The Mysterious Benedict Socitey

Most of the time when someone refers to classic literature, they mean something that has been around for a while and has withstood the test of time. Families have enjoyed classics for years and it is expected that no matter how much time passes, these stories will continue to be enjoyed. Every once in a while you come across a book that although new, you just know will become a classic. The Mysterious Benedict Society should be one of those books. I say should because I fear that in this world of all too often dumbed-down movies, games and books (SpongeBob Squarepants and Captian Underpants come to mind), that this book will go undiscovered. It is so witty and full of intellectualism and just a really good children's adventure story. My kids had a blast trying to solve all the riddles and problems along with the kids in the book. This is a trilogy and Jared and his friends have already read the other two and say that they are just as great. The Mysterious Benedict Society is timeless!

The Last Song

by Nicholas Sparks
For the record, I have never read a Nicholas Sparks novel and do not necessarily plan on reading another one. However, after reading The Hunger Games I needed something that would have a real love story to it and the same friend who let me borrow The Hunger Games left The Last Song sitting on my night stand as though anticipating my need before I ever knew it, so as I closed Mockingjay (the 3rd book), I picked up The Last Song in hopes of something mushy. Nicholas Sparks did not disappoint. Although not what I would consider, great literature, it was a good read and I even learned a little about sea turtles. There were a few parts that were questionable in content, namely the chapters that are from Marcus' point of view, but as his personality was so horrific, I quickly forgot about those chapters. In the end, The Last Song is the story of a mad-at-the-world-teen who is sent to live with her Dad for the summer and ends up falling in love with the local rich jock (totally not her type). The underlying story is of family love and hardship and ultimately, a real tear-jerker (not that it takes much for me).

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Talk about a page turner! I could not put these books down, which was not a good thing seeming as how I started them at the beginning of another school year. So, I spent most of September and the first week of October halfheartedly doing school with the kids just counting down the clock until 3pm when I would jump on the couch and read some more until I would finally pry myself off to make a dinner and pretend like I hadn't been reading all afternoon, only to jump right back into it as soon as the kids were in bed. Chris even decided that if he was going to have anything to do with me he'd better start reading the books so that we could talk. It reminded me of when I worked at Alexander's Copy Center in college while Chris and I were engaged and I was so into my job, that Chris had to get a job there just so he could see me.

A few things I learned about myself while reading The Hunger Games (not all good):
- I have an addictive personality, meaning that whatever the latest thing is that I'm into, it becomes all consuming in my life. I noticed this first with The Hunger Games and later with photo editing as well as buying, cataloging and yes, even reviewing books.
- I like books that are dark and violent, to a degree. The Hunger Games had the right amount of dark with little glimmers of light. As opposed to Wuthering Heights which I hated because there was not a single ray of cloudy or dim light in the whole book.
- I actually do like a love story and a happy ending after all. As much as I loved The Hunger Games, neither the love story nor the "happy" ending were enough for me.
- When a book is really, really interesting, I can read fast. I am generally a slow reader, but not with these books. It only took me so long because I just don't have a lot of time for reading.

Enough about me, would I recommend this book? Definitely, but I realize that having said that, not everyone will like it. It will be too gory, or too anti-war/government, or too unrealistic for some. And...I would definitely not recommend it for children. I'd say 16-17 is probably a good age to read this.

The Magicians Nephew

I love, love, love The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I have read them all before, but had the opportunity for our Book Group to re-read The Magicians Nephew as I was reading it to the kids. I know some people don't like this book that much, but this is one of my favorite books in the series. It's not my favorite because the storyline is so riveting, but first of all because the writing is like pure poetry in it's perfection and because of the analogy to The Creation and all the elements therein. I have never read this book when I haven't read the Creation account in Genesis alongside it. I just can't get over how beautifully C. S. Lewis synchronizes literature with faith and spirituality. This is truly a classic for all ages and one that I personally could read over and over again.

Walk Two Moons

by Sharon Creech
While preparing to take our 3-week long road trip across the United States, I stumbled upon this book that talked about a girl who tells her story as she is traveling across the United States. I was excited to find that in the story she travels from the Chicago area to Idaho, exactly the way we were planning to go. I really enjoyed reading about her travels as we were making the same trip. I tried to stay a step ahead in my reading and I actually found that as we arrived in places like The Badlands (see picture of me and Clarissa above), that I already knew some of the touristy information from the book or was able to tell the kids a story from the book about the place we were visiting. Although this book was a tear-jerker, I really enjoyed it. Oh, who am I kidding, I love books that make me cry. I love the idea of this girl sharing her stories and experiences with her grandparents. This is a children's book, but again, I wouldn't read it to my younger children, I would wait until around Jr. High before letting them read it as it does have some dramatic events that take place.

The Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett
I picked up this book for free at a children's museum that had a literature promotion going on. This is a 1930s detective novel that is so typical of the 30s crime scene that I'm pretty sure every detective movie and book must be based off of this one. Although detective novels are not my typical genre and as a result I may not be qualified to judge this, I think it was a very good book. All the details were described so well, that I felt like I was watching a movie instead of reading a book. There is, as a side note, a movie that was made in 1931, but I haven't seen it yet.

Jacob Have I Loved

This book was written by Katherine Paterson, the same author as other children's books like, The Bridge to Terabithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins. I remember my friend reading this book when we were kids and I had no interest in such books at the time. I was too busy reading Choose Your Own Adventure books, or Elvis by Priscilla Presley. As I write this review, it is several months after reading the book and I honestly can't remember much about it. It doesn't happen very often that I forget the main points of a book I've read. I usually read most of the book about three times before I'm done with it. Having said that, I remember it being about a girl who was more interested in crabbing and the sea than in the arts and beauty like her twin sister. I do think it was a good book, but apparently, not life-changing. This book is suggested for children ages 9-12. Although I don't think that it would be inappropriate for younger children, I think that it is more suited toward the Jr. High, High School level readers.

Keturah and Lord Death

by Martine Leavitt
So, I really went out of my box in reading this book. This is not classic, it's not classroom literature, and it's not historical. It is mystical, romantic, "spell-binding," and a really good story. This was one of my summer reads, when I typically stray from anything educational and just focus on fun. I would have never found this book on my own; it was recommended by a friend. The book is Young Adult, rated for 7th grade and up. There isn't anything inappropriate in it for younger kids, but the heroine is 16 and is looking for her one true love. For a contemporary read that is a little dark, but really interesting, I would definitely recommend this book.

Lois Lowry Pack

I love cheap books, so I never pass up a Scholastic deal. I especially love their packs where they lump several books together either of similar topics or by the same author. One of my Scholastic purchases was the Lois Lowry pack. The two books I received written by Lois Lowry were The Giver and Number the Stars.

The Giver is one of those books that you like while you're reading it and then finish and you're not sure you liked it. It is about a Utopian, futuristic society. It was written well and really makes you think about the government and control, freedom and responsibility, but there are definitely some mature elements and themes to deal with emotionally. While I was reading it, I found myself talking to Chris about it and even had disturbing dreams about it. As Jared would hear me talking about it, he kept asking about it and if it was something he should read. I had to respond that I didn't think he should read it yet. It is not a children's book. It is a Young Adult book and should be reserved for when they are mature enough to understand the complexities of the ideas presented.

It is hard to believe that Number the Stars was written by the same author. It is so different. This book is about a family during World War II who help a Jewish girl escape. It was really good and although there were some tense moments, I would definitely read this to my children, as well as recommend it for adults.

Esperanza Rising

by Pam Munoz Ryan
This book was great. Of course it reminded so much of my childhood, not that my family were migrant workers from Mexico, but that we lived in the San Joaquin Valley where this story takes place. Especially my memories from when we lived in Greenfield, California which actually was a little town on the outskirts of Bakersfield that was surrounded by cotton fields. I remember going to the truck stop on the corner and seeing the workers as they gathered for the days work and loaded into the back of pickup trucks. Every trip to visit my grandparents meant us driving past Arvin and the fields where we could actually see the shantys and the workers bent in the fields and up through the Grapevine. I grew up in a world surrounded by prejudice against the Mexicans and am grateful that many of my friends in school were Mexican and that through knowing them I learned that they were no different than me. I am also grateful that I chose to take three years of Spanish in High School and that through these experiences my love grew for Mexico and the Mexican people.

I know there are several books out there about Migrant Workers, but this one is not just informative, but also really well written. My kids enjoyed the book and I appreciate the chance it gave me to talk to them about my childhood and some of the memories that I still retain. It's funny, but one of the things the kids enjoyed the most is that the chapters were titled with a different food.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Yet another contemporary read that many of my friends recommended was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. This too was remarkable. I was a little wary when I opened the front page to find the entire text was written in the form of letters, but my wariness soon wore off as I began to be entranced in the lives of the characters who were writing the letters. I had no idea what to expect from this book. The last time my friends recommended a book that I had no idea what it was about I ended up reading Twilight. Not wanting to make that mistake again, but still believing that there might be something worthy in the book, I took my chances. Who would've thought that it would actually be a book not about literary societies, not about cooking, and not about romance, but a book about war and love. Notice that I do not consider love and romance to be the same thing. Well, I love reading about war and I tolerate a good love story, especially one filled with realistic characters and this book was just that.

All Quiet on the Western Front

To anyone who reads my blog, it is not news that I do enjoy a good war story. It's not that I enjoy suffering, but more that I want to learn about the causes of such suffering so as to be able to do my best to ensure that such pain and sorrow are not repeated. I know I am not influencial by the world's standards, but I also believe strongly that I am raising at least part of the rising generation that will be our future. I also believe that they should be taught the ugly part of our history so that they will not forget what it would be like to live in the filthy trenches of World War I or to be a slave in a Nazi concentration camp and have all dignity stripped from a person with their clothing. I do not like most video games or computer games that glorify war and make it seem appealing to the younger generation. My recommendation to any youth who enjoys fighting would be to read a book like All Quiet on the Western Front. It is a fictional story, but many WWI veterans have attested to it's accuracy in it's portrayal of trench warfare. It also goes further into the minds of the boys who were thrown into this war than you would expect and in doing so provides a clear picture of the tragedy that befell them. Although this book is generally considered a children's or young adult novel, I would not recommend it for most children until they are around 16 years old, or at least mature enough to handle the graphic details that are included. I would recommend it to all adults and say it is as good to read this book as it is to read Elie Wiesel's book entitled Night.

Peace Like a River

Peace Like a River, written by Leif Enger was a GREAT read! After reading the first paragraph I turned to Chris and in a giddy voice said, "I can already tell I'm going to love this book." It did not dissapoint. I won't say too much about the book because I think everyone should read it and I wouldn't want to spoil the fun for anyone. It is however, in my opinion, the perfect blend of spirituality, action, suspense, love, family values, and just has awesome characters. I don't read many contemporary books, but I'm so glad my friend recommended this one, it was just what I needed.

The Cay

by Theodore Taylor
In 1942, 11-year-old Phillip Enright lives with his parents on the Dutch island of Curaçao, but when the war moves too close for comfort, his mother decides to travel with him back to the safety of Virginia. When their boat is torpedoed, however, Phillip is blinded and finds himself adrift on a life raft with an old black man and a cat. They eventually land on a deserted island. Phillip is suspicious of "the large Negro," but soon grows to trust--and ultimately love--the patient and generous Timothy. I read this book to the kids and although this book says it's intended for grades 5-8, all my kids enjoyed it. It is however, a tear-jerker and I would not have made it through reading aloud if it weren't for my son finishing it for us. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading it's pre/sequel - Timothy of the Cay.

The Story of My Life and Little Lord Fauntleroy

As I continue to teach our daughters about heroic american women, I feel that Helen Keller is one woman whose life we must study and learn about. In preparation for teaching the girls about Helen Keller, I read her biography, The Story of My Life. It was Brilliant. She truly was one of a kind. I love her spirit, it reminds me of Clarissa. Clarissa does not do anything that she does not want to do. My challenge in life is to help her understand why she would want to do the things I am asking of her. I feel like I learned so much about both teaching and parenting by reading Hellen Keller's story of how Anne Sullivan helped her to see the world. I would recommend that all parents and teachers should read about the life of both of these women and their journey together. Although I knew the basic story of how Helen, being both blind and deaf, overcame her trials, I did not realize that she also became an advocate for all underprivledged persons, especially those with handicaps. I was pleased to learn about her efforts in Japan working with children in that country. Krystal actually ended up using the life of Helen Keller as a project for our history group study on the Civil Rights.

Another pleasing thing that came from reading this book is that Helen mentioned several times in the book how much she enjoyed the story of Little Lord Fauntleroy. That got me curious and as I love the Secret Garden is wasn't hard to believe I might enjoy another of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels. And indeed I did. It was a truly delightful story full of hope and very fairytale like. I will definately recommend this classic to my children to read.

Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates

Our most recent read-aloud was Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates by Mary Mapes Dodge. It was a long read, but a welcome distraction to the dreary weather outside. We all enjoyed the two intertwined story lines, but would have preferred a little less Dutch history. We especially liked the characters of Hans Brinker, Peter Van Mounen, and Jacob Poot. This book is full of heroic values as Hans is faced with many difficult decisions of moral magnitude.

Guns, Germs and Steel

This book written by Jared Diamond was a New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Chris' sister read it as required reading for one of her classes in med school and she thought it was very informative. She knows that I like history and suggested this book to me, then gave it to me for Christmas. The idea of the book is to answer the question: "Why did history unfold differently on different continents?" The author, a professor of geography who has spent many years on the island of New Guinea, takes 471 pages to show his expertise in native New Guineans. He also takes a very darwinistic view of how the human species developed and contradicts himself numerous times throughout the work. As I began to read the book and realized that I did not like the author's voice, I pushed myself to read more. I do not like to think of myself as someone who is narrow-minded and I am usually willing to listen and most times genuinely interested to other points of view. However, I could not ignore the fact that although the author states that he will examine this question through every aspect of human life, ie. biology, herbology, economics, politics, etc. He never once brings up the subject of religion and its effects on the history of the world. Now, whether or not a person believes in a religion is beside the point. Throughout the history of the world, most peoples and continents have acted on principles based solely on their religious beliefs. In fact, most of the wars and conquests the world have known, which have surely played a major role in the success of certain continents over the others, where based on some sort of religious principles. Therefore, I quickly found a work of literature that blatantly ignores the effect of religion on the people of history to be very narrow-minded and unfounded. In short, I had a hard time believing any of the assumptions the authors stated in this book and consequently stopped reading it. Not to mention that if all one has to do to win a Pulitzer these days is to summarize any high school history text book and then add in their own glorified personal travel log to the islands of New Guinea, I have completey lost any interest in reading works from future recipients of the Pulitzer Prize.

P.S. - If anyone wants to borrow the book, I will gladly remove it from my shelves to make room for other more worthy works of literature, like Captian Underpants or Diary of a Wimpy Kid perhaps.

Horatio Hornblower

A while back, a friend of mine mentioned the Horatio Hornblower series as a series of books that Jared might like when he's a little older, with not much more about them than that she though she'd heard that one of the Star Trek captain's character was modeled after Horatio Hornblower. A couple months later while perusing at a used book sale, I found a couple of the books from the series and bought them. A few months after that while looking for a movie at the library, I stumbled upon a couple Horatio Hornblower movies. Chris and I watched one of the movies and then another, not even knowing what order they went in and inadvertently, watching them in the wrong order. The movies were good, really good. So, we checked out the first book from the library. I read it first, then Chris. We both loved the book and as with most series, couldn't wait to read the next one. I have read the first two books (Mr. Midshipman Hornblower and Lieutenant Hornblower) and Chris has read the first three (including Hornblower and the Hotspur).
The Horatio Hornblower series is set during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Horatio begins his service in the British Navy as a 17 year old who although very good at arithmetic, knows next to nothing about sailing or war. He very quickly learns the ropes of life at sea, overcoming the hardships that inevitably fall on a Midshipman. Horatio proves to be very talented with a sextant and navigation, which doesn't always win him brownie points with the other crew members. He also has a fire that burns within whenever they are engaged in battle. This fire enables him to think fast and make good decisions, which in the end prove to his benefit and ultimately his promotion. Chris and I both love the combination of tongue in cheek humor, dry intellectualism, and swashbuckling adventure. I would recommend these books to anyone, but would readily admit that not everyone would find them as entertaining as do we.
The most amazing aspect of this series is that the movies are actually better than the books. I believe this may be the first time that I have ever seen a movie based on a book that has surpassed the excellence of the book. So, if the prospect of reading 10 books full of dry intellectualism does not excite you, then look for the movies. There are 8 made-for-television movies. As far as I understand, the movies only cover the content of the first three books - which might be one reason why they are so good - the producers didn't try to cram 10 books into 4 hours, but rather picked the best part of the series and elaborated on that. The only negative thing I've discovered about this series is that it is difficult to find in it's entirety, but hey! I like a challenge.