Book Review – The Phantom Tollbooth

The Phantom Tollbooth is about Milo’s adventures beyond a mysterious tollbooth in his bedroom and his quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Milo is bored. He longs for something new. When the tollbooth arrives, and his adventure takes place, he learns adventure can be found in anything and anywhere. Suddenly, everything is “new”.

This next book fell on my radar via Pinterest. It’s cute. It’s quotable. It’s children’s fantasy. I knew I wanted to read it, and I just happened to have a window in my reading schedule (yes, I run by a schedule when it comes to my reading) to sneak it in.

Book 12:
The Phantom Tollbooth
by Norton Juster

Genre:
Fantasy, Children’s Fiction

Published:
1961

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, The Phantom Tollbooth is about Milo’s adventures beyond a mysterious tollbooth in his bedroom and his quest to rescue Rhyme and Reason. Milo is bored. He longs for something new. When the tollbooth arrives, and his adventure takes place, he learns adventure can be found in anything and anywhere. Suddenly, everything is “new”.

Favorite Quote(s):

“… today people use as many words as they can and think themselves very wise for doing so. For always remember that while it is wrong to use too few, it is often far worse to use too many.”

“Outside the window, there was so much to see, and hear, and touch–walks to take, hills to climb, caterpillars to watch as they strolled through the garden. There were voices to hear and conversations to listen to in wonder, and the special smell of each day.”

“So many things are possible just as long as you don’t know they’re impossible.”

– Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth

Awards (based upon my brief research):
Kansas William White Master List Winner (1963)
Scholastic Parent & Child 100 Greatest Books for Kids Winner (2012)
TimeOutNewYorkKids.com 50 Best Books for Kids Winner (2012)

Pages:
256

My Overall Rating:
3 – I wanted to love this book. I wanted a fantasy read and I love linguistic humor, so it seemed like I would love this book. But the linguistic humor got old after maybe 50 pages and I felt the story lagged at times. The ending bumped this from two stars to three because it is a heart-warming, lesson-teaching children’s novel, but it just didn’t have that extra zing pulling me in.

Book Review – The Heart’s Invisible Furies

The Heart’s Invisible Furies follows Cyril Avery through life as he seeks to establish who he is, what his place is in the world and what love means to him. Given away at birth, Cyril’s never had a normal family. He’s never known a normal love. He’s never felt at home. As he battles the life he was given and the culture he was born into, he learns to find peace after decades of searching for what that means.

When book club did a book exchange for Christmas, I ended up with this gem… this heavy, heavy gem. Coming in at 582 pages, I found it intimidating until I saw the reviews. Then I knew I had to read it. And what do you know? I brought it back to book club in February and we chose it as our March book!

Book 11:
The Heart’s Invisible Furies
by John Boyne

Genre:
Historical Fiction

Published:
August 2017

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, The Heart’s Invisible Furies follows Cyril Avery through life as he seeks to establish who he is, what his place is in the world and what love means to him. Given away at birth, Cyril’s never had a normal family. He’s never known a normal love. He’s never felt at home. As he battles the life he was given and the culture he was born into, he learns to find peace after decades of searching for what that means.

Favorite Quote(s):

“Maybe there were no villains in my mother’s story at all. Just men and women, trying to do their best by each other. And failing.”

– John Boyne, The Heart’s Invisible Furies

Awards (based upon my brief research):
Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Fiction (2018)
Andrew Carnegie Medal Nominee for Fiction (2018)
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Historical Fiction (2017)
Book of the Month Book of the Year Award (2017)

Pages:
582

My Overall Rating:
5 – The whole way through, I was riding at a 4, but by the end I was so invested that I just bumped that right up to a 5. Here’s the thing: This is not a book I would have chosen had I not known how much other people have loved it. It started slow. It was not what I expected. But, eventually, I was emotionally in ears deep.

I cannot believe the oppression homosexual people have faced in the past and continue to face even today. In the course of 582 pages, I felt sad for Cyril, mad, happy and hopeful. It pains me to know that people have lived lives even remotely similar to his. Why do we oppress other people? Who are we to judge?

Now I’ll cool off and say that I also love, LOVE John Boyne’s writing style. I loved it in A Ladder to the Sky, and I loved it in this one as well. He’s incredibly talented and takes such a unique approach to story-telling. I am mesmerized by how he’s able to do what he does so well.

(Two) Years Ago

Kevin and I know all too well how blessed we are to have brought Oaklee into the world in the twenty-first century. Even 25 years earlier, things would have gone so differently. The research of organizations like March of Dimes is monumental in the care of preemies like Oaklee. Please consider making a contribution towards that research. No parent deserves to lose a child they’ve barely had. While we are incredibly lucky to have Oaklee with us today, there are thousands of parents every year who cannot say the same. Let’s change that together. 

Two years ago on this day, Kevin and I excitedly told our families we were expecting a baby. What we weren’t expecting, was to have to tell them just 24 days later that things were not ok.

Over the course of April 6 and 7, we learned the terms “previa” and “abruption”. Relieved our baby was still alive, we knew she would have to fight to thrive amidst this situation. 

Just two and a half months later, my body was no longer fit to carry my child. She had fought and I had progressively given her a worse and worse atmosphere to develop in.

The doctors pulled my baby from me three months early to save her life. There were hours where it looked like she might not make it despite the incredible fight she’d put up on the inside. But there are medical advances that stepped in when I was no longer able to keep her safe. 

Kevin and I know all too well how blessed we are to have brought Oaklee into the world in the twenty-first century. Even 25 years earlier, things would have gone so differently. The research of organizations like March of Dimes is monumental in the care of preemies like Oaklee. 

Please, PLEASE consider making a contribution towards that research. No parent deserves to lose a child they’ve barely had. While we are incredibly lucky to have Oaklee with us today, there are thousands of parents every year who cannot say the same. Let’s change that together. 

Book Review – A Woman is No Man

A Woman is No Man is comprised of the stories of three generations of Palestinian women and their roles in their families. Spanning the 1970s to the early 2000s, ocean crossings from the Middle East to the U.S., and cultural shifts that come with time, with each new generation, each woman faces new challenges, but each is also still a woman in Palestinian culture.

In the past year, I’ve really loved learning about other cultures through stories. Before I began reading so much, every book I read was set in the U.S. and contained 100% American characters. It has been such a journey, branching out and reading about other cultures and getting to know characters of other ethnicities. My February Book of the Month choice was another excellent example of that.

Book 10:
A Woman is No Man
by Etaf Rum

Genre:
Historical Fiction

Published:
March 2019

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, A Woman is No Man is comprised of the stories of three generations of Palestinian women and their roles in their families. Spanning the 1970s to the early 2000s, ocean crossings from the Middle East to the U.S., and cultural shifts that come with time, with each new generation, each woman faces new challenges, but each is also still a woman in Palestinian culture.

Favorite Quote(s):

“Isra resented her books in these moments when she thought about the limits of her life and how easy courage seemed when you boiled it down to a few words on paper.”

– Etaf Rum, A Woman is No Man

Awards (based upon my brief research):
None yet.

Pages:
336

My Overall Rating:
4 – There was so much more to this book than I anticipated. While I loved learning about Palestinian culture (and let me tell you, I want to eat their food and drink their drinks, because even just the descriptions of their meals alone was exciting enough to me), I also loved this story. My heart broke for the three main women. When they wanted change, I wanted change. When they wanted answers, I wanted answers. When they wanted freedom, I wanted freedom for them. This was such a solid and beautiful read.

Book Review – Charlotte’s Web

Charlotte’s Web is about a spider who sets out to save a pig, Wilbur, from his fate of pork chops and bacon. Wilbur is the runt of the litter and has everything is against him, yet friendships along his way help live a remarkable life.

This one was another Little Free Library find that I tucked away for my daughter someday and then pulled back out, because, wait, did I ever read it myself? Probably, but I honestly don’t remember it.

Book 9:
Charlotte’s Web
by E.B. White

Genre:
Children’s, Classic, Fiction

Published:
1952

Synopsis According to Mandi:
Without spoilers, Charlotte’s Web is about a spider who sets out to save a pig, Wilbur, from his fate of pork chops and bacon. Wilbur is the runt of the litter and has everything is against him, yet friendships along his way help live a remarkable life.

Favorite Quote(s):

“A spider’s life can’t help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

– E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

Awards (based upon my brief research):
Newbery Medal Nominee (1953)
George C. Stone Center for Children’s Books Recognition of Merit Award (1970)
Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1984)
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (1970)

Pages:
184

My Overall Rating:
3 – I mean, it’s really cute, but at this point in my life, it’s not going to be earth-shattering for me. I do look forward to the day I can read it with my daughter and see what her kid mind thinks about it.

March (Two)

If it’s in your heart to give, we pray you’ll consider donating towards Oaklee’s team in the March for Babies on May 5 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Friends,

I am beyond excited to be joining up with fellow mommies of preemies this year and marching once again in March of Dimes’ March for Babies!

After Oaklee was born three months premature, I started hearing names here and there of girls from my past who had also had premature babies and had also spent time living the NICU life. I could not believe how many of us there are even just from my high school! For my second March, I’m teaming up with these ladies and their babes, and together we’re fighting for healthy moms and strong babies.

As I’ve mentioned before, 1 in 10 babies are born premature. Prematurity is the #1 cause of infant mortality.

So what does March of Dimes do? Allow me to borrow their simplest definition: “March of Dimes leads the fight for the health of all moms and babies.” And then let’s add words from their materials to explain they, “focus on fighting birth defects, premature birth and infant death with innovations like newborn screenings and surfactant therapy; education for medical professionals and the public about best practices; and lifesaving research. [They] provide comfort and support to families in NICUs and advocated for those who need [them] most, moms and babies.”

So what did March of Dimes do for us? March of Dimes grantees helped develop surfactant therapy, which was introduced in 1990, and has since then reduced the rate of death by Respiratory Distress Syndrome (which Oaklee was diagnosed with upon birth) in half. They’re also working on new approaches to deliver inhaled nitric oxide (a treatment Oaklee also had) to where it is needed in the lungs to prevent Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. This is the type of research we need people to do, and the frontrunner for why this little family of three wants to raise money for an organization that may have literally saved Oaklee’s life.

On a smaller scale, the March of Dimes NICU Family Support is also a great program. Being in the NICU is hell. I wouldn’t wish any amount of time there on my worst enemy, but I’m so very grateful for the good things the NICU Family Support program is doing because the little things make a huge difference. They gave us booklets of information that took words like “surfactant therapy” and “bronchopulmonary dysplasia” and put them into laymen’s terms that even the just-gave-birth-and-desperately-in-need-of-a-transfusion woman could understand. They offered educational classes with previous NICU parents and Lactation Consultants and other various experts. They gave us keepsake books, milestone markers and little gift bags. And, oh my gosh, the little rubber duckies we found at Oaklee’s isolette on the holidays she spent in the NICU… It truly is the little things, isn’t it?

Simply put, raising $2000 is not enough to repay March of Dimes for what they did for us, but we’ll start there, and someday we’ll find a way to continue giving, to continue improving the outlook for premature babies like Oaklee.

So if it’s in your heart to give, I pray you’ll consider donating towards Oaklee’s team in the March for Babies on May 4 in Grand Rapids, MI. And if you’re local, we’d love to have you walk on our team with us. So many of you have already proven your place in the village that will raise our child and it is such a blessing to have you on Team Oaklee today and every day.