June Status Report

This was a pretty enjoyable month! Eight books, and I rated most of them 4 or 5 stars.

I am half-way through my journey. That means I should be on book 50. As of today I've finished book 49, so I'm only behind by 1. Not too shabby! I'm happy with the progress I'm making and, more importantly, with the stories I'm reading.

I just put a bunch of books on hold at the library to start off July...including some poetry, historical fiction, a literary classic and the sequel to a young adult novel I read in May. Can't wait to get started.

BOOK 49: Shannon the Ocean Fairy, by Daisy Meadows

Rating: 3 stars

Cover synopsis: Jack Frost has stolen 3 enchanted pearls that control the magic of the oceans. Without them, the tides are all wrong, the sea creatures are confused, and even daytime and nighttime have gotten mixed up!

I debated about whether to count this toward my reading total, but decided, why not? I read this book over the past week with my 6-year-old daughter. And it's a real book -- 176 pages in all.

To say she's a huge fan of the Rainbow Magic fairy series would be a gross understatement. And as part of her summer off of school, I want us to read chapter books together. She picked this one.

Sure, it's very formulaic (every fairy book follows the same pattern: Jack Frost and his goblins steal something magical from the fairies, and the fairies ask humans Rachel and Kirsty for help). But my daughter devours these books and can't put them down. I'll admit there are some suspenseful parts -- and I'm impressed that they aren't afraid to use big words, and my daughter isn't afraid to tackle them.

So, this book isn't exactly MY cup of tea, but I like it enough to sit through it with my daughter. And it gets extra points for keeping her excited about reading a BIG chapter book!

BOOK 48: The Silver Chair, by C.S. Lewis

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: Once again Aslan has a task for the children, and Narnia needs them. Through dangers untold and caverns deep and dark, they pursue the quest that brings them face to face with the evil Witch. She must be defeated if Prince Rilian is to be saved.

I've awarded 5 stars to most of the books in the Narnia series. This one I docked a star. Not because it was any less good -- it was as chock-full of adventure, magical creatures and good story-telling as any of the others. Rather, I docked it because the schtick is getting a little old. It's the same formula. Kids magically appear in Narnia, must save the world (which is, of course, in peril from an evil witch) and straigten out other pesky royalty issues.

I read the book in two sittings, so I liked it well enough. But I'd really like Lewis to shake up the formula a bit. There's one book left in the series...does he have the guts to try something new?

BOOK 47: The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch

Rating: 4 stars

Cover synopsis: When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give his last lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave -- "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" -- wasn't about dying. It was about living.

I was in the mood for an inspirational book and I remember watching Pausch's Last Lecture on the Internet a few years ago and thought I'd read his book. It was certainly uplifiting and served as a good reminder to me to focus on what's important in life because you never know what will happen next.

I was expecting the book to be a transcript of his lecture. But it wasn't. There were a lot of asides about how he felt leading up to the lecture, during it and after. I felt the story was hampered a bit by his love of cliches and self-serving details. But I can't really fault the author for that. After all, he says up front that this book is for his kids. And I'm just eavesdropping.

BOOK 46: The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schmidt

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: When Holling, the lone Presbyterian in his 7th grade class, is left in the empty classroom on Wednesday afternoons as the other Jews and Catholics are bussed to religious instruction, Mrs. Baker requires him to read Shakespeare.

What a clever novel! The more I read of the book, the more I liked it. Holling is a pretty typical 13-year-old boy who is forced to take up an atypical hobby -- reading Shakespeare. And he finds it's not as boring as he thought.

The clever part comes in the author's weaving of Holling's story with the lessons learned in the plays he's reading. For instance, reading Romeo and Juliet gives him a fresh perspective on forgiving his girlfriend. And reading Hamlet helps him realize his sister is perhaps his only true ally in his family.

Set in 1967-68, the book shadows history of the time -- Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, the Vietnam war all form a backdrop to the earth-shattering events of a 7th-grader's life. The Wednesday Wars won a Newberry award. And it wasn't the author's first. Perhaps I'll have to read more of Schmidt's work. And maybe a little Shakespeare, too. :)

BOOK 45: When Crickets Cry, by Charles Martin

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: A man with a painful past. A child with a doubtful future. And a shared journey toward both their hearts.

This was such a refreshing book to read. It was serious, religious and slow-moving at times. But it had enough emotional drama, moments of humor and action scenes that kept me going.

It's about a 7-year-old girl who needs a heart transplant, but one of the few doctors talented enough to help her quit medicine 5 years earlier when his wife -- who also suffered from heart problems -- died. There were some unexpected twists along their journey together, which I appreciated. I found it far from trite and quite moving.

The writing was also excellent. There was Shakespeare, scripture and other passeges thoughtfully woven in. Plus, Martin has a great way of explaining things -- whether spiritual themes or technical medical jargon.

Book 44: Eclipse, By Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob -- knowing that her decision could ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf.

In contrast to book 43, I know this is a book that I shouldn't like. It's a sappy, overly dramatic, poorly-written teenage vampire fantasy. And I think the main character chooses the wrong guy in the end. But heaven help me, I like it!

The movie for Eclipse is coming out in a few weeks, so I wanted to re-read the book to make sure I'm up on all the intricacies of the plot. Which is WHY I like the series...they're incredibly original and the books are smartly woven together. And Eclipse is my favorite book in the Twilight series too. An embarrassingly entertaining read.

BOOK 43: The Secret Scripture, by Sebastian Barry

Rating: 2 stars

Cover synopsis: When she was a young woman, Roseanne McNulty was one of the most beautiful girls in County Sligo, Ireland. Now as her 100th year draws near, she is a patient in a mental hospital and she decides to record the events of her life. Dr. Grene has been asked to evalate the patients to decide if they can return to society. But as he researches her case he discovers a different story of Roseanne's life than what she recalls.

I know I'm supposed to like this book. It got a 4-star average rating on Amazon, and it came recommended from someone in my book group. But it bored me to tears. It was so predictable, I felt like I was slogging through one cliche after another.

This is one of "those" tragedy books: The Catholic church is evil and ruins lives, not to mention the token rape attempt, infidelity and illegitamate child that must be hushed up. Yawn. This story line is so unoriginal.

The one creative point this book had going for it is trying to figure out whose story of events is true. But I don't feel the author played this up as much as he could. I even figured out the "surprise" ending about 1/4 way through the book. The foreshadowing in here too blatant. I like to read a book and not be able to imagine what will happen next -- to have any foreshadowing leave tempting clues along the way without giving the rest of the plot away. The Secret Scripture was way too predictable.

BOOK 42: My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell

Rating: 5 stars

Cover synopsis: When the Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they sell their house and relocate to the sun-soaked Greek island of Corfu. Ten-year-old Gerry pursues his interest in natural history with a joyful passion...

Usually, when I read a good book, I want to devour it -- to hurry through and see what happens next. This book, however, was so good I wanted to savor it -- to take my time and enjoy the adventure.

First of all, this book is well-written. Durrell paints such a vivid picture with words, that you truly feel as if you are there. And as a naturalist, he has a gift for describing things. This includes his presentation of his family, tutors and friends, as if he were studying their personalities as well.

Second of all, this book is hilarious. The characters are colorful -- yet believable. And Durrell's descriptions of his adventures and discoveries with the animals on the island are funny -- yet believable. (This book is based on Durrell's life.) There are mischevious pet magpies, enormous toads and tortoises, pigeons, scorpions, dogs and more. I laughed outloud in almost every chapter. I think I was starting to drive my husband crazy.