Harry Potter - all of 'em

by J.K. Rowling

Over the last month-ish, I've re-read all seven HP books. I'm not sure why, since I've had such a huge pile of other books to read. I think it's a de-stress mechanism. But I stayed up 'til midnight last night to finish The Deathly Hallows. That was stupid. I need more sleep. I did, however, enjoy reading the books!

 

Funny. I have a blog entry from 2010 on HP #1-7. That must have been the first time I re-read them all. Then this entry from 2015. Now I'm listening to the audiobooks. Jim Dale does a marvelous job narrating them! The holds / wait times are long. I requested Sorcerer's Stone earlier in the summer (while working at Mackin) and listened to it sometime in August. Then I requested Chamber of Secrets. I got that last week and just finished listening (mostly in my car, but sometimes while doing chores). Now I'll request Azkaban.  

All's Fair in Love and Cupcakes

by Betsy St. Amant
Hennepin County Library paperback 305 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction

This was nice, but a little boring. Most of the conflict was the main character's insecurities and doubts. Kat Varland and Lucas Brannen have been best friends for about a decade (teenagers to mid-20s). They're both super nice and smoking hot, but the new "feelings" they each have for the other are ignored because they don't want to ruin their friendship. Sigh. Cupcakes and an LA competition, some snarky people, yada yada. Book club discussion is tonight. It will be interesting to hear others' reactions. I am tempted to recommend it to Stacie just for all the baking (and a recipe at the end that looks really good).

page 139 - "What if her destiny, God's plan for her life, was to remain at Sweetie Pies? What if she was already living out her calling and just needed to be content where God had placed her? Put aside her dreams, put aside her desires, and bloom where planted?" I can relate to wondering if I'm following God's plan or not!

page 305 - I hated that the story ended with her smashing a cupcake into his face. Really?! And he had made it for her all by himself. That's just rude.

Men of Stone

by Gayle Friesen
PRMS hardcover 216 pages
genre: YA coming-of-age, realistic fiction

Liked:

• characters, especially Ben, with three sisters and a distant mom / friends Fish and Stan / great-aunt Frieda coming for a visit
• each character's passion (dancing for Ben)
• the connections between what he's learning in school and Frieda's story of Russia during the war
• great cover photo
• clever connection of "men of stone" theme between soldiers during the war, bullies, and Ben when he decides to get revenge

Disliked:

•  not enough to draw in most middle school readers (this one will be deleted and donated)
• Ben's determination to do things on his own
• not having a good resolution to Stan's story line

I started reading this only on lunch breaks, but wanted to finish it so I brought it home.

Lumberjanes: Beware the Kitten Holy

by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis
artwork by Brooke Allen
Hennepin County Library paperback
genre: YA graphic novel

I'm tired and can't think straight. I liked, but didn't love this. Liked: spunky female characters, quirky story line, kept my interest. Didn't like - the line in the "pledge" that's blacked out and replaced with "then there's a line about God or whatever" . . . why not just write the pledge with what would be true for these characters? It also seemed to end rather abruptly (or perhaps it's just the pause before the next issue). In any case, good not great sums it up for me. Tough girls at a scouting-type camp. Odd boys who seem very Jekyll/Hyde. A mystery. Adventures.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

by Erik Larson
read by Scott Brick
Hennepin County Library audiobook 11 discs
genre: non-fiction, history

This was incredibly well-researched and well-written. It was also extremely depressing. Author of The Devil in the White City, Larson has once again done his homework and relies upon a tremendous amount of primary source material (letters, diaries, telegrams, record books, etc.) to piece together the events leading up to the U-boat attack on the passenger liner on May 7, 1915. It made me so sad to hear the politics and "could have beens" behind this terrible tragedy. Brick's vocal work is wonderful, drawing the listener in. The captain of the Lusitania (William Thomas Turner) and the captain of U-boat 20 (Walther Schwieger) are brought to life powerfully.

It is interesting to tie the events of WWI in this story with what was happening in The Family Romanov which I read earlier this summer.

Seeker

by Arwen Dayton
Hennepin County Library hardcover 429 pages
genre: YA fantasy, action

This was a little too violent and dark for me. An interesting story, with unique characters in the Dreads and the Seekers. Also a strong sense of history, with more to be unveiled in future books. The main teen characters, Quin, Shinobu, John, (and to a certain degree Maud, the Young Dread) weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. The athame stones, lightning rods, whipswords, and other out-of-time items were creatively written. But the ugliness in the story of what these Seekers are being trained for was a complete turnoff. I won't read book two or buy this one for my collection.

The One Thing: the surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results

by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Hennepin County Library hardcover 225 pages
genre: non-fiction motivation

I admit defeat. This book is simply not the "right one" for me right now. It's also five days overdue at the library and I cannot renew it. So I'll have to cycle back to it at some point. The end-of-chapter "Big Ideas" would probably be sufficient to get the gist of the book. So far, I have found it to be oversimplified (but that's kind of the point).

page 35 - "Achievers operate differently. They have an eye for the essential. They pause just long enough to decide what matters and then allow what matters to drive their day." I need to be more like this and less swept along by the various and sundry things that crop up in my day!

Chapter 4 "Big Ideas" - Go small, go extreme, say no, don't get trapped in the "check off" game - I think I need to scan and save the blurbs with this . . .

page 79 - "When you gamble with your time, you may be placing a bet you can't cover." So true!

page 91 - Dweck and mindset. Interesting that I recently read an article that doesn't praise her work, but questions it.

There was also an interesting section on willpower. So many ideas running through my brain and so little time to process and discuss! I only got as far as page 104. I am torn about requesting it again . . . Perhaps I'll make note of it in my library bin and see if I have time in a few months to tackle it.

Red Queen

by Victoria Aveyard
Hennepin County Library hardcover 383 pages
genre: YA fantasy adventure

This was really good! I could hardly put it down. The Reds - people with red blood - are kept in subservience, poverty, and desperation. The Silvers - people with silver blood and special abilities - stay in power with periodic shows of their "superiority" with mandatory attendance at competitions.

Mare Barrow is a red, but she's different. And when she attracts the attention of some very special Silvers, crazy things happen. I must buy this for PRMS!

A Perfect Ambition: The Worthington Destiny

by Dr. Kevin Leman and Jeff Nesbit
mine paperback 306 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction

I wish I hadn't had to buy this, but it wasn't available in libraries . . . It was formulaic and ended in a huge cliffhanger. Ugh. I hate that.

page 26 - "People in general believed what they wanted to and ignored what they didn't want to know about." Too true!

page 27 - interesting way to introduce a secondary character . . . is it Will, or someone new? Yeah, someone new.

page 84 - I had just been thinking there was no way the firstborn kid in a dynastic family wouldn't carry "the name." Andrew, son of William Jennings Worthington VI? Question answered . . . William Andrew Jennings Worthington VII. Yep.

page 153 - Democrats / Republicans / neither

page 161 - Dem / Rep and religion - " . . . she wished that people would stop equating their religious beliefs with their political beliefs." Billy Graham a democrat? Didn't know that. Interesting ideas here.

page 283 - "multitasking was a myth." Fits with the ideas in professional books I've been reading.

page 291 - What?! Talk to Sean, immediately! He needs to know the truth about his parentage!

page 301 - Ugh . . . dirty politics and money and power. Again, talk to Sean.

Cliffhanger - really?! Don't feel compelled to read it though I'm curious.

The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got That Way

by Amanda Ripley
Hennepin County Library audiobook 7 discs
read by Kate Reading
genre: non-fiction, education

This is worth a re-read. Ripley, a journalist, followed three American teenagers who studied abroad (Finland, Poland, and South Korea). She also interviewed countless exchange students who came to America, teachers, principals, parents, and politicians. Her thorough research brought out some very interesting differences between the United States and other countries who are outperforming us in education.

One of her biggest findings had to do with expectations - in other countries, adults have high expectations of students, especially in math, and students strive to achieve. Not so much in the U.S. where classes are much easier than in other countries.

She pointed out that it is harder to become a teacher in these other countries, with fewer, more exclusive universities offering programs that lead to teaching degrees. Those countries with higher expectations of their teachers also give them more autonomy in their classrooms.

She suggested that in other countries, students have freedom to fail and learn from the consequences. In the U.S., there are so many second chances, lowered standards, and work-arounds that students aren't really ready for the real world or the rigors of the work place. Rigor came up a lot, especially in regard to exit exams.

She did point out that Finland, Poland, and South Korea are much more homogenous than the U.S., but she also shared statistics from other countries with higher populations of immigrants that are more successful than U.S. schools. She also pointed out that the U.S. spends much more money per pupil than most other countries, but has worse results.

The system in South Korea sounds horrible to me. That country (according to the author) has the highest suicide rate among adults in the entire world! The hagwons (cram schools) sound too intense to be believed. As much as I am passionate about education, this doesn't sound like a good solution.

One student observed that "meeting expectations was mostly a matter of hard work" in talking about exit exams and systems (like Korea) that have high expectations of students. The author observed that "kids are kids" - in every country she visited, they like to play video games, talk to friends, etc.

I thought I had made other notes about this book . . . perhaps I'll uncover a scrap of paper and need to add to this. This book gave me a lot to think about in terms of my role with my students. I can't reform the country's education system, but I can do my best to stretch my students.

The author and reader both did excellent work on this.

Mary: the Summoning

by Hillary Monahan
Hennepin County Library hardcover 252 pages
genre: YA horror

I don't like horror stories, but I can see how this would appeal to readers who like to be creeped out. Four girls "summon" Bloody Mary in a mirror. One of the girls, Jess, is the instigator. But when Mary "escapes" the mirror and comes after her best friend Shauna, things get out of hand. Ironically, my least favorite part involved Jess' personality and "friendship" choices. I'll probably buy this for my collection, but I will never re-read it. Though it's a debut novel, it definitely could have a follow-up book . . .

Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat

by Gail Jarrow
Hennepin County Library hardcover 157 pages plus extras
genre: YA non-fiction, history, medicine

This was very well-written! It was interesting and drew me along as she uncovered the story behind the illness Pellagra. I may have heard of it before, but didn't have much knowledge at all. Often times, a purely chronological approach frustrates me as a reader but this one kept me wanting to find out what caused the illness and how it was cured. Fascinating stuff for early 1900s America! Joseph Goldberger (and others) were truly medical heroes for the work they did in discovering this dietary deficiency disease. The "4-D" of dermatitis (skin rash), diarrhea, dementia, and death were devastating for far too many people for too long (especially poor people).

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't

by Simon Sinek
Hennepin County Library audiobook 7 discs
read by the author
genre: non-fiction leadership

Random notes:

I did not love the author's reading of his book. He has such a strange accent and way of pronouncing some words. Catch his stuff at http://99u.com/videos/20272/simon-sinek-why-leaders-eat-last or not.

Sigh. Some of this is such old ground that I've had covered in other books. I suppose a review can be helpful, though. Brain chemicals - dopamine, endorphin, serotonin, cortisol, and oxytocin - and how they affect humans. Yep. Still can't tell them apart, but I understand that there's a biological basis for why we do what we do.

Generations and how their life experiences affect how they lead and think in a business environment. Greatest generation, Boomers, Generation X, Gen Y/Millenials. (Interesting summary of generations at http://www.marketingteacher.com/the-six-living-generations-in-america/)

Rule 1 - Keep It Real (personal contact)
Rule 2 - Keep It Manageable (150 or fewer people in a group)
Rule 3 - Meet the People You Help (see the personal impact / we are social animals)
Rule 4 - Give Them Time, Not Just Money (more value)
Rule 5 - Be Patient -( trust takes more than 7 days to develop but should be there in less than 7 years)

Develop a culture of sharing / collaboration (e.g. Post-It notes and 3M's culture around "mistakes"). Innovation happens in a culture of sharing. Create a strong circle of safety.  We follow the leader if the leader has integrity. Lots of Marine Corp examples. Made me curious . . .

There were leadership lessons.
1 - So Goes the Culture, So Goes the Company
2 - So Goes the Leader, So Goes the Culture.
3 - Integrity Matters
4 - Friends Matter
5 - Lead the People, Not the Numbers

One of my biggest issues with a book like this is that I'm not the leader at PRMS. I can be a leader in my classroom and I can impact PRMS, but ultimately my principal has the leader's burden on her shoulders. This book was primarily geared toward business, although Sinek used a lot of military examples as well. Overall, interesting but not very helpful. Lots of good real-world examples (both positive and negative).

I'm kind of amazed that there is so much of this author's content online . . . . including TED talks. I guess he's a really big deal.

My Heart and Other Black Holes

by Jasmine Warga
Hennepin County Library hardcover 302 pages
genre: YA fiction, coming-of-age, suicide

I was nervous about a book dealing with suicide. Middle schoolers are as much at risk for depression and suicide as older teens are (and they are much less able to think / talk through things in general). This is beautifully written. Aysel (pronounced like "gazelle" without the initial letter) and Roman meet online to be suicide partners. As they meet to plan how they will end their lives, they start to like one another and find joy in their time together. Their pain, their fears, their past all start to get unpacked as they talk. I don't want to wreck the story for another reader. It's a pretty quick book, but very much worth the time and energy. Still struggling whether I will or won't buy it for my collection. Tough stuff to deal with.

page 40 - "What people never understand is that depression isn't about the outside; it's about the inside. Something inside me is wrong. Sure, there are things in my life that make me feel alone, but nothing makes me feel more isolated and terrified than my own voice in my head."

page 180 - "I wonder if joy has potential energy. Or if there is potential energy that leads to joy, like a happiness serum that lingers in people's stomachs and slowly bubbles up to create the sensation we know as happiness."

page 228 - "I guess he's right: I am a flake. But maybe meeting Roman has helped me to understand myself better. Yes, I'm broken. And yes, he's broken. But the more we talk about it, the more we share our sadness, the more I start to believe that there could be a chance to fix us, a chance that we could save each other."

Ink and Ashes

by Valynne Maetani
Hennepin County Library hardcover 380 pages
genre: YA mystery, action, relationships, coming-of-age

The cover of this book looks intense and I expected another hard-core teen novel. It was surprisingly mild. The protagonist is 17 years old and never been kissed. There's almost no swearing at all. Some of the story seemed slow in developing.

That said, it kept me interested until the end. Trying to figure out who was doing frightening things to Claire, why they weren't targeting her brothers, how these things fit in with her father's past . . . It was an interesting book.

I feel as though I ought to write a synopsis here, but I don't feel like it. Amazon says, "Claire Takata has never known much about her father, who passed away ten years ago. But on the anniversary of his death, she finds a letter from her deceased father to her stepfather. Before now, Claire never had a reason to believe they even knew each other. Struggling to understand why her parents kept this surprising history hidden, Claire combs through anything that might give her information about her father . . . until she discovers that he was a member of the yakuza, a Japanese organized crime syndicate. The discovery opens a door that should have been left closed. The race to outrun her father's legacy reveals secrets of his past that cast ominous shadows, threatening Claire, her friends and family, her newfound love, and ultimately her life. Winner of Tu Books New Visions Award, Ink and Ashes is a fascinating debut novel packed with romance, intrigue, and heart-stopping action."

I liked it and may buy it for school. The Japanese culture aspect was interesting - the author's explanation at the end added to the story.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia

by Candace Fleming
Hennepin County Library hardcover 253 pages
genre: YA non-fiction, history

This is an extremely well-written and interesting book about the Romanov family and what happened in Russia at the end of their rule. The photographs and primary source excerpts (letters, diaries, etc.) are invaluable to understanding what happened. I especially love that the author balanced the Romanov story with what was happening in the lives of peasants and workers. The contrast could not be more stark! It stuns me that Nicolas II and Alexandra had no clue how impoverished their people were. And I am very creeped out that the empress' fascination with icons and religion allowed her to be so swayed by Rasputin.

As much as I enjoyed this book, I probably won't buy it for PRMS. My students don't use non-fiction books much (except for history day research) and I can't possibly afford all the titles that might be useful. Sad truth.

Page 234 - makes me want to re-read The Kitchen Boy. "He (Yurovsky) ordered the kitchen boy, Leonid Sednev, to pack his things. . . . In truth, the commandant did not want the fourteen-year-old to be among the murder victims." I know TKB (Zimmerman) is fiction, but it was one of the first books I ever read relating to the Romanov murders and it captured my attention.

In her bibliography, Fleming writes about the importance of primary resources. "The heart of all research is the firsthand accounts and eyewitness testimonies of those who lived through an historical event." Perhaps I should buy this book for my collection, just to share the power of primary sources for my young researchers! She goes on to talk about the power of first-person accounts and different perspectives. Good stuff.

How It Went Down

by Kekla Magoon
Hennepin County Library hardcover 325 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

I really liked this book, though I was able to read it in one sitting (riding home from the lake). There are LOTS of characters, so it could get quite confusing to read in separate sittings. Tariq Johnson is killed by a white man in front of lots of witnesses, but they saw and heard things differently. Those different perspectives make a very rich story about inner city kids and the power of gangs.

My favorite characters were Jennica (Noodle's girlfriend until she decides she wants out of "the life", Tyrell (Tariq's best friend and only other holdout to the 8-5 Kings gang), and Tina (Tariq's little sister with a very unique perspective on situations. This was a very good thinking story - the author shows the different ways people interpret the same situation. It kind of made the cops look like the bad guys, though . . . I look forward to discussing this with the others at Litwits.

Vanishing Girls

by Lauren Oliver
Hennepin County Library hardcover 357 pages
genre: YA mystery, coming-of-age, relationships

I didn't like this book but I recognize its merit for older teen readers. My issues?

1. Immediately got the sense that I was being jerked around as a reader. Reminiscent of We Were Liars (Lockhart) and The Raft (Bodeen), I knew there was something behind "what happened" in the accident. I could never really get into the character's stories, because I was trying to psych out what was real and what wasn't. Is she actually in a coma and dreaming this? Did one of the sisters die? Why is the author yanking the reader's chain?

2. The alcohol, illegal drugs, dangerous choices . . . yeah. Don't want this "normal teenage behavior" in my middle school collection. This is more appropriate for older, more jaded readers.

3. The sisters' love/hate relationship was incomprehensible to me. I "get" the older / perfect vs. the younger / "bad girl" dynamic, but why did Dara (younger) keep dragging her older sister into things? And why did Nicole go along with it?

4. Nicole "protecting" her little sister did way more harm than good. I understand that parents who are getting a divorce may not be aware of what is really going on, but they were seeing a therapist and ignoring warning signals. It also just bugged me that Nicole was addressed by "Nick," which made me initially think it was a brother/sister thing.

Okay. It wasn't that bad, but I personally just didn't like it. Parker is a great character. The FunLand bits were good. The Madeline Snow disappearance was interesting.

Daddy Long-legs and Dear Enemy

by Jean Webster
Hennepin County Library paperback 348 pages
genre: fiction, relationships

I read this after our book club of April 2015 (and watched the movie of Daddy Long-legs as well). I didn't realize I hadn't blogged it until going through my never-ending pile of paper scraps . . .

I was surprised by the author's descriptions of "feeblemindedness" and other non-PC language. Since this was written in 1912 (over 100 years ago!), it shouldn't have surprised me so much.

My notes (from a few months ago) are limited, but I jotted some character names:
Jervis Pendleton
Jerusha Abbott (Judy)
Sallie McBride (her friend from college)

I remember thinking that I liked the book Dear Mr. Knightley better than this "original." I definitely liked both books better than the movie.

The second book in this volume, Dear Enemy, is more about Sallie and her love-hate relationship with the doctor of the orphanage. Judy and Jervis are off in happy-ever-after married life. Sallie is running the orphanage with the help / hindrance of the Irish (?) doctor. I liked it, but didn't love it.

I believe these excerpts are both from Dear Enemy. I should have grabbed some of the sweet / funny / wonderful scenes, but these were ones that jumped out at me. How much has changed in literature in 100 years!

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians

by Jarrett Krosoczka
Hennepin County Library paperback unpaged
genre: Children's graphic novel fiction

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much (because the librarians are evil and planning world domination), but once again a trio of students watch / help the lunch ladies save the day. I really may need to buy this series . . .