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!