Bookquoter at A Thousand Books With Quotes was nice enough to give me my first blog award!  Thanks for that, oh great Quoter of Books! Part of this award is to write 10 things about myself, and then forward it to 10 other bloggers.  So, here are 10 random facts about me:

1.  I've been teaching special education for 17 years.
2.  Other than reading, I love to crosstitch.
3.  I've recently become addicted to playing RPG video games (but nothing too violent).
4.  Sushi is my current favorite food.
5.  I spend my Sunday mornings as a youth advisor (not to mention two full weekends a year)
6.  I have a love for all things British.
7.  If I could have any other job than my current one, I would be a Unitarian Universalist minister.
8.  I am passionate about social justice, and wish I had more time to devote to this work.
9.  If I could travel anywhere in the world, I would visit England, Japan, and China-in that order.
10.  Nothing makes me more angry that intolerance.

And here are the bloggers I choose to give this award to next:

A Few More Pages
Random Ramblings
The Neverending Shelf
The Introverted Reader
My Book Retreat
Sharon's Garden of Book Reviews
Crazy for Books
Bags, Books, and Bon Jovi
Bookworming in the 21st Century
The Eclectic Reader

This Week's Top Ten

Jillian over at Random Ramblings has chosen Books That Made You Cry as the topic of this week's Top Ten.  Anyone who knows me that I cry if the wind blows the wrong way, so this list should be pretty easy for me to create.  I'm going to try and stay with books that are legitimate tear jerkers, because I occasionally cry at things that no one else finds touching (like when Darth Vadar died in Return of the Jedi-yep, I'm that bad, though I was only 13 or something when it came out)

1.  The Time Traveller's Wife-Audrey Niffenegger
I think that this is one of the most touching love stories I have ever read.  Even though I knew in my heart what was going to happen, I just kept hoping I was wrong.  I actually cried harder at the end, when Clare was old.  It just seemed so much sadder to me.

2.  The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini
There are so many tragic things that happened in this book.  I can't even imagine the shame that the main character must have felt, or the pain and confusion that Hassan felt first because of the brutal attack, and then because of the betrayal by his friend.

3.  Bridge to Terebithia-Katherine Patterson
This book was one of my favorite as a kid.  I've read it aloud to several of my classes, and I still cry every time I read the part where Leslie dies.  I think that reading this book was the first time I realized that children could die.

4.  The Notebook-Nicholas Sparks
This was the first Nicholas Sparks book that I read, and I expected all of them to be this touching.  Sadly, I haven't liked any of his other books.  They seem a little too sappy to me.  I was surprised, because this love story is so poignant, given the setting and structure of the novel.

5.  My Sister's Keeper-Jodi Picoult

This was the first book I read by Jodi Picoult, and it was the first book my teachers' book club read when we got started a few years ago.  I had no idea what I was letting myself in for.  This book made me angry and sad and frustrated, but mostly sad.

6.The Yearling-Marjorie Kinnan Rowlings
 Believe it or not, I read this book for the first time in college for a children's literature class.  I had heard of Ol' Yeller, of course, and had I known that this was a similar story I might have been prepared for what happened.  I was so angry at the boy's father-I say let that deer eat whatever he wants!

7.  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-JK Rowling
Fred Weasly, that's all I'm sayin'

8.  Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe-Fannie Flagg
While the movie really downplays the love affair between Ruth and Idgie, the book makes it clear that Idgie is not just losing her best friend, but her lover-the love of her life.  Couple that with the sub-plot of Big George and Smokey Lonesome, and the mood is set for tearjerkiness.

9. The Joy Luck Club-Amy Tan
The matter of fact way that the tragedy of what happened in China to this family added to the horror that I felt.  Human beings should never be put in the position to have to make the kinds of decisions that this family had to make.

10.  The Secret Life of Bees-Sue Monk Kidd
Oh, Miss May...carrying the weight of the world, writing them and placing them in the chinks of the wall.  Just that image tears me up, never mind what happens later.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

This week was not nearly as productive as I would have liked, given that I was on spring break.  I blame it on switching from Direct TV to Comcast-we had to watch all of the backed up shows on our DVR before the big switch happened.

I finished Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.  Check out my review here.  I also completed Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson.  The review for that one is here.

I just, and I mean just, started The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.  I love her books, so I am really looking forward to this one.  After that I think I am going to make a stack of the shortest books in my TBR pile and read them-I am way behind on my goal to read 100 this year.  Though if the goal starts to feel like homework, I may as well call myself done-that's not what reading for pleasure is supposed to be, after all.  Ironically, I'd probably get more reading done if I wasn't blogging!  My fellow bloggers are such interesting people with such good reviews I get sucked in every time!

Have a great reading week!

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson

I only recently discovered GoodReads (I know, it's like I've been living under a rock!), and I've been reading lots of their lists.  It occurred to me that perhaps as a good lesbian I should try reading more gay fiction.  I've read some, of course (including Stone Butch Blues, which I shared a little bit about in my last Top Ten Post)  But really,  if I don't want to have to give back my toaster oven I should have a passing knowledge of important works in the GLBT genre.

With that in mind I ordered Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson.  It is really a roman a clef of the author's early years in Northern England.  The main character, Jeanette, is the adopted daughter of a fundamentalist Christian couple. Her mother adopted her in order to raise her up to give to the Lord as a missionary for His cause.  From early days, however, Jeanette shows that she is her own person and will not be forced into someone else's ideas about what she should be.  As she grows up, she becomes  more and more rebellious-and she falls in love.  With a GIRL!  Let's just say that her relationship with her mother really starts to go downhill after the failed exorcism...that's right, they tried to exorcise the gay right out of her!

Winterson has a dry, witty sense of humor that makes what could be a tragic story of betrayal and loss into something altogether more powerful.  At not one point in the story did Jeanette doubt that God meant her to be the way she was.  The people in her church loved her, thought she had a calling to preaching and missionary work-until they found out she was gay.  Suddenly, the leadership decided that maybe women were getting above their true place in the church, and should no longer be allowed to preach.  Apparently Jeanette's love for Katy convinced them that she was trying to be a man.  But not once did Jeanette waver in her belief that what she was and how she felt was as natural as loving the Lord, which she did with fervor.  Usually reading about religious fundamentalists makes me a little twitchy, but Winterson handled them in such a way that while I completely disagree with almost everything about the way they view life and God, I couldn't help but accept and respect their humanity.  Jeanette says, at one point in the book, that she loved the Lord-it was some of his followers that she had problems with. She eventually finds her way out of the insular world she was raised in, first through her prodigious imagination, and finally by physically moving to the big city.  But she can't completely leave behind her mother and her religious fervor.  The book concludes with Jeanette going home for Christmas to find her mother perched by the ham radio, networking with other born-again Christians for prayer, support, and most of all the conversion of the rest of us Godless souls.  Despite the new life Jeanette has found for herself, it is almost like she is comforted somehow by the idea that while she is off in the world, her mother stays behind, fighting other people's demons one prayer request at a time.  I guess this is probably true of all of us.  No matter how much we may try to separate ourselves from where we come from, the fact remains that we carry those people and experiences around with us into every new town, new job, or new relationship that we have.

WWW Wednesday

Hosted by Should Be Reading, this meme asks you to do something very easy...just answer these three questions:

What am I reading now?  I just started Oranges are Not the Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson.  I have heard about this book from many of my friends, and it is on a list of the best in lesbian fiction on GoodReads.  Seems like it is something that I should know.  I also just found out about another book from her-thank you fellow book bloggers!  My to-read list just keeps growing and growing.

What is something I read recently?  I just finished Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.  You can find my review here.

What do I think I might read next?  I am going to read The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver, I think.  I always say I am going to read one thing, and then something else comes up and I end up picking something else, but it's on my list.  Prodigal Summer, one of her other books, is on my list of books everyone should read, so I have high hopes for this one.

Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel

So I'm working my way through the long list for the Orange Prize for Fiction, and my latest endeavor was Wolf Hall, by Hilary Mantel.  The story traces the rise of Thomas Cromwell through the auspices of Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII's England.  I will admit to being a bit of an anglophile...I love all things British.  As a result I had high hopes for this book, and I was not disappointed.

History lesson for today...Henry VIII of England (father to Elizabeth I) was the reigning monarch in the mid-1500s.  The story begins with Thomas in the employ of Cardinal Wolsey, Henry's chief councilor.  He is a man from a low background, son of a drunken, abusive blacksmith.  He left England as a teen, traveling through France and Italy, first as a soldier, later as a wool merchant.  Coming back to England, he was taken into the employ of Cardinal Wolsey, where he learned statecraft.  After Wolsey's fall, he became one of the king's most trusted advisors, helping Henry break with the church in Rome, divorce his first queen, Katherine, and marry his mistress Anne Boleyn.  Over the time that he was working in government, he was a member of parliament, held various positions regarding the oversight of the church in England, and eventually was elevated to earl.  He also amassed a large personal fortune, allowing him to provide for his family and the many retainers that he came to have.

In every context I have ever read about Cromwell he has been portrayed as conniving, ruthless, intolerant.  Mantel's portrayal, however, is of a man who is incredibly intelligent, loyal, and practical.  Mantel's Cromwell is the very definition of an iron fist in a kid glove.  He knew exactly the right thing to say, the right gifts to give, the right threats to imply to get people way above his station to do what the king (or he) wanted.  In helping to usher Queen Katherine out and Queen Anne is, he helped set in motion the Reformation in England.

Once thing that is not entirely clear is how the title of this book came to be Wolf Hall.  You need to know a little bit more about the history of Henry VIII to understand that Wolf Hall was the home of Henry's next wife, Jane Seymour.   However, at the end of the book Henry is still married to Anne (though not happily).  Jane is mentioned often, but there is no real sense of what the future holds for her.  The text is dense...there is not one page that is not full of the machinations of kings, queens, cardinals, bishops, earls, dukes, ladies in waiting, and merchants.  I was left with a lot more knowledge about the historical figures in this mid-millenial drama, and I wanted to know what came next for Thomas and for Henry.

Well, I knew what came next for Henry-four more marriages and no legitimate male heirs.  Thomas' story ends long before the last wife, however.  After convincing the king to marry Anne of Cleves, his most failed of many failed marriages, the king turns on Cromwell, and he is executed in 1540.  Regardless of how he is perceived today, Cromwell's influence on one of the greatest changes in western culture are clear, and Mantel does a great job humanizing one of history's most interesting figures.

Top Ten Picks-Books You Have To Read At Least Once

Thanks to Jillian at Random Ramblings for hosting this meme.  This week's topic-books you should read at least once.  I'm going to stick with late 20th-21st century titles-while I appreciate the genius of authors like Austen, Hemingway, and Lewis I'm itching to update the list a little.  I'm noticing a lot of feminist and/or social justice literature on here.  I guess you really can judge a person at least a little by their reading material!

1.  The Handmaid's Tale-Margaret Atwood

    This book is incredibly intellectual while still being accessible.  Atwood takes the idea of women as chattel to its not entirely unbelievable extreme.   A great way for new readers of feminist fiction to get into the genre.  Love everything Atwood ever wrote, but this one inspired me the most.

2.  Stone Butch Blues-Leslie Feinberg
  
      I know that most people have probably never heard of this book or this author,  Leslie Feinberg, but ze is one of the most influential writers in the world of GLBT literature, specifically around issues of gender identity.  The "ze" label is deliberate-Feinberg rejects traditional definitions of gender in favor of a more global perspective on what it means to be human, regardless of the genitalia you happen to have been born with.  In this, per first novel, ze tells the story (mostly autobiographical) of coming up as a young butch lesbian in the 60s, pre-Stonewall.  Great, touching, moving read!

3.  Paradise-Toni Morrison

     I firmly believe that this is her best book, despite the number of people who seem to think that Beloved takes that prize.  I love the way that time is fluid and non-linear in so many of her books, and the juxtaposition of the nuns and the village in this one makes fr fascinating reading.

4.  Stranger in a Strange Land-Robert Heinlein

     This book takes every idea about love and sex and culture and turns it on its head.  Even if you are not a fan of science fiction this one is sure to give you something to think about.

5.  A Thousand Splendid Suns-Khaled Hosseini

     Anyone wanting to understand Afghanistan, and why it shouldn't have taken 9-11 for the US to do something about the Taliban, should read this book.  Heartbreakingly written, intimate and tragic, this book is one of the best I have read-ever.

6.  Savage Inequalities-Jonathan Kozol

     I'm not usually a huge fan of non-fiction, but Jonathan Kozol's work is powerful.  This book is about the inequalities that exist in America's schools, and he examines the racial and socioeconomic politics that leads them to be the way they are.  He makes a strong argument that until we address these inequities we will continue to have generational poverty, racism, and class warfare in our country.

7.  The Time Traveller's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger

     This is one of the most moving love stories I have ever read, and one of the best written books I have seen in a long time.  The plot is so complex and ingeniously structured...it's not often that an author can completely surprise me with something new, but Niffenegger did it.


8.  Possessing the Secret of Joy-Alice Walker

     Walker takes a minor character from The Color Purple (arguably another book everyone should read), and creates a story around her that examines what it means to break taboos.  While the main topic of this novel, female genital mutilation, is clearly not the most uplifting subject, the way that the book examines the practice and the main character's decision to undergo the process is powerful and moving.

9.  The Giver-Lois Lowry

This may be a young adult novel, but the there is enough here for the most intellectual adult reader to chew on. Science fiction that doesn't feel like science fiction, with an ending that leaves you wondering (at least, until you read the sequel) 

10.  Prodigal Summer-Barbara Kingsolver

     Beautifully written, this novel explores the idea that humans, rather than being above nature, are in fact undeniably a part of the rhythms and cycles of the world, driven as much by biological forces as rational.  Kingsolver's explorations of the place of body and heart in our lives is full of stunning descriptions of the natural world and tons of emotion.  The book is unashamedly a treatise on treating the natural world with respect and reverence, but the environmentalism never becomes preachy or cliche.