Two things you should always...never...whatever

Have you noticed that headlines are kind of ridiculous these days? Yeah, I may have tricked you a little with my own headline there. Sorry. I've heard it called "clickbait," the use of words like "You won't believe what happens" or "This will change your life" or "The ten things you should never... " I have to admit I was suckered for a while but now I'm on to them. Occasionally I'll find a site with really interesting pictures, but for the most part I hate the let-down of whatever follows the outrageous claims made by the headline. That's one thing I like about books. For the most part, they are what the appear to be. I don't believe in the cliche "Never judge a book by its cover." Not literally, anyway. If you read the cover carefully and let the images give you a sense of it, it's mostly what you expect. Occasionally, it's better, but rarely is it worse. The books below are an example of one that was better and one that was exactly what I expected (but I read it anyway). So read! It will change your life! You'll never believe...oh never mind, you're already on this site.

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

History by The Countess of Carnarvon 

I LOVE the tv show "Downton Abbey," as does almost everyone I know who has seen it. If you haven't seen it, don't judge, just watch. So my in-laws, who I got addicted to the show, bought me this, but I've put off reading it because...history. The book is the historical account of the real countess of the real castle that Downtown is based upon. But wait, I only read novels, remember? However, I picked it up a few weeks ago when I didn't have anything else to read (dire situation, I know) and I'm happy to say I was wrong. Even though it's written by a celebrity, the current countess of the real castle, which didn't bode well, and even though it's TRUE, this is a great story. Lady Almina is a crazy but caring woman who was a bit of an unintentional feminist and you can't help but love her. Also, the events the family was involved in are mind blowing! Maybe it's normal for the extremely rich to have their fingers in major world events, just because they're rich enough to be involved, but still...King Tut's tomb? At one point, the Duke's brother is asked to become king of an Eastern European country. ASKED TO BECOME KING. But his older brother said no, what a bummer. Those are the events, and people like Almina herself are the characters, that make this book so readable. I do wonder, however, how much of these portraits are painted in a more flattering light than real life. After all, it's written by the current countess, who is a little invested in protecting the family name. Even so, it's a good story. There's a second one as well about Lady Almina's daughter in law, the next countess, which I'll read eventually. I don't want to read TOO much history on my vacation. Oh, and if you feel the same but want to read something Downton-ish, try this one.

Tiger's Curse

Young Adult fiction by Colleen Houck

You know I like YA books, and in fact I'm very excited to read the Lunar Chronicles, whose author visited my school this spring. This one, though, I could tell by name and cover was not going to be my favorite one. It was STRONGLY recommended by one of my students, who had recommended The Night Circus, which I loved, so I was willing to go with her on it. Suffice it to say, this is the first of a series of four and I will not be reading the others. Sorry, Lily. I tried. The upsides to this book are that it's set mostly in India and deals with a lot of mythology, so I learned about another culture and enjoyed that aspect of it. It's also fast paced since it's YA. Downsides? It's a Twilight wannabe. A very ordinary girl meets and falls for a not quite human creature--an extremely handsome and rich young man who never ages, falls in love with her despite their differences, is possessive, obsessive, and refrains from killing her though he easily could. It may be appealing to young women but it is not, in my opinion, a very healthy example of a loving relationship. I wouldn't suggest this to anyone without a firm grasp on reality, which is to say, not to a thirteen year old girl. There's also the problem that the writing sucks. Some might think that YA books are bound to be a little lower in their readability, but I haven't found that be true. There's just good writing and bad, and this is the second. 

Whew. Criticizing is hard. I don't actually like doing it. And as I said, I really shouldn't, because I knew what I was getting into. 

I can't remember anything anymore

What was the last book you read and what did you think about it? And the one before that? And the two or three before that? Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to stress you out, just looking for a little solidarity here. Because I can't remember anything anymore. Really, anything. I used to be so on top of things and then my third child came along and now I have mush for brains. So I thought it would be okay, I could keep blogging and maybe even write creatively now and again. Nope. The last time I blogged I couldn't even remember the title of two books in a row. This time I'm pretty sure I can remember the last two books I've read but not so much what I thought about them. You're going to have to help me out here.

The Invention of Wings
Novel by Sue Monk Kidd

I do remember the first book I read by this author, The Secret Life of Bees, which was delightful, and her second, The Mermaid Chair, which I almost hated. It was really weird. My mom liked it so maybe I judge too harshly but I remember being pretty put off, though I couldn't tell you why. This book, her third novel, seems very different from both of her previous books, but I liked it. I remember that much, anyway. The cover is deceiving, in my opinion. I think it looks like a more flimsy story, maybe about an island and some girl who learns something about herself over the summer. Something about the title and the birds makes me think that. This book, however, is nearly the opposite of that. It's almost heavy in its well-researched fictionalization of a historical figure, a Southern woman who worked for the anti-slavery movement and women's rights, and her (I think entirely fictional) slave-slash-friend. It also dwelled on Quakerism for a while, reminded me of The Last Runaway in that regard. And that's all I've got. I remember having some pretty important thoughts while reading it, something about women's rights then and today, and writing fiction versus non-fiction, and some clever things to say about symbolism. But it's gone. At least I got the title right.

The Language of Flowers
Novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Okay, I may be able to do better on this one because I just finished it two days ago, and I really loved it. It was easy and homey and yet educational all at once. The main character, Victoria, is a foster child aging out of the system and transitioning to living on her own. She embraces her new freedom by living in a park, surrounded by plants, the only things she knows anymore after years of group homes. She amazingly finds a job at a florist and begins an emotional journey opening up (slowly) to people who want to help her and going back in her memories to the one foster home she loved, where she learned to communicate through flowers.

What fascinated me about this is the psyche of the narrator, who has attachment disorder. She doesn't trust anyone and can hardly even talk, except in an outdated language of the romantic meaning of flowers. She makes irrational decisions that seem to make complete sense when you hear it from her point of view. She shrinks from touch and steals and destroys yet lovingly prepares bouquets for strangers. I'd almost find it unbelievable if I didn't have students who exhibit the same strange array of emotional disturbance and endearing traits. I love that Diffenbaugh brings two disparate ideas together: flowers and foster care. I knew little about either, at least little compared to the depth of emotional understanding presented by the book. But don't get me wrong, it's not in the least bit overwhelming. Maybe intense at times, but pleasantly so. You just have a feeling, with all the people who are pulling for Victoria at the time of the story, that it's going to work out for her.

If only that were so for all our foster kids.

Whew. Maybe I do have a few brain cells left. Just a few. But please, please, please, comment on the last few books you read and what was memorable about them. It will make me feel better to know I'm not the only one with short term memory loss and it will give me books to stock up on for summer!