tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32007037599451007852024-02-19T01:04:58.471-05:00Books are My CrackJennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-14059523761145085462012-11-11T23:01:00.000-05:002012-11-16T11:05:19.233-05:00Is the book always better?I've long held a theory that you should always see the movie BEFORE you read the book. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is that almost everyone agrees that the book is usually better than the movie. It's just too difficult to translate an art form into a different medium. In the process, it becomes something different and much of the original is lost in translation. The second reason is that chances are, if you liked the movie, you'll love the book. It's like getting bonus features. You'll be reading along, come to one of your favorite parts in the story and WOW--the author surprises you with something the screenwriter had to skip. It's like a treasure hunt. <br />
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If you insist, however, on reading the book first, you end up with a bunch of sourpuss book lovers complaining about all the things they left out of the movie. But if you see the movie first...you come away pleasantly surprised (usually) instead of annoyed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEU9HkL1sbtM1ixpWYGpNrKiCV7YUOZ4oKtNJZQTwyV1QpAqDofxSCUWaod-rqNmKj2yui5HXu1zK4LGxDXXT5s5iJoCyDuWbyOg8F4lAk75pHLxgyQhogJqjweR4JPjiRLJMajwaMb8g/s1600/christine%2527s+book+shirt.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEU9HkL1sbtM1ixpWYGpNrKiCV7YUOZ4oKtNJZQTwyV1QpAqDofxSCUWaod-rqNmKj2yui5HXu1zK4LGxDXXT5s5iJoCyDuWbyOg8F4lAk75pHLxgyQhogJqjweR4JPjiRLJMajwaMb8g/s320/christine%2527s+book+shirt.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my good friend and serious book lover, Christine. And she has this awesome shirt...with which I usually agree.</td></tr>
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I just finished <u>The Hobbit</u> by J. R. R. Tolkien. As many of you know, Peter Jackson is making it into a two part movie, the first one coming out in December. I LOVED Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and I'm sure he'll do just as fine a job with <u>The Hobbit</u> as he did with those books. In fact, I'll wager that I'll like the movie even better than the book, essentially disproving my long held theory. Here's where we come to the exceptions: classics, non-contemporary books and poorly written but entertaining action stories. I attribute this to writing style and craft. I find very few non-contemporary authors to be good writers. And many contemporary authors are good storytellers are not necessarily good writers. Tolkien particularly has this annoying habit of calling attention to the narrator when he's not even a character. It drove me nuts.<br />
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My only previous experience with <u>The Hobbit</u> was an animated made-for-tv movie that I remember seeing as a kid. <br />
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<img alt="The Hobbit Animated Movie Cover" src="http://www.lordotrings.com/images/movies/hobbitbig.jpg" /></div>
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I remember liking the movie a lot as a child and then seeing it again as a young adult and not appreciating it so much anymore, because it was really a movie geared toward children. Now that I've read the book, I can see all the things they had to leave out to get the basic gist of the story into one animated short film. Here's what I remember from watching the movie as an adult: There were no women in it. NONE. Not a single female character. Maybe there was a woman in the background somewhere, but none that have a memorable part. Now that I'm done with the book, I'm realizing that the lack of women isn't the fault of the movie but of Tolkien. So what is up with that? <br />
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I also read a fair amount of sci-fi/fantasy and what I find interesting about <u>The Hobbit</u> is that in many ways that old animated movie was probably spot-on in gearing it for children, because I find the story quite child-like in many ways. There are some scary parts, but only a few of the key characters die and only at the end...and the violence is not graphic. There is no sex. Not even a hint of it. Almost all modern Sci-fi/fantasy has some kind of sexual undercurrent or theme. It's often part of a power struggle between characters or kingdoms. It is noticeably absent from this book.<br />
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My guess is that Jackson is going to create a total adventure experience with his movie and that the battle scenes will be exciting and the imagery will be beautiful and he'll even include a few women in there once in a while. And my <i>see the movie before reading the book</i> theory will be shot. And my friend Christine's shirt will also be proven wrong. Because I'm 99.9% sure I'll like that movie a whole lot more than I liked this book. <br />
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With that said, feel free to comment with any times you thought the movie was better than the book.<br />
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<br />Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-56978847475274955912012-10-14T21:27:00.000-04:002012-10-18T21:38:38.058-04:00I told you I was obsessive...Hello my faithful readers. All six of you have been <strike>complaining</strike> gently suggesting that I need to update the blog. Apparently someone is tired of seeing the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-of-pride-and-prejudice-by-jane.html">Pride and Prejudice</a> post every time she checks it. If you recall, on the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html">About Me</a> page, this is exactly what I asked of my readers--to understand I have an obsessive personality and that I am also easily distracted. And when something distracts me from my true calling, a reminder is greatly appreciated. So thanks to all of you...you've guilt-ed me back to the page. <br />
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Okay, so most of you know what's been distracting me. I've been training for 3 triathlons....the first of which I completed on June 10th. My nephew shot this pic as I was coming out of the swim. Before I was a serious triathlete...I would never dream of posting a picture of myself without makeup on, but I think this one is pretty cool, even without the eyeliner. <br />
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(I was 3rd in the swim for my age group, by the way..not that I'm bragging or anything...)</div>
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Bike to run transition.</div>
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At the finish line. <a href="http://www.grandrapidstriathlon.com/2012_results/Sprint_Age_Results_2012.htm">Click here</a> to see the results. I'm in the 35-39 age group. Kerri & I crossed the finish line together, which was cool since we've been friends for 20 years...</div>
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Okay, so enough of me being an obsessed triathlete. Let's talk some books now. I will never ever ever get caught up with all the reviews I want to do, so I'm going to do a few quick reviews. We're all busy, afterall, it doesn't mean we can't read some great books.</div>
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Did you ever notice that sometimes you end up reading books with similar themes without even intending to?</div>
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I noticed this when I found I'd read 3 sister books within a couple months--<u><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-of-shanghai-girls-by-lisa-see.html">Shanghai Girls</a></u>, <u><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-of-pride-and-prejudice-by-jane.html">Pride & Prejudice</a></u> & <u>True Colors</u>. The latter was not worth reviewing, if you were wondering. </div>
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Then I realized that I was duplicating other themes: When reading <u>The Cat's Table</u> by Michael Ondaatje and the <u>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</u> by Mark Twain, I noticed both were about pre-teen boys on coming-of-age journeys. <u>The Tenderness of Wolves</u> by Stef Penny and <u>The Scottish Prisoner</u> by Diana Gabaldon are both historical fiction mysteries with unrequited love stories AND both included gay male characters that detailed said characters' sad love stories as well. That kind of blew me away, actually...finding the plot similarities in books that are so completely different. </div>
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Now for some quick reviews:</div>
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Michael Ondaatje is the Sri Lankan-born Canadian author of <u>The English Patient</u>, which was made into one of my favorite movies. His writing is very beautiful, poetic and lyrical. I've read some of his poetry, too, from <u>The Cinnamon Peeler</u>. <u>The Cat's Table</u> is the story of a eleven year old boy who is on a ocean liner traveling from Sri Lanka to England to be reuinted with the mother he hasn't seen in several years. It's part adventure, part mystery, part coming-of-age story, as the adult narrator tells the journey retrospectively. It's a quick read, with engaging characters and unexpected plot twists. Well worth the 269 pages. Rating 8.75.</div>
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The <u>Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</u> was a book club pick for two of my book clubs. One had talked about it and then didn't choose it, and since I'd never read it, I thought I'd suggest it for another book club and they did choose it, but then the first club picked it the next month, so I had two chances to read it and didn't make it all the way through either time. I feel like a classic drop out. I bet I got about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way through. I mostly didn't like Twain's writing style. I find contemporary writing styles much more sophisticated; I often find "classics" to be irritating. Additionally, I never really liked any enough of the characters to get invested in the story, so it got abandoned. (I'm not rating this one.)</div>
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<u>The Tenderness of Wolves</u> by Stef Penny is set in northern Canada in the mid 1800s. It starts out when a woman discovers her neighbor murdered in his cabin. When suspicion falls on her son, who has disappeared, she heads out into the wilderness with a mysterious trapper to find her son and prove his innocence. There are also many other side stories here that all weave together beautifully. This book has engaging characters and heartbreaking moments. My book club was split on it, however; some people couldn't get into it, but those that did really loved it. Rating 9.0. </div>
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<u>The Scottish Prisoner</u> by Diana Gabaldon is part of the Lord John series, which is sort of a spin-off/parallel series to her Outlander series. The Lord John books focus on Lord John Grey and Jamie Frasier, two of the characters from the Outlander books. While it's not necessary that you read the Outlander books before you read these, you'll understand a lot more of what these characters are facing if you have read the Outlander books. With that said, this is a good book on it's own--it has mystery, action, and in classic Gabaldon style--emotion. And there's some hot sex in it too...but it's not the kind of sex that Outlander fans are used to... Rating this one is unfair because of the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">HTAF</a>...If I leave out that category, it's a solid 8.75. Once you add Jamie into the HTAF factor it's off the charts... :) </div>
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I'll try not to be a stranger... </div>
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<br />Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-43550494520149718732012-04-30T21:40:00.000-04:002012-04-30T21:40:16.792-04:00Review of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen<br />
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During my stay-at-home-mom years, I had a few favorite
movies that I watched over and over again.
They may have been entertainment while I sat nursing a baby, or they
were the background noise as I cooked and cleaned and did laundry and changed
diapers. There are too many to list them
all, but the BBC six episode min-series version of <u>Pride and Prejudice</u>
was one of my go-to DVDs. It’s 5 hours
long, so I could never watch it all in one sitting, but because I knew it by
heart, it didn’t matter. I could start
it and stop it at any point and if I was called away for kid-duties, it was
okay, because I knew every line, every scene in my head. My pre-school age son even called it “The Mr.
Darcy Show” because it was such a regular in our house. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<img alt="Pride and Prejudice [Special Edition] [2 Discs] [DVD]" height="320" src="http://lh4.googleusercontent.com/public/dAd0MCEarcUyyS5x5FMzCht0rfg9YHWfVrRwUD5iIcI5TpHWvd9dSgcqlZJrqnIfqULAEiJZozTOeZ3Ra1uz5jieIRDNGv5V4qtQp9WpRxQ0KdQ5d3a8P8iNjFAjkE9_89LFXAHNB2X9DuWEECc9kX1YtcCjH_aAGZ_ThH1yb5wnxM2x1WIqB9WHfAi9h6BEEU6phdp9JBrlXqKJfUYPzjNry_fw_bH_XlhSntJpIyTN" width="320" />
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I’ve owned a copy of the book for years, have skimmed it
many times, but never have I picked it up and read it cover to cover. I knew I would like it, love it even. But considering the book was published 199
years ago, I didn’t think it would be a crack book. OMG! Was I wrong! Once I started it for the BABBs, I couldn’t
put it down. I devoured the last 350 pages
in less than a day and finished it in no time flat. And I loved every word.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’ve always said I much prefer to see the movie first,
because if you love the movie, chances are you’ll love the book too and the
movie won’t be so much of a disappointment than if you do it the other
way. It was hard to imagine that I’d
like a book more than I love my BBC mini-series. I didn’t think there was any way I’d think
the book was better. But it was. Of course it was. Not that I in any way find my beloved
mini-series lacking. In fact, if
anything, I now appreciate it even more as an expert adaptation. They were so true to the dialogue in the
book, so faithful to the course of the novel that I found myself nodding in
approval in numerous places, acknowledging the BBC’s portrayal of a scene or
they way they condensed several weeks in the book, etc. It was fun to have the real book version in
my hand and now feel like I know it just as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I always feel awkward “reviewing” a piece of classic
literature. Somehow it seems terribly
redundant; as if there was anything I could say about this book that hasn’t
already been said over and over again. It
wouldn’t have endured for 199 years if it wasn’t fabulous. Even doing a plot summary seems silly. Who (honestly) doesn’t know the story? Anyone?
So I’ve been having a little fun with some of the basic ideas of the
story—alliteration and rhyme. Comment if
you can come up with better ones…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Five fortuneless females ferret for fellows <o:p></o:p></div>
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Lizzy loves licentious Lieutenant then learns large lesson<o:p></o:p></div>
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Darcy disinterested due dim dowry<o:p></o:p></div>
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Caroline catty, Collins captivated, Kitty capricious…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Joyful Jane wants jovial joining<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bingley beguiled but buddies boggle with bogus bunk<o:p></o:p></div>
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Elizabeth enchants, Darcy recants<o:p></o:p></div>
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And they all live happily ever after. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ratings</b> (For an
explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key</a> page.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><o:p>C</o:p>rack Factor</b> –<b> 10.</b> Really,
it’s a 10. </div>
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<b>PeopleFactor – 10.</b> Austen’s
gift is how well she can convey a character’s personality. And she gives you a cast of characters that is
incredibly rich. From dull and annoying
Mr. Collins, to the arrogant Caroline Bingley to the conceited, condescending
Catherine DeBourgh, Austen leaves you in no doubt about these characters. And I love that she gives you just as many
that are odious as likeable. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Story Telling Factor – 9.5</b>.
I was worried that the book would be kind of rambling and boring, just
like the lives of these 19<sup>th</sup> century rich people, who have no
occupation other than to exist and be waited on. And while the plot seems simple, there is
enough drama in this book to propel it forward quickly. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Writing Skills Factor – ?</b>
Okay, so this was written 199 years ago.
But I was never lost or confused by the language and actually enjoyed it
more than books that are only 50 years old.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – 9.9.</b>
Lizzy is totally Bad Ass. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">Hotter than Adam Factor</a> – 9.5. </b> If Darcy isn’t the epitome of a man who can
learn from his mistakes and become the partner he needs to be for his beloved,
then I don’t know who is. And he’s hot, too. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Total Rating 9.78</b></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-1720667721345351852012-04-26T22:16:00.001-04:002012-04-26T22:16:45.505-04:00Review of the Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost<br />
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I’ve had my fair share of travel adventures. In Argentina, I survived 3 robbery attempts
and a pervy bus passenger who thought it was okay to rub his genitals on
me. In Venezuela, I stayed in a roach
infested hotel and paid 10 times more than a local for bus fare. In Bolivia I survived tropical fire ants and
I flicked llama poop at my cousin. I’ve
seen the favelas in São Paulo and a Paraguayan no-man’s-land border crossing
where everything is for sale. In
Patagonia, I walked so much I had quarter sized blisters on my feet. In China, I watched my husband eat pigeon on
a stick and fried scorpions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My sister has lived on 4 continents and she’s probably got
just as many stories. Some will make you
laugh, some will make you shudder and some will just make you thankful that you
don’t have to live there. I got the same
feeling reading J. Maarten Troost’s <u>The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in
the Equatorial Pacific</u>, a humorous travel memoir of Troost’s two years
living on the atoll island of Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati. The story begins with Troost’s ramblings
about a string of dead end jobs and gen-x confusion about what to do with his
life. Then his girlfriend gets a job
offer in Kiribati. They are both
entranced with the idea of living on a South Pacific island—the palm trees,
ocean breezes, friendly people, relaxed atmosphere. They were wrong about almost everything. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<img alt="The Sex Lives of Cannibals" height="320" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/bakertaylor/covers/t/the-sex-lives-of-cannibals/9780767915304_custom.jpg?t=1312908943&s=15" width="207" />
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If you’ve never heard of Kiribati (pronounced “kir-ee-bas”)
you’re probably not alone. It’s a tiny
nation, composed of 33 islands of which only 21 are inhabited with its less
than 80,000 citizens. This is how Troost
describes it: <o:p></o:p></div>
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To picture Kiribati, imagine that the
continental US were to conveniently disappear leaving only Baltimore and a vast
swath of very blue ocean in its place.
Now chop up Baltimore into 33 pieces, place a neighborhood where Maine
used to be, another where California once was, and so on until you have 33
pieces of Baltimore dispersed in such a way that 32/33 of Baltimorians will
never attend another Orioles game again.
Now take away electricity, running water, toilets, television,
restaurants, buildings and airplanes… (p16)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Troost narrates incidents with peeping Tom neighbors,
stifling equatorial heat, empty rain water tanks, fish, fish and more fish to
eat. And if you don’t want to eat fish
your option is canned corn beef that is several years past its expiration
date. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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What I appreciated most was Troost’s explanations of how
completely foreign this culture is to anything a westerner can imagine. These islanders’ sense of time, property, order,
cleanliness, safety, health, food and
just about everything else is 180 degrees from what we are used to. I found myself wondering over and over again,
why anyone would choose to stay in such a desolate place. And yet, the way Troost tells the story, you
often find yourself laughing as much as you’re horrified at some of the things
that take place. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ratings</b> (For an
explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Crack Factor</b> – 7.5. This is an entertaining book, not great
literature, but enjoyable enough to keep you coming back to the page. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Enrichment Factor</b> – 9.5. Have you ever heard of Kiribati before? Yeah, me neither...Did you think all South Pacific island nations were little slices of
paradise? Can you imagine a place where
nothing grows, but people still live? Troost
also does a great job of going over Kiribati’s history, economy, society,
government and examines the social issues and challenges these people
face. It was certainly eye opening. I had no idea such a place could exist. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>PeopleFactor</b> – 8. Troost, his girlfriend and neighbors make
entertaining characters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Story Telling Factor</b> – 7.5 There’s not a whole lot of plot
here. It’s mostly a collection of vignettes;
they are well woven and in the end, you get a sense of what he and his
girlfriend gained and lost (both positive and negative) by living in this
place. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Writing Skills Factor</b> – 8.5 Troost does a pretty good job with
the humorous travelogue. I am always impressed with someone who can make a career
out of seemingly nothing. For him to narrate his life as a house-husband in the
middle of nowhere and turn it into a book is pretty cool. Makes me wonder if I’ve got a novel somewhere
in my own life…<o:p></o:p></div>
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Total rating - 8.2Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-17546891415907941242012-03-21T20:23:00.001-04:002012-04-03T12:21:27.386-04:00Hunger Games Fandom...This is what a day is like when you have book loving friends. Check out this email string.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">BAAB#1:</span><br />
<br />
<div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236569" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">I do work, I swear. (BABB#2) just told me about the amazon shop for hunger games though.</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236567" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">Peeta pillowcase anyone??</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"> <img alt="The Hunger Games Movie Pillowcase "Peeta"" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dgck2PCnL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" style="background-color: white;" /></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: blue;">I might prefer to drool on Gale’s face. </span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />
</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Me: </span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think Adam might have a problem if I brought Peeta or Gale into our bed… </span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">BABB2:</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236565" style="background-color: white; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236751" style="font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236776"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lol….</span></span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236771">What if you had this shirt….i want this.</span></span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">(okay-so the images are disappearing on me, so just imagine a t-shirt that says "I love the boy with the bread.") <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><br />
</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Me: </span><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12px;">Me too. Do they have any Katniss shirts so I can buy one for Adam and then we’re all even?</span></span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">BABB2:</span><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236839" style="font-size: 12px;">This is all I am seeing. It is very B.A.</span></span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">(Imagine a shirt that says "Team Katniss") <span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: Wingdings;"><br />
</span></div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="yiv1849662330MsoNormal" id="yui_3_2_0_6_1332372914236747" style="color: #454545; font-size: 12px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Anyone going to the movies this weekend?? I'm trying to convince Adam that we need to see the Hunger Games on Friday night. Now we just need a babysitter...</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-77561700200999814052012-03-21T19:54:00.000-04:002012-04-30T21:53:08.089-04:00Review of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See<div class="MsoNormal">
Sister.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you have a sister, that word probably brings a few emotions to mind. Sister relationships are fascinating and multi-faceted. They can be supportive and loving or antagonistic and critical. And they can be all at once. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m thankful that I have a fabulous relationship with my sister. I can call my sister and talk for hours. Back when we were both stay-at-home moms, we often called each other 3-4 times a day, for all kinds of reasons, from mundane to profound. I trust her completely. I know she’s there for me, no matter what. It’s a comfort to really understand the depth of your relationships, in your heart, in your mind, in your gut. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But every relationship has its boundaries. They all have places where you don’t go. My two closest girlfriends each have sisters with whom they are extremely close and yet, there are some things they just don’t talk about with each other. Even my sister and I, for all the closeness and supportiveness in our relationship, have boundaries, too. I imagine all relationships have them, no matter how close or significant. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<img height="320" src="http://www.lisasee.com/shanghaigirls/files/2011/01/ShanghaiGirls_cover.jpg" width="214" /> </div>
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<u>Shanghai Girls</u> by Lisa See is a story about the Chin sisters, Pearl and May. Their relationship is as complex as any sister relationship, with love and support and betrayal and heartbreak, and quite a lot of antagonism. It begins in 1937 Shanghai. We follow their lives through the Japanese invasion and their escape to America, to find them begrudgingly settled in San Francisco during WWII and afterwards. It spans several decades in the characters’ lives, and through many life stages. Even with a rich historical and cultural backdrop, the sister and family dynamics are what I found most interesting throughout this book. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Chin sisters’ relationship is strewn with jealousy. Each felt that the other one had it better than she did, or one was the parents’ favorite, or had the better husband or the better job, or one sacrificed more than the other…it got a little annoying a few times because I just couldn’t relate. I don’t see my own sister the way Pearl and May see theirs—with as much resentment as love. This did however, give the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/babb-page.html">BABBs</a> much to discuss---as we all have family and everyone can identify with a family story. Mostly I pitied the Chin sisters because all that hurt and resentment held them back.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Shanghai Girls</u> is a thoroughly enjoyable read and very good historical fiction, even though the subject material and setting are often disturbing and depressing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Ratings (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Crack Factor – 8.0. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tears Shed Factor – N/A. There’s plenty of drama in this book but I didn’t find it emotional, although I imagine many people would.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Distraction Factor – 9.25. Shanghai Girls is a haunting tale. Just like in See’s <u>Snow Flower and the Secret Fan</u>, (one of my favorite books) there are images from this story that I’ll never forget. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Enrichment Factor – 9.0. Immigrant stories are frequently stories of hardship and discrimination. I really wonder if there was every any group that came here without it. The Chinese immigrants in this story had it pretty bad; they maneuvered through the anti-Japanese sentiments during WWII and then the anti-communist rampage right afterwards. I love fiction that gives me new knowledge and understanding of history and culture. This time and place was something I’d never studied before.<o:p></o:p></div>
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PeopleFactor – 8.5. See wrote the book in the first person. All the characters and events are narrated by Pearl, which definitely adds some limitation as you can’t always get inside the heads of the other characters. I don’t see that as a problem here, because through Pearl’s eyes, the reader gets a very good sense of all the characters and See crafts them like onions, with layers that Pearl peels away over time to reveal just how complex each one is. As soon as you think you’ve got them all figured out, See gives us a little more insight and…You’ll change your mind about everybody over and over again. It made for a more interesting read because the characters and their relationships evolve so much over time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Story Telling Factor – 8.5. The majority of the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/babb-page.html">BABBs</a> had a couple of complaints about this book: 1) It ends very abruptly, and 2) they didn’t always like how See turned the plot. On a whole, however, I found See’s plot twists quite pivotal and necessary to keep the pace of the story going and bring certain characters to their destinies and certain plot lines to their climaxes. But I do have to admit the ending did tick me off. Apparently See had to set it up for the sequel: <u>Finding Joy</u>. Why write one book, when you can sell two at twice the price?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Writing Skills Factor – 8.5. See’s writing is raw. It’s very simple and clear and to the point. That rawness adds to the distraction factor as well. She doesn’t leave out the nasty and upsetting details.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Bad Ass Babe Factor – I’m abstaining from this rating. I didn’t really like Pearl or May that much as people, even though they were well developed characters. In the Bad Ass Babe arena, however, Pearl gets points for sheer endurance and their mother gets Mama Bear points. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Total Rating: 8.625</div>
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<br /></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-5692429691040991032012-03-11T22:36:00.000-04:002012-03-11T22:36:36.979-04:00Review of The Grace of Silence: A Memoir, by Michele Norris<div class="MsoNormal">I’ve been an NPR listener for almost 20 years. It’s almost always what I’ve got playing in the car, and it’s often my background sound when I’m at home. I’ve probably heard Michele Norris on the radio a thousand times or more. Like most television and radio journalists, you hear them all the time, recognize their voices as much as those of your friends and family and yet you almost never know anything personal about them. That’s not usually part of journalism, whose goal is to remain as objective as possible. Journalists don’t usually put themselves in piece; they just try to tell the story for what it is. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Grace of Silence" height="320" src="http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2010/09/16/the-grace-of-silence_custom.jpg?t=1284663493&s=1" width="194" /> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was intrigued with this book club pick because it takes one of my most familiar voices and it put a whole context of life behind it. As Norris explains, the idea for this memoir came to her as she was trying to capture the racial dialogue in the aftermath of Barack Obama’s inauguration. As she was encouraging this conversation to come to the surface and she listened to the stories of many American families, she uncovered her own family’s stories that had been deliberately kept from her. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Hence the title---<u>The Grace of Silence</u>---Her parents’ silence was their grace. By not giving new voice to these stories, they believed they gave Michele and her sisters an advantage. They withheld that which could have embittered or prejudiced their children; they chose not to burden them with that information so that their children could rise above it. The question Michele asks all these years later is was that silence necessary? Should it always have been part of the story? Could they all have achieved what they achieved with this knowledge? Would they have the same attitudes?<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">True to her journalist form, once Michele learns her family’s unspoken stories, she uncovers every detail possible. The first part is about her maternal grandmother’s story, who had been a traveling aunt Jemima selling pancake mix throughout the Midwest. The second is her father’s story of being shot by a white police officer in Birmingham, Alabama. As she researches these stories, she gives the reader the historical and racial context, and a true understanding of what life was like in those times and places for people of color.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">At times this story is difficult to read. Racial issues are sensitive and the treatment of minorities throughout history is shameful. More than once I felt angry and sad, at times even horrified and ashamed that one human being would treat another with so little respect. And yet, Norris’s gift is that despite the heavy content of the book, in just as many places, I smiled, because she shared so many personal family stories that are familiar—stories of parents and children, siblings and neighbors and people. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I really enjoyed this book; it’s a quick read, well written, thought provoking and even entertaining. Norris’ style is down to earth and frank. The book comes off as a journey: She uncovers these stories from her family, frames them in historical context and then pieces them back into the memories she has of her parents and grandparents. The characters she meets along the way play crucial roles in the racial dialogue and she paints vivid pictures of them, too. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Crack Factor – 9.5. This book goes fast.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tears Shed Factor 9.0. You can’t read this book and not feel. It evokes many emotions throughout.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Distraction Factor/Enrichment Factor 9.0. Even if you’ve studied racial issues and civil rights, this story is fresh. It’s rich with new material, new ideas, new perspective and it will keep the wheels turning in your mind for a long time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Writing Skills Factor 9.875. I hope I’m not gushing too much. I’m just really awed by Michele Norris. I’ve respected her as a journalist for so many years and top of all of that, she can turn out a book as impressive as this. It’s amazing and humbling. I’m a forever fan now.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Story Telling Factor. 9.5. 98% of this book is fabulous. It moves quickly and is informative and well constructed. I do have to say at one point I got bogged down with some of the historical details and I had to skim through it. It was probably just me at the time---a quick glance back through the book and I couldn’t even find what I’d missed, so it wasn’t like it was 20 pages, probably only 3 or 4. I can’t mark her down for that, when it was probably just me being a lazy reader…<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Total Rating: 9.375</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129933195">Here's an NPR interview/article about the book.</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-53999529925002888902012-03-07T18:55:00.000-05:002012-03-07T18:55:28.003-05:00Review of Blackout by Connie Willis<div class="MsoNormal">There is nothing like an incredibly long business trip to help you catch up on your reading. I just recently returned from a trip to the UK and while I was there I was able to finish three books. In fairness, I was mostly done with two of them, but it still felt good to cross three off the list. I found it incredibly interesting, however, to be finishing <u>Blackout</u> by Connie Willis while I was in London, because much of it is set in London, so that made it fun to be walking the streets in which part of the story takes place.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuZtkthQWXr7wC5Vsf-FWkNw4_QcV-VOca1UanPV-WU-qn2n3gaki2abRFndY4EiVSyjXkqWuNAp-tU35gMawoIzQq7H0KCjuRZiQMdAWU2Pm1s9FgfiUJ8smXYo7lvZCKNZDZdbPPIM/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuZtkthQWXr7wC5Vsf-FWkNw4_QcV-VOca1UanPV-WU-qn2n3gaki2abRFndY4EiVSyjXkqWuNAp-tU35gMawoIzQq7H0KCjuRZiQMdAWU2Pm1s9FgfiUJ8smXYo7lvZCKNZDZdbPPIM/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Ben & The Houses of Parliament, Feb 2012-JJWBaker</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Connie Willis is an award winning Sci-fi author that I first learned about from Grigg, the sci-fi loving character in <u>The Jane Austen Book Club</u> by Karen Joy Fowler. I trust his recommendations, having read two Ursula LeGuin books because of him, and Connie Willis was one of his favorite authors. Turns out, she’s also won the Hugo award a few times, among other awards. <u>Blackout</u> is the first volume of a two volume novel, <u>All Clear</u> is the second volume and together they won the Hugo for best novel in 2011, so I figured they were worth a look.</div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsKsh368JBVReEjWvRZNMrgBkJ5DVLEI70tPTg3jww02OKH2CvWHyXB8bM3VPMUpgLVleKjzrGU17m65Rv_hzXefgQ_1RHLMnA0Xcy7uvnL4V1Cwwahxf8nuMEUt4kPMbYjBg2MfQtxc/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsKsh368JBVReEjWvRZNMrgBkJ5DVLEI70tPTg3jww02OKH2CvWHyXB8bM3VPMUpgLVleKjzrGU17m65Rv_hzXefgQ_1RHLMnA0Xcy7uvnL4V1Cwwahxf8nuMEUt4kPMbYjBg2MfQtxc/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+014.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster Abbey, Feb 2012 - JJWBAKER</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Blackout </u>is the story of three historians from Oxford, England in 2060. In Willis’ world, time travel is possible and historians regularly travel back in time to observe history as it is happening. They have quite a complex theory about this, and genuinely believe that they cannot affect history as long as they stay clear of “divergence points,” which are critical times in history when a small change could have a big outcome. These three historians are studying what seem to be mundane aspects of the war. One is working as a shop girl in London during the Blitz, to study how Londoners cope during the air raids. One is a maid in the countryside studying the evacuated children. And the third is posing as an American reporter, studying the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, France. One by one these historians encounter unforeseen problems and slowly come to the realization that despite the time travel theory, they may have altered the course of the war and their way back to the future may no longer exist. <o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKwPMAsa3pYqVt2v2bMdJpKOgBBjNQh1qd7ZsAKxhoE8Vx3_7UPm2S5iGbApPRJ_YMrCwIDUZPu3xMIZd5rjzxrr88TSqenE6_hBgxaaU1Jg0D3-GEu6iaNBIC2rlwZ9HtPQqqs8I_OY/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYKwPMAsa3pYqVt2v2bMdJpKOgBBjNQh1qd7ZsAKxhoE8Vx3_7UPm2S5iGbApPRJ_YMrCwIDUZPu3xMIZd5rjzxrr88TSqenE6_hBgxaaU1Jg0D3-GEu6iaNBIC2rlwZ9HtPQqqs8I_OY/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+004.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fountain in Trafalgar Square, Feb 2012-JJWBaker</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">It seems I’ve read a good many World War II books recently. I hadn’t realized it until one of the BABBs was complaining that we’d picked too many WWII books and she hates that time period. Consequently I’ve added it as a label for the blog because I do have quite a few WWII stories in here. What I found particularly interesting about this novel, however, is that all 3 of these time travelers are studying areas of history that you don’t normally hear about. I’d never thought much before about quotidian life for Londoners during the Blitz, sleeping in Tube stations and the camaraderie that would engender. Same thing for the life of a maid taking care of evacuated children. They were unique perspectives on the war, and it was a nice change to get a new perspective. <o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguc0L76Bj-PnNHN0EGkp76NvtoPwhsmHDh4z8r6_JlEaxlJAwc2hWMZdmDTOYLRFkC8uH_MLx7P55aszCH2oSlVF8mmRA-yDAv6x6ZMwJIBj-J3NbKMS3flH4fVa_WUNYwCINVGMbfglY/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguc0L76Bj-PnNHN0EGkp76NvtoPwhsmHDh4z8r6_JlEaxlJAwc2hWMZdmDTOYLRFkC8uH_MLx7P55aszCH2oSlVF8mmRA-yDAv6x6ZMwJIBj-J3NbKMS3flH4fVa_WUNYwCINVGMbfglY/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+020.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The London Eye, Feb 2012-JJWBAKER</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">While there is a lot of action in this story, it didn’t leave much room for serious character development. Honestly I didn’t really miss it until I started writing the review… The secondary characters I found more interesting than the three main time travelers, which make sense in retrospect as the time travelers are forced to blend into their surroundings, so aside from their inner monologues, you don’t see them doing many unique things to set themselves apart from their subjects. The WWII contemporaries, however, are quite interesting: The elderly boat captain with delusions of grandeur, determined to do his part in the Dunkirk evacuation, the mischievous Ralph & Binnie, evacuee children wreaking havoc on their country safe house, and the eccentric Londoners trapped in the Tube station during air raids with their attempt to put on a stage play underground to pass the time. <o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWOjgPaH5JKNS2kK3iBC_vvys5KB_ci__PJuGEcP4FTD5zWMnXdTOCPYEBU3HPCuFisvDsRRZVefZ0sKAxHDE6BQfZxkA6ELB0SY1zB7RZzBYfy_LJOqKvQNI15KiqgJXvAEwc2b1igU/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWOjgPaH5JKNS2kK3iBC_vvys5KB_ci__PJuGEcP4FTD5zWMnXdTOCPYEBU3HPCuFisvDsRRZVefZ0sKAxHDE6BQfZxkA6ELB0SY1zB7RZzBYfy_LJOqKvQNI15KiqgJXvAEwc2b1igU/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+021.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liberty Department Store, London, Feb 2012-JJWBAKER</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">This is a pretty good page turner, but at some point, I did feel like the story was dragging a bit. About ¾ of the way through the novel, I thought—all of these characters know something is wrong, but they didn’t seem to be moving on to the next part—I felt like,<i> let’s get on with them finding each other and fixing it already</i> and it seemed like it took forever to get to that point.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzNS6RZvfSAnMsgNiUVpstBngk4jR02GoS-WEuPdbKyY-vi-UHtBq-IDLjvpceQyfb3ieHWA3YSsLayGM_zgnGjkcYsFZSlV7jLcvVw5Cf-Ux_hlVdRySq806LtCOqshCeIRihpgbMZs/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIzNS6RZvfSAnMsgNiUVpstBngk4jR02GoS-WEuPdbKyY-vi-UHtBq-IDLjvpceQyfb3ieHWA3YSsLayGM_zgnGjkcYsFZSlV7jLcvVw5Cf-Ux_hlVdRySq806LtCOqshCeIRihpgbMZs/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+013.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Westminster Abbey, Feb 2012, JJWBAKER</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">One thing I really enjoyed about the time travel perspective was how these historians are constantly trying to blend in and fit the WWII roll they are playing. Imagine if part of your job entailed pretending to be someone else and do her job. It’s like these historians are doing triple duty: 1-the historical roll, 2-the historical job and 3-the historian, and they have to do it in a war zone... of course the stress catches up to each of them at different points. They have to call on their historical and cultural knowledge and sometimes common sense or modern ideas trip them up because they forget that something hasn’t been invented in the 1940s, or they have to recall historical dates or bombing data and then worry that their actions look suspicious and they might be hauled in for suspicion of being a German spy. And in many ways they are spies, just from the future. It made for added complexity in the story. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qw2t_0udpoU_DQYB1-j8047_dGniExM072yi9rMJZuGqXED-rukvRrQH6_X0i8RpfaIuSY1xvv0xN9LfmXdxrzt9KU1X1PT-y1z8J_RrQ-eCrmATn8ymYePWe5UZjvRKlHfXfE3WTyg/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9qw2t_0udpoU_DQYB1-j8047_dGniExM072yi9rMJZuGqXED-rukvRrQH6_X0i8RpfaIuSY1xvv0xN9LfmXdxrzt9KU1X1PT-y1z8J_RrQ-eCrmATn8ymYePWe5UZjvRKlHfXfE3WTyg/s320/UK+trip+FEB+2012+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this is Whitehall, but I really don't remember. London Feb 2012 - JJWBAKER</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">Overall, this was an enjoyable, entertaining read, I’d even go so far as to categorize it as historical fiction as well as sci-fi. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="http://www.sftv.org/cw/blackoutlarge.jpg" width="208" /> </div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-62234913542349783612012-03-02T01:01:00.000-05:002012-03-02T01:01:25.128-05:00Why edit an old post, when you can write a new one...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I was going to go back to my <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2012/02/eat-your-heart-out-pillars-of-earth.html">Eat Your Heart Out Pillars of the Earth Fans post</a> and put in a few of my own pictures from Salisbury Cathedral, but I changed my mind, and figured it was better to make a new post. Here you are...enjoy...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-eUzbAhHj3oaDU_2xb8od45aSMzQeybkBeqxQVORK0RPr1AT8Xc0iJhNNsqeTq0l8Vvmpdjq8YbqdTg0mTgmBRi2QwXaVutGeePcWIjDEL_gG0kW8mSpNwg-pIrNuifYa3hOu2e4jrI/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-eUzbAhHj3oaDU_2xb8od45aSMzQeybkBeqxQVORK0RPr1AT8Xc0iJhNNsqeTq0l8Vvmpdjq8YbqdTg0mTgmBRi2QwXaVutGeePcWIjDEL_gG0kW8mSpNwg-pIrNuifYa3hOu2e4jrI/s640/UK+trip+FEB+2012+067.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salisbury Cathedral, February 2012-JJWBAKER</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBxDJ-YKJvuUlw4-nwEeVUKOsFaMUqd0MMs_t3yR74Vt0vEFRJej8hLUoU3LC6AnQVZCnJrXlR5Zp1JHsgmFU0wfT821i2c-JtoB9c6YlSR-uJpEbZsm7qZBCLrABx2L7lgssb0sx-Hc/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBxDJ-YKJvuUlw4-nwEeVUKOsFaMUqd0MMs_t3yR74Vt0vEFRJej8hLUoU3LC6AnQVZCnJrXlR5Zp1JHsgmFU0wfT821i2c-JtoB9c6YlSR-uJpEbZsm7qZBCLrABx2L7lgssb0sx-Hc/s640/UK+trip+FEB+2012+074.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can't you just see Jack Jackson Builder carving this statue--look closely, she's got a mini cathedral in her hand. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_XqvlrKtXc8D3tXvM9LIKSK5S-RPj0UP_q0TX8YyH3qcE7kTSHyPD8Rpyi_lx4TytwHyzUgssKNHJdnq3O_yyR4vrxCx3wmU3zqIILKPRik4-CQLvWP5jxMPBLl1tL6BQ3LD-I-OC4Q/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib_XqvlrKtXc8D3tXvM9LIKSK5S-RPj0UP_q0TX8YyH3qcE7kTSHyPD8Rpyi_lx4TytwHyzUgssKNHJdnq3O_yyR4vrxCx3wmU3zqIILKPRik4-CQLvWP5jxMPBLl1tL6BQ3LD-I-OC4Q/s640/UK+trip+FEB+2012+065.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More statues, Salisbury Cathedral, Feb 2012-JJWBAKER<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interior Courtyard, Salisbury Cathedral, Feb 2012-JJWBAKER</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynL5Dj5oaOttsQ75f8TBFTvyjCjAur656499-kvCUqh82Nm6SUrO9_mHIRLqu8qiqAiZhCw2sf9j2rt8aTxkJV2f2iqrmRZugDIt7Urb2xgiAjyKcneREjL0RO8WHptmGj7EvJyK9uYo/s1600/UK+trip+FEB+2012+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynL5Dj5oaOttsQ75f8TBFTvyjCjAur656499-kvCUqh82Nm6SUrO9_mHIRLqu8qiqAiZhCw2sf9j2rt8aTxkJV2f2iqrmRZugDIt7Urb2xgiAjyKcneREjL0RO8WHptmGj7EvJyK9uYo/s640/UK+trip+FEB+2012+061.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restoration efforts. It costs the UK Government GBP12,000/day to maintain this cathedral. Check out the flying buttresses, I know what their purpose is thanks to Ken Follett. Feb 2012-JJWBAKER<br />
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</tbody></table>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-24108758265453575012012-03-01T23:34:00.000-05:002012-03-01T23:34:01.607-05:00Out of the Mouths of Book BabesToday one of the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/babb-page.html">BABBs</a> missed our final book discussion because she had to take care of some important personal business. Her sweet husband apologized to her that she had to miss work to accompany him and she replied..."I don't care about work---but I missed Book Lunch!" Out of the mouths of babes...well, book babes anyway...<br />
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As a fellow book addict, I get it completely. I hate missing book discussions. The BABBs have it pretty good because we see each other every day and meet once a week for lunch, so we have a continual book dialog going, and even then, we still manage to fill the last meeting for each book with tons of discussion. It's a good thing.<br />
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Here are a couple of other random tidbits I've been meaning to post, so I'll just compile them all together.<br />
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The first is a link to a review of the Diana Gabaldon "Outlander" series written by a man. This is pretty unique, because most of her fans are women. It's a good review and totally something you should print out if you want your husband to read these books so he can pick up some Jamie tips. It's called "<a href="http://www.salon.com/1999/08/12/outlander/">My Outlander thing: How a brainy guy like me wound up reading historical romance novels</a>" by Gavin McNett. (If you haven't read the blog long enough to know why I think all men should be more like Jamie Fraser, you need to read <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">The Hotter Than Adam Factor</a> post.) <br />
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The second is a link was forwarded to me by another BABB. It's several maps of Panem from <u>The Hunger Games</u>. It is really cool and here are a few things you should know: The book babe that wrote this map is a bigger book nerd than I am (and I mean that as the highest compliment.) She paid way better attention to the Hunger Games books than I did because I don't remember any of this stuff. I'd even go so far as to say she put more thought into Panem than Suzanne Collins did. It's super cool, very intelligent, well researched and worth a look. It's called <a href="http://aimmyarrowshigh.livejournal.com/32461.html">Suzanne Collins' Map of Panem</a>, created by AimMyArrowsHigh.livejournal.com and BadGuys.livejournal.com The final map is below, but follow the link, because they go into super detail describing how they came to this final map version. <br />
<img height="561" src="http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/4070/panemmap.png" width="640" /> <br />
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Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-13681884096440774592012-02-24T14:01:00.001-05:002012-02-28T18:48:58.337-05:00Review of Room by Emma DonoghueI love finding the familiar in a book. When an author can recall your own experiences, it is an amazing thing, because you can now view them from a slightly different perspective. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, I enjoy the process of discovery and reflection. <u>Room</u> is one of those books. It is the story of Jack, who is five years old and has lived his entire life with his mother in an 11'x11' room. His mother has been a prisoner in that room for the last seven years, but since Jack's birth, she has tried to create a life for him in that tiny space with what little resources her captor provides for them. Fortunately, I have never had such an awful experience as that, but as a parent and as someone who has faced depression, this novel had many moments where I saw myself and my children and my jaw dropped. Written by Emma Donoghue, <u>Room</u> is one of the most unique novels I've ever read. Jack tells the entire story and like many child narrators, he often doesn't understand everything that is going on around him. <br />
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<a href="http://www.roomthebook.com/inside/" target="_top"><img alt="Enter ROOM" border="0" height="600" src="http://www.roomthebook.com/_img/enterRoom.jpg" width="600" /></a><br />
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I didn't want to read this book. I'd heard of it and thought--<i>Yuck, I don't want to read some horrible depressing story about some poor woman who is kidnapped and raped and held prisoner.</i> It's just too awful and too real in some ways, knowing that there are actually sickos out there who do such horrible things to people. But one of my book clubs intervened and forced me out of my comfort zone and as usual, I'm glad. This book was incredibly surprising. It was thought provoking and inspiring and touching.<br />
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Jack's mother, known only as "Mama" in the story, is a <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Bad Ass Babe</a> if I've ever encountered one. She's stuck in this horrible situation and yet she tries to be the best parent she can be in the circumstances. The author truly impressed me with the depth of her ideas, imagining what this situation would be like for both Mama, who remembers a life outside "Room," and Jack, who has no concept of the outside world. And as a parent of elementary age kids, it is incredibly obvious that Donoghue has lived with a five year old boy before. I could see my own son and my nephew doing, speaking, thinking just like Jack. It was incredibly realistic--at times sad, scary, happy, triumphant and hopeful.<br />
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<b>Ratings:</b> For an explanation of my ratings factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key</a> page.<br />
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<b>Crack Factor - 8.5. </b> I had to skip ahead more than once because parts of the story were so suspenseful, I couldn't go on until I knew how the current crisis would turn out. <br />
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<b>Distraction Factor - 9.5.</b> This book will haunt you for a while. The disturbing setting is really only a small part of it. I continually found myself reflecting on the inner workings of Jack's brain--his observations and revelations are refreshing and recognizable to anyone who has spent time with a child that age. And the little things like his realization that Mama is beautiful...that she's <i>the most beautiful</i>, is so genuine, so typical of a young child whose world revolves around his mother. Every young child thinks his mother is the most beautiful person in the world. That's how filial love at that age works. <br />
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Mama's struggles with depression will tear at your heart strings. The reader can imagine Mama's pain, but seen through the eyes of her child, it multiples the worry and the pain because Jack feels it too. <br />
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<b>Story Telling Factor - 9.0</b>. This is quite an imaginative story, since undoubtedly the author has no personal experience being locked away in a room. But the way it's told, it all makes sense and comes together well, especially in the second part of the book, once Jack and Mama try to adjust to the outside world. <br />
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<b>People Factor - 9.0</b>. These characters are people you know, stuck in an unique and horrible situation.<br />
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<b>Bad Ass Babe Factor - 9.0.</b> Jack's Mama continually amazed me with the way she'd raised Jack in such a small space, with so few resources. She learned how to re-use everything and make what little she had do double-duty: eggshells become snakes, food packaging becomes toys. At five, Jack could read and write better than most kids twice his age. Her own struggles with depression only make her more human and believable. I can't imagine anyone could live through what she lived through without a few scars. <br />
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<b>Total Rating: 9.0.</b> This is a quick read, and well worth your time.Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-31012089339971412862012-02-16T17:42:00.001-05:002012-03-02T00:35:41.319-05:00Eat your heart out Pillars of the Earth fans!!Hello from Birmingham, England! I'm here on a business trip for a couple of weeks and today I had a literary experience that I just have to share with you. <br />
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Yesterday we were visiting two customers outside of London. My colleagues and I decided to take a slightly different route on our way Birmingham so that we could visit Stonehenge this morning. This necessitated our stay in Salisbury last night, as it is the closest town with a hotel room available. Before we left Salisbury, we took a quick tour of the <a href="http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/">Salisbury Cathedral</a>. A little thought kept nagging me as I walked through this overwhelmly impressive medieval cathedral. I knew I've heard of this place before...but where?...then I thought, could this be the inspiration for the fictional cathedral in Kingsbridge? When we arrived in our hotel tonight, a quick visit to <a href="http://www.ken-follett.com/pote/kingsbridge.html">Ken Follett's website confirmed it</a>. Salisbury Cathedral was one of the two cathedrals that Follett had in mind when he wrote <u>Pillars of the Earth</u>, one of my favorite crack books. It's an amazing story set in medieval England, chronicling the building of a cathedral and the lives of the people who built it. It is a sweeping epic tale. <br />
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I felt like I was walking in the pages of a book today. I could imagine the characters I loved so much carving the statues and designing the buttresses. So cool. <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-1602118587834745582012-02-09T22:55:00.002-05:002012-02-21T16:17:29.401-05:00Review of The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins<div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I really appreciate my regular readers. But it never occurred to me that you were actually <i>waiting</i> for my reviews until my lovely friend and fellow <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/babb-page.html">BABB</a>, Shannon, bless her book-addicted soul, emailed me saying, “I hate to be one of <i>those</i> people, but you haven’t reviewed <u>The Hunger Games</u> yet.” Two of my book clubs, including the BABBs read the first book in <u>The Hunger Games</u> trilogy in December. Apparently it was quite noticeable when I posted the review for January’s book before the one for December. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span> All I can say is that some reviews come easily. With others I like to start and stop and go back and reflect. It’s often more difficult to review a book I really enjoy than a book I only sort of enjoy. And I know I’ve been neglecting the blog...I do have several excuses for this—the Holidays were insanely crazy and when they were done, I had business travel, work emergencies, <a href="http://www.grandrapidstri.com/">triathlon training</a>, and absolute truth be told, I’ve been having so much fun reading, that getting to the page to write has just not happened. Books are my crack, after all. Writing about books is my crack therapy, but the addiction is still stronger and always easier.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Hg--jacket-330.jpg" width="132" /> <img height="200" src="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Catching_fire_c-330.jpg" width="132" /> <a href="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Mockingjaycover-330.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Mockingjaycover-330.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now onto the review…This is another one of those books that everyone is talking about. There are actually three books: <u>The Hunger Games</u>, <u>Catching Fire</u> and <u>Mockingjay</u>, all by Suzanne Collins. The first movie adaptation is also coming out next month, so that gives you an idea how popular these are. These are “young adult” books about a dystopic future. The story begins instantly. You learn very quickly that at the base of the story is an oppressive government that enslaves the people in their outlying territories. A rebellion some 70+years ago ended in one of these territories, called “District 13” being completely destroyed and the remaining 12 districts being forced into participating in and watching the annual “Hunger Games,” as a reminder never to rebel again. In the Hunger Games, each district must send two of their children, a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 & 18 to fight to the death in an arena. This isn’t gladiator-style. The arenas are huge, many acres, even miles across and could be located anywhere in the world, from deserts to forests to oceans. The contestants, called “tributes,” train for several weeks, have personal stylists and often have cosmetic alterations done because the entire games is recorded and broadcast to the whole country, and the “Capital” government wants to put on a good show. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tributes are chosen by random drawing, although volunteers are accepted. Our protagonist, sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen from District 12, volunteers to take the place of her 12-year old sister, Prim, when they pick her name out of the pot. The plot thickens when her fellow tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark, announces in his interview that he has been in love with Katniss since they were little children.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The plot line sounds horrific, and of course it is horrific to send 24 kids out to kill each other. When I told my sister about this book, she said “That doesn’t sound like anything I’d ever want to read.” BUT WAIT---keep reading. If I do my job with this review, you’ll be another one of those crazy <u>Hunger Games</u> fans before you know it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Aside from being well written and action packed, these books really make you think. Imagine if you were thrown into that arena and forced to kill or be killed. What would you do? The televised aspect of these games is a huge factor. If you put on a good show, your “sponsors” may help you by sending you a tool, or food, or medicine that you desperately need. Would you be able to perform? Fake it when you need to in order to manipulate an audience? And how resentful would you be of a government that forced you into this situation? Wouldn’t you want to bring them down? How can you appeal to the audience and send a message to your oppressors at the same time? And would you have the guts to do it when they hold your life, and the lives of people you love in their hands? Katniss struggles with all these things and readers can’t turn the page fast enough to see how she deals with them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ratings (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Crack Factor – 9.9. </b>Can’t put it down? Neglecting things? PB & J for dinner? All marks of a crack book. <u>The Hunger Games</u> and <u>Catching Fire</u> had me, my husband and my entire book club glued to the pages. <u>Mockingjay </u>unfortunately fell during the holiday craziness, so I had to put it down to cook and wrap presents and be hostess and stuff, but all are quick reads, definite page turners. Even my husband, who almost never reads books, finished the first book within a couple days. I even got text messages from him like “OMG! Peeta just….” And if a non-reader like Adam can get caught in a book, you gotta imagine it’s good. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Tears Shed Factor</b> – I wouldn’t necessarily call these books emotional, although there are many emotional parts. It would always hit me, however, when Katniss was feeling the weight of her responsibilities. Once you have loved someone enough to be willing to die for them, you know what I mean. Ever since the death of her father, Katniss has supported and cared for her mother and sister. Her love for Prim is so fierce, and the thought of losing her to the games is so terrifying, that it’s easier for her to volunteer herself than let her little sister die in the arena. Love like that gives you chills. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Distraction Factor – 9.0.</b> All dystopia books are frightening---most of me says “This could never happen,” but then there’s that little voice in the back of my head that sees current disturbing trends taken to extreme ends and realizes that somewhere in the historic record, something similar has probably already happened or is happening somewhere in the world. Slavery, exploitation, gladiators: these are not the stuff of imagination, but of history and reality. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>PeopleFactor – 9.0. </b> Great characters show up all throughout this book. It has good guys and bad guys and the ones in between, all marvelously flawed, both love-able and odious. I was frequently angry with Collins when she would kill off my favorites. UGH! <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Story Telling Factor – 9.0. </b> You can’t just read one of these books, you really need to commit to all 3 to get a good sense of the story, but books one and two will leave you wanting more, so you won’t want to wait. They are well plotted and move along fast. If I had any gripes about the story, it was that a few times, the story had to halt because of its ‘Young Adult Fiction” literary category. I found this incredibly irritating. The author definitely stopped the story in a “teen appropriate” place a few times when I really wanted it to go to the adult place. This was even more irritating because I felt that stopping in the teen place was contrary to what probably would have happened in real life. The natural progression of some of these parts would have been to take it further, but the author had to stop where she did. Frustrating. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor</b> –Okay, this is not great literature, but never once did I sit up and say---<i>wow—the writing is bugging me</i>, or this <i>doesn’t make sense</i>, or <i>she could have done this better</i>. Collins’ writing skills are good—she can tell a story well, and keep you coming back for more. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – 9.5</b> The best heroes and heroines are the ones who never want to be one in the first place. They are the ones created when the world needs them, who step into the role that is forced on them and rise to the occasion. Katniss is an amazing, if reluctant, heroine. She carries the weight of responsibility on her young shoulders most of the time, but she has her moments of self doubt, of protest, and of anger, which makes her human and more appealing. She makes sure to take care of the people she loves. She is smart and tough.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://film-book.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/jennifer-lawrence-the-hunger-games-entertainment-weekly-may-2011-01.jpg" /> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">Hotter than Adam Factor</a> – 9.5</b>. I think anyone would admit that it’s hard to resist someone who is completely in love with you. Peeta’s love for Katniss is continually touching in its innocence and selflessness. I felt so bad for him so many times and I wanted to smack her over the head for not getting it…until. I’m not going to give anything away, but Peeta is an incredibly appealing leading man. (And then there's Finnick...I imagine him somewhat like a blonder Adam with a trident...yummy...) One of the BABBs sent this pic to the rest of us, so I must include it:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/i/2011/07/27/cover/ew-cover-1166_300.jpg" /> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Total Rating: 9.31<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For serious Hunger Games fans, here's the trailer:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://0.gvt0.com/vi/kij2kzRC_YA/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kij2kzRC_YA&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kij2kzRC_YA&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-48578425357365533092012-01-22T21:45:00.000-05:002012-01-22T21:45:49.587-05:00Review of Things We Couldn’t Say by Diet Eman with James Schaap<div class="MsoNormal">Usually when I finish a non-fiction book, I’m a little awed. This makes sense if you think about it, because nobody is going to take the time to write a story about something boring. Writers pick the interesting and amazing stuff, the suspenseful and scary stuff. It may even be heroic and humbling. Diet Eman’s stories of the German occupied Netherlands during WWII are all that and more. In <u>Things We Couldn’t Say</u>, she tells of her life as a young woman in the Nazi occupied Netherlands and how she and her fiancée, Hein Sietsma, and their friends worked to hide Jews with the Dutch underground resistance. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Things We Couldn't Say -
By: Diet Eman, James Schaap
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Eman is a resident of Grand Rapids, which makes her my neighbor. She is not a professional writer and this definitely comes through in the book. She’s also not a native English speaker and I often felt like the book may have been better served if she had written it in Dutch and had it professionally translated. BUT, I also have to admit, that these same facts also added to the realization that she is a real person and these are her real stories. The rawness of the writing helped the rawness of the story come through. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The story begins in 1938 when Eman meets Sietsma. When the occupation begins and her Jewish co-worker needs a place to hide, she and Sietsma help him out of The Hague and into the country to a safe house. With this, they begin their resistance work. Throughout the course of the war, both will undergo numerous name changes and will have to change residences multiple times, doing different jobs for the resistance along the way. Both will be imprisoned. They will be separated almost the entire time, their story told through letters, journal entries and first person narrative by Eman. At the end of the war, Eman learns Sietsma died in the Dachau concentration camp in Germany. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">[Normally this is where I start my “ratings”, but it feels disrespectful to trivialize Eman’s life experience with my silly little rating system. However, I use the rating structure to shape my thoughts while I’m building the review, so I am going to include those thoughts here anyway.]<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Tears Shed Factor</b> –I cannot imagine living through what Eman and her countrymen lived through--what any occupied people lived through during the war years. This book is about the horrors of war and the heartbreak that comes with that. It’s also a book about love—Eman and Sietsma’s love, and also mankind’s love for each other. It’s about doing the right thing when it’s most needed. And as a reader, you will feel that love and hurt and heartbreak all over when you read this book. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Distraction Factor</b> – Eman’s stories will haunt you for a long time. As I read, I would reflect on stressful or frightening times in my own life and then I’d realize that they were nothing compared to what Eman and her countrymen faced. I cannot imagine life under those circumstances and yet she makes it clear that faith and love saw her through those tough times and it inspired me to know how someone can suffer so much and keep going. It’s a story of resilience and triumph as much as it is about hardship and pain. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Enrichment Factor</b> –We all know the basics about WWII, but aside from knowing that it happened, I’ve never read anything like Eman’s stories of the Dutch resistance and the underground movement to hide Jews, it’s a personal first hand account of the front lines of a very important part of history. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor</b> – Like many memoir authors, Diet Eman is not really a writer. Nor is she a native English speaker, so at times the writing style, word choice or organization is distracting. Some of my book club members had a very hard time with the journal entries and prayers scattered throughout, finding them distracting as well. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – 15</b>—I have never before given a book character higher than a 10 in this category, and I sincerely I hope no one finds this rating factor offensive for this particular book, because I mean it in the highest respect. Diet Eman is a true heroine, not only for her wartime deeds, but also for re-living them and writing them down for the world to share. <o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-55070059498275812072012-01-10T21:12:00.001-05:002012-03-02T00:30:00.865-05:00Review of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman<div class="MsoNormal">As readers, we all know that a well written, entertaining, thought provoking book is a true treasure. To find one that you can share with your kids is a gift. I first heard Neil Gaiman’s name last summer, when an acquaintance of mine, a former librarian, recommended his books, including <u>The Graveyard Book</u>. My <b>List-Of-Books-To-Read</b> has achieved record lengths recently… and this one was on <b>The List</b>, but it took a second encounter to push it to the top. A member of my Sci-Fi Book club suggested we read it, because it won the Hugo award in 2009. It is also the only book ever to win both the Newberry (US) and Carnegie (UK) medals. So, in other words…lots of people think this book is amazing. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/images/TheGraveyardBook_Hardcover_1218248432.jpg"><img alt="The Graveyard Book - Hardcover" border="0" height="235" src="http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/images/TheGraveyardBook_Hardcover_1218248432.jpg" title="The Graveyard Book - Hardcover" width="157" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The story begins with a murder. “The man Jack,” as he is called, murders a man, woman and child in their sleep, but their toddler escapes from his crib and out the front door. He wanders down the street to the nearby graveyard. The ghost residents hear the pleading cries of the recently murdered family, who beg them to help their baby. Mrs. Owens, dead some 200+ years, and her husband promise to take care of the baby and become his parents. The mysterious Silas, who is neither dead nor alive, but has the ability to leave the graveyard, unlike the ghosts, agrees to be his guardian and provide things like clothes and food that the ghosts cannot get for him. They name the boy Nobody Owens, “Bod” for short. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">From this point, we watch Bod grow up and learn life lessons from ghosts and ghouls, werewolves, witches and the undead. Some of the lessons are simple ones about learning to listen to the people who love and care about you, when they warn you about something dangerous---and others are more complex, like lessons about learning to do the right thing, about helping and caring for others. It’s almost as if each chapter has a different coming of age story for each stage of Bod’s life. I found it particularly charming that many of the views of morality, community, tolerance, justice and common sense decency are taught by these otherworldly creatures that in most stories are depicted as evil. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even though this is technically a kid’s book, I never felt as though the story or writing were dumbed down or cleaned up for children. If anything, Gaiman offers splendid learning opportunities within the story---beautiful images that an adult can fully appreciate and enjoy, like “he walked up the side of the hill, to where a picnic some thirty years before had left its mark in the shape of a large apple tree.” I grinned when I read that passage, but my kids didn’t get it right away. This book is filled with places like this, where I could stop and ask my kids what they thought, how they felt, if they understood, etc. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ratings (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the Rating System Key page.)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html</a><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Crack Factor – 9.5. I read this book twice. It’s not the first book I’ve read twice, nor will it be the last, but it’s the only book that I have read twice within a two week time frame. It was even better the second time. A definite crack book. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tears Shed Factor – 9.5. I also think this is in some ways a love story, not in the romantic sense, but in the filial and platonic sense, definitely. As Bod grows and learns, he learns about love from his parents, guardian and friends and it tugged at my heartstrings in more than one place. This book has it all—you’ll laugh, cry, triumph and tremble along with Bod and his friends. Gaiman’s gift is to help the reader feel the story as he reads it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enrichment Factor – 9.5. Multiple pearls of wisdom adorn the pages of <u>The Graveyard Book</u>. One of my favorites is when Bod is asking his guardian about the difference between the sacred ground of the graveyard and the unconsecrated ground beyond it. Silas explains how different beliefs hold different things sacred. He also makes it clear that most of the people buried outside the bounds of the sacred ground are most likely no worse than those within. In this small passage, they touch on the idea of judgment and how it can be unfair and how rules and laws change from time to time. Like this passage, there is so much discussion material throughout this book---not only topics I can bring up with my kids but also reminders for the grownup in me that sometimes forgets. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">PeopleFactor – 9.5. I’m a true character lover. Gaiman’s characters don’t disappoint. I felt invested in their lives and despite a perfect ending to the story, I had a hard time saying goodbye to them.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Story Telling Factor – 9.5. One of the things I loved about this book is that each chapter is a separate adventure in Bod’s life—a complete story, set within the larger novel, and all along you get clues to the mystery of why bod’s family were killed. It makes for a quick read—definite page turning action within each smaller story, and propulsion to keep going to know the whole picture.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Writing Skills Factor – 9.9. This book is beautifully written. I found our copy of the book dog eared with parts I found memorable, picturesque, and moving. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Total Rating: 9.57<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">End Note: I hate to write things like “If you like the Harry Potter books, you’ll love this book.” But I’m still going to write it. While this one book is quite different from the world of Harry Potter, I put them in the same league for many reasons. The writing quality of both is excellent, and while reading the graveyard book, I felt the same reactions as when I read the Harry Potter books—a kind of excitement, joy, fear, protectiveness. They not only thrilled the kid in me, but they stirred the parent emotions in me, too. The reader in me loved every minute in the graveyard, same as at Hogwarts, so I bet Potter fans will also like Bod. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>One More End Note---Neil Gaiman's website is cool. He writes a journal on it--almost like a blog. It's worth checking out. http://www.neilgaiman.com/</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-58800362266735126192011-12-31T11:50:00.000-05:002011-12-31T11:50:52.341-05:00Review of Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent<div class="MsoNormal">A friend of mine said this was the best book she’d read all year. I love recommendations like that because chances are, I’ll think it’s pretty awesome, too. Ever practical, I suggested it for one of my book clubs and they picked it for November. It’s amazing the sense of responsibility you feel when a half a dozen other people are reading the book you picked out. I only knew a little bit about this book—just the little back-of-the book publisher’s description. I should really learn to do more research than that before I leap into a book suggestion…<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I first started reading <u>Same Kind of Different as Me</u>, I freaked out a bit. It began with a whole bunch of famous people recommending the book. Normally, in a printed, bound book, I would skip right over these, but I was reading this on my iPod, and it’s not quite so easy to skip over stuff, so I read through them. I was slightly horrified, because all the recommendations were by famous preachers and Christian leaders. I thought I’d picked a religious (Christian/proselytizing) book for a group that tries to stay away from religion and politics! Yikes. But my concerns were assuaged as I continued, because even though the characters in the book are very Christian, and born-again, the heart of the story isn’t really about Christianity. It’s about friendship.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is a story about an unlikely friendship. It’s one of the most amazing friendship stories I’ve ever encountered. I felt this way partly because even though the friendship between Ron, a wealthy art dealer, and Denver, a homeless man, <i>is</i> unlikely, it became a genuine friendship, despite the skepticism of both men. And it was a friendship that helped both men in unexpected ways. This story also challenged me, because of the unbelievable kindness of some of the characters---their willingness to help others, even when those very same people had not been kind or helpful to them.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Ratings (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Crack Factor – 8.0. This book will hold your attention. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tears Shed Factor – !?! I’m purposely not giving a rating here, because even though I did cry several times during this book, I tend to agree with my friend, Christine, who thought that some tear-jerking parts were too intense and didn’t necessarily need to go into the depth of detail that was provided. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Distraction Factor – 9.5. This book gave me a vision of poverty and homelessness that I’d never contemplated before. And it challenged my concept and understanding of friendship and kindness.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Writing Skills Factor – 8.0. Hmm…it’s not that this book is poorly written. It’s very well written. But, having read several books recently that choose to use Black English Vernacular, I didn’t think this book executed this device particularly well. Rebecca Skloot, author of <u>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</u>, does this the best way imaginable, by explaining in the beginning why she was writing that way, at the preference of the characters themselves, who want the story told as accurately as possible. This book is written from the perspective of two characters. One of them is illiterate. His chapters are written in his voice, grammar mistakes and all, but despite this, they are extremely well written and well organized for someone who never went to a day of school in his life. So it’s obvious the writer monkeyed around a lot with his words, but she still wrote them in dialect. It seemed forced to me. Perhaps it should have been 3<sup>rd</sup> person narrative...I don’t know, maybe I’m just being picky. You can’t tell me that the other narrator, Ron Hall, a life long Texan doesn’t have an accent either---why didn’t she folksy up his chapters? <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Total rating: 8.5</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-63141182316706349022011-12-07T21:20:00.000-05:002011-12-07T21:20:49.631-05:00Not Beginning Sci-Fi: Review of Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I had high expectations for this book. It won the Hugo award for best novel, which is a big deal in the Sci-fi world. In retrospect, I can understand this distinction, but it did take me a while to appreciate why it may have won this honor. Most sci-fi books take a good 30-50 pages to establish the futuristic universe and time frame setting. This book took more like 150 pages to get there. The beginning was agonizing for me. If you’ve never read sci-fi before—don’t start with this book, it is more complex than most sci-fi and the casual reader will get fed-up with it. With that warning out of the way, once I got invested in this book, I did enjoy it. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.tor.com/images/stories/blogs/11_09/fire-upon-the-deep.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The universe Vinge creates in <u>Fire Upon the Deep</u> has multiple layers of civilization and intelligence that depend on where you are located in the universe—a very interesting concept. The story begins as a human ship escapes from a terrible power to crash land on a planet inhabited by wolf-like creatures that must live in packs to transcend beyond the intelligence level of an animal. The larger the pack, the more intelligent the being—but a pack of 4 or 5 of these creatures is still considered one individual. In that sense, they can also be nearly immortal as they can add new members as previous ones die. A rescue mission ensues across the galaxy to help the stranded humans who may hold the keys to stopping the blight/power that is consuming the known universe. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I have really simplified the story here, but you get the idea. This is fringe—totally out there, which makes it both frustrating and enjoyable. With books like this, I find I have to let go of my need to understand everything in order to enjoy the story—there are some things in this made up world that will never make sense, never be explained and I’ll never understand them—once I made peace with that, I enjoyed the characters and the details of the story much more. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-28269276482236514232011-12-07T21:12:00.001-05:002012-01-22T21:47:06.392-05:00Review of Atonement by Ian McEwan<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">When my co-workers’ kids were going off to college, I watched them struggle with empty nest syndrome. As a parent, I can only imagine this inevitability when I look at my grade-school age kids. But I know it’s out there and I know how hard it will be for me when the time comes. My own memories of going off to college, however, had no recollection of my parents’ struggles with this. So I asked my mom—was it hard for you? She t</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;">old me she cried the whole way home after they dropped me off. Of course it was hard, but she said nothing of it to me at the time. And I was too self-absorbed at the time to notice what my actions were doing to everyone around me. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.ianmcewan.com/bib/books/images/atonement-UK.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">If you love a good love story, <u>Atonement</u> by Ian McEwan will piss you off. There is a love story in here—but it gets destroyed and trampled on almost before it begins by powers out of its control—the imagination, selfishness and malice of a 13 year old girl. This is the story of a self-absorbed adolescent who misinterprets what she sees between her sister and a family friend. Seeking attention and drama—she fabricates a story accusing him of a crime he didn’t commit. The lie takes on a life of its own and alters the lives of all characters forever. It’s an upsetting, disturbing and sad story, but not a bad book. The writing style and perspectives of different characters are unique and beautiful and I loved the way some passages were written deliberately vague, forcing me to re-read them over again to fully appreciate their beauty. And McEwan writes a love scene that is one of the best I’ve ever read by a male author. The novel does have some rather odd structure, however, and that, along with the sad premise, got a lot of criticism from the other <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/babb-page.html">BABB</a>s. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The offending character does offer “atonement” for her crimes, however, in her own way. That brings the story full-circle and offers the reader, as well as her sister and her sister’s lover a better ending than real life provided. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Parting note—Robbie—a solid 9.25 on the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">HTAF</a> scale. And that <i>one scene</i> could maybe even push him to a 10.01—but don’t tell Adam. Well, maybe somebody should tell Adam… Any volunteers? I am so going to get in trouble for this…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br />
</div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-19587174672249422882011-12-07T21:01:00.001-05:002012-01-22T21:46:36.922-05:00Review of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows<div class="MsoNormal">I have a really great soup recipe. It’s called “Garlicky Mango Soup” and was the first place soup contest winner in <u>Vegetarian Times</u> magazine around 15 years ago. When I made this soup for my parents the first time, my dad said “Wow! This is the BEST soup I’ve ever had!” My mom took a little offense to this (not really) because she’d been cooking soup for him for years and her soups are pretty awesome. I took Dad’s compliment as genuine, because I know that in that moment, it really WAS the best soup he’d ever had. I also took it with a realistic grain of salt, because I know that next week, he’d think the same thing about the Split Pea with Ham that my mom would make for him. <i>And he’d be telling the truth both times</i>. A comment like this is par for the course with both my parents. They are incredibly enthusiastic when they appreciate something. According to my dad I also make the BEST blueberry pie he’s ever had. My mom is the same way. She enjoys food, books, movies, friends, a well stocked grocery store, drives in the country and so many other things with simple joy. I happen to think this is one of the best gifts my parents could have given me---the ability to get really excited about something you love---appreciation with enthusiasm. When you can REALLY enjoy a simple thing in life, it makes your life so much nicer. You may occasionally get teased for golden retriever excitement by the negative nellies of the world, but in general, you’ll be a happier person for it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Book cover" src="http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/guernsey//wp-content/themes/guernsey_1.1/images/Guernsey-cover.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With that disclaimer out of the way, let me get on with the book review. I <i><b><u>LOVED</u> </b></i>this book. It is easily one of my<u><i><b> FAVORITE</b></i></u> books of all time. This is the kind of book I will tell everyone about ad nauseam for the next umpteen months. <u>The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</u> by Mary Ann Schaffer & Annie Barrows had me laughing, crying, excited, hopeful, fearful, and surprised. It is the story of Juliet, an English writer, searching for her next story. She finds it quite by accident when she receives a letter from a resident of Guernsey Island. He and his neighbors share with her their stories of German occupation during WWII. Juliet gets incredibly close to her subjects and even ends up with a place for herself in their story. Almost the entire narrative is written as correspondence between the characters. This approach makes for a story that moves quickly and gives you multiple characters’ perspectives. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Readers will love the characters in this book. I also loved the community that these people created. Even in the midst of war, occupation, poverty and starvation, they brought out the best in each other. We should all be so lucky to have friends and neighbors that care so much about each other. They did what they have to do to protect each other and provide for each other. I found it profound, humbling and inspiring. It’s the kind of story that will make you believe in the goodness of people and want to be a better person yourself. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ratings </b> (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the<a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html"> Rating System Key page</a>.)<o:p></o:p></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Crack Factor – 9.9.</b> I might list this book as part of my definition of a crack book. Seriously—I was that hooked on it. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Tears Shed Factor – 9.9. </b> This book is an emotional workout. I laughed out loud. Some parts made me angry. Others made me sad. And I wept. Several times. (Many times.) </div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Distraction Factor – 9.5.</b> If you had less than 24 hours to decide whether or not to send your children to live with strangers, in order to protect them from an invading army that is headed for your home, what would you do? What if you were in a prison camp and your fellow prisoner was being threatened by a guard? Or what would you do with the 2-year old little girl, left behind when her mother, your neighbor and friend, is taken--arrested and deported by enemy soldiers? These are just some of the questions the characters in this novel face and they haunted me. And still do. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Enrichment Factor – 9.0.</b> I have above average geographical knowledge and I actually knew that the island of Guernsey existed, but I didn’t know how close it was to the French coastline and I knew nothing about its occupation by the German army. This book described the hardships of wartime and occupation with excruciating detail. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>PeopleFactor – 9.75.</b> These characters will work their way into your heart and they’ll stay there for a long time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Story Telling Factor – 9.5.</b> The authors have a great knack for weaving multiple plot lines into one book—this was a war story, a community story, a romance, a tragedy, and at times, even a comedy. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor – 9.5. </b>The correspondence style was a unique twist—but a great way to give you a sense of each character in his or her own words. The authors did this very well. They also were profoundly good at writing emotion and provoking emotional response. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – Elizabeth 9.9</b>. This character is the only one you never know first hand, you only hear about her from other characters. She is strong, brave and loyal. She is fearless and a fierce friend, the kind of heroine you want in your corner. <b>Kat, 9.5 </b>– I don’t know if it’s appropriate to give a 4 year old a BAB rating, but I thought this kid was cool. <b>Juliet 9.0</b> – The protagonist is pretty cool, too. Very smart, sassy and caring. And she’s a writer, so she gets extra points for that. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">Hotter than Adam Factor</a> – Dawsey, 9</b>. You gotta love a middle aged bachelor who is helping to raise his missing neighbor’s 4 year old daughter. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Total Rating: 9.495</b></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-89522862841829454752011-11-16T21:50:00.000-05:002011-11-16T21:50:45.672-05:00Review of The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle<div class="MsoNormal">Of all the books I’ve read this year, <u>The God of Animals</u> by <a href="http://www.arynkyle.com/Aryn_Kyle__Official_Website/Home.html">Aryn Kyle</a> is easily one my favorites. It has all the necessary ingredients: interesting characters, plenty of plot twists and layers of complexity. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416533257?ie=UTF8&tag=arykyl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416533257%22%3EThe%20God%20of%20Animals:%20A%20Novel%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arykyl-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1416533257%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;" title="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416533257?ie=UTF8&tag=arykyl-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1416533257">The God of Animals: A Novel</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=arykyl-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1416533257" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;"><img alt="" src="http://www.arynkyle.com/Aryn_Kyle__Official_Website/Books_files/41v1zInXTQL._SS500_-filtered.jpg" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; height: 455px; width: 289px;" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Set in Colorado, on a horse farm, the story is narrated by twelve-year-old Alice, whose life is complicated by a mentally ill mother who hasn’t left her bedroom in years, a sister who ran off with a rodeo cowboy, a father who is struggling to support his family, a classmate who dies under mysterious circumstances, a teacher with whom she engages in inappropriate late night phone calls, and that is just the beginning.</div><div class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The reader quickly begins to understand why the family’s farm is struggling: the loss of Alice’s sister, Nona, the horse show star, has hindered their ability to attract show clients, their stud has died, and they have to take in boarders to pay the bills. Alice witnesses <i>and supports</i> her father taking advantage of these clients. She also watches as these wealthy, bored housewives flirt with her father. I kept reminding myself that the story as witnessed by a twelve year old, may not be the entire story, as Kyle only gives us that one character’s perspective. Many details may be left out or misinterpreted since a child probably doesn’t understand everything she sees. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As the story hurtles along, I often felt like the characters were being sucked into a vortex. They all seemed lost and struggling and frustrated. I think almost all of them felt somewhat helpless and out of control. Some of these frustrations they overcome, and others…well…let’s just say that not all the story lines end happily. They lose and win and lose again, some characters end up okay, others, not so okay. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ratings</b> (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page</a>.)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Crack Factor – 9.5.</b> It’s not that the beginning is slow, but the middle-end of this book is time stopping. Once I was invested in these characters and the story unfolded, I got seriously obsessed with this book and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what happened. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Distraction Factor – 9. </b>Relationships and families are complex. Alice’s family has more complexity than most, and I still find myself thinking about them. I wouldn’t call this a happy book or a feel-good book, but it is a thought provoking book and it was this depth that I enjoyed. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Enrichment Factor- ?. </b> I’m not a horse girl, but I did like reading about them and learning bits about this world of show horses and the people that compete in them, which is so far outside my everyday. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>PeopleFactor – 9.5.</b> Kyle’s characters are wonderfully flawed and complex. And to see them all through the eyes of a twelve year old girl, puts so many things into a unique perspective.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Story Telling Factor – 8.5.</b> While I liked the complexity of the plot and all the twists and turns in this story, I did think the ending was pretty abrupt. Maybe I would have ended it a chapter sooner and then had the last chapter as an epilogue of sorts. It just didn’t sit well. I think some of my book club members felt the same way. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor – 8</b>. According to what I’ve read about Aryn Kyle, this is her first book and she’s very young…like <i>I’m-almost-old-enough-to-be-her-mother</i> young. I’m not going to hold this against her. I think she’s quite talented, but there were a few things I noticed that were strange. I also read that this book started out as a short story and was later expanded and I think I found several parts where this expansion didn’t work very well. Kyle would repeat a scene or a phrase a page or two after she’d just written it. I did double takes each time this happened and would go back and read almost word for word what had just been said and then said again. Very strange. Maybe it’s an editing mistake? My point here is that it was distracting from the story. My own thoughts are that if the writing enhances the story, all the better, but I don’t think it should ever take you away from the story. And in these cases, it did. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Total rating: 8.9</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Endnote—this was a pick for my Inforum book club—some of the members chose to include their comments and thoughts on this previous entry of my blog, if you want to check them out---<a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/09/inforum-leisure-book-club-discussion.html#comment-form">click here. </a> <o:p></o:p></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-66572369426343469442011-11-14T22:05:00.000-05:002011-11-14T22:05:19.931-05:00Inforum Leisure Book Club Discussion for Down RiverOur December book is <u>Down River</u> by John Hart. If you would like to share thoughts, comments or questions that arise while you're reading the book, please post a comment. Please alert if you are going to include spoilers. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.johnhartfiction.com/images/book_down_widget.png" /></div>If you don't have a blogger account, it's easiest to comment anonymously. Looking forward to seeing you on December 12th!Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-28662107822998989602011-10-28T00:03:00.004-04:002011-12-31T11:31:15.778-05:00Emma, abandoned<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">In a conference room at my office, the idea was born: A little book club for the readers who were always talking books over the tops of the cubicles. Our first pick, quite by accident, was the <u>Jane Austen Book Club</u> by Karen Joy Fowler, prompting all of us to say--- “Hey we should read all the Jane Austen Books!” It seemed like such a great idea. We’d read one every other month for a year and be <b><i>Austen Experts</i></b>. And as we read them we could review the corresponding chapter in the <u>Jane Austen Book Club</u> at the end. Fun, right? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Putting it into practice, however, has had a few bumps. Maybe we picked the wrong book with which to start. October was <u>Emma</u>. One by one, all five of us abandoned her. We were all sort of enjoying it, but not enough to stick with it. Maureen claimed bad timing—it needs to be a winter-Sunday-afternoon- kind-of-book, not a busy-fall-during-marching-band-season book, when you only have 15 minute blocks at a time to read. For me, it was just too much of a meandering plot or lack thereof. Maybe I’ll finish it someday…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="261" data-width="176" height="261" id="rg_hi" src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTmJbePAkPBPczxEzj7z8kxI0g9hTQvdLMs0ToGXabRha3xuDiJ" style="height: 261px; width: 176px;" width="176" /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">So this is the non-review for Jane Austen’s <u>Emma</u>: I started it. Emma is a smart, but <u><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clueless_(film)">Clueless</a></u> busybody. <i>And she’s kinda bitchy.</i> Mr. Knightly (George, not John) is a solid 9 on the HTAF scale but not hot enough for me to keep my hands on him…I mean the book. I made it to page 172. But I do know how it ends thanks to Gweneth Paltrow and Wikipedia. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" class="rg_hi" data-height="269" data-width="187" height="269" id="rg_hi" src="http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTXpQYdxwQQe7ivL9ZKla17jLZrCSaZHeqvaxRlILVmaa5dhI99zQ" style="height: 269px; width: 187px;" width="187" /></span></div></div><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">We’re going to take a hiatus from Austen for a few months…</span></span>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-74303829122163375642011-10-27T23:56:00.001-04:002011-11-14T22:06:08.874-05:00Review of the Witch in the Well by Sharan Newman<div class="MsoNormal">I haven’t read many mystery novels lately. While I enjoy a good mystery, I’ve really moved away from the genre because they usually don’t have much character development. I was pleasantly surprised with <u>The Witch in the Well</u> by Sharan Newman, however. This is the tenth in the “Catherine LeVendeur” mystery series by Newman. I have not read any of the previous books in the series, stumbling on this quite by accident at the library, just picking it off the shelf when I was browsing one day. It was a fun, quick read, a nice little mystery and a most interesting setting. Catherine LeVendeur is a twelfth century French woman, and Sharan Newman’s background as a medieval scholar shines in this venue. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="The Witch In The Well by Sharan Newman" class="book" src="http://www.fictiondb.com/coversth/th_0765311240.jpg" /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s a quick synopsis: Catherine is a former novitiate, smart and sassy, now married to a Scotsman named Edgar with only one hand. Edgar’s business partner is Catherine’s Jewish cousin, Solomon (although the cousin part is a secret.) Her brother, Guillaume, is a Lord with many responsibilities. They receive a desperate plea from their grandfather, begging them to come to his castle for help. The entire family must come as all descendants are needed. Her sister, Agnes, married to a wealthy German, meets them at the Castle Boisvert, and so does Catherine’s mother, who has been in a convent for the past few years because of mental illness. At Boisvert, they discover that not a single child has been born in the castle in almost 20 years, and that is just the beginning of the problems. There’s a murder and an invading army on the way and it just gets better from there. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m quite eager to read more of this series, because I loved these characters and all their complex relationships. Catherine’s siblings and cousins and husband and in-laws and servants all play critical roles in the story and their interrelationships add to the complexity of each character. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The plot itself is typical of most mystery novels—unbelievable and forgettable. (It’s not been a month since I finished the book and I had to skim through it to remember what happened before I wrote the review!) Add in that the mystery is about a cursed castle and a spirit woman living down in a well and… You get the idea. But don’t let that deter you from reading, because I did find the setting, characters, story and writing style very entertaining. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ratings</b> (For an explanation of my rating factors, <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">please visit the Rating System Key page.</a>)<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Crack Factor – 8.</b> A great, fun, quick read. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Enrichment Factor – 9.</b><b> </b> Newman gets a lot of critical praise for being well researched. As a professor of medieval studies, she should know what she’s talking about. Medieval French life is well described through the eyes of these characters, so it’s quite a unique and engaging time and place for a mystery or two… <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>PeopleFactor – 9.75</b>. I HATE finishing a book when I love the characters. I am so glad Newman has nine other books where I can find these characters again.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Story Telling Factor – 8.</b> <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor – 8.5.</b> For a mystery writer, she’s pretty fab.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – 8.5.</b> The female characters in this book are strong and smart, especially when you consider they’re living in Medieval France. Part of me finds this fact a little unbelievable, but I wouldn’t want to read it if they were passive and boring, so for literary purposes, it’s perfect. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/2011/08/hotter-than-adam-factor-htaf-rating.html">Hotter than Adam Factor</a> – 8.5.</b> Not many books get HTAF ratings---but this one will. Edgar, Catharine’s husband is pretty wow. He gets an 8.5 at least. The relationship between Edgar and Catherine is supportive, loving and passionate. Edgar is a serious tough guy, despite having only one hand. (Apparently I have to read one of the previous books to know the details on that story…) Solomon, Catherine’s Jewish cousin and Edgar’s business partner, also gets an 8.5. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Total Rating: 8.6</b><o:p></o:p></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-88457336458817703972011-10-27T23:20:00.000-04:002011-10-27T23:20:43.380-04:00Inforum Leisure Book Club Discussion for Same Kind of Different as MeIf you want to post a comment or start a discussion about the book while you're reading <u>Same Kind of Different as Me</u> by Ron Hall & Denver Moore, please be sure to preface your comments with any spoiler warnings if need be. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a cmimpressionsent="1" href="http://www.christianbook.com/reader//1261076385?item_no=919107"><img alt="Same Kind of Different As Me -
By: Ron Hall, Denver Moore
" border="0" height="180" hspace="0" src="http://g.christianbook.com/g/product/9/919107.gif" valign="top" vspace="0" width="180" /></a></div>Posting advice---if you don't have an account with Blogger, it's easiest to post anonymously. See you in November.Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3200703759945100785.post-7825106413824425072011-10-26T22:28:00.003-04:002011-12-07T22:34:01.147-05:00Review of the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin<div class="MsoNormal">When I think back to my Women’s Studies classes in college, I remember one professor talking about how we <i>perform </i>our gender every day. I’m going to be simplifying this a lot more than the entire week we took discussing it in class, so forgive me. Each person’s sex is, of course, either male or female regardless of how someone chooses to act or dress. But being a <i>man</i> or a <i>woman </i>is a gender performance as much as it is an identification. This is a really striking thought that is part nature, but also results from what our culture nurtures. Little girls are taught to wear dresses and are told they are cute and pretty and little boys are dressed in camouflage and are called “buddy” or “tough guy.” Almost from birth we program people to act and look a certain way based on their gender.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TheLeftHandOfDarkness1stEd.jpg"><img alt="TheLeftHandOfDarkness1stEd.jpg" height="341" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/88/TheLeftHandOfDarkness1stEd.jpg/200px-TheLeftHandOfDarkness1stEd.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But what if gender didn’t exist? How would a culture look and act if there were no men or women, only humans? This is the primary question that Ursula Le Guin raises in her fascinating book, <u>The Left Hand of Darkness</u>. The story takes place on the planet of Gethen, called “Winter” by outsiders, because of its extremely cold temperatures. It begins many tens of thousands of years into the future when humans have colonized innumerable planets in the galaxy. The colonizers of Gethen, however, experimented with genetic manipulation and created a sub-species of humans that are completely hermaphroditic. All people are born with the potential to become either male or female. Adults come into a monthly period of fertility where they become either the male or the female. As one partner changes to female, the other would change to male. If a child is conceived the female continues the pregnancy and breastfeeds the child, but the male would revert back to the hermaphroditic state after mating. Each individual does not always become the same gender either, so the same person can both sire children and become pregnant at different times. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">The main characters in the book, are Genly Ai, an envoy from a consortium of planets that is trying to make contact with the Gethenians to share information and technology, and Estraven, a Gethenian native whose motives are misunderstood at the beginning of the story. Ai, being a human male, is perceived to be a “pervert” in Gethenian society because he is always in the male state, which to them is unnatural. He is also taller, stronger and darker skinned than most Gethenians, and they do not know what to think of him. Estraven starts out as Ai’s “sponsor” of sorts in one of the Gethenian kingdoms, but when the king banishes Estraven as a traitor, Ai must also head to another kingdom in search of a leader that will listen to his unbelievable claims of other planets, spaceships, and worlds beyond Gethenian imagination. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">An adventure begins, as our protagonists must escape persecution and prosecution. They travel from kingdom to kingdom, and across a glacier to find a willing ear to hear Ai’s story. It’s a survival story and a friendship story as much as it is a course of gender studies. As these two characters traverse the planet, they learn about each other’s cultures. We learn several things that are unique on Gethen. Unlike most humans who learn to value themselves in terms of being male or female, Gethenians do not have that distinction, so people are valued for their qualities as a human being. And even more interestingly, the Gethenians have no word for war. There is no rape, no seduction, no sexual abuse. It simply doesn’t exist for them. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">It does make you wonder what life would be like if that whole part of our lives didn’t exist. I remember a joke I heard once: <i>What would the world be like without men? A bunch of fat, happy women and no crime.</i> Of course the Gethenians aren’t fat on the whole, and they have their fair share of crime, but the gender issue was one of the most fascinating parts of this story. As Ai and Estraven become friends and start to explain their world to each other, Ai tries to describe how women are in his world. I’d never thought how you would describe the opposite sex to someone who would have zero frame of reference. Of course in our world this is irrelevant, but the idea was thought provoking. On the whole, this was a great adventure story made even greater by its unique setting. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Ratings</b> (For an explanation of my rating factors, please visit the <a href="http://booksrmycrack.blogspot.com/p/rating-system-key.html">Rating System Key page.</a>)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Crack Factor – 8.5.</b> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Distraction Factor – 9.5.</b> The gender identification issues in this book are so thought provoking that you’ll remember this book when you hear a news story about transgender people, watch Chaz Bono on Dancing with the Stars, or otherwise encounter gender identification questions, issues, stories and etc. in you own life. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>PeopleFactor – ?.</b> The characters are usually my favorite part of any book. I love strong, rich characters that are well described and well understood. This doesn’t feel like a character book to me. It seems more about the journey these characters take. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Story Telling Factor </b>– Like many sci-fi books, the reader is pretty lost throughout the first umpteen pages, as the setting is established. That part of a sci-fi book always bugs me, and this book is no exception. Getting thrown into a world of make-believe is irritating when you feel more lost than amazed, and I felt lost for longer than usual in this book. With that said, for being written more than 40 years ago, I only found a few instances where the content felt “dated.” <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Writing Skills Factor – 8.5</b>. Le Guin’s style is more complex than most writers, which I enjoy. This is not an easy, brainless read. It makes you work. It makes you think. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Bad Ass Babe Factor – 9.</b> There are zero women in this book! But I don’t think I can mark it down for that. So the BAB factor here is given to LeGuin, whose intellect, creativity and writing skill shine brilliantly in this story. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Total Rating: 8.875</b></div>Jennifer Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09332857627348794021noreply@blogger.com1