Just Thoughts

I haven't finished a book yet (sadly), but I've found that Jodi Picoult books are a wealth of information, or good quotes at least about finding yourself and what it's meant to be yourself. I don't really know if my full character has developed yet, seeing as I am only 20, but I kind of hope, I have the characteristics I think I have. That might sound a little confusing, but hopefully you will understand.

Anywho, I should probably get back to my work...It's not quite the end of term, so I still have to get some work done.

Until next time, happy reading!

The Secret Life of Bees (~)

I have finally finished another book! It's The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I don't really know what the title means, but it is a very well written book. It's about a young girl who is motherless and runs away from home when her and her black nanny get in trouble with men at their town jail. She lives with 3 black women who happened to know her mother. She finds out some truths about her mother, but in the ends realizes that even if her mother is not there in flesh she is still there in spirit inside of her, and that she shouldn't worry if she feels lonely because she has many friends who care about her.

Yeah, kind of corny description of the book, but there's really no other way to put it. It's beautifully written, but not so much so that it makes it difficult to get through. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants an inspirational read.

Now it is time to continue on to another Jodi Picoult book. Hopefully this one is as good as the last one I read by her.

Happy reading, and until next time!

Freedom to Read

I was reading the newspaper today and I came upon the article talking about Freedom to Read week. I checked out the list of books and magazines that have been banned from public school libraries because of their "inappropriate" material. Some of them I agreed with, but others I was appalled at the reason behind the ban.

A few of the books are Harry Potter, the Golden Compass, To Kill a Mockingbird, Underground to Canada.

The way I see it is that how can you educate children about equality and acceptance of other races and of homosexuality if you do not allow them to read about how it used to be and how things should be changed? Parents believe that children are impressionable, (and don't get me wrong, they are) but I'm sure that reading ONE book is not going to change their attitudes towards a race or religion or change their sexuality. I also believe that it would be better to inform our children of how things used to be, and for them to gain more information about prejudice and other past societal views than it is to shield them from it. How are we ever going to learn from our mistakes if we do not accept them and continuously view them? As someone once said (sorry for the missing citation) "Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it".

To think also of how nowadays people believe we are so accepting of gays and lesbians, but we won't allow children to read books about homosexuality because we are afraid that it will influence their beliefs. Do people not realize that homosexuality is NOT a lifestyle choice, but is biologically driven? And that by reading books "endorsing" homosexuality will not change their sexual preferences?

I was also surprised to see that Harry Potter and the Golden Compass made the list. Apparently, according to some parents, Harry Potter was inappropriate because of the magical themes (come on! It's for entertainment!) and how the Golden Compass is promoting atheism. As I said before, reading 6 books on that specific theme will not influence their religious beliefs because children do not delve that deep into the meaning behind books, most children only read them for entertainment. In comparison, you don't see any bans on Disney movies because of "magical themes", especially in the older movies (Fantasia, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, etc.).

I do agree with banning some books, and I believe that there should be an age restriction on books, especially those like To Kill a Mockingbird. I believe for a book like that, it should be read by children who are old enough to understand that it is inappropriate now to say the "n-word" but it was part of the culture from that time period.

I think parents are just making a big deal out of nothing because they want to control their children's beliefs for as long as possible. I believe it's better for them to be informed as early as possible so that our world can continue to move towards a less prejudiced place.

I say, support Freedom to Read week by reading all of the "banned" books, which can be found in a list on this website: www.freedomtoread.ca.

Happy reading!

The Birth House (↑)

Hello everyone,

I know it took me forever to post again, but I'm back in university so my reading time is now limited, sadly.

The book I just finished is: The Birth House by Amy McKay. Superbly written book, and is well researched (as far as I know). It follows a young girl in the early 1900's in the backwoods of rural Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia (up near the Bay of Fundy) as she becomes a midwife, and how she triumphs over a obstetrician. It makes me think of how women were only perceived as the baby makers, and how they weren't able to hold steady jobs, even though they damn have the right to. It's amazing to see how far we've come since then. To know that women are now allowed to hold jobs, and even make more than their husbands, without having their husbands pitch a fit about it.

I hope our society continues to improve upon equality between men and women.

Fairly short post this time. Hopefully I finish a book more quickly next time!

Until then, happy reading!

Thoughts

So, I haven't finished a book yet (sadly...), but these are some thoughts --or a thought, depending on how much I remember--that I've thought about after I read some books. One of them was actually said by a famous Canadian author (Lucy Maud Montgomery). If I remember correctly, she mentioned how that most people who like to read do so because they do not have any true friends. I believe this is true because I am that way. I have friends, yes, but not ones that make an effort to see me, or include me in things. I look at my mother who is also an avid reader, and she was the same way. My boyfriend and ex-boyfriend are readers and they too do/did not have any close friends. Maybe people who do not have close friends and read a lot find friends in the books they read (the characters), or maybe it allows them to dream about a life they wish they could have. Is it sad to read only as an escape from your own life? It is, but it isn't. I mean everyone needs an escape, but it's when the person believes that it's real, that it would become sad, or a true problem.

I forget what other thoughts I had pertaining novels I have read, so this is all for now.

Happy Reading! Oh and Happy New Year!

Remembering the Bones (↓)

Hello all,

I have finished yet another book, didn't take me that long. Sadly, this might be my last post for a long time because I am going back to university soon, and of course I won't have that much time to write.

Anyway, I read Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani. It's about an elderly woman who goes off a cliff in her car on the way to the airport to go visit the Queen for her birthday. It definitely wasn't what I was expecting. It was kind of like a memoir of her life, even though it really wasn't that interesting of a life...The characters were boring, and the stories were weird, or so I thought. I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone.

I am onto reading The Birth House by Amy McKay. Hopefully this will be good!

Happy reading!

First Blog

It's my first blog entry. So we'll see how this goes. Just a low down for everyone, this blog is going to be about me reviewing books that I've read recently, and probably talking about other random things that I find are associated with the book, or something that comes up as I read the book.

I just finished reading The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult (rating: ↑). It's an amazing book! However, when you start it you won't believe how it finishes, and how it gets around to finishing. At first I thought the novel was going to be about the trials and tribulations of a rape victim, but really it's more than that. It goes from a "love" story to a mystery/thriller/action novel. At first I felt bad for the main character, but by the end of the novel, I was surprised at how strong she actually was. One thing that I loved was in the end, how it said, "Maybe it took realizing that you COULD die to keep you from wanting to do it." (pg. 321). Another thing I liked about this book was that there was a hidden message in the comics interspersed in the book. I won't say what the message was for those of you who haven't read or discovered the hidden message yet, just so I don't spoil it.

That's about all for now. Once I finish another book, or come up with another idea from the books I've previously read and want to share, I will write!

Take care all, and happy reading!