Always Overpacked But Hopeful

With time away from home, whether for vacation or a business trip, I always imagine that I will have all this free time. While I'm traveling (if not driving), during large group meetings where I just have to listen or sitting on the beach, late in the quiet evening. I foresee hours of open time to catch up on my to-read pile and to-crochet stash, as well as maybe some of the not so tedious tasks on the ever going to-do list. Thus, I pack a tote bag full of all this potentially productive stuff.

If I get to half the stuff, I'm doing excellent.

This week is another attempt. I have a conference to attend and I'm gathering all the stuff I'm going to get to without the distraction of cooking and folding clothes and going to meetings and driving around the county.

I'm packing:
- Toni Morrison's just released new book, God Help the Child. Like folks waiting for the new iPhone, I was at Barnes & Nobles first thing in the morning to buy my copy, despite my husband's assurance that there probably was not going to be a line at the bookstore. Who buys hardback books, from a real bookstore anymore? We may be a dwindling breed.

- Yarn. I have some pretty orange and white souvenir yarn from Madrid from a trip a bit ago. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but have now decided on a poncho/shawl for the spring. Though I wish there was a less 1970s word than "poncho." I think of those granny-square, orange and brown, rough acrylic mini blankets with fringes every little girl had in her closet. If there's a better word, please tell me.

- Blank cards and stamps. To catch up on thank you cards, notes, birthday cards. I love personal notes - giving and receiving - and I'm trying to get better at actually writing and sending them.

I wonder how much I'll get done. At least I finished a blogpost.

The Book I'm Carrying Around: Strange Library

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Reading confession - I totally picked up this book because of the cover. The cover is everything, I always judge a book by its cover.  Unlike any normal adult book, the cover flips open vertically so of course, I had to feed my curiosity and figure out what this book was about.

And now that I've read it... I still don't know exactly what it's about. The summary tells you right off: a boy gets stuck in a crazy weird library with an old man, a man dressed in sheep's skin, and a beautiful girl that only he, but sometimes the Sheep Man, can see. He's terribly upset because now he will be late for dinner and his mother will be upset and he eventually tries to escape.

I know there's a deeper meaning, I just haven't figured it out yet.  This is the first book I've read in a long time in 1 sitting, so I was excited about that.  Aside from being a short story, it's printed in 18 point font.  So there is the possibility of reading it again, if necessary.

I've ranked the stars based on the cover & the smart writing.


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A Book I'm Carrying Around: You Should Have Known

You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"Should've known what?"

I was waiting in the library check-out line, when I saw this book sitting on the shelf and immediately, the obvious question came to mind.

Ah-ha. Rich parents and a snooty private school. Someone ends up dead.  A spouse had planned to come to the big shindig on that same evening, but then had to work late. Yeah, she should've known.  But, wait, what would've been a motive? Nah, maybe she shouldn't have known.

There is some intrigue - more so because WE can figure out what Grace should've known, why didn't she? How many times have you looked at a friend, sister, colleague's situation and shook your head and thought, "hmm.. yeah, I could've told you he was no good." But we totally miss the mess in our own lives.  That's precisely, ironically, the topic of her psych self-help book for women who don't recognize all the signs when they first start dating that guy, then marry him.

You can figure out the "who" once you get into the story, but the "why" is a little more elusive.  And the "what comes next" was, for me, not enough.  [I've made a few more comments below regarding the ending, which may be a SPOILER for some, so watch for the warning]

If you're married or plan to be, like, Gone Girl - I think this will make you review some of the instances in your relationship and think, "hmmm..... should I have known?"  I was definitely looking at my husband kinda side-eyed whenever he had to work late or missed his flight.


{POTENTIAL SPOILER}
I wanted the "who" to be punished more than he was. It seemed like he skipped away and got off too easy.  And she was no way as near mad as hell as I would've been with my life turned upside down. Then it all wrapped up too tidy with a kinda almost happy ending.  That, I did not expect at all.


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The Book is Always Better

My daughter thinks she should get a discount of some sort – maybe a free popcorn would be nice – for having read the book long before it was announced that it was going to be a movie and everyone jumped on the bandwagon with their tissues. The Fault in Our Stars, of course. The teen romance/tear-jerker/friend-story that’s got every female, and some males, boo-hooing through the pages and starting today, into their Jujubes.  And we’ll be among them.

(I kinda asked Elle if I could please come with her. She said yes. 1 point for mom, right – she still likes me!)

I read the book before I knew it was going to be a movie, too, at her insistence that it was such a good book.  In fact, I always read the book before seeing the movie.

This read the book first mantra does have some faults. There are some movies I’ve never seen because I haven’t gotten to the book yet, as my daughter points out whenever I repeat this rule.  But I do make exceptions, and then I never read the book. And then there’s some books that I just don’t want to see the movie.

Hunger Games. My daughter dragged me to the movie before I finished, I was reading to slow for her and her friends. Never finished the book, or the sequels and haven’t seen anymore of the movies. I got the gist from the first one – kids chasing kids and killing each other off.

The Life of Pi. This has been on my bookshelf for years – years! My daughter read it, my son and I tried to read it but he quickly got bored in chapter 1 and they were convinced I’d never finish so we watched the movie. Loved the movie! Now I wish I had read the book.  But I would definitely watch the movie again.

For Colored Girls… Read the book, or script, in college. Well-written, good book. Never even wanted to see the movie.

The Great Gatsby. On the to-read pile, still haven’t seen the movie.

Beloved. Read it, watched it. Still don’t understand why it was even made into a movie.  Will read the book again.  Although, I have seen a stage performance of The Bluest Eye which was absolutely wonderful.

Gone Girl. Read it and can’t wait for the movie. I may want a different ending. Maybe?

DaVinci Code. On the to-read pile, still haven’t seen the movie.

12 Years a Slave. See above.

I will risk missing the movie while the book languishes on the to-read pile. Why? Because the book is always better. Always. And since I hardly ever never go back and read after watching the movie, I’d rather just skip the movie.  Yes, I admitted in the beginning, there are some faults with this system like missing some good movies, but hey – you’ve got to stick to your principles.

Now, let me grab my tissues and popcorn.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Do you read the book first? Or do you skip the book and wait for the movie?

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Books I'm Carrying Around: The Rosie Project & Baking Cakes in Kigali

I'm working on my summer reading lists!  The busy-ness of the school year will slow down just a little bit, my school-related activities will come off the calendar and I anticipate more than a couple lazy days by the pool or laying in the grass with a good book and a glass of sweet tea. This by the way, is pretty much how I picture retirement when I get to the point.

Here's a few books I've kicked off my summer reading with - from my "read" and "reading" piles.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was looking for a light, fun, chick-lit-maybe type of book for the weekend- and this was it!  Don Tillman is a genetic scientist in search of love and a wife, and develops a multi-page questionnaire to find the perfect woman. He also has to go through a few face-to-face dates to verify the data, which he's not so crazy about. He comes upon Rosie in his search, but she has a project of her own - a genetic puzzle that Tillman grabs enthusiastically.  And off they go.

Mix in that Tillman is on the Aspergers spectrum somewhere (I don't know that I would've figured that out on my own, not being that familiar with Aspergers, but there's some hints in the book) and Rosie is the social butterfly.  They're both kinda funny, with some serious moments, and make for a fun read.

And - if you're on Twitter - so is @ProfDonTillman!

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin


After my recent run of books relating to slavery and a discussion with a friend about how "all" books by African writers deal with some aspect of civil unrest, colonization, or slavery from the other side of the ocean, I needed an African book that didn't deal with racial and cultural strife.  (Though, I have to say that the exception has been Ghana Must Go - not exactly a light read, but it at least was not about war.)  I admittedly picked up Baking Cakes in Kigali based on the title - I mean, "baking cakes" - it's got to be somewhat light, right?  Will it matter that the author, Gaile Parkin, is a white woman born and raised in Zambia?  Does race matter in the subject of the book, whether it can be serious or light?  Don't know yet. I'll tell you when I finish the book.


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Book I'm Carrying Around: On the Come up

On the Come Up: A Novel, Based on a True Story by Hannah Weyer




Did you know - Far Rockaway was named after the  Rechaweygh Indians.  There's your random trivia fact for the day.

In Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, there is a thirteen-year old girl named AnnMarie living with her mother who has suffered a debilitating stroke.  From the inside flap jacket, which I rarely read (as you may know if you've read previous book posts), we realize that eventually AnnMarie will get pregnant and have to deal with that situation.

This month, I'm reading On the Come Up, Hannah Weyer's debut novel, based on a true story. (I don't know if it's the author's true story or someone else's.)  I picked it up, as I often do, based on its catchy title and interesting cover while having lunch and book shopping at the restaurant/bookstore combo, Busboys and Poets in DC.

I'm only a few chapters in so far, and even without reading the inside flap, you know something not good is going to happen. Not only because it's a book and something has to fill these 300 pages, but because, each page, you can feel young AnnMarie teetering on the edge of childhood and something more dangerous, something too old for her.  She sells frozen Kool-Aid icy pops in the summer, enjoying them herself when business is slow, but uses the money to buy trendy new school clothes that will attract the perfect bad-boy's attention.  She's hopeful for the solo in the school choir, then fights in school and spends afternoons getting high with her friends.  Already, in middle school, she's learning to play one boy against another for the male attention missing in her home.

On the Come Up is written in a street vernacular and Weyer doesn't use any quotation marks. These conventions take a couple pages to get used to, and then you'll get into the swing and rhythm of it.

I'm cringing, nervous that the next page will be the last moment of AnnMarie's innocence.  I keep thinking how this could all end so badly and already I don't want that ending.  I want AnnMarie to  pull herself up, out of the noise and confusion.  When the story ends, I want it to have lived up to it's title.

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Books I'm Carrying Around: 12 Years a Slave, James McBride, Sue Monk Kidd

Did you read Bad Monkey and The Fault in Our Stars last month?  One seriously made me laugh outloud, the other I was literally (in the real definition) crying as I turned the pages. You can decipher which was which.

Now, new month, time for new book selections.  I'm going to finally get to 12 Years a Slave.  This is the story of Solomon Northrup, a free Black man who was abducted and sold back into slavery.  I haven't seen the movie yet because I don't like seeing movies before the book, and yes, this does curtail some of my movie watching as my to-read pile is pretty tall.

My second book (because I am trying to read more this year) should be.... what? I've got James McBride's The Good Lord Bird and a friend recommended Sue Monk Kidd's The Invention of Wings.  I bought The Good Lord Bird with no idea what it was about - it was James McBride, I liked the title, and it was on the shelf when I went to Busboys & Poets (which by the way, was a delicious lunch! If you are in the DC area, you can read more about it in this other post.)  As it turns out, its about a boy slave who must pass himself off as a girl to survive when he runs out of of town with the abolitionist  John Brown.  The Invention of Wings is about a Charleston girl who gets a 10-year old slave as an 11th birthday present.  That should be interesting, right?

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Yes, there is a bit of a slavery theme going on here.  I'm not pro-slavery of course, but there are some good books and stories written in that historic time frame.  And the well-written ones give us insight to not only the institution of slavery, but into human nature, and maybe into ourselves.

Will you be reading with me?  Share your read for the month in the Comments.

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Books I'm Carrying Around: Bad Monkey & Fault In our Stars

The Book I’m Carrying Around…

This year, I will let you, my fellow readers, know what I’m reading at the beginning of the month.  Hopefully, it’ll be something that you’ll enjoy, as well, and you’ll join me in reading and discussions (on Facebook or on the blog) through the month.  I just finished Amy Tan’s Valley of Amazement, and after that emotional journey, I wanted to find something a bit lighter and happier.  Combing through my pile, I found that I don’t have that many in that category.  Anyway, to kick off the year, I’m reading two books this month.

Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen

The first, from my to-read pile - Bad Monkey by Carl Hiassen. Yes, I am a fan of his twisted humorous crime novels. They're the kind of book that makes you feel bad for laughing at what’s supposed to be a serious situation.  This one is about an ex-Miami, now-Key West cop who winds up in the possession of an arm (with un upraised middle digit) from a recently demised man, hooked by a fishing charter boat patron.  I know, it doesn't sound like it would be funny, but after a long day, kicked back with a glass of wine, it’s a guilty pleasure.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The second, as recommended by my 14-year old daughter for being “such a good book” that I HAVE to read it, is John Green’s The Fault In our Stars.  You'll find it on the Young Adult shelves, not where I usually get my books, but I think it would be good to take a peek at my daughter's reading interests, as well as read a highly acclaimed novel.  (Win-win.)  “Oh,” she warned me, “it might make you cry.”  This, after I wiped away a few tears having completed chapter 1.  “Especially the end.”  Yes, a story about a teenage girl battling cancer just might do that.  But, I HAVE to read it. So, I am.

Join me?

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Book I'm Carrying Around: The Supadupa Kid

Getting your kids to read is much easier when they find a book they like.  And they seem to want to read books where they like the characters.  My son suggested that I should mention The Supadupa Kid by Ty Allan Jackson on my blog because other boys would really like this book about a boy who gets cool superpowers.  And a supersuit.  What else could a boy want?

Twelve-year old Javon is a normal kid – he goes to school, is pestered by his little sister, and lives with his mom and dad.  Until one rainy day, by a freak accident of getting struck by lightning, he gains super powers.  He can fly and shoot lightning from his hands!  Unfortunately, the neighborhood bully was also struck by that same lightning, and he also has superpowers, now, too.  Javon and his sidekick friend (every superhero’s got to have a sidekick), use his powers for good, saving the neighborhood from bad guys, retrieving cats from trees, and fighting the school bully. The story is told from Javon’s point of view, as if a friend is talking to you, and intermixed with comic strips that summarize the chapters.  He experiences some angst and excitement about being a kid, with a little crush on a cute girl at school, and about being a superhero.

My son picked up The Supadupa Kid at the Baltimore Book Festival and was reading it by the time our car hit the highway on our way home.  He said to be sure to write here that he couldn’t put it down. As a normal kid, with a pestering little sister, and grand imagination, I think he found kinship with Javon. I heard him laughing as he read and a couple days later, he concluded that it was a good book.  Pressed for more details, he looked at me in the way little boys look at their moms, and said, “It just was a good book.”  Well, the boy is reading and enjoyed it.  What else could a mom want?

Get your super-kid's copy at www.bigheadbooks.com.

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Best of Just Piddlin': Top 10 of 2013

Thanx for Just Piddlin’ along with me in 2013!

I've had a wonderful year blogging and chatting with you.  Checking over my blog posts, these were the 10 most read posts of the year (no particular order).

Working moms and stay-at-home moms, alike, were represented in these motherhood and parenting posts:

• "Lean In" Isn't Such a Bad Message
• Now That You're a Stay-at-Home Mom
• Shall We Give The Kids a Sticker for Breathing

These dishes perfect for busy moms who want home-cooked food for their busy families were popular:

• Next Best Thing to Fried Shrimp - from Witchery in the Kitchen
• Asian Chicken in the Crockpot - selected as a Circle of Moms Recipe of the Day
• And for birthdays, holidays, or any reason to have cake - Cake Decorating - tips from Fancy Cakes by Leslie

Perhaps I’m not the only one struggling with the “where’s your family from” projects, as many of you read up on Another Family Heritage Project.

Fellow yarn-holics picked up their needles for this one: My First Knit Hat

Folks were busy cleaning out their closets & looking for tips on what to do with those old clothes: Re-Use & Recycle Old Clothes

And friends were looking for answers of why they were de-friended (or justifying why they de-friended folks): 5 Reasons You & I Are No Longer Friends

Was your favorite in the top 10?

In 2014, we'll continue striving to grow Just Piddlin' and make it better - for you, the reader, and me.  To learn more about this whole blog-o-sphere, I attended 2 blogging conferences - Disney Social Media Moms and Blogalicious - conferences will be in the plans again in the coming year.  We received a pile of products and books for review which was a lot of fun and look forward to continuing to bring you great products and recommendations.

Book reviews will continue, but I’ll be changing the reading plan a bit.  I’ll let you know in the beginning of the month the Book I'm Carrying Around and invite you to read along and discuss the book with me.  (I’m busy trying to pick out what to start the year with.)

I’ll still be In the Kitchen, cooking and trying out recipes, especially anything chocolate.  Feel free to recommend any great foods or coffee/chocolate shops you think I should try if ever in your city.

And of course, I will continue to be a busy mom of 4, who is always carrying around a skein of yarn, a book, and my perceptions of the world.  I hope you’ll keep piddlin’ along with me.

Please feel free to let me know in the Comments below what you would like to see in 2014.  We'll see what we can do.

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The Book I'm Carrying Around: Please Look After Mom

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's not often that I find modern, Korean stories in English, so I quickly add them to my to-read pile.  This is one of those books. When I told my own mother about it, as it turned out, she had already read it, in Korean.  "That's the one where...[the end]."  Thanks, Mom.  Now, let's get on to Chi-hon looking for her mother.

What do you do when a family member goes missing?  What happens when it's not a child, but your mother, a grown woman? How do you get the word out, what is the appropriate amount for a reward, where do you start looking? And how long do you keep looking?

These are the immediate questions Chi-hon and her family face when Mom gets lost in the Seoul subway station. The family argues about the answers and continues to fuss, disagreeing with the best and most respectful way to look for their mother.  As they search, they realize how little they really knew about their mother, and how little they ever thought about her in anyway other than as "mother."

As Chi-hon, her siblings, and her father share the pieces of their mother and wife that they knew, it made me think of my own mother and myself as a mother. Have I ever thought about what my mother wanted to do with her life, assuming that being my mother was not her whole life dream?  Do my children ever think of me as a person, outside of being the woman who cooks, signs permission slips, and drives them places?

Kyung-sook Shin blended Korean customs and ways of thought into the story as she revealed who Mom was through her family's memories and their search for her. By the end, we are left with an idea of where she has gone and are hopeful that the family will figure it out, too.

The story is told, for the most part, in second-person ("you look around"), which is a very rarely used and difficult point-of-view. It took a few chapters to get used to having the narrator speak directly to me, but it also was successful in eventually drawing me further in, as if I needed to be part of the search party. When Shin switches POV it was a clear signal that I really needed to pay attention now.  She used the technique well, but it sometimes gets confusing and does take a minute to get used to.

This is the first of her novels that I have read, but apparently she was twelve previous ones. I intend to look for them - and hope that they are available as English translations.



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Tuke: the Specialist Turtle

Think of "specialist" not in the way that adults use the word, as in "she is a foot specialist," but the way kids use the word, "this is my specialist toy."  Got it?  This was my stumbling block in understanding the title, but my 8-year old got it right away. Now, you're ready to turn the page and read how Tuke realizes he is the specialist turtle.

Tuke the Specialist Turtle

We received a complimentary copy of Tuke and I had my little folks read this colorful picture book about a "tiny turtle Tuke, with long lanky fins, a pea-sized head, the neck of a gazelle and an enormous shell."  He's teased for his small size by the other sea creatures in the Caribbean reef. When he ends up in a marine study lab, he comes up with this thought that he is the "specialist" turtle.  Returned home, he tries to tell the others about his new title, only to be scoffed at again, until a whale shark agrees with him, confirming that he is the specialist and he has an important role to play in protecting their home.

Does it remind you a little bit of Nemo? Sure. But that's okay because kids love Nemo (at least mine do). And we can't remind our kids enough how each one of them is special and important, it's a message that bears repeating.

"With friends like these who needs anemones?"  That cracked me up.

Aside from the story and the message, this book does another thing well: it uses big words.  I love children's books that are challenging, but appropriate (sometimes hard, especially as they approach upper elementary and middle school, but that's another topic.)  This one, I would put on the elementary reading shelves, but it can span a few grades. Parents can read it with the real little ones and talk about the pictures - there's crabs and seahorses and whales and turtles and coral.  And older ones can read for themselves and learn new vocabulary (for spelling or definition), like carapace, brittle, mysterious, and specialist; and metaphors (how does a turtle have a neck of a gazelle) is big in elementary poetry and writing.

Tuke is published and distributed by Chowder Inc. and the Coral Reef Conservancy (CRC).  Chowder is a creative firm that specializes in travel, tourism and destination marketing. CRC is a non-profit whose primary goal is "to raise public awareness about the plight of coral reefs and their connection to humanity."  But don't worry, there's no big "come to the Caribbean" ad in the middle of the book.  Instead, it's an interesting collaboration to educate children about the environment in a way they will enjoy.  At the same time taking away a message about appreciating our own selves.

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Stuff Every Woman Should Know

Do you know how to slow dance or check your oil? How to flirt or dress for your body type? How to give or accept a compliment or perform a breast self-exam?

 

According to this little blue book I picked up at BEA2013, this is just some of the "Stuff Every Woman Should Know" (by Alanna Kalb).  

 

Do you know how to change your oil, sew on a button?

It's a catchy title and a purse-sized book and of course, I wanted to make sure that I knew what I'm supposed to - especially by now, at my age, I figured I should have this stuff down. As I looked over the list, I realized that most of the items, I was a little iffy. 

 

Change a tire? When I used to drive my dad's small 2-door Japanese car, I could. Before I could even go for my driver's test, he made sure I knew how to take the flat tire off and put on a new one. But now that I drive a behemoth of a vehicle that carries 4 kids, their bookbags and sports gear, a dog, and a couple of friends - I don't even try.  The one time my tire blew out - on the highway, on my way to a meeting - my friend had her AAA card out without even a discussion of us trying to change it.  The big auto-repair dude working hard to jack up my car on the hydraulic jack and power tool off the tire, pretty much confirmed that that was not only the best, but only choice.   

 

How to slow dance. Okay, dancing is one of my major weaknesses. On a good night, if I've had a good mojito and no-one's talking to me too much, I can keep up with the Cupid Shuffle, but don't ask for much more than that. But slow dancing, that's pretty simple. Hand on the waist, hand in hand, smile, and follow along with your guy. I can do that. Keep it simple, no swinging, no spinning, no cheek-to-cheek tango (that requires at least another mojito and a shot of tequila).   

 

How to pick a signature scent. Apparently I'm not good at this, because I don't have one, I don't generally wear perfume.  

 

Self-defense techniques - this is a good one. Although I have a white belt in Tae Kwan Do (I quit after my brother jammed my finger with a really good roundhouse kick), I couldn't fight my way out of a wrestling match with my 8-year old. I've never been in a fist fight and my only defense mechanism is to scream and cry and swing my arms like a girl.

 

Hmm. Surprisingly, at my age, there's still a lot of things for me to learn. But I do know how to sew on a button and fix a hem, wear colors that look good on me (why I never wear blue), cook a few good recipes, and give a compliment. But it's nice to know there's things I still have yet to learn. Otherwise, where would we be if we've learned it all?

     

 

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Diversity in Kids' Books: Twins and Island Hunters

Name a children's book, any book. Or pick up the last book your kid read.  What race were the kids in the book (assuming they were not animals or aliens or fish)?  If your kids' books are like mine, most likely those characters were White.  Maybe, by some small chance, they were Asian or Black; by a smaller chance, they were Hispanic or Native American.  Now think - what was the last book your child read that had main characters of color?  Not the side-kick friend, but the main character on the cover.  While you think, continue to read.

The diversity - or lack of - in children's books

We all like to see and read about people that look like us. Whether "looks like" means by gender or race, ability or disability, culture or heritage. It helps to validate us as who we are. It proves that we are important.  It allows us to say, "hey, I'm not the only one."  For our children, it says, "you, too, are beautiful and belong in this world."  And aside from all of that, it's fun to see and read about other people who are just like us.  My kids love "Little Bill" on TV; although the older ones may groan when my daughter turns it on, they still sit and watch it.  Its one of the few TV shows, animated at that, that features little kids that look like them and the grand-dad looks like their grand-dad. It's fun to see your own life reflected in stories.

So it is with books. And that's why I get excited when I see children's books that represent the diverse culture of our world. We have books about Black, Korean, Latino, and Aleutian children on our shelves, along with White children.

Now I've found a couple more.

Twindollicious by Natasha Danna

Twin-doll-icious by Natasha Danna is the story of twin girls who love dressing alike.  It has bright, cute pictures and younger elementary level writing.  I gave it to my 8-year old to read and for her review. She thought it was funny and a good story.  Her summary: it was about twin sisters who liked to dress alike until a new girl came to school and made fun of them. Then they didn't dress alike and everything went wrong.  The new girl lost the class guinea pig and the twins helped her find it and then they were all friends.  From a parent perspective, it emphasized how the twins were the same in that they looked and dressed alike, but were unique in their different strengths and personalities. The message I liked was knowing who you are and not letting other people tell you who you should be.  It wasn't a story that focused on race, but about growing up, and the girls happened to be brown.

The Island Hunters series by N.E. Walford

The Island Hunters by N.E. Walford is a series of chapter books I thought my son would enjoy.  First, I was impressed that it was written and illustrated by a mother of five boys!  Beyond that, the books are all boyhood adventure. There's pirates and maps and islands and brothers fussing with each other and plotting together to find treasures and running from the bad guys.  Walford includes cultural hints and historical references as the boys wander through the Caribbean and the island of Jamaica.  My son commented that there were some "vocabulary" words in the writing; he knew them, but I think it slowed him down a little bit.  If the writing is too old for your kid, it would be a fun read-together book, if your son will allow it.

Enjoy!

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The Book I'm Carrying Around: Mudbound

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

You know those books you read while walking around the house?  You're making coffee with one hand, holding the book with the other?  Glad there was a snow day and the kids are going to school late and now you've got 2 extra hours to find out what these folks on Mudbound are up to?  Yeah, this is that kind of book.

The book begins and ends at the same place - two brothers digging their father's grave.  The middle is the story of how he got there.

The basics: Henry and Laura McAllan move their family from their comfortable home with lights and a flushing toilet in Memphis to a cotton farm and worn-down farmhouse in Mississippi.  Their new land comes with sharecroppers and tenant farmers, including the Jacksons and the Atwoods.  At the end of WWII, the McAllan's brother (White) and the Jackson's eldest son (Black) come home from serving in the Army.  Their time in Europe has matured and changed their views and themselves.  And neither is really prepared to return to their Southern home.

At the end of the story - I won't tell what happened in the middle, of course - your mind flips back, as Laura's does to wonder - what was the point that set these events into motion, reminiscent of a question in "The Shack".  As in our own lives, you don't know how all the pieces fall together, which ones knock the next one over like a set of dominoes.

The story is about families, Black and White.  But the issues in the book aren't all that way.  Yes, there's racism which, at least for me, is a definite "wrong."  And there's taking care of your family, a "good".  But then there's - do you side with your family, even when they're wrong?  Can you be a good person and exact revenge?  Is it so easy, just not to mention a betrayal and hope it doesn't come up?  But, as Laura says, its better if you begin and end it all with love.

I got caught up in the story and forgot, while I was reading the book, that the father dies. I was shocked when he did, then recalled they were digging his grave at the beginning.  When you have finished the book, I urge you to go back and read the first couple of chapters again and see if you don't say,"ooohhhh, I get it!"

A few other things to consider....

- Jordan, a White woman, uses the "n-word" throughout the book, in dialogue by the White characters.  Recently, there's been controversy about Q. Tarentino using it in his movie, "Django," set in the 1860s.  Is it appropriate to use the "n-word" when historically accurate?  Should authors/screenwriters temper the vocabulary for modern sensitivities?

- Often suggested as a restitution for slavery is "40 acres and a mule."  I never gave much thought about the mule, but at one point in this story, the value of the mule is highlighted, illustrating the vast difference in potential income that the animal represents, and by consequence, the livelihood, lifestyle and hopes of the farming family.

- On the cover, there is an image - I believe its a bird reflected in the water.  Interesting enough, I'm still figuring out the symbolism.  But one day, I happened to glance at it and it appeared to be a silhouette of a man running.  Hmmm.

I was drawn in by the story, but I was pulled by the subtleties of the characters' emotions.  Jordan does a nice job of mixing in historical data (which I will presume to be true) of the 1940s into a personal story - I always like to learn a little something when I read.

Have you read it?  What did you think?

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The Book I'm Carrying Around: Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind by Valerie Frankel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is what happens when you're a mom.  Your kids are in school, you end up on the PTA/room parent group/school performance committee with a bunch of other moms.  You try to be social while getting through the committee agenda and, if you are lucky, you actually like the other moms (b/c its rarely dads).  Luckier, they become your friends.

In Four of A Kind, four moms from different corners of the school end up on the Diversity Committee together  - three are White, one is Black; one is rich, the others range in middle-classness; one has a single child; one is single.  The basics of diversity; but they don't seem to have much else in common.  They spark upon the idea to play poker to squash the uncomfortable silence and then begin to open up to each other.  And they do become friends, even if reluctantly and questioningly.  I mean, once you tell folks you haven't had sex in 2 years and about your marital arguments, you are pretty much on the road to friendship; if not, you are terribly over-sharing.

This was an easy, light read, although with some serious, family issues going on, but it wasn't treated too heavily.  Its one of the few that I've read that has both Black and White characters; probably one of the very few of those in which the Black character was not a servant/dependent/victim needing to be saved.  There were things the mother's did that I agreed with, others that I didn't, others that made me think.  And many that made me laugh.

This was, literally, a beach read.  Water, sand, salt - good thing it was the real book not on a nook.

*Note - I received this book as an early preview from the Publisher


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