Apologies about this random right-hand-turn off the beaten path of this blog, but I keep finding myself at the beach, pool, or playground in the company of other mamas who are -- like me -- perpetually in search of fun short & sweet "summer reads" that don't take too much time out of our toddler-tornado schedules. So here's a taste of what I've been up to, book-wise, this summer, in case anyone else is on the hunt. I don't have a lot lined up in the wings for when I finish my current one, so feel free to share suggestions in the comments section, I would love it!
My current read.
A taste of it was provided at the end of My Sister's Keeper (see below), another of her novels, and it hooked me in, so I got this one out from the library. So far, it's enjoyable, but pretty similar in formula to the other book I read by her -- two sisters who love each other deeply, one stricken with a serious medical issue (in this case, osteogenesis imperfecta, which you've heard of if you're ever watch M. Night Shymalan's film, Unbreakable), and an ongoing lawsuit. Like her other book, the story moves along in a series of first-person perspectives from different family members. The formulaic nature is no problem for me, though, since I loved reading MSK.
How I spent my spare time during my trip to Portland. For a plot description, see above except the medical condition is leukemia and the lawsuit is daughter versus parents rather than mother versus her best friend/obstetrician.
Enjoyed this book a lot -- it was fun, fast, and touching -- and was totally caught off guard by the ending. I saw the movie, and it had a totally different conclusion than the author's!
Just finished this one a couple days ago. Not as good as Snow Flower, Secret Fan -- the first book I read by the author a few weeks back -- because it's great at the beginning and end, but languished a bit in the middle for me. Still, it was a very engaging read.
My first Lisa See book. I loved every page and was sorry when this slim novel about life, love, friendship, and married life in the foot-binding era ended. I spent some time on another book by her, Dragon Bones, just after finishing this one, but gave up a hundred pages in because it was slow-going and so different in tone, as it was a mystery set in modern times. Then I spotted Peony in Love (see above), which is a longer, more ethereal tale than SFSC but similar in tone, at our local library, and snatched it up like I had found a pot of gold.
A recent re-read -- for the third time. This is an autobiographical account of a trip the author took to accompany a friend who was adopting from a daughter from China. Ultimately, the friend decided not to adopt before the trip was over, and the author -- who had fallen in love with the baby by that time -- ended up adopting the baby herself. I read this book a few years ago, and then again during my pregnancy. Re-reading it this past spring (the third encounter) was a whole different experience again, now that Ayize is almost a toddler.
I read this but was disappointed because it's the sequel to another novel which was far superior. The original book, Sister of My Heart, is a fairly simple story and yet also a page-turning journey that went at breakneck speed. I could hardly put it down. Its strength partially lay in its straightforward "voice." This book, by contrast, got bogged down by the author's introduction of an annoyingly-abstract style. Oh well. It was still a decent read, and I was interested to see where the women went after the first novel, but if you have to choose one, definitely dive for its predecessor -- SOMH was just wonderful!
I read this book when Ayize was newborn and I recently re-read it. It was just as fantastic the second time around! A must-read for all single mamas -- she was a real voice in the dark for me when I was just starting out on the road of single motherhood, and I was excited that I could so easily identify with someone else about the manic highs and precipitous lows of flying solo on the journey of a baby's first year.
Having initially read it when Ayize was just a couple of months old, and then having re-read it when he was nearly two-and-a-half, I found it just as funny, endearing, and wonderful. Like a survival guide and an old friend wrapped up in one neat package.
A long-ago gift from my good friend Amanda. I love Ariel Gore and Dan Savage, so it was the perfect present. This book is actually a compilation of stories of motherhood from folks who might be considered "on the fringe" of society.
I love reading a story here and there, savoring other people's experiences, and knowing I am not alone in my world of mostly "normal, nuclear" families. Ayize and I may not be very conventional, but apparently we keep good company! Reassuring and a lot of fun.
This book is like a little piece of candy that I've been unwrapping slowly. I really want to read it, and I've started it twice, and loved what I've read each time. I only hold back because I want to be able to give it my full attention, so I'm waiting to read it when I'm not in the midst of multiple books (my modus operandi).
It's actually a history of birth, and despite that dry description, I have found this book utterly fascinating. Crazy methods, instruments, and theories about pregnant women, labor, and birth that are not so far in our past are both interesting and terrifying. Am eagerly anticipating giving this book my undivided attention before the summer's out.
Begging for a re-read! This, and Sophie's Choice.
Both are books I read when I was much younger, over a decade and a half ago, yet both remain in my memory as two of my favorite books of all time. The problem is, I can hardly recall the contents of either, having consumed them at a voracious pace between homework, babysitting, and fights with my parents as I ended middle school and made the difficult transition into high school. I have found both this summer as I've been slowly sorting through my lifetime of books, and am determined to re-read them before September comes!
A great read from a year or two ago and I recently recommended it to my dear friend Tamara who is now enjoying it as much as I did. This book is a mystery about a long-ago murder, but in actual fact, you find yourself less interested in the actual unsolved crime than you are in the folks who drive the story: a middle-aged veterinarian, her husband, and their older children. I was particularly moved by the tale that unfolds between the lines about the trials and joys of love in long-married life. So this one is also itching for a revisit.
Dang, what's up with all these re-reads?? At this rate, it's a wonder I ever read anything new!
The trifecta. This one's for Andrenise!
These are Amy Tan's first three novels, and although some say they're a bit formulaic, I thoroughly enjoyed reading each one and would recommend any and all to someone looking for engrossing fiction.
Sadly, after these three best-sellers, I guess Amy Tan went through some major life changes and then suffered a bout of severe depression and suicidal thoughts. When she picked up her pen again, her style was greatly changed. I have tried to read a few of her later works but I wasn't nearly as drawn in as I was to these three novels. And then I borrowed The Bonesetter's Daughter from my mom and fell in love all over again with Tan, and with this tale of a Chinese-American woman struggling with marital woes, stepchildren, insecurity, and -- the crux of the story -- her aging mother.
You can feel Tan's rougher edge coming out in TBD; swear words and sexuality were definitely not prominent in her earlier works. And yet, that same strong voice drew me right in, and I downed the novel in a matter of a few days -- no mean feat with Ayize around and my general lack of spare time. It was a wonderful read with a rewarding conclusion.
I saw this movie and was utterly blown away. It was one of the first films I could hardly watch. I have an iron stomach so the gruesome, the gory, the ghostly, the just-plain-violent...none really throw me for a loop. But this film both turned my stomach, and sent me down an abyss of pure terror, because it spoke to the idea of a father trying to protect his son from the world at large in a post-apocalyptic setting. I think I raked ridges in the armrests at the theater, and I never relaxed once from my totally-tense posture for the duration of the whole movie. And yet, though it was agonizing, it was also eye-opening, thought-provoking, and engaging.
I borrowed the book from my wonderful friend, and fellow avid reader, Nyika, and literally consumed it in the course of a few painful days. Oddly enough, it was also the first book I had trouble reading in parts, though unfortunately, you cannot close your eyes while reading a book and just listen to what's happening for the "lite" version of events. You actually have to read the terrifying words running across each page.
So I'm not sure this qualifies as "summer reading" exactly, as it's not something you'd want to crack open while relaxing on the beach and working on your tan! But I do highly recommend it. And I can definitively say it was one of the most moving films -- and books -- I have ever experienced.
My good pal, Leslie, gifted me with this book and it was a wonderful read. This is an account of a man and his young daughter, their lives in tatters after a bitter divorce, as told from the point of view of his dog, and it totally sucked me in from the first page. It was a charming, moving, rapid read, and it was very close to my heart because it spoke both about the children of single parents, and the lives of our companion animals.
Ugh, and now we get to my three current struggles. I read this book under duress for an English class, and it drove me crazy with its repetitive phrases and vague, meandering narratives. I was younger then, though, and very impatient. I have since met about fifty people who loved it, all of whom I greatly respect, so I'm determined to give it a second chance. Besides, in its favor, I remember loving the quirky nature of this book; the long explanatory novella that follows the actual story; the variety of cover art available; the hilarious information contained on the copyright page. So sometime soon, the revisit will begin!
I actually read this over the winter but it's been nagging me for a re-read from its position on my mom's bookshelf, where I originally borrowed it. I wasn't thrilled with it the way others around me were. I enjoyed it and it retained my interest but I felt the language was a bit stilted and the "great love" the story is based on was a little too much something I was being told about by the author, not something I was seeing. But maybe a second time around would be worthwhile; I read it when all the hype about the movie was swirling, so it was easier to be cynical then. Besides, I enjoyed hearing reference made to so many elements of my own life, past and present -- the Riviera, Lighthouse Beach, etc. So we shall see how read #2 goes.
I feel bummed that I seem to be the only person in the Western world who was not thrilled with this novel. In all fairness, though, I like to read multiple books at one time, and the long-winded and very-wordy, introductory-100-plus-pages, of some complicated Swedish legal issue, just could not compete against the fast-paced, easily-digestible My Sister's Keeper that I was consuming concurrently. I finally dropped this one about eighty pages in, but have since been told by several good friends that if I'd stuck with it just a bit longer, an immense payoff of a great story would be my eventual reward. So I'm meaning to prove or disprove that theory sometime later this summer.
Hee hee, the last summer read on this list is actually a piece of pre-teen fiction that's on loan from my niece, Madison. She got it for her birthday when we were in Oregon and I loved watching her read it. Total absorption. I saw that it had won a Newbery Award, which inspired me to gift her with another NA winner. We got to talking about this tale one day on the trip, and she intrigued me with her description, so when we came home, she lent it to me. Looking forward to reading it and finding out all about how Mars Bar and Maniac Magee resolve their big conflict!
Two last books I wanted to mention (I just don't have photos of the
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This list wouldn't be complete without a few of Ayize's picks! So here goes...
I spotted this at the bookstore one day and bought it on a whim. We'd been going through some "hair issues", mainly a dislike of detangling and a hatred of shampooing.
The timing also coincided with the closing on our house, so this book now holds a permanent place in my heart not only as a wonderful story, with beautiful illustrations, but also as our "transition book" to our new home. When there was not one whit of furniture in there, and when everything had to be removed because of painting and electrical work, and when Ayize was super sad to be stuck sitting inside an empty place with no toys while I haggled with various workmen, I would pull this book out from behind the drop cloth over our closet and we would read it together. A forever fave for all these reasons and more -- five BIG stars.
This book was a gift from our good friend Jeanine, and it has never grown old. He loved it as a little guy, and identified many of his first nouns from illustrations in this book. He loved it when we found an audio version at the library. And he loved the DVD version we borrowed from my sister. Wonderful and hilarious. The best of the Yolen-Teague dinosaur series, if you ask me.
We absolutely love both of these! Gingerbread Baby was a one-year birthday gift from my mom, and the first book that Ayize memorized -- he knew when I was skipping pages and called me on it! To this day, he loves to "read along" with favorite passages, and I've had to duct-tape the lift-the-flap at the book's end because of overuse.
On his second birthday, my mom gifted him with Gingerbread Friends, and he fell in love with it also, from the first read. He always shouts, "Oh no!" when we get to the part where the mouse nibbles off the little pom-pom on the baby's foot, and he used to even wake up from sleep sometimes mumbling to himself, "Baby -- mouse -- pom pom -- oh no -- owie!" This book concludes with a gynormous foldout, which he loves to help me open and close.
We spend less time with Matti and his edible pal these days but Ayize is always delighted when I pull out either of these after a little "break", and for the rest of my life, I will always treasure the lovely hours we spent reading both of these at bedtimes, naptimes, and during trips away from home, not to mention all the just-because times.
If we had to pick one overall favorite, though, this would be it. Actually, almost any Eric Carle would probably do, but this story in particular is by far Ayize's favorite. We have read it about a million times. I know it by heart, and have for longer than I can remember. We found a DVD copy of this at our local library and rent it literally two or three times a month. It just never gets old.
Another all-time favorite, ever since Ayize was a tiny wee one. He loves to point out the skinned knee and talk about the "ouchie", and he always has to tell me "he cry, Mama" when we get to the page with the tears. This poor book will need replacing soon because it has endured one million reads and the binding has had about all it can take! But I just can't bear to replace our well-loved copy, so it will have to hold itself together for a few more years.
And now we get to what is known in my mind as The Great Quadrangle. First, this awesome classic, courtesy of Mrs. Grace. Because we just have to help all the good little boys and girls on the other side of that mountain!
Second, this Crews classic. I have a whole rhythmic song that goes with this book, starting slow, and speeding up rapidly, which delights Ayize no end.
Third, this lovely old-school story comparing a streamliner to a toy train, by the author of Goodnight Moon.
And finally, a Japanese book that my cousin Lei-Lei sent me about the railways of Tokyo.
This book is awesome: a combination of photos and cartoons, and it has seven crazy sound effects. Ayize literally walks around the house calling out an arrival at Shinjuku station in a near-perfect mimic of the Japanese woman he hears when he pushes one of the buttons -- too funny!
This book is a recent addition to our "favorites" list. He always liked the Little Bear series (as did I, since they are very mom-and-son heavy, which works well for us), but this story about Little Bear's visit to Grandma and Grandpa is especially timely given our recent sloooow transition towards our new house. He really enjoys this book and its simple stories and classic drawings, and I love remembering the story of Mother Bear and her beloved wild robin (a story about knowing when to let go), which I also loved when I was a tyke.
And finally, this absolutely brilliant bedtime book that comes and goes from our routine but is always well-received when called upon. The illustrations are gorgeousand most of them show children folding peacefully into slumber in the arms, wings, or hooves of a bunch of ethereal animals. The lulling poetic beat of the story also helps Ayize settle down at the end of a long day.
"It's time to sleep/it's time to sleep/the fishes croon/in water's deep...."
And so I bid you guys a good night as well, with apologies for this foray into summer reading.
It's back to Portland next time around, I swear!
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