I am still feeling compelled to read this series. In this latest book featuring Percy Jackson Riordan has told yet another story with enough plot twists and action to keep readers going. I especially appreciated his humor in this book. Riordan has managed to merge contemporary culture, particularly consumerism, with Roman and Greek gods and myths. I think it can be used to help readers understand the role that these myths played in ancient cultures.
Recently, with several co-authors, I published an article for teachers on using YA Literature and appropriate nonfiction to make the required study of The Odyssey something that is more engaging to ninth graders. The various Percy Jackson books were a large part of this. (Along with Michael Scott's Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. Having these familiar and well loved books help young adults understand why their schools place such emphasis on The Odyssey and other classic works.
I look forward to Riordan's next book in this series.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher
Where have I been all fall? Well, besides The Swan Thieves, and a couple other random books that I hope I can remember, I've been reading Jim Butcher's collected works.
When I get stressed I read "lite" books and this series got me through a particularly high pressure fall. The Dresden Files combine humor, fantasy, and have a flavor of hard-boiled detective fiction like books by Dashiell Hammett. A series that regularly gets me to laugh out loud is just what I need to get me through the stressful times.
Harry Dresden is a wizard-for-hire in present-day Chicago. Since I'm very familiar with Chicago and the surrounding areas it is regional fiction that I can appreciate. Dresden is a powerful wizard, but burdened with a bad-upbringing, incomplete knowledge of his craft, and well-founded mistrust of his fellow wizards.
I won't say too much about the content of the books, just recommendations from two young men. My son and my colleague's son both have or are tearing through this series. That my adult son, an avid video gamer, can take time to pick up books that I have also read is one of the great gifts of my life. That another bright young man in my circle of acquaintances has also read the series tells me that this is one I can recommend to older young adults. I'll stress the adult there, in the later books there are some sexual scenes that may cause some teachers to hesitate about suggesting the series to students. These scenes are not so explicit that I would not recommend the books, but I would warn students as I recommend them that there are some brief scenes with sexual content.
At the same time I was reading The Dresden Files I also worked through Butcher's other series, Codex Alera. I wasn't as engaged with this series. I think probably it would appear more to young men. There are lots of horses, evil monsters, and intricate plots. Of course, it could also be that I listened to all of these on my smart phone instead of in book form. I read all but one of the Dresden books in paper form.
Butcher admits to being a great fan of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Allusions to these words as well as others enrich the Dresden books. The provide a great opening for teachers to encourage wider reading.
When I get stressed I read "lite" books and this series got me through a particularly high pressure fall. The Dresden Files combine humor, fantasy, and have a flavor of hard-boiled detective fiction like books by Dashiell Hammett. A series that regularly gets me to laugh out loud is just what I need to get me through the stressful times.
Harry Dresden is a wizard-for-hire in present-day Chicago. Since I'm very familiar with Chicago and the surrounding areas it is regional fiction that I can appreciate. Dresden is a powerful wizard, but burdened with a bad-upbringing, incomplete knowledge of his craft, and well-founded mistrust of his fellow wizards.
I won't say too much about the content of the books, just recommendations from two young men. My son and my colleague's son both have or are tearing through this series. That my adult son, an avid video gamer, can take time to pick up books that I have also read is one of the great gifts of my life. That another bright young man in my circle of acquaintances has also read the series tells me that this is one I can recommend to older young adults. I'll stress the adult there, in the later books there are some sexual scenes that may cause some teachers to hesitate about suggesting the series to students. These scenes are not so explicit that I would not recommend the books, but I would warn students as I recommend them that there are some brief scenes with sexual content.
At the same time I was reading The Dresden Files I also worked through Butcher's other series, Codex Alera. I wasn't as engaged with this series. I think probably it would appear more to young men. There are lots of horses, evil monsters, and intricate plots. Of course, it could also be that I listened to all of these on my smart phone instead of in book form. I read all but one of the Dresden books in paper form.
Butcher admits to being a great fan of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. Allusions to these words as well as others enrich the Dresden books. The provide a great opening for teachers to encourage wider reading.
The Swan Thieves, by Elizabeth Kostova
Once and a while I have a convergence of events in my life that make a book particularly powerful. Such experiences surround my reading of The Swan Thieves.
First, about the book itself. It is a complex story of love, families, madness, and art. Kostova is what others would probably call a "literary" writer. Her books are enriched with historical, literary, and artistic references. This book, focused on artists, their art, and lives is one I read quite slowly and with great relish. It was a rich reading experience. As a result I will be looking at books of impressionistic art, mythologies of the story of Leda, and reading about the historical period as well. A good book always leads to the reading of others. I am also going to have to reread Lord Jim, a book I read as an undergraduate and The Historian, Kostova's first book and one I enjoyed the first time.
Now, about how my life has conspired to make this book especially powerful to me. In the last few business trips I've taken I've extended my stay by a day or so to do some touring. In each case I have included art museums as part of the tours. Last spring I spent a day at the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida exploring Lewis Comfort Tiffany's works and another day at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. I recommend both, but particularly encourage visits to the Dali Museum. I remember photos of Salvidor and Gala Dali in Life magazine as a child. I thought them extremely weird. Visiting the Dali museum gave me an entirely new understanding of his intellectual depth and the complexity of his art work, beyond the surrealistic pieces for which he is so well known.
This fall, prior to beginning this book, I had the opportunity to spend half a day at the National Gallery of Art. I spend much of my time in the Chester Dale collection and with the Dutch and Flemish galleries. Within the Dale collection I spent much of my time viewing the Impressionists within the collection. As a child, my mother had decorated my bedroom with Degas prints. The art books in my personal library lean heavily toward the Impressionists. (But several of those were inherited from my mother.)
Finally, one of the important pieces of my personal history are the years that my parents were guardians of my mother's cousin. He was a gifted musician who was also mentally ill. His diagnosis was never clear, something like schizophrenia or bi-polar disease. I remembered him as a wild and crazily funny "uncle" who entertained my brothers and me as we visited Lake Okoboji in Iowa. As an adult, caring for a man who was unpredictable wasn't so amusing.
Shortly after my return from D.C. I opened The Swan Thieves. It had been on the stack of books I have anchoring the hall tree. (Actually, my to-read collection.) I had purchased it nearly a year ago but hadn't yet had time to pick it up. It was perfect timing. I'm near the end of the book I'm writing (a book for teachers--not fiction). I felt able to pick up something just a little selfish, even though I need to be reading in advance of teaching a YA lit course this spring.
My last few weeks have been lovely, spent with this book. It is one I can recommend to high school students with strong interests in art, artists, psychology, and history. However, it would be an ambitious read for most high school readers. I have already been talking about it with friends and colleagues. They may feel my stories go on too long, but weaving together my trips to the art galleries and the reading of this book is a story I enjoy retelling.
First, about the book itself. It is a complex story of love, families, madness, and art. Kostova is what others would probably call a "literary" writer. Her books are enriched with historical, literary, and artistic references. This book, focused on artists, their art, and lives is one I read quite slowly and with great relish. It was a rich reading experience. As a result I will be looking at books of impressionistic art, mythologies of the story of Leda, and reading about the historical period as well. A good book always leads to the reading of others. I am also going to have to reread Lord Jim, a book I read as an undergraduate and The Historian, Kostova's first book and one I enjoyed the first time.
Now, about how my life has conspired to make this book especially powerful to me. In the last few business trips I've taken I've extended my stay by a day or so to do some touring. In each case I have included art museums as part of the tours. Last spring I spent a day at the Morse Museum in Winter Park, Florida exploring Lewis Comfort Tiffany's works and another day at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. I recommend both, but particularly encourage visits to the Dali Museum. I remember photos of Salvidor and Gala Dali in Life magazine as a child. I thought them extremely weird. Visiting the Dali museum gave me an entirely new understanding of his intellectual depth and the complexity of his art work, beyond the surrealistic pieces for which he is so well known.
This fall, prior to beginning this book, I had the opportunity to spend half a day at the National Gallery of Art. I spend much of my time in the Chester Dale collection and with the Dutch and Flemish galleries. Within the Dale collection I spent much of my time viewing the Impressionists within the collection. As a child, my mother had decorated my bedroom with Degas prints. The art books in my personal library lean heavily toward the Impressionists. (But several of those were inherited from my mother.)
Finally, one of the important pieces of my personal history are the years that my parents were guardians of my mother's cousin. He was a gifted musician who was also mentally ill. His diagnosis was never clear, something like schizophrenia or bi-polar disease. I remembered him as a wild and crazily funny "uncle" who entertained my brothers and me as we visited Lake Okoboji in Iowa. As an adult, caring for a man who was unpredictable wasn't so amusing.
Shortly after my return from D.C. I opened The Swan Thieves. It had been on the stack of books I have anchoring the hall tree. (Actually, my to-read collection.) I had purchased it nearly a year ago but hadn't yet had time to pick it up. It was perfect timing. I'm near the end of the book I'm writing (a book for teachers--not fiction). I felt able to pick up something just a little selfish, even though I need to be reading in advance of teaching a YA lit course this spring.
My last few weeks have been lovely, spent with this book. It is one I can recommend to high school students with strong interests in art, artists, psychology, and history. However, it would be an ambitious read for most high school readers. I have already been talking about it with friends and colleagues. They may feel my stories go on too long, but weaving together my trips to the art galleries and the reading of this book is a story I enjoy retelling.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Unquiet, by John Connolly
This is a private investigator series book that steps outside of the traditional. I jumped in mid-series (always a confusing place to start) and am not absolutely certain of what Charlie Parker's actual status is. (I could easily enjoy the book without certain knowledge of the previous content.) It appears that Parker has some extra-normal abilities that sometimes interfere with is detective work. I enjoyed the writing so much that I am going to return to the beginning and work through the series.
The setting is new to me--Maine. I'm working for a publisher in that state right now, so it interests me. I've been to New York and Long Island, but never further north. I'll be eager to explore when I have some travel time.
Unfortunately reading the series is going to be a slow process. Work is piling up!
The setting is new to me--Maine. I'm working for a publisher in that state right now, so it interests me. I've been to New York and Long Island, but never further north. I'll be eager to explore when I have some travel time.
Unfortunately reading the series is going to be a slow process. Work is piling up!
Dragon Soldier, by Timothy Zahn
This is the second in the Dragonback adventure series. It looks as if there are six books in the series. I was captivated by the first, less so with this. But, I'm certain that it's the context of this one that threw me off. In this second book Jack Morgan attempts to help his symbiont dragon, Draycos, prevent the destruction of his species. To do so he enlists and a mercenary soldier (child soldier) to gather intelligence about the possible strategic knowledge on identity of the "bad guys." There is some "shoot-em-up" which will probably appeal to boys more than it does to me. There is a strong female character.
The series gets good reviews and appears to be relatively popular. I enjoyed the first book a lot, but am not inspired to pick up the next one unless someone tells me that there is a switch in the plot line. The reviewers on the Barnes & noble site seem to agree with me.
It's recommended for ages 12 and older, but I think I might stay with younger adolescents.
The series gets good reviews and appears to be relatively popular. I enjoyed the first book a lot, but am not inspired to pick up the next one unless someone tells me that there is a switch in the plot line. The reviewers on the Barnes & noble site seem to agree with me.
It's recommended for ages 12 and older, but I think I might stay with younger adolescents.
The Climb & The Summit, by Gordon Korman
These are the last two books in a three book series Everest. They completely captured my attention. I stayed up late to finish and delayed doing other work. These are going to be sure-fire hits with young adolescent readers. They also provide some launching off points to look at Tibet, Nepal, mountaineering, commercial sports corporations, and ethics. I recommend the series strongly.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wizards of the Game, by David Lubar (2003)
I picked this up because it appeared on a list of recommended books about gaming. I'll have to change the search to video-gaming. The plot of this book centers around the older version of gaming involving cards and face-to-face activities. The main character, Mercer, is an 8th grader. He is totally absorbed in a game similar to dungeons and dragons.
He persuades the school authorities to have a gaming fund raiser. One of the other students on the planning team is a conservative Christian who begins a political/religious initiative to ban the game on school grounds based on the idea that it is devil/demon worship.
Meanwhile, Mercer begins to attract a following of homeless folks who believe themselves to be wizards. At the end Mercer ends up having to deal with all these various special interest groups.
Lubar has written an accessible book that will prompt deep thinking about conservative Christian pressures, gaming, and our perceptions of reality. Even though it wasn't really what I was looking for, I will include it in my recommended reading list. It does deserve a warning. There are some parents who would object to its treatment of "demonic influences on children" and apparent questioning of religious groups. With that warning, I think there are a lot of 6th & 7th graders who would really enjoy the book. Some older students with reading delays would also find it enjoyable. Although I don't see as many students playing the card-based fantasy games any longer, I think they will find the premise compatible with the video games they play.
He persuades the school authorities to have a gaming fund raiser. One of the other students on the planning team is a conservative Christian who begins a political/religious initiative to ban the game on school grounds based on the idea that it is devil/demon worship.
Meanwhile, Mercer begins to attract a following of homeless folks who believe themselves to be wizards. At the end Mercer ends up having to deal with all these various special interest groups.
Lubar has written an accessible book that will prompt deep thinking about conservative Christian pressures, gaming, and our perceptions of reality. Even though it wasn't really what I was looking for, I will include it in my recommended reading list. It does deserve a warning. There are some parents who would object to its treatment of "demonic influences on children" and apparent questioning of religious groups. With that warning, I think there are a lot of 6th & 7th graders who would really enjoy the book. Some older students with reading delays would also find it enjoyable. Although I don't see as many students playing the card-based fantasy games any longer, I think they will find the premise compatible with the video games they play.
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