Snuggle-worthy: A Lancaster County Christmas

Each year for Christmas I usually have a small but select list of books on my wish list. This year's list included several tree growing books, some travel books, vegetarian cook books and I forgot to add "The Big Year" to my list. I didn't even bother to list some of my favorite authors' new books because I haven't paid attention as to what's been in the works. I usually pick something up to read after it's been recommended to me or after I've stumbled upon it in the school library or a student/friend/family member foists it on to me (which happens a lot! And I'm NOT complaining!). One of the Christmas books I received was "A Lancaster County Christmas" by Suzanne Woods Fisher. My mom picked the book up for me since she'd also bought me a handful of other titles by Fisher and I devoured them and then promptly shared them with some friends, students and family members! So, since I breezed through Lancaster County Christmas in a whopping two days, I felt I needed to share about it online ASAP before I begin circulating it amongst my cronies.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes, very much so. Would I recommend it? Yes, very much so. Who would I recommend it to? Anyone wanting some basic conflicts with some basic resolutions. The story starts with two women waiting for doctor's appointments. Mattie is a Plain housewife who is having a check up after recently having had a miscarriage. Jamie is an "English" woman who is seeking more sleeping pills rather than allowing herself to grieve and process the death of her mother. Jamie ends up dropping off a toy to the Plain family because the doctor asks her to make the quick trip. I don't think it's an accident that this doctor's name is "Dr. Engel" which literally means "Dr. Angel" in German (and I'm guessing in Pennsylvania Dutch too-- which is a dialect of German and it's what the Plain Folk (Amish) speak).

While Jamie agrees to drop of the toy to Mattie, the readers find out that Mattie and her husband, C.J. have been having issues. Jamie quietly suspects that C.J. is having an affair, even though it's obvious to the reader that she is just being irrational and it seems she realizes she hasn't been entirely "right" since her mother's accidental death. Jamie and C.J. get stranded at Mattie's house because their car rolls into the farm's pond and they end up spending the weekend with the Amish family. C.J. is obviously relieved to be freed of his worldly obligations with Mattie's father. Mattie sees the whole situation as crisis and she's bent on meeting up with her superficial, untrustworthy father, despite all of the warning bells sounding to the reader.

Meanwhile, Mattie and her husband, Sol, take in the English couple. The couple bonds with the family and strangely Mattie and Jamie give one another some tough love that somehow works-- even though they're little more than strangers. At the same time, C.J. helps Sol, Zach and Danny with farm chores and Sol and C.J end up discussing the miscarriage and adoption-- which might seem farfetched to some readers, but I feel it was pulled off in a believable way, because even the men acknowledge that they're surprised at how quickly they've bonded-- even though Sol still doesn't consider the English one of them. Sol is wise enough not to trust too quickly, but honest enough to know when sharing a situation can be helpful. At the same time, Zach has fallen in love/lust with Jamie and Sol tries to keep their adopted "son" Zach from making eyes at Jaime-- knowing that such behavior will only end badly for Zach.

Finally, Sol is so worried about Zach's negative influence on Danny, who is only 6, that Sol asks Zach to leave. Jaime and C.J. are finally able to get the car out of the water and the roads are cleared. Then C.J.'s dog takes off with Danny, who has decided to do something to make Jamie feel better about a phone call from her dad. Jamie is set to leave C.J. behind with Mattie and Sol so that he can find his dog and so he can help them locate their son, but then she has a sudden change of heart that moves her to stay.

I don't think this book is Fisher's strongest book, but it was enjoyable because of the conflicts and their simplicity. In past stories of Fisher's, I've seen the characters resolve some tricky situations in some very crafty ways, but I felt that this story could have easily used another 75 pages to throw in some elements of surprise that may have added to the overall intrigue of the characters and the intrigue of the book. I enjoy that the characters aren't one dimensional, but I think that of all of the character that Jaime-- really one of the two main characters-- seemed to need some further development. Her story of wanting daddy's love just seemed a little to simplistic and naive compared with how obvious it was to everyone that her dad was bad news. It just seem that there needed to be a bit more to her story to really buy into her believing that her dad would actually do anything for her. It seemed that there needed to at least be one or two positive things that her father had done for her to make it understandable as to why she could so easily be fooled by him. Aside from Jamie, the other characters were charming and I would have liked to have seen a bit more from the rascal Zach and from lively Danny. It just seemed the the male characters were the best developed and it makes me want to see Fisher write a story with male characters as the main characters rather than in supporting roles (although I have appreciated her strong females in her past books). I'll be looking forward to see her try something new in this way.

Through the Dog's Eye: The Art of Racing in the Rain

Rarely does peer pressure work on me, but I am swayed when it comes to reading. Sooner or later if enough people talk about a particular book, I feel I must read it just for social/ cultural references. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is/was one of these books (as well as Twilight, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Water for Elephants). One of my co-workers had really enjoyed it and she had mentioned it to me several times and then I kept seeing it at large box stories (i.e. Walmart and Target). Finally, while trying to decide on a gift for my grandfather for his birthday, I picked up the book and figured: what the heck. I'll see what he thinks and I'll get it out of the library and read it at the same time. It'll give us something to talk about if nothing else. I thought the idea of a dog narrating the story was a bit gimmicky, but I decided I could deal with gimmicky to see if it actually worked for the story and I knew that my grandfather was a big enough reader that he's usually open to at least trying something new.

The Art of Racing in the Rain left me wanting... but not necessarily in the I-gotta-have-it sort of way. I just felt like the author had something good going and he spoiled his opportunity with throwing in enough heavy conflicts that the story felt a bit muddled. I realize life doesn't always throw one challenge at a time, but sometimes the joy about writing and reading is that elements may be added or left out and this is up to the author (and maybe the editor too) and it's important for writers to remember this lesson. It can be annoying when a writer doesn't give enough conflict, but it can be equally annoying when an author includes so much that the main threads of the story tangle together, rather than winding together to form a cohesiveness.

What were the strong points of the story? The narrator, Enzo, the most loyal and loving dog, has thoughts and questions much like any person, but there's enough dog personality to be cute-- i.e. playing the "dumb animal" card by intentionally chewing/peeing on certain things. The main character, Denny, drives and teaches about European cars for a living. The story also starts at the end of Enzo's life, so he's very contemplative and is able to give us a more objective look at Denny's life (and his own life too) because he can only influence the large characters subtlely by his actions. This perspective is one of a character with nothing left to lose, and thus it feels genuine. Also, the last strong point? It has plot... but maybe a little too much (is that possible?).

What doesn't work? The overwhelming conflicts. While the book has a lighthearted style, with Enzo pondering various trivialities of life, the conflicts suddenly become very serious. The mood/tone is awkward with the agenda and it's not like the tone is so different that we should take something away from this absurdity (i.e. A Clockwork Orange).

The first conflict is that Denny falls in love with Eve and this puts Enzo below Eve on the pecking order. The next conflict is that Eve gets pregnant and then has a daughter with Denny which unsettles Enzo because he doesn't know what to expect. Denny & Eve name their daughter Zoe. Enzo isn't so sure about the whole pregnancy process at first, but during the pregnancy he and Eve begin to understand one another and he helps her through the process while Denny is off driving with his work. Once baby Zoe enters the picture, Denny, Eve, Zoe and Enzo are the epitome of happy-- except that Denny is gone a lot because of his work. This brings on the next conflict: Denny's absence and Eve's unexplained "episodes". It's obvious to the reader that something is seriously wrong with Eve, but she's in denial and she pretends not to worry about it so as not to bother Denny.

With Eve's sickness and finally with her relenting to see some doctors, we find out that she has brain cancer. Eventually this denial ends up killing her. (No I wouldn't consider this a spoiler- because there are more conflicts to come!) In the meantime her parents have convinced Denny to let Eve and Zoe stay at their house to take care of both best-- citing Denny's travels/work as their reason. In reality, they've intentionally positioned themselves to become Zoe's legal guardian once Eve passes, especially because they aren't fond of Denny and they think their daughter married below her station. But don't worry... because if you were afraid that there weren't enough conflicts-- get ready for another one-- one that will potentially mean that Denny won't be able to leave the country and it will potentially keep him from winning the custody suit over Zoe...

Would I suggest this book? Yes, but with reserve. I had to laugh but when I talked with my mother about the book, because she suggested that anyone planning to read it should read the first few chapters and then stop, because it deviates from the charming beginning and this charm only reappears sparingly. Simply enough: it's a tease. The reader gets a taste of how great this author can be with his narrator's wit, but then he goes a different direction and it becomes a bit frustrating because the reader keeps hoping this charm will come full circle, but it only comes about 270 degrees... feeling like he simply got tired of being witty and he decided to cut out the wit and only focus on the story. Simply enough it feels as if two different authors wrote it; This should serve as a warning to aspiring writers about the dangers of losing motivation or losing the big picture when writing. Overall, I hate to be so hard on Garth Stein, but I've got a be a bit skeptical because I can't say that he's really earned his hard won fame just yet-- at least based on this sampling of reading.

Perfect for the Holidays: Pictures of Hollis Woods

This time of year is perfect for reading and this book helps make the coziness of reading with a cup of hot chocolate (or for us sissies: decaf coffee) even more inviting. Why? First off, there's plenty of snow and word pictures describing cozy, fire-warmed homes where hot chocolate is bountiful. Secondly, the main theme is family and discovering what "family" really means. Thirdly, there are lots of moments of selflessness and true desires for familial companionship. These reasons alone make the book worthwhile, but there's also a poetic or even artistic element to this book that compels the reader to take the time out from holiday shopping to simply SLOW down and enjoy the scenery.

I hadn't necessarily been looking for a warm and fuzzy feel-good read when I picked up Pictures of Hollis Woods at the library, but I had been thinking a lot about some of my students home-life situations, when this book's cover jumped out and grabbed me. A few things about the cover did this: 1. It's a Newberry Award Winner and 2. the image of a child's slightly fuzzy legs reminded me of how my legs looked when I was a kid- athletically wearing shorts and fuzzy enough to show the innocence of a child who isn't old enough to care about the womanly ways of shaving. 3. Lastly, the grayscale of the image created a feeling of isolation and a dreamy hopelessness.

When I checked the book out, our school librarian confirmed that the book was touching and a fast read-- which was exactly what my brain was ready for. I wasn't disappointed.

Hollis Woods is a "runner." She was found on a blanket as a baby and was named after the woods in which she was found-- thus, Hollis Woods. Her story bounces back and forth between two of her most recent foster homes- one with the Regans and the other with Josie Cahill. We find out as the story progresses that Hollis has some major guilt issues. She's convinced she's a bad girl and that's all she'll ever be. She can't come to term with the idea that someone may actually want to care and love her. Her struggle: allowing herself to be loved.

We also find out that she loves both the Regans (John AKA "Old Man," Izzy & Steven) and Josie Cahill, but she feels that she can't stay with either. She can't stay with the Regans because of "the accident" and while she loves Josie's whimsical ways, the agency has started to realize that Josie isn't with-it enough to be caring for children anymore. So Hollis does something drastic, she suggest to Josie that they go on a trip and Josie agrees. Hollis directs Josie through darkness and snow to the Regan's summer home, knowing that they'll be able to hide out there long enough to evade the agency and to decide what to do next. They spend their Christmas eating their remaining canned goods and apple pancakes in the company of Josie's crotchety cat, Henry. Hollis and Josie do their best to make merry by entertaining themselves with Christmas Carols and by drawing and whittling wooden figures, respectively.

As Hollis realizes she and Josie can't stay in the summer house any longer because of their dwindling food supply and lacking funds... she sets out to make a phone call to Josie's sister Beatrice and encounters her own personal "Santa Claus on a snow mobile."

I don't have the heart to spoil this book for potential readers, but I can say it's worth the meager 167 pages, which really feel more like 80 "real" pages. Just know that you may need to have your hot chocolate on standby as you have your life consumed for a few hours. It's so refreshing to read something about foster care that doesn't involve abuse and mistreatment. Also, while doing a little research about the book, it looks like there's also a Hallmark Movie version of the book, so this may be another option to share with the family if you enjoy the book.

Food for thought: Gaia Warriors

I happened upon the book Gaia Warriors (by Nicola Davies) earlier this week in our school library. I was feeling like I needed some serious fuel for my brain and fictional YA lit just wasn't going to do it-- but I lucked out and ran across this eco-warrior book targeted for teens.

Gaia is the name for the earth and all of its delicate life systems intertwined with it. Therefore, the book is urging teens to get serious about fixing Gaia by facing global warming head on. Gaia Warriors is broken into super-fast-to-read chapters, by starting with the basic science of global warming: essentially, the earth is getting warmer on average because the gases we put off trap heat between and earth and the atmosphere. There are some ways to decrease these gases (and therefore stabilize this super-heating process) and these include some of the basics we hear all the time: plant trees to soak up the CO2 and stop using so many fossil fuels for driving, heating, cooling etc... However, starting the book in this way, may have scared off many readers who may have found the science- particularly without easing into it-- a bit daunting.

The book does a nice job of spotlighting individuals the world over by interviewing them about their contributions (since they are eco-warriors) and it ties in how different cultures/regions are being effected and have been effected by the global climate shift. The book also shows how lots of little changes can mean large-scale changes. I especially enjoyed how the book connected various professions and how some professionals in these area have been using their skills to bring awareness to the topic and have helped cut down on use of resources. Some of these professionals included an architect, a lawyer, a fashion designer and handful of various scientists.

Toward the end of the book there are more resources to learn about climate change and there's a fabulous glossary that explains all of the basics of the topic. I particularly found the definition for "Cap and trade" to be useful to review exactly what this term entailed. This book would be a great gift- along with a tree whip (teeny-tiny tree sapling) for a great Christmas or even Earth Day present.

Overall, it reminded me just how much trees really can be the answer! It also made me wonder why it is that we don't all have roof-top gardens with solar panels for a little shade and small trees and veggie gardens to suck up CO2 and provide some basic veggies while they're in season..? And then I remind myself, "Be the change you want to see in the world..." and I know that once I get my rooftop, solar garden put together, then and only then, can I wonder why others haven't followed suit.

Divided about Something Wicked by Alan Gratz

First off, apologies for the delays in writing lately. I've been reading, but VERY slowly lately. I currently have three classes in the midst of writing research papers, which I absolutely love teaching (no, I'm not joking!), but this means that I find that I have less "me-time" than usual-- which equates with less fun reading and difficulty finding the time to blog. Nonetheless, I did finish a book recently: Something Wicked by Alan Gratz. This book is a sequel to Something Rotten (I also reviewed this about a month ago).

While Something Rotten is based on Hamlet, Something Wicked is based on the story of MacBeth. Both stories are told by Horatio, who was a minor character from the original Hamlet, the modern day Horatio, who tells these two stories, is anything but minor. Because these stories are based off of Shakespeare's originals, it's hard to decide how I feel about this interpretation because they are based loosely on the originals. Maybe we need to make a pros & cons list so that we can really see which side I think should win. (Maybe I have been teaching research papers a little TOO much.)

PROS:
1. This is a modern day version of MacBeth.
2. Horatio is a snarky narrator.
3. Horatio is a trustworthy narrator, minus his penchant for cute, smart girls. (This actually could make us like him more because we approve of his taste in women.)
4. The setting is on a mountain at a Scottish festival-- which tries to tie in the setting of Scotland from the original.
5. The protagonist is Joe MacKenzie (Mac for short) and he's dating Beth Weigel (hence, Mac + Beth.
6. People actually die in this book.
7. Mac is obviously being manipulated through sex; it isn't just an allusion to sex. He actually states that he acts in such a way to make himself more desirable to Beth.
8. Good guy wins; bad guy loses (Sorry for the spoiler, but you should have seen this coming if you read Something Rotten).
9. There's a "greed is bad" theme.
10. Some of the original themes still hold true: greed, murder, manipulation, mental illness...
11. Some relatively light-hearted reading because of the humor and the tone... the death seems campy rather than serious.
12. While it makes references to sex and death, it's pretty tame and could definitely be used as a teaching tool to introduce MacBeth or other Shakespeare.
13. Bonus points for creativity: MacBeth has now been turned into a murder mystery.

CONS:
1. Snarky narrator (Horatio) is so snarky that it almost feels forced. He's so cool that he isn't believable.
2. Horatio was a minor character in Hamlet and wasn't a character at all in MacBeth... so why in the world is he even in this story?
3. Not enough people die. Seriously, it's supposed to be a tragedy and it ends all hunky-dorey... not sure that I like this. It seems too sugar coated. Main characters that are supposed to die, don't. I think this influences the story in such a way that it's not reliable.
4. Horatio's girl dies, but it seems so out of the blue and Horatio seems so non-chalant about it that I actually thought I'd mis-read something for about three pages. I finally realized that it was just THAT random and it didn't seem necessary to push the plot forward and it didn't gel with the Shakespeare version.
5. Many of the characters names are borrowed from other Shakespeare plays: Juliet, Desdemona, Horatio, etc.
6. The main characters' names don't follow MacBeth, but a many of them are a attempting to connect with the orignal.
7. The character symbolic of Lady MacBeth doesn't commit suicide. Come on, we were all hoping for it since she's such a despicable character. It feels like a little justice was lost by her not offing herself.
8. Too many red herrings. Right away we know that Mac is the killer, but Horatio can't wrap his narrator-brain around this. It's annoying to have so many clues, but then just have to wait for Horatio to figure out how his best friend really was the murderer.
9. The tone is definitely not that which Shakespeare intended. MacBeth was meant as a warning against greed and manipulation. It is the thing that horror movies may be made of, but this version is light-hearted and even ends on a positive note.
10. This version will definitely not prepare students for the serious nature of the true MacBeth and if students thought that they could simply reverse engineer this version to have the basic names and plot points, they'd be sorely mistaken.

Conclusion: Overall, I'm torn. Read this book if you want something silly with a snarky narrator. Do NOT read this book if you're expecting Shakespeare's story. The connections to Shakespeare can be fun, but for a serious connoisseur, the unnecessary changes to the original story can be very distracting and downright annoying. I like to use such versions to teach comparison and contrast skills to my seniors. After being introduced to both stories, I have my seniors fix the modern day version by killing off the necessary characters and making sure that the same victors win in the end as those Shakespeare had originally intended.