Following a student's recommendation, I've started reading A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. The style and time period remind me of Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers, a book that I now realize I never finished. When I finish Beauty, I really need to go back and reread that one before I get busy preparing for another school year.
Beauty has an air of mystery. I know that the malevolence lurking in the story is tied to two generations of females, which leads me to wonder whether it is an "inherited" spirit similar to that in Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches trilogy. At the start of chapter 8, Gemma has read her mother's diary, but it doesn't appear to offer any clues as to the form or origination of this spirit. A newspaper clipping found therein, however, hints at a link between multiple girls' boarding schools and whatever is going on. The boarding school itself is so far somewhat stereotypical along the lines of Jane Eyre.
So far, the book interests me, but it has yet to captivate me. It is the only book I have with me on an out-of-town trip, and reading it passes time between events at the competition at which I am chaperoning students. Gemma's brother, father, and the mysterious man from India are all stock characters with little to give the story the depth I would like to see, but hopefully they will be developed more fully as the book progresses.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Anonymity
I finished reading Anonymity at 1:45am on the last day I blogged. I don't know if I liked the ending, but I do feel that the ending was appropriate. Toward the end of the book, the chapters became shorter so the pace picked up -- and the plot line was never slow-paced to being with. That's why I was still up reading well past midnight! There were several surprises (but one predictable outcome regarding the journalist), so the book held my interest until the end. I fully recommend this book, but still have reservations about assigning it to students.
In between exercising with my Wii Fit and working to repair storm damage to the yard, I've read another book on my Kindle (I don't remember the title) and started re-reading Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. My Kindle locked up for the first time yesterday morning, so I'm now re-reading The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall by Anne McCaffrey. Apparently I bought this book on my way back from England in 2002 and have not read it since that flight. I love using plane and train tickets as bookmarks -- they provide a reading history! I have a stack of print books on the table next to the couch that I'll make my way through while waiting to see what happens with the Kindle. As it had a full charge when it locked up, I may have a while to wait to see if it unlocks once the power runs out. It has ignored all my attempts to reset it so far. Both McCaffrey and Andrews make for great summer reading with my brain set on coast. I don't plan to read anything work related until mid-July -- for the first time in 5 years, I'm not taking any graduate classes this summer and I plan to start next school year thoroughly refreshed and enthusiastic!
In between exercising with my Wii Fit and working to repair storm damage to the yard, I've read another book on my Kindle (I don't remember the title) and started re-reading Savannah Blues by Mary Kay Andrews. My Kindle locked up for the first time yesterday morning, so I'm now re-reading The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall by Anne McCaffrey. Apparently I bought this book on my way back from England in 2002 and have not read it since that flight. I love using plane and train tickets as bookmarks -- they provide a reading history! I have a stack of print books on the table next to the couch that I'll make my way through while waiting to see what happens with the Kindle. As it had a full charge when it locked up, I may have a while to wait to see if it unlocks once the power runs out. It has ignored all my attempts to reset it so far. Both McCaffrey and Andrews make for great summer reading with my brain set on coast. I don't plan to read anything work related until mid-July -- for the first time in 5 years, I'm not taking any graduate classes this summer and I plan to start next school year thoroughly refreshed and enthusiastic!
Friday, June 13, 2014
Anonymity by Janna McMahan
I'm about 1/4 of the way through Anonymity, a story about multiple characters all somehow tied together by a homeless girl named Lorelei. This would be a good companion book to Can't Get There From Here and From Homeless to Harvard. There is a shroud of mystery around Lorelei (hence the title) that makes me want to keep reading. McMahan mentions Lorelei's brother at intervals and Lorelei appears to be searching for him. The novel also hints at other reasons why this young lady (she should be in her junior year of high school) left home, but details are lacking so far.
Emily, another major female character, appears to be drifting through her life without a real purpose. She works and supports herself, but doesn't appear to be really using her abilities. She doesn't seem unhappy, but nor does she really seem happy. She enjoyed photography in school, but left her camera at home when she moved to Austin. Now her mother has convinced her to experiment with photography again and she has met a man who may or may not become a love interest who needs a photographer. From a photograph she took of this man, the reader can see that she has a good eye and knows how to use a camera. There are multiple threads to her story that I want to follow.
The chapters of this novel revolve around one particular character at a time. Lorelei and Emily are clearly the main characters at this point, but other people have had their own chapters. This makes me wonder who of these other people will play greater roles in the plot as the story goes on.
I find this book less cliched than Can't Get There From Here, but it is written for a different audience. If I teach Can't Get There From Here again, I may offer this book and From Homeless to Harvard as alternatives to my stronger readers. The F word is present, but only when it would occur naturally in conversation. UPDATE: I would not give this book to a sophomore, which is when I teach Can't Get There. Two pages of steamy sex don't ruin the book, but they do make this inappropriate for the classroom.
Enough writing...... back to reading...... (I love summer!)
Emily, another major female character, appears to be drifting through her life without a real purpose. She works and supports herself, but doesn't appear to be really using her abilities. She doesn't seem unhappy, but nor does she really seem happy. She enjoyed photography in school, but left her camera at home when she moved to Austin. Now her mother has convinced her to experiment with photography again and she has met a man who may or may not become a love interest who needs a photographer. From a photograph she took of this man, the reader can see that she has a good eye and knows how to use a camera. There are multiple threads to her story that I want to follow.
The chapters of this novel revolve around one particular character at a time. Lorelei and Emily are clearly the main characters at this point, but other people have had their own chapters. This makes me wonder who of these other people will play greater roles in the plot as the story goes on.
I find this book less cliched than Can't Get There From Here, but it is written for a different audience. If I teach Can't Get There From Here again, I may offer this book and From Homeless to Harvard as alternatives to my stronger readers. The F word is present, but only when it would occur naturally in conversation. UPDATE: I would not give this book to a sophomore, which is when I teach Can't Get There. Two pages of steamy sex don't ruin the book, but they do make this inappropriate for the classroom.
Enough writing...... back to reading...... (I love summer!)
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Fat Chance
My copy of Fat Chance arrived in the mail yesterday, so the final two chapters of The Guide are on hold, although I really need to finish reading it and make a decision about teaching it before the weekend is over.
Fat Chance discusses the biochemistry behind obesity and metabolic disease in an often humorous way. For the first time, I now know just why I have no energy after giving in to my craving for Skittles! I don't know yet whether that will help me resist high sugar snacks when I'm stressed or tired, but it does give me something to think about.
One thing that is amazing is the lack of empirical data behind many of the dietary recommendations to which we are encouraged to adhere. The first dietary guidelines (reduce fat) were written by a reporter with no scientific background who gleaned most of his information from one source. Yes, trans fats are evil and should be avoided at all costs, but not all fats are equal. The reduction of fats in manufactured foods after the release of those 1977 guidelines led to the increase of sugar and sodium, and sugar leads to the body's manufacture of small and harmful LDL. (Big LDL doesn't damage arteries, so high LDL numbers alone don't give us the information we need.)
What appears to be the answer to the obesity problem is not new -- avoid processed foods, increase fiber, eat more veggies -- but the chemistry behind it fascinates me. (Who would have thought chemistry could ever fascinate me after my track record in high school? Then again, it's biochemistry and I did enjoy biology classes.)
Dr. Lustig, the author, starts each chapter with a case study of one of his patients. Many of these patients are brain tumor survivors with metabolic problems resulting from the placement of the tumor or brain damage caused by chemotherapy. He and other doctors have been able to help these patients with a variety of treatments that give insights into what would help those of us who simply have middle-aged spread! They have also discovered what doesn't work, which is just as helpful. Does it help me to see hunger and a lack of energy as a symptom rather than the cause of my weight gain over the past few years? Maybe. Does it help to know that my under-active thyroid makes the battle harder for me? Not really -- I've known that for years and it frustrates me, but I'm hoping for at least a partial solution to that before the end of the book! Does it help me to see how chronic stress makes my body want to store every calorie it can. Definitely! (Did stress make me crave Starburst yesterday -- yes. I ended up with Skittles, which make me crash even more because there were no Starburst left in the snack machine.)
Overall, this book is thought provoking, especially when I consider the long-term damage that a continued dependence on processed food will cause. Summer is almost here, and that's when we typically eat healthier meals and, of course, exercise more. I doubt that we'll get to the stage where all of our meals are home-cooked with fresh veggies, at least not as long as we're both teaching, but knowing that eating better will lead to more energy and less depression, which will in turn will lead to more energy to cook after a day at work, is motivational. More energy will also lead to more exercise, which leads to less stress, which reduces metabolic syndrome, which leads to less hunger and more energy.... that's worth spending 30 minutes cooking at the end of the day!
Over summer, I am also going to add more of our favorite healthy recipes into the grocery list app we use on our phones. Just buying the things we need to cook those healthy meals is often more of a road-block than the actual cooking. Getting out of the grocery store parking lots after 5:00pm is something I avoid at all costs, so planning ahead on weekends has proven to be the best solution to the "what do we eat" problem.
Back to reading -- but first, I'm going to check on the veggie garden and encourage the plants to get busy
Fat Chance discusses the biochemistry behind obesity and metabolic disease in an often humorous way. For the first time, I now know just why I have no energy after giving in to my craving for Skittles! I don't know yet whether that will help me resist high sugar snacks when I'm stressed or tired, but it does give me something to think about.
One thing that is amazing is the lack of empirical data behind many of the dietary recommendations to which we are encouraged to adhere. The first dietary guidelines (reduce fat) were written by a reporter with no scientific background who gleaned most of his information from one source. Yes, trans fats are evil and should be avoided at all costs, but not all fats are equal. The reduction of fats in manufactured foods after the release of those 1977 guidelines led to the increase of sugar and sodium, and sugar leads to the body's manufacture of small and harmful LDL. (Big LDL doesn't damage arteries, so high LDL numbers alone don't give us the information we need.)
What appears to be the answer to the obesity problem is not new -- avoid processed foods, increase fiber, eat more veggies -- but the chemistry behind it fascinates me. (Who would have thought chemistry could ever fascinate me after my track record in high school? Then again, it's biochemistry and I did enjoy biology classes.)
Dr. Lustig, the author, starts each chapter with a case study of one of his patients. Many of these patients are brain tumor survivors with metabolic problems resulting from the placement of the tumor or brain damage caused by chemotherapy. He and other doctors have been able to help these patients with a variety of treatments that give insights into what would help those of us who simply have middle-aged spread! They have also discovered what doesn't work, which is just as helpful. Does it help me to see hunger and a lack of energy as a symptom rather than the cause of my weight gain over the past few years? Maybe. Does it help to know that my under-active thyroid makes the battle harder for me? Not really -- I've known that for years and it frustrates me, but I'm hoping for at least a partial solution to that before the end of the book! Does it help me to see how chronic stress makes my body want to store every calorie it can. Definitely! (Did stress make me crave Starburst yesterday -- yes. I ended up with Skittles, which make me crash even more because there were no Starburst left in the snack machine.)
Overall, this book is thought provoking, especially when I consider the long-term damage that a continued dependence on processed food will cause. Summer is almost here, and that's when we typically eat healthier meals and, of course, exercise more. I doubt that we'll get to the stage where all of our meals are home-cooked with fresh veggies, at least not as long as we're both teaching, but knowing that eating better will lead to more energy and less depression, which will in turn will lead to more energy to cook after a day at work, is motivational. More energy will also lead to more exercise, which leads to less stress, which reduces metabolic syndrome, which leads to less hunger and more energy.... that's worth spending 30 minutes cooking at the end of the day!
Over summer, I am also going to add more of our favorite healthy recipes into the grocery list app we use on our phones. Just buying the things we need to cook those healthy meals is often more of a road-block than the actual cooking. Getting out of the grocery store parking lots after 5:00pm is something I avoid at all costs, so planning ahead on weekends has proven to be the best solution to the "what do we eat" problem.
Back to reading -- but first, I'm going to check on the veggie garden and encourage the plants to get busy
Clifton Chronicles - Be Careful What You Wish For
Book 3 of The Clifton Chronicles finished on a cliff-hanger, and Be Careful What You Wish For is no different. I had pre-ordered this book and it downloaded to my Kindle without me noticing, so that was a nice surprise. It took me a while to remember who all the characters were and what had led up to the car accident, but once my memory kicked in, I could not put the book down. However, I now cannot even pre-order the next book. All I know is that it will be published in 2015.
Jeffrey Archer has been one of my favorite authors for many years now. The Kane and Able series and As The Crow Flies remain at the top of my list, but this series comes a close third. (Don't ask me to decide between the first two.) His characters are eminently relatable and his plots never have dull spots.
The Clifton Chronicles start in 1920 with Only Time Will Tell and Be Careful What You Wish For takes the reader up to the 1960s. As in all of Archer's books, new characters enter the story, many old ones keep trying to cause havoc and the family at the center of the drama goes through the life events we all experience. Marriage, divorce, love, betrayal, children, and death weave through the story, often in unexpected ways. The cliff-hangers at the end of each book are what induced me to read the first three books in one weekend after randomly picking up the middle one while wandering Books-A-Million. Once I realized it was the second book, the wonderful technology of the Kindle allowed me to read the three books in order with no delay!
Check online for more information about the plot, but be careful not to read too much and ruin the surprises along the way!
Jeffrey Archer has been one of my favorite authors for many years now. The Kane and Able series and As The Crow Flies remain at the top of my list, but this series comes a close third. (Don't ask me to decide between the first two.) His characters are eminently relatable and his plots never have dull spots.
The Clifton Chronicles start in 1920 with Only Time Will Tell and Be Careful What You Wish For takes the reader up to the 1960s. As in all of Archer's books, new characters enter the story, many old ones keep trying to cause havoc and the family at the center of the drama goes through the life events we all experience. Marriage, divorce, love, betrayal, children, and death weave through the story, often in unexpected ways. The cliff-hangers at the end of each book are what induced me to read the first three books in one weekend after randomly picking up the middle one while wandering Books-A-Million. Once I realized it was the second book, the wonderful technology of the Kindle allowed me to read the three books in order with no delay!
Check online for more information about the plot, but be careful not to read too much and ruin the surprises along the way!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
The Guide to Teaching as a Subversive Activity
I liked the end of The Guide, but/and I know it will drive my students crazy! The very last sentence can be interpreted in more than one day; I know what I think happens, I can different interpretations. Outwardly the protagonist changes, but when Narayan reveals his thoughts it doesn't appear that he has learned through his experiences. Despite my cynicism, I prefer unethical characters in books to learn, grow, and become nice people. I am also ambivalent about the changes in Rosie's character, despite the fact that I find her character development very logical and believable. While I don't always like books to leave me with questions that linger long after I finish reading, I do like teaching this kind of book because students have to reach their own conclusions about some of the open-ended questions. Even though I feel that not everything is fully resolved at the end of the book, I still feel that the book has a solid conclusion.
When I ordered it, I did not realize that Teaching as a Subversive Activity was published in 1971. I agree with the premise that students need to think rather than memorize, but education is moving in that direction. When examples of how much society and technology have changed "recently," I have to think about all the things that have changed since the invention of television and LP records that are the examples given in the book. I may go back and read more over the summer as reviews mention good ideas, but I have so many other books that I've started since winter break that there are others that I'd rather finish first.
When I ordered it, I did not realize that Teaching as a Subversive Activity was published in 1971. I agree with the premise that students need to think rather than memorize, but education is moving in that direction. When examples of how much society and technology have changed "recently," I have to think about all the things that have changed since the invention of television and LP records that are the examples given in the book. I may go back and read more over the summer as reviews mention good ideas, but I have so many other books that I've started since winter break that there are others that I'd rather finish first.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Guide by R.K. Narayan
I am about halfway through The Guide by R.K. Narayan, one of my considerations for next year's IB class. I really like Narayan's writing style and I like the structure of the story. The book starts in the present, and that story continues chronologically. At the same time, we learn the protagonist's background in a series of flashbacks, written in first person. In addition, there are smaller flashbacks written in third person that provide additional background to the present tense narrative. There is a subtle difference in the diction of the first person flashbacks and the third person narrative, but not as distinct as in many books that I've read.
The structure of the novel would present a challenge to some of my students, but would also provide them with plenty to discuss in essays and in the oral exam. The development of Raju, the child, and Raju, the spiritual leader contrasts active decision making with simply allowing things to happen. The flashbacks provide the reader with an insight to Raju's character, pre-prison, that the villagers of Mangal lack. I find myself asking how long Raju the charlatan will be able to fool the villagers. Of course, I also want to know what happened to Rosie, the woman with whom all of Raju's troubles began, according to the start of his flashback in chapter one.
There are enough questions to make me want to keep reading. The book is not as compelling as The Handmaid's Tale, but so far it doesn't contain any scenes which could potentially upset parents.
The structure of the novel would present a challenge to some of my students, but would also provide them with plenty to discuss in essays and in the oral exam. The development of Raju, the child, and Raju, the spiritual leader contrasts active decision making with simply allowing things to happen. The flashbacks provide the reader with an insight to Raju's character, pre-prison, that the villagers of Mangal lack. I find myself asking how long Raju the charlatan will be able to fool the villagers. Of course, I also want to know what happened to Rosie, the woman with whom all of Raju's troubles began, according to the start of his flashback in chapter one.
There are enough questions to make me want to keep reading. The book is not as compelling as The Handmaid's Tale, but so far it doesn't contain any scenes which could potentially upset parents.
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