Goodreads Challenge 41-43

As the school year winds to an end, I get a little busier and have less time to read.  However, I did find some time to fit in a few more good reads.

Goodreads Challenge  43/85: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
In Cold Blood is every bit as riveting and compelling as they said it would be. Many call it the beginning of literary journalism, the first instance of the nonfiction novel, and just plainly a well-written book (every word is perfect). After you read this book, you'll want more--you'll look for the faces of the victims on the web, you'll watch the movies on Netflix. And you'll wonder--how did he do it? How did Truman Capote write such a detailed story from countless interviews and hours of research? As a former ethnographer, I really appreciate his ability to take a detail and form it into a narrative.  It feels like he was there witnessing every moment of the story. Lucky for us he did such a masterful job. The characters jump right off the page, and even the midwestern town of Holcomb, Kansas, becomes a character in its own right. I can now see his influence on later nonfiction novels, like anything by Tom Wolfe, or John Berendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Thank you, Mr. Capote.

Goodreads Challenge 42/85:  The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth
It's so easy to hate Nazis. Enjoyable book, lots of suspense, and I loved the details. And now I know how to make a bomb. The Odessa File was such an interesting read that I immediately watched the movie on instant-view on Netflix, and then surfed the web for information on the historical figures. Makes me want to read more WWII (and post-war) fiction.

Goodreads Challenge 41/85:  Magic Study by Maria Snyder
Magic Study is a nice follow-up of Poison Study, the first book in the series. I liked the detailed description of magic in the story--from a phenomonological perspective it delves deep into the experience of casting magic. Looking forward to the third book. Would give it 3 1/2 stars if it was available, especially for young adult fiction.

Goodreads Challenge 40/85: Frankenstein

As I'm knocking out the classic reads, Frankenstein of course was high on the list. I was miserable for the first third of the book. Why? Told in the voice of Victor Frankenstein, it was dry and blathering. The narrator Frankenstein has a tendency to "tell, not show"--so instead of describing actions of other characters, or himself, he is merely telling about his thoughts and feelings. This is okay once in a while for clarification, but it got really old. I understand that 19th century fiction has more description than action compared to modern day fiction, but the first part of the book is really wanting for the characters to do something.

The other thing that bothered me about the first part of the book is the lack of detail in describing the creation of the monster. This scientific creation was one of the things I was looking forward to in the book--yet Shelley merely glosses over it. In that subtle 19th century way of writing, she hints at the fact that the monster is made out of body parts. But there is no real description of how it's done. Again she drops the ball later in the story when Frankenstein attempts to make a lady companion for our monster. No details, just innuendo. 

Having said that--this is not what the book is about, and thankfully when the monster comes onto the scene, the book picks up--way way up. The monster is "persuasive and eloquent," tells a great story, and is far more sympathetic than Frankenstein himself. I love this guy! While the monster is skulking in the shadows, as a reader I hoped he would reappear to take over the narration from Frankenstein. The creature teaches us about the human condition, what love and pain and agony are all about, and what it means to be alive and/or human. I loved every scene with the monster. Unfortunately, part of the greatness of this book is the suspense--you wonder every minute when that monster is going to show up and kill another loved one of Frankenstein. Consequently the monster only shows up every so often. I'd love to see a book titled Frankenstein's Monster.

After the creature takes a major role in the story, the novel is totally engrossing. I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn't for the rambling musings of Victor Frankenstein.

Goodreads Challenge 31-39/85

   

Goodreads Challenge 39/85: Risk by Dick Francis
Dick Francis books are fun to read because the setting is always about horseracing. So, while you get a little bit of thriller action, you also get a peek into the world of racing horses. And in the case of Risk, into the world of accountants. A thriller about an accountant--who woulda thunk?


Goodreads Challenge 38/85: The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
Be nice to the animals, or else....


Goodreads Challenge 37/85: Silent Night by Mary Higgins Clark
I chose Silent Night from the library because I've seen Mary Higgins Clark books all over the place--the market, the drugstore, bookstores. Anyway I chose this because it's Easter and I thought a holiday book would be fun. And it was short. Reading this book is like watching a Bruce Willis action flick. Really not much substance but it's fun to read for the short time it takes to get through it. For some reason I had expected a mystery--this was a thriller. But fun just the same. The author makes no pretension of writing quality prose, and I appreciate that. Just straight-forward thriller.

                  

Goodreads Challenge 36/85: Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
Gosh, Robert Heinlein, I'm so sorry I was disappointed in your book Starship Troopers. I had been looking forward to reading it, and I really loved Stranger in a Strange Land, so I had high expectations. This book is often listed as one of the best science fiction books of all time. Well, this 263-page book had about 50 pages of science fiction (a generous estimate) and the remaining 213 pages was about the military. If the sci-fi aspect had been infused throughout the military pages it would have been a little more science fictiony. But it wasn't. It was just chapter after chapter about boot camp. And then about being reassigned from boot camp. And then officer's training. Oh--they did visit the Bug planet and kill a few at the end of the book, but it took a long time for us to get there. Another problem was this story was not plot-driven; it was more like a soldier's diary. I suppose if you are interested in reading stories about the military, Starship Troopers is for you. But it wasn't for me. :^(


Goodreads Challenge 35/85: Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
The Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter is like watching a popcorn movie on a Saturday afternoon. Good fun but not really Oscar-worthy.

Goodreads Challenge 34/85: The Library Card by Jerry Spinelli
The Library Card is a cute book, and well-written by Newberry-winning author Jerry Spinelli. One thing's for sure--I won't look at mushrooms the same way again.

             

Goodreads Challenge 33/85:  The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Why did I wait so long to read The Hobbit? I don't know! But oh my goodness, it's worth every star. It well deserves its excellent reputation and fan base. Of course I'm biased, being a hobbit myself....


Goodreads Challenge 32/85: The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
Now that was fun to read. The Warrior Heir has elements of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Rings, and Ars Magica -- all coming together in an event that could have been sponsored by the Society for Creative Anachronism. I'm looking forward to the next book!


Goodreads Challenge 31/85: You've Been Warned by James Patterson
Thank god this was a quick read because it was a painful experience.

Homework vs. Learning for Fun

Santino was sitting on the couch with his brick-heavy history book on his lap.  "Wow, Hawaii is closer to Australia than I thought."  "Hmmmm?" I said, barely listening.  "Wait--what I really mean is Oceania.  This is Oceania."  (holds up book)  "Really?" I muttered, "...interesting."  "Oh, and here's Guam! So that's where Guam is."  I barely paid attention to him as he gave me updates on his travels through the Pacific.

And then came the thunderbolt.

"Oh my god, Mom," he said, "I've been sitting here reading my history book for fun.  And NOW I've got to do my homework."

His homework is a nine-square grid describing the characteristics of the Lutheran, Calvin, and Anglican religions.  The graphic organizer he used was straightforward, I suppose, but kind of, well, boring.  I sighed in empathy.  "Don't worry, Mom, this is easy."  He knocked out the "community," "rituals," and "salvation" sections of the Lutheran church in about five minutes.  "There!" he said, "I'm one third done!  See Mom, it's not so bad.  I can do this really fast."

"Fast" certainly describes how he did his homework.  He didn't put much thought into it, although I imagine he didn't need to--he basically remembers everything he hears or reads, so filling out the chart was fairly easy for him.  But completing the chart was just a formality.  He already knew the material.  What was the purpose of this homework anyway?  Probably a chance to "practice" what he had learned in school so he would remember.  Well, in Santino's case that isn't necessary because he has that gift of memory.  But I imagine many of the other kids in his class might have needed that extra practice.

A more appropriate homework assignment for him might be--tell us something you didn't know about the Lutheran (or Calvin, or Anglican) church.  Then he will get online, surf around, and have some fun on the way to learning something new.

I'd like to be able to say to my students--for homework I want you to learn something new and then tell us about it tomorrow.  But I don't know if that will fly with my kids, especially fourth graders who need more structure.  Also I think it might be confusing for some of our families who come to expect those predictable worksheets for homework.

As we wind down to the end of the year, I find myself less enthusiastic about assigning homework than usual--and my enthusiasm was fairly low to begin with.  As my kids take their yearly tests this week, I know that I've done my job teaching them what they need to know.  What's the purpose of homework this late in the year?

But I digress.  Santino's finished with his homework (as I'm writing this).  How do I know?

"Hey Mom, is it possible to swim from Japan to the mainland?"  His nose in his book, he's found something fun to think about again.