Week 33: My Father's Dragon

My Father's Dragon
By Ruth Stiles Gannett

This week is our big kindergartner's spring break so I thought it would be perfect to share this week's book. The book was My father's dragon and I had completely forgotten all about this book until I saw it in my nephew's bedroom a month or so ago. I can't remember what grade this was read to me in elementary school but I remember talking about it at the Ben and Jerry's ice cream parlor in the village with my best friends. I loved when our teacher would read a chapter a day to the class. It would be my favorite part of the day sometimes.

Funny enough, in the beginning of my son’s school year, story time would be the only time during the day that our son would engage with his teacher. She would have his undying attention, when every other part of the day he wouldn't want to do what the other kids were doing, or would find it boring. Our son seems to being doing better now in school, but it has been not a great year with his teacher being not what you would like for a kindergarten teacher.

Back to the book, which is actually three different books but are one story. It's the story of the main character’s father telling him a bedtime story about the time he met and saved a dragon. The father meets all these different animals and helps them in different ways. It's just adorable and if you didn't read it as a child, read it to children and they will like it. I know both our kids would climb into my husband's lap and to look at the pictures and hear all about the dragons. I would definitely recommend the book.

Sorry this is short but two kiddos want to fight over who can play with the bat cave, Batman or the Dinotrucks.

Week 32: Heart of Ash

This week's book:
Heart of Ash
By Kim Liggett

The last few weeks I have been reading really deep dish books or stories that require a lot of focus. So I needed a break this week bookwise. I needed mind fluff. The sequel to a book I read last year came out and my pre-order came just in time to fulfill my mind candy craving.

This week's book is the second installment of the Blood and Salt series. I don't know if it's really a series with only two books, but whatever. The books are about Ash this girl that has kinda super powers and is in a weird relationship with a possessed guy that came from where her family came from. In the first book we learn Ash’s mother came from a Children of the Corn like place, and when Ash and her brother go to save their mother, all hell breaks loose and Ash falls in love with a guy that ends up being a poop (sort of?).

The second book starts with our main character without her brother and she is lost in life. She ends up going to Spain to try to find her brother. She is with her blood husband/partner/whatever you want to call him. She has to say she is her great great great grandma, because everyone is immortal. (Okay when I start explaining this plot I sound crazy).

I somewhat feel like this second book is trying to be a Fifty Shades of Grey for teens, without the dirty red room (yeah I read the those books like every other red blooded woman). I didn't like this book as much as the first book. It had a ancient old world creepy factor, which as the original book had a creepy farm/cult kind of feel. Both are filled with teen angst and I don't really dont do those type of books, even when I was a teen. If you have read the first book then you definitely need to read it to see where the plot goes, but otherwise use your own judgement.

Week 31: Alias Grace

This week's book:
Alias Grace
By Margaret Atwood

Hmm, well, I finally finished this week's book. I have had it since maybe forever. Ok, maybe around six months. I saw a trailer for the Netflix adaptation of a TV series and I thought that sounded interesting.

Last year, Hulu came out with The Handmaid's Tale and everyone (including my sister) went bananas about it. The Handmaid's Tale was written by Margaret Atwood, who happen to have written the book I read this past week. I’m assuming Netflix saw how well Hulu did with The Handmaid's Tale and went like “ Whoa, what other books did this Atwood broad write?” I don't know if it went exactly like that, but you get the idea.

I started reading The Handmaid's Tale back around the 2016 elections. After the outcome of those elections I was very, umm, yeah, no way to explain how I felt. When my sweet husband saw the plot of the book I was reading he said for the first and only time. “Yeah that sounds depressing as hell and you should probably stop reading that.” I did finally read the rest of the book about six months later. If you haven't already learned what The Handmaid's Tale is about, just imagine the whole world goes screwy and women are treated like baby making machines and people get killed for no apparent reason. Sounds super happy right? Surprising enough the plot was not the issue I had about the book, it was that Atwood doesn't really believe in punctuation. I never knew who the French toast was talking or thinking or whatever.

Well, I read Alias Grace, which wasn't as depressing, well it was still depressing at parts but not as violent as Handmaid's. This book is about a woman who has been in a prison/insane asylum for about fifteen or so for helping with a double murder. The thing is she doesn't remember anything about the day the murders took place. She in interviewed by a young doctor who doesn't seem that sane himself. It sounds like a cool plot, a young doctor trying to figure out if she is lying or crazy or whatever. Well, you never find out. Just like in The Handmaid's Tale, the last section is kind of like, “oh poop I have to transition from my cool idea to the end of the book, so here’s the next ten years in a few pages." Maybe it's just Atwood's style, but I was disappointed.

Alias Grace is based on a true story and so I guess I was hopeful, but it ended up being kind of boring and blah. I did get a kick out of the fact that Grace is quilting the whole time (which since I am a quilter myself I really enjoyed). Each section of the book is named after a different quilt pattern and there is a drawing of the block Grace is working on. I wouldn't recommend the book but I am still hoping the series is on Netflix so I can compare the book to the show.

Week 30: The Road to Character

This week's book:
The Road to Character
By David Brooks

So I have said in the past I have taken over the book group at my church. The books aren't really religious normally, we just happen to be people that all go to the same church. This week's book has been the book I haven't wanted to read since all the way back to when we were picking the books for the upcoming year. I was so sure I didn't want to read it that I got my first library card since I was little. I know as a book lover, and bargain hunter I should have always had a card. Well our local library has been in the middle of a block of construction for the past forever and they don't have great parking. Taking two kiddos down streets in the middle of a college campus where college kids speed and don't look where they are going is kind of my nightmare.

Anyway, back to the book. I didn't want to read it at all. But I volunteered to bring snacks to book group that day to force myself to read the book. Normally my age difference doesn't seem to matter to the group, I can still find value in all the books. I may be younger than everyone at the meeting but I will be able to put my own spin on the book or find one little gem that I can take away from the story the book is trying to explain. Well this book was not this case. I literally read it as fast as I could so it would just be done. I broke my cardinal rule which is if you are not enjoying a book/movie/show/craft, quit. Life is too short to waste what small free time I have on something that doesn't bring me joy.

The author is apparently on NPR, which I will freely admit I don't listen to. That radio station puts me to sleep every time. The book is about how we are a “me” culture and how we youngins are all about social media and how everyone had more integrity fifty years ago. While this would be a book I wouldn't want to read in general if that was all the book was about, but it's not. The author goes on to every chapter discussing different people that had character. It was like he wanted to write eight or so biographies but didn't want to write more then about twenty or so pages per person.

The thing I found funny (being sarcastic) was once I started reading it, the book was everywhere. The hardback copies at the local bookstore we're on clearance (wonder why?). Both my mother in law and a random woman when I was talking on a live Facebook video thingy had heard of the book and seemed truly interested. I apparently don't know what all the cool people are reading.

I have been having a stressful week with a little boy who has been slowly driving me insane and some disappointing news have both sent me into a poopy mood. I truly don't know if I would have enjoyed the book if I was in a better mood. I don't recommend this book. If you want to read it, maybe if you could explain why, that would be great.