The Classics Spin Round #2

I know. I know. You guys are probably getting tired of all the lists I’ve been posting about what I want to read. I can’t help it. I’m currently a reader who can’t get much read right now so I’m looking at everything I want to read and participate in.

The Classics Club is hosting round 2 of The Classics Spin. The last event was such a success that I’ve decided to participate again. Hopefully when the semester is over, I can formally join this perpetual reading challenge. Here are the rules for the Classics Spin:

1. Go to your blog.
2. Pick twenty books you’ve got left from your Classics Club list.
3. Try to challenge yourself: list five you are dreading/hesitant to read, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favorite author, rereads, ancients — whatever you choose.)
4. Post that list, numbered 1-20, on your blog by next Monday, May 20^th.
5. Monday morning, we’ll announce a number from 1-20. Go to the list of twenty books you posted, and select the book that corresponds to the number we announce.
6. The challenge is to read that book by July 1, even if it’s an icky one you dread reading! (No fair not listing any scary ones!)

My list:

1. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
2. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
3. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
4. Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy
5. The Family Among the Australian Aborigines by Bronislaw Malinowski
6. The Iliad by Homer
7. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv
8. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday
9. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
10. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
11. Maus by Art Speigelman
12. Beloved by Toni Morrison (reread)
13. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (reread)
14. Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
15. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter
16. Sula by Toni Morrison
17. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
18. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
19. The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois
20. Passing by Nella Larsen

I can’t wait to find out which number is picked. Are you joining the Classics Spin?

Note: It’s Monday and the number 6 was picked so this summer I’m reading The Iliad. I’m a little hesitant but it’s a book that’s been on my shelf for years unread. I really like my list as a whole, so I think I’ll try to read many of the books on it in the coming year.

Sunday Salon

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms! To me, it’s Mother’s Day every day but still . . . I’ll take this one day!

Format borrowed from Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness).

Time // 9:19 am

Place // My living room. The sun is already beaming in so I know this will be a hot day.

Eating // I made the kids our traditional Sunday breakfast of pancakes but I think I’ll stick to my White Chocolate Macadamia Luna bar. Yum! I’m counting calories.

Drinking // Surprisingly nothing. I need to make another pot of coffee.

Reading  // Yesterday I actually finished a book!! Yes, it was a re-read but still. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston left me in tears. I started reading Hacking Your Education: Ditch the Lectures, Save Tens of Thousands, and Learn More than Your Peers Ever Will by Dale J. Stephens. I’m also planning to start reading The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes.  I just need to find my Nook.

Watching // Nothing today. Yesterday I watched Waiting for Superman” for my sociology class, which also left me in tears.

Listening // To the Great Gatsby soundtrack. It’s so good.

Wishing // That I had the day to myself! *sigh* I would love to spend today in Barnes & Nobles with

Blogging // Nothing! I don’t have the time or energy.

Promoting // Nothing!

Avoiding // Google Reader. I’m sure I have over 1000 unread posts.

Anticipating // The end of the semester which is next month. But until then? Hmmm. . . not much. Sad I know.

Okay so what are you reading/drinking/watching/listening to today? 

It’s Monday! What are you reading?

It’s Monday. What are you reading is a fantastic weekly meme hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey.

Thanks to school, kids, and everything else known as life, I haven’t had much time for reading. I didn’t finish one book last week. I’m really not surprised since this is the last month of the semester and I’m being bombarded with paper after paper to write. I’m doing my best to carve out some reading time for myself.

This week I’m reading (and hopefully finishing):

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. I’m in a re-reading sort of mood plus the Classics Club is hosting a sync reading (a stress-free read-along) that’s currently going.

Waiting for “Superman”: How We Can Save America’s Failing Public Schools edited by Karl Weber. I’m reading this for my sociology class.

What It Is by Lynda Barry. This is one of my books left over from the read-a-thon.

The kids are reading:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. My daughter, Piper, is reading this. I hope she ends up enjoying this as much as I did.

Wonder by RJ Palacio. After the lovely Alysia (Little Pocket of Books) suggested that we read this, my son started to. So far, Oliver’s enjoying it.

I’m not the only one in a re-reading mood. My youngest, Avram, loves Zoe B. and R.W. Alley’s There’s a Wolf at the Door. He’s been re-reading it every day. Often times, fairy tale re-tellings are a hit-or-miss. The Alley’s retelling of various stories featuring the Big Bad Wolf are hilarious and a great addition to the genre.

So that’s what we’re reading this week. What are you reading?

Read-a-thon!

Good morning, read-a-thoners! It’s finally here! I haven’t had my coffee yet so it hasn’t hit me.

Introductory Questionnaire:

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Southern California

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? That’s a good but hard question. My stack is huge and there’s so many books to look forward to including Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner (YA), the short story collection, Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells, and Lynda Barry’s What it Is (graphic non-fiction).

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to? The Florentines that I plan on buying this morning from the bakery.

4. Tell us a little something about yourself! For some reason, this question always gets me. Here’s something: I’ve only missed the read-a-thon once since it started.

5. If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I wouldn’t change anything. I know this event inside out!

Here’s my read-a-thon stack:

 

Pictured:

• I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak (re-read)
• When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka
• The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (re-read)
• The Inexplicables by Cherie Priest
• My Letter to the World by Emily Dickinson (I always add some poetry to my pile.)
• Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy edited by Ellen Datlow
• Chew Vols 3-5 by John Layman and Rob Guillory
• Apple Cake : A Recipe for Love by Julie Paschkis
• What it is by Lynda Barry
• and a ton of picture books

On my Nook:

• The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes -ARC
• In the House Upon the Dirt between the Lake and The Woods by Matt Bell -ARC
• Flora by Gail Goodwin – ARC
• Dreaming in Hindu by Katherine Russell (Thanks to Olduvai‘s great review on it.)

I’m going to update my progress throughout the day via this blog, Twitter, and Instagram. Wish me luck.

Are you read-a-thoning today?

 

First Update: Hour 5

So far, I’ve:

• left comments on blogs, twitter, and through Instagram.  
• fixed the coffee pot after my mom kind of broke it. A read-a-thon without coffee? Crazy!
• went on a bakery run
• went grocery shopping

Mini-challenge: Re-title Your Current Read

My current read is I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak. I would retitle it: 19 Year-Old Dead Man Feels Alive Saving Others.

Need read-a-thon tips?

Then you’re in luck! I’ve just posted my read-a-thon tips for parents participating in the event with their kids. These tips are also helpful for first-timers too. Head over to the Dewey’s Readathon blog to see what I wrote.

Sunday Salon: While being unplugged, I . . .

While being unplugged, I . . .

• tried to learn how to ride my son’s skateboard
• took some crappy photos
• watched my inner “Bryan” come out and took several naps
• didn’t do a lick of homework
• rode my bike for the first time in months and the effort nearly killed me
• painted in my journal
• Watched Hoarders which made me want to scrub my house. (I did.)
• Turned my dresser into my newest desk.

Did you notice that reading books didn’t make the cut? Oh well. I’ll try to read today though my main focus is to get my homework done. I’m off to try out my new crockpot and start on that homework.

How’s your weekend going?

Today is Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Tags

lucille clifton, poem in your pocket day, poetry

Each year on Poem in Your Pocket Day, I find one poem to carry around with me all day. I usually end up carrying the poem around all year. I still have last year’s poem, E.E. Cumming’s “I Carry Your Heart with Me (I Carry it In)”. There’s still time to find a poem to carry around with you. Here’s my poem for today:

 

blessing the boats

            (at St. Mary’s)

may the tide

that is entering even now

the lip of our understanding

carry you out

beyond the face of fear

may you kiss

the wind then turn from it

certain that it will

love you back              may you

open your eyes to water

water waving forever

and may you in your innocence

sail through this to that

Lucille Clifton

Sunday Salon: Change

Last week was so hectic. Between homeschooling and my growing workload for school, I didn’t have enough time to finish even one book. Since I wasn’t able to finish a book, I didn’t really have anything to blog about. The end of the semester is over a month away so I think it’s time to change the way I blog.

Partly inspired by Bryan’s idea to unplug twice a week and the blogging styles of both Bryan and Deb, I’ve decided to change the way I blog.  This will still be a book blog but in a pretty informal way. This blog is going to have the feeling of a commonplace book. I plan on sharing my library loot, favorite passages from what I’m reading, photos, book reviews, and anything bookish I can think of. It takes the pressure off of trying to constantly review books when I barely have time to finish them. I’ve also decided to try unplugging at least once a week. I’ll probably unplug on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

I’m borrowing the format of the rest of this post from the lovely Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness).

Currently// 9:25 a.m.

Place// At my desk. It’s the only place to get any work done right now.

Eating// Half a pancake. I really don’t have an appetite right now.

Drinking// Coffee of course.

Reading// I’m reading but I’m not finishing anything. I’m currently in the middle of P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia.

Watching// The Kitchen Cousins on HGTV. My family loves this network.

Listening// I was trying to listen to The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathon Evison but I can’t get the audiobook to work on my phone.

Blogging// Who knows? I’m really going to try to get my review of Half-Blood Blues done this week.

Promoting// Bloggers Recommend, a monthly newsletter. Every month bloggers recommend some of their favorite upcoming reads. If you’re looking for fantastic reads, this is the newsletter to subscribe to. Plus, I’m on the advisory board.

Writing// In my new art journal. I love having a new journal in my hands to write and paint in.

Researching// I have several experiments due next month so it’s probably time for me to start doing some research.

Hating// Meat right now. My family and I are tired of eating meat so I need to start looking at vegetarian cookbooks. Any recommendations?

Avoiding// I was avoiding homework yesterday but now that’s probably what I’ll spend the day doing.

Anticipating// The end of the semester.

What are you reading today?

The Way of the World

Tags

poetry

The Way of the World

Mary Oliver

The chickens ate all the crickets.

The foxes ate all the chickens.

This morning a friend hauled his

boat to shore and gave me the most

wondrous fish. In its silver scales

it seemed dressed for a wedding.

The gills were pulsing, just above

where the shoulders would be, if it had

had shoulders. The eyes were still

looking around, I don’t know what

they were thinking.

The chickens ate all the crickets.

The foxes ate all the chickens.

I ate the fish.

from A Thousand Mornings

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Sunday Salon

Good morning. The skies are cloudy, the birds are silent, and my neighbor’s dog is barking up a storm. Plus, it’s the last day of spring break. It was nice to take a break away from homework. This spring break was pretty low-key. I took the kids to the park almost every day, read as much as I wanted, and did some spring cleaning which included gathering as many books as I could to donate. Not bad.

Last night I finished reading and listening to Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan. What a book. I can definitely see why it was nominated for so many awards. I’m hoping to post my thoughts on it tomorrow. But now I need something lighter to read so I’m thinking about reading Nick Hornby’s latest, More Baths, Less Talking. Reading Hornby’s articles from The Believer is always a great way to pass the time, add books to my tbr list, and see new ways to write about reading. After More Baths, Less Talking, I’ll probably start reading The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman which talks about the time period during which many of the events in Half-Blood Blues took place.

In case you missed my earlier post about the read-a-thon, the hosts are still looking for prize donations and cheerleaders for the event later on this month.

What are you reading today? How’s your weekend going?

Dewey’s 24-Hour Read-a-thon Needs Your Help!

Tags

read-a-thon

Just in case you don’t know, the next Dewey’s Read-a-thon is set for Saturday, April 27^th. Every six months, readers from all over the world get together and dedicate twenty-four hours to reading. For me, the read-a-thon is like Christmas. I get my reading stack and snacks together, then wake up early the day of the event to participate. I love it.

With that said, the lovely ladies behind the read-a-thon, Heather and Andi need your help. Prizes are a huge part of the read-a-thon and they’re given out to readers and cheerleaders alike. If you can, please consider donating a prize to this month’s event. It can be a set of bookmarks, a new ARC, book bundles, gift certificates, anything. Or you can become an angel – someone who pays for the shipping of a gift to an international winner. Shipping is anywhere from $10 to $30.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, the form to donate is up.

Maybe you can’t be a reader in the read-a-thon this time around. If you have a few hours to spare the day of the event, why not consider becoming a cheerleader? Along with prizes, cheerleaders are what make this event great. You can cheerlead for as little as an hour – it all helps. The read-a-thon has spread to various platforms – Facebook, Twitter, and blogs, so it would be really nice to have a huge number of cheerleaders. If you can donate even an hour, please do.  You can find the sign-ups for cheerleaders here.

If you still haven’t signed up for the read-a-thon, that’s here too.

Happy National Poetry Month!

Tags

National Poetry Month, Pablo Neruda, poetry

Today marks the first day of National Poetry Month so I’m sharing my latest favorite poem with you.

If You Forget Me

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda

Sunday Salon

Good morning. For those who celebrate, happy Easter. I’m starting to think my kids are mistaking Easter for Christmas. Every Easter morning, they wake up and run into the living room to see what’s in their baskets. This is why I’ve been up since five this morning with them. At least I have coffee and books to keep me up.

Kate’s Easter Read-a-thon is still going strong. So far, I’ve finished Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and a handful of children’s books:

• Cheetah Can’t Lose by Bob Shea
• Fireboy to the Rescue by Edward Miller
• Stella, Princess of the Sky by Marie-Louise Gay
• Because Amelia Smiled by David Ezra Stein

I’ve started listening to Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues, which was a finalist for the Man Booker Prize. The narrator, Kyle Riley, has this amazing voice that fits well with the story. I’m an hour into the story and I can’t wait to go back to it. I should listen to audio books more often.

I’m also reading Margo Lanagan’s newest book, Yellowcake. I’ve read The Brides of Rollrock Island and several of Lanagan’s short stories. Her writing always places me firmly into the story. In Brides of Rollrock Island, I could smell the sea air and feel all the magic. Now with Yellowcake, I’m getting the same feeling. I’ve read the first short story, The Point of Roses, which left me re-reading it over and over. If the last few days are any indication of what’s ahead reading-wise, then April will be a great month.

What are you reading today? Any plans for April?

Reading Event: Easter Read-a-thon

A few days ago, I found out that Kate (Nose in a Book) is hosting an Easter Read-a-thon.  Over here in California, today is the last day of school before spring break starts. I have one week of freedom so I’m taking advantage of this time to join the read-a-thon.  The event is from today until Monday evening but in my case, it will be from this evening until Sunday, April 7^th. My goal is to read as much (or as little) as I want. I’m using the next week to finish books I’ve already started reading including:

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon
• Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor by Halli Felt
• Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
• Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

Since I plan on spending so much time reading, I’m just going to try and update this post every day. So that’s my pile. What are your plans for this weekend?

1st Update – Friday night

I finished Eleanor & Park. I thought it was a nice sweet read about two teenagers in love. Now I’m trying to figure out what to read next: Half-Blood Blues, which I have on audio and in print, or Yellowcake.

Book Review: Going in Circles by Pamela Ribon

Tags

book reviews, fiction, roller derby

Going in Circles

Pamela Ribon

336 pages

Published in 2010 by Downtown Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster

Source: Public Library but you can bet your sweet ass that I’m buying a copy

Two weeks ago, I was trolling around Oprah’s website (I have no idea why) when I came across Pamela Ribon’s essay, “How Roller Derby Can Save Your Life”.

I didn’t join a roller derby league in order to survive my divorce. Looking back, I don’t know how I ever thought one had nothing to do with the other.

After reading those first lines, I had to keep reading. In the essay, Ribons talks about roller derby and how the contact sport got her focusing on other things besides the problems she was going through. When she described her latest novel, Going in Circles as “Eat, Pray, Shove”, I knew I needed to read it since I’ve always wanted to grab a pair of skates and learn how to play roller derby.

In Going in Circles, Charlotte Goodman has just left her husband of several months. Hurt and still in disbelief, she tries to distance herself from the pain but it isn’t working. Everyone around Charlotte is asking her to make a decision. Is her going to stay with Matthew or divorce him? As time goes by, Charlotte still hasn’t made a decision and the people in her life are getting tired of her self-pity. When her coworker Francesca introduces Charlotte to roller derby, there’s finally an outlet for her to get out of her own head. Will she ever make the decision to stay in her marriage or finally become single again?

Going in Circles lived up to my expectations and surpassed them. Charlotte’s reaction to everything that’s going on around her is realistic and often hilarious. She’s scared, confused, and forced to wear a mouth guard because she’s been grinding her teeth so badly because of all the stress. She has to see a psychologist and is trying to be distraught enough for her health insurance to pay for therapy but not so much where she ends up institutionalized.

When Charlotte is introduced to roller derby, I started turning the pages even faster. The author explains the sport in detail but it’s never boring or drags down the story.  I love how Charlotte eventually finds herself through the sport.

This book is chick lit at its best. I found Going in Circles to be a perfect weekend read. I can’t wait to read Ribon’s previous books. My rating: 5 out of 5.

New Winner for A Tale for the Time Being

Since Sara didn’t contact me, I randomly picked a winner and it’s Joann from Lakeside Musing! Congratulations, Joann. You have 24 hours to contact me with your information!

Giveaway Winner and It’s Monday. What are you reading?

It’s Monday. What are you reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila over at BookJourney.

Last week was a pretty slow reading week for me. I don’t know what happened but it seemed like there was never enough time in the day. I read:

• Just Ducks! by Nicola Davies (4 out of 5 stars)
• A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver (3 out of 5 stars)
• Home by Novogratz by Robert and Courtney Novogratz (3 out of 5 stars)
• Fables Vol. 17: Inherit the Wind by Bill Willingham (5 out of 5 stars)

So far this week I’ve read:

Going in Circles by Pamela Ribbon (5 out of 5 stars)

Between read-alongs, advanced reading copies, library books, and my own books, I think I have too many reading choices. There are so many possibilities and I’m getting bogged down. I need to make my book jar soon.

This week I’m thinking about reading:

• Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
• The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. It just won the Man Asian Award.
• A Map of Time by Felix Palma
• Anything else that catches my eye.

Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who entered the contest for a  copy of A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. The winner is Sara! Congratulations. Sara, you have 24 hours to email me back with your personal information.

What are you reading?

Thoughts and Giveaway: A Tale for the Time Being

A Tale for the Time Being

Ruth Ozeki

432 pages

Published in March 2013 by Viking

Source: Received a copy from the publisher then bought my own copy

In A Tale for the Time Being, novelist Ruth Ozeki weaves meditations about time with Zen Buddhism, school bullying, compassion, history, and so much more. Ruth, a novelist living in on a small island, finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed on the beach. Inside is a collection of letters, a journal disguised as a French edition of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, and a watch that once belonged to a kamikaze pilot.

In Tokyo, a sixteen year-old girl named Nao sits down to write her grandmother Jiko’s life. At 104 years old, Jiko has lived a full and exciting life. Once a radical and a writer, Jiko renounced the outside world and became a Zen Buddhist nun. As Nao tries to write down the stories that her grandmother has shared, she ends up including things about her own life. With a suicidal father, an overworking mother, and being the target of pretty much every person at her school, Nao decides to end her life after she finishes the journal. There’s no point in living in a world without Jiko.

As Ruth reads Nao’s journal, she’s pulled deeper into the young girl’s story and is left wondering, what happened to Nao?

I want to sound all professional and give you my thoughts but basically: read the damn book. Read it, read it, read it! This book is graceful, it’s loving, and it can be shocking at times. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that had me tearing up after I finished reading it.

In a Tale for the Time Being, the story smoothly goes back and forth between Ruth and Nao. You may have noticed that the character Ruth and the author share the same name. That’s because Ruth Ozeki actually put herself into this fictional account along with her husband, Oliver, an artist. That bold move doesn’t distract from the story at all. If anything, it makes the story feels more real.

There’s so much to the story and it’s so relevant. Zen Buddhism has a big role in this book along with Japan’s part in WWII, and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that rocked Japan. The characters talk about various things like the half-life of information, holding on to the present even as it becomes the past, and ocean pollution. There is never a dull moment, never a time where I wished a paragraph or a page was cut.

Look I’m going to start rambling, so I better stop now. This is an amazing book. You’re not going to find anything similar to it. Go read it.

The publisher has been so kind as to offer a copy to my readers. Leave a comment telling me that want to be entered. I’ll announce the winner this Sunday, March 24th.

Have you read any books by Ozeki before?

Weekend Plans

Vertigo is kicking my butt so I’m taking a small blogging break until next week. While I’m away, I’m joining the Take Control Read-a-thon, which is going on right now. The read-a-thon lasts until Monday at midnight. There’s still time to join.

My weekend reading stack includes:

A Map of Time by Felix Palma. The Chunky Book Club discussion has already started and will continue until the end of the month. You can find the discussion here plus there’s a giveaway going on.

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. I’m still reading and enjoying this.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones for DWJ month. 

Possession by A.S. Byatt. I’m hoping to catch up with the read-a-long that’s going on with Lu and Kim.

What are you reading this weekend?

First Update: Sunday night

My vertigo is winding down so I’ve been reading and ignoring homework as much as I can.  So far I’ve finished:

1. Home by Novogratz (3 out of 5 stars)

2. Fables 17: Inherit the Wind by Bill Willingham (5 out of 5 stars)

3. Lemonade in Winter by Emily Jenkins (kids’ book, 4 out of 5 stars)

4. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (5 out of 5 stars)

5. A Thousand Mornings: Poems by Mary Oliver (3 1/2 out of 5 stars)

Not bad. I think my next read will be The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng. It just won the Man Asian Literary Prize. It’s either that or re-reading Relish, a foodie graphic memoir by Lucy Knisley.

Library Loot: March 13-20

Library Loot is a weekly meme hosted by Marg (The Intrepid Reader) and Claire (The Captive Reader) that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.

Since the start of the TBR Double Dare, I’ve been limiting the number of books I check out from the library. Then I found a new library in a different library system. Paradise! Now I have a new library card and a new limit. I was able to check out books from my tbr list that I couldn’t find at my other library. My loot:

Chew: The Omnivore Edition by John Layman and Rob Guillory. It’s been ages since I’ve read this. I wanted to reread it before I start on the rest of the crazy yet fantastic series.

Chew Vol. 3: Just Desserts by John Layman and Rob Guillory.

Chew Vol. 4: Flambé by John Layman and Rob Guillory.

Watership Down by Richard Downs. I can’t believe that I’ve never read this before. My kids and I are going to read the book and listen to the audio version for bedtime reading.

Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick. It was Darren (Bart’s Bookshelf) who put Segwick on my radar years ago. After reading a previous book by the author, every book of his is now on my tbr list.

Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. Random House put this on my tbr list after I read a summary about the book. During the 2004 tsunami, the author lost her sons, husband, and parents to the event. She was the only survivor. Wave is about what happens after.

Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner. I’ve been reading positive reviews about this book months before its publication date. It was an interview with the author that made me want to read this.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor by Hali Felt.

Sketchbook Challenge: Techniques, Prompts, and Inspiration for Achieving Your Creative Goals by Sue Bleiweiss.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Can you believe that I’ve never read this before? Should I start with the movie first?

What did you check out from the library this week?

Book Review: Marbles by Ellen Forney

Tags

book reviews, Ellen Forney, graphic non-fiction, memoirs, mental illness

 

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me

A Graphic Memoir by Ellen Forney

256 pages

Published in November 2012 by Gotham Books

Where did I get this?  Public Library

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo & Me chronicles illustrator Ellen Forney’s years-long struggle to find balance with her bipolar disorder while maintaining her passion for art. Right before her thirtieth birthday, Ellen was diagnosed with biopolar 1 disorder. Highly manic at the time, she had tons of ideas on how to keep working creatively before her depression hits. When it does, things change. Through this chaotic time, Ellen seeks comfort from the fact that many gifted artists like Georgia O’Keefe, Sylvia Plath, and others have gone through similar mental challenges. She also explores the relationship between creativity and mental illness. Told with brutal honesty, Marbles is a book that will appeal to many people.

Marbles starts with Ellen getting a back tattoo. It was something she thought about and the many ideas for her tattoo are coming at her at once. She even kisses the tattoo artist (a stranger to her) after the tattoo is done. Readers see the mania of it. Throughout the book, the author brilliantly illustrates to readers what manic and depression looks and feels like. Readers watch as some of Ellen’s friends distance themselves because she’s so manic and others who help her when she’s depressed. Throughout this four-years struggle, it’s drawing, Ellen’s passion, that helps her.

If the name Ellen Forney sounds familiar to you, it’s probably because she’s the illustrator behind Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. In Marbles, Ellen has a similar drawing style. The black and white drawing adds to Ellen’s writing without bogging down the story in any way.

Click to enlarge

Something that stayed with me about this book is Ellen’s journey as she tries different medications in various combinations. The side effects for these pills range from anything like hair loss, low blood platelet levels, tremors, memory loss, to skin breakouts. It takes weeks for these pills to work and if they don’t, the person has to start over with a different pill in a different combination. I also learned that most health insurance companies don’t cover prescriptions for these types of medications. Ellen breaks down the costs of her pills while she’s going through this. It was shocking to find out that a month’s worth of one pill could cost her almost $1000. That is ridiculous. So not only is there a pretty good chance that this prescription won’t work, but it’s also so expensive. I would think that insurance companies would know that if a person can’t take care of their mental and emotional health, they won’t be able to take care of their physical health. You can’t have one without the other. I felt frustration about this, right along with Ellen.

With the right pills, her passion of art, and the support of family and friends, Ellen finds balance in the end.

Marbles is a fantastic read. It’s a book that will appeal to people who’ve had their own mental struggles, older teens, lovers of the graphic format, and anyone who likes a good story. My rating: 5 out of 5. I need this in my personal library.

Sunday Salon

Good morning! The sun isn’t out yet and most of the kids are still asleep. Paradise! While the house is still nice and quiet, I thought it would be a good time to write a post. Did you remember to change your clocks forward an hour? I didn’t but luckily most of the clocks did it on their own.

Remember that huge pile of books that I wanted to read from last week? Luckily, I was able to read one book from that list, Shirley Jackson’s Life Among the Savages. It was a good read but one that I didn’t finish. Now I’m in the middle of a number of books including A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. It’s the tale of a young girl who’s writing down the life of her 104 year-old grandmother but also ends up writing about her own life too. There’s something about this book that is really special. I’m 80 pages in but I think I may have to re-read it before reviewing it.

Today is packed with things for me to do. This morning I’m curling up with A Tale for the Time Being. After that, I need to finish my homework and work on my homeschooling plan for the week. Spring is just around the corner and the kids have already picked out which seeds they want to grow (carrots and beans). I guess some seed-shopping is going on online today too.

Just a reminder, the Chunky Book Club’s discussion of The Map of Time starts this Friday and will continue for the rest of the month.

How’s your weekend going? Ever had a book that you needed to re-read before you wrote a post about it?

Thoughts: Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson

Tags

just my thoughts, not a review

Life Among the Savages

Shirley Jackson

241 pages

Originally published in 1943

Source: Bought it

Our house is old, and noisy, and full. When we moved into it we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books . . .

 

When it comes to Shirley Jackson, who hasn’t read or heard of her classic short story, “The Lottery”, or her classic thriller The Haunting of Hill House? With Life Among the Savages, Jackson takes a drastic turn in subject and chronicles various bits and pieces of her life as a mother and wife. Whether its’ dealing with misbehaving kids, imaginary friends, spats with the neighbors, or buying an old house in a new town, readers are bound to laugh. Life Among the Savages is an excellent snapshot of life in the

Life Among the Savages has been sitting on my shelves unread for years. So it was great that it ended up being my Classics Spin pick. Shirley Jackson takes the mundane and makes it hilarious. There were moments when I laughed so hard, I almost cried. In the book, there’s the writer, her husband, their three kids, and fantastic cat, Ninki. Some of the things that Jackson describes in the book, reminds readers how long ago this was written (1940s), like the time when Jackson’s in labor and the nurse insists on putting down her occupation as housewife instead of writer. But other instances are universal like taking more than one child shopping on a busy day.

I really enjoyed this book but it’s a DNF (did not finish) because as hilarious as it was, I grew tired of the craziness of Jackson’s life. There’s almost no rest between all of the crazy antics of her kids and husband, which is what I needed. I may come back to this book one day but I doubt it. Life Among the Savages is a good book but it wasn’t enough to keep me reading.

Have you ever read this book before?

Sunday Salon: Looking back at February and March Reading Plans

March is here and there’s so much I want to do. I’m joining several read-alongs and events including the #Estellagram bookish photo-a-day challenge. I’m new to Instagram and I have to admit I can see why it’s a little addicting. Below is my first picture for the challenge.

Day 1: bookshelves

In February I read 15 books. That’s not a bad total but most were children’s books. Quiet by Susan Cain was my favorite book of February. You can find my review here. I’m hoping to read more this month.  Way more so below is what my bookstack for March looks like (thanks to Laura for letting me use her bookstack idea).

 

Pictured:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I try to read this book every spring.

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Possession by A.S. Byatt

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards by Kristopher Jansma (ARC)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki (ARC)

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogatz (I’m teaching myself math so I think reading this will help motivate me to do math everyday.)

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon (I started reading this in December before being tempted by smaller books. The writing is lovely though.)

Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor by Hali Felt. I’ve wanted to read this book for months now. I was finally able to get my hands on it.

Not pictured:

Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson. I’m almost finished with this.

Head Off & Split: Poems by Nikky Finney. I bought this book years ago when it won the National Book Award for Poetry. I’m trying to read a poem a day. That way, I’ll finish the book in no time.

Reflections on the Magic of Writing by Diana Wynne Jones.

Strands of Bronze and Gold: The Bluebeard Fairy Tale Retold by Jane Nickerson. (ARC)

Yes, I know. My bookstack this month is crazy but I think it’s possible for me to read 3-4 books a week. We’ll see.

If you’re still trying to figure out which bookish events you want to join in March, here’s my round-up post.

So what are your plans for March? What are you reading?

March Bookish Events

I’m starting to think March is a book blogger’s January, filled with tbr to-do lists, read-alongs, and events. It’s like everyone decided that January wasn’t good enough so they’re cramming as many things into March as possible since February was so short. Yesterday, I looked around the blogisphere and found some really interesting events going on, so I thought I’ll share them with you all.

The lovely Care is hosting a read-along of Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles that’s going on right now.  This is a really great book to read so if it’s on your reading list, why not join in? I think the read-along is going on all month though Care’s final post will be up March 15^th. The Twitter hashtag is #achillesong

Care also told the rest of us about the read-along that’s going to start of Possession by A.S. Byatt that’s being hosted by Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness) and Lu (Regular Rumination). The official post is here. On March 11^th there will be a check-in of chapters 1-6. I’ve always been intimidated by Possession for years but recently bought a copy so I’m in. The read-along Twitter’s hashtag: #readByatt

Heather and Andi, the lovely ladies behind Estella’s Society are hosting a bookish photo-a-day challenge. The challenge will be going on on Instagram though several bloggers, including myself, will be posting on our blogs and other platforms. Hashtag #estellagram

Looking for a chunkster to pick up? Then you’re in luck. The Chunkster Challenge’s Chunky Book Club is hosting its first group read of the year with The Map of Time by Felix Palma. Discussions on the book will start on March 15^th and continue through the rest of the month. Remember: you don’t have to be a challenge participant and you can read the chunkster in any format you want.

My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayer is a book that I’ve been reading nothing but positive things about so I was happy to see that it’s this month’s book pick for the Mocha Girls Read Book Club.

Is your TBR stack getting out of control? (Of course it is.) Kimba over at Caffeinated Book Reviewer is hosting a month-long TBR Read-a-thon. If reading strictly from your tbr pile for a whole month is too much, Kimba is also hosting a TBR Pile Read-a-thon from March 15^th – 18^th. #takecontrol

Since it’s March that means Kristen’s back with Diana Wynne Jones Month, a celebration of the late author and her influential work. There will be giveaways, guest posts, and read-alongs of Howl’s Moving Castle and A Tale of Time City.  I’m giving away a DWJ book this month so stay tuned. #dwjmarch

Last but not least, Rebecca (Lost in Books) is celebrating Women’s History Month with guest posts and book reviews.

Whew! That was a lot! Are you joining any read-alongs or bookish events this month?

My edition from Penguin Threads

Edit: I can’t believe I forgot about this read-along even though I signed up for it! Jill (FizzyThoughts) is hosting a read-along of Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women. #Marchon

Book Review: Quiet by Susan Cain

Tags

book reviews, introverts, non-fiction books

 Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

Susan Cain

368 pages

Published in January 2013 by Broadway

Source: Bought it

If it wasn’t for a Twitter chat a few months ago, I probably wouldn’t have gone out of my way to read Quiet just yet. Don’t get me wrong. It was already on my reading list but there are so many books to read and well, not enough time. It’s a good thing for me that Joy (Joy’s Book Blog) decided to host an online discussion about this book.

In Quiet, Susan Cain describes just what makes introverts who they are. She describes the difference between being introverted and being shy; being introverted is the preference for quiet environments while being shy is a fear of being humiliated or feeling disapproval in public. Using some of the latest psychological research, she also shows how stimulation and biology has a lot to do with whether someone is an introvert or an extrovert.

The book is divided into three parts. The first part deals with society’s focus on extroversion as an ideal and includes a quiz for readers to see where they stand on the introvert-extrovert spectrum. The second part deals with biology and how much of it influences our environmental preferences. Part three describes the Asian American experience in America while part four bring it altogether with work and relationship preferences.

As an introvert, it was nice to learn more about the differences between the two preferences. Cain writes about how “the culture of personality” in America has blossomed and changed what American society values. In the early 1900s, there was a shift from individuals having character to having an extroverted personality. We still discuss and praise people with character like Warren Buffet and George Clooney for the charity work they do but the people that stay on the tongue of society are people who talk first and think later. Not every extrovert acts this way though.

I also learned about the orchid hypothesis. Some kids are orchids and need a lot of time and attention while other children can bloom anywhere they’re planted. It made me realize that my oldest and youngest are definitely orchid kids. I knew that but I didn’t have a name for it. If you have a quiet child, I think the chapter you really should read is chapter 11 which is all about bringing out the best in introverted kids.

Cain, while praising the strengths of introverts also shows how both personalities can stretch to act more like the other. But she admits human beings are rubber bands and are able to stretch only so far. I found Quiet to be well-written and greatly researched. My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Here’s Susan Cain’s TedTalk called The Power of Introverts

Silver Sparrow Read-In and Discussion Post

Today’s the day! Welcome to my 2^nd African American Read-In! This year’s pick is Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones.  Set in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1980’s, it’s the tale of James Witherspoon, a man who’s married to two very different women. Told from the viewpoint of James’ two daughters, readers see how James keep this life of lies going. Silver Sparrow was first published in 2011 and has been included on many best books of 2011 lists.

If you wrote a review of Silver Sparrow, please leave a link of it in the Mr. Linky below.

Feel free to discuss (or ignore) as many questions as you want to. A few of the questions came from Reading Group Guides.com while others are questions that I’ve wanted to ask.

1. There is so much talk these days about fatherhood—contrasting the deadbeat dad with the Bill Cosby-type father. How do you evaluate James Witherspoon, who is both?
2. Is Laverne’s life better or worse for having married James? What about Gwen? Does James love Laverne or Gwen? Does he love either one of them?
3. Why do you think Raleigh is so loyal to James?
4. Should Gwen have married Raleigh when she had the chance?
5. Where you surprised to read about Gwen confronting Laverne?
6. Did you have a favorite character? Did you have a least favorite? Which characters would you like to know more about?
7. Were you surprised at the ending? Was it ever possible for this story to have a happy ending?
8. Overall, what did you think of the book?

The Classics Spin

The Classics Challenge is hosting a mini-challenge called the Classics Spin. Readers list twenty classics that they want to read by today. Tomorrow on February 18^th,  the challenge hosts will randomly pick a number from 1-20. Whatever number they pick, readers read the book that corresponds to that number.

I have a ton of classics on my shelves that I haven’t read yet and this mini-challenge sounds like a great way to get through my unread stack.  The books I’ve chosen for my list are mostly recent classics and most are on my shelves as a way to conquer my tbr stack.

My list:

1. Grimm’s Fairy Tales

2. Mythology by Edith Hamilton

3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

4. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

5. The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X

6. Passing by Nella Larson

7. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

8. The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien

9. Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

10. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich

11. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

12. The View from Saturday by  E.L. Konigsburg (a children’s classic)

13. Winnesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

14. Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson 

15. Selected Poems by Langston Hughes

16. Maus by Art Spiegelman

17. Poems – Sappho

18. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

19. Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv (a parenting classic)

20. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (a children’s classic)

Have you signed up for this mini-challenge?

#14 was the lucky number picked for the spin. At first I was surprised but now I can’t wait to start reading Shirley Jackson’s Life Among the Savages. Yes, this is the same Shirley Jackson that wrote the short story, “The Lottery”.

Sunday Salon

Tags

reading

Good morning! Breakfast has been made and now I finally have time to write a post. Last week was been a whirlwind. It seems like there was so much to do and just not enough time. Between homeschooling, studying for classes (biopsychology and library cataloging), and taking care of the house, I need all the extra time I can find.

Last week I didn’t finish a single adult book. I’m almost looking back at that in disbelief. Not one book? I’m still reading the same books that I’ve been reading for the past 2-3 weeks: Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon, Harlem is Nowhere by Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts, and Quiet by Susan Cain. I’m going to try my best to finish at least Harlem is Nowhere and Quiet this week.

Just in case you forgot, next Monday my read-in discussion of Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones starts. The discussion will go on all week. There’s still time to get a copy and start reading. Silver Sparrow is a page-turner, so you can finish it in a few days.

The March selection for the Chunkster Challenge’s Chunky Book Club is Felix J. Palma’s The Map of Time. This book has been on my reading list since its publication. The discussion starts March 15^th and will go on for the rest of the month.

I’m off. I still have some homework to get through before going to the bookstore later on today. It’s a $1 bookstore so let’s hope I don’t buy my weight in books.  What are you reading today?