my kind of mystery

i am not very far into the no. 1 ladies' detective agency yet, but so far, i love it. that precious ramotswe is clever! i am especially enjoying the subtle humor that is present even in the most dramatic points of the story.

my favorite quote so far is from the very beginning of the book. here are the wise words of mma ramotswe...

"i love all the people whom god made, but I especially know how to love the people who live in this place. they are my people, my brothers and sisters. it is my duty to help them solve the mysteries in their lives. that is what i am called to do."

it made me think of being a teacher and how the biggest part of my job is not to teach my students, but to love them and help them learn about themselves. i think the biggest mystery i have solved this year was how to get my students to read. once i figured out it was sharing my passion for reading with them, i haven't been able to get them to quit reading! if you're a teacher, you'll totally understand how hard it is to motivate reluctant readers and why this is such a huge triumph.

ok, back to the book. since i'm snowed in, i should get quite a bit of quality couch-and-book time. i'll keep you posted on how that goes!

most spectacular book on earth

i just finished reading water for elephants. it took me about 2 days to read it, because i had to put it down to go to work. believe me, that was hard to do!

this is easily one of the best novels i have read. i don't know that i have ever felt so many emotions at one time while reading a fictional story. and i know for a fact, that i've never wanted an extramarital affair to happen so badly.

the character that i unexpectedly liked was walter/kinko. he was so ridiculously angry and upsetting when i first met him, that i didn't know how jacob would survive living with him. i kept thinking that walter would throw him under the train somehow, just because he didn't like him. i knew there was more to walter when jacob saw that he read classic literature. unlike many of the people who worked the circus, walter must have had a decent education. that makes me think that he was destined for great things, but was unsure of where to go to make those things happen. what i do know is that he came to a premature, and quite tragic, end.

the other character that caught my eye, never said a single word. i loved rosie, just like i'm sure most of you did. the beast that so many regarded as dumb and stubborn was actually the most perceptive being involved in that circus. i'm going to be a teacher here for a moment, so bear with me. rosie reminds me so much of the students i have met over the years that have some sort of language barrier. these students have no hope if someone isn't willing to take the time to cultivate a relationship with them. when you haven't taken the time to learn about such a person, there is no way to discover all of the wonderful things that person can do. as a result, rosie was beaten because of august's intolerance for those who didn't catch on right away. when jacob and greg discovered rosie's secret, she was then able to become the heroine in a surprising way.

what did you think?

shiver vs. sherlock?

please excuse me for being remiss in my duties as a book blogger.

i have no excuse really, except that school has started back and, well, i started reading shiver by maggie stiefvater. i read it until i finished it. i can't say that it was my favorite book, but it was certainly an easier read than twilight. by easier, i mean the characters had a little more character in them (nobody sparkled, so that is definitely a win) and i actually enjoyed it. anyway, it will be a while before i decide to read the second one, linger, but since they are loanable on kindle, i'll do it. it's a quick read, so if you've got the time and want some easy reading, go for it!

i'm seriously having problems staying on track with sherlock. maybe it's because i'm reading so much heavy content for my graduate classes, but it's just not clicking right now. i think i'll temporarily abandon it and go for it again another time.

i'm thinking about switching to another mystery that's a little more fun that more of us will enjoy. how does the no. 1 ladies detective agency sound? i saw the show on HBO a few years ago and it was pretty cute and quite witty in my opinion. what are your thoughts? (of course, i have to wait until i finish with water for elephants because now i'm drawn in and won't stop 'til i've finished). you can expect the next few posts to be about that. if you've read it, please let me know your opinions, ideas, and favorite parts- and don't forget to justify your answer. spoken like a true literacy teacher...

(sher)locked in my house due to snow

i'm using my snow days to catch up on some reading, so i picked up sherlock. i had already read the first three stories about six months ago, but got too busy. i'll have to reread them at some point.

i'd forgotten how clever he was.

some favorite quotes thus far:

"i know, my dear watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life. you have shown your relish for it by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own little adventures."

"and now, doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play. a sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are no red-headed clients to vex us with their conundrums."

-'the red-headed league'

if you've started reading it, what do you think so far?

sherlock for cheap

i did some research and found this link for the book on amazon's kindle. if you have an iphone, ipad, or itouch, you can download the kindle app for free. kindle for mac and pc is also available for download on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Sherlock-Holmes-ebook/dp/B000JQU1VS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1294460144&sr=1-1

it looks like it's $0.99 for the nook/barnes and noble ereader.

http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=EBOOK&WRD=the+adventures+of+sherlock+holmes&page=index&prod=univ&choice=ebooks&query=the+adventures+of+sherlock+holmes&flag=False&ugrp=0

*******

happy reading!

i'm mandy and i'm a book addict...

i've been thinking for a while about a blog-worthy topic and exhausted many options. i can't decorate my house worth a flip, i'm not artistic either, and i'd rather just bake cupcakes and eat them than write about them. then i thought, "why not add to the plethora of book blogs already out there? i mean, i AM the girl with boxes of unshelved (and shelved) books at home, at school, in her car, and a growing stack by her bed."

so, here i am. one little book club blog out there among millions, but this one is my own...our own.

i'm ready to get started!

i like the idea of themes/genres. rachel suggested having bi-monthly or quarterly themes and i totally dig. so, by december, we will have read 10-12 (or more books) in four different genres.

we are thinking about starting with mysteries, mainly because the adventures of sherlock holmes is free on the kindle and, well, who doesn't love a perceptive cocaine addict? then, we can move on to newbery award winners after that. the last two themes are up for debate. we also thought about reading a few books written by comics, such as the sedaris siblings, chelsea handler, and the like. but i welcome any and all of your suggestions and we'll just hash it out over the comments.