Bright Island

Sailing was better than flying.  You sat still and the clean water poured around you, and the sweet air washed you clean.

Bright Island by Mabel L. Robinson

I remember that in high school someone asked me what kind of books I liked and I responded, "Happy books about nice people who live in mountains."  Christy, by Catherine Marshall, was one of my favorite reads at the time and I found a few other treasures about people living on the land that I really enjoyed.  I have clearly broadened my horizons to now include happy books about nice people who live on islands.

Bright Island is about Thankful Curtis, a young girl that lives with her family as the sole inhabitants on an island off the coast of Maine.  Thankful thrives on her island and lives for her icy plunges in the water each morning and sailing every afternoon.  She loves watching the stars and living off the land.

But Thankful is sent to the mainland to go to finishing school with other children her age.  She has never been in so much noise or with young people her age, to say nothing of her confusion about modern-day conveniences.  She struggles and learns, makes mistakes and grows.

It was not a profound book, but I really enjoyed it.  It is one I would pick up again to enjoy the sights and smells and sounds of Thankful's Bright Island.

Tuesdays at the Castle

There were only two rules the Castle seemed to follow.  Rule One: The throne room was always to the east.  Rule Two: If you turned left three times and climbed through the next window, you'd end up in the kitchens.

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Sometimes when I walk through the shelves at the library I snag books based entirely on their cover (and usually their inside flap).   This book was one of those, from the award book section in juvenile fiction that I frequent every time I'm a
t the library.  It was a fun, fluffy read, one of those that reminds me of why I so loved (and still do) indulging in books as a child. 

The Glower family lives in an enchanted castle that can transform as it pleases.  Each Tuesday something changes: a new wing added, a hallway lengthened, a secret passage where there was nothing before.  It is a fun, intriguing building and the kids love to live there. 

A few pages in, however, the king and queen have gone missing and the three Glower children at the castle must use it to fight those that are trying to take over.  The kids are involved in pranks as well as dangerous adventures as they join forces with their castle to try to make sure the crown stays protected.

Though there was nothing that made it really stand out in a literary sense, for me this book rates high.  It was just fun!  I loved being taken away by my imagination.

Two post scripts here: first, I am the dork that almost always reads about the author and reads through their notes at the end.  I was delighted to see that Jessica Day George not only lives in Salt Lake City but also attended BYU, my alma mater.  Second, my nickname (from one of my siblings) is Glower - odd, but true.  It was hard to read about the Glower children without a smile coming to my face because of it.

Bringing Up Bébé

“French parents are very concerned about their kids. They know about pedophiles, allergies, and choking hazards. They take reasonable precautions. But they aren't panicked about their children's well-being. This calmer outlook makes them better at both establishing boundaries and giving their kids some autonomy.”
- Pamela Druckerman, Bringing Up Bebe

Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman

Perhaps the best test for me of whether I like a book is how much I talk about it, and I spent many hours talking (to anyone and everyone) about Bringing Up Bebe.  I was perhaps the last person on the planet to pick up this book, but I'm glad I finally did.

This book has a lot of content, much of which was good, some of which was simply repetitive.  I listened to this on my daily commute and there were some days that I just had to take it out for a break, but for the most part I was intrigued and enjoyed hearing new ideas about things.  (I also have to point out that the book is pretty one-sided and I don't believe that everything French parents do is superior to Americans, but I can see how a balance is healthy and both have things that are positive).

Druckerman and her husband moved to Paris for what was intended to be a short stint there, and decided to stay.  Bringing Up Bébé chronicles raising her three kids in Paris, comparing the parenting practices of the French, specifically the Parisians, to Americans.  She covers several subjects, including sleeping through the night, showing respect for adults, adult life balance and setting boundaries for children, but the most fascinating things I learned about were the eating habits of French children.

In an epic new format for Book Beat, I defer to a list for some of the things I learned from Bringing Up Bébé:

1. It's a good idea to introduce vegetables to your baby first.
2. Snacks aren't necessary.
3. Starting very young (ie 3 months), children can be taught to eat just every four hours.
4. Dislike for a food typically comes from underexposure.
5. Kids can eat and enjoy fish.
6. Many skills can be taught while making a cake with your toddler.

I really enjoyed it.  I picked up a few ideas that I'd like to implement some day with my own children, so it was a win for me.  

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup

Granny Torrelli Makes Soup by Sharon Creech

While my husband was gone (ice fishing) this morning and I was feeling too sick with a cold to get to the gym, I picked up Granny Torelli Makes Soup.  Nobody recommended it to me, but I've really enjoyed others by Sharon Creech and simply couldn't resist grabbing it at the library when I saw the cover.  Plus, who doesn't love Italian? 

It was a fun, quick read.  I really enjoyed that the book spanned just two days and that the whole thing was the conversation between Granny Torrelli and her granddaughter, Rosie, as they make Italian food.  The style was unique, with all spoken dialogue italicized (not in quotations) and I found myself reading the book as though I was watching a play.  Plus, with the way they talk about the food you almost feel like you're in the kitchen.

This would be a great book to read with a child who's struggling with losing their best friend to someone "newer" or fighting feelings of jealousy because of what's going on with their friends.  Lots of nice lessons sprinkled throughout that would be good to talk through after reading (you could plan convenient ending times each day while reading and talk about that day's section).  I liked it.  It was simple, quick and light with some good lessons underneath.

Thunder Dog

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson

I don't mean this in any sort of negative way, but I am fascinated with blindness.  I have two blogs I follow written by blind women and I respect and admire both of them very much: I frequently talk about both of them and appreciate the perspective they give me on life (theirs is a whole new way of seeing things).  One of these women recommended the book Thunder Dog, and I made it cover to cover in about 48 hours while in Disneyland (my poor husband stood next to me in lines while I had my nose in a book).

Thunder Dog is the remarkable story of a man named Michael and his guide dog, Roselle, who were on the 78th floor of the South Tower when it was hit on 9/11.  Through the teamwork so typical of a guide team, the two of them descended all the stairs together and survived the incident.

I appreciated that the book was written with the intention of educating the general public about blindness; I've learned a lot from following these blogs and grabbed even more insight from this book.  After a brief introduction to the situation, Michael walks you through his memories as he descends the stairs, so that most of each chapter tells about his life to date and the last page or two give an update on the "current status" in escaping the tower.  If you were to read the book hoping for a comprehensive view of 9/11 you may be disappointed, but I loved looking into his life and finding out about growing up blind (he rode his bike by clicking his tongue to hear where cars, houses, and other obstacles were).

My only complaint about Thunder Dog comes after the story has finished: for the sake of education he includes several additional "chapters" about blindness, including an essay suggesting that blindness is comparable to being left-handed: a nuisance, but far from debilitating.  The essay is excellent, and very well written, but shows fragmentation amongst the blind community about how blindness should be viewed.  I was personally frustrated that a book about unity, teamwork and achieving a common goal ended on such a note and would recommend that in future reprints the essay be removed.

Aside from that, Thunder Dog was a great, quick read, one that I think will fill many with hope about the future.