Monday, 30 May 2016
The Other Side of the Bridge
I would not usually recommend a book that made me cry. Life gives us enough opportunity and reason to cry, we don't need to go looking for sadness in books. However, even as as the tears were pouring down my face I was thinking how much I was enjoying this book. And that I would read it again someday.
Mary Lawson became my new favourite writer when I read Road Ends. I also read Crow Lake, her first novel. Although I liked it, Crow Lake did not enthral me the way that Road Ends and The Other Side of the Bridge did.
I like Lawson's writing because of her compelling characters but also because she so vividly paints time and place in her novels. The novel stretches through a lifetime from the Great Depression, through the war and onward. She catches the life in rural farming communities so realistically during those times that Struan could be anywhere in Northern Ontario.
The central character of the novel, Arthur is anything but a typical hero in a book. Certainly not a romantic hero. He's not good looking. He is not smart or quick witted. But his younger brother is. In fact, Arthur doesn't have much going for him. He certainly not mysterious, or athletic or particularly clever. He struggles in school in a time when students repeated entire grades in high school so that his brother catches up to him. He is shy and words do not come easily to him so he unable to be charming or humorous. But in the end, he is endearing to the reader without being pitiable. He is just a guy who puts one foot in front of the other to do what needs to be done. He doesn't complain. He's faithful, loyal and dependable. He is everything his brother is not and his brother, Jake, is everything Arthur would like to be.
Arthur gets the girl, the one that he is in competition with his brother. But there is a lot more to the story than that. There is a good plot to this novel and several other storylines as well so that you do care about what is going to happen. However, Mary Lawson creates such powerful characterization that the plot is almost secondary. You are really reading to know what will happen to Arthur. How will everything turn out for him and for the other characters who interact with him.
We all know Arthurs, perhaps even are Arthurs or at least some of Arthur. The dependable, reliable person who is usually overshadowed by more outgoing, bigger personalities. Lawson manages however, to make him not too moral and too good to be likeable. He does make some questionable choices, he is capable of selfishness, and has enough back bone and stubbornness to to remain strong when pushed. However always without fuss.
Speaking of being overshadowed. There is another entire story within the novel about the farmhand Ian that is overshadowed by the story of sibling rivalry between Arthur and Jake. Unlike Arthur, Ian is has so many choices available to him that he is struggling to decide what and who he will become.
Lawson swings chapters between Ian and Arthur, yet Ian's story always leads back to Arthur. Which in the end is why this reader was crying.
Mary Lawson remains my new favourite author. And The Other Side of the Bridge is a book I will read again even if it made me cry.
Mary Lawson became my new favourite writer when I read Road Ends. I also read Crow Lake, her first novel. Although I liked it, Crow Lake did not enthral me the way that Road Ends and The Other Side of the Bridge did.
I like Lawson's writing because of her compelling characters but also because she so vividly paints time and place in her novels. The novel stretches through a lifetime from the Great Depression, through the war and onward. She catches the life in rural farming communities so realistically during those times that Struan could be anywhere in Northern Ontario.
The central character of the novel, Arthur is anything but a typical hero in a book. Certainly not a romantic hero. He's not good looking. He is not smart or quick witted. But his younger brother is. In fact, Arthur doesn't have much going for him. He certainly not mysterious, or athletic or particularly clever. He struggles in school in a time when students repeated entire grades in high school so that his brother catches up to him. He is shy and words do not come easily to him so he unable to be charming or humorous. But in the end, he is endearing to the reader without being pitiable. He is just a guy who puts one foot in front of the other to do what needs to be done. He doesn't complain. He's faithful, loyal and dependable. He is everything his brother is not and his brother, Jake, is everything Arthur would like to be.
Arthur gets the girl, the one that he is in competition with his brother. But there is a lot more to the story than that. There is a good plot to this novel and several other storylines as well so that you do care about what is going to happen. However, Mary Lawson creates such powerful characterization that the plot is almost secondary. You are really reading to know what will happen to Arthur. How will everything turn out for him and for the other characters who interact with him.
We all know Arthurs, perhaps even are Arthurs or at least some of Arthur. The dependable, reliable person who is usually overshadowed by more outgoing, bigger personalities. Lawson manages however, to make him not too moral and too good to be likeable. He does make some questionable choices, he is capable of selfishness, and has enough back bone and stubbornness to to remain strong when pushed. However always without fuss.
Speaking of being overshadowed. There is another entire story within the novel about the farmhand Ian that is overshadowed by the story of sibling rivalry between Arthur and Jake. Unlike Arthur, Ian is has so many choices available to him that he is struggling to decide what and who he will become.
Lawson swings chapters between Ian and Arthur, yet Ian's story always leads back to Arthur. Which in the end is why this reader was crying.
Mary Lawson remains my new favourite author. And The Other Side of the Bridge is a book I will read again even if it made me cry.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Leaving Tomorrow
Leaving Tomorrow
I seem to be on a reading binge of Canadian authors. This and the next two books I read were by Canadian authors. David Bergen is a new author to me. I found the book in our local library and although he has several other books, this was the one that caught my attention. You must admit, the title is rather intriguing in its ambiguity.
Bergen is an interesting writer. The writing is crisp, clean, and straightforward, yet unexpectedly he will use a word in such a way that you are searching for it in dictionary.com. I like that. Usually, if a word used by an author causes you pause in its newness, you can use clues, context or otherwise to determine the meaning or the near meaning. Bergen doesn't do that. He throws the word out there, singular, isolated--staring at you in your ignorance.
It suits the story however, as the main character, Arthur has read expansively acquiring a huge vocabulary and aspires to be a writer.
The book is a family story set in the tiny town of Tomorrow, Alberta. Arthur, the avid reader, has outgrown the small town and yearns to live in Paris. Part of Arthur's problem, besides being unlikable, is that his extensive reading and expansive vocabulary has set him apart and isolates him in his town. Or so he thinks, since he feels intellectually superior to others and has learned nothing of human nature from his reading. Arthur does make it to Paris, only to discover that he is isolated and incompatible there as well, partly because of language (again) but also because he is so self absorbed (again). There are other more enjoyable characters in the story who have interesting interactions with Arthur. Bergen draws the story to its conclusion nicely with Arthur remaining incredibly intelligent, yet unable to understand the simplest of things without those to whom he feels superior explaining them.
I will read other books by Bergen because I like his style, but I hope that their protagonists are more likable and less self absorbed than Arthur.
Leaving TomorrowI seem to be on a reading binge of Canadian authors. This and the next two books I read were by Canadian authors. David Bergen is a new author to me. I found the book in our local library and although he has several other books, this was the one that caught my attention. You must admit, the title is rather intriguing in its ambiguity.
Bergen is an interesting writer. The writing is crisp, clean, and straightforward, yet unexpectedly he will use a word in such a way that you are searching for it in dictionary.com. I like that. Usually, if a word used by an author causes you pause in its newness, you can use clues, context or otherwise to determine the meaning or the near meaning. Bergen doesn't do that. He throws the word out there, singular, isolated--staring at you in your ignorance.
It suits the story however, as the main character, Arthur has read expansively acquiring a huge vocabulary and aspires to be a writer.
The book is a family story set in the tiny town of Tomorrow, Alberta. Arthur, the avid reader, has outgrown the small town and yearns to live in Paris. Part of Arthur's problem, besides being unlikable, is that his extensive reading and expansive vocabulary has set him apart and isolates him in his town. Or so he thinks, since he feels intellectually superior to others and has learned nothing of human nature from his reading. Arthur does make it to Paris, only to discover that he is isolated and incompatible there as well, partly because of language (again) but also because he is so self absorbed (again). There are other more enjoyable characters in the story who have interesting interactions with Arthur. Bergen draws the story to its conclusion nicely with Arthur remaining incredibly intelligent, yet unable to understand the simplest of things without those to whom he feels superior explaining them.
I will read other books by Bergen because I like his style, but I hope that their protagonists are more likable and less self absorbed than Arthur.
Tuesday, 8 March 2016
The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory
After finishing The Orenda, by Boyden, I wanted to read something a little less intense and chose to read about a wife of King Henry VIII. What was I thinking? Being Henry's wife is decidedly more elegant but only slightly safer than living in a 17th century Huron village.
Philippa Gregory has a Ph.d in history from the University of Edinburgh. She is a prolific writer and her novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, has been made into a movie.
She writes about the women in history instead of the men. These women may have had influence and power in their time but their accomplishments are often dominated or claimed by the men of the era. Enough has been said about Henry VIII, so it is interesting to learn about his wives. However, the most famous of his wives, Anne Boleyn, (perhaps because she was young and beautiful but quickly fell out of favour and met a sudden and horrific end) overshadows his other wives, even Katherine Parr, one of his most intelligent and accomplished wives.
It is strange that not more is known about Katherine Parr since she did out live him, and that wasn't just luck. She had to outmaneuver the King and the royal characters plotting against her. As Henry's sixth wife she followed two who were beheaded, two who were exiled and one dead through childbirth. She had reason to live in fear. Much of her time had to center around not ticking him off which was quite a chore since he was already quick to anger, egotistical and easily insulted. He was at this time in constant pain from a well described ulcerous leg and he also had great discomfort from his over indulgence in food and wine, making him even grumpier.
Katherine was well read, a great thinker and well written. She was the first woman in England to publish a book that she had written and not just translated. As part of the court she was very involved in religious and theological discussion. Part of Henry's legacy is how he shaped religion in England during his time, and Katherine seems to have influence on Henry's thinking on religion and his place as head of the Church of England, as well. That is, she had influence when he was favouring the reformists; when he switched to the papists; she was in danger of losing her head.
Katherine had a considerable life outside of her royal life. She was a twice widowed but without children before she married the King. She also had a secret that would have ended her life and the life of a few others had he discovered it.
The Taming of the Queen, like Gregory's other novels is rich in detail. However, the intricacies of the court can be confusing, especially with Henry who liked to keep factions fighting between themselves and would favour one side and then the other to keep everyone on their toes.
I would recommend it to read if you are interested in a story about a strong, intelligent woman who is able to keep a secret. The rich detail of the Tudor court creates an atmosphere of intrigue and danger. There are points when the discussion of religion seems tedious but it always turns out to be necessary to the story. It is a good biography about a clever and innovative woman.
After finishing The Orenda, by Boyden, I wanted to read something a little less intense and chose to read about a wife of King Henry VIII. What was I thinking? Being Henry's wife is decidedly more elegant but only slightly safer than living in a 17th century Huron village.
Philippa Gregory has a Ph.d in history from the University of Edinburgh. She is a prolific writer and her novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, has been made into a movie.
She writes about the women in history instead of the men. These women may have had influence and power in their time but their accomplishments are often dominated or claimed by the men of the era. Enough has been said about Henry VIII, so it is interesting to learn about his wives. However, the most famous of his wives, Anne Boleyn, (perhaps because she was young and beautiful but quickly fell out of favour and met a sudden and horrific end) overshadows his other wives, even Katherine Parr, one of his most intelligent and accomplished wives.
It is strange that not more is known about Katherine Parr since she did out live him, and that wasn't just luck. She had to outmaneuver the King and the royal characters plotting against her. As Henry's sixth wife she followed two who were beheaded, two who were exiled and one dead through childbirth. She had reason to live in fear. Much of her time had to center around not ticking him off which was quite a chore since he was already quick to anger, egotistical and easily insulted. He was at this time in constant pain from a well described ulcerous leg and he also had great discomfort from his over indulgence in food and wine, making him even grumpier.
Katherine was well read, a great thinker and well written. She was the first woman in England to publish a book that she had written and not just translated. As part of the court she was very involved in religious and theological discussion. Part of Henry's legacy is how he shaped religion in England during his time, and Katherine seems to have influence on Henry's thinking on religion and his place as head of the Church of England, as well. That is, she had influence when he was favouring the reformists; when he switched to the papists; she was in danger of losing her head.
Katherine had a considerable life outside of her royal life. She was a twice widowed but without children before she married the King. She also had a secret that would have ended her life and the life of a few others had he discovered it.
The Taming of the Queen, like Gregory's other novels is rich in detail. However, the intricacies of the court can be confusing, especially with Henry who liked to keep factions fighting between themselves and would favour one side and then the other to keep everyone on their toes.
I would recommend it to read if you are interested in a story about a strong, intelligent woman who is able to keep a secret. The rich detail of the Tudor court creates an atmosphere of intrigue and danger. There are points when the discussion of religion seems tedious but it always turns out to be necessary to the story. It is a good biography about a clever and innovative woman.
Reading Challenge:
I chose to use this novel for the READ HARDER challenge to fulfill the Read a Biography entry. I could also use it as a book set in Europe for the 2016 Reading Challenge from Popsugar, but I am sure that I will read another book set in Europe before the year is over.
I chose to use this novel for the READ HARDER challenge to fulfill the Read a Biography entry. I could also use it as a book set in Europe for the 2016 Reading Challenge from Popsugar, but I am sure that I will read another book set in Europe before the year is over.
Wednesday, 2 March 2016
The Orenda by Joseph Boyden
Not for the faint hearted
The Orenda is intense from its opening pages to the very end making it a page turner. However, it is not for the faint of heart. It is the type of story to give you bad dreams if not nightmares.
It is a story told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of three main characters, a Huron warrior, an Iroquois girl captured and adopted by the warrior and a Jesuit priest. It is historical fiction set in the early 17th century just before the destruction of the Huron nation and at the beginning of Jesuits coming to Canada to convert the First Nations to Catholicism.
Boyden is a good writer, perhaps one of Canada's best. He is definitely very descriptive and creates excellent characters while maintaining historical accuracy. This book has intensity from its first page to its last.
You feel the tension, the fear, the unrelenting struggle to survive. This intensity had me fearing an arrow piercing into my back as I read accompanied characters on canoe treks through Iroquois land and fearing starvation through long, cold winters and summers of drought.
I have read a great deal of historical fiction--medieval, Vikings, Romans--I love stories about Genghis Khan, so I have read a lot of battles, and violence, but Boyden's descriptions of torture in this story are very graphic and relentless. You can't just breeze over a paragraph or two and then perhaps get onto something else, he goes on for pages. The Iroquois are recognized as fearsome warriors and history has recorded them as brutal and Boyden does not shy away from that. The only balance to his graphic descriptions is to remind readers at one point that such torture has been used throughout the world throughout history. Father Christopher reminds two other priests of how the people they refer to as “sauvages” are not alone in torturing their captives and draws their attention to the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition
It reads like a movie, you can imagine the panning camera shots and recognize some standard movie devices. There is one part where a secondary character stands up in the midst of a battle, stating something self-congratulatory in and then just like in any war movie when something like this happens you find yourself thinking "sit down stupid, before you get shot"...whoops too late, the arrow passes right through his neck and he dies while being comforted by the older, wiser primary character. Other than that one part that is so cliché, the remainder of the book is worth reading and the movie would be worth watching—even though I would be watching the battle scenes from under a blanket.
I enjoy a book that intrigues me enough to do check its historical accuracy and do some additional research. I also checked out various reviews of The Orenda to see how it was received by First Nations readers.
I recommend the book and hope someone makes a movie that does it justice.
Reading Challenge: I used The Orenda to complete the challenge of a book recommended by someone I had just met. Although I met the person a while ago, it was only one meeting.
Moe, out younger son and I were on a tour on the French River offered by the Lodge at Pine Cove, near Noelville. Our tour guide, Alex, is the owner of the Lodge and is well read on the region and Canadian history. On a beautiful, sunny day in June, we were on a pontoon boat in the middle of the French River listening to Alex talk about Canadian politics, geography, history and First Nation topics when he recommended the reading of The Orenda and two other books as good reading for understanding the early history of the area.
I highly recommend visiting The Lodge at Pine Cove. Check it out on Facebook or at their website.
The Orenda is intense from its opening pages to the very end making it a page turner. However, it is not for the faint of heart. It is the type of story to give you bad dreams if not nightmares.
It is a story told in alternating chapters from the viewpoint of three main characters, a Huron warrior, an Iroquois girl captured and adopted by the warrior and a Jesuit priest. It is historical fiction set in the early 17th century just before the destruction of the Huron nation and at the beginning of Jesuits coming to Canada to convert the First Nations to Catholicism.
Boyden is a good writer, perhaps one of Canada's best. He is definitely very descriptive and creates excellent characters while maintaining historical accuracy. This book has intensity from its first page to its last.
You feel the tension, the fear, the unrelenting struggle to survive. This intensity had me fearing an arrow piercing into my back as I read accompanied characters on canoe treks through Iroquois land and fearing starvation through long, cold winters and summers of drought.
I have read a great deal of historical fiction--medieval, Vikings, Romans--I love stories about Genghis Khan, so I have read a lot of battles, and violence, but Boyden's descriptions of torture in this story are very graphic and relentless. You can't just breeze over a paragraph or two and then perhaps get onto something else, he goes on for pages. The Iroquois are recognized as fearsome warriors and history has recorded them as brutal and Boyden does not shy away from that. The only balance to his graphic descriptions is to remind readers at one point that such torture has been used throughout the world throughout history. Father Christopher reminds two other priests of how the people they refer to as “sauvages” are not alone in torturing their captives and draws their attention to the atrocities of the Spanish Inquisition
It reads like a movie, you can imagine the panning camera shots and recognize some standard movie devices. There is one part where a secondary character stands up in the midst of a battle, stating something self-congratulatory in and then just like in any war movie when something like this happens you find yourself thinking "sit down stupid, before you get shot"...whoops too late, the arrow passes right through his neck and he dies while being comforted by the older, wiser primary character. Other than that one part that is so cliché, the remainder of the book is worth reading and the movie would be worth watching—even though I would be watching the battle scenes from under a blanket.
I enjoy a book that intrigues me enough to do check its historical accuracy and do some additional research. I also checked out various reviews of The Orenda to see how it was received by First Nations readers.
I recommend the book and hope someone makes a movie that does it justice.
Moe, out younger son and I were on a tour on the French River offered by the Lodge at Pine Cove, near Noelville. Our tour guide, Alex, is the owner of the Lodge and is well read on the region and Canadian history. On a beautiful, sunny day in June, we were on a pontoon boat in the middle of the French River listening to Alex talk about Canadian politics, geography, history and First Nation topics when he recommended the reading of The Orenda and two other books as good reading for understanding the early history of the area.
I highly recommend visiting The Lodge at Pine Cove. Check it out on Facebook or at their website.
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Dickens and Great Expectations
I don't think that I can convince anyone to read Great Expectations who doesn't already want to read the classics, but I am going to write about it anyway. I read it to fulfill the entry for the Reading Challenge about reading a book that I should have read in high school.
I did read some of it in grade 9 and I know that Miss Havisham left a lasting impression but any other memory of the book was vague at best. I am not sure if I read all of it, some of it or most of it back then but I do know that I listened to Mr. Tuer talk about it in class. I probably remember more about the teacher and his rather strange choice of socks than I do about the book. The Reading Challenge forced me to take the opportunity to right the shirking of my educational duties from so long ago.
Reading it wasn't like swallowing a teaspoon of vile medicine that quickly does its job, but it still felt like taking some type of medicine. There were points where I was trudging through it. True to the conditions of the time, Dickens was being paid for each word and it is very evident at the beginning of each chapter when he sets the scene in often verbose description. Definitely, good for brushing up or expanding your vocabulary, so you can use words like verbose.
Yet at other times it was truly enjoyable. Dickens can be witty, even funny with clever turns of phrase and with sarcastic and dry explanations of human foibles. In the last third of the book, all of the slow lead up with careful laying out of plot and character development the book comes together and it becomes exciting. I read until I was too tired to read anymore and had to leave the last few chapters to the next day. Dickens leaves no loose ends and ties up all the plot lines and characters very well. I guess back then the idea of a sequel, or prequel or spin off was not considered the thing to do.
Now that I finished reading it I am glad that I did take it on. After all it is a classic and I am probably a better reader because of it. Next year, if the reading challenge has a similar entry I think I might be reading Dickens again since I only remember the first lines from A Tale of Two Cities and have a vague memory of Madame Dafarge knitting away.
I would rather be reading Austin, her world is kinder.
I don't think that I can convince anyone to read Great Expectations who doesn't already want to read the classics, but I am going to write about it anyway. I read it to fulfill the entry for the Reading Challenge about reading a book that I should have read in high school.
I did read some of it in grade 9 and I know that Miss Havisham left a lasting impression but any other memory of the book was vague at best. I am not sure if I read all of it, some of it or most of it back then but I do know that I listened to Mr. Tuer talk about it in class. I probably remember more about the teacher and his rather strange choice of socks than I do about the book. The Reading Challenge forced me to take the opportunity to right the shirking of my educational duties from so long ago.
Reading it wasn't like swallowing a teaspoon of vile medicine that quickly does its job, but it still felt like taking some type of medicine. There were points where I was trudging through it. True to the conditions of the time, Dickens was being paid for each word and it is very evident at the beginning of each chapter when he sets the scene in often verbose description. Definitely, good for brushing up or expanding your vocabulary, so you can use words like verbose.
Yet at other times it was truly enjoyable. Dickens can be witty, even funny with clever turns of phrase and with sarcastic and dry explanations of human foibles. In the last third of the book, all of the slow lead up with careful laying out of plot and character development the book comes together and it becomes exciting. I read until I was too tired to read anymore and had to leave the last few chapters to the next day. Dickens leaves no loose ends and ties up all the plot lines and characters very well. I guess back then the idea of a sequel, or prequel or spin off was not considered the thing to do.
Now that I finished reading it I am glad that I did take it on. After all it is a classic and I am probably a better reader because of it. Next year, if the reading challenge has a similar entry I think I might be reading Dickens again since I only remember the first lines from A Tale of Two Cities and have a vague memory of Madame Dafarge knitting away.
I would rather be reading Austin, her world is kinder.
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Book review: Road Ends
Welcome back to my blog. I thought I would throw in a book review for today of a book I read in January.
Mary Lawson is my new favourite Canadian author.
Lawson captures the feeling of winter and isolation in a small Northern Ontario town. The story is set in the fictional town of Struan, that is located near the actual towns of New Liskeard, Cobalt and Haileybury, north of North Bay. Struan could be real as it resembles so many small towns found along northern highway corridors.
The characters in Road Ends are believable, lovable despite or because of their flaws and read as realistic. Lawson is able to draw compassion for her characters from her reader without that compassion overriding the reader's expectation that the characters needs to get their act together and take control.
The ending was satisfying resolving the issues of the novel yet leaving the possibility of a sequel to close up the lose ends in the lives of some of the characters who have interacted with each other.
I am looking forward to reading the first two books by this author; Crow Lake and The Other Side of the Bridge. I will most likely read Road Ends again, once I read her earlier novels. Some of the secondary characters in Road Ends are primary characters in the other novels.
I tagged some pages to read over and re read pieces that I felt were beautifully written or which evoke response from me. It was though she was writing what I have sometimes felt about my own need to leave home and create my own path.
Welcome back to my blog. I thought I would throw in a book review for today of a book I read in January.
Mary Lawson is my new favourite Canadian author.
Lawson captures the feeling of winter and isolation in a small Northern Ontario town. The story is set in the fictional town of Struan, that is located near the actual towns of New Liskeard, Cobalt and Haileybury, north of North Bay. Struan could be real as it resembles so many small towns found along northern highway corridors.
The characters in Road Ends are believable, lovable despite or because of their flaws and read as realistic. Lawson is able to draw compassion for her characters from her reader without that compassion overriding the reader's expectation that the characters needs to get their act together and take control.
Road Ends provoked my thinking. I paused after parts to contemplate what the character had revealed about themselves. The book is written from the view point of three of the characters. It was actually important to note the dates at the beginnings of chapters as the book is not chronological between chapters but is chronological for each character telling of his or her story within the family.
The ending was satisfying resolving the issues of the novel yet leaving the possibility of a sequel to close up the lose ends in the lives of some of the characters who have interacted with each other.
I am looking forward to reading the first two books by this author; Crow Lake and The Other Side of the Bridge. I will most likely read Road Ends again, once I read her earlier novels. Some of the secondary characters in Road Ends are primary characters in the other novels.
I tagged some pages to read over and re read pieces that I felt were beautifully written or which evoke response from me. It was though she was writing what I have sometimes felt about my own need to leave home and create my own path.
Reading Challenge:
I decided to use this novel to fill the "book set in my home province" even though Struan is a fictional town. Since Struan would be close to New Liskeard and near North Bay, which are both mentioned in the novel, it is very close to where I live. A novel set in Northern Ontario is a better choice than a book set in Toronto to be representative of the province I live in.
Saturday, 13 February 2016
Reading Challenges
At the beginning of the year reading challenges start making the rounds on Facebook. I have never paid attention before as January is not a great month for pleasure reading for educators. Report card writing for teachers and report card reading for administrators, as well as the necessary professional reading takes up time and energy needed for reading for fun.
This year is different! Yipee for time to read. I ran off the lists for 3 different reading challenges and set up a binder to keep the lists, lists of book recommendations and the list of books read.
I'm doing the 2016's Ultimate Reading Challenge! found through Popsugar. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-39126431
I'm also trying to complete the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. It is in fact harder because the entries are more obscure or require research to fulfill. Like read a book that was published in the year you were born. http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge/
And I also printed off the 2016 Reading Challenge from the Modern Mrs. Darcy. This one is only 12 books and has some challenges that are easy to fulfill, like read a book that you've been intending to get to or read a book that you should have completed in school.
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2016-reading-challenge/
As another aspect of these challenges, I signed up for Good Reads and have become acquainted with how that works. I found out that several of my friends are already Good Reads alumni and am wondering how I missed learning about this great website before now. (www.goodreads.com) I am also anticipating that I will be knocking off an entry on my bucket list when I become part of a book club that a friend is starting in the spring. The book club selections will most likely take care of the more difficult categories of the challenges.
Fortunately, the challenges allow for plenty of opportunity to read what I want as well as incentive to read the books I've already own but haven't had time to read. Cold winter days are a great time to curl up with a book and a cup of steaming hot chocolate while cold winter nights are perfect for a tall glass of wine, a cozy sweater and a good murder mystery. 
I didn't quit my job to read but it was an incentive to retire.
At the beginning of the year reading challenges start making the rounds on Facebook. I have never paid attention before as January is not a great month for pleasure reading for educators. Report card writing for teachers and report card reading for administrators, as well as the necessary professional reading takes up time and energy needed for reading for fun.This year is different! Yipee for time to read. I ran off the lists for 3 different reading challenges and set up a binder to keep the lists, lists of book recommendations and the list of books read.
I'm doing the 2016's Ultimate Reading Challenge! found through Popsugar. http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-39126431
I'm also trying to complete the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder Challenge. It is in fact harder because the entries are more obscure or require research to fulfill. Like read a book that was published in the year you were born. http://bookriot.com/2015/12/15/2016-book-riot-read-harder-challenge/
And I also printed off the 2016 Reading Challenge from the Modern Mrs. Darcy. This one is only 12 books and has some challenges that are easy to fulfill, like read a book that you've been intending to get to or read a book that you should have completed in school.
http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2016-reading-challenge/
As another aspect of these challenges, I signed up for Good Reads and have become acquainted with how that works. I found out that several of my friends are already Good Reads alumni and am wondering how I missed learning about this great website before now. (www.goodreads.com) I am also anticipating that I will be knocking off an entry on my bucket list when I become part of a book club that a friend is starting in the spring. The book club selections will most likely take care of the more difficult categories of the challenges.
Fortunately, the challenges allow for plenty of opportunity to read what I want as well as incentive to read the books I've already own but haven't had time to read. Cold winter days are a great time to curl up with a book and a cup of steaming hot chocolate while cold winter nights are perfect for a tall glass of wine, a cozy sweater and a good murder mystery.
I didn't quit my job to read but it was an incentive to retire.Seeking Answers to Retirement Questions
Most of the readily available advice about retirement concerns preparing financially for retirement. Without a doubt that is important, but it's not the only part of a successful retirement. I knew that for me the biggest part would be whether I could be happy without the structure of work. Although I loved summer vacation and Christmas holidays, could I be happy in an open ended vacation that didn't have the work of the holidays?During a conversation about his recent retirement, my husband's brother-in-law, Marc suggested a book that helped him organize his time and health in retirement. It's a book that has little about the finances of retirement but a lot about putting life into retirement and determining what will constitute your retirement. Because after the traveling what will you do with all of the hours in a day? HOW TO RETIRE HAPPY, WILD, AND FREE, by best-selling author Ernie J. Zelinksi addressed the concerns that I had about retirement and helped me develop answers to my own questions. I am sure there are other great books out there that do the same thing, but after reading this one and doing some of the exercises in it I had enough confidence to trust in myself that I would be able to live a life I wanted to live without a career as a cornerstone.
Zilinksi has a different attitude about working than I have so that was something I had to wrap my mind around to accept and not be sidetracked by when I was reading. He is also the author of The Joy of Not Working and semi-retired happily quite young which worked for him. I have never thought of work as something that you want to be free from as soon as possible. He gives examples of how some people choose to live in order not to need to work at a paying job that seems to me to be a mind boggling choice of a life of poverty or of extreme frugality. I would never want to have be so focused on getting away from work that I made myself miserable while I was working. That's sort of the warning. However, if you would like to retire as soon as possible this may be the very book that will help you realize that you can find a way to make that happen.
There are parts of the book that certainly helped me put the image of the life I wanted to lead in retirement into focus. There are good exercises to try to prepare for retirement, particularly the Plant Your Get-a-Life Tree and Watch It Grow and Grow, that is part of a chapter entitled, So Many Worlds, So Much to Do. That chapter had me thinking and realizing that there was so much I wanted to do that there were probably not enough hours in the day or time in my clock to get it all done.
It is an easy, folksy read with cute cartoons and plenty of words of wisdom from various wise people in blurbs along the way. He writes a very convincing image of retirement and gives varied and extensive lists of suggestions for defining your life.
My biggest nugget from the book: you don't retire from something but you retire to something and that to something is personal and can be ever changing.
Looking forward to joining you in the adventures. Your hubby Moe xo
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