Long Summer....Few Books :(

This summer was filled with lots of writing and lots of dog-sitting, but not enough reading for my tastes. However, just to keep you up-to-date, I will tell you a bit about the books I did get the time to read...

1. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - Our Rival Readers Book Club Summer Selection, this book seemed like a daunting endeavor when I began because it was 1,000 pages long! Even so, Follett introduces so many different characters up front in his novel that the reader wonders how in the world he is ever going to weave them together into one story. However, he does it and does it amazingly well. The story, set in 1200s England, tells the tale of many people, from the prior of Kingsbridge Priory who is struggling to build a cathedral, to the many knights, builders, and common people of the day. Follett provides the reader with a lens that transports them back in time and envelopes them in the medieval lifestyles that led to our current day architecture and culture.

*** I am now reading the follow-up to this story, World Without End. It's also very long, and a little intimidating, but so far the writing is just as masterful!

2. Don't Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes by Dixie Cash - Oye. Not my favorite book as I saw from chapter 3 exactly what was going to happen. I HATE that when it happens! I endured only because it is the first book for our new book club...Wonder Writers and Rebel Readers. I'm excited about our new adult book club, even if I wasn't so thrilled with the first book!

3. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster - IMHO, Jen Lancaster is the funniest person on the face of this planet. No Lie. This memoir, written as she struggles to lose weight...specifically for the book. Her accounts of attempting first Jenny Craig and then Weight Watchers is nothing short of bitingly brilliant. I was in stitches the entire time I was reading, at times because I could relate and at time because I was dumbfounded at her antics!

Diary of a Wimpy Kidby Jeff Kinney - Okay, so not something we'd hold in high esteem if we were judging LITERARY value, but, hey, the kids are reading it so I did, too.

I could not help but think of any one of a number of past students as well as my nephew Sam when I was reading this book. If one was to split open the head of a pre-pubescent boy, I bet something much like the contents of this book were what would come sloshing right out. Innocent and devious at the same time, the main character, Greg, lets the reader see the ins and outs of daily life as a not unpopular yet not cool middle school boy. The layout of the book is unique as well. Not quite graphic novel, the book looks like the reader is actually opening up an actual journal, complete with lots of handrawn pictures and comics throughout the text.

I can certainly see why this book has become a #1 New York Times Bestseller and why it sold like hotcakes at my recent book fair. I'd recommend this book to any middle school boy...or girl...or high school students looking for a light and fun read to fill the time.

Sweet Caroline by Rachel Hauck - Another light and inspirational book chosen especially by my Inspirational Fiction girls. The book, although eerily like many of the others they've chosen this year, ended quite unexpectedly for me.

The main character, Caroline, always seems to feel responsible for others, often sacrificing her own goals and happiness in order to help others or do what she perceives to be the "right" thing. This is what leads her to the Frogmore Cafe, whose owner's recent demise causes her to become the owner of the dilapidated cafe that has become a local icon. Turning down the opportunity to pursue her own dreams in Barcelona, Caroline stays to save the cafe and its loyal staff from disaster, while at the same time facing the return of her first love, country boy turned Nashville star Mitch. As Caroline and Mitch are reunited, she faces her insecurities about her past, love, and her faith in God. In the end, as the reader would suspect, Caroline again does the "right" thing, but the reader is pleasantly surprised with just what that "right" thing is.

I really enjoyed this book as it didn't really fit the cookie cutter form of many in this genre. The choices Caroline makes throughout the book are admirable and often self-sacrificing. However, the point the author makes with the ending is that there comes a time for everything....and everything happens according to God's time, not ours. How very, very true.

Bird By Bird by Ann Lamott - I've read this book, or at least parts of it, a long time ago. I even had my own copy. However, when I was given a new copy to read for an upcoming class, I figured I'd better re-read it. A practical guide to the craft of writing, Lamott, herself an acclaimed author, gives useful, witty, and often downright hilarious advice on everything from creating characters to getting published. She minces no words and doesn't try to sugarcoat anything. Writing is hard. It is lonely. It is an obsession. Often, it just sucks. However, everyone has a story and everyone has the ability to tell that story. Will everyone be published? No. Should everyone be published. HECK NO. But, that is not the point of writing. The point of writing is to tell the story that only you can tell. And that is worth more than anything being published could every hope to do for you.

The Penny by Joyce Meyer - I was very interested in reading this inspirational fiction title after hearing Sue talk about it. My book club girls decided to switch books with Shoals' girls to save some moola so I had the pleasure of actually, for once, reading a book I wanted to read for work!

The book is truly a gem. Not only does it have a compelling plot, but it is also well-written and offers the reader periodic nuggets of quotable wisdom...my favorite! The main character, Jenny, is a young girl in a tough spot. Living in the more economically depressed part of St. Louis in the 50's, her family situation leaves much to be desired. She has an abusive father and a mother who refuses to confront the abuse within her own family. When Jenny stops one day to pick up a penny...a simple penny, her life changes forever when she sees how much life can change in the blink of an eye. The simple act of stopping to pick up this penny brings Jenny a friend from the "wrong" side of the tracks and the opportunity to see what the "right" side of the tracks looks like when she is hired by an eccentric socialite to work in her jewlery store. Throughout the book Jenny learns that "People who are hurt are the people who hurt others," and that her life is indeed worth fighting for...and saving...one penny at a time.

I would recommend this book to anyone (my mom has already read it, even!). The message that God sees no one as inconsequential and is always acting in your life no matter what your circumstances is a valuable lesson for everyone.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf - Not the type of book I would pick up if I were choosing for myself, but since I was reading it for a book club, I was a lot more open-minded, and, honestly, I am glad I was.

Set in rural Colorado, the setting was foriegn to me. Farm life influences all of the characters, and the author does a great job of describing, in too much detail at points, the day-to-day things farm life brings. Written in successive chapters from different characters' points-of-view, we see how the surroundings affect everyone, from Victoria Roubideux, a pregnant 17 year-old girl turned out by her mother, to Ike and Bobby, two young boys also abandonded by their mom. Through the quirky yet sincere love of two old bachelor brothers, the McPheron brothers, Victoria finds a true home for the first time in her life, and Ike and Bobby find a stronghold in the face of uncertainty.

Written without quotation marks for dialogue, it was hard to get a grasp on the action of the story at the start. However, the language and descripton Haruf uses puts the reader at ease and makes a real connection between the reader and each and every character. It is very apparent, in retrospect, why this book was nominated for a National Book Award. Well worth your time...with an open mind!

Although I have not read it yet, I cannot wait to read Change of Heartby Jodi Picoult. By far the most popular author with my students, Picoult rocks the writing world right now. So, you can imagine my excitement when, for my birthday, I receive a package with a personally autographed copy of this new book from my best bud Jessa who lives in NYC! Now, if I can just find the time to read it!

Below is a picture of J at the book signing:

No Need for Speed by John "The Penguin" Bingham - Geesh...has it been a long time since I've read a running book or what? With all of my book club books this semester, I've had no time for reading for my personal enjoyment let alone for my addiction to running. This book, although filled with lots of tips for first time runners, was great for renewing my spirit and reminding me just what running SHOULD be about. Since I've started this marathon thing, I've lost a lot of my perspective on running...constantly training and losing the sheer enjoyment I used to have when I laced up my shoes and headed out to run. Bingham reminded me that my goals should be realistic, that frustration leads to improvement, and that failure is often an illusion that results from unreal expectations. With the Indy Half-Marathon sneaking up on me and the Chicago Marathon looming in the fall, these bits of information in this book will go with me on the road...literally!

Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz - Sometimes, you pick up a book and feel as if the author did his or her research by spying on your life. It is just like reading a chapter from your life with each turn of the page. This book was just that experience for me. Chosen by my Inspirational Fiction book club, I wasn't sure I'd get into it as scrapbooking is one of the major themes that runs throughout the book. Anyone who has met me knows I am in no way crafty, and each "scrapbooking" experience I've had has been nearly disasterous.

However, as I read and the plot unfolded, I began to feel the eerie feeling of connecting with a book so completely that it was frightening. The main character, the same age as me, returns to her hometown to find her high school beau has also returned from the military and started a business. As their new relationship unfolds, they find out that although they are nothing like the teenagers they once had been, they still are the loves of one anothers' lives. Pair that story line with an untraditional family (parents with four adopted daughters from tough backgrounds....and different ethnicities), and you're awfully close to what my life looks like at this moment.

I'd recommend this book to those who enjoy Karen Kingsbury or any type of inspirational fiction in general. The author does not brow beat you with the faith and religion aspect of the book, but weaves in the importance of faith and family well along the way.

Chance Murphy and the Battle of Morganville by Josh McClary - Although cussing like a sailor and an opening scene in church do not necessarily seem to go together, McClary makes it work and, in the process, provides the reader with some gut-busting laughter to get his novel off to a rip-roaring start.

Chance Murphy has some issues...okay, lots of them...but it's his idiosyncracies and, mostly his down-right crazy hate for all things German (err...Hunn) that make him lovable to me. Growing up in small-town Indiana made this book real for me, and Chance's obession with Bob Knight and Indiana basketball made this book a hands-down winner for me.

Honestly, reading this book made me feel like the author took any one of many of the boys I've taught over the years, cracked his head open, and laid out all his thoughts, uncensored and as real as they get. From Chance's description of his father's girlfriend ("trash") to his detest for his best-friend's girlfriend, it just feels real and unscripted.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier - Although I'd seen the movie quite a while ago I needed to read this book as my English Academic team is reading it for our upcoming competition. And, much to my surprise, the movie doesn't even hold a candle to the book. I enjoyed the movie so I knew I'd enjoy the book. However, the writing and the language in this book is so outstanding that, with each turn of a page, I feared getting to the end. Frazier paints picture after picture of nature, each clearer and more precise than the one before. He addresses so many issues, from Civil War to friendship...lost love to respect for nature.

If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend doing so. The literary value alone is well worth the experience!

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard - This book is one that once you start reading, you just won't be able to put down! It took me a mere two days to fly through it, unprecedented for the usually slow reader. A very well-written and suspensful mystery, Pickard creates compelling and believable characters that her reader can't help but come to love. Her small-town setting, where everyone knows everyone, lends itself to the intimacy and closeness of all the characters. Each action of each character results in profound consequences for the others.

Set in Kansas, this is the story of many people. Rex, Abby, Mitch, and "The Virgin". Upon the discovery of the naked girl, dead, in a snowstorm one dark night, the town of Small Plains is changed forever. No one knows who she is, but the town embraces that and gives her a proper burial. Eventually she comes to be revered as a miracle worker who heals those who petition her. Many years later, old wounds are opened, questions begin to be asked, and the identity of the girl is revealed at a high price to many....especially those you would never have suspected.

Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer - This book affected me more than any book I have read in as long as I can remember. With highlighter in hand, I found myself marking passage after passage, from quotes by Thoreau to incredibly poingant lines of text from the author. Although I've lived a relatively unadventurous life, I've WANTED to live out many adventures and still have hopes of doing so. This book made me really think about what it takes to actually throw caution to the wind, to disdain the opinion of friends and loved ones, and strike out on a "great" adventure of one's own.

This book is an eloquent and engrossing narrative about the perils Chris McCandless, a stubborn and idealistic young man who takes nature head on and loses. Not just a book about McCandless, the author documents other fool-hardy men who have done the same and attempts to draw both parallels and differences between them. Truly a gripping account of misplaced genius and idealistic misfortune that will put your life, the good and the bad, into perspective.

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney - The first book that my Young Hoosier Book Club chose was a fun, witty, and adventurous one. Set in post-9/11 New York City, I enjoyed reading about places I've been...Columbus Circle, the Upper West Side, Riverside Drive, the Hudson River. I was envisioning the setting without having to make up anything as I went along!

Mitty, the main character, is an unambitious high school student who goes to a yuppy private school. He's very priviledged and wants for nothing. When he's assigned a research project on infectious diseaes, his life is turned upsidedown when he actually chooses to do it. He chooses to research vitriola minor, or smallpox, and at once his life is thrown into a spiral when he risks infection and, ultimately, worse danger than he had ever imagined.

This was my first Caroline Cooney book, and I can see why she is so popular with young adults. Her book left me wanting to read more!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - This year's Caldecott Award winner, this is, hands down, one of the most enjoyable books I have read in my life. Not just a book, more than just a story, Selznick uses words and pictures to tell a fantasic story set in turn-of-the-century Paris. The black and white pages with sketches that not only illustrate the story but ADVANCE it, are artfully drawn and are interspersed at just the right time.

The story is of a boy, Hugo, who is an orphaned clock keeper inside a Paris train station. His quest to find not a way to fix an automoton that his father had once attempted to fix leads him to a filmmaker, his god-daughter, and, eventually, a home.

READ IT. Sure, it looks like a kid's book and it is. However, no adult should miss out on the experience this book creates.

Frustration beyond all frustration is what greeted me as I picked up my much anticipated copy of The Ultimate Life, the sequel to Jim Stovall's wonderfully inspiring book The Ultimate Gift. Both the book and the movie that followed were some of my favorites during 2007. I spent several months looking forward to finding out how Jason Stevens planned to manage his great uncle Red's fortune. However, upon settling down and cracking open my copy of The Ulimate Life it took only two pages....yes, just TWO PAGES, for me to slam the book closed in disgust.

Here's the rub: In The Ultimate Gift Stovall set the entire story for us. Red is Jason's great uncle. I understand fully that movies often change content, say by changing the relationships between certain characters. Okay. Fine. I am smart enough to know that. On the other hand, it is totally unacceptable, ever, for an AUTHOR to change the relationship between his OWN CHARACTERS in a sequel! In The Ultimate Life, Jason somehow becomes Red's GRANDSON, not NEPHEW, just like in the movie! I was aghast. Stricken. Speechless, even. One of my book club students came in shortly after I had discovered this fact and, together, we lamented the state of affairs in writing today. Okay, a little dramatic, but true.

Final recommendation: Readers Beware! Read it if you want, but be prepared to lose some of my respect in the doing :)

Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron- Technically a YA book, this offering by Peter Cameron would be of interest to any adult reader. Sarcastic and sardonic, the protagonist struggles with nearly every aspect of his apporaching adulthood, from the expectations that he go to college to his sexuality. A loner, James Sveck, the Manhattan-bred 18-year old soon-to-be college freshman, can't seem to connect with anyone, least of all his therapist.

Throughout the book there is great commentary and insight into modern-day urban life, something many of my students will struggle to identify with, but with which I was enthralled. Cameron will make a large portion of his audience, especially those who look for relief in books, feel excitingly understood. Maybe his book will help many of them find an itch to write.

Restless by Rich Wallace - One of this year's Eliot Rosewater books, it's a wonderfully written YA ghost story. Not scary ghost story, mind you, but believable ghost story. It reminds me quite a bit of Acceleration which was on last year's Rosie list. The author has the language and euphemisms of today's teenagers nailed down. One of the main characters, Herbie, is a tough nosed athlete trying to play football and run cross-country at the same time. This book would appeal to those fringe readers who sometimes find it hard to find a book that they'd enjoy reading...think guys...think guys who don't like to read.

One Mississippi by Mark Childress - Another Rival Reader selection that makes my recommendation list! I laughed out loud most of the way through this book, but was also rendered speechless by a few of the events along the way. I didn't grow up in the 70s, but could identify with many of the cultural references and descriptions along the way. Since the story starts out in Indiana, it hooked me from the start. When the setting shifted to Mississippi, it had me with the hilarity of it all, from the moving incident to the Frillingers and Prom Night.

The relationship between the two main characters is very compelling, and the author gives away just enough along the way to clue the reader in to the fact that whatever happens in the end is going to be big. He certainly does NOT dissappoint, either. You might be able to see the end coming, but how it unfolds will leave you with more questions than answers!

A Three Dog Life: A Memoir by Abigail Thomas - Thank God...back to good writing, and in a memoir at that! I'd admit, the name of this book is what hooked me (a friend of mine has three dogs, thus the connection). Sometimes I choose books like that. Sometimes I am greatly dissappointed, sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. This book provided the later of the two.

This is the memoir of Abigail Thomas, more specifically her memories centered around the traumatic brain injury of her husband, Rich Rogin. One night, Rich took their newly acquired dog out for a walk on the Upper Westside of Manhattan and was hit by a car when the dog darted into traffic. The dog came home, but Rich didn't. Abaigail writes skillfully about the pain, confusion, and acceptance she experiences throughout the years following the accident when Rich lost his memory and became a totally different man. Unable to care for him at home, she writes about her visits with him in the hospital where he lives and their weekly visits when she takes him home. Although traumatically injured, many of his words seemed prophetic, as if he were seeing the world from a different plane.

Thomas is an artful writer who is able to write lucidly about a completely heartwrenching part of her life.

Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts - A Rival Readers Book Club selection, I was a bit dissappointed with this book. Written in the same style of her first book, Where the Heart Is, there are several very unique characters who she does a wonderful job of making the reader love and hate. With names like O Boy Daniels, Nicky Jack Harjo, Teeve, and Rowena Whitekiller, the reader can't help but get wrapped up in their individual stories.

Set in Oklahoma, we get a good idea of what this town and its residents are like from the beginning. Letts tells us a TON of important information about the characters in the first chapter...which was a bit overwhelming. From there the story unwinds. There's a murder and a lost child who is presumed dead but returns 25 years later looking for his real mother. When Nicky Jack Harjo, now Mark Albright, returns and finds that his mother was killed and he was stolen and then adopted, he sets his sights on uncovering the truth surrounding that day. Along the way he falls in love, barely misses being shot, and sets a small Oklahoma town topsy turvy before finally getting the answers everyone had been needing for so long.

The plot was suspenseful with enough mystery to hook the reader, but Letts' writing style was very plain and simple. Although I'm a sucker for a good story, I prefer good writing...and there she failed terribly.

I haven't had the chance to read much over the past few weeks with finishing my marathon training and traveling a bit more. I have read plenty of running magazines, though no one will be much interested in those. I should have a reading update very soon though as I'm reading our first book club book of the year and it looks to be awfully interesting! Check back for updates soon!

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!

The end of summer is upon us, and I haven't written once about what I've read! I guess part of that is because I haven't read a whole lot, and what I did read was while I was on vacation. It's time I take a few mintues to catch you up with my reading world!

While on vacation I read the following books:

• Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Miakelson. This book had been on my list of YA books to read for quite some time, but I decided to use it as our summer school text and needed to get with it. It's a really, really good YA book, especially for the more troubled of the lot. The main character, Cole Matthews, has been through the legal system and finally pulls his last straw...severely beating a fellow classmated. His last chance at avoiding jail is to take part in a new program derived from the Native American form of healing called Circle Justice. Cole decided to take part and is banished to a remote Alaskan island where he confonts not only his own ghosts, but a mythical bear called the Spirit Bear.
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Honestly, I only selected this title because it was on Oprah's Book Club list (I know...pretty lame!). Usually I am happy with the books she chooses, but not this time. I respect McCarthy as a writer, so I was a bit surprised that I didn't take to this book at all. There were a few good lines ("Each was the other's world entire" -- good writing!) but the tone of the book was just way too dark for me...especially for a vacation read. Father and son survive a nuclear winter and attempt to make their way in a world that is totally foreign to them, attempting to allude other survivors who mean them harm. The ending didn't dissappoint; it was just as dark as the entire tome!
• A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kahled Hosseni. Again, I was anxiously awaiting this book by the author of The Kite Runner. His first book was an Eliot Rosewater nominee and an all-out excellent book. This one lived up to my anticipation, and was, I think, possibly even better than the first book! This is the story of two Afghan women who are both wives of one Afghan man. Their hate for one another turns into friendship and their seemingly diverse and hurtful pasts are woven into one life that, like those of most Afghan women, takes a tragic turn that tests the bonds of their friendship and love.
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. We selected this as our next book club title and I'm really excited for our group to discuss it next week. It's a memoir, and not just any memoir...it's funny. Gotta love that! Alas, most of the humor throughout comes from the insane (literally) antics of the author's parents who, honestly, are just not mentally stable enough to be raising one kid let alone four. From putting the kids in the back of a U-Haul while moving to "checking out" of the hospital by jumping into an ideling car, their parenting skills leave much to be desired. In the end, her parents wind up homeless (but happy), living their eccentric lives with the same passion and flair as always.

It's the end of the school year....and I haven't read a book in what seems like ages! I guess it's only been a few weeks, but when you're a reader who can't find the time, a few weeks seem like forever!

Regardless, today is the LAST day of school, so that means my reading time will increase by leaps and bounds. My reading plan for the summer: read at least half of the nominees for the Eliot Rosewater Book Award for next year. That means 12 books. I think I can do that. Currently I am about halfway through Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. This is our next Rival Readers book club selection. I'm enjoying it even though the tales of some of the more seedy parts of the circus sideshows are enough to make a girl like me blush! I'll be back soon with a full review of this book...and, hopefully, at least one more!

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult - Another title (that's all I seem to have the time to read these days) for the Rival Readers Book Club, and yet another outstanding book by Picoult. I was more than a bit apprehensive at our group choosing this particular title. Picoult is a great writer, and I suggest her works to students all the time. However, this club is about reading things outside the traditional "school" box, so when they chose it, we had to acquiesce.

Picoult always seems to be able to take a current, edgy issue and weave it into a wonderfully compelling story that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. This time the reading experience was no different. This book's issue: a child abused by a priest...but, as always, it's not nearly that simple when Picoult starts to examine it. Nathaniel's mother is a District Attorney and knows that the legal system will not do her son justice. He will have to testify and will undergo further trauma, possibly even worse than the abuse he's faced already. The strong woman she is vows not to make him undergo the process, so she takes fate into her own hands and murders the priest in cold blood...in open court...in front of the entire world. As characters enter the story, Picoult creates a cast of characters that are both incredibly real and vulnerable at the same time. The twists and turns of the book keep the reader guessing and, even at the end, you're not entirely certain that you know yourself.

I've recommended this title to several students and teachers alike after reading it myself. Now, I can't wait to get my hands on Ninteen Minutes, Picoult's newest title featuring a character from Perfect Match.

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson - One of the classic tomes of western individualism, this essay struck several chords with me while I was reading. Those of you who know me know that I am a "quote girl", so I'm just going to share a few from Emerson's essay that might inspire you, too:

• Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.
• Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.
• Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.
• What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.
• Insist on yourself; never imitate.
• The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet.
• Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.
• Nothing at last is sacred but the integrity of your own mind.

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne - This book has been on the NYT best seller list as well as the most popular lists at Barnes and Noble and Borders. It's been on my shelf for a while as I just didn't know about whether or not it was worth the time. On that note, I decided to pick it up and see for myself what all the hype is about.

Here's the thing...I think this book has A LOT of good ideas about "The Secret", which is essentially that in order to have what you want in life you must attract it to you through your thoughts and feelings. I was able to glean plenty of good thoughts from the text. Here are a few examples of things I took to heart during my reading:

• "It is impossible to bring more into your life if you are feeling ungrateful about what you have."
• "The good news is that the moment you decide that what you know is more important than what you have been taught to believe, you will have shifted gears in your quest for abundance. Success comes from within, not from without." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
• When you do not treat yourself the way you want others to treat you, you can never change the way things are.
• "What you resist persists." ~Carl Jung

That said, I still have some issues with this popular book. The first and biggest is that The Universe is credited for being the supreme guiding force in what does or does not come back to you in life. As I was reading, I started inserting God. I believe in divine intervention so it was hard for me to not take the omission of God to heart. As an example:

• "You are God in a physical body." (uh, no...I am not)
• "All power is from within and therefore under our control (again, not in my world)

Generally, this book did have some valuable things to offer, but only if you're able to take the good and leave the bad. I wouldn't recommend it to a student who isn't able to do that.

A few quotes from books I've recently read to help fill all that empty space between books....

"Literature is no one's private ground, literature is common ground; let us trespass freely and fearlessly." - Virginia Woolf

"A true friend will stab you in the front." - Oscar Wilde

"Cruelty is only the passing on of a wound from one person to another." - The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole

"A journey may be long or short, but it must start at the very spot one finds oneself."

"It is a wealthy person indeed who calculates riches not in gold but in friends."

Sole Sisters: Stories of Women and Running by Jennifer Lin and Susan Warner - An inspirational book that focuses on the bonds created when women run together, for health, for competition, or just for friendship. This collection of stories can make you both laugh and cry, but any woman who has ever run with a group can identify with the emotional connections examined in this book. From a woman who lost her husband in 9/11 running her first marathon in his honor to a group of new moms in town looking for friends, the power of being accountable to a group and of the emotional bonds that are formed through running are evident.

Any woman who runs will be able to relate to various stories in this book. I've often wondered why it's so much easier to run with my friends than it is to run alone....why it just hurts less. I don't think this book answers any of the physiological reasons for that, but the phsycological reasons are quite apparent...I am a woman. Enough explaination.

>u>I Run, Therefore I Am -- NUTS! by Bob Schwartz - If I'd have my choice, I'd always choose a funny book first. This book fits the bill because I laughed my way through it, but didn't learn a thing. It was just FUN....and we all need more of that, especially when we're taxing our bodies way past the point of any sensibilty.

One portion of the book that did hit home with me was when the author humorously talked about looking to your gene pool and facing (and accepting )the facts:

"My pragmatic philosophy is, inspiration is good. However, perspiration will take you only so far - if you want to be a speed demon...you'd best be selective in choosing your parents. The gene pool my legs were wading in wasn't exactly full of the fastest currents in the water. My parents were like Tommie Turtle and Sally Snail."

The Non-Runner's Marathon Guide for Women by Dawn Dais - There isn't a lot of humor to be found in running (or as far as I'm concerned), but this author was able to not only find the humor, but was able to give it life and make the reader laugh out loud with the turn of every page.

I mean, seriously...if had any sort of writing talent whatsoever, this is exactly the type of book I'd write. Both helpful and hilarious, I could hear myself talking while I was reading. It was as if everything she was writing was something I had either said myself or, at least, had contemplated but thought better of actually putting into words. She is my hero for having the courage to write about how fat her butt looks in spandex....but what's more...that she no longer cares because, after all, it's all about comfort! I almost DIED laughing when she wrote: "Yeah, they were running the last mile TO the race to warm up. Why not just poke your eye out with a stick, it would make about as much sense." I think I have actually uttered those words before...maybe even recently!


If you're a runner, or not, and just want a good laugh with some insightful information to boot, I highly recommend picking up this book. It is well worth the time and the side stitches you'll get from laughing your way through it!

The Complete Book of Running for Women by Claire Kowalchick - I know, I know....enough with the running already. But, when so much of your time revolves around something, it's natural to read more about it. However, you'd think that I'd become a better runner with all the reading I'm doing about it. Then again, you'd be wrong. I think I very well could be the best-read, bad runner there is!


The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall - An uplifting, quick read that happens to be the second book our Rival Readers Book Club selected to read. As it happens, it came out as a movie with James Garner and Brian Denehey just this past Friday, and I hadn't even a clue it was a book until early last week. Bad librarian...

Anyhow, the book tells the story of Jason and his great-uncle Red. The book opens with Red's family awaiting the details of his will. Red was a wealthy Texas oil and cattle man and had, through his hard work, become a billionaire and had provided well for his extended family, taking care of their every need during his life. In the end, Red saw the error of his ways as his family became spoiled and lazy. Through his will he vowed to remedy some of those mistakes by taking Jason under his post-mortem wing and molding him into the person he should be. This happened through a series of lessons, or quests, that Jason undertook. At the end, if he succeeded, he'd get his "ulimate gift". Along the way, Jason learns many of the valuable lessons that living a life of leisure had robbed him of: The lesson of hard work; the lesson of friendship; the lesson of gratitude. Twelve lessons in all help Jason win his "ultimate gift" and, in the end, become the man he was always meant to be.

Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland -"I'm the one Scrabble tile with no letter". Have you ever felt that way? Like you're the only one no one really notices? As if you could simply dissappear without a trace and no one would sit up and take notice? Liz Dunn is a 42-year-old, over-weight spinster, and desperately lonely. Her narrative tone, however, is lively and engaging, as she tramps back and forth in time to tell her dramatic and eventful story.

While recovering from dental surgery in her utilitarian Vancouver condominium, Liz receives a call from the local hospital. A young man, resuscitated after a near-fatal overdose, has her name on a bracelet on his wrist. It is her son Jeremy, who she gave away for adoption at the age of 16. If this weren't enough of a life-changing encounter, it happens that Jeremy is dying of multiple sclerosis, and has a short time to live.

Liz's sudden, belated, experience of being a mother in this extreme situation is all the more moving for being lightly handled. Jeremy is a charming and lively character, and his demise is described without much ado, and even has the unusual comic touch.
Throughout the book one feels a certain glibness to Coupland's treatment of his tragic material, but this is compensated for with the heartfelt material and the lightness with which the heavy stuff is handled.

Although this book was well-written, I did have a hard time following some of the dialogue, especially between Liz and Jeremy, and in the end, between Liz and Klaus. However, I would recommend this book simply for the language. Coupland writes well!

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - The best-selling author Erik Larson writes books that weave together multiple plots based on actual events. His best-known book is The Devil in The White City, about the architect who built Chicago's World's Fair and the serial killer who preyed on women drawn to that city. I was enthralled with this particular book and simply could not wait for his next book to come out. Narrative nonfiction is really my most favorite genre, and Larson has a narrative style that captivates the reader.

In his new book, Thunderstruck, Larson examines the North London Cellar Murder, writing about a notorious crime that happened in the city early in the 20th century. Essentially, like his previous book, it's a tale of two men, this time Harvey Hawley Crippen, a seemingly mild-mannered doctor who murdered his wife to run away with his mistress, and Guglielmo Marconi, the inventor who created the wireless telegraph -- the device that helped capture Crippen as he fled over the Atlantic with his lover. The progression the book takes, from the initial seed of the idea of the telegraph, to the eventual use of the technology to capture two fugitives, is really quite captivating. Throw in the drama and suspense of the murder and the chase, and this book is, at once, both informative and memorable. Unlike many nonfiction and history writers, Larson is able to keep the reader yearning for the next chapter!

Better Single Than Sorry by Jen Schefft - The author was on both The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and twice turned down men she'd "won" on those shows. Sounds like an authority on the subject to ME, so I thought I'd read what advice she could offer someone who's perilously close to 30 and still single (do not read desperate) herself.

Most of the author's profferings were simple common sense, or maybe they were common sense to me after spending the last decade of my life meeting Mr. Wrong after Mr. Wrong. One perspective that she addressed and that I'd recently adopted of my own volition, was that the men you meet along the path to finding Mr. Right all have something to offer, and, thus, you shouldn't see them as failed relationships. I certainly agree with her. She also asserts that you shouldn't go out with a guy if you simply don't feel into it, even if you have people telling you, "Hey, if it's only a free meal, and a night out, it's worth the trouble!" I can buy my own meal, thankyouverymuch...and I'd rather spend my evening at home alone, reading, or meeting up with my friends, than discussing politics with a liberal (EGAD!) or, even worse, a Purdue fan!

All in all, a quick, fun read to clarify why I'm happy being single and why, ten years from now, on the cliff of turning 40, I'll still be happy as long as I haven't settled :)

The Greatest Man in Cedar Hole by Stephanie Doyon - Sue and I started a new book club with our students this month, and as a group they selected this book as our first book. It's actually funny how I even noticed this book. One of my students selected it on our last book-buying trip to Barnes and Noble, and, feeling pressed to find suitable books from which to choose, pulled this one off the shelf. Not the Marian the Librarian way to do it, but hey....it worked because this book was a wonderful, wonderful read!

I won't divulge much more at the moment as our book club is yet to discuss the book and I'd HATE to give anything away. Rest assured, though, that this book is well-written and witty, with characters which will both inspire you and make you laugh all in the same page!

Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon - Back to the running books! I PROMISE the next book I read won't have a THING to do with running. You can only read so much about one of the most elementary activities known to man, right?

Actually, there's a lot more to running than one might think, and this book was quite helpful in spelling out the preparation required to truly prepare one's body and mind for the rigor of a marathon. Before I became a "runner" I didn't know how much time and training actually goes into preparing to run 26.2 miles (and 325 yards!). After my first official race this weekend, I am not certain that I could ever achieve THAT distance, but if I do decide to shun my social life and start to train for a full marathon, at least now I'll know what I'm getting myself into!

101 Things NOT to Do Before You Die by Robert W. Harris - Based on the idea that there are too many books telling everyone what to do, this witty, subversive guide tells readers that for actualized, satisfying lives, they don't need to do more, and that fulfillment can be found in "selective inaction." Witty and insightful, most of these 101 items are actually really smart ideas. Over and over the author pleads with the reader, "Don't do it!" From running with the bulls in Pamplona (#5) to never buying fake wood furniture (#35), you'll gain insight into those endeavors in life that really AREN'T worth either your time or effort. Sensiblity always prevails, including #76, Don't use a paper clip to do a binder clip's job, and #88, Don't embrace the $1 coins (because we really shouldn't reward the government for doing pointless things with our hard-earned money).

If you're looking for a humorous, light, and quick read, this one will do your soul good, if only because it validates your own common sense!

Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords for Success by Mike Krzyzewski - Anyone who has a clue about anything involving basketball today knows who Mike Krzyzewski is. For many years, Duke's teams have found themselves at the top of the college basketball ranks, and they owe much of that success to the wisdom, discipline, and dedication of their coach. Coach Krzyzewski knows that one sentence, beyond any other, can inspire in his players the determination to succeed: "I believe in you." In life--whether it be academics, athleticism, or anything else--knowing that someone believes in you can make the difference between losing and winning. Coach K. knows that, and so do his players.

BEYOND BASKETBALL is broken down into numerous short "chapters," focusing on the words that most directly affect success and at any endeavor. From Adaptablity to Work, the words in between will leave the read with wonderful examples, both from basketball and beyond, about what it takes to be a truly successful individual. Whether you're a follower of college basketball or not, BEYOND BASKETBALL is a fitting book that deals with working hard, playing hard, and dedicating yourself to whatever goals you set for yourself.

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen - "Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion...I did not read from a sense of superiority, or advancement, or even learning. I read because I loved it more than any other activity on earth."

In this much too short book by one of today's more recognizable authors, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Anna Quindlen writes nostalgically about her life-long obsession with books. From a childhood spent with Nancy Drew and Heidi--when reading could often be more pleasurable than anything else--to her recommended reading lists, including a list of which 10 books she would save from a fire, Quindlen eloquently defends the practice of compulsive reading, whether of the great classics or the popular literature of the day. Throughout the book she makes clear that her profession as a writer, as well as her liberal inclinations, came directly from her love of books. Her stirring appreciation is a persuasive document that should warm the hearts of readers everywhere, and re-assures the reader that reading simply for the sake of reading itself is indeed a worthy endeavor.

During this time of year, reading is something that I get little time to do. Over the past few weeks I've been a reading bum, reading only magazines and 10 or 15 pages of books without committing to them. I did read a book about women's running, but I doubt anyone besides me (and Sue) cares to hear about it so I won't write a review here. I am determined to read a few of the new YA titles my students selected on our Barnes and Noble trip before Christmas. The more appealing ones are checked out (as they should be!), so I might just have to stick to my mindless magazines for a while longer!

For One More Day by Mitch Albom - By the author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays With Morrie I kept seeing this book being promoted at Starbucks (where, I must admit, I spend much more time than anyone should...Venti Skim Chai, No Foam, Please!). I decided to finally pick up a copy and see what all the buzz is about for myself. What transpired was a wonderful, soul-touching story of a mother's love and a son's acceptance...after just one more day.

Chick Benetto lived his life trying to please his absent father, often at the expense of his ever-present mother. Chick chased his father's dream of a career in baseball, shunning his mother's dream of a college education. After a series of downfalls, including losing his job, his wife, and his daughter, Chick attempts suicide and instead is given a chance most of us would do anything to have...he is given a chance to make things right and turn his life around by spending one more day with his mother who died eight years prior. Albom writes simply and directly with phrases that often zing right to the heart. The lessons Chick learns are ones we all need to heed. Several sections are entitled "Times I Didn't Stand Up for My Mother," and "Times My Mother Stood Up For Me." For One More Day is truly a love letter to mothers. Whether you've lost your mother or you're lucky enough to still have yours in your life, this book will strike a cord in your heart and make you think...possibly even more than you'd like.

I HAVE to include the following review since it was written by the author of my most favorite book ever...

"If you had the chance, just one chance, to go back and fix what you did wrong in life, would you take it? And if you did, would you be big enough to stand it? Mitch Albom, in this new book, once again demonstrates why he is one of my favorite writers: a fearless explorer of the wishful and magical, he is also a devout believer in the power of love. For One More Day will make you smile. It will make you wistful. It will make you blink back tears of nostalgia. But most of all, it will make you believe in the eternal power of a mother's love." --James McBride, author of The Color of Water

Marathoning for Mortals: A Regular Person's Guide to the Joy of Running or Walking the Half-Marathon or Marathon by John "The Penguin Bingham and Jenny Hadfield - Considering that I've completely lost all my marbles and have signed up to run in the Indy Half-Marathon in May, I figured I'd better do what I do best...read a book to prepare! Although I'm not a "runner", I want to be, and this was the perfect book for people like me, or, in the words of the authors, running mortals.

The authors offered tons of practical (read here doable!) strategies for preparing for and finishing either a half-marathon or a full-marathon. They covered the entire spectrum of things you may encounter from the decision to start training to crossing the finish line. The best quote from the entire book, the one that has inspired me the most, is: "The miracle is not that you finished, but that you had the courage to start." I need to write THAT on my running shoes!

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson - Two of my best friends told me I had to read this book...that it was one of the best either of them had read. I had my reservations as I try to steer clear of the popular authors when it comes to my own reading pleasure. However, I took the advice. I mean, if you can't trust your best friends, who the heck can you trust? And, of course, they did not lead me astray. This was a quick and compelling read that not only had a wonderfully crafted plot, but also created a place in my heart for the characters: Suzanne, Nicholas, Matt, and Katie. This is their story...

Katie Wilkinson is an attractive, successful editor for a well-known publishing house in New York City. As the book begins, Katie is beside herself with grief. Matt Harrison, the man of her dreams, the man she is totally in love with, has just dumped her, as in dumpster dumped, without warning or excuse. This is disasterous for Katie, but the biggest question she ponders is, of course, why. She knew he had been married, but he had sworn to her that he wasn't married any more. Had he lied about that? What had happened? Then, the day after their breakup, she receives a package from Matt in the mail. Inside is a diary --- Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas. Who is Suzanne? Who is Nicholas? She soon finds the answer to those questions and much, much more. Although the tome is at times painful to read, she is compelled to continue reading so she can find out the entire story. For a while she is jealous of Suzanne. However, as the diary unfolds before her eyes, she comes to care deeply for Suzanne and Nicholas. What Katie ultimately discovers at the diary's end will not only change her perspective of Matt, but will open her heart to life and all it has to offer.

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray - The sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, I'd have to say that this book left me quite disappointed. A Great and Terrible Beauty was such a good book, mixing a historical setting with relevant elements of fantasy. However, in Rebel Angels Bray takes the fantasy too far and totally loses the reader. The reader is confused as to place and time as Gemma, Felicity, and Ann jump back and forth from Spence, to London, to The Realms, without any real flow to the story. I will say that the most interesting part of the book was the girls' struggle against fitting into the mold of most Victorian era girls. They struggle to find their own way and not forsake themselves for the expectations of others. That, probably, was the most redeeming quality of this book. However, for the first time on my book blog, I'd have to say...don't read it. Stop after A Great and Terrible Beauty and let the characters simmer in your mind and leave their imprint on your soul. No further story necessary...

Another YA Title....that every adult should read!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - This powerful work of historical fiction about the Holocaust stands out in part because of the unusual perspective: It's told through the eyes of the 9-year-old son of the Commandant at Auschwitz, a boy who has no clue as to what is going on around him. This perspective allows readers to feel a strong sense of foreboding, long before they know the extent of the terror surrounding Bruno's world. Readers will be struck by the contrast between Bruno's normalcy and naivety, and the extreme horrors of the time.

Most readers who know any of the history of WWII, especially of the Holocaust, will catch on to the nightmare of Bruno's plight fairly early on. They'll figure out that the "Fury" refers to the Fuhrer, and what having Hitler to dinner would mean about Bruno's father. They'll also know that the high fence, desolate grounds, smokestacks, and dirty, unhealthy people in striped pajamas that Bruno sees from his window mean that his new room overlooks a concentration camp. Of course, even clued-in readers may not realize that "Out-With" is Bruno's mispronunciation of Auschwitz...until his sister Gretel points it out quite clearly toward the end.

Readers will quickly relate to the 9 year old, who is uprooted from his home and moved somewhere "nasty and cold" where he has no friends. He is lonely, his sister bugs him, and adults treat him as if he's not there. He wants to study art and read fantasy books rather than history and geography. He wants to get outside and explore. Eventutually Bruno befriends a boy on the other side of the fence and meets him for talks every day. He laments that he can't visit his side. It is quite clear that Bruno has no idea of the implications or even the circumstances of just what is going on around him.

Younger readers may not get all of the historical significance of this story, and teens may wonder how anyone could be so clueless about what's going on around them as Bruno appears to be. Even so, readers of any age will be moved by the young boy's story, and the unlikely friendship he forms with a boy he meets at Out-With. Even more so, readers will be stricken by the way the friendship comes to an end and will be left with much to ponder at the conclusion of Bruno's story.

*** I would recommend this book to any student in a heartbeat and feel that it is a "must-read" for adults as well. I was amazed at the language and the perspective the author uses throghout to bring Bruno and Shmuel to life. Although the book is written from a nine-year old's perspective, the impact this book will have on its reader is more than just child's play!

Acceleration by Graham McNamee - This book is the winner of the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Young Adult Mystery writing, as well as an Eliot Rosewater Nominee. Rather good billing for any book!

Acceleration is defined as the escalation of increasingly destructive aberrant behavior, or, more pointedly, the stuff of which serial killers are made. Seventeen-year-old Duncan comes faces to face with this "new" term while wasting away his summer by working in the lost and found of the Toronto subway system. That is when he finds it...the diary...made up of the plots and plans of a truly demented man. The Roach, as Duncan dubbs him, plans to "accelerate" his killing ways... graduating from eviscerating animals and setting fires to tracking human prey. When the police refuse to take it seriously, Duncan enlists the aid of his best friends Vinny and Wayne to help him find The Roach on his own...with deadly results.

All in all, a rather good read from the teenage perspective. The plot is rather compelling and all-too real at points. The characters are very real and most teens will be able to relate well to their witty, often crass, language and attitudes about life. My only issue with this book is that it could have been much more developed. The climax comes out of nowhere, really, and the conclusion comes much too soon. McNamee could have done a lot more with this book, but I'll agree that what he did do was done quite well.

Finally, back to the books!


A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray - After hanging out at Sue's Java House a few weeks ago and talking with several of her avid readers, I decided I really needed to read this book! Plus, Sue was reading it, too, and I never want to miss a chance to actually get to talk about a book with someone else who's also read it :) Anyway, it certainly was deserving of it's position on the NYT Bestseller list. Not only was it well-written with a well-developed plot, but the book kept me in suspense...which almost never happens with a YA title. There were a few things I figured out before the end, but the ones I didn't were the ones that sent me reeling! I seldom read a a sequel or a companion book, but I've already started Rebel Angels, this book's companion title. I may even read the third book as I just found out it's going to be a trilogy!

Now, about the book....



Gemma Doyle lives with her mother and father in India. On her sixteenth birthday she sees her mother's murder in a vision. Shortly after her mother's mysterious death, Gemma is sent to a finishing school in London. While there, she meets several other girls, all of whom fit the popular/unpopular stereotypes of most schools. However, after a while, Gemma finds out that all of them have problems of their own. As was the custom of the Victorian era, most of the girls deal with their own internal pain by not showing it to anyone. Each girl's torment surfaces in it s own way, from Ann's inclination to cut herself to Felicity's cruelty to the weaker girls...especially Ann. The visions revisit Gemma and lead her to a diary that creates a bond between her, Felicity, Pippa, and Ann. The diary tells the story of Sarah Rees-Toome and Mary Dowd, two girls who went to Spence and perished in the mysterious fire of 1871. Both girls practiced magic, a fact which interests Gemma because she experiences visions that she's unable to control, even though a mysterious boy named Kartik tells her that her visions are dangerous and she must stop them. Soon, Gemma and the others learn all about the magic that Sarah and Mary possessed and try to harness it for themselves, despite grave warnings from Gemma's deceased mother. What happens when the girls take the magic from the realms and bring it back to Spence is more than they could have ever imagined.

More NYCPL Pictures

This was a neat quote inscribed in the ornate woodwork. There were lots of unique features throughout the library, including the painting on the right. It was on the ceiling of the second floor gallery. I couldn't imagine working in such a beautiful place!

The stonework was breath-taking as well. There were lots of arches and columns carved throughout the library with beautiful chandeliers. Although I've never been to Europe (hopefully next year!), the library reminded me of the pictures I've seen of cathederals there.

Over fall break, my good friend Sue (a librarian, too!) and I went to New York to visit my best friend Jessa who lives in Manhattan. We did all the usual NYC stuff....Chinatown, Times Square, WTC, shopping, etc. However, we also went to the Mecca for all librarians...yes, we went to the New York City Public Library on Fifth Avenue. We were in awe of the atmosphere, the architecture, and....the quiet (we had forgotten what this is!). Anyhow, I'm sharing some of the pictures of that trip. Enjoy!



The librarian version of "flashing" in the subway station! We wore these shirts and braved the rain in hopes of getting on The Today Show. You'd be surprised how many New Yorkers stopped to talk to us or made a passing comment about reading as we were out and about that day. The response was totally awesome, and we didn't feel like nerdy librarians at all!








We ARE the Library Guardians...at least at our own schools!





(more pics to come soon!)

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - By far the best book I've read since Secret Life of Bees, this book was exquisitely written and thought-provoking at the same time. I do not know that I have ever been so enthralled with an author's crafting of sentences and phrases in any other book I've read. Its effect goes beyond enthralling and approaches a sort of mesmerizing of the reader. Honestly, this book could have had no plot and I still would have continued on to the end simply for the pure beauty of the language. However, that is not the case, and, if it were up to me this book would be a classic! Now, for the story....

Margaret Lea, the story's protagonist, is an educated, single woman, still living with her parents in London...a spinster if you will. As a novice biographer, she is dumbfounded when one day she receives a letter from Vida Winter, an extremely popular English author. Ms. Winter has given many reporters different accounts of her life story, however not one of them has ever been true. She is, after all , the consummate storyteller. She has never been willing to divulge her true life story, not even her name. However, now she wishes to tell Margaret the true story of her life as she is quite ill and doesn't want to die with her secrets she's worked so hard to protect.

Although Margaret has always preferred to read authors posthumously, she decides to read Ms. Winter's work to see what she's about. Margaret comes to one book entitled Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation which she reads with great intrigue. But when Margaret reaches the end of the book, she finds that it contains only twelve tales...leaving her to wonder: what happened to the thirteenth tale?

Margaret is so intriuged by the book that she decides to accept the invitation and travels to Ms. Winter's home to hear her story. Having reservations as to the veracity of the story she's about to hear, she asks three questions she first verifies with credible sources. Feeling assured that Ms. Winter is, this time, ready to tell the truth, Margaret takes on the task of becoming her biographer. However, Ms. Winter insists that she gets to tell her tale her own way...starting with the beginning, continuing to the middle, and ending with the end. No questions asked and no skipping ahead. Once the ground rules are set, Miss Winter begins the tale of a pair of twins, Emmeline and Adeline Angelfield, growing up in a family of complete madness.

And from there you must read for yourself. This is a modern day ghost story wrapped up in a fairy tale, and served with a big dose of reality that you'll be able to relate to. Whether you're a serious reader or a novice looking for a book to help you escape, this is the one!

Reading Update: Life is busy so I'm trudging along 5 minutes here, 5 minutes there. I'm skipping lunches and trying to get lost in the book I'm currently reading...The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. This book is, hands down, the best piece of writing I have read since The Secret Life of Bees. It's the type of book that you get lost in, one in which the story that's being woven and the combination of words with which it's being done soothes the soul in the most satisfying way. Although I'm upset at the lack of reading time I have right now, I am almost appreciative of it, too, because it's making this wonderful book last and forcing me to appreciate it piece by piece!


New books I want to read....if only I had the time!

• A Tale of Two Sisters by Anna Maxted
• A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
• The Kindness of Strangersby Katrina Kittle
• The Overachievers: The Secret Life of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

Holy War Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama Bin Laden by Peter L. Bergen - I became really interested in learning more about the Islamic fundamentalist movement, its origins and its modern-day implications, after reading The Kite Runner (set it Afghanistan...I'll write about it later). There were so many books published in the wake of 9/11 that tried to make sense of the tension between America and the Islamic world that it was hard to choose one to read. However, Bergen, who spent 10 years reporting on the Islamic world as a producer for CNN, has written a wonderful book examining Bin Laden's network from the top down.

This book takes a critical look at al-Qaeda, which Bergen compares to a multinational corporation with Osama bin Laden as its CEO. He also does an outstanding job of explaining the radical Islamist movements and their tangled histories. The book includes extensive reporting of previous al-Qaeda plots, from the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole to bin Laden's possible role in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 and the U.S. Embassy bombings in 1998. Bergen discusses the September 11 attacks at length, but what makes this a superior book in my view is the history it provides of al-Qaeda, a story most people haven't read in newspapers or magazines. Although it may be impossible to ever fully understand bin Laden, Bergen does a wonderful job of portraying him and his deep-seated beliefs in his cause. I gleaned much from this book, most importantly an understanding of why bin Laden has been successful and how difficult it will be to ever fully dismantle his well-organized and dedicated network of followers.

Quote for the Day: I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.— Harold S. Kushner

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - This book is Alice Sebold's debut novel, a remarkable story about love and family and letting go. Susie Salmon is 14 when she is raped and murdered by a neighbor, a serial killer of women who moves from town to town after each of his crimes. Susie's death sends her family into total chaos as they each try to deal with the tragedy in their own way. Susie narrates the story from a never-before-seen verison of heaven, watching her friends, family, and the murderer move on with their lives, while trying to subtlely break through and communicate the identity of the killer to members of her family. Alice Sebold does a wonderful job relating the interactions of a family and a community, and I was rather surprised at the strength of her writing in a story about such loss. I highly recommend this book to both my students and friends alike. Also, students who really connect with this story also seem to love Lucky which is the real-life account of the abuse Sebold suffered as a child.

Twilightby Stephanie Meyer - Although I tried to avoid reading this book as long as I could, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed it in the end. I haven't been able to keep it on the shelves this year, so I decided I needed to find out just what made this book so popular with my students. Did I ever!

In Twilight readers discover a pair of lovers who are just as star-crossed as Romeo and Juliet. On Bella's first day at a new school in Forks, Oregon, Bella falls head over heals in love with beautiful Edward Cullen. But, Edward seems to detest Bella from the start. However, Bella comes to realize that Edward has a secret and that instead of hate, he is madly in love with her as well. When Edward saves Bella from being run-over by an out-of-control van, she realizes that there is more to the story than Edward wants to tell. With a little help from an old friend, Bella start to suspect that Edward's secret is much larger than she ever thought. Eventually she presses Edward and he admits her worst fears...Edward and his entire family are vampires. To Edward's surprise, Bella does not run away, and instead embraces his terrible secret as her own. As the book unfolds we see the intensity of true love complicated by the fact that at any moment Edward could turn on Bella. Every moment they are together is an exercise of resistance for Edward, and in the end he must not only protect her from himself, but from another vampire who feels the same.