Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Starting Over

I finally realized it was time to clear out the book titles from 2008 and start anew. January has been a very slow reading month; it is time to get moving. So far this month I re-read The Tenderness of Wolves. I still love that book. If you like historical fiction, mystery and good writing, I highly recommend this one!

Last night I closed the covers on The Covenant by Beverly Lewis. I borrowed this one from my sister. She and I are both drawn to stories of the Amish. It was a bit like drinking a very large mug of chamomile tea. A bit soothing, not very exciting. I still remember that one of my favorite books in elementary school was Plain Girl. Look! I can't believe I found a link! It too was about the Amish and the troubles of those who fell "off the path". I remember I ordered it from Scholastic Books. I still remember its pink cover. It was one of the books I read by the light of my little bedside clock under the covers well after lights out. Oh, the angst I had over the plight of her older brother, Dan, and how he was in danger of being shunned!

Today I finished reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. She is the author of the Twilight series. The Host is science fiction - a genre I have not enjoyed in many years. For whatever reason this one hit the right note. By no means is this "literature", but it is certainly entertaining. I think I liked it because it made me feel they way I did when I was fifteen and reading a really good book. A little adventure, a few aliens and an acceptable amount of very hot make out scenes. Just the right book for your average "teen aged" girl.

Big book week for me! I just finished reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. My god, this is by far the most moving Holocaust novel I have ever read. I feel I cannot breathe. We are thinking of using this in our middle school. No description of the atrocities as in Night, but so heartbreaking.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

i haven't read a book in far too long! maybe someday soon :)
ps i added you to my blog list!

knitica said...

I must disagree and say that I think that "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas" was terrible, with many historical inaccuracies, the biggest being that there were no children in Auschwitz. Also, I found the narrator cloyingly innocent, and too innocent for his age. I think "Number the Stars" would be a much better novel for your students.