As a freelance writer, I frequently write about travel and the outdoors. In the past, most of my travel writing has focused on family travel, but now that our sons are grown, I am branching out a bit.
If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know how much we love the outdoors, camping...and Shenandoah!
I am excited to begin a new relationship with My Itchy Travel Feet and see both my article and my photos on their website. I hope to share more of our travel and outdoor adventures with their readers.
It's the 100th anniversary of our National Parks - which one is your favorite?
When I chose the teen/YA novel Dreamology by Lucy Keating as my next audio book, I wasn’t sure
what to expect. In some ways, its synopsis sounded like just another teen
romance, but I was pleasantly surprised by its originality, depth, and hint of
the paranormal.
Alice has been dreaming of Max for as long as she can
remember, ever since she was a little girl. Max used to be her friend and
playmate in her dreams, as they enjoyed fantastical adventures together, in
castles, on hot air balloons, and building with giant Legos made of chocolate.
In recent years, though, since Alice became a teen, she and Max have become
even closer and their relationship even more special, though it exists only in
her dreams.
Now, Alice and her dad have moved from NYC back to Boston,
where they lived when Alice was little. It’s a big adjustment for Alice, but
she gets an even bigger shock when she walks into her first class on her first
day in the new, exclusive private school. Max – her Max – is sitting there in her class, in real life. She has
spent many hours with him in her dreams so she’d know him anywhere. But how can
her dream be sitting right here in front of her?
Alice calls her best friend back in NYC, Sophie, to discuss
her news. It is definitely the same Max from her dreams. At least, he looks the
same, though he doesn’t quite act the same. In real life, Max is sometimes
sullen and complicated…and he has a girlfriend. To complicate matters further,
there is another boy, Oliver, at school who greets Alice warmly her first day
and who feels like her only friend in this new place. But Alice loves Max.
Alice tries to make sense of her dreams coming to life, but
nothing makes sense in this scenario. Eventually, as she searches for answers,
she also finds that elements from her dreams start to bleed into her real life
– crazy, dreamlike fantasy things that can’t possibly be real. As she gets to
know the real Max, the mystery deepens, and she is desperate for answers.
I enjoyed this debut novel with a very unique plot and
realistic, fully-formed characters. Their real-life interactions were engaging,
and the concept of Alice’s dreams becoming reality was fascinating. Suspense
built, as I wondered, like Alice, what could possibly be going on. I enjoyed
the slight paranormal angle to the story, though there is a quasi-scientific
explanation. The resolution of Alice’s problem was a bit too pat, but that
didn’t dampen my enjoyment. I was completely absorbed in this original story
with elements of romance, friendship, loss, and suspense.
HarperChildren’s Audio
You can listen to a sample of the audio at the Amazon link below:
I signed up for the 2016 Classics Challenge – with its goal
to read one classic book each month of the year – and was failing miserably! As
of June, I had not read a single classic. So, I read the shortest one I could
find at home, The Metamorphosis by
Franz Kafka (less than 60 pages!). By the end of July, I was desperate to once
again at least squeeze in a short classic, so I chose to re-read the novella Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad,
which I last read in 10th grade. I remembered liking it back then,
and I enjoyed reading it again as an adult.
There’s always a bit of conundrum with a review of a
classic: does everyone already know the plot synopsis? This one is particularly
well known, as it is very frequently taught in high school and college English
classes. It was also the basis for the Academy-Award winning movie Apocalypse Now (I just learned that
& have never seen the movie), and – little-known fact – also the basis for
the movie Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death, which I did see (though my friends didn’t believe me when
I said it was based on Heart of Darkness!).
Just in case you missed those movies and your schools didn’t teach the book, I
will avoid spoilers, though its conclusion is probably known to most.
Heart of Darkness
is framed as a story told by one of the main characters, Charles Marlow. As the
novel opens, he is onboard a ship in London, sitting on the River Thames,
waiting for the tide to turn with his shipmates. He regales them with a story
of another journey that he took some years ago. The rest of the novella is that
story. Marlow was hired by a Belgian ivory-trading company to pilot a ship up a
wide river through the densest jungles of the Belgian Congo (what is now the
Democratic Republic of Congo). He encounters many challenges and adventures
along the way, including severe damage to his ship and angry natives shooting
at them with arrows and spears.
The goal of Marlow’s journey in the Congo is not only to
bring ivory back from the interior of the region but also to rescue a man named
Mr. Kurtz who is in charge of an outpost. Kurtz is commonly regarded as the
best manager they have, but disturbing rumors say that he is now very ill and
needs to be brought out immediately. The further Marlow goes, the more he hears
about Kurtz, until he – like many others working for the company – is in awe of
this great man he’s never met.
Like most classics, Conrad’s novella is not just an
interesting story; he was trying to make a point (or several of them), hence
its extensive analysis for the past 100+ years. Heart of Darkness is all about the thin line between civilization
and savagery or wildness. Conrad uses the story to show that everyone has a
savage center, that this wildness is a part of human nature. He shows that the
trappings of “civilization” are all that separate us from our wild nature, and,
in the absence of civilization, humans will quickly devolve into a baser form.
There has been a lot of controversy over the years about Heart of Darkness being racist and
showing a very defamatory, warped view of the African continent and the African
people (whom he describes throughout the novella as savages). Chinua Achebe, a
Nigerian novelist, is an especially vehement opponent of Conrad who first spoke
out in 1975 against the novella because of its racial stereotypes. In fact, his
novel, Things Fall Apart, is said to
be in direct response to Heart of
Darkness, presenting a far more accurate view of central Africa and its
people.
For my part, I took the novella for what it is: a story
written in 1899 about human nature, set on a continent that was unknown and
quite mysterious to white Europeans like Conrad. That’s the way that people
back then saw Africans, and yes, it’s deplorable by today’s standards, but it
is accurate in terms of the perceptions of the time, much like reading
historical fiction about white Europeans coming to America; they also saw
Native Americans as savages. Of course, we know better today and are rightfully
appalled by the way the native population was treated. To me, Heart of Darkness is that same kind of
outdated historical perspective (same with The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, too): we can read it today, recognizing
that it was of its time, and still find value in the story and the writing
itself and the points that Conrad was trying to make about humanity.
Controversies aside, Heart
of Darkness is a classic for a reason: it’s an original, interesting story
with plenty of complexities to think about (or discuss if you are in English
class!). In fact, the copy I read was the same copy I had from 10th
grade, and I enjoyed reading all of my notes in the margins and underlining
about symbolism, metaphors, and parallels (though I couldn’t figure out what
“p.d.” meant – any guesses?). It is a suspenseful adventure tale of a journey
into the unknown…and of man’s inner journeys.
View from Bearfence Mountain, Shenandoah National Park
Woohoo! I'm writing my monthly summary, and it's only the 10th of the month! I finally caught up on reviews. Good thing because with travel and moving our sons to college at the end of August, this month is about to get really busy.
I had a good reading month, with a total of 6 books finished:
Six books in all, and a nice variety of middle-grade, YA, and adult...and even a nonfiction book (a rarity for me)! Half of my books were audio. My favorite is an easy choice this month: Behind the Beautiful Forevers. It was easily one of my favorites read so far this year and maybe ever. I actually rated it a 10 in my book group, which I very rarely do. It's nonfiction but written like a novel, and I highly recommend it.
Progress on 2016 Reading Challenges:
This is my favorite part of my monthly summary - updating my Reading
Challenges! I read 2 more TBR books in July for my Read Your Own Damn Books Challenge - that's a total of 10 so far this year, which is not very good! For the Monthly Motif Reading Challenge, July was LOL
month - and I didn't read anything even remotely funny! All serious topics - fail. I added 1 more nonfiction book to my 2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge for a total of 8 so far this year, but no more classics for the 2016 Classics Challenge. For my Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge,
I read a book set in India. I am also tracking the states my books are set in, even though
there is no Where Are You Reading challenge this year, and I added 2 new
states - NM and CT - this month.
Finally, I filled 12 spaces on my monthly Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break
(you can join the fun any month without officially joining a
challenge). Here's my Bingo card for July:
My books filled these spaces:
Behind the Beautiful Forevers - Award-winning, Shelf-Love (TBR) book The Secret Language of Sisters - Siblings, Geek, First kiss Snow Falling on Cedars - Opposites attract Masterminds: Criminal Destiny - In a series, Daredevil Isra Isle - Paperback book, LGBT The Memory of Light - Cowboy/western
Free space
Believe it or not, this is one of THREE book bingo games I am playing this summer - it's getting confusing!
A lot of our summer TV shows have been wrapping up, so I thought it
might be fun to talk about what we've enjoyed watching this summer.
Plus, we are in need to some new shows to check out, so recommendations
are welcome!
Here's some of what we've been watching this summer, with links to my past reviews (all reviews include trailer video clips and where to watch):
Watching With My Husband and 22-year old Son:
Wayward Pines
This
super-creepy sci fi show is filled with twists and turns and is a
favorite among all three of us. We just watched the season 2 finale -
which was once again an ending that made us think, "what the heck is
going to happen next season?" I guess that's the point.
Colony
Technically, not a summer show - I think it aired last winter - but we have been catching up on it On Demand this summer.
It's a post-apocalyptic story set in L.A. after aliens have taken over,
starring one of our favorite actors, Josh Holloway (who played Sawyer on
Lost). We just finished the season finale and can't wait for season 2 next winter!
Mr. Robot The
three of us watched season 1 together last summer and have been eagerly
awaiting season 2. It's a bit confusing so far (we're on episode 4),
but when isn't this show a little confusing? There's always a lot going
on in this totally unique show about a group of hackers intent on
bringing down big corporations. It's got a completely unique tone, feel,
and approach. Watching with My Husband:
The Last Ship
One of our favorite shows! We both love this post-apocalyptic naval drama starring Eric Dane (aka McSteamy from Grey's Anatomy).
Now in its third season, it just gets better and better. I think (I
hope) there are still a couple of episodes left before the finale, but
we must be getting close to the end of the season. Aquarius
We
are currently watching season 2 of this intriguing show starring David
Duchovny as a homicide detective in 1960's L.A. who crosses paths with
Charles Manson. So good! It seems to be on hiatus because of the
Olympics but should be coming back afterward. Orange is the New Black
We
are both SO HOOKED on this amazing show! It's an incredible ensemble
cast set in a women's prison in upstate New York, based on a true-life
memoir of a pampered, white, wealthy young woman who spent a year in
prison. It's filled with emotional drama but is also often really,
really funny. We just finished season 4, which was even better, and are
in mourning until a new season comes out. This season started with a lot
of laughs and ended with sobbing tears (mine) and a huge cliffhanger. The Wire
With many of our summer shows wrapping up, we went back to an old favorite, The Wire,
which we have been watching on Amazon Prime. This show about the drug
trade, projects, and police of Baltimore is just SO good! Every season
is different, and they just get better and better. We are currently
watching season 4 (only one episode left!), and this one focuses on the
children in West Baltimore and a new mayor who wants to change things.
It is an incredibly good show with an amazing ensemble cast and a new
angle every season.
BrainDead
With some of our favorites wrapping up, we were looking for something new and stumbled onto a new favorite from the creators of The Good Wife.
This is the strangest show you will ever see...but also one of the
best! Believe it or not, it combines political satire with a sci fi
alien plot. It is totally addictive, and we can't wait for each new
episode!
I also watch some shows on my own at lunchtime, like my current obsession, Feed the Beast on AMC starring David Schwimmer...but alone-time is rare this summer!
What have YOU been watching this summer? What should we watch next with all of our summer shows wrapping up?
We actually went to the theater two weeks ago. That used to be an extremely rare occasion - maybe once a year - but we have been trying to get out a bit more. Cinemark theaters nationwide have Discount Tuesdays, where all movies (except 3D) all day are just $5.25 (which seems a whole lot more reasonable to me), so we try to take advantage of that. Two weeks ago, my husband and I went to see Star Trek Beyond and absolutely loved it!
Star Trek Beyond picks up where Star Trek Into Darkness left off, as the third in the prequel Star Trek movies featuring young versions of crew on the original Star Trek TV series. The Enterprise is in the third year of its 5-year exploration mission when it stops at a huge space station called Starbase Yorktown for resupply and shore leave. What the rest of the crew doesn't know is that Captain Kirk, played by Chris Pine, is thinking of giving up command of the Enterprise and has applied for the job of Vice Admiral of Yorktown. He has recommended Spock, played by Zachary Quinto, for the captain's job, and is trying to figure out how to tell him. Meanwhile, Kirk doesn't realize that Spock is also thinking of leaving the Enterprise, after getting the upsetting news that Ambassador Spock (who, I believe, is him in the future, right?) has died. He is also trying to figure out how to tell Kirk of his decision.
While on leave, though, an emergency comes up, and the Enterprise is called upon to cut its leave short to respond. A female named Kalara has come to the Starbase on an escape pod and says that her ship and shipmates are stranded on a nearby planet called Altamid. After a harrowing journey through an asteroid field, the Enterprise arrives on the planet to investigate, with Kalara along. As you might expect, things don't go quite as planned, and there are plenty of surprises awaiting the Enterprise crew on this strange planet.
My husband and I both really enjoyed this movie. Of course, it is filled with sci fi action, adventure, and thrills, but it also has plenty of humor and emotional drama in it, too. That's kind of Star Trek's modus operandi, right? We both thought that these younger actors did a fabulous job of capturing the essence of the characters from the original show, even more so than in the first two prequels. In fact, that's where some of the humor comes from, if you watched the original, in hearing those quintessential Star Trek lines, like Bones saying, "Damn it, Kirk, that will never work!" or Scotty calling, "I'm givin' it all she's got, Captain!" They all really hit those familiar characters perfectly.
In fact, the way my husband described the movie as we were walking out was, "It was like one of the best episodes of the original TV show, only movie-length." I see that Richard Roper said almost the exact same thing in his review! Both my husband and Roper meant it as the highest compliment. I wasn't quite as big a fan of the original series as my husband, though I watched it often enough with my family on Friday nights (in repeats by then). The two of us together watched - and loved - Star Trek Next Generation in the 80's and 90's. So, this was right up our alley.
For those who are not as "into" Star Trek, there is still a lot to like in this movie - it's an action-packed sci fi adventure with a great sense of humor (I really don't like action movies without humor!). But for those fans like us who have watched it for decades, it is an especially fun ride, filled with little nods and winks to the original while also adding a whole new intriguing story to the canon. Note that this was the last Star Trek movie for Anton Yelchin, who played Chekov, since he recently died in a car crash; the film was dedicated to his memory.
Star Trek Beyond is currently in theaters, with its DVD scheduled for release in November 2016 (probably to coincide with its availability on streaming services). This is a great one to see on the big screen, if you can manage it.
Whew, just back from a whirlwind weekend road trip! We spent 15 hours in the car for a 24-hour visit to Rochester, NY, my hometown. Yeah, it was kind of crazy but well worth it to squeeze in some overdue family visits with my dad's wife (and her new house!) and a quick stop on our way out of town with my aunt & uncle and cousins.
So, back to reality now! Trying to catch up after a weekend offline. Looks like 162 new e-mails - not too bad. Not a lot of time for reading last week (I can't read in the car), but here's what we've been enjoying:
I finished Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a novel I last read in 10th grade. I probably didn't have time for an extra book but wanted to squeeze in another quick classic this summer. I enjoyed it very much, including my notes all over the pages from high school!
Now, I am onto my third Big Book of the Summer, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, a novel I have been wanting to read ever since its release and that's been sitting on my bookcase since Christmas. It is so far just as strange as I'd heard but it's definitely getting interesting!
I've been listening to Dreamology by Lucy Keating, a teen/YA audio book that's been far more intriguing and engrossing than I expected. It explores the line between dreaming and reality when a teen girl starts at a new school and meets face-to-face with the boy she's been dreaming about for years. I am getting close to the end and enjoying it very much.
My husband, Ken, is reading Shift by Hugh Howey, book 2 in the Wool series. He and I both LOVED Wool
(review at the link), which several friends had said, "you must read!"
They were right! I gave Ken the second book for Father's Day, and I
can't wait to read it, too!
Jamie, 21, is re-reading Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, book 1 in the Stormlight Archive so that he can next read book 2, Words of Radiance. The first one is 1200 pages long, and the second one is 1300 pages, so he is definitely in the Big Book Summer groove! But the poor boy picked up the wrong book by mistake when packing for the weekend so had to endure a 7-hour car ride without a book (he can and does read in the car!).
Craig, 18, has been reading his All-Freshman summer reading book, When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka. Ironically, he read this same book for his summer reading assignment when he was entering his freshman year of high school. He doesn't enjoy reading much but is so excited to start college that he doesn't seem to mind re-reading this one!
Just a few blog posts last week before we left for the weekend:
TV Tuesday: Feed the Beast, a new drama starring David Schwimmer about grief, the Mob, and opening a restaurant
Teen/YA Review: The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork, a powerful story of teen depression and suicide, with a focus on hope and healing
What are you and your family reading this week? What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.
We are in the last month of summer now, but there is still time to join theBig Book Summer Reading Challenge - five weeks of summer left! Just click the link to read the rules - super-easy for summer! You only
need to read one "big book" (400 pages or more) before September to participate. Join
the fun, choose your Big Book(s) & sign up today!
I loved the teen/YA novel Marcelo in the Real World, a story about a teen boy with autism, by
Francisco X. Stork, so when I heard he had a new novel out this year, I
snatched it up! I just finished listening to The Memory of Light on audio, and I was once again blown away by
the author’s ability to deal with serious real-world issues in an honest and
powerful way.
As the novel opens, fifteen-year old Vicky Cruz wakes up in
a hospital, after trying to commit suicide by swallowing a bunch of her
step-mother’s pills. She is only alive because her nanny, Juanita, found her
and called 911. Vicky loves Juanita with all her heart and is upset and ashamed
that she found her – that’s not what was supposed to happen. She was supposed
to be dead by now, swallowed up in a black silence. Vicky doesn’t even know how
to explain to Juanita why she did it because she doesn’t fully understand
herself, but she knows she will try again if she goes back home now.
So, although her father and step-mother want her to come home
immediately, Vicky opts to stay in the hospital for now. In the psychiatric
ward, she meets a small group of other teens also living there and undergoing
treatment. First, she meets Mona, her talkative and energetic roommate who also
tried to commit suicide and refers to the act breezily as, “doing the deed.”
E.M. is an angry boy with a violent past who doesn’t say much in group therapy
sessions. Gabriel seems like a kind and caring boy, with no hint as to why he
is in the ward. Dr. Desai, a petite woman in a sari, is helping all of the
teens with both individual counseling and group sessions.
Little by little, Vicky begins to open up and talk about her
feelings and the problems that led to her suicide attempt. She learns about
depression, something she didn’t even realize she had. At one point, Dr. Desai
gets permission – from both the hospital and their parents – for the four teens
to come out to her ranch for two weeks. It’s a beautiful place in the country
where she often brings damaged teens to heal. Although the ranch helps in many
ways, things fall apart at one point, and the teens are separated.
For Vicky, this means being sent home, even though she is scared
to face her “real” life without her support system and to return to the world
that led to her suicide attempt in the first place. She reluctantly returns
home and to school, trying to remember the things she learned from Dr. Desai
and the others. When a crisis hits one of her new friends, Vicky must decided
whether to obey her father or defy him and go help. Slowly, gradually, things
improve for Vicky, until she begins to feel like maybe she might be able to
manage this life and keep living.
This was a powerful story, based in part on the author’s own
experiences with depression as a teen and young adult. A young person in my own
life – someone that I care for very much – has been dealing with suicidal
thoughts, so this novel was especially resonant for me. Based on those
experiences, I think that Vicky’s hospital stay was somewhat idealized – I wish
that psychiatric wards all worked like this one did and that all doctors in
charge of them were like Dr. Desai. However, the author may have done that on
purpose to show troubled teens how support like this can help. In the epilogue,
he explains that he was helped by a hospital stay while in college himself. I
thought it was very realistic, though, that Vicky seemed to have a wonderful
life from the outside, so no one knew how much she was suffering inside. It was
an excellent, clear depiction of depression.
While this kind of positive hospital experience – and field
trip to a beautiful ranch – may not be the standard of care today (though its
should be), I think it’s important to the story, to show the path to recovery
and healing for Vicky and others like her. In fact, despite its somber subject
matter, this is not a dark book. Its honest and eye-opening look at depression
and suicide provides insight for those of us with loved ones suffering and hope
that things might be get better for those young readers with feelings similar
to Vicky’s. It is a moving, candid story about a subject that is not talked
about enough, with a focus on hope and healing. This novel should be required
reading for all teens and anyone who cares about them.
In July, I listened to the teen/YA audiobook The Secret Language of Sisters by
Luanne Rice. This was the first book I have read by Rice, and I enjoyed the
moving story of the bond (and challenges) between two sisters when disaster
strikes.
Fourteen-year old Tilly is impatiently waiting for her
sixteen-year old sister, Roo (short for Ruth Ann), to pick her up at the
library. She wants to be in time to stop by the cemetery where their father is
buried on the way home, to see the owls fly out for the night, so she keeps
texting her sister irritably. Roo’s last text was “Be there in 5 min,” but it’s
been over an hour since then. Finally, Roo’s boyfriend, Newton, drives up to
the library to pick her up, and Tilly finds out that Roo has been in a car
accident and is in the hospital. Life for the two sisters has forever changed.
Although Roo seems OK initially, she has a seizure and ends
up in a coma-like state. Doctors think she is completely non-responsive, but
Roo can hear and understand what is going on around her. She can’t move or
talk, though, so everyone just assumes she is in a coma and might have suffered
brain damage. Frustrated, Roo doesn’t know how to let her family, friends, and
doctors know that she is in there. Her only hope is that Tilly – her sister and
best friend – can figure it out.
Tilly, for her part, is understandably upset over what has
happened to her sister. To make matters worse, it gradually becomes clear that
the accident occurred while Tilly was texting Roo, so she feels horribly guilty
and at fault. All of these difficult feelings come on top of some typical
sibling rivalry stuff: Tilly sees Roo as perfect – a straight-A student who is
headed to Yale and is beautiful and in love with her boyfriend. Roo is also a
talented photographer. Tilly sees herself as completely lacking – the ugly
duckling sister who struggles with school and has no special talents. Her
feelings of guilt over the accident bring all these inadequacies to the
surface. Additional guilt comes as she and Newton become close, bonding over
their shared experience of caring about Roo.
This is an intense and emotional story about the
relationship between two sisters and how a disaster affects a family, but I was
also fascinated by the details of Roo’s medical condition – called locked-in syndrome
– and the new technologies available that might possibly help Roo (which also
adds an air of hope to what could otherwise be a depressing story). A few years
ago, I read The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a memoir by Jean-Dominique Bauby (highly recommended – review at
the link), a real-life story of a man with locked-in syndrome, so that added a
sense of reality to this fictional story for me.
Chapters alternate between Roo and Tilly, so the reader
hears the perspectives of both sisters. This is especially helpful in making
Roo into a full character, instead of just a body in a bed, but it also serves
to provide a different view of Tilly, who sees herself as a mess but is beloved
by Roo. There is a lot going on in this book – grief, family drama, friendship,
love – but the emphasis is on healing and recovery, not only for Roo but for
Tilly, too. It’s a compelling and powerful story that kept me listening raptly.
Scholastic Audio
P.S. My 18-year old cousin also read this novel this summer and loved it, too! She and I both said we will never text and drive after reading this!
You can listen to an audio sample at the Amazon link below:
I recently finished watching season 3 of The Fosters(one of my faves) and season 2 of The Mysteries of Laura,
so I was at loose ends for a show to watch on my own, on the rare
occasions I am alone! I ran through my list of shows to try
(ever-growing) and remembered Feed the Beast, starring David Schwimmer, which started in June. I've watched four episodes now and am enjoying it.
Schwimmer, of Friends
Fame, plays Tommy Moran, father of an adorable 10-year old boy named
T.J. Tommy's wife and T.J.'s mother died recently in a car crash, and
both father and son are suffering. Tommy is clearly depressed and
drinking too much, and T.J. hasn't spoken since his mother's death.
Meanwhile, Tommy's old friend, Dion (played by Jim Sturgess), gets let
out of prison early. Before he's even released (while changing his
clothes), Dion has already done coke and had sex with his lawyer, so you
know this guy is bad news.
Tommy, his wife, Rie, and
Dion had planned to open their own restaurant in the Bronx. Dion is an
excellent chef who cooked for the guards in prison (they hated to see
him leave), and Tommy is world-class sommelier (wine expert). Rie had
drawn up designs for their restaurant, but with her death, Tommy gave up
on his dream. He and T.J. are living in the old warehouse they had
planned to restore for the restaurant. Dion finds Tommy when he gets out
of prison and immediately begins to convince him to resurrect their
dreams.
What Tommy doesn't know is that Dion owes a
mobster $600,000 and is being threatened to pay or else. The mobster,
Patrick Wolchek (played by Michael Gladis, a familiar face from Mad Men), also threatens to hurt Tommy and T.J. if Dion doesn't pay up. So, although Dion does
want to bring their dreams to life and open his own restaurant, he
doesn't tell Tommy that the need to earn a lot of money quickly is
life-threateningly urgent. Desperate for start-up capital, Dion
convinces Tommy to ask his estranged father, played by John Doman from The Wire,
to invest in their restaurant. That raises a whole new set pf problems,
since Tommy's father is a horrible bigot, and T.J. is multi-racial.
So,
you can see, right from the first episodes, that there is a lot going
on in the show. There is also grief counseling for Tommy, a possible
future romantic interest, bullying at school for T.J., and Dion's drug
problem. It's a complex, intricate web of challenges and secrets. I had
never seen David Schwimmer do anything but comedy before, but this is a
serious drama, tackling issues of death, being a single parent, starting
a new business, family....and yeah, and the Mob.
I'm
enjoying the show so far and am interested to see where it goes. The
main characters are in peril right from episode 1 (whether they all know
it or not), so there is some suspense in addition to drama. You know
that Dion's lies and secrets will eventually get the main characters in
serious trouble, but you are still rooting for things to work out,
especially where Tommy and T.J. are concerned. I also love delicious
food and cooking, so I'm finding that aspect interesting as well, as
they plan their restaurant.
Feed the Beast is an
AMC show still currently airing its first season - tonight is the
season finale. All episodes are available On Demand (until 10/1/2016)
and free on the AMC website. It is also available on Amazon Prime for $1.99 an episode or $17.99 for the season (link below).
Yikes, noon already! And August! I've spent the morning trying to figure out my sons' tuition payments, financial aid, 529 accounts, and student loans (my head is spinning) and writing a review that is due today. Also, the TV is on because my college son is back home for a few weeks and is home sick today (TV on means writing is impossible!). So, that's why my post is late.
It was a crazy busy week - shopping for my younger son's dorm room and helping our older son move out of his apartment - but we always find a little time for reading! Here's what we are reading:
I finished a review book for Publishers Weekly, Isra Isle
by Nava Semel. It's (in part) an alternate history, based on a
historical fact. In 1825, a Jewish man named Mordecai Noah bought Grand
Island, NY (a bit of land just south of Niagara Falls) from the Native
Americans. He wanted to start a Jewish state...but no one came. This novel imagines what would have happened if it had
worked, and Jews had had a safe haven way back then. I grew up in Rochester, NY, and
often visited Grand Island - its real-life history includes an
amusement park called Fantasy Island! - so it was especially intriguing to
me. All in all, it was a very interesting and thought-provoking novel, though the author uses a free-form narrative style without quotation marks and a lot of symbolism, so it was a bit confusing at times. Worth reading, though.
Now, I'm trying to squeeze in a classic before moving onto my next Big Book, so I started Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a novel I last read in 10th grade. I probably didn't have time for this extra book, but I am enjoying it!
I just finished listening to The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork, a
teen/YA novel about a serious topic. It's about a teen girl who tries to
commit suicide and her slow, difficult journey of healing and recovery. It was moving and powerful, all the more so for me
because a young person close to me has been suicidal. Highly recommended.
My husband, Ken, is reading Shift by Hugh Howey, book 2 in the Wool series. He and I both LOVED Wool
(review at the link), which several friends had said, "you must read it!"
They were right! I gave Ken the second book for Father's Day, and I
can't wait to read it, too!
Jamie, 21, is re-reading Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, book 1 in the Stormlight Archive so that he can next read book 2, Words of Radiance. The first one is 1200 pages long, and the second one is 1300 pages, so he is definitely in the Big Book Summer groove!
Last week's blog posts:
TV Tuesday: Aquarius, a creepy 60's detective show about Charles Manson starring David Duchnovy
What are you and your family reading this week? What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.
There is still plenty of time to join theBig Book Summer Reading Challenge - six weeks of summer left! Just click the link to read the rules - super-easy for summer! You only
need to read one "big book" (400 pages or more) before September to participate. Join
the fun, choose your Big Book(s) & sign up today!
It's been unbearably hot and humid here, so I haven't been spending much time outside. One morning, about two weeks ago, I thought I'd get out nice & early to take a walk around my neighborhood before it got too hot...too late! At 10 am, it was already into the 90's. I did, however, manage a short walk and took a few photos of the blue sky and colorful summer blooms along the way:
Green leaves and blue sky
I love my neighbor's wildflower bed.
Shades of pink side by side
Brilliant yellows
A blue sky day
Don't know what these little blue flowers are but I want some!
My cousin recently chose Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson for our online family book
group. Although this best-selling book published a decade ago was very popular
and won a couple of awards, I had never read it (though I did see the movie
adaptation years ago). This descriptive, immersive courtroom drama set on a
small island north of Puget Sound in the 1950’s has elements of suspense,
family drama, and historical fiction.
As the novel opens in 1954, a Japanese-American man named
Kabuo Miyamoto is on trial on the small island of San Piedro off the coast of
Washington. Kabuo is accused of murdering another local man, Carl Heine, who,
like Kabuo, made his living as a fisherman. In that first chapter, the courtroom
scene is described in detail, introducing some of the people in the town, as
well as the island itself. Throughout the novel, courtroom scenes in 1954 are
interspersed with flashbacks to fill in the backgrounds and histories of the
characters.
Kabuo grew up on the island, working side by side with the
rest of his family in the strawberry fields. His father’s dream was to purchase
a small plot of land for his own strawberry farm. Kabuo’s wife, Hatsue, is
sitting near him in the courtroom and also grew up in a family of strawberry
farmers with four sisters. Also in the courtroom is Ishmael Chambers, the
island’s reporter, editor, and publisher of its small newspaper, taking notes
on the proceedings. Ishmael lost an arm in the war. Right from those opening
scenes, it is clear that Ishmael is upset by what is happening and there is
more going on than meets the eye.
From there, the novel follows the court case closely, with
dialogue from each witness, so that the reader learns of the details of the
case right along with the jurors. Along the way, the author delves more deeply
into each character: Art Moran, the sheriff; Lew Fielding, the judge; both the
prosecuting and defense attorneys, Carl Heine and his family; and more.
Ishmael, Kabuo, and Hatsue – who all went to school together on the island –
get the most attention, going back to their childhoods, their parents, and
their experiences during the war.
I won’t say much more about the plot because the novel very
slowly reveals its secrets as the court case unfolds and feeling that gentle
suspense build is one of its charms. This is much more than a murder mystery,
though. Given the timing of the story and the Japanese-Americans at its heart,
history is also a very important component. We see how Kabuo’s and Hatsue’s
families (and all the rest of the Japanese-Americans on the island) were a part
of the community and then abruptly ripped away to be sent to internment camps
on the mainland. We hear the details of Ishmael’s, Kabuo’s, and Carl’s war
experiences and witness how those experiences affected and changed each of
them.
The historical details are an integral part of the story, forming
significant parts of each character’s backstory. The effects of war are
powerful and tragic, though different for each character that experienced it.
Most of all, though, the internment itself and its effects on all the citizens
of San Piedro – both white and those of Japanese ancestry – are chilling. The
panic and suspicion that quickly spreads after Pearl Harbor and the deep,
lingering biases and resentments that are still there almost 10 years later
feel frighteningly similar to some of what we are seeing today in our own
world.
Finally, the setting adds another dimension to this unique
story. The island and its inhabitants are described in great detail so that the
island itself comes to life, almost like another character in the book. Weather
is a significant part of that setting, as well, given the island’s location and
size. The huge snowstorm that starts on the first day of the trial adds drama
to the proceedings, while weather also plays a significant role in the farming
and fishing industries on the island and the everyday lives of the islanders.
Snow Falling on
Cedars is a long book and a densely written one, filled with descriptions
of the island and its people that bring this world to life on the pages. It is
beautifully written in a way that makes you care about the characters as if
they were real people. The suspense builds slowly, with the exact explanation
of what happened the night of Carl’s death held back until the very end. This
is a haunting story that I suspect will stay with me for a long time. Although
it was first published in 1995, it feels vividly real – and frighteningly
relevant – today.
Last year, I was blown away by Gordon Kormon’s middle-grade
novel Masterminds. I just listened to
the audiobook of the sequel, Masterminds:
Criminal Destiny, and it is just as good as the first book, with a unique
sci fi plot and nonstop action and adventure.
The trick will be to describe it without any spoilers! (don’t
worry - I will) First, if you haven’t yet read Masterminds, go back and read my review of that first novel in the
series. There is a big plot twist in the first book, so I will avoid giving
that away. First a little background on the series.
Eli and his friends are thirteen years old and live in a
very unique place. Serenity, New Mexico, is a town of only 185 residents and is
80 miles from the nearest town. Most amazing, Serenity has no crime, no
violence, no unemployment, and no poverty. It is the perfect town, and the kids
have been told their whole lives how fortunate they are to live there. The
thirty kids in Serenity have grown up together and all know each other well.
Eli goes to school with Amber and Tori who are best friends.
Amber is a classic over-achiever, with to-do lists that detail every single
day. Tori likes art and is quite talented. Malik also goes to school with them.
He’s a bit of a renegade, a rule-breaker, which is highly unusual in Serenity
and highly discouraged. Malik often hangs out with Hector, a smallish, nice guy
in their class. Eli’s best friend is Randy, a fun guy who often encourages Eli
to push against their limits, like figuring out how to unlock hidden features
with weapons and car crashes in their very tame, non-violent video games.
The kids’ idyllic life begins to come apart, though, when
Randy is sent away abruptly to live with grandparents no one knew he had.
Around the same time, Amber finds a USA
Today newspaper left by some workers from outside the town and reads about
things like murder that she has never even heard of before. Little by little,
the group of kids begins to suspect that something is not right with Serenity.
In the first book, they figure out what is going on behind the scenes of this
perfect-seeming community and manage to escape from town, no small feat.
In the second book, the kids are on their own, out in the
real world for the first time in their lives. They know the secret of who they
are and why they are special, but they want to know more. Scary security people
from Serenity are after them, as well as their parents, but the kids are
determined to find some answers. They quickly discover that life in the real
world is full of dangers they never knew existed, and they race across Colorado
and Wyoming as fugitives.
Even more so than the first book, the sequel is filled with
nail-biting suspense and nonstop action, in addition to the mysteries of
Serenity and the “special” kids. This story is a thrilling rollercoaster ride,
based on a unique premise, filled with unexpected twists and turns. Both girls
and boys will enjoy following the adventures of this group of kids and
discovering their secrets alongside them. I was riveted by the first book on
audio and devoured book two in record time as well! Like the first book, this
one was narrated by all of the kids, in alternating chapters, with different
voice actors for each kid on the audio. I can’t wait to see what Kormon has in
store for these kids in the next installment!
HarperChildren’s Audio
NOTE: There are samples of the audiobooks at the Amazon links below. If you have not yet read book 1, then DON'T listen to the sample audio for book 2, Masterminds: Criminal Destiny! The very first line is a huge spoiler for book 1. If you are new to the series, check out the audio sample for book 1, Masterminds (the first link) instead.
