Wordless Wednesday: Basketball concentration!

The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom and Peter Feldstein

The excitement I had about The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom that I had when I first received and posted has not diminished! This book is just so fascinating!

In 1984, Peter Feldstein decided to photograph everyone in his town of Oxford, Iowa. He thought it would be interesting and over time was able to get all 676 people photographed. He took all full-length photos with equal lights on each side. These pictures were not great artistically. What was interesting was the variety of the townsfolk, their similarities and differences. He had a few gallery shows at the time.

In 2005, Mr. Feldstein again photographed these folks - or at least as many of the original 676 he could find. Can you imagine those phone calls? He again took full-length photos, this time outside next to a gray wall.

What is the most fascinating about this book and the project is the stories of the people photographed. Mr. Feldstein asked writer Stephen Bloom to talk with about 100 of the people after they were photographed. He got them to tell their life story since 1984, summarized their stories; wrote in first person and made sure each person was okay with what he wrote.

These people are ordinary people yet they are so interesting! Each one has a unique story that is all their own. It is just fascinating to read life stories in short snippets, to see how their bodies have changed over time, and to see how the families have combined and divided.

What struck me is thinking about applying this project in any town or city. Would we find the same uniqueness in each individual's story? I think the answer is 'Of course'! I mean, this is a small town! And yet each person has made different choices, had different life events that shaped them into unique individuals which make up such an interesting town! Just imagine how bigger towns or ones with different life options would provide other unique stories.

But I also noted how similar these folks are to ones I know here or grew up with. Or went to college with. Maybe they look different or have different life options, but the similarities are there across the nation.

Again, it's fascinating to study this book, these people. To delve into a life story told in words and pictures. I will be sharing this book with everyone who comes to my house. You need to get a copy!

Thank you to LibraryThing and their Early Reviewer program for providing the opportunity to review this book. A big thanks to publisher Welcome Books for providing me with a copy of The Oxford Project.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Tuesday Teasers: The Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
- Grab your current read.
- Let the book fall open to a random page.
- Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
- You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
- Please avoid spoilers!

My two 'teaser' sentences are from The Safety of Secrets by Delaune Michel. I received this book from Book Club Girl for a chat in October that I missed. Whoops! But I am reading it now. The sentences are from page 82:

My father takes in a sharp breath as if he is finally going to give me that oft-imagined, but uncharted father-daughter talk, but his words are consistent with every other time. "Bye, darlin'."

Book Giveaway Carnival - Three books to give away!

The Book Giveaway Carnival is HERE!

This week book bloggers all around the internet are giving away LOTS of books! I am one of over 70 participants (at last count - may be more now). After you sign up for my giveaways, make sure you head over to Carnival Central at Bookroom Reviews to sign up for the others.

I am giving away three books. Each book will go to a different winner. Be sure to read the rules below about how to enter.

I am giving away three books that I received as ARCs and want to pass on. I've read all three and you can find my reviews on the link next to the book.

Hell Bent by William G. Tapply [my review]
One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling [my review]
The Darker Side by Cody McFadyen [my review]

To enter:
I am combining this giveaway with my need to gather gift ideas. So to enter, you need leave a comment* telling me the best gift you received in the last three years. It can be from a friend or family member, for birthday, holiday or random, whatever. But it has to be a gift you received.

Other rules:
- If you don't answer my gift question, your comment will be deleted and you will not be entered.
- Please let me know which book you prefer to win. If it's all three, say that too.
- Please include your email address within one click of your comment. That means either include it in your comment or make sure it's on your Blogger profile. If I can't find you, you won't win.
- If you blog about my giveaway (separate from the general carnival post), you will earn two more chances to win.
- This giveaway is not restricted geographically. However, no matter where you are, I am shipping this as inexpensively as I can. In the US or Canada, that's not a big deal, but outside of that, it may be awhile depending on the method the postal service uses.

The contest ends on Friday, November 7th at 11pm EST. I will be posting the winners on Saturday, November 8th.

Be sure to go to the Book Giveaway Carnival main post at Bookroom Reviews to sign up for LOADS more book giveaways! You never know - you could win multiple books this week.





*If you don't know how to leave a comment, email me at mawshimp at gmail dot com, replacing 'at' with @ and 'dot' with . and eliminating the spaces. I will send you directions on how to leave a comment.

Review: Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

The November book for LOLAs is Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. I read the entire book on my Oprah-given Kindle - my first book on the Kindle. I will review the Kindle later this week.

Midwives was just okay for me. It took me a long time to get into the book. I don't know if part of that was learning the new way to read via the Kindle or just the book. Here's the summary:

The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads and failed telephone lines, Sibyl takes desperate measures to save a baby's life. She performs an emergency Cesarean section on its mother, who appears to have died in labor. But what if--as Sibyl's assistant later charges--the patient wasn't already dead, and it was Sibyl who inadvertently killed her?

As recounted by Sibyl's precocious fourteen-year-old daughter, Connie, the ensuing trial bears the earmarks of a witch hunt except for the fact that all its participants are acting from the highest motives--and the defendant increasingly appears to be guilty. As Sibyl Danforth faces the antagonism of the law, the hostility of traditional doctors, and the accusations of her own conscience, Midwives engages, moves, and transfixes us as only the very best novels ever do.

The story is narrated by Connie, the fourteen-year old daughter of the midwife Sybil Danforth. Connie's voice is a high point for me in the novel. I did get to know Connie and felt what she described. But I don't feel like her character was shared enough. In the telling of her mother's story, we get small glimpses of the girl but not the anguish, worries, scared feelings that I would imagine she would be feeling.

Nor do we really get that from her mother's voice. At the beginning of each chapter, we get a glimpse of Sybil through an excerpt of her personal notebooks.

Maybe it's because I love to read courtroom dramas that this book didn't grab me. Because the courtroom pieces are not all that suspenseful. And since the characters were not that deep either, I don't feel like I connected well with them.

It was a good book, one I am not sorry I read. It just wasn't great. It will be fun to see what the other LOLAs have to say about it. We will be meeting the second week of November. Maybe I missed something that our discussion will bring to light and change my view of the book? It's been known to happen.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Sunday Salon: Slow reading week

Good morning! Apparently my body did not care about the extra hour of sleep I could get so I am up early!!! Hopefully I can take a nap later today.

Thanks for all the birthday wishes yesterday. I had a nice day. Started the day with my small group from church for brunch. Then my girl had her first basketball game of the year. Her team is really young and inexperienced but they played hard and with heart. My girl was a defensive dynamo and is the leader of the team. It does a mother's heart proud.

After the game, hubby and I went to see the movie Fireproof. Oh man! This is a great couple's movie. I highly recommend it. Here's a trailer for it (click on Watch Trailer).


I did not get much reading done this week. I have not yet finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle that I started for our trip to Chicago to see Oprah. I also am in the middle of reading Midwives on my new Kindle. I have so many books sitting in my 'to be read' pile that I don't know what I'll read next - too many choices and not enough time!

I am excited about my overall numbers for 2008. I've read 88 books already this year. That gives me two months to go to read 12 more and meet my 100 book goal. I think it is very attainable. This is also my 169th post - considering I started this in late May, that just sounds like I "talk" too much! LOL Hopefully not too annoying though.

Off to get cracking on the day. I am hopeful to get lots of reading done today. The Colts don't play until tonight so the football can be background rather than the focus for most of the day (still have to watch - my hubby says he's an NFL widower every fall). And since I am up so early, I have lots of extra time today!

Have a very wonderful and blessed Sunday!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 39 this morning. For the first time. LOL I am one of those people who are always excited about their birthday and don't hide it. (I am convinced everyone is excited but some just choose to hide it.) It's not about the gifts (although I don't turn those down), it's just because this is MY day. And I love it.

Probably should share some pictures from last night. I had an old lady and a zombie soccer player leave my house last night.





You can see more of them on my flickr account, including ones where they actually smile.

Oh, and in a shameless plea for comments, wanna wish me a happy birthday??? LOL