Odd Hours

by Dean Koontz
read by David Aaron Baker
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 7 discs
genre: paranormal mystery

Another wonderful Odd Thomas story! Odd is drawn to a coastal town, but he isn't sure why. Now that Elvis has moved on, Frank Sinatra is showing up regularly in Odd's life (as is Boo, one of the rare dog ghosts). Odd thwarts a nuclear terror plot, but encounters many interesting characters along the way. And he uses a gun! Anna Maria is strange, but since she leaves the town with Odd at the end of the story, I'm sure we'll get to know more about her in the next story.

To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel

by Siena Cherson Siegel
artwork by Mark Siegel
PRMS hardcover unpaged
genre: graphic novel memoir

Wonderful! I have tried ordering this many times, but it has not shipped to me until now. (Thank you, Amazon!) Siena shares her lifelong love of dance, her parents' divorce, and her decision to move in a different direction as an adult. Her husband illustrates her story beautifully. Dance lovers will definitely enjoy this well-told story.

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat

by Lynne Jonell
art by Jonathan Bean
Carver County Library hardcover 346 pages
genre: YA fantasy, mystery

A sixth grader recommended this book for book club, but I don't have access to many copies. I enjoyed it, but am not sure how it would appeal to boys. Emmy is a nice girl, but no one seems to notice her except her evil nanny Miss Barmy. Emmy can hear the class rat talk, though no one else seems to until one day when Joe says something to her about it.

Full of adventure and rodents who have amazing powers, this was a delightful book. I believe I've met the author before. It might be fun to have her come and visit someday.

Brain Camp

by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, Faith Erin Hicks
PRMS paperback 151 pages
genre: YA graphic novel, SciFi

Subtitled "A summer at Camp Fielding will really change you," I'm glad I finally read this book. Weird, fun, interesting. Jenna is unusual in her family of overachievers. Lucas is on his way to being just like his father - a criminal in jail. When they are sent to Camp Fielding they quickly realize that something strange is going on.

Creepy, fun, and a little bit romantic (though Lucas' wet dream is a bit TMI . . . not sure middle school readers will "get" it), this is a good read. The storyline and artwork work well together to communicate a middle school mystery.

Same Kind of Different as Me

by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, and Lynn Vincent 

Hennepin County Library hardcover 235 pages 

genre: true life story 

subtitled: a modern-day slave, an international art dealer, and the unlikely woman who bound them together 

 

Amazing. Absolutely incredible story told in alternating chapters between Ron Hall (the art dealer) and Denver Moore (the black homeless man). This book had SO much going on that I want to own a copy. I love the life lessons that Ron learned. I cried. It is a beautiful book. Everyone in book club today enjoyed it. Excellent read!

 

<Above posted 3.26.2012. Below added 12.08.2020.>

 

I thought about buying a copy of this to own, but decided to re-read a library copy instead. (I've been trying to decrease my possessions . . . ) This is truly an amazing story. 

 

The pieces of Denver's story told in his youth in Louisiana really struck me. The time three white teenagers roped him and dragged him because he was helping a white woman change the tire on her car. Why didn't she speak up?! And seeing the house burn with his grandma inside, not being able to wake her up. How awful!

 

There are so many times that Ron's attitude and language bug me, but I appreciate that he is honest about his own skewed perspective. And I love the truth of what believers can do - share their own story. Amen! On page 61, I loved this observation:

Looking back now, I mourn the mutual wounds inflicted in verbal battles with the "unsaved." In fact, I have chosen to delete that particular term from my vocabulary as I have learned that even with my $500 European-designer bifocals, I cannot see into a person's heart to know his spiritual condition. All I can do is tell the jagged tale of my own spiritual journey and declare that my life has been the better for having followed Christ.

 

 All of Debbie's cancer journey was so very hard to read . . . the pain, the faith, the prayers, and the challenges. I loved how God spoke to and through Denver throughout this journey.

Page 143 has an example of Deborah's faithfulness. What an amazing woman!

"Let's praise God," she said.

"For what?" I thought without saying it.

"Let's forget what he (the doctor) said about only living one year, and let's just trust God," she told me. "Dr. Goldstein is just a doctor. We serve the living God, who knows our number of days. I intend to fulfill each one of mine."

There was some humor mixed in, mostly from Denver's perspective. At a fancy dinner honoring their work with the homeless, Denver made this observation (page 200-1).

When the food come, I took my cloth napkin and put it on my lap. And I kept a eye on Mr. Ron to make sure I was usin the right fork. I had learned by then that rich white folks got a lotta rules 'bout forks. I still ain't figured out why they got to use three or four different ones and make a lotta extra work for the folks in the kitchen.

Page 211 at Deborah's funeral from Denver's perspective (my bolding):

Then I felt like the Lord had given me a word for the people that was gathered there. And when the Lord say "speak," ain't much you can do but get up, open your mouth, and see what comes out.

Here's what come out that day: "Miss Debbie was a close enough friend a' mine that I prayed and prayed for her, day and night - even to the point of offerin God life for life. 'Let me go in,' I said to Him. 'Let her stay here, 'cause she more worthy than me to stay here on this earth, and I would be better off to go on up to heaven 'cause I ain't had no kinda luck down here.'"

Finally, on page 230, Ron's humble honesty resonates with me.

The pain of losing Deborah still brings tears. And I cannot mask my profound disappointment that God did not answer yes to our prayers for healing. I think He's okay with that. One of the phrases we evangelicals like to throw around is that Christianity is "not a religion; it's a relationship." I believe that, which is why I know that when my faith was shattered and I raged against Him, He still accepted me. And even though I have penciled a black mark in His column, I can be honest about it. That's what a relationship is about.

After re-reading this, I went online to "catch up" with these people. Ron Hall has remarried. Denver died in 2012. Ron's and Debbie's kids have families and careers of their own. Life goes on. God is good.

 

 

A Sound Among the Trees

by Susan Meissner
Hennepin County Library paperback 324 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

Marielle marries Carson knowing about his dead wife, two wonderful children, and the historic home in Fredericksburg where his grandmother-in-law Adelaide resides. But she has no idea the stories that have become engrained in people's minds about the house, Adelaide's great-grandmother Susannah, and the potential for ghosts and spirits to continue wreaking havoc on the lives of those who live at Holly Oak.

I enjoyed this story and look forward to tonight's book club discussion. My favorites were the old letters Susannah wrote during the Civil War and Caroline's impact on modern-day events. I didn't like the eerie house-is-haunted nonsense. Some people!

The Upstairs Room

By Johanna Reiss
PRMS paperback 179 pages
genre: autobiographical, WWII

The author wrote down her story for her children to understand and ended up publishing a Newbery Honor book. Johanna "Annie" is only ten ("almost eleven!") when the Nazis are rounding up Jews. Her father wants to leave for America, but her mother suffers from headaches and wants to stay. Thinking they are safe in Denmark, it is too late to truly escape when the dangers grow. The family goes into hiding in three different places - the mother dies in the hospital.

I hadn't read this before giving it to my sixth grade book club and was concerned when a student said they had to stop reading because of all the swear words. The family that Annie and her older sister Sini stay with for over two years are simple farm folks. Johan has a penchant for rough language, Dientje is afraid of her own shadow, and Opoe (grandma) has a soft spot for the girls.

Good story. Much less disturbing than most Holocaust fiction. Discussion today. It will be interesting to see what the kids say.

Beauty

by Robin McKinley
PRMS paperback 325 pages
genre: fantasy, romance

For 8th grade book club, as a counterpoint to Beast (read earlier this year). Fun basic retelling of the classic story. I enjoyed it but the ending was surprisingly quick.

This Book Is Overdue! How LIbrarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All

by Marilyn Johnson
Hennepin County Library audiobook 6 discs
read by Hillary Huber
genre: non-fiction librarianship

I had read a review of this book and jumped when I saw it on the shelf. The author does a great job of sharing her impressions (mostly positive) of the many librarians she interviewed during research for this book. Especially when I experience that mix of old-fashioned sensibilities and techie newness . . . it was an interesting book. Made me wonder if anyone actually spends time on Second Life anymore, though . . . enjoyable book overall.

Eragon

by Christopher Paolini
home copy hardcover 497 pages
genre: fantasy

I can't read Inheritance until I re-read the first three books. This took me a few chapters to get into (again), but then I enjoyed the ride. Yes, Paolini borrowed heavily from Tolkien and other great fantasy writers, but he was only a teenager when he wrote this. Eragon is a delightful innocent, Saphira is magical, and Brom remains my favorite. One of my sixth grade book clubs read and discussed this, but I don't think they all *finished* it. Too bad, since it's a story worth reading. Not sure if I find the Ra'zac or the Shade to be creepier . . .

Brother Odd

by Dean Koontz
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 8 discs
read by David Aaron Baker
genre: supernatural mystery

The third Odd Thomas book, this one has Odd staying at a monastery as a guest so he can get a break from the ghosts of Pico Mundo. Then a new danger and mystery arises. I definitely liked this one better than the second one, though I missed Little Ozzie (only in this at the end) and some of the other characters of Pico Mundo. I'm really enjoying this quirky series. Part of the appeal is Odd's personal qualities. He's very unassuming. I especially like how he calls himself innocuous and the Russian stridently disagrees. Nice!