Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Published: 1999 Pages: 198
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Rating: 5/5

Speak is an incredibly powerful book about a young girl struggling with a truth she cannot possibly tell. As we crawl inside Melinda's thirteen-year-old mind, we slowly learn the secrets that are eating her alive and the thoughts she has but cannot speak.

Extreme warning. This book struck an incredibly resonant chord with me. In many ways it was painful to read, but that's what makes it so important. I cannot review this book as I would normally. To do that would be for me to hold my silence. If this makes you uncomfortable, please kindly skip this post. For those of you who haven't read the book, the "Me" format comes from Melinda. Usually her "Me" entries in conversation or in her own mind are, well, silent.

The following comes from my personal writings--from high school to college. Some complete, some snippets of longer pieces. I have shared this with veryvery few people, but enough time has passed, I think. And while what happened to Melinda did not happen to me, I can certainly hear her voice. In many ways these writings are not my current voice, but they were my voice once upon a time. I haven't looked through these journals since the last time I wrote in 2002.

Me: I want you to hear what I'm saying, not just the words that come out of my mouth. I want you to listen to me, not just assume you know then tell me what I'm speaking. I want you to hear me till I'm through, don't just pretend to hear then tell me what to do. I want you to know the truth, for you to know how I feel, but tell me how the hell I'm supposed to tell you when you won't just let me say what I have to say. To finish what I have to finish. I want you to understand what I am, but you can't comprehend if you don't try. I want you to know what's going on, but you won't stop pushing. Let things be the way they are, let things happen the way they do. It is simple: just stop and listen. 2.6.98

Me: I've lost my voice, the soul from which I cry. My desires run cold and my fears hot. Churning within me, all my emotions grow stale. But I cannot find release, I've lost my voice. 11.1.99

Me: ...And I shout but you ignore my silent bouts. 2.2.01

Me: The years have silenced my voice. Courage I had gained was a false facade put up to barricade the fear... 9.19.02

Melinda: "There is no way they can punish me for not speaking. It isn't fair. What do they know about me? What do they know about the inside of my head? Flashes of lightning, children crying. Caught in an avalanche, pinned by worry, squirming under the weight of doubt, guilt. Fear" (157).

Melinda: "I unlock the front door and walk straight up to my room, across the rug, and into my closet without even taking off my backpack. When I close the closet door behind me, I bury my face into the clothes on the left side of the rack, clothes that haven't fit for years. I stuff my mouth with old fabric and scream until there are no sounds left under my skin" (162).

Melinda: "Sometimes I think high school is one long hazing activity: if you are tough enough to survive this, they'll let you become an adult. I hope it's worth it" (191).

How many of us hold our silence? And what does it cost us?

September 26-October 3, 2009 is Banned Books Week

Bebelplatz, Berlin
May 10, 1933 over 20,000 books were burned in this square
(enlarge pic to see the empty shelves in memorial)

Speak is commonly banned/challenged

Laurie Halse Anderson on censorship:

"Most of the censorship I see is fear-driven. I respect that. The world is a very scary place. It is a terrifying place in which to raise children, and in particular, teenagers. It is human nature to nurture and protect children as they grow into adulthood. But censoring books that deal with difficult adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in darkness and makes them vulnerable."

If you haven't read Speak, please do.

Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes

Title: Under the Tuscan Sun
Author: Frances Mayes
Published: 1996 Pages: 280
Genre: Memoir/Travel
Rating: 3.5/5

Lately I've come into a lot of timing issues with books--as in "I probably didn't like X book as much because of bad timing." For this book, though, the timing was absolutely perfect. Otherwise, I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it. Let me see if I can explain. Lately my reading has been sporadic at best. I've found that it's hard for me to enjoy a book as much if I have to continually put it down after reading only a few pages. For this book, though, because of the richness in the writing, sporadic reading actually worked toward my reading pleasure. When I had ample time to read the last 100 pages in one sitting, I noticed my enjoyment went down. Basically, this is the type of book to enjoy in small snippets.

Under the Tuscan Sun is an intimate memoir of Frances Mayes' experience of buying and restoring a villa in Cortona, Italy with her partner Ed. Both university professors from San Francisco, they begin spending their summer and winter holidays pouring their hearts and souls into their house, Bramasole, and in the history drenched area of Tuscany. But Mayes does more than just share the struggles of buying a home in a foreign country and working with unfamiliar systems to renovate the centuries old villa; Mayes asks her readers to slow down, take in their surroundings, and really enjoy what life is all about.

This is not a book to devour quickly but rather to savor quite slowly. Instead of writing a simple chronological order of events (although that is there in a way), Mayes takes each chapter and explains a separate part of Tuscan life--the history, the food, the community, the customs, the surrounding towns, family, and so on. Because each chapter is mostly self-contained, with the exception of the continuing construction work, Under the Tuscan Sun lends itself well to picking up and putting down. And because of the richness of the language, I would recommend doing just that so as not to burn out on Mayes highly descriptive language:

"On my way out, I see a man in a sweater, despite the heat. The trunk of his minuscule Fiat is piled with black grapes that have warmed all morning in the sun. I'm stopped by the winy, musty, violet scents. He offers me one. The hot sweetness breaks open in my mouth. I have never tasted anything so essential in my life as this grape on this morning. They even smell purple. The flavor, older than the Etruscans and deeply fresh and pleasing, just leaves me stunned. Such richness, the big globes, he heap of dusty grapes cascading out of two baskets. I ask for un grappolo, a bunch, wanting the taste to stay with me all morning" (112).

The whole book is filled with descriptions such as the one above and I constantly felt I was transported to another time and another place. Under the Tuscan Sun made me yearn for a life where I could just stop and look around. My life is so go go go that I don't always sit back and enjoy the moment. And as I was reading this book I was racing around Europe trying to see as many things possible in a very limited amount of time--something that she scorns in the book. Is it better to see everything or to take one place and truly immerse yourself within the culture and community? I have a tendency to go for the first, but it's good to slow down every once in a while.

Under the Tuscan Sun is all about experience and Mayes' diary-like writing was perfect for me at the time. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have found myself frustrated or even bored by this book. Yes, the writing is sensuous and scrumptious, but I had to keep myself from asking "what is the point?" There doesn't always have to be a point. If you like travelogues, I'd certainly recommend this book. I definitely enjoyed it more than A Year in Provence, which tackles many of the same subjects but in France rather than Italy. Unlike with A Year in Provence, Mayes breathes life into this book. Oh, and watch for her mouthwatering recipes she includes!

A note on the movie adaptation. I LOVE this movie. Love it. Could watch it over and over (and have). The movie took a very huge departure from the book--while many of the little details from the book were put into the movie (like the quote above), the plotline itself is completely different. Kind of a disappointment to me while reading this book, but it also allowed me to experience the story with fresh eyes.

Do you have a favorite travelogue/travel memoir? A book that truly transported you to the places described?



For a balance of opinions:
Melissa at Book Nut
Mary at BookFan
(Let me know if I've missed yours)

Also shared on Cym's Book Review Party Wednesday--check it out!

Home again Home again Lickety Split

I'm home [from Europe] and I'm exhausted. I got back yesterday evening and didn't even bother turning on my computer--just sat on the couch, watched last week's episode of Glee and passed out. Oh, and ate a bowl of ice cream of course. :)

Zurich, Switzerland

I can't wait to catch up with everyone!

BBAW Vlog and (temp) Adieu

I had so much fun this week during BBAW. I met some new to me bloggers, participated in a few daily activities (record number of weekly posts by me!), and even entered a few giveaways (a few). Today we're supposed to be talking about goals, and honestly I don't have very many goals for my blog. Just to enjoy and not let the pressure of blogging get to my head. I'd like a new template that doesn't take so long to load and a horizontal tab bar, but those will have to wait until I can take the time to figure out how. So until then...enjoy enjoy enjoy.

So, instead of rambling on about goals that I may or may not meet, I'm leaving you with a little minute-long vlog. I have got to be the most awkward person ever, but I didn't want to take several videos, so awkward is what you get. But I hope genuine is the message that comes across stonger. I cannot fully express my gratitude and appreciation for you and the community. I'm proud to be a part.

I'm leaving today for Europe and will be back Sunday the 27th. Since I got so caught up in BBAW, I don't have any posts scheduled. But oh well. I'll catch up when I get back. I hope everyone has a wonderful week and yes, I promise to post pictures as usual.

Much love,




Find me on Twitter!

BBAW - Thanks for Introducing to...

Today’s BBAW prompt is focused on discussing a book we’ve read because of blogger recommendations. I’ve written about blogger influence once before and shown you my huge stack of books purchased partially based on blogger recommendation, but today I’ll focus on one book.

I’m kind of funny when it comes to blogger recommendations. If I see a book that is interesting to me, I’ll add it to my Amazon wishlist, or just make a mental note. I rarely buy a book based on just one recommendation unless it sounds absolutely fabulous. Too many books out there for that! But when I start seeing a book here and there and everywhere, that’s when I’ll round up all of the recommendations, take them to the bank, and cash out with a shiny new book.

This is what happened with Maus. I remember first seeing it mentioned on Nymeth, Debi, and Dewey’s blogs—and let me tell you these ladies write some pretty memorable and fantastic reviews. They planted the seed and all the many of you who reviewed Maus after watered that little seed for me.


Anyway, I hadn’t meant to turn this post into a novel, so in short I’m now recommending The Complete Maus to you. Highly highly recommending it. In fact, my copy is now with my mom who is scared to death of reading a comic book. But I’ve assured her—it will be one of the most powerful books she’s read.

Do you pick up books based on one blogger’s recommendation or do you like to see multiple people endorsing the book?

BBAW Bookish Meme

Holy Crap! I've posted 4 days in a row. I usually hate doing this because then I feel like my book reviews get passed over, but unfortunately I'm guessing people are skipping over book reviews this week, so why not post again! It's BBAW after all. Although it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you did decide to read my review of The Lace Reader. Hmmm--sorry for the shameless plug, but I was so excited about the book that I'm getting our book club to read it next month so we can then go see the author in person!!

Back on topic: a bookish meme. We've been asked to keep our answers short, so I'll bite my tongue and show you just how concise I can be!

Do you snack while you read?

Ice cream

(edited note: caught in a lie...see comments)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea horrify you?

Sometimes if neccesary

How do you keep your place while reading a book?

Bookmark

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?

Both (mostly fiction)

Hard copy or audiobooks?

Hard copy (always)

Do you read to the end of chapters, or can you put a book down at any point?

Chapter breaks if possible

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?

Nope!

What are you currently reading?

Yellowknife; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

What is the last book you bought?

Hunger Games and Catching Fire

One book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?

Mostly one at a time

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?

Any time I can

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?

Stand alone

Is there a specific book or author that you recommend over and over?

Margaret Atwood

How do you organize your books?
Read versus Unread (and then some)

How's that for concise? I'm feeling anxious not giving you longer answers, but I'll get over it.

Ok, so don't look at this picture and think I'm abusing my cat. Maggie has her own water--she just wanted mine! It was too funny to pass up. If I know how to write on the picture, it'd say something like "Iz thursty Mom!" See how Miss Spoon is there watching? Haha! I amuse myself.

The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry

Title: The Lace Reader
Author: Brunonia Barry
Published: 2006 Pages: 385
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5

What? A book review? I know, this is a book blog afterall. This blog has been in a sad state the past month or so, but what a great book to get back into the reviewing habit with. I've had The Lace Reader on my wishlist for a while after seeing such glowing reviews, so I jumped at the chance of joining the TLC blog tour. Luckily, this one didn't disappoint.

The Lace Reader immediately caught my attention with its opening paragraph: "My name is Towner Whitney. No, that's no exactly true. My real first name is Sophya. Never believe me. I lie all the time." Unreliable narrators can be tricky for an author to carry out--sometimes the plot can become contrived as the reader is always forced to decide whether or not the narrator can be trusted or sometimes the narrator is noted to be unreliable and then the matter is dropped completely. Barry, however, has crafted an entrancing tale that kept me on my toes throughout the entire novel. Little pieces of the mystery begin to fit together one by one, but Towner is the perfect unreliable narrator--she tells a story that even she doesn't understand until the end.

Wait, I got so excited about the narration that I forgot about the plot summary! Towner, recovering from a hysterectomy, receives a get well gift from her grandmother (actually great aunt) Eva--a pillow designed for making lace, but when she reaches into the secret pocket of the pillow for a letter, the pocket is empty. When Towner returns home, she receives a frightening call from her brother, Beezer, announcing that Eva has disappeared. Towner immediately travels back to Salem, the town she left years ago, to help find Eva. Upon her return, Towner unravels the mysterious disappearance of Eva, but during her search other dark secrets of her past begin to surface--especially the secrets surrounding the death of Towner's twin sister Lyndley. These secrets could possibly be too much for Towner and her family to bear.

And other such complicated things. I've often seen The Lace Reader called a thriller, which in an unconventional way I guess it is, but more than that it is a book about the search for family history, identity, belonging, trust, and new beginnings. It has been a long time since I've read a book that I had troubles putting down, but Barry's writing kept me turning the pages eager to discover the past that Towner had buried deep within her. In addition to the strong themes throughout the book, there is also wonderful atmosphere created with the setting in Salem and the prevalence of witchcraft and religious zealots. The isolation of the towns and surrounding islands further add to the atmospheric tension, and this book had me dying to return to New England for a visit.

My only small complaint about the book is that it is mainly written in first person narrative, but there are a few sections that are written in third person--mostly centered around Rafferty, the police officer helping Towner find Eva and other plots things. At first the switches in point of view were unobtrusive, but near the end of the novel things began getting a little choppy. To me it felt like the book was falling apart a little bit, but I can also see how Barry was possibly using this writing style to convey a lot of uncertainty in the plot, but still. The ending, though, had me forgiving Barry of any previous choppiness as everything came perfectly together.

I'd widely recommend this book. Perhaps some might find it a little on the quiet side, but I think there are enough twists and turns that even the most impatient reader (ie me) will find The Lace Reader a compelling read. Recently I've started judging books by how likely I am to pass it on to one of my parents, and I can say with certainty that I'll be passing this one along. EDIT: I've picked this book for our book club meeting next month so we can discuss and then meet the author--so exciting!

What do you think about unreliable narrators? Do you think that they can be effective or gimmicky? Any memorable ones?



Also, Barry is going on tour:
9/14 – Los Angeles – Vroman’s Bookstore – Reading and Signing
9/15—Edwards, CO – VIP Customer Book Club Event
9/20—Andover, MA – Meet the Author Benefit for PATHS
10/12 Mequon, WI Next Chapter Bookshop
10/13 Dallas, TX Legacy Books
10/20 – Lexington, MA Library
10/22- Swampscott, MA Library
10/27- Destination Salem Lunch, Hampton Falls Library
11/18th 10 AM, Exeter Library, Exeter, NH

For more, visit Barry's Lace Reader website. I'm so excited to see that she'll be coming to Dallas--I'll definitely have to see about popping in for a visit! Thanks for TLC Tours for allowing me to be apart of The Lace Reader booktour.

BBAW Adoration

In honor of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite bloggers. I usually hate this type of singling out of people, especially because I follow several blogs and have made several blogging friends and connections, but this handful has become truly special to me and I wanted to shower them with appreciation. Thanks you guys for simply being who you are.

Thoughts of Joy – Joy has a really special place in my blogging heart. She was one of the first blogs I grabbed onto when I first started, and even though she won’t agree, I pestered the heck out of her about this and that. She was patient and friendly and supportive and I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor turned friend. And what’s funny is I think Joy knows my taste in books better than I do!

Melody’s Reading Corner – I met Melody about a year ago, and I really wish I could remember how exactly. She was one of those who I immediately felt comfortable around and have since shared stories and reviews with one another. She's always leaves such wonderful comments here and in response to comments she receives on her blog and I always look forward to what she's going to say.

Peeking Between the Pages – One of my favorite things about hosting challenges is the great people I’ve met in the process. I met Dar last year during the Classics challenge and if I’m not mistaken she has just started blogging. She rapidly found a comfortable place in the blogosphere and has become a quite popular gal, but she hasn’t lost the personal friendships along the way. Dar has the sweetest disposition and I always look forward to her thoughtful posts or her wonderful comments. Plus, that Buddy is so adorable!

Books.Lists.Life. – Lisa Lisa Lisa. I have a special bond with Lisa and has just kind of evolved over time. We started emailing a few summers ago when we were both reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. She re-introduced me to the term “freezer book,” and that little bond has grown over the years. She was my best cheerleader during my first read-a-thon and I cajoled her into joining me for the last one. She’s also the first blogger I’ve met and we’re still talking so I guess that went well. :P I can always count on Lisa to give me a pick-me-up or laugh when I need it.

Musings of a Bookish Kitty – I don’t want to put in a whole bunch of hoopla about who was short-listed and who wasn’t, but I was pretty disappointed that Wendy wasn’t nominated for Best Literary Review Blog this year. Wendy writes such wonderful reviews and has added a number of books to my TBR list. In addition to her fabulous writing, she also is such a warm and welcoming blogger. I remember feeling rather intimidated by Wendy when I first started blogging, but she couldn’t be a more accepting person.

Dolce Bellezza – Is there a blogger with a bigger heart than Bellezza? Well, she’s got a lot of strong contenders, but I’ve always been drawn to her warmth. Bellezza, like Wendy, intimidated me a bit when I first started blogging. She is always able to find such beauty in the books that she reads and the way that she conveys her feelings just tugs at your heart. Besides all of that, she’s helped introduce me to Japanese Literature, which I’ll always be grateful.

My Year of Reading Seriously – I’ve talked a lot over the past few years about CJ and how cool I found her reading project to be. When CJ first started blogging she decided she would dedicate her year of reading to her mother who had passed away. I loved this idea, especially as I have a special reading bond with my own mother. Once her year of reading “seriously” ended, I was thrilled that she continued to blog away about this and that—love her Sifting Thoughts. I also secretly think that our cats are soul-kitties. Hers, Maddie, and mine, Maggie, do look curiously alike (in a cattish way).

Nothing of Importance – Debi. What can be said about Debi that hasn’t already been said. Everyone loves Debi. And if you don’t know who I’m talking about—put her on your list! Debi is one of those bloggers who I secretly wanted to get to know but just didn’t know how to go about it. She was a frequent commenter on some of my favorite blogs, so when Dewey did one of her first Weekly Geeks—meet other bloggers—I headed straight over to Debi’s. The awesome thing? Debi found me that week, too.

Also, quickly I know we're supposed to be talking about blogs who weren't short-listed this year, but I couldn't help mentioning Amanda and Nymeth who have been such wonderful blogging friends. And of course their blogs are "must check out" blogs.

What bloggers have you met that have gone above and beyond being just a blogger to being a friend?

Happy BBAW Week!

Sunday Salon 17 - Silent Visitors Unveil Yourself!

I'm trying to get back into the blogging swing of things--right in time for BBAW--even though I'll be leaving on Friday for Europe. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know about the trip, but on Friday we fly into Frankfurt and will travel around Switzerland, Austria, and Czech Republic before heading back to Germany. Crazy, I know. My husband is actually staying in Europe for another month after I leave, so things at home should be pretty quiet--lots of time to read and blog.

This week's Sunday Salon topic: Silent Visitors (aka Lurkers)!!

It's been a long time since I've been much of a lurker in the book blogosphere, but I've started browsing around quilting and cooking blogs and those lurker feelings have come back a little bit. When I first started blogging, I don't think there was a time when I didn't feel comfortable leaving comments at all, but there were certain blogs that intimidated me for some reason or another and I always felt a little timid about leaving a comment. Maybe a feeling that what I had to say wasn't relevant or that my comment was dumb or that I was infringing on a private conversation. Now I mostly don't give two thoughts to commenting on book blogs.

Sunday's Questions:
Have you ever gone through a period of lurking? Do you still find yourself lurking around certain blogs? What makes you feel comfortable interacting on one blog and maybe not another? Are there some blogs that you love reading but just don't have anything to comment on?

I'd like to think that everyone is comfortable leaving a comment here, but as my subscription numbers go up I realize that the number of regular visitors is greatly unproportionate to the actual number of subscribers.

With BBAW rapidly approaching, I'd like to reach out to some of those readers who silently come by. Say hello today--and I'll even give you a question to answer:

What's your favorite flavor of ice cream? Don't like ice cream--fine, we'll go back to the book question. What's the most memorable book you've read? Of course if you're a regular Chatty Cathy here, let me know your answers too. :P

Hope everyone's having a great weekend! We're raining here in Dallas. Boo!



Oh, and my favorite flavor of ice cream is usually Chocolate Cookie Dough. Right now I'm on a Banana Split kick, though (chunks of banana, chocolate, caramel, nuts, cherry, and other yummy goodness). And my most memorable book. Duh--Wuthering Heights!

Commenting and Such

Wow--let me first say thank you for the BBAW nominations--yesterday I noticed I was short-listed for Best Commenter/Commentator. While I'm flattered, I have to admit that I'm also quite flabbergasted. This is one of those categories that didn't require any input from me, so I have no idea what the criteria for the judging panel was. Did they do a search to see how much the nominees had commented in the past week/month/year? Were repeat nominations taken into consideration--if you were nominated in a category last year, were you more likely to be short-listed again this year?

I'm not trying to sound ungrateful, because I appreciate that someone out there thinks I'm a good commenter. Really I am. The problem? It instills guilt within me. Guilt for being a bad blogger, for not being more active in the community, for being comfortable with the status quo etc etc. If you've been following along for quite some time, you know that I have a constant battle with commenting. Once upon a time, I would have said I was a really good commenter. That was before the blogosphere doubled/tripled and I could get around more easily. Now I just watch my GReader climb into the triple digits knowing that I can't possibly get around to the 100+ blogs I subscribe to. It's frustrating and discouraging and I usually just shut down--as I have the past couple of weeks. I know how ridiculous this all sounds.

It's been a rough year for me, and I've really struggled to come to terms with what I want to get out of blogging and how to balance blogging with life. And for those of you who can read between the lines have gathered that life in general has been tough the past year. I want so badly to be a big part of the blogosphere, but in the end I just can't put in the hours each day or week due to this that and the other. Neurotic me says, well, if you can't be a big part of the blogosphere, why blog at all? Sane me responds, because you love blogging and have met some great bloggers who you've really connected with. Neurotic and Sane me battle all the time. It's enough to drive me batty--and make me disappear for a few days.

I don't really have a point. And I'm not trying to be all "woe is me" whiny little baby. And I don't want to argue with whoever was generous enough to nominate me, but I also know in reality that I haven't been the best commenter these past couple of months. And I struggle with that because commenting is such a huge part of the blogosphere to me. It's my way of telling you--hey, I'm listening to what you're saying and I care about what you have to say. I keep hoping that I can do better at this, that I'll be a better community member...just gotta find that damn elusive balance!

Ok, let's brighten things up. Tell me what makes a great comment? If you happened upon a new blogger who was wondering about commenting (you were that timid commenter at one point...), what would you suggest to them?

Can I have 25 hours in a day?

Ok, so I'm not hiding, but I'm not really here either. :P I'm not sure how time continues to get away from me, but it does so I'm taking a little bit of a break from blogging (well, I already have been as maybe you've noticed). I'll be gone this weekend for the holiday, so no point catching up now, but I hope to be back and at it next week--and if not then definitely during BBAW so I can shower you all with appreciation. Seems a little silly to apologize, especially as the world doesn't stop for Trish, but I do feel bad that I haven't been around much these past few months.

Catch up with you soon.

Non-Fiction Five September Reviews and Wrap-Up

Post your September reads in the Mister Linky below using the following format:

Your name: Trish (The Complete Maus)
Your URL: http://trishsbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/complete-maus-art-spiegelman.html

If you've finished the challege and want to write a wrap-up post, you can also leave your link here. Put (Wrap-Up) after your name.


Thanks for participating--we'll see you next year!