What I'm Reading Now:

Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Midsummer Night's Dream


Title:
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Author: William Shakespeare

Pages: 2119 Lines

Genre: Play (more specifically - comedy, romance, fantasy)

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Egeus enters Theseus' court with his daughter, Hermia, and two young suitors Demetrius and Lysander. Egeus wants his daughter to marry Demetrius (who loves her) but she is in love with Lysander (who also loves her). Egeus wants Theseus to punish Hermia if she fails to comply with his wishes. Hermia and Lysander conspire to run away and make the mistake of telling their secret to Helena (who loves Demetrius). Helena tells Demetrius of their plans and they follow them into the forest. In the forest there is a group of fairies with their king and queen and a group of Athenians practicing for a play that they hope to perform for Theseus. The fairy king wants to get back at his queen and sends his servant Puck to find a flower kissed by cupids that can be used to make people fall in love. Much trickery ensues as the flower's powers are mistakenly used on the wrong people at the wrong time.

My Review: My original opinion was that this play simply wasn't that interesting. After writing the above synopsis, I find myself actually enjoying replaying the scenes in my mind - so I bumped my grade up a notch. I'm not fluent enough in Shakespeare yet to be able to read his plays without the help of a dumbed down summary of each act. Maybe once I've read a few more I'll be a pro at interpreting his writing.

From the Play: "(Act I, scene i - Lysander speaking to Hermia)
Ay me, for aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth..."

"(Act III, scene ii - Helena speaking about Hermia)
O, when she's angry, she is keen and shrewd!
She was a vixen when she went to school;
And though she be but little, she is fierce."

"(Act V,epilogue - Pucks addressing the audience)
If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended:
That you have but slumbered here,
While these visions did appear;
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream,
Gentles, do not reprehend.
If you pardon, we will mend."

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Fablehaven - Rise of the Evening Star

Title: Fablehaven - Rise of the Evening Star

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 431

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Kendra and Seth can't wait for the end of the school year so that they can return to visit their grandparents at Fablehaven. A few days before the school year ends, a scabby kobold appears in her class. The kobold appears normal to everybody except Kendra. With the aid of a kobold exterminator they get rid of him and are then swiftly evacuated to Fablehaven for their own safety. Once there, they find out that the Society of the Evening Star (which opposes preserves such as Fablehaven) has gotten stronger and may have even breached Fablehaven itself.

My Review: My goal is to read 4 books between each book of a single author that I read (does that even make sense?). With these Fablehaven books I just couldn't stop myself. In fact, Alison probably resents the books as well because I read most of the book yesterday evening. I wasn't going to go to bed until I finished it. Now onto the book, this book is once again like Harry Potter with adventures and fights against magical creatures. Of course, the kids are always more clever and tougher than the adults. There are unexpected twists and surprises, giving a very enjoyable book.

From the Book: "(p. 228) This surpassed the fear of death. Death would be a mercy if it would make the feeling stop, the uncontrollable panic mingling with the mind-scrambling certainty of something sinister approaching, something with no need to hurry, something that would not be so kind as to let him die. The fear was palpable, suffocating, irresistible."

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Fablehaven

Title: Fablehaven

Author: Brandon Mull

Pages: 351

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Kendra and her brother Seth are forced to stay with grandparents that they barely know while their parents go on an extended cruise. When the children first arrive, their grandpa gives them very strict rules about where they can go on the property and around the house. The children quickly find out that there is something different about this place and that danger may lurk in the dense forest surrounding the yard. They find out that grandpa is actually a caretaker of Fablehaven, a special preserve for magical creatures. Due to Seth's inability to follow the rules, Kendra and Seth end up in a very dangerous situation and have to make decisions of life or death.

My Review: This was quite an enjoyable read. It reminded me a lot of the Harry Potter books because it is set in modern day with magical creatures that are hidden from view and perception of regular people. The books are not nearly as complex but they are still able to command your attention and excitement.

From the Book: "(p. 79) "Agreements. Specifically, a treaty ratified by all the orders of whimsical like forms who dwell here that affords a measure of security for mortal caretakers. In a world where mortal man has become the dominant force, most creatures of enchantment have fled to refuges like this one.""

Digging to America

Title: Digging to America

Author: Anne Tyler

Pages: 7 Discs

Genre: Fiction

Grade: C

Synopsis: Two families meet at the Baltimore Airport when the infants they have adopted from Korea arrive on the same airplane. One family is the very American Donaldson family, while the second family is the Americanized Yazdan family. The Yazdan's moved to the US from Iran more than 20 years, but still often feel like outsiders. This book explores the friendship between the Yazdans and the Donaldsons after the Donaldsons invite the Yazdans to a special "arrival party", which becomes a yearly tradition.

My Review: I really didn't like this book. About 1/2 of the book was about the two families and 1/2 of the book was about the mother-in-law Maryan. It just seemed to drag on and had a difficult time keeping my interest because the story just wasn't that interesting. I'm glad to be done with it.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Expecting Adam

Title: Expecting Adam

Author: Martha Beck

Pages: 324

Genre: Memoir

Grade: B+

Synopsis: Martha Beck reminisces about her second pregnancy. She and her husband were both PhD students at Harvard and the fact that they had one child and another on the way alienated them from many of their professors and students. During Martha's pregnancy, she and her husband shared many strange experiences. She felt that something was wrong with her baby and had amniocentesis done which confirmed that her baby had Down's syndrome. Everybody in the Harvard community wanted and expected her to get an abortion. Martha feels that Adam was able to communicate with her from the womb and that he sent spirits to help her through her hard times.

My Review: This is a great story. I feel that it is one that you must take with a grain of salt, because she makes claims of many strange, other-worldly experiences throughout her pregnancy. Even if only half of the stories are true, Adam is an amazing child that seems to have protection from the other side of the veil. I really like that she came to a decision to believe anything that has not been proven to not be true. I don't have many opportunities to interact with people with Down's syndrome but when I read books like this, I realize that there is a whole lot more going on with them than is first apparent.

FYI: Martha Beck is the daughter of Hugh Nibley. In a 2005 book she accuses him of sexually abusing her. While she didn't leave the church until 1993 - and her experiences written in Expecting Adam took place in the '80s, it is clear from the book that she was not a practicing Mormon at the time of his birth. Martha and her husband first co-authored a prominent LDS book about overcoming homosexuality. 5 years ago, Martha and her husband John Beck divorced and both publicly announced that they were homosexuals. As for the sexual abuse, only her, her father and God know the truth of the accusations.

From the Book: "(p. 78) And thus I learned that at Harvard, while knowing a great deal is the norm and knowing everything is the goal, appearing to know everything is an acceptable substitute. I pondered this great truth during the two-hour seminar. I was so buoyed up by it that I didn't pay enough attention to snorkeling up little bits of food in order to keep my nausea under control. I sailed right on into my next class, another seminar, confident that I could get through it without losing my lunch."

"(p. 124) Occasionally, especially at celebratory times, the whole gang of us would launch into a spontaneous mental game. For example, my mother used to send me to the back porch (a room containing no furniture but a simply incredible mass of Stuff) to get flour for holiday cakes or pies. I often returned to the kitchen, cringing with disgust, to announce that the flour was full of worms. No matter how sick this made me, I knew it wuoldn't bother my mother. She always just sifted the worms out, saying that even if she missed a few and they got into the food, they would simply be an excellent source of protein. Just as we were all beginning to feel thoroughly downtrodden, my father would save the day. "Everyone come up with a literary reference about worms!" he would shout."

"(p. 161) It was the first time I had spoken to them directly. In doing so, I felt myself cross a fine but very distinct line, the line between speculating about the existence of a metaphysical plane of some sort and climbing aboard for the ride. I knew I had let go of my sanity. It was terrifying. I only did it because my fear of what was happening to my body had become greater than my fear of holding on to rational beliefs."

"(p. 238) I also thought about that seminar classmate on Adam's ninth birthday. Adam had insisted on going to a pizza-and-games arcade for his party. The only person he'd invited besides his sisters was someone I'll call Lonnie, whom Adam claimed to be his girlfriend. Although I had often heard Adam sing about Lonnie, I had never met her, or seen Adam interact with any girl. I was afraid that he would start humping her leg the second she came in range. These were fears I'd sustained since before he was born; I though all people with Down syndrome were grossly overaffectionate. I was grossly wrong."

"(p. 284) "Most people go through their whole lives," John went on, "and never have one miracle happen to them. You've had dozens and dozens, and you still want more! It's like God gives you a brownie, I mean a really good brownie, but you can't be content with it. You want the whole pan of brownies. Nobody gets that.""

True Believer

Title: True Believer

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Pages: 9 discs

Genre: Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis: Jeremy Marsh is a scientific reporter from New York City. He investigates ineffective antidepressants, cults and television clairvoyants discrediting the claims that they make. He gets invited to investigate mysterious lights in a cemetery in the deep south by Doris, a diviner who also claims to be able to determine the sex of babies before they are born. While researching the history and cause of the cemetery lights, he meets Doris' daughter, the beautiful librarian that helps him with his research.

My Review: This was a pretty good book. It seemed a little forced at times, but I enjoyed the story. There were times that the story was a little ridiculous and I was a little disappointed with the ending.

Monday, March 2, 2009

The Last Lecture

Title: The Last Lecture

Author: Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow

Pages: 206

Genre: Humor, Self-Help, Memoir

Grade: A

Synopsis: Many people have heard about Dr. Pausch's Last Lecture at Carnegie Mellon or seen clips on youtube. He was a distinguished professor of Computer Science that was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and only given a few months to live. He used the stage at Carnegie Mellon to give a lecture titled "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" and the book elaborates on many of the topics and stories that he shared.

My Review: I love the positive outlook that this book gave me. Here is a book on life written by a terminally ill man, who has since died. I loved all of the stories, anecdotes and reminders that life is too short, live it up a little. This is the type of book that I could read every few years just as a reminder of how important the little things are in life. There is a good reason why Randy Pausch was named one of the Time 100 most influential people in the world in 2008 (see article here, written by Katie Couric).

From the Book: "(p. 6) Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs. And right then, I had the feeling that I had more in me, that if I gave it my all, I might be able to offer people something special. "Wisdom" is a strong word, but maybe that was it."