Always, Always Reading

Taft 2012

2012-02-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Taft 2012 by Jason Heller is the story of William Howard Taft reappearing on the political scene for this year's presidential election. Somehow Taft had fallen asleep in 1913 on the way to Woodrow Wilson's Inauguration and then awoke in 2012.

Taft is shot by the Secret Service for walking around the White House grounds when we awoke from his 100 year sleep. Shortly after, they discover that he really is President Taft so he's given Secret Service protection and allowed to explore modern day America. He meets his great granddaughter, Rachel, who is serving in Congress as an Independent Representative from Ohio.

Taft 2012 is a pretty funny indictment of our modern political system. It's also the story of a man who has suddenly experienced life with everyone he knew gone. Taft feels grief for his long dead wife and he comes to terms with his relationship with teddy Roosevelt. This is a good election year book with an interesting premise.

War and Peace

2012-01-27T10:18:00.004-07:00

I feel like I've climbed Mt. Everest or run a marathon with finishing War and Peace. I might have done a victory dance.

War and Peace follows Pierre, the illegitimate son of a wealthy count, Prince Andrew and his sister Princess Mary, and the Rostov family, who has lost all their wealth, in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars. It's an epic, full of love and death.

It was surprisingly easier to read than I expected. There were some philosophical history sections, reflections on history by Tolstoy, that were a bit intense. I also had a cheat sheet of the characters that I referred to frequently in the beginning as I was having trouble keeping track of all the characters. Despite those issues, it wasn't as intimidating as its reputation. It is very long though. Very very long.

One little section that I laughed over:

"I don't know why you think I am cross, "said Nicholas, replying to the question he knew was in his wife's mind.
I always ask Evan why he's upset and he always tells me the same thing.

Another few of quotes I liked:

"Where there's law there's injustice," put in the little man.

He read, and read everything that came to hand.

But Helene, like a really great man who can do whatever he pleases, at once assumed her own position to be correct, as she sincerely believed it to be, and that everyone else was to blame. (We certainly all know people like this.)

"Russia and summer weather are not bound together," he thought. (Wyoming, what?)

I'm really glad I read War and Peace, but don't imagine I'll ever do it again.

Cindy Ella

2012-01-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer is a modern YA take on the Cinderella story. The main character, Cindy, has the requisite mean step-mom and sisters. Cindy writes a letter to the student newspaper about how stupid prom is and becomes an outcast within her school. Prince Charming (or is that in Sleeping Beauty?) shows up as a popular senior who appears to be interested in Cindy.

It was a cute story, but could have used a better editor. barebecue (barbecue), AP English as a freshman?, Tiffani Amber-Theissen instead of Tiffani-Amber, wearing white ok after Memorial Day (uh, it's Easter...). I know it's little stuff, but it really detracted from my enjoyment of the book. I don't know the process of book editing, but I was really surprised by the errors I saw in this book. (It's an actual book published by Puffin, not a self published kindle book.)

I would read another book by Palmer because I did enjoy the plot, but I hope she's found a better editor.

2011 Favorites

2012-01-21T10:34:00.003-07:00

How is it 2012? Does anyone remember watching Conan O'Brien before 2000 when he first started his "In the year 2000" skits? And now it's 2012? Geez.

Anyhow, being that time of the year, here's my list for favorites of 2011 in no particular order. The links go to my review of the book.

The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart (YA)

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (dystopian)

Shine by Lauren Myracle (YA, mystery)

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (classic, mystery)

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (historical fiction, mystery)

A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres (history, religion)

Spark by John Ratey (science, exercise)

The rest of my 5 star (on GR) books:

I'm Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman
Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness by Alexandra Fuller
Scat by Carl Hiaasen
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (reread)
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen (reread)
The Gulag Archipelago by Solheitzen
Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (reread)
Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty (reread)
Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The Virginian

2012-01-18T16:16:00.001-07:00

The Virginian was one of those novels that ugh, you just cannot get into until all of sudden you can't put it down. I'd picked it up a few times and couldn't get anywhere in it. Since it's one of those WYOMING (caps for a reason) books, I knew I really should read it. I finally sat down and said I was going to finish it. Almost exactly halfway through the book, it got really good. Thanks goodness! From that point on, I really enjoyed it.

The Virginian is the story of a man from Virginia who moves to Wyoming and lives the cowboy lifestyle. It's one of the first books in the western genre. It shows the cowboy way of life, the lawlessness of the frontier, and an outsider's view of it all.

A few Wyoming related lines:

"What world am I in?" I said aloud. "Does this same planet hold Fifth Avenue?"

" I could not live without it now," he said. "This has got into my system." He swept his hand out at the vast space of world.

"No lotus land ever cast its spell upon man's heart more than Wyoming had enchanted mine."

The book also has a bit of a romance. The Virginian to his beloved, "And I think I could give you a pretty good sort of love." Swoon.

After I finished the book, I felt like doing a victory lap. I was very proud that I finally got it read. And, I was really glad I ended up enjoying it as much as I did.

My 2011 Goal

2012-01-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

In 2009, I read 202 books while in 2010 I read 167. I set my 2011 goal for 175 and met it, with 176 books.

I'm not sure what my goal will be in 2012. I think I'm going to set it for 175 again, but my real goal should be to read the books I own and not get more. I have so many books and I just keep buying more. I say this every year, but maybe this time I can accomplish that.

Cat's Cradle

2012-01-12T21:06:00.001-07:00

A little bit ago, Amazon was having a sale on Vonnegut books so I purchased Cat's Cradle. I'd only ever read Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut, which I really liked. I first read in my 10th grade American lit English class. I reread it earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Going in to Cat's Cradle, I was expecting to enjoy it because of my feelings on Slaughterhouse Five, but it was a bit hard to get into. I'm not a science fiction kind of reader, so I had to force myself to read it. In the end, I'm really glad I did.

Cat's Cradle is the story of a creator of the atom bomb and his next project, Ice 9. Ice 9 was suggested by a Marine who didn't want to tromp through mud. The mixture will freeze water. Through a comedy of errors, Ice 9 threatens civilization. Whoops.

I really enjoyed Cat's Cradle. It's got the same WhatTheHellness as Slaughterhouse Five. Perhaps I should pick up some more Vonnegut.

The Moonstone

2012-01-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

Wilkie Collins is a mystery writer from the mid 1800s. The Moonstone is on the 1001 Book You Must Read list. (Link goes to my progress on the list.)The Moonstone is on the longer side, but I read it in just a couple days. I couldn't put it down. I didn't figure out the answer to the mystery ahead of time. It had great twists and turns.

The Moonstone is about the theft of a diamond known as the Moonstone. The novel is set up as personal reflections and remembrances of many characters in the book. Each person's story adds a bit to the mystery. It was a fun way of getting different characters' impressions and views.

Since The Moonstone was published prior to 1923, it's in the public domain and the ebook is free. If you are fan of mysteries, I highly recommend it. Collins has many other books, one of which, The Woman in White, is already on my kindle.

My Top 10 Favorite Authors

2012-01-05T15:41:00.000-07:00

No particular order:

1) Bill Bryson
2) George Orwell
3) Sarah Dessen
4) Jane Austen
5) Agatha Christie
6) Jon Krakauer
7) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
8) Tony Horwitz
9) Jacqueline Winspear
Tied for 10) Carl Hiaasen, Kerry Greenwood, Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure

2012-01-01T15:07:00.001-07:00

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure by Matthew Algeo is the story of a road trip that Harry and Bess Truman took shortly after leaving the White House in the early 1950s.

Truman's trip was the last of its kind. Afterwards, subsequent ex-presidents have had much closer Secret Service detail that wouldn't allow the flexibility and freedom the Trumans experienced.

The Trumans drove from Missouri to DC and then to New York City, where their daughter Margaret lived. Along the way they stopped at roadside restaurants delighting the unsuspecting public. They also surprised police officers-can you imagine the shock of the officer who pulled the President over? It seemed that the Trumans would have preferred more anonymity, but were good sports and kind to those they met along the way. The book also highlights some of the differences between life in the 1950s and today. The places at which the Trumans stayed, purchased gas, and ate were mom and pop establishments, and they drove on pre-Interstate highways.

Not only was the book about the trip itself, it was also a bit of a biography of Truman. As Truman was the last of the presidents without a secret service detail, he also was one without a pension from his days as president. He needed money because the only retirement he had was from his days as a soldier in WWI. Truman didn't want to sully the role of the president by working so he relied on others in many ways.

This was a fairly short book and it wasn't a deep look into Truman, but it covered a lot of information I didn't know about him and the presidency.

Beauty Queens

2011-12-29T15:43:00.005-07:00

Libba Bray's Beauty Queens is the story of Miss Teen Dream plane crash survivors. It is a satire of reality tv and big business, mores in society and the political system. A lot of the jabs toward these institutions are blatantly obvious and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments.

"...which was protested by Concerned Citizens of America First for allowing more than ten black people on stage at one time."

"Sexuality is not meant to be this way--an honest, consensual expression in which a girl might take an active role when she feels good and ready and not one minute before. No. Sexual desire is meant to sell soap. And cars. And beer. And religion."

"People like to hear your future plans for ovaries."

"Void where prohibited in states where the school board has banned A Tale of Two Cities because Charles Dickens is clearly a pornographic name."

Once their place crashes, the survivors need to find food and water--and continue their pageant preparation routine. They are surprisingly adept at taking care of themselves, building huts, catching fish, and collecting rainwater.

I really loved all the contestants, from Miss Texas Taylor who whole heartedly believed in the pageant mentality to Mary Lou, an at-times reserved Miss Nebraska, to the almost interchangable Miss Alabama and Miss Mississippi winners. But honestly, all of them were fun characters. I think my favorite was Miss Colorado.

One of the things I didn't particularly care for in the novel was the appearance of the reality show pirates. These young men provide love interests for a few of the beauty queens and I thought their addition took away from the real story: the girls realizing that they are strong women. In having these chracters, Bray ventures in to the romantic idea that we must have sexual relationships to have a good book. Unfortunately by doing so it kind of ignores what the rest of the book is about.

Wicked Bugs

2011-12-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Wicked Bugs by Amy Stewart is a non-fiction book about wicked bugs. The bugs discussed in the books are wicked because they either cause massive property damage or can lead to series medical issues.

The first chapter of Wicked Bugs was offered for free on Audible and I really enjoyed it so I bought the full book. However, I was less impressed with it than I hoped. I had a hard time keeping up with it. I would have done better to read it rather than listen to it.

One of the many things I enjoy about Wyoming is its lack of bugs. Reading Wicked Bugs certainly renewed that feeling. We have mosquitoes, and lots of them, but little else.

If you are afraid of bugs, do not read this book. I am ok around bugs, but parts of it made my skin crawl.

Revolution and A Northern Light

2011-12-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

My online book club recently read Revolution and then I saw A Northern Light at the library so I've read two of Jennifer Donnelly's books in the last month or two.

The two books were both young adult novels and about young women going though major life changes.

Revolution is the story of a girl from Brooklyn whose little brother died and then her parents divorced. Her dad moved on and has a new family while her mother is losing control of reality in her grief.

The main character, Andi, travels to Paris with her father and finds a journal from another young women, one who lived during the French Revolution. The book alternates between the present and the past. I love historical fiction books like this.

I liked Revolution, but I had one big problem with how the author dealt with depression. It was really hard for me to listen to Andi in her rage, but that made sense. It showed how Andi's emotions were so strong. What I really really didn't like was how her mother's depression was treated like it was some oh just buck up situation when Andi talks about how she got her mom out of the mental health center and she just needed to paint. I really hate when mental illness is treated as just this you only need to cheer up kinda thing. I'm sure I'm overreacting to this because I'm especially sensitive to the issue.

One part I really loved was Virgil. I wasn't as interested in the romance between him and Andi, but I really liked the insight he provided about the situation of immigrants in present day France. His songs told a lot about his social situation. I also thought the information about the French Revolution was true to history and added a lot to the story.

A Northern Light is a historical fiction story of a woman that dies in a lake at a New York resort in the early 1900s. Mattie, the main character, is an employee at the resident who spoke the dead woman right before she died.

Mattie's growth into a woman through education and how she moves to the the world beyond where she's from are part of the plot . The story is a mystery about the woman's death, but it's also about Mattie's journey.

I definitely recommend both books. I enjoyed the characters and their stories.

Kindle Fire

2011-12-04T20:41:00.003-07:00

As soon as Amazon introduced the Kindle Fire, I pre-ordered one. I've had it for a couple weeks and have really enjoyed having it.

One of the reasons I wanted one was the backlit screen. Evan goes to sleep earlier than I do most nights and he doesn't like the light on. I don't sit at a computer all day so the back light doesn't bother me.

It doesn't hurt to have Angry Birds, facebook, and goodreads apps on it either!

Lazy Sunday

2011-11-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Not much going on around here today. I got a Kindle Fire (more info to come) so Evan's picked up my other Kindle and has been glued to the Hunger Games series the past couple days. He's cuddling with our foster dog, Bella.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: There's not much better than a cuddly dog and a good book.

Shit My Dad Says

2011-11-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

I thought I would find this funny in a college frat boy sort of way, but I thought it was much more than that. It was a family memoir and Halpern's dad's love for his son is apparent. Funny, but also genuine and loving. I highly recommend it!

Amazing Grace

2011-11-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

I found this at my library book sale. I was really interested in it because of the blurb on the front: "A chick lit grand slam." I love YA chick lit.

Sadly, I was disappointed by this. I hoped that it was going to be along the lines of a Sarah Dessen novel, but it wasn't near as good.

Amazing Grace by Megan Shull is about a young tennis phenom who wants out of the craziness of being a media star. She hides out in Alaska, where she meets a new best friend and a love interest, while growing up a bit. The plot was a bit far-fetched by having the main character landing in Alaska.

I gave it 3 stars on goodreads, but it's more of a 2.5 stars book. It's definitely not a grand slam.

A Thousand Lives

2011-11-18T00:42:00.002-07:00

Wow. This was fascinating. I bought the audiobook, which was 11 hours long, and listened to it over two days. I couldn't stop listening to it. It was fascinating.

A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres is about Jim Jones and the massacre at Jonestown in 1978. Over 900 people were killed/committed suicide under the direction of Jones. An audio file of the last minutes survived and people can be heard fighting giving their children the poison while Jones and his leaders talked about how everything was fine and that they shouldn't worry. A number of people had injection marks, leading the medical examining team to believe that they were killed rather than had willingly taken the kool-aid. (This is where the term "drank the kool-aid" originates.)

Jones began his church in Indiana in the 1950s as a integrated, welcoming group, but increasingly became in to a cult. People followed Jones from Indiana to northern California to San Francisco and finally to Jonestown, Guyana in South America. Once in Jonestown, Jones descended into to a drug induced fantasy land and his followers suffered. To someone reading the book today, I think it's easy to say WTH about the people that followed Jones. But, the author talks about how it's easy for us to dismiss Jonestown while instead we should be examining how Jones was so successful at getting people to believe in him to the extent of killing themselves.

The whole incident was so horrifying. It's hard to imagine what the residents of Jonestown thought as things worsened. The book says that the 45 minute audio of the final minutes of Jonestown are online and can be listened to. It was difficult enough hearing (audio book, remember?) the bits that the author quoted.

If you're interested in Jonestown at all or just like non-fiction, you should definitely read this. Incidently, you are reading my review on the 33rd anniversary of the event.

It Is Well with My Soul

2011-11-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

It is Well with My Soul is a memoir by Ella Mae Cheeks Johnson about her long 106 year life. Johnson gained attention in 2008 when she attended Obama's Inauguration. Evan and I also attended the inauguration and were on the same plane as Johnson. We sat in the row behind her as people around us asked her questions about life and her thoughts on Obama. For me, it was a really cool way of starting out our trip, thinking about this black woman who had seen so many changes in society that lead her to where she was that day.

The book was very short, but was interesting considering the wide time span it covered. It focused a lot on her life rather than what she saw in society. It was enjoyable, but I would have been a bit disappointed by it had I not met her because I would have preferred the book to have discussed Johnson's reflections on changes she saw in the the US through the many events she experienced.

The Gulag Archipelago

2011-11-02T15:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, that does say abridged. Despite being an abridged version of The Gulag Archipelago, the book I read still had 500+ pages. for years, I've been thinking that I needed to read The Gulag Archipelago, but I never got around to it since it's such a beast. When I found this edition, I picked it up and had no more excuses.

The Gulag Archipelago was written by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn spent time in the Soviet gulags (work camps) because he spoke against Stalin. Many others were in the gulags for no real reason- a family member had made negative comments about Stalin, someone had been tricked or tortured in to falsely accusing them of some offense.

The stories Solzhenitsyn tells speak about how the gulags are horrible. One of the saddest parts, though there were too many to count, was the story of WW2 veterans who were sent to the gulags becuase they had been taken as POWs by the Germans instead of fighting to the death. Life in the gulags was extremely difficult and millions of people died from overwork, starvation, or preventable diseases.

It was a long hard read, but very worthwhile to spend time on. Stalin was truly evil. His people suffered so much under his rule.

Overdue Library Books

2011-10-17T00:43:00.000-06:00

I love Pearls Before Swine, this comic. Love, love, love.

On my TBR short list

2011-10-15T21:39:00.000-06:00

I've got several classics high on my TBR list.

The Virginian by Owen Wister

The Virginian is set just down the road. It's one of those books that I feel as a Wyomingite, I need to read.

Silas Marner by George Eliot

And, for when I'm feeling really motivated: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I have good intentions with it, but it'll probably sit on my shelf for years.

Letter of a Woman Homesteader

2011-10-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

There are a number of books that I feel like I need to read as a Wyomingite. Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart was one of those books.

Letters of a Woman Homesteader is not a novel or memoir, it's the actual letters Stewart wrote to a friend after she moved to western Wyoming in the early 1900s. The letters tell the story of her arrival and subsequent years. For me, the book was kind of slow. However, I highlighted line after line because so much of what Elinore wrote spoke to me. (yay for Kindle highlighting!)

"The quaking aspens were just beginning to turn yellow; everywhere the purple asters were a blaze of glory except where the rabbit-bush grew in clumps, waving its feathery plumes of gold. Over it all, the sky was so deeply blue, with little, airy, white clouds drifting lazily along."

"All westerns are likable, with the possible exception of Greasy Pete."

"I can think of nothing that would give me more happiness than to bring the west and its people to others who could not otherwise enjoy them. If I could only take them from whatever is worrying them and give them this bracing mountain air, glimpses of the scenery, the smell of the pines and sage."

The Day the World Came to Town

2011-10-09T15:36:00.001-06:00

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon The Day the World Came to Town, but I'm glad I did. I've had it on my shelf for awhile, and finally picked it up for the 10 year anniversary of September 11th.

This year I didn't watch any of the tv coverage, though I did read some stories and look at pictures on the internet. I really didn't want to bring back all the sadness. So why would I pick up a book about 9/11 you ask.

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede was about 9/11, but a good side-- how the people in Newfoundland, Canada came together to help people whose planes were grounded survive a few days marooned in the Atlantic.

When the US closed airspace because of the attacks, planes flying into the US were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland. Residents of Gander and surrounding towns opend up their homes and helped in every way imaginable to host the stranded travelers.

The Day the World Came to Town was a heart warming piece of the larger tragedy of 9/11. It was nice to read this as a way to remember that day instead of watching the towers fall on tv over and over again. It's definitely worth picking up, though save it for next Sept 11 when you need to see some good in people.

Speak

2011-09-28T22:51:00.000-06:00

I heard of Speak from my online book club. I had seen it on banned book lists, Recently Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was challenged because some idiot (I'm editorializing) said the rape scene from the book was pornographic. At the time I tuned it out as another moron spouting off about YA books. I figured I should read it to see what all the love and hatred of the book was about.

Upon reading the book, I was even more appalled than before. Speak is the story of a teenage girl's year after having been raped. The story is heartbreaking, how this teenager is falling apart because of her experience. While I thought the ending was a bit far-fetched, I really enjoyed (as much as you can about a book of depression and rape) it.

I think this is a must-read for anyone who works with teenagers. I'm including that moron who said it was pornographic. Maybe he'd get some clue if he actually read the book.

Happy Banned Books week!