Ashlee - February

February is Black History Month... and I'm still pondering the idea of resistance.... so I spent some time reading texts having to do with race relations and/or the Civil Rights Movement. With some other issues of discrimination being forefront in the news and my mind, it has been an interesting reading month. So here's what I read....

6) Our Time Together by Carol Burnett ****
(Hollywood, CA - Memoir)
Carol Burnett is by far one of the funniest women in entertainment. Her facial expressions are amazing and her sense of time is impeccable. This was actually her second memoir... but focused more on her career than her first. She talked some about her early life with her eccentric parents, but focused more on the process of her comedy and the shape it took with the people around her. It was fun to hear the more detailed side of some of my favorite sketches of hers. I listened to this one so there were probably times when the people driving next to me wondered what on Earth I was doing as I was laughing so hard down the road.

7) Into the Wild by Jon Krauker ****
(Healy, AK)
This is a story of a man who goes into the wilds of Alaska and, unfortunately, finds his demise. The author tells of others adventurers and the many theories about the young man's death.  I appreciated the research that went into telling this timeline and the ideas of finding peace in God's world.

8) The Explosive Child by Ross Greene ****
Okay... this has 4 stars if you have a child who throws wild and crazy tantrums. It's also a 4 star if you're a psychologist looking for a way to help children who throw wild and crazy tantrums. Other than that, it's probably just a lot of babble. Psychobabble.

9) To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee *****
(Maycomb County, AL - 1001)
I love this book. I love Scout, her innocence, and her sense of justice. I love her trust of Atticus and Jim and her questioning of the 'status quo.' I love that she was a ham. Literally. I just love it. That is all.

10) Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman ****
(Savannah, GA)
This story reminded me some of The Secret Life of Bees but not quite as realistic. I'm not sure why, but it just wasn't. It was set in the 1960s and mentions a few moments of race relations, but doesn't bring it to the foreground like I thought it might. Anyway, it's a sweet story of a young girl reclaiming her life in the care of old southern debutantes. The eccentric neighbors and growing family add unique characters to a fairly simple plot. I also really liked the idea of 'finding your fire.'

11) Black Boy, White School by Brian F. Walker ***1/2
(Hoover, Maine)
I liked this book, but won't recommend it to any of my close friends/family due to language. As it is written, I'm assuming, for young African American males, the language is (in my opinion) stereotypical and derogatory. Unfortunately, it is what I hear more often than not coming out of the mouths of the students I work with. Does that make it good reading for them, as it is something they can relate to? I have mixed feelings. But I did appreciate the story line. Finding a niche in an environment where you are different is a journey of character, and one that I think a lot of people have to take. So would I recommend this book to some of my students? Probably. But with most books I recommend to students, I'd want to have a discussion before, during, and after reading.

12) Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan *****
(Jackson, MS)
This story was set in Jackson, MI in 1963 and is told from the point of view of an adolescent girl. She finds herself in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement and is trying to figure out who her friends are and who's right. With some references to photography and finding light in the shadows, it brings a unique analogy to the idea of right and wrong.

13) Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury ***
(Illinois)
I liked the fist 85% of this book... I enjoy Ray Bradbury and his use of imagery and enjoyed the idea of this story. Waging war on the end of summer or waging war on young miscreants... good times. Then there was the last 15%. It was bizarre and completely unrelated. No bueno.

Ashlee - January

My sister came up with a great way to rate the books she's read this year... I'm going to do the same. I'll also add where it falls in my reading challenges. So here's what I've been reading in January...

1) Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton ***1/2

(New York, NY - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)

I have a harder time reading (by which I mean listening) to book in the Old English style. The language is sometimes hard to follow and I find myself drifting. However... after a quick preview on Wikipedia I can usually get back into the swing of things. What I loved about this book was that the protagonist was male... and he was a little angsty. It was kind of a refreshing change.

2) The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson ***

(Des Moines, Iowa - Memoir)

Bill Bryson is the author of "A Short History of Nearly Everything," a book which I read a couple of years ago and simply adored (it gets 4 stars). I could have sworn the author was British, but apparently not. He grew up in the states and half way through college hopped across the pond and stayed. So in some ways he is British... he's been there a couple decades now. Anyway... I liked his memoir, but I like his style of writing. I think with all memoirs you take a risk... but for me at least, this one was good. 

3) A Spell of Winter by Helen Dunmore 1/2

(England)

This was weird. I'm not even sure I'm glad I read it.... which is why it got only 1/2 a star. While there were parts that were very thought provoking, there were parts that were just strange and not too uplifting. So there you go. Don't read it.

4) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde *****

(England - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die - Victorian)

I loved this book!!! Even though it has the difficulty of Old English, I loved the ideas behind the novel. The power of good and evil on the soul, who we take with us, and the power of mercy.

 5) Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ****

(England - 1001 Books to Read Before You Die)

Again... I run into the Old English difficulty factor. This one is also bloody long. I was inspired to read more Jane Austen books after reading the Jane Austen Book Club last December. So anyway, Mansfield Park is not my favorite of Jane Austen's but the plot is interesting in that 'games' often do not go the way we think they will... but in some ways, our first impressions are more right on than we think.

SONJA 2012

1) Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper / YA  **
2)  The Search for WondLa by Tony Diterlizzi  / JF ***
3)  I Am the Messenger  by Markus Zusak / YA ***
4) Abandon by Meg Cabot / YA   ***
5) City of Bones by Cassandra Clare / YA  ****1/2
6) City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare / YA ****1/2
7) City of Glass by Cassandra Clare / YA ****1/2
8) Survivors: A Novel of the Coming Collapse by James Wesley Rawles / A / *
9) Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George / JF / ****
10) Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler / A / ***
11) Tiger's Curse by Coleen Houck / YA / ***
13) Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand / A / ****
14) Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg / YA / **
15) Fablehaven by Brandon Mull / JF / *** 1/2
16) Rise of the Evening Star (Fablehaven) by Brandon Mull / JF / *** 1/2
17) A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb / YA / **1/2
18) Ruined: A Novel by Paula Morris / YA / ** 1/2
19) Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber / YA / ***1/2
20) Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz / YA / ***
21) Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough / YA / ****
22) The Lucky Kind by Alyssa B. Sheinmel /YA/ ***
23) Grip of the Shadow Plague (Fablehaven) by Brandon Mull / JF / *** 1/2
24) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins / YA / *****
25) Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, Book 2) by Suzanne Collins / YA / *****
26) Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 3) / YA / ****
27) The Scorch Trials (Maze Runner Trilogy) by James Dashner / YA / ***
28) The Death Cure (Maze Runner Trilogy) by James Dashner / YA / ***
29) Decision Points by George W. Bush / A / ****
30) Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (Fablehaven) by Brandon Mull / JF / ****
31) Fablehaven, vol. 5: Keys to the Demon Prison by Brandon Mull / JF / ***
32) Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos / YA / ***
33) Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell / A / ****
34) Scarlett: The Sequel to Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" by Alexandra Ripley and Stephens Mitchell / A / ****
35) Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool / JF / **
36) True Colors by Kristin Hannah / A / **
37) Charly by Jack Weyland / YA / ***
38 ) A Grown-up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson / A  / ****
39) Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley / JF / ***
40) The Brave: A Novel by Nicholas Evans / A / ****
41) Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott / YA / *1/2
42) The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1) by Scott Westerfeld / YA / ***
43) The Edge on the Sword by Rebecca Tingle / YA / ***
44) The Secret Journal of Brett Colton by KayLynn Mangum / YA / *1/2
45) The Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry / YA / ***
46) The House of Gentle Men by Katy Hepinstall / A / ***
47) Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers / A / ****
48 )  Between, Georgia  by Joshilyn Jackson / A / ****
49 ) The Girl Who Stopped Swimming  by Joshilyn Jackson / A / ****
50) Tiger's Quest (book 2 in the Tiger's Curse Series)  by Colleen Houck / YA / ***
51) The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon / YA / ***
52) The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner / A / **
53) The Garden of Eve  by K. L. Going / JF / * 1/2
54) The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson / A / ****
55) The Swan Thieves: A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova / A / ** 1/2
56) The Devil In the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erick Larson / A / ***
57) Ready Player One: A Novel by Ernest Cline / YA / ***
58) The Unseen by Ziplha Keatley Synder / JF / 0
59) While I Was Gone by Sue Miller / A / **
60) City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments) by Cassandra Clare / YA / **
61) All things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriott / A / ****
62) Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu and Erin McGuire / YA / ***
63) The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks / A / ***
64) The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson / JF / ***1/2
65) When the Emporer was Divine by Julie Otsuka / A / ***1/2
65) The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsukia / A / ** 1/2
66) CROSSED by Ally Condie / YA / ***1/2
67) Theodore Boon: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham / JF / J** 1/2
68) Enchantments: A Novel by Kathryn Harrison / A / ***
69) Pegasus by Robin McKinley / YA / *
70) Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman / JNF / ***
71) Wild Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff / JF / **
72) Divergent by Veronica Roth / YA / ***
73) Mistwood by Leah Cyrpess / YA / ***1/2
74) True (... sort of) by Katherine Hannigan / JF / *** 1/2
75) The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler / YA / ***
76) Plain Kate by Erin Bow / JF / *** 1/2
77) Insurgent by Veronica Roth / YA / *** 1/2\
78) Graceling by Kristin Cashore / YA / *****
79) Fire by Kristin Cashore / YA / ****
80) Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore / YA / **1/2
81) Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater / YA / ****

82) The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch / A / *** 1/2

83) Girl Reading by Katie Ward / A / *** 1/2
84) Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien / YA / *** 1/2
85) A history of Sevier County by Michael Guy Bishop / A / ** 1/2
86) Cinder and Ella by Melissa Lemon / YA / 0 starts
87) The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie / A / ****1/2
88) The Midwife's Apprentice / by Karen Cushman / YA / ****
89) Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly / YA / ***1/2
90) The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima / YA / ****
91) The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima / YA / ****
92)  The Grey Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima / YA / **** 1/2
93) The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima / YA / ****
94) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater / YA / *** 1/2
95) Linger by Maggie Stiefvater / YA / **1/2
96) The Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz / A / ****
97) Uglies by Scott Westerfield / YA / ****
98) The Song of Achilles  by Madeline Miller  / A / ***
99) The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks / YA / ***
100) The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag by Alan Bradley / YA / *** 1/2
101) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute / A / ** 1/2
102) Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie / A / ***1/2
103) The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen / YA / *1/2
104) Partials by Dan Wells / YA / *** 
105) The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Fulberg / YA / **1/2
106) The Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas / JF / ** 1/2
107) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer / YA / ****
108) Pretties by Scott Westerfield / YA / ***1/2
109) Specials by Scott Westerfield / YA / *** 1/2
110)Extras by Scott Westerfield / YA / ***
111) The Chaperon by Laura Moriary / A / **
112) The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok / A / **
113)When the Killing's Done by T.C. Boyle / A / ***1/2
114) The Litigators by John Grisham / A / ****
115) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer / A / ****
116) The Fault in Our Stars by John Green / YA / ****
117) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky / YA / *
118) The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory / A / ***1/2
119) The Kitchen House: A Novel by Kathleen Grissom / A / **
120)Gone by Michael Grant / YA / ***
121) The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling / A / *
122)Hunger by Michael Grant / YA / ***
123) Me & Emma by Elizabeth Flock / YA / ****
124) Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard / A / **
125)The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani / A / **
126)Matched by Ally Condie / YA / ****