New Year, New Goals

And one of those goals is to blog on a more regular basis.   Mostly it will be reviews of books I read, but I want to throw some of my personal thoughts in there.  It’s been one heck of a year for me, and I’m excited so for 2014.

I’m going to start this year’s blog by saying that I didn’t met my 100 book goal.  I read 46 books.  I’m going to list them here and then move forward.  I’m listening to Life after Life by Kate Atkinson, so that will probably be my first review of 2014.

The Little Prince

The Stranger

Train Dreams

Bridge to Terabithia

33 Snowfish

Shopgirl

The Giver

The Great Gatsby

Down and Out in Paris and London

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

As I Lay Dying

Perfume: The story of Murder

The Middlesteins

Playing the Enemy

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Day of the Dreadfuls

The Handmaid's Tale - Atwood

The Book of Madness and Cures

Anansi Boys

Code Name Verity

Gun FIght

The Night Circus

Columbine

The Lost Hero

The Shipping News

Loving Frank

N0S4A2

Dearie

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Dreadfully Ever After

New York: The Novel

The Orphan Master's Son

The Underbelly of Europe

The Atomic Girls

My Notorious Life

Escape From Prison 44

Ninja

Salt Sugar Fat

This is How you Lose Her

The Yellow Birds

Going Clear

Where'd Ya Go Bernadette

Doctor Sleep

The Chaperone

Devil in the White City

The Ghost Map

Bossypants

Some of these books were nothing short of AMAZING.  Some were interesting; others a little boring.  But, I read more books in one year than I ever have before.  PROGRESS!

Here’s to 2014 being a great year, professionally and personally!  Cheers!

What I've Read - An Update

Well, well, well. I’m back. It’s been AWHILE. Just because I’m not blogging doesn’t mean I’m not reading. I’ve decided to try to get back to blogging on a more regular basis. Because there is no way I can blog in detail about the books I’ve read over the past three months, I’m just going to name them and start anew with my latest read.

 

What I’ve read since my last blog post (March 2013):

 

     #4 Playing the Enemy

     #5, 6, 7 American Vampire Volumes 123

     #8 Bridge to Terabithia

     #9 33 Snowfish

     #10 The Stranger

     #11 Down and Out in Paris and London

     #12 Train Dreams

     #13 The Shipping News

     #14 The Little Prince

     #15 Loving Frank

     #16 Shopgirl

I’m currently reading Perfume: A Tale of a Murderer. Thirty-six pages in and so far it’s good. Looking forward to finishing and blogging. 

 

Be writing soon!

# 3 The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

As a 35 year old, the Young Adult genre exploded after ‘my time’.  I remember reading The Babysitter Club series and then going straight to Stephen King’s IT.  Not that I haven’t read entertaining Young Adult or Children’s’ books, they just don’t capture my attention like Adult books do.  I’ll admit to being enthralled with Harry Potter, but really who wasn’t.  It’s rare for me to even entertain the prospect of reading a children’s book, but over the past few months my interest has been piqued..  

I read a review about ‘Wonder’ by RJ Palacio. The subject matter and the rave reviews alone were what made me pick up this children’s book. I read the book, and it was AMAZING. I suggested it to my friends as a matter of fact. If you’re interested in knowing my full thoughts on this book, please see my December review of it.  

Working in a library has some good perks.  One of them is seeing new books coming in.  Hey, how do you think I read The Casual Vacancy as soon as it came in?  A few months ago a new book came to the library called The Mark of Athena.  Again, it was a children’s book and I didn’t pay much attention to it.  However, kids were coming to the library in a frenzy looking for this new book.  I hadn’t seen this kind of commotion since Harry Potter, what is this book?  I asked the Youth Services Librarian what  Mark of Athena was. Excitedly she told me that it’s the third installment of the Heroes of Olympus series.  Rick Riordan, you know the guy who wrote Percy Jackson?!?!?!  I nodded, but had never heard of the author.  Percy Jackson sounded familiar...it was a movie I think.  

So when I decided to create this list of 100 books, I thought what the heck I’ll add the first book of the series.  We’ll see what all the fuss is about. My library had the first in the series, so I checked it out.

The Lost Hero is book one in the series of the Heroes of Olympus.  One of the best things about children’s books is they take no time at all to read.  Which is great when a book has a fun, fast-paced story line, as this one does.

The story starts with Jason, awaking from a dream in which he had just been struck by lightning, on a school bus full of strangers.  The problem is, they all seem to know Jason.  He has no memory of the school bus or of the ‘friends’ who are asking him if he’s alright.  The headmaster of the bus, or Coach, eyes Jason up suspiciously.  The bus is full of ruffians and deviants.  All children shipped off to boarding school.  He assumed he did something wrong, but can’t remember what it was.

The bus stops at it’s destination.  The Grand Canyon.  The children go off into groups to explore the Canyon.  After a few moments, things start to go wrong.  A storm is brewing.  A nasty black cloud appears just above them.  That can’t be good.  The children run for safety, and all of them make it.  That is except for Jason and two of his friends - Piper and Leo.  So why are the three of them sectioned off from the other group of kids?  Because they are special.  Demi-God special, and they have enemies.  

The kids, however, don’t know they are Demi-Gods.  But, that’s not 100% true.  Jason seems to know, reflexively, that his coin turns into a sword and he can control winds - or aka he can fly.  He somehow knows he’s more than human, but he doesn’t know how he knows it.  While fighting the storm spirit, rescuers come through the sky to aid the Demi-Gods.  Oh and by the way, Coach is a satyr.

They are taken to Camp Half Blood, a safe place where Demi-Gods live, to discover Hera has been taken hostage and all heck is breaking loose.  Jason seems to understand what’s going on albeit vaguely.  Piper and Leo have no idea what’s going on, yet aren’t freaked out when they find out they are the children of Olympus Gods.  Oh, and there are plenty of dream prophecies throughout the book to keep it interesting.

I’m being a little flippant, but in truth the book is good.  There are obvious, I’ll call them loopholes, where the kids quickly adjust to their new Demi-God status and their new powers.  But there are twists and turns and a fast-paced storyline.  I won’t be rushing off to get the sequels, but I’ll read them eventually.

#2 Gun Fight by Adam Winkler

A few days ago I started writing my post on the book Gun Fight by Adam Winkler.  I was about 100 pages into the book and my post had a lot of snarky remarks about guns and what is the need?  My views on handguns and weapons haven’t changed, I still dislike them.  However, my view on ownership and gun control has changed.

Winkler tries hard to be neutral and I believe he succeeds.  He drops the hammer on both ‘gun nuts’ and ‘gun grabbers’.  We are both to blame; rather, the extremists are both to blame.  The book explains that by going to extremes “NO GUNS” or “MORE GUNS” we are creating a society that is polarized.  I don’t like guns, they aren’t for me, but I believe that people have a right to bear arms for hunting and personal safety.  When I use the term gun control, I mean I want semi-automatic military grade weaponry banned from individual ownership.  I want machine guns banned from individual ownership.  You can’t use those weapons hunting, and a handgun or rifle would still thwart a criminal from harming you and your family.  Guns made for quick rapid fire shooting is not necessary in a home - my humble opinion.

So what about my opinion changed?  Well, I was once the gun grabber.  I wanted ‘to be like England and ban guns outright.’  You can have a rifle for hunting...otherwise why do you need a gun?  Well, I was idealistic.  In my heart of hearts I want everyone to be fair to each other.  I detest seeing violence.  Guns are ingrained in America, and unfortunately, so is violence.

I understand the want for a handgun for home protection.  You want to protect your assets, your family, and yourself.  That is what the whole book centers around.  The DC gun case that lead the Supreme Court, in 2008, to decided that the Second Amendment does allow for individuals right to bear arms.  Adam Gura found a few plaintiffs that showed a hardship due to DC’s strict no handgun law.  

The book goes back and forth between the Supreme Court case and the history of the gun in the US.  At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to follow the jumps, but the history helps understand the case.  For example, in the trial there is talk about how our frontiersman (cowboys) needed their guns to fight outlaws and animals.  But in reality, the west wasn’t as wild as Hollywood makes it out to be.  There is well documented cases of frontier towns having strict gun control.  Very strict gun control.  

I don’t want to give too much away, but gun control laws were passed for various reasons.  Winkler breaks down the reasons many of these laws passed.  Racism, Gangsters, and Assassinations are just a few of the reasons.  Whatever the reasons are, people always feel the that the government did ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’.  Again, the polarization of America.

After the Sandy Hook tragedy, I decided I wanted to learn more about the Second Amendment.  What I learned was that the Second Amendment is interpreted many different ways by many different people.  There is no document that states exactly what the framers had in mind when they created the Bill of Rights.  After reading this book, my views may not have changed much...but they have changed.

#1 - As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

I started my 2013 goal a little early.  I'm blogging my first book review of my 100 books goal :)  I don't care that it's a few days early...I'm reading 100 books, give me some slack.  So, here it goes...

I've read a lot of reviews on this book.  They basically state that Faulkner is not an easy read and this book is difficult to understand.  I went into the book with this in mind.   Faulkner is not the easiest to read and parts of this book were difficult to understand.

One of my reading pet peeves is an author writing as someone would speak.  Example: ere = even, outen = out and, hisn = his and.  I understand it's for effect, but it bothers me and my interpretations may not even be right.  This book has A LOT of that.  They are simple country folk, and Faulkner makes them sound like the simplest of the simplest.

The book is broken out into chapters narrated by the main characters.  The premise is the mother of a country family has passed on.  The father has promised that she would be buried with her kin in a city a few miles away.  The mother was placed in a homemade casket of pine and put onto the back of a mule-pulled wagon.  For over 9 days the family struggled to get the deceased to the city.

NINE DAYS.

A fun-filled adventure did not ensue.  It was a trying time for all involved.  There was flooding, injury, madness, arson, selfishness and female troubles.  The best chapter of the entire book came from the deceased's point of view.  It made, at least to me, the rest of the book ironic. And perhaps that was what Faulkner was trying to do.  Or maybe not.  I'm still trying to interpret the most famous line from this book "My mother is a fish."

In full disclosure, I read this book because it's always on the "must-read-before-you-die" list.  I feel like people who say this is their favorite book is either pretentious or a PhD in Literature.  No one can love this book.  I did find myself shaking my head at the last line.  Apparently Faulkner had the last line in mind when he wrote the book.  It was effective.

So, should you read it?  Sure, it's Faulkner!  Are you going to love it?  I doubt it.  But hey, you can say with pride "I read As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner."  Now please tell me what "My mother is a fish" means...

Wonder by RJ Palacio (aka, my first review)

January 1, 2013 I officially start my goal of reading 100 books in one year.  I’ve been gearing up for the event by creating my list and trying to come up with a strategy for reading so many books!  My list is tentative, as I know new books will be published that I’ll be dying to read.  I have some ‘empty’ spots as well for book club picks.  In doing some research about ‘must read books’, I came across a 2012 release titled Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

As an adult in her mid 30s, I rarely - if ever - read juvenile fiction.  With the exception of Harry Potter, the last time I read a children’s book was when I was actually a child.  Even Young Adult books have a hard time grasping my full attention.  But this book was different.

This book had me hooked from the very first page.  August Pullman was born with severe facial abnormalities.  As Auggie puts it, “whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.”  He’s of middle school age and has always been homeschooled.  With a medical condition that warrented multiple surgeries in early childhood, it made sense.  However, mom has taught him as much as she could.  It’s time to go to school.  A real school.

Imagine middle school as the new kid.  Terrifying, right?  Imagine middle school as the new kid with an abnormality.   The cruelty of children can be astounding, but so can their kindness.  This is why the book resonates so deeply with me.  I wasn’t different and I wasn’t teased.  But I witnessed it happen on many occasions and my heart ached for them.  I’m a sensitive artist type, my heart breaks for a lot of reasons.  But with everything going on these days from shootings to bullying, this type of book is must read material.  Empathy.

This book has several narrators and they each bring their own different perspectives.  Auggie: a child wise beyond his years.  Via: Auggie’s older sister who starts her own life anew as a high school freshman. Jack: a young man who befriends August, but not without some bumps in the road.  Summer: a free spirit who befriends Auggie and doesn’t want to grow up too fast.   Justin: Via’s first high school boyfriend, who is a natural talent, and a very caring young man.  Miranda:  Via’s ex-best friend whose secret is both embarrassing and crushingly honest.

You follow these main characters through a very challenging time in their lives.  At these vulnerable ages, you’re still trying to define yourself.  Figure out who your real friends are.  Make new friends.  Balance new friends and old friends who may not get along.  On top of that, you may have to hear insults like “nerd”, “ugly”, “different”, “fat”, “insert label here”, etc.  Perhaps there is a support system at home.  Perhaps there is not.  These characters all have their own inner struggles.  Hearing these struggles  from their perspective makes this book stand out.  You understand exactly where they are coming from; because let’s face it, we’ve all been there before.  You laugh when they laugh.  You cry when they cry.  

This book truly is a wonder.

Looking towards 2013

Wow, well, it's...um... been awhile.  I last posted in July and a lot has happened since that time.  I graduated in August with my MLS.  I left my insurance job.  I now work part time in two different libraries (one is rural; one is suburban).  I also volunteer at the city library.  A full-time position has opened up at one of these libraries, and I put my name in the hat.  I'm waiting to hear about an interview.  Anyway, so that's an abbreviate update.

This blog was meant to get me back on the horse.  I know I've slacked big time on updating my blog. A current and consistent blog is something I should have, especially as an aspiring librarian.  And now, I'm setting my sights on 2013.  For the remainder of 2012, I'm going to blog once a week.   This is just to get me into the habit.  In 2013, I'm not going to do anything crazy like blog everyday.  No.  That would be boring.  I have given myself a goal to read 100 books in 2013.

WHAT?
I KNOW!
HOW?
IMPOSSIBLE!

Well, I'm going to try.  The goal is 100 books, but it doesn't specify what kind.  Children's, YA, Adult, mystery, comedy, bio....everything and anything.  And I'm going to blog my progress, my reviews, and my thoughts.  Hopefully I'll say something profound in one of these blogs.  I need followers...

So, there you have it.  My personal goal, out on the interwebs, for the whole world to see.  I will try not to let anyone down.  Including myself.