Book Bag

1)

Birthmarked (Birthmarked Trilogy by Caragh M. O'Brien / YA / **1/2

Favorite Quote: “There are some things, once they are done, that we can never question, because if we did, we wouldn't be able to go on. And we have to go on, every single day.”

This book takes part in a future where society has disintegrated due to the effects of sun flares. Those that have survived the loss of power, croplands, and water are seperated into two groups.... the priviledged few who live within the wall (the Enclave) and those that live outside. As a young midwife outside the wall, Gaia performs her duty of delivering the babies in her sector, and giving three of them each month to the Enclave. She believes the babies are being given the chance for a life of ease and security, and does not question this belief until her parents are arrested. "Birthmarked" tells how Gaia works to rescue her parents and unravel the mystery of why they were taken in the first place.

The story has a good premise, but I thought it was rather flat. The characters were not developed enough to bring any type of belief that people would go as far as they did to help Gaia. The story touched on a common dystopian theme of reproductive freedom, but did not develop it enough to make it meaningful. Several scenes in the story were so inplausible that it made the whole story seem unbelievable. I'm making it sound worse than it was.... I'll likely read the sequel.

2)

 A history of Sevier County ([Utah centennial county history series]) by Michael Guy Bishop / A / **1/2

Okay don't laugh. Does this confirm I'm a nerd???

One of N's scout requirements is to learn some of the history of his community.  We found this book at the library.  I thought I would peruse some of it and give him some key facts but I ended up reading the entire book. It started slow with the geologic history then picked up speed with the discussion of the Native American people and the early pioneers.  While reading I was spouting probably useless facts such as that Richfield was first named "Omni" and Annabella was "Omni Point".  Joseph was named after a son of Brigham Young who was the first official Stake President of the area.

I enjoyed up through World War II, when the book started to really drag. 

I wished the book would have had more pictures. I pored over the photos of Richfield Main Street, trying to figure out what is still here. I want to ask some of the older ladies in our ward if they remember some of the buildings pictured and where they were located.  It was fascinating.  If I had time I would love to make a history of the buildings of Richfield... when they were built, what was there before, etc.

3)

Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon / YA / 0 stars

This book was simply terrible.  I am really shocked I even kept reading it. My reading for the last week came almost to a standstill as I fought with this book. 

By the title you can assume it is a re-telling of the story Cinderella.  I found very little about this story that was similar to the original except that there was a prince and at one minor point a ball.  The characters were flat and predictable. The plot was garbled and the dialogue was seriously cringe inducing.  This book easily qualifies as the worst book I've read this year... if not EVER.  I saw it for sale in WalMart and I was seriously tempted to attach sticky notes telling people to RUN.  People would thank me for hiding all copies behind all those unsold Pedi-Eggs and Snuggies.

4)

 The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie / YA / ****1/2

Favorite Quote: "They fought each other with the kind of graceful anger that only love can create"

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All I can say is WOW.  This book may be the best I've read this year.  It is a collection of 25 interlinked short stories that offer a fascinating look into growing up and around the Spokane Indian reservation.   Each story was carefully crafted and many were so insightful I felt an ache in my chest.  Short stories can be so powerful, and I loved how the act and tradition of storytelling where inter-woven into many of the collection.   It is my only contender for my book group selection but there are some language issues.  This is the second book I've read by Alexie... a few years ago when I was doing categories I read "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" as part of the banned book category.  I didn't even realize he had other books until I found this one. 

My father used to teach school in Crownpoint New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation. The summer I was born, we moved to the Uintah Basin which is part of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation.  Despite having indian gifts around my home and indian classmates, most of my interaction with anyone Native American came through my work as a welfare worker.  I will never forget W.O. with his gold front teeth and the way he would always call me Madam Caseworker.  When E2 was born he and his wife came to our home with a crocheted blanket.  He took one look at E2 with her chubby red cheeks, olive coloring, and black hair and announced the hospital must have given me the wrong infant as this was an indian baby.  He once told me that if I wanted success in my garden, then Darren should not do any of the planting as his warrior spirit was too strong.  In all ways of the world, he would not be considered a success. But I could see how much he loved his family and he somehow made me feel part of that circle.

5)

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly / YA / ***1/2

Favorite quote: “Life’s all about the revolution, isn’t it? The one inside, I mean. You can’t change history. You can’t change the world. All you can ever change is yourself.”

The book tells the story of a teenager named Andi in the aftermath of her younger brother dying.  Her family is a mess. Her emotions are a mess.  Her life is a mess.  She is taken by her father to Paris during research project to to supervise the DNA testing of a shriveled heart found in a jar. It is thought to be the heart of the young Louis-Charles (the dauphin of France during the revolution who died in prison).  The story of France and the young prince becomes intertwined as Andi finds an old journal of a girl  her age who has a relationship with the young prince. 

The story was multi-layered and once again prompted me to engage in an internet search frenzy as I wanted to learn more about the Louis Charles, the catacombs of Paris, and the French revolution.  I enjoyed the book... it was well written.  I had a hard time liking the main character but I am guessing this is what the author intended.  I can't complain about the emo feel to the book either, even though I didn't really get into it or the whole music tie-in. It is a YA book and will likely appeal to the age group it is intended for.

6)

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman / YA / ****

Favorite quote: “. . . she dreamed of nothing, for she hoped for nothing and expected nothing. It was as cold and dark inside her as out in the frosty night.”

This tells the story of a village girl in the days of King Edward Longshanks. It tells the simple tale of her evolution from forlorn orphan girl without anything including a name to a girl with a plan, a name, and a hope for the future.  The author amazing provides such as sense of time and place with very little description. It is a timeless coming of age story that reminds us to never give up and to believe in yourself. Love love love this little book.

OPENING CEREMONIES of the 2012 Olympics

We just finished watching the opening ceremonies for the London Olympics.
I can't help but love England.... they have given me so much happiness in my life.  The Lord of the Rings.... The Narnia Series.... JK Rowling and Harry Potter...  Robert  Pattinson....
In fact, before tonight I would have said that I love all things British except the food and the Beatles (sorry Ker-Bear).

After watching the opening ceremonies I realized there is a whole quirky side of British humor that I obviously just don't "get".  The whole Frankie and June sequence was a big weird yawner.  The solemn leaders of the industrial period marching around in their tophats while making weird gestures did not bring to mind inspired revolutionaries but rather evil masterminds intent on destruction.   If the hosts hadn't explained half of what was going on, I wouldn't have understood it. On paper the idea of lots of little kids on beds tormented by classic English fictional nightmares before being scared off by Mary Poppins with lit umbrellas sounds,well, bloody BRILLIANT. But the presentation of it was a little off for me.  I thought the ceremony as a whole was disjointed and frankly a little boring.   And the big baby was a little creepy.

The cauldron was awesome though.  And James Bond parachuting with the Queen into the stadium would have been AWESOME if she wouldn't have looked so grumpy after she came out to her seat.

Now on to the fashion.

First with the United States.
Unlike some, I loved the berets. Loved the navy blazers and white skirts. The red, white, and blue neck scarves were AWESOME and the perfect touch though the size of the stripe did remind me of the French flag.   We would have won the "best dressed" contest HANDS DOWN if it would not have been for the women's shoes.  I.CAN'T.GET.OVER.THE.SHOES.
Actually it isn't even the shoes.  It's the SOCKS with the shoes. The original sketch by Ralph Lauren shows a leggy model wearing the white skirt and a  heeled bootie that is very attractive. I don't know how that evolved into a bobby sock with a flat.  It simply ruined the entire outfit. These grown athletic women looked like little chinese school girls... which considering where the outfits were made that could explain a lot.

THE BEST

Serbia
Well, the Serbian women. I wish I could find a better picture.  The closeups on the TV were much better.

Loved the striped sweaters and shorts with the white blazers.  Simply awesome.  Very appropriate for the SUMMER olympics.

Other notables:

The Netherlands



As one blogger said, "You can't pull off orange pants. I can't pull off orange pants. Only Dutch athletes can pull off orange pants.'  Enough said.

Switzerland
I really liked the red and gray combo.  They were like walking, talking Pocket Knives.
 Sharp. Sleek. Utilitarian. 
Good job Switzerland! 

THE WORST

Great Britain. 
I know... way to dis the host country.
But seriously? What were they thinking?  I've never thought much of British style but with the amazing fashion sense being shown by Kate Middleton I had hope.   These outfits will be added to my list of British things that just don't make sense.  Like blood sausage.




Germany
What's with the blue and pink? They reminded me of the little peg people from the game of "LIFE".  They just need little plastic cars.



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Hope you all enjoy the games.

Two mini album ideas

So excited....

Today in Primary we sang the song, "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime".  I had not realized there were three verses to the song. I only remember the first one.

As we were singing I was hit with the idea of doing a mini book (like on shutterfly) with pictures of our summer that goes with each line of the song.

Brilliant, eh? 

I already have pics in mind for, "do you swim in a pool... to keep yourself cool" and "do you March in parades" and the "count all the stars in the sky" plus a few of the "Is that what you do???? So do I!!"  pages. 


So excited.

I also had an idea for the kids actual scrapbooks of doing a summer time layout with pictures that are predominately a certain shade of the rainbow. For example a few weeks ago at Seven Peaks I snapped a pic of E3 eating an Icee.  Her eyes were SO BLUE and it just so happens that her suit is blue and her icee was blue and the water behind her was blue. I thought about doing a layout with several pictures for each "color" of the rainbow.  First a strip of red, then orange, then yellow.... you get the idea.  The nice thing is I can cheat and send the pics to Regina to photo shop for me if I need a distracting color removed (HEE HEE)

So far I have the following:
RED: New tube / YUBA and Fourth of July week pics
ORANGE: Bryce Canyon visit and our pics from boating during the Scipio fires
YELLOW:
GREEN: Dolphin swim team pics, Green piggy bank shots (for our bi-weekly Monday visits after our library trips), Park lunch, etc.
BLUE: Seven peaks shots
PURPLE:

My week in books

1)

 The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch / A / ***1/2

Quote from the book:“Life went on, despite all the dying.”

This book should more accurately be named, "The Hangman".  While he does have a daughter, the story is mostly about the father.  Set in Germany during the mie1600's, a small town experiences upheaval as several young children are found murdered.  The common thread is that they are all orphans known for spending time with the town midwife. They all have the same mark on their shoulder.  The town fears witchcraft and immediately arrests the midwife.

The hangman is assigned to torture her for information while the town waits for the proper authority to arrive to sentence burning at the stake.  Our forward thinking hangman and his young physician friend must solve the mystery of what is happening before the town boils over in heretical unbridled accusations.

2) 

 Girl Reading by Katie Ward / A / *** 1/2

In Girl Reading, the author imagines the stories behind seven portraits of girls and women reading.  The portraits range in time from 1333 to a 2008 Flicker photograph to an imagined portrait set in 2060.

I picked up this book in my search to find a novel to discuss in November for my book group assignment.   This book is not really a novel but rather seven individual stories that the author links together at the end.  For each story being self contained, I was impressed at the sense of time and place each story provided, as well as all the subtle details woven in.  Each story was so rich that I could not read more than one at a sitting.  So this is kinda of a cheesecake book.... oh so good but you can't have a lot of it at once. 

I enjoyed looking up the applicable paintings for each chapter.

The writer does not use quotation marks or any words like "he said" or "she said".  By the end of the book I was used to it, but reading it at first was very disconcerting.

Favorite book characters of all time....

When I was reading "Bitterblue" last week, I was at first wildly excited when one of my favorite characters of the series was reintroduced, but then so disappointed when I realized how watered down she had become.    I began making a mental list of my favorite female book characters of all time.  This is such a subjective list as all readers have differing (but valid) reasons on why they love one character over another.

Many characters are timeless (Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird), but here are the ones for me that make the top list of the ladies of literature I love (in no particular order):

1) Katsa from "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore
2) Lucy from "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis
3) Hermione from "Harry Potter" by J.K.Rowling
4) Dianora from "Tigana" by Guy Gavriel Kay
5) Jehane bet Ishak from "The Lions of Al-Rassan" by Guy Gavriel Kay
6) Aerin from "The Hero and the Crown" by Robin McKinley

And not to forget the guys:

1) Jamie Fraser from "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon ( I am not embarrassed to admit I have a total crush on this man. He is truly swoon worthy).
2) Jace from The Mortal Instruments (first three only) by Cassandra Clare
3) Harry and Snape from "Harry Potter" by J.K. Rowling
4) Rodrigo Belmonte and Ammar ibn Khairan from "The Lions of Al-Rassan" by Guy Gavriel Kay
5) Atticus from "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
6) Edward from "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
7) Sam from "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R.Tolkien (he is the true hero of the book)
8) Toad from "Frog and Toad" series by Arnold Lobel (Okay I'm kinda kidding here.  But he is soooo type A....)


Who is on YOUR list????

Recent Reads

1)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore / YA / *****
Favorite lines: 
“I'm not going to wear a red dress," she said.
"It would look stunning, My Lady," she called.
She spoke to the bubbles gathered on the surface of the water. "If there's anyone I wish to stun at dinner, I'll hit him in the face.” 
From the cover:  "Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. "
I love this book.  I have read it multiple times. The story is like a master recipe.... just enough of this and just enough of that with a wowzer of a main ingredient.  Kristin Cashore manages to weave several interesting and endearing stories into one.  Brilliant.
2)

 Fire (Graceling) by Kristin Cashore / YA / ****

Favorite lines: 

 “Well then," Roen said briskly, "are you sleeping?"
"Yes."
"Come now. A mother can tell when her son lies. Are you eating?"
"No," Brigan said gravely. "I've not eaten in two months. It's a hunger strike to protest the spring flooding in the south."
"Gracious," Roen said, reaching for the fruit bowl. "Have an apple, dear.” 

This book is not really a sequel to Graceling but is accurately described as a "companion" story. 

From Goodreads:

"Over the mountains from the kingdoms in Graceling are the Dells, where rebellious nobles plot against the young king, and where some animals are monsters: brightly colored, beautiful, often dangerous versions of normal animals. "Fire" is a human monster, the last of her kind. She is irresistibly beautiful and has the ability to control minds, though she resists using it, remembering the terrible example of her brilliant, twisted father. When the king's brother Brigan arrives to ask her for her help against the rebel lords, she is pulled against her will into the turmoil enveloping the kingdom."

The first time I read this book, I did not like it.   However, this time I really enjoyed it.  The story is well written and like "Graceling" is filled with real characters that grow and develop throughout the story.  I found myself liking the main character (Fire) much more than the previous time I read the story.

The author obviously has a non-traditional view of marriage and children, a theme that continued from "Graceling".  While the author made good attempt to tie her opinions into the story line, her obvious use of her work as a platform for her opinions created incongruity for me as a reader and left me a little cold.

3)

Bitterblue (Graceling) by Kristin Cashore / YA / **1/2

From Goodreads:

"Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past."

The only good thing about my purchase of this novel is that, 1) It made me re-read "Graceling" and "Fire" and 2) The Richfield Library won't have to purchase a copy as they can have this one.  I continue my trend of disliking the third books of a trilogy.

I was excited on the premise of the book, as I wanted to hear the story of Bitterblue (introduced in "Graceling").  But the story was indulgent and unnecessarily length. It had little story arc and while it brought back much loved characters from both books it proved to be an unfulfilled reunion.  While I like twisting and multi-layered plots, this one was too convoluted to be enjoyable.  In fact for most of the book I ended up repeating Bitterblue's own thoughts: "What is going on? And why is everyone acting so crazy?".   Disappointing.

4)

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater / YA / ****

Favorite line: 

“I say, 'I will not be your weakness, Sean Kendrick.'
Now he looks at me. He says, very softly, 'It's late for that, Puck.” 

There is power in the blurb written inside the dust jacket of books.  Because after I labored through Maggie Stiefvaters mind-numbing teen novel, "Shiver" that was such a lame wrip-off of "Twilight", I swore I would NEVER EVER read another book by this author. 

Over the last few visits to our local library I have picked up and put back this novel several times.  It kept appealing to me but our darling library only allows you to check out TWO "new" novels per account (unless the darling Pepper the Librarian is working there and gets threatened by her mother to let me have the books I want OR ELSE).  Each visit this book kept getting the boot in favor of other "new" books.  I finally picked it up this Monday and oh boy I'm glad I did.

It is hard to describe what this book is about.  It kind of reminded me of a childhood favorite called "Misty of Chincoteague" by Marguerite Henry except that on this island the horses eat people.   Awesome, eh?   They are monsters from the sea and for some unexplained reason people think it is really cool to capture one, attempt to train it, and try to win the yearly race which promises fame and fortune. And of course they have to accomplish this without literally getting their head bitten off.

The race has been won several years in a row by Sean Kendrick who has a gift with horses.   He needs to win the race so he can win the right to buy his beloved Sea-Horse mount (who eats other people but NEVER him) from his hard-hearted employer.  He ends up helping Kate (Puck) who is trying to win the race to earn the money necessary to save their home from being foreclosed on by their landlord (who is the same hard-hearted employer of Sean). 

I loved the characters in this story, especially Kate (Puck) who is a real grump but fiesty and her little brother, Finn.    Well done Maggie Stiefvater.  I'm even considering going back and rereading Shiver.  Crazy.