Book Reviews for the Month of April {Ode to Books,Installment 2}
April has brought with it a whole new world of fine weather and blooming dogwoods and laundry lines eager to be put to good use and windows thrown open to capture the fresh breezes, and yet, in the finest mixing of the old with the new, there are still books to be read and tea to be drank, and for this wonderful combination of so many of my favorite things all at one time, I give thanks...
For even springtime would lose some of its luster without a good book on the nightstand to welcome me at day's end.
And the first picnic of the season would be a little less grand without tea...even if it is iced!!!
I love when I come upon a good author who I not only really like, but who also writes a good series, and right now I am reading through a two-book series by Kathleen Grissom which I have found to be both compelling and spellbinding!
The first is The Kitchen House and the second is Glory Over Everything, and in both cases, the story is told through two voices, each with a different perspective.
In The Kitchen House, the one voice is Lavinia, an young Irish girl orphaned on her passage to America and then kept as an indentured servant at the home of the ship's captain. The other voice is Belle, the captain's illegitimate slave daughter, who becomes a mother figure to Lavinia. The story has a lot of action and drama as it deals with issues of slavery, class, and buried secrets.
I am only beginning Glory Over Everything (and unfortunately, I had to return it to the library today as it was due and I couldn't renew it as it had a hold on it, so I suppose I shall have to put another hold on it!) but already I am really enjoying the plot and the characters. Set about 15 years or so after the closing scenes of The Kitchen House, this story is told through the voices of Jaime, Belle's son, who lives in Philadelphia, and Pan, a black boy who served as a servant in Jaime's house until he was captured by slave-catchers and sold into slavery.
Keep in mind that both of these stories are pre-civil war, and I think the author does a good job of staying true to the era about which she is writing. Slavery is an alarming and brutal subject, and therefore it comes as no surprise that there will be brutal and alarming scenes in a book that explores the subject. All the same, how one does wish that since all men were created equal, life could always be worked out that way, past, present and future.
I am actually listening to Hands-Free Mama, by Rachel Macy Stafford, on a little portable mp3 player that Wesley gave me for my birthday awhile ago, which feels a little ironic since the subtitle is: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!
When I saw the audio version available through the library system, I thought it looked interesting, but I wasn't sure how much it would apply to me since I don't feel like I am the type that's glued to cell phones and technology anyway, so it probably didn't even apply to me!!! Well, let's just say my toes are a little sore right now and that the author's emphasis on making the most of every moment we have with our loved ones, and not letting our goals and to-do lists get in the way of what's really important has been giving me a lot to think about and re-consider. So much for being able to feel smug for having this one down-pat.
Featured Children's Selection:
I am pretty sure most of you have read the absolutely wonderful children's book Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, but have you read The Trumpet of the Swan, by the same author?
Up until a matter of days ago, when I chose it as the book I read aloud before our school day starts, I had not!
Now, however, we are making up for how long the book sat neglected on our bookshelf by not only reading it, but also really enjoying it! The book has many of the same charming characteristics as Charlotte's Web, with it's animals that can talk and do other human-like things, its beautiful descriptions of nature, and it's funny little scenes that lend character to the, well, characters, but it is also unique in and of its own rite.
You can't help but love a father Trumpeter Swan who will go to great lengths to procure a trumpet for his poor, voiceless son, Louis! And you can't help but love Louis, who learns to read and write, only to discover that it serves little purpose because none of the other swans (including the one true love he is trying to win!) cannot read his messages or write on in return. And you can't help but love Sam, the boy who loves nature and is intrigued with the swans and willing to go to great lengths to help a Trumpeter Swan who has no voice.
In general, you can't help but love E.B. White and his fantastic works for children, so if you have yet to meet some of his beloved characters, today is the day to start!
And speaking of today? Maybe it's also a good time to remember that iced tea is a wonderful companion to books.
Take it from me- I have the craving to prove it!!!
For even springtime would lose some of its luster without a good book on the nightstand to welcome me at day's end.
And the first picnic of the season would be a little less grand without tea...even if it is iced!!!
I love when I come upon a good author who I not only really like, but who also writes a good series, and right now I am reading through a two-book series by Kathleen Grissom which I have found to be both compelling and spellbinding!
The first is The Kitchen House and the second is Glory Over Everything, and in both cases, the story is told through two voices, each with a different perspective.
In The Kitchen House, the one voice is Lavinia, an young Irish girl orphaned on her passage to America and then kept as an indentured servant at the home of the ship's captain. The other voice is Belle, the captain's illegitimate slave daughter, who becomes a mother figure to Lavinia. The story has a lot of action and drama as it deals with issues of slavery, class, and buried secrets.
I am only beginning Glory Over Everything (and unfortunately, I had to return it to the library today as it was due and I couldn't renew it as it had a hold on it, so I suppose I shall have to put another hold on it!) but already I am really enjoying the plot and the characters. Set about 15 years or so after the closing scenes of The Kitchen House, this story is told through the voices of Jaime, Belle's son, who lives in Philadelphia, and Pan, a black boy who served as a servant in Jaime's house until he was captured by slave-catchers and sold into slavery.
Keep in mind that both of these stories are pre-civil war, and I think the author does a good job of staying true to the era about which she is writing. Slavery is an alarming and brutal subject, and therefore it comes as no surprise that there will be brutal and alarming scenes in a book that explores the subject. All the same, how one does wish that since all men were created equal, life could always be worked out that way, past, present and future.
I am actually listening to Hands-Free Mama, by Rachel Macy Stafford, on a little portable mp3 player that Wesley gave me for my birthday awhile ago, which feels a little ironic since the subtitle is: A Guide to Putting Down the Phone, Burning the To-Do List, and Letting Go of Perfection to Grasp What Really Matters!
When I saw the audio version available through the library system, I thought it looked interesting, but I wasn't sure how much it would apply to me since I don't feel like I am the type that's glued to cell phones and technology anyway, so it probably didn't even apply to me!!! Well, let's just say my toes are a little sore right now and that the author's emphasis on making the most of every moment we have with our loved ones, and not letting our goals and to-do lists get in the way of what's really important has been giving me a lot to think about and re-consider. So much for being able to feel smug for having this one down-pat.
Featured Children's Selection:
I am pretty sure most of you have read the absolutely wonderful children's book Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White, but have you read The Trumpet of the Swan, by the same author?
Up until a matter of days ago, when I chose it as the book I read aloud before our school day starts, I had not!
Now, however, we are making up for how long the book sat neglected on our bookshelf by not only reading it, but also really enjoying it! The book has many of the same charming characteristics as Charlotte's Web, with it's animals that can talk and do other human-like things, its beautiful descriptions of nature, and it's funny little scenes that lend character to the, well, characters, but it is also unique in and of its own rite.
You can't help but love a father Trumpeter Swan who will go to great lengths to procure a trumpet for his poor, voiceless son, Louis! And you can't help but love Louis, who learns to read and write, only to discover that it serves little purpose because none of the other swans (including the one true love he is trying to win!) cannot read his messages or write on in return. And you can't help but love Sam, the boy who loves nature and is intrigued with the swans and willing to go to great lengths to help a Trumpeter Swan who has no voice.
In general, you can't help but love E.B. White and his fantastic works for children, so if you have yet to meet some of his beloved characters, today is the day to start!
And speaking of today? Maybe it's also a good time to remember that iced tea is a wonderful companion to books.
Take it from me- I have the craving to prove it!!!
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