Book Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I suffer from nontheateritis.  Many of us parents of young children suffer from it.  I rarely get to the theater.*  I've been itching to read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button since hearing that it's written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I got it from the library today and read it within an hour.

In case you've missed the movie previews, it's a fun little short story about a man that is born old and "ages" backwards. The natural first question seems to be "How was he born?" Well in the story Fitzgerald conveniently ignores that topic. For those not suffering from nontheateritis, how does Hollywood answer the question?  

I was pretty depressed at the end, as I read of the death of a "newborn" baby.  Sorry if that was a spoiler, but I had assumed that ending before opening the book.  It was a downer for me, and to pep myself up I plan to start the Harry Potter series within the hour.  It was a good quality read, though, so I'll recommend the short story to anyone.  

The time it took you to read this post, you could have read a third of the Benjamin Button story.  So stop reading mediocre internet writing and crack open some Fitzgerald.

*The past six weeks being an exception.  I went to Twilight twice with my sister.

The Little Drummer Boy

For two years now this has been my favored Christmas book.  More often than not my throat clenches up when I read/sing this to the girls.

Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
Our newborn King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
So to honour Him, pa rum pum pum pum
When we come.

Baby Jesus, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give a king, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The Ox and Lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum
Then he smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

When the drummer boy was told to "come... to honour Him" he quickly obeys.  In this holiday season this first verse quickly sobers me, as I question whether or not I am honoring Him.  

Often I feel like a "poor boy" too, with "no gift to bring, that's fit to give a king."  I am human and make mistakes.  Yet the drummer boy sees what little he has to give and offers, "Shall I play for you?"  

As I try to do what little I can, I know I am rallied with blessings and support just as "the ox and lamb kept time."  I hope that I can someday say "I played my best for Him."

Twilight: Confronting the Controversy

(This is my response to the questions on morality in the Twilight series.)

Reasons my children will be allowed to read the Twilight series:

Edward has qualities rarely idealized of teenage boys in media: chivalrous, commited, loyal, chaste, protective (to a fault) and self-controlled.

Both Jacob and Edward's family characters provide ample opportunities to teach lessons on putting off the natural man and controlling appetites.

The heroine chooses the mature, self-controlled boy rather than the less mature, unpredictable boy.

Premarital sex is shunned.

The heroine, as a married woman, shuns infidelity.

The heroine gets to experience the wonders of motherhood before the saga ends.

The Cullens are a "forever family." (Haha!)

My children will be reading.

My children will be reading something I have read.

The series can invite parent-child discussion about dating, marriage, making decisions, communicating with parents, good versus evil, disguised temptations, and fantasy versus reality.

The Controversial Twilight

I am not ashamed: I like Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

I have read the series three times to come to that conclusion. The first time I read the books quickly, intrigued by the plot. The second time I declared mature disinterest... but still finished the series. Then my interest was peaked when I heard of readers that didn't like my hero of the books, they liked 'that other guy.' So then I had to read the books again to see what they were so excited about. I still don't see.

Yes, I will admit that her language is nothing spectacular. She doesn't string words together in a way that leaves me awestruck; itching to read a sentence over again for the beauty of it. Sometimes the cliché phrases make my eyes roll.

That said, I think Meyer is a genius with plot and character development.

Masterful Plot
I am an avid reader and yet this is the first and only series I have had to buy the books because I couldn't wait to borrow. It's the only series I've read more than once. After the third book I was so frustrated that a conclusion hadn't been reached, I swore off the books. The boycott lasted a few months. From what I hear readers get through these books quickly, eager to see what happens next. What she lacks in vocabulary she makes up for with sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat plot.

Dynamic Characters
Have you ever heard of a romance novel where the readers are rooting for different prince charmings? It's rare. Usually we're all rooting for Mr. Darcy or... Prince Charming. It's typical to have the protagonist and antagonist... aka the good guy and the bad guy. That's how I read it the first time. But now I recognize that many readers see my hero as the bad guy. Meyer knows how to cater to her different readers, recognizing that we are not all attracted to the same type of people. I have noticed a pattern: many of the Jacob fans are the younger readers, while the Edward fans are older, often married. Perhaps some young Jacob fans could find their preferences changed ten years from now. Either way, I am intrigued that Meyers is able to create these round characters that trigger such a wide range of responses. For the critics out there, could you create such dynamic characters?

Speaking of critics, I hear some refer to these books as "guilty pleasures." Guilty because the hero is ridiculously chivalrous? Guilty because the boyfriend does NOT want the relationship to progress physically? Guilty because there is NO premarital sex? The moral standards depicted are much higher than most other media. Heaven forbid our youth should enjoy media that shuns premarital sex.

If I am guilty by approving of a male figure that opens doors, shuns long kissing, wants to marry his girlfriend, and is trying to live above the natural man (er, monster) in him, then so be it. My approval of Edward in no way lessens my intense love for my husband. It does make me relieved that my beloved shows no interest in drinking my blood.

Dear John: Book Review (Murmur, Murmur)

Today I read Nicholas Sparks' Dear John. I needed a light, happy, lovey read and figured Sparks would hit the spot.

It didn't. Maybe I should have taken more warning from the title. He set up a fairly depressing start, included abouted 20 pages of happiness, and then let it just roll on downhill. The literature, morals, and basic ideas are inspiring, but the story line is depressing. Here are some "highlights:" [Spoiler alert!]

• Boy finds Girl on a short two-week break, the best two weeks of his life


• Girl says she will wait for Boy while he fights in Iraq


• Boy and Girl spend most of book separated, teary and sad


• Girl marries someone else


• Boy comes back to Girl, finds her married to Dying Man


• Dying Man tells Boy, "Marry Girl when I am dead"


• Instead, Boy secretly gives up his inheritance and savings to cure Dying Man


• End: Boy still loves Girl, but walks away supposedly happy that Girl is happily married to No-Longer-Dying-Man

Sorry, now you know the end. Perhaps Sparks got enough complaints that his books were too unrealistic with their happily-ever-after-endings, and decided to throw us a dark one. Personally, I like depending on Nicholas Sparks for an occassional happy, lovely story when I need one. Darn.

P.S. If you have any good suggestions of nice, light-hearted reads (preferably fiction) please, please leave me a comment. Obviously, I could use some help picking books.

Book Review: Project Mulberry

I love Linda Sue Parks, and she did not let me down with this book. I read it two months ago, but it's still on my mind, so I figure it's worthy of a quick review. Here's what I loved: in between each chapter is dialogue between the fictional main character and the author. Intriguing? The main character complains to the author about her annoying brother and the way she wants the plot to go. Absolute genius. Who says young adult books aren't great literature?

Book Review: Saving the World

We are not alone. We are here together.

Julia Alvarez repeats that phrase throughout Saving the World. Recommended by my dad, I read this book while recovering from my herniated disk. Masterfully piecing her words, Alvarez writes parallel stories of two women, two centuries apart.

A personal message I received from the book dealt with the title. Alvarez shows that we, especially women, can "save the world" through our nurturing and loyalty to relationships. While the male characters take flamboyant and obvious actions to save their world, the women at their side do so in a more subtle yet powerful manner.

It's a long book, full of beautiful language and scenes. There are very few books that have played with my emotions, but this one had me choked up at the end. Partly because it was over. My favorite passage:

I suppose only an almighty God can see all of our differing stories. Only He can love each narrow, aggrieved, and petty self and applaud each time one of us, inflamed by love or enlarged by loss, manages to see briefly beyond the confines of our own self-interest into another's being. I see you. You are not alone. We are here together.

Book Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I'm desperate for good new titles, so I'm reading ahead for our book club. I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards within 24 hours. Yup, I couldn't put it down for very long.

One sentence summary: In the 1960's a doctor is forced to deliver his own twins, and makes the detrimental decision to send one away rather than raise it.


Since it's been a week, my initial observations are fading into the back crevices of my brain (yes, I'm sure that's anatomically incorrect, oh well). So I wouldn't even bother with this review... except that parts of this book keep coming back to me.

Specifically: I think Kim Edwards did an amazing job with the portrayal of postpartum depression, or depression in general. If you've read the book, or will be, I'm referring to the doctor's wife, Norah. That wasn't the main issue of the book, so I'm surprised that it hit me so hard. Edwards does a fairly good job describing the thoughts and motivations of the main characters, and Norah really blew me away. Maybe others can't relate, but I could almost understand and justify why Norah did some of the stupid things she did. I'm not going to add any more details concerning her portrayal of depression because it's just too complex, you have to check it out for yourself.

From reading this it would be easy to assume that the book is an overall depressing book. I wouldn't agree with that; I thought it was inspiring, thought-provoking, and had a fairly happily-ever-after ending. Edwards just had a talented way of writing about depression. In case you were wondering, she does find a way out of her depressing moods.

I briefly read up on the new movie based on this book. I hear it didn't do justice to the Norah-depression issue. So if you're interested, don't just watch the movie... try out the book!

I also gained a better understanding of the progressive views towards Down Syndrome. This was an excellent companion to my recent viewing of the highly educational and powerful movie, Music Within.

For those of you haven't read the book, you're probably lost. Maybe these thoughts will entice you to pick it up, or make you want to steer clear. Either way, that's what I have to say.

p.s. If you have much interest in photography you'd also probably appreciate this book.

Book Review: Princess Academy

This review deserves some little background info first.  

I'm a huge fan of Newbery Award and Honor Books.  They're well-written young adult books, so you get the great literature without some of the more heavy-duty adult topics and content.  I like almost every book with the silver Newbery sticker on the cover.  I picked up this Newbery book by Shannon Hale last year, read the first paragraph, and decided against it.  It's a fantasy book about a princess... at the time not exactly my cup of tea.  I think I was going through a historical fiction phase.

Fast forward to last week's Book Club and someone's mention of Shannon Hale as an author of "girl-power" books.  This peaked my interest, and luckily I have matured to an acceptance of fantasy.  (Ever since last summer, when I finally read the entire Harry Potter series a week before the last book came out, I have become a fantasy fan.)  So I read Princess Academy in a couple days time.  

Miri, the main character, was a little too "girl power" perfect for me.  You know those girls that have an unlimited amount of courage, and are constantly breaking the image and expectation of girls, without any negative repercussions?  

Private vs. Public

Yesterday I made the mistake of reading the first couple chapters of Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane. Ben Affleck directed a movie by the same name (based on the book). It's about a cute four year old girl who gets kidnapped. You can imagine how such reading can affect a mother of young children. It will now take me several weeks to cure my paranoia. I show very little humility in admitting that my children are beautiful! And I'm sure I'm not the only one. I know I am not the only mother who feels this way about their own children, so you can think I'm prideful if you want. I have yet to meet the woman who doesn't think their child is wonderful, although I hear they are out there.

I am fine with flaunting my children's darling images and talents online, but now I am wary of strangers' eyes. Before opening this book I had already been toying with the idea of making my family's blog private rather than public. My creative imagination has plotted a plethora of ways the unkind but intelligent stranger could dabble in stalking or identity theft via the innocent blogs of families. I feel that I have done a decent job of keeping Holmfeet void of elements that could be handy to the unkind. But now I will be doing my own blog "deep-cleaning." Our ultimate purpose of the family blog is to share pictures and videos with family. Since I am hoping to keep the blog user-friendly, and not all of our family have a blogger account, I'm avoiding the move to private. For those that frequent our family blog, feel free to cast your vote via comments.

Spiderwick & Maniac

I just finished these books in the last couple days. I do read adult fiction, but these both just happen to be juvenile. Still great writing.


The Spiderwick Chronicles Book 1: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi & Holly Black
An advantage to rarely seeing movies in theaters: I have plenty of time to read the book before seeing the movie (or not seeing the movie, if I dislike the book). Upon finishing this book I have decided I'm a fan. For my situation it's perfect. Each book is short and entertaining, so I have time to finish it in my "free" time and not lose track of the plot. I am a very recent convert to fantasy, but I love the "escape" it gives me from the real world. This book has a Narnia feel to it, but I think the series unique characteristics let it stand on its own. Stay tuned for the next books.


Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
It has been over a dozen years since I last read this classic, so I conveniently couldn't remember the plot. All I could recall was that the main character was a homeless boy. I figured the book would be depressing, and lately I have been putting down and shutting off depressing books and movies. But I felt that Spinelli kept this book light-hearted, a real feat considering the subject. He also knows how to create an image using words in a fresh, unusual way. Here's one sentence I liked:
"During the night, March doubled back and grabbed April by the scruff of the neck and flung it another week or two down the road." (Spinelli, 149)
Hopefully that doesn't happen this year!