Card Catalogue - #1

For my Young Adult Lit. class we're supposed to read 30 young adult books, and keep a card catalogue. Since there is so much interest in books amongst my blogging friends and relatives, I decided I would include the card catalogue on here. I know you're all adults, but some of these books I think everyone should read and would thoroughly enjoy. Also, at least in Mum's situation, trying to have a good repetoir of book titles ready for Kait is a task the whole family needs to be a part of. (I'm sure she can find them at the library, but don't let her read The Looking Glass Wars because it's coming to her sometime soon here.)

Slumming - By Kristen D. Randle

Sam, Nikki, and Alicia, the only three LDS seniors in their high school, decide to take on a "human experiment" as a way to make a difference in their last few weeks in school. They each choose one person to help "release" their inner glory, and then in three weeks they'll take them to prom. They soon realize their "lost souls" hold much more in store than the friends ever imagined. The stresses of their projects begin to take a toll on their own friendship, but the three do learn much about who they are and what they are capable of. They find within themselves new depths of understanding, bravery, and trust. (Kristen D. Randle is an LDS author, but don't worry, the book doesn't suck.) 

Other books by Kristen D. Randle: The Only Alien on the Planet, Breaking Rank, On the side of the angels, and Why Did Grandma Have to Die?

Incantation - By Alice Hoffman

Estrella de Madrigal is a young woman living in Spain when the Spanish Inquisition breaks into her small village. In the beginning, she thought she was only a spectator - simply looking on and pitying the misfortune of those who were so deeply affected by the horrible decree of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Suddenly, Estrella discovers secrets about her family and their past that will change her life forever.

Other books by Alice Hoffman: Green Angel, Aquamarine, Skylight, Confessions, and Practical Magic

The Looking Glass Wars - By Frank Beddor   

Alice Liddle's tales of Wonderland and the queendom she is meant to rule are just too far-fetched to believe. Finally, she finds a man who is willing to listen - Reverend Charles Dodgeson, who becomes youn Alice's friend. He tells her he will write her stories down in a book, and it will be their story. Alice is so excited to have finally found someone to believe her. Her heart is broken when she realizes it's not her story at all, but a twisted, bizarre fairytale for children. 

Follow Alyss Heart as she is rushed out of Wonderland into the world of Earth. Here she must trive to remember her true self and the throne that is rightfully hers, until she can find a way to return and overthrow her evil aunt, Queen Redd. (It's the first book in the series. I haven't read the other two yet, but this book was SO MUCH FUN! I loved it! I'm not sure that the last book has been published, I can't find the title. If anyone knows, let me in on that secret!)

The cult-like following of The Looking Glass Wars: Seeing Redd (book 2), Hatter M. (a limited comic book series), Princess Alyss of Wonderland. Also visit www.lookingglasswars.com. It's pretty crazy. People love this book.

The Moves Make the Man - By Bruce Brooks

Jerome Foxworthy - aka: Jayfox, is tough enough to take anything, just as long as he can play basketball. But when the schools decide to integrate, and Jerome is the one and only black kid in his high school, playing ball is no longer an option. He has no friends, no fun, and no team to work with. Until he meets Bix Rivers that is. No two friends were more different, but their differences allow Jerome to help his new-found friend through the toughest times of high school. **NEWBERY HONOR BOOK**

More by Bruce Brooks: Boys Will Be

Insomnia

I hate it when I can't sleep. My sleeping patterns have been so off lately, just 'cause of travel, not having any school, and things like that. I didn't nod off until almost 5! (Then I slept through my alarm clock and thus through Sacrament meeting... I had to go to another one later. It was lame.) Anyway, I did a couple things to bide my time. First, I read out of my book, The Long Walk, The True Story of a Trek to Freedom, by Slavomir Rawicz. It's excellent. I read a really good quote about humor. Here it is:

"The men I most admired were the jokers. They saved us often in our blackest moments. There were maybe four or five of them in our lot. They would joke about anything. Their quips were frequently macabre ... They were irrepressible. Nothing stopped them. I bless their memory for the gusty belly laughs they gave us..."

Later, at about 4, when it was quite clear that I wouldn't be falling asleep at any reasonable time, I pulled out my little green book I keep poems in. I jotted down my frustration:

Can't Sleep

Darkness fills the world outside,
Sharing the space with Silence.
In the walls of my home is where I hide
Writing down a late-night cadence.

Cool air sneaks past my drawn blinds
Calming my too-hot bedroom.
My Spirit finds peace, but not my Mind;
Thoughts do thrive in quiet gloom.

I wish only for a restful sleep,
Without another thought-fit,
Into which I can fall deep
Before the morning light hits.

Boring Books

In response to Lindsey's latest post, asking the question whether or not there are certain books I feel pressure to enjoy because they are considered "classics" or because they are "best-sellers" but simply can't find it in myself to read:

I, too, find it difficult to get into A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. I started it, got a couple of chapters in, and just couldn't keep it going. It's so boring - at least in the beginning it is, and that's the part that needs to capture you. I figured if it started out this boring, it simply didn't deserve all the hype it received, and set it aside, never to pick it up again.

Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse. I started it in the fifth grade. Having read and liked some of Hesse's previous writings, and this particular book being on the recommended reading list for my grade - it was an award-winning book - I totally expected to enjoy it thoroughly. Ya know, I give books a pretty good run before I'll set them down. (I also have a rule that if I'm at least three-quarters of my way through the book, it has to turn pretty far down hill for me to not finish it.) I was probably a good third of my way through, when it just became too dry for me to finish. It was dusty alright, but nothing good was coming from it. I have since thought that perhaps I would pick it back up, but every time I see it in a library, I just find myself not attracted in the least sense of the word.

Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I attribute this mainly to my lack of understanding. I started this book I think my freshman year of high school - it might have been 8th grade - and that's a pretty young age for anyone, even a well-read person like myself, to be delving into the dark and obviously troubled mind of Dostoevsky. If there's one thing I know about Eastern Europeans, it's that they don't do anything without a severe amount of passion; everything from their drinking to their writing is done with every fiber of their being. (The one excuse may be made for a few certain co-workers of mine, who felt that work required no passion, and therefore they got minimal hours.) I felt bad for setting this book down, but it was just too much for me. Maybe I'll give it another try - I'll probably have to for school some time soon anyway. My critiquing will be more accurate then.

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Okay, these books are honestly, amazing. The highly detailed imagination that went into creating the world of Middle Earth, the creatures within it, and the languages that were involved is, in a word, baffling. They even include my all-time favorite, most-beloved character in all of literature, aside from Christ, Samwise Gamgee. But, unless you are big into literature, particularly of that time, or are interested in analyzing writing styles of early-1900's authors (call me weird, I like that stuff), than really I don't see any reason for you to read these books. Tolkien, as excellent a writer as he is, does tend to draw things out a little too long. This makes certain chapters long and dry. And although I don't normally suggest movies in place of books, I make this the exception. Peter Jackson followed the books very carefully, and quite frankly, the story is easier to watch than to read. You get the same feeling for the characters as you do from the books (the casting job was phenomenal), and the message, albeit not intended by Tolkien, is still there.

Let Them at Least of Heard of Brave Knights and Heroic Courage

Purpose: Micheal Flaherty’s purpose in this speech is to propose to modern educators that perhaps they need to improve their intellectual criteria starting with what is read.

Central Message: “You are what you read.” Those are Flaherty’s words when referring to what he believes we are taught from C. S. Lewis’ book “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” He continues, “We are shaped and influenced by the books that we read. They prepare us for more than interesting conversations – they actually prepare us to face real crises that we encounter in life. Few people would dispute this simple statement, so let’s ask a simple related question: What are we reading today?”

Validations: Flaherty points out some sad facts: “For the first time in modern history, less than half of the adult population now reads literature.” (It is perhaps important to define this particular use of the word ‘literature.’ Literature is not factual, it is fantastic.) He goes on to say that this decline is not secluded to one particular group – whether ethnic or age, or education related. “In just twenty years, young adults have declined from being those most likely to read literature to those least likely.”

Personal Thoughts: Why is this so? It is sad, and yet, we do very little to fix it. We live in an age where everything is electronic. Electronic distractions come from all directions to take us away from the printed word. It is often said that “well, now I can just read the shortened version online,” or “oh, I just listen to it on tape.” I feel that I am safe in saying that there is nothing really that can actually compare with reading the written word. Allow me to suggest that we turn off the T.V. just once in a while, sit down, first as a family, and eventually individually, read a story. A real, honest-to-goodness story. Let them be good stories, filled with deeper truths, morality, and examples of only the best. As Mr. Flaherty says, “Let them at least heard of brave knights and heroic courage.”

Taken directly from my last response paper for Foundations to Education. And this all written only after reading the first four paragraphs or so; I just skimmed the rest of it. I intend on reading it more thoroughly and allowing myself to be entirely enlightened. I can email it to whoever wants the rest of the speech. It's amazing.

Wicked Weakness

Chapters 7 and 8 of Helaman are especially interesting to me. They so clearly show the difference between righteous leaders and wicked ones; so clearly in fact that I listed them out while I read. Nephi is a righteous leader, and a prophet among his people, the Nephites. The Gadianton robbers, at this point, have already taken over the judgment seats and now run the government as wicked judges. Nephi is so distraught over wickedness of the Nephites that he is crying (quite literally) unto the Lord. This shows his love for the people. (Point A: Righteous leaders love the people they lead.) The wicked judges on the other hand, were only concerned with two things: their own skins and the easiest way to get gain. (Point B: Wicked leaders don’t care about the people they lead, unless they can make their lives easier. This of course has nothing to do with the well-being of any individuals, but more the people as a whole. If one dies, that’s fine as long as another is there to take his place.) Nephi feared God, while the wicked judges feared the people. (Point C: Wicked leaders are weak. They will do anything to keep their coveted positions. Righteous leaders care about what the people want, but they care more about what the people need.) Nephi understood the power and abilities of God; that they were limitless. The wicked judges took pride in the work of men (which didn’t usually include the work of their own hands directly) and didn’t understand the power of God over the power of men. (Point D: Righteous leaders will call upon the Lord to help them and the people because they understand that He is capable of all things righteous.)

These chapters made me think of the weakness of the wicked. Weakness is something I can easily say I have always abhorred. It is important to be careful not to get weakness confused with humility. Humility is a Godly trait, and so is strength. Humility is almost always a sign of strength and confidence, while wicked pride is so often due to a person’s weakness. The wicked show their weakness in the fear they have towards other people. They are so easily swayed from on idea to another, as long as it’s not the one right idea, even if they’re off by only a little, it’s still wrong. They are “blown about by every wind of doctrine.”

Taken from my most recent journal for my Book of Mormon 122 class.

Noble People Keep Their Word

In chapter 1 of Helaman, verse 33, comes one of my favorite examples of the Godly attribute of covenants. It says, "And it came to pass that Moronihah took possession of the city of Zarahemla again, and cuase that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners should depart out of the land in peace." This is taking place right after the Lamanites had attacked and destroyed many Nephite homes, in multiple cities. I thought to myself, why would anyone take compassion on the Lamanite prisoners? Why not just keep them there, and then they would have that many fewer people to put on their armies. I decided to look at the crossreference to Alma 44:15 and find out. I remembered that the Lamanites and Nephites had entered into a covenent with one another not to attack the other ever again. However, wouldn't the Lamanites breaking that covenent break it on behalf of the Nephites too? (I scratch your back, you scratch mine type of deal.) It was then that I realized the nobility that Moronihah has by keeping his side of the covenent.

I have always felt that keeping a promise - no matter how casually made - is a God-like attribute. God is always keeping His side of the bargain, even when we screw up, over and over and over again. You word should be a serious thing. People should be able to trust you at no more than that.

Taken from my most recent journal entry for my Book of Mormon 122 class.

Terwilliger knew what was going on!

My uncle ordered popovers
from the restaurant's bill of fare.
And, when they were served,
he regarded them
with a penetrating stare...
Then he spoke great Words of Wisdom
as he sat there on that chair:
"To eat these things," said my uncle,
"you must exercise great care.
You may swallow down what's solid...
BUT... you must spit out the air!"

And... as you partake of the world's
bill of fare,
that's darned good advice to follow.
Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.
And be careful what you swallow.

-My Uncle Terwilliger on the Art of Eating Popovers
By Doctor Seuss

Truer words have never been spoken.

The Book of Mormon: Bookended in Mercy

Here's an interesting observation a girl made in my Religion 121 class, a study of the Book of Mormon. It's pretty interesting; even Brother Sturm (an excellent professor, by the way) commented on how he'd never noticed it before.

In 1 Nephi 1:20, it speaks of searching for mercy. "But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen..." Nephi is plainly saying that he will show us (those who study the Book of Mormon) the mercies of Christ.

Then, again, in Moroni 10:3, about 527 pages later, Moroni tells us to "remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in you hearts."

In my scriptures today, next to 1 Nephi 1:20, I wrote, "Search for Mercy" then x-ref. it to Moroni 10:3, next to which I wrote, "Remember God's Mercy" then, of course, x-ref. it back to 1 Nephi.