Reading Week in Review - Lots of Reading

I apparently focused most of my free time on reading last week. But, I also only focused on one book at a time, which I usually don't do.

At school

Shooting Kabul - I got so caught up in the other books I was reading last week, I didn't touch this one. I'm determined to finish it this week.

At home

The Void by JD Horn - This is the third in a trilogy. It takes place in Savannah, GA, and is about a family of witches who have had several obstacles in the past year.

Finished

Fatal Puzzle by Catherine Shepherd - I got this book as a "Kindle First." Every month, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you get a choice of one of four free books for your Kindle. I chose poorly this month. This book goes between modern times in a German village and 500 years before. Both time periods are experiencing a rash of murders, and the ones in modern times look very similar to the previous ones. There were a lot of holes in the story, and a lot of things just didn't make sense. It was very rushed, and not well explained. Would not recommend this book AT ALL.

Althea & Oliver by Cristina Morchado - I LOVED this book. It's a lot like Eleanor & Park, but a little more "angry" in some ways. But I loved it even more than E&P; except the ending. I didn't get upset about the ending for E&P but this one is in the same vein. Unlike E&P, though, I was very unhappy with the ending. I don't think it ended with as much hope, and that never makes me happy. I really, really, really recommend this book!

Jackaby by William Ritter - This book's cover drew me in; it was definitely intriguing. It was also described as a cross between Sherlock and Doctor Who, and since I like both of those things - I thought this would be a good book to check out. I got the Sherlock right away because Jackaby is definitely a New England version of the eccentric, brilliant detective. But I'm not exactly sure where Doctor Who comes in. Yes, there's some supernatural/science-fictiony stuff in the quest to find out who has been committing gruesome crimes. It was great to see how Jackaby thought through the murders, although just like Sherlock - you aren't given all the clues or given all the facts that are floating through Jackaby's mind. But, just like Sherlock, it still gives you enough to keep working through it and wondering what will happen next. I do think the ending got drug on a little more past the solution to the case than needed be, but it wasn't fully horrible. Definitely would recommend.

Big Little Lies by Laine Moriarty - This was really interesting. It starts way before the major conflict and counts down to "Trivia Night." So, it keeps you wondering what happens that's so bad on trivia night that a lot of parents need to talk to the police and give testimony about the "incident." Jane is new to the Pirriwee area, and her son [Ziggy] is going to start at the local elementary school. She has no idea what drama awaits her. On orientation day, Ziggy - despite insisting that he did nothing - is accused of hitting/bullying a little girl. This builds and builds throughout the year, culminating in parents trying to get Ziggy expelled. And then you finally find out what happens on that ill-fated trivia night. Lots of drama. Lots of insanity. Lots of hidden problems behind closed doors in this town. Definitely keeps your interest.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - I didn't think I would like this book at all because it's a romance book. But, it's a GOOD story. It's well written and very realistic. In some ways, it reminded me of the love story between Eleanor and Park. I highly recommend reading this story of Anna who is forced to go to boarding school her senior year in Paris.

Sleepwalking by Meg Wolitzer - This was her first book, and from reading her later stuff, it is very evident she has built on her quality of work since then. This felt very incomplete, and I didn't connect to any of the characters. Not my favorite of hers. I just couldn't get behind the three girls who are obsessed with dead poets - so much so it takes over their lives. And the story only focuses on one of them, and it isn't always clear what she's doing.

Up next

Not sure, honestly. I'm just trying to carve down those to-be-read piles. Unfortunately, since the English department is going to the Scholastic Warehouse sale on Thursday, I'm afraid they'll only get bigger.

Poem - metaphor (an extended version)

It's worse than the green-eyed monster
But, there's no term for it.
No metaphor.
No nothing.
It just lives.
And grows.

It just eats away at you.
Slowly but surely, it's trying to kill you.
Trying to take away your desire.
Your fight.
Your will.

It makes everything seem like it is pointless.
Everything is too hard to overcome.
Everything is daunting.

Time goes on.
It gets worse.
It builds.
and Builds.
and BUilds
and BUIlds
and BUILds
and BUILDs
and finally BUILDS
until you SCREAM.

You can't take it anymore.
Something has to give

But what?

Everything is too precious
 -in its own right-
in its own way

So how do you determine what goes away?
What takes precedence?

Time for a list.
It makes me scream again.
Makes me anxious

How will it ever get done?
Nothing will get done.
I'm going to fail.
Let someone down.

Worse - let myself down.

poem - 20 questions

The Journey

Is it time yet? Are we almost there?
Why does it always seem to drag? And why,
when it gets here, do I not want it to end?
 But why do I still crave that fresh start?
Am I the only one? Or do the other bodies
in the room - in the building - desire the same thing?
Why do we always look to the "end"?
Why can't we enjoy the ride?
Isn't that the main goal? To enjoy the ride?
Isn't that what we really learn from?
Why do we rush? Why do we not slow down
and take everything in? Wouldn't that make it
more enjoyable? Wouldn't we be more at peace?
If we always just rush to the end, what are we missing out on?
The real lesson? The real point?
Is anyone listening, thinking about this?

Poem example - simile

Bleak World

The world seems like death
Just a lot of little (and sometimes big) sticks
That's all you see dotting the landscape

They mock me
It's like I can hear Nelson's laugh
"Ha, ha."
Or the Soup Nazi
"No green for you."

It seems to drag on and on
It never wants to end
Just lasts forever
     Much longer than the warmth

But eventually it will lose the battle
Little green will start popping up
No more brown will carpet the ground

And then I can mock it
I can laugh like Nelson
"Ha, ha, winter. You've lost again!"

Reading Week in Review - Lackluster break

I started off break reading quite a bit. Then it kinda ground to a halt. I'm blaming decorating for Christmas. Still got some good books read, though, so at least I made a dent in my pile. And I didn't buy any new books, so the piles are actually smaller!

At school

Because of break, I'm still working on Shooting Kabul. Not much farther than I was last week.

At home

Althea & Oliver by Christina Morchado - Absolutely love this book. The two title characters have been best friends since they were little kids. Althea has stronger feelings for Oliver, but Oliver refuses to have her act on them. And then things become very difficult. Suddenly, Oliver will go to sleep for weeks at a time - and not remember anything that happens during that time (he is "awake" for very brief periods during that time). Powerful writing

Finished

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale - Craziness ensues when there's a murder in a small Wisconsin town. Secrets - because we all know small towns have them - are revealed. If you like dark comedy - this book would be a great choice.

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson - Patterson's mysteries are my brain candy/brain break books. Just a quick read that keeps me entertained. I'll never say these are great works but they keep me interested. And, I can't deny that he does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat while you're reading.

Up Next

Honestly, I'm not sure. I think How to Build a Girl will be next at home, and then maybe Girl Stolen at work.  As long as it is out of my "to-read" pile, I'll be fine :)

Week in Review - Clearing Out the Reading Pile

I made myself stick to books this week and got some that had been sitting around read. It's a huge accomplishment. Now I'm ready for break so I can plow through even more of my stack.

At school

Shooting Kabul by NH Senzai - Just started this today during reading class. Fadi and his family have just escaped Taliban controlled Afghanistan, but his six-year-old sister got lost in the shuffle and doesn't get to go on the move with them to California. Fadi is trying to figure out how to get Miriam back to her family.

At home

I just finished one last night before I went to bed, so I'm not working on anything yet. I did pull one out of my TBR pile, though.

Finished

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman - This book takes place over the course of a year and is divided by seasons. Fall: Boy and girl meet. Winter: Boy and girl fall in love. Spring: Girl moves away; boy does some boneheaded things. Summer: Boy and girl hope to reunite. Good if you liked Eleanor & Park.

Tape by Steven Camden - This one is really hard to explain. Amelia has to live with her grandma after her parents die in 2013. She finds a box of old cassette tapes and is inexplicably drawn to them. In 1993, Ryan is dealing with his father getting remarried and a new stepbrother after his mom died. He makes some mixtapes and then records a note to his mom. To throw another twist into his life, he's inexplicably drawn to the new girl who is staying with her grandmother. Not sure how I feel about this one yet. It would be good if you liked The Future of Us.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson - Noah and Jude are twins who are inseparable at 13. They think the same things even though Noah is a bit timid and Jude is a daredevil. Then something happens that tears them apart. Noah narrates their 13-year-old life, and Jude narrates their 16-year-old life. As 16 year olds, they also have to deal with their mom's death. Noah changes a lot, and Jude is struggling with her fancy art school and her new mentor.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Loved this book so much. The idea of not making superheroes into heroes but villains instead is completely intriguing. Sanderson's writing is beautiful and does a great job of really putting you into the series. Good if you liked Gone. Can't wait for the second one in the series.

Up Next

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale: This is has been in my "I need to buy this" list for quite a while. But who wouldn't want to check out a book with a cover like this:

It's about a murder that happens in a small town. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Here's some others I'm going to try to read over break:

Althea & Oliver

The Prince Lestat 

Reading Week in Review - Reading Hangover

It's been an odd week for reading for me. Reading The Bell Jar put me into a funk. Not in a bad way - but when I REALLY like a book and really enjoy the writing - everything I try to read after it for a while falls very short and leaves me wanting something better. Finding books like that is fabulous - and honestly probably doesn't happen enough, but man is the "comedown" horrible. I've been slowly trying to read a few pages at night, and all I can think is "This is nothing like The Bell Jar. I want something better!" It's a horrible feeling. Especially when I'm pretty sure the books I'm reading are good; they just aren't AS good, so I judge them for that. Totally not fair to the book or the author.

At school

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - My husband has been trying to get me to read this since it came out. It was at the book fair, so I decided to grab it. I finally started it last week, and despite my book funk, this is a really good book. People have become "epics" (basically superheroes) but most are using their powers for bad and trying to control the normal people. This reminds me a lot of the TV series Heroes. Good if you liked the Gone series.

At home

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson - I loved Jandy's The Sky Is Everywhere, and a lot of bloggers have been bragging about how great this book was. I have to admit that it looked interesting - twins that were practically inseparable and then three years later have nothing do with each other? Sure, why not. Nelson writes this in a different format, too. She has one twin the story from when they were inseparable, and then the next chapter is three years later from the other's point of view. You have no idea why they aren't talking anymore. It's been an interesting puzzle to piece together.

Finished

Enclave by Ann Aguirre - This was very high paced and high action. It was a great blend of zombie (which I don't typically like) and post-apocalyptic. Consider it a mash up of The Hunger Games and The Enemy series. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I'm going to do a separate post about this book because it was so good. I'm still kicking myself for waiting for so many years to read it because it definitely is now one of my favorite books. And mostly for the writing in it because it was so beautiful.

Up next

I'm really not sure yet. I think it is time to randomly pick something from my to-be read piles. Goodness knows they are tall enough...

Reading Week in Review - Feeling Accomplished

I forgot I had some reading for work last week (very exciting stuff on grading and how to adapt it), so I didn't get as much free reading done as I want. And, even though I was home sick one day last week, I didn't feel like reading much that day. But, I still finally finished a book I've been taking too long on, so that made me feel rather accomplished. Didn't even buy new books this week - that is a rarity.

At work

Enclave by Ann Aguirre - This is the first in a trilogy. It would be good for you if you liked The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner series. It's dystopian and takes place underground. The world has been taken over by "freaks" (zombies), and everyone who is underground is very controlled (their job is picked for them, they don't get to chose who they marry, etc.). It's very fast paced, and very much a story of survival.

At home

Just finished Belzhar last night, so I haven't really started anything else yet.

Finished

The Program by Suzanne Young

I still can't decide whether I liked this book. It takes place in the present future, and suicide is now considered a sickness among teenagers. It's become such an epidemic that states have developed a "cure." The cure is drugging teens enough that they feel nothing. And remember much less than they did when they went in to the treatment. And that's what really bothers me. I don't like the idea of messing with memories. Good or bad - they're there for a reason. They give us an opportunity to remember and learn from our previous experiences. I don't like that they make everyone into "sheeple" and that they take away feelings. True, teenagers are a bit dramatic, but you shouldn't make them into non-beings, which is what these drugs do. Perhaps this book could be used a little more as a warning about all the drugs/treatments we pump into our bodies?

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

This was Wolitzer's first foray into YA lit. It was OK. Some of her ideas weren't as flushed out as in her previous books. It almost seemed like she thought she had to write less because she was writing for a younger audience, and I think the book suffered a bit because of that. Still, it's an interesting look into 

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

So much to say about this book that I honestly don't know where to begin - and I don't want to give it away. The easiest way to explain it is that it is an adult version of a mash-up of Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. I highly recommend this. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy. 

Up Next

Thanks to Belzhar, I'm going to push off Prince Lestat and go ahead and read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. 

Is ADM safe?

This is a hard question because there are so many options/points we could look at to determine if  our school is safe.

Is it safe from outside attacks?
Is it safe from bullying?
Is it safe from intruders?

To a degree, we can answer yes to all of these questions. But, it also is a matter of perspective and a matter of instance.

Teens are smart; they're not going to pick on kids right in front of a teacher. But am I naive enough to think that there aren't people picking on someone out in the halls? After school? Before school? On social media? Through texting?

No.

And sadly, I can't stop that unless it is made known to me.

I've said it many times this year, and I'll continue to say it. While you may not feel safe anywhere else, my goal as a teacher is to keep you safe for the 43 minutes you are in my classroom. You all know that I won't tolerate anyone being rude to you in my room. This will be a safe place. No exceptions.

Ever.

Because we all need that one safe place.

Two weeks in a row!

I was on a mission last week to get some books finished up - and I did do that for the most part. I've still been hauling books back and forth between home and work, so I'm not going to divide them up this week.

Reading

The Program by Suzanne Young - I've had this in my to-be-read pile for quite a while at home. A former student asked if I had read it or even had it last week, so I decided to pick it up. It is about the US in the future, and teen suicide is now an epidemic. Some states have developed a program to cure the issue. The problem, though: the program completely wipes their brains. The book follows one teen as she goes into the program and what she does to fight it.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Got a little farther into it, but not much. Still making myself finish this one before I move on to the new Anne Rice book.

Finished

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - This series is still keeping my interest. Kagawa does a great job of introducing new story lines without it feeling repetitive and boring. But, she's also staying true to the heart of the series. 

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I wasn't crazy about this one. It's vague in a lot of places, but then again, I could have sped through this book just to get closer to that Anne Rice carrot in front of my face. Still, if you liked The Hunger Games, you would most likely like this book. Not sure I'll read the rest of the trilogy, though.

Up Next

• Anne Rice - Prince Lestat
• Ann Aguirre - Enclave

Catching Up on My Reading List

Wow. It's been more than a month. But, my blogging takes a huge nosedive when I start reading through short stories. It's hard to want to read or write when you've been reading for work for multiple hours a day. So, my finished list is a little longer than normal. I'm going to keep up with this again since I won't have any writing to grade for a while. 

Reading

I'm not even going to break up my reading list right now because I've been carting books back and forth (which is part of the reason this list is a little longer than usual). I forget to bring the book back to school and then start another one. I've also had a little bit of reading ADD because nothing has been holding my attention.

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (third in a series) - Puck, Ash and Megan think that they've been banished from the fey so they won't have to deal with the war with the Iron King (the false one) again. Wrong. Their fate twists so they are sucked back into the petty fighting between the Summer and Winter fey.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Yup. Still reading this more than a month later. Remember that ADD I was talking about? This book was the biggest victim. 

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran - I've been looking at this one since it came out in September. It's about a 14-year-old girl who is trying to find her place in the world. I thought it would be a good one for the classroom, but nope - slightly inappropriate for freshmen (it's one of those that I talked about during Banned Books Week; not one I feel comfortable having on my shelves but wouldn't tell you that you couldn't read it). Let's just say the main character isn't so innocent.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I forgot The Iron King at home one day, so I picked this one up from my to-read box behind my desk. It's short, so I thought I could plow through it - but the next day I brought The Iron King again. So, now this one is sitting on my bookcase. This takes place in the future in an undisclosed location. Eleven previous groups have taken an expedition to Area X, but all have failed (a lot of them have ended in death). This follows four women (you only know them by their job title psychologist, anthropologist, biologist and a surveyor. They find out all kinds of secrets about the area. This trilogy is a little unique because the author is going to release all three in this calendar year. I know the second one is out, but I'm not sure if the third one is yet or not.

I was going to put down the third one in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone but I hadn't read it since AUGUST. So I've decided that one just needs to be abandoned for a bit. 

Finished

*I'm going to be lazy and not discuss these because there are so many. Feel free to ask me about my thoughts and opinions of them. I honestly did booktalks on all of them, so if you've been in class - you know about them!

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Buehrlen

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Variant by Robinson Wells

Feedback by Robinson Wells

The Dirt by Motley Crue  

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Up Next

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice - You have NO idea how excited I am about this one. I have been waiting for it since Anne Rice announced it. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Anne Rice. Like enough that on one of my trips to New Orleans, my friends and I sat outside of her house because there was a limo outside. We were hoping to get a glimpse of her. No dice. Anyway, I will buy any Anne Rice book as soon as it comes out, and this one is no different. But, I'm trying to practice some control; I'm not going to start it until I finish The Magicians. We'll see if that lasts. Anyway, a few years ago, Rice said she had finished her Vampire Chronicles. Thank goodness she was wrong! This is probably my favorite series; I can't tell you how many times I've read Interview with the Vampire. The series is wonderful (minus Tale of the Body Thief that one wasn't the greatest), so I'm excited to hear more about the exploits of the Brat Prince, Lestat.

Standing Ovation for Cory Doctrow

When I first heard about Washington High "banning" Little Brother by Cory Doctrow, I immediately felt shame because I lived and worked in Pensacola for six years. I didn't even want to be connected to a town who felt that action was OK (although at least I wasn't like a few of my friends who were alums of that school - they were really upset).

But, honestly, knowing Pensacola, it didn't surprise me. It's not really a radical town; conservative is a mild way of explaining the town. That still doesn't excuse this behavior. It is just wrong to tell kids they can't read something.

I was proud of the English teachers for continuing to fight against their principal about deleting the book from the summer program because he "didn't like it" (even though he didn't read it; I'm not sure how you don't like something you don't try). I was proud of the commenters on the news articles saying they were going to go out and buy it. I was proud of the students for still wanting to read the book.

But Cory Doctrow was just amazing. Sending free copies of the book? Making a video to talk to the students about their book being banned? Awesome. It took two easy steps to show that he cared - and he didn't even care that someone might not like his book, because he understands that not everyone has the same likes/dislikes. He just cared that kids were being denied the possibility of finding something they enjoyed reading.

We should never take books out of kids' hands. Like Doctrow, we should be putting them IN their hands.

So, bravo, Cory Doctrow, bravo!

Censorship = bad

Censorship = bad.

There's not other way to put it.

Knowledge shouldn't be kept away from people. The more viewpoints we have, the better place the world can become. Its like the notion of truth. No one person holds the real truth, but the more opinions and ideas we gather, the closer we can get to the real truth. The more knowledge we share, the more we can learn about each other and come to a better understanding. The more understanding we have, the less fighting/arguing/war mongering we have - and what's wrong with that?

When we censor or ban books, we're just stopping information. And we shouldn't do that. The forefathers of the country left Britain and fought for our independence so we wouldn't have to deal with that ever again. And why would we want to?

On the flip side, do these people have every right to complain, gripe, dislike, and even not read what they don't like? Most definitely. If they don't agree with it, they have the right to not acknowledge it. But, should they prevent others from NOT reading it? No - and that's where the issue lies. It is perfectly OK for you to not want to read something, but it isn't right to FORCE your ideals on someone else (that didn't work so well for Hitler, now did it?). But, telling people that they can't complain about it is just as bad as taking a book off the shelf. They're also protected under the First Amendment. Just because you don't agree with it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be said. Because those disagreements also bring light or ideas to the forefront that others may not have thought of.

American was founded on the freedom of choice and we shouldn't try to change that. Students should be allowed to read what they want. Let them expand their minds. Let them explore. Let them find themselves. We aren't here to create robots, and if we fully control what they read, that's what we're doing.

I don't know about you, but the world in Fahrenheit 451 (yet another frequently banned/challenged book) didn't seem too appealing to me. So I say, let the kids read.

Repost from September 2012

I did write along with you guys today in class, but I got a little ranty in my writing, so I went back and found my original post about this article. This was originally posted on Sept. 4, 2012.

I don't think we consider too much about how brave we are as a nation. Of course, there are still brave individuals - Andrew Tice is an example of that. But in general - are we really pioneering and willing to risk it all to continue to discover? To do what's right? I'm not sure.

I do think he has a point that we don't fight for truly noble reasons any more. WWII was definitely a noble cause - although no one realized how noble until they started discovering the work compas/the concentration camps. Still, it was greatly understood that Hitler was pure evil. And those who VOLUNTEERED, understood they were putting their lives in danger and that they may not come home alive. And yet, people still volunteered in droves until the end. Tehy weren't afraid to die - they knew what happened at the beaches on D-Day, and yet they still signed up. Lied about their age so they could go fight Hitler or even Mussolini or Tojo. Now, the Armed Forces struggle to get enough enlistment numbers. Sure, it was no problem right after September 11, but even a year later - numbers dropped - and they keep dropping. Too often people now join because they don't know what to do; can't get a job; can't get into school. Too often they aren't joining to be patriotic or to fight for this amazing country; they're just there because it is their last - and maybe only option. They aren't brave. Many times they just want to show that they are manly and brave and want to be "tough and strong." They're not serving our country - they're serving themselves.

We have become complacent; we take our freedoms for granted. And actually, before Sept. 11 - we thought we were untouchable - that nothing like that could happen to us. It was a wake up call, but a wake up call that didn't last long enough. We still think that we're untouchable and that we are right. We aren't always right. Sometimes we use our cowardice, hide behind it and become the big bully. We do this every time we put a new leader in place. Sometimes we do more harm than good. After WWII, and even during the end of it, we were seen as the good guys. That knight in shining armor. Now, we're not. We're rude, crude, obese and unwanted. As a nation, we need to take a deep look inside and see what went wrong to change that perception.

I think once we find what changed that perception and work on getting back to being the "good" guys instead of the perceived big bullies - we'll realize what went wrong. While Capitalism lets us live the American dream, I also think that it is what makes us complacent - lazy. Fat. Greedy. We don't look out for the greater good anymore - we look for the better "me." We don't care if others are struggling or suffering - as long as we're OK and happy that's all that matters. However, if we look out for others, Chances are that all of us will be better off. The base will be stronger, better formed, which is beneficial to us all. Looking to pull up the others is going to make everyone's arms stronger.

Austin has the guts he's writing about. But he is not doing this for the glory - he's doing this to get the story out. He's doing what too few journalists are willing to do. He is honestly trying to make a difference through telling other people's stories. But hes' not looking for the safe easy one He's flown halfway around the world to get out the untold story. And yet, most news outlets here are too scared and chicken to publish it. It's not pretty' it's not safe; it's doesn't come in a nice, neat little package. It's not what American's want to hear because we aren't brave enough to face the truth in the world and look at the nasty stuff that could infiltrate our lives. Instead, give us the happy. The fake. The bloated. The shiny. The plastic.

IMWAYR - A Mixed Bag

Not much got read at school, and I didn't read much at home until the weekend. I'm going to blame homecoming for that. I'm hoping to get some of these finished this week that I've been dragging out because there does come a point where I will stop reading because it has been too long.

At school

Still working on The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare; I'm a lot farther in it, and I'm really enjoying it. It's high paced, and keeps you wondering what's really going on as you read through. It gives you some bread crumbs but just enough to keep you reading to get to the next one.

At home

The Magicians  by Lev Grossman - I started this yesterday, so I'm not very far into it. It is the first in a trilogy, and I was lucky because all three books are now out. Quinton Coldwater is thrust into a magical college and is trying to get his bearings. It reminds me of Harry Potter if Harry went to Hogwarts at 19 and was a little crankier. I am going to have to get a copy of it for the classroom (I got it on Kindle) because I think several of you would enjoy it.

I'm also still working through Dreams of Gods and Monsters, although I really haven't read any more of it in about two weeks.

Audiobook

Same as the past entries. I did use this month's credit for the second in the Delirium series, and I'm much closer to this one being finished.

Finished

Plan B by Jonathan Tropper - Four friends kidnap their movie star college friend to stage an intervention and get him off cocaine. The four sober ones realize that they've also gone up to upstate New York to detox for their own reasons. I REALLY love Tropper's writing. I read him for the first time this summer and have devoured the rest of his books.

Dollbaby by Laura Lane McNeal 

Here's the write up from Goodreads:

"When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, her mother unceremoniously deposits Ibby with her eccentric grandmother Fannie and throws in her father’s urn for good measure. Fannie’s New Orleans house is like no place Ibby has ever been—and Fannie, who has a tendency to end up in the local asylum—is like no one she has ever met. Fortunately, Fannie’s black cook, Queenie, and her smart-mouthed daughter, Dollbaby, take it upon themselves to initiate Ibby into the ways of the South, both its grand traditions and its darkest secrets.
 
For Fannie’s own family history is fraught with tragedy, hidden behind the closed rooms in her ornate Uptown mansion. It will take Ibby’s arrival to begin to unlock the mysteries there. And it will take Queenie and Dollbaby’s hard-won wisdom to show Ibby that family can sometimes be found in the least expected places."
 

This would be a good book if you liked The Help.

Up next

Still haven't comitted to Ashfall, and I really don't know what I'll pick up next at home. I have been considering the second in the Name the Star series (mostly because I'll be talking about that book Friday in class). We shall see.

IMWAYR - Distracted

It was another low quantity of reading week. I'm blaming reading 800+ page books. I slow down a lot in the middle of them because I just want them to be done with!

At school

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Bulehrlen - This book I got from some reviews on blogs and Goodreads. It's an interesting concept. Alex starts having "delusions" from the past, and people think she's got a serious issue. However, she's actually had past lives and she's having flashbacks. I'm not that far into this one, but it is really good!

At home

Still working on Dreams of Gods and Monsters.

Audiobook

Still working on Delirium. 

Finished

I picked up The Giver by Lois Lowery last week. I didn't understand why many people told me they had read it in HS, but I never had. Then I realized it came out when I was in HS, so it wasn't on people's radars (this also made me feel a little old). Jonas is part of a society that has isolated itself from others. He's been "selected" as being the next Receiver, and realizes there may be something sinister about the world he's living in - things might be being kept from the citizens.

Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon - The second in the Outlander series, and it weighs in at a massive 976 pages. Claire has been back in her modern life for 20 years, and she recounts to her daughter the truth behind her heritage. In a flashback, Claire goes back to when Outlander left off and tells the story of how Jamie decided she needed to go back. This one I liked a lot more than the first; it had more history instead of romance, and left off with a cliffhanger. I'll be taking a break before the third one, though (which is a whopping 1100 pages).

Up Next

Ashfall - I know I had this one on there last week, but I got distracted by other shiny books. It's a common problem with me when I try to pick my next book.

Calvin's Day at School

Poor Calvin. He was always misunderstood. He's the active crazy child who can drive you up a wall - but he's also really creative. It's a shame that his talent hasn't been tapped into or explored by his teachers because then he wouldn't have such a negative view of school. This is what I hope I don't do to my students.

Even though I mostly like school, there have certainly been times that I've felt each and every one of those cells (comic can be found here). Especially the zombie one - sometimes I look back on how little sleep I got throughout high school and wonder I made it through. Asleep at midnight, up at 5, at school at 7, home at 4, 6 or 10. I can't believe I survived like that for four years.

Luckily, though, I had teachers who were a bright spot in the day. They worked hard to make school not seem like an assembly line and that we weren't just there to get our cup of knowledge for the day. A lot of my teachers tried to make sure they weren't trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. They worked with us to make sure that we fully understood the concept and how it applied to our lives outside of those four classroom walls. Of course this didn't happen every day because those teachers were humans, and you have down days. DAys were you are less energetic, slightly sick, distracted by life. But for the most part, they worked hard to serve our needs.

I remember all too well, though, those classes where I was expected to fit a mold and just parrot back to the teacher (this is why I still have a great hatred for anything Brit Lit - a bad teacher can ruin you for life). I was miserable in those classes. 45 minutes of pure torture. I didn't learn anything and just put in my time. I DON'T want that for my students.

So, this is why I try my hardest to emulate the teachers who tried to reach all of us. It isn't always easy, and sometimes I fall short of that goal. But, I don't want my classroom to feel like an assembly line. I want it to fit my students' needs. I want them to feel like they're being encouraged to grow as people - not just as a score on a test.

IMWAYR - Slacking off a bit

So this week was a little lacking on the reading. A lot of it was I was too tired by the time I got home to pick up a book. I needed to just veg out and not think for a while. Hopefully that will change this week.

At school

The Giver by Lois Lowry - I've never read it, so I decided I should. I haven't started it yet; it's what I plan on reading today during SSR.

At home

A Dragonfly in Amber by Diane Gabaldon - This is the second in the Outlander series, which is about an Englishwoman who is transferred from 1946 Scotland to Scotland in the 18th century. These are pretty thick books (more than 600 pages, so it takes a bit to get through them).

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor - This is the third book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. Usually I get bored in a series with the second one - typically because it is setting up. But, in this one, I'm just not getting into the war between the angels, humans and other beasties as much as I liked the first two. 

Audio book

Still working on Delirium. Along with the "too tired" to read last week, I didn't want to listen to the book to and from work last week. So I didn't get much farther in it.

Finished

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - (see last IMWAYR for the summary of the book). I really enjoyed this book. It was very suspenseful while Rose was in the concentration camp - even though you knew she made it out OK, there were times where you wondered if she was going to make it. It was also hard to conceive that she was only in the camp for six months. It's amazing how much brutality she had to face in such a short amount of time. I highly recommend this one. The author's website also has a lot more information about the real Rabbits who were experimented on at the camp.

Abandoned 

I know in my reading life essay I said that I rarely abandon books. Well, it happened this week. I started reading Grave Mercy, one of the Iowa High School Award books, and it just wasn't clicking. I think it was more that I wasn't in the mood for it. So, I put it back to the side. I hope to pick it up soon again because I really do like to try to get those award books read.

Up Next

I realized I left this section off the last one. Of course, this one ends up changing quickly though. I'll think I want to read one book next and then completely change my mind.

Ashfall  by Mike Mullen - This has been in my to-be-read pile for quite a while. But, thanks to a lot of you mentioning it in your reading essays, I decided it needs to be moved up.

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness - This is the final book in a trilogy I've really enjoyed, and it's been sitting on my Kindle for months, so it is time for it to get read!

My Reading Life

I honestly don’t remember a time where I didn’t read. Even before I could read, I would listen to books on tape (some were even on 45 records) or I remember my mom reading to me every night before I had to go to bed. I read a lot even as a kid. When your mom was an English teacher, one grandma was an English teacher then a librarian, and the other grandma worked in a library - you don’t have much choice but to read. But, add in the fact that I was an only child with no kids my age who lived near me (before I went to school anyway), reading was one thing I could do at anytime without needing anyone else around.

Picking a favorite book is really difficult for me. I have favorite authors: Ernest Hemingway, Anne Rice, Rainbow Rowell, JoJo Moyes, John Green, Christopher Moore, and Jonathan Tropper are a few of those. Their books are usually toward the top of my favorite’s list. And I’ll always pick up their books when they have a new one out. These are also usually the same ones I’ll reread - for example, I used to read Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire - I even have a first edition of that one - and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises yearly. But picking a favorite book is hard because it depends on my mood and my attention span at that moment. I usually tend to gravitate toward literary fiction, supernatural and historical fiction - but I do like a good “popcorn” book every once in a while too. These are ones I don’t have to think about much while I read; Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, and Tim Dorsey are some of my favorite brain break authors. While I’ll usually give anything a try, I barely read anything that’s strictly romance (my husband says I may be the least romantic person in the world), and I try to read war/military books, but that usually isn’t successful either (although Tim O’Brien writes some fantastic stuff based in the Vietnam War).

Even though I read a lot (almost 100 books last year, and I’m at 100 right now for this year), I still have weaknesses. Sometimes I read too fast or I skim too much (the downsides of being a former copy editor), so I’ll miss out on stuff and have to go back and reread (sometimes chapters back) because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Another weakness is that I will rarely abandon a book. I always hold out hope that it will redeem itself by the end or that it will become more interesting. This usually means I will read some books that make me want to scream - and these are the ones that I frequently read too quickly because I just want to finish it! It also means that I usually greatly dislike that book because I feel like I wasted too much time on it when there are so many other great books out there to read. While that’s a weakness, it can also be a strength. It has exposed me to new authors and genres or books that I wouldn’t likely read in the first place.

I can’t imagine not reading. It’s how I wind down at night, and it keeps my brain active. I get exposed to so many other cultures and ideas - as well as learn history sometimes. It makes me want to go and explore new places, and when I finally get to go to those places, I feel like I’ve already been there thanks to the book. So, I truly believe that reading expands your world and takes you to places you’ve never been.

IMWAYR - FIrst edition of the 2014-2015 school year

Some of the bloggers/teachers I follow on Twitter started a hashtag - #IMWAYR (It's Monday, what are you reading?). So, I decided on Mondays, I would do a post on what I've read during the past week, what I'm reading now, and what I plan to read next. I meant to post the books I read this summer last week, but I forgot, but I will eventually do that (it shouldn't be too hard since I have the books I emailed out during the summer).

At work

Thanks to doing SSR in class on Friday, I finished the book I was reading. So, I'll be starting Grave Mercy by Robin LavFevers (the first in His Fair Assassin series) today. Ismae (all of this is from the back) has escaped an arranged marriage and finds safety at a convent. She learns that she has been "blessed" by the god of Death to have violent gifts and destiny. Basically, she's an assassin. 

At home

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - This takes place during WWII. An American pilot is working with the English women's auxiliary when she manages to fly into German airspace. She is captured and has to spend six months in a women's work camp/concentration camp. Even though it isn't one of the death camps, conditions are still brutal. Little food, tons of people, random beatings. This has been a very interesting read so far.

Audiobook

This summer, I started to listen to audiobooks while I was walking or doing housework. I've learned that the narrator makes a HUGE difference, and that I have a harder time getting into a book this way. I didn't realize how much I reread and how much I skim when I read (I sometimes skip over background information, and I rarely read the attribution for dialog. It's amazing how much difference this makes.) Right now, I'm listening to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Love has been outlawed because it makes people crazy, so all marriages are arranged and people are "cured"/prevented from falling in love. I'm not that far into this one, but the narrator is probably the best I've heard so far this summer, and that has helped tremendously with me getting into the book

Finished

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - I don't plan on going to see the movie, but from what I've seen on the previews, a lot has been added to the movie. Mia has a snow day from school, and she and her family are out driving. A car slams into them, and ends up with her parents and brother dying - and Mia is in the ICU. The book is written from Mia's perspective as she looks down on herself while she's fighting for her life. She has flashbacks from her life with her family and boyfriend. And ultimately, the decision for her to live or die is up to her spirit. This really isn't my type of book, but it was an OK read.

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz - Yanek (Jacob) is a teen in Krakow, Poland, when the Nazis invade in 1939. He and his family are moved into the Jewish ghetto by the Nazis, and then he moves around to 10 different concentration camps throughout the war. This is based on a true story. I personally thought that they didn't focus enough on one aspect of it, which watered down the story. It still shows the horrible conditions but it could have been better.

Conversion by Katherine Howe - This story takes place in a private girls' school in Massachusetts in 2012. Suddenly, a bunch of the girls come down with mysterious diseases - seizures, hair falling out, massive headaches, throwing up pins. No one knows what is causing it, and more and more girls are getting weird symptoms. It becomes a national story, and all the while, Colleen is starting to draw parallels to this story and the Salem Witch trials - which took place in the school's town (even though it has been renamed). The story is also interspersed with some narratives from the trials. I really liked this book. I started reading it, and the next thing I knew it was an hour later. I thought the ending was a little rushed and lacked real explanation - but it was still a good read.

Picking Books

I'm not sure that there is a rhyme or reason to how I pick out books to read. Honestly, my to-be-read piles are so massive, I just dig around in those until one seems to fit my mood (and then there are the times where the huge, towering stacks just make me groan because nothing looks good, so I either head to the bookstore or download something on my Kindle).

Of course, there has to be a way to get those huge stacks. A lot of the books I pick up are from recommendations - either friends, students, authors I follow on Twitter or Goodreads. I also like taking a look through Barnes and Noble's staff picks shelf. Sometimes I've found some good stuff there. I also know my favorite authors, so if they release something, I usually have it pre-ordered. Another source for book ideas is the Iowa State Book Awards lists (http://www.iasl-ia.org/p/state-awards.html). I focus on the teen and high school awards lists. Most states have a similar list, so I'll search those every once in a while. And I always pay attention to the national awards - the Printz, Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc. I will fully admit that those are sometimes a crapshoot, but it never hurts to check them out.

Going back to Goodreads, I only really started using that this winter. At first, it didn't do much good because I didn't have many books rated, but I've gotten a lot of suggestions from them - some good, some bad. But, it's also expanded my reading horizons and made me aware of a lot more books when they come out. The biggest thing I've gotten from them is following book bloggers; because they will write about the books as they read them, they often get sent ARCs (advanced reading copies). This means they get a first look at books months before they come out. That has really added to my to-be-read list!

It is perfectly fine to abandon a book. However, I rarely do that. I will force myself to finish one - usually because I hope that it will redeem itself by the end. Many times, it does not. I also try to finish all of the ones I get for the classroom because I want to be able to at least talk to you about them. This makes it hard for me to do the booktalks because I don't want you to get a negative view of the book, but I at least want you to be "exposed" to it (and this is why I don't read most of the military war books I have in the room because I know I won't like them).

Feel free at anytime to recommend a book to me that you've really liked! Trust me, I've had plenty of students just throw books on my desk for me to read - and I always will read them!

Me, in 47 words

Today, I had you write your story in 47 words and then go back and edit it to as many words as you wanted. Here's one of the ones I did today and then the revised version.


Scared faces. Silent room. Awkward pauses. Bumbling words. The first day isn't the easiest. Soon they'll be boisterous. Soon, I'll wish they were timid little mice. It is always an adventure to get to know their personalities. A fresh start. Not every job gets this. I'm lucky.
(FYI: By some miracle, I got to my 47 words on the first try for this one).



Not every job gets this luxury. A fresh slate at the start of every year. New faces that come in: timid little mice at first - some of who will eventually turn into roaring lions after 180 days. I get to see them grow and change throughout that time. Sometimes physically to where they are towering over me. All of them I get to see change emotionally as they mature. Right now, they are stranger, but in May, we'll have strong bonds that will make me get a little teary-eyed when they walk out that door for the last time as freshmen. Sure, there will be moments I cringe and bang my head on my desk, but these are my kids and I wouldn't change any of it for the world.

IMWAYR - Back on Track

I'm trying to get back on track with posting regularly. I suppose that means I should also look back through what I've written during class and post some of those. Anyway, back to books...

School
Virals by Jessica Khoury - Pia is a science experiment - one who can live forever. Kinda fitting that I'm reading this while some of you are reading Flowers for Algernon because Pia is the first of her kind - the only other animal this has been tested on is a rat. She is also "caged" into a compound in the Amazon jungle - and has no clue that there is an outside world until a new scientist comes in and Pia stumbles onto a hole in the electrified fence.

Home
Then and Always by Dani Atkins: I have to put a full disclaimer first - I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway, but any opinions I put down are my own. I have a hard time explaining this (because I'm not too far into it), so here's the synopsis from Goodreads - don't worry, there are no spoilers:

Rachel Wiltshire has everything she’s ever wanted: a close group of friends, a handsome boyfriend, and acceptance to the journalism program at her top-choice college. But one fateful evening, tragedy tears her world apart. 
 
Five years later, Rachel returns home for the first time to celebrate her best friend’s wedding. Still coping with her grief, she can’t stop thinking about the bright future she almost had, if only that one night had gone differently. But when a sudden fall lands her in the hospital, Rachel wakes to find that her life has completely changed. Now she has her dream job as a writer and a stylish apartment, but the people she loves most are not the way she remembers them. Unable to trust her own recollections, Rachel tries to piece together what really happened, and not even she can predict the astonishing truth.

So, basically, it's talking about Rachel having an alternate reality.

This one will become part of my school library and will have a book talk later this week.

Finished

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira - Still can't go on about how much I loved this book about a girl dealing with her older sister's death by writing letters to dead people. This is a very real, raw, realistic book that will seriously tug on your heartstrings. I highly recommend this one.

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain - This follows Billy L. and his company on their tour of Dallas Stadium while they're on leave from a tour of duty in Iraq. There are flashbacks, but most of the book takes place while they are stateside. You don't even get the fully story of why the troupe has been highly decorated.If you've read any Tim O'Brien, this is somewhat similar but to be honest, I prefer O'Brien. I had a hard time getting through this book - not because it was bad, but because I didn't really like it.

Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn - This books pretends that Queen Elizabeth has decided to sneak away one day to go see her old yacht, Britannia, which is now docked in Leith, Scotland. She is slightly incognito and has none of her typical entourage. They are actually freaking out because they don't know where she is and want to find her before there is an incident.

Up Next

The second book in the Mara Dyer series
Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

IMWAYR - In a reading funk

It's been a struggle with reading this week; everything I've been reading hasn't gotten excited. So, I've been avoiding it. I'm hoping I can find some books this week that I really enjoy.

School

Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain - This really isn't my type of book. It reminds me of Tim O'Brien's works but it hasn't sucked me in. Billy Lynn is a hero of the Iraq War; he and his company have been touring the nation to build up morale and show that the war is successful. The book takes place during one day when the company has gone to the Thanksgiving game at Cowboys stadium. I don't like the writing style, and with all the flashbacks to what has happened since he's been home make it drag for me.

Home

Finished

Going Over by Beth Kephart - Book talked. This was the one that took place in Berlin in 1983 with two storylines that connect on either side of the Berlin Wall. I highly recommend this one.

Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck - I had to force myself to finish this one. It was not very good at all. I thought it was poorly written and a little mushy for me. I wouldn't recommend this one, so I'm not giving many details about it.

Swim by Jennifer Weiner - This was another Kindle single/short story. My complaints are the same as the previous ones I've read. I just got into and then it ended. It is based off a book she has written that I have yet to read, but I didn't like that it really seemed to leave off in the middle. But, it will drive me to read the book, so I guess it is a good marketing tool.

Up Next
Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn
Origin by Jessica Khoury

Pull up a chair...

Whoa. I realized that I haven't posted in a month. I even have entries from quick writes in my journal at school, but I think this shows how crazy the first part of March gets with the end of the quarter, conferences and spring break. My goal for the rest of the school year is to post more regularly. And, because I've gone so long in posting - I've got a lot of finished books to talk about on here.

School

I just finished The Age of Miracles today, so I'll need to pick a new one. I'll let you know in the "next up" section.

Home

Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck - I grabbed this one at Barnes and Noble from the staff recommends section (I've gotten some good books from that area - they have a notecard with a short description of why they liked the book; check it out!) mostly because it had "Hemingway" in the title. Hemingway is probably my favorite author (although, it may be a four-way tie with him, Anne Rice, Rainbow Rowell and John Green). I will pick up almost anything that includes him in the storyline. I'm about halfway through this book, and it is a little more romancey than I normally like. Not that crazy about it.

Finished

Pull up a chair, because this section is a little long.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I did a book talk on this one when I finished it. It is about the girl who wakes up and knows her friends have died but she survived the building's collapse. She has no memories of it though. This was really good and kept me wanting to read more of it.

The Line by JD Horn - I needed a replacement for the Sookie Stackhouse series, and this one popped up in my Goodreads recommendations. It is a series that is mostly coming out this year (the books are going to be less than $5 on Kindle!!!) about witches in Savannah. I'm not fully sold on it yet, but it was entertaining and worth it for $5/book.

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick - I also book talked this one. This is about the boy who moves into a school district but barely talks to anyone. His coach pairs him up with a current student/player and he slowly comes out of his shell and no longer refers to himself as an alien named "Boy21."

The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch - This is about a group of people who go to school for a year at Oxford in England. I didn't like most of the characters and thought they thought too much of themselves, so I can't say I really enjoyed the book.

Paris by Edward Rutherford - This is a history of Paris written as a novel. It isn't in chronological order, but each time period has families that intertwine throughout the centuries of The City of Lights. Most of the book focuses on the time period from the construction of the Eiffel Tower on, which made me a little sad. I knew that history; I was reading it to get more of Paris' ancient history. However, it was still enjoyable to read and still talked about a lot of historical events (and included Hemingway, so I was happy). I have Rutherford's historical novelizations of London and New York, and I'll definitely be reading those soon.

The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan - This follows multiple married couples during different time periods. Slowly, you see the connection between the couples, however, it also doesn't paint a pretty picture of marriage. Most of the couples are dysfunctional for one reason or another.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - I wasn't crazy about this book. The characters weren't likeable and it was too much like real life. A lot of times, I want to read something that isn't real life - I use it as an escape. This book just kinda plugged along. It was good writing, but not necessarily my cup of tea.

Tropical Warning by Tim Dorsey - This is a Kindle single, which is basically a short story. This is just an extra story about Dorsey's character, Storm Serge. I think it was too short and didn't really develop the plot well.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg - This is a non-fiction book about why women aren't leaders in the workplace (like CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc.). I've heard a lot of buzz about this, but I wasn't too crazy about it when I read it. You all know that I'm not afraid to stand up for myself, and that's basically what the book was telling women to do. It was a lot about what I already do.

Honeymoon in Paris by JoJo Moyes - This was another Kindle single and is a companion to her The Girl You Left Behind. It follows each of the two couples - the one during WWI and the present couple - on their honeymoons to Paris.

The Edible Exile by Carl Hiasssen - same as Tropical Warning

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore - This was a literary mystery involving Sherlock Holmes. It follows a group who "studies" all of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and fights to prove items about Holmes. There is a murder and the group is then plunged into a hunt for Doyle's missing diary. Chapters switch back and forth between the present and Doyle's time period. This was a great mystery.

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri - I won this book as a giveaway for an advanced copy on Goodreads.

This was a quick read, and I honestly couldn't put it down when I started reading it. I was sucked in to the tale of Brownwyn, who has escaped her Southern roots and magic for a calm farm in New York. She returns to her family home in Southern Alabama to try to help her brother, who is sitting in jail accused of murder. Wyn slowly embraces her roots and finds answers to secrets that have been eating away at her for years. There's a lot of mystery to the book, and it is very reminiscent of Southern Gothic. If you like Anne Rice, this would be a great book for you.

Alabama Moon by Watt Key - This was another book talk. Ten-year-old Moon has only lived off the grid in the forest with his father. Things take a drastic turn when his father dies and Moon gets sent to a home for boys. He doesn't adapt well to living there and escapes with two other boys. The trio tries to make it to Alaska from Alabama, but of course, things don't go as planned.

Lincoln's Letter by William Martin - Martin does a neat trick with his novels. There are always two story lines - one in the past and one in the present. It follows Peter Fallon who deals in historical documents/artifacts. Usually there is a mystery surrounding one, so you get its "history" in bits as that timeline slowly inches toward the present. These are great books if you like American history; he's done ones on New York City, the US Constitution, Boston and now this one on Lincoln. This was probably my least favorite, but if you liked the National Treasure movies, you may like these.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - I'll be doing a book talk on this tomorrow. It basically follows the year in a life of humans after the Earth slows. Days last up to three "normal" days and there are lots of odd side effects. It shows how we are good at adapting even in the face of adversity.

Up Next
I am thinking about Billy Linn's Long Halftime Walk for work, and at home, I know I've got three new releases being delivered tomorrow, so one of those may be up. Or I could randomly pick another one - you never know.