Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White

Bibliography
Sweet, Melissa. Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White. Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2016.
image from: www.goodreads.com

My Thoughts
I remember when Mrs. Edwards, my first grade teacher, read Charlotte's Web to my class. I've loved that book ever since! When I saw there was a new biography about the author, I thought it's exactly what my library needed (ok, I really wanted it, too!). I was not disappointed in reading this book. I was able to reminisce, and I loved learning how, in a way, Charlotte's Web was autobiographical in itself.

I was also reminded that White wrote Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan. I don't remember ever reading the swan book, so I may have to do some borrowing from my elementary librarian friends.

One thing I didn't realize is that White didn't just write children's books. At a young age, he submitted his stories to magazines, even winning "the coveted gold medal" (Sweet 22). In high school and college, he wrote for each school's newspapers. He submitted works to other publications early in his professional career and was hired to write for The New Yorker. He was a contemporary and friend of James Thurber.

A second thing I didn't realize (and I'm embarrassed to admit this), is that White is THE White in Strunk and White's Elements of Style book. How did I not know this? White studied under Professor Strunk and was later asked to help with the publishing of a revised edition of Strunk's famous work. I got ticked at the note that White sent to the editor where he wanted to write in the next grammar book a sentence that ends with five prepositions (Sweet 108). It's the English teacher in me that loved reading Chapter 10- "the Elements of Style" that give top tips for writing. It made me think about Steven King's book that I read earlier this year. Both White and King try to "avoid the use of qualifiers" (Sweet 106).

Visually, the book was incredible. There were pictures of White, his family, copies of manuscripts, and things in his own handwriting. The mixed-media collage effect gave the book a child-like quality. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author to describe both her writing and artistic process. There's also a note from White's granddaughter, giving the family's blessing of this work.

 

picture from NPR.org

Just look at this example of the artwork. Incredible detail! 

The evening I finished this book, I happened to shop at a used book store. You guessed it. I did look for copies of White's books. I didn't find any, which is probably best for my wallet. 

I'm hopeful that my high school kids will read and enjoy this biography of a beloved children's book author. 

The Omnivore's Dilemma

Bibliography
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, Young Reader's Edition. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group,
image from: amazon.com

My Thoughts

Four parts, Twenty Two Chapters

I listened to this book in just a couple of days. This follows journalist Michael Pollan's pursuit in finding out about his food source. He discusses the industrial food chain, the industrial organic food chain, the "grass farmer" in Virginia.

Listening to this book made me more aware of what I eat. Where did it come from? How was it processed (or not)? What allowances of bad outweighed the good?

Pollan doesn't condemn. He just questions, and then questions some more. There's a dilemma in what we eat...there's no perfect plan.

I really enjoyed listening to this book and thinking.

Bone Gap

Bibliography
Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap. Balzer + Bray, 2015.
image from: http://www.lauraruby.com/bone-gap.php

Summary (from inside jacket)
"Everyone knows that Bone Gap is full of gaps--gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren't surprised. After all, it wasn't the first time that someone had slipped away and left Finn and Sean O'Sullivan on their own. Just a few years ago, their mother hightailed it to Oregon for a brand-new guy, a brand-new life. That's just how things go, the people said. Who are you going to blame?

Finn knows that's not what happened with Roza. He knows she was kidnapped, ripped from the cornfields by a dangerous man whose face he cannot remember. But the searches turn up nothing, and no one believes him anymore. Not even Sean, who has more reasons to find Roza than anyone and every reason to blame Finn for letting her go.

As we follow the stories of Finn, Roza, and the people of Bone Gap--their melancholy pasts, their terrifying presents, their uncertain futures--acclaimed author Laura Ruby weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss, magic and mystery, regret and forgiveness--a story about how the face the world sees is never the sum of who we are."

My Thoughts
I'd heard good things about this book, so I was excited when it was a summer AudioSync selection.  I listened to most of the book, then read along with the audio to finish it. The chapter breaks were confusing just listening. When I saw how it was arranged in print form, it made more sense.

So, now I've finished the story, but I can't remember why people liked it so much. It was ok... while writing this blog, I read some reviews--they seemed to love the book. They wrote about the fairy tale features of this book, the romance, the unique characters... I liked the variety of characters, including the town as a character.

There was some mystery, but I don't feel it was resolved. There are some unexplained events (horses flying off cliffs, castles with moats). I wondered if listening to the book made me zone out and miss explanation or was I not supposed to "get" it?

Even though the reviewers wrote I won't forget this book, I already have.

Queen Bees & Wannabes

Bibliography
Wiseman, Rosalind. Queen Bees & Wannabes. Three Rivers Press, 2002.
image from: wikipedia

My Thoughts
This non-fiction book took several weeks for me to read. There's a LOT of information in here, and I actually skipped some sections.

This is a great resource for parents of tween and teen girls. Wiseman covers everything from cliques, gossip, matchmaking/dating, sex, and getting professional help if needed. I found some valuable information/advice, as well as scripts to discuss these topics with my daughter. There are even "remember when you were this age..." tie ins. There are testimonials from teens that Wiseman works with in her Empower groups. I thought these were honest.

I found the first of the book most relevant and hoping that I can recall the advice when I need to use it.

This is Where it Ends

Bibliography (MLA 8)
Nijkamp, Marieke. This is Where it Ends. Sourcebooks, 2016.
image from: www.goodreads.com

My Thoughts
This was the Big Library Read with Overdrive this month. Since it's YA and I hadn't heard anything about it, I thought I'd read it. It captured my attention!

At first, there were lots of characters, so I was making a chart and tying them together. I had planned to promote this book in our school by hanging some flyers but have decided against it. I'm afraid teens might start reading and will rationalize or glorify the main event--a school shooting. The book is available through the end of the month.

One thing I found when searching for a picture was a post from TeenLibrarianToolbox (a blog I follow and have actually contributed to) where the librarian used this book in a book club. I think that's a great idea! The topic is timely and relevant. The book club allows for discussion, reflection, questions -- http://www.teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2016/01/ya-book-club-discussion-this-is-where-it-ends-by-marieke-nijkamp/  I probably saw this post in January, but I don't remember reading it. Now that I've read the book, I have a better understanding of the post.

The character of Tyler Browne frightened me. How many kids do I know feel as alone as Tyler?

The mixture of text and texts (cellular usage) and blogging gives the story a modern edge. However, I wasn't sure who some of the users/commenters were. When I figured it out, I'd flip back in the book and reread the text message or blog comment, and often add some note to my character chart.  The chaos that surrounds the school is felt through the text messages.

Diverse characters with varied connections.  Mystery/thriller read because I really didn't know how the story would unfold (there were many possibilities). Sadly, this story is believable.

I liked that the story is told from multiple viewpoints. Pieces of growing up in Opportunity, Alabama are layered in each character.

Even though I hate even thinking about school shootings, I did enjoy reading this book. It made me think.

Untamed

Bibliography
Howard, A.G. Untamed. New York: Amulet, 2015. Print.
image from: http://splinteredbook1.blogspot.com/

My Thoughts
This is a companion book to the Splintered series. The front inside cover explains this book to be a "collection of three novellas" where "Alyssa and her family reminisce about Wonderland, recounting the sacrifices and conquests that define them." I'm glad that Howard included parts of the back story because it's been awhile since reading the trilogy. Adding these novellas gives the "what happened next" after Ensnared ended. I liked seeing Alyssa and Jeb able to live as humans (even the dying scenes were poignant). I liked seeing a softer side to Morpheus. He is not just the snarky manipulator.

I LOVE the covers!

I think the first book was like falling into the rabbit hole--the descriptions were so vivid and the characters were new. Although I enjoyed these novellas, I did often think that the writing was not as flavorful. There were comments made that seemed cliche or too contemporary. Some of the characters that appeared in the trilogy were mentioned, but they were mostly flat.

I look forward to reading Howard's new story, Roseblood--This Phantom of the Opera spin-off follows a high school senior who is sent to RoseBlood Academy -- a French boarding school for musical arts inside a renovated opera house rumored to have ties to the classic opera -- only to discover a very real danger lurks within that has awaited her for over a century. 

God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater

Bibliography
Vonnegut, Jr., Kurt. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater or Pearls Before Swine . New York: Dell Publishing, 1965. Print.

image from: personal photo of cover

My Thoughts
I remember liking Slaughterhouse-Five in graduate school, so I picked this book up at a garage sale, and it's been sitting on my shelf, waiting for me. Since I've been reading a lot of current fiction, I thought I'd go back and read something older.  This book was published over 50 years ago, but some of the social commentary is relevant for today. In fact, I caught myself thinking several times how prophetic the story is.  For example,  Vonnegut writes about the welfare system. I think it's true that as a society, we've created "a generation of people to whom welfare has long since become a way of life" (137). Hmmm...wonder what he'd write today.

This is the story of Eliot Rosewater, the heir to a fortune and the head of the Rosewater Foundation. "His duties, according to the charter, were exactly as flimsy or as formidable as he himself declared them to be (Vonnegut 26). His main job is spending money. He doesn't spend it on himself, though. He gives it away to the people in Rosewater County, IN. Is he crazy? A lawyer is trying to prove it so, in order to get his hands on the money for himself.

Eliot Rosewater loves science fiction, his favorite writer is Kilgore Trout. I'm pretty sure this name is also used in Slaughterhouse-Five as well as the planet Tralfamadore. I didn't go back and check that, but these are words I've heard (or read) before this book.

I understood the basic story. There are several times in the book that I recognized allusions, but I didn't understand the deeper meaning. Vonnegut also uses an advanced vocabulary, and I found myself looking up several words. I did think about what Vonnegut was writing. So, now I've read it, but this won't be a book I read again.

The title reference is on page 74 and 158.