The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

The Maytrees by Annie Dillard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I became an Annie Dillard fan after reading PILGRIM AT TINKER CREEK several years ago. I figure Annie Dillard must be a wonderful writer if she can make me interested in the eating patterns of dragonfly larvae. THE MAYTREES is one of her fictional works. The only other piece of fiction I've read by Ms. Dillard is her historical novel THE LIVING.

THE MAYTREES is centered around its characters and, perhaps almost equally, its setting. The words are beautiful. I'm not smart enough to make sense of them all, but sometimes when reading literary fiction I find I have to step back, ignore the meaning of the words and let them impress me with feelings instead. That's the only way to keep my head above water. But overall, I came away knowing these characters--Maytree, Lou, Deary, and even Reevadare--very well. I won't soon forget them. They almost feel like old--though slightly insane, perhaps--friends. Maytree, especially, was such a well-rounded character. He makes horrible mistakes, but you forgive him just as Lou does. You don't have a choice. You must like the man.

Good book. I'd recommend it if you enjoy literary fiction. If you need tightly-paced plotting to finish a book, however, don't pick it up.



View all my reviews

The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees

If you can handle language and a little teenage hanky-panky in the backseat of a borrowed car, Coert Voorhees' YA novel The Brothers Torres is an excellent read. To me, an excellent book is one that has well-developed characters, an intriguing plot, and great writing. Voorhees gets top marks in each of these catagories.

I found myself reading it at odd times, picking it up to just read a few more pages while I was waiting for water to boil or the microwave to ding. That's another indication for me that I had my hands on a great book.

I've never been a sophomore boy living in New Mexico, so I can't vouch for authenticity from first-hand experience, but this book felt REAL to me. I don't usually like the use of excessive potty-talk in novels, but I don't think the author could have pulled off an authentic voice without it in this one, to be honest. Main character Frankie had to be a little "bad" because his main objective in life was to prove himself to his wanna-be-gangster older brother. But he's likeable, too. He was a perfect mixture of flawed and adorable. I rooted for him through the entire book.

I was also impressed with Voorhees' minor characters. They were interesting, especially Frankie's glass-eyed friend, Zach. The characters had interesting hobbies, too. Frankie and Zach's friendship was partly built around blowing things up, for instance. I appreciated how original Voorhees was in his development of all his characters. I didn't feel like he relaxed into stereotypes.

And the ending is exactly what you want it to be. Everybody grows. Consequences are real. But it's not a cheeseball ending.

Great book. Two thumbs up for The Brothers Torres.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Jellicoe Road was one of those interesting books that doesn't leave you right away. You wake up thinking about it later.

But with that said, I can't wrap my brain around how I truly feel about it.

Great writing. Yes.

Cool setting. Yes.

Confused through most of it. Yes.

Main characters deeply developed. Yes.

Interesting plot. Yes.

Didn't understand who all the secondary characters were or what had happened to them until the very last page. Yes. Literally.

I'm willing to admit my confusion may have been thanks to my own intelligence meter. I probably missed something important or just wasn't sharp enough to catch on. I feel pretty idiotic writing this review because I know most people who have read it adored this book. That's exactly why I stuck with it when after the first few chapters I put it down with the thought, "I am so lost right now it's not even funny."

Still, I can see the beauty in it. And I liked the main character. She was different and interesting.

I gave the book 4-stars on Goodreads and I'd like to read more Melina Marchetta. I was far from hating this book, but I'm not slobbering over it, either. If anyone else has read it, I'd love to hear your opinion.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

After a short hiatus to read several non-Fill-in-the-Gaps books I had on my shelf, I jumped back on the bandwagon with the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

I laughed out loud many times reading this book. My seven-year-old son wanted to know what I was laughing about, so I ended up reading most of the book aloud to him. He wanted to read the cartoons by himself. And then we had to re-read the really funny parts to my husband when he got home.


Wimpy Kid is an easy read and the MC, Greg, is hilarious. He's so incredibly flawed, but you can't help but laugh at him and love him anyway. Oh dear ... just thinking about some of his exploits still makes me giggle.

This is light reading fare at its lightest, but I'd definitely recommend Wimpy Kid to anyone. And it was fun to have a book on my list I could share with my kids.

Baby by Joseph Monninger

Baby has run out of chances. At fifteen, she's used to running away from foster homes and living on the street or in temporary housing with her boyfriend. When her social worker moves her into a foster home with the Potters, she tells Baby that if she messes this one up, the next stop is juvie.

The Potters are different. They raise sled dogs. Baby loves the dogs and takes naturally to sledding. But when her boyfriend shows up to take her away, she can't help going with him.

This book was incredibly well-written. I loved the details of sledding and the dogs. I could tell the author, Joseph Monninger, wrote out of experience and love, an irresistible combination for me. I love when an author has passion for his subject. 

Baby was a believable character. She was flawed, but by the end of the book, I loved her, because she was valiant at the core. She made certain heroic decisions that I wondered if I would have the guts to make.

Another great YA read I would highly recommend.

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher is a rich historical YA novel. Set before and during the early days of World War II, it follows hot-headed fifteen-year-old Ruby's transformation from innocent Catholic school girl to street-wise taxi dancer.

I love historical novels. The setting in this book was incredible. Even though I sometimes found myself so angry at Ruby I wanted to hurl the book across the room, in hindsight this was part of the book's charm. Ruby has to be the way she is, or she wouldn't have the guts to make the (stupid) decisions that make this story work. Nobody can call Ruby weak. She drops out of school to work the only job she can find -- at a meat packing factory where she has to bloody her knuckles every day jamming pigs' feet into jars. She does this because her widowed mother can't work anymore due to crippling arthritis. Her motivation comes from wanting to give her mother and sister -- and herself -- a better life than what they have in the Chicago tenements.

When Ruby meets bad-boy Paulie, an irresistible wanna-be gangster, he tells her she could earn money taxi-dancing, where men pay ten cents a dance to cha-cha with a pretty girl. Ruby figures out a good lie so her mother will let her be out all night and takes the bait. After that, it's a non-stop roller coaster for Ruby as she negotiates the seedy Chicago night-life. She finds independence, but gets herself in a lot of trouble in the process.

 I thought Fletcher bit off a big chunk with this book -- but she chewed it with aplomb. She successfully portrays a very provocative coming-of-age story and does it all in the context of an era that's rich and intriguing. Win-win, in my opinion.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd

One of my favorite things in the world (I know I'm not alone here) is finding a book that makes me forget I'm reading a book. Bog Child, for me, was that good. Set in Northern Ireland in the 1980's, main character Fergus finds the body of a dead child in the peat bogs near his home.

At first he and his uncle think the body is fresh, recently buried. In actuality, it lay for close to two-thousand years, preserved by the peat, until Fergus uncovered it.

Fergus is on a journey of self-discovery, wrestling with the challenges of growing up in a region split by warring political factions. He feels pressure to join the military effort instead of following his dreams. But at the base of his personal struggle is the thrill of uncovering the story of this two-thousand-year-old child, and what her story teaches him about his own life.

I appreciated the threads that author Siobhan Dowd wove together in her novel. There's the main thread of a teenage boy whose older brother is in prison for political crimes, the boy finding himself, coming of age, but there's also the thread of a young man forming a connection with a girl who lived two- thousand years before in the same land.

This isn't a ghost story, but Fergus has a powerful connection with the past and as the archeologists piece together the clues about this young girl's life and death, he's right there with them.

I was fascinated by this book on so many levels. I love learning about history, about other cultures, and getting into characters' heads. Dowd gave me all that. Fergus is an emotionally rich character. He's smart and complicated, but very human.

One thing I love about this Fill in the Gaps project is that I'm working off a (hopefully) intelligent list. Most of my chosen books are prize-winners or best-sellers, so, for the most part, when I bring a book home, I have a certain amount of faith that I'm going to love it. (The best-sellers don't always do it for me, but the prize-winners usually do.) When I brought home Bog Child, saw the cover, and read the blurb I knew I would get some meat. Something to savor and love every minute of. The literary carnivore in me was not disappointed.

One Year Later

I had my FitG first anniversary on April 4. That's when it hit me how long it's been since I last posted on my progress.

Actually, I'm embarrassed about my progress. I'll blame it on an international move and gutting and renovating a house, but I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked. Besides, it took me forever to get through The Three Musketeers. For. Ev. Er.

Still, I thought, as a belated celebration of my anniversary, I'd re-post my list to show my progress and provide links to my blog with the reviews I did manage to write. (Please note: I didn't write a review for every book I read -- just the ones that moved me to write about them.)

As far as statistics go, I'm at eighteen books finished (assuming I counted correctly!) at the one year mark. Even at this (slow) rate, I should be able to meet my goal of 75% read by 2014. Phew!

I've officially abandoned one book so far (see below). That one might surprise some, because I know that one received rave reviews. I couldn't get into it, unfortunately. Call me crazy.

1. Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
2. Laura Amy Schlitz, Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
3. Lynn Rae Perkins, Criss Cross
4. Cynthia Kadohata, Kira-Kira
5. Kate Dicamillo, The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, A Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
6. Avi Crispin, The Cross of Lead
7. Linda Sue Park, A Single Shard
8. Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder
9. Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud, Not Buddy
10. Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
11. Jay Asher, Thirteen Reasons Why abandoned (the linked review includes a short, post script explanation)
12. Elizabeth C. Bunce, A Curse as Dark as Gold
13. Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers
14. Alexandre Dumas, The Man in the Iron Mask
15. Leslie Conner, Waiting For Normal
16. Siobhan Dowd, Bog Child
17. Christine Fletcher, Ten Cents a Dance
18. Matt de la Pena, Mexican White Boy
19. Joseph Monninger, Baby
20. Terry Pratchett, Nation
21. Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamakim, Skim
22. Coert Voorhees, The Brothers Torres
23. Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games
24. Melina Marchetta, Jellicoe Road
25. Margo Lanagan, Tender Morsels
26. Stephanie Meyer, Twilight
27. Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid
28. Richelle Mead, Vampire Academy
29. Libba Bray, The Sweet Far Thing
30. Scott Westerfeld, Extras
31. Jenny Downham, Before I Die
32. Laurie Halse Anderson, Twisted
33. Cassandra Clare, City of Bones
34. Eudora Welty, The Robber Bridegroom
35. Eudora Welty, The Ponder Heart
36. Eudora Welty, Losing Battles
37. Annie Dillard, The Maytrees
38. Annie Dillard, Living By Fiction
39. Annie Dillard, For the Time Being
40. Katherine Mansfield, The Aloe
41. Charles Dickens, Oliver
42. C.J. Sansom, Dark Fire
43. C.J. Sansom, Sovereign
44. Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
45. Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union
46. Ayelet Waldman, Daughter’s Keeper
47. J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye
48. S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
49. Robert Lipsyte, The Contender
50. Chaim Potok, The Chosen
51. Paul Zindel, The Pigman
52. Beatrice Sparks, Go Ask Alice
53. Robb White, Deathwatch
54. Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War
55. Pamela Todd, The Blind Faith Hotel
56. Lois Duncan, Killing Mr. Griffin
57. Robert Cormier, I Am the Cheese
58. Harry Mazer, The Last Mission
59. Cynthia Voigt, Homecoming
60. Bruce Brooks, The Moves Make the Man
61. Richard Peck, Remembering the Good Times
62. Brock Cole, The Goats
63. Gary Paulsen, Hatchet
64. Walter Dean Myers, Fallen Angels
65. Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat
66. Jerry Spinelli, Maniac Magee
67. Michael Cadnum, Calling Home
68. Virginia Wolff, Make Lemonade
69. Karen Cushman, Catherine Called Birdy
70. Cynthia Voigt, When She Hollers
71. Rita Williams-Garcia, Like Sisters on the Home Front
72. John Marsden, Tomorrow When the War Began
73. Christopher Paul Curtis, The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
74. Victor Martinez, Parrot in the Oven, Mi Vida
75. Edward Bloor, Tangerine
76. Robert Cormier, Tenderness
77. Virginia Wolff, Bat 6
78. Joan Bauer, Rules of the Road
79. Gary Paulsen, Soldier’s Heart
80. Paul Fleischman, Whirligig
81. Sarah Dessen, Dreamland
82. Richard Peck, A Long Way from Chicago
83. Chris Lynch, Gold Dust
84. Gary Paulsen, The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
85. Judith Guest, Ordinary People
86. Joseph Bedier, The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
87. David Klass, You Don’t Know Me
88. Carol Plum-Ucci, What Happened to Lani Garver
89. Jerry Spinelli, Star Girl
90. Sonya Sones, One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
91. Ann Brashares, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
92. Karen Hesse, Out of the Dust
93. Lois Lowry, The Giver
94. Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451
95. Michael Chabon, Summerland
96. Sarah Dessen, Just Listen
97. Marsha Qualey, Just Like That
98. Newbery Winner
99. Newbery Winner
100. Newbery Winner

I have a long way to go, but every time I look at this list, I get excited all over again. So many great books in my future. I've requested four more from our library system this week and currently have Homecoming on the bedside table.

Have a great week, everyone! Happy reading.

Amy's List

I am thrilled to finally get organized with my reading. Thanks for the great opportunity. My list is mainly YA books, because that's what I (attempt to) write. I blame my big YA gap on the fact that I've lived in China for the last eight years; there aren't any Barnes & Nobles here, though I've had quite a good selection of classics to choose from. I'm moving back to America this summer, so it's time to buy some great books and get a library card. Yippee!

Besides YA, I also left room for several of my favorite classic authors, like Katherine Mansfield, Charles Dickens, and Eudora Welty. I also want to read more Annie Dillard because she's amazing and inspiring. I never knew someone could write about dragonfly larvae in such an interesting, beautiful way.

I'm planning to review some of these books on my blog, Bits of Beautiful, so if you have time, check it out!

1. Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book
   
2. Laura Amy Schlitz - Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village
   
3. Lynn Rae Perkins - Criss Cross
   
4. Cynthia Kadohata - Kira-Kira
   
5. Kate Dicamillo - The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, A Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread
6. Avi Crispin - The Cross of Lead
7. Linda Sue Park - A Single Shard
8. Richard Peck - A Year Down Yonder
9. Christopher Paul Curtis - Bud, Not Buddy
10. Laurie Halse Anderson - Speak
11. Jay Asher - Thirteen Reasons Why
    
12. Elizabeth C. Bunce - A Curse as Dark as Gold
    
13. R.D. Blackmore - Lorna Doone
    
14. Alexandre Dumas - The Three Musketeers
15. Alexandre Dumas - The Man in the Iron Mask
16. Leslie Conner - Waiting For Normal
17. Siobhan Dowd - Bog Child
18. Christine Fletcher - Ten Cents a Dance
19. Matt de la Pena - Mexican White Boy
20. Joseph Monninger - Baby
21. Terry Pratchett - Nation
22. Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki - Skim
23. Coert Voorhees - The Brothers Torres
24. Suzanne Collins - The HungerGames
25. Melina Marchetta - Jellicoe Road
26. Margo Lanagan - Tender Morsels
27. Stephanie Meyer - Twilight
28. Jeff Kinney - Diary of a Whimpy Kid
29. Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy
30. Libba Bray - The Sweet Far Thing
31. Scott Westerfeld - Extras
32. Jenny Downham - Before I Die
33. Laurie Halse Anderson - Twisted
34. Cassandra Cane - City of Bones
35. Eudora Welty - The Robber Bridegroom
36. Eudora Welty - The Ponder Heart
37. Eudora Welty - Losing Battles
38. Annie Dillard - The Maytrees
39. Annie Dillard - Living By Fiction
40. Annie Dillard - For the Time Being
41. Katherine Mansfield - The Aloe
42. Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
    
43. C.J. Sansom - Dark Fire
44. C.J. Sansom - Sovereign
45. Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
46. Michael Chabon - The Yiddish Policeman’s Union
47. Ayelet Waldman - Daughter’s Keeper
48. J.D. Salinger - Catcher in the Rye
49. S.E. Hinton - The Outsiders
50. Robert Lipsyte - The Contender
51. Chaim Potok - The Chosen
52. Paul Zindel - The Pigman
53. Beatrice Sparks - Go Ask Alice
54. Robb White - Deathwatch
55. Robert Cormier - The Chocolate War
56. Jack Shaefer - Shane
    
57. Lois Duncan - Killing Mr. Griffin
58. Robert Cormier - I Am the Cheese
59. Harry Mazer - The Last Mission
60. Cynthia Voigt - Homecoming
61. Bruce Brooks - The Moves Make the Man
62. Richard Peck - Remembering the Good Times
63. Brock Cole - The Goats
64. Gary Paulson - Hatchet
65. Walter Dean Myers - Fallen Angels
66. Francesca Lia Block - Weetzie Bat
67. Jerry Spinelli - Maniac Magee
68. Michael Cadnum - Calling Home
69. Virginia Wolff - Make Lemonade
70. Karen Cushman - Catherine Called Birdy
71. Cynthia Voigt - When She Hollers
72. Rita Williams-Garcia - Like Sisters on the Home Front
73. John Marsden - Tomorrow When the War Began
74. Christopher Paul Curtis - The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963
75. Victor Martinez - Parrot in the Oven, Mi Vida
76. Edward Bloor - Tangerine
77. Robert Cormier - Tenderness
78. Virginia Wolff - Bat 6
79. Joan Bauer - Rules of the Road
80. Gary Paulsen - Soldier’s Heart
81. Paul Fleischman - Whirligig
82. Sarah Dessen - Dreamland
83. Richard Peck - A Long Way from Chicago
84. Chris Lynch - Gold Dust
85. Gary Paulson - The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
86. Judith Guest - Ordinary People
87. Joseph Bedier - The Romance of Tristan and Iseult
88. David Klass - You Don’t Know Me
89. Carol Plum-Ucci - What Happened to Lani Garver
90. Jerry Spinelli - Star Girl
91. Sonya Sones - One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies
92. Ann Brashares - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
93. Karen Hesse - Out of the Dust
94. Lois Lowry - The Giver
95. Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
96. Michael Chabon - Summerland
97. Newbery Winner 2010
98. Newbery Winner 2011
99. Newbery Winner 2012
100. Newbery Winner 2013