I finished To Kill a Mockingbird yesterday (well, last week, by the time you read this). My thoughts are still formulating, slowly and solemnly, so I'll just share some of the impressions that stuck with me as I read.

This is a book I'm glad I first experienced as an adult. I know many people first read it as a high school assignment. While I would have enjoyed the chance to discuss the book, I'm not sure a high school English class would have been the best place for that. This is a profound book, and required reading tends to ruin the impact a book can have on someone's life. As an adult, I could fully enjoy the many layers of this story without being forced to analyze. I'm also quite sure I understood more than I would have as a high schooler. And I fully plan to read this book again later in my life so I can delve even deeper into the layers of the story.

It was a brilliant decision on Harper Lee's part to tell this story from Scout's point of view. She sees the world as it should be, without prejudice or other people's opinions to color her view. It also makes those times when Atticus explains something to her equally as brilliant because of the way he needs to explain them so she understands. Children see truth, right through the facades of adults. I don't believe this book would have such a powerful impact if it had been told from the viewpoint of another character. That being said, however, I would love to get inside Atticus' or Boo Radley's or Tom Robinson's head and see the story from their side.

I don't know why it took me so long to pick this book up, but I am incredibly glad that I did. These are characters that will stay with me for a very long time, living in a story that touches us even today. And what a poignant story it is.

When I ran across this challenge earlier this year, I knew it was one I needed to participate in. I own a lot of books, and I love adding to my assorted collection. But I equally love visiting libraries and checking out stacks of books from there. The poor books I own just get more and more neglected.

When I signed up for this challenge, I was cautious. It was already halfway through July, so I didn't have much time to scale my TBR piles. I chose the Pike's Peak level of commitment. I only had to read 12 books by the end of December. It's a good thing I wasn't more ambitious. Here we are at the beginning of October, and I've only finished five! I have started the sixth, but I'm still getting a little worried about finishing this challenge on time. That would requiring not visiting the library for the next three months, and that's just as unlikely now as it was back in July. On the other hand, the Reading Challenge Monster demands that I finish the challenges I start, so that will provide me with some motivation.

The book that has been on my stacks the longest is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I've wanted to read it for a very long time. I bought a copy in college, but never got around to reading it. I am incredibly glad that this reading challenge gave me the impetus to finally pick it up and read it. It is an amazing book. I'll be posting more of my thoughts on this book tomorrow, so come back and check them out! I'd love to hear your opinion of this classic.

Happy chain of events this week:
My town's Fall Festival was this weekend --> No school on Friday --> Unusually warm fall weather   --> Time spent reading on the front porch --> One whole book finished this weekend!

The Jungle Book - My thoughts for the Reading to Know Book Club
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein - Review (I love this book!)
Saturday Snapshot - A visit to my alma mater for its 50th anniversary

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Tune in on Wednesday for my thoughts on this classic)
Following the Sun: A Bicycle Pilgrimage from Andalusia to the Hebrides by John Hanson Mitchell

The Wicked Day by Mary Stewart (the fourth book in her King Arthur series)

Probably a trip to the library. I still need a few books to finish up some of my Reading Challenges this year. Does anyone have any ideas for an author's last name that starts with a U?

This past weekend I had the privilege of participating in the 50th anniversary of my alma mater - Concordia University in Ann Arbor. I graduated in 2006, and it was wonderful to be "home", back on campus with the beautiful fall colors. The day was rather wet and misty, but that didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. The Chapel was full for the worship service. I sang with the choir, which was made up of 150-ish current students and alumni. The sound of the hymns echoing throughout the Chapel was a hint of heaven.

I didn't have a chance to take any pictures, but I was able to get ahold of some taken by one of my college friends who is an amazing photographer!

Let me just say up front that I loved this book. I even did a little “I love this book!” happy dance when I finished it. And immediately put it on my books-to-buy list. You should read it (did you pick up on that yet?).

Mr. Lemoncello is a game-maker extraordinaire with a vested interest in the library of Alexandriaville. He is the mastermind behind the brand new library, which includes holograms and video games complete with smells. Kyle Keeley is a typical twelve-year-old, enjoying life and not putting tons of effort into anything – except games. He loves playing games of all sorts. Which is why, when twelve twelve-year-olds get to spend the night in the library before it opens, he has to be one of them. It turns out, though, that getting into the library is the easy part. Getting out? It’s a bit trickier.

This book has it all – books, libraries, puzzles. It’s funny, and it keeps you guessing. The characters are lovable, especially Mr. Lemoncello, who is a slightly wackier Willy Wonka. This is a book that kids (I can’t wait to read it out loud to my students) and adults (book-lovers and puzzle-lovers alike) will equally love. Once you enter the world of Mr. Lemoncello’s library, you’ll never want to escape!

I've never read Kipling's The Jungle Book before, and it's been ages since I've watched the Disney movie. I also didn't own a copy (suprisingly - I tend to buy classics at used book sales and then rarely get around to reading them). So my Book Club experience this month had to start with tracking down a copy. Thankfully, our local library had one, although I'm guessing that no one has checked it out in a very long time. No fancy picture on the cover, no dust jacket. It was just a plain brown hardcover. And since the only copyright date was 1894, I'm pretty certain it's a first edition or very close to it. This meant that in addition to reading the book, I spent a fair amount of time sniffing it. Old books smell wonderful.

I enjoyed every one of the short stories (and the poems! That was a pleasant surprise.) in The Jungle Book, although I was surprised that some of them didn't take place in the jungle (like the story about the white seal). My favorite was the last story, though, titled "Her Majesty's Servants." In this story, we get a peek at what all the animals in an army camp think and feel, as well as their unique class system. I enjoyed the way they were trying to one-up each other in bravery. The ridiculous camels that took fright and crashed their way through the tents were very amusing. It certainly takes some creativity on Kipling's part to imagine the point of view that each of these animals would have.

The Mowgli stories were interesting, but a little hard to understand. I think having more background knowledge about these animals and life in the jungle would have been helpful. I felt like I was missing out on some of the subtle things that Kipling included because I just didn't know enough. Are there any annotated versions of The Jungle Book out there, a mix of fiction and nonfiction? What an interesting way to learn about the jungle and jungle animals!

There was one story I had read before, and that was "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi." I taught seventh grade Literature for one year, and this was in their textbook. It was fun to reread it with the echoes of the seventh grade reactions in my ears. I must say, though, that their favorite part was the YouTube videos of mongooses (mongeese?) and cobras. Turns out they really are enemies in the animal kingdom - more evidence of all the nonfiction that these stories are based on. Just for fun, I've included one of these videos below. It happens just like Kipling describes!