Helen's Book Blog

January 2012 wrap up

2012-01-31T10:31:00.000-08:00

I am participating in Sheila's Where Are You Reading Challenge this year so I am going to use it as my wrap-up at the end of each month. I am really having fun posting each book I read to my Google 2012 Reading Map.

Here's where I read in January:

Europe:

Germany--My Brother's Shadow by Monika Schroder

United States:

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd
California--Gun Games by Faye Kellerman
Iowa--Dewey by Vicki Myron
Arizona, California and Nevada--All Her Father's Guns by James Warner
North Carolina--Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Texas--When She Woke by Hilary Jordan

South and Central America:

Cuba--Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera

Asia:

Pacific Nations:

Middle East:

Jordan--Olives by Alexander McNabb

Africa:

A Short History of Africa by Gordon Kerr
Sudan--Wine to Water by Doc Hendley

Challenge Update:
Bold means I've completed the challenge so I completed all the challenges that I signed up for this year!

ALA Award Books--0 of 9
Alex Award Books--0 of 3
Chris Crutcher--4 of 13 (ongoing)
Dytopian--1 of 5
Middle East--3 out of however many I want/can
Non-Fiction/Non-Memoir--2 out of 5
War Through the Generations (WWI)--1 of 3
What's in a Name 5--3 of 6
Winter Olympics 2014--3 out of 29 (goes until Feb 2014)

What Happens in a Bookstore at Night...

2012-01-30T10:15:00.000-08:00

You may have already seen this one, but it's a gem!

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2012-01-29T21:07:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Goodnight iPad by Ann Droyd
Olives by Alexander McNabb
Wine to Water by Doc Hendley

Books currently reading:

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Galloway

Books waiting in the wings:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Baggage Handler by Colin Browne

Review: Olives by Alexander McNabb

2012-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Title: Olives

Author: Alexander McNabb
Year Published: 2012

Genre: Adult fiction

Pages: 268

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges: Middle East
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Jordan

FTC Disclosure: The author asked me to review the book

Summary (from Amazon): When Paul Stokes runs out of choices, his only path is betrayal. The fragile peace is holding. Behind the scenes, the Israelis are competing for dwindling water resources as Jordan and Palestine face drought. Daoud Dajani has the solution to Jordan's water problems and is bidding against the British for the privatization of Jordan's water network. When journalist Paul Stokes befriends Dajani's sister, Aisha, British intelligence agent Gerald Lynch realizes Paul offers access to the man threatening to drain Israel's water supply and snatch the bid from the British. Blackmailed by Lynch into spying on Dajani, his movements seemingly linked to a series of bombings, Paul is pitched into a terrifying fight for survival that will force him to betray everyone around him. Even the woman he loves.

Review: I have an interest in the Middle East (obviously, I am running the Middle East Reading Challenge) and find the Israel-Palestine conflict confusing, fascinating, and troubling so when Alexander McNabb asked if I would read and review his book I jumped at the chance and I am glad that I did.

I was a little confused at the beginning of the book, but I think partly that is because I only read one or two pages at a time so I didn't delve into it well at the start. Once I managed to give myself some time to really sit and read, I got pulled into the characters and the stories and off and running.

Paul is a character that I liked and didn't like at the same time. He has just moved to Jordan to put out a magazine and works with the Jordanian Ministry of Natural Resources. He meets up with Aisha who seems to have connections to everything he needs through her extended family. This is very Arab! When I visit Oman I am always amazed that everyone we meet seems to be a cousin, an Auntie, or a relative of some sort. McNabb did a good job of painting an accurate "Middle East" picture from my experiences there.

I also think the feelings he evokes about the Palestine-Israel conflict are spot on for many people. Aisha and her family are Palestinian and seem to have been involved in suicide bombings while at the same time doing business in Israel. They speak of their farm in the West Bank, the fact that most Palestinians have the old iron keys to the homes that they lost. All of this jibes with other books I've read and documentaries that I've seen on the subject.

There is definite tension in this book and I was gripping my iPad near the end as it all came together. Right up to the end I wasn't sure who the "bad guys" are (and, really, both sides have good and bad, which is shown in this novel). I love that it isn't clear who is stalking whom until the very end.

Mini Review: Goodnight iPad

2012-01-26T17:18:00.000-08:00

Title: Goodnight iPad

Author: Ann Droyd (do you like that? It's a pseudonym, obviously)
Year Published: 2012

Genre: Children fiction (but Amazon lists it as reading level 18 and up)

Pages: 20

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

FTC Disclosure: I received this as a gift from a colleague

We all know Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, what a wonderful children's book! Yesterday a colleague came by my library and gave me this parody of that childhood favorite. To appreciate the gift you have to know that I am coordinating teacher iPad purchases and trainings at the school where I work.

This book is really fun. It takes the well-known story and adds in iPads, Mac Airbooks, HDTV, beeps, and swooshes. I don't know what else to say about it, except that I think it's great the old lady throws it all out the window in the end!

Book Beginnings: January 27, 2012

2012-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

How to participate: Share the first line (or two) of the book you are currently reading. Include the title and the author so we know what you're reading. Then, if you feel so moved, let us know what your first impressions were based on that first line, and let us know if you liked or did not like the sentence. The link-up will be here at A Few More Pages every Friday.

I got this book from the author for a review and am including it for my Middle East Reading Challenge.

"To be honest, this was not one of my finest moments. I waited for something to happen, picking flakes from the wall and cracking them between my fingernails before letting them fall."

He's in prison. In Jordan. I really need a stretch of time to get into this book!

Review: Wine to Water by Doc Hendley

2012-01-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

Title: Wine to Water: a bartenders quest to bring clean water to the world

Author: Doc Hendley
Year Published: 2012

Genre: Adult non-fiction

Pages: 276

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Sudan (mostly), Uganda, Haiti and the USA (North Carolina)

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review as part of a TLC Tour

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Doc Hendly never set out to be a hero. In 2004, Hendley, a small-town bartender, held wine-tasting events to raise awareness and funds for clean water projects around the world. He had planned to donate the proceeds through traditional channels, but instead found himself traveling to one of the world's most dangerous areas: Darfut, Sudan.

There, Doc witnessed a government-sponsored genocide where the number one weapon was water not bullets. The Janjaweed terrorists had figured out hat eliminating or contaminating water sources is remarkably efficient for mass extermination. With limited funds, Doc realized that he couldn't build new wells costing $10,000 a pop, but he could hire local workers to restore a damaged well for a mere $50 each. He'd' found his mission. Today, Doc and Wine to Water continue to help repair and maintain water-containment systems in places like Darfur, Cambodia, Uganda, and Haiti.

Review: I am such a sucker for a good non-fiction about someone helping others, making a difference, and doing what they know is right, so when I was offered this book for a TLC Tour I snapped it right up. I am so glad that I did as it lived up to my expectations and then some. I thought it would be interesting, which it is, but I didn't expect it to be as well written and fun to read.

Doc has such a great attitude toward life and that really comes out in this book. He seems game for almost anything that is thrown his way, faces it with a positive attitude, and is quite the problem-solver/do-er kind of guy.

I totally understand what it is like to create a non-profit from scratch and am so impressed with Doc's work to get Wine to Water up and running. He managed to do a great job of getting the word out about his work and living in Darfur for the first year is what did it. He has stories and photos to back up his words.

The writing style in this book is easy, which I thought might not work with the serious situations and content of the book. However, it does work. And the writing style matches Doc's attitude toward life, emphasizing his optimistic view of life's possibilities. This is not to say that he doesn't understand the enormity of the situation in Darfur. He is very aware of how much he has and how little the refugees and other villagers have. He appreciates what he has to offer, but certainly doesn't have the attitude that he knows better than the Sudanese. I really liked that he hired locals and showed the villagers how to repair their wells so that after he and Wine to Water are gone they can continue to get clean water.

Clean water. It's such a basic necessity yet out of reach for so many. Through in the Janjaweed (and, yes, there are some details about those horrors) and this book has action, philosophy, and human interest.

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It's Monday, what are you reading?

2012-01-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Wine to Water by Doc Hendley (I'll post the review for a TLC Tour on Thursday)
A Short History of Africa by Gordon Kerr
Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

Books currently reading:

Olives by Alexander McNabb

Books waiting in the wings:

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Baggage Handler by Colin Browne

Review: A Short History of Africa by Gordon Kerr

2012-01-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Title: A Short History of Africa: From the origins of the Human Race to the Arab Spring

Author: Gordon Kerr
Year Published: 2012

Genre: Adult non-fiction

Pages: 160 (pdf)

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges: Non-Fiction/Non-Memoir, Middle East
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Almost all African countries

FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher

Summary (from the website): Africa. The cradle of civilization. From the dawn of human time in prehistoric AFrica right through the so-called "Arab Spring" of 2011, Gordon Kerr offers a comprehensive introduction to the sprawling history of this enormous continent. He begins with the origins of the human race and the development of stone age technology, through ancient and medieval times and the significance of the Arab presence, the Muslim states and the trans-Saharan trade.

Kerr continues with the rise and fall of nation states and kingdoms prior to the arrival of Europeans, Ghana, the Kingdoms of the Forest and SAvanna, Yoruba, Oyo, Benin, Asante, Luba, Lunda, Lozi, and many others, on to the beginning of the slave trade, and the European conquest and colonization of sub-Saharan Africa, the "Scramble for Africa." Finally moving onto the often bitter struggle for independence from that period of colonization and exploitation, Kerr concludes with an assessment of Africa in the 21st century.

Review: I was a history teacher before becoming a Teacher Librarian so much of the content of this book was familiar to me. That said, I learned a ton from reading this book. Be prepared, it is chalk full of facts, dates, names, and history; it isn't a memoir or a story. If you know that going in you'll find this book interesting as it shows the development of the African continent.

The history of Africa (currently consisting of 54 nations). That's a lot to take on, but Kerr has done it well. He discusses the main movements, trying to cover as much of the geography as possible, but there is definitely more information on Egypt, east Africa and the South Africa. Other regions are not ignored, just not covered as fully. But, this is a "short" history of Africa so he picked the right stuff to include.

If you are looking to learn about the history of the African continent, how Islam spread its way from Arabia, the forming of early civilization, and how these nations fared under the European invasion, then you will enjoy this book. I think it's a good starting place because then the reader can choose what was most interesting and find other books on those subjects to go deeper into the topics.

Book Beginnings: January 20, 2012

2012-01-20T05:56:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

I am reading this book for a TLC Tour and so far (only about 10 pages in) this is a good one...

"I'd driven this same road through the low desert plains of South Dafur dozens of times before. But this time something was different. Something just didn't seem right."

I am such a sucker for a feel-good non-fiction!

Review: Gun Games by Faye Kellerman

2012-01-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

Title: Gun Games

Author: Faye Kellerman
Year Published: 2012

Genre: Adult Detective/Mystery

Pages: 375

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges: What's in a Name (something you find in a purse)
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): USA (California)

FTC Disclosure: I bought this book with a gift certificate

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): LAPD lieutenant detective Decker and his wife, Rina, have willingly welcomed fifteen-year-old Gabriel Whitman, the son of a troubled former friend, into their home. While the enigmatic teen seems to be adapting easily, Decker knows only too well the secrets adolescents keep--witnessed by the tragic suicide of another teen, Gregory Hesse, a student at Bell and Wakefield, one of the city's most exclusive prep schools.

Gregory's mother refuses to believe her son shot himself and convinces Decker to look deeper. What he finds disturbs him. The case becomes complicated by the suicide of another Bell and Wakefield student. *I am leaving out some of the description because I feel like it gives too much away!

Review: When I choose to read a Faye Kellerman mystery I know that I am going to settle in to spend time with old friends. This is the 22nd Decker/Lazarus novel that I've read and I really enjoyed it. Peter Decker is an LAPD detective who works along with Marge and Oliver, characters that are also no-nonsense and very likable. Rina, Peter's wife, is the glue that ties it all together. They are an orthodox Jewish couple so I usually feel like I learn something cultural when I read these books as well (but not this time). In each novel Peter and Rina's personal lives, and those of their children, always make an appearance, which I like. I think that's why it feels like reading about friends.

Kellerman's writing style is also one that works well for me. It is casual, not frilly, and straight-forward. There are descriptions of characters and situations, but that aspect is not overdone so that the reader can picture the scene, but doesn't get lost in the details. The focus is on character rather than place, which makes it my kind of writing.

In this novel the plot is one that makes my heart break: teen suicide, bullying, and gun use. Such an awful combination. She manages to integrate life at a prestigious private school with it's "circle the wagons" administration, parents who don't always know what's really going on with their teen, and the "games" that go on at any school: Big Man on Campus; wanting to fit in; hiding truths about oneself; etc. Kellerman did a fantastic job at weaving life at Bell and Wakefield with the life of their foster son, a teenage musical phenom.

There are sex scenes, bad language, and descriptions of crime scenes, but none of it is gratuitous.

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2012-01-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
My Brother's Shadow by Monika Schroder
All Her Father's Guns by James Warner

Books currently reading:

Gun Games by Faye Kellerman
Wine to Water by Doc Hendley

Books waiting in the wings:

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Review: All Her Father's Guns by James Warner

2012-01-16T06:24:00.000-08:00

Title: All Her Father's Guns

Author: James Warner
Year Published: 2011

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pages: 190

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Challenges:
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): USA (California, Nevada, and Arizona)

FTC Disclosure: I was given a copy for review

Summary (from the back of the book): Cal Lyte, a gun-loving venture capitalist, is tired of paying alimony to his ex-wife Tabytha. Plotting to blackmail her and derail her campaign for Congress he enlists the help of their daughter's boyfriend, British academic Reid Seyton, to unearth some Lyte family secrets. But the results turn out to be more than anyone bargained for. In an escalating cycle of revelations that will leave nobody's life the same.

Review: I think I went into this novel thinking it was something it isn't. I thought it was a mystery or a thriller, but it isn't, it's more a character study and a look into how we respond when life doesn't go the way we expect it to.

The book is told from two perspectives in alternating chapters: Reid is an academic working in the Department of Theory. Really. As someone who grew up in an academic/University family, I totally understood Reid (at least in the beginning). At first Reid is the liberal intellectual who has nothing in common with Cal, his girlfriend's father, but as the story progresses Reid begins to help Cal get "the dirt" on Cal's ex-wife. This seemed a little strange to me. Why is Reid going against the things he believes in to help someone he doesn't even really like or respect?

The other chapters are narrated by Cal, a super conservative, Christian, gun-toting, paranoid who is mixed up in things he shouldn't be. The compound in Nevada where he has a condo was fascinating: barbed wire, lots of guns and security measures that go beyond the norm. The men who live there even mention Waco. I think I didn't realize people really lived that way! At first I didn't like Cal, but as the book progressed I came to find him the most interesting of all the characters. He is the one whose life is changing the most, who has people in his life (his ex-wife and his daughter specifically) who aren't behaving the way he expects them to, which is very difficult for him.

All in all the book was alright for me. The characters are interesting, but there just seemed to be a bit much going on for me, it felt like it needed a bit of focus. However, I like the way the author revealed more and more about the characters through the things that happened to them and how they reacted rather than what they said. I also feel like I got a glimpse into a life style/segment of our society with which I am not familiar.

Sunday Salon: January 15, 2012

2012-01-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

It's been quite the week with my daughter in rehearsals for this weekend's production of Hairspray. While she is only it in as a dancer (they asked for dancers to be in it to beef up the dance scenes), she has had a pretty good time.

One of my best friends from high school is planning on returning to Santa Barbara with her family so we did a little house-hunting this weekend, which was really fun! I am so looking forward to having her back in town and the best part is I also like her husband and kids!

Work:

A pretty busy week with more Google Docs teaching and getting ready for the end of term (i.e., textbook collection and distribution prep).

Books and Reading:

I would have read more this weekend, but I got obsessed with watching the first season of Downton Abbey, which I think is fantastic! Now I just need to watch the first couple of episodes of the new season to get all caught up.

Saturday Snapshot: January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. Photos only need to be taken by us, not random shots from the internet. Enjoy!

My daughter is performing in Hairspray this weekend so I thought I'd include a shot of her and some of her dancer friends during a rehearsal. My daughter is in the middle front. It's such a great group of girls.

Review: My Brother's Shadow by Monika Schroder

2012-01-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Title: My Brother's Shadow

Author: Monika Schroder
Year Published: 2011

Genre: YA Fiction

Pages: 217

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges: War Through the Generations (WWI), Winter Olympics 2014 (Germany)
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Germany

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Berlin 1918: World War I is drawing to a close, and Germany is torn. No one knows this better than sixteen-year-old Moritz, whose family is as divided as the nation. His father died in the war and his brother still risks his life in the trenches. His mother, intent on sweeping away the monarchy, attends subversive socialist meetings.

Moritz doesn't know what he thinks about the war, but he knows that his family is barely surviving on its rations and meager salaries. After Moritz takes a job as a journalist for the Berliner Daily, he find himself covering the injustices his mother protests against. And when he meets and falls in love with a Jewish girl who is also a passionate socialist, he begins to understand the movement toward a new democracy.

Review: World War I is one of my favorite periods in history, I loved learning about it in school, teaching about it as a World History teacher, and I like reading about it now through fiction. This book began slowly for me and I almost gave up around page 30, but by page 50 I was in for the duration.

Mortiz' family is the perfect mix of Germany in 1918. His mother and younger sister feel the war should end, that Germany cannot win and that the workers are baring the brunt of the injustices. His brother, the soldier, is badly wounded and blames the Jews and communists for Germany losing the war. He is addicted to morphine and is having trouble adjusting to being home. Moritz himself isn't sure where he stands. He sees how difficult life is for those around him, but he wants to support his King and country.

This novel does a very good job at showing the various issues and attitudes during the end of WWI in Germany through national events as well as those witnessed by Moritz. I did feel that the characters could have been more developed so that I cared for them a bit more. However, if anyone wants to get a good look at life in 1918, this is a good place to start.

Book Beginnings: January 13, 2012

2012-01-12T17:27:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

I received an email from the author of this book to review so here I go...

"I was playing footsie under the restaurant table with my girlfriend Lyllyan, while her father, Cal, tried to persuade me all kindergartners should be trained in the use of handguns."

I am in the mood for a mystery or thriller so hope this fits the bill.

Review: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

2012-01-09T13:31:00.000-08:00

Title: Paper Covers Rock

Author: Jenny Hubbard
Year Published: 2011

Genre: YA Fiction

Pages: 222

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges:
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): USA (North Carolina)

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Sixteen year old Alex has just begun his junior year at a boys' boarding school when he fails to save a friend from drowning in a river on campus. Fearing the consequences if they reveal the whole truth about what happened, Alex and his friend Glenn, who also witnessed the accident, decide to lie. Plagues by guilt, Alex takes refuge in the library, telling his tale in a journal he hides behind a copy of Moby Dick.

But the boys were not the only ones by the river that day. In the midst of their panic, Miss Dovecott, a young English teacher fresh out of Princeton, happened to arrive. Over the next few weeks, Miss Dovecott begins to recognize poetic talent in Alex; she helps him find his voice, and he is thrilled by his teacher's special attention. But when it becomes obvious that Miss Dovecott has noticed glimmers of guilt in Alex's writing, Glenn is convinced that she is out to get them. Now Alex must choose between his friend and his mentor. but every decision has its consequences.

Review: This book is definitely more than it seems to be once the reader gets to the end. I do wish some of that had come out a little earlier, but then the ending wouldn't be as powerful as it is.

I do think the connections to Moby Dick are confusing. I haven't read the book, but at least I know some basics (Ismael, Herman Melville, it's a whale, etc), but I wonder if high school students would be overwhelmed by this aspect of the novel.

Alex is a great character, he is caring, sensitive, and in many ways is a typical teen. He has friends, but is weary of them. He doesn't love boarding school, but wants to do well. He isn't a "school boy", but discovers he has a talent and passion for writing. I did like the storyline of the writing and how the other story, of Thomas' death, is paralleled and revealed through Alex's school assignments.

Thomas' death is tragic and one can easily see how it could happen. I remember cliff jumping when I was going to summer school in Vermont one summer. I didn't drink while we did it, but others did and I realize now how lucky we were that no one ever got hurt. But that is part of being young, death doesn't seem possible or real. And guilt. Alex is going to carry that with him his entire life; could he have done something to change what happened? This is a great question that is handled well in this book.

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2012-01-09T05:54:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

I didn't do a "Monday" post last week since I had just done my December wrap up. That said, I am going to include books from the past two weeks in this post.

Books read last week:

The Shattering by Karen Healey
iBoy by Kevin Brooks
Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret
Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
Dewey by Vicki Myron
Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Books currently reading:

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Books waiting in the wings:

Wine to Water by Doc Hendley
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Sunday Salon: January 8, 2012

2012-01-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

I haven't done a Sunday Salon for a couple weeks since I felt like I was posting so much with the end of December, the end of the year, and the holidays. It's been a busy couple of weeks with lots of dancing and rehearsals for Hairspray (for my daughter, not me). I feel like I've read quite a bit and worked at getting back into the routine of work and life after an extremely relaxing holiday.

Work:

I had a good week back after the holidays with one day devoted to training half the staff on Google Docs, which went well. I am also working to get money so that I can attend the CUE (Computer Using Educators) Conference.

Books and Reading:

I went book shopping yesterday for my school and got a good stack of books. Of course, I plan to read a few of them before they hit the shelves of my school library. At the same time I bought a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth for my daughter.

Did you read Phantom Tollbooth? What are your memories of it? I remember liking it and all the puns, though that isn't quite the right word for it.

Review: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

2012-01-07T21:46:00.000-08:00

Title: Anya's Ghost

Author: Vera Brosgol
Year Published: 2011

Genre: YA Fiction (graphic novel)

Pages: 222

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges: What's in a Name 5 (creepy crawly); Winter Olympics 2014 (Russia)
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): USA

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school's library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Of all the things Anya expected to find a the bottom of an old well, a new friend wasn't one of them. Especially not a new friend who's been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad enough, but any'as normal life might actually be worse. She's embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she's pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend--even a dead one--is just what she needs. But Anya's new BFF isn't kidding about the "forever" part.

Review: I haven't read a graphic novel in a while so it felt good to read this one tonight in just one short sitting. I love the drawings with their solid, simple forms that convey so much and the story took me somewhere that I didn't see coming.

Anya is like so many teenagers, she is unsure of herself and of her place in high school. She wants to be liked, to date, to have more friends, and to feel happier about her body and she has worked hard to get rid of her accent (she was born in Russia). Then she falls in a well. For two days she is stuck below ground with a skeleton and its ghost. Once Anya is rescued she discovers that the ghost has come along for the ride. At first it's great, the ghost helps her on tests and gets her information, but then things turn....

I think this is a quirky graphic novel that is fun, interesting, and has a good message that definitely doesn't hit you over the head.

Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

2012-01-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

Title: When She Woke

Author: Hillary Jordan
Year Published: 2011

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pages: 341

Rating: 5 out of 5

Challenges: Dystopia
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Texas, USA

FTC Disclosure: I received this book as a gift for Christmas and will donate it to my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Hannah Payne's life has been devoted to church and family. but after she's convicted of murder, she awakens in a new body to a nightmarish new life. She finds herself lying on a table in a bare room, covered only by a paper gown, with cameras broadcasting her every move to millions at home, for whom observing new Chromes--criminals whose skin has been genetically altered to match the class of their crime--is a sinister form of entertainment. Hannah is a Red for the crime of murder. The victim, says the State of Texas, was her unborn child, and Hannah is determined to protect the identity of the father, a public figure with whom she shared a fierce and forbidden love.

Review: The last time I read Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter I was in high school and that was a really long time ago. However, the story came back to me vividly as I read this wonderful retelling. This version is set in the near future when conservative extremists have passed laws that overturned Roe v. Wade. While the novel is set in the future, we only know that because the characters have "ports" and "vid chats." Unlike other science-fiction stories, the future just is, it isn't ever-present (if that makes any sense).

Hannah Payne has grown up in a conservative Christian family and before the story begins has welcomed a new and exciting leader to their church, Aidan Dale, with whom Hannah has an affair. She becomes pregnant and has an illegal abortion to save Aidan from horrible backlash. In this near-future USA, the government implants something into criminals that turns their skin a certain color (yellow for lesser transgressions, red for the worst, and blue for child molesters). After a month or so in prison, criminals are then released, but remain colored (they are called Chromes) until their sentence is finished. Life as a chrome is far from easy since everyone knows your crime.

After about the first third of this book I forgot that I was reading a retelling of The Scarlett Letter and was completely absorbed in Hannah's story once she is released from prison. Hillary Jordan does a wonderful job of showing both sides of the issue of abortion as well as fundamentalist Christianity as Hannah struggles with the choices she has made in her life, how it affected her and her family, and the physical, mental and spiritual consequences of her actions.

While this book is vastly different from Jordan's previous novel, Mudbound, I loved it just as much.

Indie Lit Awards Short List

2012-01-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

I just got an email, as I am sure many of you did, announcing the short list for the Indie Lit Awards. I've put links to the ones I've read and my thoughts on the category as well.

Biography/Memoir

Battle hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Bossypants by Tina Fey (I enjoyed reading this one, but it was more fun than meaningful)
I Pray Hardest When Being Shot At by Klye Garret
Little Princes by Conor Grennan (I really liked this one and still think about it months later)
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

GLBTQ

Well With My Soul by Gregory Allen
Swimming to Chicago by David Matthew Barnes
Songs of the New Depression by Kergan Edwards-Stout
Nina Here Nor There: My Journey Beyond Gender by Nick Krieger
Huntress by Melinda Lo

Fiction

Dance Lessons by Aine Greaney
Cross Currents by John Shors
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (I just bought this last night)
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
The Last Time I Saw Paris by Lynn Sheene

Mystery

Missing Daughter, Shattered Family by LIz Strange
The Cut by George Pelecanos
A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes
Fun & Games by Duane Swierczynski

Non-Fiction

Berlin 1961 by Frederick Kempe
In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff (this one I liked a lot, I hope it wins)
Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku
The Social Animal by David Brooks

Poetry

Beyond Scent of Sorrow by Sweta Vikram
Catalina by Laurie Soriano
What Looks Like an Elephant by Edward Nudelman
Three Women: A Poetic Triptych and Selected Poems by Ramos, Emma Eden
Sonics in Warholia by Megan Volpert

Speculative Fiction

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
11/22/1963 by Stephen King
Among Others by Jo Walton
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (one of my students just read this and liked it as much as I did. It would be a fun one to have win this category)

This makes me realize that I don't read much by independent book publishers.

Saturday Snapshot: January 7, 2012

2012-01-06T19:43:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. Photos only need to be taken by us, not random shots from the internet. Enjoy!

Listening to all the Republican debates and primaries has had me thinking about my participation in politics. My first experience was in 1974 when I carrie this banner in a local parade for Gary Hart who was running for California State Assembly. I am on the left in the cute pink dress.

The funny thing is that I worked for Gary again in 1992 when he was a State Senator. I was in charge of all things to do with his constituents' issues with AIDS, Veterans Affairs, State disability, tax issues, and the environment.

Book Beginnings: January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

I have a bunch of books ahead of this one on my list to read, but I couldn't resist bumping this one to the top. I also love the cover.

"When she woke, she was red. Not flushed, not sunburned, but the solid, declarative red of a stop sign."

This is a retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne's A Scarlett Letter (which I last read in high school, many years ago).

Review: Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera

2012-01-03T05:46:00.000-08:00

Title: Guantanamo Boy

Author: Anna Perera
Year Published: 2009

Genre: YAfiction

Pages: 340 (plus chronology and Afterward)

Rating: 5 out of 5

Challenges: What's in a Name (house); Middle East
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): England, Pakistan, Cuba

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): He's fifteen. He hasn't done anything wrong.It was supposed to be just a trip to vista his mum's family in Pakistan.But for Khalid Ahmed, it was the beginning of a living nightmare. He's kidnapped--then taken to a place thousands of miles from his home in the UK. A place where torture and terror are the daily routine. A place he may never be allowed to leave. A place called Guantano Bay.

Review: Not exactly a happy book, but this is so well done! It takes place in the years just after 9/11. The war in Afghanistan has started, but the war in Iraq has not.

Khalid is a likable character, a typical fifteen-year-old who is into playing football (soccer), hanging out with his friends, he is irritated by his parents and younger sisters, and he is into online video games. And, he doesn't want to go to Pakistan to visit relatives. While there the family hears rumors of men disappearing, of demonstrations, of shady dealings. One night Khalid is kidnapped and taken away for no apparent reason.

He's only fifteen, they can't keep him, right? He is a British citizen, they can't keep him, right? He didn't do anything wrong, they can't keep him, right? Wrong.

Khalid's experience in an American "enemy combatant" prison in Afghanistan and then in the famous Guantanamo Bay prison is horrific. The torture scenes are not pleasant and his spiral into temporary insanity is so well done. Reading this book made me angry all over again at the thought of how the US (and others, I know) treated prisoners, without regard for the Geneva Convention and other international (and human) rules of civility. I also understand that we were at war, which changes things. However, some of those prisoners were children as young as twelve years old.

This is an important story of family, human nature, forgiveness, friendship, and the human spirit.

Thoughts on Mao's Last Dancer, the movie

2012-01-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Normally on a Monday I'd be participating in Sheila's It's Monday, What are you reading? meme, but I feel like I've done the Best of 2011, 2011 survey, and my December wrap-up in the past couple of days so that I don't' really need to do a what I read last week post.

Instead, I am going to rave about the movie I saw last night: Mao's Last Dancer. We received the book Mao's Last Dancer at my school library the same week the DVD showed up at my house from Netflix. I felt like this was a sign: watch this movie! I thought it was going to be kinda' boring but we (my daughter, my parents and I) finally got around to watching it last night.

Wow! An Australian company made this film so it wasn't sensationalized (sorry Hollywood), but rather was an intimate look at how children in China were chosen at a young age to attend athletic/dance schools, their training, and how Li Cunxin had the opportunity to go to the US as a student one summer. I don't want to give away what happens once he comes to the US, but it's a great story full of heartache, hope, and beautiful dancing.

The story is true, which make it even more interesting. Here are two links if you are interested: This link about the movie tells you about the amazing cast and more while this link tells the biography of Lu Cunxin, the dancer.

The best part? Now I feel like I can really "sell" this book to students when we get back to school this week.

Review: Dewey by Vicki Myron

2012-01-01T08:32:00.000-08:00

Title: Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

Author: Vicky Myron
Year Published: 2008

Genre: Adult non-fiction

Pages: 297

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges: Non-Fiction/Non-Memoir; Winter Olympics 2014 (USA)
Geography Connection (my Google Reading map): Iowa

FTC Disclosure: I used a gift certificate to purchase this book and I am putting it in my school library's collection

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Dewey Readmore Books was only a few weeks only when he was stuffed into Spencer Public Library's book slot. He immediately won the heart of the town and especially the Library Director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. For the next nineteen years this Library cat never stopped charming the people of Iowa with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and above all, sixth sense about who needed him most. As his fame grew, Dewey became the symbol of a proud farming community fighting the greatest crisis in its long history--and a source of inspiration for people all over the world.

Review: I really should have read this book sooner, but I am not necessarily a cat person and thought it wouldn't appeal to me. Now, before I get a bunch of hate mail from all the cat-lovers out there, I don't dislike cats (I adored my cat when I was a child), but I am super allergic so tend to avoid petting cats and spending long periods of time with them.

Whew, now that's taken care of, I can go on with my review. I was really touched by this book and can see how people all over have enjoyed Dewey's story as well as that of the town of Spencer, Iowa. I thought the book was just going to be the story of a cat, which I wasn't super excited about, but this book is so much more. I really enjoyed the background of the town, the author's family, and the times (1980s to 2005). All the non-Dewey stories really filled in the stetting and Dewey's impact on people in Spencer, in Iowa, and further afield.

I had no idea that I would be so emotional about this book either. I found it funny and so touching in parts. I am definitely someone who gets teary at the good parts of books, not the sad parts. I could easily picture Dewey comforting those who were sad, encouraging those who were timid, and supporting those who were having trouble, such as the severely disabled girl, Crystal.

I do think that the world needs happy news and that's one of the reasons that this book has done so well. We are inundated with horrible, sad, depressing news every day on television and the radio. To hear about a sweet cat who is bringing a town together and making people happy is such a great thing and he went viral, so to speak.

If you'd like an easy, fun read that will make you feel good about things (though it is certainly not all good and happy in this book, be warned) then I recommend Dewey!

December wrap-up (and Sunday Salon)

2012-01-01T07:50:00.000-08:00

Here's where I read in December:

Europe:

United Kingdom--iBoy by Kevin Brooks
United Kingdom--Alex Rider: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

United States:

??--Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
California--Legend by Marie Lu
California--The Hand You're Dealt by Paul Volponi
Florida--Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer
West Virginia--Ugly to Start with by John Michael Cummings (short stories)
Wyoming--Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret

South and Central America:

Mexico--Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Asia:

Laos--Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King (also in Pennsylvania and Arizona)

Pacific Nations:

New Zealand--The Shattering by Karen Healey

Middle East:

Africa:

Sudan--Lost Boy, Lost Girl by John Bul Dau)

Saturday Snapshot: December 31, 2011

2011-12-31T07:52:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. Photos only need to be taken by us, not random shots from the internet. Enjoy!

I mentioned that we go to see a particular house on Christmas Eve that is overdone with lights. This year my photos actually came out. So, here are 2 shots of the most awful/most wonderful display of Holiday lights

End of 2011 (Book) Survey

2011-12-31T07:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have a wonderful, safe, and healthy 2012. I did this survey last year and enjoyed it so here is this year's installment.

This survey is put out by Perpetual Page Turner. I've added some of my own statistics at the beginning and then answer (most of) the questions at the end

Total books read: 138

Female authors: 81 (59%)
Male authors: 57 (41%)
I actually don't pay attention to the gender of authors when I choose books to read, but I am surprised that this isn't a more even split.

Non-fiction: 28 (20%)
Fiction: 110 (80%)
I am not really surprised by this split as I am much more interested in fiction than non-fiction. However, the non-fiction I read this year was fantastic!

Adult books: 76
YA books: 62
I am shocked that my YA number isn't higher given that I am a high school librarian and I feel like I read more YA books during the year than adult. Guess not.

Countries visited through reading: 41
Afghanistan, An un-named South American country, Bhutan, Botswana, China, Congo, Czechoslovakia
Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Various Middle Eastern countries in a non-fiction book, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Korea, Outer space, Palestine, Philippines
Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA (25 states), Zimbabwe

Now that the details are exposed, how does that translate into actual books?

Best book of 2011?
As was true in 2010, I am not good at picking one favorite so this year I choose Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen for my favorite YA book and for adult books, Dreams of Joy by Lisa See and The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda.

Worst book of 2011?
I tend not to finish books if I don't like them and then I forget about them, but the one I did finish and liked the least would have to be Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart. I heard an interview about this book on NPR and it sounded so good I went out and bought it. But, it just didn't work for me.

Most surprising (in a good way) book of 2011?
The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen was really good and I didn't expect that. I don't know why. I've read some of her Sammy Keyes mysteries with my daughter and liked them, but this one really hit me as very good.

I'd also put Shine by Lauren Myracle in this category. I hadn't read any of her other books and didn't expect this one to be as good and as meaningful as it was.

Book you recommended to people most in 2011?
For non-fiction it's definitely Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and for fiction Dreams of Joy by Lisa See.

Best series you discovered in 2011?
I didn't discover any series this year, what a shame because I love that feeling when I finish one book and then know that there are more to come with the same characters.

Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2011?
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand gets this category. I was completely caught up in the story of x surviving on a raft in the Pacific and then in Japanese POW camps.

Book you most anticipated in 2011?
Last year I loved Lisa See's Shanghai Girls so when I found out there was a sequel (Dreams of Joy) that I could read this year, I was extremely excited. Even better is that I loved the book

Favorite cover of a book you read in 2011?
I think my favorites are Shine by Lauren Myracle and Little Princes by G Connor. I am all about the pleasing colors.

Most memorable character in 2011?
Who do I most think about? The characters in Dreams of Joy by Lisa See, for sure. Both of the sisters and the daughter have stayed with me since I read the book in early 2011.

Book you feel you should read in 2012? Ok, I kind of added this question...
The Night Circus is getting such great reviews everywhere, but the description scares me.

Book you are most anticipating in 2012?
I am really looking forward to When She Woke by Hilary Jordan since I thought Mudbound was fantastic. Also, I like the cover and that it's adapted from The Scarlett Letter.

Review: Alex Rider: Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)

2011-12-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

Title: Alex Rider: Stormbreaker

Author: Anthony Horowitz

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 197

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: My daughter received this book as a gift

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): They said his uncle died in a car accident. But Alex Rider knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in the windshield prove it. Yet he never suspected the truth: his uncle was really a spy for Britain's top secret intelligence agency. And now Alex has been recruited to find his uncle's killers....

Review: I really enjoyed this "boy" book! My daughter received it for Christmas and was a bit hesitant, but we both dove in and got sucked into it right away!

Alex is fourteen and gets "recruited" into MI6 (the British equivalent of the CIA) and with only two weeks of training is off to get the bad guys. And boy are they bad. There's killing, sabotage, computer issues, and crazy stunts. Through it all Alex is strong and figures things out, sometimes by accident and sometimes on purpose.

What I liked is that Alex isn't perfect. He gets tired, he gets hurt, and he screws up. The story was fun and definitely pulled us along quickly so that we could find out what happened. The bad guys (and girl) were great as well, with enough evil and tech savvy to make us hate them.

The ending was a little too James Bond-ish for me, but I'll definitely read another in the series at some point.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. My last book of 2011 and it's set in England! Now I want to see the Alex Rider movie!

Review: Runaway Twin (Peg Kehret)

2011-12-30T10:53:00.000-08:00

Title: Runaway Twin

Author: Peg Kehret

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 197

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I received this book as a gift

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): During ten years of living in foster homes, Sunny has always yearned to be reunited with her long-lost twin sister. So when she finally gets a chance to leave, Sunny is eager to make the cross-country trip to find her other half. But her quest quickly becomes complicated when she rescues an abandoned dog, runs into bullies, and has to escape a life-threatening tornado!

Review: This is a great middle school age book, and perhaps even upper elementary. I am going to try to get my daughter read it once she is finished with her current book.

Sunny, the main character is in her early teens, which works because she is old enough to runaway and be reasonably competent, but not so old that she is inaccessible to younger readers. She is smart and savvy, but not so much that the reader questions the reality of her thoughts and actions. For example, finding a stray dog and taking it with you while you run away is something someone younger would do since it isn't very practical.

While parts of the story seem a bit implausible (surviving a tornado in the open, getting rescued quickly, etc), I didn't mind that in this book. The whole thing read as if it's the 1970s, very reminiscent of my childhood, even though it was published in 2009. I can't even say specifically what about it reminded me of my childhood, but that feeling was definitely there. Perhaps it's the friendliness and helpfulness of the secondary characters or the safety with which Sunny traveled along half way across the country.

Finding one's twin... I cannot even imagine. When Sunny does find her sister the results are not what she, or I, expected. I will not elaborate in case you read the book. This story is a quick one with no wasted dialog or frilly descriptions of scenery. I read it in just a few hours, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. This is a real travel book. It starts in Nebraska, but the character is traveling west to Washington state. But, I am choosing Wyoming for my geography connection because that is where her journey becomes unencumbered and she is able to see achieving her goal.

Book Beginnings: December 30, 2011

2011-12-29T19:11:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

I had this post ready to go Thursday morning (yes, trying to get organized) with iBoy by Kevin Brooks and then I finished it one day so I've had to re-do the post for the book below!

"Most people who have a life-changing experience survive a terrible injury or disease. My life was transformed by a craving for Twinkies."

Twinkies? I think the last time I had a Twinkie was in the 1970s! I got this book for Christmas on the recommendation of Bonnie from Bonnie's Books.

Review: iBoy (Kevin Brooks)

2011-12-29T14:32:00.000-08:00

Title: iBoy

Author: Kevin Brooks

Genre: YA science fiction

Pages: 288

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (and I almost made it a 5)

Challenges: POC

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Before the attack, Harvey was just an average teenager. But a head-on collision with high technology has turned him into an actualize App. Fragnmetns of a shattered iPhone are embedded in his brain. And they're having an extraordinary effect on his every thought. Because now Tom knows, see, and can do more than any normal boy ever could. But with his new powers comes a choice: to avenge Lucy, the girl he loves, will he hunt down the vicious gangsters who hurt her? Will he take the law into his own electric hands and exterminate them from the South London housing projects where, by fear and violence, they rule? Not even his mental search engine can predict the shocking outcome of iBoy's actions.

Review: Wow. What more can I say? I just finished this book in one day and it really has me thinking. This is the type of book that has so much going on that I can't really write my review in coherent paragraphs, but just want to get all the thoughts out quickly in bullets so that I don't forget anything.

Characters--Tom Harvey is a great main character. He is empathic, nice, and normal. However, he gains these extraordinary powers through the iPhone accident and, though he he can do crazy sh*t, he somehow remains "normal" in the eyes of the reader. I think he represents how we'd all feel given the situations he is experiencing. The nasty characters are just so awful I wanted them to be made up by Brooks and not really possible in real life. Unfortunately, the author also made them "normal" in that people like them do exist. People who have no empathy, do not see the bad in stealing, hurting others, etc.
Plot--While this is science fiction and, I assume, one cannot really become iBoy, I didn't feel as if I was reading something out of control fantastical. Most of the events that surround iBoy are frighteningly real and possible. I don't want to say what they are because it will ruin the story for you, but Brooks did an amazing job at describing the horrible events and how they affected those involved, even if on the periphery. Brooks managed to make every scene very real and raw, sometimes leaving much of the scene to the imagination, which is very powerful.
Emotions--This is where Brooks excelled. I felt so drawn in to the characters and their emotions from fear and anger to despair and hope. It was all so raw and real. I could completely understand how Tom Harvey felt when his friend is hurt and how much he wanted revenge on the suspects. I also felt Lucy's pain in an extremely real way.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. If I couldn't live where I do, I'd live in London and that's the setting of this book. Actually, the location doesn't really matter since almost the entire thing takes part in the housing projects where the characters live. But still, in the back of my mind I knew they were in London and that's what mattered.

Best of 2011

2011-12-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

The end of another year... pretty amazing. Here are the books that I ranked a 5 out 5 during 2011.

Young Adult books

Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
The Running Dream by Wendolin Van Draanen
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai

Adult Fiction

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See (this is one of my all-time favorites)
The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (this is one of my all-time favorites)
Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield
Little Bee by Chris Cleave

Adult Non-Fiction

Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
Little Princes by Conor Grennan

Graphic Novels

Yummy by Greg Neri

Review: The Shattering (Karen Healey)

2011-12-28T06:16:00.000-08:00

Title: The Shattering

Author: Karen Healey

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 305

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges: POC

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): "If you want to find out who murdered your brother, follow me." Keri, Janna, and Sione have one thing in common: their brothers are dead. Each death was ruled a suicide, but there were no notes, no warnings, and no explanations. So they've worked out a theory: Their brothers were murdered--and weren't the only victims. As the search for the killer goes on, mysterious forces are unearthed and suspicion is cast on those the three trust most. When secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

Review: I am all about a good mystery so this one appealed to me immediately. The funny thing is I didn't read the entire blurb on the inside flap so there was a surprise element for me.

This book is set in New Zealand and that actually played a role in the book. The characters talk about which part of the country they live, where they would like to live, and how the fact that they are in a small town on the west coast is relevant. In addition, the characters represent the varied cultural groups in New Zealand. Keri is a strong female rugby player (a sports for which New Zealanders are famous) who is biracial: Maori and White. Sione is Samoan. Takeshi is Japanese and his host family is White, but his host sister's name is Maori. I really liked the mix since there are words from those cultures sprinkled throughout the book (and a glossary in the back).

The story is also a good one: the characters have all lost an older brother to suicide, but they are convinced that it was murder. In fact, there are about 10 young men, all older brothers, who have killed themselves, one per year. What is the connection? Why didn't any leave notes? Why doesn't it ever rain in their town between Christmas and New Year when it does in the neighboring towns? How is their town surviving so well economically when other towns seem to be suffering during the recession?

These questions all lead to the part of the book's description that I had overlooked: supernatural. I'll admit that I don't read supernatural books with magic in them, it just isn't my thing. So I am glad that I didn't know that was coming in this one because I may not have read it if I had known. However, I enjoyed this book even though I was started by the supernatural element. It was an interesting twist to the book and I know that will make this a popular one with my students.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. This is my second book set in New Zealand and that was cool since they actually talked about geography, place names, weather, etc

One more 2012 Challenge...

2011-12-26T16:21:00.000-08:00

I just saw this challenge on My Head is Full of Books and cannot resist since these are all the books I buy for my school library and convince the students to read.

I am going for the beginner level, which is to read one book from each Award category. The winners for 2012 are announced January 21, 2012 so I cannot list what I am going to read until after that date.

YA Award Titles

1. Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

2. Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is

3. Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences (Pick one)

4. Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author for significant and lasting contribution to YA Lit
(Pick one book by this author)

5. Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding YA book translated from a language other than English and subsequently published in the United States.

6. Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award -young adult book of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience

7. William C. Morris Award for a debut book by a first-time author writing for teens

8. YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults

9. Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults (pick one)

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2011-12-25T19:44:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Ugly to Start with by John Michael Cummings
Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer

Books currently reading:

The Shattering by Healey
Stormbreaker (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz

Books waiting in the wings:

Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Books I got for Christmas:

Runaway Twin (Kehret); Identical Strangers (Schein and Bernstein); Across many Mountains (Brauen); Every Step You Take (Soto); When She Woke (Jordan); One Hundred and one Nights (Buchholz)

Sunday Salon: December 25, 2011

2011-12-25T10:57:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

A week ago I was flying to Florida and this week I am back in Santa Barbara celebrating Christmas! We had a lovely time in Florida with my brother and his family. The cousins enjoyed playing tennis, horseback riding, swimming, biking and just being together. I enjoyed reading 3 books, going for walks on the expansive Atlantic beach and through the local nature preserve (Pelican Island, the first bird preserve in the country). We even had a singing night that was quite impressive.

The girls waiting their turn during a tennis lesson

The last couple of days have been spent getting ready for christmas with last minute shopping, wrapping, cooking, and enjoying being back home with our dog, who was most welcoming when we arrived home!

When my daughter was really little she convinced me to give her one present on Christmas Eve. This is what she got this year: a custom-made converse high tops. I discovered a woman I've been friends with since high school is doing this. My daughter LOVED them!

Work:

Nothing to report, how nice.

Books and Reading:

I managed to read three books while on vacation and now I am reading the first Alex Rider book aloud with my daughter (she received it from cousins on our trip) and I am quite liking it.

I received three books from my brother's family, all of which were recommended by fellow book bloggers: Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret, Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein, and When She Woke by Hillary Jordan.

Holiday Traditions

2011-12-24T06:33:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about the winter holidays is the traditions my family has. I also like hearing about other people's traditions so here we go....

Santa exists. Well, for at least 24 hours.

We track Santa on the NORAD website and as I write this he is dropping present in Japan.
Everyone in the house gets a stocking of small presents
Christmas morning the kids (that includes me) get the stockings and glasses of orange juice and bring them up to my parents' bedroom where we proceed to open the stockings while sitting on their bed. And, really, it's like Santa exists for that small amount of time

Christmas lights. On December 23 or 24 we drive over to Quinientos Street to the most awful/wonderful display of Christmas lights in town. The guy covers his house, his garage, the surrounding land and even has bits going on to his neighbor's house. It involves lights, blow up stuff, singing/dancing Santas and more. I love it!

Beach walk. No matter what the weather has been like in Santa Barbara building up to Christmas day, the 25th is always clear, sunny and beautiful so we walk down to Butterfly Beach (less than a mile down my street) and go for a beach walk. The tide is usually low so this includes checking out the tide pools.

Food matters. For breakfast we used to get chocolate croissants from a local bakery, but they burned down 18 months ago and we switched to homemade Belgian waffles. YUMMY! We eat roast chicken (used to be turkey when there were more of us at home), my mom's mashed potatoes (the best in the world), broccoli, carrots and green beans.

How about you, what is your favorite holiday tradition?

Saturday Snapshot: December 24, 2011

2011-12-23T19:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Alyce of At Home with Books. Photos only need to be taken by us, not random shots from the internet. Enjoy!

One of the activities my daughter did while we were in Florida was having a couple horseback riding lessons. She had the cutest pony ever, his name was Porkchop!

Review: Notes to Self (Avery Sawyer)

2011-12-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

Title: Notes to Self

Author: Avery Sawyer

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 103 pdf pages

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I received this from the author for review

Summary (from Amazon): Two climbed up. Two fell down. One woke up.

Robin Saunders is a high school sophomore with an awesome best friend, a hard-working single mom, and a completed relationship with a sweet guy name Reno. She's coasting along, trying to get through yet another tedious year of high school, when Em suggests something daring. They live in Florida--tourist central--and Emily wants to sneak into a theme park after midnight and see what they're made of. When things get out of control, Robin wakes up in a hospital bed and Emily doesn't wake up at all. Just getting dressed becomes an ordeal as Robin tries to heal and piece together the details of that terrible night. Racing to remember everything in the hopes of saving Emily, Robin writes a series of notes to herself to discover the truth.

Review: I started this book while I was on vacation in Florida and finished it on the plane home. It really made the flight go quickly as I cruised my way through this captivating story. What actually happened to Robin and Emily is slowly revealed as Robin tries to remember the night she and Emily climbed the maintenance ladder of a local roller coaster. They are fifteen years old and, of course, don't see the consequences of their actions, in fact, it never occurred to them that something could go horribly wrong.

As Robin tries to figure out what she and Emily were doing and why, she takes the time to step back from her current life and reevaluate who she is, her relationships with others (her missing father, her hard-working mother, her best friend, Reno, and others). This introspection seems very appropriate as does the way that others treat Robin, from her mother (supportive and scared), to the social workers and the kids at school (they seem freaked out by the whole thing and blame her for Emily's coma).

I was pulled into Robin's world from the beginning, fascinated by her recovery process, her emotional journey, and the impact one moment can have on all those around us.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. I was in Florida and read a book set in Florida, kinda' cool. But, the location didn't really matter all that much.

Book Beginnings: December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T06:15:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

This one caught my eye as soon as it came into my library at work and now that it's Winter Break I am digging' in.

"The first time I broke my arm I was ready for it."

I've never broken a bone so I cannot imagine being ready for it. What does that mean? And, it suggests it happens again.

Review: Ugly to Start With (John Cummings)

2011-12-21T04:34:00.000-08:00

Title: Ugly to Start With

Author: John Michael Cummings

Genre: Adult Short Stories

Pages:144

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I received this from the author for review

Summary (from the West Virginia Press website): Jason Stevens is growing up in picturesque Harper's Ferry, West Virginia in the 1970s. Back when the roads were smaller, the cars slower, the people more colorful and Washington, DC is way across the mountings--a winding 65 miles away. Jason dreams of going to art school in the city, but he must first survive his teenage years. He witnesses a street artist from Italy charm his mother, from the back seat of the family car. He stands up to an abusive husband--and then feels sorry for the jerk. He puts up with his father's hard-skulled backwoods ways, his grandfather's showy younger wife, and the fist-throwing schoolmates and eccentric mountain characters that make up Harper's Ferry--all topped off by a basement art project with a girl from the poor side of town.

Review: I was worried at first when I began this book as it didn't seem to work for me, but as I progressed through I liked it better and better; for me the second half was much more interesting and engaging than the first half.

Let me cover the first half since it didn't work quite as well for me. I found the stories a bit interesting, but I felt as if I was missing something. Maybe it was me, but it felt like I didn't "get it" at first. True, I am not poor, not abused, and not a teenage boy, but I don't think that's it as stories should have a universality about them. The story I did enjoy in the first part was Wallet (mentioned in the summary) about an abused wife staying with Jason's family and Jason going after the abused husband. He is so angry, but finds the man's wallet with a letter in it. After reading the letter Jason pities the man. I get those emotions: we feel one way, but other ideas creep up on us as well.

As I've written, the stories in the second half of the book appealed to me much more and I am not sure why. In them I got a better sense of Jason, how he thinks, who he is, and what his life is like. Perhaps it's because he ventured out past his immediate family so I saw what he was like out in the world. Well, in the world that is his town of Harper's Ferry. I particularly liked the second to last story, The Scratchboard Project where Jason visited an African-American classmate who had as tough a life as he has. He managed to be uncomfortable in the setting, but realized that he and his classmate weren't all that different. And, in fact, they could be friends, or more.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. And I've squeaked in another state before the end of the year! West Virginia is definitely relevant to the setting of this story, and in particular, Harper's Ferry, where the stories all take place.

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2011-12-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Books currently reading:

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood

Books waiting in the wings:

The Shattering by Healey
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Review: Born to Run (Christopher McDougall)

2011-12-19T07:42:00.000-08:00

Title: Born to Run: A hidden tribe, super athletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen

Author: Christopher McDougall

Genre: Adult Non-fiction

Pages: 304

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I bought this with my own money

Summary (from Amazon): An epic adventure that began with one single question: why does my foot hurt? Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his reader from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America's best ultra-runners against the tribe.

Review: I am not a runner. I used to be an athlete, but am not anymore. I say this as a way to explain how wide-reaching and appealing this book is to so many people. I found it fascinating, interesting, funny, and poignant.

I was afraid that there would be too much technical in this book, but I didn't find that at all. There is a great mix of running stories (which are fascinating), science (so interesting), personal stories (always a good thing), and culture (both Taramuhara Indian and ultra-runner). I feel like I learned so much and that's a good thing.

The basic premiss is that ultra-runners, the Tarahumara tribe in particular, don't get hurt the way "western" runners do and the author set out to find out why that is. To boil it down to its most simplistic form: the shoes runners wear are killing them and they need to let go and enjoy the running. It turns out the higher the price of the shoes, the worse they are for you. Apparently if there is too much cushion you pound harder to find the solid, thus injuring yourself. Huh. And the happiness factor. It seems so obvious, but a number of different coaches, runners, and the author all noticed the look of sheer joy as these successful ultra-runners have on their faces, even at mile 90 in 120 degree heat is unmistakable. How does one find that? The Tarahumara have it in their daily life, but the American ultra-runners have to find it as a new outlook on life.

I am jealous of the runners even though I know that I will never achieve a tenth of the stuff they do in that realm. But I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read about both physical and mental accomplishment as well as plain old good storytelling.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. I have been searching for a book to read about Mexico or Latin America, but I have trouble reading magical realism so I had given up. But, this one is non-fiction so it worked! Awesome stuff.

Sunday Salon: December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T05:26:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

As you read this I am flying from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale, Florida then driving to Vero Beach. It actually doesn't matter where I am going, what matters is that we're meeting up with my brother and his family for a few days! We haven't seen them since July and I really miss them (they live in London) so this will be a great few days of family time with no distractions!

My daughter enjoys art and her 6th grade class just did a little unit of study on the Oak Group, a local group of artists who paint the "back country", meaning the Santa Ynez Valley. I think my daughter's came out really well!

Work:

We're on a break! Whoopeeee! And, while I am away, facilities is supposed to be installing a 60" flat screen TV and Apple TV set up in my library for presentations. I am SO excited!

Books and Reading:

I have big plans for reading this week as the year comes to an end. There are 2 plane flights and a couple two-hour car rides so I hope that I get some major reading done. However, I am traveling with my parents and daughter so the chatter level might be high as well, which will make reading virtually impossible.

I am taking my iPad with me so have the following books: Leaving Microsoft to Change the World, Netherland (for one of my book groups), Born to Run (for my other book group); and some pdfs from publishers: A Short History of Africa; Notes to Self; and Ugly to Start With.

Review: Everybody Sees the Ants (A.S. King)

2011-12-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

Title: Everybody Sees the Ants

Author: A.S.King

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 282

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Lucky Linderman doesn't want to wake up.... Lucky Linder didn't ask for his life. He didn't ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn't ask for a father whenever got over it. He didn't ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn't ask to be the target of Nader McMillan's relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far.

But Lucky has a secret--one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escapes to the war-ridden jungles of Laos--the prison his grandfather couldn't escape--where Lucky can be a real man, an adventurer, and a hero. It's dangerous and wild, and it's a place where his life just might be worth living. But how long can Lucky keep hiding in his dreams before reality forces its way inside?

Review: I have seen a ton of reviews of this book online and since they were all favorable I got this book for my school library and took it before it hit the shelves for the students to read. Bad librarian. Justification? Now I can recommend it to them better since I've read it. Do you like that?

I have never read a book by A.S. King (yes, I know, I must read Please Ignore Vera Dietz), but I am impressed. I cared about Lucky from page one and the other characters are believable and I understood them even when I didn't like them or their behavior. Bullying is such a sensitive topic and King handles it well, showing the impact on the bully, the victim, and the victim's family. Lucky's response is so good: he tells various people what is going on, but doesn't admit to the worst of the bullying because it is so humiliating. The adults in his life are too nervous to do anything significant and the bullying continues. Unfortunately, the school personnel are afraid of law suits, which seems to drive their actions (or inaction).

The issue of suicide is also ever present in this book, showing that Lucky is not the only one who is having a tough time. If they all just spoke out....

The ants. They appear as a humorous bunch who give Lucky advice, comment on the events in the book and are present in Lucky's mind. They did confuse me a bit I'll confess, but they didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. This is also true of the time Lucky spends trying to save his grandfather who is a POW/MIA. I don't want to say too much about this part of the story as it will give away the deeper issues that Lucky (and all of us) deal with.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. As the year draws to an end I look at my Google Reading map and I am pleased to see thumbtacks spread out over the map. However, I do wish there was more variety so I am cheating a little bit on this one. The book takes place in equal parts in Pennsylvania (where Lucky lives and is bullied), Arizona (where he goes for a month with his mom to escape), and Laos where Lucky goes in his dreams to save his grandfather. And, I don't have tacks in any of these places!

Saturday Snapshot: December 17, 2011

2011-12-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books

To participate in Saturday Snapshot meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken. Photos can be old or new, and can be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. All Alyce asks is that you don't post random photos that you find online.

A few nights ago my daughter and I went out to dinner and wandered downtown to see the twinkle lights. I took this with my phone so the quality isn't great, but I like the feeling of it.

The best Christmas tree ever!

2011-12-16T05:30:00.000-08:00

A colleague at work sent me the link to this Christmas tree idea and I think it's just fantastic!

The photo comes from the website GristList, which seems to be all about being kinder to the planet (news, information, ideas, etc). Of course, that means I added another feed to my Google Reader

Happy Holidays!

Book Beginnings: December 16, 2011

2011-12-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

There was just so much chatter in the blogosphere about this one that I couldn't resist when it came to my library. I put down my current book and picked this one up.

"All I did was ask a stupid question."

I like that first line, there are so many possibilities of where it might go.

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2011-12-11T15:24:00.001-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
The Hand You're Dealt by Paul Volponi
Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan by John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech

Books currently reading:

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher

Books waiting in the wings:

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood

Sunday Salon: December 11, 2011

2011-12-11T06:52:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

I was pleased to see three women win the Nobel Peace Prize: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, activist Leymah Gbowee of Liberia, and rights activist Tawakkul Karman of Yemen shared the prize for their "nonviolent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work."

Yesterday we got up at 5:30am (yes, on a Saturday), drove a couple minutes to the local bird refuge and watched the full lunar eclipse. Pretty awesome!

My daughter went to her first junior high dance Friday night. I was really proud of her since she wasn't sure if she would know people there or not. She is only in 6th grade, but one of the local private schools has a dance and invites 6th graders (yes, they are recruiting, and no, she's not going).

Mollee Gray

Saturday we Christmas shopped a bit and headed to Westlake (an hour south) for my daughter to attend a dance class at another studio. She LOVED the class! Today we're going back down so she can take a master class given by Mollee Gray from So You Think You Can Dance.

Work:

One more week until Winter Vacation! We've decorated the Library with twinkle lights and paper snowflakes so we're feeling really festive.

Books and Reading:

I had a better reading week this week, finishing three books instead of just one like I did last week. I have high hopes for the Winter holiday and hope that I can finish a few books before the end of the year. I'm having a tough time with Bumped, it's feeling repetitive, can anyone encourage me to continue reading?

Review: Lost Boy, Lost Girl (John Bul Dau)

2011-12-10T14:48:00.001-08:00

Title: Lost Boy, Lost Girl: Escaping Civil War in Sudan

Author: John Bul Dau and Martha Arual Akech

Genre: YA non-fiction

Pages: 158

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges: POC

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): One of thousands of children who feld strife in southern Sudan, John Bul Dau survived hunger, exhaustion, and violence. His wife, Martha, endured similar hardships. In this memorable book, the two convey the best of African values while relating searing accounts of famine and war. There's warmth as well, in their humorous tales of adapting to American life. For its importance as a primary source, for its inclusion of the rarely told female perspective of Sudan's lost children, for its celebration of human resilience, this is the perfect story to inform and inspire young readers.

Review: I have read a couple books about the Lost Boys of Sudan and have seen the documentary about John Bul Dao (the author of this book) and his friends as they left their Kenya refugee camp and came to America. All of them were interesting and I feel like I learned even more by reading this book.

First, I have never heard about the Lost Girls of Sudan! I realize now that girls are never mentioned in the other books and documentaries. I'd never seen photos of them either. It turns out that girls were given to adults and couples in the refugee camps so that they were taken care of while boys were left to fend for themselves.

In the first five pages I learned a couple interesting things: lions stalk their prey by peeing on the grasses on one side of the herd then going to the other side. When the victims smell the pee they run in the opposite direction, directly into the lions. Very clever. The other thing is that the Dinka, John's tribe, choose the fastest runners as children and train them to be "bringers". Bringers run directly at lions, stab them, and act as decoys as the rest of the village men attack the lion. What a job!

The story of the Lost Boys is a well known one by now: the Arab government in the north of Sudan sent soldiers to attack the mostly Christian villages in the south. Villages were burned to the ground, women and girls were kidnapped, raped and the men and boys were killed. Thousands of boys (and some men) managed to escape, walking for months through the Sudanese bush. Those that survived the walk ended up in refugee camps in Ethiopia until the Ethiopian government drove them back into Sudan. The final destination was Kukuma, a refugee camp in Kenya.

In the early 2000s the United States took in 3,000 Lost Boys, giving them housing, groceries and rent money for three months then they were on their own. Martha and John were part of this program. I like that the book includes background on the Dinka and their lives in Sudan before the war, their horrifying experiences during the war and their escape, time in the refugee camps, and what it was like to come to America and meet one another. We also get an update on what happened to their families.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. Sudan has gone through so many changes in the last few months, the most dramatic of which is that it split into two countries! Southern Sudan, where most of this book takes place, is now officially its own country, South Sudan. How cool is that?

Saturday Snapshot: December 10, 2011

2011-12-09T20:36:00.001-08:00

This meme is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books

Yesterday we went and got our Christmas tree at the local farm that we go to each year. They have a few animals, hay rides, and old farm equipment. Then we saw this "Santa" sleigh and I couldn't resist a photo.

Review: The Hand You're Dealt (Paul Volponi)

2011-12-09T05:51:00.001-08:00

Title: The Hand You're Dealt

Author: Paul Volponi

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 168

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): When Huck Porter's dad suddenly dies, it feels like nothing will ever make sense again. Huck's "best friend" thinks that Huck should just get over it, the girl he likes won't give him the time of day, and his mom now works all hours at a roadside diner to make ends meet. The only thing that still makes sense for Huck is the game his dad taught him, the game they spent hours paling together: Texas hold'em.

Worse than all of that, though, is Huck's math teacher, Mr Abbott--a hungry card shark with an ego to match his appetite. He now wears the local poker tournament's first prize, a silver watch that Huck's dad wore proudly for three years. So Huck hatches a plan to knock Abbott off his throne and win back the watch. Only, bluffing his way into the tournament will mean lying to everyone Huck knows. But as Huck gets deeper int the tournament and starts to lose himself in the cards, he begins to wonder who he'll be when the let hand is played.

Review: I am a real fan of Paul Volponi's books, they have good characters and strong stories that I think are especially good for teenage boys. He isn't preachy but usually has a good message and his books connect with our students. But, this book turned out to not be my favorite of his. I don't mean it isn't good, it just isn't my top choice (that goes to Black and White).

I liked the character of Huck, I feel like we got to know him, what's important to him, how he feels about his dad dying and how much he dislikes Abbott. I also thought the supporting characters added to the story even if we only knew them on a surface level, especially the other poker players.

Poker isn't really my thing and that's probably what stopped me from rating this book higher than a 4. I've played and enjoyed it, but I am not really "into" it so the descriptions of the tournament didn't capture me the way they might other readers. But, I was definitely routing for Huck, I got caught up in the story, and I felt all the right emotions reading this book.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. While Las Vegas, Nevada is the hot place to play poker and the eventual winner of the local tournament gets a free ride to play there, I am pretty sure this book takes place in California. They talk of Vegas being only an hour and a half away, but the main character says he is going to graduate high school and attend Cal State, a California University.

Book Beginnings: December 9, 2011

2011-12-08T05:50:00.001-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

Paul Volponi is such a good author for YA fiction. His characters are always real and the boys in particular enjoy his books so when we got this one in this week I went for it.

"The second those squeaky elevator door shut, Stani pulled a gun on the rest of us. I felt the floor beneath me and my stomach sink down to my shoes."

Now that's some opening lines! This is going to be a fun book!

Challenge wrap-up: Where are you reading?

2011-12-07T20:27:00.001-08:00

The idea behind the Where Are You Reading Challenge was to read a book from each of the 50 states. I loved this challenge since I am a geography geek. But, I must confess that I completely forgot that I was supposed to do all 50 states and instead I just got all excited that I was reading books from all over the world and that I got to plot them all on a Google map. Here's the list of what I read by state and region of the world:

United States:

Observation--SO MANY books set in California and New York! I managed to read books from 20 different states (I haven't listed books that weren't specific as to their location). I thought I did so much better than that.

Arkansas--Fire from the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
California--Murder on the Down Low by Pamela Samuels Young
California--Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
California--Buried Onions by Gary Soto
California: Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark
California--Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker by Marla Martenson
California--Hangman by Faye Kellerman
California--Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycoskie
California--Ex-Mas by Kate Brian
California--The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash
California--Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
California--Legend by Marie Lu
California: 32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter
Colorado: Columbine by Dave Cullen
Connecticut--Trapped by Michael Northrop
Connecticut: Shutout by Brendan Halpin
Connecticut--Unlocked by Ryan G. Van Cleave
Florida--Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Florida--When the Stars go Blue by Caridad Ferrer
Florida--Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and TR Simon
Florida: Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams
Georgia--Shine by Lauren Myracle
Illinois--Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles
Illinois: The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Euleberg
Illinois--Yummy: Last days of a southside shorty by Greg Neri
Maine--Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Maryland--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Maryland--The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton
Massachusetts--Run by Ann Patchett
Minnesota--The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin
Minnesota--Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen
Mississippi--Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Nebraska--Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
New Jersey--Audition by Stasia Ward Kehoe
New Jersey--Kick by Walter Dean Myers and Ross Workman
New Mexico--Split by Swati Avasthi
New York--Fist Stick Knife Gun by Geoffrey Canada
New York--Chasing Windmills by Catherine Ryan Hyde
New York: Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
New York: Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
New York--The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld
New York--Stay by Allie Larkin
New York: Diamond Ruby by Joseph Wallace
New York--I am J by Cris Beam
New York--Bossypants by Tina Fey
New York--Hush by Eishes Chayill
New York--Playground by 50 Cent
New York--Borderline by Allan Stratton
New York: Jazz in Love by Neesha Meminger
New York--Where She Went by Gayle Forman
Ohio: I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Ohio--Knockenstiff by Donald Ray Pollock
Oregon--The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
Texas--Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
Texas--A Good Long Way by Rene Saldana, Jr
Washington: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (audio)
Washington--The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

Washington: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John

Washington--For Blood or Money by Nathan Everett

Washington--Ironman by Chris Crutcher and Stotan by Chris Crutcher
Washington--Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

Central and South America:

Observation--obviously, I really need to work on reading books from Central and South America!

Un-named country--Exposure by Mal Peet

Europe:

Observation--I need to branch out in my Europe books. I am doing the 2014 Winter Olympics challenge in 2012 so that will help as I'll reach the nordic countries.

Czechsolovakia--Far to Go by Alison Pick
France--Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
France--Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Germany: The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
Germany and Holland--Anne Frank by Sid Jacobson (graphic novel)
Poland--The Violin of Auschwitz by Maria Angels Anglada
Russia (and Lithurania)--Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Russia: The Madonna's of Leningrad by Debra Dean
Russia (and the US)--Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay
Spain--The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
United Kingdom--Pride and Prejudice by Nancy Butler (graphic novel)
United Kingdom--Human .4 by Mike A. Lawrence

United Kingdom: Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson

Asia:

Observation--I have a thing for Afghanistan and India, which I kind of knew. I think I did well for reading books set in a variety of Asian countries.

Afghanistan--Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield
Afghanistan--Farishta by Patricia McArdle
Afghanistan--Shooting Kabul by N.H. Senzai
Afghanistan--The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Afghanistan--Thunder Over Kandahar by Sharon E. McKay
Afghanistan--The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Bhutan--Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
China--The Great Call of China by Cynthea Liu
China: Dreams of Joy by Lisa See
India: Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
India: Sisters of the Sari by Brenda L. Baker
India--Fasting, Feasting by Anita Desai
India: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
India (and San Francisco)--The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda (my favorite)
Japan (and the US)--Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Japan--Love in Translation by Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
Myanmar--Aung San Suu Kyi by Judy Hasday
Nepal--Little Princes by Conor Grennan
North Korea--Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick
Pakistan--Not Easily Washed Away: Memoirs of a Muslim Daughter by Anon Beauty

Philippines: Trash by Andy Mulligan

Middle East:

Observation--This coming year I am hosting the Middle East Reading Challenge again so I hope to broaden my reading of this region.

Every country except Oman--Muslim Women Reformers by Ida Lichter
Iran--Cemetery of Dreams by S. Mostofi
Iran--Women without Men: a novel of modern Iran by Shahrnush Parsipur
Iraq--IraqiGirl
Palestine--Palestine by Joe Sacco
Saudi Arabia--Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

Saudi Arabia--Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

Africa:

Observation--I did fairly well with African countries, but I'd like to do even more in 2012

Bostwana--Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley
Congo, Sudan, and Uganda--The Enough Moment by John Prendergast and Don Cheadle
Congo--A Thousand Sisters by Lisa Shannon
Ethiopia--Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Ghana--Wife of the Gods by Kwei Quartey
Nigeria--Little Bee by Chris Cleave
South Africa: Coffee at Little Angels by Nadine Rose Larter
South Africa: Nelson Mandela the Authorized Comic Book by Nelson Mandela Foundation and Umlando Wezithombe
Sudan--A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Uganda--The Unknown Soldier: Haunted House by Jason Dysart (graphic novel)
Uganda: Tropical Fish: Tales from Entebbe by Doreen Baingana

Zimbabwe--Now is the Time for Running by Michael Wililams

Pacific Countries:

Observation--what? No Australia?! I've got to change that in 2012

New Guinea--Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
New Zealand--Violence 101 by Denis Wright

Review: Blank Confession (Pete Hautman)

2011-12-07T05:29:00.001-08:00

Title: Blank Confession

Author: Pete Hautman

Genre: YA fiction

Pages: 170

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Shayne Blank walks into the police station and confesses to having killed someone. How could the quiet, unassuming new kid in town be a murderer? It's hard to believe, but as Shayne tells his story, Detective Rawls is forced to face the reality that Shayne may be more--a lot more--than he seems. But who is he?

Review: This book is just what I needed after my last book took me a week to finish! This is a quick YA read that keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what Shayne is all about, who he killed, and how it all happened.

Shayne is new to town and immediately befriends Mikey, a small high school student who wears suits that he buys at thrift stores. The story is told through the eyes of both boys, Mikey as he relays events as he sees them and Shayne as he tells Detective Rawls how and why he killed someone. The question is: who did he kill and how did he do it? Why the person was killed isn't such a mystery as the story unfolds.

This is a book that deals with bullies and peer pressure, but like other good books in this genre, the story isn't preachy and high school students will feel pulled into the characters and plot without feeling like an adult is telling them what to do and how to behave. The issues of drugs, peer pressure, and what is the right thing to do are also present and effective.

Shayne is a great character because he is outside the main group at this high school. Since he is new he has a vantage point from which he can see what's really going on while those in the events are caught up in the history of one another. As the new kid, Shayne can befriend various factions and really "see" the issues clearly, allowing the reader insights to each character's actions and personality.

The description on the inside flap of this book suggests that Shayne cannot be a murderer and that's a great tone to set for the book. It makes the reader question what Shayne is saying to Detective Rawls until the very last few pages of the book.

Geography Connection

Click to see my updated Google Map. We are never told where this book takes place and I guess it really doesn't matter. I found myself picturing the school and town where I work, which gives the book a more personal feeling.

Top Ten Childhood favorites

2011-12-06T05:55:00.001-08:00

Top 10 Childhood favorites

The Broke and the Bookish host this meme

I have been trying to think of the books that I buy friends' children and I am not coming up with 10, but here are some of my favorites

Dandelion by Don Freeman

The Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Narnia series by C.S. Lewis

all the Ladybird series books (from the UK)

Judy Blume's books were huge for me as I got into upper elementary!

What are some of your childhood favorites?

It's Monday, what are you reading?

2011-12-05T05:43:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey

Books read last week:

Legend by Marie Lu

Books currently reading:

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

Books waiting in the wings:

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World by John Wood

Review: Legend (Marie Lu)

2011-12-04T19:36:00.001-08:00

Title: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Genre: YA Dystopian fiction

Pages: 304

Rating: 4 out of 5

Challenges:

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this from my school library

Summary (from Amazon): Once known as the western coast of the United States, the Republic is now a nation perpetually at war with hits neighbors, the Colonies. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a military prodigy. Obedient, passionate, and committed to her country, she is begin groomed for success in the Republic's highest circles.

Born into the slums of the Republic's Lake Sector, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths--until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered, and Day becomes the prime suspect. Now, caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June tries desperately to avenge Metias' death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths to which their country will go to keep its secrets.

Review: I have heard such great reviews of this book so I was really excited to read it. However, it's taken me a week to read it and I don't know if that's because I wasn't liking the book or because I was just having a hectic week. Then I read one non-glowing review and I felt a little better, like maybe it isn't just me. Overall I enjoyed the book by the end and maybe that's because I actually had a long chunk of time to read today. I hadn't had that all week.

Plot--I think I needed something to grip me earlier but I don't know what they would be. The idea is a really good one and what I like about dystopian fiction: the people versus the all-controlling government. Medical experimentation and illness, wealthy versus poor. That's all good and it came together well by the second half of the book.
Characters--June and Day are both likable characters even if the reader doesn't always agree with their actions. I find that is often true in dystopian fiction: wrong actions are acceptable since they are fighting for a higher truth/right. The evil characters are really evil in this book, killing at will and having no empathy or concern for the down-trodden.
Sequel--The author definitely left this one open to a sequel, which really isn't a surprise. Will I read it? Probably, but I won't rush out to read it right away. Well, maybe that's not true. It depends how much time has passed.

Geography Connection

(A plague is important to this book)

Click to see my updated Google Map. Although this book takes place in post-apocolytic United States, the main location is Los Angeles, California.

Sunday Salon: December 4, 2011

2011-12-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

Family and Life:

I managed to hurt my back over the Thanksgiving break, something I've never done before. Not so fun, especially since I don't know how it happened. But, it's now a week later and I am pretty much back to normal, but being careful not to pick up heavy things. Whew!

Friday I hit our local museum of natural history and did some Christmas shopping at the Folk Art and Tribal Arts Marketplace. It's an annual show/market where vendors bring goods and crafts from all over the world. We always find some really fun and interesting stuff to give as gifts.

Saturday was dedicated to my daughter's Winter Show at her dance studio. It's great to finally see her perform the pieces she has been working on for a couple months and I think she is happy with how it all went.

Today we're going down to Westlake so she can take a master class from Chaz Buzan, a choreographer who has worked with Cirque du Soleil, Brittany Spears, Florence + the Machine as well as the MTV music awards. I am really looking forward to seeing him teach.

Work:

A busy week at work with teaching students about how to use Google Docs (they are adjusting just fine) and how to make effective slide presentations (try convincing freshmen that less text is better so they shouldn't just copy-paste paragraphs from a website!).

Books and Reading:

As we ramp up toward the winter holiday it seems like my reading time is dwindling! I was hoping to finish my current book this weekend, but I'm afraid that isn't happening. That means not even one book read this week!

I did finally commit to a number of challenges for 2012. What challenges are you participating in this coming year?

2014 Winter Olympics Challenge hosted by Tanya at Girlxoxo. I am going to try to read a book set in each of the countries that won a medal at the last Winter Olympics. That's 26 books. The great thing is that many of them are countries that I haven't "visited" through reading yet. The challenge goes until February 2014
Alex Award Challenge hosted by Bonnie at Story Girl. The Alex Awards go to adult lit that is good for YA so it fits my job perfectly. I am going to read 3 books for this challenge
Chris Crutcher Challenge hosted by Anne at My Head is Full of Books. I have already read 4 of the 13 books for this perpetual challenge
Dystopia Challenge hosted by Bonnie Bookish Ardour. Dystopia is my new discovery and I will read 5 books
Middle East Challenge. I host this one so, obviously, I am doing it. I'll read however many books I get to since the minimum to participate is one book
Non-fiction Non-memoir Challenge hosted by Julie of My Book Retreat. I will read 5 books
War through the Generations: WWI hosted by Anna of Diary of an Eccentric and Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit. I am going to read 3 books about WWI
What's in a Name 5 hosted by Beth of Beth Fish Reads. I had fun doing this one this year and will read all 6 books again in 2012

Saturday Snapshot: December 3, 2011

2011-12-02T19:51:00.000-08:00

This meme is hosted by Alyce from At Home With Books

As the photographer in the family, I don't get photos of myself very often, and even less often with my mom so this is a keeper. My daughter took it of us in Cambria last weekend. Now if I could just get the dog to face the camera....

2012 Challenge--Alex Award

2011-12-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

This challenge is hosted by Bonnie at The Story Girl and runs from January 1 through December 31, 2012. I took the text from the challenge website.

Concept:
What are the Alex Awards? The Alex Awards are given each year to books written/marketed to adults that have special appeal to young adults (age 12-18). They often feature teen protagonists.

What are the rules? It's pretty simple -- read Alex Awards winners! I will also count nominees. You can find lists here. There are four levels - 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books, or 10+ books. You are not required to post reviews, but on January 1, 2012 I will put up a linky for participants to post their reviews.

Goal:
I am going to do the first level, 1 to 3 books. I may change that as the year progresses and do more though.

Books I hope to read:
I am going to look through the list of Alex Award books and pick out books we have in my school's library. I think it will be great to read books in this category so that I can recommend them to my students.

2012 Challenge--Winter Olympics (goes until 2014)

2011-12-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

This challenge is hosted by Tanya from GirlXOXO and runs from March 1, 2010 through February 6, 2014. I've taken the text from the challenge website.

Concept:
The purpose is to encourage reading books from countries other than your own - where the country is the setting for the book, or the author is from that country. And you have until the start of the next Winter Olympic games to do it.
Level 1 (Gold): Read a book from every country that won a medal.
Level 2 (Silver): Read a book from every country that won aGold medal.
Level 3 (Bronze): Read a book from every country that wonGold, Silver AND Bronze medals.

Goal:
I am going to shoot for level 1, reading a book from every country that won a medal. This challenge totally fits in with my desire to read books set in other countries.

Australia
Austria
Belarus
Canada
China
Croatia
Czech Republic
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Great Britain
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Latvia
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Russia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
United States

Books I hope to read:
As with my other challenges, I haven't yet figured out which books to read. Luckily with this one I have a couple years to complete it!

Book Beginnings: December 2, 2011

2011-12-02T00:00:00.001-08:00

This meme is hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages

I've been hearing a lot of good things about this book so bought it for my school library and, of course, am reading it before it goes out on the shelves! How great are the first two sentences?!

"My mother thinks I am dead. Obviously I am not, but it's safer for her to think so."