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June 29, 2010
As promised, more interesting tidbits from Confucius Lives Next
Door. Did you know that the Japanese Language is made up of four alphabets? That’s right, four. And, their reported literacy rate is 99%. Now, don’t feel too bad, the
CIA World Factbook also states that the US has a literacy rate of 99%. That makes me wonder though. I didn’t think it was that high. I think I’m going to have to do a little more research on it and get back to you all.
So, I also started February (Conspiracy 365) by Gabrielle Lord. It was just sitting right there on the shelf looking at me, so I had to check it out. I don’t know why I didn’t notice this before, but the pages countdown backwards, while the date goes chronologically forward. I’m not sure why this is, at first I thought the pages were so high because it’s a serial novel, and I figured the page numbers just continued from the first book, but that’s not the case. Now, it’s driving me a little crazy…..
And, one last note, I covered a shift in the Children’s department, and I have decided to choose a week this summer and totally devote it to Children’s Literature. I still have never read the Diary of a
Wimpy Kid Series, or the Warriors series. This will be so much fun! What was one of your favorite series as a kid?
June 26, 2010
Well, there's no denying that summer is here! Hope you're all staying cool, and of course, reading a lot! I raced through
Spirit Bound, and I must say, this series certainly manages to keep me captivated. This is the fifth book in the series, and instead of being bored and restless, I'm constantly drawn in. So, I say,
"Richelle Mead (the author!) very well
done," and I will certainly be in line for the next book. Which, by all accounts will be called
Last Sacrifice and should come out in December. I still have not read the
House of Night Series, or The Morganville Vampires. Perhaps I will tackle one, or both of them this summer.
I'm still making my way through Confucius Lives Next Door. There's so much good information in it, I'm trying to read it slowly and absorb a lot of the content. It definitely is a book that gives you a lot to think about. I am on Chapter Four right now, which is titled "The Master
Kung." It really delves into the history, life and influence of Confucius and his works. Why is the title of this chapter "The Master
Kung," you ask? Because Confucius's real name was Kung Fu-tzu, it was Jesuit missionaries who gave him the Latin name Confucius in the sixteenth century. I told you-fascinating! I'll keep reading, and sending super interesting tidbits your way.
June 21, 2010- Happy Summer!
Finally! Man, it took me forever to finish The Dead-Tossed
Waves, but it's not the book's fault! It's totally mine. I actually think I was into this book more than
The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Not bad for a sequel and now of course, I’m left waiting for the next one!
So, to continue on in my non-fiction odyssey, I have started reading Confucius Lives Next Door: What living in the East teaches us about living in the West by
T.R. Reid. You guessed it; it was picked for a book club that I am in. I have to confess; I might never have picked up this book, if it weren’t for my book club, and I’m grateful to them because of that. I’m about halfway through the book, and it has some great parts. It was written in 1999, so part of me wonders how much has changed since the publication of this book. I’ll keep you posted on my thoughts and my progress.
And don’t worry, just as you all thought I was getting all carried away with my academic, non-fiction books, vampires save the day! I started
Spirit Bound today by Richelle Mead. So excited! Will Rose be able to save
Dimitri? Will she have to choose between him and Lissa? I can’t wait to find out!
June 12, 2010
Science, History… and More Zombies & Vampires!
So, once again, I cheated on Young Adult with an “Adult” novel. And, it was even nonfiction! I’m so proud of myself for reading nonfiction; I really need to read more of it. I have to tell you though, what a beautifully written book. It was
Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love by Dava
Sobel. Don’t let the size or subject matter intimidate you, this book was very readable. If anyone is interested in science, history, science history, or the history of the Catholic Church, take your pick! This book has it all.
I have started The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan, the sequel to
In the Forest of Hands and Teeth. So far, I like it, I just wish that I had more time to read. I feel like this has been a slow reading month. Don’t worry though, as soon as school is over, I will be a reading machine!
 Spirit
Bound, the fifth book in Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy series just came in for me, so after
The Dead Tossed Waves I’ll move from zombies to vampires. Oh, and speaking of vampires, here’s the Twilight update. As you all probably know, the movie adaptation of
Eclipse is being released on June 30th. Do you have your tickets yet? And,
Twilight is indeed taking a page from the Harry Potter playbook and splitting the last book,
Breaking Dawn, into two movies. What do you all thing about that? Is there enough content in
Breaking Dawn to make two full-length movies? Also…the book,
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: an Eclipse Novella was just released on June 5, 2010. I haven’t read it yet. Has anyone out there? If you have read it, do you have a review?
Alright, enough writing, I have to get back to reading! Don’t forget to e-mail me reviews, comments or updates!
June 2, 2010
 It’s Official. I’m a sucker for Chick Lit. I’m sorry, I’ve tried to be objective and wide-read, but I just keep getting sucked back in. I’ve already finished
Heist Society by Ally Carter. I loved it! And this is slightly unfair, because a lot of the plot and situations in the book were just as unrealistic as
Conspiracy 365, but it didn’t matter. I kept justifying it in my head. I’m still doing it! Thinking, “Well, it maybe somehow could happen…” I’m so hoping that there is a sequel out there. This is even a book that I think I could read again at some point. So, long story short. Do I recommend this? Absolutely! Boys, don’t be put off by the girly cover and main character being a female, if you like adventure and suspense, you will enjoy this book. It’s like a teenage version of
Oceans 11, with great characters and literally, around-the-world non-stop action.
And, drum roll please…..I am proud to present the Book Club selection for the month of June
is….Graceling by Kristen Cashore. We will meet Saturday, June 19th at 3:00pm in the Young Adult room to discuss this book. If you don’t have time to read one more book, we just got
Graceling in playaway format. A playaway is a super-portable audiobook in the form of an MP3 player. It’s about the size of a credit card, and can be checked out like a regular book. Perfect for exercising or lying by the pool. Check one out today!
June 1, 2010
 I love long weekends! I finally got to catch up on some reading. I finished
January (Conspiracy 365) and The Lonely Hearts Club (remember, the one with the super cute cover?). So, let’s start with
Conspiracy 365. Disclaimer; it must be said that I am not a 12-14 year old boy. With that out of the way, I will try to be objective. Simply put, an action-packed, fast-paced adventure book, but scarcely believable. There are a lot of elements to this book that I do like. I like the length (super quick read), I like
Callum, the main character, and I like the mystery of the Ormond Singularity and the Ormond Riddle. But, I had to suspend a lot of disbelief when reading it. That being said, of course it has a crazy cliffhanger ending, and I’ll totally be reading the next installment in the series. So, all in all, I guess it can’t be that bad, since I’ll definitely be reading more in the series. I would recommend this for a quick, fun, summer read, it definitely reminds me of a blockbuster summer movie.
Then there’s The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg. Of course I loved it! (Bet you didn’t see that coming.) But seriously, I feel like this book sends out a great message without being too preachy. It’s all about finding love and support from your girlfriends and not losing yourself or your identity to a guy. And, the Beatles theme carried throughout the book totally rocks (no pun intended!). If you’re not familiar with the Beatles, this book can serve as a great introduction.
Heist Society is next, and since I love Ally Carter’s other books, I can’t wait!
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