What I Thought About All of the Books I Read for Book Club This Year

You all know how much I love my book club. I joined it back when Aaron was just a toddle, and I have only missed a handful of meetings since then (even a scheduled induction the very next day couldn't keep me away). 

Four years ago, our book club was struggling to stay afloat. Although many people were on the list and received the emails about the meetings, only four of us read and discussed the book with any regularity. In a bold move, we decided the book club could use a revamp. 

We curated a group of women who were avid and dedicated readers, came up with a yearly outline of genres, and even drew up a list of rules like the true nerds we were.

And thus, the "scary" book club was born.

It has been so good for my soul. I love these smart, classy women so much. I love that no matter what we choose, people will actually read it and come to the meeting with sticky notes, tabs, background insights, and underlined sections ready to dive deep and discuss. It is everything I could have asked for in a book club.

Like most things this year, our little book club suffered because of the pandemic. We did our first zoom meeting in March during the week that everything shut down. (I can still remember when my friend sent out the group text that said, "Should we zoom this week instead?" And I said, "What's zoom?" Oh, my poor little naive self.)

At the time, we thought a virtual meeting would be a one, possibly two, time exception. But month after month, the texts continued to say the same thing, "See you on zoom on Thursday!"

I'm not going to say that virtual meetings were an acceptable replacement to the real thing. Please. Half the fun is getting together and snacking on delicious treats. Without this element, it felt much more like work or an assignment than in the past. Besides that, the stress of daily life caused many members to lose their reading mojo, especially if the book involved a difficult subject. 

But we did it. As we had our final meeting of the year last week, I looked over the thirteen squares on my computer screen, and I felt this sense of extreme pride. My book club can survive a pandemic! 

I thought it might be fun to look back over everything we read this year and reminisce just a little. I'd love to know if you've read any of these, either with a book club or solo. 

January: Lovely War by Julie Berry (Fiction) 5/5

Out of everything I read this year, this one is my top pick for 2020. So either everything went downhill from there, or it just kicked off a really great year of reading. I choose to think the latter. The best part was that I really had no idea I would like it so much. I knew very little about it going into it, except that Greek gods were somehow involved. Having never really enjoyed Greek mythology that much, I can't say that was a very big selling point for me. But somehow, that ended up being one of my favorite parts and elevated the story from just another World War I/II story to something really special. I wrote a whole review of it here, but basically it gets all of the praise, gold stars, and highest recommendations from me. 

February: Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (Relationship) 4/5

In February, we like to choose a book that focuses on relationships. It's kind of our nod to Valentine's Day without being overly sappy. We've read quite the variety of books, from nonfiction to fiction, over the years, and I always like examining them through the lens of relationships, which puts a slightly different spin on things from a typical discussion. Cold Sassy Tree was rich in relationships--romantic, familial, and friendship. I had never read it before and knew pretty much nothing about the plot. I loved the voice of the 14-year-old narrator, which was accurate and uncomfortable at the same time. The story unfolded in the most surprising way, and there was so much to discuss when we all gathered together (our last "real" gathering of the year). Full review is linked here.

March: Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson (Memoir) 3/5

Okay, let's get one thing straight from the beginning. This book is not a memoir (unless children who spontaneously go up in flames is part of someone's reality). But we read it for what was supposed to be a memoir month. The book that was originally slated for March was H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald (which is indeed a memoir). However, in the weeks leading up to it, no one could dredge up any enthusiasm for it (even though we had all voted for it). We decided to make a last minute change--because sometimes that just feels right, and it's our book club so we get to make the rules. I felt like we should go with one of the other memoir choices for the month (because even if we make our own rules, I am still a rule follower at heart, and this was our memoir month). However, the majority of the members wanted to read Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson, which was a runner-up for July, our wild card month. And now, looking back, I find it eerily appropriate that we decided to read about a combustible set of twins during this month that set off our dumpster fire of a year.

 

April: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Classic) 5/5

This was the only book on this year's list that I had read before, but it was an absolute pleasure to return to it. I read it aloud to my kids, and we enjoyed every page. They loved Dickon (who doesn't?), and I loved Mrs. Sowerby (a worthy mentor if ever there was one). After we finished, we watched the 1993 movie, which was equally delightful. I was so grateful for the chance to reread this beloved classic and share it with my kids. Also, in my humble opinion, April is, and always will be, the best month in which to read this book. 

May: Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo (Middle Grade/Juvenile) 4/5

This happened to be the month that I was in charge of. The three books I originally recommended were The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman, Front Desk by Kelly Yang, and Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo. I think any of those would have made for a great discussion, but you just can't go wrong with Kate DiCamillo. Her tight prose and deep themes just never disappoint. I quite enjoyed jotting down potential questions while I was reading this book and considering different angles. But ask me how much I like leading a discussion over zoom. (Answer: not so much.) I have since read the second book in this trilogy, Louisiana's Way Home and enjoyed it just as much or even more. The third one, Beverly Right Here, has been checked out from the library twice, and I hope to make it a priority soon. 

June: Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice by Bill Browder (Nonfiction) 3/5

As much as everyone at book club thought this story was fascinating, one of the things we couldn't seem to get past was the author's rather egotistical voice as well as some of his sexist comments. We spent a good ten minutes bashing him before moving onto the actual events that made this story so compelling. The funny thing is when I mentioned this indignation to Mike (who I had convinced to read the book), he was surprised by our reaction. He hadn't picked up on it at all, probably because he's a man. Regardless, this was a book that connected a lot of dots in the world news for me, and I've recommended it to my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and brother, so obviously I was able to overcome my personal grievances.

July: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb (Wild Card) 4/5

"Wild Card" is not an actual genre but we always dedicate one month out of the year to catch any books that don't fit into another category or that are just about something a bit unusual. Although this book definitely could have fit into our "memoir" or "nonfiction" months, its format was out of the ordinary. It was a mix of the author's own experiences in therapy, insights and techniques from being a therapist, and the contrasting experiences of her clients. I really loved the narrative style and the way the stories intertwined with one another. And it was really helpful to get the perspective of both client and therapist from one voice. Book club consisted of people swapping their own therapist stories alongside comments about the actual book. I felt like I didn't have much to contribute since I've never been to a therapist. But this book convinced me that I probably should. 

August: When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin (Fiction) 2.5/5

This was a bit of an uncomfortable read for me. I found it over the top in so many ways: too saccharine, too predictable, too sentimental, too preachy, too lofty, too dramatic. But the whole time I was reading it, I was thinking about the person who was leading the discussion in August; she had put in a major plug for this book when she said it was one of her favorites. Books are so personal, and I didn't know how I was going to be able to share my honest opinion without sounding offensive. But in the end, I didn't need to worry. This woman reread it in preparation for leading the discussion, and it didn't hold up for her on a second reading. She came to many of the same feelings as the rest of us, so we were able to just all briefly agree on that and then get down to discussing the intricacies of the plot. Sometimes the best discussions end up being for the books I didn't love.

September: Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know by Malcolm Gladwell (Nonfiction) 3.5/5

I always love Malcolm Gladwell, and this book was absolutely fascinating, as I expected. Unfortunately, it depressed me quite a bit. The basic premise was that we, as humans, are not the best judges of character. We give credibility to certain cues, attributes, and characteristics that often actually lead us astray. Most of the stories Gladwell chose to illustrate these scenarios were intense and graphic and really disturbing. I already have a skeptical personality, but this book made me distrust even my closest friends and family members. This was not Gladwell's intent, but that was the effect it had on me. Still, it made for a really good book club discussion, and I've mostly recovered from reading it, haha. 

October: Beloved by Toni Morrison (Mystery/Suspense) 4/5

I know this is on many high school reading lists, but I somehow missed it until now. I'm not going to lie--it was a slow start for me. And even once it got going and I really started loving it, there were still moments when a description was a bit cryptic or the setting changed abruptly or the writing style moved into free verse, and I felt a little like I was floundering again before I regained my footing. The story was intense and heartbreaking and vacillated between the real and imagined. During our discussion, there were many questions of, "Do you think this really happened?" and "Was this person real?" It was a bit mystical, which made the harder subject slightly easier to cope with, and I almost had a sense of floating through this story, which was quite lovely. 

November: Star of the North by D.B. John (Historical Fiction) 4/5

I almost didn't read this book because I honestly didn't know if I could handle a book about North Korea right now. Plus, I had been really diligent about reading everything else this year, so I thought I could take a pass if I wanted to. But man, my upholder personality runs strong, and since I didn't have a good reason not to, I felt like I should at least give it a chance. I'm so glad I did. Although reading about North Korea did not exactly make me feel warm and fuzzy inside, the premise of a young woman being kidnapped off the coast of South Korea and her twin sister then sacrificing everything to find her was so captivating. Even though much of the book is based on real information about North Korea (I was shocked to find out that the seed bearing program referenced in the book was a real thing), the tone of the book felt more like a thriller than something that could actually happen. Because of that, it was more escapist than I was anticipating, and that ended up being a good thing.  

December: Annual planning and book exchange

Our meeting in December is used to plan out the schedule of books for the following year. Everyone claims a genre and then comes to the meeting with three choices. A summary of each book is given, and then we all vote on which one we'd like to read for that month. It is like Christmas for book lovers because not only do we get the eleven books for the year but also the twenty-two runners-up. After each spot has been filled, we have a little book exchange where we each give and receive a new book. This year, I brought As Bright as Heaven (but if I hadn't read it for this book club, I probably would have brought Lovely War). It makes me happy looking over our list of picks for 2021. No matter what the year brings, I have a feeling it's going to be a good year of reading. 

What We're Listening to Right Now #8

I kind of can't believe it, but I think it's been nearly two years since I last shared a roundup of what my family is currently listening to. Maybe some of you don't even remember that this used to be a somewhat regular feature. But I've got some good ones to share with you today, and I hope you'll share your recent favorites in the comments.

1. The Greatest Showman soundtrack
First up, it's the soundtrack that everyone is listening to. In fact, it seems silly to even include it because is there even anyone out there who hasn't heard of it? Nope, no one. But seriously, I couldn't make a list of our current favorites and not include this one because we have listened to it countless times in the last four months. In fact, sometimes we even have it going in two different locations at the same time. We're hard core fans here. Mike and I saw the movie first; then we bought the soundtrack and our kids fell in love with the music; and then after they'd memorized all of the lyrics, they finally saw the movie. They liked it, but in the words of Aaron, "It was different than I was expecting." Having grown up on the musicals of the 40's and 50's, I'm pretty happy that musicals seem to be making a comeback. There's just nothing like getting up and dancing in the middle of a movie because you just can't help yourself.

Favorite song: A Million Dreams (but it's an almost impossible choice)

2. Tour Guide by Cheri Magill*
This is a new-to-me artist, but it turns out she lives just a hop, skip, and a jump down the road from me, which means we could theoretically be best friends, right? And after listening to each one of these songs, which is dedicated to a different aspect of motherhood, I'm convinced that Cheri Magill has been to my house, met my kids, seen the way I mother, and wrote these songs just for me. I mean, one of the lines is even, "If I had a dime for every Lego I've picked up," and if that doesn't describe my situation in this house full of boys, I don't know what does. Some of the songs (like "Crazy") are about the funny or exasperating moments of motherhood, but others (like "Unconditionally") will just make you weep and pull your kids in close and smother them with kisses because you'll just feel so lucky and blessed to be their mom . Cheri Magill's style is light and sweet and very simply adorned, exactly like sun-kissed wildflowers. She actually reminds me a lot of Mindy Gledhill, which you know is high praise from me. I know Mother's Day is eleven months away, but bookmark this one for next year because I can't think of a better soundtrack to celebrate the joys of motherhood with. And in the meantime, just listen to it.

Favorite song: "Tour Guide" (mostly because I already mentioned two of my other favorites above, and the idea of a mom being a tour guide through life is just so clever)

3. Newsies soundtrack
I can't remember what made us decide to show Newsies to our kids, but we did, and they loved it. Well, truthfully, the story went a little over some of their heads, but not the music. The music resonated deep in their souls and made them all want to go out and join a cause. Haha, not really. But it at least makes them attack their chores with a vengeance on Saturday mornings. Aaron, Maxwell, and Bradley loved the music so much that they purchased the soundtrack with their own money and split the cost three ways. Our favorite local theater is putting on Newsies this summer, and so we're taking the three older boys to see it as a reward for working on their summer goals. They're already counting down the days.

Favorite song: "Once and For All" (although, as I'm writing this, Clark literally has "Seize the Day" on repeat)

4. Circle Round podcast
I know I've shared at least two other stories podcasts here before (one was the Stories podcast, the other was Sailaway Stories (which is no longer producing new episodes)). But one can never have too many stories (especially on road trips), so this one should definitely be added to your queue. It focuses on folk tales and legends from all around the world. The narration is excellent and the episode always includes some music. It is a professional, high-quality program in every way, and I am happy to put it on when we need a little motivation to go out and run errands.

Favorite episode: "The Hat, the Horn, and the Purse"

5. The Piano Guys
Okay, I'm old. I can still remember when "The Piano Guys" was literally just one piano guy--Jon Schmidt. That was long before Steven Sharp Nelson brought in his cello or they started traveling all over the world and playing their instruments against dramatic backdrops. I bought his first collection of piano solos when I was probably fourteen and memorized "All of Me," mostly because it was the first piece I'd ever played that gave me permission to smash my arm onto the keys. Recently though, probably in the last year or so, my kids have become die-hard fans of the current group. They love to watch all of their YouTube videos, and we own a couple of their albums (and Aaron has requested another one for his birthday). It's just the perfect mix of classic sophistication and upbeat fun.

Favorite song: "Cello Wars" (at least, that is my kids' favorite, but maybe not mine)

6. Summer 2018 Playlist
Last year, we compiled a summer playlist for the first time, and it was one of the highlights of the summer. We burned it onto a couple of CDs, and we listened to it almost constantly for three solid months. Sure, we were a little sick of it by the end, but it was the soundtrack of our summer, and even now, if I hear a song that was on it, it takes me right back to some of our adventures. So of course, we had to do it again this year. Each member of the family got to choose one song, and then I filled in the rest (because I'm the mom, and I can only listen to Imagine Dragons so much). I have to say, I'm pretty much in love with it. It's fun and diverse and just captures where we're at in life right now. Here are the songs that are included on it (and if someone personally selected it, I've put their name in parentheses).

1. "Ride" from Cars 3
2. "Everything Everything" from Born in China
3. "Thunder" by Imagine Dragons (Bradley)
4. "Up and Up" by Cold Play (Mike)
5. "Hot Air Balloon" by Owl City
6. "Seize the Day" from Newsies
7. "Believer" by Imagine Dragons (Maxwell)
8. "Son of Man" from Tarzan (Clark)
9. "Paradise" by Cold Play
10. "Whatever It Takes" by Imagine Dragons (Aaron)
11. "Cruisin'" by Colbie Caillat
12. "Better Together" by Jack Johnson
13. "Whole Wide World" by Mindy Gledhill
14. "Someday" by Michael Buble
15. "Sunshine on My Shoulders" by John Denver (Amy)

Favorite song: Well, obviously, they're all favorites because we hand selected each one.

And that's what's playing at our house lately. How about at yours? (Hopefully I won't let another two years go by before I share again!)

*I received a copy of Tour Guide, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

What I Read in April

Technically, April isn't quite over, but it's close enough that I know I'm not going to finish any more books before midnight tonight. So here's what I read this month:

1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
I decided I wanted to read this book to my kids (even though Aaron had already read it himself) since the movie was coming out. But then, everything I've heard about the movie has been incredibly lame, so we have not rushed out to see it, but I'm still glad we read the book.

I know I read this book when I was a child, but I only remembered two things from it: Charles Wallace fixing his mom and Meg a midnight snack and all of the children bouncing their balls in synchronization with each other. Now that I've read it again, I can't believe I had no recollection of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, or Mrs. Which; or zapping through time and space; or Charles Wallace being hypnotized and turning into a shell; or a living brain pulsing on a pedestal. It's funny what the mind latches onto and remembers.

This book might have been a little too scary for Max and Bradley. I don't think it gave either of them nightmares, but at one point, Max shrieked at me to stop reading, and that's usually a pretty good indication that it has crossed the line into the "too intense" category. But we asked Aaron to spoil the ending for us, and then he allowed me to continue.

I know this book won a Newbery, helped establish a genre, and is beloved by many, but it just isn't my favorite. I have nothing against the book itself; I just can't ever seem to fully invest in science fiction.

Even though we haven't seen the movie yet, my hold for the graphic novel adaptation came in literally the day after we finished this book, and my boys devoured it one, two, three, as soon as I brought it home. I didn't get a chance to read it before it had to go back to the library, but they said it stayed pretty true to the original.

2. Brideshead Revisited: the Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
April was classics month for my book club, and this was the selected read. It had actually been on my to-read list for awhile, so I was grateful for the incentive to finally read it.

And I needed it. The knowledge that I would have someone to discuss it with when I was done was maybe the only thing that helped me get through the first couple of hours of listening. It was rough: it begins with Charles Ryder in the army in World War II. When he finds out his division is going to be staying at a large manor called Brideshead, his mind flashes back to twenty years before when he spent a great deal of time there with the Marchmain family. But first, you have to get through his first year at Oxford, during which part I spent the whole time wondering what was real and what was only perceived because they were all too drunk to see straight.

It picked up, or at least became more interesting to me, after he started spending more time with the whole Marchmain family, and not just Sebastian. But I can't say I ever liked the story. Each character was complex and incredibly flawed, and I had more sympathy for some (Julia) than for others (Charles). It reminded me a lot of Rules of Civility, probably because of the time period (the two novels are about fifteen years apart, but still felt similar) but also because all of the characters make such stupid choices. However, I adored the writing in Rules of Civility, and I found it a little tedious and at times cryptic in Brideshead Revisited.

But I think the main reason for my distaste is that I despised, absolutely despised, Charles Ryder. And it's hard to like a book when you dislike the main character so much. I know most people at my book club didn't agree with me, but I found his selfishness to be quite sickening.

Speaking of book club though, if I had read this book on my own, I probably would have hated it. Chances are, I might have even abandoned it partway through. But getting the chance to discuss it with other readers who felt just as baffled and confused as I did at times (what was the deal with Sebastian's teddy bear anyway?) made all the painful moments worth it. In fact, the discussion was so good that I would be quick to recommend this as an excellent choice for others looking for good book club material (although, fair warning, I feel like you'd need a group of fairly serious readers to tackle this one).

Mature content: infidelity (off-stage) and lots of drinking

3. Pie by Sarah Weeks
I checked out this book from the library because I thought it would make the perfect readaloud for March since we like to go all out for Pi(e) Day. But then, other books pushed their way ahead, and we didn't get to it. As it turned out, we didn't get to Pie Day either because of the cold, snowy weather in March, which meant that both the book and the party got pushed back to April. Coincidence? I think not.

This book was a happy surprise. We chose it because of its subject matter, and while there are certainly many tantalizing descriptions of pies, we ended up loving it for its story. When Aunt Polly, world-famous pie maker, dies unexpectedly, she leaves her beloved pie shop to Reverend Flowers, her grumpy cat, Lardo, to Alice, and her top secret pie crust recipe to . . . Lardo. That's right. She leaves her recipe to a cat, and a most unlikeable cat at that. Many people are desperate for that recipe, and after Aunt Polly's apartment is found ransacked, Alice knows this is serious and she has to get to the bottom of it.

I feel a little guilty for liking this book so much because last month I talked about a book called Zinnia and the Bees, and one of the main things that bugged me about it was that Zinnia's mother has a complete personality shift at the end. Well, the same thing happened in this book. Alice's mother is selfish and bratty, and then, all of a sudden, she's not. It's ridiculously convenient, and yet, it didn't bother me in this story the way it did with Zinnia. Maybe it was because I was reading it to my kids, and my ability to suspend my disbelief is naturally extended when I'm with them. But really, I think it was just because we were having so much fun with this story, so I was willing to overlook little pet peeves. Plus, I really loved Sarah Weeks' writing style, especially the way she so easily and naturally filled in the back story. You didn't even realize a flashback was happening until it was over.

And of course, this book fulfilled its main purpose, which was to get all of us hyped up and excited for forty-four pies and one hundred and eighty friends and neighbors at our annual pie party.

P.S. Deal alert: the paperback is less than $3 on Amazon right now, so you might want to snag one if it sounds good.

4. And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle
Yes. YES. YESSSSSSS. My search for a clean, well-written, interesting young adult novel was finally rewarded. I would feel comfortable recommending this to any teenager (and plenty of adults as well).

This is one of Madeleine L'Engle's early, early novels. Published in 1949, it takes place right after WWII in a boarding school in the Swiss Alps. The setting is breathtaking (as you might imagine), and there is plenty of skiing to go around (this would be a perfect winter read). Philippa, or Flip as she is usually called, has been enrolled at the boarding school because her mother died and her father is an artist and must travel for work. She . . . does not have the best attitude about it. She feels like she doesn't relate to any of the other girls and consequently spends most of her free time seeking out places to be alone.

One day she is out exploring and comes upon a little chateau nestled among the trees. There is a dog that she immediately recognizes because she'd been pummeled over by him when she and her father had been staying at the beach right before they took the train to Switzerland. But more interesting than the dog is the dog's owner--a boy named Paul who is as nice as he is handsome. Flip starts sneaking out on Sunday afternoons to spend time with Paul, and having a real friend gives Flip the confidence to overcome some of her shyness at school.

There's more, too: a dark, troubling side of Paul, a creepy hobo who wanders the hills, secret ski lessons, and an art teacher who mentors Flip when she needs it most. And even though Flip and Paul spend all that time alone together, they never do more than hold hands. Madeleine L'Engle nailed the innocent, clean romance.

My one issue (observation? complaint?) was that as the story progressed, Paul seemed younger and younger to me. I'm sure this had to do with the fact that as you learn more about his past, he seems more vulnerable because of all that he's been through.

Although the book was published in 1949, it was revised and reissued in 1983. I originally started with the 1983 edition from the library, but when that copy had to go back, I switched to the 1949 edition on my kindle. It sounds like there are differences between the two, but for my part, I couldn't see what those were.

I can't tell you how good it felt to read a young adult novel that I actually enjoyed and would eagerly recommend to others. This book was a major win for me.

P.S. And right now, the kindle edition is only $4.

What books did you read this month? Anything worth recommending? Share in the comments!

What I Read in March

March was a good reading month for me, especially considering the fact that one of the books I read will probably be one of my top five reads in 2018. Keep reading to find out which one it was . . .

1. Zinnia and the Bees by Danielle Davis
Most books ask the reader to suspend their disbelief on some level., but I'm going to be perfectly frank and say that I just couldn't do it with this one. I wanted to like it because Zinnia, the protagonist, is a knitter, which I found immediately endearing. But when a truck filled with beehives crashes and the hundreds of liberated bees choose to collectively land in Zinnia's unruly curly hair, I was skeptical. But then the bees proceed to stay on top of her head for something like the next three weeks. She hates it (understandably) but just pulls up a hood and carries on with the other traumas in her life (her brother's abrupt departure, an emotionally distant mother, and friend problems). One has to wonder why a) no one else notices the buzzing bees, b) Zinnia doesn't ask someone to drive her outside the city or at least to a park where the bees could find an appropriate home, or c) Zinnia's new friend, a brilliant naturalist, doesn't come up with any ideas himself (even though he says he'll help her). If the events in the book took place during a single day, maybe this would work, but over several weeks, no way.

The other thing I couldn't handle, and this is actually a big pet peeve of mine in general, is that Zinnia's mother is an austere, insensitive, unloving mother (and always has been from the sounds of it), but then one day, she flips things around and begins to invest in their relationship. Of course, a big event triggers this, so maybe it isn't completely unbelievable, but I still have a really hard time with someone being painted as completely awful and then expecting me to just go along with this miraculous change in attitude and temperament. If this is going to be asked of me, then you have to give me at least a little glimmer that such a change could be possible before it actually takes place.

I can appreciate the fact that there are different books for different tastes, and this one just wasn't for me

2. Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary
We're not quite ready to read the last book in the Ramona series. She and Aaron have grown up together, matching year for year, and now they're both in fourth grade, which is when the final book takes place. We'll read it in the next couple of months, but it will be bittersweet for sure.

In the meantime, we read Ellen Tebbits, which was new to me as well as to my kids. Ellen has a quieter personality than Ramona, but that doesn't mean she avoids childhood drama. In fact, the fight between her and her best friend, Austine, is probably one of the most realistic squabbles turned serious that I've ever read.

I always love Beverly Cleary's books for their strong time stamp. For example, at one point, Ellen and her mother go to the department store to pick out a pattern and material for a new dress. Can you imagine going to Nordstrom's to shop for fabric?! But I guess in an era when sewing for your entire family was in vogue, it would make sense to sell what the mothers would buy.

I gave Maxwell Otis Spofford for his birthday, which is the followup to this book. I thought I would read it aloud as well, but at the time, we were still in the middle of Ellen Tebbits, and by the time we finished, he and Aaron had both already read it on their own.

3. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

This was my book club's pick for March, and I'll be surprised if it doesn't make it into my top five books of 2018. It was so good, but it's not for the faint of heart.

It was one of those books that left me pacing around the house, shouting, "This is happening in MY country?! During MY lifetime?!" "And also, "Our justice system is broken. BROKEN. And so corrupt." Mike's probably glad I'm done with it and that I processed all my feelings at book club so he doesn't have to hear about it anymore.

The book is by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization that strives to provide fair trials and secure humane sentences for all prisoners . In the book, he exposed many of the holes in our justice system--things like bribery, insufficient evidence, dishonesty, corrupt officials, and racial prejudices. He also shared many stories, which opened my eyes to the truth in painful ways.

One of these was about Walter, a man who was falsely accused of murder and sentenced to death row. The only evidence against him was a shaky testimony given by a man who later admitted he had been bribed by police in exchange for a lesser sentence for a crime he had committed. It was frightening to see how easily Walter was convicted of murder and how difficult it was to reverse that decision (even with plenty of evidence supporting his innocence).

But ultimately, the book was about mercy. Bryan was adamant that "Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done." I believe that, and that was something I tried to stress during our book club discussion. In this book, the criminals are the "good guys," the ones being wronged, and the ones the readers end up rooting for. But I was kind of amused how quickly we started pointing our fingers and condemning some of the other people in the stories: the prison guard, the judge, the white police officer, and the nosy neighbor. It was as if we needed a target for all of the anger and indignation we were feeling. But those people were also "more than the worst thing they've ever done." It was hard to admit, but they needed mercy, too.

Anyway, you can probably tell that this is a book for which I could easily have written a whole review. Maybe I should have. But I highly recommend it nonetheless.

4. Seek This Jesus by Neill Marriott
I became a fan of Neill Marriott the moment I first heard her endearing southern accent during General Conference. Her talks have been some of the most memorable of my life, and I think about them often, in all sorts of situations. (Side note: she was released from the Young Women General Presidency this past weekend during General Conference, and it made me want to cry. I feel so sad that I won't get to hear any more talks from her.)

This is a slim book, but I loved every word of it. Turns out, Sister Marriott has a way with words on paper just as much as she does when she is speaking. In fact, there were times when her voice seemed to leap off of the page as she shared her experiences.

This was a good mix of personal stories and bold insights. One of the most impactful stories for me was about one of her daughters when she was in elementary school. She didn't have any friends and felt so lonely at school. Sister Marriott said she found out the times her daughter's class went to recess. She said, "Each day at 10:10 am, I dropped to my knees wherever I was in the house. The kitchen floor, the family room rug, the bathroom tiles, all became prayer places as I petitioned the Lord on behalf of my lonely daughter." But the thing that made my eyes prick up instantly with tears was this: "That was when she needed me, and that was when she would have me."  I loved the way she accessed the power of prayer on her daughter's behalf.

I also loved this thought, which actually goes along perfectly with my theme for 2018 (which I still haven't written about . . .): "The temporal world rushes into any space in our lives that we will give it, filling our spiritual needs with good but mostly temporary activities."

This is a book I'm sure I'll revisit frequently, probably even later this year as part of my rereading goal. But first, I have to loan it to my mom.

5. Hello, Universe by Erin Entranda Kelly
This was the winner of the 2018 Newbery Medal. I had never even heard of it beforehand, which either shows that I was not great about following Newbery news ahead of time (which is true) or that it wasn't a favorite to win. Regardless, I put the audio on hold as soon as the winners were announced, and then I flew through it as soon as I got it.

It follows four characters: Virgil (a shy boy who is being bullied by Chet and is secretly smitten with Valencia), Valencia (a deaf girl who loves nature, is tormented by a recurring bad dream, and doesn't realize Virgil exists), Chet (the aforementioned bully), and Kaori (a self-proclaimed psychic who happens to have both Virgil and Valencia as (her only) clients). The bulk of the story takes place on a single Saturday when all four characters happen to cross paths and interact in a rather uncanny way. It begins when Chet meets Virgil in the woods and drops Virgil's backpack (which happens to be holding his pet guinea pig, Gulliver) down a deep, dark well.

I had mixed feelings with this one. I liked the story and the characters, and I absolutely adored the ending, but my overall reaction was surprise that it had won the Newbery. The writing was good, but I wasn't blown away by it (although Kaori did get me to laugh out loud several times). The plot line was interesting but not super intricate. And it was just a little bit on the short side. I had a difficult time seeing what set it apart from other beautifully executed middle-grade novels. I liked it for sure (much more than Zinnia and the Bees--see above) and would recommend it, but it's not one I'm rushing out to buy for our personal shelves.

What did you read in March? I'm always up for new recommendations!

What I Read in February

Okay, this is getting embarrassing. Like January, I somehow managed to only read three books in February. What is wrong with me? In my defense, I spent a big chunk of the month reading a book for book club (Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage and Manners by Therese Oneill), but I'm not including it here; I only read half of it because the style grated on me after awhile, plus I didn't appreciate some of the content.

So here are the three books I actually finished:

1. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Some books are extremely engaging and entertaining when you're in the middle of them, but after you finish, you find yourself liking them less and less each time you think about them. Other books are harder to connect with when you're reading them, but the longer you're apart from them, the more you love them.

I can already tell this book is going to be the latter scenario for me.

That's not to say I didn't like it when I was reading it. I definitely did--the writing is pristine and stunning, and the Alaskan wilderness is a perfect backdrop for winter reading--but the plot was a little slow-moving. I didn't fly through it but had to hunker down and really commit to finishing it.

But since finishing it, I'm finding my esteem gradually rising. It's hard to explain, mostly because it makes it sound like I didn't enjoy the actual act of reading it. It's just that I love it so much more now that it's over, and I'm beginning to see that it wasn't just a good story but a masterful retelling of a quiet and heart wrenching fairy tale.

It has its roots in the Russian fairy tale, "Snegurochka" (the Snow Child). But it's set in the early 20th century on a wild and often times harsh Alaskan homestead. I loved what Eowyn Ivey said about it in an interview: "I found that the earthy, often violent realities of homesteading created wonderful texture contrasted with the ethereal elements of the snow maiden." And that's exactly how I felt about it. There's this part of it that's very physical and tangible and this other part that keeps slipping through your fingers in an other-worldly fashion.

But the real takeaway for me was this: "We are allowed to do that, are we not Mabel? To invent our own endings and choose joy over sorrow?" I had a feeling from the beginning that the ending would be, at best, bittersweet, and, at worst, tragic. While I won't spoil what happens, I will say that I kept thinking about this phrase as I was reading, and I realized that in spite of sad things, we can always choose joy over sorrow, even if sorrowful things happen to us, and I think Mabel really makes that discovery during the course of the story.

Content note: a baby is conceived out of wedlock, and there is some profanity

2. The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
My boys and I have several series that we're in the middle of. This is intentional. It's nice to have a few books constantly at the ready so if our current readaloud is a total bomb (it happens), we can get back into a good reading groove with the next installment in a much-beloved series.

The Chronicles of Narnia happens to be one of those. It's been almost two years since we were last in Narnia (when we read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), and Aaron and I were ready to get back to it. The feeling wasn't mutual though. Max was obstinately reluctant (as usual), and Bradley took one look at the cover and insisted that it would give him nightmares. We went ahead with it anyway.

(Ironically, Bradley skipped the first two-thirds of the book and finally decided to join us on, you guessed it, the very scene depicted on the front cover. And he wasn't scared at all.)

I read this book myself several years ago and wrote an extensive review at that time (probably one of my favorite reviews I've ever written), so I don't feel like I need to go into much additional detail here. I will say that I loved reading this one out loud. Doing the voices for Puddleglum and the witch were my favorite.

3. Anne of Green Gables: a graphic novel adapted by Mariah Marsden and illustrated by Brenna Thummler

I have reached a point in my reading life that I never quite expected and that is that I actually really enjoy graphic novels and will often reach for one when I need a quick read that will also serve as a bit of a palette cleanser.

When I saw this new graphic novel adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, I immediately put it on hold, and I loved revisiting one of my favorite stories in a new way.

For the most part, this adaptation remains true to the original story and includes all of the major scenes (Anne cracking her slate over Gilbert's head, intoxicating Diana, dreaming of puffed sleeves, and nearly drowning in her role as the Lady of Shalott, etc.). But more important to me was that it stay true to the heart and feeling and essence of the original, and it did. (And we all know that sometimes these adaptations DO NOT--can I get an "amen" in regards to Netflix's Anne with an 'E'? Ugh.)

I particularly loved Matthew and Marilla in this adaptation, and I maybe got a little teary-eyed when Marilla tells Anne, "Matthew and I--together, we loved you beyond sense."

Of course, it can't compare to the original (nothing can!!), but I think this would be a perfect introduction for kids who might not be quite ready for Anne's flowery speeches. I'm pretty sure Aaron, Max, and Bradley would agree since they all stole it from me and read it, too.

That's it for February. I anticipate March being a much better reading month as I'm already well over halfway through three books.

What did YOU read in February?

What I Read in January

So, like I said in my previous post, my plan this year is to write monthly recap posts of the books I've finished rather than long, single reviews. I have to admit though, it's rather embarrassing to have it be so blatantly obvious that I only read three books this month. I can do better than that, but here they are nonetheless.

1. Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
This was our first book club pick for 2018 (I mentioned in my last post that my book club votes between three books for each month, so in case you're wondering, the other recommendations for January were When Crickets Cry by Charles Martin and Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah).

I listened to this on our recent road trip to Arizona, and it was nice to be able to devote a chunk of time to it because I couldn't stop listening. The story is told by Frank Drum, and it's his recounting of what happened during the summer of 1961 forty years before when he was thirteen years old. He begins by saying that the summer brought with it many deaths (there was some debate at book club about how many he said and which ones counted in that tally), but one of the deaths is particularly personal and tragic, and the rest of the novel is crafted a bit like a mystery, trying to put the events leading up to it in chronological order and identify possible suspects.

But it's also just about Frankie himself because that summer changed him and made him grow up in a hurry. I mentioned at book club that my favorite relationship in the book was the one between Frankie and his younger brother, Jake. One of my friends said, "Oh, so you like mean older brothers?" And it's true that Frankie does and says a lot of stupid things to Jake, but I guess it felt realistic to me, and underneath it all, I could see that their friendship and love for one another ran deep.

I will caution that the content on this one is a bit dark (it involves a murder), and there is some language as well as immorality (although not explicit). But overall, I found the story to be redemptive, and it made for an easy and thought-provoking discussion at book club.

2. Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry
It gives me a strange kind of rush to find the perfect book for a trip or holiday or even just a time of life. So you can imagine how happy I was when my sister-in-law, upon hearing that we would be making a stop at the Grand Canyon on our way to see friends in Phoenix, said that we should read Brighty of the Grand Canyon before we went.

It couldn't have been more perfect. I had never been to the Grand Canyon, but as we read, I felt like I could see the warm colors of the canyon and sense the rocky trail beneath my feet and feel the cold wind whipping around the rim. And then, we were there, and it was exactly as I pictured it--so much so that I half expected to see a little gray burro making his way up the canyon wall (and then, by lucky chance, we actually did see a mule caravan crest the top of the rim and parade past us, which was pretty amazing). It was absolutely magical for me, and I think it was for my kids as well.

But even if we hadn't been able to go from the pages in a book to real life natural wonder, we would have still enjoyed this story immensely. It begins with a murder, which made me nervous (I was reading it to my kids, after all!), but it was not graphic, and it was very fulfilling to see the murderer get his due at the end.

Most impressive to me was the way Marguerite Henry cast Brighty as the main character and kept the story interesting while still maintaining Brighty's authenticity as a donkey (in other words, not giving him a lot of human characteristics to help keep up the pace). Everyone, even three-year-old Clark, fell in love with Brighty, and we were all sad for the book to come to an end.

3. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
I decided to listen to this one, rather than read it, because the audio version had garnered such high praise from listeners and critics alike (including an Odyssey Honor, which is given to outstanding audio productions).

The story is multi-layered, beginning with Otto Messenger, who accidentally stumbles into three sisters who are trapped in this world because of a curse. They claim that his harmonica is the key to freeing them to return home. The story (and the harmonica) then travel to Friedrich in Germany in 1933, Mike in Pennsylvania in 1935, and Ivy in California in 1942. Each time, it brings light and hope when things feel desperately dismal and scary. And eventually, it ends up in just the right place, at just the right time, and, click, a door is opened.

For the most part, this is a historical fiction novel, but it has just one teeny tiny magical element, and that made me feel a little off balance but in the most delightful way. Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy are talented and courageous and unique. I found myself feeling sad as each story ended only to be excited as I became immersed in the new story. And then the ending tied everything together in a really beautiful way.

Oh, and the audio was definitely the way to go on this one: different narrators for each story and lots of music throughout, which, for a book all about the magic of one harmonica, seemed absolutely perfect.

Did you read anything good this month? Tell me!

A Montage of Family Themed Halloween Costumes

I think our Halloween costumes are finally ready. And just in time. They've been in the works for months.

We did our first themed costumes back in 2008 when Aaron was just a baby. At the time, I don't think I had any plans to keep up the tradition of family themed costumes. But as our kids have grown up and become more opinionated, they have insisted on keeping a theme. I keep thinking they're going to get too old and not want to match with their parents and siblings anymore, but this was not the year.

In fact, I think they've been more excited about their costumes this year than ever before. And really, although Mike and I ended up doing all the grunt work, these costumes were all their ideas.

But before we get to this year, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at all of the family themed costumes that came before.

First up, and as a special bonus for you, this gem from 2004 when Mike and I were dating: a couple of chefs in that beautiful kitchen in Heritage Halls. I guess this should have been our first clue that we had a thing for themes.

2008: A bee and his beekeepers

2009: Cats . . . a "cougar," a lion, and a cat

2010: Peter Pan . . . Wendy, Smee, Captain Hook, and Peter Pan

2011: Toy Story . . . Buzz Lightyear, Rex, Jessie, Slinky Dog, Woody

2012: Bugs . . . potato bug, bug catcher, spider, butterfly, and bee

2013: Medieval . . . dragon, princess, knight, wizard, jester

2014: Pirates

2015: Wizard of Oz . . . the Great Oz, Cowardly Lion, Scarecrow, Dorothy, Toto, and Tin Man

2016: Where's Waldo?

And finally, 2017: Calvin and Hobbes . . . Stupendous Man, Dad, Spaceman Spiff, Calvin, Mom, Snowman, and Hobbes

Which one is your favorite (I'm partial to the Wizard of Oz)? And what are your costumes this year?

What We're Listening to Right Now #7

A couple of weeks ago, Tsh Oxenreider put up a post about the music they play in their home. She included twelve different playlists she's created for various moods and situations. For instance, there's a fall playlist (she's compiled playlists for the other seasons as well), one for dinner, and another for cleaning/working. I found the whole thing fascinating (not to mention, between the post and the comments, we have a lot of new music to try), but I also realized that I think I've made a total of one playlist in my entire life. And now I'm wondering, why? It sounds like so much fun to pull together music from different artists in order to achieve a kind of theme, however loose or vague it might be. So don't be surprised if sometime in the future, these music posts include some kind of personalized playlist.

However, when I'm listening to an artist for the first time, I prefer to check out an actual album because it gives me a much better impression of their style than a single track in a random playlist can do. (That post also made me realize that some people are much more serious and dedicated to their music than I am. Creating a bunch of playlists sounds a bit time consuming and overwhelming. I think I enjoy the convenience of popping in a CD from the library or letting Pandora create a playlist for me.)

Anyway, here are six albums we've been listening to a lot lately:

1. Make a Circle by Jennifer Paskow*
I think I have a fairly high tolerance for children's music (higher than Mike anyway), but lately that tolerance has plummeted. I can't even tell you how many children's albums I've checked out from the library over the last four months that have all been promptly returned on our next visit. They vacillated between being obnoxious and loud, stupid instead of funny, or just a copy of someone else, and I just couldn't handle any of them. That's why when I listened to Jennifer Paskow for the first time, it was like a breath of fresh air. Like, I think I may have actually sighed in relief because it was just so pleasant and such a welcome contrast to the other things we'd been listening to. Her voice hits on all the right tones, creating a combination that is at once easy and light-hearted and sweet. I could seriously listen to her all day. The message of this album is about loving yourself and loving others, two concepts that are so important for kids (and adults!) to internalize. Nothing about this album screams "kids' music" (which I love), and yet it feels like a safe and happy place to be, and that's exactly what a children's album should do.

Favorite Song: "The I Love You Song" (it's just so catchy!)

2. My Heart by Sissel
When we got back from Europe, I longed for something to listen to that would remind me of where we'd been. The only Norwegian singer I knew was Sissel--my father-in-law has always been a fan of hers--but I had never really listened to much of her music. (This could be due, in part, to the fact that when she sang with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir at their 2006 Christmas concert, Mike and I had tickets, but we didn't make it into the hall until twenty minutes before the concert started (the tickets said you had to be in your seats a half hour before show time), and by then they were already letting in the standby lines. The ushers shuffled us from section to section and finally told us we'd have to watch it in the overflow theater on the screen. Ever since then, I think I've always associated Sissel with extreme disappointment.) But after we got back, I checked out one of her albums, and I fell in love. Her voice, while classically trained, is not overbearing but crystal clear and gorgeous. And as an added bonus, it feels perfect for fall (so if I ever make a seasonal playlist . . . ). She's probably not my kids' favorite, but sometimes I get to listen to what I want to.

Favorite song: "Tristezze" (the lyrics are set to Chopin's Etude in E major, which was a favorite of my piano teacher growing up, and Sissel's voice just fits the melody so well)

3.  A Celebration by John Williams & The Boston Pops Orchestra
My dad has always loved the Boston Pops. That love has carried over to me, and it was time to pass it on to my kids. I kind of cheated: this album has the Star Wars Theme on it, so it was bound to get their attention, but they've enjoyed the other songs, too. I don't see how you couldn't enjoy them actually--that big band sound is so invigorating (if I were making a cleaning playlist, some Boston Pops would surely find their way on it). It makes me want to dance, and not just because my dad used to spin me around the room to, "In the Mood."

Favorite song: "Star Wars--Main Theme" (obviously), but my favorite is actually "New York,  New York"

4. Senior Piano Recital by Anna Nielsen
It's completely unfair of me to put this on the list because there are only a very limited number of copies in circulation. My younger sister, Anna, graduated with her bachelor's in piano performance last spring, and this is the recording of her senior recital. I went to the actual performance and was completely blown away. I mean, I knew she was good, but this was beyond good. This was emotionally moving, powerful, gorgeous. After the performance, I begged for a copy of the recording, and she kindly obliged. It's been so fun to listen to it over and over again and think, That's my little sister! (My kids love to tell me that she can play the piano better than I can; they don't realize we're not even in the same league anymore--she surpassed me a long time ago.)

Favorite piece: When I heard her perform live, it was "Nocturne in B-flat Major" by Gabriel Faure, but now that we've been listening to it in the car, it's "Novelette no. 2 in B-flat Minor" by Francis Poulenc.

5. Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers by various artists
Okay, this is totally nerdy so forgive me. I've been a fan of Mister Rogers all my life.  His was a unique, one-of-a-kind show. The combination of songs, an ongoing story enacted by puppets, a field trip to somewhere fascinating (anyone else remember the dominos episode?), and heart-to-heart chats with the man himself have not been duplicated in children's television before or since. I was thinking about it recently (probably because my kids were watching the spin-off show, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood), and I wondered if any other artists had ever recorded the songs of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. A quick search led me to find this album, which has some of the best-loved songs from the show, including "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," "It's You I Like," and "It's Such a Good Feeling." They're performed by various famous artists (although, if I'm being honest, most of the names are unfamiliar to me). Some I like better than others, but the thing I love is the nostalgia that washes over me whenever I listen to them. Even though it's not Mister Rogers himself singing, the melodies and the lyrics are the same, and it's kind of fun to hear some different arrangements. (Oh, and as I was writing this up, I discovered that several of the original seasons are free on Amazon Prime, so I guess you know what I'll be brainwashing my kids with over the next few weeks.)

Favorite song: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" (there are two versions, but I like the one sung by Jon Secada

6. Superhero by Laurie Berkner*
Out of all the music mentioned today, there is only one album that my kids love so much, they move it around from their room to the car to the family room, and this is it. As you know, we are huge Laurie Berkner fans (in fact, she's probably had more than her fair share of mentions on this blog), so of course we were thrilled when we heard she was coming out with a new album filled to the brim with brand-new, never-before-heard songs. This hasn't happened since 2008, so it's kind of a big deal. Even though I knew my kids loved Laurie Berkner ("We are the Dinosaurs" and "Rocket Ship Run" are some of our favorite kids' songs of all time), even I was surprised with how quickly they gravitated towards this music. Usually I'm the one to put it on for the first time, but they saw it sitting on the table and snatched it up. And ever since then, it's been on constant repeat. They have dance parties with it in the basement, they listen to it as they go to sleep at night, and they belt out the words when we're driving in the car. They love every single song on this album, and I do, too. Laurie Berkner has created another winner.

Favorite song: Of course we can't choose just one, but the three that sometimes get put on repeat because the kids love them so much are "Superhero," "Bicycle," and "Elephant in There."

That's it for this roundup, but of course I'm dying to know what you've been listening to lately. Please share in the comments!

*I received copies of Make a Circle and Superhero, and I was only too happy to review them. All opinions are my own--two thumbs up for both albums.