Born With Teeth by Kate Mulgrew

Title: Born With Teeth: A Memoir

Author: Kate Mulgrew

Pages: 306

Finished: April 28, 2019

First Sentence: I started out in a green house with a red door in a small town, where mysteries abounded.

Summary: Kate Mulgrew. You may know her as Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek: Voyager, or perhaps as Red from Orange is the New Black. This is her story. Of her family. Of becoming an actor. And of all the loves she ever had.

Thoughts: Wow. What a confident and unashamed woman. I imagine some people reading this would place a ton of judgement on her as she talks about each of her lovers and affairs without apologies. But it was almost refreshing in a way. To say, "This is who I am. This is what I wanted."

Most of what I got from this book though is that I am not anywhere close to as driven as she is. She sought out acting at basically the cost of everything else. But at the same time, we did get to see how things that happened in her life affected her.

I know Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway from Star Trek. She's my second favorite captain. It was really interesting to see just what was happening in her life as Star Trek was a thing that was happening.

Writing wise, I thought the book started out strong. The opening line and what followed was lovely. But as I kept going, it didn't feel the same. The style felt different. I'm not sure how.

This is the second biography I've read in a short amount of time. I have to say, as of right now, I'm not a huge fan. Both biographies have been about people I admire, but I just didn't find the stories compelling.

Read for the TBR Challenge. 

How I Spent my Back to the Classics Winnings

I was so excited to win the Back to the Classics challenge last year. However, due to the fact that I don't buy a lot of books, I was wary on how I would spend my winnings. I opted for the Amazon gift card because I knew I could hang onto it for a while. 

I can now say that the gift card is now 100% used. With it, I bought the following books: 

Year of Wonder by Clemency Burton-Hill: I decided to listen to all the music in this playlist, but I cannot unfortunately keep the book out from the library for the entire year. This book has been wonderful so far, and it's going to be a great jumping off point for more music.

Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide: Yeah... the remaining money on the gift card paid for half of this. I found the other two core rulebooks cheaper somewhere else, but this one never came from said place, so I bought it from Amazon. I now have everything I need for my D&D campaign! So excited! 

I did not buy novels or other cozy to read books simply because I don't have a use for them in my house. I am a firm believer in utilizing my local library and the Interlibrary Loan services. So I'm really excited that I was able to use this gift certificate on items that will get a lot of use in my house!

From a Whisper to a Scream by Charles de Lint

Title: From a Whisper to a Scream

Author: Charles de Lint

Pages: 304

Finished: April 18, 2019

First Sentence: Thomas Morningstar was on traffic duty that month.

Summary: Thomas Morningstar shoots a man during a routine traffic violation in 1988. That man happened to be Teddy Bird, a pedophile and serial killer. So when killings start happening two years later to teenage prostitutes, no one connects them with said pedophile. 

Thoughts: De Lint prefaces this book by mentioning it's dark. In fact, he used to publish is darker books under a pseudonym so people would know not to expect his normal affair when they read them.

Guys, this one was dark. I mean, it started out like a procedural. Yes, there's blood and gore. The addition of it being a pedophile was extra dark, but it wasn't worse than watching an episode of Bones or even Game of Thrones.

But then there were chapters from the point of view of Teddy Bird. And those were hard. Those made me sick to my stomach as I read them. And at the end, as we learn about the past from some of the other people... well... dark is definitely apt.

Regarding the setting: this is now the third book I've read set in Newford. I'm starting to get a map of the city in my brain. I have an image of the Tombs and where they are. I don't necessarily like something so dark set in this city I love, but it was nice having some familiarity.

I thought the juxtaposition of Native American traditions with voodoo traditions quite interesting, especially mixing in the deLint fantasy elements. I like how in the end, it's all the same with just different dogma defining it.

The book was a quick read. Like any mystery, you want to know what happens. I was appreciative for the preface warning of the darkness. I even read a couple of reviews to see how dark it was. I might wait a bit before delving into the next novel on my challenge - also a dark novel. 

Edited to Reveal! Classic Club Spin 20

Spin 20 is Number 19!!

Which is one of the ones I was dreading. But that's okay. It's a classic on my actual club list, so it works out just fine. I'll pick it up at work today and start it after I finish the book I'm currently reading. 

Woot! Another Club spin! For those who haven't seen a spin before, it's this fun game the Classics Club does to help inspire us to read our lists. Members who wish to participate list 20 books from their classic club list and put them in a blog post. Then, the Club pulls a number between 1 and 20 out of a hat. Whatever title that corresponds to is the book you then read between when the number is pulled and the deadline, in this spin, May 31st.

My list is a little weird. I have enough books on my list to make 20. However, three of them are being read in a specific order for a different challenge. One of them is going to be next year's project, and three more are just super thick, so I plan to space them out due to the number of doorstops I have on my reading list this year. So, that brings my list down to 14! In order to fill it out, I added in six books from my Back to the Classics Challenge that aren't on my Club list, but that are still classics. List is categorized as follows: Books I Can't Wait to Read, Books I Keep Putting Off, Books I'm Neutral About, Books From My Back To The Classics Challenge.

Of the list, I'd really like it to be Barnaby Rudge since I'm currently only 100 pages into it and could use some inspiration. I think I'd be pretty okay with any of the other books, though I'll admit, anything that's super long gives me a bit of pause. 

1. Picture of Dorian Grey
2. Peter Pan
3. East of Eden
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's
5. Little Princess
6. Barnaby Rudge
7. Twelfth Night
8. King of Elfland's Daughter
9. Possession
10. Study in Scarlet
11. Daniel Deronda
12. Handmaid's Tale
13. Fellowship of the Ring
14. Winter's Tale
15. Northanger Abbey
16. Room with a View
17. Emma
18. Sanditon and Other Tales
19. Wuthering Heights
20. Mansfield Park

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King

Title: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

Author: Maxwell King

Pages: Audiobook

Finished: April 9, 2019

First Sentence: Fred Rogers had given some very specific instructions to David Newell, who handled public relations for the PBS children's show Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

Summary: Most Americans in their 30s and older know who Mr. Rogers was. They may remember watching his show. Perhaps they know him from all the memes discussing how amazing he was. But one thing is certain, many people can probably sing a phrase from "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Or maybe that's just me. But Mr. Rogers was more than just a man making a television show for children. He specialized in music and in child development for early childhood. This is his story.

Thoughts: This is a really tough review to write. First off, I love Mr. Rogers. I think the work he did was really amazing. I chose this book because I'm frustrated. It's 2019 and we have a president who seems to want to watch the world burn. Life feels pretty hopeless. I've brought one child into this world, and I'd like to bring another one in, but I regularly wonder if I'm doing them a disservice as climate change. I thought reading about Mr. Rogers would be a breath of fresh air. Here was a man who lived solely to help children navigate the crazy map of life.

And what I learned about Rogers was really interesting. He was deeply religious, but very authentic in that religious belief. Though a devout Presbyterian, he took spiritual teachings from all the world's religions and incorporated them into his life. He used many of those values in his television shows, but in such a way that it didn't feel prosylityzing. I am a life long atheist, and I deeply respect his religious views. I never once felt preached to.

I also had no idea that he was a music major in college who then discovered children's development. That's basically the same path I went on. I studied in school to be a music teacher ind the public schools, but quickly realized I couldn't do that and ended up in a library where I do a lot with child development. There was something really wonderful in finding that out about Mr. Rogers.

I also was very interested in the making of his television shows. The Children's Corner and then the various iterations of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood. Knowing how he managed to touch children so well. I even picked up a couple new skills to try myself in interacting with kids at work. They're amazing.

Because this was an audiobook, I'd like to review the narrator. LeVar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Reading Rainbow fame narrated. He's a fantastic narrator. He keeps the book moving forward (necessary for this one) and he sounds super enthusiastic as he goes. I definitely appreciated having him as a narrator.

But then there's the writing. And this is where the book faltered for me. First of all, the author was super repetitious. Information kept coming back chapter after chapter that I already knew from earlier chapters. It almost felt as though each chapter was written separately and then at no point were they edited to avoid the repetition. On top of it, we were often given a lot of information about adjacent material that felt unnecessary to the book. For example, when Fred Rogers decided to go into television, we ended up with a whole lot of exposition as to how a television works, how it's made, and the workings of NBC. I just didn't care.

Because of this, I was grateful that I was listening to this book as it meant I could "zone out" when I didn't care about the material. That being said, even with his excellent narration skills, LeVar Burton couldn't fully keep the book moving forward.

The information of Fred Rogers life was fantastic, but it didn't outweigh the poor writing of this biography. Which is sad, because Fred Rogers deserved a much better biography than this.

Read for the family book discussion.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Title: Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio

Pages: 311

Finished: April 7, 2019

First Sentence: I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid.

Summary: August Pullman, who's been home schooled for most of his life, is starting middle school this year. Only August Pullman isn't your typical ten-year-old boy. He suffers from a severe facial deformity. So navigating the hell that is middle school is about ten times as terrifying for him.

Thoughts: I tried to read this book about five years ago when it was all the rage. I couldn't do it. So many books on the Caudill List that year and the year before were about kids with some sort of disability being bullied and then overcoming it. I just couldn't read another one. Particularly because, as someone who was bullied as a kid, I know the bullies basically NEVER learn.

Anyway, the movie a while ago, and I ended up watching it for work. I LOVED the movie. I mean, the Auggie story was what it was. But I was really in for the affection the kids were showing each other. For some reason I was getting a Gordie and Chris vibe from Stand By Me between Auggie and Jack.

So because I saw this movie of kids being unashamed of showing affection for each other, I was willing to try the book again.

It was fine. Not quite as horrific as I remember. In general, I feel Auggie is too well adjusted and the kids basically get over their fears and meanness too much.

I also preferred the Julian story in the movie over the book. But from what I understand, there's a missing chapter there that we will get later.

Definitely a book to recommend to kids who like Contemporary fiction particularly about kids overcoming difficulties and bullies. Still not my cup of tea.


EDITED TO ADD: I checked out the book Auggie and Me which includes three novellas: The Julian Chapter, Pluto, and Shingaling. The Julian Chapter is basically the story of Wonder from Julian's perspective. Hm... I can see how the movie took elements of this story and added it to the film. Many people said that they felt this story exonerated Julian somewhat. I didn't see it that way. The kid had HORRIBLE parents who only cared about status. They didn't really teach him anything helpful. And I don't feel that they or he handled the situation with Auggie well at all. I see he had a phobia to scary faces, but his mom clearly wasn't listening when they were told about it because there was no attempt to deal with it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm glad Julian realized he was being a bully, but I'm glad that it took a long time for him to feel any remorse for what he did.

I skipped over Pluto. It's a story about his friend Christopher from before he goes to Beecher Prep. I didn't care about this kid, so I didn't bother reading.

Shingaling follows Charlotte's storyline through Beecher Prep fifth grade. Boy did that girl have a lot going on. I liked having a bit more information to the story, but in general, I still don't find the books to be something I enjoy reading. 

2019 Goals Quarterly Check-in

1. Read 52 Books - Progress: 14 / 52 
2. Finish my Lord of the Rings in Chronological Order project - Progress: 41% 
   Thoughts: Coming back into this project in earnest, I can say without a doubt, I enjoy the stories more when I'm reading through rather than skipping around. I know for the purpose of this project, it's to make sure you have the chronology of what's going on when, but I keep forgetting what's going in in each history. For example, Galadriel's story spans the First, Second, and Third ages. So I keep reading about it in tiny chunks separated by many other bits of information. I forget what's happening. I'm going to keep reading the way I should for the chronology to work out, but if I ever decide to read all the supplemental materials again, I'll do it in a slightly different manner. 
3. Back to the Classics - Progress: 2 / 12
   Thoughts: I haven't been as impressed with my choices so far. Pinocchio is just as weird as you'd expect, and Years of Grace was disappointing. It started out okay, but fell out of favor for me about halfway through. Hopefully some of my other books will be better.
4. To Be Read Challenge - Progress: 0 / 12
   Thoughts: Hmm... apparently I need to prioritize a few of these.
5. Newford Part 1 - Progress: 2 / 12
   Thoughts: Dreams Underfoot is such a lovely short story collection. I've enjoyed the two books I've read so far for this challenge, and am really looking forward to the rest.
6. Austen Challenge - Progress: 1 / 7
   Thoughts: I love Austen, so there's really not much more to say other than what was already in my review.
7. Year of Wonder - Progress: 90 / 365
   Thoughts: It's really interesting listening to the various tunes here. There are so many I've never heard before. And while I'm not a fan of everything, I'm really enjoying the process of actively listening to music again. It's been so long since I've done so. 
8. Other Books Read: 8 

Top 3 Books This Quarter

Austen, Jane - Sense and Sensibility
de Lint, Charles - Dreams Underfoot
Arden, Katherine - The Winter of the Witch

Much of my reading was derailed by two things: First, reading books for other areas of my life that have nothing to do with the challenges (family book discussion and books for work). Second, I started running a Dungeons and Dragons campaign and had to learn how to DM - thus I'm reading various manuals, reading various campaigns, watching various playthroughs, reading various message boards... and in all of this, my normal reading has been put on hold. I hope to get back on track in the second quarter of the year, though it looks as though I will not be necessarily finishing my challenges this year. Right now I'm planning to read primarily books from my Back to the Classics challenge, To Be Read Challenge, and Newford Challenge as well as keeping up with Lord of the Rings.