Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Since a new movie about Abraham Lincoln is out, I was interested in reading a bit about him before I went to see the film. I tried one biography, but is was rather dry, so when I asked Mrs. Allen, the OHS librarian, if she had any books on Lincoln, she suggested I read this book.

This is a very exciting book about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It is told in the present tense, which is very interesting in itself since this is a historical event. The book follows the actions of Lincoln, his fellow politicians, and his murderers.What I didn't know was that there was a whole plot to murder Lincoln (along with two others) involving several Confederate sympathyzers. O'Reilly and Dugard write the different perspectives realistically and in great detail, so the reader not only sees the action, but understands what was going on in the minds of the murderers.

The book allowed me to see only a bit of Lincoln's life, which is really what I was after, but it also let me see what actually happened surrounding the assassination. There are still many unanswered questions about this event itself, but this books presents some answers to questions I never knew I had. Another interesting thing I found out is that Lincoln actually survived for about nine hours after he was shot by Booth. This scene was rather graphic, but it was very interesting to be right there in the story as it happened.

Overall, this book was very entertaining and interesting. While it wasn't quite what I was looking for as far as telling me about Lincoln the man, I did enjoy it. If you are interested in an exciting story, you should check this out.

The Annotated Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Notes by Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina)

This is a book that I first read on my own when I was on vacation in Maine in about sixth grade. It's a classic children's book, and I wanted to read it again since this version is annotated with lots of different illustrations from a number of different versions of the story.

I enjoy reading annotated versions of stories that I know already because they provide lots of new and interesting information about different aspects of the story. The most interesting of these notes, to me, were the notes about Burnett's life in relation to what was happening in the story. Burnett was a strong believer in children playing outside in nature and breathing fresh air. This is how I grew up, so it was fun reading about how two of the main characters fall in love with the outside and are healed mentally, emotionally, and physically because of a secret garden that they discover. I also loved reading about the garden itself and the different plants that grew inside, since I garden as well. (It got me eager for spring time, even though winter hasn't even begun!)

Another aspect of this version that I found interesting were the illustrations that Gerzina chose to include. As we read stories, we all get pictures in our minds of the different characters. What was really cool to see were the different artists' representations of the same characters. Some versions were more developed illustrations with great detail and color, and some were in black and white and looked like sketches. The characters themselves all look very different, although they are, of course, described the same way in the text. And even though there were probably five or six different versions included in this book, none of them looked like what was in my head...

Since this story is a children's story, there is an element of magic throughout the book, and Gerzina's notes discuss this aspect in relation to the healing powers of nature. The garden itself is a wonderful, special secret, and the children are so excited by it that when I read the book, I feel like a kid again, and I can even feel some of their excitement. It makes me want to discover a garden of my own and make it a magical place. Maybe one day...

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

When I saw the poster for this book in Barnes and Noble this summer, I couldn't wait to read it...I will forever love the Harry Potter series, but I am so impressed with this novel and appreciate what Rowling is able to do with words, that I am sure that she is one of my favorite authors. 

This book takes place in a small town, Pagford, in England. When a parish council member dies unexpectedly, his seat is left empty, and this changes the dinamic of the whole town. After reading this book, I realized that this story isn't about the town and how it deals with the death of Barry Fairbrother (yes, his name is representative of his character), the open parish council seat, and the politics of Pagford; instead, it is a story about people.

Rowling developes a number of characters throughout the book and tells the story in second person perspective, by the end, sometimes alternating between characters from one paragraph to the next. Not only are we let into each character's mind, we also witness how these characters are viewed by the others around them. While this kind of writing sounds very confusing, Rowling developes each character and their story so well in the beginning that by the end of the book, we have such a connection to them that it is easy to jump back and forth between them.

This book took me a while to read, but I enjoyed every single page of it. Rowling's characters are so rich, realistic, and unique that I felt by the end of the book that I was part of the story. While the ending is not surprising, I was amazed at the way that Rowling wove together all the different parts and perspectives to create a sad but perfect ending.

Rush Home Road by Lori Lansens

Another of Lansens's novels, The Girls is one of my favorite books. I enjoyed it so much that I purchased two more of Lansens's novels: A Wife's Tale and this one, Rush Home Road.

This novel combines two stories, one of Sharla, a five year old girl whose mother abandons her, and the other of Addy Shadd, the older black woman who takes Sharla in. Addy's relationship with Sharla brings memories of her past back to her. Often, she slips back into these memories, having conversations with her deceased relatives right in front of Sharla. While this may seem like an unhealthy environment for Sharla to live in, Addy offers the love and security that her own mother denied her. While Addy plays the part of the loving family that Sharla never had, Sharla is just what Addy needs so that she can find peace with her past and happiness for Sharla's future.

The relationship that Lansens builds between these characters is very powerful and gives the reader hope that they will both find happiness in their friendship. What I appreicate about Lansens is the amount of research that she puts into her novels; I find that this makes her stories richer and more interesting for the reader. I also appreciated the back section, which is "A conversation with Lori Lansens". When I find an author I really enjoy reading, it is fascinating to read about their experience with writing the story and how they come up with their ideas and shape their characters.

This book is a very emotional journey; Lansens will have you laughing, crying, and feeling horrified by the experiences Addy Shadd travels through, but the journey is such an amazing one that you will love every page of it.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Holy cow! This is my new favorite book! I dare say that this text was the first multi-genre novel ever written because this book included journal entries, newspaper articles, memos, doctors notes, letters to others, captains logs, etc. It was really exciting to see what would happen next and in what context I would gain information.

One thing I found to be so intriguing was the fact that this type of writing really allowed me as a reader to identify with and understand the characters. And because the author seems to switch back and forth between characters rapidly, I never lost that connection to characters.

One small criticism that I may have for this text is Stoker's description of women. I am no feminist, but at times I even got offended by the way Stoker portrayed women as being weak, helpless, and dainty. I found that the women seemed to lack a sense of agency as a whole. In fact, when Mina would rise to the occasion and organize work, discover the plans of Dracula, or even speak of something that must be done, Stoker always seemed to follow that up with a comment from a character in which she was described as "having the brain and wit of a man". Also, did she only have to do secretarial work? Like I said before, I'm no feminist and I totally understand that this is a text that was written in a time period where women were deemed inferior, but I was shocked by this revelation nonetheless.

The plot of the story seemed to drag on and on in some parts, like when Lucy was sick after being bitten by a vampire. Others caught and kept my attention so rapidly that I forgot where I was, like when they finally started to hunt Dracula. As a result, I would recommend this book to any reader, with modern or classic interests in literature, as it was truly an enjoyable read.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

I just finished Looking for Alaska, and I think this novel is one my students will enjoy.  Looking for Alaska is not about Alaska the state, which is what I thought it might be about until I looked at the cover and read the excerpt on the back.  Instead, this novel is narrated by a young man who at first has very few friends and low self-esteem, but his move to a private boarding school (his choice) changes everything.  Now "Pudge" (who is actually very scrawny) is surrounded by a tight circle of friends, including the smart, funny, charming, and daring Alaska Young.  Pudge becomes infatuated with Alaska because of her intelligence and her mysteriousness.  Unfortunately for Pudge, Alaska has a boyfriend, but he goes to a different school.

As Pudge settles in to his new life - new school, new friends, new adolescent challenges - he has to make many tough decisions about the person he wants to be.  In many ways, this novel reminds me of the classic coming-of-age novel, The Catcher in the Rye, where Holden Cauldfield, also at a private boarding school, struggles to make friends, date girls, and walk that fine line between being a kid and being an adult.  Similar to Holden, Pudge faces many challenges of peer pressure: smoking, drinking, sex, and playing pranks.  Pudge seems to be more of a worrier than Holden, although by the end of the novel, his obsession for the truth pushes him to ignore his conscience. 

This novel has a twist that I never saw coming.  And it is one that many students can relate to.  John Green does a good job creating suspense, and just when you think you know what will happen next, "POOF". 

A warning to the reader: This novel contains harsh language, underage smoking and drinking, and some graphic sexual scenes.  Although I promote none of these behaviors, I think the reward of learning the lessons that Pudge has learned is greater than the risks. 

Damn the Man by Tom Dalzell

The title of this book immediately made me think of the amazingly funny Jack Black and his role in School of Rock. Then I read the subtitle...Slang of the Oppressed in America...and my interest was peaked (then I read the quote at the beginning from the super duper great movie from my teenage years Empire Records and I was like, "smile!").

Being an English teacher, I am always interested in and curious about words: where do they come from? why do we use certain words? who decides what is "cool" and what isn't? This book begins to answer some of these questions.

In a nutshell, this book explains how slang is used by specific groups of people to resist their oppression in this country. The groups are presented in the following order: African Americans, Prisoners, The Military,  Gay Men, Hippies, Workers of the World, Jewish Immigrants, and Mexican Americans.

What was interesting to me about this book was that I say some of these words almost every day, and I never understood where they came from and how they showed up in my vocabulary. The first word discussed is the word "man". This term was adopted by African Americans in response to being referred to as "boy", "mammy", or "uncle" in order to bestow "respect where respect had been denied" (12). After each explanation or definition, examples of the term are presented in order to help the reader understand how each term can be used in regular conversation. From the slang "man", a progression to family terms such as "sister" and "brother" was developed in order to create "a new, positive self-identity" (13) among African Americans.

Dalzell continues to present different slang and discuss how words help certain cultures of people to deal with the oppression they suffer. While I appreciate some slang, I hate to think that certain words were actually developed as a reaction to hatred and prejudice against certain groups of people. I continue to as the question "Why can't we all just get along?".

This book presented me with a very interesting look at language that surrounds me today. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in slang and how certain words came to be accepted into our every day conversation.

Write Like This by Kelly Gallagher

Fortunately for me, I am in a profession where I have the opportunity to be presented with materials that are truely inspirational. As teachers, we are always craving new information and strategies in order to use to become better educators. Granted, some of the information that we have access to or that is recommended to us isn't doesn't always "light our fire," but much of the time, we can find some useful information to take back to our classrooms with us.

The most recient book that I decided to read was one that I bought at a Professional Development training that I participated in last year. I had heard Kelly Gallagher's name mentioned numerous times, and since one of my goals as a teacher this year is teaching purposeful writing, I figured I had to read his book since its focus was, infact, writing.

As I told my collegue (and awesome mentor!), Mrs. O'Dell, this book has now become "My Bible". Gallagher writes with such passion for teaching that I often found myself smiling and nodding and doggy-earing pages like a crazy person. So many of his ideas support the goals that I have for this year that I have begun experimenting with some of his strategies in my classroom only days after finishing the book. Like any strategies that teachers try out, we have to change and adapt them for our students' needs, our classroom community, our curriculum, and our own teaching styles. Luckily, Gallagher's ideas can be implemented easily into our classrooms based on these aspects of teaching. One of the ideas that Gallagher presents is six types of "Real-World Writing Purposes". These purposes are Express and Reflect, Inform and Explain, Evaluate and Judge, Inquire and Explore, Analyze and Interpret, and Take a Stand/Propose a Solution. I presented these different purposes to my students so that when I ask them to write on a certain topic (or when they choose their own topic), they have six different ways to write about it. This allows them to learn a variety of structures and purposes for writing that support our Common Core Standards, while at the same time having some choice about how and what they write.

As a new teacher, I often feel that I have to have a mastry of strategies before trying something new in my classes, but I was so inspired by Gallgher's writing that I had to start right away. This was an important lesson for me to learn and accept: teachers are continually learning along side their students, so it's okay to try new things and experiment together with my students. (Also, I need to be less of a control freak, which is something I have been working on the last three years...)

All in all, I think any teacher who is interested in teaching any type of writing should read this book. It is truely amazing!

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

This text was an interesting read because I'm not usually one for science fiction. I've never been very good in science. But I found that my lack of skills in this area did not impede my understanding this text. The only scientific parts of this text that had me grasping at straws to understand was when the Invisible Man was elaborating to his doctor "friend" how he went about making himself invisible. The talk of blood, cells, and properties of water and glass made me question the validity of the process Wells laid out in the text. But as I'm not usually interested in this type of material, the fact that I was thinking about it speaks wonders about Wells' talented writing.

If you are attempting to read this text, my recommendation would be to create a character chart. There are many minor characters in the text that seem to all mesh together by the last 1/3 of the text. Each of these characters are important to know, so something to help keep them straight is helpful.

I also found that I had to use my imagination quite often to "see" the scenes in the text. Wells didn't focus on the setting/imagery in his text as his priorities laid in character development and conflict. I don't believe this was a hindrance to the text though as my imagination was able to piece together a scene using my own prior knowledge of settings like inns and department stores. Although, I do believe it would have been helpful for Wells to give a little more detail to help put my imagination into at least the right century. But now that I'm thinking about it, was this his intention? Was Wells trying to suspend time to make it possible for the Invisible Man to exist in the world today?  I might have to go back and reread to test this theory.

Regardless, this novel is one that will most likely keep me mentally engaged for a long time to come. If you are interested in expanding your horizons, don't overlook this text that plays into science fiction, adventure, and horror. It's a true popular culture piece and now I know why.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Having read several novels about the struggles faced by the Jews during WWII, I felt well versed in the historical/literary era.  In fact, Literature and Composition I and II explore many novels about certain sub groups and how they are oppressed by others.  Even with all of this prior knowledge, I was still completely blown away by Kristin Hannah’s Winter Garden. 

Winter Garden is not a book about Hitler or Jews or Nazi Germany.  Actually, this novel takes place on an apple orchard in present day Washington State, where Meredith and Nina (sisters) are called home after their father has a heart attack.  Their mother is there too, but the three of them never really got along; it was the father who held the family together.  After the tragic heart attack, the family tries to reconnect. Meredith, the older sister, is the care-taker.  She buys the groceries, makes the meals, cleans the house, etc. but she does all these things out of necessity and not love.  Meanwhile, her own marriage is falling apart.  Nina, on the other hand, is unorganized, not helpful, unreliable, and so on, but it is Nina who gets her mother to open up.  Nina (and eventually Meredith) pries facts out of their mother, Anya, who has always seemed to keep her distance from her daughters.  Anya is truly unable to look her daughters in the eyes and communicate anything; therefore, she begins the story of her past in Stalin-ruled Russia in the form of fairy tales. 

Anya’s fairy tales are nothing new to her daughters, as she told these same stories to them as children, but there is something different about these stories: they are very detailed.  She is only able to tell the stories in her own bed, with the lights out, because she does not want to see her daughters’ facial expressions as she relives her tragic past.  Little by little, night by night, Anya delves deeper into her history, until one day Meredith and Nina are able to make some real factual connections between their mother’s fairy tale and events/places in Russia.  Their suspicions are confirmed when, cleaning out their father’s study, Meredith comes across some documents that turn out be enormous clues.  The sisters do a little side investigating during the day, while continuing to listen to the fairy tale at night, and the secrets that finally come out are shocking. 

Now I consider myself a pretty tough person.  I’m pretty good at hiding my emotions, and I’d rather watch football than a Lifetime movie, but I have to admit, I balled my eyes out for the last 40-50 pages of this novel.  Kristin Hannah does an amazing job of building up suspense; when all the clues are finally pieced together, and Anya’s secret past is fully revealed, I felt the pain of a mother’s love and loss.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  It has been nearly a week since I finished this novel, and this story is still weighing on my mind.  I think anyone who has ever had a difficult relationship with his or her mother (especially that mother daughter relationship) should read this book.  Or, if you are a history buff and enjoy WWII stories, give this one a try. I know I cannot wait to read this author again!

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving

After watching the movie over a year ago, I found this book to be very fascinating. There were many plot differences and much information left out of the movie that the book provided for me. As a result, I would strongly recommend reading the text rather than seeing the movie (despite the fact that it is great to watch Johnny Depp play the part of Ichabod Crane).

One element of the text that I truly relished in was the imagery and word choice the author used within the story. Not only is the topic of the infamous Headless Horseman eerie, but the word choice aids the author in creating a truly gothic scene that is the basis for the plot and conflict. Sensory details appear to be a priority for Irving as I felt as though I was in story because his descriptions of sounds and colors were so vivid. I felt I could practically taste the food he was depicting in many scenes. Thus, I can truly see why this text has lived as a classic all these years.

While I truly enjoyed the experience of reading this text, I found that the beginning was slightly difficult to follow. This was because I was expecting an immediate reference to the Headless Horseman. In fact, it wasn't even until the last 1/3 of the text did the "real" legend of Sleepy Hollow even take place. Most readers might have been discouraged by this pacing issue, but I knew that the payoff would totally be worth it. It was. As the Headless Horseman was galloping rapidly behind Ichabod Crane, I could hear the hooves hitting the ground and the breathe wheezing out of the jet-black horse's nostrils because of Irving's style of writing. I could actually feel the panic Ichabod Crane was feeling while attempting to make it to the bridge to what was assumed safety. I became lost in the text.

As a result, I would recommend this text to anyone who is looking to celebrate the season of Halloween and fall. This legend is a must read as it is still a part of popular culture. READ IT!!!

Finish of Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

 Previously, I had issues with this novel. I was irritated with the fact that the plot line became redundant with Moll's multiple marriages that fell apart, her misfortunes that left her destitute on multiple occasions, and the never ending issues that seemed to arise in her life. I very easily gave up this novel to move onto something more interesting. As I was looking into this book online to see if anyone else was having this problem, I found that I was not alone in wanting to give up this book.  I also found that readers who stayed with the novel found many redeeming qualities about the text that made it a classic. As a result of these reviews and my stubbornness, I prevailed in finishing this book!

I was excited to find that the reviews were accurate in that the book did redeem itself. Moll's life went from getting married every five pages to her thieving for survival. While these choices were not the greatest in morality, this was her only form of survival. Although, this did cost her considerably when she couldn't give up this trade despite her financial security, landed in Newgate (the main prison in London during this time period), and almost lost her life via hanging until she truly repented her past sins and gained reprieve from death.

As a result of her near death experience, she carried out her life in honorable fashion by reuniting with a past husband, moving to colonized American, and finding a long lost son. It helped that she received a hefty inheritance in America too.

These changes really helped the plot to move forward and the change of scenery was appreciated as a reader. Defoe spoke to the root of morality and discussed the implications of morality on two fronts: sometimes you need to sin to survive and morality can sometimes get you nowhere. As a result of this theme, Moll Flander's is a text that has gone down as one the most classic novels in history. While man students might not be able to get into this text because of the slow moving pace at the start of the text, anyone who can stick with it like I did is in for a great surprise in the end.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I read this years ago, but when I saw that a movie was being made based on this book, I wanted to read it again. I am not sure that I'm going to see the movie; lately I've been feeling that movie makers have been making too many books into movies. Can't they come up with their own stories?? Besides, in my experience, the books are always better!

This story is told through the eyes of Charlie, a freshman in high school. Charlie is a very intelligent but odd loner who ends up making friends with a group of seniors. He functions as the sensitive, supportive younger brother of the group, always sticking up for and supporting his friends. Reading about his experience as a high school student brought back a lot of memories for me; Chbosky does an excellent job of creating a realistic teenage boy's character and voice. (I asked my students to read this so they can tell me if they feel that Charlie represents a realistic teenager too.)

The book is written through a series of letters from Charlie to "Dear Friend". The writing style and structure itself helps the reader connect to Charlie and his story as it unfolds. Truely, Charlie has a unique, humorous voice and tells his story so honestly that it is sometimes heartbreaking. Overall, Charlie represnts the reality of being a teenager: fitting in, friendship, love, family, and how to cope with difficult experiences.

Beowulf Translated by Seamus Heaney

In World Literature, we read a condensed story version of this classic legend. I read a translated version for a college class at Western years ago, but I wanted to read it again to see how the version we read for class compares to the original.

This is the classic tale of a Scandinavian hero (Beowulf), who volunteers to fight a monster (Grendel)  and his monster mother, in order to save the Danes. Later, Beowulf dies but not before he slays a dragon. Obviously, he is one tough dude. I really enjoy reading this epic tale with my classes because everyone loves to hear stories about bravery, and Beowulf is a very intersting character to read about and discuss. Plus, the story is pretty awesome.

The original text was writted some time between the seventh and the tenth century. It is an epic poem written in Anglo-Saxon or Old English. This version is a bilingual edition, so it was great getting to read the English on one page and reading the Old English text along with it. My college professor spoke Old English quite well, and I still remember how cool it was to hear the words just roll off her tounge. Hearing different languages spoken aloud is always somewhat magical to me, especially when I can recognize certain words. While I'm not nearly as fantastic as my professor was--and I didn't want to embarrass myself by trying (and failing) to pronounce the original text--I did manage to find a clip of the original Old English so my students could hear a bit of it before we started reading. I did practice reading the original Old English aloud to my dogs, and even though I'm sure I'm far from perfect, it was fun trying it out...

Overall, I am very happy with the version that we teach. I still think, though, that students would enjoy this complete version. It includes more of a history of some of the characters and feuds, and more details about the action of the story itself. For those who have never read it, I suggest trying it out. Even though the poem is over three thousand lines long, it is easy to follow and put down and pick up again since Heaney includes story summaries in the margins. As Colin Campbell writes in a review of Heaney's work, "This newborn translation makes accessible to everyone the first supremely great poem to be written in the English language."

The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto

My ninty-one year old grandmother gave me this book for Christmas last year, and I just now read it cover to cover. (On Christmas day I did flip through it and admire the amazing pictures, but it finally made its way to the top of my "books to read" stack.) My grandmother is an artist who reads all the time, is extremely interested in science, and is always sharing with us new things that she reads. While I admittedly don't always take an interest in EVERYTHING that she gives us to read, I was intrigued by the ideas contained in this book.

Masaru Emoto is a Japanese scientist who has conducted hundreds of experiments having to do with water. In this book, he uses the results of his experiments to comment on personal health, the environment, and ways to create peace in the world around us. Emoto shows the reader through photography how water reacts to different energy. For instance, in one experiment, Emoto and his researchers took pieces of paper with different words written on them and wrapped the paper around bottles of water with the words facing in, toward the water inside. The bottles were then frozen, and the crystals were studied. The bottles that had been shown positive words like "Thank you"  and "Love and gratitude" formed beautiful, complex crystals. The bottles that were shown negative words like "You fool!" or "You make me sick" did not form any crystals. Similar outcomes appeared when Japanese school children spoke to the bottles of water. (Reading about this made me want to conduct my own frozen experiment, but I doubt tupperware and a magnifying glass would present the same results.) As if this wasn't enough to think about, Emoto goes even further by making suggestions on how we can use energy to create peace in the world.

I  am still wrapping my brain around the ideas presented in this book, and I think I might have to pick it up again and read it so that I can think about it more deeply. Emoto presents ideas that are exciting and pretty wild, but I love the overall idea of how energy connects all things on earth, and we have the unique ability to control how our energy affects our experience and the world around us. Near the end of the book, Emoto presents an interesting thought: "If we fill our lives with love and gratitude for all, this consciousness will become a wonderful power that will spread throughout the world. And this is what water crystals are trying to tell us" (Emoto 146). Isn't this a wonderful idea?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

For my second choice novel this school year, I decided to choose a book that I thought my high school students would enjoy reading since I am always trying to suggest different books for different folks...as I walked through Barnes and Noble, I saw this on a shelf, and I was intigued by the cover, so I thought I'd give it a try.
The book begins with a boy who is fascinated by his grandfather's life. The boy's grandfather shows the boy pictures of his childhood growing up in an orphanage in Wales; these pictures are of the peculiar children who also lived in the orphanage, and no one really believes the pictures are actually the real deal since some of them are very strange. For instance, the picture on the cover is of a little girl wearing a crown who appears to be levitating. The boy ends up going on a quest to find out how much truth there is to his grandfather's stories while meeting some of these interesting children along the way.
At the end of the book, Riggs tells the reader that the pictures used in the book are all actual photographs that he borrowed from private collections from people who search for and collect vintage photographs.This was so interesting because I just assumed that he had created the images for his book. What an excellent way to find inspiration for a story!
This book was not quite what I was expecting: there is that creepy oddness and mystery that I love, but there are supernatural, fantastical, even historical elements that blend in nicely with the action of the plot. I enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to be a part of an interesting, surprising tale.

Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

I officially made it 236 pages into this classic novel and had to quit. While I think there is so much literary merit in one of the world's first novels, I found it to be extremely episodic. Every ten pages, Moll Flanders, the underprivileged protagonist from the 18th century, leaves a husband and gains a new one. One aspect of this continuous storyline that made me dislike this text was because of the lack of respect for the institution of marriage. While I understand that in the 18th century, laws and forms of communication were few and far between, I have trouble with the way in which Moll Flanders views men as a catalyst into wealth and something to simply shed at the first sign of distress.  

After her fifth marriage was dissolving after the usual ten pages, I had to put the book away. I was finding that the structure of the text and the way in which the storyline was like a revolving door was actually making reading a chore for me. I had a really hard time allowing myself to give up reading a book half way through, but the whole purpose of reading is to enjoy it. Therefore, You Win Defoe. You Win. I Surrender!

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

In grad school, I became acquainted with Joseph Conrad in a class on Literature and Terrorism. As a result of this first reading, I felt I needed to read more of Conrad's work to truly understand his overall message in his works. Heart of Darkness was a titled I had always heard of but never picked up. Finally I did, and I found the beauty in Conrad's writing once again.

Conrad has this ability to make you think about life on a grander scale. As a result of the imperialistic nature of this text, the truth about human nature rears it's ugly head when the protagonist, Marlow, enters the African, "uncivilized" wilderness to rescue Kurtz, a highly revered man among the imperialists. Kurtz has essentially gone mad over his involvement in the Congo as a result of his experiences. Many of the imperialists believed Kurtz to be capable of changing the natives into more European in nature, when in reality, the natives completely changed Kurtz and drove him to insanity.

A majority of the story takes place on a steamboat on the brink of rescuing Kurtz. But this doesn't mean the story was boring in the least. In fact, this gave the author critical time to spend developing the setting and characterization. As a result, I was completely engulfed in the story. The most inviting aspect of this text was the honesty with which Conrad wrote about a horrific event in African and European history when ivory was the equivalent to oil these days. Conrad didn't "candy-coat" anything. He showed how dark humans can be when there is a glimpse of money of money or power in the future. While this topic may be disturbing to some, I found it to be honest, reflective and inspirational to look inside our own minds.

The Hunger Games Series

As a amature writer myself, I often think about what exactly it is that makes writing good.  When I read Suzanne Collins Hunger Games Series the answer came to me.  If the story continues into your dreams, you know the writing is good!  This is what happened to me: I transformed into Katniss Everdeen, the sixteen-year-old protective big sister, hunter, survivor...  I dodged fireballs, overcame dehydration, set snares and shot small game with my bow, nursed a friend back to life, said goodbye to another, etc. in my dreams.  For the two days that it took me to read the first book, I became Katniss. 

I don't know why it took me a couple of years to get on The Hunger Games bandwagon, but I'm glad I did.  Explaining this story without giving too much away is difficult, but I've narrowed the plot down to a combination of Goldings' Lord of the Flies, Jackson's"The Lottery," Paulson's The Hatchet, and Orwell's 1984.  But it also has a futuristic, fantasy feel to it similar to that in The Hobbit and Ender's Game.  Collins is a master at poetic lines.  I actually have highlighted many to use in class, especially her frequent uses of imagery, vivid verbs, amazing adjectives, participles, and appositives.  For example, on the first page of the novel, Collins uses simple words to create specific images: "Sitting at Prim's knees, guarding her, is the world's ugliest cat.  Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of rotting squash" (Collins 6).  And her ability to keep a reader interested was amazing.  Just when I neared the end of a chapter and was about to take a break, Collins through in one of her epic cliff hangers, and I was forced to read another chapter to find out what was happening to Katniss. 

A brief summary of the novel: Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the 74th annual Hunger Games, which is a television show where the world of Panem watches children fight each other to the death (as a sort of sacrifice for a civil war that happened previously).  One boy and one girl from each district are drawn to be tributes; therefore, there are twenty-four tributes placed in "the arena," and only one will make it out alive.  To see how Katniss out-smarts, out-hunts, out-survives the other tributes in this great adventure that lived on into my dreams. 

*To those who've seen the movie: Read the book! (books!) It is better than the movie!

Life in the Beaver Island Archipelago by Jeffrey J. Cashman

This text was a little unorthodox for me as it isn't a complete narrative with a plot line, conflict, or drama. This text was more like a yearbook for the islands in the Beaver Island Archipelago. As I travel to Beaver Island every year with my family, I felt it was high time to learn about where I was going. This book was written in journal form as author Jeffrey J. Cashman lived the life of a Beaver Islander. He walked readers and tourists through each season and island in the archipelago by supplementing his words with pictures that told an even deeper story. While sometimes I felt that Cashman was creating a story where there was none, I also found that the simplicity of the events and places he described truly embodied the overall spirit of the island life. Overall, this text is one that will give you historical and current insight into life in the Beaver Island Archipelago that will make you want to return every year you can.

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

When I think of author’s craft, I think of novels by Kim Edwards.  Not only does she beautifully weave together the lives of two women (the two main characters) a hundred years apart, but she does it with amazingly poetic imagery.

            The novel begins when Lucy Jarrett returns to her childhood home called The Lake of Dreams, a place she has avoided since her father drowned there when she was a child.  She arrives to find much has changed – her mother, her brother, the town itself.  What Lucy doesn’t realize is that she is headed for change herself when she uncovers clue after clue regarding an unheard of ancestor, Rose.  Lucy becomes quite obsessed with Rose and her story, but the truth could potentially unveil some harsh family facts.  The family legacy, family business, and estate are all threatened by Lucy’s research. 

            The lake proves to be the center of the story, as Lucy goes there to clear her head, even as she learns the details of her father’s death in the very same lake.  But it is here where Edwards illustrates her literary magic.  For example, early on in the novel Edwards has Lucy describe the day: “The day was clear but windy, the water punctuated with whitecaps like commas, the buoys singing their hollow metal songs” (27).  And a couple of pages later, “…I asked, catching the envelope as it skidded across the table in a gust of wind that rattled the wind chimes and slammed waves against the shore” (31). 

            Edwards’ language, elegant imagery, and suspenseful tale of a family’s history make The Lake of Dreams a page-turner. 

            Perhaps you should also check out Edwards’ award-winning first novel, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. 

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

I was intrigued by the title of this book.  It was catchy and mysterious.  What I didn't expect to find within its pages was a love story interwoven into a historical fiction genre; the narrator's story is one of adventure and adolescent love, but at the same time it is culturally informative.  Jamie Ford's debut novel Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, is written from the point-of-view of a boy experiencing the cultural stereotypes brought upon by World War II.  Henry longs for a relationship with his traditional Chinese father who clearly hates the Japanese.  Henry's mother watches silently as Henry is neglected.  But all along, Henry seeks comfort from his friend, Kieko and his jazz playing friend Sheldon.  The teens run around the San Francisco area enjoying art, music, and culture together, while avoiding the white bullies who antagonize them at school.  But as a result of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Kieko and her family are sent away (even though they are technically more United States citizens than Henry and his family) and the relationship between the teens is put on hold.

As a writer myself, I admire Ford's style.  He writes from both the grown Henry and the teen Henry's perspective, giving the novel a time change often.  As readers, we know what happened after WWII, and we know that Henry grew up to marry another woman and have a family with her.  What Ford does brilliantly is tell the story from the end and from the beginning simultaneously, purposefully leaving out the middle until the end of the novel.  The build up of suspense was well-played.

Because of the great story and the unique writing style, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is a book that I would like to read again and again.

Jane Eyre by Emily Bronte

One of the main reasons I wanted to read this novel is because I have always heard about this book. Some people really loved it, some people thought it was elementary, and some just felt they had to read it for school. Regardless, if this novel was a classic, I had to pick it up and read it. That I did.

At first, this book was relatively hard to get into. I found that the author seemed to focus on supernatural events like the ghost encounter in the red room, the haunting laughter from the attic in Thornfield, and the religious undertones that plague characters. But, I don't think the author really spent enough time on these events to truly make these scenes appear gothic in nature. They only skirted the surface and made me want more of being on the edge of my seat.

There were also times when I found myself being annoyed with the protagonist that I was supposed to be defending as the implied reader. Jane Eyre seemed to focus endlessly on her feelings and stuck rigidly to her morals when it was convenient for her. While I have never read Twilight, I'm sure this mirrors the "inner turmoil" of Bella when worrying about the loves of her life. The internal dialogue becomes redundant and predictable. This made me lose patience with Jane Eyre as she appeared to be overly dramatic and weak like I perceive Bella to be. Come to think about it, Jane Eyre is the 19th century version of Twilight. 

As a character, Jane Eyre was underdeveloped. I knew that as a reader, I was supposed to love her and her imagination. But I found that I didn't really connect to her. Is it author error? Is it my personality and reading of the text? Was this intentional? Regardless, I lacked an engaging connection to the protagonist which took away from the overall reception of the text.

Despite putting the book down multiple times and coming back to it, I managed to finish this text. I don't think this was a waste of my time as I will now understand cultural references about the ghost in the attic, etc. I can also say I read a classic novel that has stood the test of time, whether I enjoyed it or not.