Never Enough Books...

If you're anything like me, you have a long list of books "to be read". I find new titles almost everyday. I find them in all kinds of places: your blogs, at work, magazine and newspaper reviews, friends' recommendations and sometimes I have no idea where I heard of a particular book.

Colleen, a friend of mine, always seems to hear about the most intriguing books. Forever ago, she told me that she receives a daily email from her local library highlighting the Book of the Day. I was intrigued, but never remembered to look into it. Well, yesterday I somehow stumbled upon it while trolling doing some research online. The East Providence Public Library here in RI provides this online service. You can sign up for book recommendations in a variety of genres and even for books for teens. Some of the emails arrive daily and others are weekly. It's a fascinating service and for book lovers it's a little like getting a gift every day. You never know what little gem will show up. And so far I've been impressed (yeah, I know it's only been two days) that the titles are not the ones that are already on the best sellers list. They are books that I hadn't heard of... yet. Which is saying a lot since I work with books and my personal life is also full of books.

Anyway, I thought I'd share this little gem with all of you bookworms. If you are like me and can never have too many books on your tbr list, you might want to sign up for East Providence Public Library's eNewsletter. Happy reading!

Book Review: The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

Finally! It's been a really long time since I've read a book that I truly love. A book that I am excited to recommend to my friends. After months (and I do mean months) of lamenting my dearth of good books, I've finally read a book that I'm excited to review - The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton. I have no recollection of how I heard of The Moonflower Vine, but I'm so glad that I did.

The Moonflower Vine was written in 1962 and it was Carelton's first and only book. After reading the forward, written by Jane Smiley, I came to understand that like many books, The Moonflower Vine had become all but forgotten over time. Then in 2005, Smiley wrote a book called 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel, in which she discusses 100 novels (among other things), which led to the reissue of The Moonflower Vine in 2009.

The story takes place in rural Missouri in the first half of the 20th century and tells the story of Matthew and Callie Soames and their 4 daughters. It reminded me in style of To Kill a Mockingbird, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and So Big. It's a very good story, simply told. The characters are all rich and complex, yet they are simple, moral people trying to live good lives. The story could have been told in a sensationalistic way, but instead Carleton chose to tell the story in a more realistic and subtle way. It's the story of regular people, who see themselves as being essentially good, yet they all struggle with secrets and flaws. What makes it so authentic is that they know they are flawed and they wrestle with the that knowledge and the fact that it doesn't fit in with their own or society's view of them. It's a great story. I couldn't wait to see how the story would play out, yet I didn't want it to end. 5 stars - It was amazing.

Book Review: Inconceivable by Carolyn and Sean Savage

By now I'm sure most of you have heard Carolyn and Sean Savage's heartbreaking story. They are the couple who where inadvertently given the wrong embryos during an IVF treatment. When faced with this horrible and horrifying news, they decided to not only continue the pregnancy, but to surrender the child to his biological parents and not fight for custody of him. It's hard for me to imagine a worse situation to be in. And if faced with a similar situation, I'm not sure I would have been as strong, gracious or giving as the Savage's.

The story was made even more poignant by the fact that due to medical considerations, this would be Carolyn Savage's last pregnancy. She would not be able to undergo another IVF treatment with her own embryos. I can only imagine her heartbreak. How difficult must it have been to carry that baby for nine months, knowing you couldn't keep him? And not because you didn't want him. You do want him. Desperately. But you choose to do what's morally right. From the beginning, Carolyn and Sean thought about the biological parents and what they would want if the roles were reversed. And they based their actions on that. Putting their own feelings aside, as much as was possible.

Inconceivable: A Medical Mistake, the Baby We Couldn't Keep, and Our Choice to Deliver the Ultimate Gift presents an honest and sometimes raw account of how Carolyn and Sean came to the decision they did and how they got through this most emotional of pregnancies and deliveries. It is a surprisingly honest presentation of their ordeal, in that the Savage's don't try to hide or sugar coat their experience. It is all revealed - the good, the bad and the ugly - but with an astonishing amount of grace, dignity and respect. Carolyn and Sean Savage are amazing people. I was so impressed with their courage and their strong sense of morals. My heart breaks for them.

This book is definitely not for everyone. It's certainly not a book that I'm telling everyone to read. For me, I was interested in reading it because I was so impressed by their story and I wanted to know more about how they came to make this difficult decision and how they were each able to reconcile this terrible situation in their own minds. Additionally, I am interested in all things medical, but especially medical and maternal. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about this strong and compassionate couple, readers who are fascinated with medical ethics or anyone who likes to read stories that force them to question how they would behave in a similar situation. What makes it all the more fascinating, heartbreaking and incomprehensible is that it is all true. 4 stars - I really liked it.

Project 52 - Weeks 7, 8, 9

Some of you may have noticed that I haven't posted a Project 52 update in a few weeks. Rest assured that even though I haven't been posting about it, I have been busy keeping up with all my goals and chipping away at my Project 52 list. I simply decided that since posting every week was beginning to bore me, it must really be boring the rest of you. Since many of my goals are weekly goals, I really felt as though I was saying the same thing week, after week, after week. Boring! So I decided to do one update at the end of each month, reflecting back on my progress. Hopefully, that will be less boring for all of us!

Weeks 7-9 were all pretty good weeks for me. I did a decent job of keeping up with my weekly and monthly/multi-event goals and I even crossed off one of my one-time goals! I like those the best. Crossing things off of lists gives me a real sense of accomplishment! Here's my accounting of how I did for the past 3 weeks:

Weekly Goals

3. Cook 3 times per week - I did manage to cook 3 times in Week 7 and 8. But Week 9 was my Home Alone 2 week and I did not cook at all. And I'm proud of that fact! Project 52 goal #3 be damned! Score: 6/52 weeks

10. Walk/Exercise 3 times per week - Success! Weeks 7 and 8 I actually exercised 4 times. Week 9 I just barely got my three times in. Score: 6/52 weeks

30. Pay attention to local politics - Check! I've found that I'm mostly following what's going on in education in our state. But I have forced myself to read other political articles - both local, national and international. I am definitely making a conscious effort to do it (Project 52 is calling...), but if that's what it takes to make me accomplish some of my goals - so be it! Today Geoff even forwarded a political website to me that will send me an email any time RI is mentioned in the news nationwide. All I had to do is subscribe. Now it will be even easier to keep up. This one is harder to score, but as long as I read one article a day I'm counting it as meeting my weekly quota. Score: 8/52

33. Post at least once a week - Yes, by the skin of my teeth. Score: 8/52

34. Write a weekly letter to Katie - Not only did I write to her each week, two of those letters were in care packages! One package was full of Valentine's Day surprises and the other, less exciting package, consisted of shorts and a To Do List she left behind. Gotta love those To Do Lists! Score: 5/32

36. Keep fresh flowers in the family room - Ummm, define "fresh". Week 7 and 8 were no problem. As a matter of fact, Valentine's Day fell during Week 8 and Geoff gave me the most gorgeous bouquet of 3 dozen red roses I have ever seen. They were flown in from Colombia - not sure why- but they are truly lovely and have lasted a long time. However, in Week 9 many of them are looking a little sad. Some are still in good shape, though. I really need to weed out the wilters and make a smaller bouquet of the survivors. So, I'm going to be generous here and give myself Week 9. Score: 8/52.

Monthly and Multi-Event Goals

1. Try one new non-soup recipe a month - I'm hoping to get this one in under the wire. I'm planning on making a Chicken Piccata recipe tonight. However, I've got a crazy late afternoon today and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to pull this off. We'll see. Score: 2?/12 *fingers crossed*

2. Try 6 new soup recipes - I made Italian minestrone and barley soup. Geoff and I loved it. Apparently, barley makes Madeleine gag. She tried one bite and couldn't even manage to let the soup leave the spoon! I've never seen anyone put a spoonful of food in their mouth and then take it right back out. Hysterical! She could not tolerate the texture of the barley. Who knew? I, on the other hand, love barely. I guess I won't be having more any time soon. Score: 3/6

5. Invite my mother to dinner once a month - Does lunch count? Somehow the month got away from me and I never did invite her over. I feel badly about that. But, I did take her out to lunch one day, which is not something I do regularly. Again, I'm going to be generous with myself. After all, it's the spirit of the goals that is really more important than following them to the letter. At least, for me it is. Score: 2/2

14. Write book reviews for all 4 and 5 star books read in 2011 - Well, I'm halfway there. During Weeks 7-9, I read 2 books that I rated 4 stars - The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Inconceivable by Carolyn and Sean Savage. I have written a book review for The Crucible. I will be writing and posting a book review about Inconceivable soon, but it's not ready

yet. Score: 1/2

28. Try 3 swanky restaurants in Providence - 1 down, 2 to go. On Sunday Geoff, Madeleine and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to celebrate my birthday. It's a beautiful restaurant with a magnificent view of the city. Our meal was delicious and it was a great way to celebrate my birthday.

32. Go to the movies once a month - Nope. Maybe next month.

37. Donate to a charity or cause once a month - Check. Geoff and I like to support our town and this month we donated to the town Boosters. Even though our girls have not been too involved in sports in high school (Katie was on the JV tennis team for two years), we feel that a strong sports program is important to the health and well-being of our town's teens. For us, it is a worthy cause. Score: 2/2

40. Schedule one Mental Health Day a month - I think having 5 days and 4 nights to myself at home definitely qualifies! Score: 2/2

One Time Goals

20. Make a day trip to Boston to explore and get my bearings - Done! I visited the area of Boston around Northeastern University with my friend Barbara. She is somewhat familiar with the area, since her son is a Freshman at Northeastern. We had a great time and I definitely feel like I have a better sense of the city as a whole and that area in particular. I hope to make more trips to Boston to explore further, but this was a good start. Score: Completed!

How about you? How are you doing on your Project 52 goals or New Year's Resolutions? I'd love to hear about your progress.

Home Alone 2

Back in April of last year I wrote a post about having the whole house to myself during my girls' spring break. Well, the heavens smiled upon me again this past week during Madeleine's February vacation. Once again, Geoff and Madeleine flew off to warm and sunny Arizona and I stayed behind to enjoy some peace and quiet. Five days and four nights to myself.

And I did enjoy it, but I also came to a huge revelation. I really don't need to have the house to myself to have time to myself. My everyday life is already pretty amazing! In the past when I've had time alone, I haven't done much else except read, relax and possibly go on a few "fieldtrips" that I wouldn't have time to do otherwise. This time, I realized that I didn't feel a driving need to do those things. I couldn't figure out why at first and then it hit me. I already get to do those things on a regular basis. I usually have plenty of time to read and relax and I go on lots of excursions with my friends - or sometimes on my own. This was a huge epiphany for me. My life as a wife and mom has definitely changed a lot from the hectic days of raising babies, toddlers and young children. There are definitely stages and cycles to motherhood and I realized that I have entered a new one.

So, how did I spend my time? Well, I did go on one fieldtrip - to Boston with my friend, Barbara. Her son goes to Northeastern University and she has become familiar with the area surrounding the university. We had a great day exploring and shopping. This is something I've been wanting to do for awhile, so this was the perfect opportunity for me.

I also got together with my high school friend, Kim, who I saw for the first time in 28 years back in April when I was last Home Alone. Kim's parents still live in town and she was back for a visit during her kids' school vacation. We met for breakfast and it was so great to have a chance to visit and chat with her! I really enjoy her company and conversation and hope we can continue to see each other when she comes to town. We may even meet up in NYC sometime to explore. That would be amazing!

Other than that, I ran errands (can you believe it!?) during the day. This was when I had my revelation. Why am I running errands during my free week? Why aren't I protecting this precious time and cuddling up at home with a book and some great movies? I just didn't feel the need. So during the day I ran a few errands and in the late afternoon and evenings I enjoyed having the family room, sofa and remote control to myself. I realized that that is what I really enjoyed the most. Because those are the things I don't normally have on a regular basis. Madeleine definitely monopolizes the family room every day once she gets home from school until she goes to bed at night. That was really all I needed to feel as though having the house to myself was any different from any other day. As I said in the beginning - my everyday life is pretty amazing! I guess I just needed to be reminded of that. And in 2 1/2 short years, Madeleine will be away at college and I will have the family room to myself every. single. day. I'm pretty sure that will not be something I will enjoy. So, for now, I'm going to appreciate my epiphany and give thanks for my amazing life. I think this stage of motherhood just might be one of my favorites.

Speaking of Good Literature....

In the last two weeks I have had the opportunity to see wonderful productions of two classic plays - The Crucible by Arthur Miller and A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. I was excited to see these plays since I had studied both of them during my years as a student. How ironic, considering the fact that many schools are considering teaching less literature in favor of more "informational texts". Bah! I wonder if I would have been interested in attending these productions, if I hadn't been introduced to them in school? I think not. As a matter of fact, Madeleine, who is 16, asked if she could come with Geoff and me to see The Crucible since she had studied it earlier this year! Imagine that! The arts and cultural entertainment could be just one more causality of removing challenging literature from our schools' curriculum. What a pity.


Before seeing The Crucible I decided to try an experiment. I decided to reread it to see if familiarizing myself with the details of the story would add or detract from my enjoyment of it. I have considered doing this in the past, but always decided not to, in order to let the story wash over me - without any expectations. I was somewhat surprised to find that a fresh exposure to the play added to my enjoyment of the production immensely! The Crucible is a complex and multi-layered story and having read it ahead of time really added to my understanding of the deeper messages of the plot. Having the time to really ponder the moral questions presented by Miller added another level of appreciation to the live production.

Book review: If you've never read The Crucible or last read it in High School, I highly recommend picking it up again and revisiting it as an adult. It's a surprisingly quick read (I read it in two short sittings) and it's so much more than "that book about the Salem witch trials." It's a moral story about having strength in your convictions, about standing up for what you know is right, about personal honor and dignity and about the love between a husband and wife struggling within a flawed marriage. It's powerful and I highly recommend it. 4 stars - I really liked it.

After my positive experience with The Crucible, I decided to reread A Doll's House before seeing the play as well. I'm really glad I did, too, because the play was written in 1879 and the production I saw was set in 1959. As I was reading the play, I wondered how the director was going to pull that off since the language and story seemed so dated. The adaptation that the director and his partner created was brilliant - updated, but still very true to the original. And I would never had known that had I not reread the play. This gave me an entirely new level of appreciation for the play.

Book review: I didn't enjoy A Doll's House as much as I did The Crucible, but it is still a very accessible and easy to read classic. It's the story of a marriage that seems happy on the surface, but is actually quite the opposite. Torvald has a controlling and condescending relationship with his seemingly weak and dependent wife, Nora. Nora, however, is not the delicate flower Torvald thinks she is and is in reality working feverishly to hide a secret from Torvald. By the end of the play, Nora comes to a realization that will have repercussions for herself, her marriage and her family. The play was highly controversial when it was first produced in 1879 and it translated very well into the 1950s. It's a little less relevant today, but it still presents some truths that resonate with a modern audience. 3 stars - I liked it.

In Defense of Literature

A week ago, Julia Steiny, the education writer for the Providence Journal, wrote a terrific, yet upsetting, article for the Providence Journal, about the books being assigned to HS students by their English teachers. She began the article by discussing the great literature she was assigned in HS and the fact that this challenging literature was assigned not only to broaden the students' literary skills, but also to build wisdom and "understanding of how and why different people, in different circumstances, make decisions, mistakes, sacrifices". Steiny goes on to say that "one of the great virtues of fiction is that it gives us the benefit of someone else's experience, at the remove of fiction". This is brilliant. I've never really been able to articulate what it is that draws me to fiction, but this is it. It lets me experience "at the remove of fiction" how someone might behave in various circumstances. I think this also plays into how I choose the stories I do. I choose novels based on how interesting the story is to me. At some unconscious level I choose stories about situations that somehow "speak" to me. For me, reading fiction is, on some level, educational.

What made Steiny's article upsetting was that she goes on to explain that most states (RI included) are currently adopting the new Common Core standards, which will require students to read more "informational texts" and "considerably less fiction". Additionally, she goes on to state that even now, the fiction that is being assigned to our students is of a much less challenging nature than that which I was exposed to. How sad. (And don't even get me started on what has been done to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn).

I will be the first to admit that I didn't appreciate many of the books I read in HS. For the most part, their greatness was lost on my teenage self. But I am thankful for having been afforded the opportunity of guided reading under the tutelage of some wonderful English teachers. And while I most likely did not come away with a full understanding of those great works of fiction, I most certainly did come away with a foundation of learning on which to build a deeper understanding. And I've found that now when I go back and revisit those great classics of English literature I readily recognize their greatness. And for that I credit my HS English teachers and the challenging curriculum to which I was exposed.

I have had a first hand look at the HS English curriculum in my town for the past 6 years and I have been impressed by the wide variety of both classic English and World Literature that my daughters have been assigned in their various classes. They have probably read even more than I did as a HS student. I certainly hope that this continues after RI adopts the Common Core standards. Anything less would be a real loss.

How about you? Were you required to read challenging literature in HS? If so, are you glad? If not, do you wish you had been? Have you revisited any of the required texts as an adult? I'd love to hear your thoughts.