Becky's Finishing Post....

For this challenge, I have read So Many Books So Little Time by Sara Nelson, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum, and the Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.

Becky's Review of Pride and Prejudice

This post is going to make the rounds. It qualifies as a "Christian" read since this edition was printed by Bethany House. This "insight edition" features notes relevant to everyone, generally speaking, but has a few targeting the Christian crowd specifically. It qualifies as appealing to the young adult crowd--which means I'll be posting it on Becky's Book Reviews. It also qualifies for two challenges I'm participating in: the Something About Me challenge and the Cardathon Challenge.

Why did I choose to read Pride and Prejudice? I love the novel. I haven't always *loved* the novel. There was a long period of my life where I was unfamiliar with this glorious work. I knew I wanted to read it one day. But I didn't have any immediate plans to make it happen. I picked up a copy--I believe it was a Dover edition--a really cheap edition, by the way, for under three bucks. I got to it in December 2005. Years after buying the book. My motivation then? Well, my best friend, Julie, loved the book. And we were discussing the movie. (The most recent movie had just reached theaters and I wanted to go see the movie...but not until I had read the book.) I read it in probably two to four days. I devoured it really. It was just so wonderful. I was graduating with my degree in library science at the time and had some gift cards to spend, so I bought the A&E DVD version with Colin Firth. If I hadn't been convinced of its wonderfulness before, I certainly would've been after seeing the movie! I remember spending the 23rd and 24th of December watching the movie and wrapping presents and feeling all wonderfully giddy. That January, I introduced the movie to my dad. I didn't know if he would like it. It is rather long. It does have a lot of dialogue. But as soon as Mr. Collins came into the scene, Dad was hooked. That summer, June or July 2006, I introduced the movie to my sister. She was skeptical at first. She thought the first hour or so rather boring. But soon she was a fan as well. Then I introduced everyone to Bride and Prejudice. Of course, Julie was the one who first introduced ME to Bride and Prejudice...so I can't take all the credit. So there was much fun and love being spread all around in the family.

But why reread Pride and Prejudice now? Well, I saw it on the Something about Me challenge. It was tempting. But when I saw that Bethany House was releasing a special edition of the book along with their novel Just Jane by Nancy Moser--and that this edition would feature book club type questions--I really couldn't resist it. So I did request a review copy. And it came late last week. As soon as it arrived, I began reading it.

Did I discover anything new the second time around? Well, I don't know about "new" discoveries, but I certainly appreciated it more. I was able to savor it more. I knew what to expect, what was coming. I knew which bits were the "best" parts. I knew the characters. I knew their strengths and weaknesses. I love the language, the style, the romance, the characters. It really is just oh-so-magical.

For those that are unfamiliar, the plot is relatively simple. Jane and Elizabeth are the two oldest sisters in a family of five daughters. It's Regency England. Their family connections aren't the greatest, and it's really imperative that at least one or two of the daughters marry well so that they can be provided for after their father's death. Mrs. Bennet is all about getting her daughters matched up and paired off. And she's a very silly woman. Mr. Bennet is a caring father, who dotes on Elizabeth and merely tolerates the three younger sisters--who rather take after the mother. Jane is a sweet dear. Elizabeth a wit. And the book is about the complicated courtships of the two oldest children. Of course, Lydia, the youngest has her moments as the center of attention. But this isn't her story, thank goodness! Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, Mr. Wickham and, of course, the unforgettable Mr. Collins play the love interests.

It's a story of love, hate, friendship, family, disdain, disgust, joy, regret, and jealousy. Lots and lots of jealousy. It is a read I recommend to everyone!

What is it about the "Insight Edition" that makes it special? It does feature notes. Mostly cultural notes--not scholarly ones. It likes to comment on the various movie versions of the book. It likes to add in tidbits about Austen's life and time. It points out that Jane is a good "Christian" girl. And it does feature discussion questions. The only thing I am disappointed about in this edition was the fact that I found four typos. One on the very first page. They misspelled first. They even misspelled his on one occasion as "vhis." This is sad, but hopefully it will be corrected with subsequent printings. Typos do happen. But all four could have easily been caught even with spellcheck, and they definitely would have been caught with a human proofreader.

Becky's Review of Tale of Despereaux

DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux.

I didn't know what to expect from The Tale of Despereaux. I had read both positive and negative reviews. I had HEARD both positive and negative reviews from people I know and trust. Yet I knew I would have to read it myself to see where I was in the spectrum. I really enjoyed The Tale of Despereaux. If you like stories with talking animals--particularly talking mice--then this book will probably appeal. (I know there are some folks that don't like the 'animal fantasy' genre as a whole. People who like their animals to be realistic.) Despereaux is the smallest and youngest mouse in his family. He was 'odd' from his birth. Odd because he was said to be born with 'his eyes open.' Many in the mouse community dislike him. They seem him as odd, different, weird, un-mouselike. He's an outsider among his own. The Tale of Despereaux is about conformity and nonconformity. About being different, about being unique, about finding love and acceptance. About searching for that love and acceptance--because often it is NOT freely given. Yes, Despereaux is different. He is not interested in mousey things. He is drawn to music that only he--and his big ears--can hear. He is drawn to the beautiful world of humans. He is drawn to the Princess. Princess Pea. But this is not Despereaux's story alone. It involves a rat, a princess, a grief-stricken king, an abused and abandoned peasant girl, a prison guard, and a hardened prisoner. The book is enjoyable. And I think many will enjoy it. It did win the Newbery after all.

http://www.katedicamillo.com/books/tale.html

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This book is from Booklogged's List.

Becky's Review of Number the Stars

Lowry, Lois. 1989. Number the Stars.

Number the Stars is a Newbery winner. It is the story of a young girl, Annemarie, and her family. The book is set during World War II in Denmark, 1943 to be precise. Annemarie and Ellen are best friends. The two live together in the same apartment building. The two go to school together. The two do practically everything together. But all that is about to change, you see, Ellen and her family is Jewish. And while the soldiers--Nazis--have been occupying Denmark for over a year, their policies are about to change. There is danger in the air, and everyone--young and old--can feel it. This is the story of two girls, two friends, and two brave families. I always enjoy reading about the war and the holocaust from the danish perspective. For one thing, the resistance movement is strong, powerful. Denmark was a nation with people who cared, who took risks, who did the right thing, who saved lives. I think this book can be read and enjoyed by everyone--no matter your age--despite the fact that it is a "children's book."

I read this book for three reasons.

1) It is part of the Book Awards Challenge. It is a Newbery winner.
2) It is part of the Something About Me Challenge. It is on Booklogged's list. Booklogged writes, "I really like Lois Lowry, both as a person and an author. The other reason I chose this book is because my ancestor are from Denmark, which is the setting for this story." I like Lowry as well. This one along with The Giver and Gossamer make her a must-read in my opinion.
3) I haven't read it in nine years. But the first time I read it, I had a very emotional reaction to it. I was *inspired* to seek out other titles about the war and children--especially holocaust related titles. This book started a life-long interest in the subject. And I did want to share that.

These Happy Golden Years -- Sarah's review

I chose These Happy Golden Years from Becky's list both because I wanted to experience some Beckyness and because it's been ages since I read the Little House books.

Well, now! I can’t say enough good things about this book. Granted, a HUGE part of my enthusiasm is because of Cherry Jones, the audio performer. Cherry Jones’s readings of the Little House series brings the Ingalls and Wilder families to new life the way Garth Williams’s illustrations did in the 1950’s. I am in the process of loading the entire series onto my iPod because of her.


Now, onto the story itself. Because of my own tangental historical obsessions, I couldn’t help but compare the 15-year-old Laura to Annie Sullivan as she set out to teach school for the first time. In some ways, I’d go so far as to say Laura had it worse than Annie – leaving such a happy home at such a very young age and all. Anyway… Laura and Almanzo’s courtship is so understated that it drove me bonkers as a kid, but this time around I found it rather sweet. I don’t know when Laura started to fall for Almanzo, but he had me during that awful 12 mile sleigh ride from the Brewster school in a near-blizzard.


All in all, there’s just something about watching a character grow up like this. But more than that, it’s amazing to have such a full slice of American history preserved this way. I’m in serious danger of adding the Ingalls/Wilders to my list of historical passions. Thanks, Becky!

Becky's Third Book: Regrettable Food Fun

Review originally appeared at Becky's Book Reviews

Part of me thinks it should almost be illegal to have this much fun reading a book. Seriously. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. The book that inspired such fun and giggles is James Lileks' The Gallery of Regrettable Food: Highlights from Classic American Recipe Books. Why now? The Something-About-Me Challenge of course. This gem of a book is from Tiny Librarian's list.

This book got its start when the author, James Lileks, found an unbelievable book in his mother's closet--a "pristine" copy of Specialties of the House. A cookbook that arrived via the neighborhood Welcome Wagon in the early sixties. He writes in the introduction, "The truth of those times won't be found in these pages. These are the commercial bones of the past, what we're left with." (14)

This book isn't for everyone. Let me tell you that right now. It's not a clean read. The humor sometimes turns adult in nature. And its dosed largely with sarcasm. But there is just something so perfect about this book. It's funny. It's witty. It's brilliant.

The book consists of two things: pictures and illustrations and captions taken from authentic cookbooks from America's past (30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s) and adds the "observations" of Lileks. Both can get you into trouble. Sure you might laugh if you look only at the pictures, but once you start reading his narration...you're bound to laugh even harder.

I've been struggling on how best to capture and convey what this book is really like...since I know that most people won't rush on out and see for themselves...

The very least I can do is link to what portions are online...Excerpts of Gallery of Regrettable Food

Actually, I've just been exploring the links...and it seems these are things that aren't in the book. They're extra. They're even-more zany fun that I'll have to explore!! But even so, you'll know if you want to find the real book by examining this site.




And my particular favorite...note the recipe for "Sherry Cream" meant to be an exciting cocktail drink.


Be sure to visit Lileks' other site as well:

The Institute of Official Cheer

What does this book say about Tiny Librarian? That she has a great sense of humor. That she'd be fun to hang out with. That we are kindred spirits.

All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten

I chose All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten: Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things by Robert Fulghum to read for my Something about Me challenge. It appeared on Sarah Miller's list. But it also turns out to be a 'recommended' read by my best friend, Julie.

I enjoyed most of the essay-like entries in All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. There were some that I thought were pure genius. There were some entries that I loved, loved, loved. There were some that I was 100% on board with. That I thought "This is just so true!" But there were a handful that were just okay for me. But all in all, I'd have to say this book is a winner.

All I Really Need To Know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup--they all die. So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned--the biggest word of all--LOOK. (6-7)

Other favorite bits include the chapter on crayons (49-52 in the hardback edition)
The chapter on being yourself (being a mermaid in a giant-wizard-dwarf world) (83-85)
The chapter on Christmas gifts (96-98)
And perhaps my favorite, favorite chapter--the one on chicken-fried-steaks (53-55)

So as you can guess, I loved this book and would recommend it to others. What does the book say about its fans? That life is good, it just depends on how you look at it.

So Many Books, So Little Time

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading by Sara Nelson is one of the books I chose to read for the Something About Me Reading Challenge. This book appeared on at least three people's lists: Sally, a.book.in.the.life, and Vasilly. The book is obviously about a woman's love affair with reading. In many ways, I can relate to this "passionate" affair. I love to read. I love to write about what I read. So you would think I would love to read about a woman writing about what she is reading. I love this book, but in name only. I love the concept of this book. But the book itself, well, not so much. It's not that it was boring. But it wasn't thrilling either. I feel like I am missing something. If this book is her description of those books that she is so "passionate" about, then I don't think it "works" as a persuasive tool. If this is just a behind-the-scenes of her project and her other writings are gathered elsewhere--perhaps published week by week at whatever paper or magazine she worked for at the time...then that would be a different story. There were parts I enjoyed, but most of the book was just okay for me. I didn't hate it. But I didn't love it either.

For "A Year of Passionate Reading" I would rather follow the lives of bloggers day by day. I guess my general reaction was that with a name like that: So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading...I expected something more. I just think the passion wasn't particularly conveyed that strongly. I mean if it had been called "Thoughts on the Books I've Read This Year" instead I would have thought it delivered just fine.