EBN A Book that Became a Movie:The Shack by William Paul Young

In our library they have a display of "quick reads". These books are not especially short, but they are books that are in high demand and can only be checked out for seven days at a time with no renewal. I typically finish with plenty of time and return the book on my next library visit (usually Wednesdays), I got busy while reading this book and didn't get around to it till the day before it was do. I really wanted to finish it though so I swallowed the $.10/day fine and returned it three days late. Sometimes it's just worth it.

I saw a trailer for this movie and decided it was one I probably wouldn't be able to see. It starts out with the kidnaping and murder of a little girl who looks a little too close to my Penny. All stories like that, real of fiction, give me nightmares. I have a hard enough time sleeping without inviting horrifying dreams into my head. But a few weeks ago a friend was talking about the book and said it was really pretty good. I saw the book on display and decided I could give it a try. The beginning was heartbreaking, though kind of unrealistic. The whole rest of the book was a weekend the surviving father spends with God (aka Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu or the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost). The book sparked some interesting conversation, like what race do you think Heavenly Father is. The theological ideas in the book were interesting. What I found most interesting was that as I was reading it, I kept finding things that would ring true with me and other things that really just fell flat. It may be that I was just picking and choosing those things that fall inline with my own theological ideas, but I think it was more than just me. I think that the Spirit testifies of truth regardless of where it is coming from. Reading this book was like looking at the stars through a very cloudy sky; a lot of confused conjecture but little glimmers of genuine truth.

As interesting as the discussions of doctrine were, they were also kind of boring and felt forced. The best part of the whole story was the narrative. The story was beautiful and so relatable, regardless of personal circumstances. No matter who we are we all need healing of some sort, we all need to forgive and be forgiven, and we all need to find the love that comes in our relationship with our creator. I definitely didn't agree with all the ideas in this book, but the love expressed in it was thick and beautiful and I loved it.

EBN A History Book: How to be a Victorian by Ruth Goodman

Some how I found this BBC television series on YouTube called the Victorian Farm. I was curious so I watched the first episode and found it super interesting. I ended up binge watching the entire series, as well as the spin off series' Victorian Pharmacy, Edwardian Farm, Monastic Tudor Farm, and War Time Farm. Right now I'm watching the one they did about the Railway in England, but haven't had a ton of time to watch it. I really loved the shows. They featured my favorite type of history, the nitty-gritty parts of everyday life. I love seeing the everyday reality of peoples lives, how it was then compared to now. There was so much difference between now and then, but also so much the same. While watching, I saw a promotional video that one of the main historians on the shows wrote called How to be a Victorian. It sounded really great, and I decided to check it out.

This book was everything I hoped it would be. It covers all of the day to day stuff people expereinced, from when they woke up in the morning till when they went to bed at night. It covered all sorts of interesting things that I didn't know about like the fact that they rarely lit the fireplaces in their bedrooms, even the wealthy ones. They saw it as a frivolous expense and only lit fires in bedrooms if someone was ill. They also had this idea that disease was spread by bad smelling air so people would have their windows open all the time, even in the middle of winter. There were stories of extremely poor people who had a clutch of children all huddled together for warmth with the window wide open. Also, poorer people didn't usually make their own clothes, they would by them second hand; explains why having the latest fashions was such a big deal.

The craziest stuff was how human waste was disposed of. I knew people in rural communities just used outhouses and either filled them up and then moved them or kept them regularly composting. I actually know of a few people who live in the boonies out here in the American West who still use outhouses. But I had never really given it much thought on what people in urban areas did with all that extra waste. Well, they would fill up lined cesspits and they night-soil men would come and remove it. The system was far from perfect and there were some serious problems that came up while they were creating a system that actually worked (e.g. huge cholera epidemic).

Probably the worst part about the Victorian era was its unregulated and excessive use of opioids in everyday, over the counter medicines. Not only could you easily and cheaply get opioids for adults, but they were widely used for infants and children. Medicines that were that were meant to help babies with things like teething or tummy bubbles were full of addictive substances. On top of this the amounts even in the same product brand varied. The risk of overdosing your child was very real. She gave some crazy statistic like one in five infant deaths was caused by opium overdose. The infant meds weren't the only terrible products designed for babies. Ugh, the Victorian era has to have been one of the worst times to be a baby. I have a hard time giving my kids any medicine, even tylonol, I think the craziness of the Victorian times might have made me even more leary. This book made me so grateful for things like modern science, vaccines, indoor plumbing, sewage treatment plants, and central heating. A really great read.

EBN A Book by an Author with Your Name: Radio Girls by Sarah-Jane Stratford

Well, here comes another dumping of book challenge entries. This having only one computer while your husband is going to school full-time is for the birds. He is either at school with the computer or doing homework at home with it. It only ever seems to be available late in the day when I am too tired to read, let alone type. I caught a lucky break today though. He is neither at work or at school and doesn't feel like studying this morning. So I am seizing my opportunity and  entering the last few books I've read before the opportunity is lost.

Radio Girls is a story that takes place in the late 1920's. I covers the working experience of a secretary at the BBC. The book as a very strong feminist message and highlights the work of Hilda Matheson (one of the first and most successful female producers). I really liked the story, especially the evolution of the main character Maisie. It felt like her negative perception of the female was a bit exaggerated, but maybe not. Perhaps people really did view women as weak and one dimensional, but based on what I've  read, that feeling was mostly due to a lack of imagination rather than the intentional repression of a race. There were genuine misogynistic pigs in roles of power for sure. Maisie's perspective may have been exaggerated at the beginning of the book to show greater contrast, but her confidence at the end was strong and felt real.

I really enjoy most feminist literature and read a lot of it in college, but I do have my qualms about it. I feel that in our effort to be considered the equals of men we strive to become like them, losing all the beautiful characteristics that make us female. By throwing off those things that make us feminine, we are not showing  the world that women are the equal of men, we are only showing that the male is better and all genders should strive for it. At the same time there are those who say that all those things that make us women not only make us the equal of men, but make us better. I find myself going down that particular rabbit hole all the time. But that stand is flawed too. Men and women are different, as they should be, but those differences don't make  us of unequal value. I really believe that men and women need each other and that both are dependent on the other in more ways than just procreation.

EBN A Young Adult Book: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

I must have really needed a good teenage romance novel, because I just devoured this book. I was driving to Utah to visit my family and needed a book to listen to on the way since it was going to be just me and the kids. I picked a YA book on CD thinking it couldn't possibly have anything too bad in it. It was meant for teenagers, right? They don't put naughty stuff in teenage books, do they? I am apparently loosing touch with my teenage self because they definitely do. Actually, there really wasn't anything very bad in this book, but the language was a bit too "mature" for my 7 year-old's ears. I listened to it anyway, that is how badly I got wrapped up in this book.

So, either I had friends who just seldom swore around me or high schoolers don't cuss as much as the ones portrayed in this book. Maybe I just hung out with a different crowd. Maybe we were those straight laced kids who only swore when the emotions merited extreme language. I didn't think we were, but maybe we were. Over half of us graduated with our virginities still in tact so we must have been. Either way, I was surprised at the language, but everything else was great... sappy, but great.

The basic break down is relatively ordinary boy falls in love with a weird new girl who is going through hell at home. That is this book in a nut shell, but Rowell pulls you through all the emotional intensity of these characters relationship so effectively it feels like there is an eternity inside that tiny nutshell. There is one scene in the book where they are in English class and the teacher asks Eleanor why Romeo and Juliet has remained such a beloved love story for so long. She says she doesn't think Shakespeare is glorifying their love story at all; he is actually making fun of it and showing how stupid their young infatuation with each other is. I've got to say, a small piece of her is right. Romeo and Juliet are stupid. Their love is foolhardy, impulsive, and so devastatingly stupid. But is also is intense, passionate, and blind-siding. There is a reason why, even though you know they will die in the end, you spend the whole play desperately praying that they will. We admire and crave stupid love, even though it is often not good for us. Eleanor and Park's love carries with it the same desirable passion.

One more thing, there is a point where Park says there is no such thing as a hot Asian guy. Who's ever thought that! Everyone has their preferences, but I for one find Asian guys very attractive. I am not married to one, but that doesn't change the fact that I think they are often totally hott.

EBN A Book About a Culture You are Unfamiliar With: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

I need to get up early for a 4 hour drive to visit my family in Utah, so this is going to have to be my last entry. I'll have to make sure to add another couple entries soon. I might be cutting this challenge a little close the wire if I don't get a move on.

I first heard about this book on a Crash Course Literature series. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1Kw94qjdQA Part of this might just be my Fangirl-esk love for all things John Green, but I decided I wanted to read all the books on his literature series. I've read almost all of them, but this was one I had never even heard of. I might be the fact all of my up bringing has taken place in especially conservative communities, but I was surprised no one  has ever mentioned this book to me before. I don't know why not, it is amazing. I found the portrayal of both the African people and the European colonists was open and unbiased. I love books that show how not black and white the world almost always is. Every situation is more complex than it appears and to simplify something as big and multi-leveled as the changing environments of Nigeria during is colonization is to blind ourselves to reality. I loved this book and think it aught to be taught in schools the world over, not just Africa. I certainly plan on teaching it if I ever go back to teaching high school. What a remarkable book.

EBN A Book with Magic: The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

I am only on my second entry for the night and I am already starting to loose steam. These are going to be short, or probably just completely incomprehensible.

This was such a sweet book. There were quite a few plot holes in the story that I felt like should have been dealt with, but it's a children's book. I think it can be forgiven. The imagery was really remarkable. It had such an interesting blend of different cultural influences in the world she created. The story was cute and beautiful. If you are looking for a book for a fantasy loving young girl, this would be a great recommendation. I am still, a bit lost on the character Gerk, who he is and what really is his relationship with Xan. It's ok, it's just a children's book. It doesn't all have to make sense.

EBN A Book with an Unreliable Narrator: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins

I have been crazy busy this summer. Not a whole lot of time for reading and even less time from blogging/journaling. That being said, I didn't just take a three month hiatus from reading. I have a few I need to add to this challenge record. We'll see how many I manage to add before I run out of energy and go to bed.

First off, I loved this book. It was well written, exciting, and totally fit in with my unreliable narrator category. It is a multi-perspective story, where you get the perspective of events from a bunch of different people and get a pretty good idea of what really happened. Well, sort of. You do get a pretty good idea of what is going on by the end of the book, but the ending is still a real shocker. I honestly didn't see it coming. Don't worry, no spoilers here. But this book was great and the story's twists were worthy of the author's reputation (read Girl On A Train). Also, just look at that cover art; gorgeous. I don't know who created it, but it is stunning and was one of the main reasons I picked the book up at the library.

EBN A Book by an Author You've Never Read: Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

So, my sister is going to school to get her degree in illustration. As she has been working so hard to develop her skills and expand her repertoire, she has also learned a great deal about the industry. You worry about your kid when they tell you they want to become an artist, and for good reason. The industry is extremely competitive. Even after you find a position, you are constantly competing against your coworkers. The work is hard, demanding, and can become heartless. The alternative is to strike out on your own, develop some sort of e-business or become a selective freelance artist. The idea of being an artist full time is romantic and appealing to personalities like my sister, but the reality is harsh and depressing. Only people like my sister would see the value of spending all that tuition money and continuing. I did see a little glimmer of hope when I read this book. Disney and Pixar are such greatly successful companies, I hope that their models can inspire other creative industries and become the norm rather than the exception.

This was such an interesting book. For starters, I had never even heard of Ed Catmull and was astonished by his history and contribution to the field of computer graphics. He attended the University of Utah where Ivan Sutherland was teaching. To me, the U seems like such a normal school. My Dad went there for his engineering B.S., my older bother went there for his. My mother even took classes through them when she was on summer break from BYU. Come to find out it is one of the best schools in the nation for both medicine, video game design, and computer engineering. Go figure. The history he gives of the development of Pixar as a company was new to me too. I have a whole new respect for Steve Jobs now. 

The thing I found the most enlightening was the methods he described to help foster a creative environment. The methods are all directly applicable to any innovative business, but I found some elements that could be applied to the Language Arts classroom. The importance of candid feedback. The only way to foster collaborative creativity is to have a safe environment where people can speak openly, giving and receiving criticism. No trolling allowed. I also love how he described new ideas in his section of the beast and the baby. New ideas are always ugly when they first start out, but if they can be protected and allowed to develop for a time they can become amazing. The safe and candid environment is critical for this sort of creativity.

The other thing I really loved was how important the health and wellbeing of his employees is to the company. He describes how crazy the last six months of Toy Story 2's develop was. People were mentally and physically ragged. There was one terrifying episode where a baby was left in a hot car. In response to this, they did all they could to encourage their employees to live healthy active lives both at work and at home. Their company is very family friendly, and they take measures to ensure their employees to experience terrible burnout. My sister doesn't really want to go into animation, but the positive, hard working environment of the Pixar Studios is what she wants. Now, if only all creative industries could take note. 

EBN A Book With a U.S. President in It: Empire by Gore Vidal

I can't even begin to say how intensely crazy the last few weeks have been. We've had surprize baptisms, several weddings, a motorcycle mishap on the freeway, and a gallbladder removal. Obviously this all didn't happen personally to me, but it did all effect me directly. I wish I could say things are calming down now and we will be able to coast our way to the end of the school year and into summer, but I can't. We have at least another six weeks before there is any hope of let up. I've been struggling with my mood a bit and I genuinely hope that the crazy demands of the next month will help improve it and not make it worse.

I finally finished it. This book took quite a while for me to get through. Not only is it pretty epic in its length and scope, but I struggled getting through the lulls in the story. There were moments were it was really interesting and made great progress, and others where I got a little bored. It probably would have been more entertaining if I had been less distracted by life though. So don't take my judgments to heart.

I really liked how applicable the political commentary of this novel was to the modern day political scene. The book came out in the 1980's so things haven't changed a super ton since then. We are still fighting predominately muslim nations. Our votes are still largely economically driven. We still have an "actor" for president. I think that may have been Vidal's point though. The story takes place after the end of the Spanish American War when the United States takes dominion over different territories around the globe; most notably the Philippines. When he portrays the political climate of that time he shows the challenges of running a nation with new responsibilities and leaders that are not entirely up to the task. 

The coolest parallel I found between the events of the book and the events of recent months was the blatant manipulation of media. William Randolph Hearst successfully prints newspapers using what was called yellow journalism. He focused on the sensational, fabricated details to spin things his way, and controlled the beliefs of his readers with his lies. Just a few years ago I would have classified his method as something only silly tabloids use. You know, the ones that say things like "Hillary Clinton was abducted and probed by aliens from Jupiter". Now, it is the method used by many, previously trusted, media outlets. It doesn't matter if it is true, just get it out there so you can say you said it first. Stupid! Why is it that good things always seem to take a back seat to the crazy and negative?

One more thing about this book. One of the main character's is this young woman named Caroline. I kind of loved her and hated her. She was complex. One one hand she was a naive, and expected to follow the typical path women followed in her day. On the other she rebelled against it, taking on her own newspaper, rebelling against her brother for what was rightfully hers, and effectively slapping misogyny in the face.  I really liked her complexity but I didn't really connect to her as a woman. It may just be me, but she was extremely calculating, a characteristic I typically associate with men. Maybe she was just a cold b;#$h and I didn't want to associate that trait with my own sex. 

EBN A Book Written in First Person: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

Let's get something straight here; I am not a poet. I love to read it, I love analysing it, and I love reciting it, but I suck at writing it. I'm not entirely sure why this is. My grandfather was a poet and some of his work was genuinely good. My dad isn't half bad at it either. I like to think I inherited their love for creative writing, though their skill certainly seems to have missed me. Especially when it comes to poetry. But maybe not, Today's book made me think I might be capable.

Milk and Honey is a collection of poems divided up into four sections; hurting, loving, breaking, healing. The poems attempt to capture the emotional experience a women has in her various relationships. Some of the experiences are good but most of them are not; some of them are truly awful. Much of the book explores the feelings that arise out of sexual abuse. In fact, the only relationships in this book that are not awful are the ones that develop with out sex as an element, with only a couple exceptions). I have to admit, I am kind of bothered by this portrayal of sex. Not that I think it isn't genuine or that we should look the other way. Under no circumstances should abuse and insest be swept under the rug, but the nastiness of that kind of sex taints the truly beautiful variety. That was probably the author's intention. All but a few of the poems in the loving section have dirty shadows over them. The emotions expressed in these poems are deep, intense, and very real. I just wish people could better express, with the same level of passion, the feelings of positive sex without coming across as cheesy. Maybe I should make that a goal of mine, though I think I lack the skill.

 There was one poem in this book that I both loved and hated at the same time it was in the healing section:

you are in the habit
of co-depending
on people to
make up for what
you think you lack

who tricked you
into believing
another person
was meant to complete you
when the most they can do is complement

I love how this poem expresses the possibility we have to be both completely happy and completely independent. We are perfect on our own, others only complement our perfection. This is a really nice idea and enjoy thinking about it, but the more I thought about it the more I disagreed with it. I don't actually think that people are complete by themselves. I think that we all need other people in our lives to make up for what we actually do lack. I'm not the most social of people, there are days I really don't want to talk to anyone, but without my relationships with others I am small, incomplete, and incapable of reaching my greatest potential. As much as I would like to think I can do it all on my own, I need other, and they need me. People can, indeed, bring you down, but there is a need for teamwork to help lift us up.

EBN A Book with a Natural Disaster: Fire Season by Phillip Connors

We got to go to St. George, Utah this weekend for a wedding. It was really great. We had the chance to visit family, climbed and hiked around slot canyons, and swam in the hotel pool. I actually think the kids expect every vacation to involve some sort of water sport. They love the water and splashing around; ironically, none of them know how to swim. We are making a point of putting the kids in swimming lessons this summer at the local aquatics center. We're overdue. Anyway, the drive is about seven hours one way and having a book on tape really helps pass the time.

 Mike checked this book out from the library over a month ago. I think he thought he would have more time to listen to books while working on the basement, but things are crazy as usual and time just didn't seem to cooperate. The trip to St. George was a good opportunity. I'm glad I was able to listen to it too. The book was read by the author, which really brought out the cadence of his voice. 

The book is a collection of thoughts, memories, and experiences the author compiled during one of his seasons working as a wildfire lookout in the mountains in Arizona. He gets really philosophical but openly acknowledges elements of his hypocrisy (a thing old H.D. Thoreau failed to do in Walden.) I can't say I agree with everything  he says but I did enjoy it and agreed with a lot of it.

As some of you might know, Mike is a firefighter. He was even a regular wildland firefighter for a few years and goes out on deployments at least once every fire season. It was really cool to see that world from a the lookout's perspective. I see people who build huge expensive homes in the urban interface and all I can think is how crazy these people must be for doing that and leaving no defensible space in case of wildfire. Don't get me wrong, my ideal home is actually out in the rural mountains somewhere, but there is a huge part of me that doesn't want anyone to do any sort of developing in the wild places I love. There needs to be a balance there. I'm not really sure where it is, but I'm sure it's there.  

EBN A Book You Can Finish in a Day: W;t by Margaret Edson

You would think that a play is something you should be able to read in a day. After all, a plays performance shouldn't last longer than a day. Nobody would see it otherwise. But there have been times when reading a whole play in a day was difficult for me. Shakespeare plays in high school took me a fair amount of time, and The Cursed Child  took me two days (real life kept interrupting my reading time). And the first time I read this play it took me two days. I was in college, engaged to my husband, and so wrapped up in wedding plans that I am surprised that I managed to get any school work done at all. I'm glad I reread this play though. It is beautiful and so very real.

Wit is a play about a professor of 17th century poetry who has been diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. The whole play is a fourth wall break and shows the final moments of her life broken up with different flashbacks.

As its name suggests, this play is pretty witty. The main character is sharp, quick, and uses a fair amount of sarcasm. She also made a name for herself in academics showing the "wit" of John Donne's poems. The whole theme and point of the play is how wit is just a cover for or protection against reality or truth. The character has spent all her time so caught up in the intellectual fluff of life that she has failed to see the deeper, cleaner, and simpler truth of life and death. It is only through her experience as a dying cancer patient, when wit and fluff is stripped away from her, that she can see it. My favorite part was when her old professor came to visit her just before her final hours. She wasn't all together there and so the professor read her a children's book she had gotten for a great-grandchild. The story was an allegory of a person always wanting to run away from God or Truth but never being able to do so and, in the end,  embracing that which they denied so strongly.

This was a beautiful play.

EBN A Ghost Story: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I've just learned that they have put up two more seasons of The Great British Bake Off on Netflix. I love that show. It is one of the best competition shows I have ever seen. My husband would say that NBA games or any sporting event would beat it hands down, but I think it's the best. I keep trying to think of ways to combine my love of books with my love of cooking and baking. Maybe I'll make a YouTube channel about it. Hmmm...

If you can't tell by the Newbery Medal on the cover of this book, it is a YA novel. I was looking for a ghost story book but was a little leary of things. I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to the horror genre, especially if it is something I think exists like ghosts or serial killers. The worst for me are ones that involve children. This book actually embodies all three, but it's meant for kids so I thought I would be ok. My sister had read it and said it was good. And it was, indeed, good.

The story was about this little toddler whose family is murdered and is then raised by this ghost couple who live in the graveyard by his house. Since his adoptive parents are ghosts and can't leave the graveyard, he has a guardian who cares for his physical needs (e.g. food). His guardian, Silas, is neither dead or alive. In fact, I'm 99.9% sure he is a vampire.

This book had a lot of interesting portrayals of classical horror characters. Vampires and werewolves are mentors and warriors (if anyone knows who the guy with the lucky pig is supposed to be let me know). The Ghosts are just people with regular human motivations. I thought the "Jack's of All Trades" were a pretty neat idea too.

So, part of the theology I associate myself with is the belief in an afterlife. I believe that when a person dies their spirit lives on her on earth, though on a different plane. The best part about this book is its humanizing portrayal of the ghosts. They really were just people, subject to all the foibles that controlled them in life. I think some human flaws are brought on by physical shortcomings and so wouldn't be continued after death, but that's a conversation for another time. I think if we recognize or think of ghosts more on that kind of level develop a really great sort of relatability.

The other thing I really loved about this book is how the events in the main character's life all played a part in the resolution of the climax. But all these life events were, on the surface, very stupid. He puts himself in danger, or breaks a rule, or storms off in a huff and finds himself in terrible trouble. He learns something from each of these experiences though and, had he not had them, the story would have ended in his death. Life is what it is and that is good. Regardless of how awful things get, we can always grow from them.

EBN A Book You Would Never Read: Real Account by Okushou and Shizumu Watanabe

I'm a couple books behind my schedule and have a few heavier duty books sitting in my pile so I thought I might cut myself some slack and read a quickie. I'm not a big graphic novel fan. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the occasional comic book and I've found a few manga series that I really love, but generally speaking it isn't my thing. It is my sister's thing though. The girl is even getting a B.A. in illustration. She told me about this particular graphic novel. The premise sounded really interesting so I thought I would give it a shot.

The premise of this book is social media gone psycho. Basically everyone is on this social networking site called Real Account (RA). Every profile on RA has a number of followers, they can play games and post "tweets". Basic. But then some crazy Saw puppet character zaps 10,000 of the most frequent users into this virtual world where they need to survive a series of social networking challenges in order to survive, because once they die in the network, they die in real life. The most twisted part is that all of their followers die too. The character also dies if their followers drops to 0.

This book is pretty twisted and really reminds me of the Saw movies (granted I've only watched one of those and had nightmares for about a week afterwards). But the whole social media spin is really interesting. So much about social media is inauthentic. Relationships are shallow and fickle. The image a person portrays is a mask that can be deceitful. Genuine interaction with others is difficult. Yet these are the things people like about online life. Because the relationships are shallow, they hurt less when they end. Because our face is only a mask, we feel freer to act and say what we want. There are rules to online etiquette but they don't actually have to be followed. Anonymity protects us. The world of this manga takes away the protection and makes it real. You die virtually, you die literally. The realest part is the link between the followers and the contestants. It doesn't matter how many people think your funny or enjoy seeing your posts, if they think your a douche then they aren't going to risk their necks for you. If all you have are superficial internet friendships then there will be nobody to love you with their life on the line. Thank goodness social media isn't this real. But it does make you stop to think about how substantial your real life is. Is it enough to keep you alive?

EBN An Author's Debut Novel: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

So, a little factoid about my life right now. My five month old baby now has two very sharp teeth, and they hurt... me. I have nursed all of my babies and all of them at one point or another have bitten me, but either I have forgotten how much it hurts or this baby's teeth are sharper. I still love breastfeeding and will continue to do it, but right now I hurt and feel a terrible need to shout it out to the void that is the internet.

This was kind of a sad book, good, but sad. I should have guessed it when I saw the Oprah book club sticker on the cover. My dad told me about this book. He had gotten it from his library and said it was pretty good. He mentioned it was the first novel published by this author, and I was like, "That's one of my book challenge categories. I'll check it out at my library." I was surprised I hadn't heard about this author before. She apparently is on the list of best Southern Gothic authors alongside Harper Lee and William Faulkner. Just based on this book, I say she deserves that spot. The writing was raw and beautiful. The imagery was filthy, moving, and religious. It was sad, but good.

There are five main characters that the story follows. Blount is a wandering hobo communist. Dr. Copeland is an African-American medical doctor blindly fighting for the betterment of his race. Biff is the emasculated and slightly trannie owner of the local diner. Mick is a 13 year-old girl painfully trying to navigate that transition between kid and adult who loves music. Then there is Mr. Singer, the glue that holds the rest together. He is a deaf-mute. They all have great moments and developments throughout the book but the biggest character was Singer.

Singer is pretty obviously a representation of Christ. He is seen as constantly kind and patient. He is constantly giving to others and helping where he can. He even is supposed to look Jewish. In his last chapter of the book we even see a lot of reflections between him and Christ's final days. (Sorry if I'm being vague, but I don't like giving spoilers to books I enjoyed.) Even his relationship with the other four main characters is a comment on how followers project their own feelings onto the one they follow weather they are there or not.

So, Singer is supposed to be Christ, but mcCullers doesn't leave it there. She provides a Father as well in the form of Spiros Antonapoulos, Singer's best friend and former roommate. The two had lived together for 10 years when Antonapoulos' overindulgence in primal urges causes his cousin to have him committed in an asylum. The imagery all fits, though it isn't a very positive image. Singer is a very humble and giving person, but he always gives the greatest of what he has to Antonapoulos. When they are apart, all he can think about is his friend and the separation between them is intensely painful for him. What I found interesting is how Singer almost does the same thing to Antonapoulos as the others do to him. He projects his own feelings onto Antonapoulos making him into something he might not actually be. We sometimes do this with Christ, did Christ do that with The Father?

Another element she uses in this worshiper-deity relationship is lack of effective communication. Singer is a deaf-mute and relies on lipreading to understand the others. Antonapoulos is a deaf-mute as well, but understands very little sign language. The fact that the communication is hindered allows the worshiping relationship to develop. If we could communicate with God through something other than prayer would we still worship him?

This book was great. I could go on forever on the themes and motifs of this book. Actually, if anyone is looking for a good book to do a critical analysis for school or publication, this would be a great choice.

EBN A Famous Author's Lesser Known Work: The Roald Dahl Omnibus by Roald Dahl

I'm getting a little behind in my reading. I think I probably ought to stop picking such huge books to read. Looking at the stack of books I have sitting by my bed waiting to be read, at least three of them are a good 2 1/2 to 3 inches thick. Looks like I'm just going to have to step up my game.

I loved this book. It has been a long time since I have read a collection of short stories that I loved as much as these. They were clever, witty, full of dramatic irony, and cleanly written. Some of the stories were absolutely hilarious. I really liked the Claud and Gordon story "The Champion of the World". The two main character's made me think of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street, if Burt and Ernie had been a couple of lovable low level con men.

I found Dahl's female characters kind of perplexing. I felt that his portrayal of them was both sexist and feminist at the same time. I had grown up reading his children's novels and especially loved his heroines like Matilda or Sophie. These girls were all pretty tough and bravely took the problems life had thrown them and made them better. The female character's in these adult stories were, I was surprised to find, all just a little pathetic. They were all cast in very traditional rolls and prone to traditional foibles. They fell pray to emotional breakdowns and were either hysterical or downright crazy. This sexist portrayal is probably due to the time period Dahl is writing in, as well as his gown-up audience. I don't like it, but I can excuse it. The feminist side of his work is not in the female characters themselves but in what causes their psychotic breaks. With the exception of one (whose back story we don't learn about) all the main female characters are brought low by the men in their lives. In "Lamb to the Slaughter", the main character was a perfectly happy expectant mother until he husband tells her he is leaving her; happy housewife then turns killer. Maybe Dahl is pulling a "Yellow Wallpaper" here. It's the oppression of their lives, caused by men, that makes them that way.

All in all. This was a great read. I enjoyed the stories a bit too much (I took too long to get through them all). It was fun and I would definitely recommend it.

EBN A Humorous or Satirical Book: The Only Pirate at the Party by Lindsey Stirling and Brooke S. Passey

Several of the books I had put on hold at the library came in this last week, which was good. I was worried I would have to start aimlessly hunting the library shelves for books to fill out the categories on my list.

YouTube is one of those things that I've gotten into via my siblings. YouTube was born when I started college and, other than short silly videos that made me laugh, I didn't think much of it. Nearly 10 years later, I see it has really developed into an interesting internet space with some pretty stellar creators (YouTubers). Lindsey Stirling is one of several channels I follow and subscribe to. I first saw a cover she did of Legend of Zelda music, and have enjoyed watching her creations grow and develop.

While reading this autobiography, I was surprised to find out that she and I are the same age and come from similar backgrounds. We are both LDS, her dad was also a teacher who wrote on the side, her mom worked in the school cafeteria while my mom worked in the school library. She and I also grew up in very frugal households. And we both went to church universities. I loved reading about how her life developed from a typical start to an extraordinary present.

I also really enjoyed her silly and slightly irreverent sense of humor. I often find LDS authors are so nervous about misrepresenting their religion that their genuine nature doesn't shine through. Stirling doesn't seem to suffer from that problem. She unashamedly states her standards and bears her testimony of God without stifling her vibrant personality.

The chapters and moments she talks about her struggle with anorexia were appropriately serious, but were also very heartening. I think almost all teenage girls at least flirt with the idea of extreme weight loss measures. I know I did, but it was a silly teenage thing that I never thought seriously about. True eating disorders are not something you choose to have or not, they are just something that develops in the brain, usually without the person recognizing it. Because of this, many people see it as incurable, but this phrasing is so discouraging. Like someone who suffers from clinical depression, or extreme addiction, the problem never does really go away. The thoughts and desires will always sit somewhere in the back of a persons mind because it is how that brain has been hardwired, but, as Stirling shows, it can be overcome. A person is made up of a body and a spirit, and that spirit is powerful.

EBN A Book Recommended to You by Someone You Just Met: The Linclon Hypothesis by Timothy Ballard

So I've joined a book club. I am really excited about this; I'll finally have people outside my family to talk analytically to about books. I haven't been part of a book club since college and have really missed it. Most of my excitement is coming from the chance to read books and have intriguing discussions about them, but a little part of me is just excited to have a little intellectually stimulating adult conversation. Don't get me wrong I love the adults in my day to day life (namely my husband), but I'm really craving some variety. Plus the combination of stay-at-home-mom and firefighter's wife doesn't automatically provide for a lot of time spent with grown-ups.

This book is written by an LDS author for an LDS audience. That being said, although I think anyone would find this book interesting, unless they had a basic knowledge of church history and Mormon doctrine, they would be a bit lost. The hypothesis, in a nutshell, is this: Partway into his presidency and the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln identified the covenant between God and the inhabitants of the United States. He recognized the countries need to repent of its sins (slavery and the violent oppression of minority groups). Once he and the Union saw this and sentiment changed, the tide of the war changed too.

According to The Book of Mormon, the American continent is a "promised land", meaning a place where God can establish his church and see it thrive. LDS people also believe that God influenced the founding of the United States. Within a promised land there is always a "covenant people". These people promise God that they will do his will and keep his commandments, and in return He will bless those people and the land with increased prosperity. Now, I fully believe this and accept it as truth, but did Abraham Lincoln? That's the theory.

The idea that America is an unique and blessed country is not new. Even before it was an independent nation, inhabitants felt like it was meant to be more than just another place to live. They felt like it was going to be a "light upon a hill" or an example to other nations and that God would make it so. When the Civil War broke out, it seemed like that status was would fail, but it didn't. Through the leadership of Abraham Lincoln and assistance from Heaven, the country was saved. It didn't happen though, until Lincoln and the nation changed their feelings about slavery and violent oppression.

While reading this book, which has a lot more detail then I could outline here, my mind kept thinking of the failings of the 13th and 14th amendments. Yes, slaves were freed and all citizens were given federal protection, but how long did it take before that protection was actually enforced. About a hundred years. I wasn't sure why God would grant forgiveness when the repentance was only halfway felt. I'm still thinking about it, but I have come to some conclusions.

I remember hearing somewhere that it doesn't matter how good or bad you are in comparison to other people; what matters is where your heart is and where it is heading, Just because I make mistakes and am often imperfect in my actions doesn't mean that I have no hope of eternal life and salvation. Heavenly Father knows my desires and as long as I am actively striving to be better and continually repenting and trying, it doesn't matter where along the path to perfection I am when I die. I just need to be heading the right direction. Why didn't God sweep the United States from off the earth during the Civil War? Because the change in Lincoln's heart and the heart of most of the North was a step in the right direction. It was far from perfect and not all citizens felt it, but it was still in the right direction. This gives me, at least, a tiny bit of hope for America today. The country might be pretty disgusting in many ways but there are still times when we make steps in the direction God would have us go. In a direction that supports this promised land in a way that allows His gospel to thrive and spread.  

EBN A Book with Music in It: The Day the Music Died by Ed Gorman

I seem to be doing okay with this challenge. I have a good sized list of books to read that can be applied to the various categories. About three of them are on hold at the library, but the rest I have actual copies (I raided my parent's library over the weekend). Now I just need to make sure I make the time to read all these books. I think I'll be fine, though I've got a couple of heavy duty bricks in that pile.

I really enjoyed this book; I didn't think much of it at first but by the end I really liked it. It takes place right after Buddy Holly's plane crashed, hence The Day the Music Died. It's a straight forward murder mystery with pretty natural feeling plot devices and an semi-unresolved but still satisfying ending. The characters were all terrible reprobates and charming (Judge Whitney was especially fun). The voice had a strange rhythm to it (reminiscent of those old smokey private I movies with all those stellar one liners). It took me a little time to jive with it, but once I did I really liked it.

So, amongst images that make me think of American Graffiti, and Mad Men, a really great story of death and change is told. The shift of life played out by the characters is a type for the shift that American culture underwent at about the same time. The Utopia that those who survived WWII created for themselves is becoming disillusioned and challenged and that brought about change (on all levels of life) and death. There is a small part where the main character is reveling in the beauty and happiness of life, in the vitality of youth and all its promise, and then in an instant he is filled with an overwhelming sadness. Life isn't all sunshine and daisies and never can be. Teenagers grow up and become adults with all the pain and confusion real life can produce. The "perfect" American family always has sorrow and difficulties. As prosperous as the economy can be, there will always be those who are oppressed by poverty. This story portrays the death of a dream that comes clear, for the main character any way, after the death of a rock and roll singer.

This story certainly wasn't without its faults. It could have been twice as long as it is, but it was still very good. And I appreciated the short chapters.

EBN Cozy Mystery: Hare Today, Dead Tomorrow by Cynthia Baxter

A cozy mystery. I wasn't exactly sure what this was supposed to be. What is it that's supposed to make a mystery cozy. Turns out, "cozies very rarely focus on sex, profanity or violence. The murders take place off stage, and are often relatively bloodless (e.g. poisoning), while sexual activity (if any) between characters is only ever gently implied and never directly addressed.The cozy mystery usually takes place in a small town or village. The small size of the setting makes it believable that all the suspects know each other. The amateur sleuth is usually a very likeable person who is able to get the community members to talk freely about each other. There is usually at least one very knowledgeable, nosy, yet reliable character in the book who is able to fill in all of the blanks, thus enabling the amateur sleuth to solve the case."

http://www.goodreads.com/genres/cozy-mystery

So basically the book version of all those TV crime shows people watch. I actually really enjoy those type of shows. NCIS, Bones, Murder She Wrote,and Castle are some of my absolute favorites. I didn't realize this till I had already started one of the books on the library's suggestions list for this category. If I had, I probably would have chosen a different book. Probably an Agatha Christy or maybe a Lee Child. Oh well...

So, this wasn't that bad of a book. Parts of it were actually kind of funny. I liked that the book could stand alone even though it was in the middle of a series. A lot of the story line seemed contrived and a bit forced though, pretty typical of this style of novel. This is something I would firmly place under the category of "beach reading"; something that doesn't require much concentration, can still entertain, but won't distract you from supervising your kids at the park too much. 

My personal feelings for the book are kind of lukewarm. I enjoyed it well enough (the S&M dungeon party was pretty funny) but I didn't really feel much of a connection to the main character. She was just very into her pets (she is a vet so it totally makes sense). Don't get me wrong, I like animals well enough, especially my own giant beast of a puppy, Jazz. The sight of animals just doesn't seem to elicit the same feelings in me that the character has. Maybe if I had picked a book where the sluth and I have a little more in common I would have liked it better. Maybe a stay-at-home-mom, or English professor, or maybe even a couple of old-lady gardeners (e.g. Rosemary and Thyme). I think I'll make that a goal of mine. To find a cozy mystery series with a main character I can fall in sync with. 

EBN A Book You've Been Meaning to Read: Christy by Catherine Marshall

A book you've been meaning to read. This was a hard selection. Not because I couldn't think of any books I wanted to read, rather I had too many. I am one of those people that never seems to make a dent in my "to read" pile no matter how much I actually read. There just always seems to be a ton of books I think I might like. There also seems to be a ton of books that other people seem to think I might like. So the pile will only continue to grow until the visual image of my "have read" list will look something like that library in Disney's The Beauty and the Beast; or at least that's the goal. Don't shame me for not getting there yet. I'm only thirty and I have 4 small kids.

This week's book has been on my "to read" list for a very long time. It is one of my mother's all time favorite books, and she has been telling me I would love it since I was in high school. She's usually right. I found this book at a thrift store for .75 cents while attending my one of my first semesters at college. I started reading it but then became a little overwhelmed by all the required reading I had to do that semester and just didn't have time. Fast forward a decade or so and here I am; digging through my boxes of books (my husband seems to think finishing basement bedrooms and bathrooms take priority over built in shelving for all my books) looking for something I haven't read but want to. Let me say, my mother was right...again.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters were approachable and very relate-able. The steady and beautiful change that comes over the main character was powerful but slow and oh so realistic. In the words of Anne of Green Gables, she and I were "kindred spirits".

Every now and then I come across one of these books where the main theme or message is so in line with my own personal philosophy that I wonder if the author happens to be Mormon too. It almost never is the case and this was no exception. But just because I'm a Mormon and the author comes from a more traditional Christian background doesn't mean that we don't share a faith. The message she shared in this book about God's love for his children and the absolute necessity for all of us to embody and share that love is what I would classify as a true and everlasting principle. Regardless of which dogma you adhere to, unconditional, unfailing love can be the most powerful and unifying force in this world if we will just let it guide our view of those around us. Our feelings for others change, and often they change too as we interact with them. The shift in the character of Bird's-Eye is not just the crazy fantasy of a fictitious book; it can be real. Our love affects others far more than we recognize.

I genuinely loved this book. If I were rating it I would give it a 9 out of 10 (very high praise for me).

EBN A Book Chosen Because of its Title: Moo by Sharon Creech

Well here we go, another week, another book. I probably shouldn't feel as proud as I do about making it a second week on this particular challenge (I still have 48 to go) but I do. I'm actually very proud of myself. I have made it two weeks into my New Year's resolutions and am still going strong. If I make it to February, I'll be surprised. Wish me luck.

The book for this entry is Moo by Sharon Creech. I was intending to use this for the YA category but I decided to save that for a different novel. Who knows, I might get lucky and see John Green publish his next book before the end of this challenge (if only). A "book chosen because of its title" fits this one so well, I felt it must be so. I, of course, found it in the children's library while I was waiting the eternity it takes for my son to choose a new Magic Tee House book to check out. I had read a couple of Creech's books before and enjoyed them, though I haven't read any since taking YA lit in college. Mostly I just really liked the title. I have heard a large variety of "moo"s in my life and each one communicated something different. I was curious what this one was saying.

First off, let me say, I love rural country, realistic fiction stories. They almost always have a great sense of down to earth humor that I love. They also often have some ignorant city type who gets thrown into all that humor. I always seem to feel like that's me. I have never lived on a farm or kept any livestock but I have spent half of my life around family who does. I feel I can sympathize with characters who get thrown into a world where they are expected to work hard at something they don't know anything about, but in the end find they love it and all the simple pleasures that come from that type of gritty labor. Creech manages to convey that transformation in a classic but beautiful way in Moo.

My favorite part was the fair. I come from a place were the county fair is a really big deal. It is always very well attended, despite the minuscule population size of the county. Every year we made sure to go. We would go check out the vender's booths, the home goods displays, try to get tickets to the demo derby or at least the rodeo. I even got to participate in the little buckaroo once (I caught the chicken!). And, of course, there is the livestock auction. Even now that I no longer even live in the state, I still try to see something of the fair when we go visit my parents in the summer. My mother is in charge of all the 4-H activities in her county (except livestock) because of her job as the county's university extension agent. Being a member seem to have come as an expectation in life rather than a choice, but I loved it all the same. I stuck with just the Family and Consumer Science (FACS) activities, but my brother got to raise a pig for the fair and my cousins covered all areas of the livestock show. Between them and my mom, I got a pretty fair exposure to the singing call of the auctioneer (a really talent I tell you) and almost insane task of keeping both your animal and your white 4-H shirt clean before you go in front of the judges. Reading that little section in the book brought all those memories rushing back. They were all happy and I could't help but smile.

I really enjoyed this book. The fair scenes were only a little part of how it brought me back to my childhood visiting grandparents and cousins and cows.

EBN A Book From a Library Display: Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple

Its a new year and you can bet your buckets I have made a list of New Year's resolutions. I always try to keep my resolutions super simple and, hopefully, achievable. This year was no exception. Do 30 minuets of cardio exercise three times a week, do my visiting teaching each month no matter how awkward and shy I feel, and help my soon-to-be-kindergartner improve her literacy. My last goal was to recover some of the literary muscles I had allowed to go to seed in my now almost 7 years as a stay-at-home mom. I had thought about making a goal to write for an hour every day (which I may still attempt to do) but then I saw a friend wearing a sweatshirt from the Extreme Book Nerd Challenge our local library puts on each year. I had wanted to do it last year, but it was already October and I had just had a baby (no way). I asked my friend about it and she was all praises and pride so I decided that would be my mental/professional challenge for the year. Read 50 books from 50 different categories in 50 weeks. To prove we have actually completed the challenge we are supposed to keep a log of the books we have read. I was totally going to just grab a blank composition book and use that, but I couldn't find one and I forgot to pick one up at the store today. So here we are. I'm using my never visited, rarely updated blog as my reading journal. So here we go.

I had registered for the challenge online and briefly glanced at the category list before loading everyone into the car to run errands. We went to the library to pick out books and for me to make my first challenge selection. Unfortunately, Mike was on shift and school had been cancelled because of the subzero temperatures so I had all 4 kids with me and no extra hands. Having made their selections, I herded my band to the third floor where loud children bring a lot more attention. Trying to move fast, I saw a selection of comedy and satire books on display. I vaguely remember that as one of the categories. I grabbed a book with a sort of silly looking cover on it and then herded us all back down stairs and out the doors (stopping to say "hi" to the fishies in the zen garden on the way).


I was really hoping this book was a comedy (life is stressful and I could use a few laughs) but its a satire. I should have known. It was displayed along side a Sherman Alexi novel. I know satires are often considered funny, but they just never are for me (The Princess Bride being the one exception). That's not to say I didn't enjoy the book. I actually liked it quite a bit, especially the ending. The house was the best. Not only was it a good metaphor for the state the family's relationships and Bernadette's personal state of mind, but I found the idea of a house being overrun by blackberry bushes totally crazy. I had a roommate from Portland once who said they were the worst kind of weed imaginable. They don't grow out here in Idaho and I think they taste good in ice cream so couldn't see how anyone wouldn't want them growing in their garden. The most ridiculous part about this story is probably the most realistic. (Respect the blackberry bush.)

I was both irritated and pleased with the portrayal of the religious in this book. Maybe its because I'm deeply religious myself, but it drives me nuts that the only image I ever seem to see of conservative Christians in the media is of hypocritical narcissists who use the name of Jesus to make others feel guilty and themselves feel superior. I promise, people like that are in the minority. The greatest irritation and greatest pleasure in this regard was with the character Audrey Griffin's transformation. She started off as a really uptight, shallow bible thumper, but in then end had a sort of awakening that helped her see the reality of where her actions stood in comparison to Christ's. And she actually went out and did something about it. She did what she could to repent. Most authors like to leave that stereotype 2D. This was a pleasant change.

My favorite part was the relationship Bee had with her mother. I felt like Semple managed to catch the essence of a daughter's love for an imperfect mother so well. The loyalty and patience that character showed was touching. I certainly feel that kind of love and loyalty towards my own mother and pray that my children will find it for me (hopefully sooner rather than later).

The story was good; well paced and decently written. I enjoyed it well enough thought I didn't find it as funny as I had hoped (which is why I am saving that category for a different book). The challenge seems to be off to a fairly decent start.