Lift by Kelly Corrigan

This is a beautiful little book about life as a mother. Joyful, and honest and validating. You know Kelly Corrigan because she is you, and your sister, and your best friend. I did know Kelly. We went to University together. She was a year ahead of me in school and gorgeous- in a natural enviable way. What I call New England Pretty. Like she could whoop you in lacrosse then serve you up a lobster, all without worrying about her hair or losing the natural blush to her cheeks. Kelly Corrigan always seemed -real. She writes that way too. She gives a voice to my motherhood. This book is written to her children, Georgia and Claire. A "what you should know about me, about us, right now" memory. Curiously I have a Georgia too, and maybe more "curiouser and curiouser" I've been writing to my babies since before the first one hatched. 16 years of letters to my children. Kelly"s LIFT is WAY more concise, and likely MUCH more legible! I have not discussed my letter journals with my children, because I don't know when they will read them. 18? When I'm dead? Hmm. I think I've always thought to hand them over when the first one becomes a parent. Kelly has the same question. "When will you read this?" Only, in her case, her kids will certainly read it, and in my case, there might be no one hardy enough to slog through all those journals. In any case, I want my kids to read LIFT. Maybe not now, but certainly when parenthood is looming. Moms, READ THIS BOOK. And, instead of another What to Expect when you're Expecting, give LIFT at the next baby shower!

Crazy for the Storm; A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad

I am Crazy for this book!
I had hoped it would be a story about the extraordinary strength of kids. It was!
I had hoped it would be a record of the deep love between a father and son. It was!
I had hoped it would be uplifting and... it was!
I had hoped it would be a book that would captivate the imagination and appreciation of boys and girls. It will!
BUT... Perhaps not in the way I had hoped.
For the adult, this is a "do not miss". Unfortunately, although the childhood of Mr. Ollestad was amazing and fantastic in many ways, in others, it is the childhood of 1970's beach bum California. Free lovin' and well, free. TMI (too much information) for the young adult. And, while I don't think these gems of memory serve the story itself, it does speak to the context of the childhood experience for the author.
The book flips back and forth each chapter between the plane crash and subsequent hairy hours and the memories of childhood. It is absolutely shocking each time I realize the kid is 11. Years old. And the father I was prepared to dislike I ended up thinking might have some parenting pointers. Crazy.

Open by Andre Agassi

Erma Bombeck once said "Don't confuse fame with success; Madonna is one, Helen Keller is the other."
I tend to choose biographies of the successful, steering clear of the famous. But which is Andre Agassi? One way to find out! This Autobiography lays it all down. It reads like a first serve- 130 mph and nothing to lose. Agassi wrote this without fear(or his ghostwriter did...he gives credit at the end.) Believe it- he does not wear rose colored Oakleys or shrink away from the truth. He shares his insecurities, and dependance, his hard, focused, unloving father, failed relationships and drug use. Also, his strong friends, discovering a purpose and finding forgiveness and love.
No doubt, Agassi was famous. He and I are close to the same age. Growing up in my house we didn't play football, we played tennis, and the same for our TV habits. That little box showed that the young Andre Agassi was different. He played exciting tennis, and looked nothing like Jimmy Connors. He had a bit of Bjorg about him....lots of hair, but also an earring! and compelling expressive eyes. Something about him was captivating, more than Boris Becker, who was awkward and had no visible eyelashes or Pete Sampras who never seemed to have an expression at all. I watched him play tennis throughout high school, college, and then lost track while I was in veterinary school (lost track of most everything that wasn't vet related during vet school). He didn't miss me. He was still there playing. I had babies. Lost track of most everything but the babies during the infant and toddler years, but once again when I popped my head out of the sand- there's Agassi, still on the court. Bald, more chiseled, divorced (wait- he got married? To Brooke Shields?) and still compelling. Maybe his autobiography is more interesting to me because I remember so many of those matches as well. Yet another Agassi-Sampras final? But, I don't think so. I think even my teens would be captivated by his story. If I encouraged them to read this. Agassi was not usually known for his on court decorum. He was not adverse to yelling profanities during matches, which resulted in warnings and even getting tossed off the court like one of the balls he would fire into the top of the stadium when frustrated. These moments are recalled in the book, so if you don't want your children to read words like $^%&*^%$@#!*) ^%&$%#@&*^! then this is not a good choice. Likewise if you want your child to revere sports figures as heros. This "hero" does Crystal Meth, drinks a LOT and lies. But he comes clean on the page. Break point for honesty. He comes clean, becomes clean, finds his confidence, finds his love, forgives his father, is not unkind to his exes, and pays his taxes. He grows up, and becomes a man- a good one. I really, really liked the book, and it is not "chick lit", so keep in mind for a teen boy!
So, is Andre Agassi successful, or just famous? ...
I'll give him a little credit for both.

Animals Make Us Human, Creating the Best Life for Animals by Temple Grandin

Summer is nearly here, and in rural towns all across America, the main event of the summer is the County Fair. Here in rural Ohio, the County Fair is takes on great importance. The 4-H is a large organization with hundreds of kids eager to show off their steer, rabbit or raspberry-orange muffins. But, county fairs are taking on another element in recent years, one of debate in the animal welfare arena. As a Veterinarian, I think the welfare of animals is extremely important! I also think animals have a place in the food chain. The children exhibiting their animals at the county fair should be presenting the ultimate in care and lifestyle for these animals, and the ones that end up in the slaughter house are due a simple, stress-less, humane slaughter, as are all animals- food or pet. There are groups in this country who would like to legislate that animals no longer being used for food. One method of pressing their platform is to spotlight mistreatment and abuse of animals. Now present at County Fairs are representatives of these groups sent to try to find evidence against the kids presenting livestock projects at the Fair. Kids are being told not to speak to anyone who asks questions about their animals, or anyone who seems pushy. This makes me very sad. These children are the ones who will be growing our food in the future. If their future means people trying to legislate them into other professions, they will need to be armed. Armed with knowledge. I think the best way to ensure animal welfare is to educate! I want these kids to be able to speak intelligently, and knowledgeably about animals and their welfare- to anyone who will listen.
Temple Grandin has been finding her way into the spotlight for a few years now, this year a HBO movie was made about her life, starring Clare Danes. Temple Grandin is an amazing woman. She is autistic, and has used that dominate feature to gain insight into life through the eyes of animals. She has specialized for many years in creating ways to make the ends of their lives graceful. She has a unique alignment to the feelings and thoughts of the livestock and pets we raise. And the methods of slaughter have changed largely due to her teachings.
Animals Make Us Humanis the ninth book by Temple Grandin. Its chapters are species specific, and provide wonderful insight into the way emotions work in our animals. From Dogs to Zoo critters, she writes about the unique features of each species and how to make their lives good ones. Any kid involved with an animal should pick up this book and at least read the chapter of that species, but may enjoy learning about them all! Learning Theory, Negative Reinforcement and the FEAR system all become understandable ideals. We need to make sure that we look at life through the eyes of our animals, and this book allows us to see. This book is a step in animal education.

If you have a County Fair, go. Do try and talk to to the exhibitors, let these kids share their projects, and watch. I have seen kids with ice packs on their dairy calf's neck, because it is hot. Or ones fanning flies away from their steer, because their steer doesn't like flies. Watch a kid bathing their chicken, and taking a toothbrush to clean every scale on it's leg and another spraying his hog with a water bottle for hours so the hog can rest comfortably. Not every animal gets this kind of treatment, but the more these kids learn about their animals, the better the welfare of all shall be.

Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Alexandra Stoddard

Alexandra Stoddard is familiar to me. She is so like the Chic yet real, wealthy yet a bit shabby women I looked up to growing up in New England. Life isn't perfect and they understand this shouldn't be the illusion they create, but instead allow yourself to create the best with what surrounds you. Which comes out looking rather ideal, if not perfect. She is a designer by trade but has morphed into more of a lifestyle guru. This book is another in her string of lifestyle manuals, aimed at her daughters- but that is because she didn't have sons! The advice in here is not gender specific. Okay, the blurb "Learn to Style Your Own Hair" might be a little girlie, but mostly these are more gender neutral items. And, I think this book will mean different things to different ages. You can read this at 14 or at 40, and still find some good analysis for your own doings.
And, there are no sex, language or violence warnings for this book!
Give it to your daughter, or son (if he is confident enough to read a book about life choices that has the word "daughter" in the title) and let them cruise through the bits and pieces at their own pace. Maybe it is not a sit down and read all at once kind of book, more of a read a few pages and then a few tomorrow kind of book. But it is a kind book. And Moms, remember, you are all daughters too!

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Under the "New York Times Bestsellers" heading- still striking out on finding one in this category to recommend to my kidlets.
This is a good book. I cried, I stressed, and in the end, it came out okay. I do like a happy ending! And, really, "as compared to" it is not an unthinkable choice for my older teen. The book is about adults so the main characters are in relationships. One is in a marriage that is losing traction, one is in a relationship that mostly seems to be about sex- but the sex scenes aren't very graphic. The book is about relationships though- between parents, between parents and their children, between siblings, between lovers, and how all these relationships are shaped. The cold and distant elderly mother of the story holds the turning point, and her revelation of what she suffered in WW2 changes the perceptions of all the characters. The story of her suffering in Leningrad is heart wrenching, but is not The Diary of Anne Frank also a story about love amongst horror? And Anne Frank is on many "Required Reading" lists (another group I find interesting and sometimes exasperating) for teens. So, I may have struck out on finding a book appropriate for the preteen/tweens but, I think this might be a real stunner for the older teens- and their moms&dads!Just beware there is sex, and drinking (the family bonds a bit over shots of Russian Vodka) suffering of war (real) as well as love, forgiveness and a bit of a far-fetched fairy tale ending (much needed after starving babies)!

How Do I Love Thee - three stories by Lurlene McDaniel

Sigh. This is "Romance for Young Readers". Lurlene McDaniel is a romance writer for teens. I bought this as another attempt for my romance seeking daughter several years ago when she was about 12. I stuck my courage to the sticking place and forged my way through all three stories. Boy, was I glad to finish! And, never subjected the poor child to the book.
Let's start with the good. There are some positive messages for teens; acceptance, commitment and decisions=consequences. The age of the characters is high school, but the characters weren't drinking, or taking illegal drugs.
Now for the rest.
As for sexuality, there is kissing, which maybe doesn't bother me as much as the "Love at First Sight" conditioning. And, the sneaking out at night to meet, which somehow seems more removed in Shakespeare than in McDaniel. Does reading Romeo and Juliet or seeing West Side Story encourage kids to sneak out to meet a lover any less than a cheaply written teen paperback? I think so.
Yet, I think my biggest complaint is the assumption that the reader doesn't deserve better dialogue, better writing.
Example: Random page
"There's no way out?"
"Not unless you're a seagull. But as soon as the tide comes back in, you float right out. Neat, huh?"
"Not as neat as you," he said. He reached for her, pulled her close, and felt the warmth of her body against his. "What do you do when you come out here?" he asked, pressing his mouth into her thick, dark hair which smelled like flowers.
"I think," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I think about having a regular life. I think about what I want to do with whatever time I have left to live."

See what I mean? It reads like a script from the soap opera I was in during the 80's. Even then, as a teen myself, I knew the writing was cheesy and awkward, overly dramatic and just plain unreal. Yet, there seems to still be a market-smaller to be sure- for the soap opera. Maybe this book is raising the feeder market....
"OH, Steve, how can I live without you? You are my breath, you are my blood."
"My Darling, never will you have to know. I will be by your side forever! Or, until Margery's twin sister who is my mother's long lost embryo gets out of the insane asylum and kidnaps me to create a baby so she can replace her failing kidneys..."

A Light in the Window by Jan Karon

I'm very attached to my dear little priest. I've never had an actual Priest, as my religious affiliations have never included such, but I'd think about becoming Episcopalian if Father Tim were in my hometown. Okay, I don't really have a hometown either, but that is another story. This is the second book in the Mitford Series. I read the first one a few months ago and reviewed it on my Facebook Page, but as shown by the Clan of the Cave Bear series, you really can't tell a book by its cover, or judge a series by one book. I really enjoyed the first book; At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon, so forged ahead to test the waters of the next in the series. So far so good as they say! This book is charming, and full of the same oddball southern characters as the first. And, as I mentioned before, having lived in The South for many years, there are no characters like Southern Characters. It is also a romance. Yes, a romance about a Priest. All of the angst of first love (at 60) along with a healthy dose of chasteness. Karon allows bad things to happen to the characters- but in this case, it is not murder, mayhem, rape, dismemberment, and horror. It is the bad things that make up most of our lives, like misunderstandings, poor judgement that gets someone hurt (but not "kilt") and the closing of our favorite little restaurant. I have become fond of the kooky old folks, the challenged young boy and, of course, my priest, and look forward to reading the next installment. This seems to be a good series for the teen/tweens, although it remains to be seen if they can continue to relate to the main characters as they are a good bit older than my target audience. Still, my eldest girl has read both At Home in Mitford and A Light in the Window, and enjoyed both. Recommended.

Buy Cialis? REALLY?

Well, I asked the advice of my dear friend Trish; how do I know if anyone ever looks at this thing? Am I making recommendations for any actual human children? Have I saved any parent indecision in the bookstore or library? How does one know? So, she emailed me with advice about "Widgets" and "URLs" and "HTMLs". Sigh. Undaunted, I worked on finding a counting widget. I tried several. The first one stubbornly refused to start at "zero" and began at 355623. The next time I looked, it said I had had 8000+ visits. Hmmm. Evidently defective. So, on to the next. I really didn't want a counter if it meant stuff was going to pop up on the screen and drive me and everyone else crazy, but how do you know? Several attempts later, I came up with one that seemed simple and actually began with the number "0". YIPPEEEE. Only now, I notice there is small words above the counter that say "buy cialis". Ugh. So, please, don't buy Cialis unless you need it for erectile dysfunction. In which case, I don't believe my counter will have had any influence on your choice of pharmaceutical.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

As I want to find a bestseller I can recommend to my children, I also want to find "required reading" that I like. I know I read The Great Gatsby, probably about the time I picked up Clan of the Cave Bear for the first time. I remembered COTCB, remembered liking it. All I remember about Gatsby was thinking the houses were big. Is this because the book wasn't very good? Was it because I was 14, and couldn't relate? Or, was it because it was....."required reading"? After reading Gatsby again, I think it was mostly the second choice. Gatsby is hard for a 14 year old to "get". Rich, spoiled, needy, pompous, partying narcissists make up the bulk of the characters. The shallowness of Daisy is depressing, the neediness of Gatsby equally so. I don't think I appreciated the weakness of the characters as a 14 year old. As an adult I found the book frustrating and sad. No one gets out unscathed in The Great Gatsby. You find yourself hoping for a happy ending, while all the time seeing there is no such thing when you start with such unhappy people. The narrator keeps you reading the book, because the poor guy is able to see more than the surface, but given no power to change people or events.
So, while it may come to a "Required Reading List" near you, if it doesn't, I think Gatsby is still unfathomable and unrelatable to most teens/tweens. If is is required, you have an opportunity to discuss the themes- drinking, drinking and driving, infidelity, more drinking, extreme wealth coupled with extreme irresponsibility, untrue love, suicide, and the importance of having a gardener.