I'm With Fatty

Twice today people have asked me what I am reading. Responding with "I'm With Fatty" makes me want to explain myself - I'm almost embarrassed to say the title. I also want to tell people that despite the title, I am enjoying this memoir about a food obsessed freelance writer who goes on a fifty-week quest to lose fifty pounds.

Ugel's diet begins when his wife, upset by his snoring, has him visit a sleep clinic. There, he is instructed to wear a CPAP machine.
"I'd be like Tom Cruise in Top Gun with that thing on my face. At the very least, I'd look like Goose, and I can settle for that. Goose never accused Matt Lauer of being glib (30)."

The entire memoir is full of humorous phrases as Ugel pokes fun at himself and his size. Yet, despite the laughter, Ugel is also telling the story of food and its impact on his life. His love affair with eating began in childhood and continues into adulthood. Within the year of losing weight, there are many ups and downs. And, perhaps most importantly, Ugel learns a few things about himself. He is a binge eater. Despite how well his diet/weight loss is coming along, he is really just a donut or pint of ice cream away from losing it entirely.
I seem to gravitate toward these types of books. I can definitely understand Ugel's binge eating. I probably have my own issues with food, and often find myself eating without being hungry. While Ugel had a lot of weight to lose, I have found myself in a constant state of always being just 5-10 pounds heavier than I want. While Ugel's book won't necessarily spur me toward dieting, I enjoyed hearing his take on his relationship with food and at least starting my thought process (again) on how I can do a better job of eating healthy.

Factory Girls

Factory Girls by Leslie T. Chang tracks the lives of two young Chinese women, Min and Chunming, who leave their rural homes and move to city of Dongguan, a factory city in China, a part of the 130 million workers who move away from their homes to better their lives. Chang who was a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal writes this non-fiction book as though it were a story, which makes for easy reading. Chang also discusses her own family history. Although she grew up in the United States, her father and siblings were born in China. After the death of their father, the family moved to Taiwan, and finally as her father and his siblings became young adults, tried to further their education in the United States. Visiting the land of her father's birth, Chang is able to locate some relatives and also the home where her family lived.

I have never given much thought to life in a Chinese factory city and was fascinated by their size, allowing the workers to access the things they needed without ever leaving the factory. The rapid transitions that many of these workers make from job to job is also amazing, and somewhat sad, as relationships that are formed quickly also end quickly. Everyone is looking to get ahead, trying to find an opportunity to do so. Still, Chang is able to form a relationship with both Min and Chunming, despite the fact that Chang reflects that neither girl ever ask for her help or advice.

I expected to feel badly for the conditions the workers are forced into, and the lives they lead. However, I never really felt that for the girls described in Factory Girls. These young women knowingly move to a factory city, seeking a better life than the rural one they have left. Their departure from the home they grew up in reminds me a bit of young people leaving for college. Their is a sense of excitement, an escape from the "real world." Some return home to marry and have children, but factory cities seem to open up an entirely different way of life. Home is always there - a place to visit, or regroup if needed.

Chang's book definitely brought to my attention the development of factory cities and the migration of young people to work in them in China. Factory Girls was such well written, interesting book that read quickly and kept my attention the entire way through.

Friday Five

The Friday Five is hosted by Kate at Kate's Library.

Once again, it is Saturday and I am just getting around to posting some great links that I have been excited to have found during the past week. While I look forward to weekends to catch up on some house cleaning and reading, along with errand running, longer workouts, a little extra sleep, and church, this weekend has been full of social events for us. We had another family and their three daughters over for supper last night. Today we ran our weekly errands, and then attended a Halloween party hosted at another family's home. The thrill was a haunted barn, children's carnival, and hayride. Tomorrow we have church to attend, Sunday School, a trip to look at furniture for a new TV/media center since our television died a few weeks ago (more on that later) and trick or treating. There is obviously not much time listed for leisure reading. Sigh. I have started Gone by Michael Grant, which is moving along quickly. This one is sort of out of my normal reading comfort zone, so I am anxious to see what I think as I get a bit further into it.

1. Last weekend was KidlitCon in Minneapolis. I'm still a bit sad I missed out, but have been checking the website to find out about all the events.

2. At the Praire Library there is a very interesting and thought provoking post about the content that is posted on Facebook or Twitter being saved - perhaps used by human resource departments when a person applies for a job to find out more about the applicant. The Library of Congress saves every Tweet...this is fitting right in with my fifth grade internet safety unit and the discussions we have been having about being very careful about what you put out there about yourself on the internet.

3. I am seriously debating buying the Little Librarian playset for my kids. A few years ago I purchased them "Future Librarian" t-shirts. This little kit would let them act out their librarian fantasies.

4. Pragmatic Mom offers up a list of best novels in verse. I will admit this is not a type of book I seek, yet when I have allowed myself to read a novel written in verse, I am usually blown away.

5. Lori at Lori's Lessons offers a touching post about the impact we teachers make on a child's life, offering up two different perspectives: as a parent of a child, and as the teacher of a child.

What other great posts have you read that I don't want to miss?

Blog Hop!

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

This week's question:

"What is the one bookish thing you would love to have, no matter the cost?"

Much like Jen, I have great ideas for how to create a home library. I would love to convert our garage into a library with floor to ceiling bookshelves on three walls. The fourth wall would have floor to ceiling windows overlooking our wooded backyard. Iwould finally have enough space for my entire book collection instead of having it boxed and shelved in various places. A large ladder on wheels, comfy leather furniture, and writing area would complete the room. Sadly, I don't foresee this happening anytime in my future. My home library plan continues to change over time, so maybe by the time I can actually afford something like this (if ever) my vision will be entirely different. It is a nice dream, though.

Hopefully, the busy weekend I have planned will still allow me to hop around to some other blogs. I also need to find time to update my blog roll since I have found a lot of great new blogs through the Hop!

Enjoy your Friday!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This Week's Pick: A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez

Due out: January 25, 2011

Product Description from Amazon:

From the author of the “bighearted . . . inspiring” (Vogue) memoir Kabul Beauty School comes a fiction debut as compelling as real life: the story of a remarkable coffee shop in the heart of Afghanistan, and the men and women who meet there—thrown together by circumstance, bonded by secrets, and united in an extraordinary friendship. After hard luck and some bad choices, Sunny has finally found a place to call home—it just happens to be in the middle of a war zone. The thirty-eight-year-old American’s pride and joy is the Kabul Coffee House, where she brings hospitality to the expatriates, misfits, missionaries, and mercenaries who stroll through its doors. She’s especially grateful that the busy days allow her to forget Tommy, the love of her life, who left her in pursuit of money and adventure.Working alongside Sunny is the maternal Halajan, who vividly recalls the days before the Taliban and now must hide a modern romance from her ultratraditional son—who, unbeknownst to her, is facing his own religious doubts. Into the café come Isabel, a British journalist on the trail of a risky story; Jack, who left his family back home in Michigan to earn “danger pay” as a consultant; and Candace, a wealthy and well-connected American whose desire to help threatens to cloud her judgment. When Yazmina, a young Afghan from a remote village, is kidnapped and left on a city street pregnant and alone, Sunny welcomes her into the café and gives her a home—but Yazmina hides a secret that could put all their lives in jeopardy. As this group of men and women discover that there’s more to one another than meets the eye, they’ll form an unlikely friendship that will change not only their own lives but the lives of an entire country.Brimming with Deborah Rodriguez’s remarkable gift for depicting the nuances of life in Kabul, and filled with vibrant characters that readers will truly care about, A Cup of Friendship is the best kind of fiction—full of heart yet smart and thought-provoking.

I enjoyed Rodriguez's first book, a memoir, The Beauty Shop of Kabul. This one looks to be interesting as well.

I'd Know You Anywhere

Lately I have felt like there have been quite a few books out dealing with abduction. Chevy Stevens' Still Missing was a great read. Stolen, a YA novel, felt eerily similar and Lisa Unger's Fragile was also a story of a missing person. Each of these books was well written and entertaining and suspenseful. And I enjoyed them all. However, I am a bit kidnapped out. I had already checked out I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman, which looked very good by the time I realized that I had already read several stories along the same line. I decided to just wait a bit before reading this one - a tactic I am not sure my librarian appreciates (because of course I couldn't return the book without reading it!), and was glad I had waited. I was also glad I had read it because I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lippman's work, which has been around for a while, is new to me. What a treat - I have found a new author whose other work I will be looking into.

Elizabeth was kidnapped at the age of fifteen by Walter, a man who had not had much luck with women or dating. When Elizabeth stumbles upon him digging a grave for a girl he has murdered, he quickly takes her and keeps her for over a month. Elizabeth is the only girl abducted by Walter that was not killed. Walter is now on death row, nearing his date of execution. Over two decades have passed, and Elizabeth (now known as Eliza) is a wife and mother, living a happy, traditional life in a suburban community. She seems to have put her past behind her and moved on. Except she has been contacted by Walter through a woman who has befriended him. Now Eliza is beginning to think about what really happened to her all those years ago. Could she have done something to help Holly?

Walter's perspective, his friend Barbara's, and Holly's mother's are explored along with Eliza's as we see how differently each person perceives the other.

Written mostly in Eliza's voice, it was easy for me to understand and feel compassion for her and all she went through. Walter and Barbara were harder for me to relate to since they both seemed to have ulterior motives that weren't very honorable.

This is a quick read - fun, entertaining, suspenseful. I appreciate Lippman's writing style and how easy this book was to get into. I can't wait to check at my library for more of her work.

The Personal History of Rachel DuPree

In Ann Weisgarber's historical fiction novel, Rachel DuPree, an African American homesteader/rancher in South Dakota's Badlands recounts her life story. From her childhood in Chicago to working in her mother in law's boarding house where she met her husband, Isaac, Rachel 's story includes not only her remembrances of the past, but what is happening to her as her story is revealed. She is awaiting the birth of her eighth child with Isaac in just days all the while continuing her daily chores as a rancher's wife during a drought.
Immediately it is obvious that life in the Badlands is not easy. The drought has made water scarce, forcing Isaac to send his young daughter down the well to scoop buckets of water. Liz, still very young, is traumatized by this, and Rachel feels guilty that she can not protect her daughter from this task, but the family is in desperate need of water, and Liz is the only one able to be let down to fetch it for them.

Rain eventually comes, a huge storm turning everything to mud quickly. When Rachel tries to lead a panicked animal to the barn, she falls, losing consciousness briefly. From that point, Rachel no longer feels the baby kicking.

When Isaac decides that he is going to work in a nearby town during the winter months to help the family get back on their feet financially, Rachel starts thinking about leaving the ranch for the winter months. She can't envision spending an entire season alone trying to take care of her children and the ranch. She also wants more for her children - for them to know other African Americans. As the only Negroes in their part of the Badlands, Rachel feels isolated.

When Rachel first met Isaac, as a young girl cooking at his mother's boarding house, he was the man she dreamed of marrying. Seeing her history revealed, and learning a bit more about Isaac, it becomes an interesting story. While Rachel's youth and inexperience may have allowed her to only see Isaac's good points, as the book progresses, his flaws are revealed, changing my own feelings about Isaac.

The flap on this book likens this story to the Little House books or Willa Cather's work. I would have to agree. For readers who loved those books, The Personal History of Rachel DuPree will be an enjoyable read. It should also appeal to historical fiction lovers, and those who enjoy women's fiction. There is plenty to discuss in this book - a great selection for a book club as well.

Friday Five

Kate from Kate's Library hosts the Friday Five.

This week I am not posting as ridiculously late as I have the past few weeks. We have just come home from a Friday night football game, having watched my oldest two daughters perform a dance routine at halftime. Thank goodness the weather was still lovely, but we left right after halftime with the intent of having a somewhat early bedtime. (Instead, I decided to write a post and my kids decided to eat some leftover dessert pizza and play mancala).

1. Another, Kate, Kate Messner, the author of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z, a great tween realistic fiction author, has a great post that should get people thinking about middle grade readers who become high school non-readers and why that is.

2. KidlitCon 2010 is this weekend. Just ask me how bummed out I am that I am not there. Last year, when it was in Washington, DC, I didn't go because it was too far away. The year before when it was in Portland, OR, it was too far away and I had just started blogging. This year it is close - a few hours drive. So why am I not there? I was going to attend my fifteen year college reunion. But now I'm not. And I could have been in the Twin Cities meeting some people I already feel like I know and learning a whole lot about blogging. I read Melissa Wiley's post about her upcoming departure for KidlitCon, and became really rather depressed. Sigh. Maybe in 2011.

3. Time has a list of Top 10 Things that kids today will never experience. I always love lists like this.

4. Pragmatic Mom has article after article I find interesting. Just this week I have read and copied two articles for my kindergarten teachers specifically about a balanced kindergarten program.

5. Ti at Book Chatter is looking for book recommendations for her son, who is rather sick of books about vampires, talking animals and eating disorders. I can totally understand. I am enjoying reading the responses and suggestions that are being made for her son.

Under A Red Sky

Under A Red Sky by Haya Leah Molnar is a memoir about growing up in Communist Romania. While I knew the time period being covered was the 1950s until 1961, the book felt as though it were set much before such a recent time period - everything seemed older, more drab and gloomy. Unfortunately, this is what I often picture when I think of Communist Russia, so either that is really what it was like, or my prior knowledge prevents me from seeing things differently.

Eva, as Haya is known in her childhood, is Jewish - unbeknownst to her- a fact that she was never told and discovers only after everyone in her household loses their job. Her household includes her maternal grandparents, her mother and father, aunt and uncle, another uncle, and their maid/cook. The quarters are cramped, but Eva's family is happy to have what little room there is. At one time the family was wealthy, able to afford many servants, but with the rise of Communism, Eva's family is now just struggling to get by.

Molnar recounts remembrances of her childhood in this memoir: what her schooling was like, attending classes with a rabbi, the relationships in her home, stories she learned of her parents' lives before they were married or had a child, her friendship with a neighbor boy. All are very common, everyday childhood memories, although I felt that hers were tinged with a bit of sadness as tension over being Jewish in Romania continued to mount. When Molnar's grandparents are able to leave for Israel, hope is restored that one day the rest of the family may be able to join them. Yet, this is not something that happens quickly.

I enjoyed this memoir- it moved quickly, and I have long been curious about life under Communist rule. I have also not really thought about the way Communism affected the Jewish population, or that even through the 1950s, Jews were forced to flee their homes to escape persecution.

Intended for young adults readers, this one would also appeal to adults.

Blog Hop

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

This week's question:

"Where is your favorite place to read? Curled up on the sofa, in bed, in the garden?"

I have lots of places I enjoy reading. I can read almost anyplace, anytime. I love to lie in bed and read before going to sleep. I also enjoy reading while I exercise. I have book racks on my elliptical, treadmill, and bike which helps make the time go faster. I have a beautiful screened in porch that I have visions of reading on while sipping a drink, but right now I don't seem to find much time for that because my children always seem to want something as soon as I get settled in. I carry a book with me wherever I go just in case I have a free moment. One night each week my youngest daughter attends a story time at the public library, which gives me an hour of peace to read in a nice, comfy chair.

This weekend the forecast is for some rainy weather- perfect for curling up with a good book in one of the places mentioned above, or checking out other blogs on the Hop.

Crow

I love the Picnic Basket and being able to review books that I receive from them. Last week Crow by Leo Timmers arrived in my mail box - a cute picture book about a crow that scares all the other birds because of his appearance. Trying to fit in, Crow turns himself into a finch. When that doesn't work he turns himself into a parakeet. And then a chickadee. Of course, Crow does best when he is himself, a fact he eventually realizes.

This is a nice little story about liking yourself for who you are. I loved the illustrations set on a white background, making them a bit more dramatic. Teachers and parents will enjoy the lesson this book teaches, and young readers will understand the lesson while enjoying the story.

Crow reminds me a lot of Sylvie by Jennifer Gordon Sattler, another book about loving yourself for who you are.

What We Have

Amy Boesky's memoir, What We Have, chronicles a year in the life of her family - a family plagued by ovarian cancer. Boesky recalls portions of her childhood, and allows readers see the inner workings of her family - her close relationships with her parents and two sisters, growing up in 1960s Michigan. Through these remembrances it is easy to want to be a part of Boesky's life and feel as though she is a friend.

The year of which Boesky writes took place nearly two decades ago now, when Boesky was just beginning her own family. She and her husband Jacque are advancing in their careers, her sister Julie and her husband are starting a family as well. Everyone in the family is aware of the risk of developing ovarian cancer. They are previvors and the three sisters have made the educated decision to have their ovaries removed by the age of thirty five. While this deadline looms in the near future for her, their mother has already had the surgery and should be safe. However, a breast cancer diagnosis, which was initially treated as a very curable disease, turns out to be an aggressive form, resistant to chemotherapy drugs. When Boesky and her family receive information about their mother and her family members affected by ovarian cancer after her mother's passing, they are not surprised to know that they are at risk for genetically transmitted ovarian cancer. That they also run a risk of developing genetically transmitted breast cancer is surprising. It turns out their mother was not really safe at all.

Now it is up to Boesky and her siblings to determine if they would like to know if they carry the genes that may give them this deadly disease or not.

What We Have was such a superbly written memoir, something I marveled at while reading. It is obvious that Boesky has made a career in literature and the craft of writing. There are many layers to individuals and families and the relationships within, all of which she was able to convey to readers, giving an intimate and accurate look at one family. The decisions previvors must make are also based on individual beliefs, personalities and wishes, another aspect Boesky did well to explain as she and her sisters looked to their future and that of their children.

I'm a lover of memoirs, it is true. This one was a wonderful reading experience. Hard to put down, full of ways in which I felt connected to the author and her family.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson

Due out February 8, 2011

Product Description:

From the author of the best seller I Don’t Know How She Does It, a follow-up that promises to be one of the most widely read and talked-about novels of the season.1974, Wales. Thirteen-year-old Petra and her best friend, Sharon, are in love with David Cassidy and obsessed with The Ultimate David Cassidy Quiz, a contest whose winners will be flown to America to meet their teen idol. 1998, London. Petra is pushing forty and on the brink of divorce. While cleaning out her mother’s closet, she finds a dusty letter—a letter her mother had intercepted—declaring her the winner of the contest she and Sharon had labored over with such agony and bliss. Twenty-four years later, twenty pounds heavier, the girls reunite for an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas to meet their teen idol at last, middle age—theirs and his—be damned.Poignant, hilarious, joyful, profoundly moving and uplifting, I Think I Love You captures what girls learn about love through the universal experience of worshipping a teen dream. It will resonate with readers everywhere.

I loved Pearson's first book - I have been waiting to hear from her again for quite a while.

Saving Sky

Rarely - almost never- does a book ever move me to tears. Saving Sky by Diane Stanley is one book that has managed to do just that. As I was reading I had such a sense of what a powerful, thought provoking story this was. All of which culminated into a powerful, perfect ending.

I am not an overly adventurous reader- science fiction and fantasy don't do it for me very often, and I don't think I have ever read anything termed 'dystopian.' I am not sure Saving Sky would receive that label, but it seems to fit the definition I looked up.

The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia. ...

Sky and her family live in New Mexico without many modern conveniences like internet or television. They receive their news from their aunt Pat, who telephones if there are things they need to know. The United States is undergoing repeated terrorist attacks and Sky and her family, as well as everyone else, are affected by these attacks which have resulted in shortages of food and electricity. These terrorist attacks have also caused many Americans to view Arabs as dangerous - believing that many of the terrorists are Arabs. Sky witnesses firsthand the racism on a shopping trip to Home Depot as an Arab family is taken away by security after doing nothing wrong. Sky's lack of action to defend this family bothers her. She wishes she had the courage to step forward and do something. Then, when an Arab student, Kareem, needs her help after his father is arrested and taken away to a deportation camp, Sky knows this is her chance to step forward.

Stanley's novel offers a great deal to think about. This is a powerful look at what a future world could look like - a very scary reality. It is also a powerful story of a family still bound to do the right thing and recognize everyone as a human being. I was shocked during my reading as Arabs were taken away to deportation centers for doing nothing more than being dark skinned, and was quickly reminded of the United States' treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

This was a novel that I didn't want to put down at all, even though the story was disturbing. I can't believe I am not hearing more about this book, because I the writing was superb and the story was one that I won't forget. Honestly, while I was reading I had this vision of Rebecca Stead's novel, When You Reach Me, a book that gave me the same wonderful feeling when I read it a year ago. When You Reach Me went on to win the Newbery Award, so I am hoping that Saving Sky is also recognized for the treasure that it is.

90 Miles to Havana

Enrique Flores-Galbis book, 90 Miles to Havana is a historical novel about the Pedro Pan project that took place in 1960-61 as Cuban parents tried to send their children to the United States to avoid Marxist-Leninist indoctrination.

Julian and his family live in Havana during the time fo the revolution, when life in Cuba is becoming unpredictable and dangerous. Neighbors begin to send their children to the United States and move away. Julian can't believe that families would actually send their children away - his mother would never be able to live without her sons. However, when their family comes under suspicion, Julian and his brothers are sent to Florida until his parents can get out of the country and they can be reunited. While their mother believed life in America at a camp would be a step up, the boys are reunited with a bully from their hometown who attempts to make their lives miserable. Things don't unfold as they or their parents planned, and Julian takes a few risks to help reunite his family.

I enjoyed this novel, while wishing the author would have included some historical notes about the Pedro Pan project. Again, another event in history I had never heard of. The portion that takes place at the camp where Julian and his brothers are bullied was also very hard for me to read. I don't know what it is about bullying exactly, but every story that contains bullying really bothers me. There were also a few historical aspects that I wish the author would have included about the Revolution in Cuba- who the president was that they got rid of, and who the new president was. There are references to President Kennedy, but I could see young adult readers not even really getting what time period this took place in -especially if they didn't know it was based on a real event.

Flores-Galbis is able to include a lesson for Julian and his friends at the camp showing them that the Revolution in Cuba resembles what is occurring in the Camp as they are being managed by Caballo, the bully. Dolores, the cook, tries to get them to see that they should try and resolve their issues like Americans - operating a democracy.

Overall, an interesting young adult historical fiction novel sharing the events of the Pan Pedro Operation, an event the author experienced personally as a young boy fleeing Cuba.

A Belated Friday Five

As always for me, I am a bit late on my Friday Five. Maybe someday I will write this post ahead of time, adding great links as the week progresses. Until then, it just happens when it happens.

We are experiencing gorgeous weather again- this may be the best fall I can remember. We haven't had a drop of rain in a long time - not always a good thing- but that has meant for beautiful, sunny days. My middle daughter was able to get some practice riding her bike today and the training wheels are OFF! We are just now making a loaf of beer bread and taco soup for supper with the intent to sit down and watch a movie together. I have been grocery shopping, worked at the public library this morning, visited another library, and managed to acquire some new book that I checked out and purchased. I am hoping for some reading time later as well as some time to check out other blogs on the Blog Hop.

My Friday Five:

1. I am always looking for new books that are coming out as part of Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It is so hard to find a title that no one else has heard of before. This week I stumbled up EarlyWord.com which has tons of links for book lovers. And I was able to find a few lists of Spring 2011 books. YAY!

2. I have loved, loved, loved Scholastic book orders since my own school days. I was always the student who hounded the teacher each and every day until the order arrived. Travis at 100 Scope Notes managed to lay his hands on a book order form from 1992 - a true blast from the past.

3. National Book Awards Finalists were announced. I am enjoying looking over the list of nominees - and once again adding to my list of books I would like to read someday.

4. I've been working with a group of students after school two nights a week. Right now they need help with decimals, so I have been looking online to get some ideas and see if there are any great games out there. The kids I work with - and my nine year old daughter- think Fact Monster is a pretty great website.

5. Meg Waite Clayton, whose first novel, The Wednesday Sisters, I loved, loved, loved writes on her blog about the impact of book bloggers in spreading the word about her book.

A Secret Kept

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay was one of my favorite books this past winter- a book so good I could barely put it down, devouring it in less than a day. I was excited to see that de Rosnay had a new book coming out this fall, A Secret Kept. After reading a few reviews, it seemed that opinions on this one were a bit mixed. I lowered my expectations quite a bit, not even sure if I should take the time for it since I am not lacking reading material.

While this book is very different than Sarah's Key, I did really, really like it. I began reading with rather low expectations, but also with a more critical eye, looking for ways that this book didn't interest some readers. And while I found a few, I also realized by book's end, how quickly I had read it and how interesting I found it.

Melanie and her older brother have always been close. To celebrate her fortieth birthday the two go away for a weekend and on the way home have a serious car accident. Melanie had been driving and just as she was about to reveal some secret she drove off the road, nearly killing them. Antoine, older by three years, is having a hard time in his own life- he is newly divorced, still in love with his ex-wife and very lonely. He and Melanie spent her birthday weekend at the place they vacationed with their family as children - up until their mother died unexpectedly and tragically in 1974. With their return trip, Antoine starts wondering about his mother - her death, her life, realizing how little he knew this woman. Family secrets are revealed all while Antoine works through his own crises.

At a few different times I felt as though I knew what type of secret would be revealed, only to be surprised or have to revise my thinking. I also was very aware of a difference in the way marital relationships are viewed and conducted which I attribute to a very European setting and author. De Rosnay's writing hooked me early on, and while there may be some questions I would ask her about why certain minor supplots were included, that would truly be nitpicking what was a very pleasurable read for me.

While A Secret Kept is very different from Sarah's Key, and perhaps not quite as suspenseful, it did entertain me and I did enjoy it a lot.

Blog Hop!

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

This week's question:

When you read a book that you just can't get into, do you stick it out and keep reading or move to your next title?"

This question is so interesting because it varies from person to person. Even for me, my answer changes based on lots of things. First of all, if I have a lot of books checked out from the library and something is due that I can't get into, then I take it back. In the back of my mind I always intend to return to it at some point in the future- like when I have free time. I am not sure that will ever really happen, but I hate giving up on a book. I have become a more frequent book abandoner lately - mostly due to the large number of books on my TBR pile. It is becoming painfully obvious that I never really will read every book I want to, so if a book is hard to get into, I am more inclined to move on to the next one in my stack.

I am hoping to find lots of time to hop around to other blogs later this weekend. Happy Hopping to everyone.

The Properties of Water

A while ago - probably longer than I realize- Hannah Anderson McKinnon contacted me to review her new book, due out on October 26. For once I have actually read it prior to its publication date. Of course, I started it last night and haven't been able to put it down, sneaking in a page or two between classes and reading the last little bit over lunch.

McKinnon has one other book to her credit, Franny Parker, which I loved when I read it this past spring. McKinnon's sophomore novel is equally as wonderful.

As Properties of Water opens, it is obvious that things in Lace's home are not as they should be. Her mother and sister are living in Portland, while she and her father remain at home. Through bits and pieces it is revealed that Lace's sister, Marni, is the victim of a swimming accident and is in a hospital in Portland. While the events of the accident are not revealed until near the book's end, it is very evident that Lace feels guilty for what has happened to her sister. And that she is not able to go on with her own life while Marni is away. And yet Lace does not want to see Marni in the hospital, avoiding taking a trip to Portland. Instead she avoids the water, refusing to do one of the things she loves the best. She and her best friend have a falling out. And she thinks the woman they have hired to help care for their house, and eventually Marni when she returns, is actually a thief.

Lace learns a lot about herself, does a lot of growing up, and begins to have a more grown-up perspective on things.

This is fantastic realistic fiction. While Amazon lists it as a young adult novel, I would place it more in the 5th-9th grade area. For just a brief moment The Properties of Water reminded me a bit of a novel I loved in highschool, Izzy Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voigt. However, no one should mistake The Properties of Water for anything else because it is truly its own story and just wonderful all by itself.

My Mommy Hung the Moon

Each time I hear of a celebrity that has penned a children's book I am a bit skeptical. It is hard for me to decide if the book they have created would have been published if their name was not attached to it. And yet, I always look forward to the books that Jamie Lee Curtis writes for children. My Mommy Hung the Moon: A Love Story is Curtis' ninth childrens book- and one I absolutely loved.

Rhyming text, bright illustrations by Laura Cornell (Jamie's partner in her writing endeavors), and a sweet story are what hooked me. It is a treat to watch the innocent way in which this young child truly believes that a mother is able to do absolutely everything.

"She grows all the food and makes it from scratch...

and when she bakes me cookies, it's a Big Momma Batch!"

From baking cookies, to driving in car pools, and rowing ships, moms can do it all.

A great baby shower book, Mother's Day book, gift for mothers young and old, as well as a sweet read aloud for children. My Mommy Hung the Moon is one of my favorites by Jamie Lee Curtis.

*A copy of this book was received from the publisher.

Rescue Bunnies

Rescue Bunnies by Doreen Cronin was sent to me by Harper Collins for review. And I will admit that I was very excited to get this book in my mailbox- especially since I have long been a fan of Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo series, so the bar was set very high.

Rescue Bunnies is a book that I did not immediately fall in love with. However, I have now read it several times, and have enjoyed it more each and every time. Perhaps my preconceived ideas about it didn't help matters, because Rescue Bunnies really is funny.

Newbie is a bunny-in-training, passing various tests (Physical Fitness Test, Emergency Rescue Roping Test, Blind Taste Test) in order to truly be a rescue bunny. When the call comes for Newbie to take her field test and rescue a giraffe that is trapped, there is a little suspense and a lot of action.

Rescue Bunnies is a cute story, one that shows the need for those in uniform, who are around to help people (or giraffes as the case may be). According to the letter I received from Harper Collins, Rescue Bunnies was inspired by Cronin's own police officer father, as she wanted to reassure children that those in uniform are there for our protection and safety.

I must also mention Scott Menchin's illustrations, which I found delightful from the first moment. Newbie and friends are immediately entertaining, and while I didn't fall in love with the story at first glance, the illustrations did capture my attention immediately.

Rescue Bunnies is another cute picture book by the talented Doreen Cronin. This book will make a cute read aloud for my classes - providing plenty to talk and laugh about.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week's pick:A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Mystery (Flavia De Luce Mysteries By Alan Bradley

Due out: February 8, 2011

Taken from the Flavia de Luce website:

Camped in her horse-drawn caravan at Buckshaw, a young Gypsy woman is charged with the abduction – and then the murder – of a local child, and Flavia must draw upon her encyclopaedic knowledge of poisons – and Gypsy lore – to prevent a grave miscarriage of justice.

I found the first Flavia de Luce mystery to be charming and clever. I still need to read the second one, and am happy to see a third is on its way.

The Island

Elin Hildebrand's The Island was supposed to a summer beach read for me. Here it is, October already, and I am just now getting to it. Last night I spent a portion of time when I should have been sleeping, busily devouring over a hundred pages of this book.

The Island was a wonderful family drama that swept me away to island of Tuckernuck, a privately owned island close to Nantucket. Birdie, fifty-seven a divorced mother of two is planning on spending two weeks at her family vacation home with her daughter Chess shortly before Chess' wedding. Things unravel and change quickly as Chess calls off her wedding, Biride invites her younger daughter, Tate, to accompany them and then also includes her sister, India. Instead of just two weeks on vacation, the women now plan on spending an entire month. Chess has a lot to come to terms with as parts of her story are revealed through journal entries she is making at the reqeust of her therapist. Tate, who is an accomplished professional, has still been harboring a crush (one she has had for thirteen years!) for Barrett, the island caretaker. Tate has always felt as though she has come in second to her sister, and still recalls Barrett's interest in Chess back when they were teenagers.

Birdie is trying to help Chess who is severely depressed, while also trying to forge ahead in her own love life. And India, who survived her husband's suicide and managed to raise three sons is now questioning her next relationship.

These characters will stick with me for a long time. I wanted all of them to find happiness and for things to work out. I have read other books by Hildebrand before, and thought they were enjoyable. However, The Island exceeded my expectations - a thoroughly fabulous read.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart

Amanda is a young gymnast - determined and focused, yet in the blink of an eye a horrible accident during a meet ends her young life. Her parents are faced with the question of whether they should donate their daughter's organs or not.

Waiting for a new heart is Dani, a fifteen year old girl who has been through a lifetime of medical procedures after being born with her heart on the wrong side of her chest. Dani's perspective- what it is like to live with many medical issues - and Tyler's (Amanda's brother) are the two sides of this story. While other people received Amanda's organs, and Tyler corresponds with them, it is Dani's story we hear the most about and Dani we come to know.

This is an interesting novel, written about a topic that some people face and know quite well. I had not read a teen novel about organ donation, but Cold Hands, Warm Heart is interesting and fast moving - an easy read.

Crossing the Tracks

Barbara Stuber's teen novel Crossing the Tracks is set in 1926, a wonderful story about Iris, a girl who feels alone, looking for a place to fit in.

Iris lives alone with her father, a distant man more interested in the shoe business he runs than his only child. To accommodate his latest business venture, Iris is sent to live on a farm taking care of an eldery woman while her son - a doctor- takes care of his many patients. Iris is in for a few surprises when she arrives to care for Mrs. Nesbitt, who is not nearly the frail woman Iris imagined. With the Nesbitts Iris is able to finally feel as though she belongs, yet her contract to work for them only goes into September when her father and his fiancee Celeste are expecting Iris to arrive in Kansas City to help work at their new store. When tragedy befalls Iris' family, Iris is finally given an opportunity to speak up for herself and express her own wishes.

I had read a few reviews about this one, but Amanda's review at A Patchwork of Books made me request this title at my library. Iris is a great character- a girl you want to help out, who you will root for the entire way. I loved the time period of this one as well. I will admit that the first line of the jacket flap, "At fifteen, Iris is a hobo of sorts," didn't hook me at first. I don't have a lot of interest in reading about hobos - but I appreciated Mrs. Nesbitt's definition of a hobo - that the word was really two words put together meaning a person who was homeward bound. AndIris is truly looking for a home - not just a place to live, but a family who loves her and cares for her. This is one of those books that hasn't received a lot of mention yet, but I am hoping that Stuber, who is a debut novelist, will have her talent recognized.

Breaking Night

Breaking Night by Liz Murray is an inspirational memoir. Liz grew up in a home where both parents were drug users and there was no consistency in her life. She often went without food, and rarely bathed or washed her hair. From an early age Liz learned to fend for herself. Liz continued to love her parents, who tried their best despite their own enormous set of problems to raise Liz and her sister, Lisa. Liz's mother, Jean, also suffers from schizophrenia, which she is hospitalized for repeatedly and is eventually diagnosed with HIV. It is no surprise that Liz's parents split up. Lisa moves with her mother into Jean's boyfriend's house, while Liz remains with her father. Life continues along the same path. Liz is taken into custody when her truancy from school catches up with her. When she returns home she also returns to her old ways and eventually ends up homeless when her father is unable to pay the bills. By the time Liz realizes this all of her possessions and memories are gone.

Liz did not enjoy school while growing up and found every reason not to attend. Her home life was so chaotic that survival took all her energy. Yet somehow, despite all of this, at the age of seventeen, Liz manages to see into her future and become aware of what is in store for her without an education. While it is never meant to look easy, Murray does not profess to be brilliant as she worked to get a high school diploma and get accepted to Harvard. Because she lacked a school background, there was much she had to teach herself and a great deal of catching up to do.

Several years ago I read another memoir similar to this about a homeless child growing up to attend Harvard. While alike in many ways, Murray's homelife seems a much larger obstacle to overcome than the previous account I read.

I love memoirs, and I especially love memoirs that are inspirational. After reading of everything that Murray accomplished despite the odds stacked against her, it truly makes me appreciate the childhood I had and the home I was raised in. It is also a testament to the human spirit and the will to succeed.

Waiting on Wednesday

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

This week's pick: Sing You Home

Release Date: March 1, 2011

Summary from Jodi Picoult's website:

Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and after multiple miscarriages and infertility issues, it looks like her dream is about to come true – she is seven months pregnant. But a terrible turn of events leads to a nightmare – one that takes away the baby she has already fallen for; and breaks apart her marriage to Max. In the aftermath, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist – using music clinically to soothe burn victims in a hospital; to help Alzheimer’s patients connect with the present; to provide solace for hospice patients. When Vanessa – a guidance counselor -- asks her to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used by herself and Max.
Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle – until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor – Clive Lincoln – has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child.
SING YOU HOME explores what it means to be gay in today’s world, and how reproductive science has outstripped the legal system. Are embryos people or property? What challenges do same-sex couples face when it comes to marriage and adoption? What happens when religion and sexual orientation – two issues that are supposed to be justice-blind – enter the courtroom? And most importantly, what constitutes a “traditional family” in today’s day and age?

To read an excerpt, visit Jodi Picoult's website.

I always find Picoult's books interesting as she finds a moral/ethical dilemma to explore. This book sounds very interesting and bound to bring about lots of discussion.

The Other Half of My Heart

Kiera and Minni (Minerva) are twins although it would be hard to tell when you look at them. Their father is white and their mother is black - Kiera looks like her mother while Minerva is light complected with reddish hair - much like their father. The girls are best friends, and while they may attract attention because they don't look much like sisters let alone twins, Minni has only ever longed to look black so that she fits in with her mother and sister. The girls are sent away to spend a few weeks in the South with their grandmother, a woman they don't know very well, who has her own ideas about how her granddaughters should be raised. The two girls are entered into a program (although it seems very much like a pageant) where they showcase their talent. The program is only open to young African American ladies which draws attention to Minni who just doesn't look like she belongs. Minni is quickly made aware of what it feels like to be the only person who looks a certain way. She also becomes very aware of how their grandmother's treatment of her and her sister differs. It appears that Minni can do no wrong, while Kiera is constantly drawing their grandmother's criticism. The things that both girls must deal with make for some tense times between them as they must determine who they really are, and how their looks change how they are seen by others.

I read Frazier's first novel, Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It, a book dealing with a boy's desire to know his family and fit in, trying to decide if he was really black or white. Minni reminds me a bit of Brendan as she tries to navigate finding her own identity. Is she black? Is she white? How will she know? There is so much good discussion material in this story. Teachers would find much to talk about with their students, and readers would gain a greater understanding and appreciation for what impact skin color has on how people are treated. While this book deals a lot with race, it is also a great tween read. Friendship, family, learning about yourself, finding a way to stick up for what you believe in - all are themes in this book.

And, for those who dispute the idea that there really could be a set of twin that look so very different, there are several such cases that are documented.

I have thoroughly enjoyed both of Frazier's books and can't wait to see what else she will write.

Click here to visit Sundee Frazier's website.

The Good Daughters

Joyce Maynard's The Good Daughters is a book I have been very interested in reading. Diane's review at Bibliophile by the Sea added to my desire, so I was very happy when the library ordered it.
While I have read some of Maynard's work in the past, enjoying some and not others, I could barely put down The Good Daughters.
Narrated in alternating chapters by Ruth and Dana, these two girls were born on the same day in the same hospital. While their families have little in common, Ruth's mother, Connie, seems intent on keeping in touch with Dana and her parents. Ruth chronicles the connection (and later attraction) she felt toward Ray, Dana's older brother. Ruth had great artistic ability, much like Dana's mother, Val. She also felt connected to her father, Edwin, who as a farmer enjoyed his time outdoors working the land. While Ruth felt disconnected from her mother and older sisters, Dana also felt out of touch with her family. She, too, felt a pull toward Ruth's father and enjoyed helping him and learning about plants.

I could tell early on where this book was going - at least partially. The fact that neither daughter connected with their families and looked nothing like their families and happened to have been born on the same day in the same hospital didn't take much imagination for me to decide what must have happened. And yet, what could have been very predictable, was really interesting to see played out in these women. When Ruth falls madly in love with Ray, Dana's brother, and the two try to begin a family together, the resolution was heartbreaking. And when Dana attends Connie's funeral she is able to see Ruth's older sisters- noting how the decades have passed and how much she also looks like these women.

There are a lot of books out there that once a secret such as this is revealed, it changes the characters lives in many ways. Both Dana and Ruth eventually figure out the truth themselves and neither feels the need to confront anyone or suffer a breakdown. Dana and Ruth's response seems more real to me -not horribly contrived or overdramatized.

There are still a few things I would like to discuss with someone else who has read The Good Daughters, and I could see this making an excellent book club selection.

Sunday Salon

The weather is beautiful and crisp today - and we have finally decided to turn on our heat to get the chill out of our house. I have had a fairly free weekend, which should mean lots of free reading time Instead, I have started and abandoned several books and have a large stack to take back to the library. Perhaps someday I will pick these titles up again, but for now, I have so many books that I own and cannot get to, and that are checked out that I just can't read them all. I have just started Elin Hildebrand's latest book and my TBR stack is still enormous, but it is rather cathartic to do a little cleaning out.

This afternoon I will be going with my girls, my mother, and my niece to a production of Roald Dahl's BFG. I know one of the actors in the play which will make it interesting, but have never read this book. I had high hopes of reading this to my daughters, but we are still working our way through the Ramona books and ran out of time to read this prior to seeing the play. Perhaps we will be motivated to get into this one after today's show.

It definitely feels like fall here this weekend. I bought some apple cider and made pumpkin bread yesterday morning which would be a perfect evening snack tonight. Tomorrow it is back to the rat race, and what looks to be a rather busy week.

Hopefully I will get out of my reading slump and get into a book I just can't put down - I'm in the mood to read something great.

Mamba Point

Mamba Point by Kurtis Scaletta is a middle grade novel with a unique setting. Linus and his brother Law (well, really his name is Larry, but he would rather be called Law) have moved to Liberia where their father has taken a job at the US Embassy. This is a chance for Linus, who is a rather anxious and cautious (aka wimpy) pre-teen to reinvent himself. Linus consciously decides to be brave and adventurous in his new home, hoping this will help his popularity. Liberia is also the home to the black mamba snake, a deadly reptile that is very rare. Despite how rare the mamba is supposed to be, Linus sees them everywhere he goes. At first everyone else is skeptical of Linus' snake sightings, thinking instead that it is his anxiety coming through. Eventually Linus feels as though he and the black mamba can communicate with each other and he allows the snake to live in a hamper in his closet, unbeknownst to his parents or brother.


Mamba Point is set in the 1980s, referring to popular items from that decade: Atari, the television show Dallas, baseball player Rollie Finger. Growing up in the 80s myself with an uncle who worked in the US Embassy in Nigeria, I was very interested in the way Linus' and Law's lifestyle was portrayed. Scaletta grew up in Liberia as the son of an Embassy worker, so he knows much about this life. While Liberia has gone through a great deal since Scaletta's own experience there, Scaletta writes of what he knows and is hopeful for Liberia at this point.


I don't think the cover is very appealing and will have to talk this one up to my students. While perhaps geared toward boys, female readers will be able to enjoy this story, too.

Click here to visit Kurtis Scaletta's website

Russian Winter

Nina Revskaya was a famous ballerina in Russia. Now in her seventies, her body is old and she is confined to a wheel chair. In her declining health Nina decides to sell her vast collection of jewelry. Many of these pieces bring back memories for Nina- some happy and some painful. Russian Winter alternates between the present day and the past when Nina spent her years as a famous ballerina in Russia. During Nina's early adulthood Russia was under Stalin's rule, and Russians were living in fear as different people disappeared, never to be seen again. Despite all the turmoil in the country, Nina's life seems to be rather ideal - she is married to a famous poet and has a group of young and attractive friends.

In addition to Nina's story, Drew, the woman in charge of the auction has her own storyline as does Grigori, a Russian professor.

Kalotay's book is fast moving, gaining in suspense until the end as the secrets Nina kept are revealed. These secrets - things that occurred decades earlier - continue to make an impact even in the present.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, yet writing a review of Russian Winter is difficult without giving away too miuch. Because it spans many decades and also involves many characters there are many layers to this story. Kalotay's novel is a great women's fiction read and should be a popular book club choice.

Book Blog Hop

The Friday Book Blog Hop is hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This week's question:

"How do you spread the word about your blog?(e.g. Social Networking sites, Book Blog Directories, comments on other blogs...)"

I am very interested to see other responses to this question - I have already read a few - that have given me some ideas of how to spread the word of my blog a bit more than I already have.

When I first started blogging I signed my blog up to be in the Kidlitosphere directory. Mostly I have relied on commenting on other blogs to get the word out about mine. While I don't have a ton of followers, my numbers have continued to grow. Already I have a few more ideas for ways in which to promote my blog in the future.

This weekend doesn't look to be particularly busy for me, so I am hoping to hop around tonight and tomorrow and check out other great blogs and the answers to this question.

Happy Hopping!