Saturday, October 28, 2006

Harmony in Conflict

by Richard W. Hartzell

First read in January of 2002.
This year we dragged the book out of storage since we're actually living in China. The book is still a great insight into Chinese culture and thinking. This time as we read it, rather than being surprised at the differences in culture, we found ourselves nodding and saying, "Yep, that's how it is." It's still one I want on my shelf.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


The Phantom Tollbooth

by Norton Juster

The Phantom Tollbooth is one of those books that I dimly recall from my childhood. All I could remember was the tollbooth, the protagonist's little electric car and the Dollllldrums. (It's spelled "Doldrums" but to pronounce it properly you have to draw out that first syllable.)(It also helps if you speak in a lower register.) I also remembered that I had kind of liked the book, so I was delighted when it showed up in my daughter's reading curriculum. When I finally cracked the volume, I first read the "appreciation" by Maurice Sendak. He truly does appreciate the book. Me, I was hoping that his assessment was accurate, but I didn't quite remember it as being that good. So anyway, I continued and discovered that the first chapters weren't quite in keeping with Mr. Sendak's essay. It told about Milo, a boy in New York City, who one day discovers that someone has given him a present. It's a little tollbooth, much like any other play structure that one can buy. Since it's a new toy and all, he eagerly assembles the booth and then drives through it in his little electric car. (Paying with the provided coins, of course.) He is suddenly transformed into a magical land, the Kingdom of Wisdom. From there he travels onward, visiting various prefectures of said kingdom, accumulating traveling companions and volunteering for a quest. Anyway, like I said, the book started kind of slowly. But things got better as the puns, excitement and morals began to build in intensity. While I never reached the level of Mr. Sendak's appreciation, I did enjoy the book quite well. It's definitely one to let your child check out... after you've had a chance to enjoy it yourself, of course.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Sunday, October 22, 2006

The Shakespeare Stealer

by Gary Blackwood

Despite it's klugy beginning, this one's a pretty good book. The premise is that there's this orphan lad, Widge, who's apprenticed to this odd doctor who had developed a form of shorthand. Widge is the guinea pig in this project and indeed is the only one who knows how to write in this unique script. Another man, one Simon Bass, reads about the good doctor's method and arranges to buy out Widge's apprenticeship. You see, Mr. Bass owns a company of players and he's looking for some good material that might increase their box office take. He's figured that rather than wait for William Shakespeare to publish his latest hit, Hamlet, he could just send Widge over to catch a performance at the Globe Theater and have him copy down the play. That way Bass' players can beat the rush and perform the latest hit while it's still hot. Of course, it doesn't work out so easily. Widge ends up getting more involved in the world of Elizabethan era theater and Shakespeare's company. It's a story worth checking out. As the tale progresses, the hokey shorthand premise is forgotten and a story of ambition and relationships plays out.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Mary, Bloody Mary

by Carolyn Meyer

When I picked this book, the next in line for my daughter's school reading, I groaned inwardly. "Not another renaissance book! I'm getting sick of the renaissance! The renaissance is overrated!" he said, swiping a line from Terry Jones. But dutiful homeschooling dad that I am, I read it anyway, bracing myself for another tedious account of betrayals and beheadings and other such royal shenanigans. I was pleasantly surprised. Ms. Meyer did an excellent job of drawing me into the story of young Mary Tudor, daughter of King Henry VIII and heir to the throne... until ol' Henry decided that he really needed a son and tried to divorce Mary's mother. By viewing the court intrigues through Mary's eyes--the viewpoint of one getting screwed over by all this royal b.s.--the historical story is given an emotional punch that made me want to finish the tale and root for the young princess. (It's only in the afterword when I was pulled back to reality and discovered that poor Mary had her own bloodthirsty streak.) Anyway, this is a somewhat strong tale for the young'uns, but one that makes the reader care about the people involved. Check it out.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Sunday, October 15, 2006

Luther

by Frederick Nohl

Don't be fooled by the cover. This is a biography of Martin Luther, first published in 1962. When the movie came out, CPH republished the book, illustrating it with a number of stills from the film--including the front cover picture where Dr. Luther looks like he's going to hit you with a big honkin' Bible. (Maybe they were thinking that it was a good way to illustrate what the Reformation did to European Christianity.) I wonder if it was an attempt to capitalize on the film to sell more books or if the book was meant to push the film. Anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter. This book is better than the movie, but not as good as Here I Stand which is a Luther biography for an older audience. This covers all the high points of Luther's life, but the writing seemed a bit flat. Many of the other biographies that we've had to read for school are much more enjoyable to read. I guess Sonlight curriculum just raises one's standards. Still, even if Luther is mere waiting room material, it does do its job and tell the story of this influential man.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Friday, October 13, 2006

The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin

This one's a cute little mystery, played out amongst an odd collection of characters. A self made millionaire, Samuel W. Westing has died, and instead of a traditional will, he has left a mystery. A game, actually. Sixteen people are potential heirs, all they have to do to get the fortune is solve the mystery of who killed Westing. By the bizarre terms of the will, each heir is partnered with another, none of whom are related to the others. So you get husband competing against wife, children against their parents. One refreshing aspect of the book is that you don't get the stereotypical animosity you would expect with a formula potboiler. Some teams are very competitive, some are quite willing to work with the others. Despite the anxiety caused by a thief and a bomber operating behind the scenes, you see a growth in many of the characters. So if you're in the mood for a quirky, light hearted mystery, check this one out. It's fun.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Leonardo da Vinci

by Emily Hahn, illustrated by Mimi Korach

Well, it looks like my daughter is going to get an introduction to historical spin. I've been reading through her assigned schoolbooks, and a couple of days ago I finished The Second Mrs. Giaconda, a story based on the life of Leonardo da Vinci. This current book is next on the reading list and is a more conventional biography of the man. The names are the same, but the personalities and relationships must have been changed to protect the innocent or something. The Giaconda book presents a cast of mostly likeable characters. The Leonardo biography, in contrast, portrays most of those folks rather negatively. Even Leonardo himself is shown to be a bit of a loser. One can't help but portray him as a genius, of course, but in the biography he comes across as a man hungering for recognition and struggling to pay the bills. So which book is right? I haven't a clue. I'd have to do my own historical research to find out who's playing spinmeister and who (if anyone) is playing straight. (My guess would be that this book is more accurate, but that just shows my bias to trust a book labeled non-fiction over a fictional one.) Anyway, such questions aside, Leonardo da Vinci is a nice, simple biography of one of history's greatest thinkers. It's not a book I devoured eagerly, but would certainly serve as waiting room material.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Saturday, October 07, 2006

The Second Mrs. Giaconda

by E. L. Konigsburg

This is another fictional tale about the lives of historical people--in this case Leonardo da Vinci and his servant, Salai. Salai is only known through a few references in Leonardo's papers. The earlier ones refer to him as a thief and general scoundrel, the later ones have Leonardo giving him money and remembering him in his will. Ms. Konigsburg weaves a tale in an effort to connect the two faces of Salai and, more importantly, to try gain some insight on what the mind of one of the greatest geniuses of history was like. It's a nice book, but in the end I fell like rating it as waiting room material. I don't know if it's just because today's a rainy day and I'm feeling somber, or if maybe I've just been reading too much historical fiction.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Friday, October 06, 2006

Shadow of a Bull

by Maia Wojciechowska

This one's the tale of a matador in the making. Manolo Olivar is nine years old, the son of a famous bullfighter who was killed when Manolo was three. Everybody in his town is expecting him to follow in his father's footsteps, to bring glory back to his community. A group of bullfighting experts take him under their collective wing and start preparing him for his first match, to be held when he's twelve--just like his father. The question is, does Manolo want to be like his father? To the book's credit, it is not an easy question to answer. Manolo struggles with the question, all the while as he is being pushed along to a future others have chosen for him. It's a well written book that does a good job of expressing the thoughts and feelings of the characters and making the art of bullfighting come alive. My kneejerk reaction is to consider the sport cruel and bloodthirsty, but the story made me understand and halfway appreciate the views of the aficionados. It's a book y'all should check out.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


Wednesday, October 04, 2006

I, Juan de Pareja

by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino

This is enjoyable biography of a noble and compassionate man, a slave who overcame the obstacles in his life to become a great painter. Unfortunately, it's not true. Well, I should say it's based on reality, but like the author herself says, "very little, for certain is known about [Juan de Pareja]." What is known is that Sr. Pareja was a slave, and was inherited by the great Spanish artist Diego Velázquez. We also know that Sr. Pareja became a painter, despite the fact that a slave was forbidden to do so under Spanish law. Ms. Trevino creatively fills in the gaps giving us a tale of what it might be like to be the slave of a great artist. While it isn't true history, it's good reading. You might as well check it out since she's gone to all the trouble to write it.
LibraryThing link

Labels:


This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Subscribe to Posts [Atom]