Why I'm a Lazy Blogger Lately

So I've kinda been a slacker blogger lately. I've been sick. I've been tired. I've been lazy. And this is why: 

Baby Bird is scheduled to make an appearance April 7th :) 

Of Mice and Men

My first introduction to Steinbeck was Of Mice and Men. And I still love it. The tender story of two grown men, one taking care of the other, for no real obvious reason. Talk about friendship. George cared for Lennie. And Lennie, with his great big heart, cared too much and knew too little. 

Of Mice and Men touches my heart in such a special way. I can't help but love Lennie. I can't help but wonder if I could be as strong as George, if I could care that much. At the same time, I feel so bad for both of them. Such a hard situation to be in. All they really wanted was their own farm, all to themselves. They wanted to mind their own business and live their own lives, and they just couldn't. 

If you're familiar with Steinbeck's life, you'll know he had a terrible relationship with his first wife. I wonder if that impacted how Steinbeck wrote the character of the woman in Of Mice and Men and why he made her so evil, almost made her the antagonist. 

Of Mice and Men also brings up the important question of how to treat those with handicaps. Do we pretend they're not different? Do we admit they're different? Do we protect them from others? I don't know. Would being upfront about Lennie and his needs have given the book a different ending? Maybe. Maybe it would have been the same. 

I absolutely love Of Mice and Men, and it's so great because it's enjoyable on so many levels. It's rated about a 5th grade reading level with the Accelerated Reader Program, so younger readers can enjoy it too. It's one of my highest rated novels, and I highly recommend it! 

To Kill a Mockingbird

I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in ninth grade. We read it as a class, and, despite it being required reading, I loved it from the start. Mostly for May Ella. Is that weird? Probably. Too bad for you. But it's just such a heart-felt, touching story. The characters are so real, probably because they're based on real people. Regardless, they come alive. It's a great coming-of-age story and discusses many important issues. Race. Injustice. Judging others. Secrets. Addiction. Loss. And just plain growing up. To Kill a Mockingbird is an important novel to read, and it's worth every minute. 

I know most ya'll have already read it, so if It's been a while, I encourage you to read it again. And if you never have, go pick it up. 

Now here's some quotes for your enjoyment: 

"Naw, Jem- I think there's just one kinda folks. Folks." -Scout Finch

"Mr Finch, if you was a n----r like me, you'd be scared, too." -Tom Robbins

"A love story pure and simple" -Harper Lee

The Pig War

When I joined goodreads, one of the first things I loved, ya know, besides the whole thing about it being a website for books, was the giveaway section. For real? Free books? I was all in. Still am, if you want to send any my way! :)

The first book I received was The Pig War by Mark Holtzen. In exchange for the free book, they like the reader to review it. Perfect. I review all the books I read anyway! But since I did get this book for free, I took reviewing it a little more seriously than I would do otherwise. I read with more of an analytical eye than I usually do, so I will be pointing out things I didn't like or feel should have been clarified, but I do it with the aim of being helpful, not harmful!  It's obvious though the writing that Holtzen cares deeply about his novel and this story is dear to his heart; writing a novel is no small feat! The Pig War is a cute book, but it's obviously a first novel and just isn't quite there yet.

Our main character, Kell, has been marooned to the island of Mobray with his younger sister Grace to stay with their grandfather, who they'd never really met, as their parents are stuck in a foreign country. While on the island, Kell discovers an old revolver and ancient journal. While investigating their origins, he is directed towards The Pig War, which he'd never heard of before. [Neither had I!] In their research of The Pig War, Kell is set on a crazy adventure, and on the way, Kell learns about The Pig War, his aloof grandfather, and maybe a little about himself! 

The first problem I ran into with The Pig War, is that I didn't know how old Kell and Grace were. It made it hard to understand them as characters because I didn't know if their behavior was unique or stereotypical. The character development and consistency throughout was a problem. Kell and Grace didn't seem true to life. A kid like Kell is hard to find these days. At one point in the novel, he says he wanted to spend his summer doing "research." He doesn't say what he wants to research, just that he does, which I found odd. He just doesn't seem like any 12-year-old I know. [And I work with 6th graders!] Bookish, yes. Borderline obsessed with books and knowledge over anything else? I don't know. It made it hard to connect with Kell because I found him so stereotypical yet unreal. It almost would have seemed more real to me if The Pig War took place in the seventies or eighties. Folks were less distracted by electronics back then. It's almost like Kell would have fit in better back then, seemed more real. [Does that make sense?]

I also was unsure about the novel's demographic. I didn't know if it was written as an adult, for adults, looking back on his coming-of-age summer or for the young boys themselves. Ultimately, I decided that The Pig War  would be a good book for advanced middle school readers. It's strong on narrative, instead of action, which is more difficult for lower level readers, and the age of the characters would definitely appeal to readers that age. So it would be great for smart sixth graders. Unfortunately, my sixth graders are required to read novels with over 150 pages, so I can't recommend this to any of them for their school work. And heaven knows they don't read out of class! This also puts The Pig War in competition with the beloved Rick Riordan and Suzanne Collins.  

Overall, [oh, I'm so cliche! It's late, don't hold it against me!] I found The Pig War to be a good first novel from Holtzen, despite the fact that I read it like a draft. As previously mentioned, because I got it for free, I wanted to be as helpful and honest as possible. The Pig War just isn't *quite* there yet. Which, really, is good. Authors who succeed at their first novel (ie: SE Hinton) seem to go downhill, and I would like Holtzen to go up as a writer. We all want to improve in our endeavors. So, Holtzen, keep writing! And readers, at least give the back of The Pig War a read. You just might love it! 

Labor Day Weekend

So I've been kind of a slacker blogger lately! With school starting and then this stupid cold, 

I haven't felt much motivation to do anything!! 

Last weekend I went up to visit my parents; I was homesick for my mom and Jordyn! She's my best little bud. As soon as I got up to Mapleton on Friday, it was time to go to the football game. Ammon and his fellow Eagles crushed Payson, but I sure wasn't counting on the cold and the wind! Good thing Mom was prepared enough for both of us! 

Saturday Dad wanted to see a movie, so we went to the discount theater and saw Madagascar 3. Meh.

It was okay, but nothing special. Definitely a series movie & a discount theater see. Jordyn really liked it though, so I guess that's what counts! We spent most of the rest of the day watching Ammon's favorite show, Pretty Little Liars (yes, my brothers love gossipy girl shows. It's okay. We all do), and hanging out. Jordyn loves sister time!

Jordyn had also been wanting to watch Newsies, so we started watching that on Sunday evening. She didn't quite have the attention span to watch it straight through, and we didn't finish it, but she loved "I'm the King of New York." 

Monday was more family time. We ate at Pizza Pie *yum!* and did some pretend shopping. Then I headed back to Cedar before it got dark. We had a great little weekend visit!