Stephen King's Under the Dome is quite a read!

After just renewing this book for the second time I finished it!  Yea!  When I first plucked this novel from the library shelves I was a bit apprehensive about finishing it, especially when it numbers 1074 pages (this includes the author's notes).  I am a "Constant Reader" as Stephen King likes to call his followers and that is what I was.  I did enjoy this book.

Mr. King is a master of writing many characters.  He could mention a minor character a couple of times, but yet he made that character memorable.  He/she became a person in my mind.  (At the beginning of the novel he wrote from the perspective of a woodchuck!  That was incredible!)  This book is set in a fictional Maine small town called Chester's Mill.  "The Mill" as one comes to know it has many interesting people/characters.

The horror of the story comes into play when the city is enclosed in a dome that is impenetrable and totally seals off the village from the rest of the country.  The town is run by a second selectman, Big Jim Rennie, who quickly becomes a dictator.  There are people in the town that are for and against Rennie.  The President has given control of the situation inside the dome to Colonel Dale Barbara.  Rennie handily frames Barbara for murders that he and his son, Junior, commit.  The hero, Barbara, and his friends have much to overcome. 

This is a novel that covers many common themes or raises questions: good vs. evil; Is there really a God?; What would happen if a group of people were left in a situation without a normal government?; What would aliens think of us?; How might aliens treat us?

At one point while reading this novel I thought to myself, "Wow, King has really gone over the deep end."  Well, after I finished maybe I've changed my mind.  He left us at the end of the book with a message of hope.  I liked that.  There is hope.       

Rick Riordan has done it again with THE LOST HERO!

Rick Riordan has done it again with The Lost Hero!  He's written another brilliant book that blends mythology with great characters and universal themes.  I first got hooked on this author's work when I read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.  From books 1-5 I couldn't get enough.  Then when The Red Pyramid was published I rushed out to buy it and read it.  Book one in the Kane Chronicles was excellent!  I learned a great deal about Egyptian mythology.  I'm currently reading the book to my 5th grade class.  They are really enjoying it!  I can't wait for the next installment in the Kane Chroncles!

My students can't wait for us to finish The Red Pyramid so we can start reading The Lost Hero aloud!  I will be more than happy to accommodate them.  The novel is a spin-off of the Percy Jackson series, but I appreciate the fact that I can share this book with kids who haven't read the previous series and they will still understand.

This novel introduces us to three new demigods, Piper, Leo, and Jason.  Jason is a rather mysterious figure.  He appears unexpectedly at Wilderness School with Piper and Leo.  Piper and Leo believe they've known Jason for months, but really it's a clever trick of the Mist.  Mist helps to keep the magical beings/creatures hidden from regular "mortals."  Evil wind spirits try to attack and kill the trio on a field trip.  Jason, Piper, and Leo, manage to survive the attack, are rescued, whisked off to Camp Half-Blood (a special training camp for demigods), and their adventures are a whirlwind from there.

Each of the young heroes has special powers.  Piper, Leo, and Jason find ways to use them as they deal with some nasty characters.  The demigods experience evil gods and godesses, giants and monsters, and some of the worst villains and villainesses known to the Underworld.

Jason has the added disadvantage of memory loss and finding his way without knowing anyone.  The themes of friendship and loyalty definitely shine out like polished bronze and gold.  Jason may feel alone quite  a bit of the time, but yet he isn't.  He has successfully bridged a gap between two different worlds.

I can't/don't want to say much more, because I don't want to give anything away.  This is a wonderful book, I can't sing its praises enough!  Oh, if only I had a muse to write like Riordan does.  I can't wait for the second book in this new series.  I'll be waiting!  Once my students read or listen to this book they will be hooked too.

The Reader with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes

I finally got a chance to watch The Reader this weekend.  I loved it!  The acting was amazing, and the story was multi-layered and rich!  I was home alone, so I felt free to weep freely (and I did) and enjoy the film.

Ralph Fiennes has always been one of my favorite actors; he has a quiet intensity.  There is also a somber mystique about him.  Kate Winslet's performance was amazing!  I'm going to have to watch some more of her latest work.  I'll have to watch Revolutionary Road, the movie in which she received the Academy Award.

Some of the themes the movie dealt with were love, loss, and guilt.  A relationship that lasted for a summer had a profound effect on two people.  We could debate about the morality of the relationship between the characters, Michael and Hanna, but I don't want to get into that.  I just wanted to write about how I enjoyed the movie.

I found myself becoming totally engrossed in the characters' lives.  The passage of time in the movie kept me focused also, in that the viewer went back and forth in time with Michael's character.   We first see him in 1996 and then we flashback to his thoughts when he first met Hanna before World War II.  As we go through the movie we find that Hanna is in Michael's thoughts a great deal.

Later in his life did Michael read to Hanna out of love, guilt, or a combination of both?  One could argue that she had victimized him and damaged him.  The romantic in me likes to take the view that Michael loved her.  Was Hanna's relationship with Michael more than just sexual?  She admitted she loved him. It could be debated. 

What do you think? 

I realize I haven't even scratched the surface discussing this movie.  My friends have said they don't like to read my reviews sometimes because I give away too much.  I decided to be as vague as I could.  I know that books are always far better than movies.  I'll have to add the book, The Reader by Bernard Schlink to my list of must reads. 

My uncle's 80th birthday party

My uncle, Ivan Hirsch, has been an inspiration and strong influence in my life.  It was my honor to throw a party for him for his 80th birthday.  My sister, Audrey, and I spearheaded the effort.  We had a great deal of help.  I have five super sisters and a wonderful mom who helped with a variety of tasks.  Of course my husband, Dwane, and Audrey's husband, Dan, helped with making food and running all kinds of errands.  The day of the party they also helped with keeping us calm!  Debby, and John, my cousins, also helped us to create a successful party.  I was proud it went well, because I'd never planned a party of this size.  We planned for about 50-60 people.

Uncle Ivan has held many jobs and in life, including a teacher, principal, insurance salesman, missionary, lay preacher/teacher and I'm sure I've missed quite a few here.  On account of these jobs/vocations, he's traveled many places.  I only hope that I'll be able to travel as widely as he and Aunt Millie have!

I can only hope, too, that I'll be able to display a portion of the faith he has.  I've always admired Uncle Ivan's faith.  Grandma had that same faith also.  One thing I've learned is that a good teacher leads by example.  Ivan Hirsch must have been a great teacher.  I've learned a great deal over the years.  Thank you!

God bless you in your travels, Uncle Ivan!  May He grant you many more years on this earth.  I pray you may teach more people about Jesus and His love as you've taught me.  You've been such a wonderful Christian example.

        

What a guy!



Today I would just like to say a big, "Thank you!" to my husband, Dwane, for all he does for me.  He works just as hard as I do, but yet today when I was feeling too tired (and somewhat lazy) he cooked for us.  He cooks meals for us quite often because I either have a meeting or some other activity.  Whatever he makes is always scrumptious.  He is also the "king of fabulous breakfasts."

Some of my co-workers say I'm spoiled.  Some might say my husband is "whipped."  I detest that term!  I like to think of myself as blessed and loved.

*This photo of us was taken almost a year ago at the family cabin.*

Nouns

I need to give credit where credit is due and this picture hails from "Schoolhouse Rock."  I loved listening to those educational ditties as a kid!  I received some educational ditties from my students today about nouns.  It's true that, "Kids say the darnedest things."

I asked my students in 6th grade English to give me a noun that described either something about their mood or being back in school.  I heard a variety of animals, everything from alligator to capybara.  Going down another row I heard some more nouns that entailed the likes of: bed, bike, pork patty, and lunch.  Don't hold the adjective in "pork patty" against my 6th grader.  Needless to say I got a good chuckle from the class in the morning.

I then tried a variation of the same exercise with my 5th graders.  I asked them to give me a noun that had to do with something from their summer.  Since I didn't think they would quite know what I was after I led with an example.  My first student led with a sentence.  "I went to see my grandma."  I said, "Grandma, that's your noun."  I had to work with the first 3 or 4 students and then by the time I got to my last student he/she had the hang of it.  I would have to say the 5th graders stuck to my topic a bit more than the 6th grade.

It was fun to hear their responses and to get them thinking a bit about nouns, a very important part of speech! 

Where would we be without them? 

Back to School!

One of my favorite back to school memories includes having a new box of crayons and oohing and aahing over the beautiful sparkling colors. 

Even though I no longer get a new box of crayons and marvel at the beauty there I enjoy seeing the splendid students that walk through my door every year.  Each child shines with an inner glow and sparkles in his/her own way.  I have 14 students this year - 6 girls and 8 boys.  I am excited to get to know them better each and every day.  I know that there will be days when I will be challenged and tested, but those days will pass and soon be forgotten.  The good days are the ones that will be remembered.

When we do an art project and we use color crayons, I'll be surreptitiously sneaking peeks at those new crayons, though!  How fun to be be back in school!