I'm actually starting this post a FULL twenty-four hours before I intend to post it.
It's like some kind of miracle!
Or maybe it's spring fever.
Or maybe I just have that little to do.
Nah. Definitely not that last one. I always have WAY too much to do (even when I try to scrape things off the calendar, they keep holding on like that one dried-on piece of food that just WON'T COME OFF the otherwise clean plate you're scrubbing... Or something...).
Speaking of busy, this weekend has been busy, man.
But the weather has been AH-MAZINGLY GORGEOUS, so we were going and doing and frolicking in the sun all weekend. *Happy sigh* Love.
I even have a little bit of a sunburn to prove it, too. Although that doesn't really mean much, because ten minutes in the sun and I'm crisped up like a lobster. My father used to call me a vampire (actually, he still does) because I hibernate when the sun comes out (i.e., it's HOT) and I'm pasty white. But the comparison is no longer apt, because - as awesome as it would be - I don't glitter in the sunlight (DARN IT. Why don't I glitter?!?!?!). Then again, Twilight isn't even a blip on his radar (stay true, untainted and totally awesome, Dad!), so you know...
And yes, there is definitely shame in admitting that I've actually *read* the Twilight series. *Sigh* But the fact that I love this helps. Seriously, read it. It's hysterical. THANK YOU, Olivia!
But anyway. We had a great weekend.
We went to the farmer's market, picnicked in the park (TWICE), played frisbee and Molkky (I actually won! It *IS* a miracle!), ate at the Cheesecake Factory (it's just a WEEKEND of miracles!), ran errands, and worked in the garden. Oh, and picked violets for jelly (more on that to come).
____________________________________________________________________________________
Okay. So. I ACTUALLY started this post LAST WEEK right before the power went out.
And fittingly, we've had another major storm here. (It is Monday after all, why not?) And have had flaky internet all day (ARGH!).
So, in keeping with this seemingly new tradition, I figured I'd post this now. That and the fact that we had yet another incredibly awesome and insane weekend, complete with more feats of Molkky (I won! AGAIN!!!) and a night so late I'm almost ashamed to write it (I was up until after 2:00 AM... But it was worth it!) and another beautiful couple of sunshiny days.
But... This Reading post is going to be a relatively short one, for three reasons:
A) I have internet, I need to type and save while I can.
B) I'm trapped in the middle of Eat, Pray, Love. Well, actually, I'm not, but that's another story. Suffice it to say, I haven't branched out as much as I would have liked this week.
C) It's late, and I'm tired.
Answer C is actually the most pressing at this point, but whatever.
So on to the reading you say? Okay! Let's go!
Books
So like I said earlier, this week has rather revolved around Eat, Pray, Love. I didn't really intend for that to happen - it just kind of did. After finishing The Book Thief a bit ago, I determined to finish Eat, Pray, Love before I moved on to anything else. So that I might take at least ONE item OFF of my nightstand and place it on a bookshelf where it belongs. I mean, seriously, my nightstand looks like a bookstore went out of business all over it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, I've managed to get down to the last fifty-or-so pages in the last five or six days... Just not in time for this post! Ack.
So I don't really have much to say on that front except that I can FINALLY do my breakdown of The Book Thief. Yay!
About The Book Thief... To give a quick overview, the book is about a young girl, Liesel Meminger who is taken to live with a foster family at the start of World War II. The story centers on Liesel, but there are many very strong characters throughout. It is narrated by Death, who meets Liesel for the first time when her brother dies on the way to the foster family's home. And then he becomes interested in her story. And it is Death's telling of Liesel, her family, her friends, Germany, Hitler, and the Jews.
Oh, my.
I'll start with the cons, like always.
Cons: First and foremost, it takes a little bit to get into the story. This book is not one that immediately envelopes you into its fictional life. It's more of a slow-moving stream than white water rapids. And like I said earlier, the sort-of news-bulletin things in it were very distracting for me at first. I didn't know how to place them and what significance to give them. Just know that they are, actually, important and have a place.
Also, there is some language in this book. There is some common name-calling (NOT nice name-calling - basically the German equivalent to calling someone an S-O-B) throughout the book, but what's interesting to me about it is that the name-calling almost always is in relation to someone the characters' have affection for. I'm not sure how I feel about that at all. As an adult, it didn't bother me in the least, but for a younger high-school student... I'm not sure.
Lastly, this is a dark book. It is not an easy story to read, the subject matter is quite obviously very heavy, and although it ends well, it is a dark and weighted read. Don't pick it up if you're feeling hormonal. There were several scenes (read: half the book) where I bawled like a baby.
Pros: It was incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking. The writing was solid and poetic at the same time. I read several criticisms of this book that said the writing was pretentious and forced, but I didn't feel that at all. There was only once or twice where I felt that the author, Marcus Zusak, may have tried a little too hard, but overall, I feel that his writing in the book is excellent. It is very emotive and focuses a lot around color - it's use and portrayal is very important to the way the book plays out, and it is used in some really unusual ways.
The characters are VERY well-developed. I felt that I really got to know these people as PEOPLE, as a part of my life, and their emotions and experiences impacted me. I feel that a sign of a fantastically well-written book is one which finds me wondering about the characters' lives when I am *not* reading it. This book definitely has that quality. In fact, if Zusak had not pulled off the character development as well as he had, this book would have been a complete waste of paper, because it is ALL about the characters and how they interact.
It was also refreshing to see a book about Germans who weren't Nazis. Who actually hated the Nazis and Hitler just as much as the Jews did, and who defied them in small ways and suffered in small ways at the hands of the Nazis. I know that this is a truth for many Germans of that generation, but it is very underrepresented among Holocaust literature.
Conclusion: Oh my goodness. I SO loved this book. Like I said, it was a bit slow-going in the beginning, but I am so very glad that I pushed through those first couple of chapters because it is such a worthy read. This book is a must-read for any young person over the age of sixteen or adult, in my opinion. It is heart-breakingly good. Devastatingly good. Sweetly, beautifully GOOD.
Now. Go read it.
About The Book Thief... To give a quick overview, the book is about a young girl, Liesel Meminger who is taken to live with a foster family at the start of World War II. The story centers on Liesel, but there are many very strong characters throughout. It is narrated by Death, who meets Liesel for the first time when her brother dies on the way to the foster family's home. And then he becomes interested in her story. And it is Death's telling of Liesel, her family, her friends, Germany, Hitler, and the Jews.
Oh, my.
I'll start with the cons, like always.
Cons: First and foremost, it takes a little bit to get into the story. This book is not one that immediately envelopes you into its fictional life. It's more of a slow-moving stream than white water rapids. And like I said earlier, the sort-of news-bulletin things in it were very distracting for me at first. I didn't know how to place them and what significance to give them. Just know that they are, actually, important and have a place.
Also, there is some language in this book. There is some common name-calling (NOT nice name-calling - basically the German equivalent to calling someone an S-O-B) throughout the book, but what's interesting to me about it is that the name-calling almost always is in relation to someone the characters' have affection for. I'm not sure how I feel about that at all. As an adult, it didn't bother me in the least, but for a younger high-school student... I'm not sure.
Lastly, this is a dark book. It is not an easy story to read, the subject matter is quite obviously very heavy, and although it ends well, it is a dark and weighted read. Don't pick it up if you're feeling hormonal. There were several scenes (read: half the book) where I bawled like a baby.
Pros: It was incredibly thoughtful and thought-provoking. The writing was solid and poetic at the same time. I read several criticisms of this book that said the writing was pretentious and forced, but I didn't feel that at all. There was only once or twice where I felt that the author, Marcus Zusak, may have tried a little too hard, but overall, I feel that his writing in the book is excellent. It is very emotive and focuses a lot around color - it's use and portrayal is very important to the way the book plays out, and it is used in some really unusual ways.
The characters are VERY well-developed. I felt that I really got to know these people as PEOPLE, as a part of my life, and their emotions and experiences impacted me. I feel that a sign of a fantastically well-written book is one which finds me wondering about the characters' lives when I am *not* reading it. This book definitely has that quality. In fact, if Zusak had not pulled off the character development as well as he had, this book would have been a complete waste of paper, because it is ALL about the characters and how they interact.
It was also refreshing to see a book about Germans who weren't Nazis. Who actually hated the Nazis and Hitler just as much as the Jews did, and who defied them in small ways and suffered in small ways at the hands of the Nazis. I know that this is a truth for many Germans of that generation, but it is very underrepresented among Holocaust literature.
Conclusion: Oh my goodness. I SO loved this book. Like I said, it was a bit slow-going in the beginning, but I am so very glad that I pushed through those first couple of chapters because it is such a worthy read. This book is a must-read for any young person over the age of sixteen or adult, in my opinion. It is heart-breakingly good. Devastatingly good. Sweetly, beautifully GOOD.
Now. Go read it.
Links
Okay, so here we are at links!
Up first...
A Spring Apron: Storybook Woods. Isn't this delightful? I just love it! And I wouldn't mind looking that good in it, either.
Bent Leather, Part One: Sage Parnassus. As I am learning more about homeschooling and Charlotte Mason, I am drawn to this post in particular, because it looks like what I want for my girls. What are your thoughts on this?
Making Healthy Changes When Your Husband Isn't On Board: Keeper of the Home. Ho boy. This one is a good one. And something I have struggled to find the balance with for years!
Inspired: Mom-Nom.Com. Perfect. Lovely. Inspiring. I love how she describes how she's feeling, too, don't you? And so many awesome links!
How To Bring Peace To The Witching Hour: SimpleMom. I thought I'd already posted this, but apparently I didn't... Anyway, I nearly cried tears of relief when I read this and realized that I was NOT ALONE. We have struggled with this "witching hour" for years. So good!
Cutting Down On Sugar, 21 Ways To Eat Less Sugar: Keeper of the Home. Another one from Stephanie, and this is just a great article to read... We already follow many of the suggestions she has here, but there are some I hadn't thought of!
Alright, friends... I'm off. Happy Monday, and do stop in again! And let me know your thoughts!
No comments:
Post a Comment