Even with all the theory and research I have been reading, I have been seeking out books for my classroom library (and ones to recommend for the school library as well).
Recent books include:
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
I'm on the fence about this book. Frankie came up with some great pranks to be the mastermind about, but it took a long time to get into the story, and I don't know if I ever felt close to Frankie, which was odd when you spend the majority of the story in her head. I'd recommend this book to those who like pranks, private school drama, and are not looking for any real depth to a story.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
I consider myself fairly knowledgable about our country's history, but this fictional story introduced me to the reality of pox parties... People would gather at someone's house, purposely infect themselves with small pox, go into quarantine together and be sick together (an old fashion, deadly vaccination process). I also was challenged to think about how history perceived races, and how our country's ancestors treated their slaves and what it really meant to claim people as property. Anderson sets up a thought provoking contrast as he sets this work at the birth of the American Revolution where the colonists are chafing from their "slavery" to the English as told through the eyes of an American slave. I'm going to seek out Volume II because I want to find out what happens to Octavian Nothing next.
Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
This is the sequel to Marr's novel, Wicked Lovely, and continues the story of the characters, both mortal and fey, introduced in the first book. Aislinn, Keenan, and Seth (Summer Court) play smaller roles in this story, as Leslie and the Dark Court take the lead in this story. This story was more character driven then the last, and deals with the dangers of addiction, the traumatic experiences of Leslie, and provides the details for the replacement of the Dark King. Marr has me hooked with this dark fey story line because the fairies in her tales are nothing like Tinker Bell.
Next up on my list to read: finishing Forgotten Fire, then moving onto Cormier's The Chocolate War (a classic that I have been meaning to get to for a while now and somehow have never managed to read yet), Ferguson's The Christopher Killer (has had great reviews),Marr's Fragile Eternity (the third book in Marr's series), and Enright's The Gathering (2007 Man Booker Prize winner).
What are you reading? What should I read?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
July 2010
Hi, all,
I hope you are enjoying your summer break. Don't forget to do your summer reading! I wanted to leave you a note about some of the books I have been reading this summer:
I began the summer with The Master and Margarita, which was an interesting tale from the turn of the century (19th) Russia, and offered a fictional perspective on events in Russian history. The prose was very detailed and the characters were vivid, despite jumping around a bit in the narrative. It did all come together in the end. Like many Russian writers of that period, Mikhail Bulgakov, relies heavily on religious symbolism and I found the addendum explaining the references invaluable in accessing the layered meanings in Bulgakov's work. It is an anti-Stalinist piece offering the question: "What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?"
This literary journey was followed by the quick paced new Riordan series starter, The Red Pyramid. Riordan is working on doing for the Egyptian gods and mythology what he did for the Greeks in the Percy Jackson series, but I found I was not as riveted to "the Kane chronicles". I liked the story line, Carter and Sadie have descended from a line of two pharaoh families, and pharaohs have traditionally been able to host a god and perform magic. Due to their unique heritage, they have the potential to be quite powerful and encounter a number of different Egyptian gods in their adventures. I didn't enjoy how the narration was split between the two main characters, even though each chapter told you who was telling the story. On the flip side, I was invested enough with the characters and story that I will likely seek out the next in series, with the hope that it will be a bit tighter like the Percy series.
I also read Enter Three Witches, which was a retelling of Macbeth told from the perspective of the Thane of Cawdor's daughter, Mary. Mary is being raised as the ward of the Macbeth's so she can learn all the skills she will need to run a household. The story follows the tale of Macbeth closely enough that I ended up reading the play along with the tale to marvel at Caroline Cooney's close adaptation. Cooney uses some of the lines from the play within the narrative, often so well incorporated that you only recall that they sound familiar.
Last night I finished Jose Saramago's novel, Death with Interruptions. The story was completely intriguing: what happens if death (purposely using the small 'd') stopped people from dying? What problems would be encountered? Halfway through, death resumes her role, but has implemented a one week warning system - people receive a violet envelope letting them know they will die in 7 days... Then one day, death's unrefusable letter gets returned to sender. I really enjoyed this book although some aspects of the translation I read may be off-putting to readers - mostly in the layout - dialogue was separated by commas within the same paragraph, although it was always clear who was speaking and some paragraphs would extend for more than a page or two. The story though was strong enough to carry through these layout issues.
Next on my list is: Forgotten Fire, the fictional retelling of the Armenian genocide that occurred in Turkey prior to the Holocaust. It is based on the author, Adam Bagdasarian's great-uncle's experiences during this time period.
As for my assigned summer reading, I have finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and am planning on watching the film later this week to compare how they relate and differ.
Please let me know if you have any questions about your summer reading and assignments and I would love to know:
What have you been reading?
I hope you are enjoying your summer break. Don't forget to do your summer reading! I wanted to leave you a note about some of the books I have been reading this summer:
I began the summer with The Master and Margarita, which was an interesting tale from the turn of the century (19th) Russia, and offered a fictional perspective on events in Russian history. The prose was very detailed and the characters were vivid, despite jumping around a bit in the narrative. It did all come together in the end. Like many Russian writers of that period, Mikhail Bulgakov, relies heavily on religious symbolism and I found the addendum explaining the references invaluable in accessing the layered meanings in Bulgakov's work. It is an anti-Stalinist piece offering the question: "What would your good be doing if there were no evil, and what would the earth look like if shadows disappeared from it?"
This literary journey was followed by the quick paced new Riordan series starter, The Red Pyramid. Riordan is working on doing for the Egyptian gods and mythology what he did for the Greeks in the Percy Jackson series, but I found I was not as riveted to "the Kane chronicles". I liked the story line, Carter and Sadie have descended from a line of two pharaoh families, and pharaohs have traditionally been able to host a god and perform magic. Due to their unique heritage, they have the potential to be quite powerful and encounter a number of different Egyptian gods in their adventures. I didn't enjoy how the narration was split between the two main characters, even though each chapter told you who was telling the story. On the flip side, I was invested enough with the characters and story that I will likely seek out the next in series, with the hope that it will be a bit tighter like the Percy series.
I also read Enter Three Witches, which was a retelling of Macbeth told from the perspective of the Thane of Cawdor's daughter, Mary. Mary is being raised as the ward of the Macbeth's so she can learn all the skills she will need to run a household. The story follows the tale of Macbeth closely enough that I ended up reading the play along with the tale to marvel at Caroline Cooney's close adaptation. Cooney uses some of the lines from the play within the narrative, often so well incorporated that you only recall that they sound familiar.
Last night I finished Jose Saramago's novel, Death with Interruptions. The story was completely intriguing: what happens if death (purposely using the small 'd') stopped people from dying? What problems would be encountered? Halfway through, death resumes her role, but has implemented a one week warning system - people receive a violet envelope letting them know they will die in 7 days... Then one day, death's unrefusable letter gets returned to sender. I really enjoyed this book although some aspects of the translation I read may be off-putting to readers - mostly in the layout - dialogue was separated by commas within the same paragraph, although it was always clear who was speaking and some paragraphs would extend for more than a page or two. The story though was strong enough to carry through these layout issues.
Next on my list is: Forgotten Fire, the fictional retelling of the Armenian genocide that occurred in Turkey prior to the Holocaust. It is based on the author, Adam Bagdasarian's great-uncle's experiences during this time period.
As for my assigned summer reading, I have finished The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and am planning on watching the film later this week to compare how they relate and differ.
Please let me know if you have any questions about your summer reading and assignments and I would love to know:
What have you been reading?
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