I’ve got a new book review up on the Shelbi blog. It’s for a new book by Portland author Deborah Reed called Carry Yourself Back to Me. 

Worth checking out: http://beingshelbi.blogspot.com/2011/08/friday-book-review-carry-yourself-back.html

Also, a few people have asked how the 2011 challenge is going.

Well, before today I had only spent $11.56 — but I went to an author event at one of my favorite book stores and I always really like to purchase books at those things. So, my $28.50 purchase + $11.56 = $40.06.

I have $9.93 left to spend on books in 2011. Hmmmm. Good thing I have a birthday coming up…

Check it out here!

“Three Cups of Tea”: Served with a grain of salt? — story on CNN today.

My review of Three Cups of Tea is here.

If what Krakauer alleges is true (and I’m inclined to believe him over Mortenson — even if the latter had me fooled too), then my review will seem kinda silly.

Thought I’d share!

I realized that it didn’t feel right to blog about my family, my kitchen fiascos, my fun crafting projects, and all those miscellaneous things I feel the need to write about on any given day on this book blog. This blog serves a very specific purpose: Books. And my reading challenge.

People are still drawn to this blog for that reason. Most people find this site by googling “Around the World in 80 Books Challenge” and I’m sure that’s because there are a lot of people out there interested in the challenge for themselves! Since the challenge is over and I’ve been bad about blogging about my 2011 reads, I thought it was time to expand.

I ended up over on blogspot — and if you want to follow me over there occasionally, I’d love to have you!

There’s only one post at the moment and it isn’t very exciting. Give me a few weeks and there might be some worthwhile content:

http://beingshelbi.blogspot.com/

I’ve finished a few more books! I’ll blog about them soon. Seems like finding time to write with a newborn and a toddler is a little bit more challenging than I first expected. But hey, I did manage to find time to dress us all in Giants gear and get a picture — so, really, you know where my priorities lie.

Isaac Ross joined our family on Thursday March 10th.

I had a 42 hour labor with Elliott — pushed for nearly 4 and a half hours — and it took me weeks to recover. When I went in on Wednesday night, I was pretty certain that history was repeating itself. I am thankful it did not — from start to finish I labored for about eleven hours. And I only pushed for 13 minutes. Yeah. I know. I wasn’t expecting that either. (It still might take me weeks to recover; but somehow all these postpartum healing pains are worth it when you’ve got an awesome little baby to hold.)

Isaac weighed 7lbs and 1oz at birth. 20 inches long. And he’s pretty great.

But I haven’t picked up a book since then. I did take my Kindle to the hospital in an act of optimism, but yeah…there wasn’t any time to read.

I’ll check in as I can.

Part of my nonfiction submersion was due to the nonfiction unit we’re teaching our juniors right now (well, I was teaching my juniors, up until a week ago…more on that in a second). The juniors have a persuasive writing unit to start off second semester and my colleague and I decided that we wanted to really push kids into reading persuasive nonfiction books that rally around social issues. Our whole first semester of American Literature is “Who am I as an American?” and “American Literary Periods and their relevance to today’s literature”, but then in second semester we take it out and talk about social justice issues in America and the world.

This year we assigned one group of kids to read “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. I hadn’t read that before, so I just read the selections we assigned the students. But then I felt a strong desire to go out and buy my own copy of the book and read the whole thing — I am so glad I did. What an amazing, intense, powerful book. Seriously: Must. Be. A. Mandatory. Read. I’m surprised it took me so long to read this — last year while Matt and I were in Vegas, I counted six people reading this book at the pools or at the airport. I kinda wish I had seen more people reading it now.

Anyway, that was my most recent read. And I can’t recommend it enough.

Before that I finished reading “The Death and Life of the American School System” by Diane Ravitch. (Go and watch Thursday’s entire Daily Show if you want to see something that gets my blood pressure all elevated — watching how Fox News portrays teachers in America almost sent me into labor. I’m serious.) This book is interesting; Ravitch approaches her book from a historical point of view, which makes sense since she is a historian, but there are significant passages where I wanted more commentary and opinion. Ravitch’s articles and columns are probably more geared toward editorializing, which doesn’t diminish the importance of this book — if we are going to combat the problems with current education reform, understanding why past policies have failed and are failing is an important step.  There were several times I wanted to photocopy sections out of this book and clandestinely drop them into mailboxes of people at my school — not out of maliciousness, but out of a genuine desire to improve the quality of what we do every day. I love teaching and as I embark on year eight of this career, I am finding it easier to be a voice for change and activism — Ravitch’s book can give teachers the tools and data needed to have those important conversations with people who are inclined to misunderstand theories that do sound good on paper.

Okay. Last one. I also finished “The Other Wes Moore” by Wes Moore. This is the Everybody Reads book for Portland and we also picked it as the book for our March Book Club. I liked this book a lot — I wanted more commentary from the author, but at the end of the book he addressed his wariness with trying to come up with a theory about why two people with similar backgrounds, growing up in the same areas, can lead such diametrically opposed lives. So, Book Club will have to explore Nature vs. Nurture on our own and see what we can come up with. Either way, it’s hard not to get drawn into the two boy’s lives. Fans of “The Wire” will notice themes from the TV show in these two men’s stories — an obvious connection I suppose since the book takes place in Baltimore. This is a super short read (I finished it in two days) and it’s written in a simple-straightforward style that won’t win any writing awards, but still manages to paint a clear picture of pre-teens at a crossroad.

So…there you have it: One month of reading.

And I actually read two of those books in the past week…I was pretty busy before that getting ready for the baby and planning at school.

Speaking of school…I am now on mandatory bed rest. I’ll know more tomorrow about whether or not my body has decided to become fully preeclamptic again, but all signs point to ‘yes’ on that. Last Monday I ended up hospitalized and the doctor told me not to go to work, but I didn’t listen. My newspaper staff had a paper that was going to press and I wasn’t about to ditch them; so, I went back to work and lasted only half the day before realizing that I should have listened to my doctor. I ended up being hospitalized AGAIN on Tuesday…and then I was lectured about not returning to work and despite my irritation at that decision, I acquiesced.

I’ve been home since then — reading and watching a lot of television — and going to numerous doctor’s appointments. I also went out and got a pedicure and my hair done — but I don’t think that’s cheating because I was good at keeping my feet up! My family has been amazing at taking care of me too — meals and watching Elliott; coming over to do boring tasks like unloading the dishwasher.

And where does that leave me? Well, playing a waiting game. My due date isn’t until March 20th…but they already said they’d induce no later than the 17th (St. Patrick’s Day baby?) if I remain stable. I’m back at the doctor tomorrow to find out if I’m stable or not. So, I could go in tomorrow and they’ll keep me and I could have a baby Tuesday. We’re ready to meet our second son! So, I’m anxious to find out what’s going on with this awesome little body of mine. I’m hugely pregnant, sporting a super high BP even while sitting on my couch, AND having inconsistent contractions throughout my day. And you know what? I’m great — I really am. I’m a little down that I’m not working and I feel worthless stuck at home. I also HATE not knowing what is going to happen; I’d be much better if they just gave me a date and called it good, but I know so many factors can change in a heartbeat, so why plan?

But other than that: I’ve got an amazing two-year-old and I know how fantastic these kids are! So, all of this seems worth it to me. I’m not sure about a third time around yet, but I do know it’s worth it for this one.

I’ll just keep reading books until I know more…

The Widow’s Season and The Art of Racing in the Rain. I’ve been feeling pretty excited about all this reading I’ve been getting done; I mean…I knew The Passage took me a little bit, but I read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks pretty quickly; I read Feed in just three days; and I read The Imperfectionists in a weekend.

I thought, “That’s right. Baby on the way. Busy end to the semester. Busy start to a new semester. Freelance copyediting. You’re rockin’ the reading!”

Until I realized…last year at this exact same time, I had read 12 books! Seriously?!? Twelve books by mid-February? How is that humanely possible? I thought I’ve been doing well and even though my goal for 2011 is nearly half of what I read for 2010…I secretly thought I would be able to exceed my own expectations. Nope. Apparently when I set that 50 book goal, I was right on track.

So, anyway…I digress. The Widow’s Season isn’t worth writing a long review for — it’s a quick and breezy summer read — full of clichés and ridiculous situations. It’s the quintessential beach book; you can devour it in an afternoon with the sun and the ocean and not feel like you’ve wasted your afternoon. It’s not horrific. It’s not great. It just is. And it’s been sitting on my bookshelf, untouched, so I thought I’d give it a shot.

The Art of Racing in the Rain — as you’ll remember, I’ve been dying to read — wasn’t exactly the emotionally traumatic experience I was expecting. Although, I did cry, but seriously: The book OPENS with the dog talking about how he’s about to be put to sleep. OPENS with that. And I thought the premise of a canine narrator was interesting; I liked the inner-dialogue, the dog-view. I think dog lovers will eat this book up — anyone who has owned a dog that held a special place in his/her life will love it — but if you’re not a huge dog person, the rest of the book isn’t spectacular. And I have a really big problem with people being treated unjustly. A huge portion of this book deals with the owner’s unluckiness and the trials and tribulations of an unjust and unfair world (I can’t say more, I think that would be too much of a spoiler) — while I knew deep down that the man was going to (probably) find a way to combat this, the emotional turmoil he was facing before that moment arrived was almost too much to bear at times. (And remember, that emotional turmoil was being conveyed to me through dog’s eyes.) I just wanted to reach in and make it all better; there were people I wanted to hit. Yes, great literature makes us respond in physical and visceral ways — this book did both; but I also knew there was no way out of it that wouldn’t feel contrived. And I think I was right about that assessment.

Vague review, I suppose. Considering that I bought the book (with the help of a gift certificate from my mommy — so…no $$ of my own spent) last night and finished it this evening is probably a good indicator that there is something in there worth checking out. The best writing actually takes place when the author is describing racetrack driving…which holds ZERO appeal to me…but those passages are very lyrical and moving. Even a NASCAR hater like myself can find the beauty now in racing in the rain.

Good writing. Kept my interest. Not great writing. A little too much for his own good times — a little too pared down at other times. Purposefully convoluted action scenes and contrived coincidences and more than once this little gem was offered (paraphrased): “They didn’t quite know how they had escaped…their memories were fuzzy…but, regardless, they made it anyway!” Deus ex machina much?

The Passage doesn’t live up to its hype. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth picking up either. I think I was expecting great literature instead of a relatively formulaic summer blockbuster. And speaking of blockbuster, Cronin knew where the money is at — it’s always fun to see action scenes play out in true Hollywood fashion. And there is no denying that this book (slimmed down…way down…) will translate well into a film adaptation. A little bit of The Road, The Stand, and 30 Days of Night all wrapped up into a nice big money-making package. And, frankly, who am I kidding? I’ll go see it.

The only other thing I’ll add is that this should have been a Kindle book for me. I bought the book at Costco last year in hopes of reading ahead in the challenge and finding out what all the excitement was about. A hardcover 700 page book? Reading a book of that size is really awkward for a nearly 8 months pregnant lady to read; there was a lot of sitting it on my stomach when my arms and wrists got tired. What is pretty impressive is that my little boy awaiting his due date is already strong enough to move the book several inches higher with a good strong kick. I think he was trying to tell me, “I’m running out of room in here. Get this heavy thing off of my home.”

Man, this does not bode well for the other book I’ve been excited about reading: Under the Dome. It’s bigger. Heavier. Maybe I’ll wait a bit…

For people who like well plotted books — okay, people who like plot in general — might be disappointed. This isn’t a book about an event; it’s a book solely about character. Specifically, a collection of people whose common thread is a newspaper in Rome.  The title is The Imperfectionists after all, and so each person’s chapter highlights a moment in their life that seems to put a spotlight on their imperfections. This book might be an easy sell to me because I have a journalist living in my home — I teach journalism — and every day our conversations somehow end up on media, the failing newspaper industry, and the reality of the press vs. the Hollywood’s romanticized version of newspapers and journalists. (Well, when they’re not lampooning them, they’re celebrating them; but I suppose that pretty much sums up how Hollywood handles all issues.)

So, the newspaper aspect was particularly engaging to me.

And Rachman’s writing is impeccable. I really loved it. He created a world for me that I could see, taste, smell, and experience. He created characters I loved and hated. And he made me cry. His final chapter made me sit on my couch and sob. And yes, because of a dog. I thought I was choosing wisely during my little bookstore excursion. No such luck. I found tragedy anyway. Rachman writes the way I want to write; and since I’m not insanely jealous of his youth and success and talent, I’m going to count this as a rare moment in my life. I have deep respect for the book. I finished it Friday and there are moments in the book that are still with me. I’ve already dog-eared passages and chapters to photocopy for my creative writing class. It was just a great little find! I loved it. Maybe the rest of the world won’t, but it’s a book I will read again. Guaranteed.

I started The Passage on Saturday. No money spent. I bought it at Costco sometime last year and never got around to sneaking it into my reading schedule. I’m 100 pages in and the rest of the 600+ pages look a little daunting — mixed reviews on this one, but I’m willing to give it a shot. And between that and Feed, maybe dystopian end-of-the-world literature is to 2011 what cannibalism was to 2010.