TTT: Favorite topics

Top Ten Tuesday: My favorite TTT topics over the past five years (linked) in honor of the 5th anniversary of Top Ten Tuesday at Broke and Bookish.

1. Literary Villains (Nov. 15, 2010)

2. Top Literary Characters I'd Like as Best Friends (Nov. 29, 2010)

3. Favorite Holiday Books and stories (Dec. 5, 2011)

4. Top Books that Made Me Cry (Nov. 1, 2010)

5. Bookish Items I'd Like to Own (April 16, 2014)

6. Theme Songs I'd Assign to Books (Feb. 27, 2012)

7. Unique/Quirky Books (April 7, 2014)

8. Contemporary Books Paired with Classics (September 2, 2013)

9. Literary Crushes (Oct. 19, 2010)

10. Books that Made Me Cry (Reprise) (Feb. 3, 2014)

11. Top Debut Books (Feb. 1, 2011)

12. Inspirational Literary Characters (Jan. 18, 2011)

13. Rewind Week: Hilarious Book Titles (April 18, 2011)

Seattle Public Library

14. My Favorite Book-related Places (August 15, 2011)

15. Favorite Books from My Childhood (Dec. 5, 2011)

"We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck."-Feed, MT Anderson

16. Favorite First Lines (July 29, 2013)

I could keep going. Some of my favorite blog posts are from Top Ten Tuesday and I had fun this week previewing my list to find my favorites. I've been participating in this meme since almost the beginning. Thanks for the fun Broke and Bookish.

Two reviews...two similar yet dissimilar books

I recently read two books in rapid succession not realizing until I was in the middle of the second book how similar they are. Yet they are very dissimilar in many ways, too. The two books are Black Dove, White Raven (BDWR) by Elizabeth Wein and The Game of Love and Death (GLD) by Martha Brockenbrough. As I was reading the second book a venn diagram kept popping up in my head so I had to create one for you to see. A few times I even wondered if the authors were friends and decided to challenge each other to write a YA novel set in the 1930s where one character was black and the other white, where one character was overtly or covertly a homosexual, and where one or both of the main characters flew bi-planes. What are the chances of two books published in the same year having so many similar and unique characteristics?

Now for the differences...
The setting: 
      BDWR is set predominantly in Ethiopia with a few of the initial scenes set in Pennsylvania and other parts of the USA. This is only the second book I've ever read set in this African country. The writing was very descriptive so I could easily imagine myself in the setting, feeling the warm earth, smelling the food cooking, seeing the blue skies as the characters flew their plane among the clouds.
      GLD is set in Seattle but it really could have been set anywhere on the West Coast in the 1930s there were few references to places specific to Seattle, such as Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier, or even the steep hills of downtown. Being from the Seattle area I had hoped to recognize the city in the book and I didn't.

The genre:
      Since both books are set in the 1930s if would seem that both should be categorized as historical fiction but that isn't the case. BDWR was clearly about events from history---the Italo-Ethiopian war from 1935 to 1936; barnstorming in the 1920s; the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie; and events leading up to WWII. My knowledge of African history is very limited and I was shocked to learn of this very one-sided war where one side fought with guns and chemical weapons and the other side fought with spears.
     Though set in 1930s with a few references to Hoovervilles, mobs, and soup kitchens GLD wasn't really historical in nature. It begins with an agreement between Love and Death to see who will win the game again. Death always wins but Love is always hopeful. The two unwitting pawns in the game, Flora and Henry, fall inexplicably in love even though she is black and he is white. Because of the workings and interferences of both Love and Death I would categorize this book as a paranormal romance.

Relationships:
     As I said before the main characters in GLD have a love relationship despite their socioeconomic and racial differences. Emilia and Teo in BDWR are raised as brother and sister when Emilia's mother adopts Teo after the untimely death of his mother. They like to think of themselves as Black Dove and White Raven like their mothers were before them.

Flying:
     Whereas both books involve flying, it is only a minor part of the storyline in GLD but a major part of the plot of BDWR and the reader learns quite a bit about the early flying machines and what it took to pilot them.

One more difference:
      I read the print edition of GLD while I listened to the audiobook of BDWR.

My recommendations:
     I liked both books but I liked BDWR best because of the accuracy of historical information. If I read a book AND learn something along the way I really feel liked I've earned a bonus. I have a sneaking suspicion that my students will feel just the opposite. I think they will like GLD better because of the romance and tension created by "the game." Both are well-written yet both, surprisingly, are a bit of slow-starters. This is the third book I've read by Wein and that has been rap I've given her each time...her books start off slowly but once the characters are developed and setting described the stories are completely captivating. This is first novel for Brockenbrough.
     Looking for a good YA book? You won't go wrong with either of these books Black Dove, White Raven and The Game of Love and Death. I just suggest that you NOT read them in such close proximity to each other as I did or you may find yourself creating venn diagrams in your head, comparing and contrasting the similarities and differences.

Sunday Salon, June 21

My dad. Photo from Anne Parr, taken in 2010.

Happy Father's Day!

Weather: at this moment it is overcast but I expect this to burn off and the skies to be clear by later morning or early afternoon.

Father's Day: My dad, pictured above, will turn 87 this year. I have really been blessed with a wonderful father who has led us on many adventures through life and has always been as solid as a rock. I love this photo because it really captures dad's personality. He is a wonderful listener and often very contemplative. I'm sure he is listening to someone here. The photo was taken at my cousin's daughter's wedding in 2010.

US Open Golf Tournament at Chambers Bay: Don just left for Chambers Bay and the last day of the tournament. This will be the fourth day he has volunteered and his shift will end with enough time for him to see the last pairings finish the course. He hopes to see the ending ceremony, too. There has been a lot of hype and chatter about the event. So many people I know have attended one or more days as either volunteers or spectators. Don ran into a friend who recently moved to California who flew up to watch the tournament with his dad. Who knew that folks would travel so far to watch golf? The photo is complements of a friend who is also volunteering at the tournament. The course, as you see in the photo, is not the typical green thing with lots of trees. It was created out of an old rock quarry situated right on the Puget Sound. The course, being so different than typical golf courses, has given some of the golfers fits. But these guys are the best of the best so shouldn't they be golfing on a hard course. If not them, then who? Isn't it a spectacular view?

US Open at Chambers Bay. Photo by Ed Petersen

School's out: The last day of school for the year was last Monday. I had to go back for two days of inservice and I spent two additional days in the library finishing up end-of-the-year stuff. Now for summer activities which will largely revolve around family. Next week we head to Oregon for a memorial service for Don's uncle. Two weeks later back to Oregon for a family reunion with my Dad's side of the family, of six children only he and one sister are still surviving. She is coming to Oregon for a visit so the rest of us will gather around. Later in the summer Carly and I will help my sister celebrate her 60th birthday by attending Shakespeare plays in Ashland and going on a rafting trip together. Last of all, in August we will vacation with my family in Central Oregon for a few days of fun and sun. Then back to school in September. Sigh.

Reading: I am in the middle of five books right now. What kind of crazy person does that? I really do have an impressive reading list for the summer which will largely revolve around YA novels that are good candidates to add to the Mock Printz reading list which will be rolled out for participating students in the Fall.  I met with Sandy, another librarian in my district, to discuss the books we will focus on this summer. Both of us are determined to only add books to the list which we've actually read. This means, of course, we have to do a lot of reading before we make our list.
     Carly is helping us read through our lengthy list. Yesterday she started an ARC book Everything Everything which won't be published until September. In it are "Life is Short ---Spoiler Reviews by Madeline" for famous books. Example-

LORD OF THE FLIES BY WILLIAM GOLDING
Spoiler alert: Boys are savages.

     Ha-ha, Come to think of it, that is about all we need to know. Ha!

I did finish one book this week:

• The Dead I Know by Scot Gardner...the main character, Aaron, starts working as an assistant to a funeral director. There are lots of descriptions of dead bodies and what happens to these bodies as they are being prepared for the funerals. For obvious reasons, this book is not for everyone. I liked it but kept wondering why I did.

So what are you plans for summer? What books do you have on your reading list? Please leave a comment below.  Thanks.

Summer reading and blogging goals

It is summer. Time for some extensive reading and blogging.  Every summer I seem to take a refreshing breath which helps me relax into my reading goals. This summer I hope to:

1. Read/Listen to 30 books (Memorial Day to Labor Day). By going back and grabbing books completed since Memorial Day it will give me a jump start on this goal.

30 books Summer Reading Challenge

6 / 30 books. 20% done!

2. Go back and review the seven YA books recently finished that are part of our pre-Mock Printz reading list. There are some spectacular YA books this year and it will be very difficult to cull down the list to fifteen.

• Black Dove, White Raven by Wein
• Audacity by Crowder
• The Walls Around Us by Suma
• Mosquitoland by Arnold
• The Game of Love and Death by Brockenbrough
• Bone Gap by Ruby
• The Dead I Know by Gardner

3. Continue to work on my 2015 Reading Challenges. This shouldn't be tough since I only have three books left to go.

Off I go. The lounge chair on the deck is calling my name.

Friday Quotes, June 19th

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. 
The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice. 
 
Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest, or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now: 

Book title: The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond

Book Beginnings: 

I was born in a hovel on the banks of the Tyne, as so many of us were back then. It was a three-room dilapidated upstairs flat, in the same terraced row where Dad had been born, and just upriver from the Simpson's shipyard.

Friday 56: (from page 59)-

The tightrope walker came on last. His rope was strung between two poles. He danced into the ring. He had a sky-blue cloak on his back. He too roamed the ring to show himself to everyone. He called out to us in an accent none of us suspected could exist in our world.

My comments: The narrator of this coming-of-age tale is Dominique. He and his family live in Northern England during the Cold War. Dominique and his family are quite poor, not only in finances but also in experiences so when the circus comes to town it is a big deal. He and his friend Holly decide they want to become tightrope walkers after their experience at the circus.

I am listening to the audiobook version of the book marvelously read by Richard Halverson who grew up in northern England so the accent is appropriate and a treat for me to listen to.

Sunday Salon, June 14th

A close up of our climbing rose, Fourth of July.

Weather: gorgeous. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country. Mt. Rainier was shining above our city this morning like a beneficent protectorate.

One day more: Last day of school is tomorrow. Need I say more?

Textbooks: Textbook collection is nearly done for another school year. But I am a bit worried about how many students still have out books. I estimate it to be around 375 students. Could be LONG lines on Monday morning. Believe me, teachers are just as excited for summer as the students.

Master's degree in Education: Our daughter earned her Master's degree in Education this week. We are so proud of her and how she has put her mind and heart to work to be a better teacher. Way to go, Rita!

US Open Golf Tournament: The US Open will be held at Chambers Bay Golf Course this coming week. Don is an official volunteer. Last night we drove past the course to take a look at all the preparations. We found a few spots to look through the fence. I think all the golfers will think they've been dropped off on the far side of the moon. The course is so different than what one sees on TV when there are big tournaments. The most obvious difference is there are no trees on the course. Here is a link to look at the golf course in 3-D if you are interested. I didn't think I was but I really found it interesting.

This is as close as we could get. We are behind another fence taking a picture through the second fence. Chambers Bay Golf Course is below. The Puget Sound beyond it.

Spectators may enter through this gate starting tomorrow for the first practice rounds and Thursday for the first day of the actual event.

Don is a volunteer for the event so he will get a much better view of the course than this shot taken into the sun.

Books read this week (I actually finished three after finishing none the week before!)

• The Same Sky by Amanda Eyre Ward---a book club selection; differences between two cultures in terms of lifestyle and finances. Women in Central America actually leave their children and come to America so they will have a little money to send home. I found it to be tremendously depressing and a difficult book to read for that reason. (Audio)
• The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough---historical fiction/fantasy/YA; set in Seattle in the 1930s. Love and Death begin a game to see who will win and their pawns are two young adults on the brink of their lives. Look for my review later this week.
• Bone Gap by Laura Ruby---Finn has that condition which does not allow him to recognize faces so when Roza is abducted by a man with a strange walk but a nondescript face, no one believes him. If Roza is going to be rescued it will be up to Finn. Magical realism. (Audio)

Currently reading:

• SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki---Tamaki and her cousin won a Printz honor last year for their graphic novel, That One Summer. This is quite a different book with each page being one day or interaction between students at the academy. Some of these interactions are profound, others funny, and some I don't understand. Graphic novel.
• The Tightrope Walkers by David Almond---a just started this coming-of-age audiobook today.
• What's So Amazing about Grace by Philip Yancey---I finished teaching the class at church last week but still had two chapters left to read in the book. I hope to finish it this week then share the book with other participants who might want to read the conclusion, too.

Next week: summer!

Snapshot Saturday, June 13th...a study of roses

Living in the Pacific Northwest we have to take care with our roses to avoid common plant diseases, especially black spot and powdery mildew. A few years ago we had trouble with deer eating the roses. It is a constant battle to keep the roses fed and watered yet the results are worth the effort. Here are a few of my favorites:

Pure Poetry. This rose has long stems perfect for bud vases or soda bottles

Pure Poetry. Buds are yellow, open to reveal a light pink color. Very thorny. This has long been one of my favorite roses.

Voodoo. A new rose to us this year. Spectacular orange color. Seems to be susceptible to powdery mildew.

Pope John Paul II. Gorgeous and fragrant white. Developed for the late Pope who exclaimed, "The perfect rose."

Pope John Paul II. An artsy close-up.

4th of July. A climber.

4th of July. A floribunda aptly named for the explosion of color.

4th of July on its trellis. The plant was getting really leggy and ugly so we pruned it way back this spring. The plant appreciated getting rid of all the deadwood and has rewarded us with spectacular color this year.

4th of July. Fireworks!

Eyeconic. A miniature floribunda with interesting color reveal. I have two of these small plants in pots on the deck. I took this photo last year. Our bushes currently are not blooming, but I love it when they are.

Scentimental. Another red and white floribunda. This one makes a terrible cut flower and the plant isn't that attractive but the scent of this rose is so outstanding it is a keeper.

 

Peace. A popular hybrid tea. We pruned the bush way back this year, which you are not supposed to do with this variety, but it still gave us this beauty anyway.

Gourmet Popcorn. A miniature rose. This is my favorite for ease of care, hardiness, and disease resistance. It blooms in cycles and give a profusion of white, buttery color covering the whole bush at a time just like in the photo. My bush just finished a blooming cycle so this photo is compliments of the Tacoma Rose Society. 

Love. Grandiflora. We just planted this rose this spring and it is getting ready for its first big bloom. White buds open to reveal a reverse of red/dark pink center. It's hard to see the two sides of the petals in this photo.

Abbaye de Cluny. Hybrid tea. We just, and I mean just, planted this rose and already we have a bloom. We don't know if it will be a winner but so far so good.

Midas Touch. A tall hybrid tea. Ours just went through a spectacular blooming cycle so I grabbed this photo from Star Roses Webpage to show you what it looks like.  The yellow color is so vibrant and it doesn't fade. We replaced four bushes in one bed this year but kept this one.

Snapshot Saturday is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads..