Read

Winter is such a great time to immerse yourself in a big pile of books, no? I only wish for a fireplace and a big hand-knit afghan to cuddle under, and maybe a sheepskin (fake of course) rug to lie upon while reading with a hot cup of chai or tea or cocoa. A little classical music in the background... Mostly I just read in the cracks between things that need doing - and at bedtime if I'm awake enough. 

I thought I would share what we're all reading right now:

My stack:

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihaly: I've already mentioned this a couple of times in my recent posts (I think). It is worth mentioning again. There have been a couple of books in my life that have altered my perspective on my world. This is one of them. It is taking me a long time to get through, I'm taking notes. I'm also reading three other books simultaniously. Ah, ADD.

All Children Flourishing - Igniting the Greatness of Our Children by Howard Glasser with Melissa Block: This is a parenting book. It encourages parents, teachers and other individuals who work with children and adolescents to connect more deeply with their kids and especially when things are going right to be specific about what they are doing that is so helpful or delightful or compassionate. It's common sense, but while reading it I realize how little information I give the boys about what's going right and how much information I give them when things are going wrong. Food for thought. I'm not far into it yet, but I think it's also a perspective changer when it comes to interacting with people in general.

Being Adolescent: Conflict And Growth In The Teenage Years by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Reed Larson: This is an older book, written in the 80's. I'm glad I started with Flow, because this is less eloquent. Perhaps because much of it is the journaling of teens. How this is going to change my world? I think I've got to figure out how to get a little FLOW into the lives of my children in way of independent pursuits worthy of their own perspectives. Hm, that's a big job.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig: This one is just for the fun of it. I am going to guess most of you have heard of this book. I've never read it and downloaded the kindle version on a whim. I'm only on chapter 4, but I'm enjoying it so far.
"One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Robert M. Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a powerful, moving, and penetrating examination of how we live and a meditation on how to live better. The narrative of a father on a summer motorcycle trip across America's Northwest with his young son, it becomes a profound personal and philosophical odyssey into life's fundamental questions. A true modern classic, it remains at once touching and transcendent, resonant with the myriad confusions of existence and the small, essential triumphs that propel us forward."

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Coleman's Stack:

The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz: Coleman got book one from Nana for Christmas. Read it in one night. We had to order three more from the Capitola Book Café. He's totally loving this series. Though they may be a little easy for him, he's enjoying them late into the night each night. They are exciting and the main character is an eleven year old MI-6 agent. :)

The Diviners by Libba Bray: Another Christmas book, I thought he'd read it for his next class assignment, but he got half way through it over Christmas break. It's a bit creepy and scary but also a mystery and it's complicated enough that it keeps him thinking. This book is not for sensitive readers. The main character is Evie, a young girl sent to live with her uncle in New York city in the 1920's.




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Max's Stack:

Goblin Secrets by William Alexander: A Christmas book from me, Max and I have been reading this together each night. It's pretty exciting and creepy and well, I find it a little sad. The main character is Rownie (the diminutive Rowan) whose parents have both died, his older brother has gone missing and he lives with a witch who is unkind to all her "grandchildren". The society he lives in has outlawed acting with the exception of Goblins, they are permitted to act and wear masks. There is magic, intrigue and a great deal of loneliness and finding your way in the confusing world of grown-ups and evil all by yourself. I'm hoping for a happy ending...

Ender's Game by Orsen Scott Card: This was on the Kindle when we were away on vacation and Max and I started to read it. This is philosophically related to The Hunger Games. In that children are used by the government in their own game of keeping civilization in fear in order to rule them. I guess this has been so since governments have existed. There is a lot of violence in this book by children to children. And manipulation of children by adults. And manipulation of all people by those in power - and those in power are made out to be rather vapid. I'm not a fan of this book, to be honest. Max is enjoying it though. Coleman did not finish it, he became board, though I'm not certain why.
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Chris's Stack:

Chris is reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster to the boys. From Amazon: "It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "[T]here's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." This bored, bored young protagonist who can't see the point to anything is knocked out of his glum humdrum by the sudden and curious appearance of a tollbooth in his bedroom. Since Milo has absolutely nothing better to do, he dusts off his toy car, pays the toll, and drives through. What ensues is a journey of mythic proportions, during which Milo encounters countless odd characters who are anything but dull."

Very entertaining and fun!

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: A Christmas book, too! I got this for Chris because I had just watched Water streaming on Netflix (very sad movie, but I'd recommend it, along with a box of tissues) and was thinking about India. Also it was on the NYTimes best seller list, at number 2. I haven't read it but have talked briefly with Chris about it. It speaks of the caste system in India, which is something I only know of vaguely, and it's harsh. He's enjoying it, but it's an emotionally challenging book, I think.

From Amazon: "With a compassionate realism and narrative sweep that recall the work of Charles Dickens, this magnificent novel captures all the cruelty and corruption, dignity and heroism, of India. The time is 1975. The place is an unnamed city by the sea. The government has just declared a State of Emergency, in whose upheavals four strangers--a spirited widow, a young student uprooted from his idyllic hill station, and two tailors who have fled the caste violence of their native village--will be thrust together, forced to share one cramped apartment and an uncertain future.

As the characters move from distrust to friendship and from friendship to love, A Fine Balance creates an enduring panorama of the human spirit in an inhuman state."

Healing the Hyperactive Mind, by Dr Michael M Lyon: From the Author: "Healing the Hyperactive Brain" is the most comprehensive book ever written about the many factors contributing to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is also an organized and authoritative presentation of the effective, drug-free approach, which is now being taught to healthcare professionals around the world" 

There is a lot of information in here about nutrition and how diet can effect you physically but also your brain chemistry. This is another life altering book, though I have to confess it's a slow road to recovery...