Julie and Julia

Posted on September 28, 2018October 27, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Julie and Julia (2005) by Julie Powell

In 2002, Julie Powell wrote a blog about her attempt to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. While this book came later, it is Ms. Powell’s telling of her year-long project and what she learned along the way.

I actually saw the movie version of this first—a few times, and I really liked it. I still do. But, I finally decided to read the book. Hmm—what to say? While I didn’t always agree with Julie’s views on life, I certainly did fly through the book fast enough. That’s a good sign, since I —A) do not read books I don’t really enjoy and B) well, I can be easily offended. So, the fact that I did read through some of the “language” and whatnot included in the book speaks well of it.

I feel like many people can relate to Julie. I could, at least. She’s got a good life, but feels like something is missing for her. And when she takes on this project, she realizes that on the surface it doesn’t seem like anything monumental, but to her it becomes something more than just cooking recipes. It becomes a way to connect with herself, to commit to something, to give her hope. I love that she is not a perfectionist in the kitchen and that things do go wrong for her. I actually enjoyed hearing about her breakdowns and tear-fests. It wasn’t that I wanted Julie to be unhappy, but I loved that she wrote about her reality. So many of the blogs I stumble across show photos of perfectly-iced cakes for kids’ birthday parties and wonderful, happy-filled moments. It makes sense. Not many people want to share their moments of frustration or their failed projects. But, it’s actually kind of comforting to read about someone experiencing some of this who keeps going anyway.

from Julie and Julia
“Maybe I needed to…be a part of something that was not easy, just simple.” p. 25

Starry River of the Sky

Posted on September 28, 2018September 13, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Starry River of the Sky (2012)
by Grace Lin

This is the companion book, a prequel, to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. In this book, young Rendi has run away from home and ends up working as a chore boy at an inn in a small town. As much as he’d like to leave, he ends up becoming more and more invested in the lives of those who live there and the visitors who stay there. Slowly, Rendi’s story and those of the people around him are revealed, and, of course, all tie together beautifully.

For whatever reason, it took me a little longer to get sucked into this book, but once I did, there was no going back. The format is similar to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, with wonderful ancient stories sprinkled throughout. I am in awe of the way Grace Lin so seemingly effortlessly weaves together the stories and characters of this book, while also tying into the first one in the series. For me, this a book that begs to be re-read so I can catch all the beautiful work that was put into it. With the gorgeous artwork, unforgettable ancient tales, wise words, and thought-provoking story, it is a must-own, for sure.

The Giver

Posted on September 28, 2018September 13, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry

In this Newbery Award winning book, we are introduced to Jonas’s community where everything appears to be neatly arranged for its citizens. From birth, people’s lives are decided for them, from which family they will enter to who their partners will be. At age 12, Jonas is finally ready to receive his Community position, which he will stay with until he reaches the House of Old. But when he is given the extremely rare job of Receiver, he is suddenly faced with receiving information and memories that nobody else in the community has experienced. As Jonas’s awareness expands, he realizes a change must be made and he must be the one to do it.
I have re-read this book a handful of times, but I always seem to wait long enough between readings that the story is new to me each time. A definite must-read.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Posted on September 28, 2018February 20, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks(2008)
by E. Lockhart

Frankie is a sophomore at an elite boarding school. While she spent her first year there in some of the outsider groups rarely being noticed, her body has done a transformation over the summer and people, especially popular, senior guys, are taking notice. Frankie quickly lands a Senior boyfriend. But when she starts learning about some of his secrets, Frankie begins some pretty brilliantly planned secrets of her own.

Some people praise this book as a feminist story, while others are disappointed in Frankie’s priorities. Some people wonder why it was so important to Frankie to impress the guys, while others appreciate her cleverness over them and her commentaries.

I had to read some reviews before writing this, because, honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. I spent the first part of the book wondering why I was still reading it. The information covered is all very necessary for the story, but it all felt so “high school”—this person is dating this person, but used to date this person, and here’s a Friday night party… I kept reading though, because there was enough spunk to Frankie to keep my attention. And once her pranks began, I seriously zipped through the whole rest of the book without setting it down. Some of Frankie’s desires don’t seem to match up with her character. But I think it’s because her actions are so clever, because she is such an activist and is full of such feistiness that it’s easy to forget she’s still fifteen. Not that this book implies all 15-year old girls act a certain way about boys, but I like to think of Frankie two years down the road wondering why on Earth she was pining over Matthew and his crew in the first place.

All in all though, an engaging and fun book.

Blue in the Face

Posted on September 28, 2018September 13, 2019 by keepinthesunlightblog@gmail.com

Blue in the Face by Gerry Swallow (2016)

After enjoying the first two Whole Nother Story books by “Dr. Cuthbert Soup,” I decided to read more by Gerry Swallow. When I first sat down to read Blue in the Face, I must admit I was nearly ready to give up and save it for later. One of the reasons I love my stolen moments of reading fiction is to escape the craziness of my daily life, so to open the book and be smack dab in the middle of a girl’s awful tantrum, didn’t sound quite so relaxing. But, being a fan of Swallow’s writing and stories, I pushed on. It didn’t take long to be hooked.

Young Elspeth Pule throws a tantrum so over the top that she blacks out and wakes up in a land of nursery rhyme characters. Much like the premise of the recent Alice in Wonderland movie, all the characters seem to think she is destined to be the one who will help rescue them. Their kingdom has been taken over by Old King Krool who has banished many of the townspeople, such as Humpty and BoPeep, to the forest. I wasn’t sure how the story would unfold, as it took me awhile to warm up to Elspeth, but the entertaining plot and nursery rhyme characters kept me reading. Eventually, Elspeth grows and becomes more likable, and her stubbornness and anger are exactly what are needed to help everybody gear up for their big battle.

Although my daughter is too young to read this, I told her the story bit by bit as I read it each night, and she was just as engrossed in it as I was. It was a good opportunity to explain to her that while we expect certain behavior at home or with friends, sometimes feistiness, stubbornness, and even anger can be helpful qualities in extreme situations. I talked about Constance Contraire from The Mysterious Benedict Society as well, and even brought up how people’s anger with certain current situations may be helping us get to a place of positive change.

I digress. Blue in the Face was an enjoyable, quick read, and I’m so pleased to see a second book in the series.

Quote from Blue in the Face:
“Whether you believe it or not, you were meant to do great things.” ch. 15