Summer reading

I've been doing lots of reading this summer but not very much writing!

Some of the better books I've read include Half Broke Horses, The Glass Castle and The Silver Star by Jeanette Walls. You know how you read something by an author you've never heard of and you just fall in love with their writing? That's exactly what happened to me with Jeanette Walls.

Half Broke Horses is a true-life novel based on the author's grandmother. The Glass Castle is a memoir detailing the joys and struggles of the author's own childhood. My only regret is reading the books in the wrong order. I started with The Glass Castle when it was recommended and lent to me by my mother. It wasn't until later that I learned it was the author's second book and that I should have started with Half Broke Horses. If I had, I think I would have understood the character of Walls mother better in The Glass Castle.

 The Silver Star is Walls' most recently published book. Since it's fiction, this book could be read first or last. I happened to read it last. Despite quite a few negative reviews, I enjoyed the book and recommend it. Although the story line is fictional, I could definitely feel the influence of Walls' childhood experiences in several of the characters.

Next up on my reading list is the If I Stay series by Gayle Forman. The movie came out in theater recently and as most of you know I love reading a book and then comparing it to the movie. Have you read the book or watched the movie yet? Tell me what you thought!

This is so true for me!

Orphan Train

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
Publication date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Pages: 278

Summary: Between 1854 and 1929, the Orphan Train Movement transported thousands of orphaned, abandoned and homeless children from cities on the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest, their fates determined by pure luck. Some were adopted by kind and loving families. Others faced a childhood and adolescence of hard labor and servitude. A few of the unlucky remained on the train and returned to the East Coast.

As a young Irish immigrant, Vivian Daly was placed on the orphan train and sent by rail from New York City to an uncertain future. Returning east later in life, Vivian leads a quiet, peaceful existence on the coast of Maine with the memories of her upbringing a painful and hazy secret. In the attic, hidden trunks are vestiges of a turbulent past.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Ayer knows that a community-service position helping an elderly widow clean out her attic is the only thing keeping her out of a juvenile home for troubled children. But as Molly helps Vivian sort through her keepsakes and possessions, she discovers that she and Vivian aren't as different as shge first thought. A Penobscot Indian who has spent her youth in and out of different foster homes, Molly is also an outsider being raised by strangers, and she, too, has unanswered questions about the past.

Thoughts: Orphan Train is a well-written book that is bound to captivate your attention from start to finish. The author gives an accurate portrayal of circumstances that result in children growing up in foster care and the emotional hardships they endure once placed in the system. The relationship between Molly and Vivian is both sweet and believable. I wish more of the youth today had the opportunity to get to know and learn from the older generations who have lived through experiences we can't even imagine.

Learning about the history of the orphan train through Vivian's memories is by far one of the books highlights. Who knew about this incredibly interesting piece of history? I didn't. The story inspired me to do more research on the subject and led me to a couple biographical accounts I'm interested in following up on. Then, just when I thought I had the story figured out there was three plot twists I didn't see coming at all: Dutchy dying, Vivian giving the baby up for adoption, and Maisie surviving the fire.

I thought the book ended a little abruptly. I was content with the way it ended (once I over came my initial shock) but wish that the story had provided a little more detail about Vivian meeting her daughter and grandchild, as well as Molly's future. It was such a good story that I simply wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters yet!

What's on your summer reading list?

I'm always looking for suggestions!

Room discussion

I enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue. I think I would have liked the same book more if it were told from the perspective of the mother rather than the child, or perhaps alternating perspectives. But I did find the narration by a 5-year-old boy entertaining none-the-less.

Because the story is told by a child the writing isn't expected to be exceptional, I don't think, and it wasn't. Every detail and description the book lacked, however, was filled in by my mind which continued to think about the story even when I wasn't reading it. With the amount of kidnapping stories on the news in the last several years, it was easy to imagine this story being true.

The subject is a very serious topic but reading about it through Jack's eyes made it not so scary. It was difficult to read though, imagining a woman and child going through such experiences.

The only thing I was left wondering at the end was why Ma and Jack didn't ever say "I love you" to each other? I found that odd.

All in all, I would recommend this book.

What did the rest of you think?

Next up on The Reader Board:
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

The Goldfinch discussion

For those of you who haven't already heard, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is the winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and labeled as One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2013. This comes as no surprise to me!

In a nutshell, the book is about Theo Decker, a 13-year-old boy in New York who miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. On an impulse and to please a stranger hurt in the explosion, Theo takes both a small but famous painting from the museum and a family heirloom ring (belonging to the man). Previously abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the wealthy family of a friend from school. As Theo becomes part of the family, his father mysteriously shows up and whisks him off to Las Vegas. Struggling to survive in a world very different than where he came from, all of Theo's decisions and experiences are influenced by that one day of disaster; the tragic loss of his mother, the ring he received from the dying man and the potential repercussions of stealing the famous painting.

The Goldfinch is not a short story by any means. The book has 784 pages in print and 758 on the Nook. Although lengthy, this was a quick read for me! I made it through faster than several of the much shorter books I've read recently simply because it was so good! I couldn't put the book down, eager to see what was in store for Theo around each corner. I do, however, regret purchasing the book on my Nook. I wish I had bought it in print instead. The author writes with a lot of detail jam-packed on every page and it would have been easier for me to flip back and double check details -like I sometimes do- with the actual book in my hands.

Following Theo from childhood to adulthood, The Goldfinch ponders the recurring themes of life, death, love, betrayal, addiction and fate. Throughout the story, several very influential people in Theo's life are introduced and chronicled including his mother, his father, Andy, Mrs. Barbour, Pippa, Hobie and Boris. What relationship do you think was the most significant? What about the most toxic?

I've heard rumors that the film rights to this book were purchased and it may become either a movie or a TV miniseries. Which would you prefer? I was excited to hear it might become a movie and am equally curious about the possibility of a miniseries...

As far as the ending goes, I've heard more than a few people say that they felt like the novel fizzled out toward the end and that it didn't finish with as big of a BANG! as they expected. Others have actually said they wish the book would have been longer to tie up more of the loose ends! I was slightly disappointed that the ending wasn't more concrete. While the conflict with the painting was resolved, most of Theo's personal dilemmas were not. He seems to be on the mend in the final pages, as far as his mental state is concerned, but we never really find out where he ends up in life.

Maybe some of those unanswered questions will be answered in the future on the big screen?!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Next up on The Reader Board:

Room by Emma Donoghue.    

Celebrate National Library Week

April 13-19 is National Library Week. How do you plan to celebrate? Our family utilizes the public and school library weekly already.

The public library is a great place for children and adults. Also, if you don't do it already, look into renting E-Books from your electronic device. When the book is due, it automatically expires. No late fees!

Some day, I would LOVE to have an amazing home library like one of these:

Celebrate National Library Week by diving into a new book. That's what I plan to do!

Hands Free Mama

I've been working on reading Hands Free Mama: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters for awhile now. It's taken me a long time to get through it.

I first stumbled across the Hands Free movement on Facebook. I think I saw some sort of post about it. The post directed me to the author's blog Hands Free Mama and I was immediately hooked! I liked the page on Facebook and signed up to receive new posts via email. I enjoyed the regular blog posts so much that I wrote down the book release date in my agenda book and ordered it the day it first came out! I was, however, mildly disappointed that the book wasn't as much as an attention-grabber as I'd hoped for.

Don't get me wrong, the message is VERY important and the book is a great reminder about what is and isn't important in life. The author encourages parents to let go of the distractions, expectations and clutter in their lives (cell phones, laptops, email, over-scheduling, multitasking, etc.) so they can embrace what really matters.

The personal stories add a nice element to the overall read. For some reason though, I just wasn't able to get into it like I expected. A lot of the chapters are repetitive, emphasizing the same information over and over and over again... You get my point :) I'm still enjoying the blog posts immensely though!

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Spring Break

It's Spring Break for us and I haven't been doing as much reading as I'd like. By the end of the day, I've been too tired to do anything! So... I haven't finished Wild yet. I'm on the last part of the book and hope to complete it this weekend. If you've finished, please feel free to start a discussion or give a summary of your thoughts!

On another note, I went to the movies last week and saw Divergent. The movie is based on the novel series by Veronica Roth. Since I really enjoyed the trilogy of books, I was very excited to see the movie. It did not disappoint! I thought the movie followed the book fairly close. Of course there were some small changes but none that I thought changed the story line too much. Even if I hadn't read the book, I would have enjoyed the movie.

The first book/movie in the Divergent series introduces Beatrice Prior as the protagonist. It goes on to describes the dystopian Chicago world she lives in, a society divided into five factions – each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all 16 year olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. If they choose differently from the faction they were born into, they must forever forsake their family and friends. “Faction before blood,” is the motto. As the story unfolds, Beatrice discovers something about herself that she must keep hidden from everybody. All the while, she and her fellow initiates struggle to live out the choices they have made.

If you haven't read the books, give them a try! If you have read the books (or watched the movie), which faction would you choose? I'd like to say I'm Dauntless but in reality I'm probably more Candor.

Next up on The Reader Board radar is The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Go ahead and purchase, rent or borrow the book if you haven't already!

Behind schedule

I haven't had very much time for reading lately! I'm almost finished with part three of Wild. How about everybody else?

If you've finished parts three and/or four, what are your thoughts?

Discussion: Wild, Part 2

Have you finished part two yet?

Overall, I've enjoyed the progression of this book. The text has kept my attention as Strayed sets out on the trail and faces many obstacles, including a broken camp stove with the wrong type of fuel, injuries from falling, multiple trees over the path, an angry longhorn bull, and a 'brown' black bear sighting.

I think I was almost as excited as she was for each of the people she met out on the trail. I can't imagine how lonely it must have been for her. Under normal circumstances, going several days or a couple weeks without human interaction might not be so bad but I imagine the unfamiliar outdoor elements and physical strain would add a few degrees of intensity!

For me, the mixture of Strayed telling her story about being on the trail and the flashbacks that describe her life before deciding to hike the Pacific Crest Trail are well-balanced. I enjoy both the brief insights into her past and the action on the trail.

One of my favorite passages from part two was when Strayed talks about fear.

Has anybody else tried this type of mind control? Has it worked for you? One of the most influential mentors in my life once told me, "If you can't make it, fake it!" and that mindset has stuck with me since I was a teenager. Sometimes, giving up or failing simply haven't been options. During those times, it's been her words that have pulled me through. This part of the book struck me as similar.

One thing I don't like about the book is Strayed's casual attitude about drug use. I don't mind the fact that she did drugs or that she wrote about that time of her life, I just don't care for the way she makes it seem like one day she decided "Oh, I'm going to do drugs," and then later, "That's enough, I'm done doing drugs." I know this is her story and her experience and maybe that's how using drugs was for her, but I don't think that is what most people's addiction to drugs is like. The people I've known to struggle with alcohol and drug abuse didn't have the power to start and stop so easily. I think her nonchalant attitude toward drug use downplays the severity of addiction . For me, it would have been easier to tolerate if during one of the moments that she looks back in time she emphasized how dangerous her decisions were and how fortunate she was that the outcome wasn't worse. And maybe she will. I'll wait to see!

Moving on to part three now!

What if...

Imagine you had to leave your house in a rush and could never return, what three books would you pick off the bookshelf to pack in your suitcase? Remember, you're in a hurry!

I'd pick:

1. Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell - I've never read this book but have always meant to. I enjoyed the movie so I have a feeling I will like the book even more. I have a 1961 copy that I picked up free at a garage sale. I love old books!

2. The Rescue, by Nicholas Sparks - I've read this book several times and could easily occupy my time reading it again and again!

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling - I haven't read any of the books from this series but I hear they're sort of a big deal and maybe my boys would enjoy hearing the story?

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So much to read, so little time!

Here are just a few of the books I want to read soon.

Not to mention the ones I'm currently reading (I have a terrible habit of reading multiple books at once, especially if they are different types).

What's on your list?

Discussion: Wild, Part 1

Part 1 of Wild by Cheryl Strayed can easily be categorized into three sections: her mother's death, the collapse of her marriage, and preparing to set out on the Pacific Crest Trail.

What are your first impressions of the book? Were you immediately drawn into the author's world or did you find it difficult to get into the reading?

Have there been any passages that struck you as profound or particularly interesting?

Some reviews I read about this book criticized the author's language and sexual descriptions as offensive. What do you think so far?

Share some of your favorites moments as of yet.

Personally, I'm enjoying reading Wild. I was quickly engaged by the text and eager to read more about this woman's heartache and interesting emotional recovery.

I found it rather insightful when Strayed described her youth. Particularly when she talks about sharing her bed 'up north' with her sister Karen and how their heads were just below the skylight with a full view of the stars. I like the way she associates those childhood experiences with her desire to hike the Pacific Crest Trail as a means of returning to the person she used to be.

My heart broke for everybody involved reading about Leif and Karen's absence during their mother's illness, and then again when Strayed was not by her mother's side when she died. Do you think Strayed would have struggled so much after her mom died if she'd been by her side holding her hand rather than off trying to locate Leif?

Do you have any questions about the reading so far? I'm wondering about a couple details maybe some of you picked up on that I didn't.

• What year was it when Strayed set out on the Pacific Crest Trail?
• Is Strayed the middle or eldest child? I gathered that Leif is the youngest and that there's a three or four year difference between the sisters but I wasn't clear on who is the oldest. I'm often interested in how birth order may or may not affect a person's personality and the way they deal with situations.
• Did anybody actually know what the word boondoggle meant without having to look it up? In case you didn't know (and I will admit that I didn't) it means "work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value."

Okay, your turn. Answer all the questions, focus on one or bring up something different. Go!

Reading suggestions

One of The Reader Board's followers, Kaylee, has some book recommendations to share!

"The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown was great! It was a mix of history and early U of W rowing. Part of the story takes place in Sequim, Wash., because the main character spent some of his early days growing up there. The main character had no money and no family support so each year he had significant struggles earning enough money to be able to put himself through one more year of school. There was also a fair amount of suspense and excitement when it came time to race time and rowing. I really enjoyed this book and the characters that were developed as the story unfolded."

"The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman was a surprising gem of a book that I picked up off the library staff picks shelf at the library this past fall. It was a wonderful story about a woman who delivers babies out in the middle of nowhere. She has no formal training, no phone and no car so people come to her, without any warning, begging her to come help deliver a loved one's baby. Sometimes she is paid for her services but mostly she is given a bag of potatoes or a jug of milk. This was a very good book that kept me reading!"

Thank you, Kaylee! I know I will be checking out these books soon.


Also, make sure you visit Kaylee's art blog called Mixed Media Magic. It's very inspirational!
http://kayleecammack.blogspot.com/

March book club pick decided

The first title for The Reader Board members to discuss throughout the month of March is Wild by Cheryl Strayed. This book received the most votes. If you haven't already, go ahead and buy, borrow or rent Wild and get started reading! The first discussion questions will be posted next week. I'm excited!

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt had the second highest number of votes and will be discussed in April.

Happy reading!

Share your thoughts!

If you're reading or have read a book that you want to talk about, please email me your opinions and discussion points. I will post them as a guest blogger!

ashley.lavon@gmail.com

I wrote this for you

I first heard about this book in the comments of a blog I read. The author told her readers something to the effect of, "You've got to read this! I wrote this for you." Then she captured and shared a picture of one of the pages. I read the words, saw the picture and thought, "Hey! I will give that a try." The next several comments were by people either saying, "I've read that and it was amazing!" or "I want to read that, what is it called?" The blog author responded with, "You can buy the book on Amazon.com. I wrote this for you." People kept saying, "Great! But what is it called?!" It took me a very long time to realize the actual title is, I wrote this for you. Ohhhh.... I get it now.

by pleasefindthis

So, I ordered the book (in print because I thought the pictures would be more enjoyable) and waited eagerly for it to arrive. Boy, was I in for a surprise! The book is full of beautiful, deep, raw prose and seemingly random yet perfectly matched photographs.

Some verses are a short one or two sentences. Others are longer and take up the entire page. I loved each and every page. It's not very often I can say that about a book!

The text is broken up into four sections titled: Sun, Moon, Stars and Rain. Together, each chapter focuses on a different facet of life, love, loss, beginnings and endings. The Sun is about looking for love or the potential for love. Moon is about the act of being in love. Stars is the loss of that love. And Rain is about rediscovering hope in life at the end of that cycle.

In an interview, Thomas described his writing as "ambiguous microstories" and went on to explain that "by leaving out things like gender, age, race, location, people apply the stories to themselves."

The back story of the book is just as interesting as the words themselves. It's my understanding that the concept for I wrote this for you started in 2007 as a transcontinental collaboration between photographer Jon Ellis and author Lain Thomas (aka pleasefindthis). Ellis provides the images and Thomas writes the captions, which are always addressed to a person only referred to as "You." The two men communicate online but have never met in person. Thomas lives in South Africa and Ellis was based in Japan but now lives in Germany.

Here is an interview with Ellis from Heso Magazine in 2011 that explains in more depth the birth of the project and how the twosome started working together. It's rather interesting but I will leave that up to you to read.

http://hesomagazine.com/photographic/i-wrote-this-for-you

I highly recommend this book. I've read it front to back twice and continue to bookmark pages and reflect on them later.

This is the type of book that five different people can pick up to read and it will mean something different to each and every one of them.

Also, you can explore the blog, http://www.iwrotethisforyou.me/. All of the book entries are published on this site, and then some more. It's just not as easy to thumb through.

The back cover of the book reads:

"I need you to understand something. I wrote this for you. I wrote this for you and only you. Everyone else who reads it, doesn't get it. They may think they get it, but they don't. This is the sign you've been looking for. You were meant to read these words."

If you get a chance to read this book, let me know what you think!

Celebrate National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day) Sunday, March 2nd

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904-Sept. 24, 1991) was an American writer, poet and cartoonist widely known for his 46 children's books written and illustrated as Dr. Seuss. His birthday, March 2, has been adopted as the annual date for National Read Across America Day, an initiative on reading created by the National Education Association.

Children love Dr. Seuss books for their imaginative characters, rhyme and made up words. Adults find inspiration in many of his quotes.

Do you have a favorite Dr. Seuss story? Mine is probably a toss up between The Cat in the Hat and Horton Hears a Who.

Help celebrate Read Across America day and honor a remarkable author whose work will continue to be appreciated for decades to come!

Don't forget to vote for the March title!

Please place your vote for the first book to be discussed on The Reader Board!

Votes must be received by 5 p.m. March 5. That means you have five more days to decide.

The book with the most votes will be discussed in March.

The second runner up will be discussed in April.

Then, I have something fun in mind for May... but I will save that for a little later!