Need to Lighten Up?

I finished The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion last night. I've read mixed reviews on this book, so I thought I'd put in my two cents. I often rate books (1 - 5 stars) on Goodreads, but seldom post a written review. I wrote one this morning, though, because I decided some of the book reviewers were a bit too harsh on the novel, while others thought it was 'the best book ever'...and this made me question what other books they'd read. Rather than write a second review here, I thought I would just share my Goodreads review:

If I rated this book based on what it gave my brain, which was a much needed break, I would give it four stars. If I rated this book on actual content, based on the merits of great literature, I'd give it two stars or less. I decided to choose three stars with an explanation.

A friend recommended this book to me for when I just wanted a quick, easy read that would charm me and make me smile. The book delivered on that basis. I am a voracious reader and find that I need to "lighten up" in my selection of reading materials from time to time. I used this book for just that purpose, and I'm so glad I did.

Like so many other fans of "The Big Bang Theory," I definitely thought of Sheldon as the main character almost immediately. In fact, I wondered if anyone has told Chuck Lorre about the book,...or if he may have actually put the author up to it. Either way, the results were enjoyable. As so many others have put it, it's a romantic comedy with 'Sheldon in love'.
 
I'm not surprised Sony is going to make it into a movie, I believe that was the author's intent all along. I probably won't go see the movie, but I did enjoy the book. It made me laugh a bit and allowed me a little mental vacation for a few evenings. It's not great literature, but it is good fun!

In other news: I've read some other books lately, which I haven't found time to blog about, but I still haven't finished The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory. It's no reflection on the book. It's more of a reflection on me, I suppose. My job has been more than a little stressful lately, and the content of Gregory's historical fiction novel is a bit...depressing. It isn't the writing, it's the subject. I've read five other books since starting the story of Henry VIII and his wives. I find it interesting, but...more than my heart can take when work is more difficult than usual. I've finally decided to just put it aside for awhile until my life decides to lighten up.

I will give brief reviews this weekend on the other books I've read since I blogged about Hemingway. I've still not read anything equal to Patrick Rothfuss (and, yes, I do hunt and hope), but I've read several reviews from Rothfussians that indicate I should try novels by Robin Hobb. I recently purchased my first Hobb novel, but I won't have time to give it the attention it deserves for a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, I plan to continue my "lighten up" reading phase until Spring Break swoops in to restore my overworked mind and save my reading soul!

 

Good Problems?

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've blogged! I've just been so busy with work and doing little side projects and enjoying life, I haven't slowed down enough to write about it. I guess you could say that's a good problem to  have, even the working hard part (to some degree) because I enjoy what I do.

One of my latest side projects is scanning my entire library into my Goodreads account. I had no idea this was even possible until a co-worker of mine showed me how she used her phone to scan in her classroom books. After that, I read an article from Book Riot that talked about different phone apps you could use. And when I found out Goodreads has one? Score! I can't tell you how excited I was to turn my phone into a scanner that would log in all my books! It's a joy only a true book lover could understand!

I thought I would do my entire library at once, but...I didn't really realize just how many books I have in a variety of places all over the house. I have them in different places for a reason, as I like them organized in a certain way. Yes, I have a library, but I also have a bookshelf in my bedroom and an entire closet full of YA books. I also have certain books in small piles around the house just because those books make me smile. Everyone does that, right? Or maybe that's just me?

I decided to take my time and enjoy the process of scanning, so I'm doing it in stages. If I don't do it that way, I'll end up in the same scenario we all do when we start to organize photographs. You know, you start to sort them,...and then good memories come up,...and you look at them longer than you should,...and you retell bits of the story in your head,...and you end up not organizing at all. All you've done is move around the big pile of photographs and end up sitting in the middle of them with a big goofy look on your face. Everyone does that, right? Or maybe that's just me?

Well, I know myself well enough to know if I tried to do all the books in one day, I would end up with piles of books around me with nothing but a big, goofy grin to show for my efforts. By taking a few books at a time, I still get the goofy grin,...but I also get a manageable stack of books to organize. For me, it's a win-win.

I have been reading, of course, but not as much as I'd like. The weather here has just been so beautiful (and will continue to be beautiful through this coming weekend), that it's difficult for me to sit still. I seem to look for things I need to do that take me out of the house and into the sunshine. Again, this is a good problem.

Speaking of good problems, I guess I should mention how I found time to blog this morning...

I have student book reports I need to finish grading. I planned my "early to bed, early to rise" today around how much grading I planned to get done this morning. I had the perfect set up to get it knocked out and start my school day off right. My only problem? I forgot to bring the reports home. (Sigh.)

Good problem? Well, I didn't think so, at first. In fact, I was pretty irritated. If you're wondering how I could forget the box with the reports and my grading stuff in it, you would need to understand I pack up a rolling cart, almost every day, to bring home with a variety of things to work on, in case I have spare time. (What can I say? Every good teacher hopes to one day catch up with everything that needs to be done. It never happens, but we still hope!)

Once I was up and going this morning, and found I didn't have what I needed to get any school work accomplished, I asked myself what I hadn't done lately that I wanted to do. I chose a variety of things to do in a certain order and, eventually, ended up here. Taa-daa!

And here's the thing: I needed this. I needed to forget schoolwork this morning and do some things I enjoy, like...

I've read a bit of my current novel, The King's Curse, by Philippa Gregory, and I also read some book reviews on Goodreads (and found a couple of more books for my "to read" shelf). I watched a Patrick Rothfuss interview a few minutes ago, and now I'm catching up with you. When I'm done here, I'll have a little more time to get some reading done before I have to get ready for work. It's amazing what all you can do when you take a little time for yourself.

See? It's all good...and not a problem at all.

 

Hemingway's Heart

I began falling in love with Ernest Hemingway when I read Paula McLain's novel, The Paris Wife. I didn't want to love him, and I certainly didn't expect to,...but he was hard to resist. I guess you could say I fell in love with Hadley, Hemingway's first wife, as well. Or, perhaps, it would be more accurate to say I fell in love with their love.

I've spent many hours reading about Hemingway's life since my first initial infatuation. I've read his works and enjoyed them all. I'm still glad my journey into his life began with McLain's novel. The more I read and researched Hemingway and his life, the more I found I genuinely liked the man, even though I didn't want to like him - much less love him. I'm sure I'm not the only woman to feel that way. Hemingway could be a real jerk. He really could be, but all the other things he was made him...very special. I don't know any other way to put it than that. I do know a way, though, that you can understand what I mean.

I just finished reading Hemingway in Love: His Own Story by A.E. Hotchner.  It is a loving memoir of Hemingway with much of his own words. Hotchner and Hemingway were good friends the last thirteen years of Hemingway's life. Hotchner waited until now to publish the memoir out of respect for other people in Hemingway's life that would have preferred that many of the words go unpublished.

"Before he ended his life, it was important to him that his final words explain the self-inflicted pain of letting the only true love of his life slip away." ~ A.E. Hotchner

The book is a quick read (unless you like to linger over the words, as I do) and not difficult to understand, even if you don't know much about Hemingway. Hotchner has a way of weaving in pieces of Hemingway's life so you understand the whole picture without getting bogged down with too many details. The book is well-written and very touching. You can tell Hotchner loved and admired "Papa" Hemingway. Some people use that as a point of criticism. I disagree. I would prefer someone who loved me to write about me when I'm gone from this earth. "But doesn't that make the storyteller biased?" Absolutely, in all the right ways.

The basis of the book is exactly what that the title says. It's Hemingway's thoughts on who he loved. He wanted certain things known later on in his life - he wanted someone to write it down. He discussed it with Hotchner and wanted him to write it if Hemingway was never able to do it for himself.

There's so much to love in this little book, I don't dare ruin your own journey into it. It is achingly sad in such a sweet and tender way. I loved seeing this side of him from someone who loved and admired him. I enjoyed Hotchner's recollection of moments he shared with Hemingway, along with some personal photos I had not seen before, and it was a pleasure reading Hemingway's own words.

If you love Hemingway, it's a must-read. If you don't know a thing about him, it's still a good read to hear what a man, who was married four times, has to say about being in love. In true Hemingway style, he doesn't usually speak in hearts and flowers. He speaks his mind bluntly, as he looks back over his life, and ponders what was and what might have been.

I loved it.

"Don't try living with remorse - remorse will break your goddamn heart."

 

~ Ernest Hemingway

 

Happy New Year!!!

And isn't that the very best part of starting a new year? ;)

It Said WHAAT?! Part II

My friends and family read my blogs, but seldom post. They prefer to just talk to me about what I've written. (Do you see where this is going? No? Well, look at the title and think about what I just wrote.)

Can you guess what I've been asked about my previous post on December 23rd?

"Have you told anyone at your school about this book?!"

 

"Have you tried to get the book removed from your school library?!"

The answer to both those questions is, "No. Absolutely not." The "why" part of it is a bit more involved, and I should have added it in when I wrote the original blog about the book Proxy. Forgive me, and allow me to explain it here:

Children are drawn to what's forbidden (which is why I question if labeling would be a mistake). Don't mention it, and they don't notice it. Sadly, there are many children who walk around my school with a big book in their hand, and they have no intentions of reading it. It's just for show. Sad, isn't it? And, yes, it's important I notice such things. It's my job. You thought I was a reading and writing teacher? Oh, that's just a very small part of it. I'm also a detective, a snoop, an observer, a fake-finder, and a lie detector. I'm quite good at it. I consider myself a stealth and lethal fighter in the war against illiteracy. And I fight the good fight, all in the name of growing better readers.

Now, I know that of all the sixth grade children who have checked out Proxy from our library, maybe five of them have actually read the whole novel. Maybe. And, truthfully, that may be a high estimate. If you knew the number of children who have checked out the Harry Potter books and claimed to have read it, you'd be astonished. They've seen the movies, not read the books. It takes very little observation and questioning to figure this out.

I said in my original blog, about all this, that I do not like censorship. I don't believe in it. I'm aware that many of my students are exposed to far worse things than anything that book exposes them to. I'm also aware that most students who actually read the entire novel are students who are good readers and have read other good books for comparison. They will have a more mature way of handling the contents of the book because reading exposes you to a variety of worlds. They are usually more empathetic young people, as well. Like the student I referred to previously, they may not like what they read - may not like the book, but they will dismiss it and go on.

Now, if I make a big deal about the book, it becomes a big deal. Students who might have ignored the book before may be intrigued as to why it was taken from our library's shelf. And God help us if some well-meaning, uninformed adults go running rampant through our hallways with their cries of concern. Students who aren't avid readers may choose this one to get curious about because of all the ruckus and not be prepared for what they encounter. Not to mention, if a struggling reader finally takes an interest in a book for the wrong reasons and doesn't like it, it may be a very long time before they try again - if they ever make a genuine effort to try again at all.

So, what, if anything DID I do?

Well, my students saw that I was reading the book and tabbing it. I model for my students when we read silently in class (what we call SSR - silent, sustained reading time), and they see me do what good readers should do by interacting with the text as I read. When I was done with the book, I purposely left it on my desk with the tabs on it. When my students asked me if I liked it, I told them the truth. I said it was weak. I told them it was, in fact, a weak and watered-down version of some great original books. I told them what those original books were and encouraged them to check those out.

That's it. That's all I did. That's all I needed to do.

Censor? Nah.

Teach? Absolutely.

 

A Different Debut

Let's just jump right in, shall we?

    "Carolyn, blood-drenched and barefoot, walked alone down the two-lane stretch of blacktop that the Americans called Highway 78. Most of the librarians, Carolyn included, had come to think of this road as the Path of Tacos, so-called in honor of a Mexican joint they snuck out to sometimes. The guacamole, she remembered, is really good. Her stomach rumbled. Oak leaves, reddish-orange and delightfully crunchy, crackled underfoot as she walked. Her breath puffed white in the pre-dawn air. The obsidian knife she had used to murder Detective Miner lay nestled in the small of her back, sharp and secret.
     She was smiling."

How does that grab you?! It certainly grabbed me! Wow!

Actually, let me back up a minute, the first thing that grabbed me was the title: The Library at Mount Char. I just liked it. Then, I saw the cover of the book and loved it (still do). After that, I noticed it's a debut novel by the author, Scott Hawkins. I love to read debut novels! So far, this book was hitting on all my favorite things. Needless to say, when I opened it up to the first page and read what you just read, I was completely in and moved it to the top of my holiday reading stack.

While I liked the book, it is not one I would recommend to just anyone. It's dark and more than a bit warped. It is a fantasy with a different spin on gods and how the universe works. There is death and destruction and abuse, but those kinds of things are often at the center of any tales involving gods. If you're a fan of Greek and Roman mythology, you may not find this novel quite so warped as other readers may.

The premise of the novel is that there is someone called "Father" who is raising twelve orphan children to be librarians,...but not like the librarians we think of. Each child is being trained to be an expert in a particular field or "catalog" - and they are not allowed to learn outside their catalog. Carolyn, for instance, is required to know all the languages in the universe. She should be able to communicate with anyone or any thing. Father is harsh and abusive in his training, but claims it is necessary so they are all completely prepared for what they must do to help run the world. I guess you could say Father is head god, and the children are gods.

When we meet Carolyn, on page one, she is already grown. There appears to be a situation of some sort, and she's trying to get back to the library. That is what you begin with. As the story unfolds, you learn more about how they all were raised and trained in Father's library. The story moves forward as you get pieces of the backstory a little at a time. I thought the author did a good job, and he tied up all the loose ends in the end.

This is a bit of a complex story, so I wouldn't suggest you read it in bits and pieces. You'll lose the thread of thought if you put it down for too long. I read it over three days. Of course, there's no need to read it that quickly, you just have to keep with it. Don't let it gather dust on a shelf between chapters. Of course, to be honest with you, I had a hard time putting it down. I wanted to see where the story was going. Yes, it lulled in a couple of places, but not for too long. I realized, at the end, the little lulls were there on purpose.

This wasn't a book I was crazy about, but I did like it. I liked it because it was different. I like an author who takes a risk and shows me something I didn't expect. Hawkins does that. He's also good at descriptive writing and paints vivid pictures in your mind. The difficult part is when he's describing something that's horrible, something you may not want to picture. I believe that's why some people might struggle with the darker side of the novel.

One last thing, I'd like to defend the author a bit against a few bad reviews I read today. I read reviews that claimed the pieces didn't fit. For instance, they said if Carolyn was supposed to know all the languages, why didn't she know a round piece of bread with cheese on it was called a pizza? They claimed it just didn't ring true to the story. Obviously, these people have never taught English as a Second Language, or ever tried to learn a language that was not their native tongue. Just because you learn a language from a book (which is how Carolyn learned) doesn't mean you understand it completely in practice.

I will say again, I don't think this book is for everyone. If reading about death and dark things brings you down, then don't read it. I said it was dark and warped and it is, but it also holds a few precious jewels of thought I won't soon forget. If you like mythology and fantasy, I definitely think you'd find this interesting. And if you're like me, and welcome trying a bit of anything new and unusual, I say go for it!

Happy reading!
 

It said WHAAT?!

Censorship.

It's not a word I like, to be honest. I never have. Especially when it comes to books. I don't believe in it for adults at all. For children, however? I think one of my sixth grade students put how I feel about it best when he said, "My parents believe I can read anything I'm interested in, as long as they know what I'm reading. Sometimes they read the same book so they can talk to me about it and answer any questions I might have."

It's a lovely thought, isn't it? I would love to think every parent is that interested in what their children are reading and would be there to help if they had any questions about the content of the books they read. Sadly, I've found that isn't usually the case.

Why do I think this is a problem? Well, I've questioned a few young adult (YA) books in the past, but not to the extent I am now. I'm starting to feel like authors who can't make it on the bestseller list for adult books have decided to try their hand at young adult books for a fan following (I actually read an interview where one author admitted it). It's either that, or they are a best selling author and hope to be the next J.K. Rowling to make more money merchandising and movie making than from book writing. Trouble is, I don't think what they're writing about belongs in the hands of middle school students. And I definitely feel it doesn't belong in the hands of my sixth grade students (who are 10 and 11 when they enter sixth grade).

We're not talking about blood and guts and horror here (although I'm not crazy about too much of that, personally). I'm talking about sex and sexual feelings and sexual innuendos. Society is already over-sexualizing everything children see. Is there now no escape from it - even in books?

I believe the trend started with that "paranormal romance" series about the stupid girl who wrapped her whole life up in a dead vampire (oh, except for when she couldn't decide between the vampire and the werewolf. Seriously?) even though there was no actual "sex" until they were married.  I refuse to name the series. I didn't like it then, I don't like it now. It's poorly written, and I'm embarrassed for the author. She, however, will be reaping the financial benefits for the rest of her life, while an entire generation of young people think what they read in her books is good literature. (I shiver and get nauseous just thinking about it...)

Were there books about teenage romance before that? Absolutely. And better written. It was the marketing that propelled the book series, not the great writing. It reminds of the "boy band formula" that sucks in teens every time. It just breaks my heart that now there seems to be a "tweener/teen formula" for lukewarm novel writing. And I'm being generous using the term "lukewarm" when referring to the overabundance of "romance" books in the YA section of bookstores. Ugh.

Sorry. I got sidetracked. Tis the season. ;)

Back to my target (and, yes, I have one)...

I had a former student of mine (currently in eighth grade) to tell me about a book I just "have to read" and that I'd love it. I took a photo of the book she handed me so I would remember it and told her I would read it for my next book. A few days later, I saw that one of my sixth grade readers was toting around the same book. I asked how he liked it. He said, "So far, so good. I'll let you know when I'm done if it's really good or not."

I read the book in one day, on a Saturday, a couple of weeks ago. I didn't blog about it right away because...I was marinating. I didn't want to be reactive. I did a little research. I asked a few trustworthy adults what they thought about some of the passages. I marinated in it some more. I asked myself what I found offensive about it. I still don't know if this will come out right, but here goes:

The book Proxy by Alex London is supposed to be a modern, sci-fi, dystopian novel that is a new take on The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. London even quotes Fleischman's book on the page before the first chapter. The comparison is even touted in the book trailers I've seen for Proxy. I've read The Whipping Boy numerous times. I understood the premise of the book.

As an adult, I see nothing wrong with the book...other than the fact I don't find it very original. I enjoyed the story, but I also enjoyed reading The Hunger Games, Ender's Game, The Whipping Boy, and watching the movie "Mad Max" (starring a very young Mel Gibson...back in...1981..at the midnight movies). I could name a few others, but those instantly came to my mind as I was reading Proxy.

 (Now, this is the difficult part...)

Reading through the eyes of my sixth graders, however, I have a big problem with the overt sexual banter and bullying between characters and the offensive thoughts expressed by the 16 year old "prince," or spoiled rich kid character, Knox. Not only does he objectify women, and can't even remember the name of the one he is with in the very first chapter because he's been with so many, he doesn't even try to hide it. And it almost seems to become one of his 'endearing' qualities later on. In other words, 'at least he's up front and honest about how he is and admits it'. Really? Really.

The 16 year old "whipping boy," or proxy who is punished for any and all of Knox's sins and mistakes, is Syd and he is a homosexual. He hasn't actually put into practice what he's been thinking about, but he's known for some time how he feels and who he is attracted to. Readers know his thoughts and feelings on the matter. I don't have a problem with Syd's sexual preferences (to each his or her own), I do have a problem with the slang terms and bullying words and labels used in the book against Syd.  I'm concerned young people will start using them. My first thought when I saw what one character said to Syd was that I hoped I never heard a student say that to another student. My second thought was about how offended I was that even Syd's heterosexual friends make strong innuendos and double-meaning phrases to tease him.

I read about the author after I read the book (which is how I usually do my research). He is one of several authors who is heralded as stepping out to write books for the young adults in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. I use "LGBT" because that's the label used in the interviews and articles I read about the author and the book. As I said, I don't have a problem with characters having sexual thoughts and feelings about their preferences, I just don't think the topic of sexual preferences of ANY kind belongs in a book for sixth graders.

Now, what age do I think this book would be appropriate for? That's a good question. I am really good at knowing sixth graders, but I've not taught other ages. To answer this question, I went to the best source I know: a student.

Remember the student whose parents let him read anything he wants? And remember the sixth grade student who was reading Proxy? It is the same student. He is a voracious reader and a well-spoken young man. When he finished the book, I simply asked for his opinion of it.

First, he asked me if I'd read the book, and I told him I had. This enabled him to talk about certain characters by name. He told me about a certain scene he really liked (the one that was very Mad Max like), and he liked the technology angle (like Ender's Game), and he thought the two main ideas of the novel were interesting (the same ones from The Whipping Boy and The Hunger Games). I asked him if there was anything else about it he liked. He said, "That's about it." This is a young man who can go on and on and on about a book he loves. The review was too brief and uncharacteristic.

Yellows mark my, "WHAAT?!" moments.
Purples are great passages/adds to novel.
Blues are high vocabulary words.

So, I had to casually ask...

"Was there anything you didn't like about the novel?"

My student looked uncomfortable and said, "Well,...I really didn't like all the...kissing and stuff."

"I want you to know I value your opinion as a good reader. Do you think this is an appropriate book for sixth graders?"

"No," he said, "I think maybe high school...or...maybe eighth grade? I don't know what eighth grade is like yet, but maybe it's okay for them? I definitely don't think it's for sixth graders."

Censorship?

Maybe not, but...perhaps a content/ratings label on anything promoted and sold as YA?

I don't know...

All I do know is that I host a movie club for sixth and eighth grade girls at my school once a week. I am not allowed to show anything over PG - that means no PG-13. Do you know what is in many of the PG-13 movies that causes that '13' to show up at the end and prohibits them being shown at my school? Sexual innuendo and a couple of cuss words.

Just something to think about. That's all.