Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris - This collection of essays is based on the diary which Sedaris has kept every day for some thirty-odd years. Moving back and forth through David's life from childhood to his troubled adolescence to his strange new life as a literary icon, the quirky, odd, and ultimately hilarious hodge-podge of every day life within the Sadaris clan gives each reader a reason to both draw uncanny comparisons to his or her own familial sitatuions as well as laugh out loud in that no-holds-barred, tear-enducing sort of fashion.
I'd started this book several years ago upon the recommendation of a collegue and feel a bit sad that I had not finished it until just now. In the same fashion of my most favorite authors, the witty, hilarious, snarky memoir is something I intensely enjoy. Now that I am on to Sedaris, I will keep reading his other works and plan for a particularly funny summer of reading!

700 Sundays by Billy Crystal - When Billy Crystal was 9, he saw his first stand-up comic. It was in the Catskills, and the guy's material is so-so: "He comes home, finds his best friend in bed with his wife and says, 'Lenny, I have to. But you?' " It was in that moment that the young Billy find his life's calling: "I say to myself, 'I could never play baseball like Mickey Mantle ever, but this I could do.' I memorized his act instantly."
Crystal tells that story in 700 Sundays the memoir of the 700 Sundays he spent with his father before his untimely death when Billy was 15. Through laughter and tears we see the funny childhood that formed the hilarious comedian we all know today.

I read this book quickly and enjoyed it immensely. The funny memoir is my favorite genre, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a light, quick read.

If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster - Anticipating my favorite author's first foray into fiction, I was estatic when I learned she would be including my local bookstore in Buckhead on her promotion tour to kick off its release. After racing from work to the bookstore, I was among the first to get my golden ticket (allbeit pink if we are getting literal). Jen is an amazingly funny author, and her book discussion and Q & A did not dissappoint. After too many years of following her blog, reading her books, and virtually stalking her brother (more about that later...maybe!), finally getting to meet her and chat for just a moment was a memory I'll never forget. Picture to come later...

Now for the book...

Gangster neighbors and a landlord akin to Paris Hilton force, nay, ENCOURAGE our main characters Mac and Mia (Fletch and Jen?) to flee city life in search of the greener pastures and tiled foyers of Chicago's northern elite suburbs. Mia, a young adult writer of a teenage amish zombie series (yup, you read that correctly) and Fletch, an engineer with WAY too much vacation time. With visions of travertine marble, gabled roofs, and chandeliers, Mia and Mac set out on their quest for the perfect first home for them and their menagerie of animals. After a tireless search they find their dream home, also known as the home used as the set in John Hughes' movie "Sixteen Candles." Whoever said you can't judge a book by its cover is right. But, in this case, you can't choose the cover by the book, either. What looks like a home that will require minor repairs turns into the proverbial money pit, complete with toilets raining from the ceiling, mold, ants, $45 light bulbs, a safe-room with a broken doorknob, and neighbors hell-bent on getting revenge over ornamantal cabbages.

My take on the book:

If I could be objective I'd probably comment upon how this book is just too over-the-top to be believable in any way. From the never-ending supply of money Mia and Mac seem to have to the Moltov cocktails their gangster neighbor attempts (and fails) to chuck at them while they still live in the city, the scenes seem to get more and more out-there. However, THIS IS fiction and THIS IS Jen Lancaster. With a little coaxing I could believe this is non-fiction with her track record. For me, I loved the book, not just because I love Jen and all things Jen, but because it is where I am at in my life now, too. Moving from the city to the suburbs, the right of passage that is buying your first home, the love affair one can maintain with travertine marble tile. I get it. And, in true Jen style, she keeps her snarky footnotes and off-the-cuff attitude in her writing. I don't think this one will win too many literary awards, but it was at #14 on the NYT Bestseller list after week 1. Her fans are ever faithful. Kudos, Jen!

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton - Michael is what's known as "boxman" --code for safecracker. After a minor brush with the law after picking a lock so that some jocks could trash the house of a rival football player, Michael spends a fateful summer learning the art of being a boxman from the Ghost. After using his own uncanny talent with what the Ghost has taught him, Michael is forced to put his safecracking skills to use in order to protect the girl he loves. When he gets a call, he goes. No questions asked.

As a child, Michael survived a tragic event involving his parents. Although the event goes unnamed for much of the book, the brutality of it left Micheal unable (or unwilling?) to utter a word...which makes him the perfect criminal. A skilled artist, Micheal commits to continuing his safecracking in order to protect his true love and artistic counterpart, Amelia. Indeed, it is Amelia's father who introduces him to his live of true crime, so Micheal has no choice but to go along with the plan. His unwilling life of crime leads him across the nation doing jobs for hard-core criminals until he is presented with a way out...a very dangerous way out.

This book was our last student book club selection of the year, chosen jointly with the students at Shoals Jr-Sr HS. An Alex Award winner, this book is an adult book suitable for older teen readers. Although it did have some language, my students really enjoyed this gripping novel!

Valley Forge by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen - The second book in the George Washington series, Valley Forge recounts the grim existence of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-1778. Mired down in Valley Forge, PA, George Washington was saddled with saving and rebuilding an army that had reached the point of breaking. Undernourished, improperly clothed, and utterly defeated by the lack of organized support from Congress, Washington and his troops endure a brutal winter of disease and the elements. With causualities beyond compare, these brave forefathers managed to build shelter, forage for food, and after surviving the worst of these hardships, managed to rebuild their regiments into fighting forces capable of driving the British from the shores of our fair nation.

Not the very best historical fiction I've ever read, but the story was compelling, especially since I have recently visited Mt. Vernon and have learned a lot about George Washington. I don't think I'd take the time to read the first or the third books in this series, but I am glad I kept with this one as I feel much better versed on such an important time in our nation's history.

Recently Read...

I've not been doing a great job of keeping up with blogging about my reading, and to be honest, I have not been doing a lot of reading in and of itself over the past few months. However, here is a quick rundown of the books I did get around to reading (either in print or on audio).

The Long Run by Matt Long - I picked this book up on a leisurly Saturday evening spent sitting in Borders. I'd read about Matt, and his forthcoming book, in Runners World in October, and was astounded with his story. When I saw it on the display at the bookstore, I thought I'd skim it for a bit. I had no intentions of spending my money on it, as book money seems to be quite the commodity these days, and I've become much more selective with my purchases. I knew the story. End of story. Oh how very wrong I was. Needless to say, I ended up purchasing the book and encouraged my friend Sue (who would be running the New York City Marathon in just a few weeks) to read it also. What followed was a wonderful trip through my own running memories by revisiting both the city and the sport I love the most through the words of an incredibly inspiring and amazing man.

Matt's story begins with a race. Not just any race, but the New York City marathon on a crisp November morning. Intent on qualifying for the Boston Marathon, the Holy Grail of all running endeavors, Matt takes us through the fastest 26.2 miles of his life in the first chapters of the book. Scorching his goal and achieving his goal, we are introduced to a man who seemingly knows no limits...a man to whom the word "can't" seems foreign. But, oh how quickly life can play a cruel melody where once a symphony had been heard. Fast forward just barely a month and Matt's life comes crashing down, quite literally, as he is hit by a commuter bus while riding his bike to work one snowy December morning. Pinned under the bus, Matt had to be physically cut from his bike in order to save his life. What transpires in the weeks, months, and years therafter is a journey to hell and back which Matt is forced to traverse with the help of his friends and families. The obvious emotional upheavel of the experience compounded by the loss of his atheletic lifestyle and his failure to get to run his own Boston Marathon take its toll on Matt, eventually forcing him into a downward spiral. However, athletes are strong of body AND of mind, and Matt overcomes his obstacles, one by one, to again beat the odds by conquering his fear and physcial limitations to toe-up to the start line of the NYC Marathon one more time. Another first step on an amazing journey that is different than before but oh so much more meaningful!

After reading the book, Sue and I were honored to get to meet Matt at the NYC Marathon Expo.
The man is even more amazing in person, and even invited us for a drink to his bar Third and Long! (and we went!)

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich - Okay, I'm going to finally put this series to rest after reading this book. I do not care if she comes out with 40 more books, Stephanie Plum, Lula, Ranger, and Joe Morelli have finally lost all appeal to me after reading this incredibly over-the-top book that I now feel dumber for having read. Really. I'm done. Finished. Finito. I'm not even going to waste my time talking about the hobbits and Hobbit Con and Mooner and Vinnie being naked for 3/4 of the book. Nope. Not gonna do it. I bid adieu to an old friend. It's time we broke up and go our seperate ways. It's been fun. Dont' call me, I'll call you.....

The Help by Kathryn Sockett - Another "Sue and Charity Reading Club" selection, it was my turn to choose our recreational reading book of the moment. I'd gotten SO many recommendations from the staff at Loogootee who read this book, but I kept putting it off as it was a little larger than my weary eyes could embrace at the point in time. However, having moved and wishing to have something to occupy my poolside intentions for the remainder of the summer, it seemed like the perfect time to pick it up and commence reading. Little did I know that my intentions were lofty and poolside time was sparse. As a result it took me nearly two months to finish the book...yes, embarrassing to admit I realize. However, it worked as the book was incredibly compelling and well-written and being forced to take it in slowly in small chunks really helped me prolong a wonderful, wonderful experience and for that I am glad.

The book is set in Jackson, Mississippi, at the height of the civil rights era. The world is changing, Martin Luther King is marching on Washington, and in Jackson, black women still serve white women as if it were still the 1860s, not the 1960s. That is until Skeeter, an unmarried Ole Miss graduate and Jackson socialite misfit, and Abileene, the black maid of her best friend Elizabeth, hatch a plan to write a racially ground-breaking book about the stories of black maids and the white women they serve. The stakes are high, much higher for Abileen and the other black maids involved in the project, and some of their worst fears are realized after the book is released and the proverbial jig is up. However, their dedication to the social change they are affecting never wavers and through the tragedy comes triumph for Skeeter and the maids of Jackson.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and, although it was slow at points, the message was a resounding gong in my soul that change is good no matter the stakes. The belief in your cause, even when that cause might be costly, is enough to forge ahead. I'd recommend this book without hesitation to any of my fellow readers and would suggest taking your time and absorbing the message as much as the words.

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - Over the summer, I did not get the opportunity to read very much in between all the traveling and moving and such. However, one book I did read in anticipation of the release of the movie with Julia Roberts was Eat Pray Love.

I had resisited reading this book as its huge popularity among the masses made me doubt how good it really might be. Consequently I missed out for much too long!

The scenario of the book seems simple enough: woman gets divorced, packs up all her belongings and moves first to Italy to learn Italian (and ingest enough carbs to last a lifetime), next to India to explore her spiritual nature, then to Bali just because an old shaman told her she would return one day. Along the way she learns that it's okay to be alone, that Balinese real estate transactions can be tricky, and a load of other things that can't be summarized.

Although many of the events in Gilbert's book are mundane, her writing style and voice bring her experiences to life and make the reader feel apart of the culture she is in a the time. I'd certainly recommend this book to those of you who enjoy memoirs and non-fiction in general. Honestly, at points it even FEELS like fiction, so I'd recommend it to those fiction fanatics too!

The Greatest Generationby Tom Brokaw - I've seen this book many times on the shelves of both my previous library and here at Loogootee. I've been drawn to it but never had either the time or the impetus to delve into it deeper. However, after attending a session of my Teaching American History fellowship and listening to two WWII veterans relive their harrowing experiences during this time, I felt compelled and inspired to finally read more about the amazingly heroic men who alterted the history of our great nation.

In this moving book, Tom Brokaw goes out into America, to tell through the stories of individual men and women the story of a generation, America's citizen heroes and heroines who came of age during the Great Depression and the Second World War and went on to build modern America. This generation was united not only by a common purpose, but also by common values--duty, honor, economy, courage, service, love of family and country, and, above all, responsibility for oneself. In this book, you will meet people whose everyday lives reveal how a generation persevered through war, and were trained by it, and then went on to create interesting and useful lives and the America we have today.

Fish! by Stephen C. Lundin et al. - Suggested to me by a fellow teacher at a recent faculty book club meeting, this is a short and poignant parable that draws its lesson from an unlikely source-- the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! the main character , Mary Jane Ramirez, is a recently widowed mother of two who is asked to engineer a complete turnaround of her company's troubled operations department, a group that authors Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul and John Christensen describe as a "toxic energy dump". Most managers would call it quits and move on, having no hope of changing a long-established environment of uninspired work practices. But the authors don't make it so easy for Mary Jane. Instead, she's left to sort out the colossal mess by drawing upon the inspriation she finds from head fishmonger Lonnie. Based on a bestselling corporate education video, Fish! strives to help employees create a fun and happy workplace. While some readers might find the storyline and prescriptions for change--such as "Choose Your Attitude", "Make Their Day" and "Be Present"--downright juvenile or laughable, others will find a healthy dose of timely motivational management techniques. If you loved Who Moved My Cheese? then you'll feel the same about Fish!.

Wintergirls

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another chilling YA title by the author of Speak, this book explores the power of friendship for evil as as well as good, and examines the inexplicable ties that bind girls together even after they've parted ways.

What happens when competition between friends turns deadly? That's exactly what we find out from Lia and Cassie, two teens who make a secret pact to be the "skinner" friend. Lia copes with anorexia while Cassie battles bulemia, all in the quest to be the skinniest. The friends have a falling out and go their own ways and shortly thereafter Cassie dies tragically, alone, in a motel room. Lia's anorexia escalates as she tries to cope with her culpability in Cassie's death. Lia not only is battling her own demons within, but also battling her guilt for not answering Cassie's calls for help on the night of her death.

Half Broke Horses

By Jeanette Walls

I waited with much anticipation for this book by Walls, author of the NYT bestseller Glass Castles. This book is classified as fiction simply because she got her stories from her mother who, as you know if you read Walls' previous book, isn't all that realiable of a source. Since she couldn't verify all the stories about her grandmother, Walls just went with historical fiction and man, does it work. Read as either a story or real-life, Walls once again uses her phenomenal writing skills to spin a story that won't dissappoint even the most critical reader.

The value of hard work, perserverance, and family values are at the forefront of this novel about Lily Casey Smith's life. Raised like a boy, she turns into a trailblazing woman who fends for herself in the Wild West. A factory worker, a rancher, a teacher, and pilot...you name it and Lily did it. From taking on Chicago on her own early on to returning to find her way in the Southwest, we see the development of many new technologies through her eyes. The reader quickly learns that spunk and intelligence will take you far in life.

I've recommended this to several colleagues, all of who have adored it. If you are a strong woman (or aspire to be), you really need to read this book!

A Few Quick Reads - Upon looking back at my own reading notebook I noticed several titles I've read over the past few months but haven't felt passionately enough about to relate them to the world as a whole. I'll just throw out a few tidbits so that you'll see I've not been slacking when it comes to my reading!

1. The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer - Legal thriller that is not usually my reading fare. Recommended by a great friend, I was impressed with the insight it gave into the seedier side of the Supreme Court.

2. Eat This, Not That 2010 by David Zinczenko - I always love reading these books. Now I know I should NOT eat that grilled stuffed burrito from Taco Bell. Well, I know I shouldn't, but I probably still will!

3. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom - I really connected with Albom's previous books (Tuesdays With Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven), so I was anticipating another memorable book. I wasn't dissappointed, either. Albom explores faith and relgion by writing a eulogy for Reb, his Jewish rabbi. Interesting caveat: Reb is still alive.

4. The Runner's Rule Book by Mark Remy - Hilarious but all-too-true rule book for anyone who is a runner or is thinking about taking up the sport. Covers all the basics plus those small things that one may overlook, such as Rule #53: Look behind you before spitting or blowing your nose!

5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - In anticipation of my trip to D.C. in June, I couldn't wait to read Brown's new book. Set in Washington, he introduces the reader to the mysteries that were built into our nation's capital by our forefathers and how, if unlocked, can mean the destruction of our nation.

6. An American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld - Loosely based upon the life of Laura Bush, this isn't the type of book I usually read but I enjoyed it all the same. Laura Bush is someone I admire greatly and her life up until the point she meets and marries George eerily parrallels mine. I don't know if this is one I'd recommend, but I'll own up to reading it all the same.

7. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut - I read this as a part of our required reading for this year's English Academic Team. An anti-war novel set during WWII but written during the Vietnam war era, you can easily discern the differences from other WWII novels. Skipping forward and backward in time, from earth to Tralmalfadore, and from fantasy to realistic fiction, the novel is hard to follow but does have memorable passages that relate Vonnegut's disdain for war.

8. A Game Plan for Life by John Wooden - I read nearly everything written by or about the venerable Coach Wooden, and I was elated to see a new book by him. This one focuses on the importance of mentoring, both for the mentor and the mentee. Very inspiring to think of all the people that you can affect throughout your life whether or not you realize it.

9. Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenrich - Another non-fiction book by the author of Nickel and Dimed (one of my favorites) which asks the reader to look critically at the world in which we live. This book confronts the idea that society's obsession with positive thinking is over-the-top. Honestly, I believe the premise is correct. There honestly isn't always a bright-side to everything!

10. The Way to Rainy Mountain by M. Scott Mommaday - Another English Academic Team reading, this is a folk legend of the Kiowa Indiana tribe of the southwestern U.S. Told in part legend, part historical narrative, and part personal reflection, this book weaves a story about the Kiowas from the earliest times until their eventual virutal demise from our culture.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - Another faculty book club selection, I honestly wasn't as taken with this book as most of the individuals I've spoken to. I will admit that it probably had to do with the fact that the man was in the midst of dying, spending his last days with his wife and children. I found myself depressed and wondering, "Why bother?" Although he addresses this line of thinking early on, I just never embraced the concept. There were many, many poignant passages and life lessons that one who still has a lot of time to live would benefit from applying to his or her life. Pausch, the eternal "fun guy" takes that attitude as much into his dying as he did into his living. I'd recommend this book to anyone as the lessons will stick with you and, hopefully, enhance the life that's out there for you to live!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - Our February selection for our Faculty Book Club, this is a book that has been on my "To Read" list for a long, long time. I have had two guys (one a student and one a random man who worked at my car dealership) tell me that this book literally changed their lives. Knowing the senior boy, that statement spoke volumes. Paired with the fact that the book has been on the NYT Bestseller list for something like 125 weeks, the members of our book club thought it might be a wise selection. After reading it, I won't say it changed my LIFE, but I will say it did have a profound effect on the way I view the things that have happened to me throughout my life.

This novel relates the story of Santiago, a young Spaniard who has a dream and the courage to follow it. After listening to the omens, the boy ventures out on his personal, Ulysses-like journey of exploration and self-discovery, symbolically searching for a hidden treasure located near the pyramids in Egypt. When he decides to go, his father's only advice is "Travel the world until you see that our castle is the greatest, and our women the most beautiful". In his journey, Santiago sees the greatness of the world, and meets all kinds of exciting people like kings and alchemists. However, by the end of the novel, he discovers that "treasure lies where your heart belongs", and that the treasure was the journey itself, the discoveries he made, and the wisdom he acquired.

The Alchemist is an optimistic novel that reinforces the power of a dream and reassures the doubtful that following your dream is always the right thing to do, no matter the price. This novel was poignant and thoughtful and made me feel that maybe there is a plan to this whole journey of ours. In the words of the old man, "When you are seeking your personal legend, the whole world conspires to help you." What a comforting thought!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman - One of the classes I'm working with recently selected this book, nominated for the Eliot Rosewater Book Award, as one of their novels for this semester. It's been flying off the shelves for some time now, so I was quite excited when I had to actually take the time to read it for work instead of pleasure.

The concept is intriguing...abortion is outlawed. Well, almost. Abortion is illegal from the time of conception until a child reaches the age of 13. At that time, between the ages of 13 and 18, parents can elect to have their child "unwound", kind of a reverse abortion. "They're not exactly killed. Instead, their body parts live on, thanks to recent medical advances that enable every single body part --- from hair to feet to internal organs --- to be donated to others who need (or at least can afford) them. From the age of 13 until 18, millions of kids are at risk of undergoing this procedure, of becoming "unwound." No one knows the dread and fear that teenagers must endure. We meet Connor, a troublemaker whose parents find it easier to sign an unwind order than to deal with his disruptive tendencies. There's Risa, a ward of the state whose excellent piano playing abilities are not quite enough to save her from unwinding in the face of budget cutbacks. And there's Lev, whose parents are unwinding their tenth child as part of the church's mandate to tithe, or to give one-tenth of their earnings back to the community."
(http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/9781416912040.asp)

The social and moral issues brought to light while reading this book were quite intriguing. Although "unwinding" isn't exactly a practice one may see as happening in our society, the parallels one can draw (and discuss with a class) are quite interesting to say the least. I hope I have the opportunity to sit in on some of the class discussions as it would be very enlightening to see what point-of-view seniors will have about the subject!

I also recently read Superfreakonomics written by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner. I absolutely adored Freakonomics, the earlier and ground-breaking offering by these two author/economists. The first offering made me analyze things differently on many levels, actually looking more at the importance of data opposed to taking ordinary, every day things at face value. This new book gave me even more of the same...plenty more to think analytically about!

The most interesting part of this book in my opinion (and since this is MY blog, you've got to read MY opinion!) was the chapter debunking the controversial issue of global warming. I've read widely about this issue, and since I lean to the side of thinking that it's much to do about nothing, Dubner and Levitt won my heart once again by providing me with even more data from renowned and respected scientists (ala the men even Bill Gates looks up to) which support the fact that it's all really just a lot of politically motivated hoopla.

Of course, I'd recommend this book highly to anyone who often finds himself/herself frustrated with listening to the talking heads in the media and Washington simply try to force-feed us their opinions again and again. This book encourages you to think for yourself in a critical way. Maybe your instincts aren't always incorrect!

The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - This book was the second selection of our Faculty Book Club for this year. I didn't know a lot about the book outside of the fact that it had been on the NYT bestseller list for several weeks. After reading it, I'm very thankful to my colleagues for choosing it as one of our selections! Ironically, it kind of goes hand-in-hand with our previous selection, Sarah's Key in that the plot focuses on the American internment of Japanese Americans during WWII, sort of similiar to the French roundup of French Jews during that same period. Very interesting that we chose two books that were so similar!

From the NYT review: On the eve of America’s World War II internment of its Japanese residents, 12-year-old Henry Lee meets his first true love. Her name is Keiko, and she’s the only other Asian at Henry’s otherwise all-white Seattle elementary school. She’s also Japanese, which lies at the heart of Henry’s subsequent struggles — with his Chinese nationalist father; his racist, bullying classmates; and, finally, his brutally suspicious country. The hotel of the book’s title is the real Panama Hotel, and that’s where Ford’s story begins, with the basement discovery of what Seattle’s Japanese families left behind when they were sent to the camps. The tale jumps between 1986, just after the death of Henry’s wife (whose name is not Keiko), and the 1940s, setting up its driving mystery: What happened to Henry’s dark-eyed childhood sweetheart? Though the story of life in war-era Seattle and the detention of the city’s Japanese families, including Keiko’s, is rich in detail, its characters feel thin. Henry is terribly earnest and seems always too old for his age — at 12, he has the caution and calm of a 56-year-old; at 56, Ford refers to him as “Old Henry Lee.”