Welcome 2013!

I realize I'm a wee bit late ringing in the new year on the Internet, but the big thing is that I'm back. And, more excitingly, I plan on posting here more regularly.

This year, I'm going to try posting not only book reviews, but also educational materials/worksheets that I have found beneficial when teaching English Language Arts.

Exciting, eh?

Benevolence

I chose to read Cynthia Holz's Benevolence during a summer month, and that, to me, was a mistake. The atmosphere of this novel lends itself to winter reading. There is nothing light or airy about the content of the novel; rather, Benevolence is all about insecurities, lack of communication, secrets, and life lessons. It is a dark and cold book.

The novel is based around the lives of multiple characters. Ben, the poetic organ-donor psychiatrist, aches for a child, and is seemingly a lonely and lost man. Molly, Ben’s overbearing and aging mother, is a woman must come to the realization that perhaps a major part of her life is based upon a lie. Finally, Renata, Ben’s psychologist wife, is a woman who desires a child as well, and, despite her ability to solve problems, is unable to foster intimacy with her husband. Each character undergoes a paradigm shift when they interact with a new person they come to care about.

I enjoy reading this novel. Holz has a fluid style of writing, and the story of each character was captivating. My only criticism is that perhaps the novel could have been tightened better, as some chapters took a long time to get to their essential point. Yet, reading this novel still made me want to pursue other works by Cynthia Holz.

More information about the author and her works can be found here.

3.5/5

Information:

Benevolence Cynthia Holz Knopf Canada (2011), Hardcover, 320 pages

Back in February, the pipes froze and sewage backed up into our basement/family room. Chaos ensued, and as part of the clean-up effort, we had to box lots of things away. Many of my books were boxed too, including all of the Song of Fire and Ice series - save A Storm of Swords. Unfortunately, I now want to read said books again (in anticipation of A Dance with Dragons), but can't find them. Hence, I'm now re-reading A Storm of Swords.

update!

Oh god, it's been a really LONG time since I last updated this blog. Now that I'm on summer holidays, I promise that things will be different.

In other news, I've read 49 books for the "50 Book Challenge", and am highly considering challenging myself to 100 books this year!

Briefly below, I'll tell you about two of the books I've recently read:

• Men and Dogs (Katie Crouch) - Men and Dogs looks at a slightly screwed-up thirty-five year-old woman, and her return home after her marriage fails. The overarching mystery of the novel is whether or not the woman's father, who vanished more than twenty years prior, is still alive. 

To be honest, while the plot was not overly original, I really enjoyed reading this novel. Crouch was able to capture the mood of the deep South effectively, and this mood resonates throughout (slightly southern gothic). It was an easy read, and one that made me laugh.  3/5 

• Back on the Rez (Brian Maracle) - This was an autobiographical account of a man's move to the Six Nations' Reservation in Ontario. Maracle examines rez politics, social structure, traditions, et cetera, while reflecting on his own life.

The book is divided into brief topic-driven personal essays, and are told in chronological order. As an English teacher, I'm tempted to incorporate some of Maracle's musings and observations into my Grade 12 Canadian English course; I feel that these essays offer invaluable insight into life on the Iroquois rez, and can help students to understand Aboriginal perspectives.   4/5

Books to Film

Tonight Game of Thrones is on again. Thus far, I feel kind of disappointed with the television adaptation. I find myself nitpicking about most details (needless to say, my boyfriend does not appreciate the "critical lens" being cast on the show), and I keep bemoaning how things are "not as I pictured them to be." 

Basically, I've fallen into that trap where I loved the books so much (yes, I've read them all) that no television series or movie could ever live up to my expectations.

Despite my complaints, I'm sticking with the series, though.

My 5 Favourite Book-to-Movie Adaptations

1. Lord of the Rings - Seriously. Peter Jackson did a fantastic job with this trilogy.

2. Let the Right One In - The Swedish film did a wonderful job interpreting the novel. I read the novel after seeing the film, and I was impressed by how true to the story the film was.

3. The Princess Bride - Ah, a childhood favourite of mine

4.  The Exorcist - Blatty's book is horrifying and so is the movie

5. Field of Dreams - The dark horse in this race. The book is a wonderful American yarn and so is the movie.

Huck Finn

Here is a really interesting link, from Costco (believe it or not), debating if "classics" should be sanitized or not. This is timely, given the recent re-working of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

As a historian and educator, I feel that we shouldn't tamper with the original works. Looking at fiction provides us with insight into the societal and political problems of a decade. For example, Huck Finn gives a modern audience information about racial issues in America. Some are critical of Twain for the language used; however, it is only a product of the times that Twain lived. As another example (although not as controversial), Jude the Obscure (one of my all-time favourite novels) shows us about the treatment of strong women during the 19th century. When Hardy published the book, he was lambasted for depicting sexual relationships outside of marriage, and, indeed, his novel critiques the treatment of these unmarried couples too (poor Sue and Jude!). When we sanitize these historic novels, we deny our own shortcomings as human beings. We need to be honest with literature and with ourselves.

Teaching Resources

My Easter break is almost over, and sadly I have not read as much as I thought I would. Somehow life and other things took over. Drat.

In other news, I've been thinking about whether or not I want to teach both The Road and Lord of the Flies in ELA B30 next year. I'm tempted to drop Lord of the Flies in favour of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. While my students really love Lord of the Flies (or they did last semester, I'm not so sure about this one), I feel like I'm ready for a change, and I do think that BMHaWK would be culturally relevant for these kids. So often, I get questions from them about the Aboriginal experience in the United States, and I can only devote a small amount of time to discussing this history with them. Dee Brown's non-fiction masterpiece might offer a little more insight.

Grrr.

I'm also torn on dropping Three Day Road, in ELA A30, in favour of something else. My students found the book to be long, and I kept on thinking how the entire class was seemingly bogged down in the trenches of World War One. The story of Elijah and Xavier is interesting, but fails to captivate female students - which is a problem. Maybe In Search of April Raintree instead?

Chakra Yoga

I took my first yoga class when I was twenty-one (so, uh, around eight years ago), and I've been hooked on it ever since. Back then, I remember being struck by how "free" I felt when I practiced, and how yoga made it easy for me to turn off that constant inner-monologue. Yoga allowed me to feel happier and more present. 

Since moving up North (and far away from any yuppie yoga studios), I've tried to practice at least several times as week (either in the basement or on the balcony). I've also expanded my own views on yoga through dvds, magazines, and books. I've become more liberated and self-assured, along with being more flexible (although, I honestly feel that I'll never ever be able to do a decent cow face). 

In brief, I feel like my relationship with yoga is still constantly evolving and changing - this is a good thing.

As previously stated, I try to learn as much as possible about yoga.  I have books upon books about the varying styles of yoga, and I still get excited to read something new. I recently read Alan Finger's Chakra Yoga: Balancing Energy for Physical, Spiritual, and Mental Well-Being. Finger's style of yoga, ISHTA yoga, concentrates of usage of physical practice to stimulate the seven chakras. Through asanas, meditation, and chanting, Finger believes that it is possible for one to create positive energy and to balance the chakras.

Personally, I loved this book. Yep, this book is FANTASTIC!

I found Finger's writing style to be easily understood, and I liked how Finger ties personal experiences with his ideas. As a reader, these personal touches make the book to be an engaging spiritual text rather than a heavy philosophical tome. Finger should be applauded for adding important details on how each pose should be done and including pictures of said poses. Far too often yoga books include poses, but have little details on the finer nature of these poses. Alignment is important! Finally, I found that his daily chakra practices could be easily incorporated into my own routine, and really do feel that these practices have also furthered my feeling of contentment.

Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced student of yoga, I recommend that you check this book out. The practices in here will only help to enhance your practice!

4.5/5 (I just wish there was a little more variation in the routines)

Information:

Chakra Yoga: Balancing Energy for Physical, Spiritual, and Mental Well-being Alan Finger Shambhala (2005), Paperback, 160 pages

The Happiness Project

Gretchen Rubin's book, The Happiness Project, is a quirky half memoir half self-help book on happiness. It falls a little into the category of "The Reality Television of Books: When People Write Gimicky Stuff"; however, this doesn't mean that the book is crap, rather, it's quite the opposite.


This is Rubin's month-by-month quest to bring happiness into her life. She tackles different areas of her life every month, and, while doing so, goes about opening herself up to new experiences while being true to her own self-interest. Rubin's thesis, that is possible to be more happy, is proven throughout, and, as Rubin discovers, her own personal happiness creates more contentment in the lives of her family and friends.


Rubin's quest for happiness caused me to reflect on how I turn happiness away from my own life. Can be snarky? Check. Is overly sarcastic and scathing? Check. Avoids doing new things? Check. This list could go on and on. Are these things that I should avoid doing? Perhaps. Maybe I'll give my own happiness project (which Rubin pushes on her blog) a whirl, and see the damage (ha ha) that it does.


It was interesting to see that Rubin cites numerous sources. I liked that there were quotes from people like Saumel Pepys and the Dalai Lama. Doing research on how other people interpret happiness and on what brings them happiness is necessary for this type of project. It helps to bring deeper meaning to Rubin's work, and also helps to avoid this book from becoming a trite self-assertion. 


So yes, I liked this book. I'd recommend this book to others. Rubin's style of writing is easy-to-follow,. The book is engaging and perfectly suits the sunniness of spring. It's not a Pulitzer Prize winner, but it is still very good and very happy.


4/5


Information:

The Happiness Project: Or,  Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning,  Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun Gretchen Rubin Harper Paperbacks (2011), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 336 pages

Holiday

After today, I'll be off for an entire week. This means sleeping in, doing yoga whenever I want, and yes, reading LOTS and LOTS of books. Some books on my "To Do" list are:

• This Silent Land (Graham Joyce)
• Invisible River (Helena McEwan)
• The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)
• The Letters of Allen Ginsberg

Ah, the sweet delight of curling up with a book in the mid-afternoon,

Othello

"O! now, for ever/Farewell the tranquil mind; farewell content!"

Oh how Othello is most favourite and treasured of all the Shakespearean tragedies! The sexiest of all the tragedies, and, indeed, the most tragic. What a warning against hubris you give to us! Beware of the darkness that lives in us all.

I read you first in high school, when I was an angst-ridden teen who hated any and all Shakespeare because it was "boring". I approached you with disdain, but by the end of the first act I was hooked. For the rest of those O.A.C. weeks, I was completely engrossed in this tale of human emotion, manipulation, betrayal, and vengeance. I wrote an astounding essay on the Moor, and it was empowering to see that I could actually understand and critique Shakespeare's language. Since then, I have read the play numerous times, watched the movies, and have, hopefully (ha ha), passed my love for this play down to my students when teaching.

The universal theme of jealousy is one that resonates throughout the play. As the audience, it touches us because many of us have been motivated out of jealousy, and have allowed jealousy to cause foolish decisions. How many of us have fought with our boyfriend or girlfriend based off a suspicion? How many of us have resented the success of others - feeling that somehow we also deserved this success?I know that I have felt this was on occasion, and, when speaking to my friends about this, they have admitted similarly,  my friends have too. Quite simply, humans are fickle like the chameleon, Iago, or the Moor, Othello.

Living in the North, I have struggled to make Shakespeare relevant to my students. When studying Othello, I do a couple of major things to help with this conundrum (aside from the usual activities). First, I have my students watch O , which is the modern adaptation of the play, as it puts the plot and themes in the applicable teen context. My students like the story of Odin and Desi, and are disgusted by Hugo. Watching the movie, triggers emotions in them. Second, I always use Spark Notes' No Fear Shakespeare: Othello to read. We read the play in modern English as a class, and, I supplement the content by doing notes and discussing Shakespearean language on occasion. I find that this version of the text is easy for my students to understand (especially since several of them are ESL), and, more importantly, they can giggle and laugh at the story.  Suddenly Shakespeare doesn't seem to unapproachable!  While we do work on other activities (essays, questions, crosswords, quick writes, film reviews of Othello, et cetera), I honestly believe that putting Shakespeare into the modern world for my students does wonders for them, and they get the play.

Needless to say, I look forward to teaching this play again next year. 

Readers, what's your favourite Shakespeare play and why?

Phantom Tollbooth

I read this article on what your childhood favourite book says about you. Now I know to thank The Phantom Tollbooth  for my obsessive behaviour. ha ha.

Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years

Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years is a biographical account of Nelson Mandela (duh). Said book examines the man before he became the mythological figure. It touches on Mandela's political alliances, his relationships, and gives us insight into the man that we know Mandela to be publicly today. 

Reading this, it was obvious that Smith is a journalist, as he uses the "exciting" journalist tone that so many journalists-turned-authors use (Robert Kaplan is also big on this). The book was well-researched, and, when reading, one can tell that Smith had passion for this subject matter. Yet, I did feel that it lacked continuity as it seemed choppy in some parts. While there were sources listed in the back, I feel that footnotes might be more appropriate for this text (given the large amount of information).

I recommend this book as an introduction into Mandela's life, but also believe that there are better texts out there on this subject. Perhaps check out Mandela's own autobiography first.

I received this book as part of the early reviewers program on Librarything.


2/5


Information:

Young Mandela: The Revolutionary Years David James Smith Little, Brown and Company (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 416 pages

Book Give Away!

We all love free books. Below, I have linked to a few contests that you should check out:

• There is a great one going on over here! Check out the celebration this blog is doing for reaching 300 readers. Leave a comment on your favourite book, and you could possibly win too.

• There is also another ARC giveaway at The Bookish Type. If you like dystopian novels, check this one out! For me, I know my favourite dystopian novels are "Oryx and Crake" and "Brave New World".
• Wrighty's Reads is also having a great contest. There are many young adult ARC titles that you could possibly win. As a teacher, I would love to share some of these titles with my students.

Read and follow these blogs on a regular basis. It's a great way to find out what's happening in the publishing world, and also, like I said before, a great way to get free books.

Sure is Purdy!

I've been introducing my students to the wonderful poetry of Al Purdy.

I love Purdy for his uncanny ability to personify Canadian landscapes in a way that is unsurpassed by any other poet. and also for his ability to draw himself, the poet, into the poem. When I think about Canadian poets I love, Purdy is at the top of the list having drinks with Klein, Cohen, and Layton.

 I think my students have been picking up on my passion for Purdy, and that's all I could ever really want for. Hopefully Purdy makes them love poetry a little more.

And now, I present a wonderful Purdy poem:

THE LAST PICTURE IN THE WORLD

Al Purdy
From:   Beyond Remembering - The collected poems of Al Purdy. 2000.

A hunched grey shape
framed by leaves
with lake water behind
standing on our
little point of land
like a small monk
in a green monastery
meditating


                almost sculpture
except that it's alive
brooding immobile permanent
for half an hour
a blue heron
and it occurs to me
that if I were to die at this moment
that picture would accompany me
wherever I am going
for part of the way

Source: http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/purdy/poem6.htm

Lousy Labels

This program on CBC made me think of There's Lead In Your Lipstick.

The Boy in the Moon

According to the cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome website, CCF (as it is more commonly called) can be diagnosed by some of the following symptoms:

·         • a distinctive facial appearance;

·         • unusually sparse, brittle, curly hair;

·          • skin abnormalities;

·          • heart malformations present at birth (congenital heart defects)

·          • growth delays

As a reader of The Boy in the Moon, I offer you some more information about CCF:

There is no cure for CCF.

It is a genetic condition that a child is born with.

It will be seen as a disability for the child’s entire life, and will cause society to view the child 

(and the eventual adult) differently.

It is extremely rare, and the severity of it can differ from child-to-child.

It impacts lives.

It is CCF that has made Walker Brown who he is, and it is Walker Brown who is the raison d’etre for The Boy in the Moon.

The Boy in the Moon is a memoir, by Ian Brown (Walker’s father). Brown is a reporter for Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. Brown had frequently written articles about his son prior to writing this book, and had thus familiarized Canadians with his family’s challenges.

The book examines the relationship that Walker has with his father, his family, and the world at large. This book is Brown’s search for the meaning of Walkers life in our society that has distinct and opinionated views on disabled individuals.

CCF has shaped the Brown family in many ways. The parents, Ian and Joanna Schneller, have been forced to abandon dreams for a “normal life” for both their son and daughter. The parents are permanently attached to their son - in a way that parents of “normal” children will never be – and sometimes suffer guilt for abandoning their son (when placed in a group home) or perhaps even causing his condition. It is CCF that has forced the Brown family to seek solace and support of other advocates for the disabled, and has allowed them to create valuable bonds with other CCF parents. And yet, it is CCF that allows Walker to see the world as it truly is: simple in its joys and mysteries.

It is Walker’s view on the world which Brown desperately grasps at with this book. He wants to insight into his son and his sons actions. Their communication is limited to smiles, grunts, and hits; however, they are still able to understand one another at an almost primordial level. It is Walker that brings about Brown’s search for enlightenment, and who is Brown’s passion for life.

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers Program, and I voraciously read it. Brown’s writing is hauntingly eloquent, and this book will be, I suspect, read and re-read. The journey of the Walker and his family is one that will not easily be forgotten.

Book information:

The Boy in the Moon: A Father's Journey to Understand His Extraordinary  Son Ian Brown St. Martin's Press (2011), Hardcover, 304 pages

There's Lead in Your Lipstick

I recently read "There's Lead in Your Lipstick", a non-fiction book by Gillian Deacon. 

I had won this book from a contest by Penguin Canada, and had to admit that I knew zero about said book when I received it in the mail. To be truthful, I had only entered the contest because I love winning books, and am always looking for ways to add to my own library. Anyway, after receiving the book, I skimmed the front cover, and decided to read it soon. It looked like it would be an easy read to quickly whip through.

I read the book the same week I received it.

Now, this book was an easy read. It is fast to get through, and as a reader, I was entertained by the information. Deacon's writing style was engaging yet informative, and she offered a plethora of statistics to support her assertions. So yes, this book took me less than two days to finish; however, this book was also eye-opening and incredibly startling. To be frank, I  never knew how much shit I'd been putting on my skin while thinking it was "natural" or "organic". I also never knew about the lack of regulation in the cosmetic industry, and how so many products are linked to cancers, reproductive problems, skin allergies (this I found especially interesting - given my own rash problems), et cetera. So let me rephrase my topic sentence: this book was an easy read but it was also alarming, eye-opening, startling, and frightening.

Thankfully, Deacon is a pragmatist and not a complete pessimist. While telling the reader about the disgusting chemicals in soaps, shampoos, face creams, hair dye,...et cetera, she also offers alternatives so that the reader no longer has to rely on such toxins. Deacon has included lists, for each chapter, of truly organic products (complete with company information, and websites for the savvy internet shopper), and has also included a myriad of homemade natural beauty remedies that the reader can try at home. The brand information is incredibly helpful for someone like me, a in internet shopper, who often doesn't have the time (or even know where to begin) researching these brands. And the recipes, I know that I can't wait to try some as they are simple and can be done with little fuss.

This book is a wonderfully handy thing to have around your house. I recommend that others purchase it as quickly as possible, and become aware about the "lead in their lipstick". I know that I will continue to refer to this book for years to come.

The Passage

The most recent book read was a novel, The Passage, by Justin Cronin. As I'm on my way out to Saskatoon, I'll post a longer review later; however, I will state that I did like this book. I wasn't super into it always (oh god, I sound one of my teenage students) as I read it; yet, upon finishing said novel, I've gone back to re-read certain passages and chapters. These characters stuck with me. I'm excited for the sequel.

Nothing

"Nothing matters. I have known that for a long time. So nothing is worth doing. I just realized that."

Nothing, by Janne Teller, is a Danish novel that’s told in a way that those Nords do best: creepy, stark, and haunting. The descriptions and dialogue are straight-to-the-point, and the author never deviates from this rule. Sometimes one sentence is more powerful than ten.

The novel centers around Gerda, an intelligent Danish teen, and her friends. These adolescents try to find meaning in their lives after another peer, Pierre Anthon, climbs into a tree, and proclaims (in a true nihilist fashion) that there is no meaning to life.  Of course, Gerda’s journey to find meaning isn’t whimsical or light-hearted; rather, it is dark and demonstrates the savage nature of the human psyche. Somewhere, on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Jack would approve of Gerda and co.'s actions.

I feel that this book is more appropriate for adults than for teenagers. The content might be hard to understand without a philosophical context. Brush up on  your Nietzsche before reading!

This book offers insight into an end of innocence that every adult feels in their life. Read it, and remember when you lost your childhood bliss too.

5/5

Information:

Hardcover, 227 pages

Published February 9th 2010 by Atheneum