tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77674825436974120112024-03-05T03:37:33.587-08:00Rebekah's Book Reviews~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-42176001131054443952008-03-07T21:20:00.000-08:002008-03-07T21:40:32.897-08:00The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/Authors/Witch%20of%20blackbird%20pix.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/Authors/Witch%20of%20blackbird%20pix.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>When I was in the 5th grade, Mrs. Holzman assigned us to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Though I was an avid reader, fantasy had never been something I liked (for example: I hated with a passion the movie "Neverending Story"), and I was positive that any book that had "witch" in the title must be ridden with creepy fantasy creatures. I was so hesitant to read this book, but there was no way you could get away with not doing your homework in Mrs. Holzman's class (you would've thought we were seniors in college, instead of 5th graders in elementary school). So I started reading. And (as soon as I realized that it wasn't one of those "fantasy-ridden" novels) I read and read and read, and even now when I pick it up to read it again it is hard for me to put it down. <br /><br />The story is about a young woman named Katherine, who goes by Kit, and her journey for the first time in to 17th century America. After her grandfather's death, Kit travels alone to live with her aunt and stern uncle. While she has two female cousins about the same age as her to keep her company, Kit feels totally out of place in this new world. Everything she does seems wrong or flighty somehow, and she ends up being befriended by an elderly woman who lives out by Blackbird Pond. Unfortunately, the elderly woman is known throughout the stern Puritan town as a witch, and Kit becomes somewhat guilty by association. <br /><br />It is a fresh story, opening up the stern Puritanism lifestyle of the times to young eyes. The characters are refreshing and easy (personally, my favorites are Mercy and John Holbrook). The lessons learned from it are also very valuable, such as learning not to judge others by appearance, learning how to be kind to others, finding useful employment for oneself, and how sometimes there are good choices, better choices, and best choices.<br /><br />Incidentally, I do enjoy a good fantasy novel now. I guess it just took a few Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter books to coax me in to the genre.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-82358356355218877132008-03-05T18:53:00.000-08:002008-03-05T19:08:31.826-08:00The 100 Best Poems of All Time, edited by Leslie Pockell<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/images/bookcovers/bestpoems.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://bcpl.lib.ut.us/images/bookcovers/bestpoems.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Lately, I've become interested in poetry. I like to read different poems, take them in, think about them. Anthology's of poetry are great, because if you don't like what one poet has written, you can turn the page and find another poem that is completely different. It's sometimes funny to me how one poem can mean absolutely nothing to me one day, and then a few weeks later I read over it again and it almost stabs my heart. <br /><br />This little poetry book is one that I found in the library the other day, and it has some of my favorite poems in it. It also has a few new treasures that I've never read before. If you like to read poetry, or if you don't know whether or not you like to read poetry, I would suggest this book. Here are a few of the poems that are included in this little anthology that I enjoyed:<br /><br />He is more that a Hero, by Sappho<br />Moonlight Night, by Tu Fu<br />Rubaiyat 51, by Omar Khayyam<br />Inferno, by Dante Alighieri<br />To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time, by Robert Herrick<br />When I Consider How My Light is Spent, by John Milton<br />The Prologue, by Anne Bradstreet<br />Amazing Grace, by John Newton<br /><br />Well, there are quite a few more. So I suppose you'll just have to read through them yourself, and choose which ones you like best.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-78182987923312939842008-02-20T21:20:00.000-08:002008-02-27T19:27:24.707-08:00The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://shop.book.uci.edu/webitemimages/446/W40005.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://shop.book.uci.edu/webitemimages/446/W40005.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I was able to read The Kite Runner during my traveling escapades of the past week. Considering that I read most of it either waiting for or sitting in an airplane, it was a very fast read. <br /><br />I have two opinions on this book. My first is that it is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions and characters that reach out and grab you. You can really picture Ali, Hassan, Rahim Khan, Amir and his father and the tension between them. I also liked that there was a little bit of a twist in the storyline that helped Amir follow through with his search for forgiveness. The story flows wonderfully. Hosseini is very talented at foreshadowing events to come, giving you a sense of foreboding that pushes you to continue reading until the very end. I found it very hard to put it down. <br /><br />My second feeling is thus: the New York Times Book Review chose the precise word when they used the word "haunting" to describe the story. It is a difficult read if you have a weak stomach. I warn those who avoid reading violence or abuse: this is not a book for you. There is some sexual abuse between children described, and sexual abuse between adult and child intimated. There is also physical violence described. <br /><br />It is an important book. I say that because I think that it is important that we realize that these sorts of things are happening now--not just 60 years ago in World War II. Now. Today.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-75965641187835943882008-02-08T21:18:00.000-08:002008-02-08T21:44:15.562-08:00A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.illiterarty.com/files/www.illiterarty.com/img/119/a_thousand_splendid_suns.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.illiterarty.com/files/www.illiterarty.com/img/119/a_thousand_splendid_suns.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>This book was urgently thrust at me by a fellow co-worker. She handed it to me with a sparkle in her eye, and said "You <span style="font-style:italic;">have </span>to read this!" Now, it isn't often that my co-workers and I share books. My friend, Crystal, and I talk about books all the time, and we frequently stop by a bookstore whenever we hang out--though I think we have somewhat different tastes. Colleen and I hardly ever talk about books though, so I was a little astonished when she handed me A Thousand Splendid Suns. I had heard of Hosseini's other book, The Kite Runner, and that it was considered very great and that there was even a movie out based on it, but I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet. I think it was momentarily lost amongst the piles of books that line the walls of my parents' house. So, since Colleen decided to give me Hosseini's second novel with such urgency, I decided to oblige her and read it...in three days. It is <span style="font-style:italic;">that </span>good. <br /><br />The story is through two points of view, telling the story of two Afghani women living in the city of Kabul. It tells of all the tragedy, joy, shame, and hope that pervade their lives. You know, you hear in the news all the time the restrictions that are placed on Muslim women in these Asian countries, but I never really took the time to understand their cultural norms. Luckily, Hosseini weaves them seamlessly throughout his story, introducing us to this culture that is all at once beautiful and dangerous. The story is breathtaking and beautifully told, and I'm not too ashamed to say that it made me absolutely sob at one point, crying in my room for these friends that I had only first met two days before. But you'll have to figure out what point that was by yourself. Read it yourself, and I'm sure you'll find your own tender points where you can cry, scream, or simply stare at the pages in utter disbelief. <br /><br />I found the Kite Runner in the living room "pile." I think I'll start it tomorrow.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-19249777246009555762008-01-29T20:38:00.000-08:002008-01-29T20:48:48.950-08:00Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://shinymedia.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/19/northanger.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://shinymedia.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/2007/03/19/northanger.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Impelled by the recent masterpiece theater showings of everything Jane Austen, I decided that I should finally give in and read Northanger Abbey. I hate to say bad things about Ms. Austen. I really am one of her greatest fans. So I'll get my negative criticism over with right away, and then offer up my praises to her for everything else. There are far too many run-on sentences in this story. You would almost mistake her for Faulkner. Then again, it is her first novel, and she wrote it when she was only 23. So I can forgive her for almost any mistakes I notice in this story. Especially when you consider that she had to write the whole darn thing out, instead of using a handy computer--like people in our day. <br /><br />There, now that that is over with: the story line is charming, Ms. Moreland's innocence is refreshing, and I think that I like Mr. Henry Tilney the most out of all Austen's male characters. A girl likes to be teased a little bit every once in a while, and Tilney seems to know the perfect balance between teasing and being serious and sincere.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-83284773707124676002008-01-24T18:51:00.001-08:002008-12-11T07:23:05.348-08:00The Smallest Book in the World, by Joshua Reichert<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcGL4qwHe3phAU9YuqDOtGAqSZ-2ka7H-bjCA_UQUlaz0Kxwot4fnRv_vC-OflqS9ZgktVb_RdNBjqiwRKlon9g64_HkEiRNppiLrAa-xTAVwQQgs15ajQnzr8scGGaYj-l2H7ljHTfQ/s1600-h/the+smallest+book.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFcGL4qwHe3phAU9YuqDOtGAqSZ-2ka7H-bjCA_UQUlaz0Kxwot4fnRv_vC-OflqS9ZgktVb_RdNBjqiwRKlon9g64_HkEiRNppiLrAa-xTAVwQQgs15ajQnzr8scGGaYj-l2H7ljHTfQ/s200/the+smallest+book.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5159241601088599090" /></a>Today I took five of the kids that I work with to the San Diego Central Library to visit their Special Collections room, where they have rare dictionaries on display. The three ladies that work there seemed so excited that we had come in, they all surrounded us and led us carefully around the small room to each of the glass cases. Old books really do fascinate me. It fascinates me that you have to keep them in secure cases with the light and humidity regulated, and that when you pull the books out to look at them the librarians give you special gloves and hover over you, ready to risk their lives for the book you are inspecting. It was incredible to me, the number of items they had on display in such a small space: A replica of the Rosetta Stone, the first dictionaries by Johnson and Webster, examples of writings on papyrus, reeds, copper, wood, and even little soft circular clay pieces that children held in the palm of their hands to practice writing, which they could then wipe off and start over again on--similar to a slate. Of particular interest to me were the books with intricate calligraphy on vellum, since I've been practicing calligraphy so much lately. <br /><br />The crowning jewel of the whole trip, however, was when we saw the Smallest Book in the World. The ladies led us up to a glass case with many different miniature books inside, and told us how it was very fashionable back in the 1600s-1800s for people to carry around miniature books. They would carry the books in their pockets or next to their heart. Anne Boleyn supposedly even carried a little miniature copy of the Bible with her as she made her way to her death by beheading. In the middle of the glass case was a small box that looked something like a jewelry box. And there it was, the Smallest Book in the World. I capitalize it because I think it is so fun to say. The book is so tiny that there is a little magnifying glass hovering over it, in order for you to see it, and still it doesn't appear any bigger than a pin-head. Here is the description given by <a href="http://www.die-gestalten.de/books/detail?id=402881820693dcee010693de0cd6073a#moreinfo">Die Gestalten Verlag</a>, a visual design company:<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"With its economical measurements of 2.4 x 2.6 mm, the Smallest Book in the World is indeed what it claims to be. A treasure for all bibliophiles, the tiny leather-bound volume is a glorious example of loving obsessive precision, an exhaustive exploration of the medium's potential. Manufactured in the traditional book city Leipzig, no other published edition comes close in size and execution. Replete with an exclusive alphabet by renowned German typographer Joshua Reichert the delicate but by no means fragile collector's item also contains a magnifying glass - for those brave enough to turn the pages, that is!"</span>~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-36431417177624408182008-01-23T21:10:00.000-08:002008-01-23T21:30:38.044-08:00The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SRHNB93KL.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SRHNB93KL.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The Yellow Wallpaper was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in 1899. She wrote it in response to her own nervous condition, and the suffering she felt when following a doctor’s orders to basically do nothing (including write) in order to cure her symptoms. This story fascinated me the first time I read it because it seemed to me that it was one of the very first clearly written expressions from someone with a mental health illness of what it was like to be inside her mind. The obsession that the main character has with the wallpaper in her room, the old decomposing house, and the way the young mother is shut off from her family and friends, including her own child, leaves you with a dark impression. Even more deranged is the way she writes of the same things over and over, as though she has forgotten what she has written previously, and has been driven into such a state of mind that she is no longer able to comprehend what is really going on around her. Worse yet is the very end of the story, with the image of the now completely escalated young woman crawling eerily around the room, hugging so tightly to the wall that she leaves a mark on it as she continues ‘round and ‘round and ‘round. I think it's important to realize that the wallpaper in the room isn't really the main idea of the story, as one might think. I believe that Gilman was hoping for us to focus on the characters' complete loss of rational thought, and how being locked up in a room has heightened her symptoms. The wallpaper is not what is making her sick. The wallpaper is a victim of her mind; a mind which has been kept depleted by doctor's orders, left to run rampant and feed on the only other thing available to it. <br /><br />To read The Yellow Wallpaper, follow this link: <br /><a href="http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/wallpaper.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">The Yellow Wallpaper</span></a><br /><br />To read an explanation by Charlotte Perkins Gilman on why she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper, click here: <br /><a href="http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/whyyw.html"><span style="font-style:italic;">Charlotte Perkins Gilman</span></a>~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-37889826166620345542008-01-16T20:57:00.000-08:002008-01-16T20:58:11.647-08:00Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0486406571.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0486406571.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />An Enemy of the People is the story of a middle aged doctor in a small town. The doctor works with the town leadership to establish a local Bath (basically, a hot springs, where sickly people come to get better). After some suspicious illnesses and conclusive tests the doctor realizes that the baths are actually poisoned by chemicals from a local tannery. The towns financial stability has come to depend on the baths, and the money they would need to spend in order to correct the problem would be a very large sum. The rest of the play consists of the reactions of each of the different social structures to the news, and the different ways each group tries to either spin the story, cover it up, or benefit from it. The social structures are represented in different characters: There is the media, the leadership, the armed services, the home-owners, the educators, the family, and even the local drunk. Each of the characters has many different layers, as is evidenced by the main character, Dr. Stockmann. You both love Dr. Stockmann for his passion and devotion to change and hate him because of his obvious prejudices against others, especially those who are uneducated or "beneath" him. <br /><br />One of the most provocative things about the play is the way that Ibsen takes each of the individuals' negative and positive characteristics and drives them to the extreme. In this way you are able to see both the positive influence that they have and the negative. The only character who seems to be protected from this tactic is Captain Horster, which gives an interesting insight on what Ibsen's opinion of the armed services must have been. <br /><br />Probably one of the most chilling phrases Ibsen uses is when Dr. Stockmann says "What does the destruction of a community matter, if it lives on lies!" Doesn't that make you cringe in fear for our own community and country, with so many allegations of fraud and deception? What would the destruction of our society matter, if all we stand for are lies?~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-6547839545808859492008-01-16T20:11:00.000-08:002008-01-16T21:15:48.082-08:00Night, by Elie Wiesel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.judyoz.com/media/ccp0/prodsm/night.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.judyoz.com/media/ccp0/prodsm/night.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I feel almost ashamed to admit the real reasons that I absolutely loved Night. However, if we are going to be brutally honest, I read this book at a time in my life when I was struggling with the most deadening depression that I have ever felt. I felt abandoned by everything and everyone, even the God that I put all my trust and love in. I was so devoid of feeling. Like someone once said to me "I couldn't even cry in Little Women when Beth received her piano." In fact, there was a time when I thought I'd lost the ability to cry.<br /><br />I'm not saying that Night cured me of my depression. However, when I read this book I felt for the first time that there was someone on the planet that could express what I had not been able to. I immediately felt guilt-stricken for trying to compare my comparably perfect life with that of a Holocaust survivor. Nonetheless, I can't deny the connection that was made in my heart. My emptiness mimicked his own. <br /><br />Whether you are looking to learn more about the Holocaust, more about the very basest of human nature, or to simply learn more about yourself, I would suggest "Night."<br /><br />Here is a little excerpt from Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech: "I tell him that I have tried. That I have tried to keep memory alive, that I have tried to fight those who would forget. Because if we forget, we are guilty, we are accomplices. And then I explain to him how naive we were, that the world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must--at that moment--become the center of the universe."~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-470648947812613052007-12-28T19:38:00.000-08:002007-12-28T19:50:36.482-08:00The Ugly Duckling, by A. A. Milne<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.yesicankids.gov/images/bedtime/uglyduckling.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.yesicankids.gov/images/bedtime/uglyduckling.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I naively started reading this play thinking that it was a version of the children's story of a young duckling who grew up into a beautiful swan. Instead, this is the clever original Ugly Duckling story of a cursed young princess whose most beautiful characteristic is her strength of character, a young prince intimidated by the rumors of the young woman he is to marry, and a creaky drawbridge. It's sweet, short, and a nice bedtime story. It also encourages you to like yourself, no matter what other people think of you.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-5878137992855641442007-12-28T18:49:00.000-08:002007-12-28T19:31:36.416-08:00Persuasion, by Jane Austen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.juggling.org/movies/Pics/Persuasion.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.juggling.org/movies/Pics/Persuasion.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Persuasion is my favorite Jane Austen book. Don't get me wrong, I love Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park and all the rest...her other books are probably better written, or more interesting to everyone else. The fact remains that Persuasion holds my greatest interest. There is really nothing more romantic than a couple of lovers separated by financial situation, friends and family who give bad advice, and eight or so years of miscommunication and awkwardness. There is something in the character of Anne Elliot that reminds me of Jane Austen as well-as though the author patterned the character and all the ridiculousness that surrounds poor Anne after herself. The intimate way that Austen describes the shame felt by an unmarried (and supposedly unpretty) woman in that day and age makes me like her even more; as though Austen recognizes the social stigma that she herself was given, but has enough courage to put those same feelings out for the world to judge. <br /><br />Then again, maybe I'm a little biased, because in some way I feel intimately connected with Anne myself. My favorite quote from the book speaks the reason why. It is in chapter 19 when, speaking Anne's thoughts, the narrator says "One half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half, or always suspecting the other of being worse than it was." What luck to find a friend who knows how I feel! Please read, and fall in love with Frederick and Anne like I did.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-29315407733761760452007-12-20T23:11:00.000-08:002007-12-21T17:58:49.626-08:00Deceptively Delicious, by Jessica Seinfeld<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511odL8H0uL._SS260_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511odL8H0uL._SS260_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Question: Does adding avocado or pumpkin puree make something healthier? I took a look at this book while I was waiting for the customer service guy in Borders earlier this evening, and pureed pumpkin, avocado, and potato seemed to be the main "deception." Carrots were also in there, which, I agree, would seem like a healthy deception to add to brownies or something, but pumpkin? Avocado? Potatoes? Really? I guess she did have some with cauliflower, which you would have to hide if you were going to serve it to me. If you find a recipe with broccoli or green peas or something hidden, let me know. Please don't think I'm discrediting the recipes, though. I haven't tried them. So if you try it and like it, again, let me know.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-8416978747849090342007-12-14T21:59:00.003-08:002007-12-14T22:05:25.693-08:00Flotsam, by David Wiesner<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.bestwebbuys.com/muze/books/75/9780618194575.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.bestwebbuys.com/muze/books/75/9780618194575.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>There are no words in this book, just pictures, and I think that is what makes it even more magical.<span style=""> </span>The story is about a little boy at the beach.<span style=""> </span>He’s a very scientific lad, and he’s brought with him magnifying glass, microscope, and whatever other little gadgets he needs to explore the shores.<span style=""> </span>As he is looking for interesting little creatures to examine, he finds an old-fashioned waterproof camera in the sand.<span style=""> </span>He develops the film and begins to examine the picture.<span style=""> </span>What he discovers in the picture is the most thrilling part.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">It was clever, imaginative, and even a little heart-warming.<span style=""> </span>I won’t say “read it,” because it’s just pictures.<span style=""> </span>Instead, find it, take the pictures in, and enjoy your own little trip to the beach.<span style=""> </span></p>~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-29991632166891044242007-11-15T22:05:00.000-08:002007-12-28T19:52:15.807-08:00The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://api.ning.com/files/3hAaLBV2IUzfLMnTFME*pRV6ifN-Qt2R6UMTdNHaR44_/golden_compass.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://api.ning.com/files/3hAaLBV2IUzfLMnTFME*pRV6ifN-Qt2R6UMTdNHaR44_/golden_compass.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />All accusations of wanting to turn the world's children into atheists aside, I can honestly say that I couldn't get past the first 140 pages of this book. First, before I berate it, I 'd like to say that I thought the idea of "daemons" was really intriguing. They were well thought-out, creative characters, and they added a lot of interest to the story. They were probably the thing that I liked the best about the first 140 pages. Or the only thing. I couldn't like Lyra, because her character had no consistency, and none of her changes in character were backed up by any reasoning. When someone changes a basic characteristic about themself, there is always a reason--something that has led them to change. You can't just say "Lyra is an innocent school girl," and then "Lyra is a lying, shrewd little twit;" "Lyra is very clever," and just afterwards "Lyra does very dumb, impetuous things for no reason." Either she is very clever or she is very impetuous, and if she is clever and impetuous, please explain why. Don't just leave it hanging out there for someone to make up on their own. As much as books require imagination, characterization is the authors job. Just ask Charles Dickens.<br /><br />The second fault I found was the constant mention of "dust" without any real clues as to what it could be. Too confusing. If this story really is being written for children, their attention won't be held by "dust." It will remind them too much of having to clean their rooms. At least give it a better name, if you're only going to give us incomprehensible clues as to what it is.<br /><br />Third, I sincerely believe that, as the master of voice, Mark Twain rolled over in his grave the minute the "gyptians" were created. The language Pullman gives to them annoys me, to the point that this is exactly why I finally tossed the book aside and vowed that I would not read it to my children, for fear of tainting their education. And, just in case you were wondering, the names of cultures and races should be capitalized (i.e. Gyptian). Of course, since I didn't feel I could finish the book, I never really found out the reasoning behind the non-capitalizations. And at this point, I don't really intend to try. Whether or not I go to see the movie when it comes out is still up in the air.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7767482543697412011.post-19137823574942524572007-11-15T18:04:00.001-08:002007-12-28T19:33:53.799-08:00Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6073/fhmy4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6073/fhmy4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It's not a "I can't put it down," story, but it definitely is a "I think I'd like to find out what happens in the end." The banter between the two siblings is all-too-familiar. However, I would never, ever suggest that any book end with the phrase "shared a special look." The story felt a little bit choppy, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one. It's fun. I do wish there had been more sightings of magical creatures. I hope we'll see more of Kendra and Seth, and especially the magical creatures that Mull has brought to life, in the second book.~Bekahjohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05266156456594725584noreply@blogger.com0