100+ Reading Challenge

I surrender! I am joining this challenge hosted by J. Kaye! I'll keep my list at the bottom (above the "1001 Books to Read Before You Die" list that will probably haunt me until I die!)

Friday Fill-ins

1. I'm looking forward to not driving the kids to school next week. (They're off-track.)
2. I don't handle crooked tablecloths very well.
3. Homemade chex mix is something I could eat every day.
4. Warmth and sunlight annoy me in their more severe states.
5. Ireland, here I come! (I wish)
6. I don't have any tattoo(s).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Monk on DVD (we're on Season 3, Disc 2), tomorrow my plans include taking Amy to Build-a-Bear for her birthday and Sunday, I want to have a nice dinner!

The Castle Corona by Sharon Creech (2007, 5 hrs.)

"Once there was a Castle, high on a hill,
and a King who longed for a nap
and a Queen who yearned for solitude
and a Prince who loved poetry
and a Princess who loved herself
and a Spare Prince who loved his sword
and a Hermit who was wise.

And there was a Village, down in the valley,
and a Peasant Girl who dreamed of flying
and a Peasant Boy who dreamed of horses
and a Master who dreamed of turnips
and an Old Woman who kept secrets."

Well, those verses pretty much cover this story, but of course I can ramble on a little more. This was a fable-like fairytale that was not wowish (surprisingly this is actually a word--no spell check underline), but homey. The story contrasts the lives of the inhabitants of the castle with two peasant children, Pia and Enzio, and how their lives come together due to a mysterious pouch that the children find and a couple of wise hermits. It is gently humorous at times and sprinkled with morals. I would suggest experiencing the actual book rather than listening to it as I did--after looking at the book at Amazon, I realized that there are beautiful illustrations that would make the story more enriching, and give it that medieval feel that all fairy tales deserve.

I must admit that I often view children's books mostly as tools to teach children values, and so that is often what I base my judgment on, more so than an exciting story. (Of course a good story helps put the lessons taught in an appealing package!) The Castle Corona touches on empathy, responsibility, and the power of imagination. It is one that I would read aloud to my children, with the beautiful illustrations to show.

Reporting Iraq Edited by Mike Hoyt and John Palattella (2007, 187 pgs.)

From various vantage points and angles, several journalists share their experiences in covering the war in Iraq. The invasion and the toppling of the statue of Saddam, witnessing the seeds of the insurgency, revelations of abuse at Abu Ghraib, challenges in being "embedded" with the troops, time spent with Iraqi families and translators, and accusations of neglecting to report any thing positive are all discussed in these interviews with 44 journalists. Here are a few examples:

Photographer Ghaith Abdul-Ahad of The Guardian:

"Up until this moment (an attack on Haifa street in which about 20 civilians are killed), I was separated from the scenes of car bombs by my lens: it was something else, it was not reality because I see it through this viewfinder, and all you care about is the light, where it's coming in, the composition, the light. So you are separated. But the smell, the smell is always there. But that day, when you are part of the scene, when you are hiding, all these kids behind this building, . . . and you are trying to make yourself flat, and you wish that your height is only two inches so you can go flat to the curb. It was that day when this glass wall that was separating me from the scenes of car bombs shattered."

Andrew Lee Butters, freelance writer:

"I could feel things change in February of 2004, although I was slow to pick up on it somewhat . . . In some ways you feel like a frog, the proverbial frog in boiling water. The changes are so gradual you don't notice it until suddenly things get really bad."

Anne Garrels of NPR:

"I still have nightmares, truth be told; post-traumatic, whatever you wanna call it. It doesn't come in direct ways, it comes in weird ways. After I got home, some kids were celebrating down at the lake just a few hundred yards from here, and they set off fireworks and I found myself curled up, just sobbing."

Yousif Mohamed Basil, translator for Time, on the pressure for journalists to report more "good news":

"As an Iraqi, living inside Iraq, I cannot hear good news, and even if there is good news, you cannot hear it with the noises of explosions and the noises of terrorists and the noises of American military operations. It's very difficult to hear a lot of things. It's very difficult to proactice a lot of rights. It's very difficult to practice freedom. It's very difficult to do a lot of things. So, there's no good news about Iraq. There's no good news at all."

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad - I think this sums up what many of the journalists felt:

"So this debate accusing the media of not conveying the good news is such a --I mean do those people know what we are digging through when we go to Iraq? The effort we put into writing a story, any simple story is enormous. And none of us, I don't know any journalist who accepts taking such a risk just to manipulate the truth or write bad news because you have this hidden agenda. . . And then when there is good news in Iraq, we do write about these things, such as the elections . . . the elections were good news. .. at least for two days."

I often avoid current events; I tend to worry about things I have very little control over, but if it's been put in a book form, I can swallow it a little better for whatever irrational reason. As much as I'd like to hide out in a cave, war has a way of invading any hiding places, and this book gave an enlightening perspective from those who lived right in the midst of it.

What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew by Daniel Pool (1993, 416 pgs.)

This was a wonderful book that made me even more excited to read a few more British novels I have planned for this year, watch my beloved Brit Lit Chick Flicks more closely, and gave me an excuse to read Pride and Prejudice yet again. It is jam-packed with information about life in 19th century England, and I found myself exclaiming numerous "Oh's" and" Ah's" and "What a bunch of weirdos these Brits were. The first fifty pages or so of the book cover basic information like money, measurement, holidays, titles, how to address your betters, etc., and has examples from various 19th century works. It goes on to discuss the very specific social customs and etiquette of the times (in a carriage, a gentleman takes the seat facing backwards; a lady does not wear pearls or diamonds in the morning; girls call their parents mama and papa, while boys say mother and father). The rules of card games are explained, the system of calling cards, transportation, mail, clothing, food, servants--the list goes on and on. The last part of the book is a glossary of terms unique to the time period. I borrowed this book from a friend, but I think if I see it for a good price I will buy it, to have on hand for decoding Dickens!

Friday Fill-ins

This is a cute idea that I'm going to try to do every Friday. Here's the link if anyone else wants to join in.

1. Seeing new stuff is the best thing about traveling.
2. I love a good warm bed when I'm cold.
3. I often use two tissues at once when I'm blowing my nose (it's a waste, I know, but I can't stand the idea of the snot touching my hands, and then I still wash my hands.)
4. I'm reading Reporting Iraq right now; I am very interested by it.
5. Politics is something I dislike talking about.
6. When I visited Utah I most looked forward to seeing National Parks.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to my 13-year-old daughter's first piano lesson for four years, tomorrow my plans include helping out at D.I. (like Salvation Army) and house projects and Sunday, I want to go to church and then come home and read!

Four-Word Review:Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1985, 1 hr.)

Such a short story requires a short review--here it is in four (or kind of five) words:

Mail Order Sealed w/ Love