Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne is another great book to read while traveling or living abroad. I picked it up at a used book shop in Dubai the other day. Although this copy was marked as a children's classic the shop keeper couldn't find any mention of it being abridged.

Do you know the story? I thought I did. Turns out I was close but had a few silly notions in my head from the film version. When the daily paper announces it is now possible to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days, Phileas Fogg enters a bet with his fellowss at the Reform Club to do just that. He sets off later that evening with his new yet loyal servant, Passepartout, determined to arrive back in London in exactly 80 days.

The story itself is quite exciting. It's easy to imagine readers keeping tabs on Fogg when the story first appeared in serial form. The love story is a bit dry... but I supposed ol' Jules wasn't much of a lover.

Recommendation: A fun read when you're adventuring to a new place or just wishing you were.

The Southern Gates of Arabia

I was searching for travel writing centered in or around the United Arab Emirates when I came across Freya Stark's writings. Intrigued by Stark herself, known as the "Last Romantic Explorer", I couldn't decide which of her books to purchase. Since I had plopped myself down in front of the Middle East section blocking the fairly limited selection, I made the acquaintance of a British woman who spent a large portion of her life living in Jordan. She fully endorsed Stark's writings and claimed I couldn't choose unwisely.

Well, I kinda did. The Southern Gates of Arabia is Stark's retelling of her search for the lost city of Shabwa, located in present day Yemen. Although Stark is truly captivated by her surroundings, I wasn't entirely captivated by her writing, despite her talent with words. Perhaps I was feeling too restless? Or had too high of expectations?

I will probably read more of Stark in the future... and plan to research more about her life. From my limited knowledge I already know she's someone I admire. I mean... she learned Arabic.

Recommendation: I really want someone to fall in love with this book. I'm sorry it wasn't me.

The Twenty-One Balloons

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois has such a charming premise, I couldn't help but add it to the stack of books I was planning to pack for travel. A good chunk of the book I consumed on the floor at JFK, waiting for my connecting flight. I think it was the perfect selection.

Beginning with these words: "There are two kinds of travel. The usual way is to take the fastest imaginable conveyance along the shortest road. The other way is not to care particularly where you are going or how long it will take you, or whether you will get there or not." The opposite page features a delightful sketch of a hot air balloon. What better way to inspire a traveler?

The story of The Twenty-One Balloons centers on Professor William Waterman Sherman and his loyalty to The Western American Explorer's Club. You see, Professor Sherman has been on a very big adventure. Setting off in a giant balloon with the aim of crossing the Pacific Ocean, Sherman was discovered three weeks later a bit distressed and in the Atlantic. How could this be, the entire country wants to know. Sherman vows that his colleagues of explorers be his first audience and he is raced to the West Coast amid the country's eagerness to hear his tale.

Recommendation: A delightful tale of exploration and adventure.

Newbery List

One of my lifetime goals is to read all of the Newbery Award winners. I love printing off the list of titles and highlight each book I've read. Unfortunately, I also keep losing the list. The book blog seems like a pretty good place to keep track of where I am on my goal. Naturally, this post will be updated as new titles are read or added. 35 down.

Newbery Winners:

2009: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, illus. by Dave McKean
2008: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz
2007: The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, illus. by Matt Phelan
2006: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
2005: Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata
2004: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo
2003: Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
2002: A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
2001: A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
2000: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
1999: Holes by Louis Sachar
1998: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
1997: The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
1996: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman
1995: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
1994: The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993: Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
1992: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
1991: Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
1990: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
1989: Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
1988: Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
1987: The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
1986: Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
1985: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
1984: Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
1983: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt
1982: A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard
1981: Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
1980: A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830-1832 by Joan W. Blos
1979: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
1978: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
1977: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
1976: The Grey King by Susan Cooper
1975: M. C. Higgins, the Great by Virginia Hamilton
1974: The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
1973: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
1972: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
1971: Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
1970: Sounder by William H. Armstrong
1969: The High King by Lloyd Alexander
1968: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
1967: Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
1966: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino
1965: Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska
1964: It's Like This, Cat by Emily Neville
1963: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
1962: The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
1961: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
1960: Onion John by Joseph Krumgold
1959: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
1958: Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith
1957: Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen
1956: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
1955: The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong
1954: ...And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
1953: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
1952: Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
1951: Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
1950: The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
1949: King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry
1948: The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pène du Bois
1947: Miss Hickory by Carolyn Sherwin Bailey
1946: Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
1945: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson
1944: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
1943: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
1942: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds
1941: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
1940: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty
1939: Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright
1938: The White Stag by Kate Seredy
1936: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
1935: Dobry by Monica Shannon

1934: Invincible Louisa: The Story of the Author of Little Women by Cornelia Meigs

1933: Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze by Elizabeth Lewis
1932: Waterless Mountain by Laura Adams Armer
1931: The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
1930: Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
1929: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric P. Kelly
1928: Gay Neck, the Story of a Pigeon by Dhan Gopal Mukerji
1927: Smoky, the Cowhorse by Will James
1926: Shen of the Sea by Arthur Bowie Chrisman
1925: Tales from Silver Lands by Charles Finger
1924: The Dark Frigate by Charles Hawes
1923: The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
1922: The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Willem van Loon

In America

I was desperate for a book last week and in a time crunch at the library. I actually clicked on one of those handy links the librarians made and browsed through the National Book Award winners. That list is what narrowed my focus down on In America by Susan Sontag. When the little blurb mentioned the word "commune" I was racing to get my library card to the check out desk before lights out (literally, they start turning out the lights on you!).

I've always been fascinated by communes and the people who choose to live communally. It completely amazes me that although communes always fail, groups of people are constantly setting out to create their own little utopia. It's what I think of when I hear the Rocky Votolato lyric, "there's a holy grail of a simple life led somewhere." Personally, I love the idyllic nature of communes although I think I'm far too independent to happily live in one.

Oh, but I was telling you about In America...

To boil it down, Maryna is a very successful Polish actress in search of the "simple life." At first she's complacent to nestle up in a small mountain village on a seasonal basis. However, her fame popularizes the village and it ceases to be a charming natural locale. Still craving a new life, Maryna and friends travel from Poland to Southern California to live simply on a winery. Like all communal experiments, it doesn't last long. The financial failure of the endeavor drives Maryna to the America stage where she is elevated to megastar status.

Perhaps it was my eagerness to get to the commune that made reading Chapter 0 such a chore. I did a lot of eye rolling and mouthed a few "What are you talking about?"-s. Luckily, once you hit the actual story the characters begin to show hints of their future worthiness. Without a doubt my favorite section of the plot took place on the commune. Sontag could have rattled on for pages about that and I would have gladly read on. In fact, if I had my wish, I would replace the chapter of Maryna's long long long stream of conscious hysterics and just talk more about the change in relationships, identity, and needs brought on by the living experiment. I would have even liked to know more about their menu. But really, I've never been one for histrionic female leads in the first place.

Recommendation: It won the National Book Award for Fiction so you have to at least give it a shot starting at Chapter 1.

The Awful Truths

I noticed The Awful Truths: Famous Myths, Hilariously Debunked by Brian Thomsen at Powell's the other day and thought it might be a nice quick summer read. It was ok.

Some of the "myths" I wasn't even aware of... so their debunking wasn't all that "hilarious" ... or I wasn't familiar with the famous people involved.

An example: "The Awful Truth is that these famous cartoon characters...Tigger and Dick Dastardly were voiced by Paul Winchell (inventor of the artificial heart)."

My reaction to some of these was, "Oh, that's neat."

And I do have to point out one mistake in the book. In a chapter devoted to explaining how many teen movies were actually based on older works of literature (I didn't think that was a secret), Thomsen states that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You (based on The Taming of the Shrew) takes place in a "Califorian 90210 high school." Anyone who grew up in the Pacific Northwest knows that the movie actually took place in Seattle... and the high school in question is located in Tacoma.

Recommendation: More of a browser.

A Reenchanted World

I heard the author, James William Gibson, of A Reenchanted World: The Quest for a New Kinship with Nature speak on a podcast of To The Best of Our Knowledge a week or two ago. The topic was radical gardening. Gibson's words about reconnecting to the natural world convinced me to find his latest book at the library.

A Reenchanted World makes the case that as a society we need to rediscover the vital connection between humans and nature while nature still exists. Gibson explains how many key players in environmental activism came to value nature. In many instances, the person encountered a large mammal be it whale, wolf, or bear... and suddenly realized the awe of nature, the power of nature, the importance of nature.

My favorite section of the book is entitled "Troubles in Paradise." It details the ways in which humans "love nature to death" ... for example, enthusiasts for off-road vehicles love nature so much they tear it up and often refuse to stay out of protected areas. Another chapter describes imitation wilderness like zoos or wildlife parks. Also fascinating was the look at some Native American casinos... did you know that some tribes have found loopholes in their treaties that allow them to trade their sacred land for land better suited to casino profits? (Wow, I can't even count the number of issues involved there...)

The book ends with these words: "The reenchantment of nature-- if coupled with the political courage to act-- offers a chance to remake the world." Gosh.

Recommendation: It's always interesting to hear about successes and failures of the environmental movement. Plenty of inspiration between the pages.

Peter Pan

So, Peter Pan is kind of an asshole. There's actually another word I'd like to call him, but it doesn't seem very blog appropriate. My mom's been making the case for years that Peter Pan is just a little brat, but I wasn't fully convinced (suspected, yes) until I actually read James M. Barrie's story.

The story, I'm sure you know. Peter lures Wendy, John, and Micheal to Neverland so that Wendy can be a mother to the Lost Boys. After a surprisingly long flight, the children arrive and set up a happy little home until the Pirates, lead by Captain James Hook, decide that Wendy should be their mother instead. You already know who saves the day.

So here's the thing: Peter is supposed to be the personification of youth... cocky, selfish, defiant... but Barrie neglects to weave in the genuine kindness that children also possess. For me, Peter was downright unlikeable. Few redeeming qualities. He forgets Wendy, John, and Michael on the flight to Neverland and only runs into them again by chance. He refuses for the Lost Boys to know things he does not or even eat if he's not in the mood. The entire island exhales when he travels away.

I also despise the compromise between Peter, Wendy, and Mrs. Darling. It is agreed that Wendy will go with Peter to Neverland every spring so that she can do Peter's spring cleaning. Really? And I'm not sure if it makes it any better that Peter actually forgets to come for Wendy, his maid...

All of that being said, I did enjoy Barrie's writing style. It is well suited to fantastical adventures. He adds little details to the main plotline, like adding a little nook to the story. My favorite is the description of the tree trying to grow in the children's underground house. They chop it down to make space for playing but it grows just enough to then serve as a table for supper.

Recommendation: If you can suspend all notions of political correctness, feminism, and ignore Peter, it really is an otherwise charming story

On Subbing

I first noticed On Subbing: The First Four Years by Dave Roche back in November while browsing at a satellite Powell's store. I sort of put it in the back corner of my mind and didn't think much about it again until this past weekend. Some friends in town suggested we stop in at Microcosm, an independent publisher. Sitting outside the door waiting for me was the latest copy of On Subbing.

This book is crush inducing. Compiled from the zines that were compiled from journal entries, Dave shares with us his experiences as a sub in Portland public schools from 2000-2004. Having moved from Los Angeles to Portland, Dave decided to try out substitute teaching... except in Oregon he wasn't qualified to sub in general education classrooms. He could, however, sub as an Educational Assistant in special education rooms... so that is what he did. Through Dave's journal entries you witness his growth as an advocate for children with severe disablities and/or behavioral challenges. It's clear that Dave wants to connect with students and let them know he's an ally. Of course, Dave's punk so he does it in his own (often hilarious) way.

I loved picturing a vegan, punk, straightedge guy walking into elementary schools and sitting down to work with kindergarteners. I also loved his anecdotes about trying to convince students' he was the dad of various kids who look nothing like him, ie: African Americans. But my favorite parts were when Dave would describe how his jokes and little signs of respect really registered with the students.

Unfortunately, a lawyer for the district came across some of his zines and asserted that Dave didn't enjoy working with the students. Dave eventually moved on from Portland.

Recommendation: If you've ever subbed in any capacity, you'll love this little collection.

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman... meh. Wasn't into it. I know, I know... it's the 2009 Newbery recipient which automatically means it's amazing... except, not really. And despite all the amazing reviews I keep reading, I know I'm not alone.

The plot is as follows: Toddler's family is gruesomely murdered for an inadequately explained reason you don't learn of until the last few pages. Toddler is lucky enough to escape into a nearby graveyard because for some reason he felt the need to toddle out the front door that murderous night. The ghosts of the graveyard agree to take in the child and keep him safe until adulthood. Then there are some random trips into Hell and a pawnshop. Time moves forward. An all too obvious character shows up and the you-know-what hits the fan.

Honestly, I only managed to finish this book because it was due back to the library (yesterday actually, oops. Don't tell my students I have an overdue book!).

I do like the cover of the book, which I just realized after reading a review features Nobody's silouette. I do like that Gaiman drew inspiration from The Jungle Book. I don't like the book.

Recommendation: If you like the macabre, sure. If you want to read all the Newbery's, sure. If you want a book to dive into, this wasn't it for me.

Silent Spring

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson is one of those books you always hear about, but never read. I knew it was groundbreaking and important... it had to be to show up so many times in my science textbooks and I never took the time to read it, because I totally knew what it was all about. Like water quality and stuff. Turns out, I never quite knew what Silent Spring was about... until I read it.

For some reason, I always thought the title referred to a spring of water, and it was silent in the "silent but deadly" way because the water was secretly poisoned. Um, you probably already knew this... but "silent spring" refers to the season of the year and its silence... because the insecticides have killed off all the wild life. I'm glad to have gotten that all cleared up.

Alright, so Silent Spring was/is an amazing look at how arrogant humans are in their dealing with nature. How humans have disrupted the natural workings of the ecosystem in an attempt to manipulate a system that has developed over millions of years. How humans most often attempt the "easy fix" of using harsh chemicals to fix an otherwise minor nuisance. More than once I wanted to bang my head against the wall and shake the shoulders of the decision makers of the 1950s and '60s. In some communities, dead wildlife and pets covered the land in the days after spraying... but some other culprit was to blame. Seriously?

This passage on sheep (taken from the Natural History Survey) really got to me, not to mention the robins.

The sheep were lead to graze in a pasture across the road with one that had been treated with dieldrin.

"They lost interest in food and displayed extreme restlessness, following the pasture fence around and around apparently searching for a way out... [They] refused to be driven, bleated almost continously, and stood with their heads lowered; they were finally carried from the pasture... They displayed great desire for water. Two of the sheep were found dead in the stream passing through the pasture, and the remaining sheep were repeatedly driven out of the stream several having to be dragged forcibly from the water."

All that... and they were only NEXT TO a treated pasture. Shocking proof that chemicals cannot be contained and have a larger impact than calculated.

Recommendation: Naturally on the list of any environmentalist. I would have liked to read the anniversary edition, because I suspect it might mention the fallout of Silent Spring's publication over the years.

[I can't turn off the italics, it's driving me crazy!]

Youth in Revolt

Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twisp by C. D. Payne starts off with a bang and takes you on a wild ride. The first two parts I couldn't stop reading it... did not want to put it down. The third and final part took a little more effort... but that could be a matter of taste. I've never been entertained by crossdressing.

Nick is your typical 14 year old loser who very diligently keeps a journal. We are lucky enough to read his entries from July to January. The entries reveal that Nick is longing for independence and most desperately a girlfriend. When his mother and her truck driver boyfriend take Nick on vacation to a lakeside trailer park, Nick meets the girl who will soon become his unraveling. In a matter of days Nick is in love... although it's not quite clear how Sheeni feels about him. The remaining 350 pages detail the lengths Nick is willing to go to .

Although the story was entertaining and wildly far-fetched, it's difficult to empathize with the main character (Nick) when he's ruining his life for a highly annoying and phony character (Sheeni). Yet, it is clear that Payne intends for Sheeni to give this impression, perhaps to highlight how motivating love can be?

Good news for Michael Cera fans! Youth in Revolt is becoming a movie with Cera taking on the role of Nick (I would assume). This follows Cera's role as Nick in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, another young adult novel. I'm a little curious how producers will manage to take a nearly 500 page book and movie-ize it when large chunks went missing in the 200 pager.

Recommendation: Teenage angst is teenage angst but it's even more entertaining to read about teenage angst circa 1993.

The Willoughbys

The Willoughbys is a delightful little book by the ingenious Lois Lowry. I first came across it while browsing in a Scholastic catalog. The cover alone was enough for me to put it on my to be read list.

The Willoughbys are old fashioned children trying their best to become old fashioned orphans. Lowry pokes fun of classic chidren's literature by drawing on common elements to create absurd situations in her latest novel. I read this book on a plane ride (finishing right as we landed) and noticed myself laughing out loud several times. A few favorite parts include the Willoughby's reaction to a baby being left on their doorstep and Tim's (the eldest) cleverly devised games.

Lowry's word choice is delightfully old fashioned and sophsitcated. She provides a kid-friendly glossary at the end, which was a pleasure to read. There are always those words that you know the meaning of... but could never explain. Examples include: obfuscate, odious, irascible, and lugubrious. Beautiful words we don't hear very often.

In addition to the glossary Lowry includes a bibliography of all the books she references in The Willoughbys. My favorite was her description of Little Women:

"Sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy live with their mother, whom they call Marmee, while their father is off in the Civil War. They have many adventures and some misfortunes. Meg is mature and sensible. Jo is literary and boyish. Amy is vain and foolish. Beth is saintly and dies."

How matter of fact. I love it.

Recommendation: Do read it. You'll find yourself chuckling along.

Coraline

I didn't even realize we had this book in the library at work until a week or so ago. A girl came up to me to renew Coraline by Neil Gaiman and my next thought (after "we have that?") was... "Sweet!" Ok, so I sometimes read on the job. But really... it kind of actually is my job. Part of my duties as librarian is to know the collection... just like part of my duties as "Media Specialist" is to crawl around on the floor unplugging and plugging things. All of that to say... I read Coraline during my down time at work yesterday.

Creepy. Really. It goes like this: Coraline's life is a bit blase. Luckily she discovers a passage in her apartment that takes her to another world with her other family waiting for her. The most noteworthy aspect of her other family (and the other people) are their shiny black button eyes. Coraline soon realizes that this other world is hella creepy (excuse my language, but really, I do mean "hella"). Too bad she's locked in. Now Coraline must locate her true parents, free the souls of dead captive children, and defeat her evil other mother... not to mention the singing rats. And all the while the other world is retracting into a two dimensional drawing... Creepy. In a good way.

Gaiman is also the author the 2009 Newbery award winning The Graveyard Book. I haven't read it yet since it was deemed a bit too scary for the elementary crowd, but I hope to soon. The dude is a bit twisted.

Recommendation: When you're in the mood for something dark but still want to keep it light and easy.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

I'm not going to lie. I first became interested in reading this book while in a friend's kitchen. I picked it up and quickly fell upon the phrase, "pelvic pump." I knew it was going to be good. It took me several months to get back to The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, but it was worth the wait.

Unfortunately, I also waited awhile before writing up this review... and a lot of the details are hazy. Basic plot line, Oscar is a loser growing up in a culture that does not allow for losers. I mean, you can be a totally jacked up person, as long as you are romantically inclined. Oscar is not. [Oscar actually reminds me of an extreme Dominican version of several boys that lived in my dorm]. Only adding to the trouble is the curse that has followed Oscar's family for several generations.

Diaz expertly weaves a collection of viewpoints, time lines, and stories into one cohesive novel.

Recommendation: Keep a Spanish dictionary handy.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is another book I was immediately attracted to because of the cover. I mean, look at it. It's so intricate and well planned but clearly hand drawn. For several weeks I was so in love with the cover that I was too nervous to read the book. What if the words didn't live up to the pictures? I finally caved in and ended up devouring this mammoth of a children's book.

Let's start with the story. Reynie, Kate, Sticky, and Constance all answer an ad in the newspaper asking, "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?". After a series of tests and riddles, the children are introduced to Mr. Benedict, a man on a mission to save the world. Together the children form The Mysterious Benedict Society and set out for the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, the site of some very bad and mysterious happenings. Can the children stop the evil Mr. Curtain from broadcasting signals of confusion to the masses in order to appoint himself Master of the Universe? One thing's for certain, in order to achieve anything, they'll have to work together.

So let's set aside how awesome the concept of a secret society is and move onto the themes of this book. Love and belonging, huge. The concept of creating your own family, huge. Good over evil, big one. Ingenuity, there. Working together, bingo. All those lovey positive ideals we want our children to come away with, but presented in a smart little adventure.

Other features of amazingness:
1. The cool badass character is a girl.

• Kate is the go-to-girl when you need to get a job done. She carries a utility bucket with her at all times filled with basic tools you just might need, like rope, marbles, a slingshot, or a penlight. How refreshing to have the physically heroic figure be a female. Woot, Kate! (She's not the fall down when the going get's tough type, like Princess Buttercup.)

2. The illustrations are by Carson Ellis.

• She illustrates the album covers for The Decemberists, which is why I was drawn to the book in the first place. What's more, she is the supposed subject of my favorite Decemberists' song, Red Right Ankle.

3. The book's website.

• The Curiousity Chronicle gives us the scoop on the latests news coming from TMBS. Plus, there are riddles and neat little bookmarks to download (I totally made one). You can even read the first few pages, here.

4. There's a sequel.

• The Mysterious Benedict Society is back in action with The Perilous Journey. I've already put it on hold at my public library.

5. The book is full of riddles.

• Most of the riddles I could solve ahead of the team, I mean, I am a grown-up and all. But there's still one hanging on that I cannot solve!

Recommendation: This book is so the total package.

The Corrections

Thanks to 6 cumulative hours on the train this past weekend, I was able to finally finish The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I sort of chose a hefty book to bring me back to my own age group... so several hours of focused train reading was the perfect strategy to make some progress.

Originally I chose this book as part of the 1% Well-Read Challenge. However, I don't think I'll meet the deadline. So instead I'll say this book was recommended to me by a friend in college who may or may not have also been on my huge long crush list sophomore year. (Totally was).

Ok. The Corrections is the story of a dysfunctional (?) family trying to come together for one last Christmas together before the father's health completely deteriorates. The large chunk of the book is devoted to back story explaining why the idea of one last Christmas is either so horribly important (Enid's view) or so horribly taxing (the rest of the family).

I didn't overlook the deeper meaning or the "correction" connections, but I am having a hard time verbalizing my thoughts. Maybe this is a book we should talk about over tea?

Recommendation: Hang in there for the juicy bits and the somewhat tidy ending.

Looking For Bapu

I will admit it. I totally judged this book by it's cover. I'm super glad I did. Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee definitely lived up to it's pretty cover design.

The basic outline of the story goes like this: Anu (called Anus by schoolyard bullies) is extremely close to his grandfather, Bapu. One day while the pair are out birdwatching, Bapu suffers a massive stroke and dies shortly thereafter at the hospital. Anu is deeply stricken with guilt. When Bapu's ghost appears, Anu sets out on a frantic mission to reestablish contact with his beloved grandfather.

3 Things I Loved About This Book:
1. It's based locally in Seattle, Washington

• The Mystery Museum, a major location in the story, is modeled after Ye Olde Curiousity Shop.

2. It's the first book I've read that talks about September 11th from the perspective of a young person who is unjustly discrimated against [as an Indian-American].

• Banerjee includes incidents where Anu is called Osama Bin Laden by his classmates as well as other Indians being interrogated at the airport. Anu even overhears one of the EMTs reluctance to care for his grandfather because he looks "like that damn Bin Laden." Whoa, hello prejudice.

3. The topic is unbelievably unique.

• Ok death and dying is written about all the time. But what about a boy who goes to such great lengths to contact his dead grandfather that he attempts to become a sadhu, a Hindu holy person. Anu shaves his head, embarks on a fast, and becomes a holy roller...literally. He starts to roll, as in somersault, to school. Through Anu's pursuits to become holy and therefore gain a line to the deceased, the reader learns about Hinduism and Indian culture, without feeling like you're reading a complicated explanation.
  

All parts of Looking for Bapu are equally endearing.

Recommendation: A book this unique that addresses important topics should not be overlooked.

(I actually am reading a grown-up book right now... but kid's books are just so tempting. Being surrounded by them all day doesn't help the problem.)

Books of 2008

I love that I've found a New Year's resolution I can actually keep: Read more books than I did during the previous year.

2008 kicked the pants off of 2007. This year I needed to read 58 books... well I read 81! Next year I better at least read 82.

1. Frindle by Andrew Clements
2. Speaking with the Angel edited by Nick Hornby
3. Don't Get Too Comfortable by David Rakoff
4. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
5. Six of One by Rita Mae Brown
6. Listening Is an Act of Love: A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project edited by Dave Isay
7. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
8. The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
9. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks
10. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
11. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
12. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
13. Compost by Clare Foster
14. Peaches by Jodi Lynn Anderson
15. Mike McGrath's Book of Compost by Mike McGrath
16. Slam by Nick Hornby
17. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
18. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography by Chris Crutcher
19. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
20. The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
21. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
22. I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert
23. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
24. Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes
25. Vegan Virgin Valentine by Carolyn Mackler
26. Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Daria Snadowsky
27. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
28. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
29. The Moffats by Eleanor Estes
30. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
31. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman
32. When I Was Elena by Ellen Urbani Hiltebrand
33. Control Theory in the Classroom by William Glasser
34. Holes by Louis Sachar
35. How to Live Your Dream of Volunteering Overseas by Joseph Collins, Stefano DeZerega, & Zahara Heckscher
36. Strider by Beverly Cleary
37. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
38. The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth
39. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
40. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
41. The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl
42. Skipping Towards Gomorrah: The Seven Deadly Sins and the Pursuit of Happiness in America by Dan Savage
43: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
44: The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
45: Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
46: The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck
47: When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris
48. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
49. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
50. Hold On To Me Tightly As If I Knew The Way by Bryan Charles
51. Dishwasher by Pete Jordan
52. God's Harvard by Hannah Rosin
53. Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
54. Bachelor Girl: 100 Years of Breaking the Rules, A Social History of Living Single by Betsy Israel
55. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
56. Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
57. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
58. A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
59. Shopgirl by Steve Martin
60. Geek Love by Kathrine Dunn
61. Little Children by Tom Perrotta
62. The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
63. Criss Cross by Lynne Mae Perkins
64. Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney Book of Lists by the editors of McSweeney
65. Amy's Answering Machine: Messages from Mom by Amy Borkowsky
66. Cringe: Teenage Diaries, Journals, Notes, Letters, Poems, and Abandoned Rock Operas edited by Sarah Brown
67. Tales from the Teacher's Lounge by Robert Wilder
68. Stories from a Moron: Real Stories Rejected by Real
Magazines by Ed Broth
69. Recycle with Redworms: The Red Wiggler Connection by Shelley C. Grossman & Toby Weitzel
70: Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
71. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
72. My Own Two Feet by Beverly Cleary
73. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
74. The Talented Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
75. Crazy Lady! by Jane Leslie Conly
76. The Legend of Spud Murphy by Eoin Colfer
77. Who is Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas? by Martha Freeman
78. The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements
79. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
80. Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles
81. Everything On A Waffle by Polly Horvath