Wednesday

[nightdog_barks]

Sunny, 73 warm degrees (22.8 degrees Celsius). Have set all the deck plants back on the deck to enjoy the weather -- at least until the weekend, when it's supposed to turn cool again.

So. Finished Fieldwork, and, as I had feared, the ending ... didn't really match up to the rest of the book. My reaction was "Wait, that was it?" Still, the rest of the book was a great read, and I'm giving it a solid A. Now I am reading Jo Walton's Among Others, and I'm three-quarters of the way through the thing, and I still can't decide if I like it or not. It's written in the form of a diary, which reminds me a lot of Louise Fitzhugh's classic Harriet the Spy, but I'm not nearly as enthralled with Walton's narrator as I was with Fitzhugh's. This is another book that's up for a Nebula Award.

Oh well. Here's a wonderful article about Eudora Welty's garden. :-)

Comments

[damigella]

I was wondering if you have any opinion about the suitability of either Harriet the Spy or Among Others for my 12 year old daughter who likes to read (and isn't the best at socializing).
She doesn't have very sophisiticated taste, and reads as happily Tolkien, Rowling, and (sorry) Christopher Paolini. She even liked the Inkheart trilogy which I found truly unbearable, but I also read lots of crap (admittedly not crap in three different languages) at that age.

[nightdog_barks]

I'm not sure I would recommend Among Others for a 12-year-old -- it has a few passages that deal with sex, and if you haven't had The Talk yet, she might have some questions for you. *g*

I can strongly recommend Harriet the Spy! I was also trying to think of some other books I personally enjoyed at around that age, and here's what I came up with --

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E.L. Konigsburg
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George Speare
Charlotte's Web, by E.B. White
Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson
A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin
The Chronicles of Prydain, by Lloyd Alexander
The Diamond in the Window, by Jane Langton

THERE ARE MORE BUT I'LL STOP BEFORE I SCARE YOU OFF COMPLETELY. Jeez, I'd forgotten how great that age is for reading. :-D

ETA that the more I think about, the less I would rec it to a 12-year-old. Too many adult situations, including one between the narrator and her father that could lead to some real emotional distress. Maybe a 15-year-old, but not 12.

[damigella]

Sex I'm not worried about, since I liked reading about sex at that age and I expect she would, too. Emotional distress, not so much. My hope was that it would give her motivation to read a lot of my favorite SF books, but I'll just read them again myself and ileave them lying around :).

she's read 2, 3 and 5 in your list, and liked them (also Dahl's Matilda). Earthsea was too difficult the first time the she tried it two years ago (also difficult from a language viewpoint) but maybe now's the time.

PS Does one really need The Talk in this time and age? I suggested last year she look up scarleteen.com whenever she has questions. I have also told her already that minors have a right to free gynecological/contraceptive care without parents being involved, she obviously doesn't need it yet which made it easier to talk about it.

[nightdog_barks]

Yep, the incident that occurs with the father in Among Others is sad and ... well, it's just sad, and I really do think it could bring distress to a younger reader.

Good point about The Talk! I would say that it might be a good thing to let her know that you are there as well as online sites if/when she has questions. The online world is all very good, but sometimes it really helps to have the personal touch available for reassurance. Caveat that I have no kids myself, and it's been a long time since I WAS a kid. Still, I think it's a good thing if mom (or dad) is around for any questions that might come up. :-D