#6: Time Is a River

WARNING: CHICK-FLICK REVIEW!

This is a novel I purchased one Friday evening during one of my stops at the local Wal-Mart to purchase what I am sure was a buggy-full-of-can't-live-without-items and when I was also in need of an escape from the land of education...then I proceeded to not read it for several weeks due to not being able to escape Educity.

Now back to the novel...Time Is a River.

This journey, written by Mary Alice Monroe, appealed to me because the main character is a breast cancer survivor. I could not remember reading one on such a close-to-the-arm topic (I once had a melanoma insitu there...oh, the dreaded "C" word...an insitu is a cancer that has not invaded below the first layer or two of skin)...nor one on fly-fishing, not that this topic appeals to be personally but is interesting from a sitting-in-my-comfy chair distance. Right?

The next selling point was the multi-genre approach the author achieved. What a great way to "hook" an English teacher! Besides the narrative format, Monroe includes a poem, several diary entries, letters, and famous quotes. Just too cool! A sly way to enter more than one character's head, more thoughts, multiple dreams.

Then the extended metaphor: the river becomes the life-sustaining need of the main character Mia Landon, with whom one cannot help but bond because of her many imperfections. Just as we each face our own reflection in the mirror and find all its many faults, Mia struggles and does overcome her many insecurities...those appointed her by this deadly disease and her adulteress ex-husband (let's see...can a male be an adulteress? Sorry, the description just fits.)

The setting: Mia escapes her reality to find reality (yes, tis true) in a cabin by a river on a mountain...a place far-removed from civilization. Her cell phone could not even get reception! To such a place she goes and faces loneliness as she never has before. Now for the irony? I read this novel during Arkansas' Ice Storm 2009. As I read/heard the many strange sounds of the night within this novel as Mia overcomes her fear of the night, I also heard the lonely pops of the limbs and trees on our land as they succumbed to the weight of the ice that had them enclosed. I heard nature's call...both through fiction and non-fiction.

As a Christian, I appreciated Monroe's affirmation of God through this character who had endured so much who concludes that she could not help but believe in Him after what she went through. Good testimony. Good enough for anyone.

Did I mention this is a ghost story? Out of all Mia's fear, ghosts are not one of them. Maybe this is because this ghost is troubled, and Mia can empathize with that. As a means of helping another hurting person...or ghost, in this case, Mia makes some heroic and very determined endeavors to help this ghost finally rest in peace.

Then I finished the novel and realized that this novel had been and could be used as a focus for a book club with the series of questions that followed. My favorite? #15. The reader is to reflect and find characteristics of a fairy tale. You can! Now who does not enjoy a good fairy tale? No matter what age you are! Thus, I encourage your reading this question before reading the novel.

Wondering if Mia finds her Prince Charming? SPOILER ALERT! She does!

#5 ~ The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

If you like overkill...and I mean literally!...this book is for you! A hunter of aliens, Daniel encounters more adventures (and some very ugly, smelly aliens they are) than one might think believable...of course, this implies that you believe in aliens...of course.

A quick read, James Patterson's novel once again takes the reader into the mind of a young adult who has almost more going against him than he has going for him. So alone that Daniel often lives in a "pretend" world where he re-creates friends and loved ones that have died...wait...haven't all of us at one time or another "pretended" we live in other situations, in more more perfect times with grand outcomes? Maybe that is part of the appeal of the novel? (Might read some book reviews on GoodReads, though, that dispute that theory. Just scroll down the page.)

As I turned the page from one smelly adventure to the next out-of-this world experience, I did find myself thinking that "kids are going to love this in movie format." Wonder who they have already cast as Daniel?

A fan of Maximum Ride, I am not convinced, having just read the first in this series, that this adventure about the hunt for those aliens that really do exist all around us (including neighoring galaxies)will gather the appeal of the mutant bird friends in the former seres.

But just in case it does? Yes, I will read the next one (for from the beginning Daniel tells the reader that this series will be the his autobiographry)...in hopes that Patterson rebuilds my faith in him as an author who has created some prior intriguing characters.

#4 ~ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

My first novel, delivered daily in eleven installments, from DailyLit, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a surprising read by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

While I saw echoes of the 1920's lifestyle portrayed in The Great Gatsby, I realize that this novel's theme goes in another direction (no pun intended in regards to reversal of Button's age: he was born old and then proceeds to daily grow younger). Maybe Fitzgerald's message is that one should appreciate the cycle of life, that one should not take the "normalcy" of life for granted.

Fitzgerald also makes a statement to those who have "special" people in their lives. All of Benjamin Button's family, at one age or another, treats Button (because of his unique quality) with much disdain; thus, Button becomes the hero, overcoming a challenge life dealt him and succumbing peacefully to this cycle that we call life.

Good news! I can now go and see the movie! My students, though, have not given it the best of reviews. I'll let you now what I think.

I have now subscribed to Persuasion by Jane Austen...95 installments from now, I will let you know what I think of my next great read!

#3 ~ The City of Ember

A novel about hope, The City of Ember held my attention until the very last page. When I completed the novel (during my lunch today!), I asked several students if they had read the first in this series, and several of them had, and all said they, too, had enjoyed reading this now-being-portrayed-on-the-big-screen hit, except they had read it several years ago, when they read it on grade-level, as this is a young adult novel for grades 4-7...let me comment on this little later.

Hope Springs Eternal?
Lina and Doon, each twelve-year-old graduates (and the main characters), assume their new assigned jobs of messenger and pipeworker and begin to learn that hope exists through a bean seed and a worm. Strange places for hope to spring, but spring hope does. Through these two forms of life, Lina and Doon also realize that life begins some other place than the city of Ember; something exists within. As a Christian, I will be interested to see where author Jeanne DuPrau goes with these interesting perceptions in the following three novels in this series.

Allegorical Move?
I also wonder if DuPrau might be establishing this novel as an allegory of sorts.

• City of Ember = a country under attack
• Unannounced light outages = bombing attacks
• Mayor and the guards = oppressive forces
• Lina and Doon = Savior-figures

Published in 2003, I wonder what thoughts DuPrau might have had about the war in which our country was/is fighting. Just a thought. (Not sure that fourth to seventh graders would analyze this novel quite like I did...so maybe Amazon might include English teachers with nearly 18 years of experience within their descriptor...as part of the reading level? Maybe?)

A DuPrau Insight
As an English teacher…and sometimes writer…I appreciate the following borrowed from DuPrau’s website:

Jeanne DuPrau spends several hours of every day at her computer, thinking up sentences. She has this quote taped to her wall:

"A writer is one for whom writing is harder than for other people." ~ Thomas Mann

This gives her courage, because she finds writing very hard. So many words to choose from! So many different things that could happen in a story at any moment! Writing is one tough decision after another.

But it's also the most satisfying thing she knows how to do. So she keeps doing it. So far, she has written four novels, six books of non-fiction, and quite a few essays and stories.

Need a good dose of hope? Sit down with a cup of coffee and enjoy this quick read. Take that journey down the river with Lina and Doon and Poppy.

#2 ~ New Moon

Call me different...but I liked this novel in the Twilight Saga better than the first one. As in, I could not put the book down! Read until 1:00 AM...then finished it this morning. Now I am finally addicted! (Remember...I was the one that started Twilight three times and took nearly a semester to complete because I kept putting it down!)

Meyers has been critiqued by some as not being the best of writers. Not sure I agree with them, for their very actions belittle their accusations as these Meyer fans all quickly add that they, too, had to keep reading...all the way to the end. We also have to keep in mind the audience for which these novels were/are intended...young adults.

I also appreciate Meyer's references to the classics...this time to Romeo and Juliet and, in particular, the character Paris. Very interesting! I shall never read that play again in quite the same manner.

Shhhh...don't tell anyone, but I like Jacob better than Edward! Meyers just makes him more "real" to me than she does Edward. For one, he is warm! I just do not like being cold!

Two comments about these novels so far:

1. Religion: I will be interested to see where Meyers takes her discussion of souls and Bella's lack of "church" background. I personally think that young adulthood is an extremely important time to learn and develop this part of a person's identity. I hope she continues this line of reasoning.
2. Relationships: Meyers appreciates and respects the boundaries, the limits, the infiniteness of the ties that bind us to others. For example, Bella stands up to...or against...the love of her life to protect the friendship that she has with Jacob. That is a good thing, a mature issue that many of us cannot abide by even into adulthood.

Have you started this series? Please do!

#1 ~ Twilight: Why such titles?

I finished the first Twilight novel yesterday...first novel of 2009 for me! All the way through I wondered...why did Stephanie Meyers choose this title? Now, I know! Interesting! No spoilers here, though. Must read the novel for yourself to discover the meaning of this title!

I also questioned the apple on the cover...and noticed last night at the conclusion of the movie that the apple appeared...just as on the cover...uhmmm. I remember Meyers mentioning an apple early in the novel...I have some thoughts, though, about this one...might have to deal with temptations?

Did I like the novel? Yes...maybe a little anticlimatic since there was just so much hype regarding this novel.

Did I like the movie? Yes...a little disappointed in the Edward's character. He just seemed a little too much...too white. Too obvious.

Do I recommend the novel and movie? Absolutely! This is a fad, a trend that no one should miss. It's fun and gives one an opportunity to escape into such a different world...and another state. I agree with Penny Kettle concerning her comments about this novel at English Companion ning...Washington state is interesting with all its rain and green growth and beauty.

Up next for me: Inkheart...just have to read the novels before going to see the movies!

The Inspiration for This Blog

As I scanned my Reader, I read this post by Dana Huff at Much Madness is Divinest Sense...and was inspired.

This year...a new goal on this the first of January of the new year 2009...to catalog, to reflect, to share...my thoughts on books as I read them.

Ms. Dana read 23 books this past year...wow! Amazing, especially when you appreciate her extremely busy schedule.

Thanks, Ms. Dana, for the inspiration!

2008: Touching that inner spirit

In English 11, we have been reading Ben Mikaelsen’s Touching Spirit Bear, not a hard-read, but a definite good read. Why teach this book at this level, a book taught by so many teachers at a lower grade?

Last year, when I read this soul-stirring novel in one night, it captivated me, and I decided then that this masterpiece would be the class-read for my A Pioneer Never Quits unit. The pioneer in this novel, though, is not Cole Matthews, the main character, a punk, a bully, a young person in definite conflict with himself.

The pioneer is Garvey, a parole officer. He never quits…even when he sits down and refuses to help Cole rebuild the cabin that this rebel intentionally burnt to the ground. (Yes, cutting off his own nose to spite his face.) Sitting down, though, in this case, is the best example of not quitting. Imagine that.

Garvey pioneers by not giving up on Cole. This man, a promoter of the Circle of Justice, is the constant that Cole has never had in his life.

Does Cole like Garvey? No. An understatement. Yet from day one, a respect is there.

Sometimes…well, sometimes, that is all one needs or can expect out of such characters.

So a note to teachers out there who have Coles in your life who do not like you. That’s okay…just make sure they respect you.

Then read Touching Spirit Bear to further understand why you and Garvey truly are pioneers…pioneers that never quit.

And, by the way…thanks!

Special thanks to our educational coop and Ms. Becky for loaning us a set of these books!

Originally posted on Treasure Chest of Thoughts on September 25, 2008.

2008: Th1rteen R3asons…not 12 or 14, but 13

Thirteen reasons why everyone should read this novel:

1. This novel is written by Jay Asher at DiscoMermaids.
2. I purchased this novel because one of our school board members recommended it on his new blog…that within itself is very exciting! Here are his words: “This book should be a ‘must read’ for everyone in high school. It is a blending of Newton’s Third Law of Motion with Six Degrees of Separation. Only 288 pages, it is a quick read.”
3. This novel is told from two points of view, one of which is very unique and so memorable.
4. This novel is about bullying.
5. Probably written for young adults, this novel should be required of all high school counselors or student advisors.
6. All administrators should read this novel, especially those who care about the popular kids.
7. All teachers should read this novel.
8. Then all students should read this novel…but only after their teachers have read it. Why?
9. You just have to read it to discover why.
10. This novel will make you a better, no, a more observant parent.
11. This novel will open your ears, your eyes, your mind.
12. As you read, you will replace the main characters with persons within your own life, situations through which you have lived. Or maybe not…if you are lucky.
13. You will see through a different lens, maybe closer to 20-20. Real life.

Read this novel for a life-altering perspective. Just read it…please.

There…thirteen reasons why you…no, everyone…should read Th1irteen R3asons Why.

Originally posted on Treasure Chest of Thoughts on August 8, 2008.

2008: Ready for a personal revival?

Other than the Bible, I have never read a novel that has affected me so intensely.

Please consider purchasing this book...The Shack…do not borrow one, for this is a book that you will want to keep so that you will have your very own personal copy and also so you can re-read it again and study what the author William P. Young has to say.

Young is gifted…both in story-telling and in the craft of writing.

Here’s a descriptor from Amazon.com:

Product DescriptionMackenzie Allen Philips’ youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives as the shack on a wintry afternoon and walk back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack’s world forever.
In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You’ll want everyone you know to read this book.

The only regret I have? I cannot use this book within the classroom because of the religious emphasis.

Please check out the novel’s website to read, if nothing else, an excerpt.

By the way, this novel is fiction….it’s just so hard to keep that in mind, though, as you turn page after page and are revived once again.

Originally posted on Treasure Chest of Thoughts on July 20, 2008.

2008: James Patterson and blogging

Yesterday, I completed James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, The Final Warning. A good read. A easy read. A must read.

James Patterson is an excellent author to use as a model for multiple-genres, point of view, style, fluency, voice…and the list goes on.

Fang, one of the characters in the series, begins a blog in book three…what a great way to show my students the use of blogs and genres, all in one interesting lesson. Throughout the third and fourth novels, several chapters are some of Fang’s blog postings.

Max, the main character, now has her own blog…yes, a “real” one. Good site to send students as they learn to navigate blogs.

I have never been a great fan of reading in the first-person point of view, but maybe my style is changing (that does happen…just stop and reflect what you have read throughout your life) or maybe, just maybe, Patterson has mastered this craft. Yes, I think that is it!

(Should my students ever read this entry, I will never hear the end of the previous sentence! Two no-no’s in one sentence! “I think” and “it” ~ sorry, readers-of-mine, I will work on that!)

I also appreciate the underlying messages that this series promotes. Before beginning this series, I had heard that one of the themes was Patterson’s stand against animal testing. Good use of foreshadowing…for I watched for this as I read, and, yes, the message is clearly there.
This fourth book’s messages was definitely about global warming…learned some scary facts about global warming. Good messages, though, for young adults to read about also…and in a captivating genre as an young adult novel!

Oh, yes, Max’s on-going mission? Of course, to save the world! Her latest blog is about the use of sunscreen!

Thanks to peer teacher Ms. Sharp for recommending this series. She works with resource students, and I can also see why this series would be a wonderful way to hook slow readers onto to reading, for Patterson’s chapters are very short; therefore, the slow reader would feel as if he/she is accomplishing/reading faster. Maybe?

Interested in this series? Patterson is giving away a class set of ten books! Before Spring Break I filled out the application and was very pleasantly surprised to find the box of books on my desk upon returning to school. Go for it!

One of the thematic units I cover with my English 11 classes is Antibullying…this set of books will definitely become a lit circle/independent reading option. Check here for curriculum resources.

Patterson has a new young adult series coming out this month…The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Going to have to pick that one up!

Originally posted on Treasure Chest of Thoughts on July 10, 2008.

2008: The spark re-ignites

Today I felt that spark for the first time since before school ever let out. I was so burned out that I just wasn’t sure when I would feel even the hint of any academic warmth again…but it’s back!

First, I took what I am referring to as a “fiction vacation” with James Patterson’s character Alex Cross…read five of his books in a week! Need to let Mr. Cross work alone for a while! I can only take so many serial killers in one week! Good read, though, if you enjoy suspense…and I do!
My students also enjoy Patterson’s teen read featuring his part-bird character Maximum Ride…guess, I have a little kid in me…I have completed books one thru three and have book four sitting beside me now!

Now, I’m “reading for work,” as described by my husband. Penny Kittle’s book Write Beside Them is an intellectually stimulating way to begin my personal professional development for this summer with a group of teachers from all across the United States. Check out the wiki for this project at Learners4Life.

The above book seems to hit on the writing aspect of my job, so for the other areas of teaching English, I am also reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor and Understanding by Design.

Why all these professional books? I need a change. Professionally, last year was a “slump year” for me…mainly because I was on survival to just to keep myself just a half-step ahead of my next deadline!

Okay, it was not a total slump or I would not be writing in this very format right now!

Just purchased another summer read recommended by a friend and peer Ms. Margo who encountered a book review of this book while at cheer camp this week. If you are Harry Potter fan, sounds like this is a new series for we fantasy supporters! Trenton Lee Stewart…is he the next J.K. Rowling? He’s from my native state…Arkansas! Stewart’s new fantasy world in The Benedict Society does sound interesting! He’s published two and is writing his third in this series.

What are you reading?

Posted originally on my personal blog Treasure Chest of Thoughts on June 8, 2008.