08.04.09
Julie and Julia
Has anyone read this book, Julie and Julia by Julie Powell? I just finished reading it here, in Italy. I am on vacation and spending a good deal of time on planes, trains, buses, and in a car. This is time which I am content to spend looking out windows and watching the rolling hills of Tuscany and soaking in the various iconic and historic sites of Italy, but it is also time that I am very happy to spend reading…my nose buried in a book…my mind far, far away from Italy.
Julie and Julia was a very fun read, but it was so much more. While it certainly took me far away from the public transportation systems in Italy, it also took me a little too close to home. I felt that I related to Powell on so many levels, and because of this, I found myself analyzing aspects of my life as she shared her life with us readers. I marvelled at her project and wished that I had thought of such a thing. I cheered for her through the book, and as the book ended, I found myself wanting to cheer for me too. But, I don’t have a project like Powell. I actually don’t know where to begin.
My blog was started about a year ago. In Julie and Julia, Powell writes about her own blog…which of course was the vehicle and catalyst that led to pretty much everything else that unfolded for her afterwards. Thinking about her blog (and how she was a little compulsive about checking for responses from her “bleaders”), I decided to check my own. And, would you know, that very day there was a new comment from a reader??? I had not posted anything on this blog since January, but as coincidences have it, there was a comment the same day that I contemplated working on it again. I took it as a sign.
Now, I am determined to come up with a project. Maybe it has to do with Italy, maybe Powell and her book, and maybe it is all a coincidence. But, I am determined.
Melissa 
ps…has anyone seen the movie?
01.28.09
Readers and Writers Networking Sites…
In this constant struggle of mine to find (make) time for reading, writing, and discussion, I have joined a few sites online. (As well as two book clubs which is a whole other story!) I am not sure if these sites will help me find more time or less, but I guess that only time will tell!
Reading:
GoodReads - www.goodreads.com (keep track of the books you read, suggest books for others)
Writing:
New Jersey Writer’s Society - www.njwriters.org (local writer’s groups, online discussions)
Anyone have any other sites that they would like to share for reading or writing?
~Melissa
12.08.08
On a blustery, cold night
There’s really nothing quite like a good book, a warm blanket, and a hot cup of tea on a blustery, cold night. (Knowing that I don’t have to get up for work tomorrow is nice too!)
Wishing you all a relaxing evening.
~Melissa
08.30.08
New book by Nicholas Sparks
I have been a huge fan of Nicholas Sparks since his first book, The Notebook, was out in paperback. It was funny how I learned about the book because I was actually given a free copy from a book vendor who sold books to pharmacies. (I think that I also got a reference book about vitamins, a book of baby names, and a book about diabetes that day.) I was still in college and learning to write and enjoy writing much more than I ever had before at this time. I was learning how to tell stories and relished in reading a book by a good story teller. I read The Notebook out on a hammock in my parents’ backyard one summer afternoon. It was a glorious and memorable experience because Nicholas Sparks is a wonderful story teller. I smiled and cried through the book.
I think that most of the people I know who consider themselves fans of Nicholas Sparks feel the same way or have a similar story. We have some kind of a sense of “ownership” about him and feel like we each have a unique connection with him that no one else understands. (It is the strangest thing, but I have gotten in near-arguments with friends over his books.)
For me, any time that I wanted to relive that experience of The Notebook, I looked for a new book by Nicholas Sparks. Ironically enough, each time I checked the bookstore or the website, there was a new book about to be released. It was like some kind of synergy and was always a very cool feeling to know that there was another book whenever I needed one. Well, a few months ago I was having a particularly rough time with some things and hoped that there might be a new book coming out soon to cheer me up. I checked the website, but there was nothing posted about a new book. I was disappointed and re-read a little from one of the older books, but it just wasn’t the same as knowing there would be a new story.
Then, due to the wonderful world of blogging, I learned that there is actually a new book coming out this September. I can’t wait to get it and will probably pre-order it soon. I have all of Nicholas Sparks’ books in hardcover now, even The Notebook. (I lost the free paperback copy when I lent it to friends and had to replace it with a hardcover to complete the collection.)
I’m looking forward to the book, The Lucky One, and hope you will check it out too.
~Melissa
PS…Nicholas Sparks has a website with information about all of his books, plus some helpful thoughts and advice on writing. www.nicholassparks.com
Stargirl
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
I promised a review of this book in my recent reading post, and here it is.
I loved this book very much. I have to say that right away. I had heard about it for a while and knew that Jerry Spinelli was a good writer, but never really thought that I would be interested in the story. Maybe because the only other people I knew who did read it were very reluctant and struggling readers in middle school! I was evidently wrong because I read the book in one sitting (this was back when I could lounge by the pool for the afternoon) and couldn’t put it down. It was one of those books that I was sad to see end. (The good news is that there is a sequel.)
So, enough about me, let me actually tell you about the book. In this novel by Jerry Spinelli, we meet Leo, a 16 year old high school junior. He had been a transfer student to the school, but made friends and fit in nicely at the start of the book. A new student, Stargirl, comes to Leo’s high school and she is unlike anyone that the rest of the school has seen before. The other students are uncertain of her, then they are enamored and inspired by her, and then she is ostracised. Through all of this, Leo develops a special place in his heart for Stargirl. As she becomes a part of his life, and he learns to live and love the way she does (doing such unusual things as playing the ukelale and singing “Happy Birthday” to people she doesn’t know, having a pet rat, and keeping fresh flowers on her desk in school), and he struggles with issues of conformity and popularity.
I felt a certain connection with the character Stargirl as I read the story and imagine that anyone who has ever truly cared for someone else, or put someone else’s happiness before their own will connect with her as well. She is a free spirit, and is her own person. She finds joy in making others happy and expects nothing in return from them. However, she also wants to be happy herself (how can anyone blame her?), and when the pressures of being new to the high school, the reality of being different from everyone else, and her feelings for Leo become too much for her, everything changes and comes crashing down.
I won’t give away too much more about the book because it is a wonderful story. I think that the story of Stargirl is ultimately an inspiring and uplifting one. I hope that reading this book will help open the eyes and the minds of people who might become so consumed by their own personal issues that they do not know how to be compassionate for others. Stargirl’s example of selflessness and caring is one that I think we should all follow…in our own special way.
~Melissa
Title: Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher/Date: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2000
ISBN: 0-679-88637-0
08.27.08
Grammar Girl and Spooky Story Contest
I have stumbled upon a great podcast called the “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.” This is the first (and only) podcast that I have subscribed to, but I wanted to make sure that I shared it with you. (First blogging, now podcasts…what’s next?)
If you feel like you need a little extra help with your own grammar or usage, or you just happen love grammar as so many of us do, you should check it out. The useful tips, which are easy to follow and remember, are explained and read by Mignon Fogarty. There is also a recently published book by this author and a website if you would like more information: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/default.aspx.
The last podcast was about the differences between ensure, insure, and assure. At the end of the podcast, there was an announcement for a story contest from a bookstore in Reno, Nevada. The contest is to write a spooky story in 250 words or less. You can get more information about the contest by clicking this link: http://sundancebookstore.com/htdocs/Pages/spooky_fiction.html. I think I will give it a try. If nothing else it is a good exercise in being concise! I may even encourage some of my students to enter a story.
Good luck!
~Melissa
08.25.08
Recent reading – August
Even though much of what I tried to read this month was reading-for-fun, August always means that school is not too far away, and so there were several must-read-before-September-gets-here additions to this recent reading list. (Any teachers, middle schoolers, or parents of middle schoolers reading the list may particularly appreciate these titles and recognize them right away!)
I have to say, yet again, that I “got something” out of everything that I read. Maybe I really am a pushover for a couple hundred bound pages I’ve never read before, or I’m just an eternal optimist and a believer that there is always something to learn and something to be gained from any situation – including, and especially, reading a book.
As September begins and it is time for school again, my reading will now primarily consist of my students’ papers (which I honestly can’t wait to read!) and scholarly articles for my thesis. As much as I do not want to see the summer end, at least the leaves will be changing soon, there will be plenty of pumpkin pie and apple cider, the Rutgers football season will begin, and we can start wearing comfy sweaters again.
That all being said, I present to you my August reading list. Some of these were actually recommended to me, so thank you to Anne and Marie!
Please post a comment if you have read any of these titles, would like to read them, or have some other great titles of your own to share!
~Melissa
August 2008 Reading
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (Haunting at first, but by the end of the book you don’t want it to end.)
A Cup of Tea, Amy Ephron (Good period piece…great idea of what life was like in the early 1900s.)
Chasing Harry Winston, Lauren Weisberger (Hysterical! I hope there is a sequel and/or they make this a movie.)
Absolutely Normal Chaos, Sharon Creech (If you read Walk Two Moons, you should read this!)
Mini-Lessons for Literature Circles, Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke (So many great ideas!)
He’s Just Not That Into You, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo (I can’t wait for the movie this fall.)
The Essential 55, Ron Clark (Great tips for new teachers or any teacher facing obstacles in the classroom.)
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli (I love this book! – will have a separate review soon.)
Swallowing Stones, Joyce McDonald (Good, but it was very sad. The characters were well developed and very realistic.)
Still In Progress:
On Writing Well, William Zinsser
Category 7, Bill Evans with Marianna Jameson
08.23.08
New Category – “Living in a Material World”
I’ve added a new category to post in, called “Living in a Material World.” (And yes, it is a reference to the Madonna song.)
In this category I will share some of my favorite “things.” The posts in this category will focus on shopping, fashion, and beauty products as well as other great ideas for gifts. Books are often favorite items for me to give (and receive) as gifts, so be assured that there will still be plenty of posts about books, reading, and writing in this category.
I do believe it is true that money can’t buy happiness…but sometimes it certainly can buy things that make us pretty darn happy! It is just really important to remember not to get too carried away when it comes to material things…that being said, there are just some things that we have to have and this is the perfect place to talk and write about them!
~Melissa
08.05.08
“The world is a book…”
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.”
- Saint Augustine
I agree! I agree! I agree! There is so much out there to see, and unfortunately I have seen very little so far. I would love to travel more, both here in the United States as well as to other countries. I just wish that it wasn’t so expensive to do so! ~Melissa
08.04.08
Recent reading – July
I thought I would share some of the books that I have read recently. I was very busy until the end of July with graduate classes, but as soon as they were finished, I found time to read for fun again. Please let me know if you have read any of these books, what you thought of them, or if you plan to read them in the future. I do recommend all of them. ~Melissa
A Dog About Town, J. F. Englert
Light on Snow, Anita Shreve
The Ladies’ No. 1 Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith
The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Elements of Style, William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White
Cards on the Table, Agatha Christie
