The Jane Austen Book Club-- Life imitates Art

For the past few days we have watched the film which was based upon Karen Joy Fowler's book.  This page to screen adaptation follows the lives of 5 women and 1 man as they read the 6 novels of Jane Austen.  Life imitates art as these individuals live out the desire and conflicts of Austen's protagonists in their own lives.

In Post 5, write a reaction to the film.  What are its strengths and weaknesses? What did you take away from it?  To whom would you recommend it?

Then write about a time when you have seen life imitating art.  Consider books that you have read, the characters that remind you of people you know, the conflicts that are similar to ones that you have experienced etc.  Describe a time when the world of literature has come alive.  What happened?  What is the significance?  What does this tell us about the power of literature?  What insights does it offer as to why we read?

Stepping Out of our Comfort Zones

The choice of the last book that we all read was intended to get us to step out of our comfort zones and in a sense to expand our horizons.  Reflect upon this experience in Post 4.  What did you read?  How was it out of your comfort zone?  What did you think of the experience?

Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone-- Discovering an Established Writer

David Baldacci is a prolific writer whose books are regularly on the bestseller list.  Surprisingly, I have never read anything that he has written until now.  Stepping out of my comfort zone, I saw that he most recent book was at #1 on the bestseller list and decided that it was time to see what this author and his writing was all about.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.  In all honesty, the focus of the book and its genre are not that foreign for me and are similar to other books I have read in the suspense and crime novel genres.  So for me, stepping out of my comfort zone and reading a book by an author that I have avoided over the years has been a positive experience adding a new author to the list of writers I put on my "To Read" list.

 Memory Man is the first of a new series featuring Amos Decker, a former detective, who has fallen on bad times after the murder of his family.  Aside from his back story, what makes Amos unique is his memory.  Amos cannot forget anything!  As he describes it, he has a DVR player in his head which enables him to play back any event in any day of his life.  It also does not allow him to forget the horrors that he has witnessed.  Events of the novel include a school shooting, an aggressive reporter, and a high stakes game of cat and mouse.  The book is a quick read with interesting insights into the mind and the resilience of human beings.  I would recommend it to any one who likes crime fiction or suspense.

If not for the assignment of stepping out of my comfort zone, I would not have read this book.  I am glad I did.  I look forward to the next Amos Decker novel and over the summer I will see what else Mr. Baldacci has to offer. 

2nd MP  Post 3

Author Visit Reflection

We all had a unique opportunity on Tuesday, May 5 when we experienced an author talking about a book she had written and we have read.  Listening to Christina Baker Kline speak about her novel, Orphan Train, affected us in different ways and we each took something away from her talk.

In this blog post, you are to reflect upon this experience and discuss how the presentation affected and  impressed you.  As a reader, what is significant about being able to hear an author talk about her book?  What did you find to be significant about the insights that an author can offer?  Did her presentation have any influence over your interpretation of the book?

Post should be multiple paragraphs and should include a picture of the author and a picture of something else which you find to be relevant to the presentations and insights you have gained.




My Reflection:

I have always been intrigued when I have been able to hear an author speak about a book he or she has written, so you can imagine my excitement last year when I attended a conference  and realized that the author I was about to hear speak was the same author of a book I had just read and had been raving about.  Christina Baker Kline spoke about her experience of writing Orphan Train and sought to inform the audience about the orphan train experience.  She was compelled to write the book after discovering that her husband's grandfather was a train rider.  What intrigued her was the fact that no one in the family had known.  It was not a topic that he discussed.  After hearing her speak last year, I thought having her speak to JCHS students would be a great experience.  The fact that she lives close by made the feasibility of such a endeavor seem possible.

A year later, and we all get to hear Ms. Kline speak in the JCHS auditorium.  A second opportunity to hear her speak impresses upon me the care and passion that an author has for her creation.  When asked what her favorite book to write has been, Ms. Kline responded, "my current book."  So now it is Orphan Train.  When her next book is published, it will be that book.  Not only  is her passion for her work evident, but also apparent is the effort that she puts into writing the book and getting it right.  The writing of Orphan Train required a great deal of research and fact checking.  Ms. Kline travelled around the United States interviewing train riders and their descendants.  She even travelled to Ireland to help develop Niamh's back story.

As I mentioned in class, I enjoy listening to authors speak of their works because they offer insights that  confirm my ideas,  change my interpretations, and/or offer new avenues for thought.  For example,  while we had seen significance that the book Molly attempted to steal was Jane Eyre, Ms. Kline asked if I had noticed all the other connections to the book throughout her novel.  I must admit that I hadn't but I will be looking for them on my next reading of the book, as I will also be looking for the allusions to the Wizard of Oz.

I am definitely looking forward to reading her next book which she says is inspired by Andrew Wyeth's painting, Christina's World.  And I will be watching the film version of the Orphan Train when it is released.    Hearing the author has helped to make the book come alive in various ways.


As a side note-- I am impressed with how real Christina Baker Kline is.  I certainly appreciate her talking with JCHS students and appreciate  her understanding  and tolerance of teenagers.  Her words to my reluctant reader were especially meaningful.

4th Marking Period Blog Posts

Post 1 -- Genres

Write a post explaining your favorite genre and at least 2 of your favorite books and/or authors from the genre.  Include information from your genre presentation in your post.  Include a minimum of 2 visuals.


Post 2  --  Orphan Train-- First reactions

Write a post in which you  react to the novel the orphan train and the information that you have learned regarding it.  Consider what you see to be its strengths and weaknesses.

Boys and Reading

Boys and Reading

Read the linked article on Boys and reading and post your comment on this blog.  Your comments and reactions should be a minimum of 2 paragraphs.  After everyone has posted, go back and respond to two of your classmates' comments.

http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/boys-and-reading

Independent Choice Reflection

Post a reflection regarding your most recent independent choice explaining the following:

• the recommendation that was made to you and why you accepted it
• your thoughts on the book --what did you see as its strengths and weaknesses?
• your reaction to the book -- how did you like it? how would you rate it?
• your recommendation of the book for fellow readers?  What type of reader would like this book?  Is it worth the read?

The two books I read for this selection were The Girl on the Train and The Martian.  Both were very different books that would appeal to different types of readers.

The Girl on the Train is currently at the top of the New York Times Bestseller list-- I think it is currently #2.  It was recommended to me by a variety of people, including a former Readers' Choice student. Also, it was the March selection of one of the book clubs to which I belong.  It is the type of book that I love to read--  suspence, murder mystery, psychological thriller.  I was very excited to read it.

The book is an enjoyable read-- fast moving and a page turner.  The structure of the book shifts from the points of view of three of the characters and the chronology is broken at times by these shifts so you do need to pay attention to the time line for it to make sense.  The story was interesting and most of the characters were not very likeable but the main character does elicit sympathy and I found myself rooting for her.   

I would highly recommend this book to those who like murder mysteries and suspense novels.  The book has been compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl and Hitchcock's Rear Window. 


The Martian was recommended to me by one of my current Readers' Choice students.  To be honest it is not in my favorite genres as it is science fiction, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and have been recommending it to a variety of individuals.

Mark Watney the main character is a space age McGyver (not sure if you all will get the reference but Google it if you don't).  He finds himself stranded and Mars and needs to problem solve in order to survive until he can be rescued.  His character is humourous while resourceful.  His ability to use knowledge and information to trouble shoot situations would make any teacher proud.  He epitomizes the goal of education is all about -- creating individuals who can think creatively and transfer knowledge to different situations to solve problems.  I realize I am sounding too much like a teacher, but the book really resonated with me on that level.

For science fiction lovers, this books places an expedition on Mars and references much of the current scientific research that relates to Mars and space exploration.  For adventure lovers, the hero of the book needs to overcome a series of obstacles on a foreign planet to survive.  It is definitely worth the read.  (FYI -- the book is currently in production for a film to come out next year starring Matt Damon).

Welcome to our 2015 Readers' Choice blog.  This blog will serve as a portal for us to share our thoughts on reading and the books we have read.  As we share our thoughts and reflect on what others are saying, please maintain a respectable and acceptable exchange of ideas.

Post 1--  after creating your blog, introduce yourself as a reader.

Post 2 -- The Books of My Life post-  follow the instructions that have been provided to you in class.

Post 3--  Write a one paragraph reaction to the recent class read (1-2: Family Life  or 15-16: Butter)

Comments/Responses --  Write two responses to comments made by your classmates regarding the recent class read of Family Life or Butter.