Mockingjay - Book 3 of Hunger Games

I wrapped up the Hunger Games trilogy last night. The third book does a good job explaining what is going on in the world of Panem. Compared to the first 2 books, the beginning of the third is a bit slow. By the time they've set the scene though the action starts again and before you know it you're done.

It's a satisfying end as it answers a lot of questions and you get some closure but this is also where the young adult genre leaves me wanting more. The books are so efficiently written and move at such a fast pace that I now wish there were more guts and detail to the world that Collins has painted. Then again the slower pace would make these an entirely different read. It wouldn't surprise me if Collins revisits this world in future writings; my bet would be on the story of Haymitch (an older character that acts a mentor to the young protagonists) or the Dark Days (the conflict that led to the first Hunger Games).

Catching Fire: Book 2 of Hunger Games

I'll make this post as quick as it was to read the book:

Pick up where 1 left off

plot development and introduction of new characters 

Action, action, action

Start book 3

I Will Carry You

I just finished the book "I Will Carry You" by Angie Smith. I absolutely loved this book. It was a very beautiful book that was so hard to read. It was hard because the book is their story of faith during tragic loss. Angie's husband is Todd Smith who is in the Christian band Selah. While she was pregnant with their fourth daughter they were told that she had so many problems that she would not survive birth. They chose to praise God regardless of the outcome. Here is a passage that really hit me as I read it. I can only pray that if God ever calls me to endure something this hard, that I will have the faith to say this. They went in for their ultrasound with such hope and joy and the doctor told them that her heart didn't have any chambers, her stomach was to large there would be no room for her lungs, her kidneys had cysts on them, and there was no amniotic fluid. The doctor asks Angie,

"What are you thinking, sweetheart?'

I said the first thing that came to my mind, and I said it with much more conviction than I was feeling.

"I think my Jesus is the same as He was before I walked through that door."

I have only read one other book about miscarriage and what the grieving process is like for mothers whose joy turned to sorrow. But what I like about this book is that the focus is not on the joy turning to sorrow but the joy in the sorrow. Their baby did not live but two hours after they delivered her, but they chose to praise God whatever the outcome. I cried and cried while I read this book, but it also helped me to process some of the emotions and fears I had held on to after my miscarriage and Alex's illness. It was a sweet reminder that in the midst of our sorrow our Savior is there holding us and listening to us and loving us, and in Him we find the Joy.

I first heard about this book, because Beth Moore read from it in our James study. Then Mary Beth Stevenson read a passage from it to our ladies Bible study, and I knew I had to read it. I will pass it on to anyone who wants to read it. Anyone need a good cry?

The Hunger Games

I finished up The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, over the weekend. From Wikipedia:

"The Hunger Games is a young adult novel written by Suzanne Collins. It was originally published on September 14, 2008, byScholastic.^[1] It is written in first person and introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where the countries of North America once existed. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, holds absolute power over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games are an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12 to 18 from each of the 12 districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle in which only one person can survive."

It is a very fast read as much because of the gripping story as because of the writing. It is simply and effectively written in the first person. I've heard critiques that it isn't well written but I think the 1st person tense of a mostly uneducated girl can explain/excuse that. I haven't read any of Collins' other work so I really don't know. I also really don't care because this was such a fun read. 

The themes aren't, to me, fresh but could be to the younger target audience. Dystopia sounds like hell for those that have to live in such an environment but it sure makes for great fiction. 

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

While I was waiting for M and M to finish their time on the "mountain" at Ski Dubai, I found myself without anything to read. So off I went to Borders and found this crazy book. I have heard a lot of controversy and fuss about this Mom, and I was very curious. It is a brutally honest memoir of her Chinese approach to parenting. The book is sometimes funny, sometimes outrageous as she describes how Chinese parents are better at raising kids than Western ones.

It is an extreme parenting style that I would not embrace, but it certainly produces high achieving, disciplined kids! For example, here are 10 things the author's daughters were never allowed to do:

1. attend a sleepover 2. have a play-date 3. be in a school play 4. complain about being not being in a school play 5. watch TV or play computer games 6. choose their own extracurricular activities 7. get any grade less than an A 8. not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama 9. play any instrument other than the piano or violin 10. not play the piano or violin

The fact was, they spent so much time on homework and instrument practice, they had no time for any of the above. However, the girls were performing internationally by ages 10 and 12. The author says Western parents would complain about getting in 1/2 hour of music practice - she says it is hour 3 and 4 when it starts to get tough!

Here is a little blurb from some of her threats to her daughter:

"According to Sophia, here are three things I actually said to her at the piano as I supervised her practicing:
1. Oh my God, you're just getting worse and worse.
2. I'm going to count to three, then I want musicality.
3. If the next time's not PERFECT, I'm going to take all your stuffed animals and burn them!"

I think you will enjoy this short read - entertaining and thought provoking for sure. You will have to laugh at some of the absurdity of it as she writes with candor and humor. It left me shaking my head but at the same time recognizing all she wanted was the best for her children - like all mommas all over the world.

The 19th Wife

I have finally finished reading The 19^th Wife by David Ebershoff and overall enjoyed the read.  This style and subject of book is not something that usually interests me but I gave it a try based on a recommendation from Michael’s sister.  The book intertwines two stories; a murder mystery set in today’s time and a historical fiction of Ann Eliza Young.  Ann Eliza was one of the wives of Brigham Young and this book tells the story of her separation from him and her fight to ban polygamy in the United States in the late 1800’s.  It is interesting to learn some of the background of the Mormon church and also to gain insight to the thoughts and opinions of someone who grew up in a polygamist family. The other story twisted in is that of a murder in a present day Utah polygamist community.  The story is told from the point of view from a young man who was thrown out of the church and abandoned by his family as an early teenager who now searches for the truth of the murder that his mother is being accused of committing.

                Although I did not always enjoy the switching back and forth between stories it did the job of keeping me wanting to read more.  I would recommend this book for others to read but probably not pay full price for it.  I am glad that I found it at Goodwill for $0.75.  With that being said, if anyone would like to borrow it just let me know and I will send it your way!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

On Thursday night, I finished "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time", by Mark Haddon.  This was a really interesting novel -- it's written from the point of view of an autistic (?) teenager named Christopher who discovers his neighbor's dog has been killed.  Christopher has read some of the Sherlock Holmes books and decides that it is time to do some Detecting to determine who the culprit is.  It's very interesting to see how Christopher interacts with his world, and especially to see how his tics and odd behavior are perfectly normal to himself but terribly distressing to the rest of his world.

The author has an incredibly deft touch -- it would be easy to descend into pathos or caricature, but Haddon does a great job at making Christopher a sympathetic character without exploiting him.  It's fascinating to see the people around him interact, filtered through his perspective.  This is well worth a read.

The Omnivore's Dilemma

At long last, I've finished The Omnivore's Dilema. I've written about it a couple of times in comments of other posts so I'll just leave a few thoughts. Quick recap, Pollan traces 4 meals to their origins: Industrial (McDonalds), Industrial Organic (Whole Foods), Pastoral (think Local, "beyond organic") and Foraged. In each section he talks about relevant facts, figures, policies, controversies and his own experience.

I hate to say this book was "eye opening" as that is such a tired cliche but, it opened my eyes to an industry that I don't know much about. The book covers many issues in food and food policy so I think it's fair to say that it made me more aware than it did make me an expert.

Will it change the way I eat/buy? Maybe. I was discouraged but not really surprised to see that it isn't as easy to switch to "organic" or "free range" to achieve altruism. It isn't just the regulations, marketing and desire to buy humanely that makes it difficult. It's my own desire for apples year round, $1.99 boneless, skinless chicken breast and food with a shelf life measured in months, not hours. In short, it would just be too much work and money to go whole hog (oh yeah, that's a pun). Will I try? Yeah, I'll try to be more responsible. I'm better about it with fish and things I perceive to be wild... We'll see!

It is a worthwhile read, even if you skip the foraging section (more personal to the author than the other sections, in my opinion).

I'm on to the Hunger Games, it is going to be a very, very fast read. 

If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor

Well, I finished Bruce Campbell's memoirs, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor".  I think I'll stick with my initial assessment: it's interesting, and a neat look at how independent movies are made, but it's not a very good memoir.  There's some funny parts, and it's really neat to hear how the classic "Evil Dead" was made, but overall, I thought the memoir portion was pretty weak.  It's a quick read, at least.

First Parenting book of the year

I just finished "Parenting Is Your Highest Calling: and 8 other myths that trap us in worry and guilt" by Leslie Leyland Fields. Ironically I have to run to take care of the kids, so I will come back and post a second entry soon....(sigh)

I'm back. Alright so "Parenting Is Your Highest Calling..." was pretty good. In it Fields explores our notions of the "Ideal Parent" and other things that are common myths parents believe and compares them to the truth of the Scriptures. This book would really make a great young parents/family small group study. I think some of the questions she has at the end of each chapter are very thought provoking and I would love to hear what other people have to say about them.

Some of the myths that stood out to me as a person who really wants to do everything the "right way" is the myth that there is such a thing as the "perfect mom\parent" and the "right/biblical way to parent," and that "parenting is my highest calling." Over and over again in the scriptures there are examples of incredibly godly people whose children rebelled against God (i.e. Esau and Samson) and examples of children who were righteous in spite of their parents (Jonathan and Josiah). The truth of the matter is that we are all sinners and it is God that makes us righteous and not our parents. So even though I mess up twenty plus times a day...God can redeem my children in spite of me. Fields also points out that there is no biblical mandate "You shall parent this way..." because God doesn't parent that way. He sees us all as the individuals we are and parents us that way. So my job is to be faithful to Him and to teach my children about Him in a way that sees and celebrates them as the individuals God made them.

Well unfortunately that is all the time I have to write...small children. Well I'll just have to settle with short summary. The book was good and helped me let go some of the guilt I have about decisions I've made/failed to make

sometimes you just have to take action

Cindy is reading a John LeCarre novel and every night I get a report about what page she is on and how hard it is to get into it. So tonight I said let me see it. I threw it (gently) across the room and pronounced that it probably is not worth being one of her 2,400 books she may be able to read before she assumes room temperature. So I was told that since she had no book I had to read to her so I read her a few pages of my book on Mao. That will have to change.

Sorry Cindy

Max

Patrick Henry First Among Patriots

I finished this fine history book written by Thomas Kidd. It is not for everyone as it is pretty thick history. Very interesting as it has some unique features to books about the founding fathers. I have read several. While this guy is no McCullough or Goodwin he writes well.

The book delves into George Washington more than most books of this nature. Henry and W (the first one) were born the same year and died 4 months apart They both cut their teath politically together in the House of Burgeses. The book writes plenty about W corresondence for which he was not known for.

Henry is most famous for his give me librty speech. He was a great orator and many of his contmporaries said he should stop at the oratory as his politcal skills were limited.

He was Govenor of Virginia 5 times (one year terms). He would serve a year and have to go back and run his business because he was not wealthy enough to serve the government. My how times have changed. I guess he was not a very good politician if he could not figure out how to get rich while serving. They have figured that out in Washington now.

He started out a s shopkeeper and failed, he was a bartender at his father's pub in the Virginia capital and became friends with Jefferson. Decided to change jobs and went and tested for the bar and became a lawyer. He was self educated as he only attended primary school- very well read in the classics. His first case was defending the state sponsored church against a bunch of priests suing for back wages. Preachrs were paid with tobaco and they petitioned the King to be paid in cash and won. A drouth came by and the price of tobacco skyrocketed and they petitioned the King;s court to revert back to tobaco payment and they did. They then sued the Virginia government for back wages. Henry who was a prominant Anglican defened the Church and won based on his arguement against English control of Virginia taxes and business. He won and spent the rest of his life on the same theme. It went downhill from there and you know the rest of the story.

He stood for religious freedom and state funding for all churchs or none at all. He proposed (or maybe just supported) a tax that would be sent to the churches and if you did not attend church you would not pay the tax. Sounds like the wrong incentives to me. It failed

He was at the front of supporting the revolution and going by the details of the book it is a wonder that the revolution succeeded. It was nip and tuck all of the way. He helped prevent a coup to remove Washington as head of the Continental Army in the dark days of Valley Forge. Washington was very grateful until the end.

Henry opposed the ratification of the Constitution. He was afraid a strong central government would only replace the King's tyrany. His was and others were so vocal and had such strong concerns that it resulted in the Bill of Rights which was written to restrict the powers of the Federal Government. He voted against ratification but after passage fell in line and stood against susession which was not out of the question for Virginia at the time.

He was a slave owner and like his contemporaries did not see the irony of freedom in a land of slavery. They sowed the seeds of the civil war but it would not be a union if slavery was outlawed as part of the formation of the nation.

The book is very detailed and not for everyone but it is a great book to show the not so pretty underbelly of the revolutionary process. Henry is not a first among patriots but he was an important and influencial figure in Virginia's role. Erin is decendent of the Henry family. Soemthing to be proud of.

My next book is on Mao the untold story. 800 pages so it will be a while until my next post

Max

What are you reading now?

Nobody has posted in a while... what are you currently reading?  I've got two books going right now:

• Getting Things Done, by David Allen.  Presents a system for getting organized and making sure that all the important stuff gets done.  It's very interesting, and there are some guys at work who swear by the method, but I'm having a hard time finding time to read it.
• If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor, by Bruce Campbell.  Interesting, but totally fluff.  I will write more about this later, but it shows remarkably little introspection -- so far, it's focused almost entirely on getting his movies made.  I think he spent three paragraphs talking about his divorce.

Anyway, what are the rest of you reading?  How are the books going?