Posts
Aspen by Rebekah Crane--I'm reading this now. I was hoping it would be light and fluffy, but despite not being (it centers on Aspen, the main character, who sees the ghost of a girl who died in a car accident), it is good so far.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card--sorry to all you fans, but I've picked up and set down this book approximately fifty times since 1978...but I'll give it one more time this summer..Lots of people love it...
Looking for Alaska by John Green--See my blog from Monday--liked the book, dark, but liked it
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown-loved it when I read it years ago, although it is certainly not Dan Brown's best book. A good summer read for some of my students, probably.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee --Read it in high school, couldn't get in to it, read it in my 30's loved it...what more is there to say?
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk-probably not going to read it...looks super dark and disturbing.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card--sorry to all you fans, but I've picked up and set down this book approximately fifty times since 1978...but I'll give it one more time this summer..Lots of people love it...
Looking for Alaska by John Green--See my blog from Monday--liked the book, dark, but liked it
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown-loved it when I read it years ago, although it is certainly not Dan Brown's best book. A good summer read for some of my students, probably.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee --Read it in high school, couldn't get in to it, read it in my 30's loved it...what more is there to say?
Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk-probably not going to read it...looks super dark and disturbing.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (fiction)-tried to read it last summer but it was sooo sad...will try again this summer
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan (fiction)-started it last summer, lost interest, will try again
The Crossing by Gary Paulsen (fiction)--Not a terrible book, but I wonder if they really meant to choose "Crossing the Wire" (Hobbs)...Paulsen is a good writer (author of one of my all time favorites, "Masters of Disaster"), but Crossing the Wire is a better book...
The Color of Water by James McBride (nonfiction)--another of my all time favorites-a good book
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (fiction)--Mixed feelings about this one--it is short and the reading level is easy, but the content is disturbing (I call it the sex-drugs and rock and roll book)--
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (fiction)no, just no...only book I've ever thrown out (when it was assigned for a women's lit class in college). Highly recommended by many, but the content is too disturbing for me...
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (nonfiction)--another favorite--read it last summer and love that man!
Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago (fiction)--In the pile to read this summer
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest P. Gaines (fiction)-My office mate says this is one of her favorites, so it was moved to the top of the "to read" list (as soon as I finish Aspen)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (fiction)-Might try it again--started last summer and never finished...
Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan (fiction)-started it last summer, lost interest, will try again
The Crossing by Gary Paulsen (fiction)--Not a terrible book, but I wonder if they really meant to choose "Crossing the Wire" (Hobbs)...Paulsen is a good writer (author of one of my all time favorites, "Masters of Disaster"), but Crossing the Wire is a better book...
The Color of Water by James McBride (nonfiction)--another of my all time favorites-a good book
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (fiction)--Mixed feelings about this one--it is short and the reading level is easy, but the content is disturbing (I call it the sex-drugs and rock and roll book)--
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (fiction)no, just no...only book I've ever thrown out (when it was assigned for a women's lit class in college). Highly recommended by many, but the content is too disturbing for me...
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (nonfiction)--another favorite--read it last summer and love that man!
Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago (fiction)--In the pile to read this summer
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest P. Gaines (fiction)-My office mate says this is one of her favorites, so it was moved to the top of the "to read" list (as soon as I finish Aspen)
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri (fiction)-Might try it again--started last summer and never finished...
When I look at this list I think there are an awful lot of books about death and dying on the list. One of my co-workers and I briefly discussed that "issue" today and hypothesize that maybe that is because every good story starts with some kind of loss and then growth and that's what makes it good...but I would love to have some ideas of great books (classic or new) to suggest for next summer that don't seem so dark. I jokingly said, "ummm, Anne of Green Gables?"...then realized that it starts with the premise that Anne is orphaned..therefore if starts with death. Hmmm....We also wondered about if maybe we should just give kids a list of "classic" books and have them choose...but then what makes a classic? Is it books written by "dead, white men"? And the the dual issues of identification and accessibility---How do we choose books that our very diverse student body identify with and also can access, no matter what their native language or current reading level is....and how do we make a list with challenging books at every level? Egads...I'm actually happy I'm not on the committee to choose the books....
Anyway, I'd love to know what all of you are reading..especially if you've found someone who writes like Elizabeth Peters...Happy Summer!
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