Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon

I will be participating in this, my first, 24 Hour Read-a-Thon. I am really excited and hoping I will be able to stay awake. It may sound a little boring that I am hoping to finish the 2 reads that I have already started, but they are both great books, so I'm looking forward to completing them! If by chance that I feel like a change, I'm going to look for a shorter read.  These are the two books I plan on finishing and where I'm starting with them at 8AM.

The Autobiography of Henry VIII - Margaret George

• starting on page 68 of 930 pages

The Pillars of the Earth (audiobook/reread) - Ken Follett

• starting at 19 hours and 32 minutes of 40 hours 23 minutes total.

I have a lot of driving to do today so that will be when I switch to the audiobook.

This should be fun!

Review: The Wise Woman

Title: The Wise Woman
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: Simon & Schuster, 1992
Genre: Historical Fiction, 528 pages
Source: Ipad purchase
My rating: 3.5/5

Alys is forced out of her nunnery in the middle of the night as a fire consumes it because the landlord, Lord Hugo, and his soldiers attack and destroy it. Most of the nuns inside become trapped and perish in the fire all because they are papists who will not renounce the pope and follow King Henry VIII as the leader of the Church of England. Also Lord Hugh and his son Lord Hugo want all the treasures in the abbey and to gain favor with the King's court. Alys runs away back home to her guardian, a local "wise woman," a herbalist, and healer, named Morach, but feels guilty that she has left her new guardian, Mother Hildebrande at the abbey to die. 

I am reading Philippa Gregory books and others written about this time period in chronological order based on the the recommendation of the literate housewife. This book is focused on the belief that strong, independent women were thought to be witches, and they would be punished, tortured, and killed for being different than other women and having "special" powers. I enjoyed the historical setting in this story. But the main characters keep changing their personalities too often for me. At one time I would believe Alys to be a young, sixteen year-old girl, taken advantage of by the men in the story, or abused by Morach, and I would feel a lot of sympathy for her. Then she would change into a vindictive and conniving young woman, determined to get what she wants - comfort, an easy lifestyle like the Lady Catherine has as wife to Lord Hugo. She then will stop at nothing, including getting rid of people who she supposedly loved at one point in her life, to get what she wants. It's hard to figure out if Alys loves Lord Hugo or if she only wants to be Lady of the castle.

At about two-thirds into the story, I was engrossed and did want to find out where things would lead for Alys. Would she get what she wanted? Is she a witch or a holy nun? Would she become the wife of Lord Hugo or go back to being a nun? I did feel that there were a few unnecessary subplots and one in particular that has no resolution which in the end left me hanging a bit. However, I do feel that I'm gaining greater insight into this period in England, and that makes this story worthwhile to me.

Review: The Other Boleyn Girl

Title: The Other Boleyn Girl
Author: Philippa Gregory
Published: Simon & Schuster, 2001
Genre: Historical Fiction, 672 pages
Source: personal copy
My rating: 5/5

At the tender age of 14, Mary Boleyn is brought to the court of King Henry VIII and Queen Katherine to be a part of the Queen's ladies in waiting. Her sister Anne, only 15, is also there along with their brother, George, 21 as one of the king's companions. They are driven by their families, the Howards and the Boleyns, to gain favor with the king and to attain greatness, titles, land, and riches for the family. Mary becomes concubine to the king, but does not have the same drive as her sister Anne to keep him completely happy and smitten with her. Anne Boleyn takes over for Mary and will stop at nothing to achieve her goal - to become Queen of England. 

I read the The Constant Princess last year by the same author and knew I would continue with the author's subsequent books on the Tudors. I read this book in 2 days, only stopping when I had to do anything essential. It was an incredible read. I was completely immersed in the lives of the Boleyn family. The rivalry between the two sisters was intriguing and intense! They were in constant competition for the attention of the king, their brother George, and other family members. They were obligated by their family to do their bidding in all areas - especially in regards to whom they would marry. 

Knowing in advance how things would turn out for Anne Boleyn didn't lower my level of horror. It is amazing to me that this is how it truly was for this family, and it is shocking to me how women were regarded as just pawns for the families in the aristocratic court. What I have learned about King Henry VIII so far has been fascinating.  I will continue this journey to this time period in England with the rest of the books on this list as offered by the literatehousewife.

Review: Anne of Green Gables

Title: Anne of Green Gables
Author: Lucy Maud Montgomery
Published: 1908
Genre: Fiction/429 pages
Source: iPad
My Rating: 5/5


Anne Shirley is an 11 year old orphan, adopted by two older siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who live on Green Gables farm on Prince Edward Island in Canada.  Anne is a boisterous, loquacious child who brings trouble at first to their homestead, but after a time she brings a new vitality as her guardians gradually learn to love her and then cannot imagine life without her.

I have been meaning to read this book for a long time and I'm so glad to have finally done so. Anne is an inspirational character who never fails to be happy with all the obstacles which do befall her as time goes on. She chooses how she will feel using her imagination to help her along.
      
As Anne states, "It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will. Of course, you must make it up FIRMLY."

Her exuberance for nature and romance is contagious to all around her. She gives special romantic names to the lakes, woods, and people surrounding her. She is also fiercely competitive as she strives to be first in her class; she achieves what she sets out to do. She works hard to learn from her faults and to get what she wants out of life for herself and for her friends and family. Anne is always on the lookout for "kindred" spirits - people to whom Anne "can confide her inmost soul." She enjoys being with others like her imaginative self and purposefully seeks them out. I loved how she also stands up for herself, making sure everyone spells her name properly ending with an "e". 

This was my first book by this author; I will definitely continue to read more of her work. This book is classified as a children's book, but I think it is for young and old alike. There are many valuable lessons to be learned and to remind the reader how to live the life he or she might want to lead- a life filled with imagination, love of nature, time for friends, hard work, and the realization that family is the most important in the end. This book inspires a zest for life!

Review: Galway Bay

Title: Galway Bay
Author: Mary Pat Kelly
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2009
Genre: Historical Fiction/576 pages
Source: Ipad
My Rating: 5/5


Galway Bay is the story of Honora Keeley Kelly, a young Irish mother, who survives the famine in Ireland, and escapes to America with only the clothes on her back and some of her family. It is a story spanning two generations of the Kelly's family struggle with starvation in Ireland, their desperate departure from Ireland, and their hardships that follow as they make a new life in Chicago. It is also a story of enduring love for her family, her husband, and most of all Ireland, especially Galway Bay.

The author is Honora Kelly's great-great granddaughter. She was told Honora's story over the years, so she spent many years thoroughly researching it and wanted to tell her amazing story of survival. This story was very common during the time of the potato famine in Ireland. Whole families would succumb to starvation and eventually death if they didn't have any way to get some food. Luck was needed, but in Honora's case, her determination and her husband Michael's hard work, allowed them to persevere. Their love for one another helped them to carry on. 

I love the ancient Irish stories told by Honora's grandmother of the times when Irish was only spoken, and families were free to live off the land without being beholden to any English landlords. The horse races, the dangerous lives of the men fishing in Galway Bay, the beautiful imagery of the Irish landscapes brought Ireland in the 1800's closer to me.

I also enjoyed reading about her family's struggle to survive during their time in Chicago. The Irish immigrants did come to together in their churches to help with advice and community, but otherwise you were on your own as to how you would get money, shelter, and food to live. In Honora's case, her small boys had to work in the factories where cattle were slaughtered. It was hard on young children who were expected to help the family get money. School was secondary when you needed food.  But somehow, these Irish familes achieved a life of prosperity for the following generations. They were the backbone of the growth of cities like Chicago and other big cities in America. 

I enjoyed this story because I am first generation Irish-American, and I have heard stories of how my great-great grandmother also survived the famine by eating from the garbage of her landlord. It was a very realistic representation of this time in Ireland, and the author is a superb storyteller.

Review: The Middle Place

Title: The Middle Place
Author: Kelly Corrigan
Publisher: Voice, 2008
Genre: Non-fiction, Memoir/ 266 pages
Source: Friend
Rating: 4.5/5


The author writes about her life growing up with an amazing father, who it seems never finds anything that gets him down. He is the most positive person who makes friends wherever he goes. When his daughter, the author gets cancer, he prays for her, he flies out to California to be with her, and calls her all the time. Even when his own cancer returns, he doesn't complain. He makes friends with all the nurses. He maintains his positive outlook on life and never expects that he will succumb to his illness or worries about it. This lack of worry on her father's part drives the author crazy. She wants nothing less than the best care for her father, and she gets it for him.  She finds herself in the "middle place" - worrying about her parents and being dependant upon them, and also taking care of her own family. She tries so hard to strike the proper balance.

This book brought to life for me a real loving father, someone who even I grew to care about deeply. He is a special person who can make anyone he meets feel special. But I also feel sympathy for the author, as she is the mother of two young girls when she gets cancer, and then finds out that she will not be able to have any more following her treatment, and this is so very important to her. I was unable to break away from this book.  I wanted to know what happens to them, and wish only for the best. Her father is the most optimistic, loving, and inspirational person, even when undergoing cancer treatment. I also got a closer look at what it might feel like to have cancer. I liked how each chapter went back and forth from the past to the present. I thought this book was excellent. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor as she tells about her family adversities. I loved how her parents reminded me of my own with their fervent belief in the Catholic faith. I loved what her father says to her after finding out about her cancer:

"I'm just saying, you can do this, Lovey. You're special. I've always said it. You're just a very special girl, that's all." 

The author is in the middle place, struggling with her comfortable role as a daughter and now breaking away to form her own nucleus of a family. After reading this book, I looked for more information about the author's family online and was very happy to hear that her father is doing well as he turns 80. 

Sunday Thoughts

I have not been as committed as I wish I could have been to this blog, but I am determined to make a comeback and rededicate myself to reading 100 pages a day.  I have made 2 trips to Ireland since I last posted, and they were wonderful.  In February, my daughter and I went to Killarney for the All-Ireland Championships.  In April, we went to Dublin for The World Championships.  These were both for Irish step dancing.  At the All-Irelands, my daughter won the title in her age group, and at the Worlds she came in second.  We are both very pleased.  On both trips, we did some sightseeing - visiting castles in the south of Ireland and for the Dublin trip, I wanted to go see Trinity College and the Book of Kells, but it didn't work out, so we'll have to save that adventure for our next trip.  We visit Ireland/England/Scotland about 4 times a year, and I love visiting all the ancient historical places.  In particular I loved staying at Dromoland Castle with friends and learning about the Smith O'Brien family that I'm reading about in The Great Shame.  I still have not finished this book and it is really terrific at covering the Irish who were sent to Australia for minor crimes and mainly for standing up for their legal rights as tenants or maybe plotting against the British.  At this point, I think I will write some short reviews on the few books I read in the past two months, and take it from there.  I'm almost finished Galway Bay too.  I really enjoyed this one!  Here are a few pictures:

Ross Castle in Killarney:

 Inside Dromoland Castle:

 Bunratty Castle:

On another note about Irish dancing.  There is a new documentary coming out about the 2010 World Championships called Jig - the movie.  It won't be available in the US until the summer of 2011.  One of the dancers focused on in the movie is in my daughter's dancing school, and we think she might show up in some part of the movie.  My daughter hopes so.  Here is the trailer for the movie:

Have a Happy Easter!