Two Crosses

by Elizabeth Musser
Hennepin County Library paperback 445 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction and romance

Gabriella is an American from Senegal (missionary parents) who is going to school in Castelnau, France in 1963(?). David Hoffman is an American teacher at the school - gorgeous, charming, mysterious, and only 23 years old. Sister Griolet is the elderly nun who runs the orphanage and the small school for American college students. Each of these people has an extensive back story. And there are dozens and dozens of other characters. The Algerian war for independence drives this story and Ali is the murderous man bent on revenge. The first 350 pages - I had to force myself to read. The last 100ish were phenomenal! Enough for me to pick up book two in the trilogy? Probably not.

And I'll bring my French/English dictionary to book club with me tonight because she used a LOT of french expressions. It didn't bother me because I know enough French to muddle by, but if someone really wants to know what something meant, I'd like a reference tool.

Black Butler

written & drawn by Yana Toboso
Hennepin County Library
genre: YA manga

I asked a die-hard manga fan what new series I should buy and she suggested this one. When I got it from the library, it looked okay. I probably shouldn't have read it . . . it's not that "bad" except that I really dislike manga-style comics. The butler is absolutely amazing; efficient, composed, never-stopping. Ciel Phantomhive, though a child, is the head of the Phantomhive company and fortune. Other than the butler, his household help are incredibly inept and always needing the butler Sebastian's help. Sebastian is incredibly handsome as well as efficient and at the end of this story, we learn of the mysterious bond between butler and child. I *so* don't like this book. Will I buy it for PRMS anyway? Or keep looking?

The Squire's Tale

by Gerald Morris
PRMS paperback 209 pages
genre:fantasy

Terrence doesn't know his parents, serves a hermit, and is an excellent cook. The hermit can't remember the past, but he sees the future as "memories." Thus when Gawain shows up, the hermit knows that Terrence will go with him to be his squire. And off they go to King Arthur's court, and off on a series of adventures. Morris' style was not my cup of tea - very episodic and jumpy. But it works well for sixth grade book club, and will help some of the kids to better understand the legendary tales.

Earth (the audiobook): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race

by Jon Stewart and a lot of other people
read by Jon Stewart, Sigourney Weaver, and a bunch of other people
Hennepin County Library audiobook 3 CDs
genre: humor

Written as a guide for aliens after humans have annihilated ourselves, the guide covers earth's geography, history, culture, etc. Some of it is really funny, some of it is bizarre, some of it is just mundane. Stewart is much funnier onscreen. Many of his vocal asides are lost on this audiobook. There were some funny bits, though.

I Am Number Four The Lost Files: The Legacies

by Pittacus Lore
personal paperback 351 pages
genre: fantasy adventure

Much of this is part of the first three books, but this one fleshes out the experiences of six, nine, and numbers one through three a bit more. The third section is told from the point of view of a Mogadorian - Adamus, son of a powerful general. It will be interesting to see where this goes, since he's not quite dead at the end of this book. Good, but I'm ready for the sequel to The Rise of Nine (which has only been out for a month . . . ).

Old Testament - Minor Prophets

Hennepin County audioCDs
many readers
Holy Scripture

One of these days, I'm going to own audio versions of the entire Bible! This one started to get hard to listen to, though, without balancing New Testament, Psalms, etc. The prophets didn't have the cheeriest messages to share . . .

Amulet #5

graphic novel, fantasy adventure

I'm too lazy to go upstairs and get the details off the book. I wasn't going to blog about it at all, but I'm a bit compulsive. I recently re-read books 1-4 and saw this at Barnes & Noble. Great way to be money-wise, huh? I bought it, read it, shelved it. Not as good as the first four - the storytelling felt very jerky - and it just seems to be a bridge for book six. That said, I don't regret buying & having it.

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

by Jordan Sonnenblick
PRMS paperback 273 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction, humorous, cancer

I love this book! This is a re-read, but I was so glad that my eighth grade book club enjoyed it that I had to read it again. Sonnenblick has such a great gift. He really gets middle school kids. I was crying through much of the last half, but there was plenty of humor as Steven navigates the challenges of middle school and having a little brother with leukemia. Beautiful story.

The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green
Hennepin County Library audioCDs 6 discs
read by Kate Rudd
genre: Teen realistic fiction, coming-of-age, cancer

Amazing. Painful. Beautiful.
I'm too tired to write coherently (conferences last night), but this is due back at the library. The voice work was fantastic - Kate Rudd brought the story to life extremely well. The story itself is very well-crafted. It was hard for me, though, as a Christian, to think about this resonating with kids when the protagonists (and their parents) lack any understanding of God and His love for us. The bleak perspective that Hazel has for her own mortality and Gus' ponderings on the Something that he believes in . . . just made me really sad. Green's writing is profound without being pedantic. I can see why he is so popular with my more capable readers. I actually finished this on Sunday, but haven't blogged lately.