drop her off and then hit Target and a few other places while she is there.



I have had a good reading weekend, but last night after finishing The Man From Beijing (which I have not yet reviewed) I just couldn't quite decide what to read next. I started three different books. So, I need to decide which one I'm going to go with. I hate when I have the problem of not being able to get into any one book....nothing just seemed to click.



After my running around, I am hoping to clean a bit and work on lesson plans. There is just too much to do!

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Winter Garden


Kristin Hannah's books are ones that I read as soon as my library gets them. They are good women's fiction reads and of course, I like some better than others, but am usually not disappointed.

Winter Garden, Hannah's book that was published in 2010, is one that I have been meaning to read for almost an entire year...coming with rave reviews from friends who had already read it. Because I own this one, it was much easier to just let this one sit on my TBR pile with no library due date moving things along.

My friends gushed about this one, and I would agree.

Meredith, the older sister, is the dutiful daughter- working for her family's orchard business, helping to take care of her aging parents. Although her marriage is having difficulties, to outsiders it appears she has it all. Nina, the impetuous younger sister is a globe-trotting photographer, unable to commit to her boyfriend, coming home only for short visits.

Neither Meredith nor Nina is close to their mother, despite spending a lifetime of trying to earn her love. They know little about her past, and recall the one time in their childhood when they felt close to their mom - when she shared fairy tales with them.

With their father's death the two sisters disagree about how their mother should be cared for. Nina returns home intent to fulfill her father's wishes and have their mother tell them her fairy tales again -this time in their entirety. Both girls find the fairy tales interesting, and begin to question even more about their mother and what happened to her in her Russian childhood.

Typically I would be the type of reader to skim over the fairy tale portions of this novel. A friend of mine did warn me not to do that, and as I read, I am wondering how any reader could skim through that much of Winter Garden. Although the fairy tale starts out as a typical fairy tale, it becomes obvious that this "fairy tale" is not just a story, but is in fact the story of Nina and Meredith's mother's life before she came to the United States. It is such a heartbreaking story, and it includes information about a time of life in Russia that I had not known much of.

Hannah's newest book will be out shortly and I am happy I finished this one just in time to pick up another of her wonderful women's fiction stories.

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Friday Five

The Friday Five is hosted by Kate at Kate's Library
I have missed participating in the Friday Five for the past few weeks. It's not that I haven't read five- or more- worthy posts each week, it is purely my lack of organization that has resulted in this. If only I would jot a note to myself as I read things on the internet instead of just thinking that I will remember which of the several hundred things I've read and be able to find it days later.

Here are some of the posts that I've at least made a mental note of to myself this week:

1. I keep telling my daughters that I am just sure they would love French toast, yet we have never had it. This recipe at Cooking With Libby looks scrumptious to me.

2. I am constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the game, scoping out books that will soon be published. Travis from 100 Scope Notes had a link to a Publisher's Weekly list of books coming out this fall.....totally thrilled me.
3. One great thing about reading so many book blogs is the many recommendations I find for my own reading. Suey at It's All About Books writes this week on her book club's pick, 84 Charing Cross Road, that looks pretty darn good to me.

4. The Spring 2011 Kids Indie Next List has caused my TBR piles and wish list to grow even longer. UGH!!! So many good books!

5. While I have my kindle, I enjoyed Lisa's post at Books Lists Life about the various e-readers out there and the link she gave comparing them all. I know people who love their Nook, but I am also quite happy with my kindle :).

Book Blogger Hop


Friday's Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:
"Do you ever wish you would have named your blog something different?"

Yes! I think about this frequently and have debated changing the name many times. I feel like I never really chose my name for my blog....a few years ago when I decided I wanted to start a blog, my high school workers were trying to help me get started. As I was teaching a class, the one high school employee was busily trying to find a URL that had not been used. Being totally clueless, I just let her play around with it. All of a sudden, I had a url, but I also had a heading that said "Tina Says." And being such a newbie, I had no idea how to change it. And so time passed, and it stayed Tina Says. I have thought of a different name I would like better, and still have not quite decided if I should change it. Would readers know that my new site was still the same one, only with a new name? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

One Crazy Summer


Rita Williams Garcia's One Crazy Summer received so much buzz prior to the Newbery announcement, and yet here it is that I am just getting it read. The sad part of this is that I had purchased this book for myself right when it was published, before it was even on the Newbery radar.

This book was right up my alley- middle grade historical fiction - my favorite genre, and there was lots about this story to love. Delphine and her sisters were sent to California to visit their mother for a month in the summer. Their mother had left her family when the youngest daughter, Fern, was just a baby. Delphine remembers bit and pieces about life with her mother, but their idea of a fun month of summer filled with a trip to Disneyland and the beach never materializes and Cecile is about as unmotherly as they come. Instead of cooking meals for them, the girls are either sent for take out, or to the building where the Black Panthers provide free meals for those who join their cause. Cecile is big into the Black Panthers, calling herself Inzilla and writing poetry. Set in 1968, the Black Panthers have been in the news- their founder, Bobby Hutton, has been jailed, and member Huey Newton gunned down.

Although Cecile never becomes the mother figure I wished for the girls, she does redeem herself a bit by book's end, and share part of her history with her daughters. As an adult reading this story, I was perhaps more saddened by this mother figure than children who read this story will be. I could see many readers recognizing Cecile's poor parenting, but not aching for the girls because of it. This is the type of book - as most Newberys tend to be- that has that timeless feel to it. It is a good book in 2011 and will still be a good book thirty or forty years from now.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday



Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.


This week's pick: Once Upon A Time There Was You by Elizabeth Berg
Publication Date: April 5, 2011

Product Description taken from Amazon:
From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Home Safe and The Last Time I Saw You comes a beautiful and moving novel about a man and woman, long divorced, who rediscover the power of love and family in the midst of an unthinkable crisis. Even on their wedding day, John and Irene sensed that they were about to make a mistake. Years later, divorced, dating other people, and living in different parts of the country, they seem to have nothing in common—nothing except the most important person in each of their lives: Sadie, their spirited eighteen-year-old daughter. Feeling smothered by Irene and distanced from John, Sadie is growing more and more attached to her new boyfriend, Ron.When tragedy strikes, Irene and John come together to support the daughter they love so dearly. What takes longer is to remember how they really feel about each other. Elizabeth Berg has once again created characters who embody the many shades of the human spirit. Reading Berg’s fiction allows us to reflect on our deepest emotions, and her gifts as a writer make Once Upon a Time, There Was You a wonderful novel about the power of love, the unshakeable bonds of family, and the beauty of second chances.

The Pioneer Woman


Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, is a woman of many talents. Her website showcases her recipes, ability to homeschool her children, and her photography. Now Drummond has written and published her first memoir about her romance with and marriage to Marlboro Man. While I do not read Drummond's blog on a daily basis, I already knew the general outline of their love story: Ree, on a brief interlude home before moving to Chicago, meets Marlboro Man on a night out. Although she is attracted to him, she only plans to be home for a short time anyway. A few months pass before Marlboro Man calls her, and the two have their first date. And their second. And their third. Marlboro Man and Pioneer Woman (although at this point she was more of a City Slicker) have a whirlwind courtship, with Marlboro Man playing the part of Prince Charming ever so well.

I have heard that much of what is included in The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels is already on Drummond's blog, yet I loved reading this book and fell a little bit in love with Marlboro Man myself. I also laughed out loud at Ree's many embarassments early in their relationship - how she managed to get lost on her way home from a date at Marlboro Man's house, how she put her car in the ditch while driving her future mother-in-law during their first meeting - I could totally see these things happening to me. And did I mention that I fell in love with Marlboro Man? Between his gentlemanly ways and his cowboy appearance, Ree found herself the man of many-a-woman's dreams.

This is a book I devoured, started one evening and read the next morning. I read on my way to lunch, and read in any spare moment yeterday. Finishing this book was rather disappointing, only because I wanted to read more of this romance and of their life. With any luck Drummond will decide to continue her memoir in another installment. I will be the first in line if that's the case.

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Daughters Break The Rules

The Daughters Break the Rules by Joanna Philbin is the second installment in what I would call a cute series for tweens and early teens. I read the first one a few months ago and enjoyed it, and perhaps even enjoyed this one a bit more.

The plot in this book revolves mainly around Carina, whose father has cut her off from his billions of dollars. She is forced to live on only twenty dollars a week - an amount that seems impossible to live on in New York City. While Carina remains angry with her father their relationship continues to flounder as she blames him for divorcing her mother. Carina totally resists her father's attempts to be responsible and try to earn her own way in the world, but when she is invited along on a holiday ski trip, she cooks up a plan to make enough money to afford this luxury trip. Of course her plan ends up backfiring, and eventually Carina learns a few lessons and becomes a bit more responsible and grown up. While this is a sort of predictable story line, I enjoyed this book. This series is one I could recommend to many girls because there is no innapropriate language or content, yet there is still the glitzy/glamorous lifestyle popular in books like the Gossip Girls series. I am also happy that the span of time between reading the first and second in this series was not too long so I was easily able to pick up where the story line had left off in the first book. Philbin's third book will be out in May 2011, and will be one I definitely pick up to read.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage


I am someone who brings a book with me wherever I go. I also read while I exercise. And I have some odd rituals with the books I read while exercising. I have a book I read while using the treadmill. It stays on the treadmill and can only be read while I am running. (If I am walking I can read something else). I also have a book I can read on my Airdyne bike. That book also stays with my bike. And I read books or magazines on my elliptical. The key to wanting to run is finding a good treadmill book. A book that is a fast read isn't necessarily a good treadmill book. If I have to turn the pages too frequently it makes it seem as though time is standing still. A great treadmill book is one that takes a few minutes to read before I have to turn the page. If I was into rating books based soley on that characteristic alone, Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage by Hazel Rowley would receive the highest rating available. And, if it were judged on how excited I was to get a run in, it would also rank quite high.

Although I know the basics of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's lives, Rowley's writing was interesting. She included a vast wealth of research in this look at the Roosevelt's marriage. And while I did already know a bit about other people involved with both Roosevelts, Rowley investigates Franklin's relationships with Lucy Mercer and Missy LeHand and Eleanor's relationships with Earl Miller and Lorena Hickok. Despite these extramarital relationships, Franklin and Eleanor still appeared to love each other and need each other to achieve their political ambitions.

Beginning with Franklin's birth and ending with Eleanor's death this book chronicles both Franklin and Eleanor's entire lives, while focusing most of the time on their marriage.

I enjoy reading about the presidents and their personal lives- more than I enjoy hearing about their politics - and this book was both informative and enjoyable.

Playdate


Compared to the other books I've been reading lately, Playdate by Thelma Adams was a completely different type of read. While I would classify Playdate as women's fiction, it has a bit more s*x than the women's fiction I normally read - or perhaps it was the fact that this is how the book opens.

At any rate, while I was initially caught off guard, I did get into Playdate and enjoy it. Set in California with the Santa Ana winds as a backdrop (what is it about those Santa Ana winds? The Neighbors Are Watching by Debra Ginsberg has the same time period), Playdate follows the lives of a few couples over the course of a few weeks. Lance and his wife Darlene are contemplating expanding their family. They have recently moved from Barstow where Lance was a weatherman. Now out of work, Lance is a househusband while Darlene opens up Darlene's Diner with plans to expand. Their daughter Belle is nearing her eleventh birthday, feeling it hard to fit in after their move. The climax builds as the restaurant's opening date nears. The wildfires threaten the community and the adults are busy sleeping around.

While the issues in Playdate are resolved neatly and I did find it enjoyable, this is not a novel I find necessary to recommend to others.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Book Blog Hop


Friday's Book Blog Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy For Books.


This week's question:

"What book(s) would you like to see turned into a movie?"
I am not much of a movie watcher. My friends joke with me that they might see the movie version of something, while I read the book instead. However, I do plan on seeing The Help when it comes out. I doubt it will match my love of the book, but I will still give it a chance. There are times that as I am reading I could envision certain books being turned into movies - usually the fast paced ones that have lots of action in them. I just enjoy the way I imagine things so much more that even if a movie version of a book I loved comes out, it doesn't automatically cause me to want to watch it.
I'm glad I happened to look at Jen's site before going to bed. Today has felt like a very long day, and I am ready to curl up and finish off two different books. Tomorrow I have a few errands to run, and my oldest daughter is going to a music festival at a college nearby. Her performance is in the afternoon. After that I am hoping to get a run in, and some blog hopping, too. That is all hinged on my middle daughter feeling better. She must have acquired the virus my oldest daughter had last weekend. At least I can thank them for holding off on being sick during the work week.
Hoping there is a lot of blog hopping and reading going on for others, too.

Pictures of You


After reading and seeing numerous review of Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt, I decided to find out for myself what all the fuss was about. It certainly was not the cover that led me to this book (even my daughters commented on how "weird" the cover was).

Although I have only seen positive reviews about this one, I was not totally in love with it. Leavitt's writing drew me in right away, and I was very interested in the story- a car accident that changes lives and brings strangers together by this tragic connection. However, at 320 pages, I felt the story drug on and on and could have been shortened up.

Isabelle, a photographer, is leaving her husband when she hits a car parked in the middle of the road on a foggy day. The woman in the car, April Nash, is killed. Her nine year old son, Sam, is injured. Although the accident takes place three hours from their homes, it turns out that Isabelle and the Nashes live just blocks from each other. Sam, who saw Isabelle briefly at the accident site, believes her to be an angel that will return his mother to him. Charlie, April's husband, is devastated by his wife's death. When he finds out that Sam has been seeking out Isabelle he discourages the relationship, yet is unable to stop it, and eventually begins a relationship of his own with Isabelle.

There are a few more twists and turns, such as why April is driving three hours from home with a packed suitcase, that reveal themselves along the way. I think it is a natural reaction that I hoped for Isabelle and Charlie to find happiness, and yet by book's end, I am not sure that either has. While I did feel the book was too long, there are some aspects that I wish I could discuss with others who have read it. Since this one is already available in paperback, I anticipate many book clubs will snatch this title up and find it an easy (if slightly too long) read.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Little Princes


Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan is a story that is both inspiring and interesting. I received an ARC of this book a few months ago, and knew instantly that this was a story I would enjoy. Although I still have not read Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, Little Princes brought that book to mind, and I have since read reviews comparing the two. While I still intend to read Three Cups of Tea, I have read various reviews with a number of thoughts about this book. One is that Three Cups of Tea is rather dry and hard to get into. This is most definitely not the case with Little Princes.

Once I began reading, I instantly liked Conor Grennan. Grennan tells his story with great humor and honesty, admitting his initial reason for going to Nepal to volunteer wasn't because of his great love of children. However, after three months volunteering in an orphanage, Grennan became attached to these young children who were taken away from their families.

Although Grennan returns to the United States, he is unable to get these children out of his mind. After raising money and starting his own non-profit, Next Generation Nepal, Grennan returns to Nepal where he is eventually able to reunite some of these children with their parents.

Before reading this book, I was mostly oblivious to the tragedy befalling the children of Nepal. Grennan was able to make these children more than just a statistic, instead sharing parts of their stories and making them real. Within this book there is also a great deal of information about the country of Nepal and a way of life I knew nothing of.

Little Princes is a book that shows how the efforts of just a few can make a great and lasting impact. Because Grennan is able to show himself to be human, allowing us to see his flaws, his effort and determination to help these children should inspire everyone to want to make a difference in someone's life.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week's pick: Three Stages of Amazement by Carol Edgarian

Due out March 8, 2011




Product Description from Amazon:


sweeping, richly compassionate novel about marriage, ambition, and the reclaiming of love—by the bestselling novelist and cofounder of Narrative magazine.
Many love stories end in marriage; rare is the love story that begins with one—already promised, already worn. Set in San Francisco during the first year of Obama’s presidency, Three Stages of Amazement deftly charts the struggles and triumphs of Lena Rusch and her husband Charlie Pepper, still believe they can have it all--sex, love, marriage, children, career, brilliance. But life delivers surprises and tests--a stillborn child, an economic crash, a ruthless business rival and the attentions of an old lover. Touched by tragedy and by ordinary hopes unmet, Lena and Charlie must face, for the first time in their lives, real limitation.
Fifteen years after her stunning debut, Rise the Euphrates, Carol Edgarian has created a panoramic and deeply moving story about business and family and the demands of love in our time. She takes readers on a spellbinding journey inside America today, with an unforgettable cast of characters including Cal Rusch, Lena’s uncle, a Silicon Valley titan, and Ivy, his socialite wife, who engender complication in the lives of all the people they touch: their grown children, business partners, friends, the servants and workers upon whom the glamorous life depends--and Lena, whose quest for grace is the pulse of this gorgeous novel.
As Lena and Charlie, Ivy and Cal, face the temptations of their youth and the fantasy of the redo, they discover that real life is the ultimate challenge. Told with eloquence and compassion, Three Stages of Amazement is a true thriller of the heart, a riveting story about confronting adversity, gaining wisdom, and finding great love.


Monday, February 14, 2011

Little Cricket


Little Cricket by Jackie Brown caught my eye a few weeks ago while visiting my friend Michelle at her library. I reserved a copy from the public library for myself and read it quickly last night.

Kia and her family are living in Laos at the beginnign of this novel. However, war in their country causes them to flee their homes and eventually find shelter in a refugee camp. Kia, her brother Xigi, and their grandfather are granted permission to move to the United States. A church in Minnesota is sponsoring them and will help them adjust to this new life. Unfortunately Mother and Grandmother's paperwork has been misfiled and the two women must remain at the refugee camp while things get sorted out.

Life in America is not easy. Grandfather finds learning new things hard, and Kia often finds him gazing out of the window. Xigi, now an adolescent, is breaking away from his family, and is often gone late into the evening. Kia and her grandfather plant their own garden and try to sell their crop at the local farmer's market, saving money to help reunite their family.

Told in Kia's voice, Little Cricket (as Kia is called) learns a great deal about herself, about starting over, and about what is really important in life.

This book is aimed at 4th-6th graders, told by Brown in a way that middle grade readers will understand. I appreciated the authors' note at book's end explaining why Kia and her family had to flee their country. While my school does not have a Hmong population, I have friends who teach in Wisconsin where there is a large population of Hmong immigrants. Although their story is not the same as that of other immigrant groups, the themes in this book will resonate with anyone coming to a new home.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Cinderella Ate My Daughter

I am not a girly-girl, nor am I a tomboy. I fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, and for the mostpart so do my daughters. My youngest daughter is the only one who is enamored of the Disney princesses and routinely wears a tiara, as well as as as many necklaces and bracelets as she can possibly cram on her body. For a while her favorite outfit consisted of a purple party dress that she called her "princess dress."

Orenstein's book Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the New Front Lines of the Girly-Girl Culture takes a look at the role that Disney princesses have played on how girls view themselves and their role in our culture. This book is full of research about the way girls are viewed and the experiences they have as children shaping them into adulthood. As I was reading I smiled to myself since part of what I read coincided nicely with my masters thesis. My research focused on the changing roles of female protagonists in series novels after World War II. The premise was that girls in series novels prior to World War II were actually less girly - less stuck in the stereotyped girls roles -than those of the 1980s (when I was busy reading series novels). Orenstein's research follows exactly with mine.

In addition to looking at how girls have seen a resurgence of girly things - think pink- she brings up plenty to ponder. By purchasing pink clothes, toys, etc. for our children are we pigeonholing them in traditional female roles, focusing more on appearance than on what is under their exteriors?

Orenstein admits to confusion on her part in parenting her own daughter, Daisy. This is no how-to book, but it does bring up plenty think about.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

The Neighbors Are Watching

Set in California during the Santa Ana winds of 2007, The Neighbors Are Watching by Debra Ginsberg explores the complex lives of a group of residents of a cul de sac. Each person in this small group harbors secrets, not quite the person they appear on the outside to their neighbors as they come and go from their homes, exchanging polite conversation.

Joe and Allison are a happily married couple until Joe's pregnant teenage daughter shows up at their door. Allison had never known of Diana's existence, and now must make room for her in her home and her life. This sets about changes in their family and ripples throughout the neighborhood. Diana becomes friends with Dorothy and Dick Werner's teenage son Kevin. The Werners are upset about this friendship, trying to forbid it. Diana and Kevin spend most of their time in Kevin's bedroom hanging out, as Kevin avoids both his parents. As her pregnancy progresses, Diana is befriended by the neighborhood lesbian couple Sam and Gloria. Both have lost custody of their children to their ex-husbands, and while the relationship appears strong at first, things are not going well for them, either. Joe and Allison's marriage appears to be falling apart as Allison self medicates her depression over Diana's arrival with alcohol. Joe turns to the neighborhood tramp, Jessalyn, to satisfy his needs.

When Diana goes missing during the mandatory evacuation as raging wildfires come closer, the entire neighborhood is drawn together to help find the new mother, whose baby was left abandoned at home.

To me this felt like a good episode of Desperate Housewives. Lots of secrets that go on behind closed doors. I chuckled to myself several times while reading, thinking about my own neighbors- people we are good friends with. While I can't imagine finding secrets in my neighborhood like Ginsberg reveals, it is true that what is seen in public is only a portion of the whole picture. This was a quick read for me. I managed to finish it off in nearly one sitting, enjoying each and every word.

Friday, February 11, 2011

A Cup of Friendship

A Cup of Friendship is Deborah Rodriguez's first foray into fiction writing. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I did read Kabul Beauty School when it was published. I enjoyed it, although I felt then that perhaps Rodriguez's own role in Afghanistan was not quite accurate (all I can dredge up is Rodriguez's own reaction to Afghan men who were too forward - how she would slap their hands away. I mean, really? Did she really do that?) and were perhaps a bit exaggerated.
How did A Cup of Friendship stack up? I though this book was good. Very good. I enjoyed all of Rodriguez's characters. Sunny, the owner of a coffee shop, transplanted in Kabul after life in Arkansas, is the central figure in this story, uniting the people that she comes to care for as friends and who feel like family.

There is Jack, Sunny's friend, who she is attracted to but who has left his wife and family in the States. Tommy is Sunny's boyfriend, although he is rarely around and their attraction is based mostly on the physical aspects of their relationship. Yazmina is a widowed mother-to-be who Sunny takes in after she is beaten and left on a roadside. Sunny's friends also include Halajan, a widowed mother and her adult son, Ahmet, and two women Candace and Isabel, who are in Afghanistan for different reasons.

Just as Kabul Beauty School focuses on the rights of women in Afghanistan, A Cup of Friendship has a similar message. While reading, I felt that this book must have been somewhat autobiographical. After looking more for information online about this book, I have come across information about Rodriguez's own experience running a coffee shop in Kabul.

As I previously stated, this is a good book. I was almost instantly interested in the stories of all of Rodriguez's characters. Life in Afghanistan is vastly different than in America, and Rodriguez did a great job in her writing of communicating these differences without seeming as though she was providing an education on how women live in Afghanistan. I am hopeful Rodriguez has more stories to share in the future. Both of her books have been interesting and memorable - books I will pass on to others to read.

Book Blog Hop


Friday's Blog Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy For Books.
This week's question:

"Tell us about one of your posts from this week and give us a link so we can read it (review or otherwise)!"


This week has been a slow week for me as far as posts go. I've started a bunch of books, but many are still in progress. I've also had two sick-ish children. My youngest daughter is battling a cold which has kept her from having restful sleep (often finding me in the night to come and lay with her), and my oldest daughter was sent home from school yesterday with a fever. She has complained of a headache along with it. While she is not really down and out, she is certainly not feeling well. Today she got up at 3 AM. This was fine at first, but now I am feeling rather tired. This could be a long day considering it is a professional development day and I will just be sitting and listening (and hopefully not dozing off!).


So, my post for the week....totally not book related:

my favorite recipe for a great, cold weather soup

or, if you are looking for something book related, my Waiting on Wednesday post - a book I am anxious to read.
Happy Hopping!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My Vicksburg

I am always impressed with Ann Rinaldi's work - the vast amount of knowledge she has about the Civil War is amazing. My Vicksburg is the first book I can count in the War Through the Generations challenge, a book by Rinaldi featuring a family in the Confederate South. Claire and her family have been forced to move into a cave as Vicksburg and the surrounding area is being shelled by Union soldiers. Claire's older brother, Landon, is a doctor for the Union army, while her father practices medicine with the Confederate army. Landon returns home for a brief visit with his family, bringing with him Robert, a Confederate soldier who he is treating and who is in some trouble of his own. Although Claire's family had been affluent, now that there is a war food is scarce. While Claire does not bemoan the hardships that have befallen them, it is obvious that her way of life is dramatically changed. When Landon takes her with him to assist with ailing soldiers, she also finds a way to reach out to these men, growing up a bit in the process. And, when she finds out what Landon has in mind for Robert, who has been staying with them, Claire makes up her mind on her own about how she will help Robert escape.

It has been a long, long time since I have read a childrens historical fiction book about the Civil war. Although I love, love, love many books set during World War II, the 1800s are a harder sell for me. However, I should have realized that Rinaldi does not disappoint. My Vicksburg was such an interesting read, and I was able to learn a great deal about what transpired in Vicksburg in 1863.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
This week's pick:
The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House in the Prairie by Wendy McClure.
Due out: April 14, 2011




Product Description taken from Amazon:
For anyone who has ever wanted to step into the world of a favorite book, here is a pioneer pilgrimage, a tribute to Laura Ingalls Wilder, and a hilarious account of butter-churning obsession. Wendy McClure is on a quest to find the world of beloved Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder-a fantastic realm of fiction, history, and places she's never been to, yet somehow knows by heart. She retraces the pioneer journey of the Ingalls family- looking for the Big Woods among the medium trees in Wisconsin, wading in Plum Creek, and enduring a prairie hailstorm in South Dakota. She immerses herself in all things Little House, and explores the story from fact to fiction, and from the TV shows to the annual summer pageants in Laura's hometowns. Whether she's churning butter in her apartment or sitting in a replica log cabin, McClure is always in pursuit of "the Laura experience." Along the way she comes to understand how Wilder's life and work have shaped our ideas about girlhood and the American West. The Wilder Life is a loving, irreverent, spirited tribute to a series of books that have inspired generations of American women. It is also an incredibly funny first-person account of obsessive reading, and a story about what happens when we reconnect with our childhood touchstones-and find that our old love has only deepened.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Feast or.....Feast?!

Why is it that when I reserve books at the library they all come in at the same time?
Today I got an email that FIVE books are now waiting for me:

Way too many choices - and this is on top of my overflowing library stack already!!!








Monday, February 7, 2011

Blue Christmas...in February


Finally, finally I have read Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews - a book I have been waiting to read for a few years. I love Andrews' books and was excited when Blue Christmas came out - back in 2006. However, it is one of those small, short Christmas books and for whatever reason the library didn't purchase it. And usually I am not a big fan of the small, short Christmas book. However, recently I noticed that a different public library close to my school did have this book. And I remembered something about it having the same characters as some of Andrews' other books.

While I didn't instantly recall everything that transpired in the books I had read about Weezie and Bebe previously, the main things certainly did come back to me. And this book, while shorter, does not read like a trite little Christmas story. Weezie's boyfriend is busy at his restaurant Gaule and finding time for each other is scarce. Weezie has new competition in her antique business. Cookie and Manny her gay neighbors are putting up quite a Christmas display and Weezie must find an idea to top them so she can win the award given to Savannah businesses for their holiday display. And meanwhile, someone is breaking in to Weezie's house and truck, taking food and other items.

This one was a very quick read. I love Andrews' writing. I love the Southern setting. And I love Weezie and Bebe. As Andrews continues her writing career, I am hopeful I will get to see more of these characters.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Filling, Filler

Today's post (unless I become ambitious and post again later) is one of my favorite recipes. Recently I've had several friends ask for this recipe and it is one of our family's favorites.

Cheeseburger Soup

1/2 lb. ground beef
3/4 c chopped onion
3/4 c chopped carrot
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
4 T butter, divided
3 c chicken broth
4 c diced peeled potatoes
1/4 c all-purpose flour
8 oz. processed American cheese (cubed)
1 1/2 c milk
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 c sour cream


In saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside. In same sauce pan, saute onion and carrot with parsley and basil in 1 T butter until vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes). Add broth, potatoes and beef; bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Meanwhile in small skillet, melt remaining butter and add flour. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until bubbly. Add to soup, bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts. Remove from heatl blend in sour cream.


When I make this, I almost double the whole recipe. It is such a nice soup to have on a snowy day, and my middle daughter begs for me to make this often. I made a batch during one of our snow days last week and it was gobbled up quickly. This is amazing for our family because it seems we often have to throw leftovers out because they get old. (Well, sometimes I take them to my co-worker at school who is happy to have my old food - and I am happy that I don't have to feel guilty throwing good food away, but that's another story).
The picture is not one I took, but this is almost exactly what my soup looks like. Thank goodness for Google image.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Rescue


Oprah introduced me to Anita Shreve many years ago now, with the novel The Pilot's Wife. I loved this book, and it has remained one of my favorites by this author. After loving The Pilot's Wife, I have made a point of reading everything else Shreve has written. Of course I enjoy some more than others and have my titles I continue to recommend to friends.

Rescue falls somewhere in the middle for me. From the novel's beginning I was drawn in. Webster is raising his seventeen year old daughter as a single father. Now, as she nears graduation the once agreeable child is rebelling. Alcohol is playing an increasing role in her troubles. Shreve then shifts time periods, with a large portion set in the early 1990s when Webster first met and fell in love with Rowan's mother. As an EMT Webster met Sheila when he was the EMT treating her at a car accident she was in - and caused in her drunkenness. Apparently something about her was attractive to Webster (this is the part I have a little trouble with) and he seeks her out again. Sheila in no way appears interested at first, but the two marry when Sheila realizes she is pregnant. While the two love each other, Sheila's battle with alcoholism is not over, and when she jeopardizes their daughter's life, Webster puts his foot down.

Now, Webster is trying to find a way to reach Rowan. The one way he can imagine is allowing Sheila to have contact with the daughter she has not seen in fifteen years.

By book's end, I really enjoyed this story. Even though I could never quite decide how believable it was for Webster to fall in love with Sheila, love is not always easily explained. I did like who Webster became and the father he was to Rowan.


Book Blog Hop




It's Friday again which means it's time for the Book Blog Hop hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:


What are you reading now and why are you reading it?


I am in the middle of Rescue by Anita Shreve. I am also reading The Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart and Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage by Hazel Rowley.


As for why I'm reading them.....just because I want to. The Winter of Our Disconnect is one I'm reading on my kindle and will count for that challenge, but I don't have anything that I'm reading because I need to.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Simply From Scratch

Simply From Scratch by Alicia Bessette started out slowly for me. Even though I have had additional reading time these past two days - stuck at home in a blizzard- I have also had three children who have talked at me a lot. (This is not bad; it just makes reading difficult).
Finally last night after bedtime for the girls and this morning before they are awake I was able to really get into this story, enjoying it a great deal.

Rose Ellen Roy has lost her husband Nick just over a year ago in an accident that occurred when he was on a mission trip to help the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Zell, as she is called, is having a hard time moving on. She writes emails to Nick and re-reads the letters he sent her when he was gone. There is also the present that is discovered in her oven (Nick's hiding place) over a year later. When Ingrid, Zell's nine year old neighbor girl and her father Garrett get involved in Zell's life, providing some friendship and laughter, Zell's life seems to be moving on. However, Zell, Nick's father, and Nick's friends are still looking for closure - planning a memorial for Nick. Meanwhile Zell and Ingrid enter a cooking contest, trying to win a spot on Polly Pinch Live and win the $20,000 prize money to donate to the City of New Orleans.

This is one book that ended with just not enough closure for me. I want to know if Zell and Garrett embark on a romantic relationship. Is Ahab, Zell's dog, ever return after running off? What happens with EJ, a mutual friend of Nick and Zell's, and Charlotte, a woman he met in New Orleans? While there are times I don't mind imagining what may have happened, this time I just wanted more.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes, and once I was allowed some time to get into the book, I wanted to keep reading. In my mind I imagine Zell happy with Garrett and Ingrid, able to move on in her life and continue living.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Meet The Austins

Meet The Austins by Madeleine L'Engle was written back in 1960. Oh, how I wish I had read this book while growing up. I would have loved it. I still loved it as an adult. While the name Madeleine L'Engle brings to mind A Wrinkle in Time and the other books featuring Charles Wallace, Meg and their twin brothers on some fantastic fantasy, the Austins are just a regular family. Vicky, who is twelve in this first book, narrates the day to day goings on at their home. She has an older brother, John, younger sister, Suzy, and younger brother Rob. At book's beginning their family increases by one as they take in newly orphaned, Maggie, who has just lost her father in a plane crash. Maggie is used to being spoiled and her arrival at the Austins changes things in their family for a time as Maggie adjusts to living by rules in a large family. While nothing earth shattering happens in this novel, I enjoyed the story of the Austins daily life: an ice storm that knocks the power out, a trip to visit their grandfather, the decision of if Maggie gets to remain with their family. This was a fantastic novel. The copy I picked up from the library looks old and the cover is not enticing at all, but there is a gem of a story inside. Already I have placed all the Austin novels in my Amazon cart, hopeful that this will be a series my oldest daughter enjoys and that we may read aloud together.

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.
Today's another snow day. I enjoyed sleeping in, making my Waiting on Wednesday post rather later than usual. I also finished another book in bed this morning, alternating between reading and dozing off.
This weeks' pick:
The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
Due out: March 22, 2011




Synopsis from Goodreads:
The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Chased the Moon welcomes you to her newest locale: Walls of Water, North Carolina, where the secrets are thicker than the fog from the town’s famous waterfalls, and the stuff of superstition is just as real as you want it to be. It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow. No easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots. But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family, has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes. But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water seventy-five years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town. Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living. Resonant with insight into the deep and lasting power of friendship, love, and tradition, The Peach Keeper is a portrait of the unshakable bonds that—in good times and bad, from one generation to the next—endure forever.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Snow Day!


Even though I won't be excited about making up snow days in the spring, I am awfully excited about having an unplanned day off. My initial plan - doing some housework- was met with resistance by my daughters. My oldest daughter explained that snow days were meant for having fun. I think that was true for up until about 5 PM. At that point, she became bored and has been bothering everyone. Now it seems she would like to leave the house. This is not going to happen because it has started snowing again, and the forecast is for 5-8 more inches overnight. At this rate, tomorrow will also be a snow day.

So, what have I been up to? I have added lots of books to my reserve list at the library. I have finished off Bad Apple by Laura Ruby (review yet to come) and will finish Wish by Joseph Monninger tonight. I started The Winter of our Disconnect by Susan Maushart on my kindle. This seems sort of ironic since she is un-plugging for technology to write this book, and I am plugging in to technology to read it. Oh, well. So far it is enjoyable. I have made some cheeseburger soup - a perfect dish for a snowy day- that we have all enjoyed. I paid some bills. I talked on the phone. I have enjoyed my time off, and with any luck will have even more time off tomorrow.