book reviews 2008

Here I hope to compile my readings and my reactions. A new year deserves a fresh start. My list as of 1/1/08 (starting with most recently read):

31. 12/28/08
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This book sucked me in from the opening lines, and my heart pounded uncomfortably throughout the entire thing. Since reading it, there has been an almost constant stream of thought in the back of my mind devoted to these characters and their unbelievable experiences. To write a synopsis of the story doesn't come close to doing the piece justice-- the plot taken alone initially sounds silly and unbelievable, but as the characters are developed, it becomes frighteningly possible. As I described the plot to my mother-in-law, she responded by comparing it to Gladiator 'events' of the past, and that really drove home the point to me that as incredibly unrealistic as this may sound to me in my little safe world, the atrocities that man is capable of rendering is horrific, as any history book (or even current world news story) can attest to. This book leaves you contemplating the paths that power can take and what that does to the basic tenets of humanity.

I adored the main character Katniss. All the typical teenage character traits are there, yet they're more often than not overshadowed by the burden of trying to survive, both before and during the Hunger Games. She is beautifully created and her voice rings so straightforward in this novel. While I didn't know from the onset that this book was the beginning of a series, as I neared the end I became curious about how the story would wrap up. I am seriously waiting with bated breath for the next installment.

30. 12/26/08
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
My 8 year old son and I just finished this book on the day after Christmas, and I have to say that I LOVED reading this aloud with him. While it took twice the time to read it this way with all the time it took to explain passages in my own words, it also made me think even more about the text than if I were simply reading it to myself. What can I say about this story that hasn't already been said in the 150+ years since it was written? I enjoyed discussing the major themes of the story with my son, and now the challenge will be in remembering them in our daily lives. (To be technically accurate, I do have this particular version that includes 'A Christmas Carol,' but I haven't read the other 'Christmas Books' in this version yet-- that's for future days, but I liked this cover the best!)”

29. 12/15/08
Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream by Adam Shepard
While the premise of this book sounded incredibly interesting (literally trying to start a life with only $25 and the clothes on his back), the telling of the story really turned me off. The author's repeated 'epiphanies' made me groan out loud after a while, wondering how this man had made it to early adulthood without these realizations. The issues at play here were too over-simplified for my taste. He repeatedly points out criticisms that others may offer about his plight (the location he chose, his age, his not having children as responsibilities, as a few examples-- I also offer his race and his gender as MAJOR ones), but he continually dismisses them in the same breath, rather than take them into account and surmise the affects they had on his actual experience. The experiment was worthy, but the writing, I wasn't a fan of at all.

28. 12/6/08
The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics by David L. Kirp
It took me months to finally get through this book, which really surprised me given the topic and its nearness to my heart as a preschool teacher. The book's beginning pulled me in, and I once again was reminded of the fact that Chicago seems to have always been the heart of the constructivist and child-centered educational movement in our country's history. But the majority of the book is like a really long newspaper article, and it was challenging for me to keep track of all the people referenced throughout the chapters. I agree philosophically 100% with the author, yet I think too little emphasis was placed on the actual 'meat' of the movement-- QUALITY preschool education. This is key, and is the sticking point for me as to why I may not throw myself behind a governmental embrace of universal pre-k. I don't want the NCLB crap to be pushed down on the four-year-olds (and even younger ones!) the way it has been on everyone else in publicly funded schools. A passage at the end summed it up best, but unfortunately in my opinion, there was not enough assertion by the author throughout the book as to what advocates are calling 'quality.'

page 266: "Good preschools can rewrite the scripts of children's lives, but a four-year-old doesn't gain anything from attending a prekindergarten where untrained instructors, obliged to manage large classes, driven by the narrow objectives of No Child Left Behind, substitute skill-and-drill for thinking. Since advocates of high-quality preschool can't monitor every prekindergarten, the challenge is to design a system that will sustain a culture of quality--one that gives parents usable information, lays out the best practices, and offers inducements to preschools that improve themselves."

So now, it is up to us preschool advocates to help define 'best practice.' I think that's where the real battle begins.

27. 11/30/08
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Ya'll know how much I absolutely adore WL's writing. This third novel was no exception. I'm finding it extremely difficult to try to explain my feelings about this story in just a few words. (Shocking, I know!) The themes that are interwoven in these 700+ pages are extensive-- hope, survival, freedom, faith, abuse, imprisonment, I could go on and on. The main characters of this story drew me in from the opening lines, and I still find myself contemplating what Caelum Quirk ultimately comes to believe by the end of the story. Wally Lamb has once again tackled an intensely dramatic story filled with tragedy and sadness, yet I'm left with a feeling of renewal after reading it, as strange as that sounds. Definitely one of my new favorites.

26. 11/25/08
I'll Fly Away edited and introduced by Wally Lamb
This book was beyond overwhelming-- evoking raw emotions of sadness, disbelief, and anger, but also a glimmer of hope. The beauty to be found in these stories is that no matter what horrendous experiences these women have been through or perpetuated, they all seek to find some sort of peace and rehabilitation through their writing, even if they know they will most likely never walk freely again in their lives. Their voices are strong, even when their actions were weak, and once again Wally Lamb has helped to bring their stories to the public. For that I am thankful.

25. 11/19/08
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
While I was not a fan of the chronologically backwards telling of the story, this was an overall interesting read that kept me engaged in the characters' lives and interested in learning more. I felt that the back stories of the Garcia girls would have helped me better interpret their most recent life experiences-- it's almost as if I need to read it a second time to bring the book full circle. There's so much left untold here, I think, as I'm left wanting to know more about these characters. I was a fan of the use of language in this book- beautifully written passages that jumped off the page in vibrance. Maybe I will have to read it again!

24. 11/19/08
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
JAM and I really enjoyed this book, and once again, I'm relishing in the experience of sharing something with my son that was a part of my own childhood. This story is one of magic and wonder, and growing up as well-- learning to respect other people, essentially, on so many levels. The adventure level was just perfect for JAM, and even though we took a little hiatus for a while, it was easy to jump right back into the story.

23. 11/2/08
Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts
This was a book that I never would have picked up on my own if it weren't for my online book club, but I must admit that I discovered there is a part of me that can get interested in historical texts. (But it does take me an extremely LONG time to do so...) Although I was repeatedly frustrated with the author's inability to write in a straight line, when I could keep up and manage my way through the unexpected and choppy transitions, I was fascinated by the untold stories of the women in the lives of the major players of the founding of our country. The separations, the sacrifices, the losses- all of it was so unimaginable, and these women deserve so much more credit in the history books than they have ever gotten!

22. 9/15/08
The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
To write just a few sentences about this book is quite difficult, as it was more than just my average reading experience. My emotions were tapped big time as I read this man's account of what he thinks is in order for our country, in theory and in practice. I'm not well-versed in politics, and quite frankly, I don't often wish to be, since it all ends up seeming so corrupt and dishonest and just plain dirty most of the time. But... without sounding *too* corny, Barack Obama makes me believe that it doesn't have to be that way. I do have hope that he will be elected President, not because I think he's some sort of savior, but because he seems to be the kind of person who has the intelligence, fortitude, thoughtfulness, and the ability to approach a problem or an issue in more than one immediately-decided-upon way. He writes as he speaks- powerfully, convincingly and from the heart. I really enjoyed this book, as the many pencil marked notes can attest to, and I look forward to casting my vote for him in a few short weeks.

21. 9/5/08
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
I really enjoyed this little book with its big ideas about how transforming a story can be. I admit that I know nothing about China's Cultural Revolution, but these characters bring their experiences to life, and their pain is evident but it doesn't take over their existence. The forbidden literature that enters their confined lives opens up a new world for them to escape into. It was a very quick read, simply because I didn't want to put it down.

20. 8/14/08
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I read this book for the second time in two years, and I still cannot get over what I've read. The parenting this woman received as a child was beyond neglectful. Words cannot begin to describe the level of poverty and neglect she somehow survived. It's almost too difficult to try to describe- one simply has to read her very straightforward and somewhat emotionally detached retelling of her childhood years.

19. 7/18/08
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
The big kid and I read for over 45 minutes tonight to finish this book, as neither of us wanted to end a third consecutive night by putting the bookmark in. I really enjoyed this story, and I appreciated the openings for discussions with J that it presented. The characters are multi-faceted, which is often hard to truly establish in a children's novel. By the end, J even offered to take over the reading aloud, since, as he put it, "You're starting to cry too hard to read it." Yup, that sums it up.

18. 7/7/08
Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning by Scotty McLennan
This book was sitting on a shelf parallel to the check-out line at the library, and the title (and Doonesbury illustration) caught my eye as I was awaiting my turn. I had the big kid hold my place in line while I picked it up, and it's as if this book yelled out to me, "This is what you've been thinking about-- c'mon, you have to admit it." The book itself is a pretty straight-forward collection of stories, anecdotes and theory about religious and spiritual development. The author makes mention and shows respect of most major religious groups, and it was interesting to read the variety of stories shared. For me, though, the writing itself wasn't the focus of the experience of reading this book, but rather the thought process that it evoked in me. The title of this book speaks directly for me-- this is exactly how I feel, and I find myself searching for something, even though I don't know what. I feel encouraged to begin a new (or a revisited?) journey to find a religious expression that fits me.

17. 7/1/08
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Yeah. It's not easy to talk about this book-- I'm not even sure that I want to proclaim to the world that I've read it, because it was seriously filled with such gratuitous filth... but... it was definitely interesting, in a sick way, and the author absolutely made the main character's voice come alive, as demented as he may have been. Overall, I'm not intrigued enough to pursue more books by Palahniuk, but I have to admit that I'm curious to see how this book translates to the big screen, since I believe it was made into a feature film.

16. 6/24/08
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Memoirs are my absolute favorite genre of books to read, yet I'm always confronted with the leagues of detractors in the wake of the publication of a memoir. Claims that an author has not written accurately on their own history follow every memoir, and yet I feel that if I had to question every detail, the book would certainly lose its power. Call me naive, but I'd like to assume a certain level of a trusting relationship with the author. For this book, I found myself thrust into unknown worlds, and without any context to place the experiences being reported, I have no basis on which to question the author's honesty. The regularly practiced acts among the societies she lived within in Somalia, Kenya and Saudi Arabia ranged from unpleasant to atrocious, and even assuming a small level of exaggeration, there is no acceptability to these experiences. I found myself held hostage by this book- I couldn't stop reading, and even when I finally would put it down to fall asleep at night, I know it haunted me in my sleep as I awoke with vague senses of its presence in my dreams. If nothing else, this book has forced me to really think about what I know about foreign government systems, and the impact of religions, especially the 'true' Islam as she describes it, on the lives of millions of people around the world.

15. 6/15/08
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
David Sedaris cracks me up. That's the simple review. The more complex review would involve... well, guess what? There is no more complex review. This guy is simply funny-- his life cracks me up, his family is hysterical, his quirks are one-of-a-kind. His self-deprecating humor is well appreciated around these parts, and I imagine he is a handful of a guy to spend time with. This is the type of book-- not quite memoir, more like essays about his wacky life experiences-- that I so wish I could write... if only I were funnier!

14. 6/3/08
A Wolf at the Table by Augusten Burroughs
Words cannot begin to express my feelings about this book, about the visceral reactions I experienced while taking in these words. I've read almost everything Augusten Burroughs has previously offered, but this book is a drastic shift from his others. There is the in-depth reporting of events from his childhood, rich with his emotions as if it were happening in this very moment, but there is not an ounce of humor- outright or subtle or dry. While I cringed for him in his previous books, I ached throughout this one. I had to put this book down after short chunks of reading, because it just hurt too much. That being said, it is still an amazing read simply as a testament to the fact that one person CAN survive a childhood filled with terror. This man astounds me.

13, 5/11/08
Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson
What a perfect book to read around Mother's Day, as it truly made me reflect on the roles we moms play in our children's lives... and the myriad of long-term effects we can have on the choices they make. This book may take place in a different time and place than my life, but I could make connections nonetheless. Even when I couldn't directly relate to the characters' experiences, I was still drawn to them and enjoyed attempting to figure them out. Sidenote-- one day I asked my son to get this book for me from a different room and I told him the title. My own little Hannah came over and grabbed the book from me saying, "I want my daughters." :)

12. 4/20/08
The Woman and the Ape by Peter Hoeg
Hmmm... not sure what to say. This was a bizarre book, but that's not to say that I didn't enjoy it. It took me a while to become invested in these characters, but at some point it just happened, and I found myself actually pulling for this supposedly 'unnatural' couple. I had to take the events and characters at a different 'representational' level, rather than take them at face value. When they become embodiments of the ideas of humanity versus the animal world, it became much easier to accept the course of events.

11. 3/31/08
Dave Barry's History of the Millenium (So Far) by Dave Barry
Okay, total fluff, but fun fluff. I love Dave Barry, and I've read these columns each December, but it was fun to go back and reminisce about the funny (and fake) events of the last few years. Funny stuff.

10. 3/30/08
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Mystery/thrillers aren't my usual genre, and this book is a good example of why. While I really enjoyed the language and the character development of Smilla, I'm not sure I followed the action well enough. At the end, I was waiting for the big mystery to be revealed, and I just didn't feel like my puzzle was complete... some pieces were missing, but I didn't know what they were. One of my closest friends is Danish, and she recommended this book. She has also given the movie a good recommendation, so hopefully that will help me to fill in the blanks.

9. 3/27/08
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
This book was overwhelming in its ferocity- every challenge Peekay was confronted with, he faced with bravery and honesty. I loved how his voice is so straightforward as a young child, it was so appropriately toned for a five-year-old narrator. As he grows, his understanding grows as well, and his insights become deeper. I loved the magical quality of the story- the amazing experiences that transcend reality at times, and all come together at other times. Going into this book, I had zero knowledge or understanding of South African history, and I've been encouraged to learn more as I became invested in this amazing character. I highly recommend this book as a testament to the raw power that determination and survival can have on the human spirit.

8. 3/13/08
The Winter Queen by Boris Akunin
This book was a totally new experience for me- mysteries are not the books you'll usually find on my bookshelf. At first I had such a difficult time with the names that I wasn't sure who was who. Once I got things straight, I really got into this novel. Fandorin, the main character, really cracked me up. The whole setting was an additional character for me, and I think I didn't fully comprehend the time and place as much as in other novels that have more familiar settings. I was happy to discover that this author has also written other books with this funny, blustery, and sometimes misguided character. I look forward to reading more-- I never thought I'd enjoy a novel translated from Russian!

7. 3/8/08
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
Man, I love this play. I read this way back in high school 15+ years ago, and I wasn't sure that I completely understood it back then. I can't say that I got it all this time either, but I think I more clearly understood the the ideas of fate and choice and relevance. The word play is amazing- the dialogue between R & G is insanely funny, even in print. Maybe if I read it again in 15 years, I'll get it even more!

6. 2/27/08
The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith
The big kid and I read this one together, and I had not read it before, so it was new to both of us. We had such fun with it. Angus truly cracked us up- with his sailor phrases and his constant hunger, we were always happy when he contributed to the conversation! This was so sweetly written, and it provided for some nice geography lessons as we looked at maps of Scotland in our atlas. We also tooled around on Google looking at 'photos' of the Loch Ness Monster. My 7-year-old son is struggling with his desire to believe in this idea and the logical part of his brain that balks at the silly idea. I'm very glad to have shared this experience with him!

5. 2/26/08
Atonement by Ian Mcewan
While this book definitely was slow to start, once it got going, there was no turning back. How I mourned for each of these characters- their individual struggles, physical and emotional. I truly related to Briony's self-reflective nature, her constant questioning of everything, her unease with herself and her thoughts at times. This was beautifully written, even the horrific descriptions of war and all that it entails.

4. 2/18/08
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
I just finished reading this aloud with my 7-year-old son. What an adventure. We read a chapter a night, until the very end and read the last four chapters in pairs over two nights. We both had trouble putting the bookmark in at the end of a chapter! I loved the characters- reading about Claudia's thoughts and motivations completely took me back to my own childhood and its accompanying perceptions of self-importance and a desire to be 'different.' I do hope that my son will want to re-read this on his own when he is older- I know that he'll take away even more at an older age. We truly enjoyed this reading experience together.

3. 1/29/08
Tropical Fish: Stories Out of Entebbe by Doreen Baingana
I so enjoyed reading these stories. The author has such an honest voice, even though these characters are from a culture and environment so different than mine, they as people were bigger than their culture or their home country. One character's experiences traveling between the US and Uganda was interesting to me as I have traveled so little in my life- this was a new perspective for me. Very enjoyable.

2. 1/24/08
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
What a challenging book. For the majority of it, I was pained. I was confused. I did not want to continue. But I wanted to KNOW. I have to say that even when I didn't enjoy the book or didn't know what the heck was going on, I was impressed with the ways in which the author played with words. And by the time I reached the end, wow- I have a huge appreciation for the work that she must have put into the planning of this novel. To actually keep track of the events of the story while setting them out in a jigsaw layout- wow. But the book was so hard to read. There was never a solely happy moment. Even the supposedly happy moments were tinged, at the least, with sadness, fear, longing or guilt. What a story.

1. 1/7/08
The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea
What an achingly beautiful book. The character of Teresita leaps off the page- her earnestness, her innocence, her desire to be good. Knowing absolutely nothing of the Mexican revolution of the time was a challenge, in that I knew I didn't understand the political fervor as much as I could have. This is a story that I want to know more about. Thank you to Corinne for inviting me to the book club and giving me this book experience!