Why YA?

 I've been reading a great deal of Young Adult literature lately.  One thing I've always wondered about is why even give the "Young Adult" designation?  Literature is literature no matter what.  Since I like to review with a bit of rhyme, I just wanted to see what I could come up with this time.  

Many books designated young adult literature
are wonderful books for sure.
This genre is so great
my eyes start to dilate! 
Riordan finished his series based on mythology
where themes of friendship were key.
Meyer has added her own flair
to fairy tales with much care.
Black and Clare have collaborated on a new series, book one is The Iron Trial.
I will be finishing this one, there is no denial!
Whatever your favorite genre may be
keep reading most definitely!!!

Schoolhouse Rock rocks!

I grew up watching School House Rock on Saturdays.  The catchy songs not only taught me a few things, but also entertained me.  I recently discovered that my students (5th graders) also enjoy the video clips!

We had been studying about the Revolutionary War and I decided to show "No More Kings" to the students.  They loved it!  Some started singing along, and the majority of the kids wanted to watch it again.  I was pleasantly pleased.  I thought that they would find it corny or stupid, but that wasn't the case. 

Earlier in the year I showed some of the Grammar Rock series to them, and got a lukewarm reception.  Well, maybe that was due to the fact that it was English class.  One of my favorite subjects, but sadly some of my students don't feel that way.  We watched the clips about nouns and adverbs.  The "Lolly" jingle got stuck in my head that day.

Good educational tools have staying power, I guess.  I have found myself singing along to almost all of the tunes as I've shown the kids.  It is amazing what one remembers.  I guess some of the television I've watched over the years hasn't "rotted" my brain.

   

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

As I've noted many times, I'm not a professional reviewer of books, but I love reading them.  I just finished reading Doctor Sleep last night.  I loved it!  King had my attention from page one all the way to the end.  Even if you're not a fan of Stephen King's work, it's well worth your time.  I'm glad this novel was one of the first books of the new year for me.  I'll give you my thoughts in a few sentences or so, and maybe some rhyme to go.

Dan Torrance has grown up to be a man.

We find out what's been going on in his life.

He's had some troubles with drinking, which caused some strife.

He managed to meet some new folks who helped him get clean and throw his booze in a can.

We meet Casey K., Billy Freeman, and the Stones -

Lucy, Dave, Abra, and Momo as well.

Add Dr. John into the story and our characters are swell.

We're also introduced to some players that are scary down to their bones.

We read about a band of travelers named the True Knot.

Rose the Hat, Snakebite Andi, Silent Sarey, Grandpa Flick, and Jimmy the Crow -

these are but a handful of the wanderers we get to know.

In their clutches you wouldn't want to get caught.

The ghouls go around the country in big old RVs searching the nation for steam.

That's their name for those who have the gift referred to as the "shining."

Once it's picked up by their unholy gifts, they go hunting.  Reading about them had me whining.

They live off fear and torment and lap up a child's essence like cream.

Abra Stone had the gift of the shining like a beacon,

and Dan finds himself in contact with this girl from a young age. 

We read about how she grows and how her powers change from stage to stage.

Dan finds himself being a teacher. Once off the booze his power didn't weaken. 

The True comes in contact with Abra Stone.

They want her for her steam.

At times I was so on edge I could just scream.

Dan and Abra join forces and work as one.

Please do read the book. Give it a chance.

I can't tell you about all of it; I won't ruin the fun.

There's so much to this book and many more paths for you to run.

I haven't even hinted to you about the meaning of the title.  Pick it up and join the dance.

What have you been reading lately?

What have you been reading lately?  I've been fortunate, I've had some wonderful time to just sit on backside on my chair and read.  As I look forward to a new year, I thought maybe I should look back and see what I've managed to get through.  I'm very thankful for Pinterest, because I've "pinned" the books I've read not only for book club, but also for fun.  Here goes:

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Couples by John Updike
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Wishin' and a Hopin'  A Christmas Story by Wally Lamb

The above titles were our book club picks.  The list that follows is a partial list of other books I read besides.

Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar
Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordan
The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz
Inferno by Dan Brown
Joyland by Stephen King
Another Fine Myth by Robert Asprin

As I look the lists, I'm very thankful for the time I have to enjoy my reading and for a very understanding husband.  I'm also very fortunate that I have a quiet husband who doesn't insist on talking my ear off!

It will be fun to look back a year from now, and see what I've managed to accomplish.   

The Play's the Thing, pt 2

In an earlier post, I wrote about the play I've been involved in, The Diviners. This past weekend we performed in the MACT (Minnesota Association of Community Theatres) Festival at North Hennepin Community College.  It was an amazing experience!  I was able to see productions from eight other community theatre groups around Minnesota.

We performed on Saturday afternoon. We had a few difficulties/challenges here and there, but were able to pull off a great show.  The cast and crew found out that our show was good enough to go to the Regional competition in Fargo at the end of April!  Along with the honor of being chosen to represent MN, many members of our show received special recognition. I'm the proudest of the Best Ensemble award given to us.

I'm still in a bit of shock and disbelief over all of this. Our group will have a couple of public performances to raise funds for our trip.  So I get to go back to the fictional town of Zion, Indiana, (the show's setting) at least a couple more times.  My greatest hope is to be Best Show in Fargo and be able to go to Carmel, Indiana, for the National festival.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

My book club group decided to read Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson.  I thought it was a hoot!  She says out loud what some of us just think!  As I've always said, I'm not a professional reviewer, I just like to write and have fun.  I hope that Jenny Lawson would appreciate my attempt at a rhyming review:

Lawson gives us a look into her life.

I'm thinking Victor must really love his wife.

The parts where I howled the most were early on,

that isn't a con.

The language she uses isn't for the faint of heart,

but I'm still glad I read it in whole and part.

She is a woman of great passions

and I was glad she didn't dwell on fashions.

I don't want to say anything bad about Jenny

because I don't want her to come after me with a machete!

There were serious times interwoven throughout the tale.

We got to see pictures of Beyonce the rooster bought on sale.

Her photos from past and present were a nice touch.

We got to see the people mentioned and such.

I loved her letters and post-its!

When Jenny wrapped up her dishwasher, that gave me fits!

If laughter is good for the soul,

then that woman is whole!

 

The Prodigal Son, Frankenstein by Dean Koontz

Last summer I binged on Dean Koontz!  I started reading his ODD THOMAS series and got totally hooked on his writing.  I was browsing Barnes & Noble over a month ago and saw one of the books in his Frankenstein series, and thought, "Why not?  I've enjoyed all the other books I've read by Koontz."  So, I went to his website and found book one in his series, The Prodigal Son.  I then ordered it from a member of PaperBackSwap.com.  (Is that ever a cool site!  That's a post for another time.)

Anyway, I waited patiently and got the book.  I devoured it!  What started as a binge last July was reawakened!  I highly recommend the novel, but then I've also become something of a Dean Koontz fan.  As I've said many times before, I'm not a professional reviewer, but I always like to throw in a few words.

Here goes:
The story of Frankenstein has long been retold,
but Koontz's rendition will never grow old.
The monster, Deucalion, is quite a hero.
Victor Helios, the bad guy, is a big zero!
I did want to see more character development from the detectives, Michael and Carson,
but know that in time that goal will be won.
Koontz has a gift for creating an interesting character,
yes sir!
I got totally caught up in the mystery.
Of turning the pages I didn't grow weary.
As I read a sense of horror gripped me.
I won't let this series be.

I'm reading a memoir right now, so my copy of City of Night is waiting in the wings.  Soon I'll end my fast and hit the Koontz again!