December Book

Mom chose the December book:A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg.

This is the write up on it from Publishers Weekly:Lured by a brochure his doctor gives him after informing him that his emphysema has left him with scarcely a year to live, 52-year-old Oswald T. Campbell abandons wintry Chicago for Lost River, Ala., where he believes he'll be spending his last Christmas. Bestselling author Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes; Standing in the Rainbow) makes this down-home story about good neighbors and the power of love sparkle with wit and humor, as she tells of Oswald's new life in a town with one grocery store and a resident cardinal (or redbird, as the natives call it). Frances Cleverdon, one of four widows and three single women in town, hopes to fix him up with her sister, Mildred—if only Mildred wouldn't keep dying her hair outrageous colors every few days. The quirky story takes a heartwarming turn when Frances and Oswald become involved in the life of Patsy Casey, an abandoned young girl with a crippled leg. As Christmas approaches, the townspeople and neighboring communities—even the Creoles, whose long-standing feud with everybody else keeps them on the other side of the river—rally round shy, sweet Patsy. Flagg is a gifted storyteller who knows how to tug at readers' heartstrings, winding up her satisfying holiday tale with the requisite Christmas miracle.

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I think that Mom also would like to have a regular conversation about this book too, so just have it read before the end of the year.

The End.

Thom's Thoughts on Lucky

I didn't like it.

I thought that the author did a good job of getting us in the mind of Lucky and creating character's that we liked and to whom we could relate.

I liked the description of Lucky's hair and how she placed it so no bugs would get in her ears.

But . . .

A lot of build up for a lot of nothing. I finished it while I was on the train to the Bon Jovi concert with Stephanie. Things kept happening, and happening, and I was thinking that there weren't enough pages to resolve the story. I expressed this to Stephanie and she told me to just keep reading.

And then it was done.

I like how it ended . . . I just didn't like the ending.

Does this make sense? I need to read the Newbery finalists to see why this one was the best of 07.

Laura's Thoughts on The Higher Power of Lucky

I agree with Amy. I enjoyed the book, but it was not even close to my favorite. I thought the musings of Lucky's brain were interesting. I believe that those thoughts are all thoughts a young girl in that situation would have. I particularly liked her search for "the higher power." I love how kids misunderstand things like that.

What I did not like was I felt like it ended to abruptly. I felt like her descriptions of her friends were good, but there was no other development. I did not really feel like I understood Lucky or her world.

So, good? Yes. Newbery? Hmm . . .

Amy's Thoughts on The Higher Power of Lucky

I am proud to say that I finished this book, and I am anxious to post my thoughts since I haven't even finished our last book. (sorry, I just didn't want to be continuously behind!).

I don't know if it's because I had read someone's rating of this book before I started it, or if it is my opinion alone... but I DID enjoy it, even though it wasn't my favorite. I believe it's a combination of sorts, but having been able to talk to Stephanie and Thom about it I believe that my interest took a dive from the first chapter. I'm sorry, but why scrotum?? At the beginning, and then at the end! I guess I was not expecting such a subject of discussion in a children's book.
I did, however, enjoy the very simple but descriptive way the author would describe how Lucky was feeling. For example, how Lucky describes her "mean glands", or Lincoln's "knot-tying brain secretions". I hope that all the children that read the book understand what she means! (I should probably give those children more credit than that- I'm sure they know more than I!)
Overall, I think my anticipation of the storyline made the plot somewhat anti-climactic. It was an easy, and enjoyable read, but not a book that I could not put down.

Anyone have any other thoughts that we can discuss? I feel like I am not explaining myself very well! I guess I tend to be a little vague when I am not talking directly to someone. Thanks Thom and Stephanie for choosing a book I would not have chosen for myself. I liked that!

Thom and Stephanie's Thoughts on Something Wicked

We are proud to be the first to comment on this novel. We both think that this was a great book and an excellent pick for October. We wanted to post our thoughts now because we are watching the movie on Sunday with Mom and Dad . . . so here goes.

Question 1:

We think that they have a yin-yang relationship and that Bradbury uses their relationship to move the story a long. Stephanie thinks that you should have more Will because she says she feels like she is like Will.

What we think is that in most good friendships there are a lot of similarities and differences between the people that create a strong bond. These boys have this, that is why both of them are willing to sacrifice for the other.

Question 3:

Stephanie thought that it was corny that he could carve a smiley face into a slug and kill someone . . . Thom, on the other hand, likes corny stuff and thought that it was a good way to have good conquer evil!

As far as how much of this book ends up being about the dad . . . when you first start to read the book it seems like an adventure story about boys, but by the end of the book it is all about the dad. It is about his insecurities and the different ways that he falls short as a father. We feel that one of the turning points for the story was when the dad climbed up the house with Will. This is when he realized that age is just a number, and that he is also a boy at heart. With this information, he is able to use the wisdom that comes with age to help the boys overcome. We feel that this is the story of a man reclaiming his life. He did, and that is why he was able to save the boys.

As far our favorite parts:

Stephanie: I feel that the imagery in this book was fantastic. When I see a skinny guy wearing a three-quarter length black coat and pointy shoes, I think that he is Mr. Dark. I really liked the scene where he is kicking his shoes through book cases to climb up and get the boys. The entire scene in the library with the dad and the two boys and then Mr. Dark seemed very real and very intense.

Thom: So this is my favorite passage. It is when the three of them are in the library and Mr. Halloway is trying to teach the boys about Summer and Autumn people:

"What could he say that might make sense to them? Could he say love was, above all, common cause, shared experience? That was the vital cement, wasn't it?"

So, our question to everyone is . . . Knowing what you know, would you ride on the carousel? Why? If so would you go forward and live in the future or would your go back and live in the past.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Discussion time. I have a few questions to get things started, but just feel free to post your thoughts, whatever they may be.


1. In many sections of the book, Jim and Will are contrasted, and Bradbury makes a big deal of their differences. Are they really so different? To what extent is there a little bit of Will and a little bit of Jim in everyone? Which is better to have more of: Jim, Will, or a balance? How does this play into the narrative?

2. There is also a possible idea that the freaks are people who have given up on that kindness between people in favor of some aspect of themselves, and thus are turned into caricatures of that aspect. Thoughts?

3. Just how corny is it that Mr. Halloway can beat the demons by laughing at them? How much of the book really ends up being about Mr. Halloway beating his "old" demons?

I'll address number 2. I thought it was a really interesting idea that there is some aspect of us that we might abandon everything else for. It is interesting to think about who I would be. Why did the salesman turn into a dwarf? How do we keep from letting ourselves be taken over by something that it turns out is not so important. In stake conference today someone shared a quote that seems somehow applicable. "Remember that all holy men have a past and all sinners a future."

All in all, I liked the book. Beautifully written. A bit mesmerizing. What an imagination.

Feel free to post your thoughts as comments or as new posts.

November Book - The Higher Power of Lucky

Since Mom and Dad are heading off to Asia on Friday, I was tasked with picking the November book before they left town. (Mom is packing food for Dad to eat, if you have any suggestions on how to sneak peanut butter to the Far-East let her know)

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Anyway, Stephanie and I have been reading some Newbery Award winner books recently and I thought that this year's winner might be the way to go. So I DECLARE NOVEMBER'S BOOK: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron.

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So the book is about, Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town named Hard Pan (population 43) in the California desert. After her mother died two years ago, her father called upon his ex-wife, Brigette, to come to the United States from France to take care of Lucky. Lucky fears that Brigette is tired of being her guardian and of their life in Hard Pan. Her experiences lead her to believe that Brigette will abandon her and return to France. This anxiety prompts Lucky to seek help from her "Higher Power", a notion she gets from eavesdropping at her town's 12-step meetings.

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Enjoy!

October's Book

Okay, so I will go first. October's book will be "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury. Let's plan on starting the discussion on October 28th and that way it will be done in time to start a new book in November.

Here is a brief description. Enjoy the book (or don't).

"Few American novels written this century have endured in th heart and mind as has this one-Ray Bradbury's incomparable masterwork of the dark fantastic. A carnival rolls in sometime after the midnight hour on a chill Midwestern October eve, ushering in Halloween a week before its time. A calliope's shrill siren song beckons to all with a seductive promise of dreams and youth regained. In this season of dying, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show has come to Green Town, Illinois, to destroy every life touched by its strange and sinister mystery. And two inquisitive boys standing precariously on the brink of adulthood will soon discover the secret of the satanic raree-show's smoke, mazes, and mirrors, as they learn all too well the heavy cost of wishes -- and the stuff of nightmare." - Barnes and Noble

October

So, any thoughts on a book for October? I thought maybe "Something Wicked This Way Comes" for Halloween. I think mom just bought a new book, too. Thoughts?

Family Book Club

It is time for a family book club. So, here is my proposition. Each month one of us selects a book and posts here. We all read it. Then, at an appointed point in the month, the "host" posts his/her thoughts and questions. We all respond and have a family discussion of the book through the blogspot. What do you think? I am going to make everyone a contributor so you can access the blogspot and post on your own. Could be fun.