The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making :: Reading to Know Book Club

This month Bluerose's Heart is hosting the Reading to Know Book Club. Her book of choice was The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, by Catherynne M. Valente. You can read her complete thoughts below. I include my own thoughts below hers.

*****

Bluerose's Thoughts:

When I first saw the pictures in The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making, they reminded me of Tim Burton. That alone convinced me I needed to read it! Despite the fact that it's completely out of character for me, I'm a huge fan of the "child friendly" Tim Burton. After reading the book, I have to say that the writing and story also remind me of him, so there's brownie points for that. He's been pretty lonely in my "wonderfully weird" category until now.

"Once upon a time, a girl named September grew very tired indeed of her parents' house, where she washed the same pink-and-yellow teacups and matching gravy boats every day, slept on the same embroidered pillow, and played with the same small and amiable dog."

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making was dark, a bit creepy, and just plain gross at times. It was also fun and adventurous. It was an odd little book, to say the least. "The Great Velocipede Migration" might have been my favorite part. I grew to love the Wyverary, too! (Wyvern-not dragon! + library = Wyverary)

I can't say I enjoyed everything about the book. Besides things like the witch sisters who share a husband, and the mention that humans evolved from monkeys, there's also the unique writing style. I had a love/hate relationship with it. It seemed to take me forever to read this book, despite its short length. When I was actually immersed in the story, I greatly enjoyed it! Once that bookmark hit the pages, though, I found it difficult to pick back up. The writing style was hard for me at times, and I kept re-reading passages in an attempt to better pick up on its quirkiness.

That said, I also liked the quirky writing style! It was fun and creative. It's exactly the thing that earned my very rare "wonderfully weird". Going along with the quirkiness, the story is told with somewhat of a "campfire narration". I had neutral feelings about that particular aspect, but I could easily see where someone would find it annoying. We get to see things happening and know little secrets that September doesn't know about.

"Being careful and clever readers, you must now wonder if your wool-gathering narrator has completely forgotten the jeweled key that so loyally followed September into Fairyland. Not so! But a key's adventuring is of necessity a quieter thing than a girl's, more single-minded and also more fraught with loneliness."

Overall, I liked it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series (which I only learned about last week), but I'll probably wait until I have a little more brainpower to devote to it.

*****

Carrie's Thoughts:

I had zero expectations for this book when I launched into it. The title was clever and certainly intriguing. I purchased a copy ok specifically for this month's book club read and got about a chapter into it when Jonathan and I went for a mini vacation. I took this book along and somehow managed to lose it (which strikes me as virtually impossible given the fact that I never took it out of the suitcase but there's the truth of the matter!). I didn't really want to purchase an additional copy so I thought I would wait and see what the general consensus of the book was from those of you who read it. I've gathered from a few of you that it wasn't much cared for.

My thoughts on the first chapter were as follows: "Oh no. It's another author trying to be clever and zany. Feels forced. I'm not sure I'm going to like this."

After reading Bluerose's thoughts I'm pretty sure I won't be picking it back up. Definitely appreciated the link in style to Tim Burton! That helps me out. (I've never much liked him.) I think you either like Burton or you don't. I'm not a fan myself so I'll skip it.

That said, I really do appreciate Bluerose taking the time to read and present this book to us. Thank you very much! It's good to be aware of these titles and what the stories are about sometimes, even if we don't get around to reading them for ourselves.

Now I'm curious to know what the rest of you thought. Care to share? (I realize you might not have written up a blog post on this particular book. That's fine! Just share your opinions in the comment section below if you would!)

*****

Next month's read:



Professionalizing Motherhood: Encouraging, Educating, and Equipping Mothers At Home

The discussion will be led by Stephanie of Stephanie's Mommy Brain. You have until Friday, September 28th to read this book.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Time for another Read Aloud Thursday hosted by Amy at Hope is the Word.

I am ridiculously behind in everything. Including wrapping up posts for the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge! Unfortunately I didn't get the kids started on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in time to complete the read in July along with the challenge. We wrapped it up about mid-August but at least we finished it, right?

The boys enjoyed the whole story and this should be noted as the first book which we have read aloud that Bookworm2 (age 3) has asked me to read to him on a daily basis. "Mommy, I want to read Dawn Treader" came forth from this beautiful boy's lips more than once - which caught me off guard and made me very happy at the same time. I'm not honestly sure what he took away from the story, but I know that he never asks to do things which he does not like doing. Something about the story captured his imagination and although he didn't pay rapt attention when I was read it, he was always very close by occupying himself in a quiet manner. Score!

Bookworm1 (age 5 1/2) was more engaged with the book. He would become tense and quiet while we were reading various passages. I sort of made a big deal about the Dufflepuds and so they became the most fascinating creatures in the story. I let him watch a video clip of the movie just to give him a picture of Dufflepuds in his minds eye. (Otherwise, it should be noted that I despise the new Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie which I have made as abundantly clear as possible. Click on that link if you're curious.) I asked him what his favorite part of the book was and he told me that it was the part with the sea dragon. There were many times when he smiled over something that Reepicheep said or did and those moments warmed my heart considerably. (Reepicheep is my favorite character.)

Naturally, whenever I read Narnia to myself or aloud to my children, I have to fight back my own emotions and sometimes tears. These stories are so impacting and I relate them so easily to my spiritual walk that I can't help but pause here and there to take in the analogies I see. For example, in reading the book this time I marked this passage as being note-worthy in an applicable sort of way:

Eustace left the group and ran off to explore Dragon Island all by himself. Those of you familiar with the story know that this ended in an apparent disaster for him but I liked what C.S. Lewis wrote of Eustace at this point.

"This soon brought him out of the wood. The ground began sloping steeply up in front of him. The grass was dry and slippery but the manageable if he used his hands as well as his feet, and though he panted and mopped his forehead a good deal, he plugged away steadily. This showed, by the way, that his new life, little as he suspected it, had already done him some good; the old Eustace, Harold's and Alberta's Eustace, would have given up the climb after about ten minutes. (Chapter 5, The Storm and What Came of It)

That is so life! The hard times come and we go through changes that we find to be unpleasant. We have a situation which requires more of us than we'd like to give. Perhaps we have to endure a conflict with a friend or a relative that we'd rather have avoided or are working to eat healthier when we'd rather not. Our life journey's are not supposed to be easy or pleasant (despite what we'd like to believe). Looking back on hard moments though, it's easier to see how God uses conflict to make us more like Him. He uses those rough moments in life, those things we deem unpleasant, to change who we are and grow is in the faith.

Do not fear the hard times! They have a great purpose!

Eustace had left the group in order to a.) avoid work and b.) explore the island and c.) rest in a manner he found worthy. When he turned up missing, various individuals reacted to his disappearance in different ways.

"Confound the fellow," said Edmund. "What on earth did he want to slink away like this for?
"But we must do something," said Lucy. "He may have got lost, or fallen into a hole, or been captured by savages."
"Or killed by wild beasts," said Drinian.
"And a good riddance if he has, I say," muttered Rhince.
"Master Rhince," said Reepicheep, "you never spoke a word that became you less. The create is no friend of mine but he is of the Queen's blood, and while he is one of our fellowship it concerns our honor to find him and to avenge him if he be dead."
(Chapter 6, The Adventures of Eustace)

I just love this passage. It reminds me of this verse:

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 13:35

Now, at this point in the story, Eustace did not believe in Aslan, but he was on Aslan's mission whether he liked it or not. He was a member of the Narnian party and, as Reepicheep pointed out, that made him eligible for their protection and concern.

How often are we tempted to slam our fellow believers because they differ from us in their opinions about what one should wear, what music they should listen to and what not? How easy is it for us to enter into gossip over someone that we don't exactly see eye-to-eye with? When our fellow Christian is attacked unjustly, do we consider it a matter of honor to rise up and defend him or her, or do we just stand silently by hoping that no one will notice our presence or will require something of us?

"Well, that doesn't involve me."
"That has nothing to do with me."
"They got themselves into this mess and they can jolly well get themselves out of it!"

Involving yourself in the defense of another might be considered unpleasant and maybe it's not as fun as an amusement park ride. However, if your fellow brother or sister in Christ has fallen down in some way, the honorable thing to do is get your hands a little dirty and help them back up. Refuse to speak ill of them. Refuse to let others speak ill of then in your presence. Defend what is honorable, true and right - regardless of what it is going to cost you. And yes, it may cost you something.

This is getting a little long so I'll wrap it up by saying that we thoroughly enjoyed the read. As I re-read The Silver Chair in July (linked to my thoughts) I'm looking forward to taking my boys on the next adventure here shortly. I don't think we'll need to wait until next July to get to it - but we'll see how things go!

Sterilization Issues

I remember the "news flash" when North Carolina, California and then Oregon offered apologies for the sterilization programs which they ran in their states from the early 1920's through World War II. North Carolina, however, ran their program as late as the 1970's and in 2002, the Winston-Salem Journal began investigating the state's Eugenics Board and sterilization program. They ran a series of articles on their findings in the Journal which have been collected and reprinted into this book, Against Their Will.

I believe it goes without saying that this book isn't an easy read. It isn't exactly the time of book you pick up for the pleasure of the read. It's dark, depressing and frustrating. (I was glad to finish it.)

To give a little history - (which this book does not do, by the way) - back in the late 1800's a man by the name of Francis Galton pioneered the idea of eugenics, which is defined as follows:

"The study of or belief in the possibility of improving the qualities of the human species or a human population, especially by such means as discouraging reproduction by persons having genetic defects or presumed to have inheritable undesirable traits (negative eugenics) or encouraging reproduction by persons presumed to have inheritable desirable traits (positive eugenics)."

Francis Galton was the cousin of Charles Darwin and was influenced and inspired by Darwin's work, particularly Darwin's notes on the breeding of domestic animals. Galton began his research and released a book entitled Inquiries into Human Faculty and its Development in which he coined the phrase "eugenics" (although he had been writing about it much earlier than the publication of this work). From what I understand, Galton promoted the idea of positive eugenics - suggesting that the elite and prominent figures in society marry early and be given monetary incentives to reproduce. His ideas formed the base-work for the eugenics movement which was built upon and embraced as a very good idea.

One of the earliest proponents of the science of eugenics in the United States was Alexander Graham Bell, who studied the rate of deafness in Martha's Vineyard, MA. Apparently he believed that two people who were deaf were likely to produce a deaf child and so they ought not to marry and reproduce after all. One of the most prominent and well-known supporters of the idea of eugenics in this country was Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood. There is not enough time or words available in this post to do more than touch on the fact that Sanger was a huge proponent of sterilization and other birth control methods in order to decrease the number of offspring from those she felt unfit. (Most of the people she found to be unfit were members of the African American race, by the way.)

Let's bring this to the 1920's where the idea of prohibiting the lower classes and those deemed mentally incompetent from having children became the popular belief. All across America states were sterilizing people deemed "unfit" to bear children with North Carolina alone sterilizing and even castrating over 7,600 individuals. (This would be negative eugenics as opposed to the positive.)

In these articles, authored by Kevin Begos, Danielle Deaver, John Railey and Scott Sexton, the Journal had access to documents which are still, in some cases, being held under lock and key. These four individuals traveled the country conducting interviews with people who had been sterilized during the period between 1929 and 1974 when the Eugenics Board was dissolved. The stories which they tell in Against Their Will are amazing, heart wrenching and absolutely infuriating.

Sadly, the Eugenics Board would make their lofty decisions over whether or not to have an individual sterilized based on a paltry paragraph of information which had been condensed from social workers' reports. People - mostly women and African American, although that was not always the case - could be sterilized for any variety of reasons included: lack of income, an illegitimate birth, or for having a low IQ. In one case a young girl was sterilized as a young teen simply because her mother had had almost a dozen children which she could not afford. Not feeling as if her daughter ought to have the right to bear children also, this same mother naively gave a social worker permission to sterilize her daughter. At the time, the young girl was told that she was going to have her appendix removed. It was not until years later, in her child bearing years, that she discovered that she had, in fact, been sterilized.

This book is truly full of horrible and gut-wrenching stories like the one I've mentioned above. Here is one quote which the reports found within the documents they had access to when writing their articles on the subject:

"I don't want it. I don't approve of it, sir. I don't want a sterilize operation . . . Let me go home, see if I get along all right. Have mercy on me and let me do that." - A woman pleading with the eugenics board, 1945

It is so difficult to conceive of a government who forces sterilization upon its citizens without their consent. Un-remarkably, the idea of eugenics fell out of favor with the general public after World War II when Nazi horrors were being revealed. States all across the Union began shutting down their eugenics programs except for North Carolina who persisted in this madness.

The investigation and exposure of North Carolina's decisions revealed in the Winston-Salem Journal caused the governor, Jim Hodges, to issue an apology for the state's program. California got in line behind Hodges and issued a similar apology as did the State of Oregon.

Lives were ruined. Women tell of getting married after they were sterilized, only to discover that they could not have children. Some were divorced as a result of this. Many say they feel violated and less like a woman as they no longer have the ability to bear children. This decision, which was made on their behalf, without proper education or support, has left them crippled to a degree. And it is sad.

Yet because we do not pay attention and know our history, it would seem we are doomed to repeat it.

Just this past August 1, 2012, thanks to provisions in Obamacare, girls in Oregon of the age of 15 (and in some cases 12) are able to be sterilized without parental consent.

Now you might argue that there is a difference between the state forcing a sterilization and a state offering the procedure for free. Grant it, there is difference in the manner which the procedure is being presented as an alternative to other means of birth control. However, neither forcing or offering sterilization is the right thing to do. There is certainly valid arguments to be made against the idea of allowing a 12 to 15 to 18 year old boy or girl make a life-altering decision which will effect the entire course of their future. If we think there will not be ramifications to this new law then we are gravely mistaken and we should be very afraid of the consequences. Reading the emotions of the people who were sterilized against their will will shake you up a bit as you realize that a great many people do not think through consequences to their actions. (It's hard to understand sometimes, but it's true.) A 15 or 16 year old who is making the decision is likely going to be swayed by his or her emotions of the present moment as well as by fear.

It is unlikely that a girl of 15 (or younger?) has any idea of how her life will turn out; she will not know if her future spouse will want children. She may decide she wants them herself. And then what? The future is so great and so unknown that to sterilize them is a cruelty! Furthermore, to sterilize them without seeking counsel of their parental figures - those who likely love them best and can advise them property - is a complete outrage! Logically, it does not make sense to offer a child who does not have the right to drive, drink or vote to sterilize herself for life. The consequences are perhaps greater than she can comprehend at this exact moment in time.

We will repeat history here, folks. The children today who decide to be sterilized will be emotionally distraught in another fifteen years or so, when they come to fully realize the consequences of their actions. The pimps who want to use young girls without threat of a pregnancy will be delighted at this opportunity. Furthermore, the threat against parenthood is outrageous. We must learn our history. We don't even have to look back that far to realize that sterilizations leave a permanent mark on the person that they can never completely heal from. It changes who they are as God designed and made them and this issue should warrant our attention.

I know this isn't a fun book to read, but in light of our present day society and the choices those in authority are making on our behalf, I think it's a necessary book and topic to be aware of (and read). As I said, it wasn't pleasant a pleasant read. But it will make you think. And we need people to think very carefully right now.


Thank you, PR by the Book, for shooting a copy of this title my way in exchange for my honest opinion.

What's On My Nightstand - September

Nightstand time at 5 Minutes for Books! (I just get a kick out of this meme.)

I still like using What's On Your Nightstand as a chance to give myself a basic reading guide for the upcoming month. However, I don't seem to be able to follow my guide very closely. Of course, this month Dickens ruled the day for me and so everything else got shoved to the side. Here is last month's Nightstand.

How did I fare?

• I said I wanted to read Tolstoy and the Purple Chair. I did get to that one and the title is linked to my review. I really liked this one, personally.
• Bleak House by Charles Dickens has been read. And documented.
  
• Cradle My Heart - I had this one to review for 5 Minutes for Books but opted not to. I had some theological disagreements with the author of book and since it is a touchy subject, I thought it wiser to just lay the book aside and move on. I think titles like this are very useful and necessary. That said, instead of this particular one, I would personally recommend either You're Not Alone: Healing Through God's Grace After an Abortion or Broken Into Beautiful first.
• I did not get to Love Your Enemies (but still want to).
• I did sort of read Tea Party Culture War and the review is over at 5 Minutes for Books. It is not a book I am a big time fan of or anything.

My reading plans for September include the following:



Professionalizing Motherhood: Encouraging, Educating, and Equipping Mothers At Home, by Jill Savage is the September pick for the Reading to Know Book Club. This upcoming month's discussion will be hosted by Stephanie's Mommy Brain.



I told Sarah at Library Hospital that I would read The Man in the Iron Mask with her last month. However, I mentioned Dickens . . . ? I plan on catching up to her (although she may beat me) with that title this coming month.



Lastly, (for the sake of this post), I received for review and have already begun reading Pursuing Peace: A Christian Guide to Handling Our Conflicts. It is very good and I look forward to telling you more about it!



Other review titles I'll be working on:

• The Story of Ain't: America, Its Language, and the Most Controversial Dictionary Ever Published
• Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

We'll go from there!

So what's on your nightstand? I'm off to find out!

Bowdrie, by Louis L'Amour

Now that I'm sitting down to write up my thoughts on Bowdrie, I can't find my book. It's hidden somewhere in a book stack downstairs. I will unearth it as soon as I hit "publish" no doubt. At any rate, this book has been read.

I was gifted with a copy of Bowdrie this past Christmas. (I hardly like to confess that.) This past week was quite busy and at the conclusion of it was Bookworm1's oral surgery. (The surgery went perfectly well! Thanks for praying and commenting on that!) I wanted a quick, engaging and distracting read and I found it in this book by Louis L'Amour.

This is the second or third book that I've read by L'Amour although I can't for the life of me tell you what the other titles were. I can't say that I read L'Amour because I necessarily love him, but I read him because my friends do. I read him because my grandfather loved him and I read him because my friend Sky does. I read this particular title because of Sky. And just like the last time I read a L'Amour book because of Sky, I enjoyed myself. (Truly, I'm not sure why I don't read L'Amour just for myself. I never have a bad time with him! Dare I say that I even have fun? It's pleasurable reading.)

I get a kick out of L'Amour's westerns (which are the only things I've read by him, although he wrote in other genres as well). Reading a Louis L'Amour book is like watching a John Wayne movie. Sometimes you just want to do it. You can hear the drawl, you see the gun smoke and you want to wear a bandanna to keep the dust out of your eyes. This time I discovered that I even read his stories slow. You cannot read a Texas Drawl quickly. It just cannot be done. You savor every single word. Because you have to.

Bowdrie is one of L'Amour's characters for which he wrote many short stories. Chick Bowdrie is a Texas Ranger who pre-dates Chuck Norris. He can best be described, I think, as a cowboy detective. As a young child, Chick Bowdrie almost because an outlaw when he was recruited by a Texas Ranger who saw potential in young Chick. Chick had ranger skills and so he was encouraged to uphold the law instead of living 'life on the dodge'. In Bowdrie we find him stumbling upon abandoned cabins and dead bodies left and right. He solves murders by following horse tracks and paying attention to how fast other men can draw their weapons. He keeps his mouth shut and his ears open and he holds himself steady when situations start to get out of hand. About the only thing that Bowdrie can't seem to handle well or figure out is women.

"He was no judge of women-folks. It was not like reading trail sign. Women made queer tracks, yet even he could sense that Meg Howells had something on her mind." (Bowdrie Rides a Coyote Trail)

Other than that, Bowdrie is the kind of guy you want around when people are thieving, angry scumbags.

I really like L'Amour's writing style. He can really turn a phrase! I think my favorite line in the whole book was a description that one particular outlaw gave about another:

He was about as pleasant to be around "as an irritated porcupine."

I'm so going to use that.

Apparently there are two collections of Bowdrie stories: Bowdrie and Bowdrie's Law. (If I'm wrong about that, I'm sure someone will let us know in the comment section?) It is my understanding that there are 18 short stories about this character who is a delight and every bit the reading distraction I was looking for last week. I'm glad to have met him and I have no objections to reading more of him. From time to time I rather like a good western. Maybe I'm just in the mood these days.

Recently we went to our first rodeo as a family. Yes, it was even my first rodeo. Despite the fact that I grew up in Texas, I never attended one. Had to do that in Oregon. My opinion? I thought it was fabulous! We got to see some bucking bronco's and some steer wrestling, both of which were very enjoyable.

Here's a picture of Bookworm2 peering through the fencing, watching those cowboys ride:



And here is a picture of one of those bucking broncs:



I'm sure we'll attend more rodeos in the future. We just got our feet wet with this one! I'm also just about sure that I'll be spending more time with good ol' Louis L'Amour. As long as I'm friends with Sky, L'Amour will be in the picture. And so I guess he'll be around a long, long time.

"Bowdrie slapped the dust from his hat. "I'm a Ranger," he said, "and there's always work for a Ranger. Come to one trail's end, and there's always another. I kind of like it that way."

Thank you, Sky, for sharing a part of who you are with me by sending me a copy of Bowdrie. Reading this made me happy because it made me think a lot about you! Love you!

Books, the Great Outdoors, and I Don't Know What Happened to Summer

The truth is, I have a pile of books sitting on my desk - which operates as my "Nightstand" - which are waiting to either be read or reviewed. I need the inspiration to sit down and type. But alas, the inspiration has not arrived. When it does, I'll have regular posts again.

I have been reading - both to myself and to the children - and so that's good. As I confessed last week, we hadn't been reading much aloud and it was clear we were all missing that time together. Not only have we been reading picture books (Thomas the Tank Engine, may he live forever!) but also chapter books. We finished the following two this past week (and so I intend to participate in Read Aloud Thursdays soon!):



We finished Ramona the Brave in three days flat. And that was only because we weren't home for one of those days. Otherwise we would have finished it in two! Big hit.



I had a review go up over at 5 Minutes for Books that I find interesting due to the author's position on keeping books. Clearly she doesn't read very much. (She reads. She just doesn't understand the value of books in general.) You can read my review of Live More, Want Less by clicking on the title there.



On a completely different subject:

We've taken a lot of time to be outside the past few weeks, taking advantage of Oregon's brief summer. There is a mountain that is all of 5 minutes from our house and we've been exploring its many trails this summer. Here is a picture from one of our hikes:



Speaking of spending time out of doors . . . thanks to our lovely local Nana, Mommy and Daddy were afforded the opportunity to go jet boating down the Rogue River this past Monday. It turned into an overnight trip which made it an extra special trip indeed! We had such a lovely full day on the river. It was so much fun to have an adventure all to ourselves. Here's a picture from our trip - which even though it doesn't have a copyright notice on it, let's pretend it does, k? ;) I don't know which one of us took this picture. We were tossing the camera back and forth a bit as we wound down the river. Every time we turned a corner we were met with something lovely.


And today, at the time you read this post (more or less) we'll be taking Bookworm1 for oral surgery. He has an extra tooth (ever heard of these things?) that we have affectionately been calling "spike." Today my oldest bookworm will be placed under general anesthesia as it is time for spike to go! Prayers for a safe, effective procedure are most appreciated!

I think it'll be a quiet weekend, but then I always think that and then discover it isn't. Life is just zooming by. Is August really almost over?!?!?

Bleak House :: A Reader's Diary

This is not a review of Bleak House, per se, and it shouldn't be read like one. I've kept Reader's Diaries in the past when I'm reading classics that are 500 pages or more, just to kind of keep track of my impressions of the book as I go along. Since it's a classic, and the large majority of the population either knows or should know what the basic plot is, and as these types of books have been written about by hundreds of people who can critique the work better than myself, these diaries are more for me than anything else I might blog about. Mostly, I'm taking note of the fact that I read the book. That said, proceed with caution.

*****

Day 1, July 23rd: Read enthusiastic comments by xwroz on this post which made me feel less apprehensive about reading Bleak House. I decided to bravely launch into it that very afternoon. Five chapters later, with nary a confusing sentence, I found myself smirking at Dickens and being horrified by myself for feeling horrified by this book that very same morning.

These first five chapters came easily and threw me in a story which I found myself enjoying. I told Jonathan the same evening, "I have a confession to make. I think I like Dickens." He was surprised. And a bit amused. I expect that now he'll expect me to read A Tale of Two Cities. (That's one of his favorites.)

Day 2: Read Chapters 6-11.

I love Mr. Jarndyce. I particularly like this description of him which is tangled up in a description of Bleak House itself:

"Such, with its illuminated windows, softened here and there by shadows of curtains; shining out upon the starlight night; with its light and warmth, and comfort; with its hospitable jingle, at a distance, of preparations for dinner; with the face of its generous master brightening everything we saw; and just wind enough without to sound a low accompaniment to everything we heard; were our first impressions of Bleak House." (Chapter 6, Quite at Home)

As much as I like Jarndyce, I equally dislike Mr. Skimpole. When a man has come to arrest him for his very large debt, he thinks nothing of it. Everyone else being far more embarrassed than he, he goes about making light of the subject. When Esther is determining what to do, and Richard suggests that Mr. Skimpole ask for monetary relief from Jarndyce, Skimpole replies:

" . . . Jarndyce would readily do it again; but I have the epicure-like feeling that I would prefer a novelty; that I would rather, and he looked at Richard and me, "develop generosity in a new soil, and in a new form of flower." (Chapter 6, Quite at Home)

I also confess to having chortled with laughter over Mrs. Pardiggle's exclamations of her hard working character.

"Well! I freely admit it, I am a woman of business. I love hard work; I enjoy hard work. The excitement does me good. I am so accustomed and inured to hard work that I don't know what fatigue is."

And her son's reaction:

"If that dark-visaged eldest boy could look more malicious than he had already looked, this was the time when he did it. I observed that he doubled his right fist, and delivered a secret blow into the crown of his cap, which was under his left arm. (Chapter 8, Covering a Multitude of Sins)

Day 3: Took a break. On accident. I just didn't have time to get to the book!

Day 4: Read Chapters 12-15

Realized that Dickens is not a good author to take a break from. It's better to read even just one chapter a day than ignoring it completely. I had to re-read the last few pages from Chapter 11 to get back into the swing of things.

I think Dickens' writing style is very odd and unique. (Well, obviously...) He is quite generous with his semicolons and it always gets me when he starts writing as if he is jotting down a screen play instead of telling a story. Sometimes it feels as if I am reading a play before I am thrown back into the story. He's a very unique combination of writing styles.

Day 5: Read Chapter 16

Ok, we've got to be happy about that! The progression of pages.

Day 6: Read Chapters 17-??

And herein the diary aspect fell apart. My mother moved to town (I keep saying this, but it did effect things!) and I took multiple days off. I finally got back into the swing of it around August 8th or something. On August 13th I was beside myself, feeling like I was always 100 pages away from the end. Always and always a hundred pages to go!

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks!

I finally finished reading Bleak House on Tuesday, August 14th. At 4:53 p.m. precisely.

And every day afterwards I have rejoiced.

Now, if you recall, I read Bleak House because it was chosen by my local book club for the month of July/August. We have not, at the point of this post, been able to meet to discuss the read. I really should not be posting about this just yet. Normally I wait until after book club is over so that I can solidify my thoughts which might include changed opinions after hearing the perspectives from the other readers. However, in this case I'm going to go ahead and post my "diary" because I finished it before every other person in the club (minus one other dedicated soul)! Yes, my friends, I strained at the bit to complete this book before our allotted day for book club only to discover that no one (excepting one other) had finished the book and our meeting day as been set back several more weeks.

Yes, I am gloating. If you are a member of the book club and you are reading this then you should absolutely be aware of the fact that I am gloating. And YOU need to get reading! ;) (Heh.)

If any of you are wondering if my opinion about Dickens has changed since reading Bleak House the answer is: yes. Yes, it has. I cannot honestly claim that I hate Dickens anymore. I might go so far as to say that I like him very much! I do think he is a bit too verbose. I don't like his usage of the semicolon every other paragraph. Yet he does write a good story that makes you feel good after you've completed the reading of it. (I'm not sure if I feel good because it was a good story or because I conquered the reading of it before anyone else though.)

Truthfully, I have no intentions of solidifying my thoughts about Bleak House in any particular direction until after our book club meets. But for now I will say that I liked it, I'm glad I read it - mostly because it removed my personal fear factor when it comes to reading Dickens - and I enjoyed it.

*****

Other Reader's Diaries:

• The Faerie Queen Book I & II
• The Gathering Storm Parts I & II

Explore the Wild West!, by Anita Yasuda

The school year doth approach. For some of us, it's already here. For other of us, we still have another week or so to go and therefore time to procrastinate in getting our act together. You can guess at which camp I fall into it.

Several weeks back I received a copy of Explore the Wild West!: With 25 Great Projects which is part of the Explore Your World series offered by Nomad Press. Once upon a time we did a unit study on the wild west and I think the time has come to do it again. Mostly because I don't think either of the boys remember doing it! Furthermore, it's easy to talk about the west out here in Oregon. (Heh.)

I've been browsing through Explore the Wild West! and coming up with our lesson "plan" (I'm going to hold all plans loosely) for how we shall go about using it.

This book covers seven different main topics, offering some information as well as a craft idea for each one. They are?

• Where Was the Wild West?
• Gold Rush Miners
• Moving West
• Pioneer Life
• Frontier Towns and Lawmen
• Native People in the West
• Cowboys

Taking a look at the first chapter - Where Was the Wild West? - you'll find "Words to Know" (i.e., vocabulary words), craft ideas, basic maps, and notes of comparison between what things were like then as opposed to now. We learn about how America grew (Louisiana Purchase and Lewis & Clark, etc.), and paragraphs highlighting key individuals who were instrumental in blazing western trails. This particular book is designed for use with ages 6-9 (translation: grades 1-3) and is perfect for our use right now.

As it states in the introduction:

"Explore the Wild West! will answer many of your questions. It will introduce you to some amazing people along the way, like James Beckwourth, William Frederick Cody, and Sitting Bull. There will be lots of silly jokes, and fun facts, too. Don't be surprised if by the end of this book you start singing saddle songs, cooking trail food, and making your own covered wagon.

What are you waiting for partner? Put on your boots and lower your hat. Let's explore the Wild West!"

As with just about any book which provides or aids one's personal choice for a curriculum, there are things I like and things which I do not quite agree with in this book. (It's a bit more politically correct in spots.) However, given the fact that this book is designed for use with small children, my differences with it are so subtle that I have no hesitations in gleaning all the good which this book has to offer! I plan to have some fun with it this school year.

Better news? Nomad Press has offered up one copy of Explore the Wild West! to one of my readers here at Reading to Know! Would you like to win? Simply leave a comment below. This contest will be open through Tuesday, August 28th and is open to U.S. Residents only.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER, as selected by Random.org, IS #1 - Allison! Congrats!

Thanks, Nomad Press for sending a copy of this book my way in exchange for my honest opinion and for also offering a copy to one of my readers.

Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan

If the author's name rings a bell, it's likely because it is she who wrote Sarah, Plain and Tall. Journey is one of twenty-one stories which have been penned by Mrs. MacLachlan and is the second that I've read of hers aside from the Sarah, Plain and Tall books. (I read Baby also. Linked to my ever-so-brief thoughts on it.)

I recently picked up a copy of Journey at a local used bookstore and looked forward to reading it. Upon finishing Bleak House (Yes! I did it!) I reached for the shortest, easy-to-read book I could find and Journey was at the top of my pile! A quick 83-page book, sweet and simple story and about 40 minutes of my time (max) re-convinced me that I am a fast reader and can get through books, provided that they are not 820 pages, of course.

Journey, like MacLachland's other books, are written with a younger audience in mind than myself. Apparently the author lost both of her parents at a young age and in her adult life (married with three children of her own) she began writing articles on adoption and foster mothers. She once noted the following:

"It was clear to me that much of the focus of my writing was sharpened by my involvement and concern for families and children. This interest, coupled with my commitment to children's literature, provided the basis for my decision to write for children--something I had always wanted to do."

Her works of fiction are geared towards children. Amazon lists Journey as being appropriate for kindergarten readers on up and while that may be (sadly) true in today's society, I think I would suggest this to ages 8 or 9 on up. The topic of Journey is much like that of Baby - child abandonment. In this book we meet Journey, an eleven year old boy who lives with his grandparents and his sister, Cat, after their mother leaves them. The book opens with his mother making her goodbyes and the rest of the book deals with Journey's adjustment to his new life situation.

While this topic is dark and somewhat hard to take, just like I mentioned when discussing Baby, MacLachlan handles the topic beautifully. She is sensitive and real, I think, without allowing any of her characters to fall into a pit of self pity and stay there. In the case of this particular book, Journey's grandfather plays a major role in helping his grandson adjust to life without his mother by taking pictures and building a new history and a new memories for the young boy. It is very clear that Journey's grandfather suffers from his own wounds but he is aware of the fact that life is going to go on and that they need to find ways to be happy and pursue life despite the dramatic and awful situation that the family is facing.

MacLachlan, in my opinion, has a perfectly charming way of writing. I laughed outloud in several spots as her characters conversed with one another. Here are some examples of the dialogue which she engaged her characters in:

Journey's sister Cat undergoes her own transformation after her mother abandons her, but her reaction is more to throw herself into life and hard work than introspection. Cat is the original owner of the camera that Grandfather eventually takes possession of and puts back into use.

Cat gave him the camera in one of her fits of cleanliness.
"I've given up the camera," she yelled, her head underneath the bed, unearthing her life. "I've given up the flute and most everything else. Including meat,"she said pointedly. "I have spent the entire afternoon looking into the eyes of a cow, and have become a vegetarian."
"Which cow?" asked my grandmother, not kidding.

Grandfather seems to always and forever be taking pictures of his little family. This both amuses and annoys Grandma, Cat and Journey. (Mostly, it annoys Journey until he discovers the beauty of photography.) The family was loading up in the car to go to town.

He makes Grandma come out of the house to pretend she is going to town too.
"Get a hat, Lottie, he calls to her.
Grandma puts on her straw hat with the cloth strawberries and grumbles all the way down the path to the car.
"Look fetching, Lottie," he tells Grandma as he leans down to peer through the camera.
"I'm not an actress, Marcus," says Grandma sharply. "I am a hot, old woman."
"You are a fetching old, hold woman," says Grandfather, making Grandma laugh.

The entire plot of the book revolves around family photographs - ones that once existed and the ones which are being created as the story moves along. Being a wedding photographer, I naturally connected to the discussion of the importance of photos. As MacLachlan makes a point of saying through her characters, photographs reveal truths to us - things that are in the moment and sometimes things which are going on behind-the-scenes. Photographs - good ones - evoke emotions. They remind us who we are, who we've been and where we are going. They preserve memories of good times and bad ones and so I liked the emphasis on the importance of family photos.

All in all, I'd say that Journey was a beautiful story and I enjoyed it very much. It was also a perfect read post-Bleak House. Heh. I needed something short and snappy and this provided all that I asked of it. Furthermore, it was fun to become a little bit more familiar with MacLachlan herself. If you are interested, here is a list of book titles written by her (as obtained through the ever helpful Wikipedia):

• Sarah, Plain and Tall (April 1985)
• Skylark (March 1994)
• Caleb's Story (October 2001)
• More Perfect Than the Moon (2004)
• Grandfather's Dance (2006)
• Through Grandpa's Eyes (March 1980)
• Mama One Mama Two (1982)
• Tomorrow's Wizard (1982)
• Cassie Binegar (October 1982)
• Seven Kisses in the Row (March 1983)
• Unclaimed Treasure (July 1987)
• Arthur, For the Very First Time (October 1987)
• The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt (July 1988)
• Journey (September 1991)
• Three Names (September 1991)
• Baby (October 1993)
• All the Places to Love (May 1994)
• What You Know First (September 1995)
• The Sick Day (April 2001)
• Edward's Eyes (August 2007)
• True Gift: A Christmas Story (October 2009)