Review: Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life

 

Title:  Cycle of Rice Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming

Author:  Jan Reynolds

Review Copy Provided by:  Lee and Low Books

This review is part of Jan Reynold's Earth Day Blog Tour for Lee and Low Books.

About the Book:  On the island of Bali in Southeast Asia, rice farming is a way of life. The people live in tune with the natural rhythms and cycles of the water and the soil. Ingrained in their community and culture, rice farming connects them to the land and one another.

Balinese farmers have planted rice using an intricate system of water sharing and crop rotation for more than a thousand years. Intertwined with their spiritual, social, and day-to-day lives, this system has made Bali a leading producer of one of the world’s most important crops. And because Balinese rice farming respects the balances of nature, it serves as a remarkable example of sustainable agriculture in an increasingly industrialized world.

My Review:  It is obvious that Jan Reynolds did some extensive research for this book.  It is filled with some of the most beautiful pictures from Bali.  I was completely in awe of them, especially one at the end of the book of the sunset over the water.  

This is a non-fiction text and I have to admit, one I wouldn't have picked up if it hadn't been for this tour.  I'm glad that I decided to take this on.  This is a great book for upper elementary or middle grade students doing research projects.  I was very interested in all that went into rice farming.  We have rice farms here in south Texas, but in Bali, it's a way of life.  The rice is literally, their life.  For generations, they have relied on the freshwater supply from the rain to sustain their rice fields.  It's amazing how intricate their water system is and how it's still in use after being built by hand in the ninth century.

The people of Bali spend alot of time holding water and rice ceremonies to insure the growth of good crops.  It is a way to not only ask for plenty of water and good crops, but also to connect the people and unite the area.  I really enjoyed reading about the people and how much pride they take in their ceremonies, fields, water supply, and rice crops.

This quote really sums it all up: 

Ballinese farmers know their lives must be lived in harmony with natural cycles in order to carry on their rice farming for the next thousand years.  They have a special prayer, Om sarwa prani hitangkaram -'May all that breathes be well.'  If the natural world is in balance, then all is in harmony on the island of Bali.

Jan Reynolds has done an excellent job of telling Bali's rice farming story.  It is an interesting read in which I learned alot.  At the end of the book is also a personal note from the author as well as a map & facts of Bali, web sites, and a glossary.

  

You can see actual video footage from Bali and hear Jan talk about rice farming and the research that went into this book.  At this site, you can also get a teaching guide for Cycle of Rice and a document called, Things You Can Do at Home to Live More.

Teaser Tuesday - 5/5/09

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

My teaser today is from Chasing Boys by Karen Tayleur

I miss my dad.  I suddenly want to see his face, climb into his arms, and have him hold me steady so I won't fall. (p. 146)

Mailbox Monday - 5/4/09

Better late than never right?  Last week I had a double blog tour on Monday so I opted not to do Mailbox Monday and I missed it.  This week I've been so busy that I'm late getting this up, but it's going up none the less.  I'm opting for no pictures, just links on this one also, sorry.  I promise I'll do better next week.  To see what others got, head over to Printed Page.

Here's what made it into my house last week, via the mailbox, UPS, and FedEx; they love me!

Eyes Like Stars (ARC) by Lisa Mantchev - from Fiewel and Friends

The Whisper of Serpents by A. Lawrence Haskins - from author

Slob by Ellen Potter - from author

Testimony by Anita Shreve - from Hachette

I am a Teamster by Terry Spencer Hesser - from Lake Claremont Press

Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee - from author, won in chat w/author

If You're Not Here, Please Raise Your Hand (audio) by Kalli Dakos, won from @recordedbooks

Locomotion (audio) by Jacqueline Woodson, won from @recordedbooks

Otto Grows Down by Michael Sussman, won from Brimful Curiosities

Shadow of the Ghost by Tanner - from author

The Tushy Book by Fran Manushkin - from Fiewel and Friends

101 Ways You Can Help Save the Planet Before You're 12! by Joanne O'Sullivan from Sterling Publishing

Mama Always Comes Home by Karma Wilson - from author

Bear Feels Scared by Karma Wilson - from author

No No Yes Yes by Leslie Patricelli - from Candlewick Press

Haunted Virginia: Legends, Myths, & True Tales by Pamela K. Kinney - from author

Evening Man by Frederick Seidel - from author

Set of 8 children's book ARCs won from A Patchwork of Books:  Silly School Riddles, Bridget Fidget and the Most Perfect Pet, All of Baby Nose to Toes, Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear!, Welcome to the Zoo, Doggone Dogs!, Kitty Up!, School Fever.

The Other Half of Life by Kim Ablon Whitney - from Knopf

Kaleidoscope Eyes by Jen Bryant - from Knopf


Winter Wood by Steve Augarde - from Knopf

To top it off, I went to see Melissa Marr last week and bought 4 books!

Something to Ponder

I've taken to listening to audio books during my commute to and from school everyday.  I mean, I drive 45 minutes one way, pending there's no traffic.  With traffic, it takes longer, of course.  I was losing some great reading time, so I've opted for audio.  I won a 3 pack of David Baldacci's Camel Club books, The Camel Club, The Collectors, and Stone Cold.  I'm currently listening to Stone Cold, but The Collectors is the one I've liked the best, so far.

Maybe because it was narrated by Tom Wopat.  You remember him right, Luke, The Dukes of Hazzard?  Or, am I dating myself here?  Anyway, I digress.  The whole story was centered around a man who collected books.  At one time, he had been married and his wife wasn't a book geek like he was, and she wanted to get him something "really good" for a present, but knew nothing about book collecting.  So she asked him, "If you could have any book in the whole wide world, what would it be?"  As soon as I heard that I thought, "OMG, I so need to blog about that question."  So, I am.

How would you answer?  Most of you know that I'm an elementary school teacher, and teaching reading is my passion.  So, my answer would be a first edition Dick and Jane reader.  I learned to read with Dick and Jane.  No, I'm not THAT old, it's just one of the things my private school used in 1st grade.  I'm not really a book collector, per se, as far as old books go, but that is one that I would LOVE to have! 

So, let me hear your thoughts...If you could have any book in the whole wide world, what would it be?

Blog Link-Up #14 - 5/3/09

It's that time again!  time for the weekly round-up of bloggers' favorite posts from the previous week. Many of you who have taken my blog survey said that this was one of your favorite features on my blog.  Thank you for that!  I love linking to other bloggers, giving them a shout-out and sending readers their way.  It is a way we support each other.  You, the reader, are what keeps us doing what we do, so thank you for stopping by to see what I have to say and what I'm reading.

If you haven't filled out my little blog survey, I'm extending the deadline for a couple of reasons.  One, there haven't been that many people fill it out, so I'm trying to get the word out.  Two, I want to use the information to drive this blog, so I need to know what you think.  It is a win-win situation.  I get to hear what you think, and you get the chance to win a $10 gift card to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Powell's (your choice).  So, please take the survey.

There have been some great discussions on the blogs lately.  Here are a couple of them for you to check out.

If you have a favorite author, chances are, you've read any and everything they've written.  If you're like me, when you read a good book by an author, you go looking for others they have written.  What if the others aren't as good as the first one you read?  Devourer of Books took on this question in her blog post, Three Strikes You're Out? How Many Chances Does an Author Get? 

Beth Fish Reads is seeking opinions on yet another great discussion topic, Unfinished: Post or No Post?  When I read her post, I thought she was talking about me, because I did that this week, posted about a book I was unable to finish.  She poses some great questions for you at the end of her post.

Now, for some book reviews.

My Friend Amy reviewed The Midwife by Jennifer Worth.  She says, "I seriously loved this book. I wasn't sure if I was really going to like it, but I was hooked from the first story."  She has some great thoughts on the book, so go see what else she has to say. Another title she reviewed this week was Either You're In or You're In the Way by Logan and Noah Miller.  Her thoughts?  "It's the PERFECT book for our tough economic times..because this book IS the American dream."  Go read about it!

Books and Movies reviewed a new-to-me book, The Last Bridge by Terri Coyne.  I loved her first thoughts, "I was thrilled to read a novel that grabbed me from the first sentence and wouldn’t let me go until I turned the last page, with tears streaming down my face."  That's the kind of book I like to read, so I'll probably be adding this one to my wish list.  

Here are reviews for two more books that are new to me.  Linus's Blanket reviewed The Little Book on Meaning by Laura Berman Fortgang.  This book was just released on April 30th.  She says, "This was a lovely book to read and ponder, and one whose passages  I would definitely like to refer back to and examine further."  The other book she reviewed was The Obama Revolution by Alan Kennedy Shaffer.  In her review she states that, "It is literally  jam packed with coverage of the beginning of Obama’s campaign for the presidency through his swearing in- has a lot of examination of  the rhetoric of the campaign, speeches and proposed policy of the new president."  What an extensive read!

Finally, if you are an Historical Fiction fan, then you need to read Book and Movies' list of favorite historical fiction.  Maybe you'll find a new read or two.

That's it for this week's round-up.  Don't forget to check out the right sidebar for current giveaways on this blog.  Some of them are ending soon!  Until next week, happy reading!

Snapshot Saturday #13

I'll admit that this week's picture is not the best, but I had to use it. It was taken with my phone during the Melissa Marr signing at Barnes & Noble this week. She was sitting in front of a bunch of windows and it was so light outside that the picture is really dark. But, I knew I couldn't post this without a picture, so I snapped one! Next author signing I promise to remember my camera when I leave the house in the morning! Trust me, there will be more! I have some stuff in the works and you are going to love it!

I was very excited when I got the Harper Collins newsletter and it said that Melissa Marr, author of Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange and her latest, Fragile Eternity, was coming to Barnes & Noble in The Woodlands! I just had to be there. So, I left school right at 3:30 and got there a little after 4. I bought my books and sat in line; I was first! There were some other ladies who came and sat down beside me. We all started talking about books, authors, and the fact that we were all adults waiting to see a YA author. There has been alot of talk lately about adults reading YA, see Vania's post about it here.

Anyway, I digress. Melissa arrived about 5:45 and told the lady in charge that she wanted to do a Q&A session, not just sign books; that wasn't her style. So, they moved us over to a larger area and we got started.

Melissa is not formal at all. In fact, she sat on the table and just chatted with us. She started out by telling us about the "swag" that she had brought to hand out. The "swag" turned out to be court bracelets, like the "livestrong" Lance Armstrong ones. She had them in a bag and we just reached in and pulled one out, surprise! I ended up w/Solitary, which is probably what I would have chosen had I been given a choice. In the bag were also special USB bracelets that had "extras" from the books that aren't available online. Oh, I wanted one, but she gave them away randomly and I wasn't one of the lucky ones; that's okay!

She had just found out that she was named to the NY Times as well as the Wall Street Journal's best seller lists. Because of how well her book is doing, they have upped the date of publication for book 4. So, Wicked Lovely fans, you won't have to wait as long for the next installment. By the way, she let us know that there are 5 books in the series. Wicked and Ink could be read as stand alones, but there are some things in Fragile that have to happen in order to complete the series. So, Fragile is the middle book, with 2 more to come. Harper Collins bought 6 books, but the 6th one won't be from the series, it will be different.

When asked which character she is most passionate about, she replied Irial, even though she probably needs therapy for answering that way. The character that she loves the most is Donia. She spoke alot about the characters in her books and how even though it's fiction, she wants them to be real to the reader and have real characteristics and qualities. She also admitted that she writes death scenes for her characters just to prove that she can kill them. It happens alot when they do something that annoys her. Sometimes she leaves them in the manuscript just to irritate her editor. The character that she has written the most death scenes for is Ash. So, she said, if you're annoyed, frustrated, irritated with a character, write a death scene for them; it helps.

She left us with thoughts on being a writer. It's not about who you know in the writing or publishing business. Her advice, just write it, send it to agents, wait, send to others if they don't like it, and just keep trying. Wicked Lovely was originally a short story sent to Adult Magazine, who said it was for children, send it to them, and they said it was more adult like. So, she turned it into a novel and the rest is history!

Let me just tell you...she is so personable! She just sat and chatted with us like we were old friends. It wasn't like, I'm an author and you are beneath me. I was so impressed! She even knew who I was from Twitter. I thought that was cool. I am still just in awe that I chat with authors online. Yes, I know they are just people like me, but I think it's awesome that they choose to talk to people like me.

So, I have a surprise for you!! For those of you who are like me and can't or won't read Fragile Eternity until you have read the other 2 books in the series, you're in luck. I am going to get you started! I bought an extra copy of Wicked Lovely and had it autographed for one of you! Melissa was also kind enough to give me an extra court bracelet for the winner. So, should you win, you will receive an autographed copy of Wicked Lovely and either a High Court or Summer Court bracelet.

To enter, please leave a comment telling me why you NEED to read this book. Then, earn extra entries by being a follower (+1), tweeting about it (+2) or blogging about it (+3). You can enter from now until next Sat, May 9th. I will randomly choose, email, and post the winner on May 10th. So, who will it be? Who wants it?

Happy May Day, Winners!!!

Today is May Day and I have alot of winners to announce!  I had 3 giveaways end this week, so please check your email as you may be a winner.

APRIL FOOL'S GIVEAWAY

This giveaway was for 5 copies each of The Turnaround and Girls in Trucks.  The winners are:

SHELLEY

WENDI B

JANEL

DAWN M.

QUELLEHEURE4

I also said I would giveaway 2 other books + 2 from my stash if the comments went over 100.  Well, we only had 79 comments, but when I added up all the followers, tweets, and blogs about the contest, it put us at 125.  So, I am going to giveaway the 2 extra books, just not 2 more from my stash.  I will save those for another time, don't worry.  The winners of A Lucky Child and No Matter What! are:

BRIMFUL CURIOSITIES

LISSA

TAX RELIEF GIVEAWAY

This giveaway was for 5 copies of either, The Man's Book, The Girl who Stopped Swimming, or 2 Beauty Books.  The winners of The Man's Book are:

SHARON54220

JAKE

JANEL

BERMUDAONION

DOGLOVER112976

The winners of The Girl who Stopped Swimming are:

GENEVIEVE

OLYMPIANLADY

CHERYLS

POLO.PONY

STACI

The winners of the Beauty Books are:

JANEL

DONNAS

SHELLEY

NANCY ARRUDA

LALALAND

HORSE DIARIES GIVEAWAY

This giveaway was for 2 copies of the first 2 books in this series: Elska and Bell's Star.  The winners are:

MJ

POLO.PONY

Congratulations to all the winners!!  They have all been emailed and have 48 hours to get back to me with their mailing info.  If I do not hear from them, new winners will be drawn.

Thank you to each and every one of you who read my blog and continue to stop by and leave comments.  I do what I do, because of you and because I love books!! There will be more giveaways soon!!

Review: A Gift of Grace

Title:  A Gift of Grace

Author:  Amy Clipston

Review Copy Provided by:  Blog Tour Spot 

About the Book:  Rebecca Kauffman’s tranquil Old Order Amish life is transformed when she suddenly has custody of her two teenage nieces after her "English" sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile accident. Instant motherhood, after years of unsuccessful attempts to conceive a child of her own, is both a joy and a heartache. Rebecca struggles to give the teenage girls the guidance they need as well as fulfill her duties to Daniel as an Amish wife.

Rebellious Jessica is resistant to Amish ways and constantly in trouble with the community. Younger sister Lindsay is caught in the middle, and the strain between Rebecca and Daniel mounts as Jessica’s rebellion escalates. Instead of the beautiful family life she dreamed of creating for her nieces, Rebecca feels as if her world is being torn apart by two different cultures, leaving her to question her place in the Amish community, her marriage, and her faith in God. 

My Review:   I chose to review this book and participate in this blog tour because this book is about the Amish.  This is a religion that I don't know alot about but have heard and seen on tv many things.  Even though the community in this story is fictional, many of the rules and traditions are factual.  I have always wondered about the Amish, their ways, etc, and this book was a great introduction for me.  I now know that I want to learn more.  I'm so glad that this book is the first in the series, Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, and I'm excited for the 2nd book!

I didn't know if I was going to like this book, because of the religious nature, but it wasn't heavy.  What I mean is, it didn't push religion on the reader, it merely tells the story of an Amish family.  It is a great story, by the way!  I finished this book in less than 24 hours, because I just couldn't put it down!  I cried in the beginning and I cried at the end.  Now that's the definition of a good book, at least I think so.  When a book makes me emotional, makes me feel something, it's a good one for me!

This is a story of grief, love, family, and how all of those things make us whole, make us who we are.  Lindsay and Jessica are uprooted from everything they know and sent to live with relatives they don't know, in a community that is worlds apart from the one they grew up in. Who can blame them for resenting their aunt and uncle, at least a little?  The girls are typical teens and typical siblings.  They argue, help each other, don't understand each other, and love each other.  Yet, they are so different from one another.  The way that Clipston portrays each of them is phenomenal!  She shows both sides of the teenage coin.  One is the girl who deals with her grief, adjusts to her new life, and decides to go on.  The other is the rebellious teen who blames God for her loss, hates her new life, and just wants to run away.  Each girl is strong in her own way, determined, and stubborn.

This isn't just the story of two sisters who learn to live with the loss of their parents, but of the couple who becomes their guardians, and has to learn to love again.  Rebecca and Daniel have been told they can't have children, and are delighted when they learn that they will be the girls' guardians.  However, the tension in the house with the girls there threatens their marriage.  Clipston shows how a couple in love can overcome strains on their marraige, no matter how bad. 

I really enjoyed this book and am so glad that I joined this blog tour.  I will anxiously await the second book and what's to come in this series.  You can read the beginning of the second book at the conclusion of this one.

You can find Amy at her website, blog, or on Facebook.







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