WITH JUST A LITTLE EFFORT...

Every now and then I find myself experiencing a really bad run of reading. Where once I found fantastic paperback options and plenty of time to enjoy, this past week has left me with dull volumes, no time, to much distraction and not enough literary options on hand.

It all began with me forgetting my most promising read of the week in an entirely different province. Followed by the blitz of a holiday weekend and the absence of a good fall back read, last week left me sorely in need of a reading junkie fix, which in turn left Georgia’s Voice a little short on reviews this week. While I will admit to never being without a book, my “Promising Read” replacement choice turned out to be less than review worthy in the end. However, as I am determined not to dedicate any blogging time to knocking an author’s attempt at his art, I cannot mention the name or author of the book I ultimately ended up putting aside after 140 pages. I will say though, that the author’s favourite word in the book was shite, which I felt a strong affection for using when describing the content and writing itself. However, recognizing that I was not entirely in the right frame of mind when I initially picked up the book (as I really was looking forward to my first pick), I have decided to try the book once again and see if perhaps the problem was not so much the book as it might have been the reader. See, I try.

Have you ever done that? Put a book aside swearing it is the worst piece of literary garble you have ever wasted precious reading time on, only to pick it up again six weeks later and find that it really is stellar work? It happens, and more often then you’d think.

If I had ever allowed my initial opinion to dictate my decision on all the books I have read, I would never have completed some of the most influential works in literary history. Salinger, Tolkien, Elliot, even The Bard himself, Mr. William Shakespeare; when I first began reading their work, I remember stuttering in confusion and throwing volumes aside determined never pick them up again. Yet, in the end, every single one of these authors has strongly influenced my love of reading today. And that is only because I picked their books up a second time and read through their work in its entirety. Sometimes that is exactly what it takes; resolute effort on our part.

Reading is not always about the immediate gratification we get out of a book. Like anything, it is also about what we give. When you give a little time, and sometimes a little more effort than say a Nora Roberts novel might require, you can discover literary gold. What a loss it would have been, if I had never been encouraged to suffer through England’s national poet or Salinger’s bitter cynicism. Granted, I may have avoided the disaster that was Romeo and Juliet or spared my parents a full reenactment of Salinger’s well charted version of teenage angst, but I also would have missed out on my first reading awareness of cultural discrimination and the possible influence to be found in a strong and reality driven character. Sometimes, even in the hardest to read text, we can find just that little bit more of what we are looking for from a book and walk away all the better for it.

So that is my advice this week. Never forget the book you are reading in another province, in fact, do not forget it anywhere! And always give your reading choices a solid try before deciding its worth as you never know what discovery you might find when making that little extra effort.

As for this weeks literary review, I give you my ten year old daughter’s first book report on Judy Blume’s Fudge-a-mania. My daughter enthusiastically tackled this assignment and I promised her that once she completed the report I would post it here for all to see. As of this past Monday, she had read the book, completed her report and handed it in for grading, so as any proud mother would, I am following through on my promise. Do enjoy.

Note: My daughter’s report was written in response to eight questions she was given in class and in accordance to the outline provided by her teacher, so it does not follow my standard format. However, it is well done. Way to go, little one!

Fugde-a-Mania
Author: Judy Blume
Published by Puffin Books, 2007 (reissue)



1. Title and Author.
The Book that I am reading is Fudge-a-mania by Judy Blume.

2. List the main characters in your book.
The main characters in this book are Fudge, Peter and Sheila.

3. List the secondary characters in your book.
The secondary characters are the grandma, Buzzy senior, Jimmy, Mom, Dad, the Tubmans and Mr. Fargo.

4. Describe one of the main characters in your book-record 5 details about this character.
Fudge is only 5 years old.
He has crazy ideas.
He is really hyper.
He is really a nuisance.
He never gives up.

5. Describe and explain the setting.
The setting in this book is at the cottage near the beach in the wilderness. There are lots of trees surrounding the cottage and it is very quiet.

6. Outline the plot in your book.
Peter is going to a cottage for the summer. The Tubmans were also going. Peter did not like the Tubman’s daughter Sheila. Peter’s friend Jimmy was coming and he also hated Sheila and it was a shared cottage. It turns out he didn’t mind.

7. Describe your favourite chapter and tell why.
My favourite chapter is the last chapter, because Peter’s father fell in the water while on the boat. Then out of nowhere Peter’s grandmother and Buzzy senior got married.

8. Give Two Reasons why you would recommend your book to a classmate.
I’d recommend this book to a friend because the characters in this book are funny and really interesting.