tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12252842724563114322024-03-14T08:17:54.874-05:00born bibliophileYou never know what I might blog about on here. I mean, I'll definitely blog about my love of books, but...I'm liable to throw anything under the bus that crosses my mind. I love to write, but I don't claim to be a professional. I'm known to ramble when I write (and talk), but I'm also known as a good storyteller. Depending on your patience and point-of-view, you'll decide for yourself which description fits me best. bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.comBlogger267125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-603853742341281522023-03-24T04:24:00.003-05:002023-05-17T19:35:07.733-05:00Jennifer Donnelly Does It Again<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgcbZG00D_HT6pi2yktXHxn62jGEbT4CsObEVgpDd2ib1fCH3D3Ch7wY1eAIuTkguOoKC4QtKVubMRhnFf9GFeldajAtK5oLl61T7nPWS7c5yr5y86GxairScr6htccVguYY1RJI9t7Au0KnMF6tPX1QvBWP7VcfTIBO78aKskjxeDJoc64bA4z-YnQ/s2598/20230319_174130.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2598" data-original-width="2398" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMgcbZG00D_HT6pi2yktXHxn62jGEbT4CsObEVgpDd2ib1fCH3D3Ch7wY1eAIuTkguOoKC4QtKVubMRhnFf9GFeldajAtK5oLl61T7nPWS7c5yr5y86GxairScr6htccVguYY1RJI9t7Au0KnMF6tPX1QvBWP7VcfTIBO78aKskjxeDJoc64bA4z-YnQ/s320/20230319_174130.jpg" width="295" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I have been a fan of Jennifer Donnelly since I read <b><i>Revolution</i></b>, which is one of my favorite books (something a reader doesn't say lightly). It is mentioned in three of my previous blogs (2/5/13, 3/7/15, 12/3/17) because I hold other YA historical fiction books to that standard. I've also read some of her other works: <i style="font-weight: bold;">A Northern Light </i>(reviewed 10/29/17), <b><i>These Shallow Graves</i></b>, and <b><i>The Tea Rose</i></b>. I intend to read all of her books, eventually.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I haven't looked for anything new from Donnelly since she wrote the mermaid ones, so you can imagine my surprise and delight when I saw her name on the only two books that caught my eye at our school's Scholastic Book Fair: <b><i>Stepsister</i></b> and <b><i>Poisoned</i></b>. The covers attracted me, and the author's name cinched the sales. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I just finished reading <b><i>Stepsister</i></b>, and I absolutely loved it! The story begins where the stepsisters in Cinderella cut parts off of their feet in order to try to fit into the glass slipper. We all know how that turned out, but we don't know what happened to the stepsisters after that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The story is about what happens to the stepsisters after Ella (as she's called in the book) rides away with the prince to her new life. While we hear about the stepmother and the other stepsister throughout the book, the story primarily focuses on only one of them, Isabelle. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I don't want to give anything away because I was delighted at exactly how Donnelly chose to set the story up. I also love that none of the story claims that the story of Cinderella, as we know it, was different or wrong in a way that "twisted fairy tales" often claim. This wonderfully written tale just continues the story of Isabelle, while also flashing back from time to time to scenes from her childhood to help explain a few things from her past.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Who would I recommend this book to? Everyone. I mean, it's certainly appropriate for 10 years old and up, but it's just a really good story for anyone. I don't know if you know how rare it is these days for me to find something that's just a really great story that would work for students from 6th grade to 12th grade, but this one would. I know not everyone loves fairy tales, but it's so much more than that. I also think guys would like this book. There are male characters that play major secondary roles in the story. There's also fighting and battles and...just a good mix of things that make an interesting and adventurous story.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I talked about this one so much, my middle daughter is now reading this one on her Kindle Paperwhite (she's over 30), and I just sent a paper copy to my sister-in-law (she's over 50). Not my copy, of course. My copy is here with me. The first photo in this blog was taken before I read the book, see the second photo to know what it looks like now.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZAWNFmEc6rk9HrAsFBsv2mi_lgNe89ps0iuDPnvgjgi_ma0RgL6lbiEpzZ_PxeWtjDxhdUzOgxbga945D8YaDvm3EEd8Gyerf5ydlp9EEEZNSD1kjciYT2XxDgYt9BUZm-fz5MDSZbi9WYyHDWBQMjKMzPAeNevEXx4SIgSTaZxuRfy7Kpbvn7JoEA/s4032/20230320_053606.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZAWNFmEc6rk9HrAsFBsv2mi_lgNe89ps0iuDPnvgjgi_ma0RgL6lbiEpzZ_PxeWtjDxhdUzOgxbga945D8YaDvm3EEd8Gyerf5ydlp9EEEZNSD1kjciYT2XxDgYt9BUZm-fz5MDSZbi9WYyHDWBQMjKMzPAeNevEXx4SIgSTaZxuRfy7Kpbvn7JoEA/w200-h267/20230320_053606.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I didn't expect to tab this one, but the writing was just too good to resist flagging a few excerpts I want to refer back to later and share with friends and students. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I'm really looking forward to reading <b><i>Poisoned</i></b>, but I'm holding off for now because I don't want this type of tale to be over too soon. I devoured <b><i>Stepsister</i></b> in one day. I didn't mean to, but I got carried away during my Spring Break. No regrets, though, I completely enjoyed that day. :)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy reading!</span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-73567358528753912822023-03-19T17:08:00.001-05:002023-03-19T17:08:42.524-05:00Okay, I Admit It: I Am Not A Pioneer Woman<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It's very, very seldom I don't finish a book. I don't feel it's fair to review a book I don't finish, which is why I have shlogged through some real duds in my life. The older I get, though, the less I'm willing to finish a book I feel is a waste of my precious reading time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I managed to get through almost 70% of<b><i> Laddie: A True Blue Story</i></b> by Gene Stratton-Porter, but I couldn't make myself finish it. It was one of the books listed as a "classic" (it was published in 1913) that should be read as part of a child's education. My vote is that it should not be. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">If you read my earlier post about <b><i>Little Britches</i></b>, I could see where it would appeal to some people. There are parts of <b><i>Laddie</i></b> that I also found appealing, even funny (Chapter 3 was my favorite), but the stories just went on and on and on. I couldn't take it anymore.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8d0LZRXWwnsDhXxSq_zKkrRYSQFqROIkw8MpnCGq8QehMrj5b0r-whH0v4pSGHH1vHF-Nr-CLY_AB-4GZZBK0b8XzBfUru_BZMnl-gTQS_YZxznuTkjjS8WGO8I5CGSZ0HBYLFIf4mfMPTdSGchcAG7CKAlkg9bbQ9pkfQTDWOx8fclkkQ4YIwscw/s2220/Screenshot_20230319-164317_Kindle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2220" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtL8d0LZRXWwnsDhXxSq_zKkrRYSQFqROIkw8MpnCGq8QehMrj5b0r-whH0v4pSGHH1vHF-Nr-CLY_AB-4GZZBK0b8XzBfUru_BZMnl-gTQS_YZxznuTkjjS8WGO8I5CGSZ0HBYLFIf4mfMPTdSGchcAG7CKAlkg9bbQ9pkfQTDWOx8fclkkQ4YIwscw/s320/Screenshot_20230319-164317_Kindle.jpg" width="156" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><b><i>Laddie </i></b>is really an autobiographical "fiction" novel written about the author's life and her love of her oldest brother, Laddie, and his long-term courtship with a young lady. It has some sweet and funny anecdotal moments, but when I reached the halfway point of the novel, I felt like it would never end. There were too many detailed descriptions. I tried to make myself finish it by listening to the audio version, but I started dreading my daily commutes to work because if I had to hear one more detailed description of the farm with the geese and the horses and the trees or a wedding dress or a bonnet, I was going to scream.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">In all fairness, I should tell you that I am not a fan of the whole "pioneer woman" genre. Don't get me wrong, I greatly admire women who moved to a new country to start a new life or traveled in wagons to move out West, but I don't want to read about them. At least, not in the way this book was written...or the <b><i>Little House in the Big Woods </i></b>series...or, if I'm honest, <b><i>Anne of Green Gables</i></b> (I only read the first one, enjoyed it okay, but didn't want to read anymore of the series). </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">They are all wholesome, good books, but they bore me. And I say this as someone who loves historical fictions. In fact, it is my favorite genre! But the style of writing in this type of "pioneer" story is like watching paint dry. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I say all this to say, if you ARE the type of person who likes Laura Ingalls Wilder books, you'll probably love <b><i>Laddie</i></b>. I do not think, however, that it belongs on a list for today's young people to read as a part of a "classics" list, unless you want them to dislike reading. I would not recommend this book to any of my students, much less make it required reading in class.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I just keeping thinking....</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><i>I'll never get the time back I spent on this book. Ugh.</i></span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-65980293332509383712023-03-07T19:47:00.000-06:002023-03-07T19:47:55.348-06:00Hard to Breathe<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I have a few books on my bookcase, just a handful, that I avoid reading. I fully intend to read them someday, but I know I'll have to be in just the right frame of mind. It may sound odd, but there are these rare moments when I get a feeling about a book. I know that it may cut a little too close to that place I keep tucked away in the deepest recesses of my heart. I know when I read it, I'm going to need a recovery period. This is why a few books remain untouched on my shelves until I'm ready. And </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I decided, just a few days ago, that I was ready to read one of these books. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8-r03U9GzSer1ZPVA-hq9SFVfhBe5FEU0GEKdWdeJEW2rlmcq90Md88jJjAL2RoMw7o7c0N9R47a24PETOMi-EXlfE-Cmz-FK7jHb7s6vH_bPBKi-r3R56WnpIpPK2Ye8cYfmC2rCfRc5MrkSvfrZtXqMbXUbFy90dpi23boN5cqss6KU3b8GZy2Wg/s350/TheGargoyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8-r03U9GzSer1ZPVA-hq9SFVfhBe5FEU0GEKdWdeJEW2rlmcq90Md88jJjAL2RoMw7o7c0N9R47a24PETOMi-EXlfE-Cmz-FK7jHb7s6vH_bPBKi-r3R56WnpIpPK2Ye8cYfmC2rCfRc5MrkSvfrZtXqMbXUbFy90dpi23boN5cqss6KU3b8GZy2Wg/s320/TheGargoyle.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I've had <i><b>The Gargoyle</b></i> by Andrew Davidson for a couple of years. There have been several times I've touched its spine, even pulled it from the shelf and held it in my hand, feeling the weight of it and rereading the synopsis on the back. I've run my fingers over the front of the cover, which is made to look like the edges have been burned. But I always stopped there. I always put it back on the shelf...until now.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I've been reading <b><i>The Gargoyle </i></b>for the past few days. I haven't finished it. I am about 100 pages away from the end, and I'm finding it hard to breathe. I was correct in my initial assessment about the book, I know I'll have to recover after this one. I'm putting off the ending because, so far, it's been written so well that I know there will be an unforgettable climax and resolution, but it may just break my heart with its truth. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">So, this is not a book review. It's a book anticipation. I anticipate that I will be unable to write a book review for this book when it is over. It cuts too close, it will hurt too much, and I will not have the words for how this book will devastate me in the very best way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My advice to you, as a reader? If you don't mind your books a little dark and twisted and deep, you should read it. </span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-34789655856135354522023-02-04T08:05:00.003-06:002023-02-04T08:05:44.585-06:00Bold and Brave<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">We had our final "ice day" yesterday and, now, Texas is going to give us two glorious days of sunshine and warmer temperatures! And, yes, I love where I live! The weather may be unpredictable (it's something Texas is known for), but it's wonderful weather about 10 months out of the year. I'm good with that. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Now, let's move on to a book review:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I've blogged about diving into a "classical education" with my last two posts, but I do like variety in my reading, so let's talk about another book I just finished.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxbXYgYOq_BuhFqTlzCFK7_MaY9lX2wVlbhpnL6K5BTDTAE1GDnoKsEqPEDLQPDwKLN0G5Il44Xyc6E4F-nGV5nkXJ4EOssxT1ZPxZf9zXSH5Su8959c56C6gXjM_MljCNxRuC_qLomPuqz81FwunbAoB7waTHRjSk_a1F2WG7gBMseOo2o9snFMbOQ/s3024/IMG_20230202_090043_055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxbXYgYOq_BuhFqTlzCFK7_MaY9lX2wVlbhpnL6K5BTDTAE1GDnoKsEqPEDLQPDwKLN0G5Il44Xyc6E4F-nGV5nkXJ4EOssxT1ZPxZf9zXSH5Su8959c56C6gXjM_MljCNxRuC_qLomPuqz81FwunbAoB7waTHRjSk_a1F2WG7gBMseOo2o9snFMbOQ/s320/IMG_20230202_090043_055.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">First, let me say, the title appeals to some people...and offends others. To me, those are the best titles because it gets people's attention. The one thing I wish everyone would recognize is that it takes a bold and brave person to give it that title. The real question is whether or not the book lives up to the title. Does it have real substance? Does Jennette McCurdy have reasons for titling her book <b><i>I'm Glad My Mom Died</i></b> and will the reader empathize with her reasons?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">In my opinion, and from my perspective, McCurdy definitely makes her case. A reader may not think so when they first begin the book, but you quickly learn there's more to this mother/daughter relationship than meets the next-door neighbor's eye. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">While this book spans McCurdy's life from about six years old to present, the book doesn't drag or lag from beginning to end. In fact, I ended up reading the entire book in one "ice day" because I didn't want to put it down for very long. The book moves along at a good pace, and you understand from each story she tells, in sequential order, what her life was like. McCurdy's story is less about her acting career (though it's in there, as it was a huge part of most of her life) and more about her relationship with her mother and what choices were made because of that relationship. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I think it's important to point out that I know nothing of McCurdy's acting career. I saw her interviewed about the book, which is how I became interested in reading it. I didn't recognize her face or know that she was, at one time, popular on Nickelodeon. I've wondered if her story would be even more powerful to a reader who knew her as an actress. It was certainly powerful for me just reading it as a daughter.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I have a worn-out saying I often use when talking to other teachers and to students. It goes like this: Not everyone goes home to warm cookies and milk. In other words, everyone doesn't have a great home life, loving parents, a safe place, or a responsible adult in their lives. We recognize this, as a society, in severe physical abuse cases that end up on the news or in a movie (like "Mommie Dearest" from 1981) or in a shocking book (<i>A Child Called It</i> by Dave Pelzer published in 1995),...but there are other types of abuse that are just as detrimental and destructive to children, though you may not see marks on their bodies when they are young. But give it enough time to fester in the life of a person and you will, indeed, see the marks in a different way.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I stand up and applaud Jennette McCurdy for her bold and brave decision to write this book. She dedicated the book to her three older brothers, which made me realize just how truly difficult it would've been to be as open and honest about her life as she has been in this book. She has an important story to tell, and I am glad she told it. I hope you'll read it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy reading!</span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-45879155162231411892023-02-02T21:04:00.006-06:002023-02-02T21:04:29.834-06:00So, Why Read A "Classic" Young Adult Book?<p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I have already started down the reading path suggested by the book <i><b>A Thomas Jefferson Education</b></i> by Oliver DeMille. While I've read three of the five YA books DeMille suggests starting with, I'd like to focus this review on the two I've read, but had never heard of until DeMille's book. The third book on the list was one I believe is quite well-known by many, <i><b>Anne of Green Gables</b></i> by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which I read as an adult when another teacher suggested it a few years ago.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2boskuVuRaW8UHxz9Zmpp2wsu8TVNxBgZdMi2nkHcSq_W90oFjaD_WLDdvIVZZII8qbJrk-8gWssbLHsVlVZ0ggGuJ990RwTSf15Xy_MMBIZPtMghFo1KPAOe86Ew_pYewUPZeArXOlvNMrqr8fyuZXIdBmNF_fSles9esa710CVdk4lXnhPCsEv22g/s450/607274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2boskuVuRaW8UHxz9Zmpp2wsu8TVNxBgZdMi2nkHcSq_W90oFjaD_WLDdvIVZZII8qbJrk-8gWssbLHsVlVZ0ggGuJ990RwTSf15Xy_MMBIZPtMghFo1KPAOe86Ew_pYewUPZeArXOlvNMrqr8fyuZXIdBmNF_fSles9esa710CVdk4lXnhPCsEv22g/s320/607274.jpg" width="213" /></a><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The first book I chose to read from DeMille's list was </span><b style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>The Chosen</i> </b><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">by Chaim Potok. I was greatly moved by this book about two Jewish teenage boys in 1940s Brooklyn who become friends, despite the differences that exist within their shared religion. The book teaches so many important life lessons about friendship, loyalty, family, education, and compassion. I loved the book so much, I bought two of the books mentioned by the characters to help with my understanding of higher-level mathematics and the history of the Jewish people. </span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I asked myself if the lessons I learned from the book would have been as meaningful to me when I was fifteen, if I'd read the book then. I think they most definitely would have. For example, I didn't have a strong relationship with my father, and I would like to have read about the two fathers in this story (who are very different from each other). As a teenager, I didn't know very much at all about Judaism, except from the viewpoint of the Christian church I was raised in, until I was out of high school. I used to babysit two adorable little boys for a college professor who was Jewish. She encouraged my curiosity and was happy to share their beliefs. I definitely think <i><b>The Chosen </b></i>would've been a book I would have enjoyed when I was a teenager.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I had such a great experience reading <i><b>The Chosen</b></i>, I was excited to move on to the next book on the list, <i><b>Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers </b></i>by Ralph Moody. Now, I admit, the title did very little to thrill me,...but I had high hopes for the book - I was on a roll!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54q14Jpez20Q9XMWzAnksZr1WUqnYdHU6s5g_GD8ud5coe8pT8e0T5GHubhNvlpZ6XeDkDgYxGv8YLZ7zXI5onnnSGcxlgQFLzd0lpgHGMmXVMMJeuEVHE1asaqkIz7UT9cj0pwtNvldcxNnR0bdIC7Sjz-dcoJ66vHp5f1UhXaM2YcqnWksZ4oRsEA/s400/1501009fd9ffb0570e4f0b5828ac1461edfbf05c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi54q14Jpez20Q9XMWzAnksZr1WUqnYdHU6s5g_GD8ud5coe8pT8e0T5GHubhNvlpZ6XeDkDgYxGv8YLZ7zXI5onnnSGcxlgQFLzd0lpgHGMmXVMMJeuEVHE1asaqkIz7UT9cj0pwtNvldcxNnR0bdIC7Sjz-dcoJ66vHp5f1UhXaM2YcqnWksZ4oRsEA/s320/1501009fd9ffb0570e4f0b5828ac1461edfbf05c.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Moody's autobiographical fiction novel consists of stories from his childhood in sequential order. It reads like a novel, and I enjoyed it in the beginning. After a while, though, I got tired of all the cowboy stories. I understand the book's place as a "classic" YA novel because it helps young people understand what life would have been like for children in the early 1900s, the responsibilities they carried and how hard they worked to help their families. Ralph's father had the patience of Job and was always teaching good lessons to his son in the book. I appreciate the sentiment behind the book, and I've even considered that a boy might find the book more engaging than I did. I intend to put a few copies in our reading classroom and see if I can get some feedback from our sixth graders. This book is the first in a series, but I'm not interested in reading the series. If some of our students at school decide they like it, I'll buy some for the classroom.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I am continuing to read other books, of course, while I'm on this specific reading journey. Since we have another "ice day" off from school tomorrow, I'll post about a couple of more recently published books I've enjoyed this week while we've been "iced in" all week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy reading!</span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-13892796905836284382023-02-01T11:16:00.002-06:002023-02-01T11:20:21.091-06:00"To Boldly Go..." Where Our Forefathers Went?<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I don't know what life is like where you are, but we are currently hunkered down in Texas due to inclement weather. I use the term "inclement weather" because different parts of Texas are experiencing different types of weather. In our neck of the woods, the winter storm is mostly freezing rain, sleet, and a little snow. Our streets are like ice skating rinks, so...I won't be venturing out any time soon. Schools were canceled yesterday, today, and will, most likely, be canceled tomorrow. On a good note, while the weather is keeping me at home, it's also allowing me more reading time! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyel8xK-THhtcT6wkop37barfNfYiveJPeKF_UTym26G7WIjlhK-XA_kzDUkzoTLAuSigmGqFjmP2A0g2wOF1_ppI0XBNDaCmWmSqLD0WFnODwnDyOsMkSjc57OKk8UMDpnVwUkHL_iYCob9DWtHyQgIKGK805eak3K2w5Wd0o7H6kUOMdyaIHIcecQ/s500/s-l500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyel8xK-THhtcT6wkop37barfNfYiveJPeKF_UTym26G7WIjlhK-XA_kzDUkzoTLAuSigmGqFjmP2A0g2wOF1_ppI0XBNDaCmWmSqLD0WFnODwnDyOsMkSjc57OKk8UMDpnVwUkHL_iYCob9DWtHyQgIKGK805eak3K2w5Wd0o7H6kUOMdyaIHIcecQ/s320/s-l500.png" width="228" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I mentioned in my last post I've started a new reading journey, one that may challenge me a bit more than I anticipated. It all started when I read a book entitled <i>Battle for the American Mind: Uprooting a Century of Miseducation</i> by Pete Hegseth with David Goodwin. I wasn't impressed with the first bit of it and felt the authors were a bit pompous (if I'm honest). I continued to read, though, because it always intrigues me when reviews of a book are either "for" or "against" with very few critics staying in the middle of the reading road. I don't have a problem with reading other people's opinions without feeling offended or feeling that I have to agree completely with either side. I take the best and leave the rest by the roadside. (Oh, how I wish more people would learn to do the same.)</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";"><i>Battle for the American Mind</i> addresses some of the problems with public education. After I made it through the first ten percent of the book, the writers got my attention. I'm always interested in history, and I found that the information they presented in the book checked out (I always do my own research for these types of non-fiction books), which surprised me. However, after I read the book and had some conversations with a few long-time educators, I had to admit the book made sense - even though it hurt me, and disappointed me, to admit how broken the public education system really has been...for quite some time. I decided to read more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtQnQWUwiS22XoTotjXVBhnVlgIGFWzl7KyaWGVi4p8L2rw7VE23DrUzsatYjgqEAjyM346cHzafc-vahzTNHwk_OXlrKBr6vthez8sQxZ1M4jQyRVXsoRPGByw9JLOydIPfwW3ZGfGImwjV5-1jK1xmf0IBVx-94FU9SZEB0lhwnGUanORGMW2unhw/s475/8509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRtQnQWUwiS22XoTotjXVBhnVlgIGFWzl7KyaWGVi4p8L2rw7VE23DrUzsatYjgqEAjyM346cHzafc-vahzTNHwk_OXlrKBr6vthez8sQxZ1M4jQyRVXsoRPGByw9JLOydIPfwW3ZGfGImwjV5-1jK1xmf0IBVx-94FU9SZEB0lhwnGUanORGMW2unhw/s320/8509.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">The next book I read was <i>A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-first Century</i> by Oliver DeMille. This one really got my attention by explaining how our forefathers were educated, why it worked, and what critical parts are missing in the education of children today. It explained how this could be helped, whether a child is in a public, private, or charter school, or if you homeschool. It also gave a simple plan to follow in the back and a list of important books that should be a part of every person's education.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">My education consists of a public education, two years in a community college, and two years in a private university. I didn't receive a "Thomas Jefferson Education," but I found myself intrigued enough to begin the reading suggestions in the back of the book to educate myself. I started with the easy stuff: young adult fiction. What "classic" YA books should I have read as a teenager? What difference, if any, would they have made in my life? I thought that was a good place to start.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I've now read three of the five suggestions, so far. I can't wait to share my review of the first one, which led me down another reading road I didn't expect. More about all that tomorrow. For now, I need to get back to my current read. This ice won't last forever, you know. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy February! And, always, happy reading!</span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-79549741154757224562023-01-17T19:15:00.005-06:002023-01-17T19:34:34.949-06:00"It's a new dawn, it's a new day..."<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy New Year! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I've started a new reading journey and thought I'd blog about it here. While I haven't been on my blog for...quite some time,...I have continued to journal the old-fashioned way (good ol' pen and notebook) about what I've been reading. I look forward to getting back into the swing of blogging. My fingers will thank me, as I type MUCH faster than I can write by hand.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I am happy to celebrate that I read 100 books in 2022, meeting a Goodreads goal I've been trying to reach in previous years. It's not easy to read as much as you want when you work a full-time job that takes more than 40 hours a week. However, it helps to have a reading goal to make better use of the downtime I do have. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">This new reading journey is a bit off my usual beaten path. I've read a couple of interesting books over the past couple of weeks that have my brain reaching for something new, and I've decided to take up the challenge they presented. (I <i>do</i> love a good challenge!)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">More on that next time...</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy Reading!</span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-63241412915060674402021-08-07T15:52:00.003-05:002021-08-07T15:58:39.415-05:00"Hello, it's me..."<p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mBzrnEb0uV0qfgFyzdWJgol9KDYHxxfZcJJ_wCwNFf_XjNdLumk6Uw4vgN0UyGYDXp7lYF8HXT4y4bc1YzE91HcqVXEHcnFIlh2pZj4KCdCJZ5ZPy8s2Gv3rHauRGlANa_g-IYg8NR_Z/s2048/20180606_201558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_mBzrnEb0uV0qfgFyzdWJgol9KDYHxxfZcJJ_wCwNFf_XjNdLumk6Uw4vgN0UyGYDXp7lYF8HXT4y4bc1YzE91HcqVXEHcnFIlh2pZj4KCdCJZ5ZPy8s2Gv3rHauRGlANa_g-IYg8NR_Z/s320/20180606_201558.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Wow, I posted back in March...and disappeared again. Sometimes things don't work out the way we plan. I'm sure we all know this. I'll leave it at that.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">From my last post, I'd like to say I still follow Bookaholics on Facebook, and I always enjoy the questions, comments, and comradery of the people that belong there. It's really nice to have a place to go on social media that is actually monitored closely, where you are only allowed conversations about books and reading. You know, it's a place where you don't have to hear what anyone thinks about everything else that's going on in the world. Thank goodness for safe harbors on social media! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">As for books I'm currently reading <b>Jo Nesbo's <i>The Redeemer</i></b>. I really enjoy his serial killers (which, yes, I know sounds more than a bit off). And, just so you know, reading about a detective who hunts down killers is not usually my cup of tea. Nesbo is my only exception. There's just something about his style of writing that I like. I love that the protagonist, Harry, is very flawed personally, but so smart and confident when it comes to his job. I also like that people underestimate him, and he doesn't feel the need to show off to prove they're wrong, he just does his job...and does it well. My kind of guy!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Speaking of my kind of guys, I would like to give a shout out about <b>Matthew McConaughey's book, <i>Greenlights</i>.</b> I was going to read it, but was told it is quite enjoyable on Audible. Listening to Matthew is quite entertaining, so I took him on a road trip to Georgia with me for the week of Fourth of July. When you're traveling on I-20, it's pretty much a straight away. It's easier for me to focus on listening with few obstacles and distractions in my way. I enjoyed every minute of his storytelling. He is a delightful traveling companion! Try a sample for yourself on Audible and you'll see what I mean.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">In other news, school is starting back up here in Texas. I'm excited for the school year to begin, and I can't wait to welcome back our students next week! I'm currently reading a couple of "classics" some teachers found in old lockers. I'll let you know if they were worth blowing the dust off of for a read. :)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">Happy reading!!</span></p><p></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-1317454892095430822021-03-14T16:51:00.000-05:002021-03-14T16:51:18.797-05:00Back in the Writing Saddle<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVEiHboFc9u_Y95hr0WpV8bqaMNcJbYuKaDpRWgnjcR-aHtL5Z_T-Tz46juLUEU-COJis7rRHpCqPMdIDGAEax8t_V1iQqeMNlX_h5FDZKsYpTM0gge4ZWR8vSEaEEL_e-f_EsshDhk84/s2048/20210206_102356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGVEiHboFc9u_Y95hr0WpV8bqaMNcJbYuKaDpRWgnjcR-aHtL5Z_T-Tz46juLUEU-COJis7rRHpCqPMdIDGAEax8t_V1iQqeMNlX_h5FDZKsYpTM0gge4ZWR8vSEaEEL_e-f_EsshDhk84/s320/20210206_102356.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">It's time. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Time to begin again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Life is full of restarts. No one knows this better than I do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">I won't write about what has happened since the last time I blogged. We are all too aware of all that. I will say, instead, that I've learned a lot in the last year. I've worked really hard and found this old dog can still learn new tricks, since I now teach both virtually and in a classroom. I know how to use more technology now than I ever care to list...or ever care to use outside of my job. It's one of the reasons I stopped blogging: too much screen time required for teaching in the last year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I have read a lot of books in the last year, though, and </span><span style="font-family: "Open Sans";">I look forward to sharing some book reviews with you! I'm currently on Spring Break from school, so I will post a book review later on this week. I hope you'll come back and check it out! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">And, one more thing,...if you're a book lover and want a good place to go to ONLY discuss books and your love of reading, I'd like to encourage you to join Bookaholics on Facebook. When I reached the point of giving up on social media in the last year, I found Bookaholics, and they saved me. :)<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Happy reading!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Open Sans;"><br /></span></p>bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-53220767993429551432020-02-01T18:37:00.000-06:002020-02-01T18:37:16.659-06:00Magic Books?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkueQbMLBC0yjTd6QaH2yOU1N7-KKe3g1sKBfaKQihljUdQsUlsmDuHFYrO36RUULFLa-oGeDWVtAcYCQu0tTDx6olpZIpZ5xY1G2ukGoSjLna7_4WHQhlwcnm8iwxGqqVwPysONIlJ252/s1600/princeoleo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="367" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkueQbMLBC0yjTd6QaH2yOU1N7-KKe3g1sKBfaKQihljUdQsUlsmDuHFYrO36RUULFLa-oGeDWVtAcYCQu0tTDx6olpZIpZ5xY1G2ukGoSjLna7_4WHQhlwcnm8iwxGqqVwPysONIlJ252/s320/princeoleo2.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I received a very special treasure from a friend of mine. She said she was looking for something to send me "down a rabbit hole" because she knows I love the journey. Well, she certainly found it when she gave me <b><i>The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine,</i> </b>by Mark Twain and Philip Stead with illustrations by Erin Stead. My goodness, what a treasure! (And a delightful rabbit hole of research to discover!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love Mark Twain, but had no idea this book existed until I received it as a gift. Twain made up stories for his daughters from time to time, but he didn't always write them down. In the case of <i><b>The Purloining of Prince Oleomargarine</b></i>, he wrote most of it down,...but never wrote the ending. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Enter Caldecott Medal winners Philip Stead and his wife, Erin Stead. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Philip Stead finished the tale and included, as part of the tale, short segments in the story where he's conversing with Twain and talking about how the story is progressing. It's quite wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As enjoyable as the story is, it wouldn't be complete without the beautiful illustrations of Erin Stead. From the cover of the book to the smallest image of the tiniest animal on the inside, the visuals are a delight. My favorite is the image of the old fairy and the skunk, but I love them all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, it just so happens that my friend also gave me something else to go along with the book. It was something she knew I'd love. She bought an old, wood-carved book holder from England to display my beautiful gift in my library. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, this is how it looks,...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and it bring me joy every day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>But that's only part of the story.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One day, my grandchildren came over for a visit, and my sweet four-year-old granddaughter wandered into my library. I thought, perhaps, she wanted one of the books I keep in a basket for them, so I followed a few steps behind her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When she walked up to the tray on the bench, she became still and quiet. She reverently approached the open book on the stand and reached out her small hand to barely touch the edge of the pages with her fingertips. Without taking her eyes off the book, she spoke in awe as she asked, "MawMaw,...is this a <i>magic</i> book?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I realized instantly what she meant. She'd never seen a book on display like that except in cartoons and movies where it's almost always a magical book. My sweet grandbaby thought her grandmother had a magic book!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I walked up behind her, with a smile on my face, and whispered, "Yes, it's a magic book. All books are magic, my sweet girl." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My answer seemed to satisfy her, and we looked at some of the beautiful pictures in the book before she moved on to something else. It's a moment I'll always hold in my heart.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOmZCdw7PtfK7BmAPjXENY3bKYe2I9qcqmNQjj3RHQOtHVVBpJqW9r6dFr9rf7VzIGcqoE7s2_gVdyvKLsgrq-CYVTvMCp7jMsu_XvjBTG8kBsfk2xT_sEqA1yPK7U5Ncuj-NpRYYytEk6/s1600/twain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And, yes, I know one day she'll know the truth...</span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All books really <i><u>are</u></i> magic.</span></div>
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-60518501860076710722020-01-26T14:07:00.000-06:002020-01-26T14:07:37.471-06:00Getting Out More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, it's true. I'm getting out more. Okay, okay, I get out plenty,...but not in the way I should. I've always been very driven, a very hard worker. It is my primary focus most of the time. Even my husband will tell you, when I was a stay-at-home mom (many years ago), I was very driven at trying to be a good mom, wanting to keep a clean house, and be a good wife. It's when I work outside our home that the driven part of me...has a hard time dividing properly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I became a teacher, thirteen years ago, it has been my primary focus other than my family. Now, my family is all grown and gone. So, I focus more on my job. But...life isn't a job. And though my work is much more than "a job" - it's a calling - I still needed to look at my overall priorities. I <i>am</i> very passion about what I do. However, we all need to pull back, sometimes, and re-evaluate how we spend our time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've now taken up a new goal from a good friend: get out more and live a life you enjoy. Yes, I can still be driven and passionate about teaching reading. Absolutely. But I need to practice more genuine 'down time' to fill myself back up with good things I enjoy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And you know what made me question whether I really do this enough or not? A coach. No, not a life coach - just a regular, middle school, athletic coach. That's right, a coach at my school. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the story of it:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was making copies in the teacher workroom, not too long ago, when one of our coaches came in and saw his pile of work was in my work area. He was concerned his stuff was messing up my workflow, so he apologized and moved his stuff out of my way. I said, "No worries, Coach, I'm easy-going." And he laughed. Laughed?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not only did this give me pause, I gave him crap about it. Teasing, actually. He's an older man, and I adore him. And he knows it. So, it's okay if we pick on each other from time to time. Our classrooms were side-by-side last year, so we know each other well. We know each other's stories and our teaching styles. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, still, I gave it some thought. And, later, when I brought it up to him again, I said, "Hey, Coach, isn't it possible to be focused and passionate AND easy-going?" And the old sweetheart chuckled again at my silliness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Do I get to plead the 5th here?" he asked with a wink. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while that old softy has no idea how much he made me re-evaluate how I live my life, he most certainly did. He's been through a lot in his personal life. He lost a wife, at a fairly young age, to a heart disorder that, eventually, also took the life of one of his sons. I can't imagine. I truly...can't imagine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I began to think about how I spend my 'down time" and how I need to do more with it. Enjoy life more. Get out more. Let people I love know how much I love them...more. I do those things, of course, but not nearly as much as I should. I needed to add an easy-going stride in my life...somewhere. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, yesterday, I met friends for tea and an impromptu trip to a bakery. I also spent some time with my beautiful grandchildren. Today, I went with my oldest daughter to brunch at a place she's wanted to visit. Later, we're going to a museum to enjoy some art together. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvxc-fi8IOKoAOL-HEbMZiuRvD_dT9RKgL1QbDZrUwReXvFMHF0jJlOiI9O1-QCM61qgZeY7tAm3CizSZcrJr2nEq5FM6XiswVxesSB_OvaEDoNnyU9MwUpgSGH2jskpiNHfD7f99A5nF/s1600/20200126_100757+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvxc-fi8IOKoAOL-HEbMZiuRvD_dT9RKgL1QbDZrUwReXvFMHF0jJlOiI9O1-QCM61qgZeY7tAm3CizSZcrJr2nEq5FM6XiswVxesSB_OvaEDoNnyU9MwUpgSGH2jskpiNHfD7f99A5nF/s320/20200126_100757+%25281%2529.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And while my work is very important, and I love the children I teach,...it's time to make time on my weekends for the most important part of my life: my actual life. We only get one, you know.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope, reader, this inspires you to get out more and do things YOU enjoy!</span></div>
bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-19810561527247787582019-11-27T13:25:00.000-06:002019-11-27T13:48:41.248-06:00Surviving and Thriving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If books have taught me anything, they've taught me to be grateful. While my life has not always run a smooth course, reading has taught me...things could've been a lot worse. I've read numerous books, over the years, by people who have survived circumstances I can't even imagine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My childhood had dramas I don't care to write about, though people have tried to convince me to tell my stories. The things I've experienced didn't seem all that terrible at the time I lived them because it was all I knew. Situations don't seem crazy if it's your daily normal. It's only when you look back from a distance of time and space that you realize things weren't quite right,...but still not as bad as they could've been.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't think I saw my childhood, and young adult life, clearly until I had children of my own. It was only then that I looked through a lens that said, "Would I ever have allowed my children to experience what I did? Would I ever make my children feel the way my parents sometimes made me feel?" No, I wouldn't. In fact, there have been times I've willingly sacrificed pieces of myself to make sure if any situation hurt anyone, it hurt me - not my girls.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then comes the question: "Did my parents even love me the way they were supposed to if they didn't love me the way I love my own children?" The love of my parents came with conditions. My love for my children does not. Once I answered that question for myself, I began to seek peace about it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't sit around and analyze why my parents were the way they were, nor the reasons why they didn't love me unconditionally. I used to, many years ago, but it simply isn't worth my time. Who they were, and the choices they made, rest with them. I forgave them long ago, for my own sake. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now? My own children are grown. I'm a grandmother. My children have their own lenses in which they see me. The three of them don't always agree on the view, but I'm okay with that. I hope if they harbor any hard feelings about their own childhoods, they forgive me - for their own sake, not mine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">You see, after spending far too many years surviving, I am thriving. And what I've found is that when you find your stride, you gain this wonderful momentum where your heart truly feels free to accept yourself and your journey. No hard feelings towards your past, no excuses, just...moving forward. When you finally learn to shed every label anyone has ever given you, and you no longer care about what lens anyone views you through, you wake with a grateful heart every day. Every. Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't know where life will lead me from this moment forward. I'm no heroine in a novel. There's no witty banter and meaningful conversations that resolve everything and give me a happy ending. There's only the time I have between this very moment and my own ending.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I promise myself to thrive!</span></div>
bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-28381212877973523972019-02-03T21:31:00.000-06:002019-02-07T05:38:55.694-06:00If You Could Read My Mind,...Would You Want To?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm taking a quick break from reading to tell you about the <b><i>Chaos Walking</i></b> series by Patrick Ness. So far, I've read (in the order the author suggests) <b><i>The Knife of Never Letting Go</i></b> and the short story <b><i>The New World</i></b>. I am currently reading <b><i>The Ask and the Answer</i></b>, and I am absorbing it like crazy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P9cEUr-8_u7EgK6gQMtVd1UMaYYjkXTNKvYE93r6Rc3n8djY4oWXjh9TAgxjTRcOICZat7lFw2n66VTqObFcPqhsx6p4ApQ0PYq8SGxiWKYFi8XVGi_hBVFkiPdbS7c69smEuKo-kgr1/s1600/51MmkzCxiML._SX307_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa-algH09GYdQNQH9hBzHhKLoXwIWR2CCVzfBLpukCjltJCWXB1nA2gM63dEZ9KUyjzi1DPNryG5AobZLlERD6ky_5FeG8aCzdZBlFp5WMkKO36ersMUY5stbKfQBsV6Up-rflFwk-Rae/s1600/51YRyosyfzL._SX307_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa-algH09GYdQNQH9hBzHhKLoXwIWR2CCVzfBLpukCjltJCWXB1nA2gM63dEZ9KUyjzi1DPNryG5AobZLlERD6ky_5FeG8aCzdZBlFp5WMkKO36ersMUY5stbKfQBsV6Up-rflFwk-Rae/s200/51YRyosyfzL._SX307_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="123" /></a></u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P9cEUr-8_u7EgK6gQMtVd1UMaYYjkXTNKvYE93r6Rc3n8djY4oWXjh9TAgxjTRcOICZat7lFw2n66VTqObFcPqhsx6p4ApQ0PYq8SGxiWKYFi8XVGi_hBVFkiPdbS7c69smEuKo-kgr1/s1600/51MmkzCxiML._SX307_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0066cc; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 16px; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4P9cEUr-8_u7EgK6gQMtVd1UMaYYjkXTNKvYE93r6Rc3n8djY4oWXjh9TAgxjTRcOICZat7lFw2n66VTqObFcPqhsx6p4ApQ0PYq8SGxiWKYFi8XVGi_hBVFkiPdbS7c69smEuKo-kgr1/s200/51MmkzCxiML._SX307_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="123" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNSx2RY1NXeHxcheSg8IwebG8nKDK2Nuh-wx089LfF2mJS5-xwCVMg8duvBKS43pLT0sAFRIMXAXtOHuSC6cAi6ckgxcLx5inHKwCXgJnSY7QCEhfnFcGoS2LYzynhVtVw9UqkIclL8dl/s1600/5119JjEFwHL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="309" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCNSx2RY1NXeHxcheSg8IwebG8nKDK2Nuh-wx089LfF2mJS5-xwCVMg8duvBKS43pLT0sAFRIMXAXtOHuSC6cAi6ckgxcLx5inHKwCXgJnSY7QCEhfnFcGoS2LYzynhVtVw9UqkIclL8dl/s200/5119JjEFwHL.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">I</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> was already a fan of the author, but it takes things to a different level for me when I decide to inv</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">est in a series. It's actually something I don't do very often unless the first book is </span></span><span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">truly excellent. My reading time is valuable, and I believe variety is the spice of life...and of reading. A writer has to really impress me for me to set aside my TBR cart and stick with one author for awhile. And to stick with one author for one storyline...for several books? Yes, it has to rank pretty dang high and give me something unexpected.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, let's see...how to interest you and not give anything away...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The story revolves around a boy named Todd who lives on a planet, the New World, that has been settled by people who left the Old World for a simple way of life. You know, getting back to basics and living like <b><i>Little House on the Prairie</i></b>. The problem is the settlers get infected with something that makes it where everyone can hear what each other is thinking all the time. Out loud. And this is not a good thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the opening of the novel, Todd is about to become a man (he's turning 13), and once that occurs, he will be the last child to become a man in the settlement. You see, there are no other children because there are no women. The infection that made it where men could hear each others' thoughts also killed the women in the settlement, including Todd's mother when he was just a baby.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then, one day, while Todd is in the forest with his dog - just trying to get away from town and the noise of everyone's thoughts coming at him - he feels a quiet. He feels he is near something unlike anything he's ever known before. And he couldn't be more right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">In a nutshell, it's Shirley Jackson meets Ray Bradbury and directed by the Twilight Zone. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">And it's really good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think one of the things I like the most about the first book is I kept thinking I knew where it was going, and I was wrong. It's a very original idea with good twists and turns. I really like the idea, too, of these people who traveled through space to reject technology. Interesting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, it's time for me to get back to my book. I can't wait to see what happens next!</span></div>
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-33456136032161579982019-01-27T19:58:00.000-06:002019-01-27T19:58:10.664-06:00Out Sick, Listen, and Read<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have I mentioned I rang in the new year with sickness? Yes, 2019 has been a struggle for me up until now. This is the first weekend I've felt like myself in the last month. There's no need to go into details about the whole thing, but I will say that when I'm too sick to read, you know it's bad. It's also the reason I didn't blog last Sunday. I'm not a whiner, but I'd felt physically bad for too long and was afraid if I managed to blog at all, I might have a meltdown. I'm one of those "grin and bear it" kind of people, so meltdowns don't go well on the very rare occasions when I have them. Trust me. (See? I spared you all that. You're welcome. ;)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am also one of those "silver lining" kind of people, so...the good news is that because I wasn't up to reading last weekend, I listened. And I enjoyed everything I heard...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Unfu*k Yourself</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7U2CF1_hYowaW02bRnrYVYtPigBcl8Q7aw4wY0VoBO_IJQ0h60X917nWL4ZLr5Xkua2R2Tk9JL5exsogYJurL2-06DChjPNzio-rVN1_fouBFwkg15IVKmXxNGLUP8F5Jtnn7STLkNxm/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7U2CF1_hYowaW02bRnrYVYtPigBcl8Q7aw4wY0VoBO_IJQ0h60X917nWL4ZLr5Xkua2R2Tk9JL5exsogYJurL2-06DChjPNzio-rVN1_fouBFwkg15IVKmXxNGLUP8F5Jtnn7STLkNxm/s1600/untitled.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love brutal honesty. If you like it, too, or you just need to hear some, Gary John Bishop's <b><i>Unfu*k Yourself</i></b> is a definite Audible winner. Bishop narrates his own book and gives you a good, common sense "talking-to" (as my grandma used to say).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I should tell you, I'm not a self-help book person. At all. But I feel like Bishop's is not a self-help, it's a guide to help you clear your thinking and help you understand the importance of life choices. I agreed with everything he said because I'm at an age where experience has already taught me...the hard way. I wish I'd had his voice in my ear 35 years ago. Would I have listened? I'd like to think so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In an ever-changing world, where the more ways we have to communicate, the less truly connected we are, people need to learn their own minds. They need to know how to live authentic lives instead of social media ones. Personally, I think everyone would benefit from hearing what Bishop has to say, whether it's to learn...or to confirm.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Side note: Bishop is Scottish and has a lovely dialect. Listening was a delight.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Almost Everything</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI97VqfDIrB-Y93gh65bsXs7s7gTOTbPgQWA_XcOkXn_38BK6EHQGJC5IzvoUY4dXoCG34WkF0b_5wtiBwu4gRpUe5Nii4gAxoBUJijL22AytFjs-FL5AL52perebgtcnmu8sY6uvIsNBb/s1600/anne.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI97VqfDIrB-Y93gh65bsXs7s7gTOTbPgQWA_XcOkXn_38BK6EHQGJC5IzvoUY4dXoCG34WkF0b_5wtiBwu4gRpUe5Nii4gAxoBUJijL22AytFjs-FL5AL52perebgtcnmu8sY6uvIsNBb/s1600/anne.png" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you don't know Anne Lamott, you're missing out. I fell in love with her words many years ago when I read <b><i>Bird by Bird</i></b>. The book had such an impact on me, I wrote in the front of the book when and where I began the journey into her world of words. I think she's quite amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All that being said, I'd never heard her read her own words until last weekend. I was excited to hear her Audible narration of <b><i>Almost Everything</i></b>. I knew what to expect, personality wise, because I've read her writing and her deadpan, dry sense of humor comes through in most everything she writes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Almost Everything</i></b> is funny and wise and sarcastic and hopeful. Lamott acknowledges the world could end any moment, but she also believes we should live with the hope it won't. I told you I love brutal honesty, and Lamott has plenty of that with a bit of dark humor, but she also believes in kindness and empathy and love.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to say that I was more than a bit offended when I read a book review that called this book "new age" stuff, when it isn't at all. (But, you know, ignorant people who limit their exposure to the world around them tend to be...labelists.) Lamott may talk about spirituality in a way that a strick denominationist may not understand, or that a diehard atheist may not care to hear, but that's because they lack the ability to entertain a thought without accepting it and moving on. At no time is Lamott preaching her beliefs, some things simply come out as a reference in a few anecdotes she tells. Labelists don't like it when they have difficulty labeling you, and I assure you Lamott is quite good at avoiding those labels, as she believes in many good things in many different ways. I should also mention I don't agree with everything she says,.. but I'm certainly entertained by it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To sum it up, in terms you might understand better,...if you enjoy brutal honesty, a sense of humor that's a bit twisted, and a heart full of light and goodness with a Lily Tomlin voice, Anne Lamott is for you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Sea Creatures</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I read <b><i>Sea Creatures,</i></b> by Susanna Daniel, this weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as a solid read. By that, I mean it's excellent writing, well-paced, interesting, and thought-provoking about the ordinary things in life. It also makes you wonder what you'd do in the same circumstances if the push in your life came to shove.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_4sFVjHYZo-u_ytASkZkMp4zb22EuXIY_8F_cBmitTXqY_kBNRUKhW7BLNzaYbHsxTlBxz5CcDpdy2UNfCtD4v5crEOXBvm-A22KMDF11xw-RJ4DWADBRej9oOWMPmXaz2zCi8GX6SUV/s1600/Daniel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="780" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw_4sFVjHYZo-u_ytASkZkMp4zb22EuXIY_8F_cBmitTXqY_kBNRUKhW7BLNzaYbHsxTlBxz5CcDpdy2UNfCtD4v5crEOXBvm-A22KMDF11xw-RJ4DWADBRej9oOWMPmXaz2zCi8GX6SUV/s320/Daniel.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The plot revolves around Georgia, our narrator, who moves to Florida with her husband and toddler son. Her business has shutdown and her husband, a professor, had an incident that caused him to lose his job. They buy a used houseboat, park it in her father's boat slip and try to start over. There are two main problems in Georgia's life: her husband's terrible night terrors/sleeping disorder and her three year old son won't talk, won't make a sound. Oh, there are other problems, to be sure, but those are her most difficult ones at the opening of the novel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Georgia tells us about her life in fragments, flashbacks, to help us understand who she is as the main story moves along, and it flows well. The author weaves a good story about what makes us who we are, why we make the choices we make, and how loving the people in our lives is a complicated thing that only our own hearts can define.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good book.</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-48389066982612212019-01-13T21:27:00.001-06:002019-01-13T21:27:47.684-06:00The Turtle Warrior<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In a world of watered-down contemporary fiction, I certainly notice when a book has bite. <i><b>The Turtle Warrior, </b></i>by Mary Relindes Ellis, is definitely the kind of novel that leaves behind teeth marks in your soul.<br />
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I found this treasure in a used bookshop in Kailua, Hawaii. It was both the title and the picture on the cover that drew me to it. I saw it was a debut novel (from 2004), and I just knew it needed to go home with me. And I was right.<br />
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First, let me say, the writing is excellent. The story is told by different narrators, and it isn't labeled by chapter, or section, who is who. But it isn't confusing at all. The author had confidence in the ability of her writing, and her readers' brains, to make it clear who was speaking. I love the different perspectives and back stories of the characters. Like I said, excellent writing.<br />
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Second, I will tell you that it isn't easy to read about the tragedy of some people's lives. Yes, it is fiction, but it is very much realistic fiction. It is everything life is: happy, tragic, disappointing, surprising, euphoric, lonely, and loving.<br />
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Third, and last, I will tell you the plot revolves around a boy, Bill, and his life. It begins when he is young and dreams of fighting bad guys with a wooden sword his big brother made him and an old turtle shell for a shield. But life for Bill is harsh on a Wisconsin farm in the 1960s with an alcoholic father, an unbalanced mother, and a beloved older brother who goes off to war and leaves him behind. It's a story about surviving childhood and living with decisions and forgiving and hoping to find a better life.<br />
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It's a worthy read. I don't think any synopsis could have prepared me for the incredible story that unfolded in this book. I'm so glad I read it. I hope you will decide to read it one day, too.<br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-84345454019938275682019-01-06T12:53:00.000-06:002019-01-06T12:53:56.322-06:00New Year, Same Me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Don't look here if you're looking for my New Year's resolution. I resolved not to do those anymore, and it was absolutely the best New Year's resolution I ever made...and have kept. As the title of this post indicates, while it IS a new year, I am still very much the same me. Of course, in truth,...I am also constantly changing - as, I hope, we all are. But the changing? Yep, that's still the same me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I haven't blogged for...quite awhile, in case you hadn't noticed, but it's been a year full of more changes and adjustments than I've ever had to handle. But I have it all handled now. Quite nicely, too, I might add (though it sure didn't feel like it while I was going through it).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In upcoming blogs I will share several stories about a variety of things: my new location, my new job, my goal to finish a novel (something my daughters bug me about on a continuous basis - bless their sadistic hearts), my writing journey, and - as always - my reading journey. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Barring death or dismemberment, I'll post every Sunday. I may post more often than that, from time to time, but definitely every Sunday. It's when I tend to reflect the best...and have the most quiet. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Tune in next week</b> to hear about the odd books found (and bought) in a used bookstore in Hawaii, as well as a review on the book I'm currently reading. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Until then, happy reading! </span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-90467423640600607242018-07-11T09:09:00.001-05:002018-07-11T09:09:48.335-05:00Our Stories<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a favorite quote that has become a bit of a mantra for me. I hear it in my head when people tell me something about themselves. I hear it when I teach students who don't believe in their own abilities to learn and to become whatever they want to be. And I always hear it when my own mind betrays me and tries to tell me something that isn't true about me, which is usually an old echo of something someone else has said to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's the quote:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">~ Patrick Rothfuss, <i>The Name of the Wind</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZr2s-80kgWg8tzlgbXABtbLmmUJe68zAQTGunmUMYCMTyz2B1HxQDiAn4vxWVfN-2Dwp2trgIfSdE4rjIsTyovKrO9Y3PifwBOQ9i9gtbD3NGvZra0mT-I9U-5-GkkJVd7Rz6_FXiTpC/s1600/41qgBxTjYxL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: left; color: #0066cc; float: left; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQZr2s-80kgWg8tzlgbXABtbLmmUJe68zAQTGunmUMYCMTyz2B1HxQDiAn4vxWVfN-2Dwp2trgIfSdE4rjIsTyovKrO9Y3PifwBOQ9i9gtbD3NGvZra0mT-I9U-5-GkkJVd7Rz6_FXiTpC/s320/41qgBxTjYxL._SX327_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="210" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Powerful words. True words. Believe me, I should know. And I've seldom seen an example of this laid out as clearly as it is in the non-fiction book, <i><b>Educated</b></i>, by Tara Westover. It is...an incredible story. She's an incredible person and an excellent writer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the most difficult things to do in life is to rewrite your own story, the one that plays in your head. As children, we grow up believing what our parents tell us. We trust them. And, while that seems like the right thing to do,...what happens if you don't have good parents? Or, what if, your parents think what they're doing is the right thing (because, in their mind, it is), but their version of "normal"...isn't quite normal? When do children, surrounded by the beliefs of others, ever find their own way...and learn to trust their own story? Ask Tara Westover.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Educated</b></i> is Westover's memoir about her life, growing up in a rural area of Idaho to parents who 'homeschooled' her. By Westover's accounts, "homeschooled" meant she didn't receive schooling at all. In fact, her father pulled their family so far off the grid, his last few children didn't have birth records. To this day, Westover doesn't really know when her actual birthday is. While this may seem normal for someone born a century ago, Tara is currently a woman in her late 20s/early 30s. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjaOjG1G9E2OB0vRlRRGLsgv1VDR8ffQ9wxz76JRSJjPmfX9gfM84dbtSBP9B_hSMq1ZL1IAC3nO-FK13sNpHOfs8OjCZRNdVEYdqDR07GnT_viDzZ8Y6v_orM55ao4w-I0JtwPYzWWqw/s1600/tara-westover_credit-paul-stuart_wide-c84453e969db7859cc32d2ffdb61b9c0f234d5a4-s900-c85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; clear: right; color: #0066cc; float: right; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration: underline; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="900" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXjaOjG1G9E2OB0vRlRRGLsgv1VDR8ffQ9wxz76JRSJjPmfX9gfM84dbtSBP9B_hSMq1ZL1IAC3nO-FK13sNpHOfs8OjCZRNdVEYdqDR07GnT_viDzZ8Y6v_orM55ao4w-I0JtwPYzWWqw/s320/tara-westover_credit-paul-stuart_wide-c84453e969db7859cc32d2ffdb61b9c0f234d5a4-s900-c85.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Tara grew up in a Mormon home, this story is not about religion. In fact, her parents were extremist in many different ways and they often criticized, what they considered, "mainstream" Mormons. Tara's parents kept their family isolated and used their children for labor. All the while, their father preached to them about the horrible ways of the world and how the government was out to get them and brainwash them. Tara's father saw himself as the protector of his family and used the Ruby Ridge tragedy to prove to his family what would happen if they didn't listen to him. You know, terrorism on a "home-sweet-home" scale.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think everyone should read this book. I worry some people won't because they'll think it's a "teacher book" about education,...when it's really a book about how to survive childhood and discover who you really are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And here's the best way to truly discover Tara Westover's story: First, read the book. Second, research the author's current life and watch a few interviews. Third, look up her family - her parents. What you discover on this journey will either blow your mind...or confirm what you've always known.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy reading!</span></div>
bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-17166533520623712602018-06-10T18:58:00.001-05:002018-06-11T16:10:41.554-05:00Sexy Vampires? That's a Bloody Lie.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbfuWxUD-PT1naaxrSPj-jh5nBbKKyh6DlmxXCH3cOP4A6PtALiHZZsNOhnJE6V_ahzePJ_cliKD76o4pJpwm2JAEa8riPf0X8xszoOI-6wmWl46-hdKVtvtGPnSY2PESzEy14rs7c_r_/s1600/Dracamer99.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbfuWxUD-PT1naaxrSPj-jh5nBbKKyh6DlmxXCH3cOP4A6PtALiHZZsNOhnJE6V_ahzePJ_cliKD76o4pJpwm2JAEa8riPf0X8xszoOI-6wmWl46-hdKVtvtGPnSY2PESzEy14rs7c_r_/s1600/Dracamer99.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you read Bram Stoker's<i><b> Dracula</b></i>? No, not watched the movie or television series that claims it is based on Bram Stoker's version. I mean, <u>have you actually read the novel from 1897</u>? If you haven't, it's time you do,...especially if you consider yourself a vampire fan or a fan of popular vampire stories.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here are just a few of the things I discovered when I decided to read the original version:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No Love</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Count Dracula doesn't love. Well, except himself, I suppose. There is no love, or romance, between Dracula and anyone else. He takes everyone by force or by trance, none of them give themselves willingly - least of all Mina. He is an egotistical warlord who has lived so long he has been able to outsmart and outmaneuver mankind for centuries. The characters reveal his history as Vlad the Impaler and come to understand him through analyzing how he has evaded being discovered all this time. The analysis is fascinating. But, love and romance? Nope. There's none of that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No Sex</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There are no sexy seduction scenes or women who can't resist Dracula for his sexual prowess and attraction. In fact, he isn't attractive, he's horrid. Not one character describes him as attractive and, yes, there are physical descriptions of him. He's also evil incarnate. And the scenes where he takes the blood from unwilling women (Mina, in particular) is forcible and brutal. There is nothing sexy about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A Heroine I Admire</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mina is a very savvy, highly intelligent woman who helps the heroes find their way to Dracula, more than once, and who is very perspicacious. Van Helsing, Harker, and the rest of the men respect her opinion and credit her with helping them hunt down Dracula. When the men seem to reach a dead end (no pun intended) in the chase, it's Mina who puts herself, and her soul, on the line to try and help them rid the world of Count Dracula. I'd also like to mention that Mina is married to Jonathan Harker in the novel, not his girlfriend or fiancée (as portrayed in the movies to make it seem like she is virginal and desires a sexual encounter with Dracula). She loves and adores her husband very much. It is out of hatred Dracula comes to forcibly drink her blood and take her from her husband. It is a horrible scene.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Writing Style</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The original novel is told in a journal/letter format. You hear the unfolding story from each character, except Dracula. He has no voice in this, which I found quite interesting. You only hear what he says and does from the other characters. You see, he doesn't deserve a voice, he is evil. Think about that. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today's Versions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">I believe I could write an entire book on the ridiculous point our society has reached about 'paranormal romance' novels versus Stoker's original novel and its intent. </span>I am amazed that what started out as an incredible novel in 1897 that portrays women as intelligent and intuitive (let me point this out again - i</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n 1897!), and portrays men as intelligent beings of science and faith who are fighting for good, has become the second-hand drivel we see in bookstores and movies today. And the vampire? The vampire who was once a monster of evil and destruction and violence against women...has become something young girls fantasize about as being a love interest. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's all a bloody lie.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you don't believe me, just read Bram Stoker's <b><i>Dracula</i></b>...</span></div>
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-49640966722149951152018-04-29T21:31:00.001-05:002018-04-29T21:31:50.055-05:00Nope.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sorry, folks, I have nothing for you this week. I didn't even realize that my last post was TWO weeks ago instead of one. Yes, that's how life has been.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm off my reading game, and I can't even tell you the last time I sat down long enough to watch something on television...that I didn't fall asleep within thirty minutes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, I <i>am</i> reading. I'm reading a class novel with my sixth graders (<i>Touching Spirit Bear</i>), and I am reading a book with my boys' book club (<i>Woods Runner</i>), and I did manage to find a half-finished novel I lost during the move,...and I finished it (<i>The Silent Wife</i>). And I'm sure I'll write about them eventually. Just not tonight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I finally have my new library set up. And, today, I put a TBR short-stack by my reading couch. I will hit the reset button on my "new normal" on Tuesday. Why Tuesday? Well, that's a story for next Sunday. (By then, I'm sure it'll be okay to tell it.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy reading...</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-39997594082802455792018-04-15T17:08:00.001-05:002018-04-15T17:12:14.131-05:00Solving the Problem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Have you ever asked yourself what's wrong with a story? Well, Vivian Vande Velde did, and I (as well as my students) have thoroughly enjoyed the results of her ponderings. I found this small book purely by accident when I was in the library one day. I was looking for a short story to read aloud to my sixth graders in honor of "National Tell a Fairy Tale Day," when I came across this treasure. I previewed the book quickly, and the author hooked me from the very beginning.</span><br />
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<b><i>T</i></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>he Rumpelstiltskin Problem</i></b> by Vivian Vande Velde is the author's attempt to explain how a girl ends up sitting in a room trying to spin straw into gold and why anyone would believe that she could. I mean, when you think about the story, it doesn't quite make sense how someone could end up in that kind of predicament and end up making deals with Rumpelstiltskin.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG7s31uGrVfd23HKlLGWI-opsePN8wwvqMZ0u7XYQBWZmCJVI1NX4qlXUmD9-lsZ9Gp4J8XnUALhR7SVGSTDVUSyga63XVts4X_QS5EKZ9g_0Y_oPwCE2f33SjOhEjY9XVyLNuh-Y3QkY/s1600/the-rumplestiltskin-problem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijG7s31uGrVfd23HKlLGWI-opsePN8wwvqMZ0u7XYQBWZmCJVI1NX4qlXUmD9-lsZ9Gp4J8XnUALhR7SVGSTDVUSyga63XVts4X_QS5EKZ9g_0Y_oPwCE2f33SjOhEjY9XVyLNuh-Y3QkY/s320/the-rumplestiltskin-problem.jpg" width="220" /></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The book is actually six different stories, or alternate explanations, of how the whole story came to be. In other words, nothing is as it truly seems in the fairy tale we've been told all this time. Velde creates six completely different versions of how that maiden ended up in the tower with the straw and Rumplestiltskin. I enjoyed all of the explanations. I chose two of my favorites to read aloud to my sixth gradeers over a few days. They loved them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, you know how we often say, "Don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, we really shouldn't judge them by their size, either. While this is not a big book, it is a worthy read. I also think it makes for a great writing lesson to students. They can see how you take the same players in a story, but change their circumstances, their motives, and their reactions with a humorous result. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">If you like fairy tales, as I do, you should definitely read this one,...no matter what age you are. It's good for a laugh and written quite well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope to be back in my regular reading mode soon. Life is going by much too quickly for me lately, and I am barely keeping up. Hopefully, life will be back to normal (or close to it) in another week or so. I'm anxious to start on my next Jo Nesbo book,...now that I've unpacked almost all the moving boxes and found it! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Happy reading!</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-11509163850429376082018-04-11T21:39:00.000-05:002018-04-11T21:39:10.340-05:00Coming Out of Chaos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Something tells me I should have blogged about all that this move has put me through. I'm sure I'll laugh about it someday. Ha. Ha. Ha. (Okay, maybe not...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">I apologize for being gone from my blog for so long. If you've ever made a major move in your life, I know you understand. If you've never done it, I wish you well if you ever decide to do so. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">It's been quite a challenge in more ways than I realized when it began. Still, it was the right move for us. We are in our new home now, but things are still being sorted, decorated, hung, rearranged, and purged. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">There are other major changes occurring in my life, which I'll talk about in the near future,...but for now? I'll be happy just to finish a good book and write a review this weekend. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Please check back on Sunday evening, as I hope to have a decent book blog posted by then. I hope all is well with you and yours, and I sure hope you've had more free time for reading than I've had lately.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;">Happy reading!! :) </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-31725623567363500272018-02-25T10:35:00.002-06:002018-02-25T10:35:41.172-06:00Dramatic Changes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My life has been in a chaotic state lately, which is why I haven't posted. I went from peacefully living in the same home I've loved for two decades...to suddenly selling my precious home (which contains my most beloved library room) and trying to find a new house. All the changes are for the better,...just unexpected and rushed. All is well, though, except for my nerves, my frustration level, and my half emptied home where I can't seem to find anything. And, to make matters even worse, half of my library is already packed up...somewhere. I wasn't at home when it was packed, so I have no idea where anything is. Arrrrrgh! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Sigh...)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Okay, enough of my personal drama. Let's move on to some fabulous book drama! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTIzTGbKvHyteT3ADXtpnSIAKbCblnUYc6ywxn0ttR1XtzCgfRUQ7lLxM6HkXyfJZSxzcH84_lTVTgkWgHh_ZEQTFAl2_-HkXe9kOh3qaKxb3aYOVYSHNSORzfIOp5CdnKG_lU9XWZf7i/s1600/Jo_Nesbo_01_headshot%25C2%25A9Thron_Ullberg_site.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSTIzTGbKvHyteT3ADXtpnSIAKbCblnUYc6ywxn0ttR1XtzCgfRUQ7lLxM6HkXyfJZSxzcH84_lTVTgkWgHh_ZEQTFAl2_-HkXe9kOh3qaKxb3aYOVYSHNSORzfIOp5CdnKG_lU9XWZf7i/s320/Jo_Nesbo_01_headshot%25C2%25A9Thron_Ullberg_site.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">Jo Nesbo! Do you know Jo?! He is the talented writer of the <b><i>Inspector Harry Hole Series</i></b>. But I didn't know it was a series when I read <b><i>The Snowman</i></b> (which is #7). It didn't hurt the story that I read it out of order because each novel is a different case for the inspector, but I wish I'd started at the first. I also didn't know it was a current movie when I read it. After I read it, though, it made me want to read all of them. I now own the first three in the series and have almost finished the first novel,<b><i> The Bat</i></b>, and - while it's not as scary or as intense as <b><i>The Snowman</i></b> - it's just as well-written and intriguing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><i>The Snowman</i></b> gave me the creeps in a good way. In other words, this genre is not really my typical read, but I was drawn into the mystery and horror of it all. Nesbo is a good author who writes Harry as a very flawed, but likeable, character. This novel is about Harry tracking down a serial killer who only kills certain types of women in horrific kinds of ways. I didn't want to put it down, buuuut...if I was home alone and it was dark outside? I didn't read it, if you know what I mean.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOz2b-fn1LfCHAkaVg1EdGtAyyvKnTi0hvd5IMPMexyeqOdKHMN59C8_IZucRjGxkz7gjolVOm5jXFcKwZcGgSAavFqtwmiCEnjBYHZGGW-5xK9qlpzxBRc7tllQ9DLFIEj0C8D8uAuC86/s1600/51ZLQB8S4SL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOz2b-fn1LfCHAkaVg1EdGtAyyvKnTi0hvd5IMPMexyeqOdKHMN59C8_IZucRjGxkz7gjolVOm5jXFcKwZcGgSAavFqtwmiCEnjBYHZGGW-5xK9qlpzxBRc7tllQ9DLFIEj0C8D8uAuC86/s320/51ZLQB8S4SL.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial;">After I read the book, I decided to watch the movie. I was actually curious how they were going to re-create some of the scenes in the book. To say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement. I approved of the actor choices they made for the characters, no complaints there, but they changed an important element of the story and completely changed the ending...and not for the better. Those scenes I wanted to see played out? They didn't do them. At all. I was very disappointed, and I told my husband (who only saw the movie) that the movie was definitely not the book story. He had heard me go on and on about it, and he wasn't impressed with the movie. It was just...okay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yes, I know, I know,...the book is always better than the movie, but this movie just left too much out that would've helped the audience understand what was really going on. The web the author wove so perfectly, in writing, was no longer in tact in the movie. So, as usual, please don't judge the book by the movie. In fact, don't see the movie at all. Just read the book.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrKxj4aws4U2AHZ3kxZev588Cp0mE_rBUHWqUlmvBV_Wt753qB91v9Qpo2R2-I4p1EdfYYJRvHXakHxZqqPknQdq5h9F_ghdZ9d9LE6iGBV6NdHcknQroP4xlclPw8kBcmozLz2D4oSL2/s1600/51p9bkmk%252BoL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQrKxj4aws4U2AHZ3kxZev588Cp0mE_rBUHWqUlmvBV_Wt753qB91v9Qpo2R2-I4p1EdfYYJRvHXakHxZqqPknQdq5h9F_ghdZ9d9LE6iGBV6NdHcknQroP4xlclPw8kBcmozLz2D4oSL2/s320/51p9bkmk%252BoL._SX322_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="207" /></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said before, I'm almost done with <b><i>The Bat</i></b>, and I can't wait</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"> to read <b><i>Cockroaches</i></b>, Book #2,...if I can ever find which box it's stored in. And I hope to one day meet Mr. Nesbo and shake his hand. I'm not easily creeped out, and it is a testament to his writing skills that he was able to pull me into a genre I've previously snubbed, for the most part. I think my previous experiences must have been with writers of a lesser caliber. Mr. Nesbo's writing suits me well. And, after reading the first in this series, I trust I will enjoy all the books between the first and the seventh. :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy reading!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">(And please forgive any errors in this post. I'm doing this 'on the fly' in the midst of moving turmoil.)</span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></div>
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-87491409599817164372018-02-11T10:55:00.000-06:002018-02-11T10:55:31.034-06:00The Trying Game<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't like to write a book review too harshly, especially when it is written by an author I like. It's why I've hesitated, several times, in writing this review. I do believe in being honest with my opinions, though, even when it makes me uncomfortable to do so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">All that being said, I tried to love <b><i>The Lying Game </i></b>by Ruth Ware. I swear I tried. I enjoyed her other novels <b><i>In a Dark, Dark Wood</i></b> and <b><i>The Woman in Cabin 10</i></b>. I was looking forward to <b><i>The Lying Game</i></b>, and I am the one who suggested it as a book club read. But, try as I might, I found myself a bit annoyed with the novel...and, thus, a bit annoyed with the author. Please allow me to explain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I am a patient reader and not quick to judge until I've read an entire novel. Even then, I'm not quick to critique. I like to 'mull over' the story for awhile. I'm also used to novels dragging at some point, or the details becoming a bit more than I prefer, but I take that in stride. I can even break out what I don't like and set it aside to consider the rest of the novel. In other words, to use an old idiom, "I don't throw out the baby with the bath water" when it comes to novels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">For example, I love <b><i>The Name of the Wind</i></b> by Patrick Rothfuss. For me, it is one of the most well-written novels I've ever experienced. I fell more in love with the art of writing from that novel that anything else I've ever read. However, when he wrote the next novel in the series, <b><i>The Wise Man's Fear</i></b>, I felt he jumped the track a bit. I saw where it could've been better. It was, once again, a fabulous novel,...but I would have taken out about 75 pages that really didn't need to be in there. Now, there could be a reason for those extraneous pages, and it may reveal itself in some kind of 'tie in' to the third novel, buuuuut...by then no one cares. Including me. And, again (for the record), I think Rothfuss' writing is genius,...but no one is perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">With all of <i>THAT</i> being said (Do you see how I'm trying to justify what I'm about to say about <b><i>The Lying Game</i></b>? I don't like saying it, but it has to be said.), here's what was blatantly wrong with Ware's latest novel, in my opinion...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">First, let me say what <b><i>The Lying Game</i></b> is about. The narrator in the novel is a woman in her 30s who is sent a text message one day by an old school friend. The same message is sent to two other women, also old school friends. These women attended the same girls' boarding school when they were 15 - 16 years old, and they became fast friends,...but have had little to no contact for numerous years. The mystery, of course, is why do all three of the women drop their lives to go running to the one who sent the text? The short answer, without revealing anything, is they all shared a part in 'The Lying Game' and the lies have finally come home to roost. What will they do next? (I'll tell you what they don't do next. They don't act like intelligent, educated 30something-year-old women. And that's part of the problem.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">At its core, when you strip away the unnecessary parts that bog down the tale, it's a good story. But as I read, I felt like Ware had a book contract with a 'minimum pages required' clause. There are elaborate descriptions that go on too long, but that wouldn't be so bad if they weren't repeated over and over again. By the end of the novel, I could perfectly describe Thea's legs, Fatima's hair and hijab, Kate's flat stomach, how a grown woman feels like a 16-year-old hormonal teenager, how a baby smells and coos and cries and smiles, and how to breastfeed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, if those were the only problems with the novel, I might not complain...too much. I would have just skimmed the repetitious parts. Sadly, those are not the only problems. The narrator, Isa, is ridiculous. Now, to me, this is not the same thing as being "an unreliable narrator," as I enjoy those types of novels. Isa's thoughts are ridiculous, yes, but that's believable because we all have absurd thoughts sometimes. It is how her <i>actions </i>play out that I found myself shaking my head again and again at how the author expected me to believe this is how a human being would behave, especially one as obsessed with her baby as Isa seems to be. It's just not believable. And, in realistic fiction, I should believe it. For me, it was distracting how unbelievable some of the novel's scenes played out. I found myself just wanting to "get through" the novel, and I didn't care about the characters anymore. And that's never a good sign.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will I ever read another Ruth Ware novel? Yes, of course, I will. And while some people may not agree with this review, I have to wonder if they read her other novels. By comparison, the first two were much better. Even Goodreads reviewers show the other two rank higher in star ratings. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm going to mark it up as a 'life happens and writers aren't perfect' and hope Ware's next novel will be better. I </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">believe in second chances. If the next one, though, disappoints me, I won't be trying again. One 'off' novel, I understand. I just hope there isn't another 'off' one after this. I'm good for two tries,...but not three. Life is too short, and my precious reading time is even shorter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy reading!</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-10139020787038122182018-02-04T10:37:00.000-06:002018-02-04T10:41:08.879-06:00Steampunk Fiction<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Book Review</span></b><br />
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The first time I remember hearing the word "steampunk" was when Will Smith and the gang came out with the new "Wild, Wild West" movie back in 1999. Wow, that was...almost twenty years ago! Even though the trend was started some time ago, it continues to flourish in a variety of ways. I have quite a few students who really like reading steampunk young adult fiction. I had never tried it, however, until recently.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my students, who has heard me say I'm an open-minded reader and will try anything once, gave me a well-worn (well-loved) copy of <b><i>The Mark of the Dragonfly</i></b> by Jaleigh Johnson. I asked what kind of book it was, and she told me it was a fiction mix of steampunk and fantasy. She had heard me say that I've experienced steampunk in movies and music videos and fashion, but I didn't recall ever reading a young adult novel in that genre. My student wanted to make sure she bridged that gap in my education, for which I am grateful.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsbOvWkrMbWY2syWLQNj2TvIyYecrcuBzETSGe-8_lUPTeQ_5Ec-wwMpW6N1Yn1ukrqsXFOpG8LvlsAdIaiwcTc6KtctHovA_s83sPAr36qiVjHRRF9qELlANgCqtFnNmAYoef4resREk/s1600/51KLd03qq4L._SX335_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="337" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsbOvWkrMbWY2syWLQNj2TvIyYecrcuBzETSGe-8_lUPTeQ_5Ec-wwMpW6N1Yn1ukrqsXFOpG8LvlsAdIaiwcTc6KtctHovA_s83sPAr36qiVjHRRF9qELlANgCqtFnNmAYoef4resREk/s320/51KLd03qq4L._SX335_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="216" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUsbOvWkrMbWY2syWLQNj2TvIyYecrcuBzETSGe-8_lUPTeQ_5Ec-wwMpW6N1Yn1ukrqsXFOpG8LvlsAdIaiwcTc6KtctHovA_s83sPAr36qiVjHRRF9qELlANgCqtFnNmAYoef4resREk/s1600/51KLd03qq4L._SX335_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i>The Mark of the Dragonfly</i></b> is about an orphan girl, Piper, who lives alone in an old, dangerous, poor, steampunk-type world. She is a strong, likable character who doesn't take crap from anyone and has a bit of a sarcastic streak (two of my favorite characteristics in a girl). Piper has a talent for understanding mechanical things and has the tools and ability to fix them. This, of course, makes her very valuable in a worn-out world where new things can't be bought, and all things must be repaired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One day, while trying to help a friend who is mining in the junk fields, she sees a caravan get hit by something falling from the sky. She manages to help rescue a couple of people from the wreckage, which ends up changing her life and forcing her into an adventure she was not prepared for. She makes some new friends along the way,...but she makes some new enemies, as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I enjoyed the novel, and I could understand why my student loves it. She had a another student, a boy, to read it before it reached my hands. She wanted to 'make sure guys would like it, too', and he did. Since I've read it and returned it, she's passed it on to others. All of the readers enjoyed it and gave it good reviews.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On a Personal Note</span></b><br />
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I do apologize for not posting much since the beginning of the new year. Life took a couple of unexpected turns. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, I was pretty sick - which is very unusual for me (the last time I had to take time off from work for sickness was 2009). I won't go into all the details, but I caught one of the horrid viruses going around here and, even after I recovered, I had trouble getting my body completely back to normal. Thankfully, I'm fine now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second, we've unexpectedly decided to sell our home. We weren't looking to do so, but the timing is right, apparently. It's a good opportunity for us and all that, but...I'm still not quite used to the idea. It seems exciting sometimes, but other times it feels quite overwhelming. And there's so much to do! It's like wanting to sing out loud one minute...and wanting to throw-up the next. I'll let you know how it all pans out in the end. Let's hope I'll be singing! :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That's all for now, see y'all next Sunday! Happy reading!</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1225284272456311432.post-87518158125673613392018-02-01T19:28:00.001-06:002018-02-01T19:28:40.701-06:00Happy February!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I know I haven't posted in awhile. Let me assure you, I have been reading,...just not posting. My life has taken a pretty dramatic change (all for the better, though). Please be patient with me. I promise to post this weekend...on Sunday. I'll give you a good book review and explain my absence. Hang in there with me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy reading! :)</span><br />
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bornbibliophilehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13581175483111988172noreply@blogger.com0