A Log of Books

June 2008 to June 2009

1. The Hot Zone
2. Down the Rabbit Hole
3. Al Capone Does My Shirts
4. Life As We Knew It
5. Among the Hidden
6. The Christopher Killer
7. Second Nature
8. The Luxe
9. The Door to December
10. The City of Ember
11. Contagion
12. A Christmas Carol
13. Breaking Dawn
14. Brian's Winter
15. The Dead and the Gone
16. The Frog Prince
17. Skeleton Man
18. Bone
19. Night Shift
20. Wicked Lovely
21. The Terminal Man
22. The Angel of Death
23. Silas Marner
24. My Sister's Keeper
25. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 3
26. Prince Caspian
27. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
28. The Magician's Nephew
29. Rhett Butler's People
30. Circle of Blood
31. Eager
32. Dracula - Graphic Novel by Ben Caldwell
33. Abner and Me
34. Touching Spirit Bear
35. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf
36. Ink Exchange
37. Schooled
38. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
39. Angels and Demons
40. Andromeda Strain
41. Amulet
42. Multiple Blessings
43. Pictures of Hollis Woods
44. Nice to Come Home To
45. Eaters of the Dead
46. Wintergirls
47. Chains
48. The Last Olympian
49. The Blood of Flowers
50. Code Orange

Day of Tears

Day of Tears
by Julius Lester

A Novel in Dialogue
A Coretta Scott King Award

A fictionalized account of the true event of the largest slave auction in American history in 1859, this story unfolds and blooms through the many different accounts and recollections of various characters. From the slave owner to the the slave, the reader gains insight into the attitudes of America prior to the abolition of slavery. Each snippet, or account, is a snapshot. All of these snapshots, strung along, help to tell a story that focuses on Emma, a girl who is sold away from her parents and from the white children for whom she loves and cares.

I don't want to say more. This book is powerful. It will upset you, warm you, anger you, and make you uncomfortable.

And the rather unconventional format of the novel will delight you.
Grade: A

Code Orange

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

Mitchell, or Mitty, Blake is a likable high school boy who works hard to avoid academics. Forced, finally, to do some research for a term paper on an infectious disease, Mitty turns to some of his mother's antique books for information. In her collection, he finds a book on smallpox and an envelope marked "Smallpox Scabs." Mitty opens the envelope, handles the "scabs," and puts them back without much thought.

As Mitty digs deeper into the world of smallpox, he begins to understand that 1) viruses have a long shelf life and 2) small pox is baaaaad. I loved this section of the book: the growing paranoia teamed up with medical information. In fact, I love learning about viruses and disease. I don't really know why.

The book does eventually turn from the etiology of small pox into an action book, and this is where my interest dropped. However, this is exactly where one of my acquaintance's interest finally grew.

This is a quick and suspenseful read that includes a highly likable protagonist, some good medical mystery, and suspense and action.

Grade: B-

Recommendations for Jane

Number One Recommendation: Wintergirls

Adult:

My Sister's Keeper by Picoult

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman (I did not read this book this past year.)

Silas Marner by George Elliot

The Girl with the Pearl Earring by T. Chevalier (I did not read this book this past year.)

YA:

Schooled by Gordon Korman - Quick and easy young YA read but very enjoyable

Pictures of Hollis Woods - Quick and easy young YA read. Very poetic. Protagonist is an artist.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson - Historical fiction about slavery

Day of Tears by Lester - a quick novel told from the perspectives of numerous characters reflecting on their memories of a slave auction. I am still reading this. It's painful but powerful.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Poetic. Powerful. About eating disorders.

Graphic Novel - Both found in the Children's Graphic Novel Section

Amulet - Fun and fast. Terry has a copy.

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf - Totally freakin' hilarious. A great reminder of middle school life as a girl.

52?

Well, I'm on book 50 right now. As of June 19, 2009, that will be fifty books in fifty-two weeks. I'm satisfied with that. There's a chance that I will make it to book 51 by then, but if not, I'm fine with it.


Suggestions for Summer Reading:

1. The Underneath
2. A Curse Dark As Gold (Retold Fairy Tale)
3. Me, the Missing, and the Dead
4. Skulduggery Pleasant *
5. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
6. Epic
7. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
8. Wolf Brother
9. Day of Tears
10. Elsewhere
11. The Penderwicks
12. Traces
13. Storytime
14. No More Dead Dogs
15. Belle Prater's Boy
16. Shooting the Moon
17. Luna
18. 13 Reasons Why
19. Neil Gaiman's latest YA
20. Waiting for Normal
    

The Blood of Flowers

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Set in Iran during the 1600s, the narrator is a young girl who dreams of a life as a wife and a mother. Tragically, her father dies, leaving her mother and her in poverty. They leave their home to live with their father's half-brother, a rich and successful rug maker.

The girl displays exceptional talent as both a rug knotter and a rug designer, and she works closely under the tutelage of her uncle, who has no sons with whom he can share the trade. However, her aunt treats her and her mother poorly: simultaneously using them as free help around the house and also complaining that they cost too much money to provide for.

Desperate for some financial independence and to prove that they are not a burden, the mother and daughter agree to enter the daughter into a sigheh. A sigheh is a temporary marriage contract. With no dowry, the girl has little hope of a marriage, but a sigheh could potentially turn into a long-term arrangement or even an actual marriage.

There are many twists in this plot: as intricate and subtle as the fine rugs that are described through the book. Interesting developments in her carpet making, the renewal of the sigheh, her friendship with the rich and beautiful Naheed, her eventual downfall, and the slow build-up to her own successful business. The girl learns of her own ability, her own weaknesses and her strengths. The narrator is a very reflective character, who is able to note where her flaws have led her astray - although this observance does not often prevent her from making similar mistakes.

This book was in the YA section of the library, but I definitely think that this is more of an adult book. First, the content contains a lot of sexual references. Second, the maturity level of this novel is not, I imagine, easily accessible to most teens - especially those under 17.

Grade: A


As the year ends, I have found my reading and blogging enthusiasm on the wane. This is book 49. Will I read three more before the end of the school year? I don't know.