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becca_osborn's reviews
817 reviews
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
4.0
While I LOVE Eugenides' writing style so much, this was (IMHO) one of his weaker works. Still, it won the freaking Pulitzer and I didn't, and I can see why it did.
Callie/Cal was an endearing character, and while the history of her family feels long, you can see its importance at the end; none of it can be left out. The parallelism (I think) between the house and Callie's learning of herself and her transformation is intriguing, and the play on words is interesting, too. There were some beautiful images of twisted love--though disturbing, you wanted to read and know more. Does it make a person gross that they wanted to know the intimate details of Callie's genetic mutation, or does it just say something about the insatiable curiosity of human nature?
Also, I love Desdemona.
This book would be interesting to pair with One Hundred Years of Solitude. You could do a lot with gender/family structure studies--a lot of the themes in each remind me of the other (sudden wealth; riots; the grandmother who would never die; the interpreting of ancient languages, etc.).
*spoiler alert*
The novel ends kind of abruptly--you want to know more, and you hear Cal talking about being older as he narrates, but we only get an end image of Cal still as a teen. Perhaps the process of entering ambassador goodness (I think that's what it was) isn't as important to the story--but we're still curious. I think a book that leaves one asking questions and wanting to know more means impeccable writing, so that's why I give this book 4 stars even though it wasn't my absolute favourite in plot. =)
Callie/Cal was an endearing character, and while the history of her family feels long, you can see its importance at the end; none of it can be left out. The parallelism (I think) between the house and Callie's learning of herself and her transformation is intriguing, and the play on words is interesting, too. There were some beautiful images of twisted love--though disturbing, you wanted to read and know more. Does it make a person gross that they wanted to know the intimate details of Callie's genetic mutation, or does it just say something about the insatiable curiosity of human nature?
Also, I love Desdemona.
This book would be interesting to pair with One Hundred Years of Solitude. You could do a lot with gender/family structure studies--a lot of the themes in each remind me of the other (sudden wealth; riots; the grandmother who would never die; the interpreting of ancient languages, etc.).
*spoiler alert*
The novel ends kind of abruptly--you want to know more, and you hear Cal talking about being older as he narrates, but we only get an end image of Cal still as a teen. Perhaps the process of entering ambassador goodness (I think that's what it was) isn't as important to the story--but we're still curious. I think a book that leaves one asking questions and wanting to know more means impeccable writing, so that's why I give this book 4 stars even though it wasn't my absolute favourite in plot. =)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
4.0
Even though I'm a sucker for unreliable characters, I didn't love this as much as I thought I might. I'm a fan of Twain so I did like it, but not as much as I thought.
It was hard to read the racial slurs. Twain certainly embodied that aspect of the era in this book.
Twain's colloquialisms and dialect are amazing and spot-on. I doubt there will be another like him.
It was hard to read the racial slurs. Twain certainly embodied that aspect of the era in this book.
Twain's colloquialisms and dialect are amazing and spot-on. I doubt there will be another like him.
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
4.0
Tristan promises his true love that he will go and find a star. Little does he know that not only are three witches after the star's heart to further their longevity, but four corrupt brothers also seek the star to claim their right to the throne of Stormhold.
Tristan follows his heart to the star, assuming he'll find a glittery ball of rock. What he finds surprises him, and takes him on a journey beyond, but in step with, his wildest dreams.
I saw the movie before knowing that this was a book, and I wish I had read the book first. There's a lot that the movie adds (from what little I remember), but both stories are still fantastic. Sometimes movies mess up the "flow" of a book in my mind, and flow is usually a strength of Gaiman. I'm chalking up the rough spots to seeing the movie first, but there were a few places where I had to remind myself what was happening. Now I need to read the book-with-pictures edition!! Nevertheless, Neil is awesome, and I hope that I can write like him someday. And become best friends.
Pairings: Gathering Blue;
Tristan follows his heart to the star, assuming he'll find a glittery ball of rock. What he finds surprises him, and takes him on a journey beyond, but in step with, his wildest dreams.
I saw the movie before knowing that this was a book, and I wish I had read the book first. There's a lot that the movie adds (from what little I remember), but both stories are still fantastic. Sometimes movies mess up the "flow" of a book in my mind, and flow is usually a strength of Gaiman. I'm chalking up the rough spots to seeing the movie first, but there were a few places where I had to remind myself what was happening. Now I need to read the book-with-pictures edition!! Nevertheless, Neil is awesome, and I hope that I can write like him someday. And become best friends.
Pairings: Gathering Blue;
Positive Discipline in the Classroom: Developing Mutual Respect, Cooperation, and Responsibility in Your Classroom by H. Stephen Glenn, Jane Nelsen, Lynn Lott
3.0
Positive discipline is the idea of using class meetings and mutual respect to run a classroom.
I think several of the ideas used in this model are fantastic: the wheel of choice, encouraging teachers to understand why they react the way they do, and talking to children with respect. Most importantly, this book helped me realize that when I'm asking children what's happening and when we talk about choices we're making, I'm not messing up or giving too much freedom. I'm helping them feel valued and important. I feel children can feel valued and important even with reward/punishment methods. It also reminded me that children are very capable of solving their own problems, and even more so if they have a good guide who can help them make sense of emotions.
However, there are several aspects of positive discipline that won't work in my classroom scenario, especially since our day-to-day (extended care) begs a lot of flexibility and "thinking on feet" for activities and scheduling (and I'd be the only teacher using this model, which could be confusing for younger students). Most of my conflicts are specific to my classroom DNA, but the one I had the most conflict with was that reward/punishment models are damaging. Without getting into educational theories, I just respectfully disagree. The writers also said that many of their "puzzle pieces" could not be used in a reward/punishment environment––I also respectfully disagree here. I fully admit that I am not the best teacher, and maybe part of the problem is that I am not willing to give up power, one of the biggest struggles mentioned in this book. I'm willing to own that.
Again, I have no problem with those who use this program! I think teachers can still encourage students to make positive choices both with this method, and also while using a reward/punishment method. It all depends on the child and the school system. My needs call for handling situations in a different way than this book suggests, but I have been using several of these tactics, and they work.
I'd recommend this book for teachers who are dissatisfied with some manipulative aspects of teaching and authority. Positive discipline isn't a perfect system (and no system is) but there are some great ideas to glean from here.
I think several of the ideas used in this model are fantastic: the wheel of choice, encouraging teachers to understand why they react the way they do, and talking to children with respect. Most importantly, this book helped me realize that when I'm asking children what's happening and when we talk about choices we're making, I'm not messing up or giving too much freedom. I'm helping them feel valued and important. I feel children can feel valued and important even with reward/punishment methods. It also reminded me that children are very capable of solving their own problems, and even more so if they have a good guide who can help them make sense of emotions.
However, there are several aspects of positive discipline that won't work in my classroom scenario, especially since our day-to-day (extended care) begs a lot of flexibility and "thinking on feet" for activities and scheduling (and I'd be the only teacher using this model, which could be confusing for younger students). Most of my conflicts are specific to my classroom DNA, but the one I had the most conflict with was that reward/punishment models are damaging. Without getting into educational theories, I just respectfully disagree. The writers also said that many of their "puzzle pieces" could not be used in a reward/punishment environment––I also respectfully disagree here. I fully admit that I am not the best teacher, and maybe part of the problem is that I am not willing to give up power, one of the biggest struggles mentioned in this book. I'm willing to own that.
Again, I have no problem with those who use this program! I think teachers can still encourage students to make positive choices both with this method, and also while using a reward/punishment method. It all depends on the child and the school system. My needs call for handling situations in a different way than this book suggests, but I have been using several of these tactics, and they work.
I'd recommend this book for teachers who are dissatisfied with some manipulative aspects of teaching and authority. Positive discipline isn't a perfect system (and no system is) but there are some great ideas to glean from here.
The Good and Beautiful Community: Following the Spirit, Extending Grace, Demonstrating Love by James Bryan Smith
4.0
The most practical and probably my favourite of the good and beautiful series.