My life in books….

So, it’s been far too long since I’ve been on here.  I’ve been doing some reading, but not nearly enough.  This summer has been pretty crazy as I’ve been working with kids to get ready for the National Forensics Tournament, working in my yard (my lilies are blooming and my raspberries are starting to ripen!), and, most recently, teaching summer school. I really hope to get more reading done this summer and get some posts up, but in the meantime, a list might be in order.  I make lists for everything: things to do at home and school, reminders to take care of for running NFL meets, packing, grading, curriculum writing, reading, and even lists of making lists. :-)  So a couple of lists:

What I’ve  read so far this summer:

1. Pride, Prejudice & Jasmin Field by Melissa Nathan–I read this on the way to and from LasVegas. It’s a fun, quick read which parallels Austen’s masterpiece.

2. A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander–The second of Alexander’s historical fiction works.  I enjoyed the witty banter and mystery surrounding the main character.

3-4. The Dead Don’t Dance and Maggie by Charles Martin–the last two of his that I hadn’t read and the only two that are connected.  They aren’t my favorite of his, but still worthwhile reads.

5.  The Wayfarer Redemption by Sara Douglass–my big brother suggested I read this trilogy a couple years ago, but I’m just now getting around to it.  I should know better as my big bro has never suggested books or tv/movies that I haven’t loved (I’m a Firefly and Battlestar Galactica fan because of him).  I finished the first and promptly called him to get the second and third of the series.  They are good and get better the further into the series you get.  Additionally, they are good fantasy without being a series that is so long that you make a lifetime commitment once you start reading.

6-8. Harry Potter 1-3–I’m listening to all the Harry Potter books straight through.  I’m enjoying going through these again as I’ve forgotten so much and as I’m seeing more connections reading them this closely together.

What I’m reading:

1. Enchanter by Sara Douglass–the second in the series is better written than the first and just as engaging as the story of Tencendor continues.

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling–until the last book came out, this was my favorite.  I just started it yesterday, so we’ll see if it lives up to my memories.

3. Griffin and Sabine series–a friend told me about these, and I’ve been through the first three once, but I really want to spend some time looking at the detail and art of these books.  They really are amazing!

Books to be read:

1. The Writing Life by Annie Dillard–one of the summer reading books for my AP Lang class.  I’ve wanted to read it for awhile so am glad it made it on our list for summer reading.

2. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass–another of the summer reading books for my AP Lang class.  I’ve only heard great things about this book, so I’m looking forward to starting it.

3. And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander–the first of Alexander’s books. I’ve already read the second in the series, so can’t wait to see how the story starts!

4. Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner–this book has been on my list since it came out, so I’m determined to get to it this summer!

I could go on and on about my TBR list, but I’ll stop there.  Between teaching summer school and working in my yard and doing some sorting and organizing and cleaning and writing some curriculum for this fall and recreating my web sites for school and cleaning shows off my DVR, I’ve got just a few things to do in the next four weeks before school gets underway again.

A couple of weeks ago, my assistant Forensics Coach told me about a Dateline she had watched about a professor at Carnegie Mellon University who was voted to give the traditional “Last Lecture.” The idea of this honor is that if the professor were dying, what would he/she say in his/her last lecture to his/her students. For this professor, this hypothetical is actually the reality as he has cancer. I’m always looking for good presentations to show to my speech kids, especially my very interesting speech group this year, so I went online to check it out.

I’m not even sure how to describe the effect this had on me except to say that within five minutes of his hour and a half lecture, I was captivated! Read the rest of this entry »

And I’ve already finished a book! That’s what I love about Spring Break! I can justify hanging out and spending some serious time reading–especially because February and March are especially busy for me with Forensics and grading. So, in honor of Spring Break and some reading time, a couple of reviews: Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin and The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin quickly replaced When Crickets Cry as my favorite book by this author. While I love both of the other books I’ve read by Martin, Wrapped in Rain has some of the most unique characters of any book I’ve ever read. The story encompasses the lives of two brothers, one a professional photographer and one a resident in a mental institution. The story unfolds to reveal the childhood of these two brothers growing up with an abusive father and a wise, loving house keeper who taught these boys to be good men, despite the example their father shoved in their faces. As we see these brothers come to terms with their childhood and what it means to forgive their father and themselves, these brothers begin to see what it really means to have a family as they take in a childhood friend and her son who are running from an abusive husband and father of their own. As these brothers see the world through the little boy’s eyes, they realize all that Mama Ella gave them and all that Rex took from them. In Wrapped in Rain, Martin again powerfully unfolds a beautiful story as we follow these brothers through their journey to forgiveness and love and healing and renewal.

Rating: A+ (I’m trying something different for ratings as I haven’t really been consistent in this, and a grade scale seems to make sense!)

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray is the third in this YA trilogy. Bray begins her trilogy in Great and Terrible Beauty which was given to me by a friend a few years ago. The premise of the trilogy is a young woman from Victorian England who goes to Spence Academy; she holds magical power which is tied to a magical land called the realms. During her years at Spence, Gemma unravels the mystery which entangles Spence and the East Wing with this magical land. In this last book, Gemma, who has bound the magic to herself in an attempt to keep it from those who would use it for evil, must learn how to effectively wield the power, must keep it from those who would keep it for themselves and use it against others, and must decide on the best alliance to make with the tribes of the Realms. In the midst of all of this, Gemma and her friends must also prepare for their debut into society, a society in which none of them fit. Bray does a nice job wrapping up the story: there are twists and turns, smiles and tears, laughter and fear all woven with the story of a young woman coming to terms with not fitting into the society where she is expected to accept her lot in life with grace and silence and to fall in love with the right sort of man. In the end, there is a real peace in Gemma and in the Realms, even if it is not the peace of the too happy ending which we sometimes want in the stories that we read.

Rating: B+

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done anything blog related: no reading blogs, no writing blogs, nothing. In my defense, I have a good reason: I am a High School Forensics, Speech, and Debate coach. So, I’ve been crazy first hosting our State Qualifying meet, then running our National Qualifying Congress meet, then trying to catch up on grading as grades are due this week, to getting our team ready for State this weekend where I will get all the paperwork and registrations to set up and run our National Qualifying Events meet. So tonight, I decided I’d take an evening off from grading (I won’t be at school tomorrow as I’ll be helping to schedule rounds for our State tournament). Anyway, all that to say, I thought I’d check in and say hi, Read the rest of this entry »

Wow! I think I may have found a new favorite author. I’ve now read two of Charles Martin’s books (When Crickets Cry and Chasing Fireflies), and both of these books are outstanding!

Chasing Fireflies is a book about a journalist who begins to cover a story about an abandoned boy who was abused. As Chase works to discover who this boy is and where this boy comes from, his own past Read the rest of this entry »

I ran across this article while reading Pages Turned and found this article very interesting.  Each Presidential Candidate was asked what one book, other than the Bible, they’d take with them to the White House.  People have asked me what book I’d want with me if I were stranded on an island, but I’d not thought of using the same question in this way!  The responses are interesting, if not all sincere (they are in politics, after all!).

Okay, even I can’t read ALL the time, so I’m guessing that you folks might voluntarily shut the covers from time to time as well… What else do you do with your leisure to pass the time? Walk the dog? Knit? Run marathons? Construct grandfather clocks? Collect eggshells?

I’m an English Teacher, so when I read this question I had to chuckle because from August to May I don’t have a lot of leisure time; it does mean lots of grading and Speech and Debate Tournaments.  I get as much reading in as I can, and I listen to books in my car, and I manage to find time for a few other things as well.

I love stories of any kind, so I really like TV and movies and watch my fair share of these. Other than stories, Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?

I love the quirky characters that authors come up with as they are my usual source of laughter throughout a book, but I had to really think about which were the most outrageous. I think the most outrageous character I’ve ever read is Grandma Mazzer Read the rest of this entry »

What’s your favorite book that nobody else has heard of? You know, not Little Women or Huckleberry Finn, not the latest best-seller . . . whether they’ve read them or not, everybody “knows” those books. I’m talking about the best book that, when you tell people that you love it, they go, “Huh? Never heard of it?”

It’s got to be Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead.  It is the story of a monk who is chosen to journey to the center of the world: Read the rest of this entry »

Well, I had, and still do, plan to be better about writing this year, yet this is my first blog for 2008. I really will get into the groove of things, I promise. I have been reading, in the meantime, and have finished a few books. Below are reviews for two of them. I’m still not to the point where I’m blogging for each, but maybe someday. For today, Seduction of the Crimson Rose and When Crickets Cry–both worthy reads.

Read the rest of this entry »