Author New to Me...Willa Cather

I have completed my second book in the Back to the Classics challenge.  This time I have chosen the author new to me category.  Originally, I had thought I would read Jules Verne.  I tried to read From the Earth to the Moon, but I just could not get into it.  So while walking through Barnes and Noble one morning with the kids, I came across their classics section and Willa Cather.  An author I had not heard of, let alone read.  I ended up choosing her novel O Pioneers! which was written in 1913.  Willa was born in Virginia, but moved to Nebraska with her family at the age of ten which gave her ample memories to pull from for her story.

The story follows our main character, Alexandra Bergson, from a young girl through her life in Nebraska.  The back cover sums the story up like this, "A gripping saga of love, murder, greed, failure, and triumph, O Pioneers! vividly portrays the hardships of prairie life.  Above all, it champions the belief that hard work is the surest road to personal fulfillment.".  It's a good summation. 

It is not a very long book, making it a quick read.  You get a very good sense of what it would have been like living on the prairie in the 1880's.   I really liked the character of Alexandra.  She's smart,real smart.  She loves the land, and refuses to give up or give in!  I mentioned at work to a friend that I was reading Willa Cather as my author new to me, and she highly recommended that I try, My Antonia, by Cather also.  I will have to add that to my never ending need to read list.  

Reading Bingo

Last Summer, I made summer reading bingo boards for my kids.  I have all these books lying around, and no one was reading them!  So to remedy the problem, I created this...

A Summer Reading Challenge!  The kids formed certain bingos and received predetermined prizes...Yes, I was bribing my children to read; but hey, it worked!  Well, it sort of worked.  Both kiddos completed two bingos on their boards (there are a total of four bingos per board), and then they stopped.  That is until my son pulled it back out around the holidays and asked if he could finish it.  I agreed, like I would tell him no, and he finished his challenge.  I was happy, he was happy, and it has lead to him wanting another challenge.  Smiles. All. Around.