Finished: In Their Shoes

This was an interesting challenge. There is only one book on the list of books I read that I had planned to read for this challenge and I still have several bios or memoirs on my TBR list that I am hoping to read this year.
The books I read:
1. Lincoln: A Photobiography
2. Alice Roosevelt Longworth
3. The Lincolns
4. The Other Half
5. Up a Country Lane

I found The Other Half to be immensely interesting and eye-opening and Up a Country Lane was just great. The others were interesting as well but those two are my favorites from this list.

Visit the In Their Shoes Challenge blog to see what other readers have been reading this year.

Miss Buncle Married

Title: Miss Buncle Married
Author: D.E. Stevenson
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 323
Published: 1936
Date Finished: 25 June 2009
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenges: 100+, Library, Seconds

Miss Buncle Married is the sequel to the delightfully charming Miss Buncle's Book. I found Miss Buncle Married to be almost as delightful as the first.
Miss Buncle is now Mrs. Abbott but marriage has done little to stop her from finding herself mixed up in little humorous scraps and trying to, innocently, sort out other people's lives.
I think Barbara's husband, Arthur Abbott, does the best job of summing up Barbara. "The strangest thing about Barbara, Arthur reflected, the strangest thing about this strange woman who was now his lawful wedded wife was that although she understood practically nothing, she yet understood everything....she certainly had an extraordinary power of getting underneath people's skins. Without being conscious of it herself she was able to sum up a person or situation in a few minutes. People's very bones were bare to her-and she had no idea of it. "
In this second installment of the Miss Buncle books Barbara and Arthur are setting up a home in a new town and are surrounded by a whole new cast of quirky and interesting neighbors whom Barbara is struggling not to pick up pen and write about as she is rather happy and does not want to have to move again.
I enjoyed this book a great deal but do feel it lacked some of the charm of the first book. Some of the secondary characters just lacked the humor and interest I felt for the characters in the previous book.
I did enjoy the little twist at the end, just when you thought things were going to play out a certain way, Barbara and the reader are thrown for a fun little loop.
I am not done with Miss Buncle or D.E. Stevenson. They are great books for a relaxing, enjoyable read.

Shanghai Girls

Title: Shanghai Girls
Author: Lisa See
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages:314
Published: 2009
Date Finished: 23 June 2009
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenges: 100+, Library, New Author, Pub

Shanghai Girls tells the story of two sisters, Pearl and May, living in the Shanghai of the 1930s, the Paris of Asia. The sisters live a modern and carefree life as models until a series of events begin to unfold that will transform their lives. After being sold as wives to two young Chinese Americans, Pearl and May are forced to leave their beloved Shanghai for America.
The novel, which is told from Pearl's perspective, chronicles the close but sometimes volatile relationship between the sisters as well as their struggles to escape worn torn China, the struggles they face in America at the Angel Island detention center and their new lives with a new family in America.
I found both Pearl and May to be fascinating characters who each in their own way adapted to the upheavals in their lives, even if they did not understand each others choices and motivations leading to more tension and misunderstanding.
Shanghai Girls is a very intriguing historical fiction novel that that gives the reader a look at life and culture in pre-WWII China and the life and culture of Chinese people living in the United States in the 1940s and 50s.
I loved the lead up to the end, very tense and climatic but I am just not sure how I feel about the actual ending...

There were a number of traumatic events that Pearl and May experienced, which while not necessarily graphic in nature, were not easy for me to read. I never thought of myself as overly sensitive but there were times I had to set the book aside and take a break from reading. Reading accounts like this one, based on actual events, just leaves me feeling a little depressed about the horrid ways people can treat others.

Finished: Classics Challenge

Last year I made a list with about 10 classics that I wanted to read that year. I did not read a single one. So I just took the list, scratched out the year 2008 and wrote 2009. I still have not read a single one of those books. It is not that I am not reading any classic books, it is just that I am not good at sticking to lists especially when there are just so many books that sound so interesting to me out there.

So, here is the list of books that I did read for the classics challenge this year:
-Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
-Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
-Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
-Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy

The publication dates on these books range from 1872, Under the Greenwood Tree, to 1943, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The settings are as diverse as England in the Middle Ages to Victorian England and America around the turn of the 20th century. A pretty good mix of interesting books.
I really enjoyed almost all the books I read. The only one that I really did not care for was Black Beauty. My favorite was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Trish for hosting The Classics Challenge.

Happy 4th of July

Hope you are able to fit some reading in amongst all the BBQ, fireworks and fun.
I don't know how much reading I'll get done. We have plans for a day of geocaching and then fireworks tonight.
Happy 4th!

For my readers else where in the world, well, I hope you all have a great Saturday and that you too find some time to read.

Everything Austen

Well, I've buckled. I love the idea of this challenge and don't want to miss out on the fun. I just don't know how challenging it will be, because as any one who knows me probably knows, I am just a bit of a devoted Jane Austen fan.
Stephanie from Stephanie's Written Word has put together this really fun Everything Austen Challenge (with prizes). All you have to do is pick 6 Austen-themed things you want to finish before the end of the year. That includes movie adaptations, sequels and fan fiction, works about Austen and of course Jane's work itself.
I am leaving my list open for now because I am such an on the whim reader. I do have some new (to me) bios I want to read and I've only done one Austen read this year (1! I usually try to read all 6 every year and I've only done one this year. Such a slacker). I am sure I won't have too much trouble coming up with six things to read or watch!

Save Ohio Libraries

Looking Back, Looking Forward (July 2009)

Looking Back
After a few slow months June was a busy month for me on the blog. I (pretty much) caught up on reviews by posting about 14 books this month. It was nice and stress relieving to see the stack of books I needed to write about dwindle down to almost nothing. Of course, I've gone and slacked off again this last week and so my stack is back up to 6 books.
As far as reading goes, I read 11 books in June. I ranked only 3 of them below 4 stars, so I would say it was a pretty good reading month.

Looking Forward
Here is a glimpse at some of the books I am hoping to read in July.
I have a few holds coming in at the library that will be added to the mix as well. I love everything about my library except the length of time it takes them to process new books. I am first in the request Q for Shannon Hale's The Actor and the Housewife and Laurie Viera Rigler's Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict. I am pretty eager to read both books and wish my library would hurry up and get them processed.




You might notice that in that whole stack of books there is only one that is not a library book. Unfortunately, the libraries in Ohio are about to have their funding cut by 50%, which will be devastating. I am pretty disappointed in many of my state's politicians right now. I understand that cuts in the budget have to be made and I know that the libraries across the state understand that and they know that cuts to their budgets will happen but 50% is huge and as I said, will be devastating to the libraries in this state.
Fortunately, there is a great grass roots campaign going on all across the state to save the libraries. Hopefully it will help.

Victorian Challenge Wrap-Up

For the Victorian Challenge I took a drink at Whitechapel and read three books from the Victorian Era.
The books I read are:
-Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
-Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
-Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy

This was a fun reading challenge and if it is hosted again I'll probably be signing up.

In the Garden with Jane Austen

Title: In the Garden with Jane Austen
Author: Kim Wilson
Genre: Non-Fiction, Jane Austen
Pages: 114
Published:2008
Date Finished: 30 April 2009
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenges: 100+, New Author, RYOB


"Jane Austen loved a garden. She took a keen interest in flower gardening and kitchen gardening alike. The Austens grew their own food whenever they could and had flower gardens wherever they lived, at their parsonage at Steventon in Hampshire, their town gardens at Bath and Southampton, and when they returned to Hampshire, at their cottage garden at Chawton. In Jane’s letters to her sister Cassandra, we see her planning the details of these family gardens, discussing the planting of fruit, flowers, and trees with enthusiasm. "

In the Garden with Jane Austen takes the reader on a tour of all things to do with Georgian and Regency gardens. You come across gardens that Jane herself would have worked in or visited or at the very least knew of. Cottage gardens, manor house gardens, town gardens, and public gardens are all brought to life in wonderful detail and through beautiful photography. We also learn what Jane's favorite plants were as well as other interesting bits of information like how people tried to disguise or hide their outhouses.
The book features information on several gardens that are still in existence and open to the public today as well as sections on the gardens featured in Jane Austen movie adaptations and a chapter on how to re-create Jane Austen's garden yourself.
A lovely little book filled with beautiful pictures and drawings, as well as fitting quotes from Jane Austen's novels and other contemporary sources.

Up a Country Lane

Title: Up a Country Lane
Author: Evelyn Birkby
Genre: Memoir, Cookbook
Pages: 254
Published: 1993
Date Finished: 24 April 2009
My Rating: 5 Stars
Challenges: 100+, RYOB, New Author, Shoes


Up A Country Lane is part memoir and part cookbook. Through stories and photographs Evelyn shares what life was like living on a farm in rural Iowa during the decade following WWII. Neither Evelyn or her husband Robert were farmers but like many young couples from the era they were eager to rent a farm, put down roots and build a meaningful life on the farm. Evelyn shares everything from the sense of community, gardening,the ritual of grocery shopping and the use of meat lockers to raising chickens, milking, haying, harvesting, schools, social clubs and so much more.
Evelyn does not shy away from the reality of life on a farm and shares stories of drought, ruined crops, sickness and accidents. "A family on a small farm could have more than its share of isolation, loneliness, and constant need for hard, physical labor. So the memories of simple, happy events and celebrations must realistically be tempered by the struggles endured."
Many of Evelyn's stories made me smile but some were also heartbreaking.
If there was one thing that could bring a farming community together it was food. Potlucks, club luncheons, harvest feasts and holiday gatherings were all occasions to pull out platters, bowls and pie plates. At the end of each chapter Evelyn shares many simple recipes that were favorites in her family and many neighboring families as well. These are recipes that people really made and ate, recipes that the people were connected with.
One of the recipes I've tried was Curried Beef and Rice and let me tell you that was one hearty, filling meal. Beef, potatoes lots of vegetables and seasonings all served over rice. It was delicious but like I said very hearty and filling and I can see why a hard working farm family would enjoy that meal.
I love that every time I make a recipe from this book I can flip through the pages and read some of Evelyn's stories again. A treasure of a book. I'm glad I stumbled upon it.

TSS: Summer Reading with the Kids

If there is one thing I am passionate about it is reading to your kids. It is one of the most beneficial things a parent can ever do for their children.
We have two "scheduled" reading times a day. The first one is in the morning following breakfast and the second is at bed time. But those two times are far from the only times we read to our kids. My son or daughter will bring me books to read throughout the entire day. They both love books and even when not being read to either one can often be found sitting on the couch or floor with a pile of books surrounding them. Often when my (almost) 2 year old has wondered off somewhere and I call her name to find out where she is I hear her holler at me from her room "I'm reading!"
On the first day of Summer Reading at the library I trotted my kids across the street to sign them up. I told the librarians I had two pre-readers and was told I had to read 20 books to them during the next 3 months to be entered in the grand prize drawing and to receive a few other prizes along the way to 20.
20 books? In my head I was thinking we'll be done by tonight. The library we did Summer Reading at last year required that I read closer to 60 books and even that did not take too long.
So we went home and I started writing down the title of every book I read to the kids that day. Not counting books I read more than once that day I read 17 books to my kids in one day. I don't normally keep track of the number of books I read in one day so it was interesting for me to take the time to write them all down and count them up. That's a lot of reading. I also read at least 1 chapter from a chapter book to my son in the afternoons while his sister is napping. Every book read and every minute spent reading to my kids is well worth the small amount of effort I put into it.

Here is the list of books I read that first day for the Summer Reading Program:

Lizard's Home by George Shannon
My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli
My "e" Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
Lentil by Robert McCloskey
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
D.W. Go To Your Room by Marc Brown
Arthur and the True Francine by Marc Brown
My "h" Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
My "k" Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
My "o" Sound Box by Jane Belk Moncure
Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
The Underground Gators by Tina Casey

Read to your kids!