Plague

Plague by Michael Grant

This is the fourth book in the Gone series (Gone, Hunger, Lies). Apparently there will be a total of 6 books. I love this series so much. It's set in Perdido Beach, CA. In the first novel, all the adults disappear at the same moment and the kids are left with the town to themselves. It's not all fun when they realize that there is a barrier surrounding their town so no one can get in or out and several of the kids develop special powers (it kind of reminded me of X-men). As time goes by, more and more odd things keep happening. By the fourth book, the kids have been through so much: first being trapped in this weird world, then starvation, food attacking them, wars, and encountering strange mutant creatures. In this book, they are faced with a shortage of water, and 2 different plagues (as if they haven't suffered enough). There's a lot of good versus evil present throughout the series. These books are full of excitement and action. They are extremely fast-paced and I cannot wait to see what happens in the future. Grant has been releasing them around the same time every year, so the fifth book should be out next April/May. This is YA dystopian at its best. The things that the characters have to suffer through, both unrealistic and realistic, is truly a nightmare. And like many of the characters in the book, you begin to wonder what they are fighting for, why they continue to fight. With no optimistic end in sight, their future is truly a mystery. These books are not for the faint of heart though. I've actually lent them to someone who returned them saying it was too difficult to read. There are so many difficult situations and tragedies in every book that they are hard to read. But the stories makes them so worth it.

books update

I was really excited to go to the bookstore today. I've been looking forward to it for weeks. For my Children's Literature class I had to read all the Caldecott, Newbery and Printz Award winners (and Honors), as well as the Morris Award winner. I FINALLY finished all of them and now get to read some books I want to read. Somehow I ended up at the store and bought 4 books, and all of them were from the Children's/YA section. *Sigh.* I should get some more adult books. Seriously. It's just Children's/YA books are SO good! Anyway, I came away with:

Syren by Angie Sage. This is the fifth book in the Septimus Heap series. I enjoyed the first four and have them all in paperback, so of course I had to wait until this one came out in paperback to buy it.

Death Cloud by Andrew Lane. This is the first book of a Young Sherlock Holmes series. I'm a fan of Sherlock and his spin-offs (notably Laurie R. King's Mary Russell series), so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. I actually have to read this for class, but I want to read it anyway. Sharon Draper is coming to the McConnell Conference next week, so I'm reading this one first.

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper. I've read this one and it's amazing. I just want Sharon Draper to sign it next week.

Seriously though, I need some adult books.

Newbery Disappointments

I'm currently taking a class in grad school that requires me to read all the Newbery Medal books. I haven't read all of them yet, but I just finished reading the winner, Moon Over Manifest. I did what most book nerds do when the children's literature awards were announced, I looked them up on amazon and Goodreads to see what others had to say about them (John Green tweeted not long after the winner was announced that there was only one review of it on amazon). When I saw that Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool had won, I went to amazon to look it up. I read the plot description and groaned. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction books, and of course, Moon Over Manifest is one (if you want to know what it's about, follow the link, I don't want to repost their reviews). I did not want to read this book, but I had to for class. And I'm still groaning. Moon Over Manifest is not a terrible book. I found it boring, but it's not my favorite genre anyway. It has some good qualities, but overall I gave it two stars. My review, as posted on goodreads:

"Winner of the 2011 Newbery Award. I think my expectations might have been too high because of this honor, but I was very disappointed in this book. I thought it was too long and too slow, and the alternating between past and present drove me crazy. Not much happened in the present except for the three girls running around asking people about the Rattler. The stories that the diviner told from 1918 were interesting and exciting. The book flap says that the girls go "on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt," but the hunt just seems like an excuse to get the ball rolling on the tales from the past. It feels like throughout the book more and more mysterious elements are added that you think relates to their main mystery, but when you get to the end all the mysteries are solved and many of them are not connected. The ending felt like an afterthought when it was realized that the original mystery (the spy) hadn't been solved yet and was quickly mentioned in the last few pages."

My issue with Moon Over Manifest is not that I found it boring, it is would a kid find it boring? I know that 10 or 11 year old me wouldn't make it past the first few pages. I can't realistically see children picking this book up out of a stack *voluntarily* and really enjoying it. Does this really represent the best of children's literature in 2010? Lately there has been a lot of controversy about the book awards, people are asking whether these books are what children would pick or if adults are picking them based on their literary merit. Are these books that adults think children should be reading? I've read a lot of the Newbery winners, and I've read all the ones from the 90s when I was a kid. Most of them, I loved. Missing May, The Giver, Shiloh, Number the Stars: everyone in my class read these books, we had to wait to get our hands on them. They truly are great examples of children's literature. And all of these books led me to read more by the authors. Now, an elementary school librarian I know doesn't even want to buy the Newbery winner because the kids won't read them. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! won in 2008 and no kids at this school want to read it. It's still a great book and is very useful for literature and drama classes; it definitely has merit. But is this the type of merit we want for a children's book award?

Most years when the awards are announced, I get disappointed. I think the Newbery Award is not doing its job when it comes down to representing the best of children's literature. Overall, the purpose should be to highlight the books children want to read, not the ones they should be reading. They can get those in their classrooms. In my class, we have to present at a children's literature conference on the award winners; many librarians come to these presentations and make a decision whether to buy these books based on the presentations. I would hope that at these presentations we would be able to highlight books that kids will love. Maybe I'm wrong, but I always thought that the point of these awards were to highlight great books for children. After all, we're just trying to get them to read something (and I'm not saying that Diary of a Wimpy Kid should win just because kids love it, I just think there should be a better compromise). I'm worried about the state of the Newbery Award. I trust it, as an adult, but that may not continue for long.

On ALA's website there's a quote from the Newbery committee chair, Cynthia Richey:

"Vanderpool illustrates the importance of stories as a way for children to understand the past, inform the present and provide hope for the future."

I can see Moon Over Manifest accomplishing this, but it seems like this is more directed at something teachers and educators would find useful over children. We in my class are having this same problem, while discussing the Newbery and Caldecott books, we keep talking about how they would work in shcools and in the classroom and we neglect to think about the appeal they would have in a public library sitting on a shelf. I understand the difficulty that comes along in this decision, but I think the Newbery Committees are losing sight of the ultimate goal, and I hope they can find their way back again soon, before everyone loses faith in their decisions.

There's an excellent article from School Library Journal here that talks about the Newbery Awards. It was written in 2008, but I think it still holds up today. My favorite quote:

"John Newbery, a highly successful publisher, believed that children’s books should offer readers delight and instruction in equal measure. So he searched for materials that would be both popular and profitable."

That is THE John Newbery.

Also, interesting point, 4 of the 5 Newbery books this year are historical fiction. Why? Thoughts?

x-posted to my book blog (which I may start using again)

books 2010

In 2010, I read a lot less books than previous years, (last year's list can be found here) but I'm going to blame that on this being the first year I was in school for the entire year (even summer!). Still, I managed 115 books, the majority being young adult books. I had to read a lot of YA books for school, but a lot of them were really good.

Highlights include:

-7 re-reads, most due to grad school

- reading Paper Towns and meeting John Green

- meeting Patrick Rothfuss

- finally reading Ender's Game and discovering it is as awesome as everyone says

- I read 2 Newbery Award winners, When You Reach Me and The Midwife's Apprentice

Favorites:

Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (more Percy Jacksonesque books!)

Fool's Errand and discovering how much I love Robin Hobb's books

Paper Towns and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

The Arrival by Shaun Tan

Here's the list, as always, starred books are re-reads:

1. Tris’ Book – Tamora Pierce
2. First Lord’s Fury – Jim Butcher
3. A Sacred Landscape – Hugh Thomson
4. Odd and the Frost Giants – Neil Gaiman
5. Splendor – Anna Godberson
6. Hero Type – Barry Lyga
7. Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli
8. Identical – Ellen Hopkins
9. Whale Talk – Chris Crutcher
10. Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson
11. Jellicoe Road – Melina Marchetta
12. Living Dead Girl – Elizabeth Scott
13. Paper Towns – John Green
14. Angry Management – Chris Crutcher *
15. The Perks of Being a Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky *
16. Daja’s Book – Tamora Pierce
17. Parrotfish – Ellen Wittlinger
18. Green Arrow: Year One – Andy Diggle and Jock
19. The Arrival – Shaun Tan
20. Briar’s Book – Tamora Pierce
21. Manhood for Amateurs – Michael Chabon
22. Leviathan – Scott Westerfeld
23. Let It Snow – John Green, Maureen Johnson & Lauren Myracle
24. Feed – MT Anderson
25. The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary E. Pearson
26. The Killing Joke – Alan Moore
27. Graceling – Kristin Cashore
28. Nation – Terry Pratchett
29. Never Trust a Dead Man – Vivian Vande Velde
30. Chasing Vermeer – Blue Balliett
31. The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin *
32. Make Lemonade – Virginia Euwer Wolff *
33. A Step from Heaven – An Na
34. Climbing the Stairs – Padma Venkatraman
35. Purple Heart – Patricia McCormick
36. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian – Sherman Alexie *
37. Copper Sun – Sharon Draper
38. Sunrise Over Fallujah – Walter Dean Myers
39. The Boy who Dared – Susan C. Bartoletti
40. Exploding the Myths – Marc Aronson
41. Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green & David Levithan
42. Little Brother – Cory Doctorow
43. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
44. The Book of a Thousand Days – Shannon Hale
45. Fairest – Gail Carson Levine
46. Bad Boy – Walter Dean Myers
47. The Doppleganger Chronicles: The First Escape – G.P. Taylor
48. Chasing Harry Winston – Lauren Weisberger
49. The Gardner Heist – Ulrich Boser
50. Lies – Michael Grant
51. Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
52. The God of the Hive – Laurie R. King
53. Ella Enchanted – Gail Carson Levine
54. Shutter Island – Dennis Lehane
55. The Midwife’s Apprentice – Karen Cushman
56. Tentacles – Roland Smith
57. Fire – Kristen Cashore
58. Changing the World – Mercedes Lackey
59. Riker’s High – Paul Volponi
60. Heist Society – Ally Carter
61. The Red Pyramid – Rick Riordan
62. Marcelo in the Real World – Francisco Stork
63. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Jane Austin & Seth Grahame-Smith
64. All the Lovely Bad Ones – Mary Downing Hahn
65. Cryptid Hunters – Roland Smith
66. From China with Love – Emily Buchanan
67. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Grace Lin
68. Al Capone Shines my Shoes – Gennifer Choldenko
69. Socks – Beverly Cleary (audio book) * I had to listen to this, it’s read by NPH!
70. Magic Steps – Tamora Pierce
71. Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
72. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
73. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle – Patrick Rothfuss
74. Street Magic – Tamora Pierce
75. Because of Winn-Dixie – Kate DiCamillo
76. When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead
77. Framed – Frank Cottrell Boyce
78. Sophie Pitt-Turnbull Discovers America – Dyan Sheldon
79. Kentucky Curiosities – Vince Staten & Liz Baldi
80. Airhead – Meg Cabot
81. Going Bovine – Libba Bray
82. Cold Fire – Tamora Pierce
83. Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx – Max McCoy
84. Medium Raw – Anthony Bourdain
85. Shatterglass – Tamora Pierce
86. Uglies – Scott Westerfeld
87. Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
88. The Day of the Djinn Warriors – PB Kerr
89. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card
90. Changes – Jim Butcher
91. Princess Mia – Meg Cabot
92. Behemoth – Scott Westerfeld
93. Pretties – Scott Westerfeld
94. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy – Orson Scott Card
95. The Man who Loved Books Too Much – Allison Hoover Bartlett
96. Another Faust – Daneil & Dina Nayeri
97. The Lost Hero – Rick Riordan
98. Pet Sematary – Stephen King
99. Forge – Laurie Halse Anderson
100. Doomsday Book – Connie Willis
101. Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories – Zack Whedon
102. The Zookeeper’s Wife – Diane Ackerman
103. Boy Meets Boy – David Levithan
104. The Ring of Solomon – Jonathan Stroud
105. The Eyre Affair – Jasper Fforde
106. Mini Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
107. Zombies vs. Unicorns – Holly Black
108. Specials – Scott Westerfeld
109. Extras – Scott Westerfeld
110. Arrows of the Queen – Mercedes Lackey *
111. A Cook’s Tour – Anthony Bourdain
112. First Test – Tamora Pierce
113. Page – Tamora Pierce
114. Squire – Tamora Pierce
115. Fool’s Errand – Robin Hobb

First up for 2011: The Count of Monte Cristo, the unabridged version

What I'm looking forward to in 2011:

- Presenting at the McConnell Conference and meeting Sharon Draper (as well as other authors)

- reading the Newbery/Printz Award winners

- meeting Orson Scott Card in a few weeks and reading more of his books

- finally reading some of the huge stacks of books on my shelf

- Patrick Rothfuss' second book in The Kingkiller Chronicles

- the final Leviathan book

Kit Kat Adventure

My brother, Adam, and his wife just got back from a vacation in Japan (not just, it's been a few weeks). When I heard they were going to Japan the first thing I thought of that I wanted was Kit Kats. I had read this blog in the past and was fascinated by the many flavors of Kit Kats available in Japan. And I had to try them. Being the loving family they are, my brother and sister-in-law complied. They brought me these:

Clockwise from top left: Bitter Almond, Green Tea, Cola and Lemon Soda, Cherry Blossom

The only one that actually said what it was in English was the Bitter Almond, the others I went by the pictures. (I think the last one is cherry blossom, but I could be wrong). Despite what I had previously thought, Adam and Nikki had difficulties finding Kit Kats in Japan.

Anyway, the verdict:

Bitter Almond: This was one dark chocolate and the closest of all to a real Kit Kat. I couldn't taste any almond, but it was still tasty.

Green Tea: Very sweet, green in color. A little weird and grainy, but not bad.

Cola Flavors: I really liked these two. I loved the combination of two different flavors in one pack. (The Kit Kats in Japan come with two sleeves inside the box, each containing 2 bars). One was cola colored, the other yellow. I found both flavors to be tasty and they kind of fizzed when I ate them. Yummy!

Cherry Blossom: Probably the only one of the four I did not like. This one was also green in color. It was super sweet and I honestly couldn't figure out what it was supposed to taste like.

All in all, I found my Kit Kat adventure successful and tons of fun! It reminded me of being in Europe and buying random candy just to see what they tasted like!

Of course, they also brought me back this gem! I now have a Harry Potter book in 4 different languages!

hey authors

I've met a lot of authors lately.

Brandon Sanderson and Harriet McDougal (Robert Jordan's wife)

Patrick Rothfuss

Dandi Daley Mackall

John Green

And ready for more!

hello summer

Summer is here!

I am so excited about summer and all it's glory. It's been super hot here, which is crazy for this time of the year. School ended on Wed. and I'm incredibly happy that terrible semester is over. So far, one grade has come in but I'm still waiting on the other two. To celebrate summer Luis and I went out to lunch and saw Iron Man 2 (which was amazing and I loved it immensely and now want to rewatch Iron Man.) I also celebrated with a trip to the bookstore and purchased several books which I am very much looking forward to reading. I got God of the Hive by Laurie R. King, Lies by Michael Grant, The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, and Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. So excited. Right now, I'm reading a book about the Gardner museum heist which is very interesting and quite enjoyable.

Tomorrow, I will attempt to bake a fruit tart (should be interesting). Then on Monday, I will purchase the rest of my herbs and tomato plants, and plant them. On Tuesday I start my internship at the Lexington Public Library. I think the internship will be good, but I am nervous and not looking forward to getting up early. Then, next weekend Luis and I are going to Columbus for the weekend to see a Crew game and do other fun things! I love summer.

Now I just need the Red Sox to stop sucking and all will be well......Well, that and to not work....

And of course, the terrible election day is coming up!

Also, the best news....I am halfway done with my masters! yay!

the grad school edition

Grad school is kind of driving me crazy right now. I feel like I'm going insane over the amount of work I'm supposed to be doing this semester. I have to make a Pathfinder and I have yet to start on it. At all. Go me. I just spent the last 2 weeks in the library looking up seemingly impossible reference questions, which really just reiterates the fact that I DO NOT want to be a reference librarian. But then, there was no chance of that anyway. And tomorrow I have to give a Book Talk, which is the "project I have been dreading most this semester," which is funny, cause a book talk won that title last semester as well. *Sigh* Overall, I am just not looking forward to public speaking in general, let alone in front of a bunch of 7th graders. But I like the books I have chosen (The Westing Game, Chasing Vermeer, and Never Trust a Dead Man), so hopefully it will go well and I won't get the death eyes of boredom. Of course, it's the last period of the day for them, so I'm not too hopeful. Anyway, I'll spend more time worrying about it than actually speaking. The good news is, now that I'm taking Young Adult Literature, I'm really enjoying most of the books I've read. The bad news is that I have NO time to read anything else, like I bought this book a few weeks ago and I'm really excited to read it, but I don't have time so I just look at it longingly. So some of my favorites so far:

Paper Towns by John Green (I'm officially in love with him right now and can not wait until Will Grayson Will Grayson comes out, but again, I won't have time to read it). I absolutely love the road trip in this book. It is amazing. And when I got to the end, I was shocked. Shocked. Also, did you know this won an Edgar Award? yeah.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - interesting book about a girl who has a secret and withdraws from everyone around her. Very powerful.

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger I think when I read this I didn't like it too much, but that was around the time my grandfather passed away. But thinking back, it was a really good book. I really like how it had a positive look at a transgendered teen.

The Arrival - Shaun Tan. This is a graphic novel, and there are no words. But it is amazing and everyone should read it. Go to the library/book store and read it. It won't take long, but the illustrations are awe-some.

The Graceling - Kristin Cashore. I love fantasy and I just got wrapped up in this story. Good characters, good romance. A lot of people don't like the main characters attitude (cause she doesn't want to get married), but really, what's wrong with that? As soon as I have time I plan on reading the companion to this one, and there's a third one coming out soon.

Feed - MT Anderson. Ok, so I didn't love this one mainly cause the dialogue drove me crazy. But it was an interesting concept and really cool. I think it's supposed to drive one crazy.

Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld. Awesome sci-fi book about an alternate WWI with a war between the Clankers and the Darwinists. Second book coming out in Oct. (maybe I'll have time to read it then).

That takes me about halfway through the semester. Right now, I'm listening to the audio book version of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. I enjoyed the book when I read it (doesn't it have a lot of illustrations?) but I'm not digging the audio book. It's read by the author, which is cool, but he has a funny accent that bothers me. I'm also getting ready to start (right now) Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff (hey, she was born in Portland!), which I swear I've read but I can't seem to remember. Darn.

Books I'm excited to read the rest of the semester: Sunrise Over Fallujah- Walter Dean Myers, The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins, The Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld, Going Solo - Roald Dahl.

Also, I just signed my Learning Contract, so this summer I will be interning at the Lexington Public Library. I'm excited cause I get to hang out with kids and help with Summer Reading.

books 2009

And now the moment everyone has been waiting for....and by everyone I mean me.....my list of books read in 2009! Only 131 books this year, down from last year's 165 (which can be found here), but I blame grad school and the fact of being employed ALL year on that glitch.
Highlights include:
17 Re-reads (most due to grad school)
Favorites:
The Name of the Wind
The Battle of the Labyrinth/The Last Olympian
The Hero of Ages
Tamora Pierce books
Batman: Year One (what can I say, I love Batman)
Gone and Hunger
The Alchemist Trilogy
Discovering that Dumas had a new(ish) book that had been found in the archives in France.

And a whole stack (almost all) of Caldecott winners and honor books which were not included in this list due to the fact that they take all of 5 minutes to read. Also not included, my library school textbooks because they are boring.
Starred books are re-reads, and yes, I'm aware that I read several books twice in one year, blame grad school for that.

Here's the list:
1. The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
2. Moving Targets – Mercedes Lackey
3. The Battle of the Labyrinth – Rick Riordan
4. Holidays on Ice – David Sedaris
5. Kabul Beauty School – Debbie Rodriguez
6. Goodbye, Jimmy Choo – Annie Sanders
7. Tweak – Nic Sheff
8. Winner Take Nothing – Ernest Hemingway
9. Dewey – Vicki Myron
10. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy – Gary D. Schmidt
11. Falling Off the Map – Pico Iyer
12. The Hero of Ages – Brandon Sanderson
13. Locked Rooms – Laurie R. King
14. Coraline – Neil Gaiman
15. Sun in Glory – Mercedes Lackey
16. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt
17. Rifles for Watie – Harold Keith
18. Deep and Dark and Dangerous – Mary Downing Hahn
19. The Time Paradox – Eoin Colfer
20. The Pirate Hunter – Richard Zacks
21. A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
22. Deadline – Chris Crutcher
23. Parzival – Katherine Paterson
24. The Blade Itself – Joe Abercrombie
25. Sword of Ice – Mercedes Lackey
26. King of the Mild Frontier – Chris Crutcher
27. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart
28. The Gebusi – Bruce Knauft
29. Watchmen – Alan Moore
30. Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer *
31. Here There Be Dragons – James A. Owen
32. Easter Rising – Michael Patrick MacDonald
33. The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey – Trenton Lee Stewart
34. Two for the Summit – Geoffrey Norman
35. Forever Lily – Beth Nonte Russell
36. Before They are Hanged – Joe Abercrombie
37. Turn Coat – Jim Butcher
38. Rumors – Anna Godbersen
39. Backup – Jim Butcher
40. Peter and the Secret of Rundoon – Dave Barry
41. Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway
42. Welcome to the Jungle – Jim Butcher
43. The Sun Over Breda – Arturo Perez-Reverte
44. Last Argument of Kings – Joe Abercrombie
45. breathe – Cliff McNish
46. Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion – David Bassom
47. A Home at the End of the World – Michael Cunningham
48. The Last Olympian – Rick Riordan
49. Maps and Legends – Michael Chabon
50. Sailing Alone Around the World – Joshua Slocum
51. Mystic and Rider – Sharon Shinn
52. Song of the Lioness – Tamora Pierce
53. On Royalty – Jeremy Paxman
54. Batman: Year One – Frank Miller
55. The Language of Bees – Laurie R. King
56. Hood – Stephen Lawhead
57. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne
58. Merlin’s Dragon – T.A. Barron
59. Schooled – Gordon Korman
60. Mexico City Blues – Jack Kerouac
61. Three Letters from the Andes – Patrick Leigh Fermor
62. The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas *
63. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – JK Rowling *
64. Gone – Michael Grant
65. The Perfect Storm – Sebastian Junger
66. Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay
67. The Thirteenth House – Sharon Shinn
68. The Black Book of Secrets – FE Higgins
69. Chinese Handcuffs – Chris Crutcher
70. Dark Moon Defender – Sharon Shinn
71. The Hedge Knight II: Sworn Sword – George R. R. Martin
72. Massachusetts Curiosities – Bruce Gellerman & Erik Sherman
73. Looking for Alaska – John Green
74. Envy – Anna Godbersen
75. Reader and Raelynx – Sharon Shinn
76. X Files: Ruins – Kevin J. Anderson
77. Warbreaker – Brandon Sanderson
78. Nineteen Minutes – Jodi Picoult
79. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
80. Persepolis 2 – Marjane Satrapi
81. Airman – Eoin Colfer
82. Hunger – Michael Grant
83. The Invention of Hugo Cabret – Brian Selznick *
84. The Hours – Michael Cunningham
85. Angry Management – Chris Crutcher
86. In the Hand of the Goddess – Tamora Pierce
87. The Woman who Rides like a Man – Tamora Pierce
88. Red Helmet – Homer Hickam
89. Lioness Rampant – Tamora Pierce
90. 3 Willows – Ann Brashares
91. You Don’t Love Me Yet – Jonathan Lethem
92. Where the Sidewalk Ends – Shel Silverstein *
93. Queste – Angie Sage
94. The Alchemist’s Apprentice – Dave Duncan
95. Bridge to Terabithia – Katherine Paterson *
96. Dicey’s Song – Cynthia Voigt *
97. Hatchet – Gary Paulsen *
98. The Higher Power of Lucky – Susan Patron *
99. Foundation – Mercedes Lackey
100. School of Fear – Gitty Daneshvari
101. Leaves of Grass – Walt Whitman
102. Best Served Cold – Joe Abercrombie
103. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas – John Boyne *
104. The Wednesday Wars – Gary D. Schmidt *
105. Batman and the Monstermen – Matt Wagner
106. Chains – Laurie H. Anderson
107. Beauty – Robin McKinley
108. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeline L’Engle *
109. The Secret of Platform 13 – Eva Ibbotson
110. Coraline – Neil Gaiman *
111. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis *
112. The Alchemist’s Code – Dave Duncan
113. The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
114. The Giver – Lois Lowry *
115. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling *
116. The School Skeleton – Ron Roy
117. Did You Carry the Flag Today, Charley? – Rebecca Caudill
118. Eagle Strike: An Alex Rider Adventure – Anthony Horowitz
119. The Alchemist’s Pursuit – Dave Duncan
120. Crazy Horse: Sioux Warrior – Brenda Haugen
121. Lincoln: A Photobiography – Russell Freedman
122. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village – Laura Amy Schlitz *
123. The Book of Time – Guillaume Prevost
124. The Wild Things – Dave Eggers
125. Charlie Bone and the Shadow – Jenny Nimmo
126. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle – Washington Irving
127. Kitchen Confidential – Anthony Bourdain
128. The Last Cavalier – Alexandre Dumas
129. An Abundance of Katherines – John Green
130. Sandry’s Book – Tamora Pierce
131. Knight: Noble Warrior of England 1200-1600 – Christopher Gravett

Now on to 2010! First up: Tris' Book by Tamora Pierce, book 2 in the Circle of Magic Quartet

Red Helmet

Who knew coal mining could be so intense? I just read this book, and it was quite good. It's about a woman from New York who ends up working in a coal mine. There's this whole romance there as well, but the coal mining part was really intense. Homer Hickam grew up in a coal mining town, and worked briefly in a coal mine so you can always count on his books to be true to the profession. This was interesting cause you really got an inside look of the life of a rookie coal miner. Very good!

Luis is amazed that I am still able to read for fun while taking classes, he keeps asking me how I have time for it. I told him I read in one of my textbooks that a good librarian is always reading a book, usually more than one. So I'm well on my way!

hello grad school

Welcome to grad school. Oh man, I've been so excited for this for so long and now that it's here I'm ready for it to be over. So much work. All the time. Luis keeps mentioning the massive amount of books I have to read for my Children's Lit class (this is most of them) and how he keeps finding books everywhere. But the good news is, a week into classes and I've read the 2000 Caldecott Winners! I also joined the ALA and the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association). Good times. But of my three classes this one, Children's Literature is definitely going to be my favorite. I'm also taking Information in Society (not too bad) and Information Representation and Access (blah). And crazy note, apparently when my mom got her Masters at UK she had the same proffesor as me for the Representation class (although it was called something different then).