Archive | May, 2010

Monthly Round-up: May 2010

31 May

Monthly Round-up for May 2010


Read
Calling on Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence
Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea by Joyce Carol Thomas (Children’s book of poems)
An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community by Charles E. Hurst & David L. McConnell
Just Like Mama by Beverly Lewis (Children’s book on daily life of Old Order Amish women)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Rough-Face Girl by Rafe Martin and David Shannon (Children’s book on Native American story)

Currently Reading
Pat of Silver Bush by L.M. Montgomery
Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa


Gave up on
Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty

I really enjoyed the first two books in the Jessica Darling series, but the series started to lose some of its appeal after the third book. This one was a disappointment. I could not get into the story at all, it just read like stream of consciousness babble and snark. I tried, but decided it wasn’t worth my time after a few chapters.

The Monthly Round-up is a regular feature wherein I list the books I read each month.

Update

27 May

I’m enrolled in two 10 week summer courses, so my posts may become few and far between. I’m reading a whole slew of books on different cultures, so there’s a lot I want to share, but I may not have much time for blogging while I work on projects. If I seem to disappear for a while… I’ll be back! And I’ll post all my evaluations and reviews when I’ve completed my readings for the term. In the meantime, here’s the list of books I’ll be reading for the culture/lifestyle class (it’s on collection and program development for YAs and children):

Multicultural books for kids and teens (including GLBTQ and the disabled)

This list will continue to grow as I pick more selections… I may not get a chance to read all of them before the class ends, but they all look so interesting!

The Slave Dancer

23 May

I am taking a class on multicultural materials for children and young adults, and the first assignment is to read two selections related to African-American culture. I don’t usually post on the readings that I complete for school, but since these are mostly YA books, I thought they might be of interest. My first selection from the reading list was Paula Fox’s The Slave Dancer.

When his mother asks him to fetch some candles from his Aunt’s house, Jessie Bollier did not imagine that he would soon find himself aboard a slaver bound for Africa. Pressed into service, Jessie is captured for his skills as a fife player; Captain Cawthorne needs a slave dancer, and he is going to have to play that part or face the consequences of defiance. Aboard The Moonlight, Jessie learns much about the cruelties of the slave trade, and the evils that drive men to torment one another without cause. Though disgusted by the situation aboard the ship, Jessie is unprepared to witness the horrors that accompany the trafficking of slaves. Tormented by his role as slave dancer, Jessie comes to hate everyone aboard the ship–the captain, the crew, the slaves, and himself–everyone that reminds him of his helplessness. But when the ship is wrecked during a storm, Jessie finds the strength to swim to freedom in the company of a young slave boy. Jessie soon learns to communicate with the boy and finds a way to deal with the consequences of his life-altering journey aboard The Moonlight.

—
I found that Jessie’s story does not focus on the experience of the slaves as much as on his perception of the twisted sense of morality and justice that drives his fellow crew members.  While the narrative is grim, Fox does not dwell too much on the conditions of the slaves. The amount of description is appropriate for the intended 10-14 year old audience, and the issues raised by Jessie’s account can serve as a conversation starter for a discussion on ethics and compassion.

The Count of Monte Cristo

17 May

After years spent on my to read shelf, The Count of Monte Cristo has finally been read! I was 16 when someone recommended that I read it, but though I soon bought a copy, I put it off until now. Maybe it was because I’m not the biggest fan of adventure/revenge tales, at least not when it comes to reading material. I’m still not. I can’t say that I really enjoyed the novel. It wasn’t terrible, it just wasn’t as intriguing as I was led to believe. This is one of those rare cases when I find myself admitting that I enjoy the film more than the book… I actually really like the 2002 version with Jim Caviezel as the Count. Now that I’ve read the source, I find that what I like about the film is that it condenses all the main plot elements, draws them together, and eliminates the subplots littered throughout the novel. And there are a lot of subplots.

To summarize…

Edmond Dantes is a humble sailor. His father loves him, and he is betrothed to the beautiful Mercedes. When the captain of his ship becomes ill and dies, Edmond is charged with securing a letter from the Isle of Elba, where the fallen Emperor resides. Edmond is a faithful servant and completes his mission, but greed and avarice dog his steps and he becomes the victim of a cruel plot to separate him from all he cherishes. Edmond is sent to perish in the dungeon of the Chateau D’If, where he begins to lose hope until he meets a cunning Abbe who becomes his unlikely benefactor.

Reborn as the Count of Monte Cristo, Edmond lays a plot to destroy those who would destroy him…

Monte Cristo is brimful of Hidden Treasure! Poison! Cunning Plans! More Poison! And Foiled Plots!

It is not the most carefully crafted mystery, but it is entertaining. It’s very dramatic, classic fluff. And this review is mostly fluff because I find I don’t have much to say about it, but I’m quite proud that I finally got it off the shelf. It was alright; not the most absorbing read, but I enjoyed some of the threads–Haydee’s story, for instance.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles

6 May

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede are a humorous series of fantasy novels featuring a strong-willed princess, a dragon who loves cherries jubilee, a witch who is immune to melting by water, and a motley assortment of magical misfits and mischief makers.

Dealing with Dragons
In which Princess Cimorene decides that she does not want to be married off, thank you very much, and would much rather be a dragon’s princess. Cimorene meets the she-dragon Kazul and gets to display the many skills she acquired when not learning to be a proper princess and gets to put her quick-thinking to use when a group of dastardly wizards decide to get a little too involved in Dragon politics.

Searching for Dragons
In which the wizards return to stir up all kinds of trouble, King Kazul goes missing, and King Mendanbar shows off his sword. Cimorene, now Head Cook and Librarian to King Kazul, teams up with King Mendanbar to avert disaster and find her friend, going on an adventure that takes them across the Enchanted Forest and introduces them to new friends and foes.

Calling on Dragons
In which Queen Cimorene and King Mendanbar have some trouble with an enchanted sword, King Kazul loses her patience with the wearisome Society of Wizards, and the witch Morwen finds a giant rabbit in her garden. There’s always a new challenge to be met in the Enchanted Forest and nothing can stop Cimorene & Co. from facing it head on.

Talking to Dragons
In which the Enchanted Forest is duly enchanted and Cimorene sends her son Daystar on a quest to set things right with the help of the Sword of the Sleeping King. He encounters numerous trials along the way, faces meddlesome wizards, and makes new friends. With the help of the fire-witch Shiara, a young dragon, and the cat Nightwitch, Daystar is ready complete his journey and discover the truth of his birth.

—

This is a fantastic series! It is witty and ironic, the dialogue is cleverly constructed and amusing, and the characters break with tradition in a good way. Throughout the series, Wrede makes light of the genre, referring to well-known legends, myths, fairy tales, as well as more recent additions to the fantasy canon like The Wizard of Oz. Wizards are melted with buckets of soapy water and lemon juice, Rumpelstiltskin’s descendant decides to open a boarding school for all the children he acquires on the job, and all the Jacks just keep stealing from the friendly giants.

Cimorene is a no-nonsense sort of girl and a very strong character who stands out as a fantasy heroine. Her relationship with Mendanbar built on affection and mutual admiration; Mendanbar respects and supports her choices and listens to what she has to say, even if he doesn’t agree with her. Kazul is a wonderful matriarch and makes a very logical case for female king-hood. Meanwhile, Morwen is the perfect example of the perfectly content cat lady who does exactly what she wants to do.

There are many more memorable characters in the series and some great moments. It’s the sort of YA series I wish would receive some more attention as I think it can appeal to boys as well as girls and provides some subtle lessons in gender equality.

Overall, this series has become one of my favorites and I will be looking out for more Wrede when next I go to the book store (FYI… Two of Wrede’s Regency fantasy books are being reissued as a single volume called A Matter of Magic. It’s already on my wishlist :) )

Becoming Jane

3 May

I was curious to read Jon Spence’s Becoming Jane Austen and picked up a copy a couple of years ago when I saw it in the bargain section of the university bookstore. As I will generally watch anything Austen, I have watched the movie of the same name. I was not especially impressed by it and much prefer “Miss Austen Regrets” as a dramatization (if speculative) of Austen’s life and times.

This is the second Austen biography that I have read, and I much say that it will not be my first choice is asked to recommend an Austen biography (that one goes to Claire Tomalin’s Jane Austen: A Life). Perhaps I’m reading too much into it, but it seems to me that Spence takes several liberties with the little that we do know about Austen. Firstly, I feel that this book should more rightly be titled Austens in Love as it seems to be mostly an account of the marriages (or lack thereof) of the members of he Austen family.

The movie “Becoming Jane” makes much of the relationship between Jane Austen and Tom LeFroy, as presented by Spence in this biography. Spence bases his exploration of Austen’s relationship with Tom LeFroy on comments made in Jane’s letters to Cassandra. There is little enough evidence to support or deny Spence’s claims regarding the extent of the relationship between these two, and I am not arguing that he is right or wrong in making such a claim, but I am not convinced by his conclusions regarding LeFroy’s influence on Austen’s works.

(more…)

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