A Piece of Steinbeck
Click on the Book Cover to visit the National Steinbeck Center website.
Title: Of Mice and Men
Author: John Steinbeck
Publisher: Penguin
Length: 103 pages
A friend asked me if Of Mice and Men was a good representation of Steinbeck’s work. Not having read it, but being a die hard fan of East of Eden
Of Mice and Men was written as an experiment, so says the inside jacket of my beautiful Penguin Centennial Edition. Steinbeck himself called it, “a kind of playable novel, written in novel form but so scened and set that it can be played as it stands.” Its true, it is a playable novel. And as complete as a lone standing novella, it could also be a brief chapter in a full length Steinbeck saga that I’ve grown to expect.
My favorites by Steinbeck are long sweeping story lines of depression, written with perfection, where Of Mice and Men is a short stint featuring a relationship between two men as one struggles with the lines between gentility and brute force. When I think of Steinbeck, its for his onion layers of generational secrets, sins, and passions. If given this in hand written form, not knowing what it was from, I think I would guess Steinbeck, but ask where the rest of the book is, thinking this was a bit of back story to something much more epic. I wouldn’t call this a short representation of his work though, its so unique and different. It feels more like a small little corner of his brain, a little tiny piece of the puzzle that makes up Steinbeck’s genius.
For starters, there’s much more dialogue than I usually see in Steinbeck’s pieces, true to the form of a play. There are far less propelling descriptions that push you along a timeline, instead of equating my reading experience to a landscape often seen in those large European antiquarian homes and museums, I feel like I’m looking at one scene or portrait on an average sized canvas. I wasn’t left with a deep sense of having been, step for step, in the same place the characters had walked, like I did with East of Eden. I closed the book saddened at Lennie’s plight, but did not feel the overwhelming gush of reality being poured upon me by a starving man seeking nourishment from the breast milk of a woman who had just delivered a stillborn baby in a barn.
Steinbeck succeeded in his play-novel experiment, and its quite good – I feel like I’m watching a play. But I don’t feel like I’m nose deep in story, reluctant to come up for air even to eat, or drink, or use the restroom; which is usually the case when I read Steinbeck. Who do I recommend Of Mice and Men for? Anyone attempting to guide their reading habits from one genre to another. If you usually read novels and want to try plays, pick this up as a stepping stone. If you are a theatre buff, actor, or director who usually reads plays or screenplays and are in the mood to get your literature on, Of Mice and Men would be a good starting point. It would be a great crossover piece for younger literature students as they are led from one unit to the next, and I think I may use it as such for my daughter, an afternoon project. Although, I wouldn’t spend more time than a afternoon on it, and I will probably never read it myself again.
Weekly Low Down on Kids Books 6/13/12
Oh my goodness have we been reading! And reading… and reading… and reading some more. The goal for the summer reading program at the public library is 500 minutes. That’s a lot of picture and board books. Yet, one week in and we’ve already reached 250 minutes, so not too shabby. Out of all the many, many, many books we’ve read, here are the top three for the week.
Top pick by Ayla (so much so, I had to re-check it out because she refused to allow it to go back in the library bag to be returned, which also means I’m going to have to find a copy to keep because this book WILL be returned to the library next week):Snog the Frog
I however, thought The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister
Once Upon a Time, The End
The Secret Adventures of H.G. Wells
Title: The Map of Time
Author: Felix J. Palma
Publisher: Atria Books
Length: 611 pages
It may have taken me longer than I first supposed to finish Felix J. Palma’s The Map of Time. Yes, there may have been days between reading that I had not expected, because the marketing was so astonishingly gripping. But any distaste I had for this book while I was reading it was purely psychological. It had to have been, because Palma’s writing is brilliant.
My psychological beefs? Let’s see if I can express them.
#1 The premise described in the jacket isnt even remotely a familiar story line until the last 60 pages of the book. Good thing I don’t usually read dust jackets, I just dive in, but I have friends who do who were reading this book roughly around the same time as myself, so on this occasion I went against instinct and read the synopsis. While reading the novel, I felt a bit duped by the summary, anxiously waiting for a time traveling book thief that didn’t arrive until over 500 pages in. The front cover is applicable to all three story lines, but the inner art work is directly related to the end, so the anticipation literally killed my reading mojo. I wish the advertising had been a little more straight forward, except I love the advertising and it clearly worked, therefore on that count, I have not a single suggestion.
#2 The book is really 3 books. At least in my mind it is. Its 3 separate but interconnected stories, overlapping characters and puzzle pieces and the theme of time travel, though not actual time travel. In my perfect world, this book would have been a series of novellas (which I inevitably would have begged to have in one complete volume as an omnibus – see… psychological issues!). Instead of being broken up in generic Part One, Part Twos, etc, I would have mentally prepared the reader for the disconnected yet interconnected adventure with titles. Example: Instead of being called The Map of Time, call the book The Secret Adventures of H.G. Wells. Part One, would be “Book One: The Murder of Jack the Ripper”, or something of the sort. “Book Two: Captain Shackleton’s Love Story” and “Book Three: The Time Lord and the Book Thief.” Perhaps Book Three could keep the original title “The Map of Time” it wouldn’t really matter. I just want to go in with the understanding that these are separate but connected adventures, rather than flailing about wondering if the next paragraph has any relevancy – which it does!
#3 There’s a word mis-used at one point where I believe ‘ancestor’ should have been utilized instead of ‘descendant.’ But that’s really trivial, and no one cares. (It also could have been me getting my time loops all mixed up.)
The story itself, I wouldn’t change a lick, because it’s marvelous. It’s the present structure that I clearly have issue with. Feeling as though the story was disconcertingly disconnected (when in reality as a series I would find it beautifully interconnected) made me set it aside in irritation one too many times. With the internal structure slightly altered with silly titles, I suddenly feel better about the whole thing. I would have found both jacket and description equally fitting and not misleading at all.
Moral of the story (my story, not Palma’s story)… this book is bloody brilliant and I’m keeping it, despite having kicked and internally screamed several times while reading it. Don’t be put off by your own expectations.
Weekly Low Down on Kids Books – 6/05/12
There’s nothing better than coming home from an outing (story and play time at the library) to a tired, snuggly kiddo. Ayla and I hunkered down in the bean bag while reading through our haul from the library and Felicity napped. First on the roster: Bats at the Beach
As we closed the book, reading the last line: “Shh – now sleep. The moon’s out of reach. The night was just perfect for bats at the beach,” Ayla’s little eyes began to blink shut. She lazily pointed to the bag of library books and we made it half way through the first page of the next title before she started to pass out completely. After Bats at the Ballgame, I had no intention of hunting down Brian Lies other work any time soon, my nephew loved it, but I wasn’t sure our house was ready for those titles yet. After Bats at the Beach, though, I can’t wait to find a copy of Bats at the Library.
The Swamps of Sleethe
I’ve just recently started beefing up my poetry section in my personal library. I looked out over my shelves and realized I had many biographies but not the works that made the people famous in the first place. On hunting down essential poets and their work, I started stumbling across more children’s poetry that I’d like to have for Ayla. Punctuation Celebration was one of the first, many children’s picture books are poetic in nature and I’ve been trying to make sure we have the cleverest and the best here at home, at our fingertips. Among these searches after Story Time at Half Price Books, I came across The Swamps of Sleethe
Prelutsky is the first Children’s Poet Laureate and also a Star Trek fan, which is obvious in this wonderfully fantastical adventure through space (or his version of it) via rhymes and anagrams. Visit fictional planets like Ogdofod and risk becoming dogfood. Breathe even one breath of air in the World of Thade and you’ll be poisoned to death. The poems are exciting, a little bit scary, but wonderful for your kiddos at home who find poetry and space adventure enticing.
The Cold of Drifig Prime, illustration by Jimmy Pickering
On top of the fabulous work of this brilliant wordsmith are the illustrations of Jimmy Pickering
Needless to say, I bought my copy at Half Price Books, and I’m a huge fan with absolutely no buyer’s remorse. Every parent needs a copy for their kiddo.
Weekly Low Down on Kids Books – Memorial Day Weekend
We’ve been in a bit of a funk here at the Klemm household this weekend. According to the online dictionary: Funk = A state of depression: “I sat absorbed in my own blue funk”. But I’d never say ‘blue funk’ because I’m more of a Holly Golightly girl – when I’m really depressed, it’s the mean reds. I didn’t have the mean reds, just a funk, which means I sat around watching awful television that I justified by what my baby might get out of it. Dance Academy = lame teen show that I’m hopelessly addicted to. What my baby might get out of it = an Australian accent and the desire to join a ballet class?
I didn’t read anything all weekend. This is an appropriate end of the month weekend to a month when I skipped out on all my Agatha Christie’s. Les Miserables may be one of the most amazing books I’ve ever read, but it definitely has put me in a funk. I started reading Chalice by Robin McKinley and I couldn’t be drawn out of it. I started reading Native Son by Richard Wright, still could be drawn out. I sat down with Ayla last night before bed (while my husband and his best friend repaired the air conditioning that had been out all day – reminder: I live in Houston, TX and its the end of May) and guess what finally drew me out of my funk? Ant and Grasshopper by Luli Gray.
Ant and Grasshopper is a sweet tale about an unexpected friendship between two very different bugs. I like bugs – illustrated bugs like the ones Guiliano Ferri portrays. Real bugs are interesting, but I don’t want them lurking about my house, so yes, despite my romantic take on all things living, I kill bugs (and eat cows and pigs). If a bug is exceptionally fascinating and harmless I might carry it out to the yard and give it a stern scolding about never coming back. But its citronella window washings once a month, my wonderfully diligent pest control guy, and egg shells and lady bugs in my kitchen garden for me. Little pests are not welcome – in real life. In books, I invite them often.
Ferri’s illustrations are wonderful, I love Grasshopper’s little hat and Ant’s old-fashioned glasses. The story is a good one, a nice little life lesson to be kind to all. My only issue with the book is when things have been deliberately mis-spelled. Delicious is Dee-lishus. Most likely for little eyes reading the words for the first time and to exaggerate Ant’s phrases, but I still don’t like it. I would prefer Ayla to struggle with the word and be taught through guidance the proper spelling and pronunciation than get used to seeing it spelled wrong. I went through my second grade year with a teacher who taught “inventive spelling,” where we only had to spell words how we thought they sounded rather than looking them up and discovering their true spelling. I found this activity detrimental to my education, and contradictory considering how rigorous our spelling tests were. (I distinctly remember being allowed to spell laugh as “laf” but had to memorize the word meteorologist for a weather themed spelling test the same year.)
Ant and Grasshopper
Another one we enjoyed is called Spells
Quasi Crisis in Christie Crime Quest and Caterpillarism
Agatha Christie behind what looks like MY TBR pile.
I had a goal to read the entire Agatha Christie Crime Collection in 23 months. I’m making it an even 24 now, because, well, I haven’t read any of her work this month. I kind of lost my mojo, my steam, the wind in my Christie sails has gone still and stagnant. I just got so wrapped up in Napoleon and Victor Hugo and a pile of other things that caught my attention this month. My desire to complete the collection is not gone. I cannot even say that I’m not in the mood to read her books as I’m in the middle of Murder in 3 Acts right now. I just didn’t finish off my allotted 3 Christie’s for the month. Its good to take a wee break every now and then though, it will make next month that much sweeter.
In addition to being distracted by Napoleon and getting very wrapped up in my Les Miserables readalong with Kate’s Library, I am now the day time nanny to 3 month old Felicity. As of day two, I can say that having this second little person with me during the day has definitely changed the reading dynamic in the house. My own toddler is half jealous of my averted attention and half in love with the idea of having a live baby doll to hold from time to time. Needless to say, reading Christie aloud to them both makes things a bit interesting as I pretty much inevitably run out of hands. Would not mind being a caterpillar-like creature right now, so I can hold books, baby, toddler, make bottles, pet dogs, and still sweep my hair out of my face at the same time. Caterpillar comes to mind with its many arms, as well as the fact that growing up I distinctly remember a summer reading program growing up whose ‘bookworm’ logo was no worm at all, but a caterpillar. I, of course, being the precocious child that I was, informed all the adults in the room and was then hushed.
So now, I take a minute to update you on the reason for the lack of updates while Ayla buckles her baby doll (the fake baby doll, not the live human baby doll) into the car seat and plays mama, and Felicity kicks her little tiny feet around in the bouncer. The feet blow my mind, even though Ayla was this small not too long ago, her feet never were. My child has very long feet, this child has very teensy tiny preemie feet.
Bookish Aromas
Scentsy Man available at https://akklemm.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy/Collection/374
A Post Devoted to Scentsy
As some of you may know, I am not just a book fiend, I am a Scentsy Consultant as well. Something I love doing as I prep to read is clean the house, make my coffee, and, yes, put the appropriate scent in my Scentsy warmer. Through some of my posts and reviews you’ll see mention of a perfect Scent pairing for particular books, smells to help set the mood. For the record, I’d like to share some of my all time favorite mood setters here:
Weathered Leather
Always enhances the library mood, reminding your nose of all the leather bound books and leather covered winged back chairs your library should have, even if it doesn’t now. The scent also has a backdrop of Oak, adding to every book lovers nose for the perfect library. Its especially wonderful while reading a historical piece, or a good old fashioned classic, something that you’d easily find in a leather bound anyway. You can find it under the Scentsy Man collection, but I would definitely not limit this to men.
Duke
Also found in the Scentsy Man collection, I didn’t like this scent much until it hit the warmer. Cardamom, mahogany, and amber, it makes for the best of library scents, musky and sexy, and all that reminds me of books. I got this scent for my husband’s man cave, but this week I am convinced that I must steal it because I’ve been doing all my reading in here since we started warming it. Went perfectly while reading Cosette of Les Miserables.
Spring and Summer Collection available at https://akklemm.scentsy.us/Scentsy/Buy/Collection/371
Just Breathe
Wonderfully fresh with euclyptus and lemony goodness, its great for summer and those breezy summer novels. Kick back, lay back, enjoy the spa vacation life and a good book. This is the kind of scent that early Saturday mornings, when my face is freshly washed, I can open the windows let the summer breeze in and let the scent intermingle with the freshly cut grass.
Pixie
A little bit Spring and Summer, a little bit wood nymph. Its got both mandarin and teakwood as part of its unique blend, and allows me to dive into the greatest of fairy tales. Its become a personal favorite that I don’t just warm in the library, but all over the house. It also makes a fantastic bedroom scent.
Honey Pear Cider and Comfort & Joy
These are both out of season Fall/Winter or Holiday scents. I love them each, and would love if they would bring these back year round. Honey Pear Cider would make a fabulous Cafe scent and always go wonderfully when I have Hazlenut Latte and Sticky Cinnamon Bun warming in other rooms of the house. Comfort & Joy is described as spicy, familiar woods marry with surprising white florals, pure citrus, and just a nibble of gingerbread and I absolutely love it. This is also a scent that smells incredibly clean and I stocked up at the end of the Fall/Winter season so that I would have it through the summer.
Cosette
Notes from a Les Miserables Blog Hop
It took me longer to pluck through Cosette than it did for Fantine. Only because it was so engrossing, I had to take a delicious detour into the historical writings of Charles Esdaile
More than tell me much about Jean Valjean, it told me much about Hugo. Often when reading work like Les Miserables, where all the characters go through long stretches of being miserable and down on their luck, I wonder what changed the author so to make them either so hardened or so empathetic (as one can write similar stories from two completely opposite positions). Knowing more about the era, the place, being more familiar with my history, shed some light on those things. For starters, Hugo writes about the aftermath (and even certain parts of the wars) with such passion. He says things like, “Napoleon was one of those geniuses who rule the thunder” (pg.285) and “To make Wellington so great is to belittle England” (pg. 301).
Within the pages of Cosette, Hugo often references other writers and literature, comments and allusions to Aeschylus, Virgil, and Voltaire, just to name a few. This got me even more curious about his frame of reference, his education, and I discovered he was trained to be a lawyer, but chose writing instead. Not only did he write the novels we are all aquainted with, but poetry, a few nonfiction pieces, as well as founded and edited a literary journal. He was highly devoted to the concept that everyone should have the opportunity to be educated, and in 1851 took part in the International Peace Congress in Paris. As a member of the Legislative Assembly he was forced to flee France when Napoleon III
Of course, there’s more to Hugo’s writing than social commentary and history. There’s a beautiful story unraveling about an old man and a young girl who need a family and have created one in each other. Funny enough, it reminds me of the story starring Natalie Portman called Leon, The Professional
Follow my adventures through Les Miserables
The post on Cosette by the Blog Hop’s Hostess, Kate’s Library, can be found here: http://kateslibrary.blogspot.com/2012/06/les-miserables-victory-hugo-post-2.html
Read my post on Marius (part 3 of Les Miserables).
Anakalian Whims 
Seed Savers – a series to be treasured
June 8, 2012 at 1:00 am (Education, Reviews) (books, Christian fiction, dystopian society, fiction, gardening, homeschooling, kids books, reviews, S. Smith, Seed Savers, self-sufficient living, series, social commentary, Treasure, young adult)
Author S. Smith has written the latest and greatest of young adult dystopian society novels. In the spirit of the previously mentioned Lowry novel and and Monica Hughes’ Invitation to the Game
, Smith has given us solid middle grade tale featuring a new (and somewhat real) futuristic threat – illegal gardening. It’s yet another great pre-cursor to students preparing to read Orwell’s 1984
. Educators everywhere should be aware of this rising star in children’s literature.
The detailed history of how this society came to be is part of its unique twist. Most dystopian society stories don’t spend a lot time telling you how it got this way, just that it did and people didn’t notice, the path somewhat alluded to but not specific. Smith helps point out the steps leading up to this future with factoids that suspciously resemble things that are happening in both the farmlands and corporate America. From living organism patents made legal in the 1980’s to genetically engineered seedlings, Smith spells out just exactly how this future (though a little outlandish in a society newly obsessed with being eco-friendly in its marketing) could quite possibly go from where it is now to the kind of United States described in the book (corporations and the government in bed with each other making trouble for the little people – Banks, anyone?… in combination with the idea that a government can make a plant illegal – marijuana comes to mind). Yet, she does this effortlessly, without killing the flow of the story.
I personally love social commentary presented through the art of fiction. (You like this too? Check out this site: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/371512?uid=3739920&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=56242603693). I find it compelling and quite frankly the best way to address particular situations that when written about in a nonfiction format becomes an irate rant. I love the way it personalizes events and characters in a book so quickly, in a way that the average story cannot do. Get under the skin of an art fanatic… make it impossible for art to be appreciated, collected, loved (if you’re not a reader, check out the movie Equilibrium, then again, if you’re not a reader what’s up with you reading my blog? What brought you here? Leave me a comment.)
Tug at the heartstrings of a gardener… attack the very core of their being by telling them in this reality, they can’t have one.
Needless to say, I loved it. S. Smith, you are brilliant, my dear, and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series. This one is going on loan to my nieces and nephews, is getting short listed on my very long list of required reading for my daughter who will one day be homeschooled. It will be the fun fiction to parallel our botany classes that week, the friendly reminder of why she will be taught to tend her own garden, and perhaps raise a chicken.
Buy Your Copy of Seed Savers Today!
Visit the author’s website here: http://authorssmith.com/
Want to start your own garden (before its too late!), check out Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5Lu-7FIj_g
Also for fun, check out this blog: http://www.thisgardenisillegal.com/
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