What would you do if you found out that your husband had secretly been seeing other women...three, in fact, over the course of your marriage? You'd probably leave him, or make him leave you.
So, then, what would you do if you found out he was dying? Would you forgive and forget? Would you go back?
That's what Lucy has to decide after she finds out that her husband, Artie, is dying. She does end up going home (sorry...that really doesn't spoil too much) and makes the craziest decision I think any woman could make. She calls Artie's other "sweethearts" and invites them to take a turn on Artie's deathbed--to share in taking care of him while he dies since they had the pleasure of enjoying him while he was alive.
Brilliant.
But, personally, I think the plan backfires a bit. Because while Lucy assumes she will dislike these women, she ends up creating a new family with them, and allowing them to comfort her when she needs a family most.
I adored this book. Its a quick read but a touching one. I can't even begin to tell you which character I liked the most. They are all quirky and lovable and unforgettable.
Read this one. It's worth your time.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
#37: The Land of Stories--The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
I am always searching for new chapter books to read to my Kindergartners. It's hard to read Junie B. Jones and The Magic Tree House books year after year. So, when I caught Chris Colfer on Live with Kelly and Michael (my summer guilty pleasure) and heard that he had a sequel to his first book coming out and that it was a book about a fairy tale land, I immediately ordered the first book, knowing that it would be perfect to read to my kiddos at school.
Oh, how wrong I was.
I could NEVER read this book to my students. Well...I could...the year I wanted to get fired! And, it's not that I couldn't read this to 5 /6 year olds. I wouldn't read this to 5th/6th graders and the book's main characters are 11 years old. Good grief! The theme of the book and overall plot is a good one. It's been, perhaps, done before, but it's clever and creative and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was surprised. So, it is a sad, sad thing that because the language is inappropriate it will stay on my shelf at home and not be read to my students. I'm sure that the wording was done so to keep 5-8th grade students interested in the book, but with a few revisions, the novel could be way more far reaching to a wider audience. It's sad. Truly. But I could never read the following sentence to my children: "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening." (that's a line from Red Riding Hood--who knew she had a potty mouth) nor could I read the line when Goldilocks calls Red Riding Hood a "basket carrying bimbo" or when Red retaliates by calling Goldie a "fugitive floozy" or when Goldilocks is angered to the point of screaming "Son of a witch!" REALLY? Is that necessary in a children's book? And this is only a sampling.
Bottom line, you could easily read this to your own children and either read it as is and discuss the language or read around the inappropriate language. But, as a classroom teacher, I could never bring this book into my classroom. Parents would complain and I wouldn't blame them a bit. I complained while I was reading. The language just isn't necessary and it takes a book that could've been truly extraordinary and turns it into something that I can't recommend.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Oh, how wrong I was.
I could NEVER read this book to my students. Well...I could...the year I wanted to get fired! And, it's not that I couldn't read this to 5 /6 year olds. I wouldn't read this to 5th/6th graders and the book's main characters are 11 years old. Good grief! The theme of the book and overall plot is a good one. It's been, perhaps, done before, but it's clever and creative and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was surprised. So, it is a sad, sad thing that because the language is inappropriate it will stay on my shelf at home and not be read to my students. I'm sure that the wording was done so to keep 5-8th grade students interested in the book, but with a few revisions, the novel could be way more far reaching to a wider audience. It's sad. Truly. But I could never read the following sentence to my children: "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening." (that's a line from Red Riding Hood--who knew she had a potty mouth) nor could I read the line when Goldilocks calls Red Riding Hood a "basket carrying bimbo" or when Red retaliates by calling Goldie a "fugitive floozy" or when Goldilocks is angered to the point of screaming "Son of a witch!" REALLY? Is that necessary in a children's book? And this is only a sampling.
Bottom line, you could easily read this to your own children and either read it as is and discuss the language or read around the inappropriate language. But, as a classroom teacher, I could never bring this book into my classroom. Parents would complain and I wouldn't blame them a bit. I complained while I was reading. The language just isn't necessary and it takes a book that could've been truly extraordinary and turns it into something that I can't recommend.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
#36: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
What Kindergarten teacher isn't drawn to a book with "alphabet" in the title? I'll admit it. That's why I bought the book this past weekend at the Green Valley Bookfair (a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, btw.). It's a tiny little book, but it is packed with a thought provoking idea: what would you do if you only had less than a month to live. Well, if you are Ambrose Zephyr, a man obsessed with making A-Z lists, you'd try to pack in one more and revisit your favorite A-Z places (like a top ten list) in 26 days. Seriously, that's what he does and his amazing wife, Zipper, goes along.
Richardson's style of writing is loose and free form, almost like a poem in many places. I loved both characters and my heart broke for them as they realized that they only had a month left together.
Books like this one really force you to think about what YOU would do if you only had a month to live. I'm not sure what I would do. If my girls were in school, I guess I'd spend those days driving them places and helping with homework and making lunches. Ambrose and Zipper did not have kids, though. They did walk away from their jobs, which I would do, but even that would be hard. To leave a group of 5-6 year olds who wouldn't quite understand. But I would, because Rob and the girls are my life. And I'd want to spend as much of my last days with them as possible. I guess that's really what Ambrose was doing, in his own way. He was revisiting the places that meant the most to him and Zipper. We learned a lot about them and their love story along the way, too. It really was a touching story.
I'll leave Zipper's reaction at the end as a mystery for now. Suffice to day, she's a much stronger woman than I will ever be, that's for sure.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Richardson's style of writing is loose and free form, almost like a poem in many places. I loved both characters and my heart broke for them as they realized that they only had a month left together.
Books like this one really force you to think about what YOU would do if you only had a month to live. I'm not sure what I would do. If my girls were in school, I guess I'd spend those days driving them places and helping with homework and making lunches. Ambrose and Zipper did not have kids, though. They did walk away from their jobs, which I would do, but even that would be hard. To leave a group of 5-6 year olds who wouldn't quite understand. But I would, because Rob and the girls are my life. And I'd want to spend as much of my last days with them as possible. I guess that's really what Ambrose was doing, in his own way. He was revisiting the places that meant the most to him and Zipper. We learned a lot about them and their love story along the way, too. It really was a touching story.
I'll leave Zipper's reaction at the end as a mystery for now. Suffice to day, she's a much stronger woman than I will ever be, that's for sure.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#35: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, or JK Rowling
I was in Bermuda when I heard that JK Rowling had written a new book, a mystery, under a pseudonym. I immediately picked up my iPad and ordered it from Amazon before there was a rush on the book, as I knew there would be. The article I read about the book from Bermuda indicated that the style of writing was obviously not indicative of an amateur and that the journalist who uncovered JK Rowling to be the author had been suspicious that it was really her all along. Clearly, I am not a journalist, nor a detective, because if I had not known The Cuckoo's Calling was Rowlings' book, I'd have never figured it out.
OK. So, there's a lot of London mentioned in the book and the author is very clearly familiar with London. But I have read several fabulous books this summer set in London. Lots of people live there and work there and vacation there. Not just Rowling. However, there was one aspect of the book that kept reminding me of Rowling. It's a dense book. All of hers are, in my opinion. Even Harry Potter, which I adored, was full of details and characters that I couldn't keep straight in my head until I saw them in the movies. The Casual Vacancy was the same. So, from that standpoint, yes, The Cuckoo's Calling was very Rowling.
Rob has not yet read Cuckoo, so I am going to keep my comments brief as to not be a spoiler. It was a slow go for me at first, but once I met Rochelle, everything changed. The book was fabulous, another indicator that Rowling is in fact the author. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. You will not be disappointed. Unless you dislike murder mysteries. Then you should stay away.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
OK. So, there's a lot of London mentioned in the book and the author is very clearly familiar with London. But I have read several fabulous books this summer set in London. Lots of people live there and work there and vacation there. Not just Rowling. However, there was one aspect of the book that kept reminding me of Rowling. It's a dense book. All of hers are, in my opinion. Even Harry Potter, which I adored, was full of details and characters that I couldn't keep straight in my head until I saw them in the movies. The Casual Vacancy was the same. So, from that standpoint, yes, The Cuckoo's Calling was very Rowling.
Rob has not yet read Cuckoo, so I am going to keep my comments brief as to not be a spoiler. It was a slow go for me at first, but once I met Rochelle, everything changed. The book was fabulous, another indicator that Rowling is in fact the author. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. You will not be disappointed. Unless you dislike murder mysteries. Then you should stay away.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Friday, July 26, 2013
#34: One Summer by David Baldacci
One Summer was a quick read, but not my favorite book of all time. In fact, I am not even sure I really liked it. It depressed me from the start, straight through to the end. And even though some would argue that the book had a happy ending, I didn't feel happy at the end. I was actually a bit glad that it was over. I always like to take something away from the books that I read and the moral, if you will, of this one I already know (from living life and from reading other books) and think about often. So, I guess maybe that my real issue with this book is that it covers topics that have been done before. It's really nothing new.
The book opens with Jack dying of some sort of terminal illness, hoping that he will last through Christmas. In a bizarre turn of events, he lives and thrives (but something even sadder happens to get him to this point) and attempts to rebuild his life with his three children. While Jack is ultimately successful, there are ups and downs along the way, and he does manage to be happy and to make his kids happy.
Great. But sad. So very sad that in order to get to where they are so much sadness had to be felt and overcome.
The moral of the story, if there is one, is that life is just life. We can't control it and we have to make the best of what comes our way. It can change in an instant, so make sure that the ones you love know it on a daily basis. Live carefully, but no so carefully that you don't actually enjoy life. Not being cynical or anything, but this seems to be the moral of a lot of stories these days. Or maybe because I am getting older, I seem to read books where the main characters are reflecting on life as much as I do.
So, what I am choosing to take away from this book (and I positive that it would be the hardest conversation I would ever have to have), is the reminder that I want Rob to be happy if and when, God forbid, something would take me away from life before him and without him. I want him to be happy and if that means finding someone new to love and to share his life with, then that's what I want him to do without ever feeling guilty for a second. I would want my girls to know of this wish, too, so that they could support him as he moves forward. I can only hope and pray that this is not a conversation I have to have anytime soon. But perhaps I need to let him know, just in case. Life is unpredictable. Maybe it's better that he knows.
So, I am off to read JK Rowling's newest book The Cuckoo's Calling, the one she wrote under a pseudonym. I'm proud of her for writing on her own and for trying to conceal her identity. She must feel a lot of pressure. I can't even imagine what it's like to have written Harry Potter as a first effort. That's a lot for subsequent titles to live up to. I'm very excited to begin reading!
Happy reading everyone!
:)Dodie
The book opens with Jack dying of some sort of terminal illness, hoping that he will last through Christmas. In a bizarre turn of events, he lives and thrives (but something even sadder happens to get him to this point) and attempts to rebuild his life with his three children. While Jack is ultimately successful, there are ups and downs along the way, and he does manage to be happy and to make his kids happy.
Great. But sad. So very sad that in order to get to where they are so much sadness had to be felt and overcome.
The moral of the story, if there is one, is that life is just life. We can't control it and we have to make the best of what comes our way. It can change in an instant, so make sure that the ones you love know it on a daily basis. Live carefully, but no so carefully that you don't actually enjoy life. Not being cynical or anything, but this seems to be the moral of a lot of stories these days. Or maybe because I am getting older, I seem to read books where the main characters are reflecting on life as much as I do.
So, what I am choosing to take away from this book (and I positive that it would be the hardest conversation I would ever have to have), is the reminder that I want Rob to be happy if and when, God forbid, something would take me away from life before him and without him. I want him to be happy and if that means finding someone new to love and to share his life with, then that's what I want him to do without ever feeling guilty for a second. I would want my girls to know of this wish, too, so that they could support him as he moves forward. I can only hope and pray that this is not a conversation I have to have anytime soon. But perhaps I need to let him know, just in case. Life is unpredictable. Maybe it's better that he knows.
So, I am off to read JK Rowling's newest book The Cuckoo's Calling, the one she wrote under a pseudonym. I'm proud of her for writing on her own and for trying to conceal her identity. She must feel a lot of pressure. I can't even imagine what it's like to have written Harry Potter as a first effort. That's a lot for subsequent titles to live up to. I'm very excited to begin reading!
Happy reading everyone!
:)Dodie
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
#33: With Violets by Elizabeth Robards
Oh my. This is one of my favorite books. EVER. I adored this book that has quickly become a treasured book on my shelf that I won't loan out to friends. Sorry, friends. You will need to get your own copy of this one.
With Violets is the story of Berthe Morisot and her rather complicated relationship with Edouard Manet. While a work of fiction, this story is based on historical facts (and historical rumors) and details the beginning of the Impressionist art movement (my personal favorite). I actually Googled Morisot and Manet while reading this book to see how much was true and how much was fiction and the basic story line seems to be historically accurate. I am assuming the fiction comes in the details, as who knows what was really said and done between these two famous artists.
With Violets was a lovely story and while it was historical fiction, it was not the sort of book that was heavy or hard to read. It really was a delightful story from start to finish.
I loved it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
With Violets is the story of Berthe Morisot and her rather complicated relationship with Edouard Manet. While a work of fiction, this story is based on historical facts (and historical rumors) and details the beginning of the Impressionist art movement (my personal favorite). I actually Googled Morisot and Manet while reading this book to see how much was true and how much was fiction and the basic story line seems to be historically accurate. I am assuming the fiction comes in the details, as who knows what was really said and done between these two famous artists.
With Violets was a lovely story and while it was historical fiction, it was not the sort of book that was heavy or hard to read. It really was a delightful story from start to finish.
I loved it.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#32: Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress
Rob and I spent last week in Bermuda and I read a lot of books. Of course, I read every day from 9-1 as I lounged by the pool. Then, since everything in Bermuda closes at 5:00 each day, I spent most nights reading in the hotel room, too. Lucky for me, I knew where the local book shop was and spent Friday morning browsing the shelves. Georgia Bottoms was my lucky find.
This book should come with a warning, although reading the back should suffice, because I do think that either the sex or the religion which abound in this book may offend some readers. Personally, I knew it was a story, and while I have always believed that if you can dream it, it could happen, I took this all with a grain of salt.
Georgia Bottoms is a beautiful 34 year old woman who entertains a different local gentleman in her home every night of the week, except Monday (She gets Monday nights to herself.) It's the same men each week, but each man has their own night of the week, and their own drawer in her high boy. The men do not keep things in the drawers, though. Georgia keeps the little gifts they give her, the pictures they like, and the clothes she wears for each man (all of her props, if you will) in this high boy. Each man, therefore, believes that he is the only man in her life. Georgia spends a lot of time washing and drying her sheets and reassembling her bedroom day after day. It's hilarious.
But, this meticulous plan of hers goes wrong when her Saturday man, better known as the town minister, decides to come clean and confess his sins (yes, he is married) during a Sunday church service. The rest of the book is about how Georgia manages to put her life back together (all while managing a mother with dementia, a brother who is in and out of jail, and a secret from her past) and it is fabulous! I found myself laughing out loud at this book. It is a perfect beach bag book and a wonderful read. I am so glad I took the hour to browse in the Bermuda book store!
This is one you must read.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
This book should come with a warning, although reading the back should suffice, because I do think that either the sex or the religion which abound in this book may offend some readers. Personally, I knew it was a story, and while I have always believed that if you can dream it, it could happen, I took this all with a grain of salt.
Georgia Bottoms is a beautiful 34 year old woman who entertains a different local gentleman in her home every night of the week, except Monday (She gets Monday nights to herself.) It's the same men each week, but each man has their own night of the week, and their own drawer in her high boy. The men do not keep things in the drawers, though. Georgia keeps the little gifts they give her, the pictures they like, and the clothes she wears for each man (all of her props, if you will) in this high boy. Each man, therefore, believes that he is the only man in her life. Georgia spends a lot of time washing and drying her sheets and reassembling her bedroom day after day. It's hilarious.
But, this meticulous plan of hers goes wrong when her Saturday man, better known as the town minister, decides to come clean and confess his sins (yes, he is married) during a Sunday church service. The rest of the book is about how Georgia manages to put her life back together (all while managing a mother with dementia, a brother who is in and out of jail, and a secret from her past) and it is fabulous! I found myself laughing out loud at this book. It is a perfect beach bag book and a wonderful read. I am so glad I took the hour to browse in the Bermuda book store!
This is one you must read.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
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