An Education in WWII
Title: Number the Stars
Author: Lois Lowry
Genre: Young Adult
I have been a long-time fan of Lois Lowry from my wonderful experience with The Giver
What I love most about reading this as an adult is that the book is set in Denmark, and King Christian X plays a role in the landscaping of the novel. I missed out on learning any details about King Christian X during my World War II studies in school, so I pretty much knew next to nothing about him prior to this novel. Not that there is a lot to learn about him in the pages of Number the Stars, but definitely enough to make me want to go pick up a biography on him the first chance I get. The little tidbit in the novel about how he rode the streets of Denmark on his trusty horse, Jubilee, every morning and greeted his subjects is so endearing and immediately peaks my interest. The story Lowry includes about the little boy and the Nazi soldier… ‘Where are his bodyguards?’ asked the Nazi. ‘All of Denmark are his bodyguards,’ the boy responded. Brilliant deviance and loyalty! Did this really happen or is this a bit of fiction Lowry put into her tale? Either way, I like it! Still, I mean to find out the answer!
I’ve decided this wonderful piece of literature will not be lost on the kiddo. The beauty of homeschooling is having the ability to choose the absolute must-reads for her education. The beauty of a classical education is being able to have age appropriate reading material for everything that is meant to be learned. No missing out on any particular piece of literature because it hits the wrong age group when you’re studying any particular topic. Number the Stars has been added to the list; and yes, there really is a list. (It’s never too soon to start writing curriculum!) The other beauty of homeschooling is that as a parent your education is never quite done either. There will always be something to read – something to study – to make sure I don’t miss a beat while schooling the kiddo.
For more about the occupation of Denmark and the nation’s amazing effort (and success!) in saving their Jewish population during the war, visit this site: http://www.auschwitz.dk/Denmark.htm
A Book I mean to check out:
I love reading reviews of books I have also just reviewed. My post after reading Of Mice and Men for the first time can be found here: https://anakalianwhims.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/a-weekend-with-murderers/
Through a Glass Darkly – A Review
I am reading from a first edition. Click the image to view the most recent book cover.
Title: Through a Glass Darkly
Author: Karleen Koen
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 743 pages
*Spoilers*
Depressing. Intense. Captivating. Intriguing. Dramatic. I end this book exhausted.
Karleen Koen has effectively dragged me tooth and nail, screaming, begging to stop, through roughly 6 years (if I followed the timeline correctly) of Lady Barbara Alderly Montgeoffrey’s life. It was long, excruciating, and well, brilliant. I am so tired, feeling as though I lived through it myself, and wonder how Koen managed to write 700 pages of this 1700’s soap opera without bawling her eyes out daily. The children die, the brother commits suicide, the husband has a male lover… can anything go right in this poor woman’s life? The only solace was knowing it was fiction, although I was constantly reminded of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
Even more, up until the last few pages, I wondered how on earth two more novels could possibly follow this one (I didn’t realize while reading that Dark Angels
I feel terrible reviewing this book, describing it so crudely. Koen states on her site:
“This was such an innocent experience for me, writing without realizing others would read me and have opinions about everything. I’ll never be able to write with the innocence this book displays, but it’s my goal.”
and I don’t wish to be the person that adds to that loss of innocence. The book is good, it really is. Just probably isn’t the best of books to read while plodding through Les Miserables. It makes it hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel in the middle of a rough week!
I can’t wait to discuss this book with other readers, as this is the first official Half Price Books Humble Book Club pick. Koen is a Houston resident, so I thought having a local author on the Book Club’s first set of titles would be both exciting and appropriate. The meeting will be held September 3rd from 8 – 9pm, led by yours truly, and I’m getting very antsy. There’s still time to pick up a copy and read the book in time to join the discussion! You won’t be sorry, and there will be more exciting event announcements for September to come… So stay tuned, and start enjoying your Karleen Koen binge now.
Author Karen Rose Smith Guest Blogs
I find interacting with authors on Twitter to be very exciting, and it’s always fun to share my twittering adventures with my fellow readers and blog subscribers. Karen Rose Smith is a best-selling, award-winning author. Her 80th novel will be published in 2013. Below, she shares a little bit about her life as a writer.
What Inspires Me
Writing and living are interchangeable for me. They are so glued together that I realized while writing this blog that whatever inspires me for one inspires me for the other. Peaks and valleys in one affect the other. So when I think about inspiration for either writing or living, I can lift my heart in these ways.
Ever since I was a young girl, music has made a difference in my life. (That is probably why one of the romances in my new series revolves around music.) Until I was five, my parents and I lived with my grandfather and my aunt. After that they lived next door. I come from an Italian heritage, and my grandfather was an immigrant. He played the mandolin beautifully. On weekends friends would stop by with guitars and an accordion, and he and his friends made music. That music brought into the house fellowship, fun and a sense of well-being. Also in my grandfather’s house was a player piano. We inserted what was called a “roll” and a melody magically played while my mother and I would sing along. She played the piano herself, and I would accompany her, too. It was natural for me to learn to play the piano myself. Through the years I learned to express emotion through the playing. I found joy and inspiration in the music. With this history, I never just listen to a song. I feel it. Today I listen for artists and music which can stir that deep creative part of me, whether it does that by bringing back memories, lifting me to a mountaintop, soothing pain and stress away, or urging me to write a particularly emotional scene. Music lifts me over the writing bumps or life’s bumps.
Traveling to a place with power also renews me. I believe everyone can find places that fill them with peace and an overwhelming sense of well-being. When I was a child, I had access to a relative’s farm. There was something about the fields of grass, the scent of orange blossoms and honeysuckle, the playfulness of kittens around the barn and the beauty of horses in the corral that always washed over me in a particularly healing way. I loved just being there and soaking it in. As an adult I feel drawn to places where I can feel a power greater than myself–the ocean, the cliff dwellings in the southwest, the Appalachian mountains, the big blue sky over Santa Fe, Sedona and the Grand Canyon, a memorial garden my husband and I created in memory of my parents in our own backyard. All of these places, as well as the memories from being in them, fill me up when I am empty and help me to keep going.
Since emotion and my creative energy are also integrally linked, the people I love and who love me also inspire me. My husband reminds me that I always say each book is different and eventually my characters show me the way. Talking to my son long-distance reminds me the bonds between a mother and child are never-ending. When my BFF’s daughter runs to me for a hug, I am inspired to look at the world through her eyes–in a more innocent, unspoiled way. My writing friends listen and help me get unstuck when a scene or character is being stubborn. Also my three cats, Ebbie, London and Zoie are constant companions who remind me to be playful. Ebbie joins me when I work or listen to music. London curls on my lap or beside me for an afternoon break. Zoie exhibits pure kittenhood. Their presence fills me with a sense of joy and contentment.
Inspiration surrounds me in many forms. I just have to know how to listen, where to go and whom to turn to in order to find it. Somehow I always do and life and writing flow on.
Buy Her Books Here!
Readers can visit her websites:
http://www.karenrosesmith.com/
http://www.karenrosesmithmysteries.com/
http://twitter.com/karenrosesmith/
Facebook (Karen Rose Smith author)
Access her e-zine In Touch at karenrosesmith-ezine.blogspot.com for new releases and contests.
The Sorting Hat
… told me I was a Ravenclaw.
Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?
I’ve always been a big fan of The Sorting Hat, it was actually one of my favorite parts of the Harry Potter series, and I think they carried it over into the movies quite well. Would not have labeled myself a Ravenclaw, but I suppose everyone imagines themselves to be a Gryffindor when reading the books. Except a handful of self-proclaimed Slytherins I know. If you haven’t seen the music video Wizard Love, it’s fun, give it a go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjUb4Pr2HnY&feature=relmfu
When We’re Not Reading – August Edition
… Is such a great place to take kids. Ayla has a blast just running in any place that has vast, open spaces. Add farm animals and swing sets, and you just can’t go wrong. It’s only $8 a person to get in, so even if you’re not one of those cool people with coupons (like me), it’s pretty cheap if you only have one kid. The baby goats were easily kiddo’s favorite as they were about the size of a one year old beagle, you know before the hounds get fatter, so they were easy to maneuver around. Although we didn’t use these particular things, because we were only there for about an hour, there’s a swimming pool and pony rides too. The most gratifying part for me, as both a mom and a reader, was when she was able to identify the pigs, having seen them previously in her Gossie & Friends
> Kiddo making friends with Guitar playing strangers; these two lovely people were incredibly sweet considering my daughter totally invaded their date night.
Find a parking spot, buy your picnic food at HEB (which is right there), and head on over to the park. Again, the kiddo loves having vast, open places to run and play, and apparently everyone is willing to share balls and frisbees with a toddler. Good thing too, because I think she may have stolen them otherwise. What’s great about hanging out here, I discovered thanks to my bestie, is that you can pretty much hear any concert being held at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for free. This is great for families with small kids and poor students because you can pop in for a bit, not feel obligated to stick around for the whole thing, but still hear a great show. Artists will sell demo cds (for donation only, of course) and the hipsters sit around and play their guitars while dads throw footballs with their kids. It’s great. There was a lady there this evening at the Jason Mraz
Meteor Shower
I’d write about our meteor shower adventure last night, but really we just did even more running in fields and caught a few really low flying airplanes that kiddo thought was pretty cool. We sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
I’m a big fan of stretching as well, and *not joking* I’ve totally done a rain dance because I was so mad at one of my characters for being elusive. Possibly wasn’t a rain dance and more of a spaz out on the deck, but it rained afterward so there ya go.
Writing entries for this blog has been almost impossible this week. It’s bad enough that my motivation is lacking from a combination of heat and too much work, but The Olympics are on!!! How am I supposed to focus on this when Olympic skeet shooting is on TV, followed by table tennis, and dressage? I think I’ve watched more of The Olympics this year than I ever have before. I’ve watched about a dozen soccer games, hours of gymnastics (my fiancée doesn’t give me a choice), swimming, archery, water polo. I think I’ve seen a little of every event except for those in track & field, but I’m not sure those have started yet. I also haven’t gotten to watch the Men’s Basketball Team play yet because of stupid NBC, which is kind of irritating me.
But enough about the games. I’m also finding it really hard to…
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All I can say is Me too, Me too. I am especially moved by old fashioned shoes: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Niffenegger, The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken, The Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie, etc.
Weekly Low Down on Kids Books 8/08/12
Story time at Half Price Books Humble has been quiet, has been loud, has been vacant, has been crowded. Today, it was just right. We had 9 children, all bright eyed and ready for me to read to them.
I always find it refreshing to be around other people who read, even if they are little people. So it was with great joy that I discovered Hooray for You! A Celebration of You-ness
This one is definitely a must-have, and I look forward to finding more of Richmond’s treasures tucked away on the shelves of Half Price Books. According to her website, her books are available through Barnes & Noble as well as most other book retailers.
Anakalian Whims 