I began this blog in the fall of 2010, thinking I would read 100 books during the 2010-2011 school year and write about each one. I reached 100 books in May, but decided to just keep on reading. You can stop back any time to hear about the newest books on my list.
As I big fan of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books by Ann Brashares I was looking forward to reading The Here and Now.
I have to say I enjoyed reading this book. I loved the story line, and the idea of time travelers has always been of interest to me. The first chapter sucked me in and the book held my attention until the very end.
Although I found the book enjoyable I did feel that it was a pretty simplistic storyline and that everything came together in the end awfully easily. Where I would've thought there would be questions and loose ends, Brashares pulled them all together and ended the novel with what seemed to me to be a very unrealistic ending.
That being said, I still think it's a fun read and one that many of you will enjoy. I'd encourage you to give it a try. I don't foresee incredible reviews, but it certainly is a nice way to spend a few hours.
The Red Tent follows the life of Dinah from the Old Testament. Through her story we are given a totally new look at the ancient people of the bible. I think this book made them become "real" for me.
Most of the stories in the bible are told from the male perspective. Few of them are told with this much detail and length. I was fascinated by the traditions already built up in the families, both sacred and nonreligious. This gave new light to many of the stories I'd heard in the bible throughout my life. As there were mentions to Abraham, to Isaac, I listened with new ears and found a fresh view of my favorite bible stories, told from a young woman surrounded by family.
I don't know where fact and fiction separate, but The Red Tent certainly has made me want to know more. I'd like to know what parts are substantiated by history and which ones were created by the author. However, either way I will always be grateful for this view into the early years into the bible and new perspective it has afforded me.
I found this interview with Anita Diamant and wanted to share it. However, this one is quite scholarly and not as much about the book as it is about the author.
So I will also share a book trailer that gives a few more hints at this remarkable story:
Ask me what my favorite book is, and although I say that often about many books, the one I will probably mention first is The Kite Runner. That is why I was looking forward to reading Khaled Hosseini's newest novel And the Mountains Echoed.
Hosseini's first two books were all about family relationships, and the same is true of this book. It focuses on the special love Abdullah has for his younger sister, Pari, and the changes that take place in their lives when they are separated. It is the loss of those we love that really stays with us throughout our entire lives.
Hosseini begins this story with a father telling a bedtime story to his children. This story has a lot of parallels in the book. It begins with the heartbreaking story of the father making a decision to give his daughter away to a wealthy man in Kabul. His decision alters the lives of many people in the family, and especially lays a heavy burden on his son Abdullah.
Through much of the story I felt that sadness, and I teared up many times. I thought the book was beautifully written and the story wonderfully told. I look forward to reading anything that Khaled Hosseini writes in the future!
This is a wonderful interview with author Khaled Hosseini:
Frozen, by Mary Casanova, contains everything I love in a novel. It was written by one of my favorite authors and set in one of the most beautiful places in the country, northern Minnesota. It carries all the truth of history, but tells a haunting tale that pulls the reader in from the very first page.
Several summers ago my husband and I joined two other couples and rented a houseboat on Rainy Lake. Everything about our trip was incredible! The weather that week was perfect: hot and still. We watched eagles steal our fish carcasses, heard loons calling late into the night, enjoyed sunsets that didn't seem real, ate fantastic fresh fish dinners, and swam in the clear lake water. While we were there we visited the historic Kettle Falls Hotel.
As I read Frozen I felt as if I were back on Rainy Lake once again. I could visualize it all so clearly, and this added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. Mary has a wonderful writing style. Her descriptions are beautiful and moving, and they are perfect for this type of tale.
I heard Mary Casanova telling the story of Frozen a few years ago at a conference. At the time I was struck by the story and wanted to read it immediately. It wasn't until just this past few weeks that I finally was reunited with the book and had the chance to read it. I'm so glad I did!
This is the story of Luce Price and her admittance to Sword & Cross boarding school. Sword & Cross is the school she has been sent following a terrible event in which a building burned, a friend was killed, and Luce was implicated. Throughout her first few weeks at Sword & Cross she feels as though she is at fault, and even when she meets Daniel (a young man she feels a strong attachment to) she thinks that she is to blame for the past events.
Throughout the book the reader is given the impression that there is a history between Luce and Daniel, but she also feels drawn to Cam, another student. It is only toward the end of the book when Cam seems more suspicious and it seems that Luce's destiny is with Daniel.
Readers who enjoy fantasy and sci fi - paranormal romance stories - will love the Fallen series. Just the titles of the books will tempt them:
#1 Fallen
#2 Torment
#3 Passion
#4 Rapture
If this is the genre you love, you will definitely LOVE these books!
Enjoy this book trailer video (and possible movie trailer).
Laura Moriarty's The Center of Everything is a very lovely read. Evelyn Bucknow is the protagonist, and a child living in the midst of a pretty tough outlook. Evelyn shares all of the drama of a small town and a small town school. She shares with us her dreams, her loves, her joy and her sorrow. As the narrator of the story, Evelyn gives her viewpoint, starting as a young girl in middle school, and growing all the way through high school.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Center of Everything - and especially enjoyed "growing up" with Evelyn. We experience all that she does as she goes through the normal, as well as the exciting, heart-pounding moments of middle school, and then high school. All the experiences she shares - the friendships, the joys, the loves - are similar to the ones we all experienced as we traveled from junior high to high school.
I love the fact that Evelyn is going off to college at the end of the novel, and is going to continue to work to make her dreams come true. She will not be caught in the drama of this small town life.
As much as I enjoyed reading The Center of Everything there were times when I questioned who the best readers of this book would be. While I believe the book was written for high school students, I think that many adults would love the story. That being said, I also believe that many middle school students would love the story - and that there would be a lot of high school students who would feel the story was too juvenile for them, especially when compared to other high school-age novels.
So - who do I recommend this book to? If you are an avid reader, and have plenty of time to enjoy "coming of age" novels, you will certainly enjoy this book.
Now this may be a little self-serving, but here is author Laura Moriarty sharing her love of libraries. Enjoy!
The Pregnancy Project was an extremely interesting book to read, particularly considering the fact that Gaby is telling her own story.
Gaby is an amazing young woman who is determined not to follow in the footsteps of her mother, siblings, and many other relatives who became pregnant at an early age, dropped out of school and gave up any dreams they had for their future. Gaby provides a new perspective on the pregnant teen, however, as with this project she is able to gain insight on how young pregnant teens are treated. As Gaby follows through on her senior project - faking a pregnancy - she sees how her teachers, friends, and family treat her differently. She recognizes the fact that she has a strong support system in her mother, numerous siblings, encouraging friends and boyfriend, and how so many pregnant girls have to deal with these same pressures without that support and guidance. There are voices all around the teen saying "I told you so" and "I knew this would happen" and "Now you've ruined your life". So many people who act supportive, but in reality just tell the teen that she won't be able to graduate, go on to college, live a happy life. And often, then, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The entire book does a wonderful job of illustrating all of the research Gaby did. Her senior project really becomes a life lesson for students everywhere, and a book that should be read by all and I think would make a great text health classes.
I found myself cheering as Gaby presented her project to the entire student body. Although I haven't seen the movie based on the book, I imagine it would be a very hopeful, uplifting movie. It gave me the strong sense that one can truly overcome any obstacles in one's life and reach their full potential, regardless of the circumstances in which they live.
I think of the word resilient, and how important it is for people to learn to be resilient: to be able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. This comes from believing in one's self and in not giving up even when all the odds are against you. But as Gaby points out, for many people it is easier to give in to the pressures and become what others are telling you to be.
Below is one of the news stories from Gaby's project:
