[FOR THE PARENTS] The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane follows the story of a rabbit who doesn't know how to love. Through a series of unfortunate events, he falls into the possession of multiple people and his hard heart begins to soften...

Kate DiCamillo is strongly establishing herself as a must-read for all children. This story is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time as Edward finds himself going through various families and learning the ultimate lesson: how to love.

What I loved about this book is that Edward meets all kinds of people: poor people, sick people, young children, grown men, boys who've lost everything. There is such a message of the importance of all humanity underlying this book. It is not simply about little girls with pretty dolls - it's about life. It can be gritty, but it can also be beautiful. And sometimes in the beauty, there's a little sadness.

DiCamillo's writing style is very easy to read and also very alluring. I found myself flying through this little book but also not wanting to put it down. I felt like a child, taking my new flashlight and reading under the covers in the dark, only I knew I had to wake up for work the next morning. It's been a long time since a book enchanted me so.

The reading level is around a high 3rd to 4th grade level and would be perfect for both avid and reluctant readers. I really can't recommend this book enough. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

BOOK REVIEW | White Soul by Tex Sample

Tex Sample's White Soul is a compelling piece that argues country music is the music that encompasses the life of working class people (mainly white working class people, hence the title). His argument is mostly solid and provides very thought-provoking ideas and questions in regards to working people and their place in society. He also briefly touches upon the place of women and people of color in country music, as well as the sexism, racism and classism that undertones much of the music.

Towards the end of the book, Sample takes a religious turn and discusses how country music can be applied to the church, arguing for a "trashy" church: one where people would be free of a culture that values achievement over moral character. He is trying to convince theologians, and parishioners, to stop using differentiated language and move to a more oral based church, one that would invite working people to attend. He is sure to place a disclaimer that his ideas probably can not be used at this time, and they can't, but they are interesting all the same. He encourages the church to look towards country music to understand the general state of working people and "get on their level", so to speak. His argument is not a new one, but it was the first time I'd ever heard a theologian argue for country music to be added to the listening list in Mass.

In my opinion, the first half of this book was much more interesting than the last half.

There were a few times the book contradicts itself, mostly towards the end. For example, the text mentions that there is nothing in country music to offer anything better, just some comfort to help get people through the night. However, Sample then contradicts this statement later on page 171 when he says that country music offers something "more."

I took issue with a lot of the bias this book presents. Sample's argument is against the elite upbringing and how white collar people (in general) view the arts as something objective, using Immanuel Kant's idea that "art is for the sake of art." While I do agree that working people are more oral than literate (a fact that can barely be argued anymore), it is unfair to suggest that working people have a superior view of the arts, which is what the subtext suggests. In many ways, his own argument can be used against him. While he claims white collar workers are looking down on how working people view music, literature and the arts, he is looking down on the white collar workers for the same thing. The hypocrisy was jarring enough that I missed his message many times and had to re-read for objectivity.

For the most part, this book was a quick and easy read. The words flowed nicely and I enjoyed the break ups of each chapter and part. There were, however, multiple instances when a paragraph or sentence were word so awkwardly that I am still groping to understand what he meant by them.

I also had an issue with the preachy tone the text takes at the end of the book. Throughout most of the text, Sample presents objective and empirical findings on a rather subjective subject - and it was really interesting! Towards the end, however, objectivity is thrown out the window and the last paragraph of this book was one of the most preachy, on-a-soap-box paragraphs I've ever read. This disappointed me because it didn't go with the overall tone of the rest of the text.

All in all, I would recommend White Soul if the reader has never read a book regarding this type of argument before. It was a very interesting case study of working class people and country music and presented information I had not considered before in a new light.

BOOK REVIEW | Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

Free will does not exist.

At least, according to Sophocles it doesn't. Take Oedipus Rex as a perfect example, he hears an oracle predicting his future, a future so horrible that he cannot bear the thought of it. So he packs his bags and leaves his father and mother for fear of killing one and sleeping with the other. However, his fate follows him and he ends up doing exactly as predicted.

The real kicker here is that it's almost as if the gods are playing a joke on Oedipus. First they tell his birth parents that he is fated to kill one of them and then they tell his adoptive parents the same, forcing Oedipus to flee and, in turn, fulfill the prophecy on the way to Thebes. I'm sure the gods knew that this would be how Oedipus would fulfill his fate. He never stood a chance. He never had a choice.

There are a lot of different interpretations for Oedipus Rex, but I think an important aspect lies within these lines:

Pride is the germ of kings;
Pride, when puffed up, vainly, with many things
Unseasonable, unfitting, mounts the wall,
Only to hurry to that fatal fall,
Where feet are vain to serve her. But the task
Propitious to the city GOD I ask
Never to take away!
GOD I will never cease to hold my stay.

Fate has to be achieved somehow, so how, exactly, did Oedipus go about achieving his? It was Oedipus's own pride that kept him from truly heeding the oracle. Yes, he believed it at first and fled from Corinth in fear, but when it was presented to him in the most plain of terms, he could not accept it. Even when it was obvious, without a shadow of a doubt, that he had been sleeping with his mother and killed his own father, he could not believe it until he had been told by one who had witnessed his fate. His pride led to his fall, much as it does for most legends and myths.

Towards the end of the play, Creon says this:

Even you might trust what the God answers, now.

This line further cements my idea that it was pride that led to Oedipus fulfilling his own destiny. Also, I think that this is a hint to Oedipus that it was his own disregard for the gods that brought this upon himself. He was cursed from birth and yet still lived as a king.

The message is simple here: people should not be so conceited to believe that they can create their own fates. Your life is set in stone and there is nothing you can do to prevent what is supposed to happen from happening.

At least, according to Sophocles.

BOOK REVIEW | Native Religions of North America by Ake Hultkrantz

"All religions tend to be conservative, because their sacred authority lies in the sanctity of the past... At the same time most religions remain open to the personal experiences of the spiritual world. The balance between faithfulness to tradition and openness to new experience is what constitutes the religious life."

I am so happy I've read this book. This is exactly the kind of book I was looking for: one that is informative, well-paced and objective. Oftentimes when reading about religions, it is easy to feel preached at. Many religion books portray said religion to be either absolutely horrible or without flaw. Most books in this realm have an agenda and that agenda involves putting down other beliefs. This book, however, did no such thing. Hultkrantz's only agenda was to inform the reader of Native American religions. And inform me, he did.

This is a fascinating trace through general Native American religions with a focus on two in particular: the Shoshoni - a hunting religion - and the Zuni - a horticultural religion. The author did a magnificent job of showing how both descended from a circumpolar hunting mindset, but branched off to become their own entities. The reader gets an in-depth view into the fluid religion of the Shoshoni and the complex religion of the Zuni and it is really a remarkable journey. I especially loved reading about how certain ceremonies have changed since the introduction of Catholicism and how they're still changing today, including new religions like Peyotism.

Hultkrantz is aware of his reader and never once tries to overwhelm you with too much information. Although this is a book centered around the religion of Native Americans, he also throws out some information on their culture and linguistics. I found this quote to be particularly fascinating:

"Some Indian languages lack terms for the past and the future; everything is resting in the present."

Hultkrantz presents the readers with the mythology of the religions focused on in this overview and then their ceremonies that either conflict with the mythology (like the Shoshoni) or use the mythology as justification for their ceremonies (like the Zuni). I really loved that he decided to single out two very different religions to focus on in this book to show the reader that through all of their differences, there is a lot of similarities as well.

Highly recommended to anyone interested in religion or anthropology.

BOOK REVIEW | The Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

Do you enjoy well-thought world building, protective yet caring heroes, clever heroines, and a tender romance? If you answered yes to those questions, then this book is for you!

I didn't know what to expect going into Kathryne Kennedy's The Fire Lord's Lover. It is the first romance novel I have ever read revolving around elves and I thought it was going to be this whimsical, lovey-dovey, everything-is-so-great kind of story, but it is definitely not. These elves are not two dimensional. They are complicated, with a corrupt political system and a shaky social one. I was a little hesitant at first because this takes place in London and I felt a bit jarred by that. I was expecting high fantasy, not alternate-universe fantasy, and it was a bit off-putting. However, as the story progressed and the world revealed itself, I realized that I really liked what Kennedy had done with London in this universe.

Both the hero and heroine in this novel are intriguing, layered and willing to do whatever they can to protect the ones they love. Dominic, the hero, is a half-elf, half-human bastard son of the Imperial Lord of Firehame. He is the Lord's champion, the general of his army and the son that has never been loved. Elves do not have human emotions and are very cold, treating humans as little more than animals. Dominic, however, has a human heart, something he considers to be a weakness until he meets Cassandra, his bride-to-be and his human emotions become dominant.

Cassandra was a fantastic heroine. She was a strange mix of innocent, clever, naive and deadly and wrapped up into this adorable, tiny package. She holds a strong faith in God and yet never feels preachy. I really felt like she was sincerer in her faith and it was endearing to read about her belief. She is a trained assassin, something that she struggles with considering her faith, yet is completely innocent when it comes to the ways of men. I really, really, really liked that she was clever. She is not necessarily physically strong, but she makes up for that by being extraordinarily bright. In fact, all of these characters were smart and quick to act. I never felt like any of them made stupid decisions. Rash and impulsive decisions, maybe, but I could always understand their reasoning.

One thing I especially loved was the sex in this book. It's not exactly smutty and there's not that much of it. It's not the type of sex that will make you blush or giggle. It's just beautifully described. Kennedy weaves sex into the story so effortlessly and magically that it really felt like I was reading the combining of two souls rather than a physical act. Here's a description of sex that I found to be especially beautiful:

"And then the pain faded and the general taught her a new dance. A dance she never could have conceived of, that held beauty and grace and a desperate longing to somehow make two people become one. A dance so intimate that she thought she felt his very soul."

However, there is still a plot going on besides the romance between Dominic and Cassandra, which, by the way is a great romance. They have to deal with a Rebellion, an Imperial Lord whom they both want to kill, a dragon who rarely talks and when he does he makes no sense, the fact that she is an assassin and a lot more. Overall, this is a fantastic read and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the fantasy or romance genre.

BOOK REVIEW | The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

There was a lot that was beautiful about The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The narration, for one, had a subtle and simple way of being poetic and pragmatic at the same time. There was a lot of beauty in the narrator's (Mary) thoughts. I often found myself thinking, "That was a gorgeous way of thinking," or "That's a very quotable line." I enjoyed reading about Mary coming into herself in this poetic atmosphere. It was an interesting contrast -- the poetic nature of the narration but the grim reality of the post-apocalyptic world. And I think that, for the most part, this contrast worked.

However, for all of its beauty and contemplation, the prose had one fatal flaw: it was too vague. There is so much ambiguity in the narration that it eventually becomes exhausting. It's difficult to follow a narrator like that, it's hard to get a grasp on her personality, her character, her world. I could never quite see the world that Mary lived in clearly because it felt like there was a haze over my eyes the entire time I was reading this book. It was like reading with gauze wrapped around my head -- I could make out shapes and movements, but never get the full picture.

On the one hand, this hazy narration suited Mary because she is crazy. I can't think of any way to describe her other than that. At first, I thought she was just whiny and selfish, but as time wore on, I realized her selfishness ran deeper than that. It was an insanity. Nothing was good enough for her; she would get what she wanted only to desire more. It was fantastic to read through the eyes of a girl who is so set on what she wants that she will sacrifice anything -- and anyone -- to get it. I loved reading about a character who didn't realize how deep her selfishness ran, who wasn't aware that she was on the very thin line between sanity and insanity and I think that's what saved this novel for me.

Because, as I said before, it is much too vague. There are scenarios that happen and are never explained. I understand that some questions should be left unanswered in novels, but this one simply had too many. There was no wrap-up. When the novel ended, I found myself thinking: "Wait... that's it?" For example, why did the Sisterhood turn Gabrielle into an Unconsecrated? and did the Sisterhood cause the breach?, or did Mary ever have sex with Harry or Travis? (really, this question drove me crazy because I feel like that would be something important in a young girl's life, no matter what era she lives in. It would not be something that would simply be glazed over.) Also, were Harry and Cas ever saved at the end? Actually, maybe that last one could stay unanswered, but in a world where there was way too much left unanswered it just felt like another what-if in a sea of endless questions. The pivotal questions were never answered. The important aspects never discussed and that is where this book failed me.

 I can't stop thinking about this book, about the way society breaks down and the way people themselves break down when faced with a crisis. I can't stop thinking about Mary and her total insanity and how it resonated with me for some reason. Because this book continues to be in my head and won't leave me alone, it deserves a four-star rating. Clearly, the author was able to portray herself well and it has stuck with me.

BOOK REVIEW | Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Brown's "Hate List" immediately drew my attention with it's premise: the concept of a school shooting basing its victims upon a "hate list" started by the shooter and his girlfriend. I knew it was going to be a grim story, but I hadn't braced myself for the beauty it would unveil between its pages.

The reader follows the protagonist, Valerie, as she journey's from what she was before the shooting into a new skin - who she is after. Valerie and Nick, the shooter, had been dating for three years before Nick let loose his inner demons on the school, killing five students and one teacher. In the aftermath, Valerie is forced to deal with the blame that all of the city is laying on her. She is placed in the psych ward, under careful scrutiny from the police and then returns to the very same school her boyfriend wreaked havoc upon.

Brown did this with careful plotting. I felt that Valerie's acceptance back into the school (and her shunning as well) was spot on. My only critique's are the pacing and the late unveiling. At first, the pacing goes as follows: newspaper article, present day (end chapter); newspaper article, past scene (end chapter). If Brown had stuck to that mathematical equation of chaptering, I would have been content. Instead, somewhere in the middle of the book, it becomes a giant flash back and then we're thrown into the present again for the entirety of the book. For me, it felt a bit skewed and I felt like the careful methods she had been using before was just thrown out the window.

My second critique is the fact that quite a bit of the unveiling of characters and plot isn't revealed until close to the end. For example, the graveyard scene with Duce and the hospital scene with Ginny explain a helluva lot of the story that would have been beneficial to learn early. If Brown had kept to the present/past chapter method she was using before, this could have been exceptionally executed. I was a little sad to see this because it was on the verge of doing so much better. It makes the story a bit dry until the end.

Overall, I very much enjoyed "Hate List" and the ending had me in tears. Brown introduces some eccentric characters like Hieler and Bea to balance out the terrible home life that ensues for Valerie, as well as the hate and isolation she experiences from within herself. I was exceptionally glad to see Valerie realize that by creating the hate list with Nick in the first place, she was one of the biggest bullies of all - but this was barely glossed over. I do wish that they had dived deeper into her own part in the entire thing.

I recommend this book. To anyone and everyone. 

BOOK REVIEW | On Religion by John D. Caputo

This book had an interesting philosophical view. Caputo is attempting to destroy the concept of traditional religion - or rather, he is arguing that such a destruction has already occurred and we now need to learn what the word "religion" truly means. He has a lot of progressive views, but it also feels like a "let's-please-everyone" philosophy. Philosophy is radical and, oftentimes, offensive. This text felt convoluted, watered down and like I was barely scraping the surface of what he was trying to say.

Caputo is arguing that religion is not a set of structures. It is not a hierarchical structure as it touted by all major religions in the world today. It's imperative to understand that the God Caputo is referring to is not the Judeo-Christian God or anything else. In short, God is love. 

"By religion, therefore, let me stipulate, I mean something simple, open-ended, and old-fashioned, namely, the love of God" (Caputo, 1). [Emphasis is my own.]

"Religion, we must always recall, is our doing, not God's, and we should avoid confusing religion or ourselves with God" (Caputo, 93).

"God is a question, not an answer" (Caputo, 117).

(He is very clear that he does not believe that any religion is better than the other, and there is no "true" religion -- however, he also quotes the Bible multiple times, but only the quotes about love. Nevermind that Jesus spoke more about Hell than anyone else in the Bible. Caputo picked and chose his Bible verses from a book that touts itself as the end-all of religion while claiming there's no true religion. It was a contradiction that he either didn't notice or passed over.)

Therefore, religion is loving God, but it is also loving a question. So, religion is loving the unknown. I think what he meant was that religion is just love in general. No matter what you love, the act of loving is God. It is not that God is love, which is what he was saying. I think that the "God is love" argument is not where he was going and he missed his own point. God is the act of loving. Which means religion and God, according to Caputo, are the same thing. Once again, beautiful concept, just poorly presented. 

All in all, if this had been a bit more glossed over, a bit more edited and a bit more thought-out, I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more. As it stands, I feel as if his argument was all over the place and I just flat-out disagree with everything he said. It was not strong enough to make me even consider it for a moment. From what I've read, this was supposed to be an almost colloquial version of his philosophy, so I would be open to reading a more academic version. I think his point was interesting, just not well-defined.

However, I did come across this gem that I think can relate to all of us in terms of reviews and opinions:

"... we have the right to say what we think, to think what we want, to publish what we think, to think or publish or doubt or believe anything, without fear of censorship, excommunication, exile, or execution. The only limits on such rights are the rights of others to do the same and to enjoy the same freedoms" (Caputo, 62).

BOOK REVIEW | Premeditated by Josin McQuein

I listened to the audiobook version of this. 

This book... is a mess. The reader is told the story by a very unreliable sixteen year old narrator named Dinah who is on a mission: destroy the boy who destroyed her cousin. After her cousin, Claire, committed a botched suicide attempt, Dinah found her diary; a diary which contained very detailed events of what had happened to Claire before her suicide attempt; a diary which contained the name of the same boy over and over: Brooks Walden. So, Dinah loses the black hair, the piercings and the gothic clothes and dons knee socks, bleached hair and a clean face all in the hope of enacting her sweet, cold revenge. 

I was addicted to this book for the five days I listened to it. I normally listen to my audiobook CDs in the car, but I shoved my earphones in and listened to this book on my phone while I drove, cooked dinner, went for walks... basically as I lived out my daily life. And it was so worth it. I feel like listening to this book gave me a different experience than reading it. It was like watching a thriller movie. I was on the edge of my seat (or toes) the entire time, yelling at the main character, rolling my eyes and slapping my hand over my mouth in horror. Some books are meant to be listened to.

Dinah made me uncomfortable with her poorly planned vendetta and single minded determination to ruin a boy's life, but I couldn't help but like her a little. This girl certainly doesn't do anything half-assed. I actually liked all of the characters and felt like they all had many different - and interesting - layers to them. I must admit that I saw the "twist" coming from the moment our narrator met her perp, but I have to wonder if that wasn't the author's intention. There were so many clues throughout that it felt like she wanted the reader to know what would happen... we just had to wait for Dinah to figure it out.

Reading a book that like is interesting because it makes it difficult to not get bored when you know what's ahead, but somehow McQuien kept me interested. I liked hearing how far this girl would go to deal out the justice that she thought was so duly deserved, and I also liked hearing about her reservations with her own convictions. Dinah felt very real.

Recommended to people who enjoy thriller stories, YA Contemporary stories or just want to read a well-written YA once in a while.

BOOK REVIEW | The Double Helix by James Watson

James Watson and Francis Crick made arguably the greatest discovery of the 20th century: proving that DNA is the building block of life and providing a solid structure for it. This short autobiographical account written by Watson provides an in depth - and biased - look into the discovery and also reveals the world of science, where fair play isn't always adhered to. 

I remember my mother talking about Crick and Watson when I was a kid learning about DNA in school and telling me how these two men stole a woman named Rosalind Franklin's idea and research and then got all the credit for it, including a Nobel Prize. Well, my ten year old (or so) self was appalled by this. She did all the work and they got all the credit? The injustice! Reading this was eye-opening for me, because yes, Franklin did not get nearly as much credit as she deserved during the time of their discovery (this was later remedied as best as it could be), but I would not necessarily say that they stole anything from her. Although, I suppose when it comes to her X-Ray of the B Form, that's pretty debatable.

Because this was written by Watson, this is simply his perception of how things went during this time of his life. I think that he didn't aim for objectivity in portraying the people around him, but rather tried to give his opinion and point of view. I do not think his portrait of Maurice Wilkins or Linus Pauling were particularly appealing, but they were his greatest rivals in the world of DNA, so he had to villainize them to make himself the hero. As my professor said, he turned Pauling into Goliath so that he and Crick could become the Davids.

It is extremely readable, but I am not its target audience. I have to admit that had I not read this for class, I may have never picked it up. Although my career is in the science field, it is in the world of computers, not biology and genetics. I greatly appreciate the work that Crick and Watson did, as well as Pauling, Franklin, Bragg, Wilkins, Perutz, Kendrew, etc. but I did not truly understand all of the science in this. On the surface level, it is understandable and I don't think any readers will ever feel lost. That's not what I mean. But on a deeper level, understanding the impact that each scientist had on each other, the impact of each step forward, each failed experiment and each successful experiment: I think someone who has a background in this type of science will really appreciate those aspects.

Overall, I'm quite happy to have read this. It provided a detailed account of one of the most monumental moments of modern history. Recommended.