Audio Book: Dreams from My Father

Dreams from My Father:
A Story of Race and Inheritance
by Barack Obama

Length: 7 hrs 13 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: After reading Elizabeth the Queen, I was on a world-leaders biography kick. Since I've always been a little fascinated by Barack Obama's dual status as politician and celebrity, this one seemed a good choice. Throw in the fact that it is READ BY THE AUTHOR AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE SWEET BUTTER, it was a no-brainer.

Basic Premise: This memoir begins with Barack's grandparents and follows through to his wedding to Michelle Obama. It does not, as I assumed it would, address his presidency, or even his senate seat. It was published in 2004, as you may notice, 5 years before Obama took office. (For the record, I did not notice and had to look it up.) It focuses on his father, the void his absence left in Barack's childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, and his journey to finding the role his father's legacy would eventually play in his larger life.

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
First of all, I don't care what the book is about - if Barack Obama is speaking, I'm listening. There were actually a few times I got caught up in the timbre of his silky smoothness that I realized I didn't know what was going on and had to go back. 

Voice-appeal aside, this book was far more interesting that I had expected. I think I knew his mother was from Kansas, but I had never really thought much about it. When describing his parents, he drew on his mother's Kansas roots when he contrasted her to his Kenyan father. As his maternal grandparents were instrumental in his upbringing, it was neat to read about the role Kansas played in their lives. I also had no idea that he spent several years of his young life in Indonesia, a country I visited last year and to which I have some family ties. But I particularly enjoyed his early years struggling as a community planner in Chicago prior to the meteoric rise we all know about. He had to work closely with churches and church leaders, and his spiritual development, while not discussed at length in the book, is an object of fascination. The book's primary focus is on his father, and during this time in his life, he takes a trip to Kenya to meet his father's family, including brothers and sisters. This trip proved very formative in his journey to find a place for his father in his own life.

I was disappointed that it stopped so soon, but it did pique my interest about reading The Audacity of Hope. Unfortunately, it was not available on Overdrive, nor was Michelle's biography.
:(
Maybe some day!

Book: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston

Length: 264

Format: Paperback
Price:  $11.24 on Amazon
How I Heard: This title was the only one I had heard of on my Ethnic Literature course list. (And the only one that gets its own post!)

Basic Premise: Janie Crawford has led a sheltered and rather privileged existence for a colored girl under the pear tree with her grandmother. When her ailing grandmother convinces her to marry, however, that charmed existence goes up in smoke as Janie learns to navigate the wider world of work and strength and men. 

My Take: 9.8 out of 10 (scale here)
I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. I read it amidst a list of books which left me angry and confused, but this one left me feeling real and hurt and loved and free, which is really what books should do. I can't believe I had never had occasion to read it before this class.

First of all, I fell head-over-heels for Janie. Her poise and self-control, coupled with her sharp wit and discretion made her a quick object of my admiration, mainly because I posses none of those things. The hardships she endures at the hands of the men in her life make her better instead of bitter, and it makes things all the better when she finally does find happiness. But oh the happiness...I don't want to give anything away, but ohmygoodness...you just have to read it. Really, you should.

Hurston's dialogue was read-out-loud hard, and when I couldn't figure it out even then, I found the book on Hoopla and listened to Ruby Dee's BRILLIANT rendition. (Truly, if you are interested in this book, let Ruby read it to you.) Hurston is famous for her use of Southern dialect. She is also famous for being utterly unappreciated in her own time. The woman died on welfare, struggling to make ends meet because her brilliance wasn't recognized until well after her death. Because Hurston wasn't writing about race in the Harlem Renaissance (which, if you're unfamiliar with the movement, was about racial inequality), she was shunted to the side in favor of others who were. Hurston, instead, was writing about identity, feminism, and independence (and I know this because I did a paper and a presentation on Hurston and am now an expert). 

I gave this a 9.8 only because I suspect the fact that all the other books for this class were so horrible had a pull on my emotions and therefore may have inflated my experience a bit. Regardless, this was a truly excellent book that will go down as one of my all-time favorites.

Audio Book: Elizabeth the Queen

Elizabeth the Queen:
The Life of a Modern Monarch
by Sally Bedell Smith

Length: 21 hrs 20 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard: I read Diana, Her True Story because I stumbled upon it at the library, but I was looking for a biography on the queen. When I saw this one on Overdrive, I thought PERFECT. 

Basic Premise: This biography of Elizabeth II chronicles the queen's life and reign, beginning with the abdication of her uncle, Edward the VIII, the reluctant reign of her father, George VI, and her premature ascension to the throne at the age of 26. It follows through her marriage and family life, the larger diplomatic and societal struggles of her reign, and the challenges her children and their spouses have posed to the monarchy. Having been published in 2012, it would seem that it concludes somewhat prematurely.

My Take: 7 out of 10 (scale here)
Obviously, because of my extensive knowledge on the queen gleaned from watching The Crown, I fancied myself the expert. (Did you appreciate my very British phrasing there?) Having recently watched the second season, I can say there were few surprises. However, as I went on, I realized I was, in effect, getting spoilers. My expertise really starts in the 80s, so the rest of the 60s and all of the 70s was a blank slate. It was interesting to see the things the show included and skipped as opposed to Smith's account. There were a few that weren't mentioned in the biography, which caused me to wonder about their historical accuracy. (There is a historical companion to the show, but I have not read it. I put it on my Christmas list, but then I thought that was displaying my obsession a little too broadly, so I took it off.) Overall, though, the picture of the queen, painted both by the show and this biography, is that she is the essence of poise and dignity, but isn't afraid to ride her horses, yell at the races, adjust to the times, and occasionally (though rarely), do the unexpected.

I haven't figured out royal biographies yet. This was clearly an unauthorized biography, although Smith has met Queen Elizabeth several times. She frequently quoted Charles's biographer, or Philip's biographer, so there is some sort of official capacity for biographers, I just haven't figured that system out. I don't know if the biographer is assigned by the palace, or whether the object picks someone they like, or whether Queen Elizabeth's official biography has been all but completed and he/she is just waiting for the queen to kick the bucket...? I don't know. Either way, I was pretty pleased with this one. There were times where I felt she was stretching, grasping for something meaningful to report, but overall, I liked it. Smith has also written a biography of Princess Diana and has recently released a biography of Prince Charles. Having just read about (and frankly, feeling a little tired of) Diana, I'm not really up for that one, and as Charles is perhaps the royal personality I find least interesting, I'll be skipping that one, too. Maybe if she writes one on Kate, Meghan, or one of the boys...

Audio Book: Love Warrior

Love Warrior
by Glennon Doyle

Length: 7 hrs 45 min

Format: Audiobook
Price:  Free via Overdrive
How I Heard:  I follow her on Instagram since reading Carry On Warrior

Basic Premise: This memior chronicles the story of Glennon's marriage, how she handled her husband's shocking infidelity, and how she was able to rise and continue with her marriage, raising their three children, and living life.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

I fully intended to read this book right after it came out, but I got busy and then kind of forgot. And then I was playing that game where your last audio book has expired and the book you really want isn't available, so you sort of search whatever you can think of that sounds interesting because you don't want to start doing laundry and going on your morning walk without one. Somehow this one popped up and was available, so I snagged it. I knew this book was about Glennon's marriage. I also knew her marriage ended the week the book was released. Lastly, knowing Glennon through her other book, her blog, and her social media presence, I knew it would be very poignant and honest.

Love Warrior did not disappoint. It was raw and authentic (and included language that would have made listening out loud difficult with my kids around) and gut-wrenching, as her writing usually is. It was also wonderfully simple, as her writing usually is. She can say a lot with only a few words, and her skill puts her right up there with Lewis in my book. Her circumstances, flanked by her history with substance abuse and eating disorders discussed at length in Carry On Warrior, and revisited to a lesser extent in this book, are the sort you would see in a movie. Maybe one day, we will!

Listening to a book is always different than reading it. Glennon reads it herself (another thing I love about audio books...when the author reads it!), and she has a high, sort of tinny voice. As I always listen to books at at least 1.25 speed, she sounded a little like a chipmunk. I had to slow it down to curb the effect. But otherwise, I really did enjoy this book. It's hard for me to fathom an experience like the one she describes here (and I both hope and expect to keep it that way!), but reading books like this, in addition to increasing my compassion, makes me grateful for my own blessings.

Book: The Magnolia Story

The Magnolia Story
by Chip & Joanna Gaines

Length: 208

Format: Hardback
Price:  A Christmas gift from my kids!
How I Heard:  A Christmas gift from my kids!

My Take: 8 out of 10 (scale here)
This was a cute story about two cute people with a cute show. Cute is really the adjective. I read up on this book to see whether I wanted to read it. Our family loves to watch their show together (and there aren't very many shows that we can say that about...I think the only other one is "Dick Van Dyck") and the reviews were pretty brutal. It's true that the writing was not top-notch, but she's a designer, not a writer, so I feel like that's okay...? Anyway, the kids thought it would make a good Christmas present, and they were right. I really enjoyed it - it was a quick, fun read. Perfect for winter break!

The story is told by both Chip and Joanna (the font changes to indicating who is talking), but 80+% of the narrative is Joanna, with Chip piping in every once in a while. It begins with an accidental and humorous anecdote that resulted in the birth of their TV show, and then goes back to the start of their relationship. In equal measures, I would call it interesting, funny, entertaining, and inspiring. But there are also some eyeroll-worthy moments. For example, it was commonplace for Chip to sell something or buy something or do something huge without talking to his wife. Her attitude toward the whole thing seems to be, "Just go with it," which doesn't seem realistic to me at all. Maybe that's because I would never dream of doing something like that to my spouse, and I would murder him if he did something like that to me...?

Anyway, I liked this book. I will probably keep it instead of selling or giving it away (which is what I usually do with books), so that's a pretty good mark of how much I enjoyed it.

Book: Diana, Her True Story

Diana: Her True Story - In Her Own Words
by Andrew Morton

Length: 432

Format: Paperback
Price: free from the library

How I heard: I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about my obsession with the British royal family, but it’s been a real thing since August 31, 1997. (If you aren’t familiar with significant royal dates, that is the day Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris.) I was not obsessed with Disney princesses, nor can I claim a particular affinity for celebrities, but there was something completely fascinating about that entire ordeal, and like much of the rest of the world, I was sucked in. I read everything I could get my hands on. I watched news reports. I remember sitting in my EO in eighth grade and watching the coverage on Channel 1. I remember saving my money and buying People magazine and Time magazine and Newsweek. (I also remember my brother making fun of my obsession and drawing all over the cover of one of the magazines. My parents made him go buy me a new one. Score!) My social studies teacher offered an extra credit assignment in which we could write a summation of any news story that took place during the school year. Although I didn’t need the extra credit, I took the opportunity to write a lengthy essay without doing a scrap of research.

When the movie The Queen came out in theaters, my husband very thoughtfully took me to see it, and then bought me the movie for Christmas. When Prince William got engaged, I woke up early to watch the wedding. And when I discovered the TV show “The Crown” on Netflix, I did a little else until the first season was finished, and I have been waiting with bated breath for December 8th. And when I discovered a series of documentaries on the queen and her family to celebrate 100 years of the house of Windsor... well, you get it.

All that said, I decided to read a biography on the queen and so I started browsing shelves at the public library. However, before I could find one I liked, I stumbled upon Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton. Of course, I was familiar with this title from my Diana days. It was the shocking biography released in 1992 that ruffled all sorts of feathers within the royal family and without. Though her involvement was officially kept secret until after her death (though rumors were rife), the forward of the 25th anniversary edition reveals covert efforts to smuggle recordings from Diana’s home at Kensington Palace to Andrew Morton via a mutual friend. Since book was on the shelf, I thought would give it a try.

My Take: 6/10

As one might predict, it is not first class writing. At times it felt as though Morton was lost in the story he was telling, repeating himself and struggling to find a thread that would carry him through and bring cohesion to the isolated incidents he was reporting. As he was a news correspondent writing a biography, perhaps we should forgive him this.

Aside from the sporadic style, the book itself was interesting because after the forward, there were transcripts of the tapes in this edition. What can be read there is as close to an autobiography as there will ever be. In this addition, there is also information about the years that followed the book’s publication, which includes the divorce, her controversial work on the landmines campaign in Africa, and of course, her death, funeral, and the rather embarassing reaction of the royal family. With my recent rewatch of “The Crown,” these details were made all the more interesting.

Sister was very taken with the cover of this book. I think she thought Diana was pretty. She asked me who she was, and when I explained, she asked me to read the book out loud to her. I read some small sections, and when we had to give the book back to the library, she asked if we could go buy it. I told her no, but I did purchase this for her for Christmas:

Overall, this wasn’t a great book, but I can see why it caused such a “fuss.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off reading about Prince Harry’s engagement. (Which, if you want to know, is completely interesting in itself, because when his great great uncle wanted to marry an American divorcée 80 years ago, he had to abdicate, and when Harry’s great aunt wanted to marry a British divorcee 20 years after, she was refused. What a difference a few generations can make!)

Book: Murder on the Orient Express

Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie

Length: 288

Format: Kindle Book
Price: $6.99

How I heard about it: A student of mine read it and recommended it, and then I saw the trailer for the new film.

Basic Premise: Set against the snowy backdrop of Eastern Europe in the dead of winter, this book tells the story of the mysterious murder of a gangster on board the stranded Orient Express. Everyone is suspect, but fortunately, the hailed detective Hercule Poirot is on board and on the case.

My Take: 9 out of 10 (scale here)

This was fun! I downloaded it at the tail end of our Disney trip, and thankfully Sister needed next to no help on the flight, and I was free to read. I had the book finished by the following day and Husband and I even made it out to see the movie that evening!

The book was good and interesting, but only someone as skilled as Agatha Christie could get away with such a formulaic approach to the storytelling. In perhaps a predictable manner, the crime is committed, and the suspects are interviewed...and there are many. Everyone on the train, in fact, is under suspicion. The act of calling each one in individually to get his/her story would be an easy place for readers to get bored and check out, because the suspects just keep coming. However, Christie's masterful use of both language and detail keep the reader riveted, and I am convinced that even a reluctant reader would want to keep going. It was excellent, excellent writing. The story itself was interesting, though I will say Christie depended a bit on the audience's familiarity with her protagonist, as this is the 11th book in a series. It felt a bit Westing Game-ish because of the large and varied cast of characters who all seem to be connected, but with a more serious tone. I didn't see the end coming (though perhaps I should have...the details were there!)

But I have to share my favorite moment of the book. Before he is murdered, the gangster offers Poirot a job. Here is his response:

Brilliant.

Day 7: UNIVERSAL

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

Day 4

Days 5 & 6

Oh man, guys. This was the day my family (and I, in particular) had been waiting for! This was

HARRY POTTER DAY!!!

I teared up a little when I saw the castle. It was really, really cool. The first thing we did was get wands:

(Brother = Sirius Black’s, Sister = Hermione’s), and then we rode “Flight of the Hippogriff,” which the kids really liked. We all went through the castle (though Sister and I took the early exit when it came time to get on the ride). We drank some DELICIOUS butter beer:

before boarding the Hogwarts Express and journeying to Hogsmeade.

When we arrrived, we were greeted by the Knight Bus

Although that is NOT Stan Shunpike. Brother asked.

And 12 Grimauld Place (which Brother doesn’t know yet)

And then we entered Diagon Alley:

Wow. It was so cool and special, and the best let is that my kids were just as exited as I was! We rode the Gringotts ride (which was a long line but worth it!), and then stopped at the Magical Menagerie, where Brother got Buckbeak and sister got Crookshanks:

By now it was lunch time, and we left Diagon Alley to find lunch. We wanted to eat at the Leaky Cauldron, but even though you can’t see it, the line was crazy long and we were hungry. We ate some yummy seafood and the boys went to ride some roller coasters in the non-Harry Potter parts of the park. Sister and I browsed a few shops and watched a show, and stopped for some ice cream. When the boys were done, it was time to hook back up with the big group. Tonight was “date night” for us, so we left the kids with the big group and headed back to Hogsmeade.

Husband really wanted me to ride the ride in the castle, and someone gave us their fast passes for it! We were in and out in 15 minutes, and then we found a quiet corner, bought some drinks, and reflected on what had been an amazing trip. Truly, our kids were WONDERFUL. They could not have had a better week. I mean, they did things like this:

(telling secrets in the fort, if that wasn’t obvious). They were really wonderful, and the walking, long days, close quarters, and constant company of extended family seemed to have no effect on the two of them, for which we were profoundly thankful to God. It was clear His fingerprints were all over this trip!

Of all 5 parks we visited (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Universal), Universal ranks as follows by my family:

Husband: 1st favorite

Brother: 1st favorite

Sister: 1st favorite 

Me: 1st favorite 

A HUGE thank you to my in-laws for their enormous investment in this trip and our family! It was magical!

Days 5 & 6: Magic/Animal Kingdom

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5 we went back to Magic Kingdom, but because we’d already been there, we went a little late and left a little early. We still had time for:

And 

I particularly enjoyed this because of my Arthur class this summer!

And a visit to Belle’s castle where everyone (including Daddy) played a role in telling the story:

For dinner, we visited the Polynesian, where the kids did coconut races:

And we ended the evening at the giant pool before an early bedtime.

Day 6, we headed to our last Disney Park, Animal Kingdom. The boys were especially excited about this one because of a VERY popular ride...so popular, in fact, that this was the line in front of them:

And this is the line behind them:

YIKES. The great part of this was that the rest of the park was completely empty, so Sister and viewed the animal exhibits and rode the flying dinosaur ride four times in a row!

After we hooked back up with the boys, we found out that Brother made a really awesome pin trade:

Pin trading is something I read about a week before we left. Official Disney pins can be traded, both by cast members and guests, so before we left, I ordered a handful of pins and lanyards so the kids could trade. This was great fun all week, but this pin was the icing on Brother’s cake!

We went on a safari on a giant open-air truck, which was really cool, and then saw a bird show:

But the highlight of the day was DEFINITELY the Lion King show. Husband and I had seen it more than a decade ago when we went to Disneyland in Hong Kong, and we loved it so much we went twice. If we hadn’t been at the last showing I would have insisted on a repeat viewing this time, too. It was EXCELLENT.

Dinner was served at the Tusker House, where the kids again got to meet Mickey’s crew:

We headed home after dinner, greatly anticipating the following day: Universal Studios!

Of all 5 parks we visited (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Universal), Animal Kingdom ranks as follows by my family:

Husband: 4th favorite

Brother: 5th favorite

Sister: 5th favorite 

Me: 5th favorite 

Day 4: EPCOT

Days 1 & 2

Day 3

I woke more excited for this day than any other day so far because 1) I LOVE EPCOT! (It’s the only park I’d been to before), 2) there were EXTRA MAGIC HOURS at the park that night, which meant we would get a break from the suffocating crowds, and 3) I was so excited to introduce Brother to the World Showcase! He’d read all about it in his WDW Guide, and he was pumped.

We arrived and the boys immediately wanted to ride roller coasters, so Sister and I FaceTimed with Gigi and went to get a snack. Since Sister was the first customer at that particular snack cart, the guy let her “open the cart,” which meant she got to talk on the radio, and we each got a free snack!

After the boys rode their ride, we all embarked on “Test Track,” an experience where you build a car and the race it. I thought this was all simulated, but as it turns out, it was a full-blown roller coaster. The kids dug it, but it wasn’t my favorite.

After lunch, my in-laws has planned to take the girls to the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique to be transformed into princesses. I’m not going to lie...I wasn’t very enthusiastic about this, mainly because I didn’t want to miss out at EPCOT, but Husband promised me he would ride rides with Brother and they wouldn’t head to the World Showcase until Sister and I returned. So we all took a taxi to the salon.

Once there, they had the “princesses” choose a hairstyle and get into their princess dresses. 

They were then taken to their fairy God-mother, who was in charge of their make-over, which included:

• Make-up
• Hair (and extensions, in Sister’s case)
• Nails
• Sash
• A goodie bag of all the products that had been used)
• A sprinkling of pixie dust

As this operation is one well-oiled machine, we were in and out and back on our way to EPCOT within an hour. We met up with the boys for

THE WORLD SHOWCASE!

We met Mary Poppins in the United Kingdom.

We ate glacé in France.

We met Jasmine in Monaco.

We browsed manga in Japan.

We played the drums at the Outpost.

We met Elsa in Norway.

And we ate the most delicious dinner in China.

And at last, after the park closed and the crowds dissipated, we rode Soarin’ like six times right in a row.

Aaaaaaaaand this was my Fitbit reading when I finally climbed into bed that night:

Of all 5 parks we visited (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Universal), EPCOT ranks as follows by my family:

Husband: 2nd favorite

Brother: 2nd favorite

Sister: 2nd favorite 

Me: 2nd favorite 

Day 3: Hollywood

Days 1 & 2

Day 3 was Hollywood Studios day. Our game plan was to get into the park and go straight for the "Jedi Training" line. Apparently, kids can be Jedi-trained, but only if you can get a spot, and we wanted a spot. So we spent about the first hour of our day at Hollywood in line, first to get into the park, and then to get signed up for Jedi-Training. The good news is that the kids seemed to have no problem with waiting in line, just like they had no problem yesterday, or the day before. *headscratch* The other good news is that if you looked at the Jedi line as a whole, we were probably only 30% of the way back. So...win win!

We rode rides, ate delicious food, and watched three really cool nighttime shows (although I have to say...Fantasmic was cool, but we waited for over an hour, and getting out was a NIGHTMARE! Thousands of people everywhere! Husband had to put sister on his shoulders and I kept a death grip on Brother, who kept saying, "I don't like this, Mom. I don't like this." Me neither, son!

Hollywood Highlights:

• Jedi Training - though we did wait a while, this ended up being a really cool thing. The kids got to dress like Jedis and even fight Kylo-Ren!
• The Indiana Jones Show - This was cool enough because it was Indiana Jones, but it was extra cool because my father-in-law was chosen as an audience extra in the show. Since he had also been an extra when he took my husband 25 years ago, it was “extra” cool!

• Light Saber Assembly- The kids got to design and build their own light sabers with the help p of a professional Light Saber Engineer.

• The Toy Story Ride - This ride was AWESOME! You are in these carts and you have a shooter, and you shoot at targets. There’s a screen that gives you your total. I went with Brother. I’m sure you can guess whose score is whose...
• Star Wars Light Show - This was very cool. It was in the middle of the park in this big square, and it was packed and standing-room only, which meant we had to hold the kids (yikes), but it was a great show!

Of all 5 parks we visited (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Universal), Hollywood ranks as follows by my family:

Husband: 3rd favorite 

Brother: 3rd favorite 

Sister: 3rd favorite 

Me: 3rd favorite