Shiver

by Maggie Stiefvater
PRMS hardcover 390 pages
genre: YA paranormal romance

Grace and Sam are drawn to one another, but Sam is usually in the form of a wolf. Then finally they meet as humans when Sam is struck by a hunter's bullet. These two young people are lovely and their story is inviting. I most enjoyed the storyline with Isabel and her brother Jack, though. The ending was satisfying, but I don't think I'll read book two.

Bird

by Angela Johnson
Hennepin County Library audioCD 2 hours
read by Chantale Hosein (Bird), Kamahl Palmer (Ethan), & Matthew Pavich (Jay)

Bird has run to Acorn, Alabama, to find her stepfather Cecil and bring him back home. But as she stays hidden on Ethan's family's farm, she starts to realize that she misses her mother and having a safe home. Ethan is entranced by Bird, but has spent so much of his life sick and in hospitals that he almost doesn't know how to connect to someone new. Jay misses his brother Derrick, who died of a brain aneurysm. He too is drawn to Bird, especially with his best friend Googie in juvenile lock-up.

This is a very short story that seems to end too quickly. Bird's situation seemed too unresolved. She went all that way from Ohio and spent all those months hiding and watching, but then she never actually confronted Cecil.

The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo
PRMS paperback 116 pages
genre: YA coming of age, grief

Rob's mom has died and his grief is compounded by being picked on by the kids at his school. Then he meets Sistine Baily, an angry girl who challenges everyone and everything. Rob's tiger (literal and figurative) play a powerful role in this book. The sixth grade book club will discuss this. Great story!

Dragon's Keep

by Janet Lee Carey
PRMS paperback 302 pages
genre: YA fantasy, adventure

We'll discuss this at 8th grade book club. I'll have to hold my tongue, since my reaction was "Dreck. Waste of time. Stupid." Some of the kids have already been raving about how much they like this book. Hmmm. Why? I look forward to hearing. Poor character development, choppy plot, lack of any compelling storyline. Not even worthwhile romance, though Kye is a promising character. Rosie the princess just didn't cut it.

Amy Inspired

by Bethany Pierce
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 315 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships

Interesting choice for book club. Amy is 30, an aspiring writer who teaches at a college to make a living. Her roommate Zoe is an unconventional person, also a Christian, and a writer who has been publishing. The tension between the roommates heats up when Zoe invites her friend Eli to stay with them until he can find a place of his own.

I liked the characters (especially Everett) and the roommates getting their friendship back. I didn't like Amy's dithering about what to do with her life. It seemed the dilemma of someone much younger.

The Kings of Klonmel

Ranger's Apprentice book 8
by John Flanagan
PRMS hardcover 358 pages
genre: YA adventure

Once again, I loved it! Flanagan's storytelling style just really works for me. I laughed aloud at a couple of places. I love to see the good guys triumph over the bad guys. Will's skill and his growing confidence along with Horace's friendship help them defeat the Outsiders and their attempt to take over Clonmel.

Bone Handbook

by Jeff Smith
PRMS paperback 124 pages
genre: comics, about

There was a lot in here that was a re-hash of what I already know, but enough new nuggets of info (and a few new Bone comics)that it was worthwhile. The most interesting things to me are that Smith modeled Thorn on his wife and the impact different educators had on him and on his career path. I'm glad he stuck with it! I love the Bone comics and am so glad that Smith has been successful publishing them. I love his references to literary inspirations. What an amazing man!

Cutting for Stone

by Abraham Verghese
various versions!
genre: relationships, medicine, life

I started out reading this on Mary's Kindle, then I listened to an audiobook version until I had to return it to the library, then I finished it in print from the Scott County Library. Whew! It was a more dense read than most of what I've done this fall / winter. But it was worth the while! What an intriguing story. It's too hard for me to summarize. At one point, Louie asked me about it and I had trouble describing it. A nun from India and an English doctor from ??? a strange childhood conceiving twins while he was in a drunken state. Sister Mary Joseph Praise dying in childbirth while Doctor Stone tries to save her and kill the babies that he didn't even know about.

And on it goes - Ethiopia, America, rich and poor, politics and medicine, friends and enemies. I think that Genet's storyline was the hardest for me, especially her callous betrayal of Marion. Hema and Ghosh were amazing characters, with frailties and strength intertwined. The ending was poignant - Marion had to survive, because he was telling the story. Absolutely amazing book.


From a post I had started that was still in "draft" form almost two years later:
by Abraham Verghese

some audioCDs (Dakota County Library) - read by Sunil Malhotra
genre: "general fiction" - on the back of the CD case. Life, love, relationships, medicine

The above is from 1/22/11. I just re-listened to the audiobook (10/8/15). The relationship between Marion and Shiva (identical "mirror" twins) is what stood out the most for me this time. The differences between them and their decisions are so stark. This is so beautifully written, but at times absolutely horrible (the operating theatre has some pretty gruesome moments). This is an amazing book. I had forgotten the specifics of the ending. Marion's phone call seems almost anti-climatic.

The Westing Game

by Ellen Raskin
home library, paperback, 217 pages
genre: YA mystery

I just needed a "down time" book that didn't require much of me as a reader. This is one I enjoy (and still find myself wondering about the clues). A classic.

A Dog's Life: the Autobiography of a Stray

by Ann M. Martin
Dakota County Library, audioCDs, 4 hours
read by Wendy Dillon
genre: YA animal story

Oh my. This was kind of painful. So much potential, but it falls short. The majority of the people in this story are either stupid or mean. The dog's telling of the story lacks personal depth - everything, whether good or evil, seems to be kept at arm's length. I'm not sure what kind of reader might enjoy this story. I didn't. The Susan and Addy portion toward the end was the best, especially when Susan ditched Mrs. Oliver.

The Haymeadow

by Gary Paulsen
Dakota County Library, audioCDs, 3:32
read by Richard Thomas (John Boy!)
genre: YA realistic fiction, adventure, survival

My memory of this book was that it had a slow start, but got really exciting as it went on (once John was alone in the haymeadow and responsible for what happened to the 6,000 sheep). Though Thomas' voice work was wonderful, this time around the story seemed slow. Paulsen remains one of my favorite authors, but this one . . . not sure about it. The ending, with John and his father seemed stilted.

Godless

by Pete Hautman
PRMS hardcover 198 pages
genre: YA coming-of-age

I have put off reading this since I came to the district. Both West and PRMS had a LOT of copies of this title. I know that Sharon Phelps has had this Twin Cities author as a guest before and we have lots of his books in-district. But the title and jacket blurb didn't make me eager to read this story of Jason Bock. Jason rejects his dad's Catholic fervor and his mom's hypochondria (on Jay's behalf). Along with his best friend Shin, Jay starts a new religion focused on the local water tower.

This was our 8th grade book club title, but only four of us had actually read it. We had a very interesting discussion, but I wish more kids had read the book so that we could have a more involved discussion. I found it interesting and thought-provoking. Henry is the kind of person who scares me - charismatic, dangerous, reckless, unconcerned. Shin's descent into near-insanity surprised and worried me. Jay is a worthy protangonist.

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life

by C.S. Lewis
Dakota County Library
audioCDs read by Geoffrey Howard
genre: autobiography, faith

This was much more intellectual than I expected. Not a title I would share with those I want to witness to. The portion of his story that is actually about becoming a Christian is tiny compared to all the parts of his early life that made him a determined atheist. Still, this was so interesting to listen to. Howard's voice is wonderful - it seemed as though I were listening to Lewis himself.

Some of my thoughts on this: I'm so very glad that I didn't go to an English boarding school as a young boy in the early twentieth century! Between this and Roald Dahl's Boy, I think it sounds like a wretched experience. Lewis' metacognition is fascinating. What an incredible mind. This makes me want to re-read some of his other work. His friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien also fascinates me. I would like to read more about the Inklings.