On Writing

Bibliography
King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Pocket Books, 2000. Print.
image from:www.amazon.com

My Thoughts
My coworker was reading this book and gushing about the advice. As I've honestly never read a Stephen King book (some of the movies scared me too much), I didn't know what to expect from this read. I did remember an excerpt from this book was in the literature book I taught out of when I was an English teacher (I can't remember now which adoption, which publisher, but I do remember seeing the cover art in the lit. book).

Ok, so this book was GREAT! It is part autobiography and part writing coach. King is honest (and there's quite a bit of cursing). He's also very funny (I'll admit I was surprised) and the narrative voice is very conversational. I felt like King and I were just sitting in the living room having a chat.

One reason I really wanted to read this book (after my coworker sharing bits with me) is I've been asked to help a friend edit her book. I've read a few chapters and offered advice more from a former English teacher's perspective than a random reader. I hoped King's book would help me help her. WOW! It did. I am thinking I need to start over with the editing and look for some things I hadn't thought about before reading King's book---like adverbs and the writer inserting the reader's thinking and how the story should be told as true to the characters as possible, but the author has to find the fossil of the story first (read King's book and you'll understand this).

Some nuggets of advice from King:

• "The object of fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story" (King 134).
• "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot" (King 145).
• "Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones" (King 145). 

I enjoyed how King wrote about writing his own books and how his personal life influenced the story (even subconsciously, we write about what we know on some level). In fact, I think I will challenge myself to give King's fiction a chance. I'm not sure what I'm afraid of, as I enjoy Southern Gothic Literature. Isn't King almost an extension of Poe (one of my favorite writers)?

Some practical advice King gives (besides the nuggets previously included) is a list of publications to read if you want to write. He suggests that you should read the "kind of stuff you write" as well as Writer's Market, a pricey publication that is "the most valuable of tools for the writer new to the marketplace" (King 239). King also includes a booklist of "the best books I've read over the last three or four years...In some way or other, I suspect each book in the list had an influence on the books I wrote. As you scan this list, please remember that I'm not Oprah and this isn't my book club" (King 285). I did scan the list. It's all over the place in so far as topics, authors and modern/classic reads. I can appreciate this list, as I read all over the place, too (occupation requirement, I think).

This book was easy to read, informative and enjoyable.

Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out

Bibliography
Hall, Mark and Tim Luke. Thrive: Digging Deep, Reaching Out. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014. Print.   
image from: www.amazon.com

My Thoughts
I love Casting Crowns! Their music reaches me, humbles me, and makes me grow as a Christian. I've had the pleasure of hearing them twice in concert--once after a Rangers game (the concert was why I wanted to go to the game on that day) and then my husband surprised me for our anniversary with a concert in Abilene. I was singing along and enjoying myself. When we left, I stopped at the souvenir booth and bought a t-shirt and CD. I saw books. Wait! What? Mark Hall wrote books? How did I not know this? I didn't buy a book that night, but I kept thinking about it, so I got on Amazon and bought this one. It's been sitting on my night stand waiting for me.

This book is not a devotional nor is it a bible study. Hall has a very friendly narrative voice. He isn't talking over my head. In fact, I think some of what he writes in the book is what I heard him actually say at both concerts. He is real--meaning he is flawed. He doesn't profess to have THE answer. He just writes about walking with God and his experiences. He challenges the reader to not just go through motions, but actually dig in to God's word and see for yourself how you can thrive. He shares stories, shares scripture and challenges the reader.  At times, I know God was talking to me through what I read.

I love the illustration of our lives should be like a large tree. The root system should be as big as what's seen. We have to dig into God's word to be planted in God's word. "When we grow roots, we dive into God's Word and prayer and learn from other believers. As we reach out, we show Jesus to people" (Hall 16). I need to work on both.

At the end of each chapter are "Points to Remember." At the end of the book is the Thrive challenge.

Cress

Bibliography
Meyer, Marissa. Cress. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2014. Print.
image from: www.marissameyer.com

My Thoughts

This is the third installment of The Lunar Chronicles. In Cress, we meet Crescent Moon (Rapunzel) who is kept in a satellite by Queen Levana. All of the characters from the first two books are here as well. Hunky Captain Thorne (who reminds me of Han Solo) provides strength and wisdom. Wolf is moody and fighting being controlled by Cinder and the queen. Iko is precious. She finally gets "out" of the ship and into a very helpful body form. Scarlet's arc of the story sets up the final chronicle.

One thing I really enjoyed about this installment was how the story was told. As one thing was happening in a place, the next chapter would propel the story by focusing on a different character (or more) and what was happening at their location. It reminded me a little of leap frog.

There are a few "reveals" in this book, that I don't want to spoil, but I will say that when the fourth book came out, I thought the title was about a season, not a character. Maybe this was a detail I just forgot in the first two books. Princess Winter is Queen Levana's stepdaughter (Meyer 321).

Meyer is retelling fairy tales, yet she is also showing universal, timeless characters and themes. For example, she writes about the division between humans and cyborgs. When I read:

For years people had been complaining about the rising population of cyborgs, many of whom received their surgeries at the hands of taxpayers.

Cyborgs were too smart, people had complained. They were cheating the average man out of his wages.

Cyborgs were too skilled. They were taking jobs away from hardworking, average citizens.

Cyborgs were too strong. They shouldn't be allowed to compete in sporting events with regular people. It gave them an unfair advantage (Meyer 306).

I marked this because I know that throughout history, the word "cyborg" has been replaced by almost all ethnic groups.

Another timeless theme Meyer uses in this story is human trafficking. Dr. Erland/Dr. Darnel was collecting blood from Lunar shells. He had to buy these shells when true volunteers were unavailable. His experiment, albeit to find a cure for the letumosis disease, cost many lives. Dr. Erland is haunted by his past, which is explained and a revelation is made in Chapter 37. Dr. Erland also makes a very important connection and reveals it to Cinder in Chapter 53. I think MUCH more of this discussion will show up in the fourth book.

Girls Like Us

Bibliography
Giles, Gail. Girls Like Us. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2014. Print.

image from: www.amazon.com

My Thoughts
I've had this book on my pile for awhile. I thought I needed to read it before putting it on the shelf. I needed to see how the content was handled. I feel Giles writes these characters in a believable voice without condescension.

The dual narrator format is used in this book. This is the story of Biddy and Quincy, two "speedies" who are asked to be roommates. They live in a garage apartment near Miss Lizzy's house.  For room and board, they will each have a role to aide Miss Lizzy.  Biddy is to clean and help Miss Lizzy with her exercises. Quincy ends up cooking for the trio while also holding down a job at a local eatery. Miss Lizzy provides wisdom, manners and compassion. The three of them will come to rely upon each other for more than these assigned roles.

The title reference is on page 151.

This was a fast read (I read it in one evening), but the content is not easy. There are two rapes discussed, name calling, and abuse. However, the book is not all gloom and doom. There is a theme of acceptance. Friendships form from strange places. Not to sound trite, but there is toughness enveloped in tenderness and caring found under a hard shell.  I was proud of these girls. I was both sad and happy to share their stories. Parts of the book were funny. Parts made me stop and think.

I originally had this labeled for my "chick lit" section, but I'm going to change that to the reality genre. I want all students who read this to come away with a better understanding of others. Each of us has a story. We each have reasons why we behave in certain ways. We might not all wear a literal coat full of food, but metaphorically, we all have a coat, whether we are "special" or not.

 

All the Bright Places

Bibliography
Niven, Jennifer. All the Bright Places. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2015. Print.
image from: www.jenniferniven.tumblr.com

My Thoughts
I got a copy of this book at last year's library conference for helping prep the Teen Day event. Jennifer Niven was on hand the next day & signed copies for the teens (this photo is one of the girls I took).

I loved the unique cover and stuck it on my TBR pile. That finally happened this month (I had to finish the Amish book first). As I progressed through the book, I noticed I was slowing down the reading. I didn't want to finish it. I didn't want to see what I predicted would happen. Sadly, one of the main characters commits suicide--in spite of the friends, family, help, future plans--all things that couldn't give him enough to stay alive. That really made me sad. Once I read the part of the book that it happens, I had to set the book down for a few days. I needed to grieve for this quirky character who seemed so full of life and fun. I thought about how many faces I see a day so full of life that are hurting. What could I do to help them not take the same action as Finch?

The story begins as "Theodore Freak" (Finch) is contemplating suicide. Instead of killing himself, he actually helps Violet not end her own life. This is strange, because Violet is popular, dates the "right" guy, has the "right" friends--her life seems perfect. Why would she want to kill herself? As the story unfolds, the reader learns of the automobile accident that took Violet's sister Eleanor's life. The reader learns that Violet's life is not perfect at all (Really, who has a perfect life?).

The story is told from alternating narrators: Finch & Violet. This narrative technique seems to be popular in books I'm reading. I'm not sure if it's me or the writing/publishing world, but I've read several books written in this format in the past year.

The book jacket describes the story this way:

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school...it's unclear who saves whom. And when the unlikely pair teams up on a class project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state [Indiana], they go, as Finch says, where the road takes them: the grand, the small, the bizarre, the beautiful, the ugly, the surprising--just like life....This is a heart-wrenching, unflinching story of love shared, life lived, and two teens who find one another while standing on the edge.

I flagged a few things while reading.

• Violet wants to be a writer (until the accident, and then she stops writing). I liked this description. "I used to love words. I loved them and was good at arranging them. Because of this, I felt protective of all the best ones" (Nivens 92).   
• On one excursion for the history project, they find a Bookmobile Park where Mr. & Mrs. Carnes "decided to plant them [bookmobile trailers], just like corn, and let folks come to us" (Nivens 130). Hilarious and very visual! 
•  I flagged where Finch tells how he got the nickname "Freak" and where one of the "popular" kids shows that she's hurt, too. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. Can I recommend it to others? Which kids will enjoy the story? Which kids will identify with the characters and their internal conflicts?  I don't think suicide is glorified in this book, but I will be cautious about recommending it. I like the quirkiness and how the playful chemistry does result in a romantic relationship. I like the message that you can find interesting people and places if you look around and don't prejudge.  

The Amish

Bibliography
Kraybill, Donald, Karen M. Johnson-Weiner, Steven M. Nolt. The Amish. Baltimore, The John Hopkins University Press, 2013. Print.

image from: amazon.com

My Thoughts
This non-fiction book was fascinating and well researched and over 400 pages in length. I took lots of notes and flagged so many pages while reading. This was almost like reading several academic papers (Each chapter is a different aspect of Amish life.) that the researchers wrote. "Our goal is to tell the Amish story with the resources of solid scholarship in a style that appeals not only to scholars but also to a broader audience interest in the Amish experience" (Kraybill xiii). I think they accomplish this goal. I flipped to the appendix and read the footnotes (which is partly why it took several weeks to read this!) when I came to them in the text. Pictures, graphs, tables and maps add to the book. At the end of each chapter, the writers included a summary paragraph. This just reiterates the focus of the chapter.

I appreciated that the authors contend beginning in the preface that this book cannot possibly describe ALL Amish--some generalizations are made while trying to be respectful of all Amish sects. "It is hazardous to speak of 'The Amish' as if they were one unified group" (Kraybill 13). When people say "Amish" we often have a preconceived notion (stereotypes) that ALL Amish do this, wear that, don't use certain technologies, etc. The movies and television have done much to perpetuate this idea. I was honestly surprised to learn that one Amish lady was actually a Mary Kay beauty consultant and several were Pampered Chef consultants (Kraybill 305). Some Amish have organic farms/cooperatives, small home based businesses and many work for the "English." The "mystique of Amish life creates a branding effect..." (Kraybill 305). As non-Amish, we are curious about this group because they are different. They "'represent a way of life we wish we could live'" (qtd. in Kraybill 397).

The opening chapter explains the roots of the Amish community, but I'm still unclear on how the Mennonites and Amish are kinda related going back to the beginning, but they are different in their practice of religion and aspects of lifestyle (Kraybill 26).

Most Amish follow the Ordnung--the stable, tradition-guided moral order (Kraybill 41).
In the chapter about population patterns, my hometown of Stephenville was mentioned (Kraybill 183). I do remember when I first moved here, I would see black horse-drawn buggies going down the road. Even the place that I worked had a "hitching post" in the parking lot until just a few years ago.

There are aspects of the Amish lifestyle that I think are universal--live simple lives, try to do your best, honor your elders and pursue a measure of happiness. This "Gelassenheit is the deep taproot that nourishes the Amish way. A German word that resists easy translation, it roughly means 'calmness, acceptance, and yieldedness'...'let go, quit trying to figure it out, let it alone'" (Kraybill 98). The Gelassenheit has five dimensions: personality, symbols, structure, values, & rituals. A graphic is included on page 99 to show how these areas include all aspects of Amish life.

In the "Symbols and Identity" chapter, the writers show that the Amish do not all dress alike. Their dress performs different tasks and signal different meanings within the culture. The seven social tasks that dress performs:

1. signals that a member has yielded to the collective order,
2. it prevents dress from being used for self-adornment,
3. it promotes equality,
4. it creates a common consciousness that bolsters group identity,
5. it encourages members to "act Amish,"
6. it projects a united public front, which conceals diversity in other areas,
7. it erects symbolic boundaries around the group. (Kraybill 127). 

The style and color of dress signify social distinctions linked to at least ten dimensions of Amish life: 

1. gender, 
2. age,
3. marital status, 
4. compliance, 
5. church membership,
6. social esteem, 
7. religious rituals, 
8. rites of passage, 
9. sacred-profane boundaries, 
10. ethnic-public domains. (Kraybill 128)

Chapter Twelve was entitled "From Rumspringa to Marriage" which is where several myths about the Amish were dispelled. The concept of Rumspringa is defined as "a time to find a mate" rather than "explore the outside world" (Kraybill 214). I didn't realize this. I've always heard and believed that Amish teenagers were encouraged to go out, explore and then decide to stay in or go out of the community. Rumspringa is so much more (and is better explained later in the chapter by the authors).

The end of Chapter 13 was about Amish funerals. I read this the same day I learned of my Aunt Martha's death.

Chapter 14 was about Amish education, which is a very controversial topic between the English and the Amish. Usually, Amish children only go through 8th grade and are not taught critical or reflective thinking. They are taught "a basic education for the entrepreneurs...and gives those who leave the Amish world a solid set of employable skills in the public job market" (Kraybill 270). Amish children are not usually home schooled, as "schools socialize students for adult life in a collective ethnic community" (Kraybill 267). I found this very interesting.

Another chapter I found very interesting was "The Amish in Print" (Chapter 20) where I learned more about the Amish publishing house and the idea of "Amish romance novels" or 'bonnet fiction' as its own genre.

Did you know...?

• Amish faith focuses more on how one lives than on what one believes (Kraybill 65)
• Amish clergy receive no compensation, formal education and serve for life (unless an illness) (Kraybill 92)
• Many liberal Amish read mainstream Christian authors such as Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers and Janette Oke (Kraybill 112)
• Some Amish "trick out" their buggies (which made me laugh thinking about that) (Kraybill 131). 
• There is an Amish publishing house (Pathway Publishers) 
• Until a person actually joins the church (usually late teens/early 20s after Rumspringa), they are not shunned if they choose not to join the church
• Amish weddings are usually held on weekdays, in the house, shop or other buildings at the home of the bride or a relative. There is no rehearsal, photographs, gowns, veils, rings or tuxedos, and the ceremony lasts five minutes at the end of a three hour church service (in which about forty minutes of this service is the couple meeting privately with the minister while the guests/congregation sings several hymns) (Kraybill 233)
• Many Amish business rely on China to make products
• Most Amish farms are not organic (Kraybill 285)
• Amish and non-Amish foods are identical (Kraybill 394)--this made me laugh!
• The Amish do not observe Advent or Lent (Kraybill 86)
• Almost no Amish serve as individual missionaries or aid workers due to air travel being prohibited (Kraybill 366)    

I'm glad I invested the time to read this book. It was fascinating to learn about the Amish as a whole.  

The Last Forever

Bibliography
Caletti, Deb. The Last Forever. New York: Simon Pulse, 2014. Print.

image from: www.debcaletti.com

Plot Summary (from inside book jacket)
Nothing lasts forever, and no one gets that more than Tessa. After her mother died, it's all she can do to keep her friends, her boyfriend, her happiness from slipping away. And then there's her dad. He's stuck in his own daze, and it's so hard to feel like a family when their house no longer seems like a home.

Her father's solution? An impromptu road trip that lands them in a small coastal town, at Tessa's grandmother's. Despite all the warmth and beauty there, Tessa can't help but feel even more lost.

Enter Henry Lark. He understands the relationships that matter. And more important, he understands her. A secret stands between them, but Tessa's willing to do anything to bring them together--because Henry may just be her one chance at forever.

My Thoughts
I was surprised by this book. The story is not exactly what I thought it would be. I expected a mushy, gushy love story. What I got was a humorous read that did have a hint of love, but it was also a bigger story of human love--love between generations--love between friends--love as encouragement.

Caletti hooked me early in the book when she describes the hotel that Tess and her father stay at on their road trip. This humor and wit fill the pages.

We stay at the Piney Woods Lodge. The name makes you think of stone fireplaces and stuffed elk heads and downy beds, but it is actually one of those two-leveled motels you see in movies where someone always OD's. No one ever OD's in a La Quinta in the movies. It's always these places with windows looking out onto a parking lot and gold room numbers on the doors. 

Well, of course, it smells like cigarettes in there. Not a recent cigarette, but one that was smoked sometime in the 1970s. (Caletti 26)

This made me laugh out loud. I even read it to my husband (trying to get through the description while laughing) because I found it so funny (and so true!).

I must confess that I was swayed a bit to like this book because Caletti writes about a library in a most favorable way (and it's an important setting piece of the story). I love her description early in the book. When Tess finds the Parrish Island Library, "Relief washes over me. I love the library. I have always felt safe in the library. It's like seeing the entrance of a church. I want to set myself down there like an abandoned baby in a basket" (Caletti 56).  On one visit, Tess says while at the library, "the quiet, the soft chair--take me in and give me comfort. I'm surrounded by stories and answers and years and years of volumes of the right words....That great musty smell of the library speaks of solid, timeless things, old and lasting ones" (Caletti 60). However, Caletti's description that I enjoyed the most was when Tess explains:

Usually I set one foot in a library and I feel my own internal volume lower. A library is a physical equivalent of a sigh. It's the silence, sure, but it's also the certainty of all those books, the way they stand side by side with their still, calm conviction. It's the reassurance of knowledge in the face of confusion. But now, even in my most favorite calm place, my heart is like a racehorse. (Caletti 85)

I feel a little like this each morning when I go to work. Of course, I appreciated the nod to librarians everywhere when one character says, "never underestimate a determined librarian" (Caletti 239).

Each chapter starts with information about a different plant. I thought about how much research Caletti must have done to include this. I also wondered if she is an avid gardener? or is the information even true? I quickly saw the parallel to keeping plants alive is akin to people. This advice reminded me of Sue Monk Kidd's book The Secret Life of Bees. 

There are many relationships in this book. The story opens with a father/daughter road trip, but then layers are added. New friendships are formed. Dreams are realized. It is believable. I liked when
one character explains that, "every person's story is either a little crazy or a lot crazy" (Caletti 129). Yep, and we need to realize that at certain times of our lives, the level of crazy changes.

The title reference is on page 206, 235, & 277.