Bowker Reads

Green Angel

Rosemary Walker — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:01:10 +0000

I Wanted a short easy read for vacation. Searching my bookcase, I found “Green Angel,” a young adult novel by Alice Hoffman. It touches on life changes, letting go of the past, and accepting yourself and other people as they are. The book was a welcome change from my usual nonfiction reading. Green is a shy, quiet, plain-looking fifteen year old girl. Her parents are farmers who sell what they harvest at the farmers market in the city. Her younger sister, Aurora, is magical, pretty, loves to dance and sing, and is loved by all. One day her parents and Aurora go into town. There is a disaster in the city. They never return home. Her life has suddenly changed forever. She crawls under the big dining room table and curls herself up along with her sister’s little dog, Onion. She waits for days, then eventually crawls out. Her new life begins. Alone, frightened and unable to face reality, the personality of Green starts to fade away. She gradually changes her exterior…gives herself a tough as nails appearance. She changes her name to Ash. Making herself look scarey and untouchable helps her to feel stronger. The few survivors that cross her path stay away. Her sister comes to her in dreams. But the more Green changes into Ash, the harder it is for her sister Aurora to see her. Eventually she meets people that she allows into her life. She reaches out to them. They help her to change, grow and
gradually accept her true self. Her sad coming of age, transitions into a hopeful future.

The Language of Flowers

Lynda Keller — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:33:45 +0000

The language of flowers was a Victorian-era means of communication in which various flowers were used to send coded messages, conveying romantic feelings and expressions. Sadly the language has mostly been forgotten. That is until Vanessa Diffenbaugh wrote her novel, “The Language of Flowers”.

I started reading this novel with an open mind and with no expectations. It has become one of my favorite books and has found a permanent place on my bookshelf and an my heart. I even rented the audio so that I could listen to it on my commute home from work. I found myself sitting in my car in my driveway not wanting to stop listening to the story.

I was surprised to find a book about adoption, foster care, emancipation, homelessness, and single motherhood (all topics I could not personally relate to) to be so moving and beautiful. Vanessa’s writing style just drew me into the main character and I felt everything that Victoria was feeling and going through. We witnessed her struggle to survive after spending 18 years in a foster care system that treated her poorly and turned her into a cold unfeeling young woman. It was fascinating to see how a person’s past could mold and develop their personality and emotions. Victoria was definitely a fascinating case of character development. We were by her side as she formed a friendship with her boss and found happiness in the flower shop. I cried along with her as she dealt with becoming a mother. This was the part i could connect with having a a two-year-old daughter of my own. Motherhood is extremely challenging and Vanessa showed the truth of how demanding a newborn is on its mother and how many different emotions you can feel at once. There is a fear that we will not be good mothers and Victoria felt that she could not give her daughter enough. Being a mother is a very difficult responsibility and i felt grateful to find an author that showed me that we are not alone in our feelings of inadequacy and guilt.

Vanessa also shed light on the foster care system in our country. I was unaware of the injustice that is occurring and how much it goes unnoticed. I have a deeper understanding of the realities of foster care for both the children and the foster parents.

“The Language of Flowers” filled many genres such as mystery, suspense, coming of age, and family. Her descriptions of flowers and food had a touch of sensuality and all of her characters came to life. Her encounters with various forms of love seemed genuine and not forced. I have come across so many novels that try to incorporate love and the relationship winds up feeling fake and rushed to me. Victoria needed time and the author showed that.

The dictionary at the end of the novel contains flowers and their appropriate meanings. This was a nice added bonus and I plan on using it sometime in the future like in my garden. I would love to go into a florist and tell him/her my feelings and come home with the perfect bouquet. Flowers brings a sense of connection and understanding that we can’t find elsewhere. I believe the Victorians were on to something when they created this language and I hope this novel will bring it back to life.

New Year’s Resolutions

Mark Ahmad — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:21:28 +0000

The start of a new year means people are assessing where their life is and how to change it for the better. The same resolutions seem to be mentioned every year, from weight loss to being more social, with most people failing to accomplish them. Specific goals that are attainable have the highest rate of being accomplished. For example, commit to losing a pound a week instead of just saying I want to lose weight. I’ve learned over the years that I never do well on my resolutions so I decided to simply hope for a more peaceful and pleasant world for 2012, which we all can agree is a good thing for us all. There aren’t many things in this world celebrated by everyone, but the change of the year is one of the few on this planet we call Earth. From us all at Bowker Reads, we wish everyone happiness, health, and contentment in the upcoming year.

<2012 baby>

Christmas Nostalgia

Lynda Keller — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 14:25:54 +0000

The holidays are a time when I get extremely sentimental and nostalgic. My favorite childhood memories are of Christmas and the holiday season. My favorite part is getting ready for Christmas, the decorating, the baking, the Christmas songs. We start decorating the house the day after Thanksgiving and don’t stop until the week before Christmas. Each ornament on the tree has a story as does each Santa in our vast collection of Santas.

Christmas is a time of tradition for me and now that my daughter is two I want to continue my family’s traditions. One of those traditions is going to the library to check out Christmas books. I remember being excited as a kid going to the library to pick out books for my winter break from school. I admit, I read books during my time off from school while my friends were out sledding and ice skating. I have taken my daughter to the library before but there is something different about the library during December. Maybe its the Christmas tree in the lobby or the small one in the Children’s section. But I think its also the books, the ones that come out once a year. The ones about Santa and Rudolph and Frosty. My daughter loves books as much as I do.

After the library visit my mom surprised me by bringing a box over full of my childhood books. I didn’t realize she had saved them. It was wonderful watching my daughter read the same books I had read thirty years ago. It was great holding them in my hand remembering how much fun I had with them and knowing that now they can be a part of my daughter’s life. Our bedtime tradition is now reading Twas the Night Before Christmas. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday enjoying family traditions and making new ones. Looking forward to one of My New Year’s Resolutions of actually getting through my reading list.

In the Pit with Piper: Roddy Gets Rowdy

Mark Ahmad — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:53:48 +0000

I’ve been a wrestling fan since I was a kid watching and reading anything that had to do with wrestling. The first wrestler to catch my eyes was Rowdy Roddy Piper; had the look and the talk to back up his great wrestling style. The best thing about autobiographies is the behind the scene things that a common fan doesn’t get to know and there are plenty in this book including three decades of wrestling facts and events. He covers his early start working for practically nothing and being homeless to becoming one of the highest paid wrestlers in the world and appearing in numerous movies. This book is great for the old time wrestling fans that loved to know the background of a match they saw on television and the real life drama behind the curtains of the wrestling world.

The Partnership of books and the media

Lynda Keller — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:51:20 +0000

It is part of human nature to be influenced by external propaganda and other people’s opinions. This is especially true with advertising, via television, radio, or internet. How many times have you seen a commercial for a typical candy bar and then an hour later have a craving for it? Well this goes for books too. I remember even as a child being persuaded to read certain books after watching the popular television show “Reading Rainbow”. Which, btw, I wish was still around for my daughter. Then there was the campaign for getting people to read by showing posters of celebrities reading.

It amazes me to see how popular book advertising has become over the years. In the past we were limited to books only being mentioned in the New York Times Book section with its ever popular bestseller lists, as well as other newspapers like the Wall Street Journal or Chicago Tribune. Now with 21st century technology the topic of books is appearing everywhere. There are numerous websites (GoodReads and LibraryThing) for avid book readers like myself to discuss books with other book lovers and to see what books authors have written or what number you are missing in a particular series. Besides these informative websites you of course have all of the individual books blogs people are creating, this one being a good example

Magazines are even going the route of advertising books. Oprah Winfrey’s magazine includes book reviews. More Magazine recently included an interview of Kathryn Stockett, the author of “The Help”. The one that surprised me the most though, is my subscription to Country Living which is a home decorating magazine. Amidst the article about a neglected schoolhouse renovated into a Catskills cottage and how to make spooky Halloween decorations for your living room was an article about the Nancy Drew mysteries. Yes, the teenage girl sleuth from my childhood. The article gave a synopsis of all 56 novels and the history of how Nancy Drew was created. By the end of the article i didn’t care about how to upholster my living room chair or how to carve a pumpkin the right way I just wanted to go to my local library and take out a few Nancy Drew novels. Check out this link to view the vintage Nancy Drew books.

Simpsons Comics Madness

Mark Ahmad — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:33:29 +0000

The longest running television show in the history of America television is the subject of this hilarious comic book. The stories are a bit far fetched even for The Simpson’s and yet I couldn’t stop going to the next adventure in the comic. I guess I’m one of those people that doesn’t care what it’s about as long as The Simpson’s are involved. Even the dog of the family gets a story based around him, so the stories are really reaching and the jokes can be corny. If you want to mix things up and read your Simpson’s adventures instead of watching them, give the book a try. I attached a video for everyone’s enjoyment and have a great Springfield day.

The Healthy Home: Simple Truths to Protect Your Family From Hidden Household Dangers

Rosemary Walker — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:11:15 +0000

I picked up this book from the library because I saw him on TV. His comments on the show were enough to make me want to read more.
“How Toxic is Your Home?” is the name of the quiz that begins each chapter. By taking the quiz, you get some idea of how healthy you and your environment are in each category. There are six sections; Bedroom, Bathroom, Kitchen, Living Ares, Garage and Yard. At the end of each chapter he highlights a “Simple Solution.”This is one thing you can do to make a difference in your life.
In a section called, Our Plastic Kitchen, he lists commonly used plastics
that release toxins when, “heated, washed with harsh detergents in
dishwashers, scratched or cracked, and have prolonged contact with fatty
foods and oils.” Three from the list, that I use in my kitchen, are
styrofoam cups, reuseable water bottles and plastic wrap. The cups would
be easy to replace with a travel cup. Instead of using plastic water
bottles, I have stainless steel bottles and recently purchased a BPA free
plastic bottle. I’ll be keeping the plastic wrap for now. But I will stop
using it to cover plates in the microwave.
It will be difficult to give up some of the products that have made my
life easier. But, if it makes me a little healthier, it’s worth it.

The Paris Wife

Lynda Keller — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:36:03 +0000

I am always intrigued by fiction with a biographical twist. This book was from the point of view of Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley. Through her eyes you saw the couple from the time they fell in love, through their divorce, until his suicide. You saw firsthand the passionate love they shared in the beginning and the hardship Hadley endured as their marriage crumbled around her. Paula’s vivid descriptions of the various settings made me feel like I was right there seeing everything the Hemingways did. Her secondary characters were just as fun and real as her main characters. We are introduced to Eliza Pound, Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous writers.It was fascinating to read how Hadley and Ernest communicated with each other and interacted with one another. You got to know their pet names and favorite hobbies. As with every relationship there are arguments and struggles. Paula didn’t avoid these for her readers. She never promised us a happy ever after. Slowly Ernest began to lose interest in his marriage, began to overlook Hadley, and became consumed with his writing. Hadley gave everything she could to her marriage and their son. But it wasn’t enough for Ernest. After six years of marriage, he left her for another woman, a close friend of Hadley’s no less. I felt her pain, anger, confusion, betrayal, and loss. Paula’s characters’ emotions were so real. Hemingway married three more times after Hadley. She got to see Hemingway from the beginning, through his determination to be a good writer, through his dreams and impulsive behavior. No one can replace her as being the ‘first wife”, the woman Hemingway had loved in Paris.

The Kitchen House

Suzanne Franks — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 20:46:56 +0000

The Kitchen House is an intricate tale of the south. It takes us back to when servants were the property of their masters and could not speak up for themselves or their family members. Many of the intimate secrets of this family are shared with us as the book unfolds. The master, in this case a Captain, comes back from his travels with a seven-year-old orphaned Irish girl, Lavinia, and tells his kitchen staff to train her as their own and keep her with them. Understandably, the staff feels uncomfortable about having her live with them since this breaks the boundaries of what has become acceptable between black and white.
Lavinia grows up to become one of the “Kitchen House” family members and she witnesses first-hand the cruelty of white landowners and their staff against the slaves. In the end, Lavinia becomes a member of the “Big House” landowner’s family because she is white. The consequence is that she must renounce her black “Kitchen House” family. This is an incestuous and unethical living situation. Lavinia is a pawn who cannot save the lives of those she loves, much as she tries to.
The author paints a very visual portrait of the kitchen house and the big house. The characters are alive and we understand why the slaves are so well bonded and loving toward each other, while the big house family is not. This is an interesting and emotional story line that grabs you from the first page and explores the meaning of family and loyalty regardless of race.