Category Archives: books

Just finished reading Charlotte’s Web with Kate. Reading old favorites aloud to my children is one part of parenting I have so looked forward to and it did not disappoint. She has done very well comprehending the story, asking good questions, and even asking me about new words. I love how she keeps asking until she understands the meaning of things, and isn’t satisfied until she gets there.

Anyhow, when Charlotte died, Kate was truly sorrowful and cried out, “Oh Charlotte! Momma, she had to die alone? Poor, poor Charlotte. Wilbur must be so sad. Charlotte was his FRIEND.” After we finished the last chapter, Kate asked me why Fern stopped going to the barn cellar. When I managed to get something across, she replied, “I hope I will always love animals, and I hope I am friends with a spider, even if it will make me so so sad when the spider dies, because spiders do not live long. But maybe I will get to be friends with her baby spider children, too. Yes, I would like to be friends with a spider like Charlotte.”

Seriously, warm happy mom fuzzies out the wazoo. I tried to hold out on chapter books until Lexi could participate some, and she was able to sit with us and sort of listen, but it was certainly not the same. I know I am behind on book reviews, I’ll get there soon, if y’all are even interested in hearing what I think about what I’m reading at all.

Love in the Ruins is a novel set in an apocalypse caused by the overindulgence of modernity. From today’s perspective it is in one sense quaintly antiquated and in another deadly accurate in its grasp of the human condition. I really like Percy, but this wasn’t my favorite novel of his. CK recommended I read The Last Gentleman before this one, but I received LitR as a gift and it called out from the shelf and I neglected her wise advice. I think this novel is best read by Percy lovers further into his canon than I am. (7.5/10)

I had a sliver of hope that Meyer would finish the Twilight Series in a way that it would be redeemed for me. Breaking Dawn, if anything, was more “eh” than the other books. At least I found out what happened (3/10.)

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is simply an excellent read. Fadiman skillfully describes the collision of two worlds, western medicine and traditional Hmong culture, by using the case of one little girl as a springboard to explain the historical, cultural and spiritual background of this collision. As these two cultures had to coexist for optimal treatment, the reader is shown honestly and sympathetically how difficult that coexistence can be to develop and maintain.

For me, the book’s greatest merit is how Fadiman weaves the historical, sociological and anthropological background into Lia’s story so well that it reads almost like a novel. It’s informative, but also powerful, personal and thought-provoking. As a westerner, Fadiman is sympathetic to the doctors, their training and their perspective, but at the same time, she isn’t afraid to criticize them or the Western medical system. This book was highly recommended to me (thanks Charlene!) and I would pass it along with the same high recommendation. Even if learning about the Hmong isn’t high on your list of intellectual pursuits, I found a lot of the same observations and lessons about medical care were applicable to families who prefer alternative and natural treatments, a growing population. It’s truly a must read if you are in any medical field, and a good read no matter who you are. (10/10.)

Murder in the Cathedral is a short play by T.S. Eliot dramatizes the murder (and martyrdom) of Thomas Beckett, former archbishop of Canterbury. Having studied that period of church history during my college career, I found the play well done, interesting, and worth reading to be sure. Surely the use of the knights as tempters and the chorus to set the mood enhanced the play. The verse is well done, a bridge between Shakespeare and the modern world, and thus a good model to follow. It’s not lengthy or tedious, and would be appropriate for middle or high school students to read as well.

“The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” (9/10)

Anne is the series I am going to attempt to read in 2009. Unlike the Chronicles of Narnia last year and Harry Potter the year before, I haven’t read most of the Anne books, but I am looking forward to diving into them. This one was a re-read.

Anne of Green Gables is a well deserved classic, it is a book whose heroine endears herself to readers young and old. Bright and energetic, imaginative and fun, creative and talented, Anne is everything that a girl wants to be. Who among us doesn’t identify with Anne in some way? Feeling like an outsider and talking too much definitely resonate with me! We are drawn to her for all our different reasons and we love her, and so we read.

That’s not to say that the writing itself isn’t strong. On the contrary, I found Anne of Green Gables to be quite well written this read, my first of adulthood. The descriptions are lovely and transport the reader to the terrain Mongomery herself knew so well. Even the descriptions themselves are so colored by the eyes of Anne and her dramatic, fun-loving spirit.

Anne could be the sort of protagonist that annoys readers with her perfection, but instead, she draws us in with her flubs and missteps. She makes a lot of mistakes, but “never the same one twice!” The way she deals with these imperfections is a great lesson to young readers, moreso than many moralistic novels I can think of.

Lucky for her, Kate received a hardback copy when she was just an infant from one of the many older women who love Anne in her life, Miss Reba. This book is one I cannot wait to share with both of the girls. (10/10)

Boomtown is a fun story, overall. Zany and goofy characters and plot twists abound, and in general I like that in a book. It may be a tad too colorful and crazy, but I can forgive that. Clearly, the author was influenced in some respects by one of my favorite children’s books, the Twenty-One Balloons.

In spite of these positives, it’s supposed to be a story for tween readers, and I am struggling to see how they will connect with a story told by a forty-something minister narrator. He was hard for ME to relate to. In general, he seemed weak and ineffective as a father, and not especially pastoral. Actually, the church/pastor angle bothered me quite a bit, I would have rather him have another profession than have the church seem to be just another civic organization or gathering as it appeared in this book. Continue reading →

This novel is simple, but the descriptions are lush and realistic, the characters interesting, the setting unique for a classic. The balance between the male narrator and female subject worked well for Cather. I tend to read more Southern and British literature, and very few things set on the prairie, it’s not a place I am naturally drawn to. But My Antonia made the prairie come alive to me, full of beauty and very hard work. I enjoyed it a great deal and wondered why I hadn’t read it before, the content is very appropriate for a young adult reader and it seems like it would be a good fit for a high school literature class. (9/10)

About 3 or 4 of the books I read every year are actually unabridged audio books we listen to on road trips. The night before we left for North Carolina, I made a whirlwind trip to the library with the girls to grab a few possibilities Michael and I might enjoy. I remembered that Michael appreciated Allende’s House of Spirits, so I grabbed this one. There was no time to even read the back that day, so as we started listening, I was really confused. After a while, I realized this was a Young Adult novel, part of a trilogy that Allende wrote in the genre. Once that came to light, I tried to appreciate this for what it was. The plot had a great deal of potential but I was disappointed that it seemed like the protagonists, unlike their adult counterparts, didn’t find their way through the mystery and adventure by wit or strength but rather depended on their magical “totemic powers.” Overall, not a bad story, but Allende seemed slightly condescending in her writing for a YA audience. I’d still like to read her adult novels, though! (6/10)