Kids Picks: Kiddo's Library Books

The 3rd Tuesday of the month is Kids' Picks at 5 Minutes For Books. Just for fun I thought I'd share with you the list of books Kiddo currently has out from the library. For those new to my blog, Kiddo is in 2nd grade, will be 8 in a few days, and is a very reluctant reader.

~ Kiddo's Library Books ~

See if you can figure out what prompted the choice of these first four books ...

• Mythology: the gods, heroes, and monsters of ancient Greece, by Hestia Evans
• Mythological creatures: a classical bestiary : tales of strange beings, fabulous creatures, fearsome beasts, & hideous monsters from ancient Greek mythology, by Lynn Curlee
• Oh my gods!: a look-it-up guide to the gods of mythology, by Megan E. Bryant
• Pegasus, the flying horse, Jane Yolen

If you guessed that our current read-together book is one of the Percy Jackson series, you'd be correct. We are working on book 3, THE TITAN'S CURSE. We took a break from it in December to read A CHRISTMAS CAROL but now we're getting back into Percy's adventure. As far as the books listed above go, Kiddo browses them more than he reads them. But I'll take what I can get.

Kiddo also checked out his favorite "backpack book kit", Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon. The backpack includes the book, a plush Stellaluna, an audio recording of the book, and a Stellaluna puzzle. I've lost count of how many times we've checked this kit out over the years. This time I told Kiddo he had to read me the story himself. He read half of it to me so far; hopefully he'll read the other half this weekend.

In addition, Kiddo checked out one book from his school's library. That book is Wayne Gretzky: Hockey Star, by Heather Feldman. He chose this one from the school library because (as you know) he is a huge hockey fan. This book is below his reading level BUT he really WANTS to read it (*gasp*) and that is a huge thing for him. He actually volunteered to read it to me not once but twice, and he's read it to Hubby at least once too. I'll take that!


I don't have a "library rules" for Kiddo - I let him check out pretty much whatever he wants. You never know what he's going to find (or ask me to search the computer for) when we visit the library!

The 1% Well-Read Challenge ... my 3rd time around

(I haven't seen a post about this challenge being continued in 2010 but I'm going to participate even if I'm just reading on my own.)

This is my third year signing up for this challenge and it is one of my favorites. I love that it exposes me to books that I'd not have encountered any other way, and also to books that I've always meant to read. My first year I chose random titles that caught my eye, last year I went for really old titles, and this year I'm focusing on the more modern titles:

1. Out of Africa - reading this one now
2. The Handmaid’s Tale
3. Catch 22 - also for the LOST Books Challenge
   
4. The Color Purple – I'm considering a summer read-a-long; might you be interested?
5. To Kill A Mockingbird - can you believe I've never read this?
6. Kim (Rudyard Kipling)
7. The Golden Ass (Apulieus)
8. The Last of the Mohicans - I started this last year but put it aside
9. Dangerous Liaisons
10. Half of a Yellow Sun
    

This year I'm also listing a few alternates:

1. The Lion of Flanders - I couldn't find this one last year but really want to read it
2. The Charterhouse of Parma
3. Wide Sargasso Sea
4. Candide
   

Are you signing up for this one as well? Have you done it before? Would you like to read any of these with me?

Also, I preordered a copy of the new edition of the actual book 1,001 Books You Must Read Before You Die; it comes out in March and I'm really excited about it!

One Lovely Blog award

Thank you to Helen's Book Blog for giving me the One Lovely Blog award! The point of the award is to showcase blogs you have recently discovered.

Here are the rules:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

To be honest, I've been trying to NOT discover any new blogs lately - my Google Reader is overwhelmed with posts as it is. Still, I HAVE added a few new blogs lately so I'll share those with you now.

• The Book Blogger Convention - THE place to go for all the details of the upcoming Book Blogger Convention to be held in May in New York City
• On Frozen Blog - coverage of the Washington Capitals Ice Hockey team and other local DC-area hockey news
• Brave and Bittersweet - new blog from My Friend Amy that focuses on her Christian faith
• Political Math - excellent visuals to help the layperson understand the real numbers behind the political news
• Audiobook DJ - a compilation of audio book reviews from around the blogosphere

Yes, I know that is not 15 and that only two are book-related, but that's how it goes. I do hope you check out any of the blogs you are interested in - I'm enjoying them all!

Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller

Isak Dinesen: The Life of a Storyteller

by Judith Thurman
audio book: 21.5 hours

*** About the Book ***

Isak Dinesen (aka Karen Dinesen, aka Baroness Karen Blixen) was born on April 17, 1885. She became one of the most beloved authors and poets in Denmark, was nominated twice for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and is known as one of the most representative personalities in Danish history. In this biography Judith Thurman reviews Dinesen's life with a strong focus on her writing, looking at how her life both influenced her work and was influenced by it right up until her death on September 7, 1962.

The audio book was narrated by Davina Porter. She did a good job here, but she is not one of my favorite narrators as I don't always like her voice.

*** Why I Read It ***

I LOVE the movie Out of Africa. The last time I watched it I realized that it is based on Dinesen's book by the same name. The book, in turn, is based on her own life in East Africa between 1914-1931. I added the book to my TBR list back in June '08. When I was looking recently through the library's online system for a copy of it, I found Thurman's biography. I figured it would be interesting to learn more about Dineson before diving into OUT OF AFRICA so I checked it out.

This book counts toward the Library and Audiobook challenges.


*** My Thoughts ***

There are two important things about any biography: whether the person is worth reading about, and how well the author writes. Let's start with the person, shall we?

Is it possible to love someone in a movie and yet despise who they are in their real life? Back when I added OUT OF AFRICA to my TBR list I wrote that Karen Blixen "was a fascinating woman living in a fascinating time" but now I'd amend that to say she was an imperious, self-centered, demanding, snobbish, and tyrannical woman living in a fascinating time. Had I known her personally, I don't think I could have stood to be around her.

Maybe I would have liked Dinesen when she was living in Africa; she seems to have been a different person there. In fact, she seems to have been a different person whenever she was able to travel. It was being home in Denmark, surrounded by money worries and the stress of life and her poor health, that always seemed to bring out the worst in her.

And yet, there is something about her ... something that drew people to her even in her old age and frail health, something that is almost magnetic, a pull that I could feel even through this biography ...

Dinesen rebelled against all the societal norms her family expected her to follow, she rejected the idea of a "woman's place" in the world, and she created a religion of sorts with herself as God, directing the lives of everyone around her according to an invented "script" of the way things should be. She lived, for the most part, as she chose to live. [For those reasons this would be an excellent book for the non-fiction portion of the Women Unbound Reading Challenge!]

As for the author, Thurman had fascinating subject matter to work with and she did an excellent job. The book gave me a great deal of insight into Dinesen's writing and I appreciate that; I feel like I will get so much more out of any Dinesen book that I choose to read now. At the same time, I was quite concerned that my dislike for Dinesen would turn into a dislike of OUT OF AFRICA (since it is really about her own life) when I finally read it. I'm glad to say that has not happened; I'm halfway through OUT OF AFRICA now and really loving it. But I'll save my thoughts on that for my review of it. :)


*** Literary References ***

A few things to note ...

• Ernest Hemingway based the main character in THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF FRANCES MACOMBER on Baron Bror Blixen, Isak Dinesen's (ex)husband. That surprised me quite a bit, as I didn't realize there was any connection between Dinesen and Hemingway.
  
• While Dinesen was living in Africa her family in Denmark sent her Sigrid Undset new novel KRISTIN LAVRANSDATTER. Though she liked it at first, in the end she hated it, saying that it life was simply not that depressing. She felt that Undset sucked the pleasure of out living for Kristin, never really giving her a chance.
• Dinesen admired Aldous Huxley's books above almost all others. She found his fascination with hallucinogenic drugs very intriguing, especially in the way it influenced his writing. (She and I have directly opposing tastes in books; I absolutely loathed the only Huxley book I ever read.)
  
• Dinesen's last work, TEMPESTS, was inspired by a performance she saw of Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST.
• Shortly before her death, Dinesen traveled to America where she met with many American writers who loved and admired her including, among others, Carson McCullers, Arthur Miller, and John Steinbeck.
  

*** Your Thoughts ***

Has learning more about an author ever made you like or dislike their work when you previously felt the opposite about it? I liked the Oscar Wao book a lot more after hearing Junot Diaz speak, but I have a feeling that I might like OUT OF AFRICA less after learning about Isak Dinesen ...

Have you read either this biography or any of Dineson's works? She's got quite a repertoire of short stories, including the collections SEVEN GOTHIC TALES, WINTERS TALES, and ANECDOTES OF DESTINY.

Half Broke Horses

Half Broke Horses
by Jeannette Walls
audio book: 8 hours

I "met" Jeannette through her memoir THE GLASS CASTLE which I read with my book club in 2008. This book is basically a prequel to that one, in that it is the story of her grandmother and (partially) of her mother. If you've read THE GLASS CASTLE then you know that Jeannette's mother was one odd bird; this book goes a long way to explain that oddness.

Lily Casey Smith, grandmother to Jeannette, was born in a dugout home on a Texas riverfront. She left home at age 15 to be a school teacher during World War I. Her life was was fascinating, although not always easy, and she had to work for everything she had. I won't tell you much more than that as it would spoil the fun of reading it for you.

Jeannette calls this a "true-life novel" because it is based on family stories that were passed down from her grandmother to her mother and then to her. Some of the stories can be verified but others cannot. Jeannette had to fill in the blanks in places, and she also told the story from Lily's point of view so there were obviously some liberties taken (since Lily died when Jeannette was only 8 yrs old). The story has the ring of truth to it though, as all good family stories do.

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Unlike THE GLASS CASTLE, it didn't grab me from the beginning. Once Lily left home however, I was really into the story. And once her daughter Rosemary was born (that's Jeannette's mother), I couldn't take my ear away from the radio; I wanted to know everything I could about how she came to be the woman she was.

In the end, I'd say that if you enjoyed THE GLASS CASTLE, you will likely enjoy this book as well so do give it a shot.

Oh, and it is narrated by the author. She does a good job of it, but personally I'm not a fan of her accent. I do like it when authors narrate their own books though, especially when they are of the true-life variety, so I didn't let the accent get to me.


(This book counts toward the Library and Audiobook challenges.)

Vietnam Challenge: why, and what I'm reading

The War Through the Generations Challenge continues this year with a focus on Vietnam. I simply had to sign up for this one.

My dad, Hugh Bedford, was a Green Beret in the early years of Vietnam and I've always wanted to learn more about his service there. His experiences weren't exactly a regular topic of conversation when I was growing up, but Dad will usually (eventually) answer any questions that I have.

Here are the basics of what I know for sure:

• Dad was in the 441st Military Intelligence Detachment, 1st Group Special Forces, from 1965-1968
• He did Basic Training, then Advanced Individual Training in Okinawa
• Over approx. 18 months he moved between Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos - wherever he went, it was always as a civilian
• When he returned to the US, he found that the paperwork showing where he had been during his tour of duty had fallen out of a helicopter and been lost; there is now no record of where he was during those 18 months.
• He intended to reenlist for another tour of duty after his initial three years were up but when that time came, his mother had a stroke. He asked for a leave of absence to visit her but he was denied. He decided not to reenlist so he could go be with his mother. He later found out that all (or was it most?) of his unit was killed in action just a few months afterward. [Updated to add: I believe that these men were killed in the Tet Offensive, but I'm not 100% certain.]
  

I'm hoping that the books I read for this challenge will give me ideas of what to ask Dad about during the coming year as I do really want to know more about his life.

My reading list:

1. War Torn: Stories of War from the Women Reporters who Covered Vietnam, by Tad Bartimus, Tracy Wood, Kate Webb, Laura Palmer, Edith Lederer, and Jurate Kazickas
   
2. Once A Warrior King: Memories of an Officer in Vietnam, by David Donovan
   
3. Vietnam Medal of Honor Winners, by Edward F. Murphy
4. The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien
   
5. The Road Home, by Ellen Emerson White
   

The first three books are ones I already own so that is bonus. Book #2 is a reread for me; I first read it in high school and have kept my copy ever since. If I recall correctly, the book reflected much of my Dad's own experiences in Vietnam. I've wanted to reread it for quite some time and this challenge is the perfect excuse. Book #5 is a maybe; I saw it reviewed and thought it might be good, but I'm not sure.


You can learn more about the challenge and sign up at this link and you can view some suggested reading at this link.

Comment Policy (an admin post)

I love the interaction that comments provide on my blog and I appreciate the time it takes for readers to post comments. Thank you to all my commenters!

A few quick notes about comments:

• I do my best to reply to all the comments on my blog. If you subscribe to the comments for a particular post you will most likely see a reply to your comment within a few hours, or at most a day.
  
• Please be polite. Feel free to disagree with me or with other commenters but do so in a kind way rather than a rude or ultra-confrontational manner.
  
• The written (or typed) word is easy to misunderstand since it is devoid of facial expressions and tone of voice. Keep that in mind when you write your comments.
• I love it when commenters provide links to other books I might enjoy, or to their review of the same book I reviewed.
• I do not appreciate comments that are blatant advertising; they will be deleted.
  

Again, I do love the conversational aspect of comments so please keep them coming!


(This post in not in response to any problems with commenters; it is simply an admin post that I'll be linking to from my sidebar.)

My Blogiversary is today!

On January 11, 2008 I put up my very first post on this blog. I had no idea about the amazing world of book blogging - I was only looking for a way to keep a log of what I was reading. In the time since that first post, blogging has become an extremely important part of my life because of all the wonderful people around the blogosphere; this wouldn't be any fun without you. Thank you all for coming to my blog, for reading my reviews/random thoughts/Kiddo updates, for commenting with your opinions, for discussing all things bookish (and not) and for truly becoming my friends. I love you guys! *sniff*

Friday Finds (01/08/10)

***Note: Click here for details of my current giveaway!***

Wow, my first Friday Finds of 2010 ... cool! And yet again, Alyce from At Home With Books is responsible for more than her fair share of these books - 2 out of the 10. I really think I should start joining in with Chris's Bad Blogger thing simply so I can heap points on Alyce for all the books she makes me add to my TBR list.... :)


One Amazing Thing, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni - found through At Home With Books - A disparate group of people is trapped together after an earthquake. As things become more and more hopeless one person "suggests that each tell a personal tale, 'one amazing thing' from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself." Sounds great, right?!


Grayson, by Lynne Cox - found when I wrote about another of her books - Lynne is a long-distance open-water swimmer who specializes in very cold water swims. This is the story of her encounter with a baby gray whale during one of her swims.




Volsungasaga, a ancient Norse epic - found 5-Squared's review through the Mythology Bookworms Carnival - Here's just an excerpt of what Jason had to say "But Gravy, I don't know if it was all the snow, or the constant raiding and battling, or what, but these folks imagination? Vivid! If the bible had these stories (and the bible is spicy enough), you wouldn't take kids to church." His review is hilarious! [Update: I reviewed this already!]


Her Mother's Daughter, by Julianne Lee - found at Devourer of Books - This is a more sympathetic treatment of Queen Mary (aka Bloody Mary), daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon. I've always liked Mary despite her later actions so I'm quite interested in reading this one.




Touching the Void, by Joe Simpson - found through At Home With Books - This is the ulitimate story of survival. After a climbing accident in the Andes, two men are separated and one thinks the other is dead. In fact he is NOT dead, but he IS seriously injured ... yet he manages to basically crawl out of the mountains. Woah. This one sounds very intense!



Revolver, by Marcus Sedgwick - found at Bart's Bookshelf - This made Darren's top 10 of 2009 list. It is the story of a gun and how it passes from father to son, and how it is used. The setting is a remote Canadian town north of the Arctic Circle. After the father's death a man breaks into the house and the son must decide whether to use the gun or not. Darren explained it MUCH better than that so go check out his review.




The Complete Stories of Truman Capote, by Truman Capote - found at Book Chatter - I've always wanted to read something by Capote but IN COLD BLOOD holds no interest for me. This sounds like the perfect collection, and Ti highly recommended it - that's good enough for me.





Firmin, by Sam Savage - found at Bibliolatry - I can't say it any better so I'm posting her entire review here:

If you're a book lover, you absolutely must read Firmin. Firmin is, well, a rat -- but he's the most likable fellow I've met in a long time. Living in the basement of a bookstore in the 1960s, Firmin survives his early years by munching on the likes of Joyce and Melville. Soon, however, he learns that books are not for eating, but for reading -- and read he does, becoming arguably the most-educated rat to ever live. Unfortunately, with his increasing knowledge comes a self-awareness that is none too kind. As Firmin becomes all-too-aware of his own limitations, he yearns for a greater life than the one he must endure. Filled with allusions and pathos, Firmin is a book for everyone -- but especially for those who love literature. And look: the book comes replete with its own little bite mark. Sigh. I love you, Firmin!

In a nutshell: This is one rat you can't help but love. You can live with me, little buddy! Bibliolatry Scale: 6 out of 6 stars

An Irish Country Doctor, by Patrick Taylor - found at Letters From a Hill Farm - This is not normally my kind of book but I LOVED the video Nan posted in her review - go watch it if you can. The language/dialect and people of Ulster (Northern Ireland) hold a special place in my heart so now I really want to find an audio of this one.




Her Royal Spyness, by Rhys Bowen - found at Wordsmithsonia - This sort of reminds me of a mix of Wodehouse's Jeeves, Laurie R. King's Mary Russell, and a bit of something else ... and Ryan's review made it sound like lots of fun.


What have YOU found recently? Hop over to Should Be Reading and share with everyone.

*** REVISED Giveaway: The Eye of the World ***

*** UPDATE *** I think that everyone was scared off by the length of this book and the short time available to read it, so I'm changing the contest. Please scroll down for the revised entry rules - thanks!

~~~~

As you may recall, I'll be the featured blogger on That's How I Blog on Feb. 9. The new time for my show is 10pm EST (to make it easier for the West Coasters and to allow the East Coasters to watch LOST - yay!). The book I chose to discuss is an old favorite of mine, THE EYE OF THE WORLD, by Robert Jordan.


Thanks to Dot at Tor Books, I can offer a copy of this book to one of my readers no matter where in the world you live, provided that you plan to call in to the show to discuss it with me! This book is definitely a chunkster (at about 800 pages) but it moves quickly - just ask Nicole and Suey (they are both reading it for the show). And it is definitely worth reading; I've read or listened to it at least 4 times over the years.


***REVISED RULES ***

TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

• if you are interested in reading the first book in a fantastic fantasy series, please enter!
• I'd love for you to listen to the show, either live or via the recording - even if you haven't read the book you'll get to hear why I love it so much
  
• leave a comment that includes a way to contact you if you win
• if you do win, you must contact me within 24 hours with your mailing address or I'll choose another winner
• I'll draw the winner on Monday (1/11)
  

I'm so excited about the show and I'm thrilled to be able to offer this contest, so go enter right now!