Have You Finished Your 2013-2014 To-Read List?

I know I haven't! I haven't finished my 2012 list yet, either. Bygones? No, just bigger stacks. Sigh.

But since it's more fun to reflect on books I'm glad I read than books I wish I had time to read... what was your favorite read of the 2013? And would you like to blog about it? I welcome guest posts, folks!

(The best way to reach me is via my silly Facebook page or by sending a message on Twitter.)

This year, there was no doubt about my favorite book. While I read an about-even mix of fiction and non-fiction titles, the amazing story of Henrietta Lacks, so well-told by Rebecca Skloot, was my hands-down favorite.

I hope you had a favorite (or a dozen) this year, and that 2014 brings you many more worth flipping through. Cheers!

Are White Chicks All That? Notes in the Margin & Unfinished Books of 2013

DON'T LOOK NOW but there are only 27 more reading days left in 2013. Sadly, Hilton Als' White Girls is going to be on my list of unfinished books this year. And it's a long list. ~ sigh ~

Why didn't White Girls make the gotta-finish pile of books? As much as I enjoyed (all 100+ pages of!) the first essay in the compilation, Tristes Tropiques also made my head hurt a bit. On some pages, I felt lost; then Als threw me a line and I got hooked again. One that grabbed me:

Rube's Cubes from Agweb.com

Our love was a confusion of non-twinning, that is, we didn't recognize anything of ourselves in the other. [p 17]

A fine line, isn't it?  But there's a big pond of brilliant writers and too many of them beckoned me at the time.

Addicted to Nonfiction?

In addition to Ann Pachett's tempting Truth and Beauty and her dear friend's Autobiography of a Face, I'm determined to close the year with no un-read issues of National Geographic and CRJ. And that's a daunting task.

Bridget Jones' New Tricks 

Sometimes it's easy to dismiss a book. I mean, you know right away if something isn't worth your time, right? Well, I thought so until the NYT made me think again about the middle-aged Bridget Jones. Dagnabbit.

What about you? I'm always open to guest bloggers -- whether you'd like to gloat about all the books you've read this year or wallow in the guilt of a too-tall stack of unfinished books. Or play a game, like Guess Who Has the Most Library Late Fees? That's always fun.*

Contact me if you wanna be my next guest poster!

~Diane Stresing

* I swear, it wasn't me! 

Hello, Goodbye, I'm glad I stuck around

Goodbye Without Leaving by Laurie Colwin was published by Harper Perennial in 1991, and fter nearly a quarter of a century, it may be safe to say we (fickle readers) will never agree on it.

Here's my take: the first half of the book was all about characterization, and plot development just had to wait. I'm rather impatient, and I'll admit I almost didn't wait around for the action to pick up, but I'm glad I did. Once main character Geraldine, the former shake-your-thing back-up singing Shakette, got married (rather against her better judgement), got a job and had a child, things started to really move.

And, since Colwin had fleshed out the characters so that I really knew and liked them, I was rarin' to go along for the ride. When Geraldine's best friend (who was dating a married man) left to become a nun right before Geraldine's European returned to his home continent was a bit disappointing, but only because I liked those girls so much, I wanted to watch them have a little more fun. Not that nunneries aren't fun...

The point is, I found it easy to forgive Colwin for a lack of action at the beginning precisely because she spent the first several chapters letting me develop a relationship with her characters.

Of course, other reviewers have reported feeling the the complete opposite. Decide for yourself. (As if you had any other option, right?) I've made my decision, and I'll happily dive into another of Colwin's works, fiction or non-fiction.

What I particularly enjoyed about Goodbye and specifically, Geraldine's character, was her honesty in admitting her disappointment at not only not fulfilling life's expectations of her -  her, the good girl, who got good grades in a good school, with all the advantages - utterly failing to raise a perfectly manicured child and tuck a sharp corner in her slip-covered couch but also her honesty about failing herself, to be a self she could be proud of. (Hint: that self had nothing to do with slip-covers.)

Sigh. Well, speaking of unfulfilled potential, back to work I guess.

But first, maybe a stop at the library... what are you reading, anyway?

~Diane Stresing

Walls Bares, Bears Much in The Glass Castle

Jeanette Walls' adventurous childhood, thanks to her rather dangerously degenerate parents, scarred her inside and out. She also came out of the experience with a wicked sense of humor and a delightful way with words.

The Glass Castle is a book that I am glad I could not write - I didn't move halfway across the country locked in the back of a U-haul, visit call girls, or build character fighting with sewer rats while growing up, for example - but I am glad Walls wrote of her experiences.

It is a work of nonfiction that is quite difficult to believe at times.

Even more surprising, in the acknowledgement, Walls thanks just about everyone in her family for their support. Memoirs like The Glass Castle, at least the ones I know, don't come out of families where everyone is still speaking to each other. It seems the Walls family could appear together on the Dr. Phil show and no one would need to be restrained.

The book opens in the present, in New York City, with the author in a limo rolling by a dumpster where her mother is foraging. That kind of opening is called a "good grip" and Walls doesn't let go as she drags you into the past with her. First stop: the kitchen, where as a toddler, Jeanette was badly burned. She was cooking her own dinner. Which isn't necessarily neglectful or bad - why, don't you think we coddle our kids a little too much, really?

See, while the Walls kids had little growing up - including food, safety, and the records they sometimes needed to be enrolled in school - they had smart parents who expected the kids to learn and reach their full intellectual and creative potentials. It could be argued that the parents were criminally negligent, or that they did as well or better than the "average" family, whatever that is.

It certainly could be argued, too, that Walls is overly driven and has been all her life in an effort to hide from or overcome her past. It's hard to suggest she's not at least a little scarred by her upbringing; and yet, we are all better off because she chose to share the stories behind those scars.

Which makes me think maybe the Walls parents weren't quite as bad as they sound, and makes me remember something my parents taught me: people who live in glass castles shouldn't throw stones.

~Diane Stresing

Don't it figure? Just as I was about to hit 'publish,' I find out the movie is going into production. Which prompts me to say two more things: 1, Read the book before you see the movie. The book's always better. And 2, How can a 23yo director "get" this story? Wishing you luck, Jennifer Lawrence... and lots of insight. 

Picture of a Perfect Book Review

First, kudos to LA Times Book Critic David Ulin (and to LA Times, period, for having a book section).  Second, damn. Ulin's review of Hilton Als's new compilation of essays, White Girls, has it all.

Beautiful language.
Context - about the book, the author, and how each fits into the literary landscape.
Enough background and synopsis - in just a few paragraphs - to allow prospective readers to discern whether they are likely to enjoy the book.

And that's it.

Reviewing books is like a lot of other things, folks. Professionals make it look deceptively easy, and yet they produce something completely useful.

Thank you, Mr. Ulin.

So, readers - will you pick up White Girls?

~Diane Stresing

Why the Internet Won't Kill Reading

The internet is a terrible distraction for me. I'm not into online gaming, shopping, or porn, so what's the problem?

Reading.

Why, just last week, when I could've been reading War and Peace, I was wasting/investing my time elsewhere, learning about dogs getting MRIs (don't worry, they pawed consent forms) and what to do with an avocado pit. I also got a little civics lesson from California (good news!) and a hopeful but admittedly speculative look into Iranian politics, courtesy of Fareed Zakaria.

With so many delightful reading distractions it's no wonder it can take 10+ hours just to answer the day's email.

What about you? What have you been reading lately? Actual books on your nightstand, a Kindle or iPad, or countless articles as you surf the web?

Whatever it is, if you want to blog about it, I'm very open to guest posts. You know, having you write this blog gives me more time to read online :D

Free Help: Improving Your Child's Reading (and Learning) Habits

If you've ever wanted to explain subject and predicate agreement to an impatient elementary school student, have I got some sympathy for you!

I also have a website to recommend: K12Reader Reading Instruction Resources for Teachers & Parents.

In addition to simple instructions and free worksheets (with answer keys) the site also includes reading recommendations, by grade, as well as more than 20 book award lists, from Caldecotts to Golden Kites and a few I'd never heard of.

Have fun with that reading, grammar, and spelling homework. Just remember to let your kids do some of it...

~Diane Stresing

Wikipedia Loves Libraries 2013

I'll admit I've been a closet skeptic of Wikipedia, but this is too good to ignore: Wikipedia Loves Libraries is a real, live, in-person event hosted by libraries worldwide, or as Wikipedia puts it,  

"a general initiative for improved Wikimedia engagement with libraries (and archives), and more concretely an annual campaign of wiki-workshops and edit-athons at libraries around Open Access Week in October/November."

Those workshops and hands-on "Edit-athons" are among the actual activities for real people - although most of the time, those real people will be sitting in front of screens, not old-fashioned books. But that's OK, because libraries aren't *just* about books, they're about information and knowledge. So. Go, if you can. Bug your local library to join in and host an event.

This is cool!

~Diane Stresing

The Force of a Good Cover

Disappointing.

When a great book cover promises much, yet the story delivers so much less than you'd expected. That's what I call deeply disappointing.

Sorry to be such a bummer, but I suggest wasting neither time nor money on Darth Vader and Son and Vader's Little Princess.  While the two tantalizing titles appear darned near perfect for Star Wars fans (of all ages) alas, they - dare I say - disappoint.

They might make good gag gifts in some cases - say, you're wondering token hostess gift to take to the company Christmas party, and your boss happens to love Star Wars.

Otherwise, move on. These aren't the hilarious Star Wars graphic novels you're looking for.

Book Riot's Got it Right

Last week Book Riot added another page to my 'to read' list; today it took me back to my college days, when I worked in a bookstore (when I wasn't bartending or telemarketing).

It's one of the few blogs about books I think is truly worth reading. 

This one, of course, is on that list ;) 

  < Flynn's Gone Girl was on my 2R list before it hit Book Riot's list, but whatevs. 

The Fault in Our Stars

John Green’s most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, follows Hazel Lancaster through a year in her life – a life that’s bound to be too short. Hazel has cancer.

Green uses a fictitious novel (how's that?!) to add a dimension to the story. She and her boyfriend - who is in remission; they met through a support group - ultimately travel to Amsterdam to meet Peter Van Houton, the author of An Imperial Affliction. 

And he's a jerk.

It's just one of many ways Green illustrates the fact that life ain't fair.

When  Hazel and dreamy boyfriend Augustus arrive to meet the over-esteemed Peter Van Houton, the author is not only rude, he threatens to throw them out of his house. 

Hazel and Gus cope almost too well with that, and it's a good thing - because the author's unpleasantness isn't the worst thing that happens on the trip.

Hazel also learns that Augustus has had a relapse.

Interestingly, when she delivers her eulogy for Augustus (whoops - spoiler alert: Gus doesn't make it) Hazel quotes the author who so disappointed her, explaining that she learned from him that “some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”

Fortunately, Green's book is quite a bit bigger than I've probably made it sound; and it's right on target for YA readers - particularly girls.

~Diane Stresing

Read This on Facebook

Yes, my pitiful little blog has its own Facebook page now. And it could really use some friends.

So read all about it, on Facebook. Please?

Pay What You Wish for this Sacred Title

It seems perfectly fitting that the author of Sacred Economics leaves it up to you to fill out the book's price tag.

You can read it online here.  Fair warning: you might learn something. Enjoy!

The author, Charles Eisenstein, offers more insight into his theories at sacred-economics.com.

Who Would Give a Queen a Sloth?

Who would give the queen a sloth, and what's up with the Dustin Hoffman cameo? I almost didn't find out.

As you can see, my dog nearly ate The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart.

All right - the truth is that while "my dog ate it" would be a convenient, acceptable, and almost-true excuse for not finishing the novel, I can't blame the dog. I just took for-ev-er to read it.

Pace More Tortoise Than Hare

Why did it take me forever to read?  Well, it isn't exactly a page-turner. The action unfolds with about the same aplomb as a towel unfolds. No flash, no magic, no special effects. Still, I knew I had to finish it - any book that uses the word hirsute in its first fifty pages deserves that much - and Stuart's story is sweet. I suppose the reason I finished it, slowly, is because I couldn't help but like her almost-too-human characters. They're a miserable lot, but each one is charmingly full of quirks.

Quirky, Sad Characters

Shortly after I'd stumbled over hirsute, I found the Rev. Septimus "lost in the silent ecstasy of wearing new socks." I rest my case.

See, while I truly liked The Tower's crew, I could only spend so much time with them in one sitting.  Frankly, I found their company rather depressing. Even the animals.

It's not really my style to describe a book's plot - scads of other reviewers do that - but in case you don't know, the "zoo" in the title refers to the menagerie of animals that the Royal family received as gifts from heads of state and other Very Important People around the world.

Theme of Loss

In the end, I finally got it - the theme of the book, that is - I think.

I think it's about loss, and more specifically, about moving on after loss. Oh, I suppose the fact that main character Hebe Jones worked at the London Underground's Department of Lost Things might have been a clue, and that a whole plotline revolved around the issue of returning a lost urn might have been another, but look, give me a break. I have Stage III FTGO,* after all.

If you get to the end of this book - and I recommend it, really I do - you're going to need a tissue, but don't worry, it'll be a cathartic cry. Oh, and just for fun you'll be rewarded with a bizarre appearance by Dustin Hoffman. (Stuart could go on the lecture circuit just to explain how she came up with that.)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go buy a new chew toy for my dog, and look for a happier cast of characters.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~Diane Stresing

*Failure To Grasp the Obvious. I'm sure the DSM will get around to including it one of these days...

The Language of Flowers Pleasing, Almost Too Sweet

Vanessa Diffenbaugh's first full-length novel isn't perfect - most readers will anticipate plot twists well before they've reached the turn - but it's more than an admirable start; and I dare say it's worth your time.

Like a lot of first works, the first half is more artful than the second. Then again, a slower pace in the beginning, when Diffenbaugh shares the story in dollops - a fistful of flowers here, a sniff of the past there - serves the reader fairly well. In the beginning, she draws her characters carefully, petal by petal. So as the plot builds and life is uprooted (once again) for Victoria Jones, recently emancipated ward of the state, readers have been prepped to accept her choices and actions.

Still, certain characters and events are just a little too unbelievably good. (Single and pregnant? No worries - your boss and landlord's mom is a midwife!) But I'm not here to judge; after all, suspension of disbelief just might be the key to happiness.


Besides, the author is not only talented (please, Ms. Diffenbaugh, keep writing!) her heart is clearly in the right place. The Camellia Network, which helps children as they age-out of foster care, has received a big boost thanks to Diffenbaugh and her readers.

While The Language of Flowers: A Novel is popular with book clubs (it was a NYT bestseller, after all) and I think it's an obvious choice for mothers and daughters who like to read and discuss titles together, I also recommend it for YA readers.

Why for YA?  I'll admit it's not "ideal" for that audience, but - well, what is? (My high school daughter's required reading this summer includes The Catcher in the Rye and The Color Purple - so don't pretend we should avoid adult themes, ok?)

What have you read lately? 
Let me know; especially if you'd like to blog about it!

~Diane Stresing

The Invention of Wings - coming soon!

If Sue Monk Kidd's Secret Life of Bees or The Mermaid Chair is on your to-read list, you're officially on notice: you've got six months until her next (sure to be a bestseller) novel is published.

This one  definitely lands on my what2read list.

Ahem. Now, if you'll excuse me please ... I have a couple of books to read!

BTW and obviously, I learned this good news on Twitter, where you'll find my reviews are much shorter.

< Didja know Kidd (and her kid) wrote a memoir? Traveling with Pomegranates, not surprisingly, explores mother-daughter relationships.  

New Core Standards: What Will Get Left Behind?

I like the reading list I see coming out of the new core standards, but wonder what will get left behind? Will students get hooked on reading and take it upon themselves to seek out great new voices in fiction, and non-fiction?

I'm excited to see many of the additions and changes to the list, including Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake on tap for 11th graders. (Now I'd better hurry up and read it myself!)

But not everyone is pleased.

While I've never quite "gotten" poetry, it's strewn liberally throughout the curriculum. Perhaps we'll see a new generation of more thoughtful communicators. I can dream, right?

What do you think of the new standards, dear readers?

~Diane Stresing

When I Wish Life Mimicked Art: Edward Snowden, Grow a Conscience

Edward Snowden did nothing wrong. What?! What balls. They're in the wrong place, but that's courage for ya. I happen to think Mr. Snowden did plenty wrong. But that's just my own twist on "right" and "wrong."

Update: 6/16/13

Much better reactions - far less 

knee-jerk than mine - can be 

found in NYT columns by 

Bill Keller and Thomas Friedman

I grew up thinking that if you're so unhappy about your employer's policies, you don't take it upon yourself to trash the place. You quit, with honor. Fortunately one of the best movies of all time was playing in our living room last night, before I read all about the latest idiot celebrity (thank you, USA Today). Here's what Michael Ohr's character had to say about the difference between courage and honor:

Michael Oher, in The Blind Side (IMDB.com):   Courage is a hard thing to figure. You can have courage based on a dumb idea or mistake, but you're not supposed to question adults, or your coach or your teacher, because they make the rules. Maybe they know best, but maybe they don't. It all depends on who you are, where you come from. Didn't at least one of the six hundred guys think about giving up, and joining with the other side? I mean, valley of death that's pretty salty stuff. That's why courage it's tricky. Should you always do what others tell you to do? Sometimes you might not even know why you're doing something. I mean any fool can have courage. But honor, that's the real reason for you either do something or you don't. It's who you are and maybe who you want to be. If you die trying for something important, then you have both honor and courage, and that's pretty good. I think that's what the writer was saying, that you should hope for courage and try for honor. And maybe even pray that the people telling you what to do have some, too.

In case you're holed up in your Hong Kong hotel room with nothing to read, Mr. Snowden, I recommend the book.

Zoinks - my must-read list is growing

Maybe my friends are getting pushier, or they're better at pitching good reasons to read the books they've just finished. Or they're just trying to see if they can push me over the edge with all their "you've gotta read this!" hyperbole. Whatever.

(Note to friends: I'm really close to the edge, but you probably already knew that.)

Now that I've just finished The Fault in our Stars other titles nearing the top of my to-read pile include Unbroken and The Language of Flowers.

Very recently added to my must-read list:

Gone Girl




The Last Runaway


 and Life after Life
  

What about you? Who's pushing you to read, and what? Let me know...'cus if you

write a blog post for me

then maybe I'll have time to grab a book  :D

#guestblog, anyone?

Who Will Fall for Summer Falls? A Guest Post!

If I could travel back in time I’d spend more than a few extra moments thanking Dr. Lisa Regula for breathing some new life into this blog with this review, for all who love (or are awaiting an introduction to) Doctor Who. Thank you! Now without further ado…. 

Summer Falls is an interesting book, in part because it began life as not-a-book.  While it’s quite common for a book to be turned into a movie, or for classic literature to organically become a part of the popular lexicon (and thus be featured as a touchstone in other works), this book began as a plot point in the long-running British television series, Doctor Who, before being written as a free-standing book.  This nearly guarantees a high potential audience, as Doctor Who is one of (if not the) longest-running series in history, and about to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary on the air.  (There was a break from production, from 1989 to 2005 with a movie in 1996, but it’s a fiftieth anniversary, nonetheless.) 

Doctor Who Fans Likely to Fall for Summer Falls

Amelia Williams is one of the characters in recent seasons of Doctor Who, and the ghostwriter is Doctor Who television producer and book writer James Goss.  Amelia Williams is one of the companions of the Doctor, a human traveler accompanying the Doctor on his adventures and often serving as both conscience and colleague to the nearly-immortal last of the Time Lords of Gallifrey.  Amelia Williams (known more commonly as Amelia Pond) was one of the longest-running companions, and one of the few to have a companion of her own in the series, Rory Williams, whom she eventually marries before parting ways with the Doctor. Amelia, in her life after the Doctor, settled down with Rory to live their own story, becomes an author, and in at least two instances, her books are featured as helpful to the Doctor in solving some problem or mystery.  Hopefully, that gives you a little background into Summer Falls and how it came about.

Doctor Who and Who Else? A Pharmacist, an Evil Lord, and Talking Animals

Kate is a girl finding her way in a new town, where she and her mother have moved shortly before the start of a new school year.   Kate’s mother seems to be suffering depression, and Kate has little use for the mother, or most people, for that matter.  She mistrusts boys and adults, until she meets Barnabas, an odd museum curator in the town of Watchcombe.  Shortly after meeting Barnabas and Armand, a misfit neighbor boy whose pharmacist father is suspected of poisoning pensioners, the world is turned upside down for the trio by a painting and another loner, along with a dog and talking cat.  It’s up to the youngsters to save the world from an old evil, the Lord of Winter, and his trickster accomplice.  

Given the choice between starting a new year of school, or an eternal snow day, the Lord of Winter’s promise seems a temptation that most kids can understand, and the disdain at the ineptness of adults is something with which all of us can sympathize.

If you enjoy the sense of wonder in Doctor Who, or just want to while away an afternoon with a pleasant tale, try Summer Falls on for size, whatever size you may be. 

Doctor Who BBC ebooks: Reading Level, Recommendations

Summer Falls is appealing as a work of older tween or young adolescent fiction, but it bears enough marks of the Doctor Who world to find an audience with adult Whovians as well. Anglophiles especially will enjoy this story, as it takes place in the United Kingdom, and features an obvious touch of British culture.  While the book’s setting doesn’t specify a timeframe, I think it’s safe to place it in the 1950’s or so, before the advent of cell phones and computers and during that nostalgic post-war period that we collectively enjoy romanticizing.   The language is simple, and sentences plain, which makes for a good reading level for children about the age of the main character, Kate; it’s just as good for a quick afternoon vacation read for adults.  The tone also fits perfectly in line with that of the target reader, with its heavy use of proper nouns, and other marks developmentally appropriate to an 11-14 year old.  While you can’t tuck a little tome in a beach bag and enjoy a simple text on paper, the book is available on Kindle, and thanks to the computer science wizardry of Kindle on PC, and there are also iPad, Android, Mac versions and more available in case you have other tech devices you prefer.

Quetching about Not Reading

Not kvetching; quetching. But whatevs. Who has time? Another long weekend is here, so it's a good time to read ... or at least to quetch about not having time to read. I've just loaned out A Fine and Private Place, so it's off my shelf and no longer taunting me ("thought you just couldn't wait to read this! Ha! I've been here a year!") and I've been reading lots of cool stuff on screen (solar planes that fly at night!) and work stuff (there's always work stuff) but lately I've not gotten to read much that I really want to read.


I'm holding out hope I'll soon get to pick up Gone Girl.

Meanwhile, what have you been reading? Wanna talk about it? Or better yet, blog? Yep. This is another cry for help. Guest blogging, anyone?

Don't worry, I'm not exactly without options :D As a matter of fact, I've just scheduled a totally awesome guest blog that you, lucky readers, will see on Tuesday. Hint: it involves Time Travel. Which I'm totally going to learn how to do someday. When I have time.

(See you then.)

Living and Dying and Telling the Tale

It seems disingenuous to complain that a book written by a doctor - an emergency physician, no less - could've been a little better, but here I am.

Sampson Davis, a native of one of New Jersey's toughest neighborhoods, beats the odds and not only avoids drugs, prison (barely), and poverty, he graduates from medical school. Instead of getting out of the neighborhood, though, Davis did his residency (plus a few years) in the hospital emergency room where many of his friends and neighbors arrive - on stretchers.

Davis's story, Living and Dying in Brick City, is gripping, and told as it is in autobiographical vignettes, it could be very instructive to high school and college students who are struggling to make good in a bad situation - any situation, but particularly those who are aiming for a career in the medical profession.

Unfortunately, the narrative wasn't as captivating as the story itself.  I certainly admire Sampson for the work he has done and is still doing, and I really, really wanted to love the book as much as I love the author's philosophy. I just wish Living and Dying has received a little more TLC in the editing room.
-  -  - -  -  -  - -

Have you read any of Sampson's other nonfiction tales? If so, I'd love to hear what you thought.

Is A Higher Call overrated?

A Higher Call made The Diane Rehm Show and CNN, among many, many other (flattering) reviews. Can it possibly live up to its hype?


If you've read it, please weigh in with a comment or squawk at me. 

#AmReading and #AmTweeting, What about You?

I'm still trying to get the hang of this Twitter thing. I slap the popular #AmReading tag on some of my tweets, and (when I feel like wasting half and hour or so) I scroll through others' #AmReading lists. When I really want to procrastinate, you'll find me perusing the #pageturner tags.

I'd to hear from some readers who can argue that Twitter has enhanced their reading experience or choices. Anyone? 

(Yep, this is a thinly masked plea for #guestbloggers.)

I can't claim that any of my best-books-read-in-2013 have come from Twitter recommendations, yet. But the year is still young... anyone?

Anyone?

If you're interested in writing a blog post about what you're reading, or how you waste time when you'd really rather be reading, please contact me... where else? ... here.




       

In Step with Mom

It's that time of year. Time to reminisce with mom, remember her, honor her influence in your life.
Maybe you're feeling a little guilty, too - like perhaps a gift is in order? (Hey, I'm a daughter and a mom. I get it.)

Naturally, I have to take this opportunity to remind you that 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Cleveland makes a perrrrrfect gift for the all the strolling, running, jogging, biking, rollerblading, rockclimbing, marathon, tough-mudder moms in Northeast Ohio. And, the 60 Hikes series is available for Cincinnati, Chicago, New York, Orlando, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, LA, DC, Houston, and dozens of other metro areas in addition to Cleveland.

Now back to reminiscing.

While I credit my dad with giving me the "hiking gene" and teaching me to enjoy walking fast (because when I hit the trail with dad, the rule was keep-up-or-stay-home)  it was mom who taught me to appreciate the little things along the way.

"That's Trillium," she'd say. "And that's Phlox. And do you know what that is?"

"I just like to listen to the water. Isn't it relaxing?"

"Look at that. No, not over there. Over here. Squinting in the sun gives you wrinkles, honey."

I'll admit she slowed me down more than I wanted, many times.
I want to walk! Not sit on a bench, I'd almost scream - barely, just barely, able to keep that voice in my head from popping out of my mouth.


Mom is 83 now. And I'm almost grown up enough to sit on a bench, patiently (?) while she amazes me with her knowledge of wildflowers, and myriad opinions about things I could be doing just a little bit better...

*sigh* Once a mom, always a mom, eh?

To everyone who is, or has ever loved, one: Happy Mother's Day! 

~Diane Stresing

The Phantom Tollbooth: Guest Post from a Third Grader

 A kid named Milo is very bored. He finds a tollbooth in his room and drives through it. In there he finds many new friends, has new adventures, more problems, and more solutions.

The Characters
The main character is Milo. He meets Tock, a watch dog, the Humbug, Rhyme and Reason, the Which, King Azaz, the Mathamagician, the Dodecahedron,* Dr. Dischord, and the Terrible Dynne.

The Setting
The settings are Milo's apartment, Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, the Land of Disillusion, the Island of Conclusions, the Way to Infinity, the Castle in the Air, and the Valley of Sound, which is silent, until Milo sets the sounds free.

The Problem
The problem is Milo is bored. He says, "There's nothing for me to do, nowhere I care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing."

The Solution ... is found inside the Tollbooth. 

* my mom had to look up this word

# #
Thank you to a talented young writer for this guest post.  Like fantasy? Some others I've enjoyed here: http://what2readornot.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-banish-reading-doldrums.html

Why Book Reviews Matter

I like to get confessions out of the way first, so here goes: I loved book reports when I was in school. When I found out people got paid to review books, I was all over that. I could read, and write book reviews, all day!

I could also read book reviews all day. 

Do they matter? Oh, please. I've had shouting matches with people who say reading is a waste of time; we're not going to start that about reviews, are we? Ask Amazon, Goodreads, The NYT, Christian Science Monitor, your local paper, or check out the crowd at almost any library.

Obviously, book reviews matter a great deal to authors and publishers. So why do book reviews matter to the rest of us? Because we all need to feed our brains, and books do that. And just like food preferences and allergies vary from person to person, our tastes in reading material run the gamut, too.

(As I'm writing this, Duck Commander Family and Proof of Heaven are both on The New York Times non-fiction bestsellers list.)

Online book reviews are like a buffet - you can go grab a sample of anything. It's a great way to find out if you'd like more of a particular author's cooking. On the other end of the spectrum, discerning book review editors are like master chefs who study the freshest ingredients, take note of new tools, skillful preparation, unusual  treatments, and offer up only the most delicious, tantalizing combinations of all of those.

Book reviews matter because that classic t-shirt was right: So many books, so little time. The most avid reader will never, ever, ever be able to read all that he or she wants to. Book reviews help us discover books we "must" read that we might have missed, and they help us whittle down our (embarrassingly long) to-read lists.

They also provide countless conversation starters. You don't even have to read the book to use them, just the review! Try these, for example:

Have you read the new book on Scientology?
What do you think about that female author who rewrote one of Hemingway's books?
Forget The Good Wife;  have you heard about The Good Nurse?! 

Toss one of those out at your next cocktail party or agonizingly long elevator ride, and let me know what happens.

Mother's Day Recommendation: Military Moms

As Mother's Day approaches I cannot think of Jamie Reinart's collection of true stories without a lump in my throat and an almost unbearable sense of awe, gratitude, and pride for our service men and women. If you know a Military mom who doesn't own this book, please give her one. Soon.

Love You More Than You Know 

by Jamie Reinart

Whatever shall I cover up with?

As a writer of course I try to follow publishing industry news, and if you do too, you know it can be as mind-boggling as any industry.

Recently, I was boggled by a blog post from January Magazine, which suggests book publishers have their own internal fashion editors.

It left me wondering, how many readers choose books based on their covers? And whatever happened to the little black dress?

If you'd like to try to answer either of these questions, please let me know - seriously. I'm open to guest bloggers, and there's no dress code.

Henrietta Lacks, Would that we'd known you when...

"No dead woman has done more for the living." -- from a review in The Guardian

And yet she was dead for 20+ years before we acknowledged her.

Without a doubt, this one will stick with me.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, is so good I'm not going to attempt a full review. (The New York Times actually did two, following up its original with a sequel.)

Look, this blog is intended to give advice about what to read, or not. My advice on this book is: READ IT.

And while I'm crazy about libraries, I recommend buying this one, because chances are very good you'll want to take your time with it - it's not hard to follow, but there's a great deal to the story, and you'll probably need some time to absorb it. When you finish it, I'll bet you'll want to share it with several friends and family members.

I hope you'll buy a copy for those you know who are interested in writing, science, medicine, or law. Like I said, there's a lot to the story.

Read it.

Update: In September 2015, somebody who almost certainly didn't read the book tried to ban it. Obviously, not gonna happen - the movie hits HBO on April 22, 2017. 


  Update, 2017... And now it's a movie! 

Library Week, take 3

It's just an outline.

Got anything to add?


No? Well, then how 'bout this, from 25 Vintage Photos of Librarians Being Awesome?

Read on.

~Diane Stresing

National Library Week, take 2: You Might Be a Librarian if...

You might be a librarian if ...
... you have a bumper sticker that says, Get carded. Visit a library.

You might be a librarian if ...
... your spice rack is arranged in alphabetical order...

... or by geographic location of discovery of the spice.


You might be a librarian if ...
... you're polite but secretly smug when the IT staff comes to you for help downloading stuff on their

new Kindles.

You might be a librarian if ..
You could write all of the first season's episodes, and a spin-off.

St. Mary's College Library. http://pinterest.com/pin/229331805997359826/

You might be a librarian if ...
...your ringtone is Turn the Page.





You might be a librarian if ...
...you take off work every April 15 because you are tired of saying, "I'm a librarian, not a tax attorney" to the panicky, last-minute form-grabbers.




You might be a librarian if ...
... you've heard all of these before.

National Library Week is April 14-20, 2013

Libraries matter; really they do!
I agree!
The Wall Street Journal said so, and
The Monitor did too.


Let's make a deal:  I'll lay off the poetry and exclamation points if you go to the library.

(You go first!)

Seriously. Maybe I'll see you there... 

~Diane Stresing

How to Banish the Reading Doldrums

If you're bored when you're reading, my friend, you're holding the wrong book.

If it's your economics textbook, sorry. I can't offer much help on that front.

But if you (or your kids) are looking for a book that really grabs your interest and doesn't let go, let me suggest... fantasy. I heard that groan.

I'll be honest, fantasy isn't my favorite thing to read, and I've known other reading snobs who considered themselves above that particular section of shelves until a certain title changed their minds.

The much-maligned genre suffers from one-bad-apple syndrome, I think. Let's face it, "campy" hits like Attack of the Killer Tomatoes are campy because, frankly, they're really, really bad. That said, there are plenty of excellent fantasy books to be read. Some are enjoyable for adults as well as kids. (Remember that series about a boy wizard?)

Here, a few titles that might change your mind about fantasy and convince you to dive into a (slightly) different world:
The Phantom Tollbooth  - a splendid read-together book, for children 3rd grade and up*
A Wrinkle in Time  - 3d grade and up
Timeline and Diana Galbadon's great Outlander series are for adults, only, really.
Dr. Who  fans would certainly take me to task if I failed to mention them. (So, there.)

What fantasy title(s) have you liked, in spite of yourself? I'd love to hear about it.

~Diane Stresing

* Writers, you must read the NPR interview with Norman Juster. And if you're looking to bump up your child's vocabulary, head straight for the Tollbooth. 

Relevant? Check it out

       I won't ask "will libraries survive?" because I'm sure they will. Why am I sure? Well, as a librarian once said - why don't you look it up?

>The view from Talladega

>An insider's perspective

>This HuffPo blog

>The Wall Street Journal's take and The Monitor's

I've extolled the virtues of libraries before, and if you're reading this, I'm sure you can list plenty. What better place to find out (for free) a highly-recommended book is actually an utter disappointment? Where else can you go to find out which e-reader is right for you - again, for free? Where do you go when you're new to town and need a book club?

Still not convinced libraries are relevant? OK, I didn't want to have to do this, but there's a Twitter app for that. Seriously - check it out.

The Last Testament: God's Last Word?

The Tweet of God led me to The Last Testament, by David Javerbaum (well, he gives the big guy credit, in an as-told-to sort of way). Javerbaum is former head writer for The Daily Show.

It's less sacrilegious than you might think, and not quite as funny as I expected. (God's tweets, on the other hand, make me type LOL often, and loud.)

God, it turns out, has a snarky side. And even He commits typos. (The first I spotted was a misplaced comma on page 8, and from there - well, I can only hope he is merciful with his editors.)

Speaking of merciful, God keeps His chapters short, so The Last Testament isn't too taxing on us mere mortals, distracted as we are with, well, everything. While the book wasn't all I hoped, I certainly enjoyed it - especially God's apparent ability to laugh at himself, and share various foibles as he reflects back on what a long, strange trip it's been.

For example, it was funny in a sort of sickening, nostalgic way, to learn that it was Cain who committed the first murder - so he had no way of knowing what to do, exactly - and that he invented sarcasm. Which, apparently, hasn't killed anyone yet.

(I'll find out, I guess, after he reads this review.)

I rate this book "worth reading" (what? you think I have a death wish? the guy has a verified Twitter account) and recommend it for anytime, except, perhaps, when in Rome.

The new guy there seems to have an open mind, but, you know, just to be safe  - maybe you should leave your copy of The Last Testament on the plane.