In Honduras until November 8

Hi everyone!  I am currently in Honduras (even as I type) and will be back November 8th.  I have lined up several wonderful bloggers to take care of my blog this week so please stop by often and see whats happening here.  They are planning giveaways, fun posts and more I will check in as I can… internet is never a guarantee here, but if I have time I’ll pop in and say hello – I hope you will too!

Byron, me and Hido

Morning Meanderings

Last morning in Honduras.  We are packed up and ready to come home.  We will leave at 10 am this morning, go to Huston Texas and then to Minneapolis Minnesota from there.  I will get home at about 1:00 am tomorrow.

It has been a really good week and as exciting as this week has been – I really am ready to come back home.

Guest Blogger Review: The Rights Of The Reader by Daniel Pennac

Recently I had the opportunity to chat a bit with Kath from Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here.  We were discussing her post on the the book, The Rights Of The Reader.  Of course, it was the title that drew me in….   Here is a bit of our discussion, followed by Kath’s review.

Kath, how long have you been blogging?

Kath: I have been blogging for almost 4 years now. My blog started off as a way of finding my writing style but has

 

Meet Kath!

grown and developed into a book blog. Which is not surprising, given that I’m a complete book nut.

 

Hmmmm…. a complete book nut huh?  I would know nothing about that….LOL.   What do you find most enjoyable about blogging?

Kath: The thing I enjoy most about this blog is the fact that it has grown and developed with me. Now that I am in a position to spend more time on the things I love (reading and writing) I’ve really enjoyed making my blog into the sort of thing I’d always wanted to but never quite found the time to achieve.

 

Kath, why are you so excited about this book, Rights of the Reader?

Kath: The main thing that got me about this book is that it’s so true and so applicable. Right now, kids all over the world are learning to read and the accepted teaching methodologies risks turning a lot of kids off reading which is a huge loss not only to their lives but to the world. A more widely read population can only make for a better world, right? I also loved the way this book is written. Pennac uses the most gorgeous language to describe even the most ordinary situations which makes life sparkle.

It does sound interesting.  What are you hoping that people take away from this book?

Kath: I’m hoping that people will take away inspiration and understanding, as well as the tools to ensure that future generations love books as much as many of us have.

Thank you Kath for sharing your review here with us today.  Please be sure to stop by Kath’s blog at Insert Suitably Snappy Title Here and check out what else Kath is talking about!

Image credit: Here

The Rights of the Reader

By Daniel Pennac (Trans. Sarah Adams)

Published October 2006

Walker Books Limited

Cast your mind back. You’re seven years old and you’ve just got your very own library card. Surrounded by silence and the smell of words and promised adventures, you run giddily towards the children’s section. You run your hand over the shelves of books, some smooth, some bumpy, all tagged with some weird and unfathomable code. Before you know it, you’ve picked up something that has caught your attention and you’ve settled into the bright red beanbag for the long haul. You forget where you are, consumed by the voices and exploits of Asterix or the Famous Five and you can’t believe it’s time to go already when, an hour later, your Mum comes round the corner to find you.

Every week you come back and you always leave with a pile of books, one of which you’re usually half way through by the time you get home. The need to read consumes you: you sneak off to the toilet to get in a few pages, you read late at night with a torch under the bedcovers. You are, in fact, a veritable addict, looking feverishly along the shelves to find your next hit.

Then, somewhere along the line, something happens. Reading loses some of the joy it once held – it becomes, unthinkably, a chore. A task that has to be completed by next Monday, with an 800 word essay to boot. High school literature studies have come home to roost. English class is now peering over your shoulder, pointing out that you shouldn’t be reading that book, you should read this one, the required text. You know, the one sitting ominously on your desk, unreadable and daunting.

This is where the education system, according to Daniel Pennac, fails our kids. I recently read his amazing book The Rights of the Reader (translated by Sarah Adams) as part of a bookring through Bookcrossing and was very pleasantly surprised. I was expecting something completely different – a fun and lighthearted look at reading as a hobby – but was met with an entertaining and brilliantly written manifesto on the importance of teaching our future generations to love reading and not make it a “should” – a word sure to kill any desire to do something.

Pennac points out that as kids, we loved to hear stories and would beg our parents again and again to read us our favourite books. It is in this tradition of oral storytelling, he argues, that reading is based. It’s our desire to hear new stories and follow new heroes on new adventures that drives us from one finished book to the next new one. But as soon as interfere with our child’s relationship with books and we disturb the private “alchemist’s voice” in their minds, we start to suck their joy out of their reading experience. This, claims Pennac, is a crime of epic proportions. A relationship with books is one of the most consistent and satisfying ones that most people will have in their lives, after all.

The solution? Simple, claims Pennac. Take it back to the basics – oral storytelling. Read to those who have become disenchanted by the hard slog of required textbooks and compulsory reading. Re-introduce that spark. Draw them back in. Before you know it, they’ll have rediscovered that “alchemist’s voice” and they’ll be off in their own private world of books again.

This book was a really fascinating read for me as I recognised that I had suffered a period of book fatigue until pretty recently. As a kid, I was the one hiding under the sheets with a book and a torch. I read an insane amount of books from all sorts of genres, right up until the age of 15 – that’s when it started for me. Required reading to be completed within a ridiculously short period of time, essays to write and not to mention maths homework and geography study…. Luckily, I’ve rediscovered that old spark and have come back to the ranks of the voracious reader – one “right” at a time. If there’s anyone out there that has lost their spark, or knows someone who is struggling with reading – I highly recommend this book. It’ll surely help you bring them back from the brink of a world without books.

Morning Meanderings…

Friday.  Early start today – we are still in Honduras and being picked up today at 7:15 am to go to see the other area I have worked in while I have bee here in the past Maneulito.  I love going there as I know most of the kids and I am excited for the three people with me who are first timers here. After that we will go up to the Valley Of Angels which is our one chance to shop this week.  Its fun to pick up a couple little things but I am always looking for a book…. I love to get books from other parts of the world!  We will see what I find.

We fly back on Saturday!  This time has gone fast!

Boy in the window

 

Word Verification Balderdash: Guest Blogger: Ryan from Wordsmithonia

I just wanted to say a quick Hi to everyone and say welcome to Word Verification Balderdash.  This is Ryan from Wordsmithonia.  This has to be the funnest weekly meme for me as it allows me to do two of my favorite things, comment on other people’s blogs and play word games.  So when Sheila asked me to host this weeks edition I jumped at the chance.  I love seeing what fantastic words everyone comes up with and find myself wishing I could work them into everyday conversation.  So feel free to play along and make us laugh out loud.

Note from Sheila:  I was hoping to be able to add some words this week but being gone has made that not possible.  Please take time to stop by Ryans wonderful blog as he always has incredible words that make me smile!

Morning Meanderings…

A quick update…. I see yesterday I even put the wrong day…LOL.  One more full work day today.  Its hard to get time alone to write…. moments like that are rare. 

Tonight we will have dinner at Jeoney’s – that will be an experience… real Honduran food.  There will be pictures.  I have to run – but will be back and posting my reviews, atc… this Sunday and probably still popping in yet this week.

Have a great day!

Morning Meanderings…

Tuesday in Honduras.  Last night we went out on the streets and gave food and water to the children who live on the streets.  This is my 6th time doing the streets and it never gets easier.

Today we are back on the work site.  I am sitting here before breakfast putting up a quick post.  We are about half way through our trip.  Lots left to do.  Talk to you all soon!  Thanks for hanging out and yes  I am getting a little reading done, currently reading Jantsen’s Gift by Pam Cope.

Kids and me in Tegucigalpa Honduras

Guest Blogger: Alison From (Alipet813) It’s Novel Idea (w/Giveaway!)

Hey all you Book Journey Fans!  This is Alipet813 (Alison) from That’s A Novel Idea.

Sheila is putting us all to shame right now by spending time in Honduras helping people, and she asked me to guest blog today.  Let me just say that this is one of my absolute favorite blogs to visit and I am psyched to be here.  It makes me love Sheila even more to know that she is such a giving person and spends at least once a year in Honduras doing her part to change lives.  I was completely honored to be asked to guest blog today not because I love Sheila but because she actually remembered a review I did a couple of months ago – and she liked it!  My review was on Jantsen’s Gift by Pam Cope. This is a book that focuses on a mother’s grief after losing her son. Not long after she feels that her life purpose is not only to adopt an orphan from Vietnam, but also to travel to less fortunate areas and set up centers to change lives.  Months ago when I read this book it moved me to tears and made me want to get up off my booty and do more for others. Today, I still vividly remember Pam’s grief at losing her son.  I can’t think of it without getting a little teary eyed.  I also remember that Pam is a mom from a small town not all that far from where I grew up. She had no experience with missions work or setting up centers in faraway lands and she did just that.  With faith and prayer I think God can do miraculous work through each and any of us.  No well-known family/star status or millions of dollars are needed to get started.  It basically takes some faith and getting up off our butts.  I am ashamed to say I am still sitting on mine.  I tell myself it is because I have a family to take care of and I have absolutely no extra money, but I think the truth is that I am afraid.  What if I go for one trip and God uses me big like this?  It would be a blessing, but how scary!  So, read Jantsen’s Gift and if you think you should go on a mission trip when you are finished, don’t doubt yourself just start praying and make it happen.  If you aren’t religious and still want to help – forget my God talk and make it happen your own way!  I am quite positive there are many non-faith based programs/trips you can link to and make a difference.

Oh, by the way, Sheila has one copy of this book to giveaway and I think all of you should sign up to win it. You will not be sorry.

All you have to do to win is go to my blog and read the review I wrote.  Make a comment on the review so I know you were there.  Don’t just say “Jane was here” – this book deserves more than that.  Then come back to Book Journey and leave your email address so she can contact you if she wins.  We will check to see if you posted on my blog.  The contest runs until November 20th and Sheila will pick the winner in her normal fashion. Entries from U.S. and Canada only.

For those of you who would love travel out of the country, but can’t or for those that would love to make a difference but refuse to leave the country there are many opportunities all around you.  You can volunteer at a shelter, a soup kitchen, or a children’s hospital.  You can join a mission that goes away but not far.  You could go to build Habitat for Humanity Houses or clean up a disaster area.  The possibilities are endless.  You are only limited by yourself.

Morning Meanderings…..

I have not done much meandering through the blogesphere these past few days, but as you know, I have meandered across the country.  Currently I am sitting in the guest house in Tegucigalpa , Honduras.  We will be eating breakfast soon (I think it is pancakes) and lots of fresh fruit.

At 7:30 we go to AFE where we are working on a school that is being built for children who live in the dump.  I group of us are offsite working on an addition on a home for a girl who needs a place to live.  I am on the off site team.  It is hard to describe the conditions and when I have time I will add a few pictures on here.

I will be back to commenting and hopping around to all your blogs when I get home on Sunday.  Thanks for checking here – there are postings going on daily from some great people who are helping me out. 

Guest Blogger: Esme from Chocolate and Croissants (w/Giveaway!)

What Shall I Read Today?

Hi!  I am Esme from Chocolate & Croissants filling in for Sheila while she is spreading her warmth and generosity in Honduras.  I know that you probably usually pop over here in the morning to read about her Morning Meanderings.  I hope that you have had some breakfast first before coming over as you may get a little hungry as you read on.  I hope you do.

Cooking is one of my enjoyments in life.  Chocolate & Croissants is where you come for some reading and cooking.  For me there is always a book in my hand and something on the stove top simmering or baking in the oven. I have been fortunate to have traveled to all 5 continents and lived abroad. Some of my cooking is inspired from my visits and sampling of food from other countries and sometimes it is from a photo in a cooking book. I am a sucker for great food photography. The only rule I have is all my recipes are healthy.My reading list is probably just as whimsical. I have always said there should be a mood bookmark just like the mood rings from the 70’s. Just place the bookmark in the book and see what you are in the mood for.

I met Sheila earlier this summer when she first started blogging. She left a comment on my blog and asked if she could

My "Kids"

link into one of my posts. Since then not a day goes by without my clicking on her blog to see what she has written about. I love seeing what she is up to and what she is reading. The fun part about visiting her blog is she is so social. Sheila has people visiting that I have never met before. I am not sure who came up with the idea of blogs and leaving comments but it is an amazing idea.  Commenting is the best way to meet other bloggers and see what they are up to. Feel free to pop over and say hello at Chocolate and Croissants.

As a tribute to Sheila and the work Sheila is doing in Honduras I am including two recipes for dinner.

Chicken and fries. Mango Bay Chicken-

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken split into thighs, breasts and drumsticks and wings
4 medium sized mangoes
1 to 2 tsp. dried thyme
3 to 4 tblsp. sherry
2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
salt and pepper to season chicken
Preparation:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper, place in roasting pan. Peel
mangoes, slice off flesh and puree in blender with thyme, garlic and
sherry. Ladle over chicken and cook over at medium heat for about 20
minutes and serve.
Yam Fries
Ingredients:
2 Yams
4 TBSP Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Line a baking sheet with tin foil.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash and slice yam thinly.  Toss in olive oil and sea salt. If you want
to spice up your fries just add some chili flakes to the mixture.
Place the Yams on the baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes,
turning the yams so they do not burn.  Baking time will vary according
to how thin they are sliced.

As a thank you for visiting and reading, I will offer a giveaway for It Snowed in Puerto Rica. The contest will run from today (November 2 to November 20.  Just link here to my blog at Chocolate and Croissants and leave a comment stating that you came from here (Sheila’s place or One Persons Journey Through A World Of Books)  If you also leave a comment here – Sheila will choose one winner on the 20th using Random.Org to pick a book from her Prize Box on the 20th.

Giveaways are open to USA and Canada.  Have Fun!!!

In My Mailbox…

Morning all!

I prepped this post before I left with the mailbox happenings at my house this past week.  Actually it was a pretty quiet book week here.  See for yourself…

Monique and The Mango Rains by Kris Holloway was sent my way from Julie of My Own Little Corner Of The World. She picked this off my wish list for me – how sweet is that?  This little treasure went with me on the plane!   Expect a review soon!

Michael Jackson by Randy J Tarborrelli came from Hachette Book Group.  I am interested in this read as I grew up with Michael Jackson in the days that he was the pop icon.

That’s it – thats my mailbox.    Be sure to stop by Story Siren to add your post of In My Mailbox to her link so others can stop in and see you and the books you received!