Blog, ignored.

My poor blog.

I am as bad as my students.

All that "time" I was going to have to blog while I wasn't teaching during the day... phooey. That "time" disappeared while I did paperwork, subbed, scanned senior pics, or filled the coffee pot.

Then... I forgot the password to the blog. Grrrrr.

With some recovered memory, I was able to hack back into the blog.

Anyway... I read two books over Turkey Vacation (a.k.a. Vacation that gives teachers the strength to manage the next 14.5 days before Christmas break).

#1. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

A GREAT read and an excellent accompaniment to "The Book Thief". A study of the German occupation of France and the resulting round-up of French Jews in July, 1942. The book is told in alternating chapters of then and now. During a raid of their home, a little girl locks her brother in a hidden closet, promising to return later and free him. In present-day, an Paris-based American reporter discovers the closet key and her in-laws' connection to the little girl and her brother.

I was able to recognize some of the Parisian locations mentioned in the book... that was some fun in the midst of the sad story.

#2. False Victim by Kathie Truitt

False Victim was an intriguing, suspenseful nightmarish story! This story is a fictionalized account of the real-life nightmare the Truitt family experienced while living in the Washington, DC area. Julie Patterson discovers that befriending her neighbor Lynn Hennessy turns into a nightmare with near-deadly consequences.

Kathie Truitt is originally from El Dorado Springs. I missed getting to attend her book-signing in Eldo while I was gone this summer, but I found a signed copy of it in the Springfield B/N. You can also order it from their website.

Happy Reading!!!

The Messenger - Finished

I finished "The Messenger".

It reminded me of the short story "Button, Button".

I plan to buy all of Zusak's books. I've enjoyed his writing style and delivery.

Still Reading...

"The Messenger"...

I loved the tie-in to literature with the third card having references to authors. Ed visited the library and searched the shelves for the titles on the card that eventually led him to the next addresses in his message delivery missions.

I spent several minutes trying to convince a student to read one of the books that Ed was searching for in the library. I finally put "The Bell Jar" in her hands by explaining that Sylvia Plath met her demise in her kitchen oven.

Literary gain knows no boundaries :)

Currently Reading....

"The Messenger"... by the author of the "Book Thief"... Zusak.

Zusak's writing is excellent. I am as equally intrigued with the plot of this novel as I was with "The Book Thief".

Murder, love, taxi driving, barefoot running and barefoot soccer, a 17 year old dog named The Doorstop... I can't wait to finish the story!

Currently Reading....

The Scarlet Letter.

I've got to be honest... I'm struggling with it.

BUT, it is better than my first reading of the novel.

I am reading "TSL" on my Nook. I get a brief satisfaction of clicking the button to advance the page after I've plowed my way down the screen, returned to the stanzas I didn't comprehend, and then re-reading the entire passage again. :P

Trish and I are looking for "exciting" ways to introduce the novel... so far, no luck.

Any suggestions???

Spooner... Done. Eat, Pray, Love... Done

I finished the two books that I was reading.

Spooner... I think Spooner and I just did not mesh. I waded through that story with no sense of enjoyment, only curiosity. I can't say that I got any personal enjoyment or reward from reading the entire saga of Spooner's life.

Eat, Pray, Love... I had tried to read EPL when it was first published and could not. Maybe because I'm older or maybe b/c I traveled to the first locale of the book, I immersed myself into the story this time.

I enjoyed Gilbert's adventures in Italy. I could certainly relate to eating gelato for each meal! :) I also found I could relate to her meditation experiences in India from the last five years I've spent on a table doing my BEST therapies. And finally, when the old medicine man in Indonesia tells Gilbert that her shakras are aligned and all is well, I knew exactly what that feels like... complete bliss! (I attempt to reach that stage each week... some weeks are better than others :P)

Would I ever had the faith (patience? courage?) to leave all that is familiar and travel/live abroad for an entire year?

What I do know is that everything happens for a reason. I did not read this book until I was older, had traveled to Europe, and had spent 5 years working on aligning my mind/body/spirit. The book and Gilbert's experiences mean more to me now than they would have back in 2006.

Still haven't decided whether to go and watch the movie...

Almost There!!!

I am ALMOST done with Eat, Pray, Love!

I just have this little thing called work in my way of reading the ending!

arrrgggghhh...