Mornin’. I think this morning I have the whole look going on of the tired out wild hair looking coffee drinker. I just don’t feel so well this morning…. sore throat, bit of a headache…..
First day back in the office so “yay” (I say this weekly and sarcastically – ha ha)
I did however blog hop yesterday and I have a book discovery from a blog that I think is new to me as well. Over at Savidge Reads (I was admiring the blog layout too!) I found a review on a book called The Girls Of Slender Means by Muriel Spark. The cover caught my eye… not sure what it was but the sherbet orange coloring works for me. I liked the review and was interested in this author who I have never read.
Pop on over to this review today at Savidge Reads and see for yourself. As for me, I am going to haul myself to the office and see what I can accomplish at least for the first half of the day…. I have Bookies Book Club tonight in which we are reading The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
Jantsen’s Gift by Pam Cope (oh wow – I really cant wait to tell you my thoughts on this one)
Monique and The Mango Rains by Kris Holloway
Love Has A Face by Michele Perry
I also have three other reviews I planned on posting last week and did not get to them…. Leaving Carolina, What matters Most and Limelight.
My reading plan for this week is fairly light… I have book club tomorrow evening and we are reviewing The Glass castle by Jeannette Walls. I then am hoping to read Take Your Best Shot by Austen Gutwein, and finish up the week with Zumba which is a dance work out that I am excited to try – AND it comes with a CD…LOL! cant wait to do it! 🙂 Maybe there will be pictures!
So thats the plan…. and thanks to J Kayes book blog, you can add your plan over there as well to let everyone know what you are reading! 🙂
A mothers love so deep for her son that she fights the system to get the answers and help she needs to make him well. My heart wept. ~ Sheila
The summer before entering sixth grade, Sammy, a bright and charming boy who lived on the coast of Maine, suddenly began to exhibit disturbing behavior. He walked and ate with his eyes shut, refused to bathe, burst into fits of rage, slithered against walls, and used his limbs instead of his hands to touch light switches, doorknobs, and faucets. Sammy’s mother, Beth, already coping with the overwhelming responsibility of raising three sons alone, watched helplessly as her middle child descended into madness. Sammy was soon diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and later with Tourette syndrome. Unwilling to accept the doctors’ prognoses for lifelong mental illness and repeated hospitalizations, Beth fought to uncover what was causing this decline. Racing against time as Sammy slipped further from reality, Beth’s quest took her to the center of the medical community’s raging debate about whether mental illness can be caused by infection. With the battle lines firmly drawn, Beth searched until she found two cutting-edge doctors who answered that question with a definitive yes. Together, they cured Sammy. Five years later, he remains symptom free.
My Thoughts:
First of all, what a powerful book and I have to say I am so impressed with Beth’s perseverance. I really felt for her as she struggled to find out what was happening to her son coming up against wall after wall. As Beth’s life takes a back burner to put her sons needs in front of all else. This book is a strong picture of the power of a mothers love. The fact that she wrote this book is going to be such a gift to others who are going through their own similar battles.
I picked up this book with a thought that I knew what I was about to read. I had an inkling of what this was about and getting further into the book I found I had truly no idea how deeply emotional this book would be. Having raised two sons of my own and battling one teacher myself who said that my oldest had ADD to the point that I put him on the medication prescribed by a doctor only to later find out he did not have it…. I barely grazed what Beth’s life must have been like and not even begin to know what it must have been like for Sammy.
Beth Maloney is a successful Maine attorney. In addition to representing writers and producers, her practice has focused on representing the best interests of children as their Court appointed Guardian ad Litem, primarily in cases of neglect and abuse. Before moving to Maine, the author was an executive and attorney in the entertainment business in Los Angeles, where it was her good fortune to work with a number of creative and athletic stars. Her experience includes serving as Vice-President of Legal Affairs for Orion Pictures Corporation, producing motion pictures, and handling matters in private practice for celebrity entertainers and athletes including Johnny Carson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. SAVING SAMMY is Ms. Maloney’s first book.
My goal was to get up this morning and write my online journal of our Honduras trip. That did happen. I did start this morning. In fact I started at about 7 am. And not here I am at 12:56 pm…. and I have just now finished.
It really is hard to put into words this experience but I always do try. I know I leave quite a bit out…. a lot of the moments when we laugh hard or tease one another, or just want to cry out with frustration. For me, being the team leader always seems to wipe me out a bit more than when I am one of the team members. I think it is because I am wired to work hard to keep everyone happy and to try to keep things smooth along the way. In ways I wish I wasnt wired that way – and in other ways I am glad that I am sensitive enough to want to do that.
So here, is the link to the journal and pictures of the Honduras AFE trip. I hope you will take a little time to see what we did and what we experienced. Honduras Afe Trip November 2009.
Amy from My Friend Amy and Deborah from Books, Movies, and Chinese Food came up with a great Challenge to encourage Christian Fiction reading. I enjoy Christian Fiction and seeing this challenge tonight I knew I had to jump on!
The hard past was to decide at what level did I want to do this challenge. Here are the choices:
Total Christian Fiction Newbie:
This is only for those who have read no Christian fiction before…the challenge is to read one book from any of the Christy Awards Winners!
Baby Steps
1st Tier – 2009 Favorite Category Read All Nominated Books 3-4 books
2nd Tier – Any ONE Years Favorite Category – 3-4 Books or mix 3-4 winners from any category
It’s All in the Winners
3rd Tier- 2009 Winners – 9
4th Tier- Any ONE Year’s Winners 7-9 or mix’n’match 7-9 winners
Dedicated
5th Tier – Read 2009/or ANY Year All Books 36-40 Books
Hardcore
6rd Tier – Read all the nominees in your favorite category
7th Tier – Read all of the winners in every category
The Christy Challenge–Perpetual Challenge
Read all of the books nominated and awarded the Christy challenge throughout the course of your lifetime.
I think I am going to go with 1st Tier – 2009 Favorite Category Read All Nominated Books 3-4 books… the opportunity lies in the fact that there are two categories I am really interested in so…. I would like to do 1st Tier x 2… two different categories and here are the lists I would read for this challenge:
Suspense
The Rook by Steven James – WINNER
By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer
Winter Haven by Athol Dickson
and…
Visionary
Vanish by Tom Pawlik – WINNER
The Battle for the Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka
Shade by John D. Olson
Here is all the information on this challenge here and where you can sign up too!
I am home from Honduras as of 2 am this morning. I have went to Church, unpacked, completed two loads of laundry, done the dishes, and looked through and recorded my books that came in this week as well as the 4 books I purchased in Honduras.
Want to see? (There are some pretty exciting titles in here!)
1. Gringos In Paradise sent to me by the author. This one is about Honduras…. thought I would have to check it out!
2. When Heaven Comes Down from Bethany House this looks like a great read!
3. The Secret of Joy came my way from Pocket Books. What a fun cover!
4. 7 I received two of so you know there will be a giveaway! Woo Hoo! These came from Hachette Book Group.
5. The Rapture is a book I won from Nikola’s Back to Books Blog. Thanks Nikola! Looks super good!
6. Treasured is for an upcoming Blog Tour. I love the look and sound of this one. Ths came from Ashley Boyer with Random House.
7. God Gave Us Christmas and God Gave Us Love are both from Ashley Boyer with Random House. I love childrens reads and these look great!
8. The Cost Of Dreams is a thriller set around Indian culcture and was sent by Robyn Schechter. I need to put this one on the tbr list soon!
9. Heretic’s Daughter was sent by Hachette House and I have a current giveaway on this incredible book that is ending soon – sign up today to win a copy here!
10. Ok if this was a vlog I would be squealing here! I found a book off my wish list in Honduras! Yeah! I found SOLD there are I know this will probably be an emotionally hard read but one I am truly looking forward to!
11. Yes! Another squeal and perhaps a back flip on this one! This is a copy of J K Rowlings The Tales of Beedle the Bard in Spanish! I have it in english too as you will see by the next picture. How fun is this? I picked this little treasure up in Honduras.
12. Increble Kamo! Is a book I seen that the children in Manuelito (Honduras) were reading as a group. It is a fiction read and then I seen it at the book store in Honduras and had to have a copy. This is in Spanish as well. (If you are wondering if I speak fluent Spanish – I do not, but I hope to some day)!
13. The Penderwicks is the last book from this past week and also my final purchase in Honduras. It just looks like a wonderful read. I havent peaked into it yet but I am guessing it to be an adventure like Narnia…. we shall see.
Thanks all for stopping in to see what I found in my mailbox this week. It was exciting to come home to all the packages and opening each one was like a new treasure. I am pretty tired now so I think I am going to break and read a bit or even possibly nap! Be sure to stop by Kristi’s blog the Story Siren to add your books you received to her weekly meme In My Mailbox!
Last morning in Honduras. We are packed up and ready to come home. We will leave at 10 am this morning, go to Huston Texas and then to Minneapolis Minnesota from there. I will get home at about 1:00 am tomorrow.
It has been a really good week and as exciting as this week has been – I really am ready to come back home.
Recently I had the opportunity to chat a bit with Kath from Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here. We were discussing her post on the the book, The Rights Of The Reader. Of course, it was the title that drew me in…. Here is a bit of our discussion, followed by Kath’s review.
Kath, how long have you been blogging?
Kath: I have been blogging for almost 4 years now. My blog started off as a way of finding my writing style but has
Meet Kath!
grown and developed into a book blog. Which is not surprising, given that I’m a complete book nut.
Hmmmm…. a complete book nut huh? I would know nothing about that….LOL. What do you find most enjoyable about blogging?
Kath: The thing I enjoy most about this blog is the fact that it has grown and developed with me. Now that I am in a position to spend more time on the things I love (reading and writing) I’ve really enjoyed making my blog into the sort of thing I’d always wanted to but never quite found the time to achieve.
Kath, why are you so excited about this book, Rights of the Reader?
Kath: The main thing that got me about this book is that it’s so true and so applicable. Right now, kids all over the world are learning to read and the accepted teaching methodologies risks turning a lot of kids off reading which is a huge loss not only to their lives but to the world. A more widely read population can only make for a better world, right? I also loved the way this book is written. Pennac uses the most gorgeous language to describe even the most ordinary situations which makes life sparkle.
It does sound interesting. What are you hoping that people take away from this book?
Kath: I’m hoping that people will take away inspiration and understanding, as well as the tools to ensure that future generations love books as much as many of us have.
Thank you Kath for sharing your review here with us today. Please be sure to stop by Kath’s blog at Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here and check out what else Kath is talking about!
Cast your mind back. You’re seven years old and you’ve just got your very own library card. Surrounded by silence and the smell of words and promised adventures, you run giddily towards the children’s section. You run your hand over the shelves of books, some smooth, some bumpy, all tagged with some weird and unfathomable code. Before you know it, you’ve picked up something that has caught your attention and you’ve settled into the bright red beanbag for the long haul. You forget where you are, consumed by the voices and exploits of Asterix or the Famous Five and you can’t believe it’s time to go already when, an hour later, your Mum comes round the corner to find you.
Every week you come back and you always leave with a pile of books, one of which you’re usually half way through by the time you get home. The need to read consumes you: you sneak off to the toilet to get in a few pages, you read late at night with a torch under the bedcovers. You are, in fact, a veritable addict, looking feverishly along the shelves to find your next hit.
Then, somewhere along the line, something happens. Reading loses some of the joy it once held – it becomes, unthinkably, a chore. A task that has to be completed by next Monday, with an 800 word essay to boot. High school literature studies have come home to roost. English class is now peering over your shoulder, pointing out that you shouldn’t be reading that book, you should read this one, the required text. You know, the one sitting ominously on your desk, unreadable and daunting.
This is where the education system, according to Daniel Pennac, fails our kids. I recently read his amazing book The Rights of the Reader (translated by Sarah Adams) as part of a bookring through Bookcrossing and was very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting something completely different – a fun and lighthearted look at reading as a hobby – but was met with an entertaining and brilliantly written manifesto on the importance of teaching our future generations to love reading and not make it a “should” – a word sure to kill any desire to do something.
Pennac points out that as kids, we loved to hear stories and would beg our parents again and again to read us our favourite books. It is in this tradition of oral storytelling, he argues, that reading is based. It’s our desire to hear new stories and follow new heroes on new adventures that drives us from one finished book to the next new one. But as soon as interfere with our child’s relationship with books and we disturb the private “alchemist’s voice” in their minds, we start to suck their joy out of their reading experience. This, claims Pennac, is a crime of epic proportions. A relationship with books is one of the most consistent and satisfying ones that most people will have in their lives, after all.
The solution? Simple, claims Pennac. Take it back to the basics – oral storytelling. Read to those who have become disenchanted by the hard slog of required textbooks and compulsory reading. Re-introduce that spark. Draw them back in. Before you know it, they’ll have rediscovered that “alchemist’s voice” and they’ll be off in their own private world of books again.
This book was a really fascinating read for me as I recognised that I had suffered a period of book fatigue until pretty recently. As a kid, I was the one hiding under the sheets with a book and a torch. I read an insane amount of books from all sorts of genres, right up until the age of 15 – that’s when it started for me. Required reading to be completed within a ridiculously short period of time, essays to write and not to mention maths homework and geography study…. Luckily, I’ve rediscovered that old spark and have come back to the ranks of the voracious reader – one “right” at a time. If there’s anyone out there that has lost their spark, or knows someone who is struggling with reading – I highly recommend this book. It’ll surely help you bring them back from the brink of a world without books.
Friday. Early start today – we are still in Honduras and being picked up today at 7:15 am to go to see the other area I have worked in while I have bee here in the past Maneulito. I love going there as I know most of the kids and I am excited for the three people with me who are first timers here. After that we will go up to the Valley Of Angels which is our one chance to shop this week. Its fun to pick up a couple little things but I am always looking for a book…. I love to get books from other parts of the world! We will see what I find.
I just wanted to say a quick Hi to everyone and say welcome to Word Verification Balderdash. This is Ryan from Wordsmithonia. This has to be the funnest weekly meme for me as it allows me to do two of my favorite things, comment on other people’s blogs and play word games. So when Sheila asked me to host this weeks edition I jumped at the chance. I love seeing what fantastic words everyone comes up with and find myself wishing I could work them into everyday conversation. So feel free to play along and make us laugh out loud.
Note from Sheila: I was hoping to be able to add some words this week but being gone has made that not possible. Please take time to stop by Ryans wonderful blog as he always has incredible words that make me smile!
f Slender Means by Muriel Spark. The cover caught my eye… not sure what it was but the sherbet orange coloring works for me. I liked the review and was interested in this author who I have never read.
Book Journey 