A Place to Hang the Moon

 Dear readers- I don't know about you, but I'm tired.  Exhausted, even.  I'm just so tired of all of the things going on- and it just seems like a never-ending deluge of muck and mire and darkness.  Welp, gotta keep raising saints to shine brightly.  Speaking of which (one of the 4yo’s favorite phrases), I only just reached the age with my boys where I don't have to keep my eyes glued on them whilst they play outside.  I can actually sit out with them and read while they play.  It's been awesome.  Apparently, I'm on a WWII kick this month, because the other title I'm scarfing down is the Boys in the Boat.  That one's great, but it's kind of dry and a bit too full of terminology for me.  

I just needed a little nook to hide in this week, and I found the perfect one.  I know I haven't done a review in a while, so apologies if this may seem a little rusty and unfinished, but I enjoyed this particular title so much that I wanted to write about it.  I knew nothing about it going in, other than it had a pretty little cover.  That's what draws me most to a book initially- the cover.  This one came highly recommended by one of my book groups, and I'm so glad I took the chance.  

A Place to Hang the Moon

Kate Albus
303 pages, Reading time: 4 days

Back cover reads: William, Edmund, and Anna aren't terribly upset by the death of their not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died. But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together.  Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?  It's a preposterous plan, but off they go--keeping their predicament a secret and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends up lasting forever.  Moving from one billet to another, the children suffer the cruel trickery of foster brothers, the cold realities of outdoor toilets, and the hollowness of empty stomachs.  they find comfort in the village lending library, whose kind librarian, Nora Müller, seems an excellent choice of billet--except that her German husband's whereabouts are currently unknown, and some of the villagers consider her unsuitable.  Set against the backdrop of World War II England, A Place to Hang the Moon is a story about the dire importance of family: the one you're given, and the one you choose. 

Initial Reaction: What a cozy little gem of a book.  I was charmed by the wonderful selection of difficult words (well, difficult for the intended audience) and how they were casually defined in context.  I enjoyed the nods to Narnia and even what appeared to be a slight reference to The Sound of Music.  It's all about fellow bibliophiles, libraries, crackling fires, and books.  it was a swift and lovely read that didn't make me think too much, which is exactly what I need right now.  I could also foresee a few plot points- the reason one of the characters was the town pariah and where the children would end up, but it didn't detract from the reading experience.  I appreciated the reading list provided in the back of the book that catalogued each title the characters mentioned.  

Promote Virtue?  Yes.  Fortitude, especially.

Transcendentals? Somewhat.  Goodness and Beauty, definitely.  The Truth isn't as much of a priority.  But Edmund is a staunch defender of truth when he is wronged.  There's a bit of secret-keeping.  Nothing malicious, though.  

Overcome human condition? Yes

Attitude toward Catholicism? NA

Paganry?  None

Swearing?  None

Violence?  Minimal.  A brief description of rat-killing that's a bit sickening, a schoolyard fight, and a foster parent slaps one of the main characters.  Mentions Nazis and internment camps, but not in detail.

Appropriate age?  I would say a well-read 10 year old could handle this as long as a dictionary was available.

Writing Style:  Easy, dreamy, delicious, cozy.  Realistic.  Gloriously bookish.  I did appreciate how she broke the 4th wall every now and then.  A few funny jabs peppered throughout.  

Notable Quotables:  

"The evacuees were glad of the familiarity of a classroom, where well-worn textbooks released a comforting perfume of ink and must" (68).

"William pushed his shoulder into the heavy door of the lending library.  It gave way with a satisfying creak.  inside, the children were greeted by the sort of cool and reverent silence known only to places that house books-well, and perhaps artwork and religious artifacts.  Mismatched bookcases stood back to back and side to side, making raucously wobbly passageways of words.  A fireplace in the corner was unlit on this warm afternoon, but the collection of over stuffed chairs gathered around it was no doubt delightful in winter.  The children followed a sign pointing them to LITERATURE AND FICTION, then another to CHILDREN'S BOOKS.  And they were home" (70)

Great words:  Several, but I really started paying attention when I found the word bibliophile.  

Final Summation:  Can't wait to read it to my boys.  

Green Gables, Revisited

 Hey everyone.  Hitting the ground running here in the 3rd trimester.  Well, not really running, walking, but this one's back with a vengeance.  Taking care of 2 under 3 right now is really tough as well, especially since we have only one bathroom, and it's upstairs.

IN OUR NEW HOUSE!

We finally made the jump and became homeowners!  We've got a great place that has good bones and needs a ton of love, but after 5 years in apartments (2 of which were with small children), this place is absolutely gigantic!  I'm so grateful to be in a house of our own, especially amidst all of this covid craziness and societal unrest.  Using my own washer and dryer WHENEVER I WANT feels absolutely resplendent.

Because of all of that and severe pregnancy brain and a bit of exhaustion, I've been trying to keep my reading light.  I've completely abandoned by goodreads goal of 40 this year, and I'm settling for 20.  And no, they're not the twenty tiny titles, either.  Sad day.  Right now, I'm settling for cozy and nostaligic.  So when I found out about these two works, I grabbed them immediately from the library- which is within walking distance of our house!  Huzzah!  I do kind of enjoy back stories, but I don't want them ruining the warm-fuzzies of my childhood.  That being said, I didn't even read the whole series of Anne books until a few years ago- and they were wonderful.  My childhood is attached to the two (yes, the third doesn't exist, much like the 4th Indiana Jones) movies from the 1980s.  

To warn you, dear reader, I'm going to throw format out the window, and there may or may not be spoilers, but we all know how they'll end because of L.M. Montgomery's works, right?  I didn't really do a very close reading of either book because I frequently forget to brain, and these books were just great for escapism.  Anyways, here we go.

Before Green Gables
Budge Wilson
387 pages.  Reading time: 5 days

Back cover reads:  Before Green Gables is the story of Anne Shirley's early life, and the journey that led her to Prince Edward Island- a heartwarming tale of a precocious child whose lively imagination and relentless spirit help her overcome difficult circumstances; and of a young girl's ability to love, learn, and above all, dream.  When readers first meet Anne, she is eleven, and has just been sent from an orphanage to meet her new family.  Readers never learned the events of Anne's life before she arrived at Green Gables.  Until now.  After baby Anne's parents die in an epidemic, she is sent from one foster family to another, always searching for the love and comfort of a real home.  A clever child, she learns to talk early, and even in her darkest times she finds joy in the power of her imagination and, eventually, by escaping into the world of books.  Through her adventures at school and in foster homes and orphanages, Anne's vibrant personality- her imagination, her hot temper, her impetuousness, her dramatic flair- shines through.  For the millions of readers who devoured the Green Gables series, Before Green Gables is an irresistible treat: the story of how one of literature's most beloved heroines became the girl who captivated the world.

Overall Reaction:  Ok, so I just read the back cover for the first time, and I would definitely say that this book is not an irresistible treat for any of us who devoured the Green Gables series (and the movies).  It is a sad story for the most part, but one of hope.  The issue that I have the most with this work, however, isn't so much in the shock value of Anne's back story (the weight which carries most of the work), but it was often the word choice and writing style of the author.  I thought that Wilson did a relatively good job of being at least historically accurate, but there were several points in the book where she used modern-day language or terms (don't ask me to point them out because pregnancy brain) that just confused me.  At one point, I found myself questioning just what time frame she was attempting to depict in the novel.  It just didn't sit well with me.  

Before is absolutely not on par with Montgomery's style.  It tries to be, but it fails miserably.  I'm not saying that the author should have provided a story as similar to Montgomery's writing as humanly possible, but she could have done much better.  It just reeks of poorly-written high school age fan-fiction.  Also, having an almost 3-year-old and knowing his capabilities, it was just an enormous effort for me to suspend my disbelief regarding what Anne's responsibilities (chores and other things) at the age of 4.  I dunno.  Maybe they expected much, much more of children back then, but a 4 year old taking care of babies?  Nope.  Not gonna believe that.  I felt like a lot of the story was all about shock value.  Perhaps that's something that I shouldn't be reading right now whilst 6 months pregnant, but I didn't enjoy it.  There was also a smattering of feminist garbage in there that I thought was completely out of place.  Ugh

One thing that I think was well done Wilson's way of forming Anne's forgiving and understanding nature.  

After reading this, I think I'll leave Anne's past to my own devices, meaning I'd just rather not think about it.  I want to meet her where I first did, in the forest as she reads Tennyson on the way back to the Hammond's (in the movie), or through the curious gossip Rachel Lynde (the book).  It's really Rachel who sets the tone of the first book, and she is somewhat of a heroine in it as well (she makes Anne's puffed sleeve dress).  Anyways.  This book wasn't really all that disappointing, but it wasn't great, either.  So therefore:

Marilla of Green Gables

Sarah McCoy

291 pages.  Reading time: 1 week

Back cover reads: Plucky and ambitious, Marilla Cuthbert is thirteen years old when her world is turned upside down, leaving her to bear the responsibilities of a farm wife: cooking, sewing, keeping house, and overseeing the day-to-day life of Green Gables with her brother, Matthew, and father, Hugh.  In Avonlea, life holds few options for farm girls.  Marilla's one connection to the wider world is Aunt Elizabeth "Izzy" Johnson, her mother's sister, who fled Avonlea for the bustling city of St. Catharines.  An opinionated spinster, Aunt Izzy is a talented seamstress, which has allowed her to build a thriving business and make her own way in the world.  Emboldened by her aunt, Marilla dares to venture beyond the safety of Green Gables.  With her friend Rachel, she joins the local Ladies' Aid Society in helping an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity in nearby Nova Scotia--a home for abandoned children that secretly serves as a way station for runaway slaves from America.  Her budding romance with John Blythe, the charming son of a neighbor, offers her a possibility of future happiness-- but Marilla is in no rush to trade one farm life for another.  Instead she is caught up in the dangerous work of politics and abolition-- jeopardizing all she cherishes.  Now Marilla must face a reckoning between her dreams of making a difference in the wider world and the small-town reality of life at Green Gables.  

First off, whoever wrote those liner notes must not have read the book.  UGH.  It really is a shallow portrayal of the novel.  Shock value to get the reader to read it.  Luckily, I usually don't read those things before diving in.  

Overall reaction:  After drinking the bitter water that was Before Green Gables, this novel was a joy to read.  On par with Montgomery's style, a sweet and cozy read that I think flows well with the rest of the Anne series.  The story is an easy and quick read.  I thought the characters were believable.  I found myself rooting so much for John and Marilla, even though I knew they were doomed.  It was nice to get into Marilla's head a little bit, as well as Rachel's. I think I liked Matthew's backstory the most.  Far be it from me to push a fellow introvert anywhere, but I thought it was admirable how he bucked up and took a risk to start courting a girl.  The men in this novel were wonderfully written.  They are good, faithful, hardworking men who honor the women in their lives.  

There are only a few gripes that I have with it.  Rachel Lynde's mother, Mrs. White, attempts to make a half-hearted attempt at the Sign of the Cross just because a nun does it.  (Which Marilla found strange.  It was not Presbyterian.  94)  I think this was completely out of place and historically inaccurate, and I'm sure any non-Catholic during this time period would find the patronizing action a little offensive and rude, especially if they knew Mrs. White wasn't Catholic.  I'm glad we hear Marilla's thoughts on it in order to get to know Mrs.  White's character more.

 I wasn't too amused by how silly and girlish Rachel's character is in this book.  It's a stark contrast to her "that's what" attitude in Montgomery's books, but Rachel's mother is quite similar to the adult Rachel Lynde, so it's easy to make the jump.

I do not like all this feminist agenda BS!  The gorgeous thing about L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Louisa May Alcott, and other similar writers of yore, is that they didn't preach feminism.  They just wrote strong female characters who could challenge the status quo and still live a happy, normal life without tearing down the family.  There is nothing wrong with wanting to be married.  There is nothing wrong with NOT wanting to be married.  But spare me all the bra burning, woe-is-me, marriage is a cage for my free spirit BS. GAH.

The prologue.  This work began with a frame narrative.  I wanted it to end that way.  It didn't.  I wanted it to end closer to the time that we meet Anne.

I also enjoyed reading the Author's Note at the end.  It gave me warm fuzzies.  McCoy not only read all the books, did her research, etc. etc., but she loves the Kevin Sullivan movies.  

Marilla of Green Gables was just what my pregnant brain needed this last week.  I can't wait to get a copy of my own.  It's definitely

Not sure if I'll update with another review any time soon.  I'm trying to keep reading light.  I might work on my 7th tour of Miss Prim if it all gets to be too much.  I hope you and yours are well during this tumultuous time.

  

The Awakening of Miss Prim

Hey, friends.  The world is going absolutely crazy lately.  I find the timing perfect to return to my favorite novel of all time.  Mayhaps I'll begin a 6th tour of it this evening.  It's really the only thing that I even want to deal with at this point, after being kept hostage in my own home for the past 3 months due to medical hysteria.  I'm currently somewhat fearful of going out because of the social hysteria that started almost 2 weeks ago. It is starting to turn into absolute anarchy.  On top of this, we're pregnant with baby #3, so my emotions are all over the place.

Oh, hey, Squiffy!

If any of my loyal readers are unaware, I currently work for the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton as a content curator and social media specialist.  Them's just fancy words that means: I finds the quotes, I designs some of the emails.  I also pretty much do whatever my boss tells me.  And I kind of geek out every once in a while because my boss's boss is Dale Ahlquist.  Hah.

I'm on a FANTASTIC team of talented people whose goal is to promote the wit and wisdom of G.K. Chesterton to the world! 

This is one of my favorite photos of him.

A while back, I was assisting in one of the online Virtual Society meetings featuring Brandon Vogt and Joe Grabowski on distributism.  Distributism is one of those Chestertonian ideals that puzzles me, but I had recently read a novel that perfectly personified it.  I asked Brandon and Joe if they had ever read it as well as their thoughts regarding its portrayal of distributism.  Several members of my team, including my boss, had never heard of it, and I told them all to read it.  They fell head over heels, and there was emphatic talk of a book review of it to be featured, along with an interview of the author, in an upcoming issue of Gilbert! Magazine.  And who, can you guess, was asked to pen such a review?  Yours truly.  

Now, I tell you.  I was absolutely honored, for one thing, because I would finally be using that dusty old English degree that I have lying around here somewhere.  Secondly, I was terrified.  I only had 900 words to explain why every. freaking. person. needs to read this book.  I'd read it 4 times before tackling it again for the magazine, and I didn't dare touch it with a review, even on here, because I didn't feel worthy enough.  

So, I humbly submit for you now, the feeble 900 words that my little brain came up with to convince you to read my favorite novel of all time.  My typical review format can be found below. I have no time, nor the permission to just retype the entire novel here, so, you should just go read it.  

Charming.  Cozy.  Contra Mundum.  

(Featured in Gilbert! Magazine Vol. 23, No. 4.  Become a member and you get access to the best magazine ever!)

The Awakening of Miss Prim
Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
Abacus Books
320 pages

So when I attended my first Chesterton Conference in 2016 in Slippery Rock, the word “Distributism” definitely piqued my interest.  This radical idea completely baffled me.  As someone relatively new to Chesterton at the time, I wanted to hear what the Apostle of Common Sense had to say.  I found it a little interesting but very confusing.  I could somewhat grasp the idea, but I just didn’t get it.  I really wanted to.  I did.  But I let it go.  About a year later, one of my online book clubs introduced me to The Awakening of Miss Prim.

Spread like butter and jam on toast across 320 delicious pages, the novel only took me 3 days to devour.  The coziness.  The Catholicism.  The cheek.  The Classics.  Miss Prim made me want to dive into distributism, cozy up to Chesterton, read more books, and not look back.

This book made me ecstatic about distributism, so naturally, I researched the topic, delighted to discover and read The Hound of Distributism in an effort to understand this concept.  Unfortunately, I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.  So I returned to Fenollera’s novel.  Again.  And again.  I just recently finished my 5th (1st!) reading in order to prepare a review for you, dear reader.  So, allow me to introduce you to my absolute favorite book of all time (only slightly beating out my childhood favorite, Harriet the Spy).

Proud and proper, Miss Prudencia Prim takes on a job as a personal librarian in San Ireneo, a small town in the middle of the countryside that seems oddly steeped in the past.  Her employer, only identified as “The Man in the Wingchair” throughout the novel, is a mysterious character whose life is filled with books, curious children, education, and faith. The overqualified Miss Prim longs to escape from the noise of her life in the city, but is somewhat just as exasperated by the old-fashioned simplicity of life in San Ireneo.

We are hit with the inner-workings of the community immediately, beginning with education and the importance of family.  Small business comes next, followed quickly by farming and the ideals of self-sufficiency.  By page 4, the seasoned Chestertonian knows that this novel is already dripping with distributism.  The unseasoned Chestertonian won’t see it coming until a cathartic upheaval somewhere near the end of the book.  The peaceful introduction to the community stands in stark contrast to our introduction to Miss Prim, who represents the educational product, ways, means, and noise of the modern world.

Fenollera’s novel is cozy.  The residents of San Ireneo are always congregating around hearths, sipping tea or hot chocolate, and eating together.  If there is anything that brings a community together, it is the proper practice of feasting in a warm and inviting atmosphere.  This gentle invitation to the culture of San Ireneo is skillfully woven throughout the entire novel.  Fenollera’s writing is imbued with a simple and profound beauty that stirs the heart.  These descriptions, for example, make me want to pack my bags and go there immediately:

“To visitors, San Ireneo de Arnois looked like a place that was firmly rooted in the past.  Old stone houses with gardens full of roses stood proudly along a handful of streets that led to a bustling square full of small shops and businesses, buying and selling at the steady pace of a healthy heart” (4).

“[The Man in the Wingchair] loved to watch the children reading in the sun, stretched out on the lawn, perched in the comfortable old branches of a tree, munching on apples, devouring buttered toast, leaving sticky fingerprints on his beloved books” (27).

Now, the coziness of this book is a beautiful thing.  And just what does beauty do?  It softens our hearts and makes us more receptive to the Truth (which we all long for).

And the truth about Miss Prim is that it is wildly subversive.  It’s radically contra mundum.  The reader is bombarded by worldly conventions and ideals through the internal struggles of Prudencia Prim as she encounters a unique community that cherishes different ideals.  Higher ideals.  Holy ideals.  Allow me to list a few things that the community of San Ireneo holds dear: homeschooling, classics, community, faith, small business, tradition, wisdom, study, education, quality goods, a lack of technology, silence, simplicity, leisure, and more.  Prim, much like anyone who is reading the book who has a similar background, takes some time to get comfortable with the ways of San Ireneo, eventually preferring them to the ways of the world.

And thus begins her awakening to Truth.

The Awakening of Miss Prim is a scrumptious novel about tea, cake, books, relationships, and faith.  Mostly Truth.  But also distributism.  It personifies the practice of a well-ordered distributist society (complete with its own “Chestertonian” feminist league-a paradox, I know!).  My quest to understand distributism had previously yielded confusing results.  Then this unobtrusively charming and cozy little book came into my life, and I was absolutely blown away.  The charming coziness and stunning beauty called to me.  But the depth.  The depth, dear reader, is what grabbed my soul and refused to let go.  Suddenly, I knew what Chesterton was after.  Experiencing distributism through the eyes of someone who didn’t understand it made it all the more palpable.  So read it.  Then read it again.  Then have your friends over for a feast and discuss Truth.

A continuation in typical format

The Awakening of Miss Prim 

Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera
320 pages.  Reading time ranges between 3 days and a few weeks, depending on my status in life.  Hah.

Back cover reads:  When clever, accomplished Prudencia Prim accepts the post of private librarian in the village of San Ireneo de Arnois, she is unprepared for what she encounters there.  Her employer, a book-loving intellectual, is dashing yet contrarian, always ready with a critique of her cherished Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott.  The villagers, too, are capable of charm and eccentricity in equal measure.

Prudencia had hoped for friendship in San Ireneo but didn't suspect that she might find love - nor that her new life would offer challenge and heartache as well as joy, discovery, and fireside debate.  Set against a backdrop of steaming cups of tea, freshly baked cakes and lovely company, The Awakening of Miss Prim is a distinctive and delightfully entertaining tale of literature, philosophy and the search for happiness.  

Initial Reaction:  Now, the initial reaction has been forgotten, other than a vague memory of my mind being completely blown.  In the discussion thread for Prim in one of my facebook groups, I remember writing a glowing reaction to the read-along in the likeness of some slobbering fan-girl who wants a movie-version made of the book just so it can have a film score composed by Dario Marianelli.  Found it:  Wow. Phenomenal. The second movement of Miss Prim's concerto ends, and the next movement begins. While I would have loved to read a bit more about her homecoming, I don't really think the author needs to continue the story. We see her metanoia and know what she's going to do. So good.   I was imagining a huge orchestra playing at the end of the book... and the last note sounds and has a looooong hang time. It was intense!   Oooh. I feel like Dario Marianelli would do it justice if a movie version came out.

Promote Virtue?  Oh, you betcha.

Transcendentals?  Transcendentals.  Transcendentals everywhere.  Fenollera's writing is absolutely resplendent.  It's simple.  It's cozy.  It's filled with humor.  It is beautiful and good.  And it leads you to the Truth, no matter how much it has to drag you kicking and screaming.

Overcome human condition?  Spoiler alert.  Yes.  Full-blown metanoia.  

Attitude toward Catholicism?  IT IS Catholic distributism on a plate.  Well, on a page.  Several, actually.  It's basically The Benedict Option personified.  The mystery.  The conversion.  The awakening.  It's just so gorgeous.  AND THE SUBTLE THOMISM.  MY HEART.

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  Damn, hell.

Violence?  Negative.

Appropriate age?  16+  It'd have to be a mature teenager though to appreciate the likes of this.  Hidden beneath the surface of this charming and cozy story there lurks some very subversive ideas.  It's wonderful.

Writing Style: Charming.  Cozy.  Contra Mundum. I can't do it any justice.  Just read it.  One of the things that I appreciate the most about it, though, is Fenollera's style of humor.  Some of her one-liners literally make me guffaw in public.

Notable Quoteables:  Here are just seven of my favorites..  If I didn't have a strict limitation, I'd just retype the whole book.

"The day before, he'd [the man in the wingchair] found the homilies of St. John Chrysostom in the pantry, between the jars of jam and packets of lentils.  How had they got there?  It was difficult to know.  It could have been the children- they treated books as if they were notebooks or boxes of pencils; but it could just as easily have been him.  It wouldn't be the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last."  (26)

"Was he some kind of urban hermit?"  (72).  Bahahaha  I wanna be an urban hermit.

"Had she ever sat down with pencil and paper to list the pros and cons of the marital state?  had she?  Miss Prim had to admit that she had not."  (89)

"If you were convinced that the world had forgotten how to think and teach, if you believed it had discarded the beauty of art and literature, if you thought it had crushed the power of the truth, would you let that world educate your children?"  (114)

"Tradition is a bulwark against the decline of culture." (168)

"Miss Prim flatly refused to have someone know her essence.  She refused both in principle and in practice."  (182)

"Miss Prim had always had sufficient respect for poetry not to write any herself" (254). Baha!

Great words:  Now, while the book doesn't particularly have an elevated lexicon, it is CHOCK FULL of great books, authors, and philosophers.  There is even an appendix entitled Miss Prim's Library Catalogue that lists all the of the authors or works alluded to or appearing in the book.  Lovely!

Final Summation:  I've read The Awakening of Miss Prim five times since it came into my life- 3 times alone during my second pregnancy- and I know I'll most likely read it at least once per annum until the end of my life.  It is my new favorite novel of. all.  time, only slightly beating out my childhood favorite, Harriet the Spy.  It is, and always will be

The Wind in the Willows

Ok.   ok ok ok.  So.  I got this adorable little set of classics for John Paul for Christmas. 

Which means, I really got them for me for Christmas because I get to read them aloud to him. Yay!  Interestingly enough, out of all of them, I have only read Alice.  Yes, yes.  I know.  I hang my head in shame. 

Well, we had a rough start with Pinocchio, which I absolutely detested.  I've said it before that classics are not automatically Word Nerd Approved. I'll say no more other than it's not the Disney version.  Blechk. 

Then.  THEN, dear reader, we started in on the Wind and the Willows, which, for some odd reason, I had always avoided as a child.  I guess it just struck me as peculiar, and I didn't really want to read about rats and badgers and moles and frogs. Because ew. 

Boy, oh boy, was I pleasantly surprised!  This was a HUGE breath of fresh, springtime air after the monotonous drivel that was Pinocchio.  The colors!  The description!  The homeliness!  The words!  The adventure!  The humor!  The the the....

ALL THE THINGS!

So, here we go!  I'd like to answer mostly in gifs for this post. 

The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
Reading Time: about a month as a read-aloud, about 10 pages at a time.










Initial Reaction:  Wow!  I can't wait to read this again!  What was I WAITING FOR?!

Promote Virtue?  Yes. 

Transcendentals?  Ooooh this book has everything!

Overcome human condition?  Toadly condition?  Yes.











Attitude toward Catholicism?  NA













Paganry?  There is a little chapter about Pan, but meh.


Swearing?  an "ass" here and there.  As in, jackass.

Violence?  schoolyard variety.  A thrashing or two.


Appropriate age?  Great for all ages.

Writing Style:  Grahame just sucks you in with phenomenal description, and he never lets go.

Notable Quoteables:  Too many to put here.

Great words:  Such wonderful vocabulary!  Too many to put here.

Final Summation:  I'm quite upset at myself for putting off reading this book for so long.  I can't wait to read it again and again independently or with my kids.  It is undeniably

Read it!  Read it NOW!

Jungle Book is next!

Wolf Hollow

Morning all!  Happy feast of St. John Bosco, one of the patrons of Catholic Youth Expeditions!  Also, don't forget that tomorrow is The First of Februaaaaaaary.  St. Brigid, Pray for us!  Have some beer!  We are also about 2 weeks from Lent.  What are you doing to do for Lent?  People typically ask, "What are you going to give up for Lent?", bu I'm usually in the habit of adding something- like some serious spiritual reading on top of some abstention.  Anywho, this week's review is about an interesting little morsel that recently caught my eye.

Wolf Hollow
Lauren Wolk
290 Pages, Reading Time: 5ish hours

Inside cover reads:
Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.





Initial Reaction:  I'm kind of speechless.  It was an intense page turner that was akin to my Little House Addiction.  I didn't want to put it down.  I itched to finish it.  Luckily, I had a 3-hour car ride to get a jump start on it.  This novel is all about knowing the truth, telling the truth, and uncovering the truth, even though the first sentence of the novel is "The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie" (1).  While I was somewhat disappointed in the ending (the whole truth didn't come to light), I thought the book was pretty fantastic overall.  Wolk portrays a realistic, cruel, and terrifying 14-year-old bully.  Although, I'm not quite sure that I would characterize Betty as just a bully who is "incorrigible."  She is a villain; the kind of villain we love to hate.  She definitely has a mental disorder; it is clear that she takes pleasure in making others suffer.  It is clear that her parents have separated in some way, and she's angry about it.  I know first-hand the type of pain that a divorce can bring to a young child, but that's no excuse for her kind of behavior.  Instead of dealing with Betty, her parents send her off to live with her milquetoast grandparents.  She suffers her own demise because of her lies and lawbreaking, but the truth never really comes out all the way, and that was a disappointment.  Also, it's hard for the reader not to think, "serves her right, she was meaner than a damn snake."  And I don't really like that.

Promote Virtue?  Yes.  I'd say patience, tolerance, forgiveness, kindness.

Transcendentals? Yes.  All three.  It is very apparent in the book that Annabelle and her family love the truth.  Toby is definitely a lover of beauty.  Annabelle also strives to be good, and her character provides a stark juxtaposition to that of Betty's.

Overcome human condition?  Yes and no.  While the truth eventually comes to light because Annabelle finally confesses to her family, there is no redemption for Betty.  She remains a liar to the end of her life.  It really makes me wonder why she's so afraid.  At the heart of every lie is some type of fear.  Fear of the truth.  The Truth is not something to fear.  Consequences of telling the truth can be scary, but it's the Truth.

Attitude toward Catholicism? N/A

Paganry?  None

Swearing?  Nope

Violence?  Yes, the sneaky, manipulative, girl kind that all girls know, but also some pretty horrendous physical abuse.  Betty beats Annabelle with a stick.  She throws a rock at another girl who eventually loses her eye.  She sharpens a trip wire so it has a razor's edge and strings it taught between two trees, meaning to catch Annabelle's younger brother by the neck.  Betty also takes a pheasant and wrings its neck slowly to intentionally cause it pain.

Appropriate age?  I would say 12+.  There's nothing inappropriate in it.

Writing Style:  Gripping.  Wolk starts with a great hook, and you are entranced for the remainder of the novel.  It also reads quite fast.  The writing is not dumbed down for younger readers, but it isn't full of huge vocabulary words, either.

Notable Quoteables:
"I learned about a thing called onomatopoeia, which I could not yet spell but practiced under my breath throughout the afternoon" (61).

"I didn't see this as separate strands.  It was, to my thinking, a rope, any part of which was twined with every other part" (127).

"For days I had popped from one problem to another like a pumpkin seed on a griddle" (226).

"Somewhere, excitement waited for me like an uncut cake" (226).  FABULOUS writing!

Great words:  incorrigible, furtive, famished

Final Summation:
Wolk's novel is a fantastic and gripping semi-mystery, as well as a sincere and relentless search for the truth.  While I was a little disappointed with the ending, it didn't cast a shadow on the rest of the novel.  I really hoped for redemption for Betty, but honestly wasn't surprised when there was none to be had.  I think that the author desired to draw pity from the reader, not angry revenge.  I think she accomplished that well.  Wolk's writing also made me want to search out her other works to read them.  Therefore, Wolf Hollow is

Lemoncello, what a fellow!

Happy Catholic New Year, everyone!  Hope your Advent is off to a great start.  ALSO, if you didn't know, Christmas is on a Monday this year, so that means that you will have to go to *gasp* two Masses in one weekend.

Your Sunday obligation will be fulfilled if you attend Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday Morning.  Your Christmas obligation will be fulfilled if you attend a Mass on Sunday evening (as long as it's the Mass of the Nativity) or Monday.  Just going to Mass once on Sunday will not fill both obligations.

We're doing the Saturday vigil and Christmas vigil boogie this year because we have a 3 month old to contend with.  Needless to say, the cuteness makes the contention pretty bearable.

 The midget has had the gall to outgrow all the hats I knitted for him.  

Guess I'll have to knit more.  hah.  

Today is also the feast day of THE REAL SANTA CLAUS, St. Nicholas.  In honor of his feast day, I present you with these fabulous memes that have been popping up all over facebook.  First, a good thrashing by St. Nicholas to the heretic, Arius, who denied the divinity of Christ.

Saintly Smackdown.

If you're a Catholic nerd, chances are, you'll like these:

Nicene Creed.  BOOM.

And, my personal favorite:

Bahahahahah!

Wanna know why the jolly commercialized fat man wears red?  Because the REAL St. Nicholas was a BISHOP.  And what do Bishops wear?  RED.


Anywho, we're back today, gentle reader, for the 3rd installment of Mr. Lemoncello's library.  It is hot off the press from Chris Grabenstein.  It came out on October 10th, and I am ECSTATIC!

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race
Chris Grabenstein
272 Pages, Reading Time: about 6ish hours.

Inside Cover Reads:  Everyone's favorite game maker, Luigi Lemoncellois testing out his new FABULOUS FACT-FINDING FRENZY game!  If Kyle can make it through the first round, he and the other lucky finalists will race--by bicycle, book mobile, and even Mr. Lemoncello's corporate banana jet!- to find fascinating facts about famous Americans and win spectacular prizes!  But when a few surprising facts surface about Mr. Lemoncello, it might be GO TO JAIL and LOSE A TURN all at once!  Could Kyle's hero be a FRAUD?!  It's WINNER TAKE ALL, and Kyle and the other kids will have to dig deep to find out the truth before the game is over for Mr. Lemoncello and his entire fantastic enterprise!







Initial Reaction:  Grabenstein is at it again with his wonderful writing and stealthy teaching skills.  In this third installment of the adventures of the library of Alexandriaville, the readers learn more about research and non-fiction than they planned.  The plot is just as gripping as the first book.  I must say that the puzzles and clues aren't as prevalent this time, but that's ok because we're dealing with non-fiction.  Plus, there's a nod to Sheboygan, WI in there!

Promote Virtue?  Yes.  Perseverance, right judgment, thorough research (not making assumptions).

Transcendentals?  This book is inundated with the search for Truth, and the beauty of the truth.  There are a few points where the kids stray from the path.  The kids do act under false pretenses to get the antagonists to confess what they've done... which is a gray area, but there's one other part that concerns me because it's not clear.  I found it on page 213.  The kids are racing across the country to save Mr. Lemoncello's reputation, but instead of telling their parents what they're doing, they....

"Sent them a text saying Mr. Lemoncello was feeling blue so we're all watching The Sound of Music with him."  I'm really confused about this because in the previous paragraph, some of the other kids told their parents where they were actually going.  No good.  If I were doing a read aloud to my kids, I'd probably just skip that part.

Overcome human condition?  Yes, at the beginning of the story, Kyle is always trying to take shortcuts and jump to conclusions.  He makes a lot of mistakes and makes for one poor researcher.  Throughout the story and by virtue of his very thorough team mate, he learns that the shortest and quickest way is not always the best way to the finish line.

Attitude toward Catholicism?  NA

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  Nope, but a ton of great adjectives used as insults.

Violence?  nope.

Appropriate age?  4th grade plus independently.  Good for a 3rd grade read aloud.

Writing Style:  Awesome.  This story is written for a young audience, and it challenges them.  It challenges the reader in the way that they speak, act, and even do their homework.  I also love that he peppers in allusions to other works of literature, movies, music, and other things.  Grabenstein is a stealthy educator, and I love that.

Notable Quoteables:

"Finding the truth, no matter what truth you are seeking, is more important than finding the thief who stole my blueprints" (151).

"In 1969, Beth Bennet was in a show called Put On Your Shoes at the Melody Makers summer stock theatre in Sheboygan, Wisconsin" (183).

"I don't care," said Kyle.  "The truth is the truth, and people need to know it" (210).

Great words: pilfering, egregious, malevolent, smarmier

Final Summation:

If Grabenstein is going to continue this series, I can't wait for more.  Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race is an awesome way to get kids interested in the facts and being sure to do your research.  Therefore, I deem it

I also think that St. Nick would approve this awesome work, and wouldn't mind if you left a copy in your kid's shoe next year in honor of his feast day.

Stella by Starlight

Heyo, gentle readers!  I'm back on a sporadic basis for now.  I've been back to work super part time, and new books are catching my eye.

Before we git to the rat killin, I just have to say:

I love motherhood.  It is amazing.  It's super difficult, but totally worth it.

John Paul agrees.  He is two months and 6 days old today!  Happy feast of St. Cecilia!

Anyways, I've not much time to dilly-dally, so let's go!

Stella by Starlight

Sharon Draper

320 Pages, Reading Time: about 6 hours (motherhood never allows you to sit down for 6 hours at a time)

Inside cover reads:  Stella lives in the segregated South- in Bumblebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it.  Some stores she can go into.  Some stores she can't.  Some folks are right pleasant.  Others are a lot less.  To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn't bothered them for years.  But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something that they're never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, change not welcome by any stretch of the imagination.  As Stella's community- her world- is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire, and learns that ashes don't necessarily signify an end.  

Initial Reaction:  So I picked up this little gem because of the intriguing cover art and the consonance of the title, not to mention that "Stella" means "star" so there's a play on words there.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book, given the mediocre waste of time that I previously endured by this author (even though it's WNA).  This is a cute but intense story about growing up African American in the South.  I love that Stella loves to write.  The story focuses mainly on her writing in a notebook (love notebooks!), but she eventually ends up with a typewriter.

You know that I'm a sucker for hooks.  Draper has a great one.  It's a fragment, even.  That's the best kind.  This was a quick, easy, and charming read.


Promote Virtue?  Yes.  Mercy, forgiveness, charity.  While this book does focus on tragic events promulgated by bigots in the south during the 30s, it also focuses on a true aspect of community.  Anyone can be helpful, charitable, and kind, if they choose to be, regardless of their skin color.

Transcendentals?  Draper's writing (this time around) is poignant and beautiful.  The theme of Truth is prevalent throughout the novel.  The characters are working hard to promote the greater good.

Overcome human condition?  Sadly, there is no redemption for some of the characters (the white doctor who refuses to treat black patients), while others strive to overcome personal prejudices in the face of ridiculously difficult bigotry.

Attitude toward Catholicism?  N/A, but the whole work seeps with Christianity.

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  Nada

Violence?  Stella tells a story about how Dr. Packard smacked her really hard for stepping on his shoe on accident.  There are mild descriptions of domestic abuse in the Packard family.

Appropriate age?  I'd say 9+

Writing Style:  Draper really wowed me with this one compared to Tears of a Tiger.  Her description is wonderful.  I love how she begins the novel en media res.  Her chapter titles are interesting, and she gets the dialog just right.  I would almost put Stella on the same level as The Little House Series.  Draper writes in such a way that you are transported into the story with the characters, walking along side Stella, watching it all unfold.  I love how she uses Stella to play around with words (she likes alliteration and consonance) and themes.  Her vocabulary is outstanding.  Also, I love the imagery of stars/starlight peppered throughout the book.

Notable Quoteables:  

"Nine robed figures dressed all in white.  Heads covered with softly pointed hoods" (1).   First two sentences of the book.  Excellent hook.  If you know your history, you already know what is going on.

"The blaze in the fireplace had died down to embers, only whispers and ashen shadows remaining of the roaring fire of a few hours ago" (61).

"The night sky was an inky blue-black blanket strewn with thousands of crystal-bright stars (61).  WOW.

"Finally Stella opened the notebook to a fresh page.  Taking an idea from her father's newspaper that morning, she wrote just one word on that page-- TRUTH.  The whole rest of the page was an ocean of white" (64).

"I try to write it down sometimes, but I'm not very good at it.  It's like my brains are dumplings in somebody else's soup" (98).  Outstanding!

"(I like using all those b's.  gotta get better at capitols capitals)" (253).

"I wonder if Paulette (Packard) is gonna grow up to be mean like her father," Stella mused.  "Or if people like Max Smitherman and Johnny Ray Johnson are gonna have children who hate us 'cause their daddies do."  "You think too much," her mother replied wryly.  "And you can't blame the child for the father's sins" (258).

"I like the way books smell.  I gues that is strange.  The pages feel good as I tern turn them" (263-64).

"The doctor's eyes were such an odd color green--cold like fish scales" (283).

 "Truth.  I think that is the last basic element" (305).  She's describing the four elements (fire, air, wind, water), and adds truth at the end.  I love that.

Great words:  there are several, but I didn't record them.  The one that caught my attention the most, though, was cattywampus!

Final Summation:

Draper does an excellent job depicting racial struggles in the south during the 1930s, all without promoting white privilege or white shaming.  It is very clear to the reader that there are good people and bad people out there, and their skin color doesn't really have anything to do with that.  This book was written at a time when people are attempting to edit and re-write history by tearing down statues and banning flags.  That's never a good idea.  We have to know where we came from in order to know where we're going. Also, in the 30s, "Under God" was not in the pledge of allegiance.  That was added in 1954.  So don't think Draper did that for any other reason than historical accuracy. This would be a great addition to any 3rd-6th grade classroom, and an excellent read for black history month.  Therefore, it is undeniably

My Side of the Mountain

Heyo, all!  Happy Solemnity of the Assumption!  You know what they say about assumptions- only one woman ever made one correctly.  Heh.

Hope the summer is winding down nicely for you. Time to RAMP UP for the school year.  We're right around the corner from the birth of my first born,

Say, "hello," Smalls!

which means I've been knitting and nesting and not reading too much.

           

My pregnant brain just can't handle it.  What I can, handle, though, is adorably tiny objects like puppies and this cutest and smallest of baby pineapples:

Recently, I decided to quit the heavy crap and start reading some light stuff.  The baby shower was awesome, and I got a lot of books for the nursery.  I'm particularly excited about this one, among the slew of others we received:

 I am thrilled bout this. If Smalls is a girl, her name will be Magdalene Thérèse.  

I also just got these in the mail today.  It satisfies my "tiny object" kick lately.  They're pocket sized and adorable.

I've never even read anything by Jane Austen, but I do enjoy movie versions of three of these books, so I think I'm in for a treat.  Not sure when I'll read them, though.  I still want to keep it light for right now.

So, I'm picking my way through some of my husband's childhood favorites.  I thought I had read this one, at least the title was familiar to me, but once I got into it, the story was unfamiliar.  I'm really glad he suggested it.  It's a great survival story.  And you know how I love survival stories.

Onward!  I'm going to keep this review a little bit more monosyllabic than normal because, you know, I'm tired and pregnant, and even juvenile lit makes me exhausted.  Ugh.

My Side of the Mountian by Jean Craighead George
177 Pages, Reading time: about 1 day




Back cover reads:  "I am on my mountain in a tree home that people have passed without ever knowing that I am here."

Sam Gribley is tired of living in a crowded Ne York City apartment, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountain wilderness to forge a life of his own.  With only a penknife, a ball of cord, an ax, $40, and some flint and steel, he must rely on his igenuity and on the resources of the land to survive.  And survive he does.  This is Sam's fascinating accoutn of his life in the wild and what he learns about the wilderness--and himself--in the process.









Initial Reaction:  This is an awesome book!  I'm really glad I read it.  I might even like it more than hatchet.  I really enjoy how George includes drawings, maps, and other helpful things so we can get a better experience of what Sam is going through.  The only thing that I don't particularly like is that he "runs away."  It's not really out of malice or (much) dissatisfaction with his home life, it's just that he wants a peaceful, simple life; and his parents actually let him go for it.  I get that, and totally want it, too.  We've thought more than once about going completely off the grid.  And believe me, the irony is not lost on me as I sit here tack-tack-tacking away on my laptop.

Promote Virtue?  Yes wow.  Fortitude, Courage, Temperance, Prudence, parental obedience (at the end), and a lot of other ones.

Transcendentals?  While Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are not the focus of this work, they definitely come through the grand cathedral of nature.

Overcome human condition? I'm not particularly sure how to answer this time around.  We definitely see the struggle between man and nature, which is external, but Sam really has no internal struggles besides loneliness, and we don't really see that until near the end of the book.  I think that this book does a great job of describing how simple it is to overcoming worldliness and consumerism.  However, the novel does take place in a simpler time (during the 50s), when 16-year-olds were a bit more mature, responsible, and self-reliant than they are now.  Hah.

Attitude toward Catholicism?  NA

Paganry?  Nope

Swearing?  None

Violence?  No.

Appropriate age?  The protagonist is 15 or 16, I think but this would do well for any kid 10 years+, particularly boys.  After all, what kid doesn't want to live in a tree house?

Writing Style:  Thoughtful, engaging, simple, descriptive, intriguing.

Notable Quoteables:  Didn't record any, but written well.

Great words:  Nothing too difficult, but the vocabulary wasn't rudimentary, either.

Final Summation:

A great wilderness survival story for any kid.  It would make a great read-aloud, and I can't wait to give it to my kids.  One of my new faves.  This one is most certainly