A Plethora of Children's Books

Now that I have started working again, I find myself only wanting to read children's books. They are, after all, my favorite. The ones I have been reading lately are not light reading, however they have been quick reads and I have loved each of them for different reasons.

I read The Supernaturalist purely because I had taken my students to the library and happened to see it sitting on the shelf. I love Eoin Colfer, so I decided to give it a try. It was no Artemis Fowl, but I did love the story. It takes place in the future where the world relies on a Satellite to run everything. I loved how the author showed what he thought the world would become if we didn't start taking better care of it. It was actually really interesting and really funny.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret takes place in France, in the 1930's. Orphaned Hugo cares for the giant clocks at the train station, and he is also working on an invention that he believes will bring him closer to his deceased father. This is a graphic novel and I thought the illustrations were amazing. I thought the story fell flat at the end, but the pictures and style of the book were intriguing.I have placed A Single Shard on my favorites list. This is a book that I want to read over and over again. It is about a boy in 12th century Korea who learns how to make beautiful pottery, takes a dangerous journey and learns a lot about himself on the way. I loved the beautiful writing and the way in which the character is honest and good. I will be reading this book to my fourth graders near the end of the year.

The Book Thief, and Five Quarters of the Orange

I decided to write about these books together, only because I read them back-to-back, and they both take place during WWII. Other than that, they don't have too much in common. This book takes place in France, where an older woman flashes back on memories from her troubled childhood. It focuses on her relationship with her stern, and headache stricken mother, her older siblings, and a young Nazi officer. I found that I enjoyed the older woman much better than the little girl, who seemed to be quite conniving and selfish. I liked the story and would recommend it to any searching for a beautifully written book.
I enjoyed The Book Thief much more than the previous book. It takes place in Nazi Germany and is narrated by Death. Death tells Leisel's story based on her writings that he picks up along his many journeys to her hometown. Leisel is given up for Foster Care and finds she truly loves her foster parents, especially papa. He teaches her to read, and they hide and care for a Jew in their basement. This was such a compelling story, that I could not put it down. It is a very sad story, but also one about survival and understanding what is most important in life. I would definitely recommend this book!

Breaking Dawn

I hesitate to write this review because I think that it may be very unpopular with many of my friends. I decided to give this book a three out of five. I think I was being pretty generous too. I've been thinking a lot about this book so I'm going to try to list my thoughts about it and hopefully explain the rating I gave it.

The book is broken up into three separate mini books. I actually enjoyed most of the first book entitled Bella, though I thought it was a bit predictable, and even a little corny. While reading the second book, Jacob I found myself liking hearing Jacob's thoughts. It was refreshing to read from the point of view of a different character, and I thought Meyers did a good job of capturing Jacob's voice. I also really enjoyed the relationship between Bella and Rose. I thought it was funny to see them working together and taking care of each other.

Now, brace yourselves, because I'm done with the compliments for now. First of all, the book is riddled with typos. It absolutely drove me crazy. It's not just one or two, but many! I know this is a problem with editing, but really!

I absolutely hate Meyer's love scenes. This stems all the way back to the first book, Twilight, when Bella and Edward had a romantic tryst in a clearing in the forest. I just think that she belabors details and I can hardly stand to read them. I didn't totally hate all of the love scenes in this book, but there is a scene (which is NOT a love scene) at the beginning of the third section that made me want to tear my hair out. It was nasty to read, and it just kept going and going.

I don't understand the relationship between Bella and Edward. My sisters-in-law and I decided that they have an unhealthy relationship. He's bossy, and controlling, and she has to change to be what he wants her to be in order for them to be together. Also, I have no idea why they are in love, it honestly just seems that they are simply infatuated with each other. I don't feel like Meyer's ever really explained why they are in love, just that they had an immediate connection. I want more of a reason than that.

I also thought the ending was a bit disappointing, with things resolving too easily and too perfectly.

Now, I know that I have written quite a few negative things about the book, but in many ways I did like it. I couldn't put it down while reading it and a lot of things went neglected around my home. I have been thinking a lot about it since I finished it, and that tells me that I was engaged and interested. So this is why I have given the book a three. Despite my qualms about the book, it did capture my attention.

What did you think?

Plain and Simple

Ah yes, I am FINALLY getting around to writing about our MAY book club book. I actually finished it a while ago, and I have been thinking about it ever since.

It is about a woman, Sue, who leads a frazzled and busy life. One day she sees a quilt made by the Amish and is struck by the simplicity, yet ultimate beauty of the pattern. She then documents her journey to live with two different Amish families and how she struggles to calm that frenzy inside herself.

I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was thought provoking and touching, and even funny at times (I loved how she couldn't stand how the first family ate, pure carbs and junk). I kept drawing comparisons between what she wrote about the Amish traditions and beliefs, to that of my own LDS religion. There is not a whole lot similar between the religions (except the fact that both are Christian beliefs), but I was struck with the similarities of being a "peculiar people" and having outsiders struggle to understand my beliefs. I know I am not conveying this as well as I could. It was more feelings that I struggle to put into words.

The book focuses mostly on Sue's journey. She learns to take joy in all the small, day-to-day parts of life. I thought this was interesting. How often do I try to quickly get through the house work and chores in order to have time for fun later? Sue realized that the Amish took joy in everything they did. It was all truly a labor of love. I'm not sure how much Sue changed. She still seemed to be frazzled by the end of the book (though it would be hard to completely change your habits and views from two short visits with an Amish family), but I think she learned some new ways to look at life.

I liked this book. I would recommend it to others for a quick, and insightful read. Thanks Rach for recommending this one!

Prince Caspian

After seeing the movie recently, I couldn't resist re-reading this book in order to compare. There were so many things happening in the movie that I just didn't remember happening in the book, but it had been a long time since I had read it.

I really like this book, though not as much as The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It takes place hundreds of years after the first time the Pevensie's are in Narnia, though only a year in their time. They are called back to Narnia to help put Prince Caspian in his rightful place on the throne.

It is hard for me to admit this, but I like the movie better then the book. I thought the characters where darker and more developed in the movie and the action was more interesting. The move takes some liberties and changes some time frames and a bit of the story line, but I like these changes. In the book, you miss a lot of the action because it focuses on the girls flitting about the town with Aslan. I have to say that it is such a strange part of the book and I really hated it. Luckily, this does not happen at all in the movie.

So, go see the movie. I do like all the books in this series because I think the parallels that can be drawn to our world are very interesting, but the movie is definitely a must see.

Bella at Midnight

I found myself in the mood to read something fun and someone recommended this book. I thought it seemed like just the thing that I needed. It is a twist on the Cinderella story. I have read many of these kinds of fairy tale books and I found that this was not one of my most favorites. I enjoyed it for what it was worth; a fun, fast read. I did not like the ending, and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters, but it did fulfill my desire for a more relaxing book.

Artemis Fowl

I recently re-read all my Artemis Fowl books in a row. I was glad I did this because I had forgotten a lot of what happens and it was nice to see how it all unfolded instead of reading them when they were coming out separately. I absolutely LOVE these books. I think they are the best example of a Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre I have ever read and I think they are great books to turn kids, especially boys, onto reading. I found myself laughing out loud at many parts and reading them to my husband. It was a bit much to read of Artemis' adventures constantly for a few weeks, but I had nothing else to read and I had a lot of fun. There is a lot of humor, adventure and excitement in these books. I definitely recommend them to anyone in need of a good, quick no-brainer.

Peace Like a River

Ok, I know I said that this was the April book, and here we are in May, but let's just pretend that I'm not such a procrastinating slow poke.

It has been a while since I read this book and many of the details have left me. So, I decided to check out what other people thought about it on Goodreads. I realized that you either love this book or you hate it. There's no in between. I actually really liked it. I loved the sibling relationships, especially that of Rube and Swede. In fact, I absolutely loved Swede. I loved reading the excerpts of her Western story and thought that the parallels between her hero and villain to her older brother Davy's experience breathtaking. I truly loved how Enger wrote this book. I did think the miracles performed by the father were a bit hard to believe, and I believe in miracles, go figure. Anyway, there's a lot more I could say about this book, but I'll stop here since it's late and I don't have the book in front of me. What did you think?

May Book Club Pick

Our book for May will be Plain and Simple by Sue Bender. Thanks Rach for the recommendation. From what I understand, it is a true story of a woman who lives with an Amish family for a time and what that teaches her about herself. Am I right Rach? Well, I'll soon find out as I read the book.

We will be discussing Peace Like a River soon, so if you would like to join in on the conversation, finish up the book and share your thoughts with us.

Happy reading!

The Star Garden

I was very excited to read this book since I loved These Is My Words. I think there is actually a book that goes in between these two, and I really want to read it, I think some of the things in Star Garden would make more sense.

I was excited to read more about this character, Sarah. The story takes place at the turn of the century in Arizona. Sarah struggles to run her ranch, and take care of her brother and his family who have come to live with her after some tragedy. She is being courted by a quiet and reserved man, quite a bit different from her deceased husband. She decides to follow her dream to go to college and enters school for the first time in her life. She is also fighting a small war with a neighbor who is trying to run her off her land. I actually really liked reading about her struggles in this book. I love to read about how strong and independent Sarah is. It is gripping to read about the trials that were prevalent at that time.

That being said, though, I did not think the book was as good as its predecessor. I had a harder time connecting with Sarah. In a way, she didn't seem like a real person to me, though what she went through was very human. All in all, a good read, but not fantastic.

Toilet Training in Less Than a Day

Many of you have read a partial review I gave this book already. I really think this book had a lot of great ideas about potty training in it. Before I read it, I had no idea where to start or what to do. This book at least made me think about my own strategy for teaching Scooter this vital life skill.
The book was written in the 70's and is in serious need of an updated version. The forward to the book includes many phrases for handicapped children that are politically incorrect in this day and age. It was a bit offensive.
The organization of the book was scattered and hard to follow. The other thing that really bothered me was the author's assumption that all women are just trying to compete with each other. He described the fictional lady in the potty-training scenario as feeling superior to her neighbor because her son was potty trained quicker and more thoroughly than her neighbor's children. Honestly, we aren't all like that! Also, the scenario paints a picture of a perfect potty-training session. I felt frustrated when our experience didn't even come close to that illustrated in the book.
Other than these things, I did come away with some great ideas. I thought it was a wonderful (and quite forward thinking for the 70's) idea to have your child "potty-train" a doll. I also liked their method for rewarding the child and then gradually reducing the rewards as the child becomes more adept with various skills. These are things that I have incorporated into my, now revised, method for teaching Scooter.
I know that this method can work because many of my friends and family have used it and had success. The key is to make sure your child is truly ready to be trained. I think the reason that it did not work for me is because my child has a real emotional fear right now of using the toilet. I think that is something that we need to deal with first, and it was not discussed in the book.
I recommend this book as a good way to obtain information about potty training, but I advise readers to remember that they ultimately know what is best for their own child and to do what works for them.

Does anyone have any great potty training book to recommend?
Have you had success with this particular method?

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness and the Fair that Changed America

Who knew that I would get so into a historical non-fiction book? I love learning about history, but the books I've read have never been such page turners. I couldn't put this book down. It takes place during the planning, building and excitement of the Chicago world fair. It chronicles the lives of two men during this exciting time in Chicago's history; Daniel Burnham, the architect of the spectacular fair, and H. H. Holmes, a psychopathic murderer who preyed on women.

I was dazzled with the historical aspect of how the whole fair got put together. I was so interested in the new innovations at that time, such as a way to provide clean drinking water, powering the whole fair with electricity, and the invention of the Ferris Wheel. The building of the fair reminded me a lot of when Salt Lake got the 2002 Winter Olympics. I could imagine the same fervor and excitement that existed in 2002 and the preceding years building up to it, as the same as what happened in 1893.

Holmes was one of the scariest murderers I've read about and I think that's mostly because it's a true story. I couldn't believe how people around him trusted him and thought he was such a wonderful man. Only a few people wrote about having a weird feeling around him. He built a creepy hotel and business, for which he bought everything on credit and never paid back. The people who visited his hotel and those who lived there, actually liked Holmes. The man lied so easily and people trusted him so readily that it took a long time before suspicion fell upon him.

I highly recommend this book to anyone. You don't have to love history to enjoy this book. The author writes so well that you can't help but fall in love with the story.

*Have you read this book? What did you think about it?

Better Late Than Never I Guess :)

I apologize for taking so long to post my review of “These is my Words”.
This is one of my favorite books and I’ve re-read it a few times and every time the story draws me in and I can’t put it down.
A good friend of mine kept telling me that I had to read this book and to be honest, I judged the book by the cover and put off reading it. Just hearing it was about a tough pioneer woman in the Arizona territories didn’t capture my interest and the cover itself didn’t tempt me to open it up. I finally borrowed a copy when I was heading back East on vacation and what was pleasantly surprised. The story caught my attention from the beginning. Even when I was sitting at the beach with my adorable niece, I could not put this book down. I stayed up late, became a bit antisocial and read it in record time. I even made my sister buy her own copy while I was visiting her because I was so anxious to discuss the book with someone. As soon as I finished it, I started recommending it to everyone I knew. Have I mentioned how much I enjoy this book!

There are so many things I love about this book. I love having Sarah Agnes Prine as the narrator. As the novel progresses we get to observe how Sara grows up and changes. I am impressed with the tough, sassy attitude of Sarah. She is a resilient survivor and I really like her character. She has some classic one-liners and quotes that are full of attitude and made me laugh. I felt bad for Sarah’s Mamma and could understand why she struggled mentally. I was mad Sarah married Jimmy, what a jerk! I pretty much fell in love with Jack Elliott. I love reading when they finally get married too! You should re-read it, from pg. 216 in my copy Sarah stated:
“No one should write down, even in her private journal, the things that happen on her wedding night, but I never want to forget the first time I knew John Edward Harrison Elliot. He told me he loved me more than life itself, telling me he had longed for this moment forever and forever…….”

I also like Nancy’s writing style. She gives wonderful in-depth descriptions so you can easily picture what is going on. Even though some of the situations are horrific to read, this kept the story real for me. Some of the experiences brought sad tears to my eyes and some of Sarah’s commentary made me laugh right out loud.

Last year when my book club reviewed this book we were lucky enough to have a 2 hour conference call with Nancy Turner. She was so fun to visit with and ask questions. This is her first novel and I read in the back of the book that “Nancy has been a seam snipper in a clothing factory, a church piano player, an aide to a paleontologist, and an executive secretary.” She lives in Tucson, AZ with her husband and 2 children. Nancy told us she was in school when she first drafted up a short story based on her own relatives stories and later this story became the novel “These is my words”. She shared all kinds of insights into her novels and she even gave advice to anyone that is interested in getting a story published. She also told us who she pictures playing the main characters if this book is made into a movie (movie rights have not been purchased yet). Much like Sarah, Nancy sounds like a determined woman that refuses to give up. She took it upon herself to send her novel out to publishers and she was turned down multiple times before someone finally liked her story. Nancy is very interested in the stories of pioneers that traveled across the territories and she has spent a lot of time researching details about life in the Arizona territory in the late 1800s. She based the novel on her family’s original memoirs and many of the characters are based on her own relatives.

If you enjoyed this book you must read the sequels, “Sarah’s Quilt” and “The Star Garden”. I won’t give any plot spoilers here but both novels are wonderful. Nancy continues sharing the uplifting and challenging experiences of the Prine family through Sarah’s eyes and she also kept the journal format. Both sequels were page-turners for me.

The dedication or introduction for “These is my words” states: “For everyone who has ever stood alone on a hill in a storm”. I love this simple introduction to the journey and captivating adventures that are contained in this book. I think there are times in life everyone feels like they are standing alone on a hill in a storm.

I’ll end with a random “reading group discussion question”:
“What is the point of “The Duchess of Warwick and Her Sorrow by the Sea.”

March/April Book

I figure that March will be a crazy month with Easter and everything so let's take two months for our next book. I recently read Peace Like a River and thought it worthy of discussion. I got really into it and had a hard time putting it down.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what they'd like to discuss in coming months? I'm sure there are some great non-fiction books out there, or some really great classics and new novels even. And, let me know if you'd like to be a contributer to this blog. The more the merrier! It's pretty fun to write about your favorite books. Leave a comment with your suggestion if you feel so inclined.

Reading

While watching the Today show the other day I saw a statistic that made me sad. It said that 40% of people under the age of 44 did not read a SINGLE book, fiction or nonfiction, last year. I thought that was absolutely crazy. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I weren't a reader. I love to get lost in a story, or learn of some historical event, or some far off place through a good book.
I know there are a lot of people out there who don't enjoy reading. Is it because, perhaps, they don't really do it right? Maybe they don't allow themselves to get lost in the pages, but instead are bogged down by unfamiliar words, or ideas that they just can't connect with.
As a teacher, I am concerned because reading doesn't seem to be a high priority among my students or their parents. As a parent, I am wondering about things I can do to increase reader enjoyment? I have a few ideas...make sure our kids see us reading, have plenty of interesting books around the house (if you can't afford them, there's always the library), don't make reading a punishment or hassle, let it be seen as a thing for fun, etc.
What are your ideas? What do you think about people choosing not to read? I'd love to hear your ideas.
I'd just like to say one thing to non-readers, in the words of Anne of Green Gables, "How much you miss!"

Book of a Thousand Days

Thanks for being patient with me as I get our first book up and going. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this book. Here are a few of mine...

Spoiler Alert!!!

I hope you all enjoyed this book as much as I did. I found it to be a delightful read. I simply couldn't put the book down. I truly enjoy this author's style of writing. I love the way she uses words. I thought that while this book encorporated a very simple format, a diary, Shannon Hale was able to bring about some deep topics.



I liked the way the book started, with the first day in the tower. It was interesting to get on the author's website and see how she originally started the book. Click here to read the excerpt. As I read the beginning I felt swept into this foreign world.

I've thought a lot about Dashti as I've prepared to write this post. In the beginning she seems quite naive. She blindly fulfills her duties and is mostly relieved to have so much food at her disposal. As time goes by in the dark tower I think her mood gets progressively darker. She begins to grumble a bit about her chores and the rats, and even Saren. She also experiences true fear in the tower. The first time is when Lord Khasar comes to visit the girls. He forces her to give him her hand and he hurts her. Then, and this part was so scary to me, I couldn't put the book down, when he throws fire into the tower and the girls have to race to put it out. She is also scared when the "knocking" men come and try to tear the tower down to get to the ladies in there.

I think that the fear and darkness make Dashti a more well-rounded character. Despite all of this, she truly rises to the challenges placed before her. She cares for Saren, recognizes their need to get out of the tower and does it, and then gets both girls to Khan Tegus' home. I love that she knew the healing songs, yet she could weave different songs together to create different effects, like no other person could do. I truly like how Shannon Hale gives her character's special powers, I think it makes the book more interesting.

Of course, I mustn't leave out the fact that Dashti conquered over Lord Khasar which was fitting. She used her wit and cunning to do it, and I thought that this particular episode was extremely exciting to read.

Dashti made the book a must-read! I truly cared for her and her fate. I liked seeing into her soul through her diary entries.

Saren's character was completely different. I don't think I every really liked her. I could understand why she was so dim. She had grown up a lady and hadn't had to do a thing for herself. She grew up without a mother, and with a father who told her that her only purpose in life was to marry. She witnessed the horror that was Lord Khasar and couldn't tell a soul about it. I can understand why she was the way she was. But, this doesn't stop me from thinking that she was very similar to a bad roommate! She couldn't do anything for herself. She relied on Dashti to take care of her. She ate all the food herself (Iloved how Dashti had to keep taking out her clothes because she gained weight), and she had major issues! Doesn't that sound just like the worst roommate you could imagine? In my mind, Saren only redeemed herself two times. Once was when she pulled Dashti away from the dump hole to stop Lord Khasar's abuse, and the second was when she claimed Dashti for a sister.

I believe that Dashti fell in love with Khan Tegus when he visited the girls in the tower. He was kind and funny to her, but did you feel that he was kind of dense? He and Saren had never met before, only written letters, yet if he had truly loved Saren, shouldn't he have been able to tell the difference between the two? I don't know. I thought that in some ways he seemed strong and was a good ruler, but Dashti was the one who saved his home. She risked her life to save everyone, and then the second they learned who she was, they all turned against her. In my opinion, it took Tegus a long time to come to her rescue!

Lord Khasar was a truly scary character! Whenever he came on the scene I could feel a knot of fear in my stomach. To me, that means he was a really good, evil character.

A few more thoughts...
The whole time the girls were in the tower it felt horrible to me. I didn't know why this bothered me so much until I realized that in some way, I share their fate. I live in a basement apartment that is pretty dark. I could totally emphathize with Dashti's situation. There is something to be said about enjoying the fresh air, the sun, the sky, the moon, the stars, and all the beautiful things in this world. I'm just glad I'm not locked up. When I start to feel a bit claustrophobic, I can just pack my kids into the car and go for a drive.

I would be willing to bet that one of Hale's next books will be based on one of the other minor characters in this book. Watch for a story about Gal or Quacha to come out soon. Just a guess!

These are just a few of my thoughts. I would love to hear what you thought about the book.

Delays

I apologize for not having a new post today. I am so excited to write about my thoughts on our January book, but today has been crazy! Scooter wasn't feeling well and wanted to snuggle all day (how could I say no to that?), I had a last minute visiting teaching appointment (it is the last day of the month after all), and I HAVE to go watch the new episode of Lost (I have been waiting a long time and I just can't wait to watch it tomorrow, it has to be now). So please forgive me and check back tomorrow. Everyone have a great night and enjoy Lost!

Our February Book

In keeping with the last book's theme of being a journal, and bearing in mind that many people who are a part of this book club are fellow bloggers, I think this next book will be perfect for us. These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner, is the story of Sarah Prine who lived in Arizona Territory in the late 1800's. She writes of her experiences in this harsh environment in her journal. I absolutely love her character. She loves to read, is an entrepreneur, fights Indians, and shoots better then most men. I have read this book before, but I can't wait to read it again. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. We will start discussion on this book at the end of February. Happy reading!

Other Books by Shannon Hale

I hope you are all enjoying our book for the month. I am excited to start our conversation about it. If you liked this book by Shannon Hale, then you might like some of her other ones. I would definitely recommend Goose Girl and Princess Academy. Both books are written along the same lines as Book of a Thousand Days. Another one by this author that I enjoyed was Austenland which takes place in modern day. It is about a girl who is obsessed with Mr. Darcy from the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. There were some parts that made me laugh out loud and the book contains one of my all time favorite characters-an older woman who tries to do a British accent and occasionally throws in some British phrases (which never work with her content). While I do not think the book is as compelling, nor as well written as some of the other ones by Shannon Hale, I did thoroughly enjoy it!

The Beginning

Welcome to And Ladies of the Club, an exciting new online book club. Here we will discuss our favorite books and share ideas with each other about what next to read. What a fun way to get into reading!

Here's how it works. We'll announce the books that we are going to read and then give everyone who wants to read it, time to do so. When the time is up, a contributor will write about the book and share their opinion of it. Then leave a comment and share your thoughts as well. We'll have a running dialogue on the comments page.

Our first book will be Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. It is a twist on an old Brother's Grimm fairy tale, of which I had never even heard of before reading the book. I'm hoping you will enjoy it as much as I did, but if not don't be afraid to share your opinions. I will be the contributor on this book and will start writing about it on January 31st. Happy reading!

If you would like to be a contributor to this blog (and pick a book to write about for the club), or if you have an idea for a great book to read, then please leave a comment or email me at readingarmadillo@gmail.com