LONDON — Erich Segal, the Ivy League professor who attained mainstream fame and made millions sob as writer of the novel and movie Love Story, has died of a heart attack, his daughter said Tuesday. He was 72. More . . .
I haven’t thought about Love Story in ages, but I was one of those weepy teens back in the 70’s who came, saw, and cried. I have enjoyed seeing a much older (wiser?) Ryan O’Neal on the TV series Bones.
Edgar Allan Poe, b. 1809.
Semicolon’s Favorite Poets: Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe: Annabel Lee.
Edgar Allan Poe: Tintinnabulation.
Quoth the Raven.
Tricia reviews Nevermore: A Photobiography of Edgar Allan Poe by Karen Lange.
In which I am stripped of my romantic illusions about the poem Annabel Lee by Someone Who Knows (at Wittingshire).
The Edgar Allan Poe Calendar, a blog celebrating the life and work of Edgar Allan Poe.
I think I like John Astin’s rendition better, but Mr. Jones is not bad.
“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti. People might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French, uh, you know, Napoleon the third and whatever . . . and they got together and swore a pact to the Devil. They said, ‘We will serve you, if you get us free from the Prince.’ True story. And so the Devil said, ‘Okay, it’s a deal.’ . . . Ever since they have been cursed.” ~Pat Robertson
O.K. I think Pat was wrong about his story and wrong about the way God works. God doesn’t curse a whole country with an earthquake or any other disaster because some evil people got together and did a little voodoo ceremony, if they ever did.
However, I listened to the clip, and Mr. Robertson is obviously concerned for the suffering of the people of Haiti, asking people here to pray and to donate money for relief. Even though his theology and his history are both a bit (a lot?) wonky, he doesn’t deserve the lambasting he’s received from some quarters. See this blog post by David Sessions.
Gene Veith on what really happened with Haiti and Napoleon and why we owe Haiti.
Al Mohler: “Does God hate Haiti? God hates sin, and will punish both individual sinners and nations. But that means that every individual and every nation will be found guilty when measured by the standard of God’s perfect righteousness. God does hate sin, but if God merely hated Haiti, there would be no missionaries there; there would be no aid streaming to the nation; there would be no rescue efforts — there would be no hope. . . . In the midst of this unspeakable tragedy, Christ would have us rush to aid the suffering people of Haiti, and rush to tell the Haitian people of his love, his cross, and salvation in his name alone.”
Google reconsiders China: We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.
I don’t know what they mean by finding a basis for cooperation with the Chinese government, but it’s about time Google refused to be stooges for the censors in China.
Newbery Medal
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. Semicolon review here.
Newbery Honor Books:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. Semicolon review here.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick.
Caldecott Medal
The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.
Caldecott Honor Books:
All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon. Illustrated by Marla Frazee.
Red Sings from Treetops by Joyce SIdman. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski.
Sibert Medal
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.
Sibert Honor Books:
The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton. Semicolon review here.
Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 by Brian Floca.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
Printz
Going Bovine by Libba Bray. My thoughts, mostly negative.
Printz Honor Books:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman.
The Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey.
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp.
Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance 1973 by John Barnes.
My two favorites, Anything But Typical and Marcelo in the Real World won the Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. Too bad, but better than nothing, I guess.
Alan Alexander Milne, b. 1882
The Most Important Book I Read in College and other Milne links.
Favorite Pooh quotes.
Did you know that Milne wrote a parody of Conan Doyle and of Pope called “The Rape of the Sherlock”?
His first book was called Lovers in London, a collection of sketches about a young Englishman and his American sweetheart. Doesn’t that sound sweet? Milne was ashamed of the book and said that he hoped it never came back into print.
He wrote plays and was a good friend of J.M. Barrie, also a playwright.
Dorothy Parker wrote a very critical review of The House at Pooh Corner to which Milne responded that he didn’t write it for Dorothy Parker but rather for the children who loved Pooh. ” . . . no writer of children’s books says gaily to his publisher, ‘Don’t bother about the children, Mrs Parker will love it.'”
Quotes:
Ideas may drift into other minds, but they do not drift my way. I have to go and fetch them. I know no work manual or mental to equal the appalling heart-breaking anguish of fetching an idea from nowhere. (Autobiography, 225)
When I am gone
Let Shepard decorate my tomb
And put (if there is room)
Two pictures on the stone:
Piglet, from page a hundred and eleven
And Pooh and Piglet walking (157)…
And Peter, thinking that they are my own,
Will welcome me to heaven.
Adventures in Life: “Hymns were rising up all around us by groups of people singing praises in the streets, calming themselves with their faith, relying on spiritual strength to hold them up. It did not cover up the wailing. The sirens.”
The Livesay (Haiti) Weblog: “The Haitians say, “kenbe fem” or hold/stand firm. Our prayers in the days ahead are for exactly that. And for those coming to their aid – that they will be able to do the same.”
There Is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town: “Please, please pray. Things are worse than anyone can imagine. Our whole family is fine and our house and school are standing and apparently undamaged. 14 others at our house.”
Ellen in Haiti: “There needs to be a massive aid effort to restore order (I saw random incidents of mass hysteria), feed people, and get clean water to the population. Large refugee camps need to be set up throughout the city and it will be important to have security forces that can restore order, especially as time goes on. There also needs to be a huge effort to evacuate people who were injured by falling debris and concrete.”
Real Hope for Haiti Rescue Center blog.
The Apparent Project: “Haitians pray with hands waving and eyes open, much like the early church “orant” posture for prayer. The hills and streets were alive with waving hands, and above the wailing and weeping, we could hear many people saying “Meci Jezi, Meci Senye” (Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord).”
Buxman Haiti: “Shock can carry you a long way – you feel numb and just function. I keep waking every morning hoping it was just a bad dream. I have a home, water, food.”
Life and Times of the Mangine Many: “Everyone here mourns. The Bible says, “Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted.” I ultimately trust God and believe his word is truth… but man, right now– there just is no comfort to be found… everyone has lost someone. There is no one here to be the comforters.”
Rollings in Haiti: “The reality is that no one has any answers right now about anything. We don’t know what food supplies will be like in two weeks or even a month. We don’t know how much fuel will be available. Nobody knows much of anything right now.”
Cry Haiti: “Haiti is a country in which so many people had nothing, and yet now, these people have lost everything. The Haitian staff tell me that schools, universities and workplaces have been obliterated. The government buildings have all been damaged or completely destroyed. None of the government ministers can be located. When all is said and done, there will be no return to normal in Haiti.”
I’ve been trying to get a book club going, both online and in person, for a couple of years now. Last year I got people committed and chose books for each month, and then stuff happened. January and February went fairly well, and then March got crazy, and in April my dad died. Then sometime in May or June I lost all of the information on my computer, and when I got it back, it didn’t include the email addresses and the list of book club participants. And things went downhill from there.
However, although I may not be consistent, I am persistent. So I’m ready to start over again. If you would like to participate in the Semicolon Book Club, here are the possibilities for 2010. We’ll be discussing the books here at the blog Semicolon on the dates indicated. We also may meet at my house for tea and discussion, if I get any takers who live here in Houston. If you want to read with us, email me (sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom) with your choices for books in the months that have more than one book listed. I’ll tabulate the votes, and get back to you with the final list based on what people choose.
Then, on the dates indicated, I’ll have a post (with Linky) where you can leave comments and links to your thoughts, and where you can read what I have to say about the book of the month. I’m looking forward to it.
January: Nonfictional inspirational
Discussion date: Saturday, January 30, 2010
Esther by Chuck Swindoll. Everyone loves a transforming story. Rags to riches. Plain to beautiful. Weak to strong. Esther’s story is that, and much more. It is a thought-provoking study of God’s invisible hand, writing silently across the pages of human history. Perhaps most of all, it is an account of a godly woman with the courage, wisdom, and strength to block an evil plot, overthrow an arrogant killer, and replace tragedy with joy in thousands of Jewish homes. Through Esther’s courageous struggle to help her people, Swindoll explains the power of divine providence in volume 2 of the best-selling “Great Lives” series. (Publisher’s blurb)
February: Christian classic novels
Discussion date: February 27, 2010
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. Graham Greene explores corruption and atonement through a priest and the people he encounters. In the 1930s one Mexican state has outlawed the Church, naming it a source of greed and debauchery. The priests have been rounded up and shot by firing squad–save one, the whisky priest. On the run, and in a blur of alcohol and fear, this outlaw meets a dentist, a banana farmer, and a village woman he knew six years earlier. Always, an adamant lieutenant is only a few hours behind, determined to liberate his country from the evils of the church.
OR
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. This tale of two princesses – one beautiful and one unattractive – and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.
March: Biography/History
Discussion date: March 27, 2010
Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough. A biography of Teddy Roosevelt.
OR
The Raven by Marquis James. A biography of Sam Houston.
OR
Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen.
April: Poetry Month
All poems are about God, love or depression. ~Susan Wise Bauer in The Well-Educated Mind.
Discussion date: May 1, 2010
Paradise Lost by John Milton. “Recommended edition: The Signet Classic paperback, Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained, edited by Christopher Ricks. (New York: Signet Books, 1968, $7.95) This edition has explanatory footnotes at the bottom of each page. These are extremely helpful since Milton uses archaic expressions and hundreds of obscure classical references.†(SWB, The Well-Trained Mind) Paradise Lost is Milton’s retelling of the story in Genesis 1-3 of the Creation and the Fall.
(We were supposed to read this poem in 2009, but I didn’t do it. This year I am determined.)
May: YA or Children’s award winner
Discussion date: May 29, 2010
Wait and see what books win the Newbery and Printz awards and honor books this year. Announcement is January 18th.
June: Chunky Classics
Discussion date: June 26, 2010
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. “The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe of York, Mariner: Who lived Eight and Twenty Years, all alone in an un-inhabited Island on the coast of America, near the Mouth of the Great River of Oroonoque; Having been cast on Shore by Shipwreck, where-in all the Men perished but himself. With An Account how he was at last as strangely deliver’d by Pyrates. Written by Himself.â€
OR
The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo. Though he was gentle and kind, it was Quasimodo’s crime to have been born hideously deformed. But one day his heart would prove to be a thing of rare beauty. His inspiration was Esmerelda. The victim of a coward’s jealous rage, she is unjustly convicted of a crime she didn’t commit. Her sentence is death by hanging. Only one man can save her–Quasimodo.
July: Just for Fun and Adventure
Discussion date: July 31, 2010
Goodbye Mr. Chips by James Hilton. The novel tells the story of a schoolteacher and his long tenure at Brookfield, a fictional boys’ public boarding school. Mr. Chipping eventually conquers his inability to connect with his students, as well as his initial shyness and becomes an inspirational and much-beloved teacher.
OR
Miss Buncle’s Book by D. E. Stevenson. Barbara Buncle, a spinster in her mid 30s lives in the small and close-knit English village of Silverstream. Finding herself in need of a new source of income, Miss Buncle, passes over the idea of raising chickens or taking in borders and instead writes a novel.
August: Shakespeare play
Discussion date: August 28, 2010
Twelfth Night. (comedy) To be performed at Shakespeare at Winedale in August 2010.
OR
Hamlet (tragedy that we were supposed to read in 2009, but didn’t)
September: Prize winning adult novels
Discussion date: October 2, 2010
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Lyman Ward, a retired history professor and writer, returns to his grandparent’s home in Grass Valley, California – wheelchair bound and facing a progressive, crippling bone disease. His intent is to research his grandmother’s life through the news clippings and letters of her past. To write her story, Ward must fill in gaps, imagine conversations, and uncover the truths which lie hidden in Susan Burling Ward’s history. During this one hot, dry summer in a quest to know his grandmother, he will discover the meaning beneath the shadows of his own life.
OR
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. The book is told in stream of consciousness writing style by 15 different narrators in 59 chapters. It is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her family’s quest—noble or selfish—to honor her wish to be buried in the town of Jefferson.
October: Love to Laugh
Discussion date: October 30, 2010
Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. Scoop is a comedy of England’s newspaper business of the 1930s and the story of William Boot, a innocent hick from the country who writes careful essays about the habits of the badger. Through a series of accidents and mistaken identity, Boot is hired as a war correspondent for a Fleet Street newspaper. The uncomprehending Boot is sent to the fictional African country of Ishmaelia to cover an expected revolution. Although he has no idea what he is doing and he can’t understand the incomprehensible telegrams from his London editors, Boot eventually gets the big story.
(Supposed to have been read in October 2009)
November: Love to Think
Discussion date: November 27, 2010
Home Economics by Wendell Berry – A warning against the biases of free market capitalism and an exhortation to home economy.
OR
The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why by Phyllis Tickle. “’The Great Emergence’ refers to a monumental phenomenon in our world, and this book asks three questions about it. Or looked at the other way around, this book is about a monumental phenomenon considered from the perspective of three very basic questions: What is this thing? How did it come to be? Where is it going?â€
OR
Mudhouse Sabbath by Lauren Winner. Winner, who wrote about her conversion to Christianity in 2002’s acclaimed memoir Girl Meets God, draws on the Orthodox Jewish rituals that shaped her young adult life to rediscover the richness of those customs in her life as a Christian today. Through her personal reflections on 11 spiritual practices, including keeping the Sabbath, prayer, fasting and candle-lighting, Winner illuminates the profound cultural and religious significance of each practice within the Jewish community and modifies those practices to enrich the lives of Christians
The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork, coming March 1, 2010 from Arthur A. Levine Books. Brought to my attention by Mitali at Mitali’s Fire Escape.
The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths. Recommended by Caite. A mystery, first in a series, set in England, sounds sort of P.D.James-ian. I’m in.
The Ever-Breath by Julianna Baggott. Recommended by Melissa of the Bonny Glen.
Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks by John Curran. Reviewed by Fleurfisher. Due to be published in February, 2010.
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones by Alexander McCall Smith. Publication date: January 12, 2010. I generally like anything Mr. McCall Smith writes.
The Book of Fires by Jane Borodale. This debut novel just looks interesting: mid-eighteenth century London, a fireworks factory, a hidden and illegitimate pregnancy, comparisons to Jane Eyre and A Year of Wonders.
Tea with Hezbollah: Sitting at the Enemies Table Our Journey Through the Middle East by Ted Dekker and Carl Medearis. Publication date: January 26, 2010. Sounds fascinating. “Through powerful narrative Tea With Hezbollah will draw the West into a completely fresh understanding of those we call our enemies and the teaching that dares us to love them. A must read for all who see the looming threat rising in the Middle East.”
Heist Society by Ally Carter. Publication date: February 9, 2010. Katarina Bishop is an ex-con artist from a family of thieves, pulled back into a life of crime by the need to protect her father. This book is the first in a new series by the author of the Gallagher Girls books.
Keeping the Feast by Paula Butterini. Publication date: February 18, 2010. A memoir set in modern-day Europe about a couple of journalists who marry and then have to deal with injury and loss.
The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade by Susan Wise Bauer. Publication date: February 22, 2010. I probably won’t read this one straight through, but rather I’ll enjoying browsing and reading bits and pieces and using it as a reference book. However, it’s one that I am looking forward to in particular.
Epitaph Road by David Patneaude (Egmont, March 2010). Summary from ARC: In 2067, an airborne virus wiped out 97 percent of the male population. Thirty years later, women rule the world and have ushered in a new golden age on Earth. Poverty, crime, war, and hunger have all disappeared. Growing up in this utopia, fourteen-year-old Kellen Dent feels isolated as one of the few males alive. When a rumored outbreak of the virus threatens Kellen’s outcast father, he knows that he must warn him of the coming danger. During his desperate race to find his dad, Kellen uncovers a secret so frightening that his life and the future of the world will never be the same. Found at the blog of Abby the Librarian.
This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel by Elizabeth George. Publication date: April 20, 2010.
The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith. Publication date: April 20, 2010.
Clementine, Friend of the Week by Sara Pennypacker. Publication date: July 27, 2010.
The as-yet-untitled third book in the Hunger Games series (available August 24, 2010).
They Never Came Back by Caroline B. Cooney. Recommended by Jen Robinson.
I’ve found these hither and thither as I’ve been reading blogs. Thanks to those who have recommended these my TBR list is even longer than it was before.
I read more than 77 of the titles nominated for the 2009 Cybils Middle Grade Fiction Award, so I’m qualified to at least have an opinion on the best of the best. This post will be my last attempt to sum up the Cybils experience for 2009. I enjoyed reading and evaluating and sharing the books immensely, and I’m already looking forward to reading the books, children’s, young adult, and adult, of 2010.
First, the Semicolon Kid Awards
Karate Kid (age 12) read 10 of the titles nominated.
Karate Kid Award: Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti.
What Karate Kid Read.
Betsy-Bee (age 10) read 5 of the titles nominated.
Betsy-Bee Award: Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. Betsy-Bee’s thoughts on Love, Aubrey.
What Betsy-Bee Read.
My awards:
Best Cover: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. I love the silhouette of Calpurnia. Semicolon review here.
Best Humor: Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti.
Best Tragedy: The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman. Semicolon review here.
Best Mystery: Ice Shock by M.G. Harris. Semicolon review here.
Best Sequel: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look.
Best Sports Fiction: The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz or The GIrl Who Threw Butterflies by Mich Cochrane. Semicolon review here.
Best Historical Fiction: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick and Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown. Semicolon review here.
Best for Girls: Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone: The Entomological Tales of Augustus T. Percival by Dene Low (Semicolon review here) OR Born to Fly by Michael Ferrari. Semicolon review here.
Best for Boys: Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta OR Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look.
Going Green Award for the Best in Environmental Fiction: My Life in Pink and Green by Lisa Greenwald. Semicolon review here.
Best Treatment of Christian Themes: Heart of a Shepherd by Roseanne Parry. Semicolon review here.
Best Book Set in a Foreign Land (not U.S.): Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan. Semicolon review here.
Best Fun Food Fiction: Dessert First by Hallie Durand. Semicolon review here.
Semicolon’ 12 Best Middle Grade Fiction Books of 2009 Plus Newbery Predictions
Anything But Typical by Nora Leigh Baskin
Anything But Typical tells the story and features the stories of Jason, a not neurotypical twelve year old boy who longs to relate to other people and make connections even though he doesn’t know how. In some ways, Jason is all of us, at least those of us who keep trying to connect and express love in spite of our disabilities and mental blocks.
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. The Printz, along with its more famous counterparts the Newbery and the Caldecott, will be announced on Monday, January17th at the ALA Midwinter Conference.
Last year’s Printz award went to the book Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. I tried to read it both before and after the award was announced, and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. My thoughts at the time.
The honor books last year were:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson. Definitely deserving and astonishing.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart. I liked this one, too.
Nation by Terry Pratchett. I’ve never read any Terry Pratchett, not sure I’d like it.
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan. I’m sort of afraid to read this re-telling of the fairy tale Snow White and Rose Red because I get the idea that she turns the story into something nasty. But I don’t really know.
So, I didn’t enjoy or finish the Newbery winner last year nor the Printz winner either, so why am I predicting the winners this year? I don’t know; it’s an irresistible game, I suppose.
The book I hope, predict and expect will win the Printz: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. Semicolon review here. If there is any justice . . .
The books I think might win instead:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray. (Blech)
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams. OK, Semicolon review here.
Fire by Kristin Cashore. Pretty darn good, but not as good as Marcelo.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. If it wins it will be because Ms. Anderson has such a great body of work. I don’t think WIntergirls is her best. Semicolon review here.
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley. Semicolon review here.
And no one I’ve seen has mentioned it as a contender, but my second choice for the Printz award would be Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins. (Semicolon review here.) In fact, that book is so profoundly respectful of the choices people make and the cultures that shape them; it would make a wonderful award-winning book. So it probably won’t win.
Yes, I’m hedging my bets by giving you a whole list of possibilities. It’s the only I might possibly get one correct prediction and thereby earn bragging rights.