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Good Omens: A Book In Review

In book club we had been reading a lot of serious, nonfiction books. They were all good but it seemed like it was time to lighten the mood and read something a little different. So Good Omens written by Teri Pratchet and Neil Gaiman was chosen. My of my what a great book. It is all about the Apocalypse. But everything goes wrong: the antichrist was misplaced and landed in a nice little British family, an angel and a fallen angel have become friends over the thousands of years they have been on earth together and happen to like the world the way it is. This book is full of everything: aliens, Atlanteans, Tibetans digging tunnels, and the four Horse "persons."

I found myself laughing out loud at the clever anecdotes and interpretations of the end of the world. I admit that there were many that I knew should be funny but were beyond me (the authors are both British and seem to have some inside jokes with their countrymen). There was a point in the book when I wanted a little less description and a little more... action. But soon the ball was rolling and the end of the world upon them.

So if you are looking for a funny, interesting read, go pick up Good Omens from your local library or bookstore and read on, friends.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: A Book In Review

(Source)

I had often seen this book floating around booklists and libraries but honestly never really thought to read it. It was choosen for book club and I am so glad that I finally sat down and read it. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings is the autobiography of Maya Angelou and tells the story of her growing up. The majority of the book takes place in Arkanas and deals with the struggles she faced including racisim and rape. Though dealing with these difficult issues, Dr. Angelou writes in from the perspective she had as a young girl.

This book opened some great conversation for our book club as we talked about rape, banning books (this book is often banned from schools and libraries), and writing an autobiography as literature. It was a wonderful book and really made me sit and think, as a mother, how I felt about books being banned.

You can see more of what I found here.

My Life in France: A Book In Review

"Good results require that one take time and care."

There are a couple of people that stand out in my memories of watching television while growing up: Bob Ross so effortlessly painting tree and birds and creating landscapes from nothing but a canvas and paint and Julia Child, with her distinct voice and her excitement for good food.

After reading Julia Child's memoir I have felt so inspired by her passion and determination to really learn. She was not always a cook. Her food did not always taste wonderful. But she loved food and her husband and worked oh so hard. And how inspiring was her relationship with Paul. They strengthen each other, supported each other, and were best friends. I love the picture above, where they sit side by side, working side by side. It is so romantic and (can I say it again??) INSPIRING!

Julia's memories and thoughts on her experiences really made me ask a few questions of myself:

Am I supporting my husband in the things he loves?

Do I really put effort in learning and growing?

What is it that motivates me, pushes me?

I really loved reading My Life In France. It was so different that I thought it would be and has changed me. (Plus every time I go to the DI I search out a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which I have yet to find, though I did score Volume II for a couple of bucks.) A friend let me borrow Mastering the Art... so I could make a recipe of Julia's for book club. Though I don't know if it turned out how it was supposed to be, it was yummy and I learned so much about cooking just through that one recipe and perusing the book.

Now I want to wander market places and cook something delicious...

Jane Eyre: A Book in Review

“The incident had occurred and was for me: it was an incident of no moment, no romance, no interest in a sense: yet it marked with change one single hour of a monotonous life.”

“No wonder you have rather the look of another world. I marveled where you had got that sort of face. When you came on me in Hay Lane last night, I thought unaccountably of fairy tales, and had half a mind to demand whether you had bewitched my horse: I am not sure yet.”

I used to believe to be able to truly call myself a reader I had to be a fast reader. Read multiple books every month. Remember all the details. So when it took me over a year to finish Jane Eyre, Iwas a little bit ashamed. But truth be told, I am a slow reader. Well, I am medium. Not slow. Just slower than some. And that is alright, isn't it? I can still call myself a reader, right?

And I don't want you to think any of it is Ms. Eyre's fault. She kept me company through pregnancy doctor visits and entertained me with witty commentary through long drives and late nights. She even sat with me through those hard months after Millie was born.

That Ms. Eyre, she is a loyal friend.

And I loved her. I love her for standing up to what she believes in and doing it even when it meant giving her chance at love up. It is so much more than a love story but such a unique love story too.

One of my favorite parts?

“Who in the world cares for you? Or who will be injured by what you do?

“I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God. … Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour … If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worth—so I have always believed. … Preconceived opinions, foregone determinations, are all I have at this hour to stand by: there I plant my foot.”

Sometimes characters in books are referred to as heroines or heros but they lack the qualities that entitle one to such a name. But Jane really is a heroine. She has courage and self respect.

This is a great book, well worth the time and effort I put towards reading it. (It probably won't take you as long, I promise. Read it. Really.)

Plus, sometimes I wish we could speak how they spoke, eh?

“ere long I found you full of strange contrasts.”

“there was a pleasurable illumination in your eye occasionally”

“for with him I was at perfect ease, because I knew I suited him”

“in his presence I thoroughly lived; and he lived in mine.”

Wonderful.

If you are frightened of classics and whether or not you will be able to read them, start with Jane Eyre.  With an exciting storyline and gothic style, it will surely become a favorite of yours.

If you love Jane Eyre and are looking for another book to satisfy that particular craving, I would highly recommend reading The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Even if you don't like Jane Eyre or you have never read it, The Thriteenth Tale is a great book. 

Romancing Miss Bronte: A Book in Review

Life, believe, is not a dream

So dark as sages say:

Oft a little morning rain

Foretells a pleasant day.

~Charlotte Brontë, from the poem “Life”

Though poetry has never been my forte, I have always had a soft spot for the Brontë’s. In middle school, I would print off their poetry and read them over and over, until parts were committed to memory. They drew splendid pictures with their words, talking about nature, relationships, passion, and pain. It was easy to be drawn into their world, though I admit to knowing little of their lives. In years past, I have read Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë) and Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë), and though I grew in respect for their talents and the characters they created, I still knew little of the authors themselves.

A couple of months ago, a well-read aunt of mine told me that she was reading this book that was really quite interesting. The book: Romancing Miss Brontë by Juliet Gael. Seeing the title, I admit to having judged rather quickly (and harshly) what the book would be about. But knowing my aunt and her taste in literature, I ordered the book for Christmas.

As I read, I was more and more impressed with the quality of the writing and the thoroughness of the research. I was drawn into the portrait of the lives of the three remaining Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne). Though the author focuses primarily on Charlotte (the oldest of the sisters), the reader can see the devotion and love the sisters have for one another and for their writing.

If you know anything of the lives of the Brontë’s, you know that their lives were full of sorrow and loss. Living in “respected” poverty, caring for their aging father and drunken brother, and living at a time when women were harshly criticized and judged, they wrote works of literature that touched the lives of many then and now. I was completely engaged with the process they went through, to write, get published, and survive the opinions, both positive and negative, that the public had of their writings and personal lives.

It isn’t until the very last part of the book that romance begins to play a more front stage role (though the entire book is full of the hope and hopelessness of love and passion). Juliet Gael paints a picture of the relationship between Charlotte and her husband, Arthur, first showing her indifference and his devotion, and eventually showing the deep love that both had for one another. It is a tender, heart wrenching romance that left me with immense love and respect for both Charlotte and Arthur.

Needless to say, I am completely impressed with the depth of the research and the use of facts in creating a novel that depicts the life and character of Miss Charlotte Brontë. It was intriguing and sweet, heartbreaking and tender. In fact, I am so enamored with this book and Charlotte (and Arthur) that I am struggling to stop thinking about it. I also have to add that I think even men, who have an appreciation for the work of the Brontë’s, would enjoy this book.

 

Curiouser and Curiouser: A Review

 

 

 

Let me see a raise of hands from those who like the imagination of Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Anyone? A few. Good.

I have always been a fan of the somewhat odd and out there style and creativity of Lewis Carroll. The Disney movie based on his book was cute and fun, with the perfect amount of oddity. A fantasy world, full of “mad” characters who are in the imagination of a child… or are they real. Who really knows?

There are many opinions in regards to whether or not Carroll was crazy or on drugs when he wrote this tale, but I am of the opinion that it is an amusing tale of adventure and childhood imaginings. As children, we took everything literally. Like when your dad said you were going to “Bushes” to get some milk. Knowing that the current president of the United States was President Bush Sr., you were in awe that #1 your dad actually knew the President, and #2 that the President of the United States of America was going to give you some milk.

That is how Lewis Carroll writes. He takes those childhood imaginations and puts them to work. He takes ideas that adults grow out of and uses them to create a world where it is all possible and very real. Alice meets a Mock Turtle, of which Mock Turtle Soup is made, of course, and rabbits that wear dinner coats and pocket watches, Hatters whose watches have stopped at tea time, forcing them to have tea time forever and ever and ever.... Logical twists and nonsensical conversations frustrate and annoy the poor little Alice who no longer knows what she knew, including who she is.

 

 

 

I have learned a few things here and there about Lewis Carroll and his famous tale that makes me love the book even more.

Did you know? “Lewis Carroll” is just a pseudonym. The authors’ real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. It has been said that he created this story of a bored little girl entering the dream-like world of Wonderland at the request of three young girls with whom he was on a boat trip, one of which was named Alice Liddell. The real Alice requested that Dodgson write the tale down for her, and after 3 years, he gave her the handwritten manuscript originally titled Alice’s Adventures Under Ground. 

Or, where you aware of the many mathematical references throughout the book (Carroll was a mathematician at Christ Church)? For instance, the Mad Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse give examples of mathematical logic, used in mathematical proofs. “Why, you might just as well say that ‘I see what I eat’ is that same as ‘I eat what I see’.” That my friends, is what math nerds like to call an inverse relationship. 

 

 

I admit, I bought the book years ago but have yet to read it until now. Why now?

Just because.

No but really, I decided it was time to read it because the new adaption of the tale created by Tim Burton that has come to the big screen in recent weeks. I am a fan of Tim Burton films. He is probably best known for his work on The Nightmare Before Christmas, a movie both loved and hated by many. His knack for a dark imagery has made him a favorite of the Hot Topic gothic generation for years. Although I am obviously not gothic and don’t typically lean towards the dark side, I am a fan of his interesting imagination, style, and his ability to create something from a fresh perspective and in a unique light (which is exactly what he did with Alice and many more of his films).

Some of my favorites that he has created as producer, director, or writer (not necessarily all for each film) are James and the Giant Peach, Big Fish (!!!), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the 2005 version), Corpse Bride, and of course, Edward Scissorhands (this was the first of 8 films that Tim Burton has done with Johnny Depp).

Of all the people to make a new version of Alice in Wonderland, I think Tim Burton was a perfect choice. His imagination fits right into the chaotic world Alice falls into. It fits so fantastically that those who are not typically fans of the craziness of Burton still really enjoyed his depiction of Wonderland and the characters that reside there. I would submit that that is a great feat.

So my suggestion: if you don’t typically like these types of books and movies, give them a try. And even if you are, go to the library and check the book out. Read it to your children. The book is a short read. And go see the film. Maybe wait until you can see it in the dollar theater (seeing as how they sure like to over price those movies in the regular theaters), but try it out.

Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised.