Wednesday, May 6, 2015
May 4, 2015
I just completed reading a biography about Cleopatra by Stacey Schiff. I had read this a few years ago but when I read it, my life was super busy and I did not feel like I got a complete 'feel' for the book. Schiff, the author, is an excellent biographer because she does EXTENSIVE research and she manages to recreate the world the person lived it. I knew that I would be immersed in Cleopatra's life story; she was an amazing woman. A true trailblazer whose priority was the salvation of her kingdom (Egypt was on its 'way out' by the time she came to the throne) and protecting her children and her family's legacy, she did everything she had to make those priorities happen. What was most interesting to me though was Schiff's descriptions of Alexandria, the 'capitol' if you will of the Egyptian kingdom. It was amazing to read how incredibly advanced this civilization was and how many of the parts of culture we consider Roman actually came from the Egyptians primarly due to Cleopatra's relationship with Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony. Though the read was dense, it took me about 2 1/2 weeks, it was so richly written and truly engaging.
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Post #5
Dear Readers,
I just finished another YA book titled, A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt. I chose this book because I had read another book by the author, The Things a Brother KnowsT, and I enjoyed it a lot and I have recommended it to many. I loved this book too and I highly recommend it. I think what I like about this particular author is that she creates narrators to whom you become immediately attached. As a reader, you feel as if the narrator is talking to you and only you. In this case, Simone, a junior in high school comes from a great family, and it is revealed early on that she's adopted. Not only that, her birth mother (who's been in touch with her adoptive parents) wants to meet her and get to know her. At times, the story seems 'too perfect' but the author manages to include enough in the complexity in the situation to not make it saccharin sweet. The narrator, Simone, does end up meeting her birth mother and well, the story takes off from there. Aside from the strong narator's voice, what I enjoyed about this fiction text is that the author develops her character in an authentic way - particularly the teenagers. It's a quick read, about 248 pages, I highly recommend it.
I just finished another YA book titled, A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt. I chose this book because I had read another book by the author, The Things a Brother KnowsT, and I enjoyed it a lot and I have recommended it to many. I loved this book too and I highly recommend it. I think what I like about this particular author is that she creates narrators to whom you become immediately attached. As a reader, you feel as if the narrator is talking to you and only you. In this case, Simone, a junior in high school comes from a great family, and it is revealed early on that she's adopted. Not only that, her birth mother (who's been in touch with her adoptive parents) wants to meet her and get to know her. At times, the story seems 'too perfect' but the author manages to include enough in the complexity in the situation to not make it saccharin sweet. The narrator, Simone, does end up meeting her birth mother and well, the story takes off from there. Aside from the strong narator's voice, what I enjoyed about this fiction text is that the author develops her character in an authentic way - particularly the teenagers. It's a quick read, about 248 pages, I highly recommend it.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Post #4
Dear Readers,
I just completed Ask the Passengers by A.S. King. In my last post, I wrote about the main character, Astrid Jones, and her struggles with coming out. I am happy to say that despite difficult and extremely challenging circumstances, she does and is happy being who she is. I loved this book because yes, it is about Astrid's journey (yes, I said it!) but also about parent/child relationships, friendships, and most of all, loyalty. How do you stay loyal to the ones you love when you fear they won't accept you? How do you stay true to yourself when you fear being left all alone? It's a very powerful story. Within the thread of the story, A.S. King also manages to spin some truths about equality, small town life, and high school social expectations. Though I liked her other novel, Everybody Sees the Ants, this novel was much more compelling to me. Astrid Jones is a great character and one I was supportive of right from the start - even when she made mistakes. I recommend this book if you are interested in moving into some more serious subjects about attitudes pertaining to homosexuality, high school social pressures, and sibling love and trust. I highly recommend this book!
I just completed Ask the Passengers by A.S. King. In my last post, I wrote about the main character, Astrid Jones, and her struggles with coming out. I am happy to say that despite difficult and extremely challenging circumstances, she does and is happy being who she is. I loved this book because yes, it is about Astrid's journey (yes, I said it!) but also about parent/child relationships, friendships, and most of all, loyalty. How do you stay loyal to the ones you love when you fear they won't accept you? How do you stay true to yourself when you fear being left all alone? It's a very powerful story. Within the thread of the story, A.S. King also manages to spin some truths about equality, small town life, and high school social expectations. Though I liked her other novel, Everybody Sees the Ants, this novel was much more compelling to me. Astrid Jones is a great character and one I was supportive of right from the start - even when she made mistakes. I recommend this book if you are interested in moving into some more serious subjects about attitudes pertaining to homosexuality, high school social pressures, and sibling love and trust. I highly recommend this book!
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Post #3
Dear Readers,
Sometimes I am a distracted reader - that is where I am right now. I am reading three books right now: Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, Ask the Passengers, and Public Enemy, a memoir; it's not pretty! I am going to write about Ask the Passengers. This is written by A.S. King who also wrote the book I booktalked (is that a verb? I don't think so but I just made it one!) last week, Everybody Sees the Ants. A.S. King is a very good writer. The narrator's voice is always quite strong and as a reader, you feel 'let in' by the narrator, like you and the narrator share secrets and you are there with s/he as we move through the story. I am going to focus this post on the main character, Astrid.
Astrid is a junior in high school who recently moved from the 'big city' to a small town. Her mother is a bit of a nightmare. She's completely focused on her career and her social standing within this small community. Her father is completely different; there are hints that the marriage between these two people is not going well. Her sister is a hockey star. Astrid, on the other hand, is bookworm, an intellectual, and an interesting person who is trying to figure out in her own way whether she's gay or not. She has a part time job and has a relationship with someone who works with her. The girlfriend is out, Astrid is not. At least not right away.
The book focuses on Astrid as she tries to make sense of who she is and the tugs and pulls she gets from all the different people in her life: her friends, her girlfriend, and her family. She's a very independent person but her homosexuality is forcing her to reveal herself her true self - and as of yet, she's not ready to do it yet.
I am not a teenager - wow, really, Ms. Ruocco?!!!? but I believe what makes King's narrative so strong is the authenticity and complexity of her teen characters. They are not cardboard cutouts but young people, thinking, feeling, honestly trying to make sense of their world. I thought similarly of her other book, Everybody Sees The Ants. I am curious to see where Astrid finally 'lands'. I recommend this book to all of you!
Sometimes I am a distracted reader - that is where I am right now. I am reading three books right now: Harry Potter, Order of the Phoenix, Ask the Passengers, and Public Enemy, a memoir; it's not pretty! I am going to write about Ask the Passengers. This is written by A.S. King who also wrote the book I booktalked (is that a verb? I don't think so but I just made it one!) last week, Everybody Sees the Ants. A.S. King is a very good writer. The narrator's voice is always quite strong and as a reader, you feel 'let in' by the narrator, like you and the narrator share secrets and you are there with s/he as we move through the story. I am going to focus this post on the main character, Astrid.
Astrid is a junior in high school who recently moved from the 'big city' to a small town. Her mother is a bit of a nightmare. She's completely focused on her career and her social standing within this small community. Her father is completely different; there are hints that the marriage between these two people is not going well. Her sister is a hockey star. Astrid, on the other hand, is bookworm, an intellectual, and an interesting person who is trying to figure out in her own way whether she's gay or not. She has a part time job and has a relationship with someone who works with her. The girlfriend is out, Astrid is not. At least not right away.
The book focuses on Astrid as she tries to make sense of who she is and the tugs and pulls she gets from all the different people in her life: her friends, her girlfriend, and her family. She's a very independent person but her homosexuality is forcing her to reveal herself her true self - and as of yet, she's not ready to do it yet.
I am not a teenager - wow, really, Ms. Ruocco?!!!? but I believe what makes King's narrative so strong is the authenticity and complexity of her teen characters. They are not cardboard cutouts but young people, thinking, feeling, honestly trying to make sense of their world. I thought similarly of her other book, Everybody Sees The Ants. I am curious to see where Astrid finally 'lands'. I recommend this book to all of you!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Post #2
Dear Readers,
I am about to complete the mystery I've been reading, The Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George. As I stated in my previous post, I have read this twice before. Sadly (old age, I guess) I remember some of the plot but some stuff I hadn't so it's still engaging enough that I want to keep reading. I want to focus my post on the relationship between Inspector Tommy Linley and his partner, Barbara Havers. The author set up a great pair; all good mysteries series have great characters for their detectives and this pair is no different. What makes this pair particularly interesting is that there's a great deal of tension between them because of their backgrounds. Lynley is an earl which in Britain is one below a duke - in other words, he is an aristocrat. He comes from money, has an estate outside of London, and has all the trappings of someone who has family money. Havers, on the other hand, is working class London. She doesn't have any of the privileges that Lynley has had and is, at times, quite resentful of his wealth. This is the fifth book in the series and by this time they've managed to establish an effective working relationship and even a friendship - until Havers comes under suspicion of defying orders in another case. Though she's eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, Lynley can't seem to forgive her. He tries repeatedly to give her opportunities to 'straighten up' and follow orders, but she continually does what she wants to do in the investigation.
This continuing tension is demonstrated throughout this particular mystery and I just finished a scene where they have a blowout and Lynley tells her that he no longer wants to work with her. It is a critical scene because it is not only the end of their working relationship but also their friendship. At this point, it doesn't seem possible that Lynley will change his mind about her and Havers seems incapable of doing what she knows she must do to redeem herself; she's simply incapable of following orders all the way through.
I love these mysteries because George always manages to add additional story lines to the core plot. This keeps me continually interested in both the mystery and the characters. Great stuff!
I am about to complete the mystery I've been reading, The Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George. As I stated in my previous post, I have read this twice before. Sadly (old age, I guess) I remember some of the plot but some stuff I hadn't so it's still engaging enough that I want to keep reading. I want to focus my post on the relationship between Inspector Tommy Linley and his partner, Barbara Havers. The author set up a great pair; all good mysteries series have great characters for their detectives and this pair is no different. What makes this pair particularly interesting is that there's a great deal of tension between them because of their backgrounds. Lynley is an earl which in Britain is one below a duke - in other words, he is an aristocrat. He comes from money, has an estate outside of London, and has all the trappings of someone who has family money. Havers, on the other hand, is working class London. She doesn't have any of the privileges that Lynley has had and is, at times, quite resentful of his wealth. This is the fifth book in the series and by this time they've managed to establish an effective working relationship and even a friendship - until Havers comes under suspicion of defying orders in another case. Though she's eventually cleared of any wrongdoing, Lynley can't seem to forgive her. He tries repeatedly to give her opportunities to 'straighten up' and follow orders, but she continually does what she wants to do in the investigation.
This continuing tension is demonstrated throughout this particular mystery and I just finished a scene where they have a blowout and Lynley tells her that he no longer wants to work with her. It is a critical scene because it is not only the end of their working relationship but also their friendship. At this point, it doesn't seem possible that Lynley will change his mind about her and Havers seems incapable of doing what she knows she must do to redeem herself; she's simply incapable of following orders all the way through.
I love these mysteries because George always manages to add additional story lines to the core plot. This keeps me continually interested in both the mystery and the characters. Great stuff!
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Independent Reading Post #1
I am in the middle of a couple of books right now. My junk food reading is a mystery called The Pursuit of the Proper Sinner by Elizabeth George. I am on page 215. Full disclosure, I have the whole mystery series twice already; I know, lame. I can't help it. I have tried to find other mysteries series to like as much, I just haven't found it yet. Anyway, the series focuses on five people and their intertwining lives as well as, of course, the mystery itself. Elizabeth George is a master of creating mood and characterization. When you read her mysteries, and this one is no exception, you become completely involved in the lives of the detectives as well as the characters touched by the murder (typically, it's a murder). I often read these mysteries for pleasure - and even though I know kind of what happens - I don't care; I am completely transported by the characters, their thoughts, feelings, and the situations they are in.
I am also reading a book called Invisible Bridge by Ron (?) Perlstein. I am on page 199. This book is a narrative non-fiction which focuses on the end of Vietnam, Watergate, Nixon and the rise of Ronald Reagan. Many of you may not be familiar with any of these names but it was pivotal time in our nation's history. The attitudes towards authority and government changed dramatically because of Watergate. Watergate was the name used for all the illegal acts of Nixon and his administration (one of the burglaries authorized by Nixon took place in a DC hotel called Watergate). Eventually, Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment. I was middle school and high school when all this happened (1972-1980), and it is interesting to me to read it as an adult and understanding that time from a very different perspective. I am also enjoying it because my husband and I are both reading it so we get to talk about it. Mostly though, I enjoy the author's writing style, it's super engaging and even though the book is dense, I am only a quarter way through, it's interesting and I am learning a ton about that time period. (both of these posts have to do with why I am enjoying these texts)
I am also reading a book called Invisible Bridge by Ron (?) Perlstein. I am on page 199. This book is a narrative non-fiction which focuses on the end of Vietnam, Watergate, Nixon and the rise of Ronald Reagan. Many of you may not be familiar with any of these names but it was pivotal time in our nation's history. The attitudes towards authority and government changed dramatically because of Watergate. Watergate was the name used for all the illegal acts of Nixon and his administration (one of the burglaries authorized by Nixon took place in a DC hotel called Watergate). Eventually, Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment. I was middle school and high school when all this happened (1972-1980), and it is interesting to me to read it as an adult and understanding that time from a very different perspective. I am also enjoying it because my husband and I are both reading it so we get to talk about it. Mostly though, I enjoy the author's writing style, it's super engaging and even though the book is dense, I am only a quarter way through, it's interesting and I am learning a ton about that time period. (both of these posts have to do with why I am enjoying these texts)
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