Secret Daughter

Once again I have chosen a piece that was the author's (Shilpi Somaya Gowda) first work - and again my selection has an Indian connection. I liked this book! It was very readable and I suppose another one that is mostly for us girls, but the plot is well developed, the characters are believable and the story is touching. The story moves between Mumbai, India and Northern California and explores international adoption and families with blended backgrounds and cultures. There was a time in India when baby girls were not wanted - sometimes aborted, sometimes killed at birth and in this instance, given to an orphanage when the baby was 3 days old. The tale revolves around two American doctors who are unable to have children and since the husband is Indian, they adopt a child from Mumbai. The chapters move back and forth from California and India following the lives of two cultures and two countries. The ending isn't what I expected and sometimes in these type of stories, that is refreshing! Anyway, the book is engaging, readable and I thought, quite good. (339 pages)

You will be surprised at my next book - loved by most of you and one I have never read!

And my screen is still in Arabic!

Clash of Kings

I finished up my first book of 2012 last night, "A Clash of Kings," by George R.R. Martin. It is the second book in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. I was introduced to this series through the HBO's adaptation of the first book, "Game of Thrones." That was an excellent book and a pretty faithful TV adaptation.

The book picks up where the first book, "Game of Thrones," left off. Civil war has come to Westeros. There are several would be kings vying for the throne. Those would be royals include: Robb Stark, Joffrey Barahteon, Rennly Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Daeneryis Targeryan and Balon Greyjoy (does spelling count?). Each are fighting for a different reason. At the surface it's a prototypical swords and castles story but the complexity and the characters make it something worth reading.
     I don't want to give too much plot away as I know at least Kristen is planning on watching the next season (airs in April). It would also take a few dozen pages to summarize anyway (the book is nearly 800 pages long, over 1,000 in the paperback). I will say this, I was initially disappointed in the end of the book. I wanted some closure but it's a cliffhanger of sorts. I really want to take a break from this and read some other stuff but I think I'll be on to book 3 within the next couple reads.
     Throughout the book there is great suspense as the myriad characters are captured, released, killed, spied upon, spying, politicking and procreating. The plot is intricate, there are dozens of characters. Each chapter follows a particular character's story line. There were a couple long breaks between characters chapters; it was occasionally difficult to remember what the heck they were doing the last time they had a chapter. It's well written, the cadence of the political scenes are gripping, the battles are vivid. The battles are extremely violent (they are, by nature, violent). There is also quite a bit of sex. It turns out whoring isn't such a big deal in Westeros.

I'm excited to read the next one. This series was originally written as a trilogy although it looks like the 7th book is being written now. I'm hoping for some closure in the next installment!

Meaning at the Movies

Just finished "Meaning at the Movies: Becoming a Discerning Viewer" by Grant Horner.  It's an interesting look at movies from a Christian perspective, in particular, looking at worldviews that movies present. The author is a professor of film studies, so he naturally thinks that movie are the ultimate reflection of our culture, and the most powerful artistic means of expression... Maybe.

Anyway, the point of the book is to encourage you to really engage with what you're watching and consider what the writer, director, cinematographer, and characters want you to think about the world, the nature of man, etc. He sums it up well with a quick question: "Who believes what about what, and why?"  Looking at some of the movies I have seen recently, it's an interesting diagnostic question.

After walking through some examples of answers for this question, he breaks down some movies of various genres and talks through some of the ideas that are being presented. This was the most interesting part of the book for me.

I think if you're interested in movies, and especially in thinking about movies, you'd enjoy this book. It's good stuff to think about with any kind of art you interact with - even commercials!

Family Reading?

Would everyone be interested in reading the same book at some point this year? I can't think of a book off the top of my head that would interest everyone but I haven't been thinking for long. Maybe some classic lit? Maybe something non fiction like "The Omnivore's Dilemma?"

I'm about done with my first book of 2012, 92% according to the kindle meter... more on that in a week or less, I hope. 

The Cookbook Collector

First off, I hope this comes out right as my whole screen has been translated to Arabic and I am going by memory if I am posting correctly! Even my Yahoo page is in Arabic - may be time to learn the language! How weird to be doing everything from right to left.

I just finished another dumb book...another "National Bestseller!!" "The Cookbook Collector" by Allegra Goodman had such promise for a good read, but the author seemed to try to get every type of situation in a story she could think of. Love story, Berkley students sitting in the redwood forests, sit-ins, betrayal, re-discovery of a Jewish heritage, the dot com rise and fall, 9/11 lost love, dysfunctional family... what else. Oh yes! The plot! So easy to loose (or ever find) in this saga. I think the statement the author was trying to make was to beware if you are being loved or being part of a collection? I don't know - I don't recommend it and will give the book away to the refugee center here.

Redeeming Love

I think most of the women in the family have read "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. But I think everyone should read it. I "reread" it on audio book (a young mother's best friend). It is a retailing of the book of Hosea in Gold Rush California. Rivers does an amazing job of illustrating the love story between the prophet, Hosea/believer Micheal Hosea, and the prostitute, Gomer/Angel God instructs him to marry. As beautiful and amazing their story is, the story is ultimately about the incredible love God has for us, his people, and how after time and time again we leave him and sell ourselves to other gods and sin, but he is there loving us and changing us.

Rivers is a wonderful writer. Before she was a believer she wrote historical fiction and this is her first book after her conversion. I think it is one of my favorite books. It is a great read as well as uplifting. Also I don't know if I read/listened to them this year, but her Mark of the Lion series is also amazing.

Dune

Today I finished the audiobook version of Dune by Frank Herbert. This was an excellent audio rendition of the book, with a full cast. As I have re-read Dune over the years, the symbolism has made more sense, and it's clearer what Herbert is trying to say about oil and power and religion. I am not sure I agree with everything he's saying, but it's a heck of a story!

Mockingjay

Late last night, I finished "Mockingjay", by Susanne Collins, the last book of the Hunger Games series. It's a great finish for an exciting series - and it plays really well with the reader's expectations. Collins finally makes some coherent statements about war, revenge, and power.  It's a satisfying conclusion and worth a read!

January 2012 reads

I found my way to the blog so here I go. I have finished three books since the blog started.

The Pacific- by Hugh Ambrose- son of Steven Ambrose- This is about a collection of Marines in the Pacific during WWII. It is pretty harsh in the recounting of the events affecting these men. The people are real and the research of the letters and records is amazing in the detail. The sacrifice made by these men is unbelievable. This book was written after the script to the HBO series was completed. I did not see the series but it is similar to Band of Brothers,the 101st airborne in Europe that was so popular. I recommend it as a history read and and to anyone who thinks war is all glorious. It is not and this book tells the story and preserves the honor and memory of these men.

The Wide Mouth Frog- My kids grew up hearing the wide mouth frog story from me. It is a great story that tells the adventures of a frog's trip through the zoo asking all the animals what they feed their babies. Well it has been published and Erin bought the book for me to read to the kids. The book is not as good as the live telling but it does help select the animals which is the hardest part of the story telling. The plot is slightly different and the ending departs from my story in an unacceptable way. So I use the pictures and tell the story in character. I did have to edit my usual ending out of respect for the Spruce Street Jordan's good sense. It ends with a pursed lip, milquetoast "no kidding" instead of the standard "No Sh_t" Oh well my kids have better sense than I most of the time and I can't arm Rachel with punch line for Church. I recommend the live telling by Grandpa using the book as an outline over the straight read of the words of the book. I do requests. Rachel loves it......August was speechless.

Maphead by Ken Jennings- This is a geography lesson written by a self professed map geek. If you have ever spent hours gazing over the Rand McNally Atlas you will enjoy this book. If you throw away the National Geographic and save the maps like the author and I do you will enjoy the book.

Maps were essentially unchanged for 500 years until space travel and the science of mapping changed our perspectives. Does the GPS make maps obsolete? Some say yes others say no as the sense of place is the strength of the map. Why did we become America and not Columbia? Amerigo Vaspucci sold maps with titillating stories about naked natives with huge sexual appetites for Europeans. Amerigo was a self promoting individual that left the impression that he knew the New World better than anyone and Columbus died thinking he had found Asia not a New World. The library of Congress purchased the first known map with America written on it (1510) for $20 million.

It is a quick read with an annoying footnote habit every third page or so that tells a story within the story. Most are quite fun but it stops the flow of the read. The book reads a little like a Bill Bryson book. (that is a good thing)

This was a gift from Adam and Kristen and I will pass it on to them for them to pass on to others that might want to read it. I want it back.

My next book was started yesterday- A Patrick Henry biography. Report to follow on this ancestor of Erin's.

Max

Recommendations?

I need a book to sink my teeth into - I have been reading short, light stuff for the last several months and am looking for something with a bit more substance. Ideas?

The Mango Season

While I was coming home from Texas I had some extra time and was able to finish "The Mango Season" by Amulya Malladi. I seem to like all things connected with India and this book falls into that favor. It is a pleasant, fast read that centers around a young woman who left India to study in America. She falls in love with an American and after seven years, returns home to tell her family about "Nick". Not only is she confronted by how strange India feels after being gone for so long, but marrying a foreigner is not in her family's boundaries. Priya is forced into making a difficult choice- family or love. Yes, it would make a good chick-flick but it was a good read and well written.
This is the author's first novel and I tend to like reading "firsts". They are frequently more fresh and genuine... in my opinion.

Catching Fire

Today I finished "Catching Fire", by Suzanne Collins, the second book of the Hunger Games series. It's like candy for your brain - it's paced very well, and has great adventure sequences. It's very hard to put down. But don't be fooled by the YA Fiction categorization - the violence is pretty graphic. But it's done well, considering how dystopic the world is...

Erin's First Book of 2012

Today I just finished, Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. It's a novel about how Peter Pan became Peter Pan and how he met the lost boys, Tinkerbell, the mermaids, Cap'n Hook, and the others. Throw in a bit of magic stardust and a secret society that has been working behind the scenes to keep its power out of evil hands and you have a fun read. This is a great book to read if you only have 5 minutes at a time to read. Looking forward to book two.

Lit! by Tony Reinke

"Lit! A Christian Guide to Reading Books" by Tony Reinke is a book about... reading.  From the back cover:

Learn how to better read, what to read, when to read, and why you should read... Offered here is a theology for reading and practical suggestions for reading widely, reading well, and for making it all worthwhile.

It's an interesting book, and it's written by a guy who obviously loves to read and who gets a lot of spiritual juice out of what he reads.  As part of my "Year of Discipline", I am trying to improve my reading life, and this book had some really useful suggestions on how to do that.  Things I really liked:

• The initial chapters that set up a "theology of reading" -- why reading is important to Christians and why being thoughtful about what we read is so important.  The contrast between Scripture and everything else that is not scripture was laid out very well, and it's a great reminder as I start this new year to keep Scripture as the staple of my reading diet.
• Chapter 4 on thoughtfully analyzing the worldview of the book you're reading.  I think this is applicable to much more than books, and I have a feeling the youth group at church will be hearing about this sometime soon...
• Building a list of reading priorities to help make sure that you're reading a wide variety of stuff.  I end up in the SciFi section by default way too often when there's so much else out there to read!
• The chapter on how to build a home full of readers.  In particular, I liked the idea of buying as many books as your kids can read, provided they identify five important pages from the book, summarize the content, and then read them aloud to the family.

I will admit it -- I had a hard time with the chapter that encouraged writing in the margins of your books.  I see his point, but a lifetime of being reminded not to write in my books will be a hard habit to break.

Anyway, this book was interesting, and a quick read.  Think about it -- if you read a book a week for the next fifty years, you will only have read 2,600 books.  It's worth some time thinking about what you're reading to make sure you're getting the most out of it.

Rachel reads...

I promise we won't put up repeats of the books we read. :)

Tonight was an Eric Carle night. Tonight we read The Hungry Caterpillar a story about a caterpillar's journey to becoming a butterfly. Rachel really enjoyed The Very Hungry Caterpillar and even read it back to us. She is either very good at listening, or may about have it memorized.

The Foolish Tortoise by Richard Buckley and Eric Carle is a book about a tortoise not satisfied with his lot in life and desires speed. He comes to realize just how nice his shell really is.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear a fun rhythm and beautiful picture book.

And The Very Busy Spider about a spider that is very focused on building her web.

Joop

I just finished a book called Joop by Richard Lourie. It is a fictional account of the man who was the most likely betrayer of the hiding place of Anne Frank. It makes you wonder how far you would go to feed your family and care for them during the horrors of WWII. It is a short and easy read - 180 pages.

First finished book of 2012!

... was "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish", by Dr. Seuss (Rachel's bedtime story). Honestly, I am not sure why this book is so famous.  There's no discernable plot, the rhymes are ridiculous, and it's really long. Rachie loves it though, so we put it on the back of the shelf when she's not looking.

Kids book count too!

Well they may not be the most significant books, but it is important that our kiddos get to contribute...so tonight Mommy, August and Rachel read "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed" by Eileen Christelow, which is a little book about the perils 5 little monkeys face while they engage in nocturnal tomfoolery.

We also read "The Great Monkey Race" by Erica Maese and illustrated by Janet Samuel, a book about 10 monkeys that race through the jungle as the other animals cheer them on. It is a cute touch and feel book. Auggie really liked it. I can add an amazon link if anyone really wants it, but really???