Migrating

I have decided to discontinue my literacy journal, and will instead maintain a list of favorite books at Shelfari.com. Please join me there.

www.shelfari.com/bdobler

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I would say that Inkheart is the girl version of Eragon or Harry Potter. A friend told me that it was originally written in German and set in Germany. German's consider it to be their version of Harry Potter. I agree. I read the book because I wanted to watch the movie. Based on past book/movie experiences, I wanted to read the book before the movie. Plus we have had the next book, Inkspell sitting on our bookshelf, but I wanted to read them in order. Although it's a bit long, this is an entertaining story of magic, books, reading, and suspense. Many of the main characters actions center around books and reading - a heartening theme for those of us who value literacy.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini

I am currently reading Brisinger, the third in a series including Eragon and Eldest. You might have seen the movie Eragon, which is really a combination of the first two books. When Eragon first came out, my son was young and I was still reading to him before bed every night. Now that he is 15, he considers himself too old to be read to before bed. :( Last year, he read Brisingr when it first came out. When he finished, he desperately wanted to me read it. Of course, it was during the middle of the semester, and I didn't feel like I could take on a 700+ page book. I am very careful about the books I start because I have a hard time abandoning a book. When I start reading, I am compelled to finish. Now, I don't have to finish right away. I am not a stay up until all hours of the morning reader. I just don't want to start reading another book until I finish reading the book I have. So I have put off reading this book. Then this summer, I was home recovering from surgery and had a lot of time on my hands to read. I read everything else I could think of before I finally turned to this book - after lots of cajoling by my son. Now I am in the midst of the book, and I am bound and determined to finish it - not because I like it, but because it gives me something to talk to my 15 year old son about besides how long his hair is and if he has done his homework. Stay tuned!

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

I picked up this book from the shelf in Target because of the word sisters in the title. Having four sisters, I know that "sister drama" can be the stuff of great stories. However, the sisters in this book are not related. My interest was kept when I learned that the women in this book come together because they form an informal writing group. Now I was hooked! My interest in writing and language arts was a great connection. It's a nice book - not a show stopper, but still nice. There is a lot of history from the 60's and 70's interwoven among the stories. I was a little young to really understand some of the events that are mentioned, but the author does a good job of showing just how influence politics and world events are on our everyday lives.

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir

This past spring and summer I set off to read Alison Weir's books about the kings and queens of England and their lives. By far the best that I read was The Lady Elizabeth.
I am not sure if I felt a connection because of our shared name, or if I was just looking for something to read that was stimulating. I greatly enjoyed this book! I didn't know much about Queen Elizabeth before beginning the book, but I came to realize she was a strong queen who valued tolerance, especially when it came to religion. She is a great example of a powerful woman who knew her mind.

Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich

If you want a mindless but fun mystery, check out Janet Evanovich's series. I read number fourteen this summer. Her books remind me of a similar style of mystery by Sue Grafton that follow the alphabet, e.g. A is for Alibi. These books are good for an escape where you don't want to have to think or feel too much. Let's call it light reading. This would be a good book to read after a long and involved novel. The characters and plot are such that you don't have to read the books in order.

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl

Is it fiction? Is it nonfiction? This interesting book blurs the line of text types. Ruth Reichl is the food critic at the New York Times. She writes of her attempts to dine out without being recognized through various disguises she uses to be anonymous. Ruth also vividly describes her eating experiences at some of the swankiest restaurants in New York City. Her descriptions are so clear, I could almost taste the food. Amidst the narratives, she also includes the column which appeared in the New York Times Foods Section following her dining experiences. Interwoven among these are also stories of favorite times with her husband and son and some recipes she creates for them. The descriptions of the disguises becomes a little tedious, but the variety of text including the food descriptions and recipes keeps the reader from getting bored.

Julie & Julia by Julie Powell

This is a fun book if you like to cook! Since I just like to eat and not to cook so much, it was an okay book for me. A young woman is unhappy in her dead-end job and is looking for a distraction. She comes across her mother's Julia Childs' cookbook and came up with a plan to cook all of the recipes within a year. She writes about her experiences on a blog. It wasn't until half way throough the book that I realized it's based on a true story and the blog can still be seen on the internet. It's a cute story, and the relationship difficulties Julie faces with friends, family, and her husband are interwoven through her cooking escapades.

The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth by BArbara Seaman

I definitely wouldn't call this a beach book, but it's a very interesting book for anyone who is taking estrogen for whatever reason. Did you know that birth control pills were invented for use in the concentration camps during the Holocaust? The book describes the history of estrogen and how influencial the drug companies have been in getting women who may not have really needed estrogen to use it through making false claims about its benefits. Alternatives to estrogen are also described, such as natural hormones, which are not controlled by drug companies because they do not make money off of them. My review sounds a little cynical. I guess that is because of two statements that stood out to me. One is that women should take as little estrogen as possible for a short of time as possible. Hmmm, didn't know that! Also, doctors and drug companies recommend estrogen to women for purposes it was not intended or researched for - such as osteoporsis, have women use it, then see if it works. That's the experiment and I have been a part of it for years!

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

8/17/08 Each summer I try to read some of the William Allen White books so I can somewhat keep up with children's literature. One of my favorites from this summer is The Mailbox. It's the story of an orphaned boy who is taken to live with his crochety old uncle. Eventually the boy is left on his own, and he learns of the heroic efforts of his uncle during the Vietnam War. The ending is very touching. I held back tears as I read while walking on the treadmill at the gym.

Proust and the Squid by Maryanne Wolf

8/17/08 Even after finishing this book, I still can't tell you the meaning of the title! However, I would say this is an excellent book if you want to understand what happens in our mind when we read. It's also a great resource for learning how to help students who struggle to read. Several times the author emphasized an idea that sort of bothered me. She shared the history of how humans have learned to read and the importance role language development has played in this history. Then she goes on to question whether our current uses of technology promote this language usage that has been so important. In a way, she alluded to the notion that we are going backwards mentally with our emphasis on technology for communication. Hmmm, think about texting.

Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters

8/17/08 This was my trip book for my visit to the Grand Canyon with my husband for our anniversary. There is no direct shot to the Grand Canyon, so we flew into and out of Phoenix and drove to the Grand Canyon on another day. Needless to say, I had lots of time to read!

I found Barbara Walters to be a fascinating person before reading the book, and even more so after. She is a strong woman and has had a difficult life, so I consider her a good role model. The book basically tells of her life childhood to present day. There is lots of great historical content and many interesting black and white photos of Barbara with some of the famous people she has had the chance to meet.

I did find the memoir format to be a bit draggy - you already know how the book ends!

The Grapes of Wrath

As I continue on my goal of reading or listening to the classics, I have come across an amazing book. Although The Grapes of Wrath is a book I have heard about many times, I never read it. The author, John Steinbeck, is a master with language and although this book is is extremely sad, I can appreciate the story because of the powerful words he has chosen to convey his ideas. Set during the Depression, this story follows a family that is forced to leave Oklahoma because no jobs are available. The family sets out for California were they have heard jobs and food are plenty. Along the way, they soon realize that California is also affected by the drought and the Depression. The story follows this family's life as they seek to find work, shelter, and food. The vivid descriptions of their suffering have stayed with me even though I actually read the book a few months ago. Whenever I was eating a snack while listening, I felt guilty for having our food and I need all these people were practically starving. Even though the story took place several decades ago, it reminded me of the current difficulties immigrants face in the United States. Much of the same discrimination is still with us. Although this is not a book I would recommend for taking to the beach, it is one that should be read by all of us.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

This is an amazing book! A friend recommended the book to me, but I was a little hesitant when I saw how thick it is. I thought I would not have time to read such a long look during the semester. Once I got started, I did not want to put it down. Because of the way the book is written, reading goes very fast - I read 80 pages in 15 minutes. The format of the book definitely helps make it special. The author/illustrator, Brian Selznick, has created a unique combination of illustrations and words. In most books with pictures, the illustrations add to the text. In this book, the illustrations are an integral part of the story and must be viewed very carefully in order to follow the sequence of the plot. These detailed sketches are great tools for teaching the viewing skills along with promoting aspects of art. No wonder this book was chosen as the 2008 Caldecott Award Winner! Besides these wonderful features, the boat has great historical background for such topics as early film making, train stations, magicians, and machines. These are not necessarily topics I would be interested in, but the way the author has combined them into a story about two children helping each other, makes this an excellent blend of expository and narrative text. The author has created a great web site with additional information to enhance the story.
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm

The World According to Garp

In my quest to read/listen to the classics, I have chosen this book based on a recommendation by my husband, a former English major. The book was written in 1978 and touches on many issues important to the times - feminism and roles of women and men. I have to admit, the book is a little strange, and not one of my very favorites. I had a hard time really liking Garp, who is at the center of the book. I also have to admit that even though I wasn't crazy about the book, it did hold my attention - all 17 CD's worth! Supposedly it's classic literature, and I would agree that it is very well written. But some of the topics and descriptions were a little risque for me. I have a hard time imagining reading this book as a part of a high school or even college English course.

Nothing But the Truth

My son, Eric, came home all excited about the book his seventh grade
teacher was reading aloud to the class - "Nothing But the Truth" byAvi. He said it was a documentary novel, something I had not heard of before. Eric encouraged me to read the book, so I did.

The story moves quickly because it is told through short pieces of texts
such as school memos, written conversations (like a play), newspaper
reports, and brief scene descriptions. This is the story of a ninth
grade boy who loves to run and plans on trying out for the track team,
until he realizes his low grade in English will prevent this from
happening. He blames the low grade on the teacher, and he makes plans
to get himself removed from her class. When the Star Spangled Banner is
played over the loud speaker each morning, he hums or sings quietly,
even though students are expected to be quiet and respectful. This
action gets him in trouble and eventually suspended. The story is
reported in the newspaper that a local boy is kicked out for singing
the National Anthem. Soon the whole thing is blown out of proportion,
and no one can tell what is the real truth.

Eric and I had an interesting discussion about the way each person has their own version of the truth, and there is no real truth. We also talked about how one
different decision by the main characters, and this story would have
changed drastically. All in all, I give it two thumbs up.

Naked Mole Rat Letters - WAW List

Although the title and front cover are not so appealing, this book has several good lessons, especially how we should treat those who are different. The story is told through a series of emails between a young girl and a woman her single father has recently met and would like to date. Between the emails, diary entries fill in the details of daily life for the girl and the personal struggles she faces with friends and families. The woman works at a zoo and is a naked mole rat expert, so there is much to learn about these strange but fascinating creatures.

The Sacrifice - WAW List

A nice companion to the classic, The Witch on Blackbird Pond, this book is set during the same time as the Salem witch trials. A young girl and her sister are pinpointed as witches, even though they have done nothing out of the ordinary. In order to free themselves, they must identify their mother as a witch, then they work to free her by standing up to the town and insisting there is no such thing as a witch.