Mercy

I just think these are such powerful lyrics.
Thanks to Amy.



Excellent, excellent stuff.

The Friday 56 & Book Beginnings -- September 3, 2010 -- Cuba and Columbia, women's rights and books

The Friday 56 is is hosted by Storytime with Tonya and Friends.
Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of this blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to this blog.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Even though we can never help them all, 

I feel my mind flying and glowing 

along with the winged creatures 

that we have rescued 

as they soar away, free . . . 

p. 56 The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba by Margarita Engle

Page 56 had only one complete sentence but it captures the essence of this book based on the true story of Swedish women's rights activist Fredrika Bremer's three-month visit to Cuba in 1851.  The speaker in the above sentence is Cecelia, a slave at the mansion where Fredrika is staying.  A few other short excerpts that struck me:

Cecilia, again:

I just want to breathe

without gasping for air

and love my baby

without struggling 

to understand the 

impossible future.

And Elena, the young daughter of the mansion owners:

My mind soars

and whirls

in a dance

of wild fear

and graceful hope.

Book Beginnings on Friday is a meme hosted by Becky at Page Turners. Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.

Deep in the jungles of Columbia, there lives a man who loves books.

 Biblioburro: A True Story from Columbia by Jeanette Winter is such a lovely picture book that I decided to share it for this week's Book Beginnings.  Luis loves to read so much that he decides to get two burros and share his books with children all over rural Columbia.  (Biblioteca is Spanish for library.). 

We the Children by Andrew Clements

This is the first in Andrew Clements' (Frindle) series, Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School.  I really liked it.  Written for young readers (perhaps 10 and under), it's 142 pages long with pen and ink illustrations by Adam Stower. 

Running late for homeroom, Ben encounters the elderly janitor slumped over his mop.  Grimacing with pain, Mr. Keane gives Ben a gold coin (and a responsibility) that has been passed down from custodian to custodian since Captain Duncan Oakes founded the school in 1783. When Mr. Keane dies at the hospital, Ben has to try to stop the plan to bulldoze Oakes School to make room for an amusement park.

I read this book with my six-year-old daughter.  Ben's parents, like her own, are in the midst of a separation.  I kept reading ahead a few pages to see how Clements chose to deal with this subject but invariably I was pleased with his choices and glad to give my daughter a bit of a springboard for discussing her own situation.  I felt that Clements spoke accurately to the many emotions involved without giving Ben a completely pessimistic outlook, if that makes sense.  I also appreciated the way that Ben interacts with others.  I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel, Fear Itself. 

WWW Wednesday -- September 1, 2010

To play along, just answer the following three questions……

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you will read next?

Currently reading:

• We the Children by Andrew Clements 
• Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cover via Amazon

Recently finished:

• The Roar by Emma Clayton
• Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris by R.L. Travers
• Miss or Mrs?, The Haunted Hotel, The Guilty River by Wilkie Collins
• The Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle 

Up Next:

• Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Steering the Craft:  Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew by Ursula K. Le Guin
  

Teaser Tuesdays -- August 31, 2010 -- Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge Wrap-Up

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading and asks you to :
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3 . Share 2 "teaser" sentences also citing the title of the book and the author and in that way people can have great recommendations if they like the "teaser".
4. Please avoid spoilers!

 It is exceedingly difficult to get enough walking exercise; and it is next to impossible (where secrecy is an object) to make love without being found out. Reverting for the moment to the latter difficulty only, life within the narrow and populous limits of a vessel may be defined as essentially life in public. 

Image via Wikipedia

Miss or Mrs? by Wilkie Collins, p. 19

This is actually a collection of three of Wilkie Collins' novellas -- Miss or Mrs?, The Haunted Hotel, and The Guilty River.  With this collection, I'll have finished the Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge.  My daughter and I listened to the audio-book of The Woman in White, my husband and I watched the movie of The Moonstone (I'd read both of those already) and now I'm reading these three novellas.

I do enjoy Wilkie Collins -- I love his vibrant characters and dry wit and I love the glimpse into a nation, society, and time I have not experienced.  If you haven't read any of his work, give him a try sometime.   The audiobook my daughter and I listened to was excellently performed, if you'd like to go that route.

Oh, and I wanted to add that many people consider Collins to be the first to write mystery novels -- with Edgar Allan Poe being the first to write short stories in that genre.  As I continue to read these three novellas, I see parallels to Poe that I haven't noticed as much in Collins' longer works.  Interesting stuff.

Wrapping up Tattooed Books' YALSA Challenge

You can read Tattooed Books' original post about the challenge here.  And mine is here.

There are 3 different levels to the challenge.

Solo:  1-8 books

Duet:  9-17 books

Three-Part Harmony: 18-26 books

My original plan:

Cover via Amazon

I've already read:

Cashore, Kristin. Fire

Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire

Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron

Fitzpatrick, Becca. hush, hush

Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver

Westerfeld, Scott. Leviathan 
Red -- don't read.  Purple -- must read.  Black -- hard to say.

I think I'd like to read:

Cover of Heist Society

Carter, Ally. Heist Society
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls
Dessen, Sarah. Along for the Ride
Forman, Gayle. If I Stay
Clayton, Emma. The Roar
Tanigawa, Nagaru. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya    



I started reading The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya yesterday and just didn't care a single bit about the story.  After which I didn't even try Along for the Ride.  I'm sure my bad attitude was at least somewhat related to the fact that I'd just finished The Roar, which also didn't captivate me -- I wanted to be reading something that didn't feel like a waste of the precious hours of my life.  :)

Other than those two books, though, I've definitely enjoyed this challenge and am glad I took part.  I'm also glad I still completed the duet level!

Dewey's Read-A-Thon Is Approaching!

The big day is Saturday, October 9, 2010.  This is the event that made me start blogging in March. Check it all out here!

I'm really hoping I can make it all work again this time.  Meanwhile, I'm planning on it.

There are lots of different ways to participate so join in!