Read Aloud: Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever

This is the version of Mother Goose rhymes that I grew up with, so when I saw it in a bookstore I had to get it. I recently read it to my daughter. It's almost 100 pages so I was going to break it up into a couple of readings, but she sat with me through the entire thing. She liked that the characters were animals that she could identify. For me it was a bit of nostalgia along with the pleasure of sharing classic nursery rhymes with my daughter.

Review: Great Expectations

I finished reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I feel more relief than anything. I took longer to read this book than any other--even longer than it took me to read Moby-Dick, which I read over two summers while I was an English major. I just can't get through the heavy reading like I used to. If I have something else, I always turn to the lighter read instead of Dickens. I finally finished it by putting the book next to the toilet and reading a few paragraphs at a time while I went to the bathroom or while my daughter played in the bath.

I know people who love Dickens. But it's just not me. I can appreciate his work, but I never really enjoy it. I have another unread Dickens on the shelf, but I think it will take me a long time to pick another one up. I have dozens of other TBR books waiting for me. We're going camping this week and I'm definitely choosing something lighter to read while we're gone.

Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith is one of those classics that I've always meant to read but never got around to. And I enjoyed it even more than I expected to.

It's about a young girl growing up in poverty in Brooklyn in the early 20th century. Though it's a work of fiction, it has enough similarities to the author's own childhood that there is no doubt she knows what she's talking about. It's what I would call true fiction.

The heroine, Francie Nolan, is engaging and interesting and it is easy to feel for her, though she rarely feels sorry for herself. One of the things that impressed me the most about this book is the compassion that the author had for just about every character. None of them were demonized--not the alcoholic father or the unaffectionate mother. She knew that people were weak, but she seemed to understand why and had sympathy for them. The only overt criticism of a character in the book is of the rich when they are demonstrative of how giving they are to the poor. Why can't they just give without pointing out how rich they are and how poor we are? Francie wonders. And I can't blame her.

If you haven't read this book, then go and read it now. My only regret is that whatever I read next is likely to pale in comparison. I had better pick something completely different.


from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

"Laurie's going to have a mighty easy life all right."

"She'll never have the hard times we had, will she?"

"No. And she'll never have the fun we had, either."

"Gosh! We did have fun, didn't we Neeley?"

"Yeah!"

"Poor Laurie," said Francie pityingly.

Read Aloud: Beatrix Potter Collection

For her first birthday, my mother gave my daughter a collection of Beatrix Potter books. They're the small, illustrated books and sit on her highest shelf.

Today I finished reading them aloud to my daughter. Sometimes she played and ignored me, but sometimes she sat with me and looked at the pictures. Her favorites were the "bunnies."

Previously I had only read the most popular Beatrix Potter books like Peter Rabbit. The stories are sweet or funny, and the illustrations, of course, are classic. There were many words that young children today wouldn't recognize (at least American children)--usually clothes or household items that were common in Beatrix Potter's day.

I enjoyed getting to know these beautifully illustrated children's books and love that my mother gave my daughter a good start to her collection of classics.

Review: Birth Matters

In my quest to better inform myself about birth choices during my second pregnancy, I could not pass up the newly published Birth Matters: A Midwife's Manifesta by Ina May Gaskin--the midwife of all midwives in the U.S.

Gaskin is obviously a very experienced, intelligent, and educated woman. Though I already knew some of the information she provided, this book gave greater detail of the history of obstetrical care in the United States, focused on advocating women's health and informed choice in areas besides pregnancy and labor, and presented ideas for improving the maternity care system in our country (which is far behind most other developed countries).

This book is a little more difficult a read than Your Best Birth. But it may be more important. Your Best Birth is targeted to pregnant women. Birth Matters should also be read by maternity care providers and has valuable information for any women's advocate.

Review: Becoming Jane Eyre

Becoming Jane Eyre by Sheila Kohler is a work of fiction imagining the writing life of Charlotte Bronte. The writing was good and I enjoyed the story, though it made me wish I knew more of the facts to be able to separate fact from fiction better.

The only downside I see to this novel (and this may be my editor/publisher education talking) is that there is a limited audience for such books. Apparently it was Sheila Kohler's tenth novel and she's won a bunch of awards, so she was probably a pretty sure bet though.

I suppose you could read this book without first having read Jane Eyre, but you would certainly be missing out even if you weren't confused. It also helps to have read Wuthering Heights. And I felt guilty for never having read anything written by Anne Bronte (has anyone read anything of hers? any recommendations?). But the good thing is that it made me want to reread those books again.

If you like historical fiction and like any of the Bronte sisters, then you'll enjoy this book.