More books I have acquired lately!

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo
This little book is about a boy who was very sick and almost died. Later, he told his parents a detailed account of his trip to Heaven and his visit with Jesus and the angels.

Foxfire ed. Eliot Wigginton
(Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Hunting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining) What more can a girl ask for in a Valentine's Day gift? :)

Fang by James Patterson
Next in the Maximum Ride series, I was just waiting for it to come out in paperback so I could get it. Yay!

Gift Cards

People who know me know that I love to shop for books. There is nothing more soothing to my soul than an hour or an afternoon spent in the bookstore, poring over titles I might take home with me.

My in-laws gave me a $20 gift card to Barnes & Noble. One of the books I very much want to read is only available online, and in order to get free shipping I must spend $25. So it only makes sense to spend as close to $25 as I can online in order to stretch my gift card as far as possible. A part of me is excited, as I haven't really had time to go wander around the bookstore, and another part of me is sad, because I haven't really had time to go wander around the bookstore. :)

I plan to buy the following books:

Free Range Kids: How to Raise Safe, Self-Reliant Children (Without Going Nuts With Worry) by Leonore Skenazy
I read Lenore's blog, Free-Range Kids. and I love every post. She is the embodiment of the kind of parent I hope to be, and her opinions on things ranging from media alarmism to stranger danger to crib recalls is spot on. :) She's really awesome, and I am looking forward to reading her book. (This is the one I can't find in the store.)

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
I've been meaning to read this for awhile now. I've read Anger, and it was incredible. The idea that every person has a particular way in which they express and experience love is a beautiful one, and so true in my marriage. Matt and I are very different people, but every day we get better at loving each other.

Second Nature: A Gardener's Education by Michael Pollan
I LOVED Food Rules and In Defense of Food. I'm very much interested in eating locally and knowing whence my food comes (Adam, is that the right usage?). I want desperately to garden.

12-16 and birthday books

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the second book in a series about what would happen to the world as we know it if the moon were knocked just a little closer. This installment is set in New York City, where Alex Morales struggles to keep himself and his sisters alive through the first cruel winter. His struggles and experiences are quite different from Miranda's were in the first book. His mother is at work and his father is out of the country when the asteroid strikes the moon, meaning that he is the man of the house. He is able to rely on the Catholic church for awhile, but eventually even that chain of command breaks down and he is launched into a desperate struggle to get out of the dying city. I can't wait to see what the third book brings!

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Written in classic Conroy style, this story touched on a new topic: homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980's. I saw echoes of Beach Music and The Prince of Tides in the characters and events. In particular the beautiful and damaged heroines with their sibilant names seem as though they could walk in and out of each other's stories: Shyla, Starla, Sheba, and Savannah. Conroy's description of the hurricane which rips through Charleston captivated me and reminded me of the scene from Beach Music in which Shyla and Jack dance in the beach house as the waves tear it apart during a similar storm. It's fascinating to see so many symbols and devices used in so many different ways.

When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

I haven't quite finished this one, but I am enjoying it immensely. It's written in standard Patterson style: short chapters, lots of action and dialog, fast moving story, nice blend of science fact and character-driven morality. Also, I am confused by what I once read, that the Max in this book is not the same Max in the Maximum Ride books. I think that this cannot possibly be true, as she is nearly the same character! The other bird-kids are different, but really in name only. (And I think I prefer their names in this to their names in the YA books.)

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

As usual, this came out right before my birthday and Mom and Daddy gave it to me as a gift. I enjoyed it, although I am getting a little frustrated that the characters (specifically Morelli and Ranger) are completely static at this point. I would like to see them grow and change, as real people do in real life.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen

This is definitively the most amazing book I've read yet this year. It tops Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, although in truth the two are related. In One Second After, an EMP is detonated over the United States, destroying all electronic devices in an instant. The novel, which is set in Black Mountain, North Carolina (a place with which I am reasonably familiar), then describes the efforts of the people there to survive as their world is thrown into chaos. The threat of an EMP is very real in our world today, where people rely increasingly on electronics to complete simple tasks and the generation which knew how to complete those tasks without electronics is dying out. This should be required reading for every American. It's simply terrifying, beautifully written, and compelling.

11 - Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

This book caught my eye because of the lovely illustration of the moon on the cover. Of course I was hooked when I figured out that the premise is that the moon has been struck by an asteroid and knocked closer to Earth. It is written in the form of a diary narrated by the main character, Miranda, who lives in a small town in Pennsylvania. It chronicles the hardships her family experiences as the Earth reacts to the effects of the moon's strengthened gravity.

As floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, clouds of toxic ash, illness, and freezing temperatures wreak havoc on their world, Miranda and her family struggle to survive. Of course, I love stories of the apocalypse. This is an interesting take I've never read before. Pfeffer did a good job of creating empathetic, realistic characters.

I initially thought this would be a good read-aloud choice, but as I read further, I realized that it has an element of evangelism that, even though it doesn't come to anything good for the characters involved, might make some listeners uncomfortable. Also, there are a variety of mentions of personal things, like Miranda's period and her budding relationship with Dan, that don't really lend themselves to whole-group consumption. However, I might read only the passage that describes the initial impact and then have my science students write stories about the effects.

I am currently reading the sequel, The Dead and the Gone, in which Alex Morales struggles to survive and protect his sisters during the same time period in New York City. I am devouring it. Even though yesterday was hugely busy, I read almost two hundred pages. The third book, This World We Live In, brings Alex and Miranda together.

10 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver

It took me a couple of months to read this. Usually I would probably finish a book of this size in a a couple of weeks. However, I was fascinated and inspired by this one! My fascination slowed me down, causing me to pore over each passage, sometimes rereading or going back to find a reference to something in an earlier chapter. I would stop to daydream about recreating something Kingsolver describes in my own yard. I would call Mom to discuss what I'd read.

My inspiration led me to a plethora of other books, blogs, and activities that limited my time with Kingsolver's memoir. I picked up a second Michael Pollan book (Food Rules, which I devoured), investigated books on gardening (and gave one as a gift, The Backyard Homestead, which I also own), visited the local Farmer's Market, and subsequently started eight tomato plants, nine herbs, and a variety of salad greens on my back patio.

This is such a phenomenal book. I've said several times lately that I know I'm an adult now. I'm reading and loving nonfiction. I have always shied away from nonfiction, reading with reluctance if not actual distaste. However, several books lately have captured my attention and held it. Mom is surely relieved that I'm not going to spend my entire adulthood reading "kiddie books", as she calls my beloved YA lit.

Perhaps, as I rhapsodize about the book, I should pause for a moment to explain the premise. It's a memoir of a year in Kingsolver's life during which she and her family (husband, teenage daughter, and third grade daughter) lived and worked on a farm in southwest Virginia, eating only what they grew or could buy from their community. They became locavores. And they made it seem so normal, as though the average American could manage it easily. While I know that truly I lack the time, skills, inclination, or money to support myself entirely from my own labors, I know that I could at least attempt many of the things she describes.

• I could make cheese and yogurt.


• I could have a garden.


• I could support local farmers by shopping at the Farmer's Market.


• I could choose organic, heirloom breeds of fruit, vegetables, and meat whenever they are available.


• I could discover and frequent restaurants that serve local foods.


• Someday, maybe, I could even raise chickens (birds are pretty creepy, though), or even a cow or pig.


• I could teach my students about the value of gardening and the joy of knowing where one's food comes from.

These are things that I could do which would support my local economy, make me and my husband healthier, and positively influence future generations, including my own (as yet hypothetical) children.

5-9

From reading my poor blog, one might conclude that I haven't opened a book since January! This is far, far from the truth, but I have been a bit on the busy side. I submitted my National Board portfolio over spring break, took my students to a Science Olympiad competition, and helped my husband survive another play at his school. It's been a busy busy spring. But enough about me...on to the books!

Scat, Carl Hiassen - Every time I read a Hiassen YA book, I want to go out and buy one of his adult fiction pieces. I absolutely love the way he writes. I enjoy the blend of nature and psychology and 100% believeable characters. This one in particular has a boy whose father lost an arm in Afghanistan. He binds his arm behind his back to more accurately experience what his father is experiencing. It's a very moving gesture and it makes him seem very human. The environmental side of this story is intriguing as well! I've thoroughly enjoyed it.

Science Fair, Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson - This is another fantastic collaboration between these two authors. I loved Peter and the Starcatchers and look forward to getting around to the rest of that series. Science Fair takes off in a completely different direction and never stops. It's the story of three middle school science geeks who struggle to keep the bumbling spies from Krpshtstan (in Eastern Europe, sandwiched between some other "-stan"s?) from taking over the world by taking over their school science fair. Throw in a guy who dresses like Darth Vader (D. Arthur Vaderian) right down to the voice distorter, a levitating frog, and some really stinky cheese, and you've got a hilarious good time!

Wixard's Holiday, Diane Duane - I like this much, much better than A Wizard Alone. It's completely cool! I loved the world that Kit and Nita visit, and I loved the changes their friendship begins to experience. I am really, really anxious to get my hands on the eighth book, and the ninth book came out today!

Max, James Patterson - This installment of the Maximum Ride series made me inexplicably happy. I suppose in truth I'm just a terrible, terrible sap and I liked seeing Max and Fang start to fall in love. I can't wait to get my hands on Fang, but I am hesitant to buy it in hardback...these books aren't worth quite that much.

Food Rules - An Eater's Manual, Michael Pollan - This is such a clear, distilled version of In Defense of Food. It's fantastic! The rules are so easy to follow, and even if you only choose to incorporate a few of them, you'll immediately be healthier and save money.

9 - All New Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew

I read this book like a novel! It was sooooo good. I can't wait to try some gardening this way. I really think it will make things so much easier. :)

Bookstore: the magic word

Mom called yesterday and asked me to go out to the bookstore with her. Of course, I couldn't say no. So I have new books!

Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
When the Wind Blows by James Patterson
Step-by-Step Yard & Garden Projects by Better Homes and Gardens
All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
The Southern Gardener's Book of Lists: The Best Plants for All Your Needs, Wants, and Whims by Lois Trigg Chaplin