What I'm Reading- April 22, 2013

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Currently Reading: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

About Gilead (from amazon.com): Twenty-four years after her first novel, Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations from the Civil War to the twentieth century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. Writing in the tradition of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, Marilynne Robinson's beautiful, spare, and spiritual prose allows "even the faithless reader to feel the possibility of transcendent order" (Slate). In the luminous and unforgettable voice of Congregationalist minister John Ames, Gilead reveals the human condition and the often unbearable beauty of an ordinary life. Gilead is the winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Recently Finished: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Another great Kingsolver book! This was her first published novel. You can read my review here.

Up Next: Nashville Chrome by Rick Bass



I have been wanting to read this novel for several years after hearing the author, Rick Bass, promoting the book on NPR. For some reason that interview stuck with me and I am excited to finally be getting around to this read.

About Nashville Chrome (from amazon.com): In 1959, the Brown siblings were the biggest thing in country music. Their inimitable harmony would give rise to the polished sound of the multibillion dollar country-music industry we know today. But when the bonds of family began to fray, the flame of their celebrity proved as brilliant as it was fleeting. Masterfully jumping between the Browns' once-auspicious past and the heartbreaking present, Nashville Chrome is the richly imagined story of a forgotten family and an unflinching portrait of an era in American music. In his "breath-catching, mythic and profoundly American tale of creation, destruction and renewal" (Kansas City Star), Rick Bass mines quiet truths and draws poignant portraits of lives lived both in and out of the limelight.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Book Beginnings: Gilead

  Today I am linking up to Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader where readers share the first sentence of the current book they are reading.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson begins with these words:

"I told you last night that I might be gone sometime, and you said, Where, and I said, To be with the Good Lord, and you said, Why, and I said, Because I'm old, and you said, I don't think you're old. And you put your hand in my hand and you said, Your aren't very old, as if that settled it. I told you you might have a very different life from mine, and from the life you've had with me, and that would be a wonderful thing, there are many ways to live a good life."

Gilead is the story of a father in ailing health writing a letter to his young son, wanting to leave an account of his life and his regrets. From the opening sentences, the reader can sense that this is going to be an emotional journey, a soul-searching tale, and will likely cause reflection on one's own life and choices.

Have you read Gilead or any of Robinson's other works?

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

“There were two things about Mama. One is she always expected the best out of me. And the other is that then no matter what I did, whatever I came home with, she acted like it was the moon I had just hung up in the sky and plugged in all the stars. Like I was that good.” ~ Taylor, The Bean Trees

About the Book (from Publishers Weekly): Feisty Marietta Greer changes her name to "Taylor" when her car runs out of gas in Taylorville, Ill. By the time she reaches Oklahoma, this strong-willed young Kentucky native with a quick tongue and an open mind is catapulted into a surprising new life. Taylor leaves home in a beat-up '55 Volkswagen bug, on her way to nowhere in particular, savoring her freedom. But when a forlorn Cherokee woman drops a baby in Taylor's passenger seat and asks her to take it, she does. A first novel, The Bean Trees is an overwhelming delight, as random and unexpected as real life. The unmistakable voice of its irresistible heroine is whimsical, yet deeply insightful. Taylor playfully names her little foundling "Turtle," because she clings with an unrelenting, reptilian grip; at the same time, Taylor aches at the thought of the silent, staring child's past suffering. With Turtle in tow, Taylor lands in Tucson, Ariz., with two flat tires and decides to stay. The desert climate, landscape and vegetation are completely foreign to Taylor, and in learning to love Arizona, she also comes face to face with its rattlesnakes and tarantulas. Similarly, Taylor finds that motherhood, responsibility and independence are thorny, if welcome, gifts. This funny, inspiring book is a marvelous affirmation of risk-taking, commitment and everyday miracles.

My Thoughts: The Bean Trees is Barbara Kingsolver's first published novel (1988). Having read The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer and thoroughly loved both, I was excited to read another one of her titles. I think her style has evolved since this first book and her character development is stronger in the later novels but The Bean Trees still showcases her talent for simple storytelling.
Told as two separate narratives in the beginning, the story unites into one as the paths of the two main characters connect. It is a story about motherhood and community, inequality and strife, but also love and hope. Nature and landscape have top billing in Kingsolver's writing, and the reader experiences a cross-country trip from Kentucky to Arizona in The Bean Trees.
The heart of this novel is a lesson in humanity, the art of creating a level playing field for everyone and making a sacrifice to aid someone else in their journey. Taylor leaves Kentucky with the adventurous spirit of a girl but somewhere between home and the western skies, she discovers that she had the strength of a woman all along.
The Bean Trees leaves the reader feeling optimistic with its ending, however Kingsolver later wrote a sequel to this novel, Pigs in Heaven, which continues the story of Taylor and her adopted daughter, Turtle. It is hard to be disappointed in any Kingsolver book. She addresses serious topics through relatable characters that are a joy to follow.

 Book Club Ideas: In the novel, Taylor's friend and roommate, Lou Ann, takes a job in a salsa factory and experiments with a variety of dishes incorporating the condiment. At your meeting, have a salsa tasting that features different flavors available in your region or try creating your own recipe. Also, vegetables are a large theme in the storyline. Ask members to bring a pack of seeds to share and plant small pots for everyone to take home.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Poetry Month: Celebrate Spring!

Spring

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

To what purpose, April, do you return again?

Beauty is not enough.

You can no longer quiet me with the redness

Of little leaves opening stickily.

I know what I know.

The sun is hot on my neck as I observe

The spikes of crocus.

The smell of the earth is good.

It is apparent that there is no death.

But what does that signify?

Not only under ground are the brains of men

Eaten by maggots.

Life in itself

Is nothing,

An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.

It is not enough that yearly, down this hill,

April

Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

Young Love: Helping Children Create a Love for Reading



I can still remember my favorite books of childhood. I'll bet that you can too. You know the ones that you would pick up and read over and over again on a rainy day and enjoy each time you opened up those wonderfully illustrated covers and were transported directly into the story. Reading opens many doors, providing an opportunity to learn and understand the world around us. Although we often view it as a past-time or form of entertainment, it is also a prominent skill that will determine our success

According to statistics listed at www.scholastic.com, "forecasters have predicted that if static literacy levels continue, then by 2030 the entire Literacy Level distribution of the U.S. population will have decreased, creating an American workforce that is unequipped and unskilled to work in the global market." (Educational Testing Service)

The world in which we live is now driven by technology that is updated almost daily. Often, children are more equipped on computer skills, social media, and video gaming and production than adults. But with so much time spent in this electronic realm, are their reading skills developing enough to help them succeed?

"Children who grow up in homes where books are plentiful go further in school than those who don't. Children with low-education families can do as well as children with high-education families if they have access to books at home." (Scholastic)

Helping to make a difference can be as simple as reading a book to a child, introducing them to the local library system and helping them to select age-appropriate books, or becoming involved in a non-profit literacy organization such as First Book, which helps to provide books to children living in low economic areas. With a little time and effort, we can each make a difference in a child's life. Share the Joy of Reading Today!

What was your favorite childhood book?

Rebecca

Before Blogging: Top 10 Books

Happy Tuesday Everyone!

Today I am participating in Top Ten Tuesday

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with a list of 10 books I enjoyed before I started blogging. Click on the link above to head over and visit other submissions and to find great books to add to your To Read list.

What have been some of your favorite books?

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

What I'm Reading: April 8, 2013

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Currently Reading: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. I have previously read Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer and am enjoying this one so far as well.

 

 

Recently Finished: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. This is a wonderful classic for all ages. You can read my review here!

Up Next: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

About Gilead (from amazon.com): Twenty-four years after her first novel, Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson returns with an intimate tale of three generations from the Civil War to the twentieth century: a story about fathers and sons and the spiritual battles that still rage at America's heart. Writing in the tradition of Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, Marilynne Robinson's beautiful, spare, and spiritual prose allows "even the faithless reader to feel the possibility of transcendent order" (Slate). In the luminous and unforgettable voice of Congregationalist minister John Ames, Gilead reveals the human condition and the often unbearable beauty of an ordinary life.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

Book Beginnings: The Bean Trees

Today I am linking up to Book Beginnings hosted by Rose City Reader where readers share the first sentence of the current book they are reading.

This is the first line from The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and it instantly captured my attention.

"I have been afraid of putting in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw Newt Hardbine's father over the top of the Standard Oil sign."

It begins by describing a tragic situation but there seems to be a slight humor in the observer's recount of the incident. The fact that the Standard Oil sign is signaled as a landmark lets the reader know that it is a small town and this event had a deep impact on the people in the town. I am still in the first half of this book but so far it is proving to be another terrific read by Kingsolver.

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

"...one can't stay sad very long in such an interesting world, can one?"

                                                                                          Anne (Chapter XVII)

Book Description (from wikipedia.com): Anne of Green Gables (1908) is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Written as fiction for readers of all ages, since the mid-twentieth century, the literary classic has been considered a children's novel. It recounts the adventures of Anne Shirley, a young orphan girl sent to a middle-aged brother and sister who have a farm on Prince Edward Island, and who had intended to adopt a boy to help them. The novel recounts how Anne makes her way with the Cuthberts, in school and the town. Since publication, Anne of Green Gables has sold more than 50 million copies, and has been translated into 20 languages. Numerous sequels were written by Montgomery, and since her death, another sequel has been published, as well as an authorized prequel. The original book is taught to students around the world. It has been adapted as films, made for television movies, and animated and live-action television series.

"...When you hear a name pronounced can't you always see it in your mind, just as if it was printed out? I can; and A-n-n looks dreadful, but A-n-n-e looks so much more distinguished. If you'll only call me Anne spelled with an e I shall try to reconcile myself to not being called Cordelia." Anne (Chapter III)

My Thoughts: Anne of Green Gables, the first in a series by L.M. Montgomery, is a classic for all ages. With Anne, Montgomery created one of the most beloved characters in fiction. Anne Shirley is so fully developed from our first introduction to her that she not only leads the story, she waltzes the reader along with her through the beautiful landscape of Prince Edward Island as well as her imagination. 

Anne is very precocious child. Having been orphaned at an early age due to the death of her parents, Anne is passed around to several families where she is mostly regarded as a servant responsible for taking care of the younger children and infants in the homes she is stationed. By chance, Anne is sent to the home of Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert at Green Gables, an aging brother-sister duo, and her life is transformed more than even she could imagine. Just as importantly, she transforms the characters around her. With her flowery vocabulary and knack for creating mischief, Anne brings a rejuvenation to her new family and neighbors. Although the Cuthberts had requested a boy from the orphanage to assist Matthew with the farm, they quickly become attached to the red-haired Anne and discover that a girl was what was missing from their lives. Marilla takes the disciplinarian role with Anne but discovers along the way that she has learned to love Anne as her own child.

Anne of Green Gables takes the reader on a journey through childhood- adventures, friendships, love, disappointments, transitioning into adulthood, great loss, and even a little romance. We rediscover the joys and pains of growing up and accepting that the world around us must change. Anne reminds us to embrace each day to its fullest and that a little imagination can make all the difference.

 Book Club Ideas: Anne is fascinated with the fashion of the time- puffed sleeves. Make a contest of having members attend the meeting in the largest puffed sleeves they can create with the winner awarded a small prize. Anne proves to be a great elocutionist. Have each member recite a poem, channeling their best depiction of Anne Shirley. 

National Poetry Month 2013

April is National Poetry Month!

Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is held every April to celebrate the art of poetry. Learn more at www.poets.org.

A Clear Midnight

by Walt Whitman

This is thy hour O Soul, thy free flight into the wordless,

Away from books, away from art, the day erased, the lesson done,

Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the themes thou lovest best,

Night, sleep, death and the stars.

  Book Club Idea: Interested in having your book club celebrate National Poetry Month? The Academy of American Poets recommends the following topic suggestions for your group:

Discuss a Book of Poetry

Read and discuss a single Poem

Review and discuss a Poet

Share a Cherished Poem

Poems on a Particular Subject

Listening to Poetry

Discuss Poetry in Motion Pictures 

Who is your favorite poet? Do you have a favorite poem?

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

An Imaginative Dinner Party

 "Do you never imagine things different from what they really are?" Anne asked wide-eyed?

"No."

"Oh!" Anne drew a long breath. "Oh, Miss Marilla, how much you miss!"

                                                                               Anne of Green Gables

From bhg.com on Pinterest

The setting is an elegantly staged dining room. There are eight seats at the table. You occupy one. If you could fill the remaining seats with your favorite authors, past or present, whom would you invite?

I've put together an eclectic group at my table. Wouldn't this discussion be lively?

From left: John Steinbeck, Pearl S. Buck, Mark Twain, Willa Cather,
Barbara Kingsolver, William Faulkner, Laura Hillenbrand.

Happy Reading and Dining!
Rebecca

Top 10 Books I Recommend

Happy Tuesday Everyone!
Today I am participating in Top Ten Tuesday

hosted by The Broke and the Bookish with the top 10 books I recommend. Click on the link above to head over and visit other submissions and to find great books to add to your To Read list.

Below are the Top 10 books I recommend to others to read. Each of these has resonated with me emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. They have changed the way I think and have impacted the way I feel. Regardless of when I read them, they have never left me. These books have left a long-lasting impint on my mind.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

My Antonia by Willa Cather

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Happy Reading!
Rebecca

What I'm Reading- March 25, 2013

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a meme hosted by Sheila from Book Journey where readers share what they are currently reading, recently read, or plan to read next.

Currently Reading: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The yard was quite dark as they turned into it and the poplar leaves were rustling silkily all around it. "Listen to the trees talking in their sleep," she whispered as he lifted her to the ground. "What nice dreams they must have!" (Chapter Two)

My book club is beginning the Anne series this year and discussing each book.

Montgomery brings Anne to life by giving the character more personality than any other I have read. The dialogue is fantastic.

Recently Finished: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

* You can read my review as well as reading group ideas for this book here.

Up Next: The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery

 

About The Bean Trees (from harpercollins.com): Marietta Greer spent her girlhood in rural Kentucky determined to do two things: avoid getting pregnant and escape rural Kentucky. AC the start of the novel, she has headed west in a beat-up '55 Volkswagon, changing her name to "Taylor" when her car runs out of gas in Taylorville, Illinois. By the time two tires give way in Tucson she has with her a stunned, silent three-year-old Cherokee girl who was literally, dropped into her arms one night. She has named the child Turtle, for her strong, snapping-turtle-like grip. In Tucson Taylor finds friendship and support in Lou Ann Ruiz, a fellow Kentuckian and single mother, with whom she and Turtle share a house. Her newfound community also includes Mattie, who runs a safe house for political refugees in the upstairs rooms above her auto repair shop. The novel's themes of fear, flight, homelessness, and finding sanctuary within a community are present in Taylor's struggle to find a place where she belongs, and the more urgent plight of two Central American refugees, Estevan and Esperanza. These fellow travelers help one another create new lives and redefine the meanings of home and family.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Ritter Park, Huntington, West Virginia

"A rose is a rose is a rose." ~ Gertrude Stein, Sacred Emily

Book Description (from randomhouse.com): The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, aster for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating grief, mistrust, and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. Soon a local florist discovers her talents, and Victoria realizes that she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But a mysterious vendor at the flower market inspires her to question what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

"I'm talking about the language of flowers," Elizabeth said. "It's from the Victorian era, like your name. If a man gave a young lady a bouquet of flowers, she would race home and try to decode it like a secret message. Red roses mean love, yellow roses infidelity. So a man would have to choose his flowers carefully." (Page 29)

     My Thoughts: The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (Ballantine, Random House, Inc. 2011) opens slowly like the petals of a cut rose bud. We meet Victoria as a young girl struggling in the foster care system. Her story is told in alternating chapters between her past and present day in which she is 18-years-old and struggling to survive in a world that she was not prepared to navigate. The sequences flow so easily that the book becomes a quick page turner, unraveling the meaning of the story with each new flower given.

     The Language of Flowers helps to give a voice to foster children and the emotions they experience when living in unstable conditions. When Victoria is enlisted in the care of a Elizabeth, a single, young woman living on a small vineyard, she starts to believe that she has finally found a permanent home and is introduced to the world of flowers. But Elizabeth is recovering from her own mother-daughter conflicts and an estranged relationship with her sister. Victoria quickly discovers that she will complete her childhood in the system and through her rage changes everyone's future with her actions.

     Once emancipated, a chance encounter with a flower shop owner changes Victoria's future and sets her on the path to finally recovering from years of emotional turmoil and suffering. As she begins to develop a sense of independence, her new life leads her directly back to the past she has tried desperately to forget, forcing her to confront her mistakes. This circle delivers a reconciliation between Victoria and the only mother she has known as she herself discovers motherhood.

     Diffenbaugh weaves the lives of her characters together seamlessly, creating a story that is not only intriguing with its use of Victorian flower rituals but also engaging as it addresses the challenging aspects of foster care and children within the system. Like a full and fragrant bouquet, The Language of Flowers is a novel full of variety and beauty, reminding us of the importance of family and the art of communication.

 Book Club Idea: Have members randomly draw another member's name to design a bouquet specifically for them using the flower dictionary provided in the back of the book. This could be a paper bouquet using floral clip art available on the internet, magazine images, or an illustration if you are more artistic. Each member can then decode the meaning of the bouquet at the meeting. If your reading group is interested in something more elaborate, fresh flower bouquets could be designed and presented for decoding. For a change of meeting space, have your group meet at a local nursery to tour the different floral varieties available in your region.

About the Author:

Vanessa Diffenbaugh was born in San Francisco and raised in Chico, California. After studying creative writing and education at Stanford, she went on to teach art and writing to youth in low-income communities. She and her husband, PK, have three children: Tre’von, eighteen; Chela, four; and Miles, three. Tre’von, a former foster child, is attending New York University on a Gates Millennium Scholarship. Diffenbaugh and her family currently live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her husband is studying urban school reform at Harvard.

Happy Reading!

Rebecca