Catch up

"Caddie Woodlawn"  A historical fiction, set in the "Little House on the Prairie" era.  It was quite awhile ago that I read it, but I do remember really enjoying the story.  Caddie befriends an Indian, which was unheard of then and they help each other out.  She is the trouble maker little girl, because she is not lady-like enough for her mother and sister.


"Roller Skates"  since it has been so long since I read this, here is the synopsis from wikipedia.  After reading through this summary. It starts to come back to me.  I really enjoyed reading this, I loved the characters, especially Lucinda, and the relationships she develops with people all around her.

"Roller Skates opens with the narrator remembering back to a special year in the 1890s, when young Lucinda Wyman arrives at the Misses Peters home in New York City. The narrator's diaries help her remember the details of 10-year-old Lucinda's "orphanage," as she calls it. That year her parents go to Italy, leaving her in the care of Miss Peters and her sister Miss Nettie. Miss Peters, a teacher, is "a person of great understanding, no nonsense, and no interference."^[1] Miss Nettie is shy and soft-hearted. Living with them Lucinda experiences unprecedented freedom, exploring the city on roller skates and making friends with all types of people.
Lucinda quickly gets to know Mr. Gilligan the hansom cab driver and Patrolman M'Gonegal. The first friend of her own age is Tony Coppino. Lucinda enlists Officer M'Gonegal to stop the bullies who knock down his father's fruit-stand and steal the fruit. In return Tony takes her for a city picnic where they meet a rag-and-bone man. Later Lucinda reads Shakespeare with her favorite uncle and is inspired to put on a puppet production of The Tempest.
But the cold and snow of winter keep her cooped up indoors, and eventually a restless Lucinda acts out -- and gets sent home from school in disgrace. Later her uncle introduces her to Shakespeare's tragedies, and she experiences her own when two of her friends die. With Lucinda's parents coming back from Italy she realizes everything is changing. So she skates to the park one last time. "How would you like to stay always ten?" she muses. "That's what I'd call a perfectly elegant idea!"

"Thimble Summer"  Wikipedia summary

Thimble Summer is a novel by Elizabeth Enright that won the 1939 Newbery Medal. It is set in Depression-era rural Wisconsin.
The very evening that nine-year-old Garnet Linden finds a silver thimble in a dried-up riverbed near the farm where she lives, the drought that has threatened her family's financial future is broken with a rainstorm. The days that follow are filled with exciting events: the Lindens come by money to rebuild their barn, Garnet's pig wins a blue ribbon at the fair, and a young boy named Eric comes to live with the Lindens as their adopted son.
The summer is so wonderful that Garnet comes to believe that the thimble had magical powers, and she vows to remember that time as her "thimble summer".
Again, a long time ago I read this, I did like it, from what I remember it was a summer



"The Witch of Blackbird Pond" - Wikipedia summary

In April 1687,^[1] 16-year-old Katherine Tyler (known throughout the story as Kit Tyler) leaves her home in Barbados after her grandfather's death and goes to Wethersfield, Connecticut to live with her Aunt Rachel and Uncle Matthew in their Puritan community.
On the way to her new home, there is a brief stop in Saybrook, a small town just down river from Wethersfield, and four new passengers board the Dolphin, the ship on which Kit is traveling. As the small rowboat returns to the ship, a small girl named Prudence accidentally drops her doll in the water and begs her mother to get it back for her. Her mother, Goodwife Cruff, harshly strikes Prudence and tells her not to be foolish. Impulsively, Kit jumps into the water and retrieves the doll. When she returns to the rowboat, she is met with astonished suspicion as few people in Connecticut could swim so well. Goodwife Cruff is the most cynical of them all, believing Kit is a witch, saying, "No respectable woman could stay afloat like that." But Kit knew how to swim because she lived in the islands. On the slow trip upriver, Kit befriends John Holbrook, another passenger coming to Wethersfield to study with Gershom Bulkeley. After the Dolphin reaches Wethersfield, Kit admits to the captain of the ship that neither her aunt nor uncle know she is coming. She says that they would welcome her because she is family.
When she arrives in Wethersfield, Kit finds Connecticut very different from Barbados. In her previous home, she had servants but here is expected to work along with the rest of the family. There is none of the luxury to which she was accustomed, and even the weather is miserably cold. She has two cousins, Mercy and Judith. She is required to attend meeting (church) services twice each Sunday, which she finds long and dull. At church, Kit meets the rich, 19-year old William Ashby, who begins courting her, though she does not care for him; originally, her cousin Judith had hoped to marry William, but soon sets her sights on John Holbrook, a divinity student studying with local minister Gershom Bulkeley.
Kit's life improves when she and Mercy begin teaching the 'dame school' for young children. Everything goes well until one day, bored with the normal lessons, Kit decides the children will act out a part from the Bible--the tale of the Good Samaritan. Mr. Eleazer Kimberly, the head of the school, enters the house just as things get out of hand. He is outraged at Kit for having the audacity to act out something from the Bible and shuts down the school. Heartbroken, Kit flees to the meadows where she meets and befriends the kind, elderly woman named Hannah Tupper, who was outlawed from the Massachusetts colony because she is a Quaker, and does not attend Meeting. As outcasts, Kit and Hannah develop a deep relationship, and even after her uncle forbids Kit to continue the friendship, Kit keeps visiting Hannah. During one of her visits, she once again meets the handsome Nathaniel "Nat" Eaton, son of the captain of the Dolphin. Without realizing it, she falls in love with him, and though he doesn't say so, Nat loves her as well. Unfortunately, Nat is banished from Wethersfield after setting lighted jack-o-lanterns in the windows of William Ashby's unfinished home with two of his shipmates-he will get 30 lashes if he returns to Wethersfield. Kit also begins secretly teaching Prudence to read and write; Goodwife Cruff claims the child is a halfwit and refuses to allow her to attend the dame school.
When a deadly illness sweeps through Wethersfield, a mob gathers to kill Hannah by burning her house, since everyone believes she is a witch who has cursed the town. Kit risks her life to warn Hannah, and the two women escape to the river just as the Dolphin appears from the early morning mist. Kit flags it down, and she explains to Nat the events of the night. Hannah refuses to leave without her cat, so Nat bravely gets it for her. After taking Hannah aboard, he then invites Kit to come with them. She refuses, explaining how Mercy is gravely ill, though Nat believes Kit fears risking her engagement to William Ashby.
After the Dolphin sails away, Kit returns home to find that Mercy's fever has broken. In the middle of the same night, the townspeople come for Kit — Adam Cruff, Goodwife Cruff's husband, had accused Kit of being a witch. The next day, after a night in a freezing shed, she is asked to explain the presence of her hornbook in Hannah's house and a copybook with Prudence's name written throughout, as the townspeople fear that she and Hannah had been casting a spell over the girl. Kit refuses to explain that it is Prudence herself who wrote her name in the book, as she does not wish Prudence to get in trouble with her parents. Then, just as the case seemed to be decided, Nat appears with Prudence who testifies that she herself wrote her own name in the hornbook, not Kit. To demonstrate her literacy, Prudence reads a Bible passage and writes her name, thus convincing her father both that she is intelligent and that no witchcraft could be involved, as he points out the devil would be foolish to allow a child to be taught to use the Bible against himself.
Judith becomes engaged to William Ashby, who had been courting Kit, and Mercy to John Holbrook, and Kit decides to return to Barbados. However, she soon realizes that she is in love with Nat, and she waits for him to return. Nat returns to Wethersfield with his own ship, the Witch, named for Kit. Nat asks her to come on board the Witch "for keeps".



"Island of the Blue Dolphins" -

The main character is a girl named Karana, and that is her secret name. Wonapalei is her common name (everyone in the village has a secret name). Her people live in a village called Ghalas-at, gathering roots and fishing to supply the tribe. One day, a ship of Aleuts, led by a Russian named Captain Orlov, arrive and persuade the natives into letting them hunt sea otter in return for other goods. However, the Aleuts attempt to swindle the islanders and leave without paying. When they are confronted by Chief Chowig, Karana's father, a battle breaks out, and lives are lost on both sides. The tribe is decimated by the battle and the Aleuts leave the island, leaving little payment for the otters they hunted. Karana's father and many other men in the tribe die after the battle.
Later, the "replacement chief", Chief Kimki, leaves the island for new land in the east. Eventually, he is able to send a ship to bring his people to the mainland, even though he himself does not return. The white men came to Karana's village and told them to pack their goods and go to the ship. Karana's brother, Ramo left the ship to retrieve his fishing spear. Although Karana urges the captain to wait for her brother Ramo to return, the ship must leave before a storm approaches. Karana jumps off the ship and swims to shore, and the ship departs without them.
The siblings live alone on the island,hoping the ship will return. Ramo is eventually killed by a pack of feral dogs (some of the dogs joined the feral pack after the Aleuts killed their owners). Alone on the island, Karana must now take on traditionally male tasks, such as hunting, making spears, or building canoes, in order to survive. She vows to avenge her brother's death and kills several of the dogs, but has a change of heart when she encounters the leader of the pack. She tames him and names him Rontu, meaning "fox eyes" in her language.
Over time, Karana makes a life for herself. She builds a home made of whale bones and even stocks a cave with provisions in case the Aleuts ever come back, so she can hide from them. As she explores her island, Karana discovers ancient artifacts and a large squid (which she calls a devilfish). As time passes, she decides to hunt the devilfish. She also tames some birds and an otter; she feels a close kinship to the animals, the only inhabitants of the island beside herself.
One summer, the Aleuts return, and Karana takes refuge in the cave. She observes the Aleuts closely, and soon realizes that there is a girl, Tutok, among the Aleuts who takes care of the domestic duties, including getting water from the pool near Karana's cave. Despite Karana's precautions, she and the young Aleut woman meet and befriend each other. They exchange presents with each other when possible. Karana realizes how lonely she has been without other people. Later the Aleuts leave, with Tutok; the men are none the wiser of Karana's presence, but their departure also deprives her of her newfound friend.
More time goes by, and Rontu dies. She soon finds a young dog that looks like Rontu and takes him in, naming him Rontu-Aru ("Son of Rontu"). One day, Karana sees the sails of a ship. It docks at the shore, but it then leaves. Two years later, in the spring, the boat comes back, so she dresses in her finest attire and goes to the shore to meet the boat. Her rescuers realize her attire will not be appropriate for the mainland, and they have a dress made for her. Although she does not like the dress, Karana realizes that this is part of her new life. The ship sails away, and takes Karana and Rontu-Aru to the mission in Santa Barbara, California.


"The Slave Dancer" - Snatched from the docks of New Orleans, 13-year-old Jessie is thrown aboard a slave ship where he is sickened by the horrible practices of the slave business. But they are nothing compared to the one final horror that Jessie will witness. Can the cruelty be stopped before it’s too late?


"Dear Mr. Henshaw" -

Dear Mr. Henshaw begins with the book's main character, Leigh Botts, writing a letter as part of his second grade assignment. He writes to his favorite author, Boyd Henshaw. Mr. Henshaw writes back with some questions for Leigh, and his mother demands he answer. At first Leigh is reluctant to reply to Mr Henshaw. Through Leigh's answers to Mr. Henshaw, Leigh's personal matters are revealed, such as his struggles with his parents' divorce, his complex relationship with his father as well as his being the new kid in town. Later, Mr. Henshaw encourages Leigh to keep a diary of his thoughts and feelings, and the book then switches from a letter format to a diary format.
By writing to Mr. Henshaw, Leigh Botts must learn to accept that he cannot change parts of his life. For example, his parents may never re-marry, people will continue to steal his lunch, and that he can never count on his father to be available when he is needed. He must deal with problems that many other children also have to cope with: feeling lonely because he is new in town, school assignments, etc

"Sarah, Plain and Tall" -

Sarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan, and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal and the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. It explores themes of loneliness, abandonment, and coping with change.
The novel is set in the western United States during the late 19th century. Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife during childbirth several years earlier finds that the task of taking care of his farm and two children, Anna and Caleb, is too difficult to handle alone. He writes an ad in the newspaper for a mail-order bride. Sarah, from Maine, answers his ad and travels out to become his wife.

"Maniac Magee" -

Jeffrey Lionel Magee's parents were in a trolley when a drunk driver crashed and sunk the trolley (P and W) into the Schuylkill River in Bridgeport, PA, orphaning him at age three. After living with his Aunt Dot and Uncle Dan in another town and enduring their mutual hatred and silence, he runs away during a school musical performance. One year (The Lost Year) and 200 miles later, Jeffrey finds himself across the river from Bridgeport in Two Mills, PA, where Hector Street sharply divides black East Enders from white West Enders.
He meets Amanda Beale, an East Ender who carries her library of random books in a suitcase, and he borrows a book before continuing his dash through town. Along the way, he intercepts a football pass made to local football star James "Hands" Down, infuriates gigantic little-leaguer John McNab by hitting home runs off his fastball, and saves an unlucky child from Finsterwald’s back yard. The Finsterwald house is a house dreaded by everyone and has a bad reputation. Because of these acts, he earned the nickname "Maniac" and started a local legend.
When East Ender bully "Mars Bar" Thompson corners Maniac and rips a page from Amanda's book, Maniac is rescued by Amanda herself, who takes him home to her chaotic but loving household. Maniac finds a temporary home there, helping Mr. and Mrs. Beale with the chores and pacifying their youngest children, Hester and Lester. Soon though, a few East End residents make it clear that they don't want him in the East End anymore by writing racist graffiti on the Beale's garage door. His final effort to gain acceptance is by untying the famous Cobble’s Knot (a huge, grimy ball of string with a year's supply of pizza waiting for its vanquisher.) After finishing the task he is praised by everyone as confetti is thrown into the air. Amanda Beale realizes, too late, that the confetti was made from the pages of her favorite book. Maniac runs away again so he won't hurt the Beales anymore. He takes shelter in the buffalo pen at the zoo and occasionally eats with the Pickwells—West Enders who provide spaghetti dinners for anyone who shows up at their dinner table.
At the zoo, Maniac meets Earl Grayson, a washed up minor-league baseball pitcher who turns out to be groundskeeper in the future, who hasn't ever learned to read, and who insists he has no stories. For a few months Jeffrey has a home again with Grayson, helping at work, celebrating holidays, and teaching Grayson to read. When Grayson dies in his sleep, Maniac wanders off aimlessly.
On the verge of frozen starvation he encounters Piper and Russell, child-ruffians who are running away to Mexico, and who turn out to be John McNab's brothers. Maniac leads them back home, bribing them with free pizza, and stays at their cockroach-infested, decrepit house. Here, Maniac finds the worst that the West End has to offer as he learns that the McNab's are making a bunker because they believe the East End is planning a rebellion. He endures the coarseness and squalor of the McNab home in hopes of keeping Piper and Russell in school and under control, but eventually gives up.
After beating Mars Bar in a foot race (running backward) and goading him into crashing a birthday party at the McNab's, Maniac is homeless again. He moves back into the buffalo pen, and runs for miles every morning before Two Mills wakes up. Before long, Mars Bar starts running with him as if by coincidence, and the two never say a word to each other. One day they come across a hysterical Piper McNab, who frantically leads them to Russell, stuck on the trolley trestle where Jeffrey's parents died. Maniac walks away silently, nearly unconscious and stunned by fear, while Mars Bar rescues Russell, becoming a hero in the child’s eyes. Maniac retreats to the buffalo pen, where Mars Bar leads Amanda Beale to persuade Maniac once and for all to come live with her family again.


"Shiloh" - When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.


"The View from Saturday" -

Mrs. Olinski returns to the classroom at Epiphany Middle School several years after an accident that left her paraplegic. Four of her sixth-grade students form a group they call "The Souls" and she chooses them to represent her class in Academic Bowl competition. They defeat the other sixth-grade teams, then the seventh- and eighth-grade champions at Epiphany, and so on until they become New York state middle school champions.
Between chapters that feature the progress of the competition, each of the four students narrates one chapter related both to the development of The Souls and to a question in the state championship final. Noah Gershom recounts learning calligraphy and being best man for his grandfather's friend at Century Village in Florida. Nadia Diamondstein describes working to conserve sea turtles and meeting Ethan, also at Century Village. Ethan Potter tells of meeting Julian, a new boy in town, and attending his tea parties, where the four Souls became friends. Julian Singh explains being new at school and tells of handling a chance for revenge against one of the bullies — remarkably grounded in the part played by Nadia's dog in the school musical "Annie".

"The Higher Power of Lucky" - The novel features Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town called Hard Pan (population 42) in the California desert with her two friends Lincoln, who is an avid knot tyer and expected by his mother to be the president when he grows up, and Miles, a five year old whose favorite book is "Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman. After her mother died two years ago from being electrocuted, her father called upon his first ex-wife, Brigitte, to come to the United States from France to take care of Lucky. Lucky fears that Brigitte is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan. When she discovers Brigette's suitcase and passport lying out, she becomes convinced that Brigitte will abandon her and return to France. This anxiety prompts Lucky to seek help from her "Higher Power", a notion she gets from eavesdropping at her town's 12-step meetings. After discovering three "signs" to leave, she runs away with her dog, HMS Beagle, during a sandstorm. Outside of town, however, she finds Miles, lost and injured in the storm, and takes him with her. They take shelter in the dugouts near an abandoned mine and wait out the storm. They are soon joined by Lincoln, who tells them that the rest of the town is looking for them, and will be there shortly. Before she leaves the dugouts, she casts her mother's ashes out in the wind in a makeshift memorial service with the townsfolk. Brigitte takes Lucky home and explains the papers Lucky had found in Brigitte's suitcase were actually to legally adopt Lucky, and reveals her plans to open a restaurant in Hard Pan.

I hate when I do things twice!

Apparently I started this post awhile ago and I just did it again today...


I have been keeping a running list on a memo pad ap on my phone entitled "Books to Blog About"  It's now got ten books on it.  So, hopefully I can remember something about these books I read.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
I loved the whole idea of this book.  The man who invented keeping track of time. He starts noticing little things... the sun moving, shadows, water dripping.  He becomes cursed for starting tracking time.  He hears everyone's thoughts... "I need more time"  "Why can't time go faster?" He is sent to current times to help three people who are struggling with issues of time.  I highly recommend it and it really makes you think what life would be like if we weren't slaves to time.

Holes by Louis Sachar
This is a classic Newbery book that i had not read before. I have seen the movie a few times and loved it.

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

And Now, Miguel by Joseph Krumgold

Matched by Ally Condie

The Night Circus Erin Morgenstern

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

Strawberry Girl Lois Lenski

Just to name a few

My last post nearly a year ago in April 2013 mentions I was reading the Time Keeper by Mitch Albom.  I loved this book!  The idea was so unique and thought provoking.  How did we come up with the concept of time?  Who started measuring time and why?

Since then I have just been keeping a list of books I've read on a "note" in my phone. There are too many for me to blog about each one so I will just list with a snippet of whether I enjoyed it or not.

Holes by Louis Sachar- misfit boys at a troubled youth camp digging holes to build character - I love this book and the movie!

A Dog's Purpose by Bruce Cameron told from the perspective of a dog as he dies and comes back as different dogs doing different things and he is trying to discover his purpose. I couldn't put this down. I loved it.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos another Newbery winner about a quirky boy in a quirky town. I always enjoy these books.

When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead - a Newbery with an interesting twist.  A girl and a boy are best friends when something happens and he stops talking to her.  Worth the read. I enjoyed it

And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold - a Newbery but more of a blah-bery. I did finish it but it was a little boring for me

Matched by Ally Condie - a twisted society a love triangle...we've all read that before.  It was good but not great.

Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - I really liked this book, an interesting circus and the people who frequent it and keep it going, totally different story line and great characters.

Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child - a Jack Reacher...he gets involved in some sort of mystery, kills a lot of people, lives a transient lifestyle.... always the same....always fantastic!  Once I start a Jack Reacher book I plow through it very quickly!  I have really loved all of them.  I just have to read a few books in between because they are a lot the same.

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski - a Newbery that I adored..set it the Depression era on a strawberry field in the sandy areas of Florida.  I love most historical fiction and this was great!

Theodore Boone Accused by John Grisham - these is part of a series of books written for teens by Grisham.  I have loved the first two books and need to read the third.

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool - a Newbery that finds a young girl being sent off on a train while her Dad works for the summer. She doesn't know where she's going or who she will meet. The two girls that she becomes friends with discover mysteries in a cigar box that develop into how her Dad was involved in the history of Manifest.  I really enjoyed reading this book.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - this was not my favorite at all. I didn't enjoy the writing style or the storyline. I personally don't recommend it but I know a lot of people love it.

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel - a boy survives 227 days on a raft with a tiger and mysterious floating island.  This was a great book, written very well.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - I loved this book!  A white servant girl is torn between the Big House and the servant quarters where she lives.  She doesn't quite know where she fits in.  There are great characters and a fantastic story line

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - a good ol' mystery a must read

It's Like This Cat by Emily Cheney Neville -a boy and his Dad fight a lot, his Dad thinks a dog will teach him alot so he finds a cat.  This was an ok book

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner  I absolutely loved this book.  Even though it is quite lengthy I couldn't put it down.  Again, a historical fiction that captured my interest and I fell in love with so many of the characters!

Decked by Carol Higgins Clark - whenever I'm not sure what to read, I know I can always go to a Mary Higgins Clark mystery, this is her daughter and it was just as good.

Gay Neck: The Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji - a Newbery but yet another blah-bery... I didn't love the saga of the pigeon, I found it too long and just not enough story line or character development to keep my interest.

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child -a Jack Reacher book.... see above :)

The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting - a Newbery that was pretty good.  Not great but still good.

Inferno by Dan Brown - I held off on reading this because I had heard so-so reviews about it. It definitely has something to think about... the population exponentially increasing too quickly in respect to the earth's resources... the black plague and famines did well  to keep the population in check... someone thinks it's time for another plague.  Very good but it does drag a little in the middle.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson - a Newbery about twins..one outshines the other and the less sparkling one feels left out in the shadows.  She tries to find out who she is and discovers many great things about herself and life.  I liked this one.

Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff - a Newbery honor book set in WWII a young girl is left with her Grandma when her father is called off to war, she befriends a refugee from Hungary.  A great story of how friendship can help us through the struggles in life.  I recommend this one.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - written for teens this book sheds light on teens struggling through cancer.  The story was good, the characters appealing but the writing style was too teenagerish for me (alot of "I was like")  It just made it a little harder to read.

The Enemy by Lee Child

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - this is the first book in a series and I enjoyed it. Its about a girl who is sentenced to taste the kings food to make sure it's not poisoned before he eats it.  I really enjoyed this book but as I started the second book in the series I quickly lost interest.

Messenger (Giver #3) by Lois Lowry  I love, love, love The Giver series. I recommend them to everyone.  Great characters, makes you think about things in a different light.

Gathering Blue (Giver #2) by Lois Lowry

I've been doing a lot of reading lately since Norm gave me a tablet for Christmas. I can just download e-books from the library, I don't have to go anywhere, I don't have to return them, late fees are impossible. I love it!  I haven't been doing so hot on my Newbery reading though.  I just revised my list and I have finished 45 of the 91 books... almost half.  I need to do some catching up!  

Some recent reads, not Newbery, but enjoyable nonetheless:

The Racketeer by John Grisham.  It's been quite awhile since I've read a book of his. It was a page turner and I read it quick.  The thing that I find when reading these pure entertainment novels is that it's hard to blog about them.  There's not really great insight, except if you are going to be a racketeer, be a good one, it takes years of planning!  Grisham is a great writer, he knows how to twist a story and keep you guessing as to what is going on and this book was no different.

I also read a few of the Jack Reacher novels, I read the first one The Killing Floor. and it was definitely a suspenseful read.  I had been warned of the goriness and there was some descriptive fight scenes.  I did learn that if someone is strangling you from behind grab their fingers that are clenched around your neck and try to break them.  Good to know...  I read a few more but to be honest, I can't remember the titles.  They are similar stories, a vagabond in a new town gets wrapped up in some sort of crime... I had to take a break and try something different.

I don't like it when I can't remember what I read.  I am racking my brain here trying to remember the books I have been reading, maybe it is just those few but it seemed like more.  

I am currently reading Mitch Albom's The Time Keeper. I am loving it so far and will post about it when I finish.  I just requested A Dog's Purpose in an actual paper book from the library.  I can't get it on my Nexus and I want to read it with my kids.  My sister, Lauren, recommended it to me. I also have Uglies and Matched on the horizon.  Then on to some Newbery books, just to tick a few more off the list!

Lists

So, I am just a little bit obsessed with lists, it probably could border on neuroses. When I asked our school librarian if I could have one of the old Newbery Winner posters she gave me one.  On the back of the poster is a list of all the winners.  I took the pleasure today of checking off which books I have read.  It was very satisfying.  I released some major endorphins checking them off.  I also realized there were a few books that I never blogged about.  The Newbery Award started in 1922 and the 2012 award has been decided.  That means there have been 90 books to have received this award.  I have now officially read.... drum roll please...  40 books.  Not quite half, ok, that doesn't really deserve a drum roll, but I really just wanted to know where I was on my journey.  So, back to the books I didn't blog about, there are quite a few, so I will be catching those up over the summer.

"Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry"

Even though this book seemed a little longer than most of the Newbery's I have read lately, I breezed right through it.  The story captivated me right from the beginning.  I was listening to "The Help" audio book at the same time and it was interesting to compare the racial issues from the 1930's to the 1960's. I loved Cassie's way of noticing differences and her thoughts about why it mattered. The contrasts on how the older people, Cassie's parents and Uncle, reacted to how the children reacted to threats and comments were strikingly different.  Realizing how much the Logan family appreciated owning their own land and how blessed they felt because of it made me understand how much we all take for granted in our daily lives.  To live as the sharecroppers did was not that much better than slavery was.  To think that in the 70 years following the Civil War and the Emancipation proclamation there was still this much discrimination and horrific treatment was very eye opening.  I had never put the time difference together that even 100 years after that, we were still in the era that "The Help" was written. Even more baffling to me is that the 1960's were only 40 years ago.  I'd like to think we've come along way, but I don't want to be naive about this situation.  

I am finding out that I truly love historical fiction books.  I still love me a good fantasy (Harry Potter, Hunger Games, etc...) but learning about what life was like for all races during different time periods is very fascinating to me.

"Alice's Tulips"

Another great read by Sandra Dallas... This book is written in a different format, it is full of letters written from Alice to her sister.  You don't get to read the responses from her sister, but you can tell what the sister may have said or asked by the clever writings of the letters.  This story is set in civil war times and includes many references to the importance of quilting and quilts in general during this era.  Alice is a new bride and her husband signs up to fight in the war.  She is left to live with her mother-in-law on their small farm.  They struggle with the elements, the physical work of keeping up a farm, and the hardships during war time.  I love historical fiction and this time period was particularly interesting.  There was some interesting comments in the letters to her sister about "missing" her husband that made me blush,  and I wouldn't want my daughter reading.  So, just a word of caution, you may want to preview it before you recommend it to someone.  It's not a dirty book by any means, but just want to put that out there.  I always enjoy Dallas' use of history, quilts and the emotional connections between women.  I have found it interesting that no matter the location, the time period or the circumstances, that as a woman I can always relate to these women on some level.  I think that is why I become so emotionally connected to her characters.

Buster Midnight's Cafe

This isn't a Newbery book, but I like keeping track of other books I read, especially if it's a good one!  This is another must read by Sandra Dallas.  The names of the two main characters give me the giggles:  Effa Commander and Whippy Bird.  These are two ladies that are watching out for each other and the third friend in their group:Man Anna.  This is set in a mining town in Montana.  Their friend May Anna is discovered by a Hollywood agent and goes from being a hooker to a famous movie star.  They communicate by telegrams and an occasional long distance phone call from May Anna.  There is a murder and a scandal surrounding May Anna.  Effa Commander and Whippy Bird try to clear their dear friend's name.  The story is told from the perspective of Effa Commander and I literally laughed out loud many times at the quirky sayings and funny comments that are shared between Effa and Whippy.  There are touching moments to, as to be expected.  I became emotionally attached to the characters and wanted their story to continue as the book came to an end.

"Call It Courage"

Once again, another book I fell in love with.  I guess there is a reason all these are award winning books!  As short as this book was, I can't believe I haven't read it before.  I want all my kids to read it.  The title alone is enough to tell you it is worth reading.  Our family motto is : I Can Do Hard Things, It Will Make Me Stronger. This book could be our mission statement.  It's about a boy who over comes his fears.  He does hard things and it does make him stronger.  The things he goes through to survive and conquer his fears are impressive.  It made me want to do hard things, now I need to get moving!

"Julie of the Wolves"

I was skeptical of this book at first.  I find that I often am unsure and hesitant when choosing books.  I was immediately sucked into this book.  I often joke about my kids being sucked into "T.V. Land"... you know that non-responsive blank stare state they get in when they are watching Sponge Bob or Phineas and Ferb...  Well, I was like that with this book.  The main character basically runs away from her arranged marriage, at 13. Who wouldn't?!?!  She gets lost out on the tundra and lives near the wolves and learns how to survive from them.  She had already been taught many skills from her Dad on how to live off the land, because that was their way of life.  It follows her journey to get back to civilization, her struggle with wanting to live the Eskimo life she knows or go to San Francisco to live with her pen pal.  The pen pals life is filled with all kinds of exciting things:  television, carpet, wallpaper, etc...

She finds comfort in hearing the wolves talk to each other and to her. The journeys the author takes you on, physically, mentally and spiritually are amazing.  It's about survival, hard work, and doing everything you can to make it where you want to be.

"Onion John"

"Onion John is an unusual man: a European immigrant who lives in a hut made of stone and furnished with bathtubs. He befriends young Andy Rusch, the only person in Serenity who can understand his speech. As Andy comes to know Onion John (so named because he grows the best onions in town, and eats them like apples), he finds that the man believes some odd things. In Onion John's world, friendly spirits live in the clouds, and evil spirits can be banished by smoking them out. His needs are few, since the townspeople are happy to give him castoff clothing after someone dies, and he earns a little money by doing odd jobs around Serenity. Andy and his friends are always happy to go along with whatever Onion John says."

I liked this book.  There were many things to be learned while reading this book. 

1.  Just because someone is different doesn't mean you can't be their friend.  Andy is the only one who can understand Onion John's garbled speech but that doesn't stop him and his buddies from befriending him.

2. Just because someone chooses to live a different lifestyle (no electricity for example) doesn't mean they are miserable and that you need to change them.  The Rotary club decides to combine their efforts and build John a modern house and help him out.  It terrifies him and he doesn't know how to work the appliances and he burns the house down.  He runs away, afraid they will rebuild the house and he will have to live in it. 

3.  Sometimes the things we want for ourselves aren't always what everyone else wants or needs.

4.  Little acts of kindness go a long way.  John has some strange superstitions and Andy and his friends go along with John and help him act them out.  Andy's Dad thinks this is a ridiculous waste of time and is angry with Andy for falling prey to Johns superstitions.  The joy John feels when Andy supports him is worth every minute they spent creating what seems like silly superstitions.

Newbery NOT NewberRy

I feel a little ashamed since reading all the Newbery books is on my bucket list yet I don't know how to spell Newbery.  Well, I do now... but I just noticed on this last round of books I read that there is only one "R" in Newbery.  I am not going to go back and fix all my prior mistakes but just wanted to acknowledge that I am aware and from now on all future spellings of Newbery will be correct!

 Please forgive me John Newbery...

"Kira-Kira"

"At the beginning of the story, it is the 1950s, and Lynn taught Katie the word Kira-kira and she uses it to describe everything meaning "glittering". Her older sister Lynn, and their parents are living in Iowa and own a unique Asian supermarket. When the store goes out of business, the family moves to an apartment home in Georgia where Katie's parents can work at a hatchery with two other Japanese families. Lynn is Katie's best friend. Known for being remarkably intelligent, she can beat her Uncle Katsuhisa, a self-proclaimed chess grand master, at his own game."

I loved this story as sad as it was. It was just real life for this real little family.  I connected with the characters and I couldn't put this book down.  Especially right now, with the economy suffering as it has and people and families being impacted in ways that they haven't felt before, this book, was very real to me.  The family loses their supermarket and are forced to move to another state to find work in a chicken hatchery.  Their two daughters are young and the parents work basically two full time jobs each.  They do what they have to in order to support their family.  They have a baby during this time of trial... which just goes to show that life goes on and you just do the best you can.  The oldest daughter is sickly and that is a constant struggle for them too.  The parents are gone nearly all the time, night and day to work and they feel the longing to be home when their daughter is sick.  They rely on family, friends, neighbors to help and they help others too.  One significant part of the story was when the Mom had to be to work all day and had no where for the middle daughter and the young son to go for the day.  So, their plan was to ride with her to work and wait in the car during her 8 hour shift!  They packed  a lunch and some books and just hung out in the car all day.  The kids knew the importance of just doing what you have to do.  Again, another book that makes you think.  Makes you realize that often your trials don't seem as bad when you can imagine what others might be suffering.  Yes, what we go through is hard, but when we can reach out to others and take the focus off our pains for a time it can ease our plight.

"Crispin" by Avi

I was pleasantly surprised while reading this book.  I had passed over it many times on the library shelf, the cover didn't interest me nor did the synopsis of the book.

Part of the synopsis is:

"In 1377 England, a 13-year-old boy, known only as Asta's Son, lives as a peasant in a small village. His village is part of the territory of the feudal Lord Furnival. As the lord has been away for years fighting in a war in France, the village has long been under the direct control of the steward, John Aycliffe. When his mother dies, Asta's Son is left alone as he has no other known relatives. Shortly afterwards, John Aycliffe falsely accuses him of theft, and declares him a Wolf's Head, one who may be killed on sight. Asta's Son turns to the village priest, his only friend, who gives to him a lead cross that belonged to his mother, and reveals that his true name is Crispin. The priest promises to reveal to Crispin the truth of who his father was, but before he can, Aycliffe's men murder him, forcing Crispin to flee the village by himself, pursued by the steward."

Now, after reading the book, the synopsis is very intriguing.  I can't imagine why I turned this book down so many times.  I loved this book.  I couldn't put it down.  I loved the imagery of life in the 1300s and realizing how blessed I was to be born in the late 1900s.  I would never have survived or wanted to survive in their living conditions.  The things that were normal for them seem torturous to me.  I felt so much for this boy, realizing that he was just barely older than Maddy, on his own, trying to survive.   Whenever I read books set in olden times, and I mean anything older than 1950, I truly appreciate my life, the conveniences I have and the technology we have been blessed with.  The simplicity of going to the store to buy food, while riding in my air conditioned car, is something I often take for granted.  Or relaxing at home watching tv on my comfy couch in my air conditioned home... yes, it is hot and I am so grateful for air conditioning right now!  They lived their life to survive and some days I am not sure what my intent for the day is.  I know my ultimate goal is to get my family to the celestial kingdom but do I put the intensity into that these people did in order just to survive.  Isn't that what we are trying to do... survive the evil influences and rise above.  I need more intensity.

"The Summer of the Swans"

I truly enjoyed this book.  It was an easy quick read.  It is by Betsy Byars and I enjoyed her writing style.  Sara has a younger brother, Charlie, who is developmentally disabled.  She loves him and takes care of him but often loses her patience with him.  The swans come to visit their lake and she takes Charlie.  She becomes annoyed when she is ready to leave and he wants to stay. One night he wanders away to find the swans and becomes lost.  Sara has to allow others that she had previously thought didn't care for Charlie to help her.  I liked this book, not loved, but liked it.

"Secret of the Andes"

This book by Ann Nolan Clark takes place in the Andes mountains.  It is about a boy and an old man who tend to a herd of llamas.  He hasn't left is little valley for years.  He doesn't know what a family is or friends are.  He discovers there is a secret to his life and he sets out on a journey with his pet llama.  His mission is to find a family.  He searches and searches and finds a family that takes him in.  He finds that he doesn't fit in so he leaves them.  He realizes that he had his own "family" with the old man who has taken care of him.  He returns to his valley in the mountains. 

I  enjoyed this book but I think it would be harder for kids to follow.  I liked the message that we often think the grass is greener on the othr side but actually we truly love what we have.  It often takes us leaving or missing them to truly appreciate what we have.  This was an easy read and I enjoyed this book.

"The Wheel on the School"

This Newberry book is by a Dutch author, Meindert DeJong.  This was actually picked by the book club in my ward.  I was really excited that they picked a Newberry book because I haven't read one for a long time and I wanted to get back to reading them.  I was very intrigued that it was by a Dutch author since Norm's Mom is Dutch.  I had Norm ask her if she had read it and she, of course, said "many times".  I was surprised I had not heard of it or read it before.  So, I quickly began reading.  I must admit this was not my favorite Newberry book.  I was intrigued by the Dutch-ness of the story because of my Hans, my mother-in-law.  So I did read the whole thing.  I just truly didn't enjoy the writing style.  The story is very endearing though and you do feel for the little kids.  I appreciated their perseverence and I wished that I had the drive to accomplish something like them.  Their desire to have storks nest in their town became all consuming.  They searched unceaslingly until they found the needed wagon wheel.  The whole town became involved and worked together to find all the items needed for the storks to make a nest.  Overall, I enjoyed the book.  It took me several weeks to read through it though, when most Newberry's I plow through in a day or two!

"A Single Shard"

This book is very different.  No funny kids, no quirky grandparents, no humor at all.  I still really enjoyed it.  It is set in 12th century Korea in a potter's village.  The daily life is so different than what we are used to.  Living to survive.  Surviving as an orphan under a bridge.  I loved the sheer determination of the little orphan.  The kindness of the man under the bridge.  The way Min, the potter, teaches Tree-Ear.  Min is gruff but Tree-Ear learns that he is appreciative of his hard work.  There is sacrifice and hard work for something you really want.  Sacrifice for someone you love.  There were many good messages in this short little story of an orphan named Tree-Ear.

"Missing May"

This book, by Cynthia Rylant, describes the life of a six year old orphan girl, Summer.  Her Aunt May and Uncle Ob take her to Deep Water to raise her in their simple trailer.  They don't have money but they love and cherish her.  When Summer is 12, Aunt May passes away.  Uncle Ob grieves and Summer tries to comfort him.  Ob thinks May is trying to visit him and searches for a spiritual communicator.  Cletus, a friend of Summers, finds an old ad in a newspaper for a Reverend that can communicate with the dead.  They make a road trip and find the Reverend has passed on. Ob is determined to find a sign from May that will show him what he needs to do next.  He has quit making his whirligigs and feels no purpose.   They realize that they can go on with their lives without disrespecting May's memory.  They decide to take all Ob's whirligigs into May's empty garden and make it beautiful again. 

I enjoyed this book.  I love funny quirky kids, and adults for that matter. 

Day 9, 21 to go

Art, Art Night

I have been to a couple of museums in my life. I have been to the Met in New York, and in Philly and several in Europe. Always on vacations, but never a local one. I wanted to try one out. My roommate suggested the Springville Museum of Art. They have an exhibition about the the Japenese internment camps in Topaz, Utah. I didn't know much about this part of our history, and was intrigued. So my roommate Heidi met me at the museum and we set out to be observers or art.

Here's a few facts I learned about the internment camps:

There were about 8,100 Japenese Americans in the camps.

Topaz Utah was the 4th largest city in Utah

There were 42 "blocks" of apartments there.

It was interesting to look at some pictures and writings from actual internees. I would like to find out about more about what they actually did at the camp. Here are a few pictures:

There was also a wonderful sculpure garden outside! Beautiful!

This was called Rider's Edge Tea Party anyone??

This is apparantly a famous painting. If you look closely, Marilyn Monroe is at the top of a round table, with all of her dream dinner guests. Included are Judy Garland, paintings by Picasso, Manet, and Vermir.... etc. Kind of interesting. My friend Tifani met us to join in the art-tastic fun.

After the museum, we decided to go eat at the Art City Trolley in Springville to round out the Art, Art night. The food was ok, but the waiter was trying a bit too hard and a little too much eye contact. The one time I get a young, somewhat cute waiter when I am out to dinner with some girlfriends, he is socially awkward. Oh well, we had a lot of laughs.

All in all it was a very fun and art-tabulous evening.