Recent Reads

Day Fifteen- The last ten books I read were....

If you remember, one of my goals this year was to read more, but also keep it in moderation, and I am off to a pretty decent start. I have read 14 books so far this year, but I do not read when the kids are up, and I don't even get a chance to read everyday, so it is not taking over my life. Although...lately Alyssa has been known to sneak out of her bed when she knows I am reading and climb in next to me with her own book. We don't talk at all, but we both think it is so fun to lay down and read together.

I am loving being back on a reading streak and these are the last ten books I've read.

The Blessings of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel- This was the second book for the book club me and my cousins are doing (so far only three of us are reading). I liked a lot of Dr. Mogel's ideas and instinctively already follow some of what she suggests, but I find myself to be hard to teach when it comes to parenting. I am not structured and rigid. I don't have a specific plan each day when I wake up. I am always trying to do better, but I am not big on picking a parenting method and adopting it, other than to try to keep my parenting in line with what I think God wants me to do. I am sure I blow it everyday but I liked that Dr. Mogel built her parenting style completely based on what God wants from her, and it was interesting to learn more about Jewish principles.

In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck-There are only a few Steinbeck books I have not read, so I decided to read them this year. This one is about laborers, like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, so it felt very familiar. I didn't need to reread sentences a billion times just to savor them since it wasn't as "thinky" as some of his other works. Not my favorite Steinbeck but of course it was well written and of course I liked it.

Homesick by Jean Fritz-I saw this in the kid's section at the Library and remembered reading it in 5th grade and liking it. I still really liked it. I love children's fiction. It is about an American girl who was raised in China and had never been to America. It is about her childhood in China and her desire to move to America. I loved how she described when she finally got there. Before reading it, I had just been talking to Seth about how misplaced and foreign everything felt when I moved here and how familiar it all is now. I remember even restaurants looking weird and feeling like I was watching a world I didn't know in slow motion. Commercials for places in WI or IL would come on and I would feel so confused and have to remind myself where I was. It is the strangest experience to try to make a new place home, and I thought she really captured what it is like. I would quote her, but I already returned the book to the library.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull-This one was for my friend, Cheryl's book club. I am not a fantasy fan and probably never would have read this otherwise. That is the fun thing about book clubs for me, they force me outside of my own little world. I thought this was well written, but I am still not into fantasy. I actually liked it better before weird stuff started happening. The characters felt real and I could really picture the setting of the book. But when it became too magical, I checked out a bit. So it was well done, if that is your thing, but I don't see myself reading the rest of the series. I guess I am boring and prefer realism.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger-I have to say that the jury is still out on this one. At times I really liked it, and at other times I was so annoyed. In the movie I liked the characters, but in the book I did not find them very likable, which made it hard to become emotionally invested in their love story. The concept was interesting, but I didn't always like the storyline. I also didn't like the language. I am not easily offended by swearing (true confession- I have a mild potty mouth), but I don't like swearing just for the sake of swearing. When the characters never use any other swear words, but the f word is occasionally sprinkled around, it feels forced to me. Like the author just put it there to show that she is okay with using the f word. Lame. I also didn't like some body part words she used frequently. Words I never hear anyone say, so I also felt they were just there to show us that she was okay with using them. I wouldn't read it again, but it was clever and mostly well written. I always tell Seth about what I am reading, and he hated the concept of this one and came up with what I think would have been a way better ending.

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom-I like Mitch Albom. His books are quick and simple, but full of real feelings and emotions. I am not suggesting that I can write like he does, but when I read his books I think that is the kind of stuff I would write if I were to write. It is not super rich in history and background. They are just stories of real people and the emotions that come with being human.

Battlehymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua-This was another one for cousins book club. If you care how I felt about it, you can read my lengthy comment on our book club blog.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck-You know I just reread this in February and you know how I feel about it. ♥

The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan-I had read this years ago, but I hadn't been to the library so I grabbed it off the shelf and read it again. I like Amy Tan. This is reminiscent of The Joy Luck Club, Chinese mother raising a daughter in America, but I like her writing and her storylines.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster-I borrowed this one from Alyssa. My sister Kelly gave it to her for her birthday and since then Alyssa has been telling me I should read it. I loved it! It was incredibly smart and clever.

That's ten! Right now I am reading Gone With The Wind. It is one of those books that I feel like I should read, but have never had much interest in. So far, it is slow going. I usually read fast, but after over a week I am only 250 pages in. I recognize that it is well written, and I predict that when it is done I will be able to say that I liked it, but I keep falling asleep. Although...it has picked up now that Rhett is back. I like him, but I don't really care for Scarlett. Am I supposed to like her? I like that she is bold and flirtatious. I appreciate that she doesn't faint and act airheaded like a "lady". Girls would have really annoyed me back then, so I like that she breaks the rules but I am still having a hard time with her. She was so selfish with Charles and too busy worrying about herself to even care that he died. Even if you don't love someone, there should be some respect for human life? But mostly it bugs me that she has no love or affection for her child. I know she is young and didn't love the father but I don't get it when people don't instantly love their own children. I don't mind disliking a character though. In fact I think it is fun to love or hate fictional characters, way better than being indifferent to them. I am still interested to read the rest of the story, and even though I have never seen the movie, I think we all know the famous frankly my dear line and I can't wait for Rhett Butler to cuss Scarlett out.