IPads to Outpace Computers in Schools by 2016, Poll Says

I wonder if they will breakdown as often as the computers in our lab do?


"[Apple] has a really promising program where they come in and their recommending to middle schools—for $500 per child per year, they will furnish every child with an iPad, wifi the system, provide all the books on the system, all the upgrades, all the teacher training—and the results they're getting from these kids is phenomenal," says Georgia Senate President pro tem Tommie Williams.

Interesting article. Read more here

5. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

As the daughter of a preacher, young Agnes Grey is excited to begin a position as a governess. She hopes to ease her family’s financial troubles after an disaster devastates their investments. Her enthusiasm and hopes for a great experience are dashed when she meets her new charges. They are rude, ill-mannered disobedient children whose mother expects Agnes to educate and reform without using discipline or denying her children’s every desire. Treated as a lowly servant, Agnes is miserable and when she finally disobeys her employers to protect an animal from torture, Agnes is dismissed. With her father’s health failing she accepts another position hoping for a better reception. Drama ensues with the new family, a romantic interest begins and Agnes must endure and maintain hope while observing the limits society places upon it’s women.

The first chapter made me curious: who was Agnes and what did she have to say. Then the circumstances she faced – loneliness, social isolation, separated from emotional support and courtesy and human understanding – made me wonder just why I was reading this at all.

By the end of the novel I better understood Anne Bronte’s purpose. Agnes Grey is a social commentary on the status of women in the mid-1800’s, told from a highly personal accounting.

The environment described is very foreign to me coming from today’s society…not the feelings, but the blatant actions and socially accepted abuse Agnes Grey suffers.

While reading the first several chapters, I was beginning to dislike Agnes very much as she held her tongue and accepted the abuse and advantage her employers and wards took of her. I understand that she could be fired for speaking up, but surely putting those ignorant aristocrats in their place, if only for a moment, would be worthy of the self-worth it would leave her with as she left. I was hoping for it almost as much as I was hoping to read about Agnes flipping them the bird or making raspberries as the Mistress of the house fluttered about.

About ¾ way through the novel I started to like her as she, at least within herself asserted herself with positive results. Agnes has a voice but as entrenched as she is in the Victorian female struggle, rarely uses it outside of her own thoughts. I could feel her rolling her eyes, in her mind of course, when her self-absorbed, spoiled charges opened their mouths.

As the story became less about the oppressive circumstances of a governess by self-satisfied, vulgar, small-minded snobs who delight in social pretension and more about the happiness that could be found, love, surrounded by people who know and show respect, joy for the work and building of something to call one’s own, I finally felt comfortable with the novel. Finally! Some hope! Life being lived not endured. In fact, I began reading with more eagerness to see Agnes come into her own happy life. Yes, I was rooting for those hints of a love story. Come on Agnes, we all know you like the pastor. Throw away convention and go TALK TO HIM!! You know you want to. Stop being so dang proper.

My favorite part of the novel is from a rather small plot line, but the sentiment perfectly explains what Agnes alludes to throughout the chapters. It is a speech given by Agnes’ mother, responding to her own father’s message. In it, he offers to forgive her marrying for love if she admits her mistake, regrets having her children (as their father was not wealthy), and condemns the marriage. He will try, though it may be impossible, to restore her to a “lady” and remember her daughters in his will. She tells him to go to hell, although in a much more elegant manner.

Once I became used to the style of 1850’s writing and checked my repulsion at the treatment of women and those of lower classes, I did enjoy the novel. As a statement about the social order of the day and the injustices it entailed the book succeeded in evoking a response. The strict morals Agnes holds herself to and tries, with best intentions, to evoke in others seemed overdone to me. At first. And while I do not agree with the extent of her self-sacrifice, it did remind me that I could do more for others. And don’t forget the cheering, often screaming-at-the-characters type of cheering, for Agnes to admit her love and for her man to get off his duff and GO GET HER!!

Book # 5 of my 50 book challenge

Book #4: Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel

When your whole life has vanished and only one person knows who you are . . . don’t you have to believe him?

Abby doesn’t remember what happened the night she woke up in soot-stained clothes, lying next to a burning building with an unfamiliar boy at her side. But her connection with Sam is immediate and intense. And she has no one else: no family, no home, not even a last name.

She and Sam start a new life, just the two of them, and Abby’s deliriously happy. Until memories from her past begin to haunt her—and suddenly everything she’s learned to love turns sinister. It’s only a matter of time before her reality cracks apart.

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I liked the style of writing at the opening, being right there with Abby as she discovers her circumstance and struggles to learn why her life is the way it is. I had the same questions as her and was willing to believe her answers, to believe Sam. Soon, I started to distance myself from her thoughts and explanations as I suspect was intended. A few steps ahead of our fragile heroine, the reader begins to look with suspicion at the same life Abby looks at with the innocence of a trusting child. Is Sam lying? What is the real cause of him being sick? Is the world outside really so horrid? At times I felt as though I were twinned with Abby, seeing what she saw, feeling her emotions and unable to make her hear my questioning and warnings. I felt excitement every time she started to see beyond the veil and worry when she slipped back to her own world.

I went into this book blind, not having read any synopsis, review or even the book jacket. I am glad that I did as it enhanced the experience of what Abby was going through. I did not know what to expect nor what others may have thought. Knowing now that the description spoke of sexual abuse and drug use, I was glad to discover these plot lines along with Abby and Sam rather than having a checklist to follow.

I think what has stuck with me most after closing the cover, what niggles in the back of my mind, is Abby’s perception of who and what is safe in the world and how dangerous it can be to not see the other reality that surrounds her. The idea that what you see and what makes you feel safe is an illusion is a fitting one for this time of the year where every horror movie has a sliver of that idea in the plot. The ability of the mind to weave, twist and block what the senses show is wondrous and terrifying. The question is left: Is the world around you the same as the one you see?

I am at a bit of a crossroads when deciding if I liked this book or not. The fact that I have to make the decision suggests that I did not. I believe that it is a book that was well written and compelling and challenging enough to the reader to be a good book and a worthy read. But I am still not convinced that I actually liked it. I feel as though I am looking at a piece of art. I can appreciate it technically, and can understand the depth of it, the creativeness and the beauty in it. But I do not want it on my walls. I don’t really like it. I am glad to have seen it and would be slightly less for not having seen it, or in this case, read it. I read it, closed the cover and went on with my day. That all night and first thing the next morning and intermittently throughout the day I was still going over parts of the story tells me that Circle 9 had meaning to me as a reader, and in my book, that makes it a success.

Book #3: Nikki Heat by Richard Castle

A New York real estate tycoon plunges to his death on a Manhattan sidewalk. A trophy wife with a past survives a narrow escape from a brazen attack. Mobsters and moguls with no shortage of reasons to kill trot out their alibis. And then, in the suffocating grip of a record heat wave, comes another shocking murder and a sharp turn in a tense journey into the dirty little secrets of the wealthy. Secrets that prove to be fatal. Secrets that lay hidden in the dark until one NYPD detective shines a light.

Mystery sensation Richard Castle, blockbuster author of the wildly best-selling Derrick Storm novels, introduces his newest character, NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat. Tough, sexy, professional, Nikki Heat carries a passion for justice as she leads one of New York City's top homicide squads. She's hit with an unexpected challenge when the commissioner assigns superstar magazine journalist Jameson Rook to ride along with her to research an article on New York's Finest. PulitzerPrize-winning Rook is as much a handful as he is handsome. His wise-cracking and meddling aren't her only problems. As she works to unravel the secrets of the murdered real estate tycoon, she must also confront the spark between them. The one called heat.

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First, I feel I must disclose that I am a huge fan of the TV show Castle. In fact, that is how I found this book. I also admit to a "SQWEEEE " moment when I picked up a book written by one of my favorite television characters, complete with a dedication and acknowledgments to the other characters on the show, and even to some of the actors and crew who work on the show. The author, Richard Castle, is actually being used as a pseudonym for these novels but still managed to have his own website, twitter account and biography on Goodreads.com. The marketing stream coming from the show is amazing! Stalkers delight! Naturally, the faces and mannerisms of the actors were clear and present in the novel as I read.

Now as I excise the fan-girl in me and look at Nikki Heat as a novel, some of my enthusiasm wanes. I was surprised that it actually took me a long while to get into this book. Perhaps I was spending too much time trying to marry the characters to TV or maybe it was taking longer than I thought it should to switch my brain from TV to book mode.

I would have expected this mystery novel to be somewhat more, well, mysterious. Had I not been a huge fan of the show I am not sure I would have stuck with it. The plot is thinnish, the writing just okay. The characters needed...more. Truthfully, I picked it up because of the show. I would have left it untouched on the book rack otherwise. I enjoyed the familiar characters and the verbal banter between Rook and Heat. The references to the TV show cannon was fun and let's face it...I was there for the Richard Castle character not the Jameson Rook book version. There was a nice bonus of seeing the attraction between our heroes actually go somewhere, a feat that seems to be instant death to TV versions. An easy read, it is a book for a night when there is nothing else to do and you want an easy and simple quick read. I did end up enjoying the book and while it is by no means a favorite, I will be reading the sequel Naked Heat.

A girl needs her Castle fix!

Book #2 Soulless by Gail Carriger

Soulless is set in an alternate history version of Victorian England where werewolves and vampires are accepted as functioning members of society. Alexia Tarabotti is a woman with several critical problems: at the scandalous age of 26 she is still searching for a husband, that her late father was Italian complicates her social standing in a rigid class system, and she has no soul. The fact that she is "soulless" leaves her unaffected by the powers of supernatural beings which only further complicates her life when she accidentally kills a vampire that had attacked her. Queen Victoria sends an investigator,the brash Lord Maccon, who is himself the alpha werewolf. As disappearances in the vampire population of London's high society increase, Alexia and Lord Maccon work to solve the mystery. Alexa detests him upon meeting and struggles to maintain proper decorum and a delicate social balance while attempting to understand some new and aggrivating stirrings that appear whenever a certain Lord is present.

Publishers Weekly called this debut novel brilliant “with a blend of Victorian romance, screwball comedy of manners and alternate history.” It was the combination of the words screwball and Victorian that captured my interest. This was my first steampunk novel, paranormal or otherwise.

Alexia Tarabotti is an independent, stubborn 26-year-old who is considered to be unmarriable, and socially hindered due her late father’s Italian heritage and her large nose and darker Italian complexion. While the Victorian era characters may not appreciate her, I thoroughly enjoyed Alexia’s ability and insistence at embracing her non-conformist status. She is different from her superficial social status-addicted sisters and while made to feel the outsider in most social situations, thrives in being a learned, inquisitive, strong-minded woman.

Carringer describes this version of Victorian England and its players quite well. I was able to easily fall into this world where fasionista vampires and werewolves who fight to be comfortable in their civilized personas co-exist with normals. The world of steampunk was well introduced to me in the pages of Soulless and the sheer delight of the verbal sparring between the main characters has me looking for the sequels.

Book #1: Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich

What? Yes, yes, it is Chick-lit. Sue me. I had fun reading it. Isn’t that the point of reading? Oh, I see. You are one of those. The intellectual readers. Yes, there was a tone. I have many tones. Most are sarcastic. While I ignore you ‘lectual types, let me tell the others why I liked it.


First, it’s by Evanovich. There is nothing like one of her books to bring laughter and lightness to a stressful day. She won me over when I realized that I laugh out loud every time I read her books. If laughing truly does extend the years of your life, then Janet Evanovich has cancelled out several heart-attack burgers and years of over-indulgence in macaroons and truffles. Godiva can stay in business.


Secondly, I like the flaws of her female characters. They may be pretty and smart and sassy, but you never think that they are anyone you couldn’t pass on the street or sit next to at your condo meeting. They are not geniuses, nor models, nor Alberta Schwitzers. Like so many of her other lead characters, Stephanie is capable, clumsy, self-aware and imperfect. She falls down hills, serves burnt biscuits, has bodies dropping from her roof and can tangle verbally with the annoyingly hot looking pirate/captain.


The mary-jane possibilities are almost endless…hey, I can fall down a hill; I burn dinner regularly; once I had a dead bird on my roof and it fell off during a wind storm…okay it rolled off after the cat climbed out the window. AND, I would definitely be tangled, tongue-wise, when faced with an annoyingly hot looking yummy pirate dude. Don’t judge! I said it had been a stressful day. And pirate hot-pants was the perfect cure. It didn’t hurt that in my mind he looked a lot like Captain Tightpants either!

YUM!

BOOKS ALIVE!!!!

After an insanely log absence (really, were you that surprised) I have returned. Glancing at the books sitting too long on my to-read bookcases, I sigh. Ah my lovelies, I have missed you.

Such an absence cannot go unanswered. So it shan’t. And really, how often does one get to use the word shan’t? My punishment? Read 52 books in a single year. Minimum. And only 17 of those can be work-related preteen novels. Picture books don’t count at all, because let’s face it. I’d reach my goal by the end of the day!



So many books! So short the weekend is! Here is my list, ever being updated.



1. Love Overboard by Janet Evanovich
2. Soulless by Gail Carriger
3. Nikki Heat by Richard Castle
4. Circle 9 by Anne Heltzel
5. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
6. Fearless by Tim Lott