To Medicate or Not to Medicate.....

That is indeed the question!! I'm in a quandary right now, and I'm just not sure what to do. My son Chad is 11, and just starting Jr. High. For the past four years, he's been taking Adderall for ADD. I've never been a big fan of pumping kids full of meds, but after a teacher suggested it, I took him to the doctor. He HATES taking them, but he is definitely more focused than he was before. But the past year, I've noticed his appetite has been nothing. After taking him in July for his football physical, I found out that he has only gained 1 pound in a year. ONE lousy pound. The poor kid looks like a refugee from a concentration camp. So I made the decision to take him off the meds for awhile. Since July, he has packed on 8 pounds and looks SO MUCH healthier. He actually seems to be sweeter and happier too.

But here's the conundrum. Now that school has started, I've been noticing some things. This is his first year in Jr. High and he has to use a locker and switch classes. He seems really unorganized, and is having problems keeping up with this books and papers. He actually lost a History paper that he spent hours working on. (He found it later in the day...turned it in late, and got 10 points off). And when he's doing his homework, he is so easily distracted that it takes forever to finish.

Do I put him on a different medication?? The doctor recommended Focalin. He said it won't cause the side affects like lack of appetite. Chad is a straight-A student. And he can be EXTREMELY hard on himself. I'm afraid that if his grades slip, he'd be devastated. But in the same sense, I hate to put him back on the meds when personality-wise he seems so much happier?? I'm really torn up about this...and I just don't know what to do!! Any suggestions??

I'm BACK!!

FINALLY!! I got ameritech to replace my modem (for a lot less than originally quoted). And now I can once again connect to the internet!! Man. It's awful not being connected! Vacation wasn't SO bad because at least I knew I COULD connect if I wanted to.

Did I accomplish anything while I was down?? Well....I finished Marked: A House of Night Novel for review at Curled Up. (As soon as it's published there, I'll post my review here!) I was actually really impressed with it. I should have used it for my first RIP book, but I didn't even think about it at the time. Review is Coming!!

I also almost finished Chance Murphy and the Battle of Morganville. This book was actually sent to me by the author, and I'm just getting around to reading it. I have to say though.....I'm thoroughly enjoying it. Maybe it's because it's about a boy growing up in the 80's and I just love all the pop culture references. Or maybe because it's a good story. Anyway, I hope to finish it today and post a review soon.

Other than that, I guess I just did a lot of housework (which I have been seriously putting off!) and grocery shopping (ditto). I did manage to go to the library and check out about 6 books and request 5 others. Not like I don't have anything to read at my house!

On Friday, we went to see the Halloween remake. First let me say, that I love, love, love Rob Zombie movies!! Both House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects rank right up there with my favorite scary movies!! You can tell that Zombie is a fan of the genre. He really puts a lot of effort and coolness into his movies. And I really enjoyed Halloween. It gave us a lot more information on Michael Myers as a child, and events that led to his becoming a Halloween nightmare. That being said, I just don't think there was enough new stuff to warrant a remake! I mean, why take a classic movie like Halloween and do it again? John Carpenter's movie was phenomenal when it first came out in 1978. It cemented Jamie Lee Curtis as the "Queen of Scream" and it made Michael Myers a household name. Malcolm McDowell as Dr. Loomis was good in the beginning, but he couldn't match the intensity of Donald Pleasance at the end of the movie. Scout Taylor-Compton was cute as Laurie Strode, but she was no Jamie Lee Curtis. But Sheri Moon Zombie had a great performance as Michael's mom, and Daeg Faerch as the young Michael was uber-creepy! He did a fantastic job for one so young.

So, I'm asking the question....what do you do when you can't get connected?? Have a nervous breakdown or do you just go with the flow?? Now...I'm off to catch up on all that I missed!!

I don't really think I'm ALL that Nice BUT......

my new-found friend, Jean Pierre, from Bombastic Bagman, says that I am!! He nominated me for the Nice Matters Award!! I have to say, I feel honored. For the past 8 months, my life has been filled with major ups and downs. From the highs of being more involved with my kids' lives to the lows of a horrible time at work, money issues, and now, an all-out job search, the one constant in my life has been my reading and my blog. I have met some of the nicest people that have been more than willing to lend advice, but most of all, much needed support! This says alot about this blogging community in general. I look forward to posting and reading all the different blogs that I haunt on a daily basis. I now how people that I consider "friends" world-wide! It may seem weird to some to have friends that you have never even met, but that's how I feel!! And I thank you all!

To pick out just a few, doesn't seem right. So if you are reading this, consider yourselves nominated. You are all the nicest people I have "met" in a very long time!

And if you haven't had the good fortune to meet JP, please check out his blog! He is a new blogger from Oxford, and has a great site! Great book and movie reviews from a man who knows his words!!

Later!

Walt Disney World.....Here we Come!

If I have been absent a lot this week, it's mainly because I've been trying to get ready for vacation. We are leaving for Florida tomorrow morning. It's a horrible time for us, and we really can't afford it....but this will probably be the last big family vacation for awhile. So it looks like we are going to do it up right!

'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane, I don't know when I'll be back again (OK...I do KNOW when we'll be back, I just had that song in my head!) Have a great week without me, and I will catch up on the 12th!

Later!

Happy Birthday Bella!!

Tuesday is actually Miss Isabella's 7th birthday, but we had a party today. This is a picture of her and her best friend, Mallory. It was a day filled with a cookout, Chocolate cake with yellow frosting, and lots of High School Musical presents. At 7, she has a major crush on Zak Ephron! That's why I've been gone for the last few days. Trying to get ready for the party!!

Later!!

Community??

After my post on Wednesday regarding the article in the NY Sun Times, I was surprised at the response. Sam, at Book Chase, had written on the same topic and he really got me thinking. He used the word "Community" to describe those of us bloggers that have come together to discuss all literary topics. I like this word. Websters defines the word community as a unified body of individuals; people that have a common interest. To me, this describes exactly how I consider the bloggers I have come to know.



It seems that somehow I have "joined" into something bigger than I ever thought possible. When I started my blog, I wanted a place to list the books that I've read so I could keep track and review them. I didn't really think other people would read it. When they did, I was excited. Not just because someone else was reading my blog, but to find there were other people out there just like me. Hopeless bibliophiles! People with which I can share my love of books. Not only did I find people with common interests, but I found people that challenged me to go beyond just reading. Whole new genres have opened up for me. Challenges to expand my knowledge and delve into books I never would have picked up.



And the most surprising outcome seems to be a whole world of new friends. People I can trust and opinions that actually matter to me. When Mr. Kirsch attacked the blogger community, others rallied around to defend it. Matt, at A Variety of Words and Chris at Book-A-Rama both posted their outrage at this attack, as well as many others. Although the Literary Critics may be unhappy that lit bloggers feel compelled to actually voice their opinions, I'm ecstatic to find that I belong to a group of people that care. Care enough to defend the rights of all of us to have a voice and use it. Knowledge is power, and it seems to me that our little community is becoming very powerful. Thank you all for accepting me into your group. Keep up the good work!!




In other news, it seems that with the end looming for Harry Potter, a replacement may have been found. According to the Guardian, a new series of books about a boy archaeologist may be the answer. (thanks for the link, Sam!) Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams was a self-published book that was sold in Gordon's bookstore in Norfolk. The 2 authors pooled their resources to get this book published and it seems to have paid off for them. Barry Cunningham, the man who first signed J. K. Rowling herself, tracked down the authors after reading this self-published book. According to CNN, Cunningham said, "I knew from page one Harry Potter was magic. Reading Tunnels gave me the same thrill." So those of you that are in deep depression over the ending of the Harry Potter series, it seems a new hero may be on the way! Gordon and Williams have been signed by Chicken House Press to create a series of fantasy tales about a 14-year-old boy named Will Burrows that is set in the hidden world deep below London.

And finally, I received an ARC of Warren Ellis' Crooked Little Vein from Harper Collins yesterday. According to the publisher, this book is "full of mind-bending style and packed with a wild cast of characters. Crooked Little Vein infuses Robert B. Parker with Kurt Vonnegut and the madness of the graphic novel world. A surprisingly surreal treat, it will appeal to hardcore comic fans, mystery aficionados, and all readers looking for a riotous summer adventure". With a blurb like that, how can it not be good? Look for a review in the near future!! It's a short read!

Later!!

And the Debate Continues.....

All of us out here in blogger world, especially those of us that consider ourselves "book bloggers", have read the debate about Book Reviews. In days of declining literary news columns, the blogger world seems to be booming. Why is this? Are these so-called book blogger's reviews valid?? Or are book bloggers taking away from real literary critics? Yada, yada, yada....

In yesterday's New York Sun Times, the debate contintues. The Scorn of the Literary Blogger by Adam Kirsch appeared in the Arts & Letters section. While Mr. Krish's opinions about the consequences of the decline of the print review are spot on, his remarks about the literary blogger aren't very flattering.

But book bloggers have also brought another, less salutary influence to bear on literary culture: a powerful resentment. Often isolated and inexperienced, usually longing to break into print themselves, bloggers — even the influential bloggers who are courted by publishers — tend to consider themselves disenfranchised. Hmmmm...do you really believe this? Are all of you out there just longing to break into print? Hoping beyond hope that someone will tune in one day and boom you are going to be a star??? I don't think so. Sure....as a life-long reader, it's always been a fantasy of mine. Becoming an author. It's the dream job. But realistically, I know that I'm not suited for it and certainly not creative enough to chuck my job and start the "Great American Novel".

As anyone who reads literary blogs can attest, hell hath no fury like a blogger scorned. And the scorn is reciprocated: Professional writers usually assume that those who can, do, while those who can't, blog. Oh please. Professional REVIEWERS may believe this, but do professional writers?? Does it really matter to them if bloggers are talking about their books??? My opinion of writers in the blog world is this: If bloggers are discussing and reviewing a book, that means they are READING AND BUYING those books. Isn't that the point of writing? Shouldn't this be welcomed with open arms? I'd really like to know the answer to this question.

Literary criticism is only worth having if it at least strives to be literary in its own right, with a scope, complexity, and authority that no blogger I know even wants to achieve. The only useful part of most book blogs, in fact, are the links to long-form essays and articles by professional writers, usually from print journals. I personally started this blog for ME. No one else. I didn't even think anyone would actually READ it besides me. Do I like to review books? Sure. It's a way for me to put in print my feelings about something I've read and get back feedback from others. I live with a person that hates to read. Bouncing book stuff off him was useless....so I found another outlet. I really value the opinions of people like ME. That's why I read book blogs. That's why I write a book blog.

But there's no chance that literary culture will thrive on the Internet until we recognize that the ethical and intellectual crotchets of the bloggers represent a dead end. Oh really. Please tell me why MY opinion is a dead end? Why is my opinion any less than that of Mr. Kirsch's? Because isn't that what a book review is....an opinion??

I'm curious as to what others think....I'd like YOUR opinion!

Rainy Weekend

Well, it looks like it's going to be a wet one this weekend!! Since it's a holiday weekend, Monday is a non-work day. We have no big plans this weekend. Traveling is almost too expensive, with the price of gas these days! So....we are planning to see Pirates of the Caribbean sometime, and maybe throw some steaks on the grill Monday. That's about it.

We have a house guest at the moment. A friend is staying with us until she gets back on her feet. I'm not sure I'm too happy with this arrangement. We are kind of tripping over ourselves as is. And our friendship has been a bit strained.....LOTS of baggage there. Too much to go into in one post. Anyway, it's only supposed to be for a few weeks. I can probably handle that.....I guess only time will tell.

Hope to get some serious reading done this weekend, since it's going to be so rainy! I have about 15 books out of the library at the moment. Got to try to get through them:

• The Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson (STILL!)
• Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
• The Chocolate War by Robert Cromier
• Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier
• Let's Don't Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller
• The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• Thyme of Death by Susan Wittag Albert
• The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
• O' Pioneers by Willa Cather
• The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J. R. Moehringer
• Death Match by Lincoln Child
• Burmese Days by George Orwell
• The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields
• Arthur and George by Julian Barnes

At least that's all I can find right now!! Most are for challenges and reading groups and such. How's that for a really eclectic group of books??? We'll see how many I get through!

On another note, I'm sending out my prayers to Nattie from Nattie Writes. She is our host for the Newberry Challenge. She was diagnosed with stomach cancer this week and is going in for surgery. If you could all just say a prayer or light a candle, I'm sure she could use the well wishes.

If you've reviewed any books on your blog this week, you can post them at Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books! Just a thought.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! Later!