I have finished the 2nd book of The Wheel of Time.

In The Great Hunt there is more emphasis on events being replayed through time. There are even a couple spots that indicate many possible scenarios-in fact, time has already replayed the conflict between the Dragon Reborn and the Dark One thousands of times with different outcomes. The Dark One says this time will be the last, but does he say that every time, trying to intimidate the Dragon?

Review of Series So Far

For those of you who have already read the series and are fans, does anyone know if  The Wheel of Time has been used for high school reading? It is more complicated than much of the YA literature and has wide appeal. Would it be considered too long, or hold attention well enough to spread the understanding of the enjoyment of a long book (or series)?

In recent months I’ve been reading loads of books. Perhaps too much. I know that my husband doesn’t understand why I read so much fiction (or for that matter write reviews). I have brief moments when I wonder if maybe it is pointless. Is it so nonproductive that I should stop? Then I remember something I realized long ago. We’ve been married 20 years now, and he will admit we have different strengths. I believe one of mine is my understanding of people and situations. I believe I have good instincts, and he will agree that I analyze everything to death. It is a family trait. Well, years ago I realized that a great deal of my understanding comes from reading fictional literature. Fiction isn’t just entertainment (or escaping the real world) ; it’s a study of history and the human condition. It’s sharing feelings and thoughts of/with numerous people. The more details of the equation we understand the better our intentions should be in dealing with whatever situation.

So while I may cut down a little in the short term, I doubt I’ll lose my passion for fiction, and I hope my 3 sons will continue to share it also. Because I do learn from most of the stories I choose to read.

Ted and Kat take their cousin to ride the London Eye (a giant bicycle/ferris wheel) when Salim comes to visit. Salim uses a ticket given by a stranger to go up alone instead of waiting in line. He goes up, but doesn’t come down. How’s that possible? Ted figures there are 9 possibilities.

REVIEW

This month’s selection was given to my son a few years ago by my sister. I hadn’t heard of the book or author, but since have seen it at the library. The artwork is eyecatching and impressive. The story is also exceptional, joyful with some serious content and possibly an inspiration to learn more about the butterflies.

Butterfly Boy by Virginia Kroll. il Gerardo Suzán

Current Pick and List of Previous

In April some publishers, led by Random House, announced they wanted to standardize the marketing of children’s books by putting age bands/labels on the books. There is a petition to stop this, led by some popular authors.

I have mixed feelings about this issue. As a parent, homeschool teacher, and reviewer I see some merit in the idea. I have seen some age recommendations on the inner flaps of books which can be helpful (and not broadcasting the info). I don’t think that all books need them, but some (very few and mostly YA) could use them for content.  It should always be viewed as a suggestion, never a restriction.

My oldest son said he had heard they want to create an organization to be responsible for determining the ages. That to me is unnecessary, costly, and possibly dangerous. It is far better to have the author involved with a suggested age rather than some wacky organization that may be out to restrict reading of certain books. On reading others’ posts, I believe that the protesting has been extreme and reactionary. As seen with the movie, music, and gaming industries, parents do want guidance. Otherwise it wouldn’t even be an issue. Personally, I’d rather that guidance came from within the publishing realm instead of a protesting or policing organization.

Instead of only reactions against the idea, I would like to see real discussion about how it can be done without being a problem. For example, the recommendation on the flap that most people don’t even notice. A reminder to parents, sellers, librarians and readers that the age label is only a suggestion; you can read what you like. I don’t believe it has to be an all or nothing proposition.

I found The Other Teddy Roosevelts on an alternate history website (uchronia.com).  Looking closer I saw that it is short stories the author collected through several years-some of them sci fi. It is as much historical fiction as it is sci fi. As I read, I was pleasantly surprised.

Out of his respect for Teddy Roosevelt and his exploits, Mike Resnick has created stories that expand the legend of Roosevelt. In so doing, he has altered the path of Roosevelt’s life and extrapolated. Before each story and in a separate section there is historical information explaining Teddy Roosevelt’s character and actions which were used as a springboard for the alternate stories. This discussion adds greatly to the stories.

REVIEW

I recently read and reviewed Gideon the Cutpurse and The Time Thief (U.S. copy) by Linda Buckley-Archer and added them to my time travel list. Thanks to Michele from Scholar’s Blog for the recommendation.

For a review of only The Gideon Trilogy

This month’s selection is a biography I read several years ago and absolutely loved. A Midwife’s Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is based on the diary of Martha Ballard, a frontier midwife and healer practicing during the early years of our nation. Because of the great records Martha kept, it is as much a history as a biography. It is also a great read, following the activities of the Ballard family and the town-describing in detail people, business, relationships, and behavior. The diary starts during the Revolutionary period with glimpses of this transition, but focuses on early frontier living. Though Martha’s words are terse, her content is not. Ulrich has done an excellent job of fleshing out Martha’s story. Because of the historical content, it is a fascinating read for anyone. But especially for women who have an interest in women’s history.

REVIEW

My son and I are announcing a new social media community similar to DIGG and REDDIT. The difference is that ours is specifically for book reviews and book and writing related news.  Vote, submit articles, or just look for news and reviews at BookVote.net. The more people submitting, the better the site will be.

Enjoy!

The Year of Reading Dangerously is about readings things you wouldn’t normally read. Well, I’ve decided to start teaching myself Computer Programming. My son has been teaching himself for about 5 years, seriously concentrating on it the past 2 years. He is now doing some consulting work, which I did not know could be possible without college classes. He could have progressed more quickly, but spends much of his time blogging. While I don’t have as much time to focus on it as he does, I can read a book every 1 to 3 months and do tutorials on the internet. My first goal is to fully understand the technical work he has done for my blog. After that, who knows.

For my June selection, I decided to start my learning experiences with a beginning programming book-SAMS Teach Yourself Beginning Programming by Sams Publishing. So far the Liberty BASIC chapters are very similar to beginning BASIC that I did in high school (too many years ago to say). It’s a bit of a refresher and should give me a good foundation on which to build. I have already worked with HTML and CSS. There is some JavaScript in the book, which I haven’t done yet, but no PHP, of which I only have a vague understanding.

I really like the idea of learning something new-and maybe even turning it into a career one day. What’s even more interesting is that it gives my son the chance to be the teacher for a change, as I’m sure our discussions will help to clarify some things.

Any others interested in enhancing their websites or progressing beyond the noob level of programming and web design may wish to check out the following:

• Webmaster-Source
• Smashing Magazine
• Pro Blog Design
• Design Float