|
Number |
Author |
Title |
Published |
Rating |
Mini Sum |
Comments |
|
1 |
Truman Capote |
In Cold Blood |
1965 |
 |
(Nonfiction) 2 ex-cons slaughter a Kansas family in
1959. |
The book was good, but at what cost? |
|
2 |
John Irving |
The World According to Garp |
1976 |
|
(Fiction) Writer's life is full of odd characters, love, parental
fears, tragedy & fame. |
This book is tightly written with memorable characters and unique
story. Wonderful.
|
|
3 |
L. M. Montgomery |
The Blue Castle |
1926 |
|
(Fiction) On her 29th birthday, lonely Canadian changes her life
by rebelling against her traditional family. |
This is my sick book. It cheers me up when I feel crappy. I had a
cold, but now I feel better.
|
|
4 |
Gregory Macquire |
Son of a Witch |
2005 |
|
(Fiction) Sequal to Wicked. Oz politics get stranger. |
I always have some trouble getting into his writing style, but the
story really takes off in the 2nd half. His characters are
intriguing.
|
|
5 |
Douglas Stone & Elizabeth Tippett |
Real College: The Essential Guide to Student
Life |
2004 |
|
(Nonfiction) Advice on the myriad challenges of
college. |
I just bought this book for the library, and it's really good.
It's honest & real about all kinds of things students will face in
college. It's up-to-date & covers things that aren't always covered in
college books.
|
|
6 |
Jhumpa Lahiri |
The Namesake |
2003 |
|
(Fiction) Indian-American guy searches for his
identity. |
I saw a trailer for the movie and thought I'd read the book. I
just hope the movie is as good as the book.
|
|
7 |
Katherine Paterson |
Bridge to Terabithia |
1977 |
|
(Jr Fic) Boy learns lessons from new best friend. (spoiler alert)
She dies. |
It'd been years since I read the book, but commercials for the
movie with cgi just seemed wrong. They're obviously missing the
point.
|
|
8 |
Leo Tolstoy |
Anna Karenina |
1877 |
|
(Fiction) Russian society in the mid-19th century is full of
drama. |
I was not super interested in Anna's story, but Levin &
Kitty's story is sweet. I can see why the book is a classic; it's so
authentic.
|
|
9 |
Ilana DeBare |
Where Girls Come First: The Rise, Fall, and Surprising Revival
of Girls' Schools |
2004 |
|
(Nonfiction) History and current state of girls' schools in the
U.S. |
SMS isn't as novel, historical, or revolutionary as some girls'
schools, but it's neat to see the big picture & our part in
it.
|
|
10 |
Vanessa Summers |
Get in the Game: The Girls' Guide to Money &
Investing |
2001 |
 |
(Non-fiction) Financial advice for (rich) young women. |
I wanted to know whether I'm in a position to start investing
& if so how. I was frustrated by the book. Breakdown of the book: 2/5
about how rich the author & her friends are, 2/5 pep talk, 1/10
out-of-date, 1/10 useful info. Later discovered from other sources, I'm
not in a position to invest :(.
|
|
11 |
Octavia Butler |
Kindred |
1979 |
|
(Fiction) Black woman is forced to time-travel to save her
slave-holding ancestor. |
Well-crafted & very believable story with beautifully
developed characters. Difficult subject skillfully done. Work holds up
well after 25+ years.
|
|
12 |
Arthur C. Clarke |
Childhood's End |
1953 |
 |
(Sci-fi) Aliens land on Earth & change mankind (not humankind,
the aliens let them skip women's lib). |
Interesting story, quick pace. Easy to see why it's important
Sci-fi, but I don't think it holds up well for present readers. Attitudes
& tech are so dated I sympathize with the Overlords about how
primative humans are.
|
|
13 |
Gene Luen Yang |
American Born Chinese |
2006 |
|
(Graphic Novel) As boy grows up he learns how to balance his
Chinese heritage with American culture. |
This is a cool new approach to the bicultural identity story.
Yang's story-telling is unique, while the experiences in the story are
familiar to many. Very deserving Printz winner!
|
|
14 |
Kate DiCamillo |
The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess,
Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread |
2003 |
|
(Jr. Fiction) Castle mouse falls for pretty pretty princess &
battles fiendish dungeon rat. |
As much as I'd like to, I just can't like Kate DiCamillo. She sets
up really dark, dangerous situations, but everything is hunky-dory at the
end. Either set up less perilous plot-lines, or allow your characters to
be damaged by their experiences. Also annoying: this book is nasty toward
rodents.
|
|
15 |
Nalo Hopkinson |
Brown Girl in the Ring |
1998 |
|
(Fiction) Afro-Caribbean seer must stop a necromancer in
post-apocalyptic Toronto. |
Cool book. It's dystopic magical realism - practically my favorite
kind of story. The dialect took getting used to.
|
|
16 |
Kazuo Ishiguro |
When We Were Orphans |
2000 |
|
(Fiction) Brit detective goes to China to solve the case of his
parents' kidnapping. |
This was a strange story, but good. Ishiguro's books are tightly
written with unique and beautiful stories.
|
|
17 |
E. Lockhart |
The Boyfriend List |
2005 |
|
(YA Fiction) Seattle teen has angst over boys &
friends. |
Cute, honest & original. Ruby is a totally normal teen -
refreshing for teen lit. Still, she's shallow & prioritizes boys over
all else. I wouldn't be her friend & I don't think she'd like me
either.
|
|
18 |
Arthur Golden |
Memoirs of a Geisha |
1997 |
|
(Fiction) Girl becomes a Geisha and persues love in Depression
era/WWII Japan. |
Enchanting.
|
|
19 |
Khaled Hosseini |
A Thousand Splendid Suns |
2007 |
|
(Fiction) Afgani women survive 20 years of personal and political
dangers. |
Slower and different, but every bit as good as The Kite Runner. I
hope he writes 100 books.
|
|
20 |
Nancy Pearl |
Book Crush |
2007 |
|
(Book Reviews) Thematic lists of great books for kids &
teens. |
I heard Nancy Pearl speak at ALA & I want to be her when I
grow up. This book is a useful reader's advisory tool. I love that she
includes Peppermints in the Parlor & a lot of other obscure but
wonderful books.
|
|
21 |
Cecil Castellucci & Jim Rugg |
The Plain Janes |
2007 |
|
(Graphic Novel) Suburban teens become gorilla street artists after
a new girl is inspired by a terrorist attack. |
The book strikes a good balance between ordinary life and real
trauma. It's upbeat without being flippant and touches painful subjects
without getting without getting bogged down. Most of the characters are
kind of stock teens in stereotyped roles, but it's the 1st in the series,
so future books can give them more depth.
|
|
22 |
Jim Ottaviani and Dylan Meconis |
Wire Mothers: Harry Harlow and the Science of
Love |
2007 |
|
(Graphic Novel) History of a pivotal psychologist and his research
about love. |
Wonderful. These guys have a whole awesome series of graphic
novels about the history of science. I'm recommending this one to the
psych teacher at SMS.
|
|
23 |
Nick Hornby |
Slam |
2007 |
|
(YA Fiction) London s8r teen learns he will be a
father. |
My favorite Hornby book yet.
|
|
24 |
Robin McKinley |
The Hero and the Crown |
1984 |
|
(YA Fantasy) Princess battles dragon & seeks crown to save her
country. |
Nice old-school fantasy.
|
|
25 |
Margaret Pedler |
The Splendid Folly |
1921 |
|
(Fiction) Opera singer wonders about her true-love's dramatic
secret. |
Download text at Project Gutenburg. Kind of
hammy, but a fun read full of old-fashioned drama.
|
|
26 |
J. K. Rowling |
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
2007 |
|
(Fantasy) HP & friends' final showdown with
Voldemort. |
Muggles rejoice! The Harry Potter resolution is here. Laughter
& tears at the end of an era. Thank you Ms Rowling.
|
|
27 |
Joyce Cary |
The Horses Mouth |
1944 |
|
(Fiction) Starving artist just wants to paint; UK wants him to pay
his bills. |
Funny & sad & crazy. I'm not sure I know enough about the
time & place to get the most from the political & social
commentary, but still a good read.
|
|
28 |
Mark Oliver Haroldsen |
How to Wake Up the Financial Genius Inside You |
1976 |
|
(Nonfiction) Title should be "How to Become a Slum Lord in the
70's." |
Title sounded promising, but text is a let-down. It's just about
making money in real-estate, it's so dated the $ doesn't make sense &
the tax stuff can't be at all right. The author comes off smarmy &
greedy.
|
|
29 |
Chuck Palahniuk |
Fight Club |
1996 |
|
(Fiction) Feeling emasculated by 90's USA, insomniac starts
underground fighting club to fight the system. |
Love it. Even more warped than the movie & slightly different
ending.
|
|
30 |
Charlie Price |
Dead Connection |
2006 |
|
(YA Fiction) Boy's ability to speak with dead people allows him to
solve a murder, if anyone will listen to him. |
Not horror, but creepier than expected. There are too many
rotating points of view. I wish there was any reason to hope characters'
situations might improve.
|
|
31, 32, 33 |
Anne McCaffery |
Crystal Singer, Killashandra, Crystal Line |
1982, 1985, 1992 |
|
(Sci-fi) Singer goes to dangerous planet to mine musical crystals,
takes dangerous space missions, & loves dangerous men. |
Re-read the first 2 so I could finally read the 3rd. They're worth
the read, but Ballybran is no Pern.
|
|
34 |
John Green |
An Abundance of Katherines |
2006 |
|
(YA Fiction) Guy goes on a road trip and tries to find math
formula to predict relationships. |
Brilliant and funny. Still have a little crush on John Green. Hope
he writes lots more books. Ok, a big crush.
|
|
35 |
Diana Wynne Jones |
Dark Lord of Derkholm |
1998 |
|
(Fantasy) When unusual family is assigned to play villains they
destablize the despotic other-world tourism company. |
So much fun. Everyone should have griffin
siblings.
|
|
36 |
Laurie Halse Anderson |
Speak |
1999 |
|
(YA Fiction) Traumatized by her rape and abandoned by her friends
teen has awful freshman year. |
Very good. Much more subtle and wry than the Lifetime movie (which
really isn't bad).
|
|
37 |
David Almond |
Clay |
2006 |
|
(YA Fiction) Sinister new boy's power of creation forces his
friend to follow his own conscience. |
Nice and a little creepy, but I wanted it to be more
intense.
|
|
38 |
William Gibson |
Neuromancer |
1984 |
|
(Sci-fi) In high-tech future, hackers and assassins are coerced
into serving a powerful AI. |
I'll have to read it again someday. It took me a long time to sort
out his jargon and fake technology. Obviously, it's influenced many movies
and books since publication, because it was ground breaking & it's
that good.
|
|
39 |
Marjane Satrapi |
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood |
2003 |
|
(Graphic Memoir) Memoir of Iranian growing up during war told
through comic strips. |
Moving and clever. I can't wait to see the movie!
|
|
40 |
Marilynne Robinson |
Housekeeping |
1980 |
|
(Fiction) 2 Sisters are raised by a series of eccentric family
members, including a transient aunt. |
Interesting and sophisticated story, beautifully
written.
|
|
41 |
Nick Hornby |
High Fidelity |
1995 |
|
(Fiction) Immature record store owner is obsessed with music and
relationships. |
I think the book is less charming than the movie, although it was
worth the read.
|
|
42 |
Sara Gruen |
Water for Elephants |
2006 |
|
(Fiction) Vet finds love with a crazy man's wife while working for
a 2nd rate circus during the Depression. |
Wonderful and unexpected story. I look forward to more from this
author.
|
|
43 |
Mary Lou Andre |
Ready to Wear |
2004 |
|
(Nonfiction) Guide to organizing, assessing, and building your
wardrobe. |
Aimed at women older & wealthier than I, this has some useful
advice to help me sort out my work wardrobe, but I'm having trouble
relating.
|
|
44 |
Gabriel Garcia Marquez |
Collected Novellas (Leaf Storm & No One Writes to the
Colonel) |
1972, 1961 |
|
(Fiction) Notorious doctor is buried by family who owes him a
debt. Ret. Col. & wife face starvation as they wait for a pension
& keep dead son's rooster for a cock fight. |
Marquez is always a good read. I didn't feel like this was a great
translation, but since I don't read Spanish it's hard to
tell.
|
|
45 |
John Green |
Looking for Alaska |
2005 |
|
(YA Fiction)At his new boarding school teen seeks meaning with new
friends. |
One of the best books I've read this year, definately one of the
best teen books. Funny, sad & realistic, but that school has zero
security (schools like that worry me).
|
|
46 |
Kazuo Ishiguro |
The Remains of the Day |
1988 |
|
(Fiction) English butler remembers his life of service to a
gentleman and missed romance. |
Subtle and poignant.
|
|
47 |
Ian McEwan |
Atonement |
2001 |
|
(Fiction) Poor judgement on a summer day causes tragedy for a girl
and her family. |
Not quite what I expected, but very good.
|
|
48 |
Philippa Gregory |
The Other Boleyn Girl |
2002 |
|
(Fiction) Boleyn sisters vie for the king and the
throne. |
Very sexually explicit - surprising since it's on the school's
summer reading list. I guess you can get away with a lot if it's
historically accurate.
|
|
49 |
A.J. Jacobs |
The Know-It-All: one man's humble quest to become the smartest
person in the world |
2004 |
|
(Nonfiction) New Yorker writer's reads the whole
Britannica. |
This is the funniest book I've read this year.
|
|
50 |
Eoin Colfer |
Artemis Fowl |
2001 |
|
(Fantasy) Boy kidnaps fairy for ransom money. |
Whatever.
|