Poor Reader

I have always prided myself on being a "big reader." Although I'm big, apparently I am not as big a reader as I have always believed. Right now I have "Eli Monpress" and "The People's History" both in the hopper, but I don't read them during my fun time. I find myself avoiding them. What's with that. I love reading, but not apparently on command or if the book sucks. That leaves me with a question as to where to go with this blog. I could just stop, or I could re-read a few things I know I love, or I could read some YA. Not sure what to do. Steadfast and not-so-steadfast readers: what would you recommend in my situation? Change the blog subject? Read something you recommend? Read YA fiction? Re-read favorites that I'd love to recommend to you? Tell me what you want.

The Reading Promise

Well, shoot. I'm so far behind, I think I can see the back of my own head.

I have discovered a few things about myself over the course of this experiment: 1.) I won't read crap books; 2.) I have no problem abandoning books halfway through; 3) This makes it very difficult for me to finish books to review.

Good thing I already read and processed The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared. The book is about a librarian father reading books to his daughter from the time she is in fourth grade until she goes away as a freshman in college. They have to read for 10 minutes each day before midnight. They don't miss a day. They call it "the streak." (If you want a more thorough explanation of the plot, as always you can go straight to Amazon and see what it's all about. I'm hoping - with this blog - to share more of my impressions than a straight-up synopsis).

First of all it was a whizzer. I whizzed right through (not on) the book. It was another of those that you can hardly put down. I read it in, like, a day and a half.

Her father reading books to her is only part of the story. She frames it in vignettes based on "days in a row" read. They touch on her father's extreme poverty as a child, through her grade school, through her mom moving out, through their peculiarities as individuals, through the divorce, through high school, through their Christmases, her proms, her boyfriends, his girlfriends...basically the whole gamut of the life of a single dad bringing up a daughter (well, two daughters, actually).

It's both painful (but only slightly) and wonderful (more than painful). You see two very individual and somewhat private people living the depths of life, all hung on a clothesline of this pact - for him to read to her every night. The vignettes are touching and the story personally enthralling.

So, read it? YES! It's an easy, swift ride with lots of feels and smiles. You'll like it. A Lot.

Ha Ha Ha!

So...it's been a while since I posted...long enough that I probably shouldn't have a blog. I'ma aim for one post a week on weekends.

Since I posted last, I kind of abandoned The Legend of Eli Monpress. Not truly abandoned it. I just wanted to get to Zinn's The People's History of the United States. So I started that...and...folks, I don't really know if I'm going to be able to do a book report on that one. It's a-BIG! And so chock-full of stuff that I don't know where I'd begin. I mean, I'll write SOMETHING, but where to start, where to start?

That means that right now, my strategy is to write up The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books we Shared this weekend. I'll keep plugging away at Monpress and People's History. We'll see which one I cross the finish line on first. Or maybe I'll pick up some brain candy YA and get caught up that way. The possibilities are ENDLESS.

So, if you're a faithful reader, or just a sometimes-reading faithless slob, I will have something posted by this weekend. Or else...

What are you reading right now? Looking for easy, fun reads...

The Book Thief

Second book, second report. Since my last blog post was kind of...well...weird, I went online to find out "How to Write a Book Report." Wow! There are lots of different opinions on how to write book reports! Who knew? Anyway, that was kind of a wash, so I'll just tell it my own way.

Upshot? Written from a very unique point of view, this book tells the story of a girl's experiences in Germany during World War II. <<This is the boring explanation.

This is one of those kinds of books that grabs you by the lapels and demands to be read. I had a hard time putting it down: sneaking reads when I should have been doing something else. It's THAT kind of book. I can't exactly say that I "enjoyed" it because it was dark and dealt with some of history's most difficult-to-process subjects, but it was very well written mainly because of the point of view - which I won't spoil for you - and the way the author plays with language.

What do I want to say about the main character Liesel? We are taken by the hand and led through her adventures. She's first an "orphan" and then is placed with a foster family that is actually beyond my capability to adequately describe. (Spoilers, darling!) She has friends, plays soccer, steals books, and her family hides a Jewish guy in the basement. (ACK!) Her Papa is especially endearing and I enjoyed the character a great deal. And Mama too. Sometimes.

I'm not sure what this book is about or for. It could be about death, kindred spirits, fate, ultimate loss and despair, or friendship. Or all of them. I really don't know. I found the topics to be edgy and depressing, but the book is actually quite funny in some ways.

Should you read it? If you're in a dark place, probably not. If you're doing fine, READ THIS.

What about you? Have you read it? What did you think? Any other WWII books you'd recommend as "must reads"?

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston

So...this  is my first book post. I'm a writer, so I thought this would be easy. I used to be really good at book reports. As I reread the post, well, it's a little rough. I hope you'll bear with me as I regain my footing at this. If I don't publish something, I'll chicken out and not do anything.

Recently, I was fortunate enough to be included in a training with Dr. Sharroky Hollie - a leading proponent of Culturally and Linguistically Responsive pedagogy. During his program, he challenged us - a bunch of white, middle class ladies - to learn about lingual differences between ourselves and those of another culture. One of the books he mentioned was Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God. He said it would be a good way for us to learn a little bit about African American Vernacular English. I was not prepared for what I was to encounter.

The story revolves around Janie, a beautiful African-American girl who - during the course of the book - grows up (duh). We learn about her adventures and the different men in her life. Janie is a complex character and she's forced to make tough decisions during the course of her life. It's an exciting and interesting story of one person's life, but what really stands out is the prose. It's just beautiful and lyrical - almost like music.

As I mentioned before, the book features AAVE or African American Vernacular English. What I wasn't prepared for is the fact that there were whole scenes in the book that I didn't understand. I've been reading since pre-K, and have had no trouble with comprehension, but this book stumped me on several occasions. It was a very valuable lesson for me because it made me understand what struggling readers go through - WITH EVERYTHING THEY READ. Suck-o-rama.

Anyhow, it was a really, really good book. Highly recommend if you want to blow your mind open.

A Preview

I've already read a few books this year, although I am by no means caught up. I've put together this list so you can see what's coming - or keep up with me and join the conversation.

Their Eyes Were Watching God - Zora Neale Hurston (Read)
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (Read)
The Legend of Eli Monpress - Rachel Aaron (Reading)
The Reading Promise - Alice Ozma (Read)
A People's History of the United States of America - Howard Zinn (Reading)

A Challenge...

A few weeks into the new year, I decided that - mainly to keep myself out of trouble - I would read a book a week this year. I love reading and I'm a writer, so it only made sense to blog about the experience. Not a new concept, I know, but I thought it would be a good way to stay accountable and keep my writing "chops" up.

If you don't know me, my name is Heidi. I'm a communication specialist for an educational service agency. I'm married, have three cats, and live in a 101-year-old-house in the historic part of my hometown. It's all very cozy. 

Since this is social media, I'm hoping to make this more of a conversation than a platform for my ideas. You are invited to join in through the comments section.  I intend this to be a dialogue between friends - like a virtual book club. I'll probably ask impertinent questions, lol!

Advanced Warning: I'm afraid that there may be random posts that have nothing to do with books. Read at your own risk...