Kate's Library

Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire

2012-02-11T10:40:00.001-05:00

Title: Pedagogy of the Oppressed
Author: Paulo Freire
Pages: 183
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: Amazon
Why I picked it up: Required reading for my current grad class.
What you'll love: Interesting concepts.
What will bug you: Not a light read.

I've been up to my eyeballs in reading for this class I'm taking... I can't be finished with it soon enough! It's usually 300+ pages in a book or books, along with a crapload of journal articles. In 8 days. While working full time and teaching private lessons and finishing up trimester #1 otherwise known as exhaustion-I-didn't-think-was-possible.

So it's been textbooks for me lately. In all honesty I didn't really like this book that much. It presents some interesting ideas (especially the concept of "banking" in education), but it was dense and definitely not a bedside read. Not the kind of thing I'd ever pick up on my own. I figured I'd share with you my journal entry I posted for class. The language can be informal - my actual papers are more professional!

If I were to sum up the main message behind Paulo Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed", it would be that historically (and currently) there are dominant groups that oppress others. In this process, the oppressed become dehumanized. In order for them to gain their humanity back, they must rise against their oppressors without turning into oppressors themselves. In a sense, they must restore humanity not only to themselves, but to their oppressors as well.

Historically this phenomena can be seen everywhere, from the civil rights movement to workers fighting for safer work conditions in the industrial revolution. This is such a global concept, and at first I had a difficult time putting it into terms that applied to my job as an orchestra director. Although it's a bit of a stretch because a classroom atmosphere pales in comparison to the movements mentioned above, it is possible to equate the role of teacher and student to what Freire is saying. In many ways a school is its own isolated society. There are social "rules" about what to say and what to wear, and there are things deemed important in this school society that do not transfer in importance when brought out into a broader society (for example, how the boys basketball team did against the school "rivals", or who was voted class president). I'm sure many students would listen to what Freire had to say and make the connection that in school there are oppressors who are in control (teachers), and the oppressed who are being controlled (students).

This has caused me to look at the atmosphere in my orchestra room in a different way. I like to think I give my students equal say in what we do as a group, and that they are comfortable making their voices heard. I have been a member of orchestras where there is a very clear distinction between the members of the ensemble and the director who is calling all the shots. I like to think that I am not that kind of director, although there are decisions that I make where I do not give my students any say at all (for example, choosing repertoire for MICCA, a festival/assessment we participate in every spring). I suppose there is a fine line that must be walked as an educator in order to ensure that students are active members and participants in their own education, yet maintain control of the ensemble in order to stay on track and produce the needed results.

A concept of Freire's that I found fascinating was "banking" in education. Essentially, the student is an empty receptacle that the teacher will fill with knowledge. I think that there are many "decision makers" (who have never taught) who see this as an accurate description of what education is. I think that part of the problem is that education used resemble this more closely, and there are many who remember school as being something like this. I am lucky enough that my 90-year-old grandmother is not only still with us, but living 15 minutes from my husband and I. She and I are very close and in the summer I often take her to school with me while I get a little work done, or get things ready in my classroom. She speaks of her school days (elementary school in particular) and I am astounded she and her classmates were able to learn! A lesson would be copying a word or sentence 20 times. Students were called upon to recite lessons to their teacher. There was no active participation, no discussion. In my classroom and in the classrooms of the educators around me I see lots of open discussion happening between teacher and student, and student and student. On page 80 of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" Freire says that "(T)he teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach. They become jointly responsible for a process in which all grow." I could not agree with this more, and once again, I like to think that I employ this in my classroom.

In Freire's last chapter he talks about theories of cultural action. Of these theories, I found "manipulation" to be the most interesting.

"The presence of the people in the historical process, no longer as mere spectators, but with the first signs of aggressivity, is sufficiently disquieting to frighten the dominant elites into doubling the tactics of manipulation." (Freire, 148) This sentence struck home with me, and I couldn't help but think of the election of Obama and the response by the Right (and the coverage on FOX News). As will probably become apparent in my thoughts on "Official Knowledge" by Apple, my political leanings are heavily to the Left. Like many others, I was angry and fed-up with the Bush administration. I followed and participated in the 2008 election closely. I was astounded to see how quickly and savagely the Right got personal (and downright ridiculous) when it became apparent that Obama was picking up momentum. There are plenty of actual ideological differences between Democrat and Republican that can be argued, yet as the Right began to loose its foothold we were suddenly talking about secret terrorism, birth certificates, and other things intended to scare the average person (who may not have a wide range of places from where they receive their information). Of course once Obama was elected these tactics became even worse.

How does this transfer into education? I've never witnessed this firsthand, however I imagine there are schools where students are not active members of their education, and where power from the administration is strongly executed. In cases like these students may try and have more say, only to be manipulated by threat of consequences (detention or loss of school-wide privileges).

of course...

2012-01-24T20:26:00.000-05:00

Well it happened.

I started a baby blog.

I actually did it back when I first found out but had it set to "private" until recently. I plan on continuing to keep Kate's Library mainly about books, so if you're craving baby news head on over to Kate's Cradle! :)

News!

2012-01-23T19:32:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I have been reading, albeit slowly. Class just started and I'm trying to get my bearings.

Oh, also... I've been growing a human!!!!!!

A couple of days before Christmas Dennis and I found out that we were going to be parents! The neatest part of those first few days was that we were able to tell our parents, siblings, and grandparents on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A mighty gift!

Today I was supposed to have a check-up (blood work, etc.) and I mentioned that I'm slightly anxious as this is my first pregnancy and I'd love to get an ultrasound sooner than I have scheduled. Their response? No problem. We can do it now!

So I got to see our little cutie... head, little stumpy arm/leg buds, and most importantly, a strongly beating heart! Seeing that on the screen and being able to hear it was the most amazing thing we've experienced!

9 weeks along. Due date is August 30! (Yeah, there's a baby blog in the works too... more on that later!)

So I'll get class in order, I'll get a little more energy, and I'll tell you all about Clash of Kings, which I am loving so far!

Check out this little bundle - kind of looks like a jellybean, and that name has officially stuck around my house! (Head is facing up in this shot, little arms on the sides.)

A new hop!

2012-01-13T11:20:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! Thanks to Jennifer at "Crazy for Books" for bringing back the hop! Everyone should head over and check out the links and hopefully meet some new bloggers! Have a wonderful weekend!!

The Friday Five {January 6-8}

2012-01-06T10:11:00.002-05:00

This week we'll call this the Friday Three. A combination of lots of end-of-year wrap-up posts and blog resolution posts made for a lighter week. (FYI - I really like these kinds of posts, but not in a "OMG I need to share this post with everyone" kind of way.)

Wonderful things:
Crazy fun weekend in the works... my sister-in-law is getting married tomorrow so Dennis and I are headed down to Rhode Island to stay in a nice hotel, do the rehearsal/rehearsal party tonight, and then all the wedding fun tomorrow! Can't wait!

Here are my three...
1. This just made me laugh out loud. "The Betty and Boo Chronicles" shares the first line of Boo's homework. I won't spoil it by saying what he wrote - but you should know I went to college with a guy who used to do this (to the great amusement of my friends and I!).

2. A very interesting post by Risa at "Breadcrumb Reads" all about the man behind Shakespeare. Well written and conversation inducing!

3. Jillian at "A Room of One's Own" has a great post all about Victor Hugo, which I find particularly interesting since I'm reading Les Miserables in 2012!

Have a great weekend, friends!

Have you signed up yet?

2011-12-31T09:24:00.003-05:00

Less than 24 hours until 2012 (here in NH...)!!

Just putting it out there one more time in case you missed it.

Chunkster Readalong - Les Miserables in 2012!!!

This is an incredibly casual readalong, so if you want to start in March, be my guest! If you want to finish by April, no problem! Make sure to click Cosette for details if you decide to join. I'll want to email you the chapter breakdown and let you know a few more details.

Hope you decide to join us!

The View from my Bookshelf - December

2011-12-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Reading: Books and Audio Books
This was a fairly decent month for me reading-wise, especially considering all the other stuff that went on this month!

Although I finished it in late November, I did my wrap-up post on War and Peace. So excited to have crossed this one from my bucket list!

My husband got me hooked on the "Song of Ice and Fire" series! I read the first book Game of Thrones and was super impressed at the quality of the writing. So glad to have picked up this series!

I know myself well enough to admit that I get bored with series - no matter how fantastic they are. To keep things fresh (and because there are still two more books yet to be released, so what's the rush?), I am inserting a book or two between each book of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. Like Water for Chocolate came between books 1 and 2. Not a favorite, but it's been on my shelf forever and it was part of the TBR challenge!

The end of December is a nice place marker to look back at the year and reflect. I'm doing a lot of that this winter! I took a look back at 2011 from a reading perspective. It was a good year.

Reading: The Friday Five
As I've stated before, I'm allowing myself to be a little lazy these days with my Friday Five. Too much work and grad school to stay on track. I decided it's my blog and I can change the rules if I wish! So there are only two Friday Fives this month, but they each contain more than five.

December 2-4
December 30 - January 1

Reading: Where's my Bookmark?
Kindle says I'm 42% finished with Clash of Kings. I was really hoping to get this done in 2011 but this holiday season contained surprises (wonderful surprises, but surprises nonetheless) and I don't think it's going to happen. I love the book, though!

Life: Outside the Pages
December was crazy. It always is. I had 13 concerts between Thanksgiving and December 15. It's the job - and I love the job - but it's really hectic. I'm happy life is back to normal (or at least close to it!).

For those of you who celebrate winter holidays, I hope they were wonderful. We had a terrific Christmas. Very memorable. Lots of family and visiting and relaxing. How was yours?

This month I invited you to be my real life facebook friend, and it's been fun seeing some of you outside the blog!

There's still time to sign-up for the Chunkster Readalong Challenge! Click Cosette for details. It's a pretty casual readalong, so even if you decide to join after 2012 begins - no worries! It's about the fun!

Happy 2012! Hope it's wonderful!

Friday Five {December 30 - January 1}

2011-12-30T10:42:00.001-05:00

The last Friday in 2011! Of course I'm behind again so I have 9 posts to share with you this week. Click the Friday Five icon on the left for details - the linky below is open all weekend if you want to play along!

1. After my Laura Ingalls Wilder reading spree this past summer I really enjoyed this post over at "A Bookish Space" - it's all about Little House inspired reading! (What's better than that???)

2. Allie at "A Literary Odyssey" has instructions on how to make book trees and book wreaths. They are super cute! I have a couple of really old books that I've tried to give away to no avail - they may be destined to decorate my home during the holidays!

3. This post at "Green Girl from Wisconsin" made me smile. I also come home to find Dennis has stacked dirty dishes in the sink when there's a nearly empty dishwasher. Even worse - I've found he put dirty dishes in with the clean ones and just decided to run it again instead of unload. What's that about? Apparently I am also the only one who understands how that blasted machine works!

4. Spreading some news for my bookish friends who are fans of YA! Harper Collins is is offering a deal - 10 books for $10. Check it out! Thanks to "Dog-Eared and Bookmarked" for the post!

5. This is from "The Book Lady" - Snoop Dogg delivers a Christmas poem. I read this post and texted it to my brother (response: OMG), my husband (response: txt that to your brother), and my Dad (response: who the he'll is that. i mean hell.). Enjoy.

6. "Page Turners" offers her thoughts on one of my favorites - The Lord of the Rings. Love these books!

7. Summer over at "Our Little Baby" shares some of the worst Christmas songs. I'm in agreement.

8. A recipe for homemade bagels! Thank you to "Annie's Eats" for this post - I can't wait to try these out!

9. To wrap things up here's a quote from "The Story Girl" - perfect for the new year.

A Look Back at 2011

2011-12-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

2011 was not too shabby - in reading and in life. Dennis and I are in the same (stable) jobs, which is wonderful. I started my Master's degree at Boston University. My mom was diagnosed with endometrial cancer this past summer, which seems like it would be a bad thing - however it got her to take her health seriously. She had surgery and has a clean bill of health. Dennis and I are happy and healthy and excited for what 2012 has to offer.

So let's talk books - that's what we do here, right?!

Favorite book of 2011:
Jane Eyre
I had never read this classic, and I can't believe it took me so long! I thought the writing was really personable and accessible. The story is very real and interesting. Since it was written so long ago I was expecting language far more dense than it was in actuality. I didn't expect to like it so much!

Least favorite book of 2011:
Like Water for Chocolate
It wasn't bad necessarily. I just wasn't really that into it.

Biggest "guilty pleasure" book of 2011:
Love the One You're With
I didn't even "read" this one... it was an audiobook! I don't typically read the "chick lit" genre, but I wanted something fun to listen to on my drives to work and this really hit the spot. It was fluffy. It was predictable. It was fun.

Fastest read of 2011:
The First Four Years
The Laura Ingalls Wilder books went by pretty fast in general. The award for fastest goes to The First Four Years because I read it in a day during hurricane Irene. No power. Not really much of a hurricane. I just hung on the couch all day. Perfect!

Slooooowest read of 2011:
Tie between War and Peace and The Poisonwood Bible and The Virgin Blue
Okay - it's not really fair to call War and Peace a slow read because I intended for it to take a year. Technically though, it took the longest. After that we have The Poisonwod Bible and The Virgin Blue, both of which took me a month. Once again, to be fair, I was in the middle of an insane concert season and barely had time to sleep. I really liked The Poisonwood Bible, and it wasn't a short book. The Virgin Blue was a short read that took forever. I didn't really care for it. So it was the fewest number of pages over the longest period of time. I'm completely talking in circles, aren't I?

Biggest letdown of 2011:
The Virgin Blue
I expected to really love it because I enjoyed Girl with the Pearl Earring so much. Unfair? Yes. Still... the bar was high and The Virgin Blue just didn't get there.

Hidden jewel of 2011:
Cat's Eye
I didn't expect to like this very much at all. I got it a couple of years ago from a friend who offered to let me pick through a box of books she was getting rid of. I grabbed it. It sat on the shelf forever. I'd read the back and be like, "eh..." and go for something else. I was pleasantly surprised!

2011 Stats:

31 books (Pretty good considering I was dealing with a new job January-June and started grad school in July!)
12,045 pages read!
3 of the 31 were ARCs.
3 of the 31 were audiobooks.
18 of the 31 were from my bookshelf.
6 of the 31 I purchased.
1 of the 31 was from the library.
5 of the 31 were ebooks.
I read the least in May and June (concert season!).
I read the most in August (on my Laura Ingalls Wilder kick - kind of easy reads).

Challenges:

Ugh. I've made peace with the fact that my challenges will not finish on time.

War and Peace Challenge. Done!
TBR Challenge. 7/14 completed (12 books + 2 alternates = 14). Halfway!
Back to the Classics Challenge. 3/8 completed. Not quite halfway. I'll get there though.

Here's where I've had my bookmark in 2011!

1. January, 2011 - Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar

2. January, 2011 - Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin

3. January, 2011 - Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

4. February, 2011 - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

5. February, 2011 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

6. February, 2011 - Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

7. March, 2011 - The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini

8. March, 2011 - A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

9. April, 2011 - The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

10. April, 2011 - The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee

11. May, 2011 - The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

12. June, 2011 - The Virgin Blue by Tracy Chevalier

13. July, 2011 - Emma by Jane Austen

14. July, 2011 - Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

15. July, 2011 - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

16. August, 2011 - Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

17. August, 2011 - On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

18. August, 2011 - The Secret Between Us by Barbara Delinsky

19. August, 2011 - By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder

20. August, 2011 - The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

21. August, 2011 - Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

22. August, 2011 - These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

23. August, 2011 - The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

24. September, 2011 - The Wilder Life by Wendy McClure

25. September, 2011 - The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

26. October, 2011 - Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman

27. October, 2011 - To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

28. November, 2011 - Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan / Cacilda Jetha

29. November, 2011 - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

30. December, 2011 - Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

31. December, 2011 - Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquirel

War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy

2011-12-26T10:12:00.000-05:00

Title: War and Peace
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Translators: Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Pages: 1251
Genre: Fiction, classic
Source: My bookshelf
Why I picked it up: This was part of a reading challenge hosted by Jillian at "A Room of One's Own".
What you'll love: Engaging story and fantastically written characters.
What will bug you: Some dry sections.

I can't believe I reached the end! I did it - every word! Something to cross off the bucket list. I'm really glad that Jillian hosted this readalong because it gave me the determination to finally read this book. I had been so intimidated by the size (the longest book I've ever read!) that although I wanted to read it I never started. I think spreading it out across the year was really nice. Part of why I didn't pick it up before was because I was afraid it would be the only book I'd read for months, and I know myself well enough to realize that would make me very bored. Spreading it out was perfect because I would focus on it intently for a week or so and then put it aside while I enjoyed something else. Win!

I posed some discussion posts along the way. Discussion 1 is pretty detailed. Discussion 2 is also pretty detailed, and Discussion 3/Discussion 4 is not so much. I may have been a bit too enthusiastic in those first two posts and totally ran out of steam!

Overall I really enjoyed War and Peace. Yes, it's long, but it spans a long period of time, and there are a lot of characters. I think this translation is excellent. I've mentioned this in other posts. I was stuck at school one day without a book (oh no!), so I ran up to the library to grab their copy of W&P. I was able to find my place and tried to pick up where I had left off. It. Was. So. Dry. I was amazed. Pevear and Volokhonsky are really able to capture the tone of the writing. It does not feel like a translation at all. The other edition I found at school did feel like a translation - as if the translator had just plugged the sentences into a calculator and spit out the English version. Pevear and Volokhonsky were able to accurately translate any subtle humor or exchanges between the characters. I recommend this translation! I was so struck by the difference that although I already owned a copy of Anna Karenina, I went out and bought the Pevear and Volokhonsky edition! Whenever I read something that's been translated I will research the the translator(s). What an eye-opener!

As you may have already guessed from the title, War and Peace is kind of split between two settings. The "peace" setting is Russian society and "war" is, well - the war. The battlefields, the front lines, all that. I didn't like the "war" sections as much as the "peace". I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on during the battle scenes, and I lack the understanding of rank and "rules of war" in this time period to clearly picture how things were progressing. It didn't help that often the "war" sections were peppered with some rather dry history. I had an easier time picturing the "peace" sections which had more character interaction (in my opinion!).

I think the biggest strength of W&P is the characters. They're beautifully written! There is a subtle way their lives intertwine that is really amazing. Here are some thoughts on a few of the main characters...

Pierre:
I love Pierre. I think he has a beautiful heart. It's clear from the start that he's searching for some greater purpose in his life. It's only when he becomes a prisoner of war and is scratching out a baseline existence that he really finds who he truly is. His love for Natasha is slow-burning. I loved reading sections focused around Pierre.

Natasha:
I had my ups and downs with Natasha. Ultimately I liked her character, although it really took some time for her to grow up and look beyond herself. (In her defense, she is rather young!) Generally speaking she is a breath of fresh air - very different than many other young girls in her position. She appears to love everyone and have a cheery disposition. I think her reaction to the self-inflicted scandal with Prince Andre was over the top. (Although, in her defense again, the time period was quite different and the scandal was a pretty big deal - possibly literally shutting down marital options for her for the rest of her life.) I'm glad she was able to reconcile with Marie. I was really happy at how their relationship grew.

Prince Andre:
I have mixed feelings about him as well. In contrast to Pierre he always felt cold and stubborn. The ultimate difference between his relationship with Natasha and Pierre's is this... Prince Andre saw Natasha as an anchor and a bright light in his life. Her relationship with him saved him from unhappiness. Pierre sought his own happiness and contentment before bringing Natasha into his life. He had to save himself before inviting her in. This is a big difference. Although I believe that Prince Andrew did love Natasha, I think that there was a certain pressure on her to lift him up, whereas Pierre lifted himself up first and then felt completely content with Natasha.

Nikolai Rostov:
I was not a huge fan of Nikolai. I found him to be self-absorbed throughout most of the story. I think he was very spoiled by his parents and as a result had a very hard time seeing beyond himself. (I thought it took a long time for Natasha to see beyond herself too. And while we're on the topic I felt the same way about the younger brother, Petya. Maybe the Rostovs were not the greatest parents?) I'm not surprised that he ended up with Marie. I think his relationship with Sonya was a little strange, especially once he came home at the end. Not my favorite character, but an important one in the story!

Marie:
My thoughts on Marie did a 180 over the course of the book. At first I found her to be pretty "holier-than-thou" and generally weak (especially when she interacted with her father). I saw her as selfish, especially when she disliked Natasha at the beginning. I felt that she had a possessiveness over her brother and was unwilling to let him advance his life to the next stage. After Prince Andre's death I started enjoying her much more. I think her relationship with Natasha is really beautifully written. By the end of the story I liked her so much more!

Of course there are dozens of other characters! These are the ones who really stuck out to me, and who I felt the story was really revolving around.

War and Peace is beautifully written. It's no surprise to me that it's considered one of the "greats" in literature. I'm so happy to have finally read it!

Like Water for Chocolate, Laura Esquirel

2011-12-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

Title: Like Water for Chocolate
Author: Laura Esquirel
Pages: 245 (FYI it's a small hardcover, so it went a lot faster than 245 would normally go...)
Genre: Fiction
Source: My bookshelf
Why I picked it up: It was in a box of books my friend Christy gave to me, and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since!
What you'll love: I didn't really love anything - but I thought it was interesting the way the recipes tied into the storyline.
What will bug you: The story is a little odd.

As I said above, I have had this book on the shelf for quite some time. Christy came to work one day with a big box-o-books and gave me first dibs before she put them on the teacher's room bookshelf. I took a bunch!

So there it sat. Like Water for Chocolate. I think I kept putting it off because I disliked Malinche so much back in 2009. At the end of 2010 I decided enough was enough and I put Like Water for Chocolate on my challenge list for Roof Beam Reader's TBR challenge. As promised, although I won't meet the December 31 deadline, I am still working my way through my challenges. So there's the story of how I picked up Like Water for Chocolate.

Oh, and also I am engrossed in the "Song of Ice and Fire" (Game of Thrones) series but know myself well enough to recognize I get bored with series. So I decided to insert a little book in between Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings.

It was "meh". I didn't dislike it, but I didn't really love it either.

I thought it was interesting the way the recipes tied into the main storyline. That's a neat idea. The book was just kind of odd though. I couldn't get past it. Your true love gives you roses, you make some rose sauce recipe, your sister eats it and is overcome with sexual desire and runs naked to have sex with some general in the army and then joins a brothel? Really? Something's a little off there. Maybe because it's so out of the blue? And this is from a girl who loves Lord of the Rings. I accept a book where there are elves and hobbits and a ring to rule them all. But I can't quite swallow the sex inducing roses.

I'm glad I finally read it. I'm really glad it was such a fast read. It was light and actually kind of welcome these past two days. Even though it made me roll my eyes.

A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin

2011-12-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R. R. Martin
Pages: 720
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy
Source: Kindle!
Why I picked it up: Dennis.
What you'll love: Fantastic writing, rich story detail and great characters.
What will bug you: Not much. I didn't like it when chapters left on a cliffhanger and it was chapters and chapters before we returned to that character. Although that's what keeps you reading, right?

Dennis started this series this past summer and it seems he has found an amazing series. He's been trying to get me to read it, and I'm so glad I did because I'm also in love. This book has the whole package. Detail. Characters. Writing. What's not to love? I'm not usually drawn to the "fantasy" genre but this is different than any other book in that genre I've encountered. It's fantasy, but it doesn't feel like it. Does that make any sense?

The basic premise for this first book in the series is that Ned Stark has been called upon to be the King's Hand. Events unfold after his departure that lead to various families and lineages struggling for power and ultimately the throne.

The format of the book is a favorite of mine. Each chapter is from the perspective of a different character. It's such a great way to let the story unfold. Since these characters are interacting with one another it's an interesting way to gain insight from each character yet constantly be progressing the story forward.

Some thoughts on the characters:

(and some possible spoilers, so read with caution...)

Eddard:
I like Ned. I think he's an honest man and an excellent King's Hand. He give the benefit of the doubt and does not put up with any games. Of course these things, although great qualities in the King's Hand are not great at court where games and deception abound. He was one of my favorite characters in this book. I appreciate how he accepts his children for who they are, and the fairness with which he treats others.

Catelyn:
I like Catelyn as well. She's a strong woman, and I appreciate that quality in books like these. I think she's savvy, but wonder if she acts a little rashly sometimes. Her sister - insane. I actually really liked reading the chapters that talked about her sister. She's really nuts and a fun character to read about - although completely unstable.

Daenerys:
One of the most interesting characters in this book. She goes through an incredible transformation as her part of the story progresses. Her brother is a real doucher, but I think she will turn out to be stronger than anyone realized at the beginning. The end had me going "Ummm. WTF is this all about?". Got to love it when that happens.

Tyrion:
I know he's a Lannister and technically one of the bad guys in this book, but I kind of like Tyrion. I get the impression he does not care about anyone because no one really cares about him. He really has little to lose because he does not fit into society in any way. His dad is also a doucher so he gains your sympathy. Also, I think he's going to turn out alright in the other books.

Jon:
Jon is Ned's bastard son - and although it seems as though he is cast off in this book I think he will play a far more important role in the later books. He has many of the qualities I like about Ned. He's the kind of person you'd like to be friends with, and who isn't afraid to stand up for the little guy. His relationship with Sam (what is it with fantasy and lovable/loyal characters named Sam???) really warms the heart. The whole concept of The Wall is fascinating. I think that in later books, when winter comes (seasons last for years and winter is far overdue...), the threat may not be coming from the various parts of the seven kingdoms, but from what's behind The Wall.

Bran:
Bran is cute. I think he's been taken out of some of the action, but his strength will manifest itself in other ways. I think he will end up with strength of mind that the other characters do not have.

Arya:
Kind of love Arya. She's Ned's daughter and "tomboy" does not do her justice. It's so fun to read from her perspective. I predict that her tenacity will also play an important role as swords begin to clash.

Sansa:
Sansa is my least favorite. She's a girly-girl. She's so concerned with her fantasy world of pretty dresses and prince charming that she can't see what's in front of her face. I hope that as the stories progress she gets some sense and a backbone.

I'm so happy to have read this! Similar to Tolkien, Martin weaves lots of rich detail into his writing. I have a distinct feeling of what the different parts of the Seven Kingdoms feel like. The writing is fantastic. I plan on loving the rest of the series, although I know myself well enough to insert books in between so I don't get the itch to read something else.

Getting to knooooow you...

2011-12-12T18:19:00.001-05:00

I've tried. Really, I have. I am just not organized enough to update my "Kate's Library" page on Facebook. I'd like to be real-life Facebook friends with you, though. I link my Kate's Library posts, and I do a lot of stuff that pertains to my day-to-day. If you're interested click here and let's get to know one another! :)

ps - have you signed up to read Les Miserables? You totally should! For reals. It will be fun and good for you.

The Friday Five {December 2-4}

2011-12-02T16:08:00.001-05:00

The theme of the night is "Kate time". I reduced myself to tears with my assignment last night and have just now decided I need to take the night off from school work. Wee!!!!

I have six to share today - I guess I'm in a celebrating kind of mood...

1. This made me smile because it's so true! "Pen and Paper" shares the alphabet - or rather, how kids nowadays (I think I aged 10 years just by typing that...) are learning it!

2. Summer at "Our Little Baby" makes me smile on a pretty regular basis. Although the blog is mostly baby-based, I think my bookish friends will love her take on the film version of Breaking Dawn.

3. A very nice, thoughtful post from "The Lit Quest" on feminism.

4. "The Betty and Boo Chronicles" shares s*it her kids to do give her a heart attack. This made me literally lol and I called my Mom to tell her the story.

5. I'm kind of a fan of "Improve Everywhere". A post with a video (!) of Katie from "Color Me Katie" singing about Santa in the mall.

6. This is just a bit of deliciousness. Dennis loves brussels sprouts. I had only tried them steamed and proclaimed them to be dis-GUS-ting. I recently tried trimming them, roasting them on a cookie sheet with EVOO, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and changed my mind. Yum-O. Here's a recipe from "Smitten Kitchen" on how to make them dijon-braised. Looks good, right?

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

The View from my Bookshelf {November}

2011-11-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

Reading: Books and Audio Books

Wow - a light month.

I guess if you're only going to get in one review, at least it was a fun one to write about. This November I read Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality. Interesting and fun to read.

I finally got real and came to terms with the fact that I will not be finishing two out of the three challenges I signed up for in 2011. I'm not finishing on time, but I still plan on finishing. I obviously have some serious problems if I feel confined by a list I created... mental note: you may have control issues.

The one challenge I DID finish (last night, to be exact...) is the War and Peace challenge. And let me tell you, friends - I was behind and did a lot of W&P reading this month. Hmmm... maybe I read more than the one review up there makes it look like!

I had so much fun tackling W&P that I decided to host a challenge of my own... Chunkster Readalong: Les Miserables in 2012. Clicky-click to read more about this incredibly low key challenge and (hopefully!) sign up.

Reading: The Friday Five

I kind of failed at Friday Five this month. I recently posted that until life clears up and grad school becomes less insane (more on that below) Friday Five will be a little sporadic. I only graced you with one this month.

November 18-20

Reading: Where's my Bookmark?

My husband got me hooked on the Game of Thrones series! I'm really impressed with the writing, I fully plan on diving from book 1 straight into book 2. I'm 52% finished, according to Kindle. Delightful! Has anyone read these? Dennis loves them!

Life: Outside the Pages

OMG grad school is kicking my ass these past four weeks. I just started week 5 of 7 and the end can't come fast enough. (Or maybe it's coming too fast and that's the problem?) This course is "Analytical Techniques" (basically a writing intensive form and analysis music theory course). It's killing me. I'm forever grateful to work with such a supportive colleague (namely Carl!) who is working through the assignments with me when I get stuck. He's a lifesaver.

Thanksgiving was something I was looking forward to - hosting my first family holiday! The house looked beautiful. Appetizers made. Turkey in the brine. I wake up at 2 am sicker than I've ever been in my life! Food poisoning!!! Noooooo! My guess is that somehow the turkey touched something that ended up in my mouth. I won't go into detail lest I lose followers, let's just say it was the worst day ever. To top it all off not being able to keep food down = the biggest caffeine withdrawal headache imaginable. Dennis was wonderful - he called my Mom and explained my problems, kissed my forehead and declared he was making the turkey anyway and we'll have a private Thanksgiving when I return to the land of the living.

We're having beautiful weather up here in NH. It's been a mild week - low 60's. I am looking forward to a little S*N*O*W though...

Hope all is well!

Chunkster Readalong - Les Miserables, 2012

2011-11-21T21:26:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wanted to read Les Miserables?
Do you want to bond with your fellow bloggers through a fun readalong?
Do you like big books and you cannot lie?
Are you looking for a readalong/challenge that's incredibly low key?
Do you want to grab 2012 by the face and make it the best reading year ever?

If the answer to any of these questions is "YES!" you may consider joining me in a 2012 litventure. I'm hosting a readalong/challenge to read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo throughout the year 2012.

I got this idea after spending 2011 reading War and Peace in a readalong sponsored by Jillian at "A Room of One's Own". I plan on running the Les Mis readalong similarly - namely it will be very low key.

Here's the plan:
*I divided the book into sections of 18-26 pages (depending on logical chapter breaks). The goal is to read these 18-26 pages every week.

*The book is divided into 5 volumes. I plan on doing a post after each volume. I'll put a linky at the end of these posts so you can join in if you want. No posting required! If you want to just post at the end, or not post at all, that's fine!

*Your reading pace is entirely up to you. If you want to finish early, or start late that's no problem.

*Here's a button you're welcome to use in a "challenge" tab, or on your sidebar. Your choice!

What do you think? Are you in? Great! Fill out the form below so I can email you a detailed list of the chapters per week. (It was way too long to put in a post!)

Good luck!!!

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The Friday Five {November 18-20}

2011-11-18T08:26:00.001-05:00

Since I missed last week you get a Friday Eight! (Lucky you...)

I know I missed some wonderful posts - last week and the week before were insane as I began my third grad class and I think it's going to be a tough one. I have a feeling I may be skipping weeks and doing bigger posts later. At least until the week before Christmas and I get a month (!!!) off from homework!

Here are the posts I accumulated, some bookish, some not. Just my personal mix!

1. A review of Les Miserables at "The Reading Life". I'm 99% sure I'm hosting a read-along on this book throughout 2012. Perhaps I will organize that this weekend?

2. A little book humor at "The Betty and Boo Chronicles". Find out what happens when library bar codes make books naughty.

3. The Historian has been on my shelf for about three years! I really want to read it but always end up turning to something else instead. One of these days I'll go for it because it sounds fantastic! A review from "The Story Girl"!

4. I love "The Office", and I love Mindy Kaling! "Curled Up With A Good Book and A Cup of Tea" reviewed Mindy's book Is Everyone Hanging Out With Me? (And Other Concerns)

5. Two posts of seasonal beauty. "Whimsy" and "Serendipitous" - showing the lovely things in life.

6. This post is just scary! My brother had a hornet's nest like this in a bush near his house and they had to call the town to come and remove it. Quick story - we had this underground hornet's nest on the edge of the woods when I was a kid. there were these good sized holes in the ground and wasps would go down in the holes. Terrible stuff. My Dad was stacking wood and got stung. ...and got pissed. And because my Dad is who he is, he poured gasoline down the hole and lit it on fire. The wasps did not survive the encounter. I'm sure Dad didn't think this through because it seems like a bad idea to light a fire next to a pile of wood on the edge of the woods... Thank you to "Under My Apple Tree" for bringing back this memory!

7. Looking for dinner tonight? Look no further. "Annie's Eats" has it covered - Mushroom and Brown Rice Casserole! Delicious!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!!!

Sex and Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality, Christopher Ryan, PhD and Cacilda Jetha, MD

2011-11-14T17:14:00.001-05:00

Title: Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
Author: Christopher Ryan, PhD and Cacilda Jetha, MD
Pages: 432
Genre: Nonfiction
Source: My Kindle
Why I picked it up: I saw a post and/or tweet from Rebecca at "The Book Lady's Blog".
What you'll love: Informative, Interesting.
What will bug you: I think there's more to marriage than sex.

I don't typically read nonfiction. I usually prefer to get lost in a good story - one that makes me think and allows me to go somewhere else for awhile. Lots of nonfiction I've encountered reads like a textbook. Perhaps this is why I usually stay away? Every once in awhile I choose one that has information galore plus a little bit of sass. Oh, and an interesting subject - and let's face it, sex is pretty damn interesting.

The description for Sex and Dawn is: How we mate, why we stray, and what it means for modern relationships. That pretty much sums it up. The premise is that human beings are actually not evolutionarily predisposed to be monogamous. An interesting thought. Much of the evidence presented in Sex and Dawn makes sense. I agree that in prehistoric times humans were most likely not paired off, but rather "family units" consisted of groups of people who traveled together. I also agree that historically women are portrayed as being the more docile and less desire driven gender - although I do not agree that this is an actuality.

I enjoyed this book at first, and then it got pretty focused on monkeys - and I lost interest a little. (Luckily the monkey-talk became less dense as the book progressed...) I was expecting to read about ancient sexual rituals. How fun! Instead there was a lot of evolutionary information - which turned out to be interesting, but not what I expected, which made me a little bummed at first. The authors certainly have lots of information that confirm what they are saying, and I agree with most of it.

Here's my qualm. I like sex as much as the next gal. However, great sex does not a lifelong partnership make. I married my husband for many reasons. Okay, the sex is good - but there's a lot more that figured into my decision. The physical stuff is fleeting. I am married to a man who I really enjoy being around. He makes me laugh. He understands me. Do I think many people base their decision on a lifelong partner on lust? Yes. Did I? No. Will we still be attracted to other people? Yes, and we will continue to cross those bridges as we come to them. I think that the "why we stray" portion of the description has to do partly with evolutionary predispositions, but partly with the slightly dysfunctional attitude of not wanting or not willing to be able to work through tough times. ...and there will be tough times. Anyone who does not think there will be is in for an unpleasant surprise. Every couple has shit to work through, no matter how in love they are.

I enjoyed this book. I'm glad I read it. It definitely gave me much to think about.

Let's get real...

2011-10-29T12:42:00.000-04:00

Let's get real. A post about challenges and how I'm not going to finish them but still plan to finish them.

I signed up for three challenges in 2011. A War and Peace readalong challenge hosted by "A Room of One's Own", the TBR challenge hosted by "Roof Beam Reader", and the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by "Sarah Reads Too Much". The state of affairs is not where I expected to be on the morning of our first snowstorm of the season.

I'm going to finish War and Peace. I'm actually pretty much on schedule to do this. I found that I really liked reading a really big book over a long period of time. Actually, my mom and I plan to do this again in 2012 with Les Miserables. (Anyone want to join? I may host this...?) Anyway, this challenge has been a big priority to me because W&P is on my bucket list.

I'm sorry to say that there's no way I'll be able to finish the other two. And that's okay. Really, it is. I give myself permission to let it slide. So I won't finish by the deadline, but I will still finish. I made a commitment and I'm going to follow through. Late. All the books I put up on those lists are worthwhile pieces of literature and I'll keep crossing off the list until I'm done. So I'm not finishing, but I am at the same time. Make sense?

I discovered something about myself through this process. I don't like reading from a list. I just don't dig it. I like to close a book and decide right then and there what the new book will be. A new release I read about? Perhaps a piece of classic literature? The entire Laura Ingalls Wilder series? Maybe something off my TBR shelf? The world is my oyster!

Essentially, I'm kind of messed up because I picked the books on the challenge list yet I still feel like the list is telling me what to do. Hmmm...

Anyway, to make a long story longer, I got a little derailed from the challenge list because the desire to read a certain book or series lifted me up and I just went with it.

Enjoy the weekend - peace out!

Hop on your broomstick

2011-10-28T10:58:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween weekend!!!

A huge thank you, as always, to Jennifer at Crazy for Books for hosting the hop!

If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, welcome! I hope you decide to stick around. If you're an old follower hoping over to say hello - Hello!! - thanks for stopping in. At Kate's Library you'll find reviews of mainly literary and historical fiction with a little bit of everything else scattered in on occasion. Feel free to check out the books I like to read by clicking the "reviews" tab.

Our prompt this week...

What is your favorite Halloween costume? Even if you don't celebrate, what kinds of costumes do you like?

Easy. I dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West almost every year of my childhood.

It got to be kind of out of control, actually. Starting October first I'd want to wear the hat on our afternoon walks. It would escalate from there until I was begging to wear the green face paint and cape. I would stand on the overpass to the highway and make scary faces at the people driving below. They beeped and waved and blinked their lights. Cute, although I'm sure my mom was somewhat embarrassed to be walking with a little girl dressed as a witch every day.

I love Halloween!

Hope you have a great weekend!

The Friday Five {October 28-30}

2011-10-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Why hello - I'm sure you thought I stopped reading blogs and gave up sharing my five with you. Be honest now...

I didn't give up reading them, but I did take some time off because the last couple weeks of my grad class were kicking my behind. I opened my google reader to a horrifying 1000+ posts! In all honesty I skimmed. I don't think you blame me!

Here are all the ones that jumped out at me... today is the Friday Five and then some! (Um - actually, there's a lot! All the way back to banned books week - I think I was flagging stuff for the five and then never had time to write the five! Eeeek!)

Before that, here are some wonderful things...

* My week between classes and I'm taking full advantage. Lots of sleep, curling up on the couch at night with a cup of tea and a book - all the things I either have not been doing a lot of, or have been doing and feeling guilty because I have homework to do.

* Halloween is coming! My favorite holiday. No. For reals. I love Halloween - I've always been a fan of things that are spooky, and that combined with the chilly weather and the crunchy leaves, the smell of a wood fire wafting through the crisp air. Bliss. (Okay, I like Christmas too - but for now I'm all about Halloween!)

* My little brother is turning 28 on Saturday!

* Toasted pumpkin seeds.

There's more, but I think it's time to share some bloggy love...

1. I'm sure this happens to you all the time - you see a post about a book that's been on your wishlist for awhile and the post makes you want to bump it to the top. Am I right? That's happened to me a few times lately.

I read Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent a bunch of years ago - pre-blog. Since then, I've wanted to check out her second book, Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin. I had kind of forgotten about it until I saw this review by "Caroline Bookbinder".

"Tina Says" did the same thing! I've had Whistling in the Dark by Lesley Kagen on my list and after seeing what Tina had to say it's moving toward the top!

2. Truthfully, I'm not usually a big poetry person. It's not that I don't like it - I do - it's just not usually something I seek out. Luckily it's been popping into my google reader! (And it's seasonal!)

Here are a few posted by Christopher at "ProSe". They all made my day! (I guess I'm rhyming now... the poetry is messing with my brain!) "The Last Chrysanthemum" by Thomas Hardy, "Autumn in King Hintock Park" by Thomas Hardy, and "Autumn" by Christina Rossetti.

"The Story Girl" also got in on the act - she shares not only a photograph, but a little George Eliot on Autumn.

And to finish it off - a little haiku that had me nodding and laughing courtesy of "The Bodhi Chicklet".

3. There were some great posts during Banned Books Week! This was actually before life got real crazy, so I was able to really enjoy what everyone had to say. Here were a few that jumped out at me.

* "Every Book and Cranny" celebrating the freedom to read!
* "A Room of One's Own" defending literature
* ...and as only she can do, "Dead White Guys" thinks you need to admit it - you banned it because of the big words.

4. These posts flat-out made me smile! (...and I needed it, trust me!)

* A little clown humor from Amy at "Lucky Number 13"
* "Green Girl in Wisconsin" is searching for the source of a not-so-fresh smell
* "The Book Lady" shares with us all the little commonplace sayings that we should be thanking Shakespeare for
* Color me Katie finds a bathroom curtain solution that guards her from creepers and looks totally cute from outside

All things that will brighten your day!

5. Things that make you go "hmmmm..."

* "Page Turners" is wondering what makes you leave a comment?
* "The Book Lady" shares 10 best-selling books that were originally rejected. Hope for authors everywhere!!!

6. I love seeing reviews of books I loved! "Breadcrumb Reads" shares her thoughts on The Poisonwood Bible. "The Lit Quest" read a fall classic - perfect for Halloween! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow!

7. I also love seeing a review for a book that I immediately add to my wishlist! Thanks to "The Betty and Boo Chronicles" for alerting me to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs!

8. Finally, let's end with some good eats.

First, out of "Smitten Kitchen" there are some apple pie cookies that look amazing. Am I the only one who goes apple picking and then trying to figure out what to do with all these apples? I can't an entire pie alone - or at least I shouldn't eat an entire pie alone!

Second, "Annie's Eats" gives two recipes that look like they will end up on my table asap. Shrimp pasta with oven dried tomatoes? Yes, please! Also, this recipe for creamy stovetop mac and cheese looks divine. I saw the second picture with the cheese looking all stretchy and actually uttered a yummy noise.

Whew. To avoid future posts of this ungodly length I'll have to keep up with my reader. Enjoy everyone - clicky click!

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

2011-10-25T19:47:00.000-04:00

Title: To Kill A Mockingbird
Author: Harper Lee
Pages: 323
Genre: Fiction, Classic
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: Everything... why am I in my 30's and just reading this now??
What will bug you: All the injustice.

Hello. My name is Kate. I'm 31 years old, and I've just read To Kill A Mockingbird for the first time. Hi, Kate.

Seriously, why did it take me this long to dip into this? I have a list of these classics I somehow didn't have to read in school, and every time I read one I think two things. First, I read so many classic stories as a high school student, how was this not one of them? Second, I'd love to be a fly on the wall during a discussion of this book in the classroom of a fantastic teacher (um... Mr. C perhaps?).

A word of warning - I'm not so concerned with spoilers in this post. So if you haven't read this yet, just turn off the computer right now and head to the library. Or the bookstore. Or your favorite online place for books. Go on... Don't be like me.

So much of this book was fantastic, but I'd like to touch upon some of my favorite parts.

First off, I love Scout. What a rough-and-tumble girl. She's a straight shooter who isn't afraid to kick a little ass. As long as she steers clear of her aunt she has a promising future as a successful woman. She's very ahead of her time.

Jem. If I had an older brother I'd like him to be like Jem. He's a sensitive soul. He does a lot of growing up over the course of this book. Scout does too, but Jem seems to relate to things on a much deeper level.

Atticus is raising intelligent children who think for themselves. He's respectable in every way. He, like Scout was also also ahead of his time. When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was only a toddler, Atticus was working toward equality.

Harper Lee develops her characters beautifully. Wonderful writing.

Of course Boo Radley turns out to be a good man. It goes to show you that we often don't really know the true nature of a person.

This story tackles so many issues - racism, class, gender, courage - through the eyes of a child. I was surprised that the story was less about the actual events leading up to the trial, but rather about the journey Scout and Jem take as they progress from children to young adults.

Wonderful. I'm so happy to have finally read this!

Wildflower Hill, Kimberley Freeman

2011-10-09T15:21:00.000-04:00

Title: Wildflower Hill
Author: Kimberley Freeman
Pages: 524
Genre: Fiction
Source: Review copy (Thanks Simon & Schuster!!!)
What you'll love: Lots. Beautiful setting, two engaging storylines.
What will bug you: A lack of communication between the characters - although this may be indicative of the time period.

The year is 2009 and Emma is living in London and working as a ballet dancer. She suffers a career-ending injury and decides to take some time to return to her childhood home in Australia. Once there, she discovers her grandmother has left her a piece of property in her will - Wildflower Hill, the sheep farm in rural Australia. Emma plans on selling the property, but decides first to travel to the estate and go through the many boxes and possessions her grandmother has left behind.

The sections about Beattie jump back to 1929-1940's. Beattie is about to become an unwed mother, a serious situation for a woman to be in during this particular time period. Beattie is eventually to lead a very successful life, but her path was often unconventional and heartbreaking.

Wildflower Hill alternates between both of these women who find themselves at a crossroads in their lives. As Emma sorts through her grandmother's belongings, she begins to uncover secrets her grandmother carried with her through her whole life.

I really enjoyed Wildflower Hill. Often when I read a book that alternates between two characters, I find myself preferring one storyline over the other. This was not one of those times. I enjoyed both stories equally and thought they pieced together beautifully.

The setting was lovely. I would love to live at Wildflower Hill. Who wouldn't enjoy spending their days in a grand old house settled on a piece of picturesque countryside? Perfection as far as I'm concerned.

I thought the character development was great. I really got the sense that I understood where Beattie was coming from. She sounds like an amazing person - resilient and strong. As usual, I'm horrified at the lack of options women had at that time. It makes me realize that as much as I love reading about different time periods, and I'd certainly love to visit those times if I could, I am very fortunate to be living in the present. I found it disgusting that Beattie is taking the brunt of the blame for being an unwed mother, yet she did not create this baby on her own. Men were given a pass in so many ways.

My only moments of frustration were with Beattie in the 1960's. I think if her communication had been a little better she could have saved herself some heartache. I get the feeling that her husband was supportive enough to understand her - especially if she had been honest right from the start.

A great book. I'm passing it on to Grammy, who I'm sure will love it.

Full disclosure: I received a free review copy of Wildflower Hill in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own!

Hop!

2011-09-30T07:39:00.001-04:00

Welcome blog hoppers!

Thank you to Jennifer at Crazy for Books for hosting the hop!!!!!

If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, thanks for stopping by! I hope you decide to stay. If you're a long-time follower saying hey... I'm sending a "Hey!" right back at ya. At Kate's Library you'll find mostly book related posts of literary fiction and historical fiction. Check out the "Reviews" tab at the top of the page to see if our tastes are the same.

Some wonderful things before the prompt -

* Getting an early start to the work day so I'm all organized.

* Pumpkin Spice coffee.

* www.pandora.com Create a station using the band "Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings". You'll thank me later.

Our prompt this week is to share our favorite banned or frequently challenged book.

This list is shocking.

My favorite book on the list is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. I read this for "summer reading" the summer before my AP English class in high school. This was the first piece of required reading that didn't feel like work. It's something that I could just pick up on my own. I feel like it brought back some of the love of reading I had lost in high school (because we all know that reading for pleasure and reading to figure out how to get an "A" on your test are two different things...) Last spring I emailed the teacher who had assigned this book so many years ago. I let him know that he gave me my favorite book. I've read it almost every year since, and my husband bought me a first edition for my birthday a few years ago. He was happy to hear it!

Some books that do not qualify as a favorite but are just comical/rant-inducing/ridiculous to be challenged or banned? Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Also - Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Are you for serious? The dictionary?????? Apparently kids were looking up dirty words. Translation: I don't feel comfortable talking to my kids about sex, therefore I will pretend it does not exist and yes, I'm willing to take the risk that they can't define basic words because they don't have access to a dictionary. According to a public school in Virginia, Ann Frank included sexual material and homosexual themes. First of all, I don't remember either of those things in the book - granted it's been a long, long time since I read it. Second, even if they are in the book, I'm pretty sure it's not "the thing" you're supposed to get out of reading it.

Whew. I think this is my longest prompt response to date. Who doesn't like a good rant before 8:00 am?

Have a great weekend!!!!

The Lady of the Rivers, Philippa Gregory

2011-09-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

Title: The Lady of the Rivers
Author: Philippa Gregory
Pages: 435
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: ARC (thanks, Simon & Schuster!)
Release Date: October 18, 2011
What you'll love: Jacquetta. Intriguing and strong.
What will bug you: The lack of choices for women in this time period.

Jacquetta is a descendant of the goddess Melusina and has always possessed the gift of second sight. At the age of fifteen, Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford. While his wife, her second sight is explored, as the duke is heavily involved in the mysteries of alchemy. During this time, Jacquetta's sole friend is the duke's squire, Richard Woodville. After the death of the duke, Jacquetta and Richard become lovers, then husband and wife. The couple serve in the court of King Henry VI, and Jacquetta becomes a close friend and confidant to the new queen.

Conflicts arise and the court is thrown into turmoil and uncertainty as the Duke of York tries to usurp the king and claim the throne. The story is centered around Jacquetta, the mother of the eventual white queen.

It's been awhile since I've read anything by Philippa Gregory. I had forgotten how wonderful her writing is and how rich the period detail is in her books. I love it when authors immerse you in the time period, and Gregory does that beautifully. This time period is unfamiliar to me, so it was a real treat to explore.

I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the goddess Mesulina. It was an interesting layer to the story. How neat would it be if there were truly people with this second sight? When looking back through history, I wonder how many of these supposed visionaries actually thought they were seeing anything real. Perhaps they were being made to attempt to see the future - resulting in the fabrication of details they simply could not see? Were they fatigued or chemically influenced in some way (at one point Jacquetta is asked to sniff some white powder to help her see...)?

Jacquetta was a fantastic character. I love how she married Richard despite his social status, and how although she had to be guarded and diplomatic she was strong. I find it interesting how some people were able to keep themselves close to important figures - even as these important figures changed over time. How unfair it is that there were people who were living in luxury and playing the court games in order to stay in favor, yet there were people barely scratching out a living elsewhere. I also find it interesting and depressing how few options were available to women during this time period. Marriage was about improving your situation, not choosing a life partner.

The idea that the king is born into this role and that people trusted this person to lead a country is unbelievable. Were these people actually qualified for the job? They were simply born into the right situation. Even now, no matter who is in positions of power, there will be some who think the person is not qualified - yet the majority of people do think they are qualified or they would not have been elected. Hundreds of years ago, it was kind of a crap shoot - you could have a leader who is capable and able to look out for the general good of the people (not just his favorites), or you could get someone who is at best, bad at the job, or at worst, completely nuts.

This was really a great book and I highly suggest you pre-order it today! You won't be disappointed!

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of The Lady of the Rivers in exchange for an honest review.

War and Peace {Discussions 3 and 4: Chapters 120-240}

2011-09-17T13:33:00.000-04:00

I am reading War and Peace throughout 2011 as part of a challenge hosted by Jillian at "A Room of One's Own". Since I got a little behind in my reading you're getting two posts in one! (Lucky you..) If you want to hear what I have to say about the first 120 chapters, click here to read discussion 1 and here to read discussion 2.

I'm not giving much thought as to what qualifies as a spoiler and what does not. Keep that in mind if you plan on reading this and want to be surprised! This post is certainly not as detailed as it should be. It's my own fault for skipping discussion 3 - too much has happened to be thorough. My apologies.

A lot has happened since my last post. Natasha and Prince Andrei have really come full circle at this point. Of course they enter into a courtship and become engaged. Prince Andrei's father (aka the grumpiest character in this book) requires them to be engaged for a year while Prince Andrei goes away in order to receive his blessing. Natasha's head is turned by Helene's brother, Anatole. They make a secret arrangement to run away together, but are foiled by Sonya who gives away the secret. Pierre has to break the news to Natasha that Anatole is actually already married to another woman. He then goes to Anatole and angrily orders him out of Moscow. Prince Andrei finds out about this and the engagement is broken between the two of them. Natasha feels horrible and becomes quite ill. It is here where Pierre's feelings for Natasha are clear to the reader. Fast forward oodles of chapters and we find Prince Andrei seriously wounded and traveling with the Rostov family as they leave Moscow. When Natasha finds out, she goes to Prince Andrei in the night to sit by his side. His anger for her seems to have disappeared, as he is glad to see her.

It's hard to understand this whole situation. Natasha is a young woman. Is it really that unreasonable or that surprising that she is able to be persuaded by another man? Especially this Anatole person - who sounds like a real player and jerk. Helene's brother what do you expect? I understand Prince Andrei being upset, a perfectly reasonable reaction. However, the fact that their entire relationship dissolves is strange to me. It's hard to imagine a time when options were so limited for women.

Pierre is having some serious problems with Helene. That marriage was doomed from the start. She's kind of trashy and is obviously "spending her time" (wink, wink) with men left and right. She tries to get her marriage annulled by the church, and could care less about Pierre. Since the fiasco with Prince Andrei, Pierre is quite preoccupied with Natasha. Tolstoy has set up this epic love story between these two characters and I'm excited to see how it continues.

Old Prince Bolkonsky dies. I can't say I'm sad to see him go. I really disliked him as a character. Sour, grouchy, he thinks he is the center of the universe. He does not cut his daughter any slack at all. It takes a lot to get Marya to see the state of affairs in her region. I'm glad she is finally persuaded to leave Bald Hills for safer ground.

I still don't enjoy reading the battlefield scenes, preferring the "peace" sections to the "war". I'm still struck by the fact that this story is so accessible. The time span is huge, which is why the book is so massive - but the story itself is wonderful. I'm so glad to be reading it, finally. I think part of my enjoyment is that I really like the translation I'm reading by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky. I got stuck at work last spring having to be with my students in the library. I really had very little to do because they were so engaged in their work (which is fantastic!) so I grabbed a copy of War and Peace and found where I left off at home. It made me realize that the translation I'm reading flows very nicely, and is able to pick up on some of the subtle things that could easily get lost in translation.

Onward. Hopefully you'll hear from me again 60 chapters or so, at the end of October!

The Wilder Life, Wendy McClure

2011-09-16T18:14:00.000-04:00

Title: The Wilder Life
Author: Wendy McClure
Pages: 352
Genre: Memoir
Source: Kindle
What you'll love: So many insights into the Laura World!
What will bug you: A few typos (specifically: a jar vs. ajar. One makes sense, like you bought a jar of something, and the other one doesn't) and some frustrations with some of the people she meets.

As a kid I also fantasized about having Laura Ingalls travel through time and hang out with me. I'd show her around and give her candy and take car trips. What a relief to find out that I wasn't alone! Wendy McClure travels the country exploring Laura World!

I liked this book. I actually finished it a week or so ago. As fun as it was to read about the real life Laura Ingalls Wilder, I found myself getting more and more disillusioned. Laura's daughter, Rose was one of the founders of the libertarian party? Really? Laura didn't actually do all the things in the books? Pa kinda knew he was on Native American turf when they built their little house on the prairie? The notion that the government was kicking the Ingalls' off of their land had some political spin to it? They lived and worked in a hotel for a year and Pa actually had his family skip town in the end? Pa?? You're kidding. Nope.

Turns out the Laura books are pretty fictionalized. This doesn't mean the books aren't great. They are. But they're not a historical account by any means. Rose actually had more of a hand in this series than I realized. She wasn't all that enthused with her "simple life" upbringing and her books lament this fact. Much that is in the books is, as Wendy points out, almost Laura projecting the childhood she wished she had. This is especially true in Farmer Boy, especially with the food - for a kid who grew up in situations where malnutrition was a real concern, she paints Almanzo's childhood as a bountiful feast-fest.

I was a little surprised by some of the people that Wendy met in her journey to the lands where Laura lived. There are people who base their homeschooling curriculum on Laura and the way she was taught in the books. Because, you know, the world is pretty much the same as it was over 100 years ago - especially in the science department. Also, people obviously need to learn how to homestead - raise their own crops, livestock and preserve their food in a root cellar - because Obama got elected and people have equal access to health care so that obviously means the end is near, and it's not that their "side" lost, it's just a true sign that we need to start preparing for a world where modern luxuries are no longer available. Like grocery stores. Can you sense my sarcasm and irritation? Because I'm laying it on really thick.

The landscapes sound beautiful, and it was fascinating to hear about the places where Laura was once a resident. It was also neat reading about a person who loved Laura growing up as I did. I would love to see a prairie sunrise, dip my feet in Plum Creek (maybe even pull off a few leeches!), see a big storm rapidly approaching from the west. I'm not sure I'm as passionate about it as Wendy is - and my husband is certainly not as willing to drive hundreds of miles as her boyfriend is - but she tells a great story. I'm not sure I would run out today and buy it, but it's certainly worth putting on the TBR list - especially if you're a Laura fan!

A fun read!

The Friday Five {September 16-18}

2011-09-16T17:02:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness I've been a horrible fellow blogger this week. I'm not sure what I've been doing all week, because it wasn't that crazy, but I found myself skimming my google reader more than usual and ended up with very few posts flagged for the Five. Normally I'd go searching for fun posts that I've missed, but I just finished my homework and it's been a long week and I just want to, you know... read!

So here you have it. The Friday... um... two. (They're not even book related! Fun and fantastic but not bookish. Clickity click and enjoy.)

1. Sassy has had her way with me again - she's turned me from a normal woman sitting in my office, sipping coffee and eating saltine crackers to the possibly "insane" teacher laughing in a room all by herself. Enjoy Una's prayer for her son.

2. An adorable elderly couple and webcam recording them unawares. Cute and worth clicking fo sho. Thanks to "Smart Bitches, Trashy Books" for this little gem.

...and that's all she wrote. I'll be a better blogger next week, promise!

Enjoy the weekend, friends!

The Friday Five {September 9-11}

2011-09-09T16:50:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Friday Five!

Wonderful things...

* A beautiful sunny day after a week of rain and gloom.
* Crossing the first day of school of the checklist.
* Working with supportive colleagues.
* Turning in your week 1 grad assignment 3 days early!
* Seeing a tree with a sprinkle of red - only a few leaves, but oh so lovely!

On to the Five.

1. Jillian at "A Room of One's Own" is sharing her thoughts on books, swing sets, and snobbery.

2. A new book on the list thanks to "Whatcha Readin', Books?". The Boy in the Striped Pajamas sounds like a must-read!

3. "Book Rat" provides us not only with a link to the September Zombies event, but a little zombie humor as well... What do zombies and supermodels have in common? The answers may surprise you, or at least make you laugh.

4. A delicious-looking recipe from "The Kitchen Witch". I think I'll mix up a batch of "I Feel Like Ass" tea and bring it to work for a little afternoon pick-me-up.

5. Pure beauty at "Under My Apple Tree". Dahlia.

Enjoy the weekend everyone!

A hop, skip, and a jump

2011-09-09T07:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you so much to Jennifer at "Crazy for Books" for hosting the blog hop!

If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, welcome! I hope you decide to stay. I mainly read literary and historical fiction with a few other genres mixed in (as you will soon read in our prompt!). I host a meme called the "Friday Five" - a chance to share some of my favorite blog posts with you from the week.

Our prompt this week is...

Many of us read only one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn't read that genre anymore?

As I said above, I gravitate toward literary and historical fiction. I think if I couldn't get my hands on that genre anymore it would take a long time for me to get through all that's out there! After that, I suppose I would probably start reading paranormal or sci-fi books. I'm a big Stephen King fan!

How about you???

Have a great weekend!

Bracing for impact (...or how I prepare myself for the first day of school)

2011-09-04T10:13:00.000-04:00

So Tuesday is the day. Officially I went back to school on Thursday, but since we had Friday and then Monday off, I mentally thought of it as a "meeting" I had to go to before finishing up my summer vacation. Perception is reality, right?

My sister-in-law gets really depressed about going back to work at the end of the summer. I get a few days of the blues mid-August, but by the time the actual day comes around I'm really ok with it.

Let me elaborate...

I finish teaching summer camp at the end of the first week of August. The second week of August is usually pretty relaxed for me - so naturally I start thinking about how the summer is almost over, which gets me thinking of all that needs to get done.

I think of how my office is a disaster zone. My file cabinets are left emptied because I was in the middle of reorganizing them. I need to get my syllabus set for each class I'm teaching, organize my private lesson schedule, pick some music for the first concert and put in bowings and fingerings. I want to rethink how I'm teaching the first-year string class because I took a class this summer and did a research project that dealt with first-year string instruction and now I have some new ideas. I want to get my schedule in my planner before school starts - while I still have time. I'm thinking of taking my kids to the BSO to hear Yo-Yo Ma perform at an open rehearsal so I need to organize that. Oh yeah, I'm also starting my second grad school class. On the first day of school.

All of this runs through my head. I love my job, but it's a marathon. I hit the ground running, and around Thanksgiving the pedal gets pushed to the floor, and it pretty much stays that way until the last day of school when I'm frantically grading finals.

It makes me feel a little like this.

I know I'm lucky, andhonestly, I'm one of the only people I know who really loves my job -but it's different than other jobs. You're on. Like, allday. For those of you who are not teachers, picture yourself giving apresentation at work. A six hour presentation. Every day. FromSeptember to June.

So I have this week of panic and I react in typical Kate fashion. I stress internally but take the week for myself. Reading. Walks. Days out with Gram. I got a pedicure. Pretty much denial.

Fast forward to the third and fourth weeks of August. I start doing things that mentally and physically prepare me to go back.

I have a fall playlist. I realize this is dorky. For me, music usually gets associated with seasons or times in my life. So, I have this playlist of music that just screams "fall" to me. There's lots of 90's rock, some Counting Crows (both the "Hard Candy" and the "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings" albums, both of which I got in the fall), lots of stuff that I listened to in high school. I start playing this in the car and at home when I'm getting ready to head out for the day, cleaning, whatever. It gets me in the "fall" frame of mind.

I organize. My house. My car. My office. My schedule. I organize my life the way some people get batten down the hatches before a blizzard or hurricane.

I literally sat on the porch with my laptop and a glass of iced tea and blocked off all my classes for the school year in my calendar. It synchs to my iPad and now I can look up any day until June and see where I'm supposed to be and when. It makes me feel like I've got all my ducks in a row.

I set-up as much as possible that I will need later in the year. I've made all the packets I will be using with my guitar class this term. I've set-up my "participation" grade for every class, every Friday of the school year in our online rank book. Because I know if I don't, I'll let it slide because I simply won't have the time.

I clean the house like crazy. We're ready to go. I'm going to come home from work and the island isn't covered in clutter. My dresser is clear.

I know it sounds crazy, but I've been doing these things for the past 9(!!!) years. It makes me ready to go back. ...and by the time the first day comes, I'm legit excited to be back into my routine and seeing the kids and my colleagues.

I'm ready to go...

What do you do to prepare for new beginnings? When you're about to start something stressful, do you prepare yourself in a particular way?

The First Four Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-09-03T09:47:00.001-04:00

Title: The First Four Years
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 135
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: Answers the question "what happens after happily-ever-after?" at the end of These Happy Golden Years.
What will bug you: This is not the way a story of pure fiction would turn out!

As I've been saying throughout my revisit to this series - spoilers everywhere!

I have to be honest - this is my least favorite book of the series. The forward to my edition says that The First Four Years was found by Laura's daughter, Rose. She had it published it as-is. This creates a very different tone and voice from the series.

I noticed this change of tone right from the beginning - The First Four Years overlaps just slightly with These Happy Golden Years, picking up when Almanzo suggests that he and Laura get married a little earlier to avoid having their wedding taken over by his mother and sister. It's depicted a little differently. Laura seems, what? Hesitant? She says that she vowed to never marry a farmer, but after a proposition from Almanzo, she agrees to give it a go for four years. I didn't like it. I want the fiction. I want the romance.

The first four years of marriage between Laura and Almanzo are not easy. They're faced with a miscarriage, huge money problems, bad crops, a house fire. This was not the rosy end to a series I had in mind - of course it was published after Laura's death, so it was not intended to be the end of the series. There was a lot of real life. After reading seven fictionalized stories based on Laura's childhood... well, it comes as a shock.

Part of it can be a little comforting. We all face tough times. No one is immune.

A nice story. Not my favorite, but still a good epilogue of sorts to the series.

The Friday Five {September 2-4}

2011-09-02T17:43:00.000-04:00

Friday!

Wonderful things...

1. Walking out of my office knowing that everything is set and ready to go for the first day of school.

2. Relaxing on the couch and rediscovering the TV series "Felicity" on netflix.

3. A long weekend where Dennis is home with me on Monday.

Five!

1. I saw "The Help" last week and really loved it, which is why I was so excited to hear Jen's take at "The Introverted Reader". Not only a great review of the movie, but great personal stories to boot!

2. Writing and blogging. Of course Marian Schembari has great things to say. So I write like I talk. Sue me.

3. Anne Nahm never fails to make me laugh. Click over to hear about how she witnessed a Mommy drive by, also know as the time she was almost beaned in the head with a juice cup.

4. I love it when Sassy adds captions to the ridiculous ads in women's magazines.

5. "The Window Seat Reader" is talking book covers, and why sometimes what's happening on them doesn't match the story. I've noticed it too!

Have a great weekend!

These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-29T20:36:00.002-04:00

Title: These Happy Golden Years
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 289
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: The unfolding of a beautiful courtship between Laura and Almanzo.
What will bug you: ...still hate Nellie Oleson.

Spoilers! There are lots! Beware!

I loved this book! This is my favorite by far. I'm proud of Laura for being a teacher and sticking it out even when it was tough. I'm in love with Almanzo and the quiet way he shows his affections to Laura. We get to see Mary go away and start a life that she deserves. Nellie's still a bitch, but at this point it's almost comical.

Laura really had it rough at her first teaching assignment. As a teacher, I cannot imagine doing the job in that time period. There's such an expectation of perfection from the teacher, it's unfair and unreasonable. Actually, it makes me realize some things about conversations I've had with my (almost 90-year-old!) Grandmother. She often makes remarks that I must have my desk perfectly organized (yeah right!) or always speak in a soft tone, or lead by perfect example to my "pupils". Reading this made me realize that although she grew up many years after Laura, some of the expectations were still there. I felt proud of Laura for rising to the occasion and getting the best work possible out of her students.

Can you imagine boarding in someone's house when they hated you? I really felt sorry for Laura having to live under those conditions. Thank God for Almanzo. He could definitely sense how unhappy she was, and he loved her enough to continue picking her up even though she was kind of a jerk to him saying that she was only riding with him because it was a means to an end.

Oh, Almanzo. I loved, loved reading about their courtship. He reminds me a little of my Grandfather - ever faithful, caring, willing to do whatever it takes to make the other person happy. There were so many times, while reading this, that I found myself sighing and smiling at his persistence in inviting her to take buggy rides. They are meant of each other. Laura's a hot ticket - she's not afraid to jump on the buggy or the sleigh when the horse is just about ready to bolt. She's a pioneer woman, not afraid of anything - or if she is, willing to stand up and face it. There have been few occasions when I've been moved to tears by books (it just doesn't happen - at movies, yes, but I think it's a combination between the story and when the music kicks in...). After Laura and Almanzo's wedding dinner, when they're getting into the buggy to go to their new home, and Pa helps Laura into the buggy saying "You'll help her from now on, young man, but this time, I will." I needed to get a tissue. Touching beyond words.

While the hurricane was blowing (not so hard here in Eastern NH), and we were without power, there isn't a better book I'd like to get lost in.

Little Town on the Prairie, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-29T08:11:00.000-04:00

Title: Little Town on the Prairie
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 307
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: The beginning romance between Laura and Almanzo, and seeing Laura as a teenager.
What will bug you: I wasn't a fan of the last literary meeting when the men put on a performance in blackface - although I do realize it was 1882.

My warning - I'm not really thinking about spoilers here, so take that into consideration if you don't know the story and want to be surprised.

I think this is my favorite so far! I'm so excited for Mary to have the opportunity to go to college. Of all the sisters, she really deserves it. I'm so proud of Laura, trying hard to do whatever she can to help out. I've also decided that I really like Carrie. She's such a kindhearted little girl. No matter what Laura gets invited to, she's so happy for her.

Laura certainly seems to be intelligent. Although of course now we push our students much further (obviously), the amount of information she is expected to know by heart is pretty impressive. Even though it's just long division, some of the arithmetic she is able to do in her head is more than I can do. I need to write that stuff down!

School is certainly an interesting place in this book. Sheeeeee's baaaaacccck! Nellie Oleson strikes again. As her TV personality will someday write - she really is a prairie bitch. I dislike her even more now than I did in On the Banks of Plum Creek because she's older and should have matured.

Speaking of bitches, what's going on with Miss Wilder??? I have no recollection of the rest of this series, so I'm curious how Laura resolves her issues with Miss Wilder once she and Almanzo start to get serious.

Almanzo is too cute, walking Laura home. Those certainly were simpler times. He's so kind, the perfect match for Laura and her tendency to get a little fiery! I wonder what he has heard about her from Eliza Jane. He has either heard nothing, or he has hear a lot and doesn't care because it's coming from Eliza Jane.

The perfect hurricane read. :) Onward.

The Friday Five {August 26-28}

2011-08-26T19:34:00.000-04:00

Friday already?

Wonderful things:

*Reorganized filing cabinets.

*Time to cook dinner.

*Tea with Grammy.

*Pedicures and fun nail polish in general.

*Hurricane Irene is not so wonderful, but curling up with a book during the storm will be.

On to the Five... pure fun, seasons clicking, rant-inducing, and serious.

1. Pure fun. Does it get much better than a hot guy reading? Thank you to "Your Move, Dickens" for sharing not only the beautiful picture, but the link to a whole site devoted to this subject.

2. Seasons clicking. A post from "Green Girl in Wisconsin" that pretty much sums up what I've been feeling these days. You start to feel the seasons click at the end of August - for me it's the cooler night air, high corn stalks, rose of sharon blooming, and increased activity in my work email. Click here to read how Green Girl feels the seasons click.

3. Seasons clicking again at "Serendipitous" - evidence that color's coming. A few red leaves sprinkled in a sea of green.

4. Rant-Inducing. A wonderful post and conversation happening at "The New Dork Review of Books" - our President is reading on his vacation - which is fantastic. From this comes a ridiculous article criticizing his author gender choice. Really? As my Grammy said when I told her, someone needs to get a life.

5. Serious. "The Story Girl" has a wonderful post on cancer and picture books. How are these things linked, you ask? Through a touching story. You don't want to miss this one.

The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-24T09:15:00.000-04:00

Title: The Long Winter
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 335
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf!
What you'll love: Almanzo helps save the town!
What will bug you: The jerk in town trying to sell wheat for a huge profit.

I have a strong suspicion that I never read this one as a kid. Why? I'm not sure, but it was fantastic. I feel the need to mention that ordinarily am very careful about spoilers, but since this series is really a "classic", I'm just going for it - you've been warned!

The short version of this story is that in September, an old Indian came to town and warned the townspeople that a long and terrible winter was about to begin. From there, Laura and her family moved from their claim shanty into town, and they experienced blizzards from October to May! Trains could not get through to the town, so the railroad was shut down, causing the townspeople to nearly starve for lack of supplies. Almanzo wilder and his friend Cap ride horses and sleds out on the prairie - risking being caught in a blizzard and the 40-below temperatures - in search for a store of wheat rumored to be in a claim shanty. Although the people make it though, the winter was long and severe.

I can't believe there was a winter like this! I looked it up on Wikipedia and found some interesting facts. First, almost all the events in The Long Winter actually happened. (Laura Ingalls Wilder, although writing from events and people from her life, often compressed things or changed events slightly in the spirit of an interesting story.) The winter she described did go down in history as a really horrible one. Trains were shut down, and the townspeople were nearing starvation when the trains finally began running again. Apparently, the only fictionalized parts of the story are: there was no old Indian warning - seemed too coincidental to me anyway! There were not really blizzards every few days (according to the site, that would make over 35 blizzards in the season, which is a bit much), although there were an unusual number of blizzards. Finally, Almanzo and Cap found wheat at a claim shanty 12 miles away, not 20. Ooh - fun fact? The books make Almanzo out to be 6 years older than Laura, when in actuality he was 10 years older.

Minnesota - March, 1881.

As I've mentioned before in this series, I'm a big fan of blizzards! This was a lot of fun for me to read, although I don't think I'd like to live through the winter Laura and her family experienced. That was a few blizzards too many! She did a great job capturing the feeling people were having - frightened and bordering desperate, but unwilling to give up hope.

I love how Almanzo saves the town! I was getting a little irritated with him - sitting in his house with Royal, eating pancakes and bacon, sitting on a huge stock of wheat. I'm glad he realized that there were people on the verge of starvation. He gave Pa some wheat (free of charge and he invited him to have pancakes, which really makes up for the fact that the wheat was hidden), and then goes on a mission to get wheat for the whole town. Of course I understand why he did not want to get rid of what he had - he would be facing starvation himself the following year if he had nothing to plant and nothing to harvest. Anyway, I'm looking forward to when Almanzo tries to call on Laura in the next book (which I may not have really read as a kid? I can't remember!). If I were him, I'd lead off with "Hey there. Remember me? I risked my life to save your family last year. Wanna dance?" Or something like that.

There's not much in this series that bugs me. How can there be? I was pretty angry at the storekeeper who was trying to sell the wheat to the town for a hiked up price. Almanzo and Cap risked their lives to get it and didn't even charge the storekeeper for the transportation. What kind of jerk are you to jack up the price and try to make a profit off of your starving neighbors. It made me think of George Costanza from Seinfeld... "You know, we're living in a society!!!!!!" Although he ended up doing the right thing, it did not paint his character well.

Another wonderful read!

By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-23T08:05:00.000-04:00

Title: By the Shores of Silver Lake
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 291
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf!
What you'll love: Mr. and Mrs. Boast.
What will bug you: Pa trying to explain how "payday" works to the workers.

It occurs to me that my posts on this series have been chock-full of spoilers. Probably should have warned you... so sorry! Consider this your warning. :)

This book always felt a little dangerous to me. At first it's because Laura and her family are living so close to where the railroad men are working - they're rough and you can tell that Ma's worried about them being too close. Then when they move to the surveyor's house, it's a very isolated situation (which has been the case in the past, but this seems to be more isolated for some reason). People come to their house during the spring rush - strangers in the house and the girls have to secure their door shut. At the end there's a murder in town with the claim jumpers. Definitely different than the other books.

I loved the Boasts! They seem like great people, good neighbors, and good to the girls. What more could you ask for? I'm glad they were able to come stay with the Ingalls' for awhile that winter.

I found myself so irritated reading about Pa trying to explain to the works about payday. Of course the exchange of funds takes time, so through my trusty 21st century lens it makes total sense that you will be paid for a two week period, and not up through that day! It's the first experience these men have had working for a business - prior to this they were working for individuals who were paying out of pocket and up-to-the-minute.

How have I not mentioned Mary's eyes yet? I remember reading this as a kid and really being nervous that this would happen to me. I don't really understand it now - scarlet fever settling in your eyes? Is this a real thing? Anyone? If something this tragic had to happen to one of the Ingalls girls, Mary is certainly the right choice. She's so patient and hard working, and willing to sit and work. I'm not surprised in the slightest that she is able to sew, etc. just as beautifully blind. I didn't identify with her much as a kid, but reading these books now, I can appreciate how Mary takes things in stride and is patient and loving.

Loving this series!

Hopping through this paper!

2011-08-19T15:30:00.001-04:00

Hello fellow blog hoppers! A huge "Thank you!" to Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books for hosting the hop!

Writing this post is total procrastination because I'm supposed to be working on a final paper for a class I'm taking. Instead I'm blog hopping. ...but as soon as I click "publish" it's back to work and hopefully I'll be hopping through this paper for the rest of the afternoon!

If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, welcome! I mainly read literary/historical fiction, although that is not a steadfast rule. I'm currently rereading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series and enjoying every minute!

Our prompt this week is:

What's the LONGEST book you've ever read?

Like Jennifer, mine is a Stephen King novel. I read "The Dark Tower" series a few years back, and the last few books were massive! I'm currently reading War and Peace, so that will be the new winner as we ring in 2012.

What about you?

The Friday Five {August 19-21}

2011-08-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! It's Friday!

Wonderful things...

* I'm working on my final project for my class, which means as soon as I'm done, I get two weeks sans grad school! Woo-hoo!

* The smell of wet earth on a summer morning.

* Iced coffee with breakfast.

On to the five...

1. A very thoughtful review from Jen at "The Introverted Reader". I've read many reviews of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, but this was the one that made me put it on my list!

2. Allie from "A Literary Odyssey" reflects on being a Park Ranger, and what she has learned in the process. Great timing (for me, anyway!) because I just spent last weekend camping at a state park!

3. Willa is the author of a new-to-me blog "Wicked Wonderful Words". She posted a great review for a book I'd never heard of, Purge by Sofi Oksanen. After reading her thoughts, I decided to add it to my list! (Don't you love it when that happens?)

4. Another book added to the list this week, this time from Melissa over at "The Avid Reader's Musings". The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster sounds like something I'd really like!!

5. A little fun to end my list! "The Kitchen Witch" had me giggling all by myself when I read her post about lessons her children have taught her. If you are expecting a sappy list - "They've taught me to see the world with childlike wonder..." - think again. Very cute, and very funny!

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Secret Between Us, Barbara Delinsky

2011-08-17T09:08:00.002-04:00

Title: The Secret Between Us
Author: Barbara Delinsky
Pages: 343
Genre: Fiction
Source: Audiobook (free for NH residents - all you need is a library card!)
What you'll love: Engaging story.
What will bug you: Some characters a little one-dimensional.

I've really come around on audiobooks. At first, I didn't think they'd hold my interest, but they really do. The Secret Between Us was no exception.

Deborah and her daughter, Grace, are driving home on a rainy night. Grace has her learner's permit and is at the wheel when suddenly a man is in front of the car. Grace slams on the brakes, and strikes the man. Authorities are called, and while Deborah - a doctor - stays with the victim, she asks Grace to run the two miles home to be with her younger son. When the police arrive, they assume that it was Deborah driving the car, and thinking that her record can shoulder this accident easier than her daughter's, Deborah does not correct them. This deviation from the truth grows and threatens to wedge between the relationship Deborah has with her daughter.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. It was very engaging and kept me anticipating what would happen next - which is a must for an audiobook because the lure of music in the car or on a walk is pretty strong.

My only complaint is that I found some of the characters to be a little one-dimensional. Deborah's father is gruff. It seems to be his only setting. Grace borders on hysteria and overreaction most of the time. Dylan, Deborah's younger son, is clingy and a little whiny. Of course this may have something to do with the narrator. Not that I'm complaining about the narrator - she was great - but it's possible she said some of Grace's lines with a panicked tone, and I would have read them in a normal voice.

Good story - devoured in a week!

On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-16T18:57:00.001-04:00

Title: On the Banks of Plum Creek

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pages: 339

Genre: Fiction, YA

Source: My bookshelf.

What you'll love: Same as the others - an exquisite portrait of the time period.

What will bug you: Nellie Oleson.

I remember this being my favorite in the series when I was a girl. I think it had something to do with living by a creek, which may sound strange, but I've always had a love for water (ocean, rivers, whatever...). I enjoyed it just as much the second time around.

I would love to live in a dugout. It sounds so neat. Of course, as I may have said before, I've long suspected that I'm actually a hobbit. With my love of ale, snacking, desire to go barefoot, and curly hair it all seems to add up. It makes sense that a dugout sounds like my kind of digs, right? Although the dugout sounds neat, the house that Pa builds sounds just amazing. (I know! I need to read The Wilder Life!!)

When I was a kid reading this, I remember two things freaking me out, and they did it again. Bloodsuckers and grasshoppers. Gross and gross. I remember reading about the bloodsuckers getting stuck to Laura's legs and being completely horrified! (I think I was taking swimming lessons in the local pond at the time, and was convinced they would wind up on my legs too... a fair conclusion.) The grasshoppers are just unbelievable. What an amazing phenomena. Can you imagine it? Millions of grasshoppers descending from the sky, eating everything in sight? It's enough to give you nightmares. I can't imagine the horror going through Pa's mind at the time. He had invested so much in that wheat field, only to see it be completely demolished - and then come to the realization that eggs have been hatched and it will happen again the next year.

The snowstorms! I loved reading about the snowstorms. I'm a huge fan of blizzards - as long as I have power, which of course the Ingalls family did not have. I love snowstorms because they're so intense, yet so quiet. There's something just magical about being inside your warm cozy house while this silent storm is raging outside. (I'm also a teacher, so I'm sure the thought of an unexpected day off plays into the excitement!) It was neat to imagine them coming across the landscape - this big dark cloud approaching.

It was neat seeing Laura and Mary interacting with other people in this book. The previous books have really been about them being on their own with their family. I still have an absolute hatred for Nellie Oleson. What a brat.

My favorite so far!

Think I can hop over my tent?

2011-08-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I hopped, and since I'm up early on this lovely Friday (because we're leaving for a camping trip!) it seems like the perfect day to play along.

Thank you to Jen at Crazy-For-Books for hosting! If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, welcome! I mainly review "literary fiction" although I'm on a bit of a Laura Ingalls Wilder kick these days. Make sure to say hello so I can return the visit!

Our prompt this week...

“Let’s talk crazy book titles! Highlight one or two (or as many as you like!) titles in your personal collection that have the most interesting titles! If you can’t find any, feel free to find one on the internet!”

I just took a little walk to the bookshelf. I'd have to say The Secret Life of Bees. I read it and loved it, but I can see it being perplexing for non-reading visitors scanning the shelf. Does Kate moonlight as a beekeeper? Does she really like honey? Is she terrified of bees so she reads about them in a knowledge=power kind of way?

Have a great weekend everyone!

Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-09T10:41:00.003-04:00

Title: Farmer Boy
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 372
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: Such a sweet little boy!
What will bug you: Nothing.

True confession - I never read this as a kid! I skipped over it because it wasn't about Laura. How silly. I loved Farmer Boy.

The setting is amazing. Of course, it was fun for me to read because it's a more familiar setting than the prairie. "Picturing" things in my mind is important to me when I read, and this was great because it was so easy to understand what everything looked and smelled like.

Almanzo Wilder is such a sweet little boy! Laura will certainly find a wonderful husband who is kind and caring.

I was struck by the huge differences between the Ingalls and Wilder families - not necessarily in how they act, or how they interact with their children, but in their means. It's obvious that the Wilder family is far better off financially than the Ingalls family. Almanzo's father has built a successful business and life for his family in New York.

Not surprisingly, my favorite parts to the story are when Almanzo and his family are doing day-to-day things. It's fascinating to read about - filling the ice house, threshing the wheat, all the preparations that need to happen to be ready for the first hard frost. As I've said before, I love the descriptions of these "simpler times" - although I suspect it's something I'd like to visit, not live in forever.

Man, these people eat well! The descriptions of the delicious dishes gracing their table were amazing. I'm jealous. :)

I'm so glad I finally read this book in the series, and I'm scolding my younger self for skipping over it!

Little House on the Prairie - Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-08-02T23:00:00.000-04:00

Title: Little House on the Prairie
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 335
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: Once again, a wonderful illustration of the time period and location.
What will bug you: The interactions with the Native Americans.

As a kid, I remember not liking this one as much as Little House in the Big Woods. I think it was because of the setting. I have to say, this time around, I really enjoyed it.

It's amazing to me that this family was able to pack all their things in a covered wagon and head out into the wilderness to create a new home. I don't go to new places without a GPS. As an adult, it's so interesting to imagine leaving home with no firm idea of final destination. It makes you realize how reliant we are on our 21st century amenities.

I enjoyed reading about the trip to the prairie. When I was a little girl, I used to pretend that my bed was a bed in the covered wagon. I didn't do that this time around, but it was still fun to read about the trip. I was impressed with Ma navigating the wagon through the creek waters. She showed her strength in this book.

Pa is amazing. No door? No problem. He'll just build one without nails. It's just a small matter of fitting wooden pegs to hold it together. Most people just can't do stuff like that anymore.

Many details went completely over my head as a child, and I appreciate them now. For example, the fact that when the family was sick with fever'n'ague, they actually had malaria. I'm not surprised, especially if they had been down by the creek - if there were patches of standing water the mosquitoes must have been ridiculous. Also, when Pa and Mr. Scott dug the well, I remember being afraid and not really understanding why Mr. Scott had been in such danger. Of course it makes sense that they should be testing the oxygen levels first.

The only thing that got me slightly irritated is the treatment and attitude toward the Native Americans. Of course, I understand that at the time, things were very different. I'm analyzing through my 21st century lens again. I'm sure the many of the pioneers were terrified of the Native Americans - especially after hearing some of the stories I'm sure were circulating at the time. The language barrier would be hard enough, but there was so much to make them seem so incredibly different - I'm sure it was a shock. It really bothers me that the government just pushed these people out of their land really makes me angry. The arrogance behind it is staggering. Once again, I'm aware that Laura Ingalls Wilder was living in a very different time, but it was still hard to not feel irritated when I read some of those passages.

A wonderful story. I'm so glad to be re-reading these!

The Friday Five {July 29-31}

2011-07-31T09:24:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone. I know... it's not Friday. I'm incredibly late again this week. When camp's over next weekend, things will calm down quite a bit and life will become more normal.

Camp pros:
Making music all day
Great kids
Seeing friends I went to college with
Seeing great music teachers teach
Getting ideas
Staying the dorm
Feeling like a college student again

Camp cons:
Trying to find a balance! Sleeping at the dorm a few days, coming home for 1. Repeat.
The dining hall is actually really delicious. This is dangerous.
Trying to work on this Master's class while enjoying all the pros. Big project week ahead...

Wonderful things in general:
Beautiful weather this past week.
Dennis is really into the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series - he's on book 1 (I plan on trying to get a guest post out of him....).
The sweet smell of freshly cut grass.
Coming down to the sunny kitchen on a Sunday morning to smell coffee brewing.

On to the (late) Five!

1. This post was super fun for me to read - a little art and music from Jillian at "A Room of One's Own". Monet and Chopin!

2. Another post from Jillian. I suspect that this is an older post that is being transferred over to wordpress - but it was great and you should read it! One of my favorite books from when I was a kid. "Charlotte's Web".

3. A couple of weeks ago I bought Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. I was pretty excited to see this post over at "The New Dork Review of Books". As always, a thoughtful review. I'll be excited to read it.

4. I always feel a little validated when I read a post at "The Bitchy Waiter" and realize I have never even dreamed of behaving the way he is describing. Now that it's summer and the sun is shining, Bitchy gives us tips on how to dine on a patio.

5. This post is so bookish and fun! Thanks to Melody at "Fingers & Prose for sharing these posters - an image made up of an entire printed book. Too fun!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

The Friday Five {July 22-25}

2011-07-23T11:47:00.001-04:00

The Friday Five - a day late. So sorry about that, Friday was the final day of week 1 of camp, and I had a paper due... life won over blogging. :(

In other news... wonderful things...

* As I already mentioned, week 1 of camp is over. Bittersweet. Great kids this week, and Monday we get a new batch, high school kids this time for two weeks. I heart music camp!

* We've had a crazy heat wave here in New England. This is not a wonderful thing, but having an air conditioned dorm room while at camp is a wonderful thing.

* Dennis bought a special brush for the cats in an attempt to combat the fur on the floor. It works well. Actually, I'm kind of surprised they're not bald considering how much we removed last night.

* Looks like we got some rain last night, which my flowers were thankful for.

On to the five...

1. I love how Amy from "Lucky Number 13" was playing library with her kids. The pictures are too cute, and I love how she kept it real by giving us the behind the scenes at the end. Beautiful pictures, as always!

2. I can't thank Rebecca - aka The Book Lady - for sharing this video of Christopher Walken reading "The Three Little Pigs". He's so hysterical and creepy, and it provided lots of laughter on my couch this week!

3. More helpful advice from Marian Schembari - she shares 7 Firefox pulgins that keep her sane. I am also a fan of the Firefox pulgins, and I added a couple after this post!

4. I always love The Sassy Curmudgeon's "Scenes from a Marriage" posts. Here is one where they talk to their unborn child and her husband makes a very important observation about being male.

5. A great post at "Serendipitous" this week - "the little girl" reads a children's book on an iPad. I also love to see how these new tools make reading, etc. fun for kids. It's amazing how comfortable they are with technology.

Have a great weekend!

Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder

2011-07-19T20:13:00.001-04:00

Title: Little House in the Big Woods
Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Pages: 238
Genre: Fiction, YA
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: A wonderful illustration of the time period.
What will bug you: Nothing.

Get ready for a barrage (hopefully... unless I get tied up here teaching summer camp!) of Laura Ingalls Wilder reviews. I decided to read Little House in the Big Woods for the "Back to the Classics" challenge hosted by "Sarah Reads Too Much". I decided that since I defeated this book in a few hours - and loved it - it would be worth it to just re-read the entire series. I loved them as a kid, and these books are perfect for me right now because I'm teaching at a summer camp and I'm craving something I can just enjoy.

I have not read this book since I was a kid! I remember my favorite part being the chapter "Winter Days", which is basically just a description of the day-to-day life of the Ingalls family. I was, and still am, fascinated by simpler times. This time around, I still enjoyed reading about how Ma churns the butter and adds a little carrot to make it a pretty yellow color, or how Ma does the mending by lamplight while Pa plays the fiddle for the girls at night. I would love to visit the time period. I'm not sure I'm meant to live there - I'm far too outspoken and my Grandmother often accuses me of being unladylike (usually when we're in traffic - but this lady has somewhere she wants to go!) - but I'd like to visit for awhile.

It's amazing to me that families survived like this. It occurred to me that the Ingalls spend most of their days doing things that are just necessary for basic survival. Pa spends his days either hunting for food, trapping for food and/or furs to trade for food, or planting/harvesting for... you guessed it... food. Ma and the girls take care of the house, cleaning and cooking, preserving. It makes you think of how much we take for granted - if I want clean clothes, they're only an hour and a half away, and I don't have to actually wash anything! I just put it in a machine. I can cook anything I want, anytime I want - in the dead of winter, the culinary world is my oyster. I wouldn't have had to think months ahead and preserve meat, vegetables, etc. to get me through a winter. So much was focused on survival, and it's amazing to think of how far technology has taken us.

A great start on a fun series re-read! Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah!!

The Friday Five {July 15-17}

2011-07-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday!

Wonderful things:

1. Yesterday and today are hot and not humid, which is just perfect!
2. The final Harry Potter is out!
3. I treated myself to sushi for lunch because I had a craaaazy morning. Yum.

I hope your Friday is going as well as mine. Let's spread some blog love. If you want to play along, click here to find out how to do the FIVE!

1. I've heard a lot about Major Pettigrew's Last Stand - but this thoughtful review over at "At Pemberley" made me add it to my wishlist.

2. "The Reading Ape" shared some uncollected thoughts on Harry Potter. Well done (as always)! I especially agree with number 4, and found myself asking number 11 more than once (although overall, I just do).

3. Another book on the wishlist thanks to "Write Meg". Girl in Translation sounds like it's right up my alley.

4. "The Sassy Curmudgeon" shares a text from her sister. I found this especially amusing because my Mom told me that during her trip to Paris, she was stuck in traffic, and from the car in front of her, a woman emerged, had her child poo on the sidewalk, and then got back into the car. It was the end of her trip, and Mom finally felt ready to come home.

5. ...and for pure fun (and the spreading of blog and birthday love), here's a Harry Potter themed post from "A Literary Odyssey". The pictures she shared prompted me to share the quote on facebook and again on twitter.

And that's all she wrote! Sorry the five is a little rushed (or maybe I just feel rushed???). I'm sitting at a Starbucks, totally high on caffeine, and about to be late to my next appointment! Happy weekend!

Emma, Jane Austen

2011-07-15T14:33:00.004-04:00

Title: Emma
Author: Jane Austen
Pages: 324
Genre: Fiction, Classics
Source: My bookshelf
What you'll love: Being immersed in Austen's 19th century world.
What will bug you: Mrs. Elton.

This classic has been on my shelf for quite some time. This is my fourth Austen novel, and I think it's one of my favorites. There's something lovable about the charming, real, and flawed character, Emma. I chose this book as an "alternate" on my list for the TBR Challenge hosted at Roof Beam Reader. I was inspired to read it for "Jane in June" hosted by Book Rat. Unfortunately, June proved to be a busy one and my calendar says July. Oh well - the intent was there!

The basic storyline of Emma is fairly straightforward. Emma thinks very highly of herself, not necessarily out of arrogance, but because in her sheltered world, she has never know anything else. She tries her hand at finding a match for her friend, Harriet, with results that are far from fruitful. Harriet is of unknown parentage, which somewhat limits the "kind" of man she will be likely to marry - a true reflection of the time period. Emma insists on building Harriet up to enter courtship with gentlemen of high standing, and her plans fall through consistently. She has given Harriet enough false hopes that Harriet finds herself in love with Mr. Knightly, the brother of Emma's brother-in-law, and a true gentleman. It is only when Harriet reveals her feelings to Emma that Emma realizes that she, herself, is in love with Mr. Knightly. As is the rule with Jane Austen, there are other characters who mix with the main characters - they interact socially, and inevitably misunderstandings occur. But don't worry, everything works out in the end.

I have openly admitted to my crush on Mr. Darcy, and to that I need to add an additional crush - Mr. Knightly. Whereas Mr. Darcy is mysterious and distant, Mr. Knightly is kind and warm. He's a fantastic love interest because he shows himself, throughout the novel, as a friend and confidant to Emma. The reader knows his true heart even before he declares his love for Emma.

Compared to the other Austen novels I've read, I find the characters in Emma to be very accessible and real. Emma is certainly a flawed individual. She is selfish, full of herself, and stubborn - however, you can't help but like her. Although she certainly acts far more "proper" than you see in our 21st century interactions, there's a playfulness, and a down-to-earth quality to her that I sometimes miss when reading books written in Austen's time. I notice this with her interactions with Frank Churchill as well - although the other characters find their banter inappropriate, I find it refreshing.

I love Mr. Woodhouse. My Grandmother is actually like this. No, really. She is. We often have conversations about getting a cough if the air conditioner is blowing directly on you, or how my winter cold certainly has nothing to do with working with germy children and everything to do with the time I ran from the car to her door without a coat. If I have somewhere to go that's further than a 20 minute drive, she's worried, especially if it's nighttime. One time she actually told me that wrapping a silk scarf around my neck while I sleep will cure my sore throat. I absolutely love it (and her)!!! Mr. Woodhouse is the same way. He's a worrier, and he obviously does not really have a clear idea of what are reasonable medical concerns. He's endearing.

Mrs. Elton reminds me of the mother of one of my friends. Everything she has/does/thinks is obviously superior to everyone else. She has this attitude that "I am me, and you are merely you". Perhaps, because I've dealt with a real-life Mrs. Elton, I found the fictional one very hard to take. She drove me absolutely nuts.

Overall, this was a great book! I love reading Austen because she makes me feel a part of her time period like few other authors do. I'm sorry I kept it on the shelf so long!!

The Friday Five {July 8-10}

2011-07-08T18:04:00.004-04:00

Oh, it's nice to be back! After a little Friday Five break at the end of the school year, I'm pretty excited to share these links with you! Please play along and share the bloggy love - click here to find out how.

Before we start...

Wonderful things...

Today is my birthday, yo! We're celebrating Kate's 30th birthday - the sequel!

I started grad school this week. First class? Research and Bibliography. Not so exciting, but I'm going at it with the excitement of a new student!

My husband just texted me a photo of the crispellis (dough wrapped around cheese and fried. yeah. I know.) he's bringing home for me. Yum!

I did an overnight with my Mom and Gram up in Northern NH. Three generations, all happy to be together.

OK. Enough about me! Here are the five!

1. A new book on the wishlist, thanks to "Loving Books". Leaving Van Gogh sounds like it will be right up my alley. My Mom was an art major, so I grew up surrounded by pictures and textbooks with prints. I love Van Gogh!

2. I found out about a new blog today, from "Sarah Reads Too Much". "Tiny Library" has a post which serves as a blog directory. How fun! I'm looking forward to adding more blogs to my google reader! The link goes to Sarah's post - since that's where I found out the info!

3. I got an iPad for my birthday! (A community effort between Dennis, my parents, his parents, my brother/SIL, and his sister/BIL.) A big thank you to "The Boston Bibliophile" for sharing a handful of bookish apps! I've been playing with them on my new toy! ;)

4. A Sunday Snapshot post from "At Home With Books". Just because it's beautiful.

5. Thank you to "The Reading Life" for reviewing, thus pointing out, a book that is not on my wishlist but should be. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. How could I have missed that when I listed classic literature I'd like to read?

I hope you play along! ...and I hope you have a great weekend! Happy Friday!

What the hop? (...I've hit a new low in post titles.)

2011-06-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

A huge thank-you to Jennifer at "Crazy for Books" for hosting the hop - a great way to find new blogs! If this is your first visit to Kate's Library, welcome! If you're a long-time reader hopping over to say hi, well - Hey there! What's shakin'?

Our question this week...

When did you realize reading was your passion and a truly important part of your life?

When I was a kid, my Mom and I would read picture books for hours - literally. When I got older, I always had my nose in a book. Then middle school and high school happened. I started getting really serious about my grades and that took a lot of enjoyment of reading out of me. I wasn't reading to enjoy the tale, I was reading and taking notes, and trying to figure out what broad essay questions are likely to appear on our test. Not a fun way to read. After I graduated from college, I kind of rediscovered reading and I have not looked back. I'm so happy to be reading what I want, at my own pace. It's prompted me to take on some fun books, but some serious literature as well.

What about you? Did you take a break like me, or have you been knee deep in books since you were a little one?

The Friday Five is coming back!

2011-06-25T09:07:00.000-04:00

Good morning everyone!

A few non-bookish personal updates for you...

* Our last day of school was yesterday (woo-hoo!)! This was my first year teaching at the high school, so even though it was my 8th year teaching it felt like my first year all over again. It was wonderful, and I'm glad it's under my belt!

* Next week I'm chaperoning the marching band trip to Disney! What's better than Florida with 60 teenagers? I think we will have a laptop in our room, and I'll have my google reader on my phone, so I'll be keeping up with your posts and hopefully have a Friday Five for you next week! (I'll also almost definitely have another non-bookish post about the trip, so you have that to look forward to as well!)

* I got accepted to grad school!!!! I'm starting my Master's in Music Education at Boston University. It's a 100% online program, which is perfect for my full time schedule and private music students. I have several colleagues who have completed the program and they have all told me that although it's very vigorous it's very manageable. Lots of reading and writing. I think I can do that! My first class starts July 5!

These past few weeks have been so insane I could not keep up with all of your posts! Too much skimming, which I don't like. I think next week will be better, even though I'll be exhausted. See you next week for the Five.

In the meantime, if you want to link up...

Hoppin' Around

2011-06-17T13:00:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've done the hop!

If you're visiting Kate's Library for the first time, welcome! I hope you decide to stay!

A huge "thank you!" to Jennifer at "Crazy for Books" for hosting the hop!

Our question this week is...

How many books are currently in your To-Be-Read (TBR) pile?

I'm pretty good about not accumulating huge stacks of books. I have about 45 books currently on my shelf that I have not read yet. My wishlist is another story. That has hundreds! ...but I don't actually own them!

What about you?

The Virgin Blue, Tracy Chevalier

2011-06-09T19:17:00.000-04:00

Title: The Virgin Blue
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Pages: 302
Genre: Fiction
Source: My shelf
What you'll love: Two interesting stories that link together.
What will bug you: I didn't really connect with the main character, Ella.

This book has been on my shelf for a few years now. I signed up to read it as part of the TBR Challenge hosted by "Roof Beam Reader". Definitely worthwhile.

The story alternates between present-day Ella Turner and 16th century Isabelle du Moulin; two women linked through family lineage. Ella and her husband, Rick, move to a small town in rural France. Rick has been relocated for work, leaving Ella (a mid-wife back in the US) without anything substantial to occupy her days. Ella finds that living in a small French village is not what she imagined it to be, and a strange series of events cause her to investigate her family heritage. As the story alternates between Ella and Isabelle, a common thread weaves the stories together.

There have been times, when reading a book which alternates between two characters, that I prefer one over the other. Not the case in The Virgin Blue. I enjoyed both time periods equally, which was a pleasant surprise.

I found myself frequently frustrated with sections involving 16th century Isabelle. I find religious persecution themes irritating - what a waste of bloodshed and relationships. I suppose I'm looking at this through a 21st century lens, but it's difficult to feel differently. I'm still trying to figure out why she got involved with her husband-to-be in the first place, as I disliked him from the start.

Although I enjoyed the sections about Ella, I found it hard to connect with her. She seemed a little scattered to me. I totally understand her attraction to Jean-Paul - who wouldn't be into a dark, handsome librarian? - but I question her decision to jeopardize her marriage to Rick. My Mom would probably point out that she "hasn't 'found herself' yet", and this is probably true. She's not sure what she wants, just what she doesn't want.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't run out and buy it today. Although worth reading, I enjoyed Girl with a Pearl Earring more.

The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver

2011-05-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

Title: The Poisonwood Bible
Author: Barbara Kingsolver
Pages: 576
Genre: Fiction
Source: Kindle
What you'll love: Wonderful, distinct voices from each character, rich detail.
What will bug you: Nathan Price. Everything about him.

The year is 1959, and Nathan Price has accepted a position as a Baptist Missionary in the Belgian Congo. He travels with his wife, Orleanna, and daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth Mae. Nathan enters the Congo bearing fire and brimstone, and his wife and daughters enter with Betty Crocker cake mixes, and clothes completely inappropriate for their new environment.

Not only are the Prices unprepared for their new home, but their new home is on the brink of war. Strange animals and poisonous snakes are everyday threats, and the native inhabitants in their new village (accessible only by small airplane) are more than resistant to Nathan's extreme preachings.

As in a pressure cooker, the situation surrounding the Prices and the others in the village build until about halfway through the novel when events lead them to the tipping point. From here, the remainder of the novel gives an account of each family member spanning the next 30 years.

I really enjoyed this book. I violated one of my personal rules, and I actually finished reading it a couple of weeks ago, yet just had time to blog about it now. Usually when that happens, I lose many details - yet this book has stayed clearly with me. This is one of my intangible and completely subjective tests on what a good book is.

The book is divided up into 7 sections (Genesis, The Revelation, The Judges, Bel and the Serpent, Exodus, Song of the Three Children, and The Eyes in the Trees). Each section is divided up into first a testimony (I'm not sure that's even the right word, but I'm just going for it..) by Orleanna, then the four daughters (in no particular order, and often hearing from some daughters multiple times or not at all).

Kingsolver did a fantastic job with voice in this book. She is able to convey so much personality simply through word choice and phrasing.

It's obvious early on that Rachel is a complete idiot - and that is so apparent through her speech. She frequently misspells words, or uses them incorrectly, or uses the complete wrong word that sounds like the correct word (her sisters are practicing their French congregations).

I really loved Adah. She is so witty and intelligent. I loved how she called Nathan "Our Father" - it's subtle but speaks volumes. She seems to have a very clear grasp on their family's situation.

My hatred for Nathan Price is up there with my hatred for "The Big Nurse" (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) and Professor Umbridge (HP5). Since I read this on my Kindle, I made notes for myself. The first note I made was about Nathan. It is - "This guy is an asshole." He is the definition of self-righteous. Every interaction with him was infuriating. One of the most irritating parts was his lack of interest in figuring out the native customs and rituals of the people in the village. I could go on for a long time. What did you think of him?

Loved this book! Bonus? I knocked a book of a challenge list! I signed up to read The Poisonwood Bible for the "Back to the Classics" challenge at "Sarah Reads Too Much".

A note about the Friday Five

2011-05-15T10:33:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

A quick note for you this weekend about the Friday Five. For the next six weeks or so my Friday Five posts will be sporadic, if at all.

My concert schedule for this spring is super intense - 16 concerts between now and mid-June. That's on top of my "normal" work day, of course. Just another lazy, greedy teacher... :)

Anyway, I have not had the time to read all of your wonderful posts with the consistency I'd like to. There are whole days when I get behind, and then have to skim, which I really hate to do. Until things calm down and I can keep up with my google reader, I'll have to take a little break from the Five. I'm sure you understand. :)

You can still play, though! Feel free to grab the icon from the "Friday Five" tab at the top of the page!

Hope everyone has a great week!

The Friday Five {May 6-8}

2011-05-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

The end of another whirlwind week - let's celebrate with spreading some bloggy love!

1. Some happiness from "Every Book and Cranny" - a little Walt Whitman to start your weekend out right!

2. Rebecca at "The Books Lady's Blog" has a question for you. How do you manage your reading life? I've bookmarked this link and am looking forward to hearing what people have to say. I find myself often asking the same question. For me, it's more of a work issue - sometimes it completely takes over my life (...and I don't even have kids yet, UGH!) and it's hard to find a spare moment with my book!

3. Another question from another blog. Jillian from "A Room of One's Own" wants to know, are you a book reviewer, or an enthusiastic reader journaling your progress? Is there a difference? I'm looking forward to these comments too. I'm a reader who is using my blog as a public journal of what I read. I also really enjoy the community of readers, and connecting with others who understand what it means to love a good book! Join in the conversation!

4. I love orange chicken - and this is a yummy recipe. I can't resist sharing. Thanks to "My Happy Meals" for passing it along!

5. Another book on the wishlist, thanks to "Kritters Ramblings"! Click over to see her thoughts on The Kitchen Daughter.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend!

War and Peace {Discussion 2: Chapters 60-120}

2011-05-04T17:09:00.000-04:00

A third of the way through 2011. A third of the way through War and Peace!

I'm reading War and Peace throughout 2011 as part of a reading challenge hosted by Jillian at "A Room of One's Own". This post is discussion number two - click here to check out discussion number one!

As I said last time - spoilers abound in this post! I'm recapping each section. There's so much going on, and it's my way of keeping it all organized.

Volume II, Part 1

Overview:
Nikolai Rostov and his friend Denisov visit the Rostov family. The family really loves Denisov. Natasha says she does not wish to marry Boris (even though as kids they intended to), and Nikolai finds himself drifting away from Sonya as he enjoys life as a young eligible bachelor.

Count Rostov arranges a dinner party. Pierre learns, much to his sadness, that his wife Helene is compromising her virtue with Dolokhov. At the party, when Dolokhov makes a toast to "beautiful women", Pierre takes it as an insult - and an insinuation of goings on with his wife. He challenges him to a duel. During the duel, Pierre accidentally pulls the trigger, injuring Dolokhov severely, remaining unhurt.

Pierre assumes (incorrectly) that Dolokhov was killed, and decides that the crux of the matter is that he was wrong to marry Helene in the first place. When she hears of the duel, she calls Pierre an idiot. Pierre suggests that they separate.

Meanwhile, at Bald Hills, the old Prince Bolkonsky is informed of the assumed death of his son, Andrei. Andrei's sister, Marya, decides to withhold this information from Andrei's wife, Liza, as not to risk harm to her unborn child. Soon after, Liza goes into labor. While she is with the midwife, Andrei surprises his family by returning home! Liza gives birth to a healthy son, but dies in the process.

Meanwhile, back ~~at the ranch~~ in Moscow, the recovering Dolokhov befriends Nikolai Rostov. Natasha does not trust him from the start. Dolokhov develops an interest in Sonya and eventually proposes marriage. Sonya refuses because she remains in love with Nikolai. Dolokhov is unhappy with this, and invites Nikolai to a card game where he wins all of Nikolai's money, plus a considerable debt. Nikolai is forced to ask his father for the enormous sum, which creates a hardship for the family.

Denisov falls in love with Natasha, proposes, but is refused.

Thoughts:
I continue to dislike Nikolai Rostov. I left Volume I finding him spoiled and childish - and for me, it's further confirmed in Volume II. I'm bothered by the fact that he brushes off Sonya - who is young, beautiful, and obviously devoted to him. I feel bad for her, and I feel irritated at him. Furthermore - how irresponsible can you be to accumulate all that gambling debt? I know people like this. There's an air of "I'll be reckless - I'll feel bad about it, but I'll still do it - and I know daddy will get me out of it". It's very distasteful. Am I being too harsh on this character?

I agree with Pierre. He should never have married Helene. She's the wrong match for him on multiple levels. Am I the only one who finds it almost comical that he wound up in a duel over this? Helene is obviously a bit of a hussy - or at the very least, she uses her looks to her advantage, and you've got to expect that when you do that, people will talk. I find myself shaking my head that he winds up defending his and her honor in this duel. Reconsiders. Accidentally shoots his opponent, and feels horrible about it. It's the kind of situation that only Pierre (of all the War and Peace characters...) can find himself in. I find him so endearing.

I'm proud of him that he made the split from Helene.

Volume II, Part 2

Overview:
After leaving his wife, Pierre is sitting alone in the train station feeling sad and miserable. He sees a mysterious stranger who he later discovers is a Freemason. The pair launch into a deep philosophical discussion. Pierre asks for guidance. Upon arriving in St. Petersburg, Pierre is approached by a Freemason and eventually becomes a Freemason himself.

The following day, Prince Vassily visits Pierre and urges him to reconcile with Helene. Pierre forcefully asks him to leave, and sets out to visit his southern estates.

At one of her society parties, Anna Pavlovna - who has recently taken a great interest in Boris, after his rise in the military - introduces Boris and Helene. They soon see each other socially on a regular basis.

Prince Andrei's father has been appointed as a military commander. Prince Andrei has renounced active warfare and remains at home with his sister and son. Prince Andrei's son is suffering from a high fever, and when the fever finally breaks, Prince Andrei realizes that his love for his son is one of the only good things about his life.

Pierre visits his southern estates and tries to manage them in accordance with his new Masonic ideals. His managers quickly realize how to use this to their advantage. Pierre leaves thinking that he has done good for his people, however in reality, they are worse off than before.

Pierre visits Prince Andrei at Bald Hills. Pierre sees a very glum and sad Prince Andrei, and the two men exchange ideas on the concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, etc. Pierre's good nature begins to have an effect on Prince Andrei, who begins his slow climb out of his sad state of mind.

Back at the front lines, Nikolai Rostov is happy to be back, and is resolved to re-pay his gambling debts to his family. Denisov hijacks food from a provisions transport for his men, who are practically starving. He is accused of theft and takes the news badly, finding himself facing a court-marshall. Before the court-marshall can take effect, Denisov is wounded and elects to go to the hospital as a way of postponing his potential consequences.

When Nikolai visits Denisov at the hospital, he is horrified at the poor conditions. Denisov is at first unwilling to seek a pardon from the tsar, claiming it is against his honor, but by the end of his visit with Nikolai, he agrees to sign a request for pardon.

Nikolai tries to help Denisov get his pardon, meeting up with Boris (who is not very polite to him...). Boris appears unwilling to help, so Nikolai decides to go directly to the tsar. A general listens to Nikolai, asks the tsar, and is denied. The tsar meets with Napoleon and is asked to bestow an honor upon a Russian soldier. A soldier is chosen almost at random, and this disheartens Nikolai.

Thoughts:
I find it interesting that Pierre becomes a Freemason. I've gotten the impression, from the start, that he is really searching for something - almost a way of defining himself. I think that his association with this society is part of this searching.

I found myself rolling my eyes at how he is being taken advantage of by his managers at his southern estates. He has an innocent, almost slightly slow quality about him. Ordinarily qualities like this kind of annoy me, but in this case I find Pierre so likable. You get the feeling that his heart is in the right place.

In Volume I, I wasn't that crazy about Prince Andrei. I started to come around on him in this part of the book. He seems so sad and full of loss, it's hard to judge him harshly. It's obvious that he is in a very dark place emotionally, and it's fitting that Pierre is the one who begins to lift him out of it.

I enjoyed these good deeds by Nikolai. I still feel irritated by him, but his loyalty to Denisov is helping to begin to change my mind. It's interesting to note that when Pierre displays an almost childlike innocence I find him lovable and sympathetic. Yet, when Nikolai displays the same characteristics I want to smack him. I think this is because at the root of it all, I believe that Pierre is a good person - a bit blundering at times, but ultimately kind. I find Nikolai to be selfish - a quality that, to me, is one of the worst traits imaginable.

Volume II, Part 3

By 1809 Prince Andrei is still hard at work at Bald Hills. He has followed Pierre's example - more successfully - and has freed his serfs and made them wage earners. This is one of the first examples of this system in Russia. Despite this, Andrei feels depressed.

Business necessitates Andrei visiting the Rostov family. Circumstances lead to Andrei staying the night, and as he sits by his window, he hears Natasha and Sonya on the balcony above his window. They are full of life and this awakens a youthful feeling within Prince Andrei. He returns to St. Petersburg with the beginnings of a change of heart.

Pierre continues to work for the Freemasons, although some of his ideas are met with resistance and he is becoming discouraged. Helene goes to Pierre directly and attempts to reconcile their differences. Pierre agrees, and the pair live together once more. Helene has been involved/present in many meetings between the French and Russians - and in this time, has earned a reputation of being not only beautiful, but intelligent. Pierre is very confused by this (as Helene is decidedly not intelligent). He spends his time writing in his diary - occasionally about his jealousy toward Boris, who is still very close to Helene.

The Rostovs are not doing well financially. While in St. Petersburg, Vera becomes engaged to Berg.

Boris visits the Rostovs, and is surprised to find a much older, and much more beautiful Natasha. Although he knows that she will not be able to provide him with the dowry he needs, he can't help but continue to visit. Natasha appears to be equally starry-eyed. Countess Rostov lets Natasha know that the match will not work between she and Boris. The Countess later tells this to Boris, who stops frequenting the Rostov home.

On New Year's Eve, the Rostovs attend a ball - Natasha's first! Natasha is worried that she will have no dance partners, but Pierre helps by steering Prince Andrei toward Natasha. Here we see the beginnings of Andrei falling in love with Natasha. The next day, he goes to dinner at the Rostov home and after hearing Natasha sing, begins to feel stronger.

Vera and her new husband host a party. It is at this party that Pierre begins to notice that there is something going on between his friend Andrei and Natasha. The next day, Natasha tells her mother that she is in love with Andrei, and Andrei tells Pierre that he is in love with Natasha. Prince Andrei leaves St. Petersburg to tell his father of his marriage plans. His father requests that in order to receive his blessing, Prince Andrei wait a year. When Andrei finally proposes to Natasha, she is pleased, but unhappy about the condition of waiting a year. Andrei departs for an extended absence. Natasha is very upset, but recovers within a couple of weeks.

Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this part of the story! It was a lot of fun to get to know Natasha more as a character. Although she is still extremely young and immature, her lightheartedness and love of life is charming. Seeing Prince Andrei react to her, I started to warm up to him a bit. She brings out a happiness in him that we have not yet seen, and it's refreshing.

Seeing the love that begins between Andrei and Natasha, it becomes more painfully obvious that the match between Pierre and Helene is a poor one. She is a hardened woman - interested in herself and furthering her reputation. Pierre has the potential for so much kindness and happiness, yet she does not bring these qualities out in him. Instead, she turns him into a gloomy and jealous man.

I loved reading about the ball. You can call me a girly-girl if you want to, but I adore scenes like that.

Overall Impressions:

I found these sixty chapters far easier to navigate than the first sixty. I have a sense of who the characters are, and how they are involved in the story. It was so nice not having to frequently flip to the main character list at the beginning of the book! :) In that vein, the reduction of characters speaking French is very welcome! I find myself cruising through the story much easier not having to keep jumping to translations.

Of course, because the battle scenes are not my cup of tea, I enjoyed all the "peace" time in these sixty chapters. I especially loved reading about the New Year's Eve ball. The meet-up between Andrei and Natasha was great. I knew it was going to happen (because I'm a cheater and I've seen the movie...) so it was with great anticipation that I read how the events unfolded.

I'm still finding this challenge fun and not overwhelming. There were a couple of weeks where I found myself behind, but I fixed that pretty quickly. It seems like the story is becoming more and more interesting the deeper we go, so I wouldn't be surprised to find myself getting pretty ahead - if my personal life permits!

The Friday Five {April 29-May1}

2011-04-29T14:04:00.000-04:00

Why Friday - I've missed you so!

1. When you see a blog post title "The Placenta will make Kick Ass Margaritas" you really have to click over and see what's going on. Am I right? Here's a little silliness from "Anne Nahm".

2. I love humorous children's books. Especially the ones that take a commonly known story and change it up. Throw in some kind of adult humor to boot? Magic. Enjoy this: Jon Scieszka (and other stupid fairy tales...)

3. We had a beautiful morning today in New Hampshire! This inspired me to include "early morn" by "Serendipitous". Lovely!

4. Madeline Bea did a series called "Celebration of Spring" - each focused on a beautiful spring color. I absolutely loved this!!!! (Especially the green. There's just something about that beautiful springy green - it only happens once a year!) {Yellow} {Whispering Blossoms } {Green Toile} {Pretty in Pink}

5. "The Broke and the Bookish" shared these fun, fabulous and witty anti-illiteracy ad campaigns!