Keturah and Lord Death

I guess I just always pick the books that don't have any disscussion questions for them already! Here is a list of book club discussion questions for Keturah and Lord Death. Some are borrowed, but most are my own.

• Keturah is said to be beautiful but is never described in the book. Why did Leavitt do this? What aspects of Keturah's beauty is shown to us?
• What are some similarities between Keturah and Lord Death and common fairy tales?
• Was this novel predictable?
• What did you think of the ending? If Ketruah really dies in the end, who is telling the story that is the "truest" story ever told?
• “Tell me what it is like to die," I answered.
  He dismounted from his horse, looking at me strangely the whole while. "You experience something similar every day," he said softly. "It is as familiar to you as bread and butter."
  "Yes," I said. "It is like every night when I fall asleep."
  "No. It is like every morning when you wake up" How can dying be like "waking up"?
• Keturah uses John Tysmann and his love for her repeatedly. Is this beneficial for everyone, or is it always at his expense? Is she being cruel?
• Does Keturah really want to live? When does she realize this?

Best of 2011

Here are the books I loved in 2011:

The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer

The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

Shorter than usual, but useful nonetheless.

Happy new year!

Playing the Enemy

Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and The Game that Made a Nation

by John Carlin

This book has been popular since the movie "Invictus" came out. Originally I got this book planning on reading it for an upcoming book club - but then the selection was changed but I was interested enough that I decided to read it anyway.

I'm glad I did even though I found it a hard read. Most of the book is about the politics that preceded Nelson Mandela using the Springbok's as a unifier of South Africa. It really is a remarkable story, one that has a lot of moving parts as most political things go. I admit that I really didn't keep track of very much of the political stuff. I was able to capture the big stuff pretty easily. The rugby team, the Springbok's, is mentioned, but not delved into until 150 pages into the book and is concluded by the 1995 victory over the All Blacks.

Stats:

There was heavy swearing when the rugby team is introduced.

You might like this book if....

You like non-fiction

Are interested in starting a revolution

Have ties to South Africa

Like good underdog/leadership stories

Born to Run - Book Club Discussion Questions

I couldn't find any book club question helps on the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, so I thought I would post the ones I made up to help whoever is in search of some discussion questions.

What do you think of the thesis that humans are literally “born to run”? Did McDougall do a good job in proving this theory in the book?

Do you have a favorite character/person?

What do you think of their diet?

Was this book interesting? Did it hold your attention? Was it easy to follow?

What do you think of McDougall’s claim that “less is more” when it comes to shoes?

Do you think this book will have any negative/positive effects on the Tarahumara? On Ultrarunning? On the individual runner?

Do you think that running becomes more popular during hard economic times because people are literally “running away from their problems” like McDougall says?

Some Books #1

I get a lot of people asking me to recommend books, and since I recently composed a list for a friend I thought posting it here would be beneficial to others looking for a good read. I try to be honest about content, so that you will be able to choose something that sounds good to you. Check this site out for further young adult book "ratings".

Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
A main character miscarries several children, but it's not spoken about in details except for one time when it's her husbands fault for being abusive. There is some death, no bad language, and there is a part about marital relations. I didn't find it too graphic, but she does talk about trying to have a kid. There is also a weird part....I don't even know how to describe it.....where the two main characters are naked and write on each others bodies....I didn't like that part.

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Maul
Juvenile Lit, a very fast and interesting read. Have you read Fablehaven? It's by the same author, way clean, and I think a little more interesting than Fablehaven.

Animal Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
This was all about how Barbara Kingsolver decided to live off of what she could grow or buy of in state product. I'm kind of a hippie, so I loved this book.

The Alliance by Gerald Lund
LDS author, very clean, futuristic Sci-fi book.

The Professor by Charlotte Bronte
This book is written like Jane Eyre.

Rules by Cynthia Lord
This is a very heart warming book about a girl that has a down syndrome brother and learning to not be embarrassed about it. The worst thing they say is "sucks" in this one.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
Greg and I love this book. Full of adventure, written before Jane Eyre time.

The Magician by Micheal Scott
This is a really great fantasy series for YA. The Magician is the first book in the series if I remember correctly, and it's about two twin siblings that find they are the key to this worlds existence or something along those lines. If I remember right, the first two books are perfectly clean, but then the bad guys start getting closer (in the third book) and there caretaker starts getting edgy. I can't remember if he swears or not in the situations. I don't think so, but heads up.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
For this one I remember it being very clean, and interesting. It's a pretty long book and in the end there is twist involving sexual relations. Again, I don't remember anything being described other than "they went upstairs together with twinkle in there eyes" but I might not be remembering clearly, so make sure to ask someone else what they think.

I Am Rembrandt's Daughter by Lynn Cullen
All about a girl who is Rembrandt's daughter at the end of his life. He's kind of a thoughtless Dad, but I don't remember any abuse. This is also a cute YA book.

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
Short, YA book. Very sweet. About a girl that likes to run. I think there is bad language once. Very clean.

That Went Well: Adventures in Caring for my Sister by Terrell Harris Dougan
This book is about helping Utah gain the care system they have in place now for high-functioning handicap adults. It is very interesting and the way the story is told you just feel love for the situation. I don't remember about language on this one, but I do remember it being clean (whatever that means!)

The Grave Yard Book by Neil Gaiman
A YA story about a boy who grows up in a grave yard. There are ghosts, and zombies, and etc.

There are Two More

Ok, I have such a silly head when I'm pregnant. You can ask my friend Regina, I have serious pregnant brain. One day I called her FIVE times in a row to ask her the SAME question. No joke.

I left out two of Auburn's favorite books, which is ironic because last night these two books were the requests:

9) Mama, Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse

(Thanks Bacon Bits! Auburn calls this book "Mama" when she wants to read it...which is obviously confusing and frustrating for her when I think she is just saying my name....)


10) The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss

Auburn's Top Eight Books

This is a list that is in no particular order, I just wrote down the ones she makes me read all the time. I must say though, she has (very) good taste.

1) Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

2) Showdown at Slickrock by Pat Bagley
(special thanks to the Sultz family for helping us find this one. Aww, shucks!)

3) Jonah and the Whale by the Bible

(This is not a joke. We have a Christian book of this story and she loves it more than the other ones. After we get done reading it she asks me to sing the prophet song about Jonah. Every time.)


4) The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle


5) The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton
(Thanks John and Susy!)



6) The Wheels on the Bus by Raffi



7) The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
(This book is in my top 10 children book recommendations. It is also Dad's current favorite, and would fit many different age ranges. The illustrations are amazing as well.)



8) Peepo! by Janet and Allen Ahlberg

Born to Run

by Christopher McDougall

This book was fantastic! Well thought out, thoroughly interesting, this book balanced research with personal experience. McDougall has a website which shows his TED talk (which is 20 minutes long) if you want a brief intro to the reasons behind barefoot running.

I agree with many, many things McDougall reports in his book. Mainly: running should be enjoyable. If you're not enjoying it, you're doing it wrong. In high school I had direct experience with this; when I was playing soccer I could run for miles. I enjoyed playing soccer so much that the running part of it wasn't a problem.

Did you know 8 out of ever 10 runners is hurt every year? For something that should come naturally to us (and did for thousands of years) it is one of the highest injury prone sports out there. Running shoes did not come to fruition until the late 1800's, early 1900's. And if I keep talking I'm going to tell you everything the book does. Go read it!

Stats:
There are several swear words, when McDougall is quoting others. There are a couple of what I would call "gross" scenes, but nothing that I feel personally effected my emotions.

It's just under 300 pages, and was easy to pick up (the research wasn't overwhelming or hard to follow).

the help

by Kathryn Stockett

plot simplified:
"The Help" deals with racism in the 1960's. But even better than just being another book about dealing with racism, it's a book that has WOMEN that deal with racism. It's nice to hear an historically accurate fictional book addressing the change that occurred in our country in the 1960's.

Skeeter, a white women in Jackson, Mississippi, inadvertently starts seeing how her friends are very degrading towards their maids, and gets the idea to write a book from Aibileen and Minny's perspective. Skeeter is also a misfit, who is too tall, too boyish, and too forward thinking to fit into the role given her by society, which helps her have a better perspective of what Aibileen and Minny and their friends are going through. Aibileen is the maternal, sensible reason that many white women want for their children. She is a great teacher, which you can see through her interaction with kids, and makes you want to love your kids more. Minny is the best cook in Jackson County, and has a cheeky mouth that continues to get her into trouble. She brings spice, and a great foil to the passive way that many black women acted around white women in that era.

stats:
I counted 2 swear words, but it has true 60's southern jargon (aka, they say "Lord" a lot). Two graphic scenes, one a black boy gets beat up (which is historically accurate) and number two is a streaker. Most of what she includes in the book (Kennedy's assassination, Medgar Evans assassination, Rosa Parks) are true events.

final word:
This is a very well written book. Stockett does a good job of creating people that are real and interesting. I found myself holding my breath, crying, laughing out loud, chewing my nails, everything!

Minny's act is pretty controversial, but I feel that it was necessary. One reason is it becomes the solution to there problem of anonymity. The second being that what else could Minny do? In the time period she is in, and the situation she is in, she has nothing she can do. She is cornered. She finds something that cannot get her in trouble with the law because it would require publicity for her to be punished. I love Minny's character. And I love the fight in her.

you might like this book if...
-you like historical fiction
-you need a reason to shut your door for 8 to 10 hours
-you like a little drama

time: 10 hours