Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My first grade teacher, Mrs. Doscher, read this out loud to us in class, and I think it was the first time anyone read out loud to me as a kid. In my memory, it took us a few months to read it, chapter by slow chapter. I don't remember crying in class, but this book is still one of the saddest books for me.

As an adult though, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Why would the people in the book assume a pig was writing on a spiderweb? Wouldn't they rightfully assume it was the spider doing it?

Update from 2020: I'm rereading this to my kids and I realized I'm such a dummy! The farmer characters in the book thought God wrote in the Spiderweb! It totally took me 35 to get that. Maybe because I never really thought about the literature of miracles when I was younger. I have been humbled by my own stupidity. Haha.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3/10: I liked it. Didn't rock my world though and there were definitely a bunch of animals getting drunk on cider. 3/15: I reread it and now that I'm on coronavirus quarantine, it appears to be all about thriving under quarantine now... adding a star.



Here's my 8-year-old son's review which was obviously my review of what he thought:

James's review

Mar 10, 2020

really liked it

bookshelves: 1970s, 3rd-grade, childrens, fantasy, fiction, own

I like how Mr. Fox has to find ways to beat Mr. Bean, Boggis, Bunce. There was nothing I didn't like about the book.

Mom: What did you think about the stealing?
Me: I thought it was an interesting way to live.
Mom: You didn't think it was wrong?
Me: I don't know, they had to survive somehow, plus they had to get the farmer back for trying to kill them.
Mom: Ummmm.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3226090543 

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The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was shocked by how wonderful this book is because I'd actually read it before as a teenager and I didn't remember it being this phenomenal. I think as a teen, I was so mired down in the horror and sadness of the beginning that that's what stood out for me the most. Plus, having no life or significant literary reading experience, I failed to get most of the brilliance of the book. But what a beautiful perfect book. Amazing characters, amazing sentences, amazing everything. Favorite favorite.

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The Lady with the Little Dog by Anton Chekhov

The Lady with the Little Dog by Anton Chekhov
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There are many bits of truth in this story and lots of good sentences, but to my experience, this story seems to misunderstand real love.

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I didn’t like this book when I read it in high school. On reread, I hate it. What was wrong with Steinbeck? He always writes life at its cruelest.

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1984 by George Orwell

1984 by George Orwell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For whatever reasons, I was assigned this book 3 times in high school and have read it at least 2 times since then, making this the book that I've read the most times in my life. I don't enjoy the novel enough for it to be my most read book- it's just a bad accident. Alternatively, maybe I read it for the same reasons that terrifying local news gets such high ratings.

Here's one thing Orwell didn't anticipate, in the modern world everyone wants to be constantly surveilled on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Goodreads, and YouTube. (Me too.) In the modern world, The Ministry of Truth still resides in Russia but pumps in their "truths" via these same social media channels. (Are they on Goodreads? Are they giving 1984 bad reviews on account of poor characterization?) There's no time to read anyway because everyone is watching reality television. The Real Housewives of Doublethink. In the modern world, the government doesn't care if everyone hates the government because they don't need your vote just your money. In the modern world, we hardly have time for thought crimes because we're constantly fighting incorrect bills and insurance companies.

Winston's job is especially quaint. In the modern world, there's no need to falsify history or the news. Not enough people care about the ample evidence of the actual truth. Anyone can just wave away the truth, claim any unsubstantiated nonsense, and enough Congressmen and civilians will follow in step. The rest of us can just scream into our social media. It's so much simpler really.

Yes, I know I'm being dramatic.

On the other hand: “She did not feel the abyss opening beneath her feet at the thought of lies becoming truths.” - Orwell

I do, Orwell! I feel the abyss. This abyss needs to be updated though because it’s gotten much bigger: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

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The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan

The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I first read this book in 2007, I gave it 4 stars. Since then I've read other books on the farming-industrial complex, and on a reread I found a lot to appreciate about this book in particular. It's a well-researched, thorough look at different ways we can choose to eat an omnivore diet. It talks about the corn industry, the chicken/egg industry, the beef industry, small sustainable farms and farmers' markets, and hunting and gathering in America.

My reread reminded me to pay more attention to what I'm eating since after 10 years I've slipped back a little to including some processed foods in our diet again.

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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I reread this as part of my "Bannon-Trump-resist" reading list. I only read it before it in middle school and I'm not sure what I got from it at the time except maybe that tyranny, and tyranny of ideas, is dangerous.

It has a peculiar effect on me this time around. I've been reading fast and furiously for about a year, trying to make up for lost time (all the time I spent not reading very much while I was working a lot). The more I read, the more I become aware of all the books that are necessary to read; the books I have yet to read. And in this frame of mind, the single scariest sentence in the book is: "Remember the firemen are rarely necessary. The public stopped reading of its own accord. You firemen provide a circus now and then at which buildings are set off and crowds gather for the pretty blaze, but it's a small sideshow indeed, and hardly necessary to keep things in line."

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Peace Is Every Step by Thich Nhat Hanh

Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first time I read this book I didn't appreciate the concept of meditation or the science behind it. This is a short and simple book about meditation that reads almost as a guided meditation might. I recommend to anyone that wants to actually try meditation and not just read about it.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I first read this as a kid, but my rating is the same as then. There are many interesting things to consider in this novel: a conscious computer, consciousness versus having a conscience, the principles of freedom and rebellion, the dangers of a crowded dystopian Earth, and some fun guesses at utopian futures: racial integration, varying family structures, tax-free government etc. All of this, plus the tricky revolution plots, make for a very fun book. But large chunks of the book drag, especially in the second half.

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Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I think that as children's books go, this one is exceptionally charming. (Another one I'd consider "exceptionally charming" is Matilda.) I've read a lot of children's books this year because I read some with James and I read some to decide whether or not to read them with James, and many of them are just annoying if you're an adult. Not this one. I love the writing. It's a beautiful love letter to good mothers.

One thing that dates the book in an unfortunate way is that addition to the kids, the lost boys, pirates, and mermaids, the book also has Native Americans called "redskins."

"Peter Pan" was originally the third book in a series called "Peter and Wendy." The first book is "Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens" and the second is "the Little White Bird" and I haven't read them though they're both available as free ebooks.

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Daring Greatly by Brené Brown

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I didn't love it. I wanted to love it. I've been reading a lot of scientific research on mindfulness, self-compassion, self-improvement, and happiness lately, and this just doesn't stand up to a lot of the other material that I've been reading. (If you're curious just look at mindfulness list.) I think that if this were the first or only such book I read I would have appreciated it more.

This one is mostly just about self-compassion and self-love. The way to convince yourself that you are worthy of love is by engaging in courage, compassion, and connection. Hard.

Update 1/2018: I read it again and liked it much better this time. I'm not sure why. Maybe I wasn't considering each of her points separately and completely before. Maybe because I've read more feminist writing since then? Technically, this isn't specifically feminist because she discusses how the same issues of vulnerability, fear, and shame corner men, but it still resonates with feminist themes. (And expecting men to act in gender-conforming ways is also part of what feminism opposes.)

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Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein

Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a cute children's book, and is a better, earlier version of A Wrinkle In Time." This is the kind of book I'd be excited to see my kids reading. That said, as a kid, I didn't actually enjoy it much (and I did enjoy A Wrinkle in Time). So maybe it's a children's book for adults?

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this last super exciting installation of the Harry Potter series. There are some powerfully courageous parts, wonderfully romantic parts, and devastatingly sad parts in this book.

I was perpetually counting the Horcruxes though, trying to remember what had or hadn't been destroyed. At the time, I was also a little confused by the subplot of the Deathly Hallows (though ultimately it makes sense). And slight spoiler (but it's been over a decade since publication): I was also confused by the fact that technically there wasn't a Gryffindor Horcrux and there were technically 2-3 Slytherin Horcruxes. I also thought Harry Potter jumped to some crazy conclusions sometimes, some that weren't even necessary to further the plot. This last one could have been slightly edited down and the plot could have proceeded a little bit more logically. None of that matters.

I loved it. I loved it just as much on a reread.

P.S. It might be my favorite of the 7 books. Here's my 7 books ranking: 7, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6, 2.

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The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I haven't read this book in decades and it gave me chills how well this book captured real evil and real love. Well worth rereading as an adult.

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The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book a few times as a kid, but I think the first time I was 11. I remember the garden and the children and the magical quality of the book, but I also remember feeling like something was missing.

My sixth grade journal says I rated it 9+/10 so maybe that's 5 stars?

I reread it recently as an adult, and I think that because I read more quickly now, the pacing is better for me now and I appreciate it even more. And because I have more sympathy for Mr. Craven as an adult, the book seems even more beautiful now.

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A Separate Peace by John Knowles

A Separate Peace by John Knowles
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

We had to read this in high school and I hated it then. I recently reread it to see if I still hate it and I do. First of all, the main character has no sense of the significance of World War II. The only good part of the entire book is how well the author captures that sense of anger that those we love the most can inspire-- but nothing is ultimately made of it. The main character regrets his feelings and actions and even tries in a limited way to take responsibility but the whole literary exercise feels pointless, boring, and despicable all at once.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (#2) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

(#2) This is the one where Harry torments the Dudleys all summer- fun! We meet Dobby! Everyone drives an illegal flying car! Professor Lockhart is super annoying. The Chamber... I forget the chamber.

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Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"How nice—to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive."

I love this book. I love the idea of getting unstuck in time- and it's definitely a thing that can happen to a person, psychologically speaking. (Though possibly there's some physics to suggest it could happen in reality as well.)

I love the protest of "So it goes." It's like a prayer after the death of each individual in the novel.

I love all the discontinuous moments of Billy Pilgrim's life.

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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The beginning of the book is super tragic, and the rest of the book is meandering and pleasant. As a child, I didn't know that this was based on a true story. (Except the ending was significantly less happy on account of Native American's lack of immunity to western disease.) Though particularly beautiful in its exploration of the girl's relationship with animals, a lot of her probable feelings were left completely out of the story. It's as if all her grief and emotions were muted or completely extinguished by the author.

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