Margaret Peterson Haddix

I'm going to start reading Margaret Peterson Haddix's series.  I think I'll start with the Shadow Children series so I get a feel for her writing.  I noticed if the middle schoolers were not checking out her books, they were into James Patterson.  I have to admit, as an adult writer, Patterson is one of my favorites. 

So, I guess that means his YA books are next on the list.  I have quite a reading list to work.  I also have the last Last Apprentice to read.  I'm waiting on PC Cast's last two books in the teen vamp series to come out in paperback.  I also have to read Sorceress and Necromancer in the Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel series.

I'm also going to add Copper Elephant to the list.  Saw that one in the library today at the high school.

Summer Reading

So I've indulged my summer by reading a lot.  Without classes this semester, I've been able to catch up on quite a few paperbacks.  I've finised the Immortal series (City of Ashes et al).  I hear there is a fourth book, so I'm a little excited. I've finished Paolini's trilogy, which will now become a series since he couldn't squish everything into the third book (his own admission).  Looking forward to that fourth book.

I'm still waiting on PC & Kristin Cast to allow their last couple of books to go into paperback for their teen vamp series.  I could check them out from the library, but all those teens are ahead of me on the waiting list!   I'll also have to make sure the Last Apprentice doesn't have another paperback/book in case 6 wasn't enough for me of super scary bogeymen & women!  I have to admit that Joseph Delaney knows how to write a seriously scary story.  The illustrations tend to add to the fright level.

I'm contemplating re-reading the Twilight series.  Not because I liked it.  Truly, Meyer doesn't really know how to write well, still by the 4th book she had improved somewhat.  No, I'd like to re-read it for the literary value (whatever might be found) and see how it fits into the teen scene with other books like Harry Potter, the Last Apprentice and others.   Teens seem to be into supernatural and scary, more so than the sci-fi/fantasy of my teenage years.  It's an interesting trend.  Definitely something to investigate.

At some point I'll also be delving into my past and reading some classics.  Dickens, Hardy, Alcott, Cooper.

Vamp Novels

So, I said I'd never read "Twilight" and never intended after the required reading in class to finish the saga.  Unfortunately, my inner book worm wouldn't let me walk away from it.  It surprised me that the story line was quite clean in terms of language and sex for a series that was written for teens.  I'm on the Jacob team, only because Edward is too full of himself and Jacob treats Bella with more equality.  Also, I'm a little partial to wolves.

In the interest of YAL research, I found that there are several Vamp authors out there.  I know about Anne Rice (never read her and I don't believe I will ever read her books).  I thought with all the authors, perhaps I should do a little research and read one or two of the books to keep in tune with YA.  Turns out I picked up one of the juiciest series out there (at least, I think so) in terms of teenage love.  I would not recommend it for anyone younger than 16.  I believe the amount of teen romances is overly dramatic and the fact that the main character has not only a human boyfriend, but also teen Vamp and adult Vamp boyfriends.  The story line is not quite up to par for a mystery/horror read, but the romance portion is all there.  Definitely a chic book!

I'm going to finish this series and maybe look at others, but I'm afraid I have a great dislike for the syrup of romance novels.  That's why I've never read Jackie Collins.

You know those books that are mass produced?

Many times, during class, in general research and while skimming through websites I have found the words "mass market produced" usually followed by "paperback". When you go to the local book store, whether a Borders, B & N, Half Price or even Amazon.com, you might pick up several paperbacks. I have some friends who only like hard cover and now my mom is reading hard cover more than paper back--physically cleaner than the paperbacks at Half Price in her mind.

Those paper backs are usually "mass market produced". This means they were printed by the thousands and shuffled off as fast as possible to book stores around the world. Ok maybe around the continent. [As a side note, you should see how many are published in other countries with different covers.] Some are reprinted enough times that I actually have 1-2 in my collection with 12 and 14 indicating up to 14 reprints of the same edition!

What makes these so enticing, so appealing to the public? One is the cost. Hard cover typically costs two to three times the amount of paperback. I think paper back is catching up in price. The publishers have realized the appeals. Another appeal is the size. I do not like hard cover because they are big and bulky and HEAVY. Paper is so much more pliant and lighter. [Insert comments that Kindle and Sony Readers are even more so--pooh to you! I like my BOOKS!] A third appeal is the easy of storage. Many paperbacks will double stack, one row in front of the other, easily on a book shelf. They are similar in size, unless you get those new fangled "larger print". The hard covers may vary in size, but also take up more space and you cannot double stack them as easily, thus you lose at least 1/2 the storage area. Cheap, small, easily stored--what's not to love?

Updating My Library

I went through 2 of my 4 official bookshelves yesterday and added my existing books to Library Thing. (See my side bar flash through books) I have two more book shelves of my science fiction, education, childrens, and mystery books. Many of the books currently listed are old.

I have a full set of serial Charles Dickens with no date and no publisher listed. I was told 15 years ago these were probably sold door to door or through catalogs. Interestingly, I have two other collections that look like serials, but they have the missing information. Most of these collections date from before 1950. I also have a few books from the late 1890's. I still kick myself for missing that McGuffy's Primer from the 1850's for $3!

As I was scrolling through many of the books looking for my publisher, publication date and material(hardcover, paperback, leather), I found many people had entered erroneous information or have a slightly different edition from the one I held in my hand. I even found one of my serials with ? pub. date that I was able to fill in for my library.

Enjoy!

Teen Top Ten Week

This year, teens once again get to vote on their top ten favorite books. The American Library Association will post it. Find all the information @your library!

See this year's picks at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/ttt09.pdf

Vote between Aug. 25 and Sept. 18th: www.ala.org/teenstopten

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

I was young when I first read this book. It was engaging and not boring like older books might be in my mind. My grandmother had read the book as a girl and she asked me if I cried when Beth died (sorry to those who haven't read it). I think every young girl cries at that point. I would think others would cry when Jo opens the door to find Mr. Baer.

This story is about a young family of mom and 4 girls who try to survive in the north during the Civil War. They have little enough to live on, their father having lost everything in his investments and then having to go off to war. They need to provide for themselves, both for food and entertainment. Their mother goes off to help the less fortunate and when typhoid hits, the daughters take care of those families, Beth especially.

As they grow, we learn about each of their strenghts. Meg the mother, Beth the peacekeeper, Jo the writer and Amy the socialite. We meet their neighbor, the elder Mr. Lawrence and his nephew Laurie. We read about the "upper crust" and the cruelty of not having enough money to fit in. We share their triumphs, enjoy their plays and cry at the heartbreaks.

This timeless classic is written in such a way that Alcott leads you to believe it could take place in any time and in any country. Readers bond with the characters and want to be their friends. In the end, for the unsuspecting reader, there is joy that a sequel was written in the form of Little Men. Of course, the reader then must re-read Little Women.

Apocalyptic Novels

Memory Boy by Will Weaver:

Want a hometown story? This is a great one and very short to read. Miles & his family live in Mpls. When Mt. Rainier and most of the Cascade range erupt the USA, Canada, and Russia are devastated. Ash blown into the atmosphere affects the global climate, reducing crops and killing animals. Miles' family decides it's too dangerous in their suburban neighborhood and they head north to their cabin in Bemidji via unique transportation. When they arrive, they find squatters unwilling to leave or share THEIR cabin. Miles suggests heading to Itasca to find a cabin built by a man he met in the local nursing home. Mr. Kurz gave Miles all the information necessary not only to find the cabin but also to survive in the far northern woods of Minnesota. Can he convince his family this will be the best option and will they survive?

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Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank:

Randy Bragg wants to live peacefully in his childhood home located in Fort Repose, FL. However, when his brother tells him to prepare for war, he doesn’t believe life could change. Within 24 hours, he’s taken in his brother’s family, stocked up on food and hunkered down. The night explodes and war devastates the USA. All around the city, the residents watch mushroom clouds blossom in Tallahassee, Orlando, Tampa and other cities. The communication lines shut down. The last mail truck drives in and food becomes scarce. They realize their little Fort Repose is a bubble of safety from the destruction and radiation. They fight daily for survival, not knowing who has survived outside the city. Law & order disappear and paper money becomes nothing as bartering systems develop. Can they survive and rebuild?

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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, reviewed by K. Jones (a classmate):

Miranda’s journal chronicles her busy life as a teenager: hopes for a driver’s license, fights with her mom and changing friendships. After hearing about a meteor colliding with the moon, Miranda’s life changes and she begins to wonder about her future. The asteroid creates worldwide disasters that no one could have fathomed: tidal waves, thunderstorms and volcanic eruptions. Miranda’s family is forced to make tough choices as far as stockpiling food and buying gas when they can. Nothing is a luxury anymore in this world, and Miranda begins to question if her and her family will even survive. Despite everything that happens in this novel, Miranda tries to cling to some sort of normalcy. She still wants to date her swimming teammate Dan, and she fights with her mother about everything (depending on the day). Miranda even admits through her journal entries that she does fight with her mother quite a bit, but she never gives up on loving her. Throughout the novel Miranda’s determination starts to build and one can see how dedicated she is to surviving and keeping her family alive as well. Even though Miranda and her family are faced with the worst of times, they stick together through it all.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

Everyday Katniss goes out to scrounge for food for her family. With luck and skill, she can avoid arrest and gather enough editable items to sustain them yet one more day. When the time comes for each district to offer up 2 children 12-18 years old as tributes, Katniss plays her part. She even steps in to volunteer in place of her sister who is chosen in the lottery. The tribute knows that this is life and death. Every child chosen, 24 in all, will fight to the death in the Games. The winner will enjoy lifelong prosperity. The losers will die. Katniss soon learns how to manipulate the system to get rewards and necessary supplies. She even goes as far as pairing with the boy from her district in order to survive and win.

Captivated, absorbed, "drawn in" to a book

I have been captivated by Harry Potter and his friends. I should include some of his enemies also. I have read many "sci-fi/fantasy" books and authors in my life. This is one of the best series and not just because it's a currently popular series. Most people make a common statement about these books--they draw you in. What does it mean to "draw you in?"

I've been "drawn" into books since I was in elementary school. I literally see the story as it unfolds and feel almost as if I was an unseen spectator at the side of the scenes. In the rare instance I can feel what the characters feel and my senses are engaged. It's rare and it's weird, but there it is. I often come back into this world and sigh deeply, as if I was holding my breathe. Since I was young, my mom would say I blocked out the rest of the world when I read. My husband says it now (but I told him that first). I literally do not hear the real world when I am reading. Is this what it means to be "drawn in?"

Can a person be captivate by a story to the point of losing sense of reality? Yes, and it's a hard thing to do. The author is responsible for that feeling, that occurrence. The reader is not. It does help to be a little susceptible to imagination and open minded to all sorts of possibilities. Most books captivate me. I could probably count the number that have not done so. Another end result of this feeling is the staying power of a story. For example, Little House on the Prairie has never failed to enthrall young girls. Treasure Island makes swashbucklers and treasure seekers of us all. These books have been around, and will continue to "draw in" readers, for a long long time.

National Council of Teachers of English - Homepage

National Council of Teachers of English - Homepage

American Library Association

American Library Association

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Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azir Nafisi

This is an autobiographical account of a native Iranian woman who returns to Iran at the start of the 1980's. She remains in Tehran, teaching at local universities until the mid 90's when she is allowed to leave for further scholarship. Her account of the political and religious fighting is eye opening to Westerners. Through a select group of women, hand chosen for the book discussion group by Nafisi, she explores how Iranian women and the whole of Iran see Western culture. It's especially interesting because she focuses on Western literature in the book group.

Having read many of the books she writes about, I find it interesting the similarities and differences in interpretation. For instance they read The Great Gatsby. I read that in high school. Even as "Westerners" we were able to pick out the decadence of the lifestyles and how Fitzgerald focused the story around the effect of that decadence. However, Nafisi's students went a step further and used the story to illustrate how "Western culture", overly decadent would sweep our culture away and morals would be lost. Obviously some of the insights were based on religious beliefs along with cultural beliefs.

It was a very interesting read. I learned a great deal about the politics and religious clashes that I did not hear about in school or on the news. It's easy to follow, all the while illustrating the take over by the Ayathollah Khomeini. (I know I just massacred the spelling)

One of the "Best Websites" for storing your books online

You want to check out LibraryThing to store and organize your whole library online. If you are especially strapped for space (the poor college student moving from apt. to apt) or if you're restricted by a spouse or another roommate (you only get one (1) bookshelf!) or if you just can't stand having all that CLUTTER, get yourself subscribed to LibraryThing.

Starting a Blog--all about books.