Twelfth Night by Shakespeare

Title: Twelfth Night 

Author: William Shakespeare

Pages: 200?

Finished: September 12, 2020

First Sentence: If music be the food of love, play on.

Summary: Viola, saved from a shipwreck, disguises herself as a man to serve Count Orsino. As a man, she becomes Orsino's messenger to the fair Olivia, who in turn falls for Viola/Cesario. Viola, of course, has fallen in love with Orsino. 

Thoughts: My only experience with this play was actually through an Amanda Bynes movie called She's the Man from when I was a teenager. So how did reading the play live up?

Do you ever read classics and think, "Huh... English teachers held these to some really high standards, but this is really a bawdy joke that I'd get in trouble if I made it in class in modern terms?" That's how I feel when I read Shakespeare. It's held high as this lofty thing, but it was meant for the masses. That's not to say it's bad, just not the high-brow literature we're led to believe.

Once you get through the Elizabethan language, the plot itself is fairly simplistic. I specifically picked teh Folger Shakespeare edition for the notes I know they add in, but found myself skipping over them once I got into the rhythm of the language. 

In terms of the storyline... meh. It takes a long time to set up, and then the end could have been resolved at least one act earlier if people had communicated rather than talked. I suppose that's part of the comedy though. 

Having not seen numerous movie version of this (the way I have with Much Ado About Nothing), I felt I didn't appreciate it as much as I could. As this is a play, it's meant to be a visual medium. Without that, I do feel like I'm missing quite a bit. I think, in general, I appreciate Shakespeare better when I've seen either a production or a movie version to go along with it. 

That being said, glad I read it and I'm happy to cross another book off my Classic Club list. I believe this counts for a ton of challenges, but at this point, I've basically decided I'm not even attempting to finish them with how my reading tastes have just completely diverged from what I was reading at the beginning of the year.

Time to Parent by Julie Morgenstern

Title: Time to Parent: Organizing Your Life to Bring Out the Best in Your Child and You

Author: Julie Morgenstern

Pages: 330

Finished: September 7, 2020

Summary: Professional organizer Julie Morgenstern sets out to define the parenting job description. Using catchy acronyms that help the reader remember, she divides parenting into two halves. Doing you P.A.R.T and taking care of you S.E.L.F. Each half is divided into further quadrants where she then gives tips on how to help. To avoid summarizing the book, I'll just name the quadrants. P.A.R.T stands for Providing, Arranging, Relating, and Teaching. S.E.L.F stands for Sleep, Exercise, Love, and Fun.

Thoughts: Thanks to Covid19, a new baby, and the rest of 2020, I've been feeling really stretched thin. This book popped out on our parenting display at work and I grabbed it. Was it earth shattering? Meh. The organization tools were neat, but the information was stuff  I knew. What I found helpful mostly was the definition of the P.A.R.T. and how it all fits in with your child. Essentially it's easy to fall into a Providing and Arranging role when the most important thing to your child is Relating with them. With that in mind, I did set some goals for myself this month based off the information in the book. But I have to admit, I didn't feel like I learned how to make things better.

The most useful parts to me were the definitions of the "job description" and the time management skills. There's also a self assessment which was interesting. I came out pretty balanced in all four parts but with super low scores. I didn't feel like there was anything in the book to help me raise those scores... but then there's a chapter at the end about what to do when you're in a time of crisis... and I feel like raising kids during a pandemic while my country hurdles headfirst into fascism may count as a crisis. Or perhaps that's the anxiety talking! Who knows?!?

Anyway, back to the book. Fine information but definitely more of reference book than a sit down and read book.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds

Title: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Author: Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi

Pages: 248

Finished: August 15, 2020

First Sentence: Before we begin, let's get something straight.

Summary: Middle Grade author Jason Reynolds takes Ibram X. Kendi's Stamped from the Beginning and rewrites it for the middle school audience. This not-a-history book follows the history of racism against Black people from the 1400s in Europe to when it hopped over the Atlantic to the English Colonies all the way through 2015 ish.

Thoughts: I have not read the original book for adults, so I don't know how this compares. 

Regarding subject matter - this book is important to read. The saying "history is written by the victors" really shines when we see the other side to the story. Historical figures we've been brought up admiring as paragons of humanity don't come off in such a great light in this book. As a white person living in America who tries to be antiracist but understands that I have a lot to learn and continue learning, this history was illuminating. It also illustrates that people have flaws. People have flawed thinking. And people's ideas can change.

Reynolds breaks people into three groups: Segregationalists - people who are racist and want to be separate from those who are different from them, Assimilationists - people who say they're okay with people who are different from them as long as those people try to be the same as them, and Antiracists - people who believe that everyone is cool as they are. What I found interesting was how many Black leaders he identified as Assimilationists but who then, as they continued trying to fight for equality moved towards Antiracist thoughts. And how, as dangerous as they were when they were assimilationists, when they started talking antiracism, that's when they were assassinated. Lots of things to consider.

Regarding writing style - This book is written with middle schoolers in mind. It's very conversational in tone. There's a lot of sarcasm. I thought it worked really well for the age range it's meant for. I also really liked how he mentioned that yes, some of these words are uncomfortable and that's okay. Sit in the discomfort. While I found I wanted more information on things, I think this is a good start to an overview. The writing is quick and snappy. There's enough information there as a primer. There's a list of further reading for any interested plus extensive notes. And of course, there's Kendi's original book to read if I want more. I suspect it's written a bit less snappy. Occasionally, Reynolds throws down a label that feels really antagonistic, but I think that's more my privilege talking than the reality. 

For people interested in starting out their work on antiracism, this is a good starting point. But it is written to a middle school level. Adults may find it immature in a way. For them, I'd suggest seeking out Kendi's original work. I would definitely recommend this to 7th grade and up as well as parents looking to start or continue racism and antiracism discussions with their teens. 

How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen

Title: How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen

Author: Joanna Faber and Julie King

Pages: 385

Finished: August 8, 2015

Summary: Dinner's over and you ask your kid to put their dish in the dishwasher. They say no. You push back. Next thing you know, kid is upstairs screaming in their room during a time out and you're taking deep breaths to calm yourself all over a stupid plate. Why couldn't your kid just put the plate in the dishwasher. It would have taken less energy than that test of wills. 

Joanna Faber and Julie King daddress how we can talk to our kids in ways that will acknowledge their feelings and encourage them to cooperate rather than frustrate.

Thoughts: While we ran a parenting book discussion with this book a few years ago, I did not partake either as a staff member or a patron. But boy do I wish I had. Pandemic and new baby has made things hard for Kid 1. Suddenly we were noticing behavior problems up the wazoo. Battles of wills over plates or washing her hands or putting her shoes by the door. Some of it absolutely was an anxiety response, and we reached out to a family counselor for help there. But some of it was just good, old-fashioned boundary pushing. So I picked up this book. 

Within minutes of reading the first chapter, I started putting Faber's and King's ideas into practice. And our fights decreased by about 50%. Each successive chapter, I added in the new techniques and we acheived a mostly peaceful household. 

That's not to say we still don't have boundary pushing. And there's still a lot of anxiety, but we can deal with that. And without the help of the counselor. Unfortunately, she was not a good fit for our child and I get to make the phone call Monday to stop seeing her all together.

But what was it about the book that worked so well? Honestly? I liked how the authors kept remidning us how would we feel if adults talked to us the way we talk to our kids. We'd hate it. We may do as we're told because we're adults, but we'd be resentful, angry, and likely looking for new jobs. 

The first chapter is all about acknowledging feelings. One of those things that makes so much sense when we hear it, but that most people don't put into practice. Kid falls on the sidewalk. Parent: Oh... you're okay. It's not that bad. See? You're not even bleeding. Of course the kid's going to feel even more hurt. Since doing this, we've been able to get her down from most of her temper tantrums.

The authors go on to discuss ways to encourage cooperation. For example, changing the order into a reminder. So instead of, "Put your plate in the dishwasher," we can just go, "Dishes!" It works! Every. Single. Time. Or describe what we see. "Oh... I see a plate sitting on the table." Or be playful. "Kid! You plate's begging for a bath. Do you hear?" *make plate voice* "Please Kid. Please let me have a bath. I need to be clean for tomorrow."

Each chapter has the tools, sotires from a parent group the women worked with, cartoons to show the steps, and then an outline of hte tools. 

The book can be repetitive. Many reviewers mention that it could be an article instead, but I feel people don't read and retain articles the way they do books. I liked the cartoons not for me, but for people who may be more visual learners. The stories were fantastic because we could see real world examples. 

Many reviewers complained that the author doesn't believe in punishment. I can't speak to that as I agree with the authors on this one. When we send our kid to her room, the situation is made 10,000 times worse and the behavior continues the next day. Upping the ante just gets worse. Even before reading the book, I was trying to come up with different things to punishments because I was questioning the why behind what we were doing and whether it was actually useful. The solutions presented here were really helpful. 

Also, the authors do believe in limits and boundaries. Just the way they handle the breaking of the boundary is less draconian. 

I can't find the exact quote, so I'll paraphrase. The bit that stuck out to me the most was when one of the parents in the group complained about how exhausting all of this was and either Joanna or Julie replied with something like, "Sure, but I'm going to be exhausted at the end of the day either way. At least this way I'm exhausted and happy." 

And that's ultimately it. I'd been going to bed at night resolving to figure out a better way tomorrow because I was feeling like a horrible mother. Crabby and yelling all the time. Stretched thin. Stressed. Exhausted from all these battles of will. Since reading these techniques, I'm still tired, but I don't feel so worn out. Everyone is happier and the anxiety levels in the house have dropped. Amazing how that works. 

Classic Club Spin 24

EDITED! Spin number is 18: Twelfth Night for me! I've never read this one before, nor have I seen any adaptation other than She's the Man. Just put my preferred edition on hold at the library and hope to pick it up in a week's time!

1. Winter's Tale 
2. East of Eden 
3. Pride and Prejudice
4. Study in Scarlet 
5. Martin Chuzzlewit
6. Persuasion
7. Endless Night 
8. Sanditon and Other Tales
9. Peter Pan
10. Persuasion
11. Study in Scarlet 
12. Sanditon and Other Tales
13. Peter Pan 
14. Winter's Tale 
15. Twelfth Night 
16. Endless Night 
17. Anna Karenina 
18. Twelfth Night 
19. Handmaid's Tale 
20. Pride and Prejudice

Hoo boy! Last Spin crashed and burned hard, but that's understandable as I was in my third trimester / just had a baby. 

Now, it's been no secret that my reading has stalled mightily as previous blog posts state. Classics definitely haven't been much in my wheelhouse at the moment. Perhaps the spin will give me that push! 

This time around, I curated my list with the remaining books on my club list plus a couple classics from other challenges I wanted to sign up for this year. That resulted in 15 books. I doubled the list, sent it through a randomizer, and then curated from there. While we do have 8 weeks, I took some of the longest books either off my spin list entirely, or just made sure they only appeared once. 

Most looking forward to? One of the Austen novels. 
Hoping it's not? Anything over 400 pages. Also, not really in the mood for a dystopia.

Revisiting Children's Literature Week 1

Book 1: Excuse Me! 

This book came to us through a box of hand me down clothes from the neighbors across the street. A short rhyming book about using the words excuse me. Cute enough pictures. Back matter "quizzes" the child about when to say the words excuse me. Nothing earth shattering, but worth keeping for revisiting manners with Kid 1 and introducing them to Kid 2 when she's old enough.

Book 2: Mouse Match by Ed Young

This book was acquired from the library after it was withdrawn. Ed Young is a Chinese-born American author and illustrator. Mouse Match is a Chinese folk tale. The pictures are a striking collage. The story itself is your standard folk tale affair. The book itself is really cool. It's set as an accordion style. So if you had the space, you could open the whole thing up and it follows like a giant tapestry. Flip the accordion over and you can see the tale written in Chinese characters. (I'm unsure if there are different characters for Mandarin or Cantonese.) Kid 1 is definitely old enough for this tale so we'll keep it on the shelves in her room for rotation.

Book 3: Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

A childhood book that ended up at my house. It's an easy-going story about a little girl who wants to travel to far away places, live by the sea, and make the world more beautiful. She manages all those things. The pictures are gorgeous and I love that this is a girl in the late 19th, early 20th century who travels. That being said, the portions to deal with far away lands feel very white Imperialistic. I'm not sure the names used for the people's who live there are PC anymore. I know we have other books that serve the same purpose that don't have those issues, so this one will make it's way to a donate pile. 

Book 4: The Fool and the Phoenix: A Tale of Old Japan by Deborah Nourse Lattimore

A withdrawn library book. A quasi-folktale that tells of a mute bird catcher who finds a phoenix and fights a bandit. The story is interesting and the pictures are gorgeous. However, I later found out the author took inspiration of the phoenix legends and wrote her own tale. She's a scholar but she's not Japanese. Keeping the book for the pictures at the moment, but if I find I need more space for new stuff, this one will likely go.

Book 5: The Hidden Folk by Lise Lunge-Larsen

Withdrawn library book. This is a collection of Faery stories from Northern Europe. There's stories about water horses, fairies, sprites, dwarves, and selkies. The introduction talks about them as though they are real. Each creature is introduced and then we get a story or two. The author mentions at the end that the stories were basically told to her in passing as fact when she was a kid, so she had to take her time to make stories from them. Kid 1 is definitely the right age for this book at this time, so we'll be keeping it.

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier

Title: Heart's Blood

Author: Juliet Marillier

Pages: 402

Finished: June 3, 2020

First Sentence: At the place where two tracks met, the carter brought his horse to a sudden halt.

Summary: After her father's death, Caitrin flees from an abusive homelife. She finds herself a position as a scribe at Whilstling Tor. A place full of mystery, Caitrin is set to transcribe the writings of the Lord Anulan's ancestors. Amidst her work, she finds out information about the strange ghosts who seem to haunt the Tor, the curse that surrounds the place, and how it all came into being even as Norman invaders threaten to take control of the area.

Thoughts: A vague retelling of Beauty and the Beast. This was a great book to start reading again. It was fairly quick to read with a subject matter I find fairly interesting. I've liked Marillier's other retellings that I've read. 

In general, I enjoyed this, though I found the writing somewhat weaker from some of her other novels I've read. I discovered the adversary early on in the book. I don't know if it was supposed to be obvious as it was. Some of the characters felt a little too much like they were filling a specific part. And I'll admit, the climax was... anticlimactic. But for an easy read that kept me interested, I definitely recommend it.