Books

I have finally managed to NOT almost forget a Nightstand–but I still almost missed it, thanks to whatever was going on with my database queries (still have no idea but crossing my fingers that my “fixes” will work).

But I didn’t forget it–or miss it. Instead, I’ve a whole huge collection of books to share from when I last updated you on my status (that is, since January 15).

This month I read:

Adult Fiction

• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
  Single-handedly responsible for disrupting my sleep habits for a week. This was incredibly hard to put down.
• The Peacemaker by Lori Copeland
  My little sis recommended this as a senseless read. She was right.

Adult Non-fiction

• Arguing with Idiots by Glen Beck
  I think I’ve mentioned that I don’t think I’m a fan of Beck. But he does better at polemics (as in this book) than in trying to write socio-moral-political treatise (as in Glen Beck’s Commonsense).
• Barack Obama: The Official Inaugural Book
  Even if I weren’t opposite Obama on the ideological spectrum, I think this book would still induce dry heaves. The contributors make absolute idiots of themselves, slobbering over the “legacy” of a man who had (by then) done precisely nothing. History will tell what Obama’s legacy will be–but whatever it is, this book will stand as a powerful testament to the ridiculousness of political idolatry.
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
  How do you describe this book? It’s the story of a line of cells (link to Wikipedia article) that has been in existence for over half a century. It’s the story of a writer trying to track down a story. It’s a story of medical ethics, of segregation, of identity. Mostly it’s a story about a woman who died and what is left living–her family and her cancerous cervical cells. Descriptions can’t do it justice–this is a true story told well.
• The Only Wise God by William Lane Craig
  A rather dense but immensely interesting look at “middle knowledge”–an attempt to mesh the doctrines of God’s sovereignty and human freedom. Someday I’ll talk more about this, but I’m still playing it through in my brain. Most readers will probably prefer to hear about this rather than reading it–cause it’s kinda hard to read.

Juvenile Fiction

• Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
• Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
  Both of the above were read for Carrie’s L.M. Montgomery Reading Challenge. I posted about my participation here
• Blood Red Road by Moira Young
  Saba’s life is forever changed when four riders kill her father and kidnap her twin brother. Determined to find Lugh, Saba sets out an adventure that leads her through the desert, into cage-fighting, and straight to her heart’s desire. Blood Red Road is stunning, intense, and moving–and author Moira Young is poised to be the next epic fantasy author. (I was pleased that Blood Red Road won the Cybil Award for YA fantasy–I read this book as part of Amy’s Armchair Cybils.)
• Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu
  A middle-grade retelling of Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” with a dash of a dozen other fairy tales and fantasies thrown in. I loved this book. (Read as part of Amy’s Armchair Cybils. Title linked to my full review).
• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
  The protagonists of Chains and Forge are young black slaves during the American Revolution-a unique enough concept in the first place. But what makes these novels great isn’t just the setting or the characters–it’s how the author captures the humanity of her characters within their setting. The reader can identify with the characters, but not (as usually is the case) because the characters have thoroughly modern sensibilities. Anderson draws her readers back into the internal conflict of fighting for freedom while keeping others enslaved.
• The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson
• Level Up by Gene Luen Yang with art by Thien Pham
  The first graphic novel I’ve ever read–and I actually ended up enjoying it (a surprise for someone as text-bound as I). A story about video gaming, about med school, about living up to your parents’ expectations, about forging your own way, about guardian angels and exorcising your personal demons. I really was stunned by how much I enjoyed this book.
• Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie by Julie Sternberg
• Misfit by Jon Skovron
  I’m not one to dismiss whole classes of books with one fell swoop–and I’ve been reserving judgment regarding paranormal fiction (which for me means simply ignoring it). Misfit, about a half-girl/half-demon-child, has ended up being one of my first forays into the genre. So far, I’m not a fan. Not that the story wasn’t interesting–because it certainly was. But demons aren’t some imaginary entity that we can make out to be whatever we want them to be. They’re real. And this book does not portray them honestly. Instead, the demon-gods of the Old Testament become warring demon factions (some good, some evil) while the true God is completely ignored (except that the “newer” demons can be warded off by a crucifix.) In my mind, demons aren’t playthings–and neither is this book. (This was another Armchair Cybils read.)
• 2 Easy Reading Cybils finalists
• 2 Children’s Picture Book Cybils Finalists
• 53 other Children’s picture books

Juvenile Non-Fiction

• Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
  A glossy-paged, black-and-white-picture-filled, informative biography of Amelia Earhart. This book flips back and forth between the search for Amelia after her airplane was lost in the Pacific and the events of her life leading up to her global circumnavigation attempt. I was pleased that this nominee won the Cybil award for YA(?) nonfiction.
• The Great Number Rumble by Cara Lee and Gillian O’Reilly
  A student narrates what happens when the principal decides to drop the math curriculum-and how one math-crazed student convinces him that he shouldn’t. This is a rather spectacular little book about some of the dozens of real-life math applications from music to Fibbonacci numbers to fractals to topology and cryptology and CG animation effects. I pretty much loved this little book–and think young readers (probably upper-elementary to middle-school students) just might like it too. Who ever knew math could be so cool?
• Unraveling Freedom by Ann Bausum
  A very interesting look at how the fight for freedom abroad (in World War I) led to an erosion of freedom at home. I learned quite a bit of information I didn’t know–but I wasn’t altogether satisfied with how it was presented. It seemed a bit propaganda-ish to me.
• 3 other books about math
• 4 Cybils nonfiction picture book finalists

I just renewed a passel of books this last week–so my Nightstand is loaded with just under three weeks to go before I have to return them all.

Let the reading continue!

Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!

Sigh. Here I go again, almost missing a Nightstand. But I suppose this time it’s justified since state left my facility last night and I got 3 hours of sleep on an office floor the night before. Apparently I needed sleep more than making sure my Nightstand post was ready to go.

What I read as of the 15th (when I last updated this post):

Adult Fiction

• Dana’s Valley by Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan
  It took me a bit to get into this book about a young girl whose sister is battling an unknown disease (well, unknown at the beginning.) Once I got into it, I was hooked and I cried and cried. This book marks the close of my reading of Janette Oke at Eiseley library (except, of course, for books co-written with others and cataloged under their names.)
• Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner
  I put this on my TBR list after reading Barbara’s review–but had forgotten what it was about by the time I got it out of the library. I wasn’t disappointed though–this was a lovely tale of two women, Lady Jane Grey and a modern day Jane, dealing with very different life circumstances, but coming to similar conclusions. A great pick for lovers of historical and/or Christian fiction.

Adult Non-fiction

• The Dangerous Book for Dogs by Rex and Sparky
  A hilarious parody of The Dangerous Book for Boys (which is, by the way, a great book), The Dangerous Book for Dogs includes everything a young dog needs to know to be a REAL dog–including how to break up a dinner party, the meaning of the most common chase dreams, and a record of the experiments Alexei and Sergei (two Russian scientific dogs) performed on Ivan Pavlov. (More extensive review here)
• Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
  A fascinating look at everyday life through the lens of economics. Except that economics seems a weird way to describe it. (Sort of like using the term “home economics” to refer to cooking class or sewing.) Actually, this is more about analyzing (sometimes disparate) data in unique ways. The authors ask sometimes bizzare, sometimes straightforward questions like “What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?” (exploring incentives and cheating), “Where have all the criminal gone?” (actually, they’re dead), and “Would a Roshanda by any other name smell as sweet?” (how names make their way through society–and reflect ones’ social stratum).
• It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro
  Very funny. Clothes you try on but can’t get off, awkward neighborhood parties, feeling like a child when you go back to your parents’ house. Everywoman’s story, except to the nth degree. (More extensive review here)
• Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain! by Scott Adams
  Yeah, I pretty much wish the author had taken the helpful advice he ignored (the title of the book.) I just didn’t think it was that funny. (More extensive review here)

Juvenile Fiction

• Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams
  Second of the Echo Falls Mysteries (I’d already read one and two.) Generally good, not too suspenseful, but enough. A good transition, I think, from the Nancy Drew-type mysteries to adult mysteries or psychological thrillers.
• Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Carnival Prize
• Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
  A Cybils nominee (in YA fiction) that didn’t make it to finalist. Boy at boarding school borrows from Moby Dick while journaling his story. He watched his best friend die. He ran. He might have been responsible. He certainly feels responsible. But then another friend makes a plan and the (female) teacher he has a crush on pays him special attention (because she knows he’s not telling something about how his friend died? because she likes him back? he doesn’t know.) It’s a pretty good story, but has a lot of YA-y material (homosexuality, masturbation, and sexual fantasies are all addressed/included at length.)
• The Secret of Pirates’ Hill by Franklin W. Dixon
• Young Cam Jansen and the Dinosaur Game
• Young Cam Jansen and the Double Beach Mystery
• 9 Children’s picture books

Juvenile Non-Fiction

Brave Deeds: How One Family Saved Many from the Nazis by Ann Alma
A wonderful story of a family in the Dutch Resistance preserved many from the Nazis. Though the story is told by a fictional nameless young narrator, all events (and names) except those directly pertaining to her “back story” are historically accurate. This is a fantastic story told well.
• Rescuers defying the Nazis by Toby Axelrod
• 1 book about math

Don’t forget to drop by 5 Minutes 4 Books to see what others are reading this month!