Saturday, April 21

Book Update

I am still slowly making my way through Last of the Mohicans. It's enjoyable, but I've been a bit lax with my readings. First, I forgot where I put the book (right there on the bookshelf, with all the other books-to-be-read). Then Claudia mentioned something about the ending and, being the obstinate dork she is, wouldn't tell me what she meant. So I, being the obstinate dork I am, went to the back and read the last four chapters of the book, in reverse order, going far enough back in the story until I could figure out what she was talking about.

And for the first time EVER, I wish I hadn't done that.

I wish she'd have just told me what she was going to say. That wouldn't have ruined the story for me (I know, I'm weird like that. If I ask about how something ends, just tell me. If I thought I didn't want to know, I wouldn't ask. Really. And I don't blab endings to others, unless they're weird like me. I get that.) What ruined it for me was realizing I'd read too far back into the book before I clicked that what she'd meant to not tell me was right there in the last chapter... and so, I kind of ruined some of it for myself by reading too much of the end first.

But I still maintain that there's not a thing wrong with reading the last chapter. Sometimes you've just gotta.

Still reading The Innocents Abroad, and still enjoying, although only in snippets. If I try to take it in bites too large, the flavors begin to go bland, it seems.

The boys and I finished Captains Courageous tonight. The boys were taken in by the quality of Troop's character. They really liked Dan and Harve's relationship. The cook freaked them out a bit. They fell in love with Mr. Cheyne, although they didn't get to meet him until the end. Somehow, Kipling pulled his character together in a way that, although you didn't go to sea with him, you did get to know him in the end. That was fun. John really has a soft spot for Penn. James likes Long Jack. Smidge wants to know when we'll be reading Farmer Boy again.

What next? I'm not sure. Not sure at all. Right now, I have so many things I want to read with them that I find myself a bit paralyzed by indecision.

James and I have been reading Rosemary Sutcliff's Eagle of the Ninth. I'd begun this with him about two years ago, but he wasn't interested, so we laid it aside. Last year, I put it out on his "check this out" shelf, and he showed some interest, but it didn't quite hold him. This time, as a one-on-one read aloud, he's enjoying it much more.

Now I need to find something to read to John one-on-one, as he wants to have that time, but isn't quite ready to follow Sutcliff's book at the pace James needs (truly, any slower, and the book would be dull as dirt, too). Somehow, when you're six, the group read aloud just doesn't have the same sparkly glow to it that the one-on-one time together does.

Together, we are finishing up Memoria Press' Famous Men of Rome, starting Padriac Colum's The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said (a Baldwin Project book, if anyone is interested), The Japanese Twins (another Baldwin Project book), and delving back into daily poetry (now that I've found the box with all the poetry books in it!) Oh, and Jess brought us a copy of Bennett's The Book of Virtues, which has long been a favorite on rent, erm, loan from the library.

Reading with the boys is so good for me. I know I'm mortal. I realize it's very possible my eyesight and my brain may give out before I can read all the books in the world that need readin'! I want to take one deep breath and inhale them all, but the boys, they slow me down. They still think they're immortal and that every book was written just for them. They don't want to inhale it. They want to take it apart, the way you would a big chunk of crumbly, moist cornbread, and savor each and every part of it. Truth be told, it's haarrrrrrrd to slow down. But it's good. It's really good. How many delightful meals would we miss if we swallowed them whole? And why is it that children have an easier time remembering that than adults do?

So, we'll go slow. And we won't get it all. But oh, what we do get to - it'll be wonderful!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

4 comments:

Kathy Jo DeVore said...

Jared can't seem to get into Rosemary Sutcliff's books. I haven't tried them as a read-aloud ('cause I'm just not good at those so I save them for something really special). He seemed to enjoy her Iliad retelling, but every other one has been a bust.

I sometimes read the last chapter, or at least the last few pages, too. :) And I've never asked someone how a book or movie ended unless I really, truly want to know. Why do people feel the need to save me from myself sometimes when I ask??

Dy said...

I have to read them myself, first. Then I do a better job of reading them aloud. The drawback I've found with Sutcliff's books is that they have the same flaw Henty's books have - once you've read one, you've read the majority of them. There's no real variance in the fictional setup and character development. That gets a little stiffling if you read two in a row! LOL!

And, Kathy Jo, I'll tell you the ending any time you ask! Honest! But the comment about saving you from yourself made me laugh b/c I automatically thought of the horrible ending to Pretty Woman, "She rescues him right back!" *gag* Not everybody needs rescuing... but that's probably another post entirely, isn't it? ;-)

Dy

Bridget said...

I love to read, I have always loved to read. When we would go on vacation when I was growing up, before we left I hit the library and would fill up a bag to take with me. Out of my 3 kids only 1 has inherited this love from me and that is Blake. {sigh} I guess I should be happy to have at least 1 that loves reading like I do. when he reads it's like he is in another world and you have to wait for him to come back to reality. He also is great at telling you exactly what happened in the book.

Anonymous said...

Sorry for ruining the ending for you. I don't like being told the ending. Which doesn't explain why I usually read the last chapter or so to find out what happened. At least you admitted to being an obstinate dork right back. :-p

Claudia