September, the Black Hole of Reading

When you write a blog about the books you read, everyone assumes you want to talk about it. In public. In church.


Let me explain.

My dad is the associate pastor of our church and he opened one of his messages recently by asking people the title of the best book they'd read recently. And then looked straight at me and said, "You blog about books, Kelsey. What have you read?"

I blanked. Maybe it's because it was September and I was reading pre-tests on theme and narrative, along with books on how to communicate better with adolescents, and basically falling into bed at night instead of actually reading. Or maybe it was the on-the-spot thing. But the only thing I could think of was the last book I'd read, not the BEST book I'd read. And it happened to be a book on changes in modern theology called A New Kind of Christianity by Brian McClaren, RECOMMENDED BY MY DAD. I'm sure I sounded like a total suck up. And worse, I haven't even finished it. See the sentence about it being September. And all my previous statements about me and non-fiction.

So, yeah, don't ask me to cite my favorite books on the spot or before parent-teacher conferences. You might get an open-mouthed stare in return.

The upside is that I was publically shamed into reading again and just finished a GREAT book as a result. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a sweet story made all the better because it was an accidental find in the book club section of the library (I can't say enough good things about that shelf! It's not stealing from the book clubs; it's random selections of the ones available to book clubs, so it's like a pre-sorted shelf of great choices). So maybe you all know about this book already, but it was a surprise gift to me.

Harold Fry is an ordinary retired Englishman with an unhappy wife who cleans too much. One day he receives a letter from a long lost friend, telling him goodbye as she is dying of cancer. He sets out to mail a response to her and decides suddenly to walk the hundreds of miles to visit her, believing she will live as long as he walks. Amazing premise. And it gets better, as the author uses Harold's ordinary heroism to celebrate the ordinary uniqueness of everyone he meets. Harold has ups and downs in his journey (similar to Cheryl Strayed in Wild and, strangely, to Forrest Gump's run across the country) that are quite expected and yet luminous at the same time. It's a book of contradictions and seamlessness. It's the kind of book I long to write.

I won't tell you if he finishes his walk, or if his friend lives, just as I won't tell you the outcome of his relationship with his son, or if he patches things up with his wife. I will tell you, though, that you'll want to walk across England yourself, or visit some of the historic spots he stumbles upon, or maybe just try to see the people you stumble upon with a bit of the grace that Harold does.

And how I wish I'd read this book earlier and could have shared it with my church that day, because in the humanity and the pain and the grace, there is love.

I'm going to keep the two non-fiction books on my nightstand and read them in bits, but I'm also ready and needing to go back to my beloved novels. And I have a stack! What should I enjoy first? I've got The Sweetness of Forgetting (thanks, Aunt Pat), Where'd You Go, Bernadette (who recommended this?), and Me Before You (thanks, Kelsey and Taunya).

Fail blog

In an unprecedented move, I have quit three books this month, almost right in a row. Fail. Total fail. I come from a long line of non-book quitters. That isn't to say we aren't sometimes quitters in general. I have quit sports, diets, New Year's Resolutions..pretty much things that require physical discipline. But books? Usually I see the bad ones through to the end, just in case they redeem themselves.

Not this time. I don't know if it's me or the books. Actually, it's probably my kids. Let's blame them for my divided attention and lack of grace. It's hard to spend precious alone-time reading a book I don't like, and hard to have patience with unrelatable characters when I practive patience with actual live small people all day long.

So here's the list: three fails and one goody. Judge for yourself whether they are worth your precious time.

The Antiquarian

Novel by Gustavo Faveron Patriau

I think this is some kind of intellectual murder mystery. The beginning was so much character development, though, that I lost interest. Also I think the author is from South America and in my experience those books usually have an intense emotional quality that I can't understand or appreciate, like The Alchemist. With the exception of Isabel Allende, I think I'm just not smart enough for these books. So I only got a couple of pages into this one and decided it was not for me.

The Financial Lives of Poets
Novel by Jess Walter

What a disappointment I am. This author is amazing. Beautiful Ruins? Absolutely loved it. One of the best books I read last year. We Live In Water  was great for a collection of short stories (which is just not my favorite genre). The thing about this book, though, is that it opened like one of his short stories. Too much reality. I read to escape worries about money and jobs and every day life in general. I imagine that this book gets better and that I'm majorly missing out by not reading it, and maybe I'll come back to it (not likely) but for now, pass.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Novel by Khaled Hosseini

Don't freak out on me-- I didn't quit this one. Almost...but it grabbed me. I read Hosseini's The Kite Runner at the recommendation of my cousin who was stationed in Afghanistan and while both of these books are just so devastating, they are worth it. The complicated history of Afghanistan is made comprehensible to me for the first time, but it's far from just a history lesson. The harsh reality of the country is wrapped up in a lovely, heartbreaking, bold story of two women and their unlikely relationship. There is disgusting, horrifying hatred that is tempered and eventually destroyed by deep love. I was reading this as the news was coming out about the violence in Iraq and it made both events more real to me in my safe little home. The world is so horrible at times but those that help others in the worst of times are what make those events bearable. I would love to talk in more detail to someone who has read this book and compare reactions.

The Girls
Novel by Lori Lansens

Another quitter. Sorry, Grandma, but I just can't stomach the weirdness of the conjoined twins. It's such an interesting premise and I think at another time I may have enjoyed the book. But readers know that I have a lot of anxiety about my kids that comes and goes in waves and right now it's peaking a little. While conjoinment is clearly not something I need to worry about now that my kids are born, it still makes me anxious about all the things that can go wrong in their delicate little bodies. Plus, you just know that there can't be a happy ending to this story. So again, not right now.

And with that list of failures, I don't actually have anything to look forward to reading. I am currently reading a book by Brian McClaren about changes in the church (A New Kind of Christianity), and I have the other true story of Downton Abby book, plus I think I'm going to request Where'd You Go, Bernadette from the library because I've heard such good things about it. I'm interested in The Boys in the Boat for the same reason. But I'm also looking for some light hearted reads while school is starting up. My ego can't take too many more failures.

The Vacation List

Ten days, a lake, snacks galore, grandparents...the recipe for a good reading vacation. I ransacked the library and my personal wait-list for the very best vacation reads and was not disappointed.

Cinder and Scarlet: Books 1 and 2 of the Lunar Chronicles

Teen Fiction by Marissa Meyer

Another my-students-made-me-read-it, but this time with good reason. I was hesitant because the covers, and even the author's name, remind me of Twilight and I have had it up.to.here with Twilight-esque fiction. That's just the marketing here, thank goodness. These books are a great departure from the norm, for the most part, of what I'm seeing in young adult/teen fiction. The author takes fairy tales (Cinderella and Red Riding Hood, and apparently I can look forward to Rapunzel in the third book) and plops them into a futuristic version of Earth, with powerful personalities and interesting forms (Cinderella is a cyborg--what? I had to look that up). I admit it wasn't love at first sight because of some clunky writing but after about a third of the first book I was hooked. Highly recommend for teens (boys and girls) and those who like archetypes turned on their heads. The only surprise that is becoming less surprising is some hot and heavy kissing in the second book. I think I'm going to have to talk to my daughter about this stuff way too soon based on the books she'll be reading. Does anyone else see this as a growing trend in YA books, or am I just more sensitive to it now that I have a tweenager?

The Kitchen House
Fiction by Kathleen Grissom

Has everyone read this book except me? It came out a few years ago, but suddenly I just started seeing the title everywhere. It's a first novel by this author and is stunningly written. However, I almost quit because it just seemed too hard. Not difficult to understand, but difficult to sleep at night after reading. A young Irish girl loses her parents to illness while crossing to America in the early 1800's and is taken on as an indentured servant by the southern, slave-owning captain. She grows up with the black slaves but is suddenly treated as a white woman when events take a turn. Everyone, and I mean everyone, suffers in this book. It is heart wrenching from start to finish. I loved the people, though, really loved them not as characters but as my sisters and grandmothers, so I kept reading. Just guard your heart as you read.

The Sea House
Fiction by Elisabeth Gifford

It just struck me that this title also ends in "house" and is also a debut novel. It's funny how titles comes in waves, like all of the "so and so's wife" books that I read last year (check it out here). I think if I had to pick a favorite vacation read, this would be it. I handed it off to my grandma (take that back to the library when you're done, please, GG) because she was out of books and I really enjoyed it. There's a parallel story of two occupants of the same house on a Scottish island; the lives of a minister in the 1800's and a young couple in the 1990's intertwine in surprising, mysterious, yet sweet ways. I love the idea of telling stories about the same house, which has been done in multiple books by Anita Shreve, one of which is The Pilot's Wife (oh, the trends). I also love stories about England, as you know. This book just kind of did it for me. I hope my grandma liked it, too.

Add caption

The Patron Saint of Liars
Fiction by Ann Patchett

Oh, but Ann Patchett is amazing. This is her first and I didn't know it existed. What a find. A young, pregnant, but married woman goes to a home for unwed mothers in Kentucky in 1969 and never leaves. The characters are rich, the story telling is simple but woven well, and the idea is just so interesting. I'm going to give this one directly to my mom, so I suppose I'd have to say it's my second favorite of the month. The only disappointment was the abrupt ending. You just KNOW there's more to the story. Does the daughter find out a secret she almost guesses? Does the mom...I can't say. Aarg. Read it! Comment!

I still have a few library books waiting to be read, plus some research books for my next manuscript (a history of adoption in Washington State, and a book on the Society of Friends Church aka Quakers). I'm working on my query letter to send my first manuscript out to agents AGAIN. There's always so much to read and write, and never enough time!

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!

The Goldfinch

Novel by Donna Tartt

I haven't blogged since March 19? What? I knew it had been a long time but I guess I didn't realize I'd slacked that much. And before you start judging me or wondering if I'm slipping, it's not because I wasn't reading in all that time. Well, mostly not because of that. I read two books in the last month and a half. And the second one was so.very.long that I can't even remember what the first one was. Honestly. I'm trying and I can't recall. I feel like I've been reading The Goldfinch for about a year. The library probably feels that way, too, since they keep emailing and asking for it back.

I suppose that's what I get for tackling a recent Pulitzer Prize-winning 700-page masterpiece-behemoth just as the sun is gracing us with its presence and both my pasty skin and pasty children are asking to go outside all the time. More playing, less reading, which generally is good for everyone (except my library status).

So now you know that you shouldn't begin this book unless you have a serious amount of time on your hands, plus strong hands in general because it's so heavy (literally). Here's a few other things it might help to know, courtesy of my mistakes and ignorance.

A) The story is about a boy who steals a painting after a tragic accident in a museum. All that is disclosed very early on. What I did not know is that this is a real painting. I thought surely it was made up because it is so central to the story, the author wouldn't fictionally DO all those things to a real painting. And also because I'd never heard of it, and I think I know a few things about art, but apparently not.

B) Everyone I talk to agrees that the book could be about 200 pages shorter. I wonder, though, if it would sort of stick with you the way it does if it was shorter. We basically grow up with the main character and he is all kinds of messed up, in a way that as a teacher and parent makes me cringe and gasp and cry for him. It's at times understated, his grief and depression, and other times incredibly stark, his drug use and lack of parenting and moral guidance. And even though it was almost more than I wanted to know, you really do know him, could probably recognize him if you saw him on the street because you would know his eyes and his soul.

C) It's definitely literary. I mean, it won the Pulitzer, but it also has that "important book" quality about it in the way it combines modern culture and art history and characterization to the max and intriguing story. I wasn't expecting such a heavy book (figuratively this time) because of its mass marketing. It makes me feel a wee bit dumb, actually, to read a bestseller and have it be a bit above my head in some places.

All in all, I'm glad I read it, but I'm more glad to have read it (to borrow an idea from Glennon Doyle Melton, the satisfaction in having done something more than in actively doing it). I'd love to hear what you think, either because you are in the have read it club or because you're thinking of reading it. Just don't ask too much about the end. I was so relieved to be almost done that I pretty much skimmed the last five pages.

From the bestseller list

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my library? They should pay me for mentioning them so much in this widely popular blog. Except that they lend me books for free...so really I should be paying them...not really making much of a case for myself here. Moving on.

Recently there have been so many new books out that I want to read, and there's this beautiful thing where, with a few clicks of my mouse, I can get these brand new fancy pants hard back books delivered straight to my mailbox in a gorgeous purple cloth envelope. I do a little happy dance every time one arrives. I'm not sure my mail carrier is as thrilled, since I don't bring my mail in very often and that box gets pretty full.

The two I've read most recently thanks to this ingenious system are The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

I would have to say I usually enjoy Amy Tan but don't rave over her. Her books offer that glimpse into another culture that I so enjoy. What I find interesting about her is that her focus is sometimes Chinese culture and sometimes Chinese American culture. Multiculturalism and the questioning nature of people raised with multiple ethnic backgrounds is a really important theme to Tan. This story includes the best of both, as a young American girl in China is forced into the life of a courtesan, which is a fancy prostitute. The characters make it clear that in Chinese culture of the 1920's, courtesans and prostitutes are not the same, but Tan makes even more clear that no matter what you call it, the sex industry is an evil perpetrated against women. In the cultural and romantic side of the story, it's similar to Memoirs of a Geisha, but I love that Tan tries hard not to glamorize powerless women being forced as children to become sex workers. Also, she does it all in a pretty package and with complex characters.

While I kind of labored over The Valley of Amazement, I finished The Fault in Our Stars in a few days. This young adult novel just totally slayed me. I cried for about 45 minutes at the end and made my husband hug me for a long time. It's still totally worth it. The synopsis will tell you why I cried: two teenage cancer patients meet, fall in love, change each other's lives, and have an ending that is hinted at in the Shakespearean title. The writing is why it's worth it: I have never loved two teenage characters more. These kids are fantastic. They're who I hope my children become, witty and respectful and compassionate and friends with their parents and completely their own selves. It also helps that cancer is the only bad guy in this book. You can truly love everyone else. Well, almost everyone. There's sort of an anti-hero. But the rest of them are awesome parents, funny and supportive friends, and the two main characters who I can't wait to see in the movie version because I just want to hear them talk some more. Worth the tears, believe me.

Next up on my nightstand (in this order since this is the order in which they are overdue): Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. That's a lot of names with double letters.