The Serpent King, by Jeff Zentner

The Serpent King, by Jeff Zentner
Dill is no stranger to hardship. He’s dirt poor, financially supporting his mother, and seems to have zero future prospects. His father, a snake-handling preacher, is in prison; many of his former parishioners blame Dill. Yet Dill has two things that keep him getting up in the morning – his friends Travis and Lydia. The three are strikingly different but are pushed together by their mutual status as social outcasts. 

This is a story about friendship, futures, and fighting. It’s the first book in a long time that’s made me just start bawling – I generally avoid crying if I can, but this book deserved a good cry. It was that moving. I didn’t just feel for Dill and his friends, I felt with them – which is saying a lot since I personally have not experienced most of the hardships that Dill and his friends were going through. 

The characterization and mood of this book were what made it amazing. The characters were real. They were flawed. They got angry for stupid reasons or were sometimes bossy and blind to the needs of others. Yet they were perfect. They were just what good friends should be. They knew how to love, how to inspire, how to live. The mood of the book was remarkably well-kept. It somehow mixed the darkness of hardship with the light of an amazing friendship. 

Overall, I would recommend this book to anybody who likes gritty teen realism. Personally, I volunteer for a texting crisis hotline for teenagers, and I find reading books like these helps me to better relate to the teens that text in. I am currently collecting books that I think would either be good to recommend to troubled teens, or help others in the crisis center to empathize with teens in crisis. I consider this an important collection, and carefully think about each book that I include. This one is a definite yes. Issues that I consider important in this book – religious extremism (and how it impacts youths), family members in prison, bullying, grief, mental illness, and coping mechanisms. 


In which Rachel goes on an Ambulance Ride-Along

First of all, thanks for everyone who has been commenting on my blog despite my disappearance. I plan on getting back to all of your blogs soon, but I’ve been concentrating on studying for the onslaught of tests at the end of my EMT class. I have to do well or else I won’t pass my national exams. I’ll keep you updated on how I’m doing. 🙂

This week was fantastic, though exhausting. I celebrated my nephew’s 3rd birthday twice – it only comes around every 4 years, so it’s exciting to celebrate. We went to Rainforest Cafe at the Mall of America for our first celebration. Dinner there was terrible. It took about 45 minutes to get our drinks, and they totally forgot to bring my dad’s – he had to wait another 15 minutes for his. Plus, one of us accidentally ate a piece of plastic that was in the quesadillas. Of course we sent them back and had them taken off the tab, but that’s a huge choking hazard! The service was terrible, the food lacking in tastiness, and the restaurant had tables crushed together way too close so that you HAD to bump into another table in order to get out of your own. 

The next time I celebrated my nephew’s birthday, I took him over to a friend’s house, where we discovered (horror of horrors) that both Netflix and Hulu had stopped streaming Doctor Who. I’m sure they announced it in advance, but we didn’t notice. We had to watch a couple of movies instead. Now I’ve bought the 6th series so that we can watch it at our leisure. 

I also had an ambulance ride-along, which was fantastic. The trip was 14 hours, and we spent the whole of it in the ambulance. There were about 7 calls – one every 2 hours. None of them were particularly exciting, though we did have to handcuff two of the patients for our own safety. I was shocked how quickly 14 hours passed. 

I also went to a high school production of Man of La Mancha. It was fantastic, other then the orchestra which had a fairly bad trumpet player. But the acting was superb considering it was a high school performance. Especially Don Quixote. Amazing acting and boy could that kid sing!

Currently Reading



Completed This Week


Watched



Acquired


A Room of One’s Own and Chasing the Scream were both purchased on sale at Audible. I’m starting to pile up books in my Audible queue through these sales, but how can I resist? I thought it would be nice to add in one more Virginia Woolf book this year, as I’m celebrating women classic authors right now. Chasing the Scream fits with my current interest in the state of the failing justice system here in America. 

In which Rachel tries out being a moulage patient

This was a good week. I got lots of studying done, did well on a test, went out to dinner with the family for my nephew’s 3rd birthday (he’s turning 12 on the 29th), and tried out being a moulage patient for an EMS program. 

In case you don’t know what a moulage patient is, medical students, EMS students, etc. need practice patients to assess and diagnose. Moulage patients are make-uped to look like they’re sick or have undergone trauma. This experience was fantastic for me since it prepares me for my practical exams for my EMT class, which will happen in a couple of weeks. In fact, I was moulaging for EMT students, so the test is exactly the same as I will experience myself! It’s a pretty low-brain job which pays a reasonable amount of money. I enjoyed it so much that I agreed to do another run in a couple of weeks, and I applied for a “casual-but-long-term” job doing it. It’s not the job I want after I graduate, but since it’s casual I can do it every once in a while when it’s convenient. We’ll see if I get an interview. 

Monthly wrap-up


Overall, the month has been a good one. I went down to part time at work, started exercising on a regular basis, and have been doing well in my EMT class. I will have finished 8 books – a decrease from the 14 from last month. I know it seems like I should have more reading time now that I’m part-time, but I have a lot less time in the car to listen to audiobooks, and I’m spending a good deal of my new free-time studying. 


Posts

Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Reivers, by William Faulkner

A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster

Lecture 6 of Stress and Your Body

Currently Reading


Completed this week


Acquired


I bought The Last Week and Neurotribes because I knew that I would be reading them soon. The Last Week is a great book to read during Lent since it’s about the last week of Jesus’ life. Neurotribes was on sale at Audible for a two-for-one sale, and I added on Bluebeard. Neurotribes will wait until autism April. In the Woods was a gift from a LibraryThing friend.

A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster

A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster
Narrated by Sam Dastor
Contains light spoilers.

With a backdrop of British Colonial India, A Passage to India is the story of Dr. Aziz, a Muslim Indian physician who is sympathetic and welcoming of the Brits. The story begins with Dr. Aziz meeting an elderly lady who is visiting her son with Miss Quested, a flighty, priggish young woman who wants to meet a “real Indian.” Dr. Aziz, in welcoming exuberance, gives a polite but insincere invitation to his house and is shocked when Miss Quested takes him up on the offer. Embarrassed by his home, Dr. Aziz instead suggests that he host a trip to the Marabar caves. But in those caves, Miss Quested gets lost, and in her fear thinks that Dr. Aziz has accosted her, when he is actually in another cave looking for her. 

A Passage to India was a fantastic book on so many levels. With Miss Quested’s ill-advised acceptance of Dr. Aziz’s invitation (among many other ill-advised behaviors from the ladies), it highlights the differences between Indian culture and British culture. Dr. Aziz is overly accommodating, and the stand-offish British are entirely unaware of his putting himself out–they take all his welcoming exuberance quite literally. 

The characterization was also quite deep. For instance, it showed Miss Quested’s priggishness by her wish to see a “real Indian,” her pronounced reserve by her interactions with her potential fiance, and her openness to suggestion by her continued accusations of Dr. Aziz (which she seemed unsure of, but which were egged on by others of the British community). 

The writing style was sleek and symbolic. For instance at one point, before any of the horrifying incidents unfold, Mrs. Moore sees a wasp which reminds her vaguely of Indian culture. This wasp foreshadows the horrible events that follow. 

And most importantly, the A Passage to India outlined the failings of British colonialism, the blindness and priggishness of the British impressions of Indian people, and the resulting hostilities. 

I loved this book. This is my first Forster book that I’ve read, and it will most certainly not be my last. 


The Reivers, by William Faulkner

The Reivers, by William Faulkner
Narrated by John H. Mayer
In this Pulitzer Prize winning novel, 11 year old Lucas Priest is talked into stealing his grandpa’s car by his family friend Boon Hogganbeck. One of the Priest family retainers manages to sneak into the car and comes along for the ride. The trio make their way to Memphis, where Boon has a girl he’d like to court. Along the way, they lose the car, gain a racehorse, and generally get in trouble. 

This is supposed to be one of Faulkner’s more light-hearted and easy-to-read books, and I agree with that assessment. Despite its serious topic, it has a subtle humor throughout. The plot tends to be pretty loose and easy to follow. The characters are strong and endearing. Overall, I found the book quite enjoyable and am pleased that I chose this Faulkner book to read, rather that one of his heavier books. I do want to read his heavier books, but sometimes it’s nice just to read something light-hearted by one of the best American authors. 

Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The area around the Ingalls’ little house in the big woods is getting crowded, and Pa decides to hop in the wagon and head off to “Indian country” in Kansas. The family finds a nice place to settle and spends months building a home there. But just as things are beginning to settle down to a normal life, they begin to have troubles with the natives in the area, who are angry about all the settlers moving into their territory. 

This plot was a lot less passive than the story from Little House in the Big Woods, and as a result I enjoyed it a good deal more. This is my first time reading the series and it’s exciting to experience the story that so many people rave about. Maybe I’ll even check out the TV series, though I hear it’s nothing like the books. 

One thing I had trouble with in this story was the handling of the Native Americans and their culture. Obviously, this book was written in a time when there was a lot of tension between Natives and white settlers, and the language and attitude expressed in Little House was acceptable. However, this may be one of those books that I would discuss with a young child if they were reading it. I don’t believe in telling a child not to read a book, but I do believe in discussing certain points of books with children if it’s possible for them to misunderstand the context. This is definitely one of those books. 

In the long run, though, I’m really enjoying this series and am eager to move on to the next book. 


In which Rachel goes on a ride-along with a fire department


This was a busy week in my world. I spent a good deal of this week studying for an upcoming exam in my EMT class. I also spent some time with a friend who’s going through some hard times. Due to a post by Bryan over at Still Unfinished, I decided that during Lent I would dedicate one more day per week volunteering at the crisis hotline – that makes two days a week during Lent. I also had a ride-along with a fire department on Thursday. That was loads of fun – meeting the fire fighters (modern day heroes) and going on medical runs with them. Most of the runs were to nursing homes,  but we had one home visit. Wish I could share more, but due to privacy laws I can’t. But I’m very grateful to the guys that made the run a great experience.

Exercising goals

As for exercising I didn’t get as much done as I would have wished. I exercised a couple of days, but was incredibly busy on other days and was unable to make it in to the fitness center. There’s always today, right?

Reluctant Romantic Challenge

As many of you know, I’m reading modernist literature for the Reluctant Romantic Challenge hosted by Katie at Doing Dewey. This week’s update questions are: 

Have you read any books in the genre you’re trying before this month?

According to a tag search on LibraryThing, I’ve previously read only one book considered modernist – The Trial, by Franz Kafka. I was surprised when I discovered this deficiency, and that’s why I chose modernism as this month’s theme.  

What books have you read in this genre so far this month?

So far, I’ve read Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf; A Passage to India, by E. M. Forster; and The Reivers, by William Faulkner. All were very enjoyable books, and I’ll get the reviews out soon.

How is your experience with this genre this month going?

I have decided that three works of modernist literature is enough for me this month. I fried my brain. But I’m proud of myself for the effort I made to dedicate the month to modernist literature.


Reviews

Aeronaut’s Windlass, by Jim Butcher

Currently Reading


Yes, I know that list hasn’t changed much in the last few weeks, but I’m doing the best that I can!


Completed


Acquired


A Midsummer Night #nofilter is a rewriting of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in teenage texting format. My dad bought it for me because he thought it was funny. I’ll probably read it next week. Unfair was an Audible Daily Deal. It is about the failings of America’s justice system, which is a subject I’m very interested in right now. Persuasion and Moon over Soho I bought because I’ve decided that I’ve fried my brain on modernist literature this month, and I needed something lighter. But I couldn’t decide WHAT I wanted to read. The Cresswell Plot and Holding Smoke are both granted wishes from Disney-Hyperion publishing group through NetGalley. I had intended on not reading any more ARCs for a while, but I can’t resist signing up for wishes, which are supposed to be really hard to get. I’ve been granted 3 wishes this month, though, so the hard-to-get theory is going out the window.
This update is posted to Stacking the Shelves @Tynga’sReviews, Sunday Salon, Sunday Post @CaffeinatedBookReviewer,   and It’s Monday What are You Reading @BookDate

Aeronaut’s Windlass, by Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut’s Windlass, by Jim Butcher
Narrated by Euan Morton
Captain Grimm is a dedicated airship captain who has fallen into disrepute. Instead of in its military, he serves Spire Aurora by catching pirate ships on his free ship named Predator. However, when Aurora is attacked by a neighboring spire, he must take on a more dangerous mission looking for the enemy who may be lurking within Spire Aurora’s ranks. Besides the grim captain, the mission includes two feisty young women, a loyal (but disdainful) cat, and a young warrior of the guard. 

This is a fantastic addition to Butcher’s repertoire. Of his books, I’ve only read the Dresden ones, and then only a few, but I’ve loved every book by Butcher that I’ve ever read. This is no exception. It has adventure, fantasy, steampunk, science fiction and cats. How can that ever be a bad combination? I look forward to the next book in this series, and am now sorely tempted to pick up another Butcher book very, very soon.  


In which Rachel only reads one book



This week was pretty uneventful. The Super Bowl party was fun, but of course the Panthers lost. My nephew, who picked the Broncos because they were ahead when we got to the party, had a fun time ribbing me throughout the game. Monday I had insurance problems – they wouldn’t fill my prescription because the dose was too high, but I need that dose to keep stable. I hate insurance. Tuesday I bought some new running shoes – I’ve decided to start exercising since I’m unemployed now and won’t get the exercise I’ve been getting at work. Wow am I out of shape. I intended to bike for an hour and then run for an hour. I ended up biking for half an hour and then heading home. But at least I wasn’t in physical pain the next day. Thursday I had tax problems – apparently someone messed up my W-4, I’m guessing my company since I didn’t change it from last year, so I owe $700. Perfect. I just quit my job, too. I’m hoping I messed up when filling out the form. Might cough up the money to get them professionally done. I only got ONE book read! How is that even possible? This coming week I’m looking forward to an EMT ridealong with a local fire department, I’ll let you know how that goes. 

Reluctant Romantic Challenge

I’m going to throw in my Reluctant Romantic post into my update post since my answer is so short. This week’s Reluctant Romantic question is: why have you not read very much of this genre in the past? As you may or may not know, I’m reading modernist books this month for the Reluctant Romantic challenge over at Doing Dewey. So far I’ve finished Mrs. Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf; and Passage to India, by E. M. Forster. I’ve enjoyed both books. 

The reason I haven’t read very much in the past is not because I have any negative perceptions of the genre or that I’ve had a bad experience reading it, but only because I’ve expected it to be heavy reading (which it is) and I just haven’t gotten around to it. I’m glad I had this opportunity to challenge myself.


Lectures: 



Posts: 





Currently Reading: 


Completed: 


Watched: 


Acquired: 
One Line A Day is a 5-year one-line daily journal given to me by a friend. The Game of Life will be given to my nephew for his birthday. Passage to India will be my next audiobook. Shadow Magic is actually a granted wish from NetGalley (yea!). Incarceration Nations was an impulse purchase that I’ll hopefully read next month – I’m interested in prison right now because of my new volunteer experience with the recently paroled convicts. And I figured I needed a couple of practice tests for studying for the NREMT (the national certification exam for becoming an EMT).






This update is posted to Stacking the Shelves @Tynga’sReviews, Sunday Salon, Sunday Post @CaffeinatedBookReviewer,   and It’s Monday What are You Reading @BookDate

You Were Here, by Cori McCarthy

You Were Here, by Cori McCarthy
Release date March 1st, 2016
This book was given to me by the publisher
through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review

In order to deal with the psychological grief of her brother dying, Jaycee is on a quest to rediscover him by reliving his dangerous stunts. When a group of erstwhile friends gets sucked into her antics, Jaycee learns love and forgiveness. 


Let me start out by saying this is the best fiction work on grief that I have ever experienced. McCarthy is clearly someone who understands the power of grief. It seems like everyone in the story is experiencing grief, yet they are all coping in different ways. What’s more most of the characters are incredibly wise (perhaps a little too wise to be real). At one point, Jaycee demands of her new old friend whether she should change her grieving process to not weird people out – how many adults understand that their grief is a personal process, and that it is not wrong to cope the way they do, even if it emotionally or physically healthy for them at that moment (i.e. it is not wrong to experience grief, though sometimes they must be protected from themselves). 

This book is gritty, and at times brutally honest. I would recommend this book to any teenager who wants to understand others’ pain, though I would suggest caution to people who are depressed or going through grief at the moment. There were times while reading this book that I reexperienced difficult moments for myself; however, that is what made the book so powerful to me. This book deserves 6 stars, but my rating system doesn’t go that far up.