The Ruins of Gorlan

by John Flanagan
Carver County Library, audioCDs, 7.75 hours
performed by John Keating
genre: YA historical fiction / adventure

Louie and I enjoyed this story of Will, Horace, and the other orphans in book one of The Ranger's Apprentice series. Although Will has always wanted to become a knight / warrior, he is taken in by the ranger Halt (pronounced "Holt" by Keating). Morgarath is the Great Enemy, but he doesn't figure into this story too much. My favorite scene was the reconciliation between Will and Horace. Halt is a wonderful character! Enjoyable story and I got book two from PRMS today.

 

<Above entered on 8.19.10. Below added 5.16.23.>

 

Libby ebook

I was looking for a quick read on my phone for a trip to Costa Rica and I grabbed this story. I knew it was a quick, enjoyable book but had forgotten how addicting these are!  

Since this was an ebook, I was able to bookmark passages! (As opposed to listening to it . . . )

Chapter 1: "In fact, it was this tendency that often led to trouble between them: Will was yet to learn that having the last word was not always a good idea."

The conflicts between Horace and Will were exacerbated by Will's quick wit and quick tongue. This reminded me of my sister Louise as a teenager. She got into so much trouble with her sassy mouth!

Chapter 4: "Willpower, he thought abstractedly, recognizing the play on the boy's name."

I love that Baron Arald recognized how hard it was for Will to stand before the craftmasters and other orphans and be discussed. Holding back tears when you are upset is hard indeed!

Chapter 16: "Like most cooks, once she had prepared a meal, she had little interest in eating it. Her real pleasure lay in watching others enjoy the results of her work - and listening to their praise."

When one prepares food as an act of love, this is so true! Poor Jenny didn't know why Horace was in a foul mood.

Chapter 22: "But it had his shoulder and body weight and months of suffering and loneliness behind it - the loneliness that only a victim of bullying can know."

Vindication! I love that Horace and Will became friends, but I'm sorry that Horace had to experience some of the cruelty he had dished out to Will when they were children. Horace getting to punch out the chief of his bullies is sweet. Halt made this all work out well.

King of the Mild Frontier: An ill-advised Autobiography

by Chris Crutcher
Hennepin County Library, audioCDs 4:54
read by the author

What an amazing writer! Crutcher's childhood and youth formed him into the therapist and writer he is now. His candor and humor are engaging. I found myself wanting to write him a letter, thanking him for using his talent to touch people's lives. I've always been a bit gun-shy about having his books in a middle school library (because of the swearing and intense content), but I had students go through Whale Talk enthusiastically. Some of my readers are ready for this. His autobiography will be another easy book-talk for me. Incredible.

5/23/13
Did a re-listen in the car with Louie, Morgan, and Nick on our way back from Alex's wedding. I thought the boys would appreciate some of the "guy" humor and I was right. I don't care for his theology, but he is a wonderful storyteller with an interesting take on life. I can see why he has been successful in his work as a therapist working with people who have anger issues.

The Monk Downstairs

by Tim Farrington
Hennepin County libraries

I also read this one quite a while ago. I'm not sure if we did it for book club at school or if someone just recommended it to me. It was weird - both enjoyable & frustrating. The author's back story has some strong parallels to the characters in the book. I liked the romance, but not all the flaky, New Age-y stuff, especially with the female character's mom.

Talking to the Dead

by Bonnie Grove (?)
EP library (I think)
genre: Christian fiction

I read this quite a while ago. It was a Spirit of Life book club title. The main character has just lost her husband and is doing some heavy-duty grieving. As she moves (or doesn't move) through life without him, different people bring different things to her. I liked the crazy older gal the best. Her sister's story bothered me the most. As the truth about her relationship with her husband unravels, we got a clearer picture of the reality of her situation. She sees him and talks with him throughout the book - hence the title.

The Mountain Between Us

by Charles Martin
Hennepin County Library audioCDs, 10 hours
read by George Newbern
genre: "Women's Fiction" - chicklit?

Dr. Ben Payne & reporter Ashley Knox end up taking a charter flight together to avoid a storm that will snow them into Salt Lake City. The pilot has a heart attack and the two passengers are stranded in the mountains with severe injuries. As they fight for their lives, Ben's relationship with his wife Rachel is unfolded in a series of tape recordings that he makes for her.

This was disappointing to me since I really love Martin's other books that I've read. It comes to close to Nicholas Sparks' style and his stuff is way too maudlin for me. I liked Grover (the pilot) and some of the survival stuff. But on a relationship level, I thought this book was a big disappointment.

The Eyre Affair

by Jasper Fforde
my copy paperback 374 pages
genre: British mystery with lots of humor and clever wordplay

Yes! I had first listened to a Fforde story a few years ago and was torn between "this is too bizarre" and "I love this!" When I saw this book in a library book sale, I snatched it up. This is book number one in the series about Thursday Next and Spec-Ops. Guess what's on my reading list now??? These stories are very, very odd, with people going into and coming out of books. There's time travel and a host of other strange stuff happening but they are super-clever and fun to read!

Journey to the Center of the Earth

by Jules Verne
audioCDs read by Simon Prebble

Nick and I listened to this on our road trip to see the U of MN solar car team. It was fun, but not my favorite Verne story. Nick and I both laughed at some of the scientific info in it . . . fun theories (and how do we really know what's in the earth's interior???)

Fearless Fourteen

by Janet Evanovich
AudioCDs read by Lorelei King
genre: humorous detective story

Listened to this with Louise in June when we went to the quilt show. Laugh-out-loud funny writing. A bit crude, but an enjoyable story. Lula and grandma were the funniest. Zeke is a teenager whose mom needs to be bonded out after she robs a liquor store. While the bonding is on hold, our detective takes responsibility for the gamer and a host of other odd characters.

The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence

by Henry A. Giroux
PRMS hardcover 173 pages
genre: social analysis

I picked this up from school in the spring shortly after I had read the other book on Walt Disney. It took me 'til last month to start reading this. I ended up just doing a skim-read because it was so dry. It seemed more like a research paper than compelling non-fiction. His premise is that Disney is the "world's most influential" corporation in terms of cultural practices. He argues that in the guise of promoting innocent fun for kids, Disney has actually created children-as-consumers. This just didn't do it for me. And it definitely isn't going to work for my middle school readers. I have a "delete & donate" sticky on it for back-to-school time.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation

by M.T. Anderson
subtitled: Volume One - The Pox Party
Carver County Library, AudioCDs 8:19
read by Peter Francis James

This is one of those books that I "had" to read. I've read so many positive reviews of it that I just couldn't ignore it. It's an amazing book that I absolutely hated. James' voice is fantastic and he brought the story to life vividly. Unfortunately, it's a story of evil and hypocrisy. The members of the "Novanglian College of Lucidity" are testing a hypothesis about the inferiority of blacks in Revolutionary America. Octavian is their subject. He and his mother are treated royally in some regards, but the evils of racism and intellectual arrogance shine through. Ultimately, this is an incredible, haunting story that made me think. But I didn't enjoy the story.

Black Duck

by Janet Taylor Lisle
Carver County Library, audioCDs, 5.5 hours
read by David Ackroyd
genre: YA historical fiction, adventure

One of the 2010-11 MHL nominees, but I'm not sure I'll promote MHL this year . . . This was a good story and well-read, but I think I'd have enjoyed it more just reading the text myself. Two boys discover a dead body on a local New England beach during Prohibition. Jeddy, the son of the police chief, and Ruben are both drawn into the rum-running business, but in different ways. Their lives and friendship never recover. Tom Morrison was my favorite character. The story is told through an old Ruben Hart relating the tale to aspiring writer David.


Interesting! My memory of Black Duck was "not impressed." Then when I was subbing last month, I re-read the first five or so chapters to be ready for a group of students I was going to have that day. I found myself so engaged with the story that I checked a copy out yesterday and finished reading it in print. I really liked it! (It isn't that I think Dan Ackroyd did a bad job with the vocal work, necessarily; I think it's more that I enjoyed the text without his interpretation of the characters.)

This time around, I liked David helping elderly Ruben with his yard work. A lot of the ethical considerations of the Prohibition era also resonated for me (especially in light of the current political and social climate).

Page 12 Ruben is defending his dad's honor. I love how each of the boys believed the best about their dads, but am sad that their friendship was fractured by loyalties. (I had made a note when I subbed about "commerce and greed" but don't know what passage it referred to . . . different editions have different paginations. Ah well.

Page 145 "He must make ten times on smuggling what I clear in legal sales in a month. It's money, not law, that speaks loudest to him." Sad but true for many people. Ruben's dad is referring to Mr. Riley here. " Later that page: "It seemed unfair that a man of my dad's worth should be forced to go against his moral conscience in order to keep his job. That wasn't something that should be asked of anyone, I thought, and I was amazed that my mother would advise such a thing."

Page 217 Tom - my favorite character! "'I'm lifting my finger in the direction of peace and quiet,' Tom replied. 'Money's no answer to what's needed in my life.'" I love it when people value better things than money!

Page 237 - "There are times when truth becomes invisible, I think, beyond the reach even of those who believe they're closest to it." Again, this makes me think of the current cultural climate and it makes me sad.

Plum Lovin'

by Janet Evanovich
subtitled "A Stephanie Plum Between-the-Numbers" novel
Hennepin County, audioCDs 3 hours
read by Lorelei King

Glad this was short - shouldn't have spent the time. Cruder than usual, didn't make me laugh out loud. King does a fantastic job with the voices and really brings the characters to life. The story just didn't do it for me. Stephanie teams up with Diesel, yet another sexy man in her life, to find the bad guy and bring romance into hapless lives in time for Valentine's day.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett
Jenifer's copy, hardcover, 451 pages

PRMS book club title for May(?) - What an incredible book! I'm so glad we decided to read this one, even though I missed part of the discussion. As I read the first few chapters, I had to flip to the back jacket to see who the author was. A white woman! Incredible first novel. The story is told from the perspectives of three women in 1962. Mississippi and the growing civil rights movement create a realistic, turbulent location for Aibilene and Minny - aka "The Help" of the story. Skeeter's growing awareness of the chasm between her world and the world of these women made me think of we all have something of a blind eye for situations that we don't necessarily want to think about. Powerful book, but painful too. I loved it.

I'm such a dork that I wanted Celia and Johnny to take Minny and her kids in to their huge house! I'm such a Pollyanna sometimes . . .

This was blogged on 7/11/10 and I just listened to the audiobook. I love this story! And I strongly dislike the reality it represents in a fictional manner. The vocal work was done by Jenna Lamia (Skeeter), Bahni Turpin (Aibileen), Octavia Spencer (Minny), and Cassandra Campbell (additional narration). The audiobook brings to life the joy, pain, irony, and nuance of 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. I am still amazed at the power of this story.

The Love Revolution

by Joyce Meyer
Hennepin County Library, audioCDs, 8 hours
read by Sandra McCollom (Joyce's daughter)
genre: Christian living / inspirational

This took me a while to "get into" - I think I might actually enjoyed reading the text more than listening. Joyce's teaching is really powerful, though. There were times when I listened to just the right concept at the right time. I love how she uses Scripture for her basis of teaching - that's why it's so powerful. If all Christians truly loved the way Jesus taught us to, it would revolutionize the world. This is one I wouldn't mind owning - the teachings are that meaningful. I would love to be part of the revolution that changes the world through Jesus' love!

Her Mother's Hope

by Francine Rivers
Kim C's copy, hardcover, 483 pages
genre: Christian fiction, relationships, historical fiction

This was a very engaging book. My big frustration was with the main character, Marta, not talking with her husband or her daughter Hildemara about her childhood, her dad, her sister Elise. I wish I'd been able to go to the discussion for book club. It sounds as though they had a great conversation about mothers and daughters and the relationships that can get sticky. Communication is such a key!

Overall, I enjoyed this story of Marta overcoming horrible odds to be successful. I just thought she turned too bitter and nasty after she got married. Hildemara was a delightful character. The scene that really hit me hard was when her cruel teacher overheard her telling her sister about praying for the teacher. Powerful!

Keeping Up!

Wow. I haven't really read a lot lately, but definitely more than I've blogged! I'm going to play catchup and apologize in advance for the lack of quality and thought. I'm in "get-r-done" mode.

The House That Cleans Itself

by Mindy Starns Clark
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 234 pages
genre: self-help / housekeeping

I am torn between wanting to buy a copy of this book and just starting with the notes I've made to see how it goes. I will be gone too much in the next few weeks to start this system. I love her tone and the fact that she struggled for a long time with the clutter and lack of cleanliness that I am dealing with. I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle this, though. It will take time to go through the whole house and change how we do things. By the end of the book, I thought, "well, we're not THAT bad around here." But I recognize that we have too much clutter and we need to make some changes so our house is more enjoyable. I may be checking this one out again. Or simply buying a copy.

The Fallen

volume one in "The Nine Lives of Chloe King" series
by Celia Thomson
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 250 pages
genre: YA paranormal romance

A very intelligent young lady highly recommended this to me. She is an avid reader and I eagerly picked this up to see what she was enjoying so much. I'm not sure why she recommended it so highly. The sexual innuendo? The risky behaviors? The slight mystery of why Chloe seems to be turning into a cat? I found it abrupt, poorly developed, and ultimately pointless. I have no empathy for Chloe or her friends, Amy and Paul. I certainly don't care about Xaviyer, Brian, or Aleyc. I do care that a young woman I have a good opinion of is raving about a book with such careless teen use of alcohol, swearing, dishonesty, and sex . . . but I probably won't see her to tell her what I really think of this book. I won't be reading the rest of this series!!!

Airborn

by Kenneth Oppel
Hennepin County Library audiobook 10.5 hours
genre: YA adventure

This was a re-read. Loved it! Except that Kate was really irritating (author's portrayal, not the voice talent). I enjoyed the full-cast audio. It was very rich and enjoyable. Matt Cruse is a wonderful hero. This is a delightful story with good and evil, plenty of heroics, and a touch of first romance.

Airman

by Eoin Colfer
PRMS hardcover 412 pages
genre: YA adventure, historical

This took me a loooong time to get through. Conor Broekhart has a fascination with flying. Set in the late 1890s on the Saltee islands, we see Conor's birth, childhood, downfall, imprisonment, and triumph (naturally). I ended up enjoying it, but it took a while for the story to develop enough for me to care.