The Life of Bon: Summer: What I read.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Summer: What I read.

Well, folks, we're about dang near half way through the summer and I've been reading up a storm.  There is something very romantic about summer nights where you don't have to wake up early and can stay up as late as you want reading.  (Except for that Greg keeps complaining that my light keeps him up and is begging me to switch to a nook or kindle instead of the old fashioned way.  I just can't bring myself to do it.  Am I being a stubborn mule?  Should I just convert?  I feel like the magic of books is lost when I'm reading on a tablet.... ah, but that's a whole nother topic, ain't it?!?)

Moving on... I thought I'd share with you what I've been reading and what you should be reading.  


1.  The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  I first read this book three years ago, but it's one I have been so excited to re read because it is on my top ten favorite books of all time.  I'm so glad you all chose it for July's book club selection!  (If you haven't started reading, get cracking.  You've got 20 days- discussion is on July 31).  You know when you see a friend that you haven't seen for years, and you're just so dang excited to be hanging out with them?  And they start to tell you this hilarious story that you've already heard before but even though you know how the story ends, you're just so excited to hear the story again because it's them telling it?  Like the story itself isn't even that important, it's the telling of the story that's so magical?  That's how I feel with The Help.  I know everything that happens, but enjoying the way the story is told is what it's all about for me.  Five out of five stars for this bad boy!



2.  Sarah's Quilt by Nancy Turner.  This is the sequel to These is My Words which I read two years ago and LOVED.  The sequel's just alright.  It's kind of like the author just tried to cram every crazy thing that could happen in one person's life into one book.  It was too much.  And I hated the title of it.  Made me feel like a real sissy pants when I was reading it, you know?  Two and a half stars out of five.




3.  The House on Mango Street by Sandra Ciserneros.  This book I read because it is one of the options to teach at my new school next year.  The book is really short, which I know will win the students over.  It's basically just small sketches into the life of a Latina American as she tries to be true to her culture and heritage while living growing up in Chicago.  It's great for teaching because the chapters are uber short (1-2 pages), but it still gives you lots to think and discuss.  I didn't especially love reading it because it doesn't exactly have a plot... It's more like images or sketches.  I prefer books where it is building to something, but for teaching I think I will really enjoy this.  Three and a half stars out of five.



4.  The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver .  I also read this book because it was in the book closet at my new school, and I was trying to figure out if I would want to teach this to students.  The answer is no.  It is way too slow, way too depressing, and is basically only about women.  Now don't get me wrong, I love me a good girl power story, (The Help, for example) but I know enough then to make a bunch of 17 year old boys read a book about sisterhood and women finding their way and dealing with life's trials.  It was a chore for me to get through, and if I hate it then I know I won't be able to teach it worth a crap.  It's too bad because I love Kingsolver's other book, Poisonwood Bible, but The Bean Trees was just way too slow.  Two stars out of five.



5.  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  This book is about Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley.  I love reading about this era (1920s... Great Gatsby and Midnight in Paris era) so just the setting alone was very interesting to me.  Some of the story is fictionalized but much of it is true... all based off of the history of these two.  Their marriage is SO interesting.  Ernest Hemingway is about a weird a guy as they come, (he had four wives, eventually shot himself) making this story was totally fascinating to me.  I couldn't put it down.  I recommend it for a vacation or book read because it is very easy to get through.  Four stars out of five.



6.  The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I first posted about this here.  Basically the author works for a year on being happier in her day to day life.  Each month she focuses on a new area in her life like organization or marriage.  The first four months that she describes are SUPER interesting.  By about June, though,  it starts to feel kind of redundant and slow.  I got through it fine, but it did lag a bit at the end.  The part I always skipped over, interestingly enough, was when she would insert comments from her blog readers.  I don't know why that annoyed me so much because I love YOUR comments on my blog.  I guess I wanted to hear her research and thoughts on it, not a bunch of random blog readers.  I did take away a ton from that book, though.  The two things I always think about are 1) "Act the way I want to feel."  So even when I'm grumpy I still need to act pleasant and happy, and then I will start to feel more that way.  And 2) If it takes less than a minute do it now.  This has seriously changed my life.  I think of it in terms of responding to email right when I read it, washing the bowl right after I eat something, hang up my skirt right after I take it off..  It really adds up and makes me feel way more in control of my life. Four stars out of five.

Phew!  Now... What have YOU been reading?  Tell me some good summer reads.  After I finish The Help I plan on reading Beautiful Ruins which I picked up for no other reason than that I saw that E Tells Tales was reading it, and Z which is about Zelda Fitzgerald... F. Scott Fitzgerald's (Great Gatsby author) wife.  I sure do love summer when I can read books for ME to my little heart's content.

READ ON!

29 comments:

  1. I read the Happiness Project after you posted about it on your blog a couple weeks ago. Actually... I audiobooked it on my commutes ;)

    But I completely agree with you. At first I wanted to sit in my car when I got home and continue listening to the book because I was SO inspired! But about halfway through I couldn't stand it anymore. One emotion I felt was "overwhelmed." I felt overwhelmed for her! It was TOO MUCH for me.

    At first it was simple goals - clean, go the the gym, play with my girls, love my husband - I mean seems manageable right? More of an attitude change.

    But then it was her taking on all these extra projects. Start a book club and do this and do that and still love my kids, but also make time for my friends. It just became TOO MUCH for me. I couldn't keep track.

    I just left with the sense that her life was more complicated at the end than it was in the beginning....

    However, like you, I did learn a lot from this book.

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  2. I refuse to switch to a tablet to read on despite my husband constantly trying to get me to switch. There's just something about books that are so appealing. I'm eagerly awaiting The Help coming in, I read it a few years ago and loved it. Book club gave me an excuse to buy it!

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  3. It's a small miracle that I've actually read 2 of those books. I haven't fully converted, but I read a couple books on my phone on my trip in May and loves it way more than I expected. It's especially perfect for trips since books can be heavy and take up a lot of room.

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    1. My parents bought me my kindle when I lived in France. When traveling around with just a backpack, being able to carry a dozen books on one device is SO worth it.

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  4. I loved The Help, and I have heard a lot of good things about The Happiness Project and I want to get my hands on it (after I finish my 10 book deep stack in my "to read" pile). Also, I have a nook and I love it, but it's a traditional one (the screen doesn't light up) which I prefer because I can read it outside without a glare. The e-readers with an LCD/touch/light up screen have a glare and aren't good for your eyes for long periods of time. My Nook is just like looking at a book page! (But I still prefer hard copies and continue to buy them over a ebook, unless the ebook is a lot cheaper)

    Wow that was a long comment.

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  5. I just love the Help. It's the last novel that I truly enjoyed. And it's been a long time since I last read a book. And I don't have a tablet.

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  6. I just started reading The Help last night...coincidence!! :) Can't wait to read your thoughts on it! Oh, and I have a Nook, which is nice for really long books, but nothing beats reading an actual book. Stick with the real thing :)
    xoxo
    Chantel

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  7. I absolutely LOVE The Help. I didn't read it until after it was made into a movie, but I refused to watch the movie until I'd read the book. I read it in like 2 days. I might have to read it again for the July Book Club.

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  8. I bought a Kindle for travel. I like that I can bring 20 books with me and it's still the same size. It's especially nice because I live in Spain and it's hard to find print books in English, but I still like to read real books if I can get my hands on them.

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  9. That's so funny because last weekend I was talking to some people about our mandatory high school books and none of us could remember the name of the book from Grade 10. I said I knew that I liked it but nobody else did. It was The Bean Trees! So thanks for the help!

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  10. I felt exactly like that about the Kindle, but my husband got me one for Christmas a couple years ago and I've never looked back. Yes, I still enjoy reading "real" books but I still get those from the library. With the Kindle, I love that I have acess to thousands of books at my fingertips, and if there's a book I want I can get it right away with the push of a button. I keep it in my purse, so I'm never without a book if I'm waiting somewhere or something. I don't think you'll regret it!

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  11. I am reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and it is GOOD. I highly recommend it!

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  12. I'm reading Gretchen's 2nd book Happier at Home and really enjoying it. Up next on my list is Sharp Objects from Gillian Flynn, I loved her Dark Places so I'm excited for this one. Oh and I only read on my Kindle Fire, it's what got me to start reading books in the first place. I love it!

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  13. I feel the same as you about books--I love the feel and smell of books. I don't think I could ever stare at a screen to read my adventures and fantasy novels.
    This summer, I've read The Help, Life of Pi, and am working on a historical book about QE1 called With the Heart of a King. But, that'll be put on pause so I can start reading books I'll be teaching my 7-9th graders.

    morrellfairytale.blogspot.com

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  14. My current deal, made with myself, about buying books is that I buy series I already have in print, in print and new series are bought digitally. I have a Nexus 7 that I don't mind reading on. I do have to set the screen to black with white text.

    So far this summer I've flown through "Dead After After" (glad the series finally wrapped up, it needed to end), "World War Z" (interesting novel) and now I'm wrapped up in "A Clash of Kings" (so far behind in that series).

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  15. I loved the House on Mango Street. But I should read it again because I don't remember ANYTHING about it! :) I'm reading A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott. So far I really like it. I have like three chapters left. In my younger days I would get that close to the end and stay up reading all night just to finish. But as I get older and need my sleep I stick to my one chapter a night rule :)

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  16. I agree with you about The House on Mango Street. It really is a fun read and it is very, very quick. I think I read it in 90 minutes. It does leave you wanting, however, because of its lack of plot. If my high school teacher would have assigned this book, I would have been over the mood. It's a perfect high school read.

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  17. I loved the Paris Wife! Adding a few of these to my book list, thanks!

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  18. I've read both of the two that you're about to read. Z was really interesting, and I think if you liked The Paris Wife then you will like it. Beautiful Ruins was entertaining and a good summer read. I wish I could have read it on a beach. It wrapped up way too quickly in my opinion so it wasn't my absolute favorite, but it was still worth the read. Have you read "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" That has been my favorite this summer.

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  19. I LOVED The Help! I was looking at The Paris Wife to read next, but I'm very uncomfortable with adult content. How would you rate this book on a morality scale? The Happiness Project totally looks like something I want to check out. Thanks!

    I'm remodeling right now, not reading. I have 2 lined up for when my project is finished!!!

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    1. It's not too "adult". There's only one sex scene and it's pretty mild and the language was mostly clean as far as i remember. Ten being the most moral i would give it a seven :)

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  20. I'm picturing us sitting at the pool, cool drinks in our hand, books stacked around our seats and swapping our favorites? Mmmkay?

    The Help. So good. It's hard to find a "current" book that I think competes with the writing and plot development of the classics, but this one does it.

    I DEVOURED "These Is My Words" after a friend and you recommended it. I laughed out loud. I was moved to tears. I yearned to be friends with Sarah. I didn't want it to end. The other friend that recommended this told me about the sequels, but with about as much enthusiasm as you did here, so I think I'll just put Sarah to rest [with Captain Elliot…:( ]

    I read "Crooked Letter Crooked Letter": a murder/detective mystery set in Mississippi. I am not typically a fan of mysteries, but this one was pretty intriguing and didn't exactly how I wanted it to, which made me like it more. The writing was decent too. It was at times a little creepy to read at night, but also a good one because you'll finish a chapter and have to read the next….. and then the next…and then it's 2 in the morning. Whoops. But WHO CARES it's the freakin' summer!

    I'm currently reading and adoring "Unbroken", per your recommendation/ and some others. I thought it would read slow, but I am so in love with little Louie it breaks my heart to put the book down and leave him in any perilous situation. So I haven't gotten much sleep recently ;)

    Next up I have "The Poisenwood Bible", so that's funny you mentioned it.

    I never taught the entire book of "The House on Mango Street" because I didn't like the flow of it. However, I used it a lot for writer's notebook prompts-- I would read them a chapter and then they would write about anything it made them think of etc. Worked really well [I specifically remember using the chapter about nicknames and it prompted some fun writing]

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  21. I completely agree with you on the Kindle thing! I LOVE reading and having a paper book in my hand is just awesome. However, my brother gave me a Kindle in February. I JUST read my first book on it a few weeks ago. I have to say, I kind of love it. Its so light and I don't have to use any effort to hold the book up or open haha. Plus I can easliy throw it in my purse. I think I will be reading a lot on it, but books from my favorite authors I will probably still:) I would suggest trying it! Maybe borrow one from somebody first?

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  22. It's creepy how many books we read that are the same (usually at the same time). I reviewed my first five books of the summer on my blog (one of which I read for your book club!):

    http://autodidacticambitions.blogspot.com/2013/07/june-reading.html

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  23. I had to read The House on Mango Street and The Bean Trees when I was in high school. I remember liking both of them, but I don't remember much beyond that.

    I totally respect not wanting to teach a book you don't like personally, but you should reconsider your opinion of what teenage boys will read. Girls have to read books like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Separate Peace, All Quiet on the Western Front, Catcher in the Rye, and other male-centric books. If girls can read and relate to stories about boys/men, then shouldn't we expect boys to read and relate to stories about girls/women?

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  24. I just put the Happiness Project on hold at my library and am excited to read it. It seems like everyone has read it but me, I've heard about it from just tons of people.

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  25. I taught House on Mango street to 8th grades and still use some of the vignettes at 9th grade for symbolism and figurative language. red Clowns makes me cry like a baby every.single.time! I like the one with the yellow caddie too- so much fun even though it is stolen! My Name is a good one too. We teach Bean Trees at 9th grade (I tried with my intervention class and it did not work). My favorite part is the sperm drawing on the wall and the shit fire comment. Students always giggle relentlessly when we read those parts!

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  26. Just finished The Help for book club last night!

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  27. I would definitely say stay with the paper books, kindle/nooks are super handy and can have a ton of books on it at once but reading a real paper book is just so satisfying!

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