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.