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This post is part of a monthly link-up with Modern Mrs. Darcy, where bloggers share short and sweet book reviews. This month, I was on the hunt for an engaging mystery, a classic I’ve never read, and some brain-building non-fiction. I discovered a stack of duds (except for my non-fiction pick).

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This block-buster novel from last year was sure to please, but I abandoned it after 100 pages. I just couldn’t find a way to like Amy or Nick, the novel’s narrators, and I struggle reading books with stupid people running a marriage. #undeservedhype

2. Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Part mystery, part comical, part PTO politics to extreme, this novel is a quick read, but not a favorite. Anne warned me in her Summer Reading Guide. I should have listened. #meh

3. Watership Down by Richard Adams

I know as a high school English teacher, I should love this novel. I ended up returning it to the library after about 100 pages (that’s my cutoff for giving a novel a shot). All in all, I couldn’t get past the basic premise that bunnies have a political agenda. #bunniesdon’tseethefuture

4. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip and Dan Heath

I saved the best for last. My non-fiction pick is a winner, and although I’m still in the middle of it, I’m already wanting to buy a copy to mark up passages and sticky tab sections. #practical #informative #entertaining

Have you ever read a string of duds? What’s your cutoff for reading a book, or do you always plod through to the end?

This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Thanks for supporting KellyWiggains.com!

Gardening With Small Children

I’m thrilled to announce my new role with Brandy Ferguson from The Marathon Mom as a monthly contributor. Check out my first post, where I talk about gardening with my kids: Gardening with Small Children.

Keynan Goofball

My house is loud. It’s so loud. All morning long. All evening before dinner. Come by my house sometime, and you’ll see what I mean. You might have to knock on the door several times, so we can hear you.

At any moment during the day, I will have the dishwasher and washing machine going while my oldest tries to figure out the chorus to “Call Me Maybe” on the piano, my middle son provides sound effects for his Great Hot Wheels Living Room Speedway, and my youngest makes up new words to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while twirling in the kitchen.

boys on trumpets

We have instruments in our house. Lots of them. Already, I have enforced the “Only Play the Trumpet in your Room” Rule. But my kids like to play trumpet all together (yes, we have enough trumpets in the family for everyone), so the bedroom door doesn’t give much of a buffer to 3 trumpets bellowing like dying cows. And as much as I protest his thinking, my husband assures me “dying cow” sets the curve of most beginner students.

Other times we’ll have drums banging or the bass cranked up for dancing music. We wrestle, pretend, squeal, bark commands, spout opinions, tell stories. Just ask my extended family members – we are so loud. Bless their hearts, they still try to call me during the day.

And honestly, I love the loud. Yes, my children are rambunctious. They get carried away and yell too much. I sometimes often shut it all down with a “CAN EVERYONE JUST GO OUTSIDE, PLEASE?”

Overall, I encourage loud when the loud encourages creativity.

But you see, every afternoon, for about an hour and a half to two hours, my house is quiet. We are all in our own spaces and doing our own things.

HB Reading

My youngest still naps on most days, but on days she doesn’t, I’ll hear her singing little songs to herself, “reading” books, or pretending with her Little People. My boys spend the time looking at books, drawing, quietly playing with cars, or building with Legos.

Keynan Lego

Some days they need reminders. Quiet Time is not a time to jump on the bed or destroy block towers or provide sound effects for the freshly folded paper airplane. And swim days? Well, on swim days, they take a nap, too.

Parker napping

And I stretch in the luxurious quiet. 

Mostly, our afternoons are a time for everyone to get recharged and remember we all actually love each other after all.

Creativity needs the right conditions to grow. You can’t force it. It’s organic and rarely planned. How can you stimulate creativity in your home?

1. Set Up Routines.

Have times in the day when your kids can get crazy loud, but remember to balance the loud with time to chill and settle. Try to have those times pretty structured, something simple like, “After lunch, we are going to pick up the toys and then rest.”

2. Keep out Wasted Noise.

Use music to stimulate learning or create a mood. Don’t use music as a background. Use the television intentionally. If no one is watching it, turn it off. We’ve even limited noise from our kids. Just recently, my husband said, “You can only sing with words in the car.” (This came as a solution to the babbling wars between our youngest two.)

3. Set boundaries.

Sometimes my kids want to be loud, and I just don’t. At those times, I encourage them to go outside or to their rooms. I’m often heard saying, “You can play the piano, but shut the door.”

How do you balance the volume levels of creativity in your home?

Summer Fun

Summer is in full swing around our house. We are de-cluttering our school areas, meeting up with buddies for swim time, and harvesting veggies in the garden. I just wanted to take a moment to point out my Summer-Themed Pinterest Board if you need some Summer Inspiration. Just click on the link and follow me over there!

quick summer fun list

I’m not a decorator. I don’t make or create seasonal motifs, except for a few touches in the fall and modest attempts at Christmas. If you are anything like me, this craft is right up your alley. I made it in about thirty seconds. You need an 8×10 frame (or whatever you have on hand) and a piece of cute scrap paper. Cut the scrap paper to fit the frame. Insert the scrap paper into the frame, and it’s done.

Using a Sharpie marker, have your 6-year-old write “Summer Fun” in crooked, adorable letters (plus, he can use a Sharpie! On his own! Without Mom freaking out! It’s like a Birthday Present!). Then, every week of summer, pick out some fun things to do, write them on the glass with a Sharpie, and cross them out if you’d like. Hooray for summer! Remove the writing with a dab of rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.

What I'm Into May

Books

The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau: This is a fascinating book that combines important information as well as firsthand inspiration to start your own business and find success.

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler: An interesting fictional account about the Fitzgerald family. It attempts to weave together all of the mystery surrounding Scott and Zelda’s marriage with all of its crazy Jazz Age antics, and she tries to sort out the Team Zelda and Team Scott rivalry among the Fitzgerald biographers. Quick and interesting read. I’m not sure I bought it (If this story arc rings any truth, it speaks volumes about women and marriage, and it’s a little scary.)

Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist: I’m mentioning this one again because you need to read it. Now.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs: As Retold by Mo Willems by Mo Willems: My favorite kid book right now. Mo Willems is my favorite children’s author. “The first bowl of chocolate pudding was too hot, but Goldilocks ate it all anyway because, hey, it’s chocolate pudding, right?” (How can you resist?)

Olivia and the Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer: All of my kids love the Olivia books. In this one, Olivia is bemoaning the princess trend around her and dares to be different. I particularly loved her stark modern period.

Books I’m about to Read

I’m going to dive into Anne Bogel’s Summer Reading Guide. I even printed it out to have handy at the library.

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald: I know. I’m on a Fitzgerald kick. This is his first novel, and reading Z sparked my interest in it. It’s free on Kindle, by the way.

Sparkly Green Earrings by Melanie Shankle: I enjoy the Big Mama blog for one pure and simple reason: Melanie Shankle is hilarious. She has a way of telling a simple story about doing something mundane – like picking up groceries or taking her daughter to the pool – and I’m on the edge of my seat or falling over laughing.

Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson: This is a fun YA series I’m reading in anticipation of my boys wanting to read all of the chapter books ever written once they decide reading is fun and way better than The Justice League.

Movies

Lincoln: Tyler and I finally picked this one up at Redbox. That Daniel Day-Lewis guy might make an actor yet.

The Great Gatsby: I wrote all my thoughts about that here.

The Karate Kid: We busted out this classic via Netflix a week or so ago, and my boys went nuts for it. Now, they play “Ikes,” which, if you were not aware, involves bowing to each other and then kicking one another repeatedly.

Music

Baz Luhrmann’s Music of The Great Gatsby: Duh.

Emeli Sande: She sings the cover of “Crazy in Love” for Gatsby, but I’m particularly in love with her song “Next to Me.”

There just aren’t enough songs on the earth about the blessings of a good man.

“When the skies are grey and all the doors are closing
and the rising pressure makes it hard to breathe
well, all I need is a hand to stop the tears from falling
I will find him, will find him next to me.”

Television

Nashville: We stopped watching. Just when I go and recommend a show, it completely derails and makes me want to throw things at it. The storyline should be taking a couple of seasons to cover all the ground they covered in a matter of two weeks. It’s ridiculous.

The Walking Dead: I am not recommending this show, but my husband talks about it constantly. He’s also suggesting I read a book at night instead of watching something with him (not normal), so he can have an excuse to watch his new obsession. If you are in to lots of blood and guts, go for it. I am not.

Arrested Development: The start of Season 4 sparked a resurgence of interest for Tyler, but I think it’s short-lived. I’ve always thought this show was hysterical while Tyler called it weird.

We are just way off on our television compatibility right now. Surely, there’s hope for us. Maybe we’ll just hold hands between our laptops and headphones at night.

Food

We joined eMeals for three months to help me plan better meals for us. Surprisingly, my family devoured Panko-crusted tilapia with pineapple mango salsa. So, eMeals FOR THE WIN!

Summer

We are embracing the summer around here, waiting for Dad to get his school break, too. Check out my Summer Pinterest Board for inspiration. Once my kids are older and writing more, I’m going to add these cute Summer Journals from Life as Mom.

Share what you are into over at Hopeful Leigh!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting KellyWiggains.com!

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My friend and fellow blogger Connie Hughes released her brand new eBook last week entitled, How To Manage Your Mouth: A 30 Day Wholesome Talk Challenge. I wanted to share this book’s release with you today and recommend it for your next Bible Study.

After pondering the scripture in Ephesians 4:29 that says,

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen,”

Connie threw out a simple challenge on her Facebook page, asking what would happen if we all spent a month only using words that were encouraging, helpful, or beneficial. The challenge pricked the hearts of several of her blog followers and fans, and soon she had a small movement – people who wanted to be more purposeful with their speech, committed to speaking only words of encouragement.

In her resolve to focus 30 days on controlling her speech, Connie looked for eBooks or devotional guides designed just for this purpose. But she couldn’t find any she liked. She decided to write her own guide, offering the kind of encouragement to others that she needed for herself.

Connie, a wife and a homeschooling mother of 8 children, wanted to provide something useful and practical to help other women. Her devotional guide pairs a daily scripture with an anecdote or insight from her own life to explore ways Christians should be holding their tongues or using Spirit-filled words.

My favorite two devotions concerned topics that convicted me the most: 1) The dangers in venting anger and 2) Relaying a story to an uninvolved friend to affirm my anger in a situation. Connie speaks from experience, using common sense and wisdom. Her guide also asks journal or discussion questions at the end of each devotion for further thoughts.

I encourage you to grab a copy of this eBook through my link to amazon.com. As an affiliate, I would receive a small commission for sales and, of course, Connie would also make money for her hard work: How to Manage Your Mouth – A 30 Day Wholesome Talk Challenge.

Do you have trouble keeping your mouth in check?

the-great-gatsby

A couple of weeks before The Great Gatsby premiered, I reread the book. One night as I was reading, my husband says, ”So, what’s so great about The Great Gatsby?” I gushed and praised and added context. Then, he said, “Wow! Now, I want to read it.”

This conversation prompted me to write a guide about the novel for non-readers. My husband then treated me to an early Mother’s Day present by going to see the movie with me.

Funny story: As we are settling in the theater, I look around and say, “Man, I’m surprised to see so many teenagers here.” My husband scans the room himself, and then says, “Extra credit.” Of course.

Here’s our take on Baz Luhrmann’s version of The Great Gatsby.

The Non-Reader’s Take:

Overall, Tyler loved the movie. He liked the story and properly loved and hated all of the characters. As with all Baz Luhrmann films, Gatsby is the sort of movie you go to the movies for, if that makes sense. The party scenes and music and the world of 1920s New York jumped off the screen.

As for the characters, he loved and then hated Daisy, played by Carey Mulligan. He expected more from Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. He loved Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Jay Gatsby, and he continued to root for him the longer the movie rolled.

The-Great-Gatsby

The Reader’s Take:

What I liked:

1. The Gatsby World: Baz Luhrmann successfully created Fitzgerald’s mystical and colorful New York during the Jazz Age. Just like Fitzgerald’s beautiful writing, the setting of Luhrmann’s Gatsby carried extra meaning, juxtaposing the vibrant mystery of the times with the stark reality of the characters and their lives. Spending time wrapped up in Fitzgerald’s writing, which is highly descriptive yet completely mysterious, is a strange adventure. I loved it.

2. The Music: Baz Luhrmann is known for mashing together different periods of music to form a soundtrack. My husband and I love, love, love the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (like, love it), and the music from Romeo and Juliet is the ultimate soundtrack for 1990s teenagers like me. Luhrmann wanted to bring music to the screen that created the same kind of excitement jazz brought to the 1920s. With the help of Jay-Z, Luhrmann blended the sounds of hip-hop with jazz, and I’ve gotta say, I loved it. I’m a literature snob, not a music snob. Bring on Florence and the Machine, Emeli Sandé, will.i.am, Beyoncé, and friends.

3. Great Performances: I loved Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby. This character is such a mystery, even in the book, that I can’t imagine having to pull off this role. He conveyed the optimism and almost-innocence of Gatsby along with the dark, brooding, slightly creepy and obsessive, “I gained my riches by disreputable means” thing. I also loved Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan. He brought humanity and depth to Tom, which made me love to hate him.

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Weaknesses:

1. Book Nerd Alert: As a book nerd, I struggled with some of the choices made by Luhrmann and company. I was okay with the scenes at the sanatorium, seeing that a film with exclusive voiceover to Nick’s narrations would drag or be confusing, even though Fitzgerald never hinted at Carraway becoming morbidly alcoholic. I was frustrated that the funeral scene did not stay true to the book, and I did not like how they revealed “the truth” about Gatsby. I got annoyed by details, like Meyer Wolfsheim’s molar being a tie tack rather than his cuff links. And the Green Light references were not subtle or nuanced to the viewer, it was more: “HEY!!! GATSBY KEEPS LOOKING AT THE GREEN LIGHT AND HE TALKS ABOUT IT CONSTANTLY. IT MIGHT BE IMPORTANT!!!” Not the same.

2. Weak Performances: I just could not get behind Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. My biggest pet peeve came with Maguire’s interpretations of Fitzgerald’s prose. It’s hard to make Fitz’s words boring, and Maguire somehow accomplished that. I ended up liking Daisy too much, when she’s just a terrible person in the novel. Mulligan did a great job showing Daisy’s emotional struggle, but she needed to convey more vapid and cold-hearted nature in the end. I felt sorry for Daisy, which is great acting by Mulligan, but not true to the character of Daisy.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?

This post contains affiliate links. Photo Credit

Bread & Wine: Finding Community and Life Around the Table

Bread & Wine: Finding Community and Life around the Table by Shauna Niequist

I’m in the middle of this beautiful book about food and home and community. Shauna wants us to welcome people into the mess of our lives and not be ashamed about it. I love the writing, and I want to eat all of the food. #BuyThisNOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

Defiance (Defiance, #1)

Defiance by C.J. Redwine

My friend Lauren has been babbling about this book for ages. It’s coming-of-age. It’s monsters. And sword fights. And government corruption. Love and family. Romance. #HardToDescribe #ReadItAnyway #YA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great GatsbyThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I re-read this in anticipation of seeing the new movie. I gushed about Gatsby more in this post. It deserves the gushing. #BookIsBetterThanMovie #always

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requiem (Delirium, #3)Requiem by Lauren Oliver

The last book in Oliver’s Delirium trilogy. The book is well-written. I just didn’t love it. #disappointed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Blogging by Rachel Meeks

I received this book in a mega-eBook-bundle giveaway this past month. It’s a great guide for making blogging manageable. #StepAwayFromTheScreen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This post is part of a link up with Modern Mrs. Darcy, where we share short reviews of books we are reading every month. Go check it out!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Kelly Wiggains: From Literature to Living.

Protective shadow
Recently, I posted about the differences between fiction and non-fiction. I discussed experiencing the novel, not for actual truth, but for the writer’s truth. In the comments, my friend Andy said this:

Some novelists will betray your trust, and that’s part of the deal, and you just have to accept it. Novels are like people; sadly, few of them are trustworthy, but the ones that are make it worthwhile to put up with the others.

I loved this observation, and I wanted to explore the Unreliable Narrator a bit more.

Just like in building a new friendship, I tend to take narrators at their word until they start to prove me wrong. Friends start losing my trust, and I flag them. The same theory works for narrators. So, how does this theory play out in a novel?

Well, I stop investing in the narrator’s discussions. I start questioning motives. I begin to keep track of the stories told. I pay attention to exaggeration. I observe how the narrator interacts with other characters. I start looking at what isn’t said as well as what is said.

Narrators have the same complexity and depth as real people, sometimes more so. When a novel is truer than true, the narrator tends to be more flawed or more heroic or more tragic than the average person.

Not all Unreliable Narrators are criminal masterminds, trying to dupe the reader at every turn. Most unreliable narrators have no idea they are, in fact, unreliable. Many times, you have to look at their circumstances to notice their truths unravelling. They want you to know the best about them, and sometimes knowing the best means covering up the worst.

So, what do we do with the Unreliable Narrator?

For the most part, we hang on for the ride. You might get angry and want to throw your book a couple of times. You might start rereading the beginning of the book to look for early signs. You might watch for hints from the other characters. Eventually, the story becomes more clear.

Sometimes, the author mercifully gives you alternating perspectives, where the story comes from different angles, and you can piece together a patchwork of a story. However, sometimes those alternating perspectives just makes the story fuzzier.

What signs point to an Unreliable Narrator?

1. Mixed Information

Has the narrator changed up the story? Are the details of an event confusing? Exaggerated?

2. How Does the Narrator Treat Other Characters?

Is the narrator lying to other people? If so, why? To save face or to keep someone safe? Has the narrator experienced repeated trauma or emotional setbacks that might compromise the ability to think rationally?

3. Is the Narrator Speaking Logically?

Is a narrator trying to make you believe things that are generally untrue? Have you noticed a fixation or obsession? Does the narrator stumble over details (or avoid providing them) when explaining events?

When I think of complex narrators, I always think about William Faulkner. The man was a master at developing story through the minds of his hopelessly flawed characters, contorting the narrative in a dozen different ways. Faulkner once said,

“Every man has a different idea of what’s beautiful, and it’s best to take the gesture, the shadow of the branch, and let the mind create the tree.”

Good writers know how to give you “the shadow of the branch” — just enough of the story — to form the entire tree in your mind. And yes, each reader’s “tree” might look different based on his interpretation of the “shadow of the branch,” but that’s what makes the relationship between writer and reader so beautiful.

Sometimes these “Unreliables” are simply flawed humans, and we love them or despise them as the story unfolds.

Do you have a favorite Unreliable Narrator? Or maybe a narrator you love to hate?

Photo Credit: hapal via Compfight cc