by Sharon Creech
Libby audiobook 2 hours
Read by: Brittany Pressley
Published: 2016
Genre: children's realistic fiction
This one kind of bugged me, but I focused more on my work than on the story.
Reena's parents make her and her brother Luke go help neighbor Mrs. Falala, even though she seems like a crabby and scary old woman to them. They help take care of her cow Zora, even learning to groom her and show her.
The end of the story is gratifying, though sad.
by Sharon Creech
Libby audiobook 2 hours
Read by: Kirby Heyborne
Published: 2018
Genre: children's realistic fiction
Little grey donkey! He is not expected to survive, but Louie (the protagonist boy) is determined to keep him alive. What a sweet little story!
Winslow "helps Louie feel closer to his brother Gus, who is far, far away in the army."
Nora is a quirky little girl who is afraid to become attached and experience loss.
by Cynthia Lord
Libby audiobook 5 hours
read by: Maria Cabezas
Published: 2014
Genre: YA realistic fiction
I hadn't realized that the narrator is the same person who read Handful of Stars. She does a great job!
Lucy's dad is a professional photographer who has the family moving frequently. She loves to take photos, too, but her dad is more critical than encouraging.
She is new to a quiet New England lake when she meets Nate, a nice kid whose grandmother is succumbing to dementia. They go on "loon patrol" and report back to her. I love loons, so I instantly connected with that part of the story!
I liked the story and the characters (except the dad - he bugged me). I liked the descriptions of the photographs and the contest. I love the loons!
by Cynthia Lord
Libby audiobook 4 hours
Read by: Maria Cabezas
Published: 2015
Genre: YA realistic fiction
This may be more "children's" than "young adult" . . . which is part of my review. Friendship, fitting in, etc. Lily (Tiger Lily) is being raised by her grandparents because her mom died when she was little. Maine is known for its blueberries and the annual festival crowns a Blueberry Queen each year. Lily's mom won it three years in a row - a record!
But . . . who has elementary aged kids do this? Most festivals have teens or young women as their "royalty." The idea of doing this with little kids just seems weird.
Lily's best friend is now interested in boys. Lily wants to earn enough money selling bee houses to get an operation for her dog so he can regain his vision. She connects with migrant worker Salma Santiago and together they want to help Lucky.
My faves: Salma's creativity and honesty! The vet and her kindness toward Lily. This line about summer:
"Enough afternoons to do every single thing you wanted to do, and even some days left over to do nothing at all. But somehow summer fills up and flies by."
Too true! (As I'm writing this on August 24, 2023 . . . )
A sweet book, but geared to younger readers.
by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Louise's copy paperback 324 pages plus historical note and authors' notes
Published: 2021
Genre: historical fiction
Interesting that I like historical fiction and I love libraries, but I didn't care much for this book. I definitely learned some new things, though! Belle Marion Greener was raised by Richard Greener (first Black graduate of Harvard and an activist for equal rights) and Genevieve Ida Fleet ( a member of a prominent Black DC family). Her parents separated when Belle was a teen and her mother chose to raise the family as white, since they were light-skinned enough and she saw the horrors of racial discrimination. Thus, the young lady became "Belle da Costa Greene" and her skin tone was attributed to fictional Portugese ancestors. She became J.P. Morgan's personal librarian and built a renowned collection of books and artifacts.
Page 19: "But the time for hope is past; things are only going to get worse. There is only black and white - nothing in between - and they will always be separate, but never equal. Segregation will take care of that."
This is part of a fight between Belle's parents before they split. They had huge ideological differences on how to best navigate life in America in 1905. I learned that the Supreme Court overturned the Civil Rights Act in 1890 . . . it's sad to think of what could have happened (in a positive way) if the politicians of the day hadn't fought to protect the status quo.
Page 121: But I could not have guessed London's greatest gift. Here, as I walk the streets, I don't feel the same assessment of my color that I routinely experience, and constantly anticipate, in America. Perhaps London's citizens don't have the same need to categorize us by race as they do in America.
I thought that was a very interesting observation. Also the next one.
Page 133: His eyebrows furrow. 'Because he's a Jew,' he spits in a tone that I've heard from him before. 'Or is rumored to be one anyway, though that is not what Berenson claims.' Inside, I sigh. Anti-Semitism is as rampant as racism against the colored in this country.
This makes me sad. People hating people because of skin color, religion, etc. makes our world more difficult.
Page 139: . . . a glimmering shade almost like grisaille . . .
A word I've never seen before! I knew it was a color, but I had to look it up. Dictionary.com says:
by James E. Amos
University of Minnesota Library hardcover 162 pages
Published: 1927
Genre: non-fiction biography
Oh. my. word. Where to start?!
I read about this somewhere else (don't remember!) and was curious. Teddy Roosevelt is one of the U.S. presidents I really like. I appreciate that he set aside National Parks for us! Especially since the railroad and timber barons were so powerful at the time.
This book was published the year my mom was born! There's a nameplate inside the front cover saying it was donated from the collection of O.M. Leland (dean emeritus) of the Institute of Technology (1921-1944) and his signature from July 1931! It's just a cool piece of history.
For the book itself, of course Amos is going to have an incredibly positive view of TR. As he tells of how he came to work for the president, he seems to be a wonderful man himself. He was only in his young twenties when he was hired to look after the Roosevelt children. Through his service to the family, he was proximal to President Roosevelt and worked for him for many years.
Page 8-9: Mr. Roosevelt was not only my employer, but he was until his death my dear friend to whom I could go always with my most personal and private troubles. I loved him deeply and served him, I hope, faithfully. And I have always liked to believe that he rather took a fancy to me at that very first meeting. That would be his way. Mr. Roosevelt's disposition was to like people. He never approached men with suspicion in his mind. He was always disposed to believe that people were all right and he liked those he met if they gave him half a chance.
I love the way Amos tells his stories; it's almost as though he and the reader are just chatting. It was also bizarre to picture what the White House was like just over 100 years ago . . . I'm guessing that in the last few decades, there are hundreds (if not thousands?) more employees!
Page 10: At first people used to swarm into the White House. The President's working quarters were there and altogether the little privacy the home part of the building enjoyed was subject to many interruptions. Under Mr. Roosevelt this was all changed. No President was as approachable as he was. He saw more people, probably, than any Chief Executive in our history. But he drew a line around that portion of the mansion which was called home, and he managed to keep his boys and girls living in a perfectly natural atmosphere in spite of the turbulent and stormy official life that swarmed all around them.
There are some fantastic photographs in the book. The picture of the author doesn't appear to show a black man, but later he refers to "his race." I looked him up online and found that yes, Amos was African American. The picture of the Roosevelt family shows the four boys and one daughter with the President, his wife, and their dog Skip.
Page 15: Public men are subject to all sorts of bitter criticism and if they filed suits against all the people who libeled them they would spend all their days in court. . . .
He had an "Ananias Club" to assign people who lied about him! It's one of those Bible stories that makes me stop and think about God's message about lying. I'm not surprised that part of being in the public eye is dealing with what people say about you, but I think it's interesting that there were two times Roosevelt charged people with libel. And that he started his "Ananias Club!"
Page 25: It was orders from home - from Mrs. Roosevelt - that whenever Mr. Roosevelt was traveling he must have one hour of absolute quiet during the day. He was a man of such tremendous energy that he would keep going forever if there was not someone around to slow him down. That was part of my job on all trips. . . . He preached the 'strenuous life.' But he also knew the value of the 'quiet hour.'
Reading this makes me curious to learn more about Mrs. Roosevelt! It is wise indeed to have some quiet time each day. In another chapter, Amos talks about some of the leading figures of the day and Mr. Roosevelt's relationship with them. I was surprised in this part about Booker T. Washington. (This is what I love about reading books like this - I learn new things!)
Page 56: . . . it is sometimes the little things that mar the effects of a man's work. And the fact that he preached to his race to send their children to manual training schools to learn to be good servants and workers, and then sent his son to England and his daughter to Wellesley to be educated, brought a good deal of criticism down on him from his own people.
Amos reprints a "wall motto" that was hanging at President Roosevelt's desk before he left the White House. It is "Opportunity" by John James Ingalls.
Master of human destinies am I;
Fame, love and fortune on my footsteps wait.
Cities and fields I walk. I penetrate
Deserts and seas remote, and, passing by
Hovel and mart and palace, soon or late,
I knock unbidden once at every gate.
If sleeping, wake; if feasting, rise, before
I turn away. It is the hour of fate,
And they who follow me reach every state
Mortals desire, and conquer every foe
Save death; but those who hesitate
Condemned to failure, penury and woe,
Seek me in vain, and uselessly implore.
I answer not, and I return no more.
I don't really like this poem, but the fact that it was meaningful to Roosevelt is interesting to me. It was most sad to me that Roosevelt grieved deeply for his youngest son, Quentin, who was shot down in France in July 1918. Theodore died six months later.
Page 158-159: But there was one disaster that I have always felt was too much even for his brave heart - that was the death of his son Quentin, whom we all loved. Quentin was shot down in an aeroplane while flying over the German lines.
Amos goes on to share about the change in Mr. Roosevelt's demeanor and his deep sadness. This is a lovely little book and I'm glad I read it!
by: Cynthia Lord
Libby audiobook 3 hours
Read by: Kate Reinders
Published: 2019
Genre: childen's realistic fiction
This was sweet, but clearly for an elementary age reader (interesting that I enjoy middle grades fiction so much!). Emma helps her game warden dad rescue a rabbit one evening. This is no wild animal; it's a pet! Holding it overnight to take to the shelter in the morning, Emma falls in love.
Oh, and Emma is going to public school for the first time after having been home schooled.
This is a story about fitting in and standing out. It's about kids and relationships and meanness and friendship. It's sweet but not terribly memorable.
by: Ellery Adams
Libby audiobook 9 hours
Read by: Johanna Parker
Published: 2014
Genre: murder mystery
When I "opened" this book to listen, it was on chapter 3. Apparently, I tried this once before and returned it unread and unblogged. This time I listened to the end. There were things I liked and things I disliked.
Here's the description that caught my attention (twice):
Tucked away in the rolling hills of rural western Virginia is the
storybook resort of Storyton Hall, catering to book lovers who want to
get away from it all. To increase her number of bookings, resort manager
Jane Steward has decided to host a Murder and Mayhem week so that fans
of the mystery genre can gather together for some role-playing and
fantasy crime solving.
But when the winner of the scavenger
hunt, Felix Hampden, is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the
valuable book he won as his prize is missing, Jane realizes one of her
guests is an actual murderer. Amid a resort full of fake detectives,
Jane is bound and determined to find a real-life killer. There’s no room
for error as Jane tries to unlock this mystery before another vacancy
opens up…
I liked the literary allusions! There were lots and lots and lots of references and some I didn't know. I liked that there were so many clues and twists.
Jane's twin sons were named Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Fun!
I like that so many of the guests thoroughly enjoyed the Murder and Mayhem activities and it benefited other businesses in the small town. It was fun to think that Jane would plan other theme weeks for Storyton Hall.
I didn't like "Mrs. Pratt" - she was probably why I stopped reading it the first time. She just seemed creepy. I'm not sure what her age was, but she came across as a middle aged sex-starved pervert. Yuk.
Aunt Octavia is sickening with her disregard for her own health (overeating and not exercising), especially considering her extreme concern for the big family secret.
Also, Aunt Octavia is spending money on extravagant clothes when Storyton is falling into disrepair and money is needed to take care of the building? What the heck!
The bend-over-backwards-to-appease the guests by Jane is absolutely mind-boggling. This was clearly written before the era of shaming Karen behaviors.
I didn't like how extreme the story got - they have a secret, hidden library that has untold treasures (like the fabled library at Alexandria). The Stewards are literal stewards of this treasure and Jane is now going to train to be a superhero of sorts. It just got to be a bit much.
by Markus Zusak
Libby audiobook 9 hours
Read by: Marc Aden Gray
Published: 2002 (this version 2006)
Genre: YA realistic fiction with fantasy elements
Wow. This was both bizarre and incredible. I think I remember getting this for PRMS, based purely on the popularity of The Book Thief. Well this book is NOT really for a typical middle school reader. It isn't just the swearing, violence, drinking, etc. that make it for an older reader; it's the deeply philosophical look at the meaning of life.
I just googled the author because the book (and the reader's accent) most definitely indicated Australia as the location of the story. Yes.
Here's Wikipedia's intro to the book: "The protagonist is Ed Kennedy, an uninspired 19-year old Australian taxi driver. Ed laments his mediocre life and strained relationship with his mother, as his father died recently and left Ed with only his dog, the Doorman, but does nothing to improve his situation, instead preferring to continue living alone and playing cards every week with his friends: Ritchie, who is unemployed and generally apathetic about life; Marv, a stingy carpenter; and Audrey, a fellow taxi driver whom Ed is in love with, although she does not reciprocate. After accidentally foiling a robbery he is proclaimed a hero by the public, though the robber leaves him a warning that he sees "a dead man" when he looks at Ed before being taken away by police. One night, he receives a small unmarked envelope, inside of which is an Ace of Diamonds with three addresses and times of day written on them. His friends deny involvement, so Ed investigates the three addresses."
"Beautiful women are the torment of my existence." - Ed, such a genuine, honest character.
Audrey, Marv, Ritchie, . . . Mila, Sophie, so many others . . . why the violence?
Playing cards - hearts last. Diamonds - 3 addresses. Clubs - names on rocks. (Beatings to start and finish.) Spades - authors / street names / family with Christmas lights. Hearts - friends.
The Doorman! Stinky dog, sweet friend. Conversations! Sharing coffee.
Conversation with his mom. Loss of his dad.
"Sometimes I wish I was a dog." - me, too, Ed. Me, too.
by Stephanie Landsem
Dakota County Library paperback 398 pages plus author's note
Published: 2023
Genre: Christian historical fiction
I didn't even wait until I finished the book to see how much of this was historically accurate! I also went online to read about the movie Mad Dog of Europe. I can't believe it was never finished! I'd love to see what was filmed in the 1930s. Fascinating stuff. Finding out that Landsem is a Minnesota author took me to her webpage. It would be so cool to talk with her about her book! Book Club meets in two days, so . . . probably not going to happen.
Liesl Weiss is a German woman raising her two children with her mother's help ever since her husband simply didn't come home from work one day two years previously. She is abruptly let go from her job as a secretary at MGM Studios and desperate to find a job to support the family. She is hired by Leon Lewis to spy on the German nationalists in Los Angeles. I'm not doing the story justice! It is so incredibly well-written. I'll just start with my post-it notes.
Page 37 - "With a pang of guilt, I caught the trolley and turned my mind to finding work instead of the unrelenting questions of motherhood."
Liesl is trying to be a 1930s supermom. She's working to support the family, trying to establish limits and discipline, be nurturing and supportive, and hope earnestly that her husband will show up. The "unrelenting questions" of motherhood have plagued many women!
Page 79 - "I pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her brow, wondering how to talk to a child about people like the Grundbachers."
Liesl's daughter Tess has been told by her Aryan classmates that she should not play with Frieda because she's Jewish and "Jews are dirty and have germs." Sadly, parents teaching their children prejudice, hatred, and racism is an evil that still happens today. It can be hard as a parent to figure out how to teach your children to respond to this. Liesl's answer was pretty lame, in my opinion. "Jesus did not have germs. Go to sleep now." Waiting until she's older isn't sufficient!
Page 85 - "Somebody needed to tell those kids the real enemies weren't the Jews or the Catholics or Negroes, like the Klan and the National Socialists wanted them to believe. The real enemies were poverty and injustice and ignorance - and hate."
Wilhelm was my favorite character! I love that he really cared about the young men being recruited by the Nazis.
Page 103 - "Vati had taught me that being German was something to be proud of - a culture that valued work and orderliness, love for family and duty to country."
I love how the author made Liesl such a relatable character. She took the job with Leon Lewis just to have some income. She was convinced that working at the German American headquarters will not lead to any spy-worthy information. After being given a copy of Mein Kampf, her reading leads her to question her assumptions.
Page 178 - "'But it is easier to turn a blind eye.' He tipped his head to the crowd of men hoping for a day's work. 'Especially when you have troubles of your own.'"
During this era in history, people were more concerned about economics, jobs, etc. They were past the "Great War" and not thinking so much about geopolitical events.
Page 192 - "'You don't have nothing to be sorry for,' she said. 'It's the way of the world.'"
A black woman with her two children says this to Liesl after Liesl apologizes that the woman was refused service at a restaurant. Her resignation that this is just the way of the world is so sad to me.
Page 210 - "He looked back at me and for a moment, I saw a flash of the boy I'd known. 'I love you too.'"
Oh! I love this scene between Liesl and her brother Fritz! She has been so frustrated by his choices in life and his becoming a Nazi. When she talks with him and reminds him that she loves him, I think it's a turning point for him.
Page 301 - "He was just a kid and kids shouldn't die. When they did, your heart died with them. And then you lived the rest of your life with a big hole in your chest."
I can't imagine losing a child! The fear that Liesl and Miriam feel for their children is palpable. Evil people doing evil things . . . and the innocent suffer.
Page 387 - "Our lives had been a mixture of struggles and joy but Tomas had loved me through the quarrels and our differences. I knew that now. I had not been abandoned. Not by Tomas and not by God."
It was so awful to find out what really happened to Tomas! I can't imagine the guilt of thinking he'd left her because he didn't even love her. As she explains to Tess and little Steffen, she recognizes that she has grown in her faith.
Author's Note - "Then there was what was happening in our own time in the United States. The years between 2016 and 2020 were ones of increasing division in our country. Families split along political lines. Our partisan government bickered instead of leading. The media lost credibility. Starting in 2020, a global pandemic created fear, peaceful protests turned violent, and mob mentality destroyed cities. Every part of our society struggled with isolation, distrust, and division. I began to see more clearly what might have happened during the privations of the Great Depression, the tragedy of the Dust Bowl, and the heightened racial tensions of the 1930s."
She is so eloquent! I really like this author.
Historical Note - "This is what I hope you gain from Liesl and Wilhelm's story: the truth about courage, conviction, and love that both encompasses and transcends the historical record."
Yes and amen. I loved that the theme of "If not me, who? If not now, when?" ran throughout the book. I also liked that the idea of love overcoming fear and hate is an idea that we can put into practice.
I look forward to this book discussion on Monday!
by Nancy Springer
Libby audiobook 32 minutes
Read by: Tamaryn Payne
Published: 2021
Genre: YA historical detective mystery
I've read several Enola Holmes mysteries. This novella is delightful. Enola's helper (the boy in buttons) is sick one day and so his little brother comes in his stead. The younger brother doesn't come back home and Enola goes to find him.
Short and satisfying. I enjoyed it and may get back into reading this series.
by Stuart Turton
Libby audiobook 17 hours
Read by James Cameron Stewart
Published: 2018
Genre: murder mystery with a fantasy twist
I'm not sure how to write about this book. It was strange. And pretty violent. But I was curious to find out the "whodunnit" aspect and so I finished the whole book.
From Amazon: "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man's race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem. Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense."
What I liked: the clues, the intellectual challenge of trying to figure out who was the murderer, Aiden as a character
What I disliked: the odd illogic / impossibility of living within several "hosts" and repeating the same day multiple times, the creepiness of the Footman and his psycho love of causing pain, the too numerous characters to the point of not even trying to figure out who's who, the fact that I was sucked in and completed a 17 hour audiobook!
by Dale Carnegie
Libby audiobook 8 hours
Read by: Robert Petkoff
Genre: Non-fiction, self-help (of a sort)
I was curious about this book because it's one I've heard of for over four decades. I finally requested it and after a long waiting period, got it to listen to. There are times I found it interesting and relevant. And then there are times I thought it hasn't been updated nearly enough! Some of the later portions are definitely in an older mindset of workers should always give their best for their workplace . . . and quite frankly, I don't think that all employers deserve their employees' "all" just to increase their own profits. Some of the advice seems to be more about common sense and common courtesy. I like how there are little stories and illustrations for all the points.
Here are the main points I jotted down:
Part One -
1. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.
Part Two -
1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.
6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.
Part Three - How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking
1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say "You're wrong."
3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person saying "Yes yes" immediately.
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8. Try earnestly to see things from the other's POV.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Throw down a challenge.
Part Four - Be a Leader
1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing others.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the person happy about doing the thing you suggest.
My favorite part was when he talked about how dogs give unconditional love and attention. I jotted "be like a dog!" :-)
Being a good listener is the advice I most need to improve upon.
I found a scrap of paper with notes about some quotations I'd like to save here.
"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln
"Actions seem to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness, if our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there." - William James
"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." (from Hamlet) - William Shakespeare
by April Henry
Libby audiobook 6 hours
read by: Tessa Netting
Published: 2023
Genre: YA murder mystery
"Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray, who is determined to re-open Layla's case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas - who has a secret of his own - Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla's murder. But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else."
This book bothered me more than I anticipated. I've read other April Henry books and I know I'm not her target audience, but some of the issues raised seem to be too easily dismissed.
Podcasting, journalistic integrity, research, innuendo, rumor, inaccurate info, sensationalism, perspective . . . especially when dealing with the true crime genre and real people's lives . . . it just didn't seem to address these questions very well.
The killer was not who I anticipated. I liked Jonas, except for being so upset with Piper for her untruth.
by: Rita Mae Brown
Libby eBook pagination dependent upon font size
Published: 2004
Genre: realistic fiction plus animal thoughts
A friend recommended this to me when I mentioned how much I enjoyed the animals' point of view in the Chet and Bernie mystery series. I had a hard time getting into this book and seriously thought about returning it unfinished.
The main character is the postmistress "Harry." I don't recall what her real name is and this moniker is from her soon-to-be-ex-husband's last name "Haristeen." I just looked - her name is Mary Minor Haristeen. But everyone calls her "Harry." Her cat Mrs. Murphy and her corgi dog Tucker share their side of the story. Crozet, Virginia is a small town where everybody is in everybody else's business. There were so many characters! It was a bit challenging to figure them out for a while. Oh! And Harry's spouse was named "Pharamond Haristeen" and went by "Fair."
A businessman is found dead in a cement mixer. A businesswoman is found in pieces after being tied to railroad tracks (she was already dead). Harry is snooping for clues and shooting her mouth.
This book wasn't one I'll eagerly read the rest of the series for. I did highlight a few passages, though.
Chapter 1: "What I'm getting at is that maybe we don't know one another as well as we think we do. It's a small-town illusion - thinking we know each other."
Susan and Harry are talking about who the killer might be.
Chapter 2: "Something had happened to America within Harry's life span, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but something she could feel, sharply. There was no contest between God and the golden calf. Money was God, these days. Little pieces of green paper with dead people's pictures on them were worshipped. (sic) People no longer killed for love. They killed for money. How odd to be alive in a time of spiritual famine."
This disheartening sentiment is sadly too close to the truth. The author herself isn't particularly spiritual, though.
Chapter 2: "Heaven was all very fine but you had to die to get there. Harry wasn't afraid to die but she wouldn't refuse to live either."
Harry is reflecting on Mrs. Hogendobber - the characteristically overbearing, obnoxious, self-righteous Christian. Harry observes that she "vainly clung to a belief system that had lost its power."
Chapter 10: "Mom used to say, 'A woman marries a man hoping to change him and a man marries a woman hoping she'll never change.'"
That's an interesting notion. It fit for Harry's marriage.
Chapter 10: "By the time Harry cleaned up the mess she was too tired to discipline them. To her credit, she understood that this was punishment for her leaving. She understood, but was loath to admit that the animals trained her far better than she trained them."
I get this! Animals can be super effective at training their humans.
Chapter 11 and another chapter had a group of animals talking about how humans don't kill the sick young like animals do. This made sense from the animals' point of view, but was a little concerning . . . at what age do we decide a "sick" person (e.g. a killer) should be put to death? Who decides?
Chapter 17: "What worried him was the example he set. He didn't want to be a slave to his job but he didn't want to be too lazy either. He didn't want to be too stern but he didn't want to be too lax. He didn't want to treat his son any differently from his daughter but he knew he did."
Ned was a great character, but we didn't see much of him other than disciplining his son for pulling $500 out of Ned's account.
Toward the end of the book, a character referenced the "War of Northern Aggression," and though I've heard of that name for the Civil War, it's a bit unsettling.
by Charles Dickens
Libby audiobook 15.5 hours
Read by: Simon Prebble
Published: 1861 (this version 2011)
Genre: realistic (historical) fiction
I can't believe I haven't blogged this before! I taught it to ninth graders back in the 90s. I've read it multiple times, but not in recent years. (I've not yet seen a movie version.)
I'd forgotten some of the details and was delighted to reacquaint myself with "the Aged Parent" and some of the other characters. It's amazing to me how powerfully Dickens can evoke emotions and examine human nature in his characterizations.
As always, I start the story being sympathetic to Pip and upset with his sister, Mrs. Gargery. Joe Gargery is a fascinating character, strong, kind, sympathetic. He had an abusive dad and he wanted to protect his mother. He put up with Pip's sister because of the kind of person he was, not because of her merits. He was an illiterate blacksmith who did his best to protect Pip. (I had forgotten what happened to Mrs. G . . . )
"Philip Pirrip" came out of the little boys' mouth as "Pip." I love that name! I had forgotten that Herbert Pocket had given him the nickname of "Handel."
Miss Havisham was her creepy self as I remembered. I had forgotten her grief at realizing what Estella had become.
There were a couple of times that I wasn't sure of what word I heard. I only jotted down one from chapter 8: "farinaceous—having a mealy or powdery texture." (https://nycmsenglish.weebly.com/great-expectations-vocabulary.html)
Some of my favorite parts were when Pip spoke up for Matthew Pocket to Miss Havisham, when Joe came to nurse Pip back to health, and when Herbert rescued him on the marshes.
My least favorite characters were Compeyson, Orlick, and Pumblechook. My favorites were Pip (most of the time), Wemmeck, and Joe. Joe is the best!
by Ally Carter
Libby audiobook 8 hours
read by: Laura Knight Keating
Published: 2021
Genre: YA mystery, adventure
I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first Winterborne book, but April, Collin, and the other orphans are firmly attached to Gabriel Winterborne and they strive to "help" him as they seek adventure. Some mysteries and loose ends from the first book are tied up. The island was interesting. The bad guys were really bad.
by Deborah Crombie
Libby audiobook 7 hours
read by: Michael Deehy
Published: 2006
Genre: Murder mystery
Honestly, this wasn't a very memorable book. I finished it last week and had to read the description to remember what it was about.
Detective Duncan Kincaid is on vacation when a dead body shows up. It's not his jurisdiction, but he is a police officer with Scotland Yard, so . . . the local cops do NOT appreciate his interference in their case. Then another body turns up.
There were SO MANY characters, I couldn't really keep them straight. Lots of flirty stuff and innuendo. It was an okay murder mystery, but not one where I'm eager to find others by this author.
by Melanie Conklin
Libby audiobook 6 hours
Read by: Christopher Gebauer
Published: 2022
Genre: YA realistic fiction
I listened to this while at work yesterday. It was okay. Something happened to cause Will to be in a coma. Max is struggling to figure out what really happened when he, Will, and Joey, followed some older boys into the woods in the middle of the night.
There were things I liked about this book, but it wasn't overwhelmingly fabulous. The perspective of a kid with ADHD and how he tries to manage his life was interesting. (I love the idea of OHIO - Only Handle It Once. You could also call this "do it now.")
I liked his relationship with his uncle and the woodworking. I liked Sam (the girl in his class) and how they worked as a team to figure things out.
It was interesting that part of the story dealt with people's perceptions of Max, who was almost six feet tall as an 11 year old sixth grader. There were a lot of perception themes running through this.
The mystery wasn't what I expected. It was okay, but not great.
by Ally Carter
Libby Audiobook 7 hours
Read by: Brittany Pressley
Published: 2018
Genre: YA mystery
This started out well, but was incredibly cringe-worthy by the end. Maddie is the daughter of the head of Secret Service. Logan is the President's son. They are best friends until Russian bad guys try to kidnap Logan's mom and Maddie's dad is shot. Maddie and her dad head to the Alaskan wilderness with no internet connection and minimal human contact for six years.
I liked the letters from Maddie to Logan. They really helped set the scene for her changing personality and alienation from her best friend. Him going off the rails as a teenager and trying to get away from the Secret Service protection was believable.
When the story veered off into the teenage angst of longing and shallow insecurity, I was already curious to see how the story would turn out, so I listened to the end.
It wasn't very realistic to see the change in the character of Stefan, but I ended up liking him. I liked Maddie when she was tough Alaskan survival girl, but was irritated when she fretted about her hair. How interesting that I liked Carter's story for younger readers (The Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor) better than this one for older readers!
