Bright Lights, Big ___(err...backside) by Jen Lancaster - Jen Lancaster is the writer I'd be if I had any writing talent whatsoever. Crass, sardonic, and downright catty, I'd love to have my own personal tete-a-tete with her. I mean, she SO could be me if I had been a sorority girl,liked pearls, or wasn't totally freaked out by pitbulls. We both adore Fox News. We both love to read Janet Evanovich. And if I hadn't sworn off cursing, I could SO see us sharing some awfully interesting discussions about certain liberals (aheemmm...Hillary Clinton....).

Her first book, Bitter is the New Black had me in tears. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the second memoir at Barnes and Noble. It was like manna from heaven. And this one did not disappoint, either. She's just as snide as ever, taking on everyone from her neighbors to the city aldermen. I'd have to say that the chapter about her love of Target had to be my favorite, closely followed by the chapter recounting her "love" of her personal trainer. Been there, doing that my friend!

Take the time to check this book out. I don't have it on my shelf at school, but it will forever be on the one at home!

Fade to Black by Alex Flinn - My second Eliot nominee this week was well worth the time. The nominees for this award usually confront current, edgy issues, and this was no exception. Flinn takes on several stereotypes and issues in this book, chief among them being teens living with HIV. Pair that with said teen being Hispanic, and you have the ingredients for an edgy book full of tense interactions between teens who are too young to fully grasp the meaning and gravity of both their words and actions.

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger - This was the first title I chose in my quest to read all the Eliot Rosewater nominees for this year before I actually have to sell them to my Senior English students at the start of second semester. This one would border on the controversial, so it seemed like the ideal place to start! Here's a link if you'd like to read more about this book. If you're open-minded, Hartinger has written a thought-provoking and compelling book that is worth your time (recommended for mature readers only!):

http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/Geography-Club.html

Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier and Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy - These were two memoirs I'd been wanting to read all summer and finally had the time to sit down and spend time with this week. Both men are wonderful examples of not only African-American men who've broken out of the typical stereotypes of their peers, but they are wonderful examples of intelligent men who've stuck by their convictions through adversity and have reaped the rewards for having done so.

Although similar in focus, these books were very different in scope. Poitier's writing was much more thought provoking on an intellectual level, while Dungy's book encouraged the reader to be more introspective from a spiritual standpoint. Both men recounted the experiences, both positive and negative, of their lives while asking the reader to go further and also examine their own lives and values at the same time.

I'd highly recommend either of these books to anyone who enjoys reading memoirs, biographies, or autobiographies. Sports fans and Christians alike will be inspired by Dungy's book, while anyone willing to take a good, hard look at society and all its ills and shortcomings will be thoroughly surprised by the wonderful books these two mean have created.

While in Europe over the summer, I had the chance to do a few geeky librarian things like visit the British Library (where all kinds of cool, original manuscripts like the Gutenburg Bible are kept), The Globe Theatre, Kings Cross Station (Platform 9 3/4 even!), and Shakespeare and Company. I'll post a few pictures over the next few weeks so all the literary types like me can enjoy!

FINALLY....I finished it. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It only took me four weeks and a lot of late nights, but I savored it along the way and, in the end, was incredibly happy with the last installment in J.K. Rowlings series of books that are all bound to be classics one day.

I won't divulge a lot of what happens in the book as I know many of you haven't read it yet. However, I will give away just a small bit that I was extremely pleased with. That is near the end of the book when Dumbledore's Army (along with all of the other "good guys") battle all of the Death Eaters (and all of the other "bad" guys). This, to me, brought the entire series to one final, common point and wrapped everything that had strung out along the way into a nice, neat package. The ending was more than I could have hoped for!