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On my nightstand

2010
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It’s time for the monthly “What’s on Your Nightstand” carnival sponsored by 5 Minutes for Books.

At the moment, there is only one book on my nightstand. And to be honest, it’s in my hands more than on my nightstand.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I’m not sure why I even have this book already. Amazon.com still had it listed as a pre-order as late as yesterday. Bookstores promise to have it in stock today, the 24th. And the pre-order I placed with Amazon told me not to expect the book until August 26th.

And yet, it arrived in my mailbox on Saturday. Three full days before its official release.

Perhaps someone at Amazon read my Things I’m Waiting For post, and sneakily got my copy in the mail a few days early. Or maybe a number of people have been pleasantly surprised by receiving Mockingjay early. Or perhaps there was just a random mix-up.

Either way, I’m about 200 pages into it and will likely finish it before the end of the day. Since Sunday, I’ve been reading as often as I can, in between things like church, meals, errands, and get-togethers with friends.

Mockingjay is just as absorbing as the previous books in the trilogy (Hunger Games and Catching Fire). I’d tell you more, but I have to get back to reading. Must find out how things end for Katniss, Gale, & Peeta.

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Visit 5 Minutes for Books to find out what others are reading this month.

Filed Under: What's On Your Nightstand 12 Comments

Elephant & Piggie: a delightful series…mostly

2010
10 Comments

L. (4) has been captivated by the Elephant and Piggie book series by Mo Willems.

Personally, I get a kick out of the books too. Comprised entirely of dialog, each book tells a simple story about two friends — Gerald the Elephant and Piggie…the Pig.

Gerald tends to get worked up over just about anything, though Piggie certainly isn’t above a bit of melodrama. Put the two of them together, add some bold and expressive illustrations, a dramatic incident, and a touch full helping of humor, and you get a delightful series.

We’ve slowly been collecting each Elephant and Piggie book, and L. reads them often all the time.

His favorite is probably There is a Bird on Your Head, which explores the stressful day when a bird couple decides to set up house on Gerald’s head. Some close runners-up are Pigs Make Me Sneeze,  Are You Ready to Play Outside? and Today I Will Fly!

L. carries the Elephant and Piggie books all around the house, lines them up, looks through them, takes them to bed… Bottom line: he loves them.

But recently, something happened.

An Elephant and Piggie book entered our house…and has been less-than-loved.

In fact, L. asked me if I could take it back to the store, or if I could find someone else to buy the book from us.

That book is I Will Surprise My Friend. It has a simple premise: Gerald and Piggie decide to surprise each other — imagining how much fun it will be — but things don’t go exactly as planned.

The storyline doesn’t bother L. at all. The problem, apparently, is a few faces that Gerald makes.

Though the book receives high praise in the reviews on Amazon.com, L. is unimpressed. There are two or three pages where Gerald’s facial expressions just bother him. At first, L. was afraid of them, and asked me to keep the book in another room. But then he gave the book another try, and simply pronounced the expressions “disturbing.”

Yesterday, he told me we can keep the book, but he’s not going to read it until he’s older. He’s done with it for now. It doesn’t live on the shelf with the others; it doesn’t get carried around or read before bedtime. It’s simply ignored.

I guess every book in a series can’t be a winner with everyone. And when it comes to kids, you never know what’s going to give them pause. We’re definitely not giving up on Elephant and Piggie books, though — we’ve enjoyed far too many of them to do that. These are books that make preschoolers laugh…and give the grown-ups a giggle too. They’re fantastic for early readers and make perfect bedtime stories — not too short, not too long.

So overall, we highly recommend the Elephant and Piggie books for preschoolers. Just watch out for some of those facial expressions…

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Visit 5 Mintues for Books to see what other kids have been reading this month.

Filed Under: Kids' Picks 10 Comments

Kids’ Picks: Gregor the Overlander

2010
9 Comments

During this year’s Spring Reading Thing, I read a number of kid-lit books. My goal was to see what’s out there, get a feel for the things that are currently popular, and when appropriate, pass the books on to my 11-year-old son, C.  One book I read and enjoyed was Gregor the Overlander. It was a fast-paced adventure, the kind of book I would have loved as a kid.

I passed it on to C., who practically devoured it and then proceeded to inhale read the next four books in the Gregor series.

Today, as part of the Kids’ Picks carnival hosted by 5 Minutes for Books, C. agreed to let me interview him about the Gregor books. And so, without further ado…

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So, C., I heard that you were willing to share your thoughts about a book series you recently completed. What is that series?

The Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins.

Hm, Gregor the Overlander? I read the first book in that series and thought it was pretty good. What was your first impression when I passed that book on to you?

I liked it very much. I like quests and Gregor probably has every component that a 100% quest could have. In a writing class I took, I learned that a quest is a very popular type of book in which there is a hero who does not realize he is a hero and when he discovers he’s a hero, he doesn’t really want to be in that position. But eventually, he’s forced or talked into doing it anyway and then he goes on a quest – a journey to get something or battle someone, etc.

So the first Gregor book was essentially about a quest?

Correct.  Gregor and his little sister, Boots, tumbled through a heating vent and found themselves in the Underland, a vast underground world with humans and many giant creatures. Soon Gregor found himself on a quest to discover someone – “the one lost up ahead” – as mentioned in the Prophecy of Grey. That person turned out to be Gregor’s own father, who had been lost in the Underland years ago and no one in the Overland (our world) knew where he was.

The other books in the series were also quests in that they were about a journey to find something or battle an enemy. But as the series went on, Gregor dreaded the Underland less and became fonder of the people there and more willing to help them.

Um…you mentioned “giant creatures” in the Underland? Could you elaborate?

In the Underland, there are giant cockroaches (Crawlers), giant spiders (Spinners), giant bats (Fliers), giant rats (Gnawers), giant fireflies (Shiners), giant moles (Diggers), giant mice (Nibblers), giant snails (Slimers), giant scorpions (Stingers), giant lizards (Hissers), giant ants (Cutters), and giant snakes (Twisters).

Compared to humans, creatures that would usually be larger in real life, like rats or scorpions, are about the size of a large human. Most creatures are about the size of a 5-year-old.

And these gigantic yucky things didn’t gross you out?

No. They’re not gigantic yucky things. They are intelligent life-forms in these books, with languages…many know English.

Okay, well, yucky things aside, let’s get back to the series. How many books are in the Gregor the Overlander series?

Five.

And can you give us a summary of the series?

Um…no.  It’s too detailed and too long and has four very different plots.

Is there anything that ties the books together?

Well, there’s the characters. And in each book, Gregor is on an adventure that’s determined by a prophecy.

Okay. So overall, what did you think of the Gregor series?

They were my favorite series ever.

Wow. That’s high praise. Is there anything about the series that you didn’t like?

The very end was the saddest ending I ever read. We saw a review of the last book online that said, “not for happy people or children,” and I agree with that now that I’ve read the book.  I was not very happy with Suzanne Collins [the author] because she made the characters I had come to love either die or face tragedy.  But I can’t tell you any more, because I would end up giving you spoilers if I did.

But yet, despite an incredibly sad ending, you still love the series?

Yes.  Every one of them was a page-turner. I loved the characters. Unlike many books I’ve read, I could think of Gregor as a close friend – I really identified with him.

Do you think you’ll ever re-read the series?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Definitely.

Would you recommend the Gregor books to other tweens?

Yes. I’d recommend it to people from age 10 to 14-ish. I would say the battle scenes, deaths, and the ruthlessness of the enemies might not be well-suited for children younger than age 10.

Thank you, C., for sharing your favorite series with us.

You’re welcome.

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Be sure to see what other kids are reading this month, over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Filed Under: Books/Reading, Family 9 Comments

The Week in Words

2010
3 Comments

I’m joining Melissa this week, sharing some quotes from my recent reading.

If a book is a feeble and worthless book, the less said about it the better.

– English essayist Arthur Benson, as quoted in “Where to Find Book Reviews” by Cynthia Crossen, Wall Street Journal

The challenge for us lies not in knowing what to do, but in doing it.

– Neal Templin, “Saying Goodbye to Penny-Pinching,” Wall Street Journal

Neal is writing here specifically about making wise financial decisions, but really — doesn’t this quote apply to just about everything in our lives?

A cupboard door, beneath and beside Grandfather’s bookshelf, was open. The opening was small, but big enough for a person to fit through…

Henry knew what kind of cupboard this must be, and he suddenly understood how someone had been able to live in the house unseen. He knew what he should do. He should go wake up Uncle Frank, hand over the journals and the keys, tell him everything, and apologize.

Instead, he dropped onto his hands and knees, took a deep breath, and crawled into the cupboard.

– N.D. Wilson, 100 Cupboards, a book I am thoroughly enjoying.

Filed Under: Week In Words 3 Comments

The book I didn’t like

2010
10 Comments

About a month ago, I mentioned in a post that I had recently read a couple books that I loved, and one book that “completely irritated me.” I was surprised by the number of commenters who were curious about that book — the one I didn’t love. The one that bugged me.

Since then, I’ve been debating whether or not to talk about it. My general approach is to not bash too many books (or products, or pretty much anything) on this blog. If I read a book I really don’t like, I usually just don’t mention it at all.

But since so many of you wanted to know more, I decided on a compromise this time. I won’t give you the title, and I won’t link to it. But I will tell you a bit about this oh-so-irritating book.

The book was about three women who were all married to one man. Not at the same time, but over the course of his life. Three very different women, one obnoxious man.

Presumably, the novel was meant to explore life, and marriage, and how women often find themselves in unfulfilling or unhealthy marriages.

I’m not sure what I expected. The writing was fine — nothing about the prose or structure of the book bothered me. The premise was even intriguing.

But something was missing, big time.

I guess perhaps I’ve come to take it for granted, but in order for me to truly enjoy a novel, I need to identify with one of the characters. Or if I can’t identify with a character, I need to at least like one of the characters. I want to cheer for the protagonist, root for the underdog, hope for a satisfying resolution.

But in this book? I couldn’t stand any of the main characters.

The husband — the man who married all three of the women featured in the novel — was a jerk. He was an opportunist, a user, a liar, a self-indulgent brat. One reviewer of the book claimed that she “wanted to hate him” but just couldn’t. Well… I came pretty close. Not a single redeeming quality.

And what about the three women? Maybe I’m just hard-hearted, but I found it difficult to pity any of them. Each of the three married the guy for no good reason. Not one of them went into marriage thinking clearly. They didn’t question a thing about the man, they barely knew him, they seemed desperate to get married to any random male who promised them love. Yes, he was a smooth talker. But he was a smooth talker without a bit of substance. But none of the three took the time to figure that out before becoming his next “Mrs.”

The wives were not jerks. I didn’t have anything against them, personally. It’s just it felt like I was “supposed” to feel bad for them…but I couldn’t. They jumped into marriage, were easily manipulated, and blindly trusted a man about whom they knew very little. I know this happens “in real life,” but a book about three of them in a row? I suppose I just didn’t have the patience for it.

There were a few characters I felt sympathy for — the man’s kids. But I didn’t feel they were sufficiently developed to redeem the book in my eyes.

I admit, I did read the book quickly. Not because it was so good, but because I thought that surely, surely I would find something redeeming, someone to cheer for, something to praise about the book. But, alas… I turned the last page and just felt…Ick. Ugh. Yuck.

Perhaps it came down to respect. I just didn’t respect any of the characters. The featured women could have avoided all their heartache and misery by using a little common sense.

Let me assure you, I am far more compassionate toward real people. :) I mean, I still think people should exercise common sense, but when they find themselves in a horrid situation, my heart goes out to them. Apparently, I’m a little tougher when it comes to novels.

So now you know. You know that if I feel like I can’t cheer for or respect the main characters in a novel, it really annoys me.

But what about you? What makes a novel highly irritating to you?

Filed Under: Books/Reading 10 Comments
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