Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit

by Francis Chan
Hennepin County Library paperback 166 pages
genre: non-fiction Christian faith

I love this book! But I'm torn about buying a copy to keep (when I'm trying to be frugal and decrease my possessions) or just re-checking it out from the library. Chan raises some important questions about faith and living for God versus self.

I want to take time to reflect on these passages:

I was vacillating between just getting out of this book whatever I could (and getting it back to the library since someone else was waiting for it) and wanting to own a copy. I'm trying to own fewer things, yet after paying $2.10 in overdues fees, I think I just want to own a copy. It would make a great devotional, in a way. He keeps writing that you should put the book down and pray about what he has brought up. I love how he keeps putting the focus onto God and God's Word. Phenomenal book.

Saturday Night Dirt

by Will Weaver
PRMS paperback 163 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

This is for 8th grade book club. I didn't especially enjoy it (especially compared to other Weaver novels). There were waaay too many characters for a short book like this: Trace, Mel, Johnny, Patrick, Beau, Amber, Tudy, Sonny, Leonard, Cal, Larry, Richie, . . . .it was a challenge to keep them all straight! Car racing. Okay.

Perfect Chemistry

by Simone Elkeles
Hennepin County library audiobook 8 CDs
genre: teen romance
readers: Roxanne Hernandez & Blas Kisic

Intriguing. I'd say it's a bit too mature for my students, but I already know of one girl who has read it (a copy she borrowed from another of my students). Brittany is the "perfect" blond cheerleader who doesn't let anyone know her real story. Alex (Alejandro) is the tough but gorgeous gang member who's not really as bad as everyone thinks. Naturally, they fall for one another after being assigned as chemistry partners. There was some nice layering in this story and enough conflict to keep it really interesting. I definitely liked Alex's story better than Brittany's. Neither reader had an overwhelmingly wonderful quality, but they weren't total turnoffs, either. Brittany was a bit too whiny for me. Not sure yet if I'll read the other books in the series, but if I do, it will be the print versions!

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd

by Jim Fergus
Carver County Library paperback 302 pages
genre: historical fiction

Amazing book. Powerful and painful. I have notes, but I'm too tired to check them now. I didn't have the book read before we discussed it, but I'm so glad I've finished it. I had to put it down at times, because I knew it would come to bad parts. Will write more later.

I'm always amazed when a male author so successfully writes from a woman's perspective.

(added 4/5/13 from notes)
 pages 30/31 - letter "from" her father giving permission for May to participate in the Indian bride program . . . interesting how well she knew her father and how to write this deceptive letter

page 54 - Narcissa White is supposed to be an evangelical Christian, but she's just an awful, judgmental woman. I was so thankful for the character of Brother Anthony to counteract her!

pages 58/59 - the buffalo kill, just for the sport of it. Horrible.

pages 74/75 . . . not sure about this note. Perhaps marking my page from when I had to return the book to the library??? I went back and forth between the print & audio versions.

(added 4/27/13 from other notes . . . I have a lot of clutter in my life right now.)

Captain Bourke
Euphemia
Martha
Susan & Meggie Kelly
Chief Little Wolf
Horse Boy
Reverend Hare
Father Anthony

page 163 - Gertie and May talking about what a person needs - safety . . . security . . . love, perhaps.
 Love - that's the easy part. Don't appreciate what you've got until you don't have it.

Page 255 - white vs. Indian philosophy - ". . . the only true hope for the advancement of the savage is to teach him that he must give up this allegiance to the tribe and look toward his own individual welfare." Great paragraph! The irony of what the "civilizing" of the Indians would mean, in becoming more like the whites and less like their own culture is both painful and amazing.

page 273 - Father Anthony - "The People recognize a holy man by his own actions, and the monk's simple faith and self-denial, his fasts and penances are something the Cheyennes well understand . . . "

Page 293 - Father Anthony's codicil - God is not vengeful - "God is full of Grace, Light, and infinite Mercy."

Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach their Kids about Money that the Poor and Middle Class Do Not

by Robert Kiyosaki
Hennepin County Library paperback 183 pages
genre: non-fiction financial literacy

I wish I had kept track of the review I read that recommended this book. I wanted to read it as an educator - what is it that kids in less affluent families need to know? But as I read it, I thought about my own life and financial knowledge (or lack thereof). I still would rather follow Jesus, be poor, bless others, and store up my treasures in heaven. But here are some notes I made (before I return this to the library!) and things I'm still pondering:

page 55 - "Because students leave school without financial skills, millions of educated people pursue their profession successfully, but later find themselves struggling financially. They work harder but don't get ahead. What is missing from their education is not how to make money, but how to manage money. It's called financial aptitude - what you do with the money once you make it, how to keep people from taking it from you, how to keep it longer, and how to make that money work hard for you. Most people don't understand cash flow. A person can be highly educated, professionally successful, and financially illiterate. These people often work harder than they need to because they learned how to work hard, but not how to have their money work hard for them."

page 70 - he says that people like me (and most people) are 1. - working for the company, 2 - working for the government (taxes), and 3 - working for the bank (paying mortgage & interest)

page 112 - "Most people never win because they are afraid of losing. That is why I found school so silly. In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. yet if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk. The same is true for learning to ride a bike. I still have scars on my knees, but today I can ride a bike without thinking. The same is true for getting rich." I agree with him on making mistakes - too often, we're looking for students to "get it right" rather than to actually learn . . .

page 134 (back to theme of willingness to lose) "I've said that falling off my bike was part of learning to ride. I remember falling off only made me more determined to learn to ride, not less. I also said that I have never met a golfer who has never lost a ball. For top professional golfers, losing a ball or a tournament provides the inspiration to be better, to practice harder, to study more. That's what makes them better. For winners, losing inspires them. For losers, losing defeats them."

Lots to think about and consider. He readily admits that most taxes are paid in by the poor and middle class . . . for me it brings up thoughts of Leona Helmsley - "taxes are for the little people" or whatever she said. Interesting and sad. But he also says that giving is very important and that he and his wife give a lot of money away. But he basically advocates for making money off investments (real estate, stocks) and not paying taxes to the government.

No Easy Day: the Autobiography of a Navy SEAL

by Mark Owen, with Kevin Maurer
Dakota County Library hardcover 299 pages
genre: memoir

This was our book for school book club. It was apparently very controversial because SEALs are supposed to keep everything they do very hush-hush. The author said he got tired of listening to the president and lots of other people who weren't present at the raid on bin Laden's compound talking about the event (and the media for misreporting lots of info). So he wrote his own book talking about the SEALs and their missions, especially the mission to take out bin Laden.

I didn't enjoy this book. It was somewhat interesting, but I do not get excited about prose that is mostly full of military acronyms and "we got these weapons and got on this chopper and took out this target" language. It's just not the kind of language that an author like Cleave uses. And the whole "take out the target" mentality . . . you're murdering people. And whether or not those murders are justified, it's still murder. And think of the little kids who saw these men come into their home and gun down their father. Do you think they're going to grow up to have any willingness to work with Americans? I'm not just referring to the raid on bin Laden's compound - there were lots and lots of other "missions" with "targets" in Afghanistan, Iran, and other places. I can't wrap my head around the mentality that we (Americans) are doing this all around the globe and justifying it as fighting terrorists. I think many people in other countries see us as the terrorists.

My opinions did NOT go over well at book club  . . . . guess I'm in the minority here.

Gold

by Chris Cleave
Hennepin County Library audiobook, 10 CDs
read by Emilia Fox
genre: realistic fiction

Chris Cleave is an amazing author! Although I like Little Bee more than this story, his writing is powerful and gripping. This tale of personal demons and Olympic glories entranced me. I couldn't completely dislike Zoe as she and Kate battled for supremacy in track cycling. Kate's story broke my heart with her love for Jack, daughter Sophie, and even her love for Zoe as a friend. Even though this was due back at the library three days ago, I *had* to finish it!!! I'll gladly pay the fine.

Fox's vocal work was impeccable! She got Tom's Aussie accent, Jack's Scottish brogue, and the women's lovely accents as well. Fantastic all the way around.

Wonder

by R.J. Palacio
PRMS hardcover 315 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

I read this more than a week ago . . . and truly enjoyed it. I didn't cry as much as I expected to (based on other people's reviews), but it was definitely moving. August (Auggie) has a seriously deformed face but will be starting fifth grade at Beecher Prep school. His sister is also starting a new school and her life's story is intertwined with that of her little brother. Touching, sad, funny . . . this book is a worthwhile read for people of many ages!