iGen: why today's super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy -- and completely unprepared for adulthood by Jean M. Twenge -

From the renowned social researcher who brought us Generation Me, Twenge once again hits the mark with her pin-point accuracy of the social and emotional characterics of today's young adults and adolecents.

Just ten years removed from when I read Generation Me (review here) it hardly seems possible that the differences between the two generations can be so stark in such a short span of time.  If the Millenials were known for their confidence and high-levels of as-of-yet warranted self-esteem, iGen will go down as the generation of self-doubt, delayed social development, and, in common terms, "failure to launch." Although iGen is statistically the "play-it-safe" generation through their high school and teen years (lower levels of alcohol abuse, smoking, sexual experiementation, drug use, teen pregnacy, car accidents, gun violence, etc.), it is just this delayed development that seems to have placed them in a more tenuous position both physcially and emotionally once they hit their first foray into adulthood...college. Having not dabbled in the more risky behaviors while they were home in the relative safety of their parents as prior generations did, they are waiting until college to experiement with may risky behaviors. With less of a safety net when they fall, their falls seems to be harder, resulting in a emotional fragility not before seen and evidenced in the much higher rates of depression and suicide this generation is exhibiting.

Twenge points to one invention as the major culprit in this stark shift between Millenials and the current generation of young adults: the smart phone. The constant deluge of online activity with the inability to escape from the24/7 barbs and bullying that can accompany social media in the hands of socially inept young adults has created an environment wherein teens and young adults are unable to differentiate between life online and life off-line. Words in writing are as real and hurtful to them as actual actions, thoughts and ideas as dangerous as if the concepts they present actually occur. The line between real-life and imaginary seems to have been blurred to the point of no return. This is evidenced in the starting statistic relating to the idea of government prohibiting "hate speech" as 40% of iGen suggests it's okay for government to dictate speech, whereas only 27% of Baby Boomers agree, and a mere 12% of the Silent Generation would see government control of speech as acceptable. Thoughts, words, and ideas are more important and real than actions to today's teens and young adults.

The ways iGen has been influenced and changed by never knowing life without smartphones or online access goes far beyond social norms, deep into other arenas such as how they learn. Colleges professors are grappling with how to translate to this generation's nuances. As of yet, the chasm between common practice and iGen's unique learning style seems to still be too wide to cross.

I highy recommend any parent, educator, or manager to read this book in order to gain insight into today's teens and young adults. They are what we have created and they are the generation of the future.  

No Easy Day: the firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen -

Mark Owen is the Navy Seal credited with being the Seal who killed Osama Bin Laden during the top-secret operation at his compound in Pakistan. Mark is a witty, well-educated, introspective man who pulled no punches when recounting the most fateful day in the 10 year quest to bring the leader of Al Queda to justice.

Mark's story, of course, pivots on that day specifically, but the book does much more than give a blow-by-blow of the raid. Owen explains his own motivation to become a Navy Seal...not just a Seal, but the most elite of the elite. Drive, perserverance, loyalty, and patriotism are on full display throughout his story.

In a day when we as a nation cannot seem to agree on the most basic of ideals of what it means to be an American, Owen reminds us that it was not so long ago that we were much more united than we might recall.

The Obstacle Is The Way by Ryan Holiday

img. src: http://www.amerasiaconsulting.com/

Not long ago I heard Ryan Holiday interviewed on a Podcast I subscribe to and found his story quite interesting. Hugely successful at a young age (read more about Holiday here), Holiday is an entrepreneur who looks to the wisdom of the Stoics to guide both his direction in business and in life.

The Stoics look at setbacks (The Obstacle) as opportunities. Removing the emotion from a setback, bum luck, or pretty terrible life occurrences forces you to see them from a completely different perspective. If you can't react emotionally, how do you react? Logically. Sensibly. Judiciously.

"The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." 

~ Marcus Aurelius

How we respond to trial and tribulation is, in and of itself, what eventually defines us. Holiday argues throughout the book that obstacles don't inhibit success, they create it. He discusses the disciplines of Perception, Action, and Will, using important figures from history as examples of those who overcame obstacles to achieve mightily. Amelia Earhart, Theodore Roosevelt, Ulysses Grant, Steve Jobs, and John D. Rockefeller among others are counted as examples of historical figures who were able to meet adversity and overcome it in ways that exceeded societal expectations. 

As a whole, I'd have to admit that much of the book was common sense to me. However, it never hurts to read more about persistence and perseverance as both of these characteristics are in short supply at times in our society. The more persistent people we can add to this world, the better!

Happy reading!

Summer reading is the very best. Sadly, during the school year, I don't get all that much time to read. One would think it's a foregone conclusion that librarians read at least a little, if not a lot, during their typical work day. However, that would be a grossly incorrect assumption. Sometimes I try to squeeze in a few chapters when the library is especially quiet and serene (which isn't all that often when you're talking high schoolers). 

Lately, to bridge the gap between my DESIRE to read and my TIME to read, I've taken to listening to quite a few audiobooks. This summer, I almost constantly had a book going in my car as I traveled, in my ear as I did lawn work, or in my ear as I ran my daily miles or walked with my dogs. This has been, quite possibly, one of the best reading summers of my life as a result! Below you'll find the list of my "summer reads" along with links to summaries of them.

It is my hope (and of course it certainly rests eternal) that I will be able to give my own review of some of these as the year moves ahead as well as books I read (listen to? Can you still say "read"?!?) along the way. I started this blog A LONG time ago...elevenish years I think...and I'd like to update it more frequently starting now!

Mrs. Karcz's Summer Reads

• The American Spirit by David McCullough             
• The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield             
• Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
• A Big Little Life by Dean Koontz
• Calico Joe by John Grisham
• The Ranger Way by Kris Paronto
• The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer
• Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
• Last Words by Michael Koryta
• This Life I Live by Rory Feek
• Gizelle's Bucket List by Lauren Fern Watt
• Deep Work  by Cal Newport
• The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

From a quick scan of my blog, one might gather that I've not actually done much reading as of late. One might, then, be correct. It seems that the fight between social media, television, and the good old printed word is being fought fiercely in my life at present. When short of time, I notice myself having the tendency to opt for electronic forms of diversion when I do, in fact, have that infrequent spare moment to relax. However, self-criticism is one of the most valuable forms of criticism in my opinion, so you can bet that now that I've had the epiphany, I'm going to face this malady head-on and overcome the affliction.

Below, I've simply taken the lazy way out for now by only listing the titles I've recently read.  Bonus points if you can see the theme...

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America by George Packer

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture and Crisis by J.D. Vance

Recents:

The Husband-Lian Moriarity
Big Little Lies-Lian Moriarity
The Last Anniversary-Lian Moriarity
In Trump We Trust - Ann Coulter
Salt to the Sea - Ruta Sepetys
Girl on the Train
Sing You Home - Jodi Picoult
Armaggedon: How Trump Can Win - Dick Morris
41 - George W. Bush
Wanderlust: A Modern Yogis Guide...-Jeff Krasno

Six Months and A World Away (or at least 500 miles)

When life hands you changes galore, what do you do? Well, apparently NOT blog for about six months....or at least the time it takes to uproot your life in Atlanta and resettle back home again in Indiana. That's what I do, at least. However, you DO keep reading even if it's slowly. A page here, a chapter there. Before you know it you've read another book. Sure, sure....maybe it took the ENTIRE SUMMER, but you did it. Persistence wins the race....or, at least, finishes the book!

In the midst of moving and trying to fit my life (and that of my husband and two dogs) back into a one-bedroom apartment, many of my books and book-logs have gone into storage. Without my books around I feel a tad bit lost...not at all like a librarian! Without my book logs I've managed to lose track of many of the books I've read over the past 8 months. However, below are the ones I KNOW I've read and a few reviews of the ones that really stood out!

image from -- http://www.wordandfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/

 Wild by Cheryl Strayed - This is the story of Strayed's 1,1000 mile journey, alone and unprepared, along the Pacific Crest Trail, a rigorous and challenging trail running from Mexico to Washington. At the time, Strayed was 26 years old and, effectively an orphan looking for her place in the world. After her father abandoned her, her siblings, and her mother at a young age, her family clung together and formed a tight-knit unit. However, after her mother was stricken with cancer and died quickly, Cheryl's family was torn apart, each left to go their own way in the world at much too young an age. Add to the mix an early marriage followed by an early divorce, and Cheryl was at a cross-roads looking for her own path. She found it on the PCT.  The book wonderfully joins stories of her life with her experiences on the PCT as the only woman through-hiker on a  year with record snowfall and other interesting challenges. Completely unprepared, she finds that she does indeed have all the strength it takes to make a journey of a thousand miles....even in boots that are too small with a Monster on her back.

I enjoy memoirs and biographies of all sorts, and this was one of my recent favorites. I learned quite a lot about nature (did you know that the PCT is longer than the Appalachian Trail? No? Me neither!) and simply about how to cope with losses far greater than I've experienced. Since I recently lost my father, many parts of the book struck a chord within me, especially as she struggled to find meaning in her mother's life....and death.

Just last week I saw a related article in the news about how her writing her book helped her find a long-lost sister....NPR -- The "Wild" Story of Cheryl Strayed and Her Long Lost Sister

Enemies of the Heart by Andy Stanley - Having watched his father, Charles Stanley, for many years on television on Sunday mornings, and having worked in Alpharetta, GA, where his church is, I was very familiar with Andy Stanley before reading this book. Now, after reading it, I am very mad at myself for not ever having visited his church in person while I had the opportunity to do so! Mr. Stanley is a wonderful writer and, one can assume, speaker as well.

This book is about the four emotions that are dubbed "enemies" of the heart....emotions that, if not held in check or confronted head-on, will lead to afflictions of the heart. Guilt, Anger, Greed, and Jealousy are the emotions that Stanley posits will lead to heart "sickness" without fail. Through Bible passages and examples from his own life, he provides wonderful examples of how each of these emotions can corrupt relationships and lives to the point of disrepair.

I'd recommend this book to anyone, whether you think your heart is "afflicted" or not. Just being aware of how these emotions can creep into our everyday lives will put you on alert for the first signs of sickness!

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand - An amazing book by the author of Seabiscuit,  Unbroken is the story of Louis Zamperini, one of the fastest rising stars of long distance running during the early 40s. Already a medalist in the '36 Berlin Olympics as a teenager, he was quickly on his way to more Olympic glory and within sight of the first 4-minute mile. However, all of those plans were derailed, like those of so many of our Greatest Generation, when Japan attacked the U.S. at Pearl Harbor that fateful December morning. Louis' dreams of running quickly evaporated and, instead, he was called into war. 

As an Air Force bombardier, Louis' life quickly turned for the worse when his plan went down into the Pacific Ocean in May of 1943. Surviving leaping sharks, a quickly deflating raft, thirst, and starvation, Louis was driven to the limits of his endurance he'd so painstakingly honed as a runner. But that was just the start of Louis' trials. Louis was saved from sure death in the ocean, but by a foe much greater....the Japanese. From that moment on Louis battle of desperation and survival begins. Using the skills of a racer he uses his hope, resolve, and humor to triumph through the darkest days as a POW. 

Written flawlessly by a world-renowned writer, the reader cheers Louis on from the start and never stops pulling for the rebellious underdog, Louis Zamperini!

Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman

I picked up this book a few months ago in Barnes and Noble, but didn't buy it. My interest had been piqued as the memoir is my favorite genre. However, a few weeks later I happened across the same title in my Netflix queue. I decided to watch (since it was free) and fell in love with the characters in the made for Netflix adaptation of this true life story. Of course, then I had to read the book. And, as is usually the case, I would up confused. The two were nothing alike outside of the original premise; but, still, I loved them both on their own separate merits. I think you might, too!

Orange is the New Black is the story of Piper Kerman, a veritable WASP yuppie living in Upper Manhattan in the 90s. You know the type. Blonde, wealthy, graduate of Smith, with a great job and a boyfriend...the things every girl wants.  However, this doesn't seem to insulate her from paying the piper (PUN!) when her past comes calling. As a young 20-something Ms. Kerman was involved with a woman who was heavily into the drug trade and while globe-trotting and living an exciting life she, just once, happened to launder a suitcase full of money for her lover. Fast forward 10 years and the police came calling. Piper decided to plea her sentence instead of going to court so that she wouldn't risk a longer sentence. In the end she wound up doing 15 months in a federal women's prison (minimum security, of course).This book is not only her story, but the story of so many of the women she met. There is Natalie, her roommate. There is Pop, the Russian cook and mother to all. And so many others, too many to mention.

The book is intriguing, enlightening, and, at times, downright sad. Kerman takes on some of the bigger topics not often addressed: federal minimum sentences of minor drug offenses, lack of preparation for re-entry into society, and institutionalization, just to mention a few. Kerman does an amazing job of translating the story of so many different women, one of which nearly anyone can identify with. I'd recommend this book, highly, and in a heartbeat!

The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything by James Martin, S.J. - I mentioned earlier that at the end of last school year I moved back to Indiana. Well, that move found me accepting a position at a Jesuit Preparatory School. What? Well, that is kind of what I thought immediately after I'd made the decision. What does a librarian do when confronted with new and unfamiliar situations? She goes directly to the library (that was a trick question, of course).  In order to be prepared, I read this book over the summer so I'd know exactly what the Jesuit tradition of Catholicism was. And it was, indeed, and informative and helpful book! I learned all about the story of Ignatius, his conversion, and his formation of the Society of Jesus. It was incredibly useful to have all of the terminology down BEFORE I began work. It's a big like speaking another language. 

Leisure Reading And Other Boats I've Recently Missed

I just cannot seem to stay afloat with many things at the moment...updating this reading blog being one of them. Oy vey! So is life, I guess. Just when you think you're recovered from one of life's little challenges, yet another presents itself. Winter has blossomed into spring, and I'm still trying to work my way through the stack of books I set aside for all of those cold, snowy days. Maybe that's the problem.....there aren't enough cold, snowy days in Georgia!

However limited, enjoy my latest recaps...

http://thebestnotes.com/

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines - Chosen as one of our Mix Club Book Club reads, I really should have read this tome long, long ago. As a title on many summer reading lists and found in the curriculum of many an English classrooms around the nation, this book is a reminder of how far we've come in regards to Civil Rights in America and, more namely, the South. As a resident of said South at the moment, I often read stories in the news about draconian laws still in place or, more recently, a local school district who has integrated their Prom for the first time. I shake my head at how these practices can still exist in a time of racial-correctness, yet this is the sort of book that makes me realize just how impactful that time in history was.

Set in rural  Louisiana in the 1940s, Ernest Gaines tells us the joint stories of two young men. One, a young black man, nothing more than a kid, named Jefferson who is a reluctant party in a liquor store shoot-out which results in the death of the white store owner and him sentenced to the electric chair for murder and Grant Wiggins, another young black man who left this small, rural black community to attend university and then return to teach at the plantation school...a school in which Jefferson was his student. Through no choice of their own, the two men come together to form a bond stronger than either every imagined as Grant visits Jefferson in his cell at the request of his aunt.

Grant focuses his energy on Jefferson and attempts to explain the importance of Jefferson's death. At first Jefferson refuses to even acknowledge Grant, refusing the food his aunt has sent along. Eventually, though seen as a "hog" to his accusers, Jefferson and Grant embrace his fate and discuss heaven. When Jefferson asks Grant if he believes in Heaven, Grant says that he does not, and he explains that his atheism does not make him a good man. Jefferson, in turn, says he will save even Grant's soul if he carries the cross for the sinners on earth.  Grant explains that the black community has spent centuries enslaved to white mean, and when Jefferson's lawyer referred to him as a "hog", he attacked the will and intelligence of the entire black society . As a result, Jefferson has the opportunity to stand up for his community as he embraces his role as, one might term, a martyr.  He has, through no wish of his own, become a symbol to his people, and the way in which he faces and embraces his death comes to bear on their eventual self-confidence and potential of their collective futures.

http://ia.media-imdb.com/

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell  - I never, ever do two things:

1. Finish reading a book I dislike from the start
and
2. Write a review about a book I did not finish.

As such, I cannot write a review about this book. A selection for our Saint Francis Faculty Book Club, I tried to put myself out there and read something that was out of my comfort zone. Waaaaaaaaayyyyy out of my comfort zone. However, no go. Couldn't do it. With so many books out there that I truly WANT to read and so little time to do it, I put this one aside and faked my way through the meeting. That's what a good librarian does....shhhhhh.....don't tell! Heck, a few weeks later I even tried to watch the movie and couldn't follow THAT, either!

http://img2-2.timeinc.net

The Paris Wife by Paula McClain -  A NYT bestseller for loads of weeks, the Saint Francis Faculty Book Club decided to embrace the historical fiction genre once again. I had my reservations, simply because, I guess, I'm not the biggest fan ever of Hemingway. Okay, so shoot me. It IS okay for an English major who is a Librarian to not be enthralled with all of the classic writers (at least I keep telling myself that, okay?).

The story of Ernest Hemingway and his wife, Hadley, the majority of the book is, shockingly, set in Paris. However, they are adventurous travelers, so the reader gets glimpses of America, Canada, Spain, Italy, and Austria during the post WWI culture of decadent and outrageous artistic development. With characters such as F.Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, and many other prominent artists of the time being large parts of the plot, we see just how Ernest was influenced both in his craft of writing and his personal life by so many outrageously unique individuals. The rampant drinking, socializing, and over-the-top personal exploits of this time were an eye-opener for someone who had a much different vision of that time period. Nothing seemed out-of-bounds or off-limits in Paris at this time, and McClain certainly captured it with style.
From Ernest's time in Spain researching the bull fights in Pamplona during his creation of The Sun Also Rises to his infidelity that, finally, leads to his divorce, she paints a picture of Hemingway that many of us had only read about before, not seen.  However, she brings his mercurial personality to life and makes the reader cheer for Hadley to leave him to his own devices and demise (or, at least, I was cheering loudly).

I felt a range of emotions while reading The Paris Wife, from sadness to fury. At times I was irate with Ernest for being such a bum, seemingly the artists's plight, when he was capable of giving both himself and Hadley (and their son, no less) so much more. At other times I was sad that Hadley didn't have the self-confidence to leave Ernest when she knew he was cheating on her. As a whole, I'm very glad we chose this book as I learned so much about the world during that time and about Hemingway. And, as a result, I'm still totally okay with the fact that I don't care that much for his writing now that I know more about him as a man. :)

Other Books in the Works:

Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl
My Foot is too Big for the Glass Slipper by Gabbi Reece


Once again I am vowing to be better, to do better, to persevere and get more reading accomplished over the next few months. Those who know better do better, right? Right!

Don't Blink Because You'll Miss Four (Five?) Months!

That seems to be what just happened as far as posting all of that summer reading goes! The school year started with a bang, and here I am, now in December at the end of the 1st semester, and just getting around to properly updating my reading blog. I'm glad I don't have thousands of fans out there just waiting with baited breath to read all about what I'VE been reading. Thank goodness...

I have read quite a bit during my hiatus. However, considering the fact that I'm a terribly slow reader, I have not read a lengthy list of books as a few of the titles I chose were rather lengthy tomes.

Books Read Recently:

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
The Memoir of an Imaginary Friends by Matthew Green
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
The Winter of the World by Ken Follett

I'm Here to Win by Chris McCormack

I just finished up The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling. I'd heard mixed reviews, but being a pretty big Harry Potter fan dictated that, no matter what the masses said, I had to commit to reading her new adult-only endeavor. Luckily the aspects of her writing style that appeal the most to me....plot and character development....were in strong form in this book, and although it took me a while to read, I truly enjoyed it! 

I am a fan of small-town stories wherein everyone knows everyone, their lives are interconnected, and the plot thickens as a result. Rowling did an amazing job of fully developing a boat-load of vastly different characters in this book by tying them to one singular event: The Death of Barry Fairbrother. Now, if you've lived in a small town, be it in England or not, you can appreciate how the death of one person can actually affect nearly everyone in the community. Really, it can.  And as such, by using Barry's death, Rowling is able to delve into the intricacies of his relationships with all of the other characters in the book. From the teen-delinquent Krystal Wheedon to his nemisis on the Parish Council, Walter Mollison, Barry is the one unifying, unsullied figure in the entire book. Rowling artfully shows all the of secrets of her cast, reveling shocking tidbits all the way until the rather disturbing and surprising ending.

If you're looking for a book that will make you want to escape into yourself and, well, into the lives of the characters, I think  The Casual Vacancy would certainly be well worth the effort!



After the Holidays, look for a review on The Memoir of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Green. Here's a brief preview:

"Here is what I know:

My name is Budo.
I have been alive for five years.
Five years is a very long time for someone like me to be alive.
Max gave me my name.
Max is the only human person who can see me.
Max's parents call me an imaginary friend.
I love Max's teacher, Mrs. Gosk.
I do not like Max's other teacher, Mrs. Patterson.
I am not imaginary."

Have a blessed and relaxing Holiday Season, and please hug and love those you care about the most. Time is precious and fleeting....

All Hail a New Year!

My how quickly a summer break can fly right by while you're busy doing other things...like reading! I hope all of you had an enjoyable vacation with lots of traveling, resting, and, yes, reading, too!

My last post was all the way back in April and here it is August already. I've read, a bit, so over the next few weeks I'll take the time to update my blog with new book reviews and summaries. Welcome back!

A Truly Disturbingly Good Read

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver - Certainly not the first attempt to explain through fiction the reasons why a teenager might be lead to commit a school massacre a la Columbine, however Shriver's attempt might just be the most disturbing. Non-fiction titles such as Rachel's Tears and She Said Yes try to explain the tragic event through religious overtures from those close to the event. In We Need to Talk About Kevin we see the other side of these dark and sinister school shootings...from the killer and his mother. Although this account of a teenage sociopath is purely fictional, one is hard-pressed not to be eerily disturbed by its utterly realistic account all the same.

Nature versus nurture is a controversy as old as time, and the struggle to understand the evolution of a sociopath, from infancy to adulthood, is the central focus of Shriver's work. Told through a series of letters written from Eva to her presumably estranged husband, Franklin, we see the mother of a mass murderer trying to come to grips with the heinous, premeditated act of crime her son, Kevin, commits.  From the beginning we know Kevin's crime, but Eva works backward, documenting her relationship with Franklin, their decision to have a child, her aversion to motherhood, and her knowledge that, from birth, Kevin was a flawed individual. We see Eva visit Kevin in a juvenile detention center unfailingly, bearing his harsh, bitter, antisocial personality as a form of punishment for her failing as a mother. Through Eva's eyes we see Kevin's development from a baby who wouldn't breastfeed and was emotionally detached, to a young adult devoid of social or moral responsibility towards his family or community. Kevin regarded everyone as a foe and regarded them with contempt and hatred. Fiercely smart, he was a master manipulator, chiefly manipulating his father with a false persona which Franklin never once intuited. The only one who seemed not to be fooled by Kevin was Eva, and much of the conflict in the book arises as a result. She becomes obsessively cautious of his interaction with her youngest child, a meek and mild little girl named Celia. Evenso, Kevin seems to run roughshod over his sister, ending with a terribly tragic event that scars her for life.

As Kevin's behavior worsens, Franklin becomes increasingly defensive of him, convinced that his son (or the son Kevin portrays to his father) is a perfectly normal teenage boy. He explains away every transgression, from the brick-throwing endeavor to the alleged misconduct by his drama instructor.  Inevitably, this causes a deep and painful rift between he and Eva. Culminating in a day of horror and terror, Eva's life is forever changed as Kevin commits a crime beyond imagination at his school and extending to the very depths of Eva's core.

You'll not be disappointed that you read this book, but you will be worse for the wear. I had to put it down, walk away, and reflect before picking it back up. Incredibly well-written and constructed, the verse flows and will cause you to think deeply about human nature, the reasons to become a parent, and whether or not we really do have any influence whatsoever over who our children ultimately become.

February 2012 

Although it pains me to write this, I haven't read all that many of the Classics. As both a librarian and an English major, I am embarrassed by this fact. I came to my love of reading later in life, choosing to be an English teacher more because of my enjoyment of grammar than my love of literature. So, as a result, I've been playing catch-up for many years now...and I'm still very far behind where many of  my peers are insofar as their reading resume is concerned. That's why I was very excited when our faculty book club selected Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James as our next book. Who is P.D. James you might ask? Well, she isn't one of the masters of world literature. However, she is an extremely talented and very popular British author and crime novelist with the title OBE (Order of the British Empire) after her name. Not Austen, but she's legit. So, who better, then, to pick up where Jane Austen left off at the end of Pride and Prejudice, complete with Austen's tone and style. So, although this book isn't a CLASSIC, it made me feel better because it kinda sorta felt like one!

Death Comes to Pemberley begins with a proper introduction of Austen's characters from Pride and Prejudice and catches the reader up with what's been going on since the close of the venerable classic to the present time period of the book, the year 1803. James open the book with an apology to Austen, just to set the stage: "I owe an apology to the shade of Jane Austen," she writes in her author's note, "for involving her beloved Elizabeth in the trauma of a murder investigation…" And thus Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, Jane and Mr. Bingley, and Lydia and Mr. Wickham,  are thrust into an event which Austen never dabbled in: murder. 

The real action of the book begins on the eve of the annual Pemberley Ball as many of the guests are dining and anticipating the next day's glorious events. Unexpectedly Lydia arrives in a whirlwind of a careening coach, alone with just the driver, and without Mr. Wickham. Condisering that the Wickhams had not been invited to the ball, this was indeed an unexpected event. As the plot quickly unfolds, we learn that Mr. Wickham's friend, Mr. Denny, as been murdered in the woodland on the Pemberley property, and Mr. Wickham is suspected of committing the crime.

Mr. Darcy, always proper and noble,  retrieves the magistrate and begins a proper investigation into the true details of this crime while Elizabeth maintains Pemberley and manages her distraught sister and, quite possibly, her murderer of a husband.  Murder aside, everything is as it should be. A full investigation ensues all while the propriety of true English aristocracy attempts to maintain the dignity of hearth and home amidst a true scandal. 

November, December, and January...Oh My!

I have no excuse for where those last few months disappeared to, but, fortunately for me, they did include some reading! I seem to be stuck in a historical frame-of-mind as everything I've read (outside of my Mix Club selection) seems to be of the historical nature. So, if you are anti-history, stop reading now. Just kidding. Keep reading, you might learn something, just like I did!

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks is a true gem of historical fiction. Brooks yet again embraces a time and place often gone untouched by historians, and I now feel smarter for having read it. Just as in The People of the Book, she skillfully pains us a picture of a people and a time gone but not forgotten.

Caleb's Crossing is loosely based on what little is known about the life of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. In the 17th century, on the island now known as Martha's Vineyard, a young girl named Bethia struggles to balance her innate intelligence with the subservience expected of her by the Puritan society in which she lives. She begins an unlikely and secretive friendship with Caleb, a "savage" boy who is a member of the Wompanoag tribe. Learning one another's language, they also introduce one another to their vastly different ways of life. Bethia tells both his story and her own through many triumphs and tragedies, both on their unfriendly island and on the mainland as she follows both Caleb and her brother to Harvard. Bound by the chains of her womanhood in that time and place, Bethia operates within those confines while still seeking knowledge and equality at every turn. It is at Harvard that she finds true "enlightenment"...and love...all the while supporting and facilitating Caleb's endeavor to become the first "savage" to graduate from the first and only college in America.



One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus continued the Native American theme, just jumping ahead a few centuries. I am always intrigued with books written in the journal format, and this book was no exception. Loosely based upon an historical even that never acutally happend, the author draws upon history to create a beautiful picture of "What If?"

1,000 white women for 1,000 Native American horses. That was the deal. A highly esteemed Cheyene chief suggested this transfer between the Great White Government and the Cheyene tribe in order to introduce and integrate the two cultures. As a matrilineal culture, that would mean that the babies which would inevitably spring forth from this arrangement would be raised in their mother's culture, thus joining the societies irrevocably. Historically, this never happened. It was suggested and quickly dismissed as utter lunacy. However, One Thousand White Women is the account of what MIGHT have happened if it actually had happened.

May Dodd  captures her account of this unique adventure. Committed to a Chicago insane asylum by her upper-class family for loving a man beneath their standards, May finds her path to freedom by agreeing to particpate in this secret program where women from the "civilized" world are to become the brides of "savagee" Cheyenne warriors. Through the pages of her journal we trace May's passionate romance with a young Army captain, her marriage to the tribe's cheif, Little Wolf, and the great conflict and pain that arises from being stuck between two worlds and having loyalty to both. The friendships May forms with the other women who accompany her on this adventure provide her with love, support, and a real family for the first time in her tumultous life. With a cast of truly memorable and unique characters, Fergus has painted a vivid yet disturbing picture of the American West during a time of great conflict and carnage.

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War by Tony Horwitz jumps us ahead another few centuries in history and leaves behind the Native American theme, instead delving back into one of my other favorite historical events, the Civil War. A non-fiction book born from the author's boyhood passion for all things War-Between-The-States, Horwitz sets forth on a search for the places deep within the South that still embrace the Lost Cause with ritualistic zeal and an almost religious fervor.

Horowitz starts his journey in Virginia with a band of hard-core reeenactors who go to amazing lengths to recapture the authenticity of the time. Employing strategies such as crash dieting, sleeping in the freezing cold with only one another's body heat to keep warm, and using their own urine to achieve the proper patina on their uniform button, we meet many colorful and "enthusiastic" individuals whose one goal is to accurately re-create the exact circumstances of that day. He visits Andersonville and learns about the infamous prison's commander. The man, who was executed as a war criminal is actually held in high esteem and viewed by most as a martyr and hero in this town. From Klu Klux Klan rallies in Kentucky to Gettysburg to Appomattox Courthouse, Horwitz brings many of the battlefields, towns, and courthouses to life as he seeks out those whose undying quest is to keep them alive for our future generations.

Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assissination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

I was really excited to read this book as I'd heard many good things about it, but in the media and from people I trust. Or, should I say...TRUSTED. Billed as a "new Lincoln assissination thriller, " I supposed it does hold up its end on the "thriller" part of the bargin. However, I could not get past the glaring factual inaccuracies that were throughout the book. As a student of history by choice, there are certain things that just cannot be flubbed. Just a few examples of egregious inaccuracies:

1. There were many scenes in the book set in the Oval Office. However, the Oval Office was not built until 1909.

2. The book states clearly that Lee and Grant never met at Appomattox. Howeve,r this is false. They actually met many times to discuss many things.

3.  And, less terrible....the fire at Ford Theater happened in 1862, not 1863.  

Honestly, as a story, I enjoyed tracing the timeline of Lincoln's last days and the war itself through the last two weeks of his life. I did learn a few things about Grant's pursuit of Lee from Petersburg to Appomattox. However, even that leaves me wondering: "Was it true?"

I'd not recommend this to a student or even a friend as misinformation is worse than no information at all. As much as I wanted to really, really like this book, you'd be better served to just stick to the history textbooks

Here I am, in the waning days of November, and I have not written about my reading since September. Do not take that lament to mean that I have read so much as to be throroughly drowned with work in order to catch up. Much to the contrary. The fall of 2011 has not afforded me much time to escape in my love of literature. However, as is often the case, I heretofore solemnly vow to change that trend. Hopefully, someday soon, it will snow, ice, sleet, hail, and flood...all at once...and I'll be forced to retreat to my couch with a warm cup of coffee, a nice snuggly blanket, and a stack of books just yearning to be cracked open. Until then, let's catch up...

South of Superior by Ellen Airgood is a feel-good

book which I quickly identified with as a nearly life-long

resident of smalltown America. Set in the Upper

Peninsula of Michigan, the setting itself almost acted

as another character in the book with which the reader

became quickly enamored. A beatiful yet brutal

dichotomy, the UP is both friend and foe as Madeline Stone
quickly discovers. After walking away from her life in Chicago
and into the small, remote town of her forefathers, she is not
fully prepared for just how much her life is bound to change.
As the caretaker for her an aging pair of sisters bound by the
loose ties of her long-lost family, Madeline becomes bound by
ties of frienship. Both Gladys and Arbutus win her love and devotion as they endure the
drama and hardships in this town where tough-times abound but frienship and loyalty are
the threads that keep their close-knit tapestry woven tightly.

Althouth Airgood leaves much room for character development, she does a mighty fine job
of capturing the beauty and foboding that is the UP of Michigan. Many of her characters will
stick with the reader and will be easily compared to those you or I might know from our own
hometowns. Airgood hones in on the real-ness of caring for one another, truly focusing on the
fact that true happiness comes from the small things in life and from the relationships we create
no matter what the circumstance of our lives.

What I've Been Reading Lately...

With summer behind me and another year off to a great, busy, and hectic start, I've neglected keeping up my more-usually-than-not reliable reporting of books I've been reading. Thus, I'm going to mash up all the books I've read recently into one post!

Motivational Reading Materials....Everyone Needs 'Em:



Since running is a passion of mine, I often enjoy reading about it, too. It's a rather simple formula...Passion (reading) + Passion (running) = Awesome! These two books gave me a lot of positive thoughts and were wonderful to read in order to justify (enable?) spending so much time doing something that seems so odd and pointless to so many others. I'd recommend them both, but only if you like running. That's obvious.

Non-Fiction Favorites:



The memoir is my favorite genre of all-time, and if you follow this blog at all you'll know that finding a funny memoir is about as important to me as a good red velvet cupcake, ya know? Well, Bossypants by Tina Fey is red velvet with sprinkles. I laughed myself silly throughout this entire book! I listened to the audio version which Tina Fey narrates herself and it was as good as seeing her doing stand-up on SNL. I actually limited myself to 2 chapters a day so that I could prolong the humor as long as possible.

Let's Take the Long Way Home was a wonderful memoir of the intimacy of true friendship. As someone who has found my conspirator in friendship, I basked in the author's description of how she met her best friend, how it developed through common careers, hobbies, and their love and regard for one another. Her account of how their friendship became a guidepost through her friend's terminal illness was heart-wrenching and poignant. This book reminds us all to not take a moment for granted and to always let those you love the most know it...perpetually.



Eric Larsen is one of my favorite authors of narrative historical non-fiction. The author of Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck, Larsen chooses to examine life in Berlin during Hitler's rise to power, before WWII. Through the lives of the American ambassador to Germany's family, Larsen examines just how Hitler was able to sway so many seemily good and sane people to follow him and commit crimes of such unimaginable magnitude against their fellow citizens and, eventually, the entire world.

Scout, Atticus, and Boo is a collection of essays by well-known people (actresses, tv personalities, authors, etc.) reflecting on the importance of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird on both their personal lives and society in general. TKM is one of my all-time favorite books, and, it seems, I am not alone in holding it in such high regard.

Fiction:

Although I'd not recommend taking the time to read The Girls She Used to Be when there are so many other books out there way more deserving of your time, I did enjoy the plot of this book. The book follows the life of Melody McAllister (aka Kim, Shelly, Ann, Lynn, etc.) who has been in the Federal Witness Protection Program since she was six years old and her family witnessed a mob muder and turned state's evidence against powerful mob boss John Bovaro. I enjoyed the mob-out-to-get-innocent-girl aspect of the book, but the writing was mediocre and predictable.

Divergent, on the other hand, was a wondefully written YA book which I'd classify as a Hunger Games read-alike. Although predicable, too, (Teenage angst/parental discord/love) I enjoyed the idea of a post-appocolyptic Chicago as the setting for a dystopian world. The plot was also compelling in that the society was formed into factions dictated by the character of the citizens. This is the first in a trilogy by Veronica Roth that I anticipate reading.

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.