This week I’m celebrating a miscellany of things.
Little Women
I try to read at least one classic novel every year. It was a toss up between Emma and Little Women. The fact that we had a copy of the latter in the store made me choose it just in case I enjoyed it and would want to recommend it to our customers- like I did for The Secret Garden.
I’m somewhat suspicious of classics for some reason. As if they didn’t know how to write back then which is very foolish of me. Of course, the language sounds dated but overall the truly great ones are timeless for a reason.
Little Women seemed like a harmless book at first- sweet (if somewhat too sweet at times) vignettes of what each of the March sisters were up to. It seemed heavy handed in parceling out messages.
But as the story progressed- the first few chapters may be a bit of a chore to get through- we get fascinating glimpses into the personalities of these young girls as they grow into women dealing with everything that life has to offer. And the messages actually seem progressive in hindsight and in context of when the book was written.
I can see why Jo March is up there with the likes of Tom Sawyer, Anne Shirley, Peter Pan, and Dorothy Gale. I can’t believe I hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting her until now!
I feel like this is a perfect book to read aloud during the winter months. I’m imagining after the Thanksgiving meal has been enjoyed, families can gather around to read a chapter or two and then continue it through December.
This was a rather daunting book. There were times I was surprised I wasn’t even closed to finishing it. And when the story was focused on Amy, I just wanted to skip those passages! But you get to know the characters, and you invest in their stories, and they stay with you even after the final page!
Book Club
For work, this month’s Kids Book Club was Quinny & Hopper by Adriana Brad Schanen. I was surprised I had actually read it a couple of years ago for the CYBILS. It was sort of funny that while I didn’t remember doing so everything I was reading seemed so familiar. The kids who showed up were very chatty- in the best way possible. They love books and they actually think about what they read so it wasn’t difficult to discuss the book with them. I thought the book may be too easy for them (and I think reading level wise, it was) but they were really able to identify with the characters and the situations.
Quinny & Hopper by Adriana Brad Schanen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. This falls in the younger age of the middle reader demographic and I can see how this would be a good read aloud to the school-aged under seven crowd. I would be interested to read more of Quinny and Hopper’s adventures since the last part of the book was when it actually got interesting for me.
I liked the alternating chapters with their respective perspectives. I also ended up appreciating just how difficult it must be to write a good kids book.
That was my review from a year ago. And, apparently there’s a sequel coming up in late October!
Volunteering
I reached 70 hours of volunteering so far this year. I know I’m not supposed to be chasing hours but hopefully I can reach 100.
Mariah Carey
My world always seems a little bit more festive when there’s new Mariah for me to enjoy. This week, she released a song called “Infamous” for the TV show Empire ahead of her October 5th appearance.
Blogging
Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day. This election seems particularly insane so I felt compelled to share my thoughts about the importance of voting on Kindness Conversations. And, a pleasant surprise, the cast and crew of Will & Grace thought it equally important and they did a surprise reunion episode of sorts.
I’ve also been sharing my financial situation in a new Paycheck to Paycheck series on one of my other blogs. Debt has become such a common problem and I’m hoping we can learn from one another. Also, I wanted to show others (and myself included) that our true worth is not defined by our bank accounts.
Writing
Sunday mornings have been great for me in terms of feeling creative. It could be that because I expect it that it is. (It’s probably also because since I decided to come in later for work on Sundays that I feel I need to make it literally worth my time.) Regardless of the reason and the reasoning the end result is productivity. I’m about to complete the first rough draft of my second picture book manuscript which is exciting!
I also ended up doing a revision on my first picture book manuscript complete with name changes and everything! I can’t wait for someone who’s read the first version and get their feedback on this one.
Announcement
I’d been thinkin of taking a break from blogging for awhile and it just came to me that now seems like the best time to do so. Of course, I want to work on my writing which is my #1 priority. But I also want to change up this blog a bit. I may still do an occasional post here (and on my other blogs which I’ve mentioned above) but I’ll be back to join the wonderful #IMWAYR, #NFPB2016 and #CELEBRATELU communities sometime in December!
For book reviews, definitely follow the Facebook page and my Goodreads account.
What are you celebrating this week?
The Chronicles Of A Children's Book Writer - Earl Dizon 