February Wrap Up

Love is in the air and, while this is the shortest month of the year, I finished seven books this month, which is far more than usual!

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Wow, this was a truly magical tale about the power of sorrow and the healing power of hope.
My students were reading "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson at the time and the introduction to Barnhill's enchanting tale reminded me of Jackson's theme of blindly following traditions. Although things with the reading club have fallen through, I have already discussed this book with several students!

Dear Martin - Nic Stone
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I walked in to work one day and this book was waiting for me as a gift from my "Morale Pal" who is like a Secret Santa. This short book shook me to my core. I don't know exactly how to write a review for it, but I can say that everyone should read this book. It is similar to The Hate U Give (which I am nearly finished with), but I appreciated this book a little more. In writing to Martin Luther King, Jr., Justyce challenge himself and the reader to ponder these questions: Who do I want to be? Am I making choices so I can become that person?

Barefoot in the Park - Neil Simon
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a theatre minor, I always love taking a couple of hours to read a new play, but this play is special: I'm going to be directing a production of it at my local community theatre in September! As I have not already seen it, I am prohibiting myself from watching the movie until I have read through the play a few more times and selected my creative direction. This is a touching, hilarious comedy of newlyweds who discover that while a couple can share love, they may have different views on just about anything else. 

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
⭐⭐☆
I FINALLY FINISHED listening to this book and, dear readers, I am not a fan. Gone Girl made landmark changes to the mystery and suspense genre and I did enjoy the twists and turns along the way. I desperately wanted to like this book because Flynn is from my home town (Kansas City) and it came as a recommendation from a bibliophile friend and my husband, who loves the movie.
So, what didn't I like? Far too much cursing (the F-word does not have to be used one every page) and description of genitalia. I also had a difficult time buying in to the characters. Both Nick and Amy were vile, selfish, manipulative human beings. Even when watching movies, I just cannot buy in when none of the prominent characters are redeemable or moderately moral. Was the story shocking? Absolutely. Could I have lived without reading (listening to) it. Absolutely.

The Gilded Wolves - Roshani Chokshi
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
Mysteries have captivated me of late and I truly enjoyed following this band of outcasts as they sought to capture a hidden treasure. Chokshi did an excellent job separating the personality of the six (you read that correctly) major characters, making the story engaging from all angles.
*OwlCrate January selection

The Glass Castle - Tricia White Priebe
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This isn't the book you're thinking of, but you should check it out! Tricia babysat my siblings and I when we were younger and has always been a gifted writer. She worked for Jerry B. Jenkins (co-author of the Left Behind series) for some time and teamed up with him to publish her own trilogy. The Glass Castle is the first book in that trilogy and is a magical, coming-of-age novel.  The reading level is lower than I generally go for (lower middle grade, 3-5th grade), so I felt the story was a little slow in creating  the setting, but the pace quickened and I am interested in reading the next two of the series.

January Wrap Up

New Year, New (extensive) TBR!

My goal this year is to read one book a week or a total of 52 books. 

A few of my book purchases this month!
All of these were purchased for my classroom.

At the end of the first month, I'm off to a great start! I completed five books, with another book and an audiobook that have significant progress.

The Afterlife of Holly Chase - Cynthia Hand
☆☆☆☆☆
A truly imaginative and well-written, modern retelling of A Christmas Carol. I did guess the twist, but I love the way Hand  flushed out Holly's character development--arguably better than Scrooge in the original. Also, I firmly believe Boz is Dickens.

Amber & Dusk - Lyra Selene
☆☆☆☆
I was skeptical about this story at first: it felt too similar to two other books I have read, Tangled Webs (Lee Bross) and The Glass Spare (Lauren DeStephano), but eventually the plot evolved into something uniquely its own. I am interested in what will be coming next.
*OwlCrate selection, December 2018

The Tattooist of Auschwitz - Heather Morris
☆☆☆☆☆
A poignant love story blooms during one of the cruelest events in human history, the holocaust. Morris writing style of vignette-like memories made me feel as though I was sitting with her as Lale shared his story.

Cress: The Lunar Chronicles Book 3 - Marissa Meyer
☆☆☆☆☆
This second installment has only made me fall deeper in love with Cinder and Kai. Cress's character building has made Thorne more likable, but Scarlet and Wolf are still growing on me. Meyer has done a fantastic job creating a truly vile evil queen in Levana, but I have mixed feelings about Kai's adviser. Is he supporting Kai or Levana?

This Splintered Silence - Kayla Olson
☆☆☆☆☆
Olson wrote one of my favorite reads from last year, The Sandcastle Empire, so I have truly been looking forward to reading this sci-fi mystery. I was cautious at first because Lindley's narrative voice was similar to Eden's from TSE. However, this story quickly took on a personality of it's own and drew me in completely! I was constantly guessing who was guilty and how the love triangle would work out.

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn (audiobook)
I'm started listening to this in April 2018 and I still have not finished it because I have a difficult time buying in to the motivations of these two selfish, vile characters. But I'm no quitter--I will finish this. Eventually.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon - Kelly Barnhill
My mentor teacher and a school librarian are leading a reading club at our middle school and have encouraged teachers to choose one of the "32 Best Middle School Reads" to discuss at one of their book talks. While I have not read this book yet, I selected it because I had already purchased it because the story intrigues me.

More detailed summaries and my progress on my goal can be found on my GoodReads account. Feel free to follow me (Lynnae Rachele Andersen) there and let me know what you're reading!

March Wrap-Up

Can you believe that today is the last day of March? Me neither!

I have been terrible at blogging what I've been reading. Now, mind you, I don't do this for the followers (that has really frustrated some people), but simply because I enjoy putting my literary thoughts on paper, so to speak. But, I do like the idea of one post that gives a short review of what I have read this month. 

Thus, this post. 

March Reads

Completed

1. Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows ⭐⭐⭐⭐
   I feel a little guilty including this as I merely finished the list 80 pages on March first, alas, that means GoodReads includes it as a March book. 
   First installment of the Forbidden Isles series: detailes the imprisonment and impressive power of Mira Minkoba the Hopebringer and protector of dragons.
2. The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory ⭐⭐⭐
   Drew and Alexa are trapped on an elevator together and Alexa finds herself as Drew's wedding date. What starts off as a non-committal, one-time date turns into an adorable love story.
   I'm still figuring out how to rate romance novels. My brain tries to place them on the same level as other genres, and that isn't fair. 
3. The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines ⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Adorable story of how the Lord directed in the Gaines' life long before they starred on HGTV's Fixer Upper. 
4. Steel Magnolias (play) by Robert Harling ⭐⭐⭐⭐
   I am honored to portray Annelle Dupuy-DeSoto in a production of this play next month at a local community theatre.
5. The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   This is the first of Hannah's novels that I have read, but I will certainly be picking up more.
   The Allbrights adventure to Alaska with hope for a brighter future. Instead, they learn survival from nature and themselves during the long winter. 
6. Fallen by Lauren Kate ⭐⭐⭐
   A little contrived, but a great novel about reincarnation, love, and fallen angels.
7. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
   Ironically, probably my favorite romance novel to date. Don Tillman is a geneticist in search of a wife, and he has the 16-page survey to prove it. Enter Rosie, the antithesis of Don's Wife Project, but with an intriguing Project of her own. 

In Progress

1. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher ⭐⭐⭐
   Fisher is certainly a skilled poet and witty personality. Couple that with her involvement in Star Wars and her personal diary kept during the filming of the original trilogy: a great premise for an autobiography. But, while I found the writing compelling and read 90% of the novel in about 3 hours, overall I found myself feeling sorry for Carrie and the life she didn't want. The book left me with an overwhelming sense of pity that Carrie never found herself. 
2. The Hazel Wood
   I started this modern fairy tale at the end of the month. The thing that interests me the most about it is what many reviewers complain about: the dark tone. I do see some of the negativity towards Alice's character, but so far I have not seen enough to agree that she treats Finch abominably.

Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover

You know that old saying, "don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, it's true.

Yes, there are beautiful covers out there--and there are ugly ones. While you and I may be drawn to particular book because of its cover, that should not be the sole reason to read the book. I know, I hear you gasping. "But," you say, "some of my now-favorite books I only picked up because of the cover." Congratulations. Truly, we don't--or shouldn't--select friends solely on face value, so why do we choose books that way?

I'm going to rant for a minute, and, because this is my blog, I can. You are welcome to share your thoughts below, but please, as you read on, understand that it is not my intention to belittle anyone. I just want you to think a minute about why you select a book.

A few weeks ago, upon completing Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows, I logged into GoodReads to upload my review. {I absolutely loved the first installment of the Forbidden Isles series, but I'll post about that later.} After selecting my rating and uploading a brief review, I scrolled through a few pages of reviews. Unlike many readers, I like to read the negative/low reviews. We all have our own reasons for down-voting a text: theme isn't my taste, don't connect with the characters, confused by the plot, no explanation for just not liking it. For me, these reviews show the beauty of literature and of life: we don't all like the same things. And that is completely okay.

One review stood out to me. No, I will not link to the review or give you the name. As I said, I mean to offend no one, but even a few weeks later, I can't get what I feel off my mind. So, I'm blogging.

* * * * * * * * *

I must warn you, this blog will contain some spoilers to Before She Ignites. If you have not read the book yet (and you should), consider reading my thoughts after you complete the story.

* * * * * * * * * *

I loved this verse for this book. Mira really does
 "test everything" and "hold(s) fast to what is good".
She isn't blinded by the lies she has been taught.
She seeks Truth and defends the helpless, regardless of the cost.

Before I go further, take a look at the cover of Before She Ignites. Beautiful, isn't it? A strong, confident woman stands in the midst of a beautiful, dark forest subtly lit by silver and gold moons. The title, blazoned in gold, ends with a dragon-like tail circling the woman's legs. If I saw this book on the shelf, I would definitely be convinced that I want to read that!

After reading the novel, I found the cover even more fitting: the woman looked as I imagined Mira would and it showed her love and protection of dragons in a subtle way. What I loved about the cover, is also what drew the other reviewer to the text.

She too read it. And slaughtered the book for one reason: the woman on the front represented a confident, [Black] woman, yet the book told of great torture that Mira faced at the hands of a [Black] man. The review preceded to fault and tear apart Meadow's book because of the treatment of Black women in it.

I must politely challenge this review. There are several ways that I believe the reviewer's premise is faulty

First, the author never claims that Mira Minkoba the Hopebringer is Black. Not at first, not at all. In fact, Mira describes herself on the second page of the novel:

Mother had sent me upstairs to don a coral-colored dress, with thin straps that left my shoulders bare to the summer sun; already my skin prickled and warmed into a deeper shade of brown. My maid had unpinned my hair so that it fell in long, loose waves, then crowned me with a wreath of lala flowers that Mother said reminded everyone of my youth and innocence. The effort to straighten my hair was wasted, though; humidity was already bringing the curls back to life.

 Did you catch that? Mira described her skin as a deep[er] shade of brown. There many cultures that could claim this exact thing: Africans, African Americans, American Indians, those from the Middle East, Spain, Mexico, Italy--all have skin tones that could fit within the the description "shade of brown".

Second, all of the characters described in the book are variants of the description Mira gave herself. Throughout the book, she references the different skin tones, but they are all shades of brown. This made sense to me as all the characters came from the same geographic area: the Forbidden Isles. Truly, descriptions of the characters would not have changed much if Meadows had said Mira's skin was a deep shade of purple, blue, or green. And, for the record, Mira's nemesis, Altan is described as golden-brown while Aaru is a lighter brown.

Third, there is fault in the retelling of Mira's torture. The reviewer was passionate about her hatred for the book because "a Black man is beating a Black woman". But this description eliminates too many facts to be true. Mira is NOT the only prisoner, nor is she the only one who receives torturous treatment. It is well-known that those on the first block do not have the privileges of others and some of the other prisoners have been on the block a long time. This story is told only from Mira's perspective, so we do not have enough information to know that she is the only one who has ever been treated this way. Altan does single Mira out, but not because he is a man who wants to beat a woman. She has information about dragons that he is desperate to have. I believe Altan would have used the same tactics on anyone with the information Mira held, regardless of gender.

Finally, and this is the big one for me, there is fault in making too many correlations between reality and fiction. Books do take us to worlds we can't travel to, but we must remember to leave our world behind in the process. Before She Ignites is not set in our world; Meadows created a truly beautiful fantasy realm which includes Mira's home, the Forbidden Isles. The religion, lore, and racial bias of that book is unique to itself and we are doing a disservice to the novel by bringing the religion, lore, or biases of our world into it. Altan's treatment of Mira is not exalted, Mira's strength is the focus. Were we to write this novel to please that one reviewer, we would lose the crux of the story: Mira's tragedy is what reveals her greatest strength. 

The racial bias that is rampant in our country--and across the globe--is disgusting. Mistreating or disrespecting another individual simply because they don't look, believe, or live like you is irrational and inhumane. Please, don't consider this review as an advocation for prejudice. We are all human, therefore we ought to seek to help and benefit everyone around us. 

I truly enjoyed reading both Before She Ignites and the review. Yes, that review. Why? Because it made me think about how I perceive others and literature. I do believe all literature teaches us about life, but I think we must also be careful not to force a message into a text to fit personal assumptions. 

And let me tell you, that's hard. I'm a Christian and and English teacher: I see Jesus and symbolism everywhere. 

Next time you pick up a book, don't just judge it by its cover. Do me a favor and read the synopsis inside. That's where you really know if you will love the soul the book has to offer from cover to cover. 

Silent Servitude

Dystopias are the literary version of Charles Dickens's Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. They give us a glimpse at what might be, should we not fight for what is.

I have always been attracted to dystopias: they offer a lesson for us to learn, a future to prevent. These negative versions of society challenge us to rise up and act in areas where we are tempted to sit idly by thinking, "Surely that won't happen to me." Each dystopian author presents readers with a lesson to learn. In Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 mankind must take care how government can use technology to limit intelligence. The Giver challenges us to remember the past in order to build a more vibrant future.

The Handmaid's Tale gives voice to the silent, demanding we fight for our future in the midst of a troubling present by remembering the blessings of the past.

Atwood presents a society where women are servile to men. Nuclear war has scarred the earth: harming reproduction of vegetation, livestock . . . and humans. Due to the low reproductive rate of humanity, the Republic of Gilead gains control and forces women into servile positions reminiscent of Biblical times. Poor women or those who have had "indiscretions" in the past are given four options: forced sterility and service as whores; Marthas who function as household servants; Handmaidens, whose sole purpose is to become impregnated by whatever Commander  has interred their service; or choose banishment to serve a short life in the radioactive wasteland. Sterile women or those outside of childbearing years only have three options, while those healthy and under the age of thirty-five may choose to be handmaidens.

The later is the choice of the nameless protagonist of The Handmaid's Tale.

"We yearned for the future" (3).

The novel is a splintered tale of the handmaiden's present with abrupt glimpses into her past and "the time before" the Republic of Gilead seized power. Throughout the novel, the handmaiden shares her struggle in accepting the role society needs her to play and her desire for the freedoms of her past.

I was unexpectedly drawn into Atwood's tale. While the pace of flashbacks took some time to get used to, I appreciated the style of the novel: as if the handmaid were telling me the tale in person, with asides to the memories of her past. I also appreciated that, while sexual interactions were necessary to the plot, Atwood did not give more detail than needed. The base descriptions of the interaction between Commander, Wife, and Handmaiden added to the struggle the handmaiden was having within herself.

There were two items of the story that seemed unnecessary or took up too much space: the handmaiden's search for a friend she met at the beginning of her capture and a club scene between her and the Commander. Truly, I felt these could have been left out entirely, although the latter scene was somewhat justified in the epilogue.

Oh, the epilogue. Whatever you do, don't skip over the epilogue of this book. A brilliant addition to the story---which I won't ruin. Just make sure you read this one from cover (author introduction) to cover (epilogue).

Rating: 4/5 stars
As I said, it took some time for me to get into the style and pace of Atwood's writing and there were a few scenes that seemed unnecessary. Besides that, The Handmaid's Tale is a truly wonderful dystopia, creating a believable alternate future and presenting the reader with a powerful lesson.

The Republic of Gilead

Have you ever been assigned a book, and, purely because it was assigned, found you had a growing disdain for the title without doing a moment of research?

Have you ever heard someone else's opinion on a novel and found yourself immediately turned off from reading it?

Both of these were reasons I avoided picking up Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Add to that my caution about any book turned to movie/tv show and you found the book I avoided like the plague.

So, what were my major concerns before reading the book?

• Representation of Religion
  One of my peers who chose to read the novel during our graduate course said that Atwood's book confirmed his/her hatred and abandonment of Christianity specifically and of religion in general. As a follower of Christ, I was concerned that this book was not a proper representation of Christianity, but I wasn't courageous enough to read the book and have that conversation at the time.
• Feminism
  Because I chose another book for the grad course, I could only view the novel through the eyes of those who did read it, and the response was overwhelmingly feminist. Now, I am an advocate for women, but I do believe much of the feminist movement has gotten out of control, focusing on only the negative and not on how men and women work together to create our world. 

 What drew me to the book?

Honestly? I caved to peer pressure. I recently joined the PageHabit team and started a "bookstagram" and The Handmaid's Tale kept popping up. I realized that I could not justifiably disregard the book until I had at least attempted to read it. Plus, I purchased it for $1.50.

Have I sold you yet? I know this sounds skeptical, but bear with me and keep reading.

The Introduction

The Handmaid's Tale, though it has recently gained national attention via a Netflix show based on Atwood's book, is not a new publication. Atwood began writing the dystopia in 1984 and it was originally published two years later. In 2017, with the production of the Netflix show underway, Atwood added an introduction to the novel. The teacher in me never skips the introduction and I was please to find that the author addressed the concerns I listed above. 

First, she addressed the topic of feminism:

"...is The Handmaid's Tale a "feminist" novel? If you mean an ideological tract in which all women are angels and/or so victimized they are incapable of moral choice, no. If you mean a novel in which women are human beings--with all the variety of character and behavior that implies--and are also interesting and important, and what happens to them is crucial to the them, structure, and plot of the book, then yes. In that sense many books are "feminist" (xvi).

 Here Atwood so poignantly addresses that fact that any book which presents women as fallible human beings is presenting women in a favorable, realistic light. Many novels have female characters that are crucial to the story who face incredible situations, yet never stop fighting for their individuality and freedom.

Second, she addressed the topic of religion:

"Is The Handmaid's Tale anti-religion? Again, it depends on what you mean by that. True, a group of authoritarian men seize control and attempt to restore an extreme version of the patriarchy, in which women (like nineteenth-century American slaves) are forbidden to read. . . . they can't control money or have jobs outside the home, unlike some women in the Bible. The regime uses Biblical symbols, as any authoritarian regime taking over America doubtless would, they wouldn't be Communists or Muslims" (xvii). 

This is the paragraph that actually opened my eyes and encouraged me to read the book with an open mind. Notice some of her words: "an extreme version of the patriarchy", "unlike some women in the Bible", and "uses some Biblical symbols".

Every good dystopia is built upon making a minor thing--which is often innocent or useful--an extreme problem. In the Hunger Games the world is divided into industries, in Divergent it is character traits, The Giver takes away memories to wipe away fear (and happiness). Atwood creates her dystopia by taking principals and traditions of Christianity and seeing how they could be used to create an adverse, authoritarian society.

Note secondly, that Atwood addresses how this world treats women differently than women in the Bible. Many women in the Bible held positions of power and respect. The Proverbs 31 woman is a well-rounded, independent woman. While she does perform many of the tasks that are mandated for the Marthas and Handmaids in The Handmaid's Tale, we also see that she oversees her household (verse 15) and purchases land (verse 16) and that through the characteristics described from verses 10-31, she earns her husband's honor and trust. The men of Gilead have no respect for women, and the women thereby have little respect for themselves and those around them.

Finally, Atwood points out that the authoritarian government she created uses Biblical symbols.
I won't ramble much longer as this ties to the last point. Unfortunately, many people--religious and non-religious--have used symbols, stories, and principles found in Scripture to advocate for causes that, I believe, are completely in opposition with the Bible. Did Jacob have two wives? Yes. Did Rachel give her handmaid to Jacob to provide children in her name? Yes. Does that mean God condones such actions. Absolutely not.

As you can see, I had quite a bit on my mind as I opened the cover of The Handmaid's Tale, but that didn't prevent me from reading the dystopia from cover to cover.

Fel's Manteca Colora (almost)

Now Fel stood in the Nomeolvides kitchen, melting down manteca, dyeing it red with paprika and chili powder. He tore green herbs into pieces, letting them fall into the bright sauce.

. . . He sliced day-old bread and spread it over a metal sheet. He brushed it with olive oil and garlic cloves and left it in the oven until the edges browned.

As he swirled the spoon through the wide copper pot, this family and this kitchen felt so much like his that he didn't worry about the paprika staining the wooden spoon. He stirred in bay and oregano leaves, and they sank into the manteca colora. The stems gave off a low, bitter smell that made him remember the gold and orange of fall leaves. (Wild Beauty, 108-109) 

Let me begin by stating, I know this recipe is wrong. But, I'm also okay with that because from what I can tell, manteca colora is a family-by-family recipe. Even Fel and Estralla disagree on what exactly the meal consists of.

Last night, I invited a friend over to help me make Fel's version of manteca colora, as described in the quotation above. I also searched online to find a similar recipe, and found this definition:

Manteca colora (Andalusian for "red lard") is a food item prepared by adding spices (usually bay leaf and oregano) and paprika--which is what gives the dish its characteristic orange color--to lard, which is then cooked with minced or finely shopped pieces of pork. (wikipedia)

McLemore mentions that Fel pulls out day old bread, manteca, and meat, so we started there.

Day Old Bread: I must admit, I do not keep day old bread in my house, so . . . I faked it. I toasted two slices of bread then, as described above, my friend set it on a pan, brushed it with olive oil, and sprinkled on a little garlic salt. The bread was placed in the oven at 200F for about six minutes.

Manteca: I'm supremely embarrassed to tell you thatnothing. So, all I can tell you is I used a bunch of butter--probably close to two sticks or one cup. What I should have done: combine the butter/fat and spices (I used cumin, oregano, and paprika, totally overlooked the chili) in a bowl and melt in microwave or stove. Hey, I'm sure Fel would have used a microwave if he had one.
my dish was missing the main ingredient, lard. I don't keep that on hand (don't judge me, I'm a newlywed who has only just started to cook). What do I have in my kitchen to substitute? Butter. I wanted to be true to the story, so I measured

Meat: Traditional menteca colora recipes use pork, but the meat I had on hand was canned chicken. I had a total brain fart and threw everything into one bowl before melting the butter/spices. Next time, I'll follow the directions I listed above. Shred the meat and add to the manteca mixture.

Spanish rice and Manteca Colora.
Notice: mine is not a rich red color.
I believe adding chili will help with
that in the future. 

From here, I know what I made was wrong. Next time, I will let the meat simmer in the manteca to ensure it thickens a little. As Fel did, I served mine warm: a foundation of toast with the manteca colora spooned on the top. My friend and I felt something was missing, so we added cheese. As I read more about the dish, I realized it is generally served at breakfast, so I drizzled honey over mine (so incredibly amazing), but my friend chose to go without.

There you go! My failed attempt at Fel's Manteca Colora as described in Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore.

Fel spooned the manteca colora over the bread, softening the edges. He served the Nomeolvides women, grandmothers and mothers and daughters, hoping they would speak, talk to one another about anything, knowing they wouldn't He sat down with them, and they ate. The paprika's spice slid over their tongues, the herbs coming up through the red enough that they still tasted green and alive. (Wild Beauty, 110)