March 2007 Book Challenge - Page 5

[Bufomander]

#47 Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

sci fi read for book club....

[cathe]

"Happiness Sold Separately" by Lolly Winston

Okay book. About a wife trying to conceive but when she can't, she shuts herself off from her husband. He begins an affair and she finds out - will their marraige survive?

[cathe]

"Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami

Read this for my book club which meets tomorrow. It's translated from Japanese about a loner college student in Tokoyo and the different people in his life. Not sure I would recommend this book - not really sure if I liked it or not but I think it will make for an interesting discussion.

[snozzberry]

#12 Having Faith: An Ecologist's Journey to Motherhood by Sandra Steingraber

I highly recommend this to parents and even anyone who's just thinking about having children one day. The book reads alternatively like a science book and a memoir, and I really enjoyed the marriage of the two. The "science" parts are done in a way that makes them relatively easy to understand, and they're interspersed with stories of the author's own experiences being pregnant and mothering her daughter in the first couple years of her life.

But what I most enjoyed about this book was the frankness about environmental hazards and their impact to pregnant and nursing mothers and their children, such as industrial poisons that wind up in amniotic fluid. If only everyone looked at things the way the author does, we'd have much safer pregnancies and children.

Here are a few parts of the book that really stood out to me:

• If our goal is to protect human embryos, we cannot afford to wait until we understand everything about how a chemical might inflict its damage.
• ...the presumption that heredity can account for many birth defects continues to this day, even though there is little evidence to support it...In fact, most of what is known about developmental abnormalities points to a much larger role for the environment.
• Besides, the sense of safety offered by bottled water is a mirage. It turns out that breathing, not drinking, constitutes our main route of exposure to volatile pollutants in tap water, such as solvents, pesticides, and byproducts of water chlorination. As soon as the toilet is flushed or the faucet turned on--or the bathtub, the shower, the humidifier, the washing machine--these contaminants leave the water and enter the air. A recent study shows that the most efficient way of exposing yourself to chemical contaminants in tap water is to turn on a dishwasher. (This surprises you?) Drink a bottle of French water and then step into the shower for ten minutes, and you've just received the exposure equivalent of drinking a half gallon of tap water.

She also recommends finding out what the Toxics Release Inventory shows for your community if you're pregnant or planning to be, so I'm off to do that now...

#13 Sold by Patricia Mccormick
An excellent book. I read it in about 2 hours because the main character was so engrossing, and I just couldn't believe what was happening to her. It was only after I read the author's note at the end that it really hit me though: "Each year, nearly 12,000 Nepali girls are sold by their families, intentionally or unwittingly, into a life of sexual slavery in the brothels of India. Worldwide, the U.S. State Department estimates that nearly half a million children are trafficked into the sex trade annually."

Upon finishing the book, I got in the shower and without warning, I just started sobbing. Here I am in my nice home with a hot shower and meanwhile, girls halfway around the world are suffering a life of prostitution and disease that they didn't ask for in any way. That's just not right. And I'm sure this happens closer to home more than most of us would like to admit.

I was disappointed that the author's note didn't include anything that we can do to speak out against this horrible practice. The author's web site does have some links to explore, though. I need to write a letter or *something*. I can't know what's going on out there and do nothing.

[WinterWillow]

Middlesex by Jefferey Eugendus - Awesome book!!! A+
The Pact by Jodi Picoult - Another really good book!

and currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

[cathe]

Snozzberry - I'm on the hold list for Sold at the library. Glad to hear it's so good.

[MamaBug]

#6 Jane Austen in Scarsdale by Paula Marantz Cohen

I liked this book very much and may even try to now read some of her older stuff. Very cute, though I did skim some of the more boring bits

amazon: Cohen tackled a Jane Austen plot once before, in Jane Austen in Boca (2003). In this novel, she pays witty homage to Persuasion-with a twist that wrings modern meaning out of the word-as she explores the lengths to which a high school guidance counselor goes to get her privileged students into college. Head of guidance at Fenimore High, Anne Ehrlich is knee-deep in worried students, demanding parents and the politics of college admissions when her old flame Ben Cutler returns to Scarsdale and enrolls his nephew in Fenimore. Anne's beloved granny-the only trustworthy relative in her family of self-centered social climbers-talked Anne into dumping Ben 13 years before, when he was a travel agency peon. Since then, he's become a successful travel writer and hooked a beautiful, worldly fiancée. Pulled back into Ben's orbit by his college-bound nephew, Anne can't hide from her long-suppressed feelings anymore-but she'll try her best by getting involved with grieving poet Peter Jacobson. Endearing and fun, this narrative will ring true for anyone who's had a peek into the madness of college admissions, as well as anyone who's been unlucky in love.

[cathe]

"Bread and Roses Too" by Katherine Paterson

This was by the author of "Bridge to Teribithia". Historical fiction about the 1912 mil workers strike when their kids were sent to New York and Vermont to keep the sheltered and fed while the parents were on strike.

[nancy926]

#24: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, by John de Graaf, David Waan, and Thomas H. Naylor

I read this a few years ago but it was totally worth reading again. Did you know that every fast-food hamburger uses up 600 gallons of water by the time it's made? That only 30% of recyclables are actually recycled? That kids under the age of 8 preferentially believe something a "well-known" TV character says, over what their own parents say?

Perfect time for me to read this, as I've been buying way too much "stuff". We've never been keep-up-with-the-Joneses types, but we are accumulating things, and dealing with those things (cleaning, rearranging, organizing, fixing) takes up way too much of my time. We're now in purge mode.

Nancy

[cathe]

"Drawing Lessons" by Tracy Mack

Nice story about a young teen who is struggling to cope with the separation of her parents. She and her father share art and drawing and she can't draw anymore when he leaves.

[snozzberry]

Originally Posted by nancy926

#24: Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, by John de Graaf, David Waan, and Thomas H. Naylor

Nancy, I LOVE that book! Glad to see another fan on MDC.

[***Heather***]

#20 When the Heart Cries
Sisters of the Quilt; book one
by Cindy Woodsmall

Fiction. Good. Love story about Amish girl who is in love with someone outside her faith. Kind of a Beverly Lewis type book but a little bit faster paced and not quite as sweet/innocent. Well, yes and no. It ended with a cliffhanger so yes, I'll keep reading to find out what happens to this girl. I'm hooked.

#21 The Brethren
Annie's People; book three
by Beverly Lewis

Fiction. Good. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but there were still some twists. Everything seemed to be fixed a little bit 'like magic' in the end, but still good. It was a good ending to the series. Wait, this is the last one, right? I might need to look into that. All the ends were tied up nicely, but who knows.

#1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, #2 Sacred Contracts, #3 Yummy Yarns, #4 The Face (Dean Koontz), #5 A Quaker Book of Wisdom, #6 Women of the Silk, #7 A Piece of Heaven (Barbara Samuel), #8 The 10th Insight (James Redfield), #9 Just listen (Sarah Dessen), #10 Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs (Clarke Snell & Tim Callahan)#11 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix #12 Living Dangerously (Katie Fforde), #13 The Whole Parenting Guide: Strategies, Resources and Inspiring Stories for Holistic Parenting and Family Living (Alan Reder, Phil Catalfo, Stephanie Renfrow Hamilton), #14 An Inconenient Truth (Al Gore), #15 Urgent Message From Mother: Gather the women; save the world (Jean Shinoda Bolen), #16 The Brief History of the Dead (Kevin Brockmeier) #17 Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince #18 Second Thyme Around (Katie Fforde) #19 The Red Tent (Anita Diamont) #20 When the Heart Cries (Cindy Woodsmall), #21 The Brethren (Beverly Lewis)

[earthluvinmama]

This is way too cool!

Since the beginning of this year I've read:

Homeschooling Our Children, Unschooling Ourselves by Alison McKee

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Connection Parenting by Pam Leo

The Drama of the Gifted Child by Alice Miller

My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

The Story of B by Daniel Quinn

Parenting a Free Child by Rue Kream

Currently reading:

The Explosive Child by Ross W. Green (re-reading)

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (alternating between reading and listening to the audio book with the kids)

Next in the line-up:

Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

[Bufomander]

#48 Sight Hound by Pam Houston

Fiction. Set mostly in Colorado. Main character's wolfhound, Dante, has bone cancer.

...many other characters step forward with their stories: two veterinarians; Rae's flinty house-sitter; her therapist, friends and lovers; and an anxiety-riddedn actor, Howard, who turns out to be as stalwart as Dante himself.

This was a good story. If you have relationships with any animals, I think you'd especially like it, but there's probably stuff there for everyone (I haven't had a pet in over 10 years.) Interesting to read chapters from three different animals' points of view.

Must share my favorite quote:

"Jonathan, you ought to drag your ass back to the computer because what you make there is the only thing about you that doesn't suck," and I know what she was really saying is that I'm a little bit of a genius, and that she loves me, and that I basically rock.

[Keeta]

Originally Posted by earthluvinmama

Homeschooling Our Children, Unschooling Ourselves by Alison McKee

I read this earlier this year, too, I totally forgot to include it in my list! It was really a great read, IMHO. Really helped me to get a sort of whole picture in my head of what unschooling could be and how great its potential.

Originally Posted by earthluvinmama

Currently reading:

Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

One of my favorite books of all time! I should reread it again.

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#14: Middle Passage
by Charles Johnson

My review of Middle Passage can be found here.

#1 Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, #2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Audio), #3 Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins: Authoritative Texts, Textual Introduction and Tables of Variant Criticism, #4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Audio), #5 The Summoning of Everyman, #6 The Marrow of Tradition, #7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Audio), #8 Billy Budd and Other Tales, #9 White Noise, #10 On the Road, #11 I'm an English Major – Now What?: How English Majors Can Find Happiness, Success, and a Real Job, #12 The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, #13 The Ox-Bow Incident, #14 Middle Passage

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#15: King Lear (Bantam Anthology)
by William Shakespeare
edited by David Bevington
anthologized in Shakespeare: Four Tragedies – Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth

My review of King Lear can be found here.

#1 Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, #2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Audio), #3 Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins: Authoritative Texts, Textual Introduction and Tables of Variant Criticism, #4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Audio), #5 The Summoning of Everyman, #6 The Marrow of Tradition, #7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Audio), #8 Billy Budd and Other Tales, #9 White Noise, #10 On the Road, #11 I'm an English Major – Now What?: How English Majors Can Find Happiness, Success, and a Real Job, #12 The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, #13 The Ox-Bow Incident, #14 Middle Passage, #15 King Lear

[NewCrunchyDaddy]

#16: Native Son (The Restored Text Established by The Library of America)
by Richard Wright

My review of Native Son can be found here.

#1 Beowulf: A New Verse Translation, #2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Audio), #3 Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins: Authoritative Texts, Textual Introduction and Tables of Variant Criticism, #4 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Audio), #5 The Summoning of Everyman, #6 The Marrow of Tradition, #7 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Audio), #8 Billy Budd and Other Tales, #9 White Noise, #10 On the Road, #11 I'm an English Major – Now What?: How English Majors Can Find Happiness, Success, and a Real Job, #12 The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus, #13 The Ox-Bow Incident, #14 Middle Passage, #15 King Lear, #16 Native Son (The Restored Text Established by the Library of America)

[shelf]

11. Mary, Mary James Patterson
12. Cross James Patterson

I am now officially caught up with all the Alex Cross books by J Patterson. I don't know if I'm going to stick with him and move on to the women detectives or try to find something a little different.

[cathe]

"Night" by Elie Wiesel

This was a small but powerful account of the authors experience in concentration camps during the Holocaust. (This is the man who was attacked recently because of his writings.)

I've read many accounts and they're all horrible - but this on was so disturbing - maybe it's because I read it right before bed, but I had nightmares all night long.