Alice in Wonderland

by Carol7 Comments
Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland retold by Jane Carruth I've come to a conclusion. I don't like Alice in Wonderland. I enjoy it in theory. The curious young girl follows a rabbit down a hole, landing in a magical land full of strange, wonderful creatures and people. But then I sit down and actually read it. Last time I read it in Spring of '08, I read Carroll's version aloud with Amber and I remember expecting to enjoy it more than I did. This time I read the book I have had since I was about 7, thinking that maybe a retold version, complete with beautiful full color illustrations would bring back the childhood wonderment. It didn't. I don't even think I can summarize the story. Alice falls down the rabbit, there's a hall full of doors, she gets smaller and bigger and smaller, there's a flood and Alice insults some of the other animals that become stranded on the shore. They...
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Death Qualified by Kate Wilhelm

by Carol10 Comments
Death Qualified by Kate Wilhelm I listened to the audio version of this, read by Anna Fields.  I chose it because I had enjoyed one of Wilhelm's standalones The Deepest Water and wanted to give this series a shot. I was not disappointed, at the same time it wasn't what I expected. Five years ago Barbara Holloway gave up practicing law, disillusioned with a profession that put politics before justice. Then she receives a phone call from her father, with a simple message: "I need you." Her father, a lawyer himself, has been asked by a neighbor Nell Kendricks to defend her. Nell is accused of killing her husband Lucas, who she hadn't seen for seven years, until the day he arrives at the edge of her property and is shot, instantly killed. Despite her vow, Barbara finds herself drawn to the case. It's not a simple courtroom drama though. It's a mystery, who actually killed Lucas and why. It...
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The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark

by Carol7 Comments
The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English by Roy Peter Clark In case you haven't guessed by now, I'm a geek. And I love words, punctuation, grammar. One of my favorite baseball players is Aramis Ramirez, not necessarily because he's talented, but because I love the way his name sounds. I think I was the only person in my class who truly enjoyed diagramming sentences, but this book was not written just for people like me. I loved it, but I truly believe that people who have always thought grammar was dry and boring will find it to be a breathe of fresh air. Clark advocates living "inside your language," and this book is more than a list of rules, suggestions, and definitions, although it does contain those; for me, it's about appreciating how words and punctuation combine to form meaning, to express ideas, stories. In the end, The Glamour of Grammar may not be about...
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Ely Plot by Joan Lennon

by Carol6 Comments
Ely Plot by Joan Lennon (Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) Amber (10) and I read this aloud together, and I have to say it's one of my favorite middle school books I've read recently. It's a great mix of historical fiction and fantasy, but what sets it apart is the medieval background. Pip is a boy, an orphan, who lives with a group of monks in the monastery at Wickit. Life is pretty boring until he meets a small stone dragon Perfect, a living gargoyle. Now you see why Amber loves the series; she dreams of having a pet dragon. Pip along with his companion and two of the monks travel to the Cathedral at Ely during Holy Week. While there, Perfect and Pip discover a plot against the teenage king, who is also at the Cathedral. The two are determined to help save the King, leading to a daring rescue and dangerous chase through the fens of eastern England. Honestly, I don't remember reading...
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