So today was the opening of the book fair at school. I absolutely love book fairs and I picked out $70 worth of books in about 20 minutes. Then I spent another 15 trying to pare down the stack to something more manageable. Woohoo!
I bought:
The Young Man and the Sea, Rodman Philbrick
Heroes of the Holocaust, Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan
New Boy, Julian Houston
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Jeff Kinney
Vocab Rock, Defined Mind
Sam and the Tigers, Julius Lester
I'm still reading Allegiance, but it's a little slow going, just because I've been so busy. It's good, though. :)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
What am I up to?
Just as an update:
I'm reading Allegiance by Timothy Zahn. It's good, but much slower going than the Legacy books. Still, it's nice to return to Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewbacca's youth and (relative) innocence and their struggle against the Empire. And to meet Mara Jade.
Also, I'm taking I Am Legend home with me this weekend. Yay! Which reminds me: I am spending all my good reading time driving this weekend, as I am in Greensboro for a wedding shower. Fun, but not much progress toward 100 books.
I'm reading Allegiance by Timothy Zahn. It's good, but much slower going than the Legacy books. Still, it's nice to return to Han, Leia, Luke, and Chewbacca's youth and (relative) innocence and their struggle against the Empire. And to meet Mara Jade.
Also, I'm taking I Am Legend home with me this weekend. Yay! Which reminds me: I am spending all my good reading time driving this weekend, as I am in Greensboro for a wedding shower. Fun, but not much progress toward 100 books.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
I finished The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman a couple of days ago. My internet has been down, so I couldn't post about it. It doesn't count as one of my 100 because I started it in 2007. However, I wanted to post it since I read it for a specific reason.
So there's a big controversy about this book. Apparently the author is a "self-proclaimed" atheist and he doesn't mind sharing his negative opinion about the "established" church. Or Church, as it may be. I read the book to give it a fair chance and to find out for myself what all the hubbub is about.
Check out Random House's webpage for the books here.
Also read Snopes.com's take on the controversy here.
I don't know what I think, honestly. I was drawn into the story by the ideas, but the ending was quite disturbing to me, even though I know it's only the gateway into the next book in the series. I can definitely see the reasons for the uproar. I think that the book does paint the Church (specifically the Catholic Church, although no alternative Christian Church is in evidence in the novel) in a decidedly negative light. It even directly refers to the imminent return of the Council of the Inquisition, of course one of the most horrific chapters in the Church's history. All in all the Church is represented as a domineering, rigid, secretive body which involves itself unwelcomely in the affairs of the world.
The problem, in my mind, comes in at the intentions of the reader. If the reader approaches the book as a fantasy rooted in the real world, it is possible to enjoy the book for its intrinsic value. If, however, the reader enters the book on the alert for a religious message, it will most definitely be an anti-Church message. Some readers may be seduced by the fantasy and lured into believing these negative ideas about the Church, while others will not delve that deeply into the undertones or find their opinions changed. It all goes back to what each reader is looking for.
That said, parents must always monitor their children's book choices, read with them, and discuss the ideas and messages in each story. In this way, religious parents can protect their children's beliefs and parents who do not affiliate themselves with a particular church will have a point for discussion with their children. If nothing else, it makes ample fodder for debate.
On a final note, I don't think this particular book is a "children's book" anyway. The ideas, language, and style of the book are simply too advanced for most young readers. I spent some time looking up some of the vocabulary and concepts for my own edification and I don't think that many of the young people I have taught or encountered in my teaching career would understand them.
So there's a big controversy about this book. Apparently the author is a "self-proclaimed" atheist and he doesn't mind sharing his negative opinion about the "established" church. Or Church, as it may be. I read the book to give it a fair chance and to find out for myself what all the hubbub is about.
Check out Random House's webpage for the books here.
Also read Snopes.com's take on the controversy here.
I don't know what I think, honestly. I was drawn into the story by the ideas, but the ending was quite disturbing to me, even though I know it's only the gateway into the next book in the series. I can definitely see the reasons for the uproar. I think that the book does paint the Church (specifically the Catholic Church, although no alternative Christian Church is in evidence in the novel) in a decidedly negative light. It even directly refers to the imminent return of the Council of the Inquisition, of course one of the most horrific chapters in the Church's history. All in all the Church is represented as a domineering, rigid, secretive body which involves itself unwelcomely in the affairs of the world.
The problem, in my mind, comes in at the intentions of the reader. If the reader approaches the book as a fantasy rooted in the real world, it is possible to enjoy the book for its intrinsic value. If, however, the reader enters the book on the alert for a religious message, it will most definitely be an anti-Church message. Some readers may be seduced by the fantasy and lured into believing these negative ideas about the Church, while others will not delve that deeply into the undertones or find their opinions changed. It all goes back to what each reader is looking for.
That said, parents must always monitor their children's book choices, read with them, and discuss the ideas and messages in each story. In this way, religious parents can protect their children's beliefs and parents who do not affiliate themselves with a particular church will have a point for discussion with their children. If nothing else, it makes ample fodder for debate.
On a final note, I don't think this particular book is a "children's book" anyway. The ideas, language, and style of the book are simply too advanced for most young readers. I spent some time looking up some of the vocabulary and concepts for my own edification and I don't think that many of the young people I have taught or encountered in my teaching career would understand them.
Friday, January 18, 2008
3 - Fury, Aaron Alston
I thoroughly enjoyed this Star Wars book. It did a really good job of developing all the characters equally, which hasn't been happening so much in the last few books. I didn't realize how much I missed Han and Leia and Jaina until they were back in such force in this book (no pun intended).
I must say, I'm glad that Han and Leia finally know the truth about Allana's father. It has made me crazy for them! But Allana and Tenel Ka are in increasing danger because now there are 4 adults in the world who know Allana's parentage. As the numbers creep up, so too do the dangers. We shall see.
I think this is one of the better books in the Legacy of the Force series. I'm glad the Jedi are starting to act instead of simply react (to use a Jedi phrase) and I LOVED how they dealt with Centerpoint Station. Very exciting.
Yay! On to the next thing now.
I must say, I'm glad that Han and Leia finally know the truth about Allana's father. It has made me crazy for them! But Allana and Tenel Ka are in increasing danger because now there are 4 adults in the world who know Allana's parentage. As the numbers creep up, so too do the dangers. We shall see.
I think this is one of the better books in the Legacy of the Force series. I'm glad the Jedi are starting to act instead of simply react (to use a Jedi phrase) and I LOVED how they dealt with Centerpoint Station. Very exciting.
Yay! On to the next thing now.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Another poem I love
The Riddle of Strider
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-JRR Tolkein
All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.
-JRR Tolkein
Poetry Anthology
The third quarter begins next week, and we'll be studying poetry for the whole quarter. I am planning to have my students create individual poetry collections, complete with explanations about their choices. In preparation, I am going to create my own poetry anthology as an example.
Poems I'm Considering:
Mom gave me two wonderful books of poetry for Christmas. One is called Poet's Corner: The One-and-only Poetry Book for the Whole Family and it's compiled by John Lithgow. The best part about it, which I haven't explored yet, is a CD of famous people reading the poems included in the book. The other is Early Works of Edna St. Vincent Millay, obviously by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I'm excited about this one because she is a poet I'm not very familiar with.
Any suggestions for poems to include? I'm vaguely considering the poem I wrote years ago, Starstruck, but I'm not at all sure I'm willing to open up that much to my crazy kids. We'll see.
Poems I'm Considering:
- How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. (Sonnet 43), Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- Jabberwocky, Lewis Carroll
- Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe
- There is no Frigate like a Book, Emily Dickinson
- We Real Cool, Gwendolyn Brooks
- Mother to Son, Langston Hughes
- Batty, Shel Silverstein
- Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments (Sonnet 116), William Shakespeare
- American Pie, Don McLean (Yes, song lyrics are allowed.)
- Carolina in My Mind, James Taylor
- The Song of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (probably an excerpt)
- Paul Revere's Ride, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (also an excerpt?)
Mom gave me two wonderful books of poetry for Christmas. One is called Poet's Corner: The One-and-only Poetry Book for the Whole Family and it's compiled by John Lithgow. The best part about it, which I haven't explored yet, is a CD of famous people reading the poems included in the book. The other is Early Works of Edna St. Vincent Millay, obviously by Edna St. Vincent Millay. I'm excited about this one because she is a poet I'm not very familiar with.
Any suggestions for poems to include? I'm vaguely considering the poem I wrote years ago, Starstruck, but I'm not at all sure I'm willing to open up that much to my crazy kids. We'll see.
Monday, January 14, 2008
2 - The Choice, Nicholas Sparks
Mom is right when she says that all of Nicholas Sparks' novels are fundamentally the same, but I still enjoyed this one. I'm a sap, after all. :)
I love the romance of it, honestly. I love the falling in love, the courtship, the passion. I love being married and consequently I enjoy reading about happy marriages. See, I'm a sap.
I have to admit, the beginning of Part Two was surprising. Without giving anything away, I thought something completely different from what was really going on. I don't know what I would do in Travis's situation. It might be something I need to talk to Matt about. It reminds me of the debates in Bioethics class in college. Like Travis, I guess everyone has to ask themselves "How far will you go in the name of love?"
I love the romance of it, honestly. I love the falling in love, the courtship, the passion. I love being married and consequently I enjoy reading about happy marriages. See, I'm a sap.
I have to admit, the beginning of Part Two was surprising. Without giving anything away, I thought something completely different from what was really going on. I don't know what I would do in Travis's situation. It might be something I need to talk to Matt about. It reminds me of the debates in Bioethics class in college. Like Travis, I guess everyone has to ask themselves "How far will you go in the name of love?"
Astronomy issue in The Choice
I have a problem with the idea that Gabby and Travis can see Orion and Canis Major and Canis Minor (who can see Canis Minor anyway?!) in Beaufort, NC in JUNE! I'm sorry, but Orion is next to impossible to see in June in NC. If he's visible at all, it's like right before sunrise. Even in the fall, he's not up until well after midnight. It's NOW (January) that he's the easiest to see.
So anyway, in the stargazing scene on Travis's back deck, they wouldn't be looking at Orion. They'd be looking at the Summer Triangle or something else. But not Orion. :)
So anyway, in the stargazing scene on Travis's back deck, they wouldn't be looking at Orion. They'd be looking at the Summer Triangle or something else. But not Orion. :)
More books!
Empire, Orson Scott Card
This one is a controversial political thriller. Many Card fans don't appreciate what they call "editorializing": basically, Card lets his opinion seep into his fiction. And since he and I agree on many things, I think I'll like this one. It's a near-future novel about terrorism on American soil. I read the first five chapters online this afternoon and I am highly intrigued.
Invasive Procedures, Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
This one is a medical thriller a la Crichton, if I got the gist right from the endpapers. It's about a religious group which uses genetic alteration to heal diseases like Parkinson's and create genetically enhanced, mind-controlled followers. Since I love the way Card writes, I'm looking forward to this one, too.
This one is a controversial political thriller. Many Card fans don't appreciate what they call "editorializing": basically, Card lets his opinion seep into his fiction. And since he and I agree on many things, I think I'll like this one. It's a near-future novel about terrorism on American soil. I read the first five chapters online this afternoon and I am highly intrigued.
Invasive Procedures, Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston
This one is a medical thriller a la Crichton, if I got the gist right from the endpapers. It's about a religious group which uses genetic alteration to heal diseases like Parkinson's and create genetically enhanced, mind-controlled followers. Since I love the way Card writes, I'm looking forward to this one, too.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
More books to read and a progress report
In Barnes and Noble today, I discovered several more books I definitely need to read.
Plum Lucky, Janet Evanovich
This is another Stephanie Plum novel. This one is a "Between the Numbers" book about St. Patrick's Day and I can't wait to read it!
Death Star, Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
This Star Wars novel goes back to the time of the original trilogy and tells the story of the Death Star from the point of view of its creators and operators.
Ravens of Avalon, Diana L. Paxson
This is another novel in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series. Although Bradley died a few years ago, her collaborator, Paxson, has continued the series. These books are among my favorite ever and they really started my interest in Arthurian legend. I especially like that they are told from the point of the women involved. This one is the story of Queen Boudicea and her efforts to drive the Roman invaders out of her homeland. I am incredibly excited about this book.
Additionally, I am thoroughly enjoying The Choice. My favorite thing about it so far is that it is set here in NC and describes places that are as familiar to me as the back of my hand: the lovely town of Beaufort, my beloved Chapel Hill streets, and other places that are a part of my home.
Plum Lucky, Janet Evanovich
This is another Stephanie Plum novel. This one is a "Between the Numbers" book about St. Patrick's Day and I can't wait to read it!
Death Star, Michael Reaves and Steve Perry
This Star Wars novel goes back to the time of the original trilogy and tells the story of the Death Star from the point of view of its creators and operators.
Ravens of Avalon, Diana L. Paxson
This is another novel in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon series. Although Bradley died a few years ago, her collaborator, Paxson, has continued the series. These books are among my favorite ever and they really started my interest in Arthurian legend. I especially like that they are told from the point of the women involved. This one is the story of Queen Boudicea and her efforts to drive the Roman invaders out of her homeland. I am incredibly excited about this book.
Additionally, I am thoroughly enjoying The Choice. My favorite thing about it so far is that it is set here in NC and describes places that are as familiar to me as the back of my hand: the lovely town of Beaufort, my beloved Chapel Hill streets, and other places that are a part of my home.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
The Big Wave, Pearl S. Buck
In a moment of naiveté and hope, I decided to share this book with my students today. We've been studying the ocean and we just talked about tsunamis, so I thought it was pretty relevant. As an additional bribe, I started off by telling them that it was in their reading range and that it was worth 2 Accelerated Reader points. They actually did ask me to read it aloud to them, so I expected...something. Big mistake.
Now, keep in mind that I absolutely love this book. As I wrote the other day, it is a milestone book in my memory and it's very special to me.
As I began to read, students began to cut up and talk. They were giggling about something and not paying attention. One by one, all five girls put their heads down and went sound asleep. The boys made faces and gestures at each other when I wasn't looking (and how can I look when I'm reading aloud?!). After a minute or two, I began to walk around instead of perching on my stool at the front of the room.
As I continued to read, I had to stop several times to wait for students to stop talking and playing. I knew I had arrived at a low moment during this exchange, though. Keep in mind that this book is about two boys in Japan who must deal with the aftermath when a tsunami destroyed the village where they live.
Me: (reading) "...as their black heads popped out of the water, he extended a hand to each of them, pulling them from the surf."
Student: But I thought they were Chinese!
Me: (wheels turning as I desperately try to figure out what I've read that confused him about the race of these characters) Oh! No, that just means they have black hair, not that they are black.
*sigh* Why did I think that I could share this book with them? I was so tired when they left at the end of that period that all I wanted to do was curl up on my couch and sleep. It's rather discouraging.
Now, keep in mind that I absolutely love this book. As I wrote the other day, it is a milestone book in my memory and it's very special to me.
As I began to read, students began to cut up and talk. They were giggling about something and not paying attention. One by one, all five girls put their heads down and went sound asleep. The boys made faces and gestures at each other when I wasn't looking (and how can I look when I'm reading aloud?!). After a minute or two, I began to walk around instead of perching on my stool at the front of the room.
As I continued to read, I had to stop several times to wait for students to stop talking and playing. I knew I had arrived at a low moment during this exchange, though. Keep in mind that this book is about two boys in Japan who must deal with the aftermath when a tsunami destroyed the village where they live.
Me: (reading) "...as their black heads popped out of the water, he extended a hand to each of them, pulling them from the surf."
Student: But I thought they were Chinese!
Me: (wheels turning as I desperately try to figure out what I've read that confused him about the race of these characters) Oh! No, that just means they have black hair, not that they are black.
*sigh* Why did I think that I could share this book with them? I was so tired when they left at the end of that period that all I wanted to do was curl up on my couch and sleep. It's rather discouraging.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Radcliffe Publishing Course's Rival 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century
I have a mild obsession with lists. Hence the nature of this blog, come to think about it. Thus, I will probably post several of these, beginning with my all time favorite "Great Books" list. I have italicized the ones I've legitimately read and left plain the ones I was supposed to read in high school or college courses but couldn't quite get through at that age. Maybe I'll try again this year.
In 1998, the Modern Library began to compile a list of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century. These were supposed to be the seminal few as selected by "the Board". They compiled a second list, amusingly dissimilar in some ways, which showed the results of a mammoth online poll of readers around the world. Radcliffe Publishing Course students immediately created their own list, which I greatly prefer. It fits more closely with my favorites, although I'm not fan of Gatsby, the headliner of the Radcliffe list. It gets better from there.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E.M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Tokias by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Radcliffe count: 18
In 1998, the Modern Library began to compile a list of the 100 best English-language novels of the twentieth century. These were supposed to be the seminal few as selected by "the Board". They compiled a second list, amusingly dissimilar in some ways, which showed the results of a mammoth online poll of readers around the world. Radcliffe Publishing Course students immediately created their own list, which I greatly prefer. It fits more closely with my favorites, although I'm not fan of Gatsby, the headliner of the Radcliffe list. It gets better from there.
1. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
3. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
6. Ulysses by James Joyce
7. Beloved by Toni Morrison
8. The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
9. 1984 by George Orwell
10. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
11. Lolita by Vladmir Nabokov
12. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
13. Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
15. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
17. Animal Farm by George Orwell
18. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
19. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
20. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
21. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
22. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
23. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
24. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
25. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
26. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
27. Native Son by Richard Wright
28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
29. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
30. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
31. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
32. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
33. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
34. To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
35. Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
36. Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37. The World According to Garp by John Irving
38. All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
39. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
40. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
41. Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally
42. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
43. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
44. Finnegans Wake by James Joyce
45. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
46. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
47. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
48. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
49. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
50. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
51. My Antonia by Willa Cather
52. Howards End by E.M. Forster
53. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
54. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger
55. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
56. Jazz by Toni Morrison
57. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
58. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
59. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
60. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
61. A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor
62. Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
63. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
64. Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence
65. Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
66. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
67. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
68. Light in August by William Faulkner
69. The Wings of the Dove by Henry James
70. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
71. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
72. A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
73. Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
74. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
75. Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence
76. Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
77. In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Tokias by Gertrude Stein
79. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
80. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
81. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
82. White Noise by Don DeLillo
83. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather
84. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller
85. The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
86. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad
87. The Bostonians by Henry James
88. An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
89. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
90. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
91. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
92. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
93. The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles
94. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
95. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
96. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
97. Rabbit, Run by John Updike
98. Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
99. Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
100. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Radcliffe count: 18
1 - Inferno, Troy Denning
Inferno is the first book I started in 2008. Over the holidays, I worked on Sacrifice, its predecessor in the Legacy of the Force series. Sacrifice left me very unsatisfied plot-wise, so I immediately picked up Inferno to find out what would happen next!
Inferno was an excellent Star Wars novel. I throughly enjoyed it, even though the events it details are sad and trying to say the least. I am a moderately addicted Star Wars nerd and I have VERY strong feelings for some characters. I enjoyed the interview with the Legacy authors because it reminded me that often the authors themselves don't like what is happening to some of their characters, but the story must be told. I like the idea that Luke Skywalker lives and Denning, Traviss, and Allston are simply telling his story. History. :)
Inferno was an excellent Star Wars novel. I throughly enjoyed it, even though the events it details are sad and trying to say the least. I am a moderately addicted Star Wars nerd and I have VERY strong feelings for some characters. I enjoyed the interview with the Legacy authors because it reminded me that often the authors themselves don't like what is happening to some of their characters, but the story must be told. I like the idea that Luke Skywalker lives and Denning, Traviss, and Allston are simply telling his story. History. :)
What's the big idea?
I am an 8th grade teacher in North Carolina. One of my passions has always been books. Some of my earliest memories involve reading and books. In 2008, I hope to read 100 books I have never read before.
My mom is always giving me a hard time about how I need to read more "grown up books". Basically, she thinks I devote too much of my reading time (decidedly precious for a teacher and newlywed) to young adult fiction and Star Wars Extended Universe novels. I can't eliminate those two things from my reading repertoire, but I hope that I can broaden my horizons a bit this year.
At any rate, I'm going to use this blog to catalog the books I read. I may post about "rereads", but ultimately I want to keep track of books that are brand new to me.
That said, just yesterday I reread The Big Wave by Pearl S Buck. It was as incredible as I remembered it from my childhood. It is the first "long" book I ever remember finishing in one sitting. I remember laying on the couch beside my mom and reading for several hours, probably on a rainy or cold Saturday afternoon. When I finished the book, I put it down on the floor and curled up to tell my mom about it. She's always been my favorite person to share a book with, and I remember her pleased reaction that I had read The Big Wave from cover to cover that afternoon.
My mom is always giving me a hard time about how I need to read more "grown up books". Basically, she thinks I devote too much of my reading time (decidedly precious for a teacher and newlywed) to young adult fiction and Star Wars Extended Universe novels. I can't eliminate those two things from my reading repertoire, but I hope that I can broaden my horizons a bit this year.
At any rate, I'm going to use this blog to catalog the books I read. I may post about "rereads", but ultimately I want to keep track of books that are brand new to me.
That said, just yesterday I reread The Big Wave by Pearl S Buck. It was as incredible as I remembered it from my childhood. It is the first "long" book I ever remember finishing in one sitting. I remember laying on the couch beside my mom and reading for several hours, probably on a rainy or cold Saturday afternoon. When I finished the book, I put it down on the floor and curled up to tell my mom about it. She's always been my favorite person to share a book with, and I remember her pleased reaction that I had read The Big Wave from cover to cover that afternoon.
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