October
Thomas Wolfe: "All things on Earth point home in old October; sailors to sea, travelers to walls and fences, the lover to the love he has forsaken."
October is bursting with personality. Green leaves have changed to deep red, bright orange or yellow. Mums and pumpkins add to the riot of color. The air is turning cooler, and we're reaching into the closet for scarves and coats. It's time to start planning the perfect reading list for evenings spent on the couch. Watch for new books by Marilynne Robinson, Jane Smiley, Jasper Fforde, John Grisham, Rick Riordan, Ina Garten, Amy Poehler, John Sandford, Jodi Picoult, Nora Roberts.
October is National Book Month, National Cookbook Month & National Reading Group Month
October Days
1 - National Book It Day
3 - Birth of Gore Vidal (1925)
4 - Birth of Anne Rice (1941)
5-11 - Great Books Week
Mystery Series Week
7 - Birth of Edgar Allen Poe (1849)
10 - Birth of Nora Roberts (1950)
11 - Birth of Elmore Leonard (1925)
12-18 - Teen Reading Week
15 - Information Overload Day
16 - Noah Webster's birthday (1758). In his honor, look up a word in the dictionary.
19-25 - Freedom of Speech Week
National Friends of the Library Week
26 - Birth of Pat Conroy (1945)
Death of Tony Hillerman (2008)
27 - Birth of Dylan Thomas (1914)
Death of James M. Cain (1977)
31 - Birth of John Keats (1795)
Death of Studs Terkel (2008)
*****
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Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Have You Read This Book?
Stephen King: "A proposal to ban books should always be given the greatest consideration. It's a scary idea, especially in a society which has been built on the ideas of free choice and free thought." The Bangor (ME) Daily News, 1992
Banned Books Week is sponsored in part by the American Library Association, American Society of Journalists and Writers, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and PEN American Center.
Banned Books Week *** September 21-27
Top 10 Challenged/Banned Books of 2013
Reasons for the challenges include offensive language, drugs/smoking, racism, violence, and being unsuitable for age group.
1. Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
3. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6. A Bad Boy Can be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
9. Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
10. Bone by Jeff Smith
Frequently Banned or Challenged Classics
1. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
2. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
3. Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
4. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
6. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
7. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
8. 1984 by George Orwell
9. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
10. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Authors Frequently Banned or Challenged
Mark Twain
J.D. Salinger
Judy Blume
Robert Cormier
Harper Lee
Maurice Sendak
Ernest Hemingway
John Irving
Margaret Atwood
Isabel Allende
Frequently Banned or Challenged Books, 2000-2009
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Alice series by Phyllis Naylor
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
The American Library Association provided the banned/challenged information.
In honor of Banned Books Week, I'll be reading Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."
*****
This post is dedicated to two journalists, in memory of their sacrifice:
Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
Nanu Nanu
Robin Williams: "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." from "Dead Poets Society"
It feels odd to mourn someone I never knew. But every once in a while, a writer, artist or actor will pass, and my world tilts a little bit.
On the evening of August 11, I was having dinner with my sisters, niece and cousins. There we were, nine of us, all talking at once in a living room. Nine conversations at full speed. Suddenly a phone buzzed with a news alert. After a few attempts to silence us, my cousin read aloud the news that Robin Williams had died earlier that day. The room became quiet, and disbelief took over. "Is it an Internet hoax?" "No way, he's too young." "What happened to him?"
For the rest of the evening, between stories of family and work, between bites of pizza and dessert, one of us would mention his death again and we'd all fall silent.
In the car on the way home, I thought about Robin Williams' appearances on David Letterman's Late Show, when I'd laugh so hard I'd lose my breath and start wheezing. The strange sweetness of Mork. His work with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal raising money for Comic Relief.
We're fortunate to have Robin Williams' comedy and drama available to us any time we need to laugh (Mrs. Doubtfire) or watch his transition to downright creepy (One Hour Photo).
Good Morning, Vietnam. Aladdin. Insomnia. Man of the Year. Night at the Museum. Jumanji. Birdcage. Law & Order: SVU. Dead Poets Society. Good Will Hunting.
I'll miss you, Robin Williams.
*******************************
There are books written by the funniest people on the planet. Caution: some memoirs can be quite poignant. Prepare for an occasional lump in the throat.
And this is a SHORT list!
Tina Fey - Bossypants
Whoopi Goldberg - Is it Just Me or is it Nuts Out There?
Jim Gaffigan - Dad is Fat
Lizz Winstead - Lizz Free or Die
Jon Stewart - Earth
Richard Pryor - Pryor Convictions
Bruce McCall & David Letterman - This Land was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me)
David Letterman - Book of Top 10 Lists
George Carlin - Brain Droppings
Jerry Seinfeld - Seinlanguage
Steve Martin - Born Standing Up
Don Rickles - Rickles' Book
Billy Crystal - Still Foolin' Em
Jimmy Fallon - Thank You Notes
Roz Chast - Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Carl Reiner - My Anecdotal Life
Mindy Kaling - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Darrell Hammond - God, if You're Not Up There...
Stephen Colbert - I am America and So Can You
Bob Newhart - I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This
Carol Burnett - This Time Together
______________________________
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to "Read With Enthusiasm." It's easy - look for the follow by email box at the top right hand corner of the blog. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you!
Robin Williams: "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world." from "Dead Poets Society"
It feels odd to mourn someone I never knew. But every once in a while, a writer, artist or actor will pass, and my world tilts a little bit.
On the evening of August 11, I was having dinner with my sisters, niece and cousins. There we were, nine of us, all talking at once in a living room. Nine conversations at full speed. Suddenly a phone buzzed with a news alert. After a few attempts to silence us, my cousin read aloud the news that Robin Williams had died earlier that day. The room became quiet, and disbelief took over. "Is it an Internet hoax?" "No way, he's too young." "What happened to him?"
For the rest of the evening, between stories of family and work, between bites of pizza and dessert, one of us would mention his death again and we'd all fall silent.
In the car on the way home, I thought about Robin Williams' appearances on David Letterman's Late Show, when I'd laugh so hard I'd lose my breath and start wheezing. The strange sweetness of Mork. His work with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal raising money for Comic Relief.
We're fortunate to have Robin Williams' comedy and drama available to us any time we need to laugh (Mrs. Doubtfire) or watch his transition to downright creepy (One Hour Photo).
Good Morning, Vietnam. Aladdin. Insomnia. Man of the Year. Night at the Museum. Jumanji. Birdcage. Law & Order: SVU. Dead Poets Society. Good Will Hunting.
I'll miss you, Robin Williams.
*******************************
There are books written by the funniest people on the planet. Caution: some memoirs can be quite poignant. Prepare for an occasional lump in the throat.
And this is a SHORT list!
Tina Fey - Bossypants
Whoopi Goldberg - Is it Just Me or is it Nuts Out There?
Jim Gaffigan - Dad is Fat
Lizz Winstead - Lizz Free or Die
Jon Stewart - Earth
Richard Pryor - Pryor Convictions
Bruce McCall & David Letterman - This Land was Made for You and Me (But Mostly Me)
David Letterman - Book of Top 10 Lists
George Carlin - Brain Droppings
Jerry Seinfeld - Seinlanguage
Steve Martin - Born Standing Up
Don Rickles - Rickles' Book
Billy Crystal - Still Foolin' Em
Jimmy Fallon - Thank You Notes
Roz Chast - Can We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Carl Reiner - My Anecdotal Life
Mindy Kaling - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?
Darrell Hammond - God, if You're Not Up There...
Stephen Colbert - I am America and So Can You
Bob Newhart - I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This
Carol Burnett - This Time Together
______________________________
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to "Read With Enthusiasm." It's easy - look for the follow by email box at the top right hand corner of the blog. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you!
Sunday, August 31, 2014
September
Mary Antin: "The apex of my civic pride and personal contentment was reached on the bright September morning when I entered the public school." from "The Promised Land"
Summer is drifting away and fall is creeping closer. Daisies and impatiens are moving aside for pots filled with mums and pansies. The evening air is becoming a bit chilly as the sun drops behind the treeline. It's time to settle into a new routine of school, reading, and shorter days.
New books:
Ken Follett - Edge of Eternity
Lee Child - Personal
Lena Dunham - Not That Kind of Girl
Kathy Reichs - Bones Never Lie
James Ellroy - Perfidia
Tana French - The Secret Place
Ian McEwan - The Children Act
Ginger Alden - Elvis and Ginger
Geoffrey Ward & Ken Burns - The Roosevelts
Carl Hiaasen - Skink - No Surrender (YA)
September is Library Card Sign-up Month & Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month
September Days
1 - National No-Rhyme Day
1-7 - International Enthusiasm Week (share your enthusiasm for reading!)
3 - Birth of Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers)
4 - Birth of Richard Wright (Black Boy)
8 - International Literacy Day
11 - Patriot Day; National Day of Service and Remembrance
13 - Birth of Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach)
16 - Anne Bradstreet Day. American poet,1612-1672. "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold." Questioned her Puritan faith as well as the role of women in society.
20 - Birth of George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones)
21-27 - Banned Books Week
21-27 - National Keep Kids Creative Week
22 - First Day of Autumn
22 - Hobbit Day (Thanks, J.R.R. Tolkien)
24 - Punctuation Day. Watch those commas and periods.
24 - Death of Dr. Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham)
26 - Birth of Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres)
27 - R.E.A.D in America Day. Celebrate Reading Helps Everyone Accomplish Dreams Day. Encourage a child to read each day.
30 - Birth of Truman Capote (In Cold Blood)
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to "Read With Enthusiasm." It's easy - look for the follow by email box at the top right hand corner of the blog. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you!
Mary Antin: "The apex of my civic pride and personal contentment was reached on the bright September morning when I entered the public school." from "The Promised Land"
Summer is drifting away and fall is creeping closer. Daisies and impatiens are moving aside for pots filled with mums and pansies. The evening air is becoming a bit chilly as the sun drops behind the treeline. It's time to settle into a new routine of school, reading, and shorter days.
New books:
Ken Follett - Edge of Eternity
Lee Child - Personal
Lena Dunham - Not That Kind of Girl
Kathy Reichs - Bones Never Lie
James Ellroy - Perfidia
Tana French - The Secret Place
Ian McEwan - The Children Act
Ginger Alden - Elvis and Ginger
Geoffrey Ward & Ken Burns - The Roosevelts
Carl Hiaasen - Skink - No Surrender (YA)
September is Library Card Sign-up Month & Be Kind to Writers and Editors Month
September Days
1 - National No-Rhyme Day
1-7 - International Enthusiasm Week (share your enthusiasm for reading!)
3 - Birth of Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers)
4 - Birth of Richard Wright (Black Boy)
8 - International Literacy Day
11 - Patriot Day; National Day of Service and Remembrance
13 - Birth of Roald Dahl (James and the Giant Peach)
16 - Anne Bradstreet Day. American poet,1612-1672. "I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold." Questioned her Puritan faith as well as the role of women in society.
20 - Birth of George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones)
21-27 - Banned Books Week
21-27 - National Keep Kids Creative Week
22 - First Day of Autumn
22 - Hobbit Day (Thanks, J.R.R. Tolkien)
24 - Punctuation Day. Watch those commas and periods.
24 - Death of Dr. Seuss (Green Eggs and Ham)
26 - Birth of Jane Smiley (A Thousand Acres)
27 - R.E.A.D in America Day. Celebrate Reading Helps Everyone Accomplish Dreams Day. Encourage a child to read each day.
30 - Birth of Truman Capote (In Cold Blood)
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to "Read With Enthusiasm." It's easy - look for the follow by email box at the top right hand corner of the blog. You'll receive a follow-up email to activate your subscription. Thank you!
Monday, August 4, 2014
August
Natalie Babbitt: "The first week of August is motionless and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank, white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color."
from "Tuck Everlasting"
Celebrate the arrival of August with picnics, chilled white wine, ice cream desserts, and trips to the cool library! On the shelves are new books by Chris Bohjalian, Amy Bloom and Stephen Carter. Look for paperbacks by Louise Penny, Margaret Atwood and Edwidge Danticat.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. I'm reading Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August" and Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front."
August Days
3 - Birth of P.D. James (Children of Men) in 1920.
5 - Birth of Guy de Maupassant (The Necklace) in 1850.
7 - Garrison Keillor was born on this day in 1942. No, he wasn't born in Lake Wobegon!
9-13 - Play Scrabble Days. Check those dictionaries!
10 - Read Hunger Games in honor of Suzanne Collins' birthday.
12 - In 1964, the world welcomed Katherine Boo (Behind the Beautiful Forevers) and said farewell to Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
14 - In 1949, Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) died.
18 - Bad Poetry Day. Choose your own worst poet!
10 - Ogden Nash (Candy is Dandy) was born in 1902.
17 - Freedom author Jonathan Franzen was born in 1959.
18 - Birth of Nicole Krauss (History of Love) in 1974. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes author, Anita Loos died in 1981.
22 - Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles) was born in 1920.
27 - Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie) was born in 1871. Bennett Cerf (Shake Well Before Using) died in 1971.
28 - Anna Karenina's Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828.
30 - Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) was born in 1797.
Natalie Babbitt: "The first week of August is motionless and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank, white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color."
from "Tuck Everlasting"
Celebrate the arrival of August with picnics, chilled white wine, ice cream desserts, and trips to the cool library! On the shelves are new books by Chris Bohjalian, Amy Bloom and Stephen Carter. Look for paperbacks by Louise Penny, Margaret Atwood and Edwidge Danticat.
This month marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. I'm reading Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August" and Erich Maria Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front."
August Days
3 - Birth of P.D. James (Children of Men) in 1920.
5 - Birth of Guy de Maupassant (The Necklace) in 1850.
7 - Garrison Keillor was born on this day in 1942. No, he wasn't born in Lake Wobegon!
9-13 - Play Scrabble Days. Check those dictionaries!
10 - Read Hunger Games in honor of Suzanne Collins' birthday.
12 - In 1964, the world welcomed Katherine Boo (Behind the Beautiful Forevers) and said farewell to Ian Fleming (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
14 - In 1949, Margaret Mitchell (Gone With the Wind) died.
18 - Bad Poetry Day. Choose your own worst poet!
10 - Ogden Nash (Candy is Dandy) was born in 1902.
17 - Freedom author Jonathan Franzen was born in 1959.
18 - Birth of Nicole Krauss (History of Love) in 1974. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes author, Anita Loos died in 1981.
22 - Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles) was born in 1920.
27 - Theodore Dreiser (Sister Carrie) was born in 1871. Bennett Cerf (Shake Well Before Using) died in 1971.
28 - Anna Karenina's Leo Tolstoy was born in 1828.
30 - Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) was born in 1797.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Welcome Back
Russell Baker: "Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."
Summer - what happened to summer? June is a fond and distant memory of being busy with classes, books, plans for fall etc... There was another writing class scheduled in July along with the dream of day trips and enjoying summer afternoons. However, during a visit to my hometown just before Independence Day, acute bronchitis took control of my family. Tucked back into our own homes (in three different states) we complained to each other via texting (it hurt too much to talk). We compared doctors' visits and temperatures. We coughed a lot. A whole lot. I missed my class in early July and spent the rest of the month in a tired haze.
A hopeful sign of better health around the corner was a renewed interest in evenings spent reading. And I was fortunate enough to have a leaning tower of books as company.
Nancy Jensen's "The Sisters" is a poignant story of an older sister trying to protect a younger sister, and the plan goes horribly wrong. "The Sisters" examines the power of family secrets and misunderstood actions.
The newest memoir by Gail Caldwell, "New Life, No Instructions" will resonate with baby boomers as Caldwell works through the universal question: "What do you do when the story changes in midlife?" Caldwell shares her own struggle with aging and making sense of a rapidly changing life.
The first book I've read from the long list of Kate Morton's work is "The Secret Keeper." Morton's character, Laurel, witnesses a murder, and as with many family secrets (especially in Morton's books) the truth demands to be set free decades later.
If you need to cool off and shiver with fear at the same time, check out these two books: "Winter People" by Jennifer McMahon and "Mind of Winter" by Laura Kasischke. I read them back-to-back over a weekend. If I had to choose which was the most gripping - "Winter People" would be my choice. Told from different viewpoints and even different eras in West Hall, Vermont, the story involves a mother's disappearance and asks the question - can we bring back the dead? "Mind of Winter" tells the tale of a young couple who adopt a baby from Russia. But did something else join them on the trip back to the United States? A snowed-in Christmas Day provides all the answers. If you still need to feel a shiver, read Stephen King's latest - "Mr. Mercedes." The novel is both unsettling and sad.
And just in time for back to school, read "Year of Billy Miller" by Kevin Henkes. It is a sweet, but not sentimental, story of a little boy's journey through second grade.
Happy Reading!
Russell Baker: "Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it."
Summer - what happened to summer? June is a fond and distant memory of being busy with classes, books, plans for fall etc... There was another writing class scheduled in July along with the dream of day trips and enjoying summer afternoons. However, during a visit to my hometown just before Independence Day, acute bronchitis took control of my family. Tucked back into our own homes (in three different states) we complained to each other via texting (it hurt too much to talk). We compared doctors' visits and temperatures. We coughed a lot. A whole lot. I missed my class in early July and spent the rest of the month in a tired haze.
A hopeful sign of better health around the corner was a renewed interest in evenings spent reading. And I was fortunate enough to have a leaning tower of books as company.
Nancy Jensen's "The Sisters" is a poignant story of an older sister trying to protect a younger sister, and the plan goes horribly wrong. "The Sisters" examines the power of family secrets and misunderstood actions.
The newest memoir by Gail Caldwell, "New Life, No Instructions" will resonate with baby boomers as Caldwell works through the universal question: "What do you do when the story changes in midlife?" Caldwell shares her own struggle with aging and making sense of a rapidly changing life.
The first book I've read from the long list of Kate Morton's work is "The Secret Keeper." Morton's character, Laurel, witnesses a murder, and as with many family secrets (especially in Morton's books) the truth demands to be set free decades later.
If you need to cool off and shiver with fear at the same time, check out these two books: "Winter People" by Jennifer McMahon and "Mind of Winter" by Laura Kasischke. I read them back-to-back over a weekend. If I had to choose which was the most gripping - "Winter People" would be my choice. Told from different viewpoints and even different eras in West Hall, Vermont, the story involves a mother's disappearance and asks the question - can we bring back the dead? "Mind of Winter" tells the tale of a young couple who adopt a baby from Russia. But did something else join them on the trip back to the United States? A snowed-in Christmas Day provides all the answers. If you still need to feel a shiver, read Stephen King's latest - "Mr. Mercedes." The novel is both unsettling and sad.
And just in time for back to school, read "Year of Billy Miller" by Kevin Henkes. It is a sweet, but not sentimental, story of a little boy's journey through second grade.
Happy Reading!
Friday, June 13, 2014
We'll miss you, dear Spot
Eugene O'Neill, speaking on behalf of his dog, Blemie: "Say to yourselves with regret, but also with happiness in your hearts at the remembrance of my long and happy life with you: 'Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved.' "
*****
Toddlers around the world have lost a true friend. Eric Hill, author and illustrator of the beloved "Spot" series, died on June 6. Mr. Hill was 86 years old.
According to Penguin Books USA, Mr. Hill first freelanced as an art director, graphic designer and illustrator before creating the Spot series. Mr. Hill had credited his son, Christopher, as being the inspiration for the stories detailing the mischievous puppy's adventures.
If you're ever at a loss as to what book to buy for a newborn or preschooler, consider "Spot." Lift the flaps, turn the pages, and smile as the little pup learns manners, goes on a walk, and bakes a cake.
My favorite Spots:
Spot's First Walk
Where's Spot?
Spot Goes to the Library
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