Books to be snowed in with

With the first few flakes of the year being anxiously expected any moment, here are a few books worth curling up with.


Fiction

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane is a poor, plain, orphan growing up in the household of her hateful aunt. Despite being neglected and overworked  she endures. She is sent to boarding school, where the treatment is no better.  In spite of the torture and loss Jane manages to emerge with her spirit and integrity unbroken. She becomes a governess to the children of Thornfield Hall.  Once there she finds herself falling in love with her employer Mr. Rochester. A deep dark secret tears apart their relationship, forcing Jane to face poverty and isolation once again.

Nonfiction

Angela's Ashes, T'is, Teacher Man by Frank McCourt

I am a great fan of Frank McCourt's work.  His blunt honesty and self-deprecating humor make his subject matter as accessible as it is memorable.  Growing up in Ireland lent itself to many colorful stories which he lays out in Angela's Ashes.  Upon reaching adulthood McCourt sails back to New York and begins life again as a struggling student and then teacher in T'is.  Teacher Man offers a look into his teaching years and the warmth and honesty of each tale will endear this book to you forever.  Each book is written in natural language and so a small swearing advisory is in place :)

Adult Pick

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

This is one of my favorite books and I can't do a better job of telling you about the book than the book jacket can.  "Is it possible to share your life with someone whose record collection is incompatible with your own? Can people have terrible taste and still be worth knowing? Do songs about broken hearts and misery and loneliness mess up your life if consumed in excess? For Rob Fleming, thirty-five years old, a pop addict and owner of a failing record shop, these are the sort of questions that need an answer, and soon. His girlfriend has just left him. Can he really go on living in a poky flat surrounded by vinyl and CDs or should he get a real home, a real family and a real job? Perhaps most difficult of all, will he ever be able to stop thinking about life in terms of the All Time Top Five bands, books, films, songs - even now that he's been dumped again, the top five break-ups. Memorable, sad and very, very funny, this is the truest book you will ever read about the things that really matter."

Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover

The theme of this week's picks are books with great cover art, because let's face it the audience is looking at the art first.  With Halloween on it's way we will focus on spooky books.

 Fiction

  

Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

A teen age boy sneaks out to an illegal freak show with his friends, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire carnival worker.

Non-fiction

Encyclopedia horrifica : the terrifying truth! about vampires, ghosts, monsters, and more by Joshua Gee

Discover a 4 billion year history alien life on earth. Meet the "real" ghostbusters.  Answer the question who was the real Count Dracula.  All this and more wait for you inside the Encyclopedia horrifica.

Adult Pick

As always these titles are recommended for adults.  Any ambitious young adult wishing to read these should do so with parental permission only.

The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower, Book 1) by Stephen King

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."  That is the opening line from what can be argued to be the greatest work of famed author Stephen King.  Roland, the gunslinger, believes that the Man in Black knows the nature of the Dark Tower. If Roland can catch the Man he will reveal these secrets, which is the ultimate goal of Roland's quest.  Any more information would simply spoil the brilliance of this book.  A must read!

Time for Poetry

I would be remiss if I failed to include some of the best poetry books in honor of Poetry Month.


Fiction

Love that Dog By Sharron Creech

This adorable book tells the story of a young boy forced by cruel teacher to write poetry.  This is horrible everyone knows "boys don't write poetry. Girls do."  The reader joins him in his struggle through the canon of great poets, many of whom he does not enjoy.  This hilarious book is an instant classic.

Nonfiction

Where the sidewalk ends by Shel Silverstien


Some of beloved author and artist Shel Silverstien's best works are complied in this anthology.  This extremely entertaining collection is a great way to introduce poetry to your students.

Adult Pick
My Adult Pick this week is William Butler Yeats' poetry.

The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats
 Yeats is my favorite poet.  His collection includes my two favorite poems, of his, Brown Penny and The Stolen Child.

Remembering

April is Holocaust Remembrance Month.  In honor of this memorial I have chosen books themed around the Holocaust.

Fiction

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

In the beginning Adolf Hitler's initial political doctrine was filled with hopeful solutions for a country plagued with hunger and devastation post-World War I. Promises of prosperity quickly turn to oppressive new laws including the required participation in the Hitler Youth. Protagonist Helmuth Hübener enters the program with his friends but he quickly begins to question reality behind the regime's invasions of neighboring countries, mistreatment of Jewish citizens, and closely controlled media. He creates an underground newsletter with information gathered from BBC reports using an illegal shortwave radio. As he secretly distributes the flyers throughout the town, his boldness encourages him to gather several accomplices resulting in his arrest, trial, and execution.

Nonfiction

Holocaust by Angela Gluck Wood

This DK presentation, in the classic glossy style,  combined with the eyewitness accounts of Holocaust survivors makes for a sobering and visually compelling work of history.  A wide variety of materials  create a  disturbing timeline of events beginning with Jewish exile from Jerusalem in 70 CE after Roman occupation and ending with modern-day Holocaust denial and the creation of memorials around the world.

Adult Pick

Night by Elie Wiesel

A chilling memoir in which a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that destroyed his family.  Nightmares of the world of the death camps haunt him.  He is plagued by a question: “how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur?”

Remembering World War II

Fiction

Under a War Torn Sky by L.M Elliot

19-year-old Hank is an American pilot flying dangerous mission when his plane is shot down over Alsace, near the Swiss border. The location is a bit of luck as it allows him to cross into neutral territory. The problem is he has broken ankle, limited language skills, and enemy soldiers all around. Nazis are not known for being forgiving and an American soldier made for excellent collateral. Hank must rely on a few brave citizens of France, and Switzerland, to move him in secret.

Nonfiction

Winston Churchill : soldier, statesman, artist by John Severance

The author of this biography chooses to focuse on Churchill's contributions during World War I, which is why it has made it to my list. He also includes Churchill’s childhood, Boer War stories, and his journey to becoming a statesman. It is obvious from reading this biography that Severance was taking with the famous Churchill wit as well as his larger than life personality and affinity for cigars

Adult Pick

Résistance : a woman's journal of struggle and defiance in occupied France by Agnès Humbert

Agnès Humbert was an art historian in Paris during the German occupation in 1940. She witnessed many atrocities while living in silence. When she could be silent no more she joined forces with several colleagues to form an organized resistance to Nazi power. The members of Humbert’s group were betrayed to the Gestapo while plotting to remove German forces from France. Humbert was imprisoned, mistreated by her captors and forced to endure horrors in a string of German labor camps. In spite of these tortures she never gave up hope for herself, for her country, and for the fate of humanity.

New Book Madness

Our school has received a grant for new books this year and I feel as though I have been ordering books in my sleep. Some of the books I'm sharing this week are new and ordered with grant money.

Fiction

This book is not new and it was not bought with grant money, but I just finished reading it for the second time and I like it so much I had to share :)

Slam by Nick Hornby

Sam is a startlingly ordinary 15-year-old boy who loves to skate (that's skateboarding, no ice involved). He never considered doing anything else with his free time except skating and worshiping Tony Hawk (he speaks to Sam through a poster in his bedroom). But then he is blindsided: his girlfriend gets pregnant! He thinks about running away, he turns off his mobile phone and tries to have one last normal birthday. Tony Hawk is not pleased. Is it really Tony who is "whizzing" Sam into the future for glimpses of what is to come? With or without Tony's help, Sam shares with his audience the facts about his very eventful couple of years. We know exactly how Sam feels—even when he feels differently from the beginning of a sentence to the end—and it feels just right: a vertiginous mix of anger, confusion, insight, humor, and love.

Nonfiction

This book is a grant book as well as being fabulous.

China: Land of Dragons and Emperors by Adeline Yen Mah

This novel-sized work of nonfiction tricks the reading into thinking they are reading a novel. Crammed full of action, romance, betrayal, and irony, this entertaining account of the entirety of Chinese history is sure to captivate readers of all ages. They layout of the book, with chapters broken into small sections, sidebars, and other distractions help to keep interest and make the book flow. Clearly, Mah is telling stories that she knows well, and she doesn't skimp on the vivid details, which can be gory, tragic, romantic, and yes even amusing. A must read for students studying China or anyone who wants a good nonfiction read with loads of information as well as incredible readability.

Adult Pick

We have this book for our library, but I am recommending it as my adult pick because it is a memoir of a very troubled time.

First they killed my father: A daughter of Cambodia remembers by Loung Ung

I am quoting from Publisher's Weekly (I have not finished this book): "In 1975, Ung, now the national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World, was the five-year-old child of a large, affluent family living in Phnom Penh, the cosmopolitan Cambodian capital. As extraordinarily well-educated Chinese-Cambodians, with the father a government agent, her family was in great danger when the Khmer Rouge took over the country and throughout Pol Pot's barbaric regime. Her parents' strength and her father's knowledge of Khmer Rouge ideology enabled the family to survive together for a while, posing as illiterate peasants, moving first between villages, and then from one work camp to another. The father was honest with the children, explaining dangers and how to avoid them, and this, along with clear sight, intelligence and the pragmatism of a young child, helped Ung to survive the war. Her restrained, unsentimental account of the four years she spent surviving the regime before escaping with a brother to Thailand and eventually the United States is astonishing--not just because of the tragedies, but also because of the immense love for her family that Ung holds onto, no matter how she is brutalized. She describes the physical devastation she is surrounded by but always returns to her memories and hopes for those she loves. Her joyful memories of life in Phnom Penh are close even as she is being trained as a child soldier, and as, one after another, both parents and two of her six siblings are murdered in the camps. Skillfully constructed, this account also stands as an eyewitness history of the period, because as a child Ung was so aware of her surroundings, and because as an adult writer she adds details to clarify the family's moves and separations."

One for the Ladies

March is also women’s history month, and so I thought it would be fitting to honor some of my favorite lady authors :)

Fiction

Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper

An honor student, Sylvia Patterson is an honor student living in Little Rock Arkansas. She is thrilled when she is chosen as one of the first black students to integrate Central High in 1957. She begins to have second thoughts about attending when racists citzens begin vandalizing and burning homes in black neighborhoods. She does not want to be a hero and change the world, only to attend a good school. Will Silvia ever get that chance?

Nonfiction

Who Killed my Daughter by Lois Duncan

On July 16, 1989, the authors daughter, Kaitlyn Arquette, was shot as she drove home in Albuquerque, N.M. and died the next day. The police department initially suspected that she had been the victim of a random shooting. Duncan believes the police were lazy and stubborn and did not follow leads as to the killer properly. Duncan's appeals to the FBI for help went unheeded. Much later it surfaced that Kait had become involved with a Vietnamese gang of drug smugglers. The case is still unsolved, according to the author, and there are clues galore to be pursued.

Adult Pick

I am actually reading this week’s adult pick for a local ladies book group I helped found. I am finding it descriptive and delightful.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

In the early 19th century three spinster sisters are banished from London by there brother and sent to live on the English coast. The small town of Lyme Regis is quaint and comfortable, but what it is most remarkable are the snake-stones littering the shoreline. These snake-stones hold the bodies of ancient creatures. The premier expert on these creatures is not a professor, or a lawyer, or a diplomat, but a young girl named Mary Anning. Mary’s remarkable ability to learn and remember facts about these creatures is blamed on her being struck by lightning when she was a baby. The spinster sisters and Mary become fast friends and marvel as she grows into a fine young woman, and a scientist.

The luck of the Irish

I'm sure it comes to you as no surprise that March is also Irish Heritage Month. With St. Patrick's Day looming around the corner, I thought we might want to explore some well written books on the proud island race.

Fiction

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

I know what you're thinking: "Artemis Fowl doesn't sound very Irish!" But that's where you are wrong. Artemis Fowl is the lovably despicable main character of this fantastical series and the brilliant brain child of school teacher Eoin Colfer, who lives in Ireland. So there it's Irish. More over Artemis gets mixed up in all sorts of shady dealings with fairies, leprechauns, banshees, and more. Being cursed by the fae is about as Irish as you can get. A highly entertaining series with something for everyone. Pick one up from your local library today!

Nonfiction

Feed the Children First: Irish Memories of the Great Hunger Edited by Mary E Lyons

This heartbreaking book presents first-person accounts from people who remember the potato famine that swept Ireland in the mid-nineteenth-century. This famine caused widespread starvation and death. The illustrations and photographs included in the book bring this tragedy to life.


Adult Pick

I try hard not to put my personal bias on these book reviews, but this book is one of my favorites. It is in my top 5 favorite books I've ever read. I would recommend this book to a mature 8th grader, all high schoolers, and all adults. This is a must read!

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

In this riveting memoir Francis McCourt chronicles his impoverished childhood in Limerick, Ireland. In his poetic sty he recounts live in the 1930s and 1940s. McCourt describs in depth, with truth, and feeling his father's alcoholism and talent for storytelling. With love and honesty he recounts the challenges and tragedies his mother faced, including the loss of three children to sickness and starvation. As always McCourt balances these tragic tales and painful memories with humor and humanity.

March is National Nutrition Month

Did you know March is National Nutrition Month? Neither did I :) Find out more here. To highlight the importance of eating right I have chosen food themed books for this week's post.

Fiction

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

With two major motion pictures created from this classic work, you probably think you know the story of Charlie's magical trip to Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. Think again. This magnificent work of children's literature has inspired the world since 1964. Charlie and his family find themselves destitute but rich in love. Candy mogul Willy Wonka has built an extensive empire, but has no heir to leave his fortune to. Believing that children are pure and their love for candy is infinite, Mr. Wonka designs a contest to find his successor. Invertible mayhem and hilarity ensue. Check out this beloved classic today (perhaps you can enjoy it with a Wonka bar!)

Nonfiction

I'm Just Here for the Food: Heat + Food= Cooking by Alton Brown

Alton Brown, best known for his hit Food Network series Good Eats, has brought food science to the print world with his new "cookbook." This book is not your grandma's cookbook with painstakingly preserved recipes and glossy pictures of well presented dishes. This book kicks cooking into high gear in a homeowner's manual style breakdown of gear, gadgets and technique that will blow your mind. If you have ever wondered why you need eggs in some recipe and oil in another Brown will not only explain away the worry but tell you how you can incorporate both into your next dish. A must read for all weekend dabblers and aspiring chefs alike.

Picks for Adult Readers

This week's pick for adults is one I would also recommend to my students. It is important to know where food comes from and what it does to our bodies.

Fast food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

One out of four Americans opts for a quick and cheap meal at a fast-food restaurant everyday, without knowing why the food is so fast and cheap or what it is doing to their body. The fast food industry's drive for consolidation, homogenization, and speed has radically transformed America's diet, landscape, economy, and workforce, often in insidiously destructive ways. This book takes apart fast food and rebuilds it from the ground up. Eric Schlosser tells the story of the food as it moves from farm to bun, but moreover he tells the story of the overworked and underpaid providers who serve this food to hurried and hungry Americans.

Febuary is Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month this week's reviews are top picks in the category of African American Interest.

Fiction

Miracle's Boys by Jacqueline Woodson

Charlie and Layfayette are orphan brothers growing up on the mean streets of New York with the help of their oldest brother Ty’ree. The streets are making Charlie even meaner. Ever since he returned from a detention facility for boys, he has been bent on exacting his revenge on the whole world. Now he is alienating himself from his family and running with a gang. The more trouble Charlie causes the more likely the family will be torn apart.

Nonfiction

Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers is one of the most popular African American Interest authors writing today. This memoir is gripping, heartbreaking, and at times funny. Myers takes the readers along the streets of Harlem in the 1940s and 50s. As a boy he spent a lot of his time getting into trouble and when he wasn't in detention he as playing basketball. To protect his bad boy image Myers only read in secret at night, but he devoured books and knew at a young age he wanted to be a writer. These are his own words retelling the pain of a child struggling toward success.

Picks for Adult Readers

The adult pick for this week is actually a book I would recommend for a high level YA reader. Copies are available in our school media center.

The Color of Water by James McBride

McBride wrote this memoir in honor of his mother and the struggle she faced raising her children through the hardship of poverty and racism. McBride tells of the childhood he and his siblings shared, of his family, and of the issues or prejudice that ultimately colored his life. Race was an issue his mother avoided discussing with her children. When young James asked her what color or race God is she replies with the poignant title of the book. A truly inspiring read for anyone. I can't recommend it enough.

Mrs. A where are all the good books?

As a librarian the times I hear this whining request are innumerable. Teens and tweens come in and make a b-line straight to me with dewy eyes and already creased frowns. This assumption that there are not any "good books" left in the library is what has spurred me to start this blog and share some of the books I am reading with you.

I will be dividing my posts into three sections fiction, nonfiction, and picks for adult readers. The books found in the fiction and nonfiction sections will be geared mainly to middle school and YA (young adult) readers.


Fiction

Afrika by Colleen Craig Kim, age fourteen, is on an adventure with her mother to Africa. Africa is her mother's homeland. Her mother is a South African journalist. During the turmoil of apartheid her mother fled. While living in the newly unified South Africa, Kim learns startling secrets from her mother’s past and how to accept that she is never more than a heartbeat away from the land where her mother was born.


Nonfiction


Farewell to Manzanar By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

Jeanne Wakatsuki is a bright high school student who works in her parent’s shop. She and her family have been evicted and they have to move. They were not evicted because they had no money; they were thrown out as enemies of the United States because they are Japanese. The year is 1944 and Jeanne is being moved to an interment came in the desert of Arizona to protect America from a second Japanese attack. This memoir follows Jeanne as she comes of age set apart from the world she has known.



Picks for Adult Readers


The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

This collection of novels is the delightfully witty creation of Gail Carriger. Set in an alternate London where Queen Victoria councilors are Vampires and she is guarded by Werewolves, Ms. Carriger's characters shine brilliantly against the gaslight steam-punk background. The novels are at their heart a love story: werewolf meets girl, girl plays hard to get, werewolf wins girl, and they live happily ever after.....almost.