What's Going On Here?

There are SO MANY wonderful book review blogs out there and I can't compete with them, that is for sure. So this is not a book review blog. This is just a way for me to organize what I have read so that I can be better at matching the right book to the right person. The blog title comes from the brilliant mind of the most talented woman who ever lived, Ms. Judy Garland. The full quote is, "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else." That is what I hope to do here and in ever aspect of my life.

Friday, March 25, 2016

Some authors just don't do it for some people

And I guess Naomi Shihab Nye is an author who just doesn't do it for me.  She doesn't offend me or make me mad or make me think, "how can this chick be published?" No, not at all.  I can see why her writing does it for some people.  Sure.  She is an accomplished, award-winning author and I have only read two of her books, for crying out loud!  And none of her poetry, which is her main thing, right!
I liked The Turtle of Oman.  I mean, it was okay.  I liked that it was a different take on a kid moving to a new country.  Aref, a nice kid and very likable character, is going with his parents to Ann Arbor, MI for three years while his parents work on their doctorates.  He is super sad about leaving Oman and all that he knows and loves, most especially his grandfather, Siddi, who figures prominently in the book.
The whole book is about Aref's last days in Oman, with his mom.  His dad has gone to Ann Arbor to settle in and in a week, they will be joining him.  Since Aref's mom is pretty busy and since his time with him is limited, Aref spends most of the week with his grandfather, Siddi.  The who are very close.  Instead of this being a book about Aref's settling into his new home, the book addresses just his saying goodbye and getting himself prepared for the change.  That was neat.  It was different and worked well.
It also gave a lot of information about what the country of Oman, without being geography-book-like boring.

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