The Pearl

Having read and taught John Steinbeck, I know that his stories pack a punch, no matter the length. As with Of Mice and Men, The Pearl proves good things come in little packages. This book has long sat on my shelf and that is why it ended up on my 2014 TBR Pile Challenge.

The Pearl is the retelling of an old Mexican folk tale in which the main character, Kino, finds a magnificent pearl and instantly begins speaking of all the great things he and his wife and child will do and have because of it. His dreams are neither overly greedy nor unrealistic. He wishes for new clothes (which they sorely need), a rifle, and an education for his son. However, by the standards of the time and their poverty, Kino's fortune breeds jealousy and greed in those around him and begins to distort his reality, which leads to trials and tragedy in only a couple days' time.

The story definitely teaches a lesson about the effect of money on a person and those around him/her. Although a good resource, not only will money not solve your problems, it may cause worse problems.

Are you a John Steinbeck fan? Which of his works have you read? The Grapes of Wrath is also one of my reading goals for this year.

Begin the Week with Words

One of my favorite books so far this year, recently reviewed here.


"...for tyranny to flourish all it required was the complicity of good men." The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

Source: amazon.com

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, by Claire North
Publisher: Redhook
Publication date: April 8, 2014
Category: Literature/Fiction
Source: I received this e-galley from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Yes, the blog has been kinda quiet - quieter than usual. But I've been working my tail off finishing my teacher portfolio, wrapping up grades, and dealing with the Seniors' graduation projects. And in between all that, reading a really good book! Not only good, but the longest book I've ever read completely on my Kindle - and fiction at that. (Breaking all kinds of records for myself here...typically mid-sized nonfiction is my Kindle fare).

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August caught my eye because the summary (and title) talks about a man who dies and is born again, repeating the process of death to birth over and over, unable to die. I loved Kate Atkinson's Life After Life and so I didn't hesitate to jump on this one.

Source: goodreads.com

And Claire North didn't disappoint. Like Atkinson's Ursula Todd, Harry August is reborn after every death; however, he keeps the knowledge of his previous lives and therefore, catches on much quicker than Ursula, returning to his next life completely aware of events, places, and people he'd experienced previously. He spends centuries learning, doing, and becoming various things - somewhat selfish pursuits at times, but when you've more than enough years to spare, why not?

Also unlike Ursula, Harry is not alone. There are numerous of his kind, usually living quiet lives so as not to disturb the regular flow of the world. But there are others who live for their own purposes, regardless of the havoc it may cause around them. At the end of his 11th life, a little girl (one of his kind, recently restarting another life) approaches Harry with a message - the world is ending. How? Why? What is Harry to do with this information in his next life? As the Amazon summary says, "This is the story of what Harry does next, and what he did before, and how he tries to save a past he cannot change and a future he cannot allow."

If you liked Life After Life, you should read this. If you didn't, read this one anyway. It's different in set up, purpose, and writing style.

Did you like Life After Life? Aren't you curious how two novels on the same topic would compare?

The Returned are Resurrected

Source: goodreads.com

NOTE: Possible spoilers. I try not give events away straight out, however my ponderings may imply or lead to a spoiler in some way, especially about the ending. Read at your own risk. 

I've been meaning to read The Returned, by Jason Mott, and the beginning of the series Resurrection based on The Returned seemed like perfect timing. The series is only three episodes in, but so far there is very little similar.

The Returned are specifically people who have come back from the dead. These Returned recall their last moments, but all they remember from there is waking up again. The story focuses on the Hargrave family, Harold and Lucille, and the return of their eight-year-old son Jacob, who had died fifty years before. (In between every chapter is a mini story of a Returned person's experience. These stories gave small insights into how the Returned felt or how the True Living - those who never died - reacted, but didn't really add up to anything in the end.)

Soon the Returned begin to rise in number, frightening many people just because of the unnaturalness of it all and causing the government to act. The government forms a bureau whose job it is to round up the Returned and keep them locked up in a camp of sorts. With the large number of returned being shipped in, the Hargrave's town is soon taken over by the government and the True Living are soon living as sad and confusing a life as the Returned kept inside the fenced areas.

I kept waiting for an answer. A why or how this was taking place. When I was fifty pages from the end and still could not see any glimpse of an answer forthcoming, the story began to fall flat. Even with some action popping up at the end, the answers themselves still never came. And as mysteriously as the Returned appeared, they begin to disappear again. And that is the end of that.

I was quite disappointed because I felt the story idea had so much potential...which is why I suppose it was picked up as a TV series. The series begins with a focus on Jacob and his family, but adds other Returned and changes some character relationships that are never present in the book. However, because of the book's absolute inability to answer the stirring questions, I feel any changes the series makes are justified and necessary. I know that sounds harsh, but I just couldn't understand how this book could end without a single word to explain it.

Has a book left you completely disappointed because it didn't live up to its potential?

Begin the Week with Words

This reminds me of a line I heard in a movie once: Life is what you make of it, so make it a good one. Certain things in life are above your choosing, but it's your choices that will make your life what it is.

"Her life was her own, and a life could be a good one, or it could be one of empty wishing for more, for something different." 
The House Girl, by Tara Conklin

The House Girl

Source: goodreads.com

I am so excited! First of all, I finished grading all of my essays and book projects! I sat down and just. kept. going. AND this is the third read-a-long type event I've successfully completed this year! I usually get behind or don't start at all. Everyone's picking really good books too! I just finished The House Girl, by Tara Conklin, for Katie's read-a-long (at Words For Worms). If you'd like to join in, there's still time. She will post the discussion at the end of March.

There are a few things I liked about this story. First is the dual narrative, told between slave Josephine Bell in the mid-1800s and lawyer Lina Swallow in the present day, post 9/11. As a slave, Josephine's story is probably one you've heard before, but no less tragic because of it. Lina is a lawyer working on a precedent setting case dealing with reparation of slavery, where she discovers Josephine's history. As the two women's stories unfold they not only give insight to themselves, but also to each other.

Which is the other piece of this story I enjoyed. The characters are all searching and neither time nor place interferes with the familiar story human existence has played out over the centuries. Your past, your present, and what you hope for in the future, all pieces we replay in our minds or search for anywhere we think possible. This similarity despite time binds the characters together and affects Lina in a drastic way.

And for those of you who love how recent stories have included art or music as centers to their stories, The House Girl's characters and events center in part around artwork from the pre-Civil War years and the question as to who is the real artist.

And look at the beautiful cover! Love it!

Art, slavery, search for self...this story has what it takes to make a gripping story. Do you usually find southern Civil War era based stories interesting?

There's a Madness to March

Well, I'm at least a good week away from a decent post here on My Life in Books. It seems every March my life goes to madness, which of course means my reading has to be put on hold. This year I've decided to break my work up and use reading as my reward for getting stuff done. Lol, yea it's all in my head, but it works.

At work it is the month that the Senior Class finishes their graduation projects, of which I am in charge. They all seem to rush around with many last minute needs and finish in the same week. Luckily, I have a fellow teacher who helps me check them off and between the two of us we have a system down. It just takes some time.

It's also the end of the third grading period, so I'm finishing up some big lessons, which happen to be writing lessons. I'm proud of my students' work recently, but last weekend I had 80 essays. I graded 40 over last weekend, 20 during this past week, and still have 20 - my plan for tonight actually. If I can get these 20 done, I get to spend my free time tomorrow reading :)

Also, end of this nine weeks is when I do an independent novel project with my older students. They had eight weeks to read any book they wanted and pick one of six projects from which to tell/show me about their book. I have about 40 of those to grade by the end of March. These are cool though because it's fun to see how creative the students can be or what they thought of the books they read on their own.

Other than work, life is quiet, which I'm going to take advantage of and get this grading done! In the midst of this, I am reading The House Girl, by Tara Conklin. It is just getting good and I can't wait to finish it up and share my thoughts. I've also gone a little crazy requesting some ARCs, but I've been trying to space them out over the upcoming months.

So far I have:
The First Fifteen lives of Harry August - April 8th
The Here and Now - April 8th
All the Light We Cannot See - May 6th
I Kill the Mockingbird - May 20th
Closed Doors - May 20th

Two I have requested but haven't yet received approval for are:
The Word Exchange - April 8th
North of Normal - June 24th

So, know I am around and still reading when I can and I'll be back to the blog ASAP! Any books you have out for review in the upcoming months?