Make Yourself Unforgettable

Make Yourself Unforgettable: The Dale Carnegie Class-Act System: Dale Carnegie Training             Audiobook:  5 hours 2 minutes     Paperback Book:  240 pages      

I always think of Dale Carnegie books as something I should read.     There is always some nugget of wisdom to be found there.     This book I would describe as a book of common sense.    Pretty much everything covered here seemed to me to be things that if one considered them the wisdom here was simply common sense.     If you are listening to someone speak directly to you and the person speaking to you can tell you are merely thinking about what you are going to say to them not actively listening that is not a class act.    A class act actively listens and really pays attention to what the other person is saying.    A really class act will not only listen attentively they will be able to ask questions and reiterate to the person verbatim what they said or o.k. they can sum up and paraphrase what the other person is saying because they were actually listening to what the other person was saying.   Then once the other person has finished talking and only then should the listener continue the conversation.   One should never interrupt the speaker but hold their tongue until it is their turn – that qualifies as a class act.     The book discusses developing strong communication skills, how to prevent fear and anxiety from seeping into your conscious when you must deliver a speech, how to gain confidence in business and social situations, it goes over ethical behavior and some of the ways ethical behavior can be sabotaged inadvertently.    This would likely be a book for young people wanting to get the basics of savoir faire in business behavior, there is a lot of social etiquette tips here, high concentrations on the art of learning to listen by being receptive not reactive, but it is in my opinion a 101 Course.   It was o.k. but I found myself bored with it because in the end everything being discussed is purely common sense training and just re-emphasizing what adults should have already learned though point taken not all adults have learned these skills.    At best this would be Sophmore or Junior level Highschool Course or recommended reading in that level curriculum.    At worst – a Freshman Course in college no higher than a 101 and likely one of several required readings for a college level course.   I think everyone would ace the test.                   

Hitler's Religion

Hitler's Religion: The Twisted Beliefs That Drove the Third Reich by Richard Weikart, 286 pages

Identifying a person's religious beliefs can be difficult in the best of circumstances.  The very concept of religion is itself notoriously difficult to define, and the task of disentangling what a person actually believes from what they profess requires considerable insight even when it is one's own self.  The matter is further complicated when the subject is a public figure with a vested interest in dissimulation.  Then, too, a person's religious views do not often remain static and unchanging throughout their lives.  But when the subject is Adolf Hitler, the modern world's foremost icon of evil, the tangled question becomes a matter of considerable rhetorical weight.  Was he an example of the depths to which modern godlessness can sink or a fanatic whose antisemitism was rooted in an admittedly somewhat unorthodox Christianity?  Was he an occultist in league with diabolic forces or a neo-pagan anticipating a restoration of the old Norse religion?

Based on an analysis of Hitler's speeches, writings, and the testimony of those close to him, Richard Weikart concludes that Hitler was none of these things.  Hitler's religious beliefs were vague and inchoate, but certain beliefs remained consistent.  He definitively rejected Christianity, reimagining Jesus as a Gentile warrior killed for attacking "Jewish materialism".  He was not an atheist or an agnostic, as his constant faith that he was the chosen instrument of Providence endured even at the very end.  He was thoroughly dismissive of any form of occultism or pagan revivalism, mocking those in his entourage who involved themselves in such things.  Instead, Hitler was a believer in a form of "scientific pantheism" which imagined that the will of God was embodied in Darwinian "laws of eternal fight and upward struggle".

Despite the sensationalistic subtitle, the book is carefully reasoned, though not perfectly organized.  Weikart demonstrates both a clear command of the primary sources and a familiarity with a wide range of scholarship.

Saratoga Trunk

Saratoga Trunk by Edna Ferber  352 pages

Originally published in 1941 (which I'm noting for something I'll say later), this is the story of Clio Dulaine, an ambitious young woman who more than meets her match in Clint Maroon, a handsome Texan with a head for business (and an eye for Clio).  Together, they find they have a burning ambition to acquire all they've ever wanted (and then, romantically, fail to realize they already have all they'll ever need --- each other).

I like some of Edna Ferber's books, notably this one and my favorite of hers, So Big.  What I find interesting is how, as I re-read these books over the years, how I react to the story.  As I mentioned, this book was written in 1941 and it's important to keep that in mind --- because Ferber's writing is sometimes stereotypical in nature, and definitely not in keeping with the political correctness of today.  In this story, Clio is Creole, born to a woman who is the mistress of a wealthy man in New Orleans.  Of course, this is scandalous, and Clio takes full advantage of playing up her beauty and how scandalous it is.  She's ambitious and determined to be herself, even if she and her two companions, are considered exotic (read "strange") by other people.

Despite the fact that it can be odd to read some of Ferber's dialect for some of the characters, I still enjoy this story. I enjoy Ferber's rich descriptions of New Orleans life and even if Clio can be a bit much at times (she is what we would consider a drama queen), there's a sense of fun to it all.  Ferber typically writes female characters who have grit and gumption and who stand up to men and make their own way in the world.  These characters go against the conventions of their day, in a way that makes you want to cheer for them.

The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer

The Doll Funeral by Kate Hamer   368 pages

"My name is Ruby. I live with Barbara and Mick. They're not my real parents, but they tell me what to do, and what to say. I'm supposed to say that the bruises on my arms and the black eye came from falling down the stairs.

But there are things I won't say. I won't tell them I'm going to hunt for my real parents. I don't say a word about Shadow, who sits on the stairs, or the Wasp Lady I saw on the way to bed.

I did tell Mick that I saw the woman in the buttercup dress, hanging upside down from her seat belt deep in the forest at the back of our house. I told him I saw death crawl out of her. He said he'd give me a medal for lying.

I wasn't lying. I'm a hunter for lost souls and I'm going to be with my real family. And I'm not going to let Mick stop me."

This was a strange book.  It meanders, making you unsure of what is happening for real and what is just happening in the head of one of the characters.  There's a blurring between the worlds of the living and the dead, which adds to the eerie quality of the story. I didn't exactly enjoy this book, although I kept reading because I kept thinking I would finally "get" the story. However, by the end, I was left feeling empty --- and all I can say is that this is an atmospheric, eerie, odd book.

The Amber Shadows

The Amber Shadows by Lucy Ribchester.  464 pages

Honey Deschamps spends her days at a type-x machine in Hut 6 of Bletchley Park, transcribing decrypted signals from the German Amy.  Halfway across the world, Hitler's armies are marching into Leningrad, pillaging and destroying treasured artworks, including the famous Amber Room. As reports start coming in about the stolen amber, Honey receives a package, carried by a man she has never seen. He claims his name is Felix and he works in Hut 3. Inside the Russian-postmarked package is a small piece of amber, the first of several that Honey will receive.  Wondering if these packages are a desperate cry for help or a trap set to test her loyalty to Britain, Honey turns to the enigmatic Felix for help.  However, can she trust who he says he is? And just what do these amber pieces mean?

I liked that this book was set in a real time, in a real place, and included realistic details about the kind of work that women did for Britain during the war at Bletchley Park.  The author does a nice job of painting the very real sense of danger that permeated people's lives at that time, and also of reminding the reader that danger isn't always obvious, and it can be difficult to know who to trust. The addition of the coded messages that Lucy starts to see in the amber, along with the political intrigue of war (and the addition of this mysterious Felix) made this an enjoyable read.

National Geographic Kids Weird But True! Stupid Criminals

National Geographic Kids Weird But True!  Stupid Criminals            Paperback Book:  169 pages                

The illustrations alone are worth checking out every page in this book.    Similar to local St. Louis artist Julie Heller’s work, (check her out she is wonderful!) each page has an illustration created from a collage that is as entertaining as the incidents related throughout the book.    Funny, laugh out loud at times stuff here.   What were these folks thinking?   Like the crims. Who break in places then stay to cook themselves a meal or take a nap there after all their hard work plundering their victims digs or business.     Or the bank robbers who’s handwriting is so bad the teller can’t read it so the perp.  re-writes it during which time the teller has now hit the silent alarm and by the time the perpetrator hands her back the rewritten note, the policeperson standing behind the perp has the handcuffs out and ready to put on.   One ex-con liked his orange jump suit from prison so much that when he was released he wore it out under his clothes and preceded to wear it around town which caused a stir of the local residents who promptly called the police thinking he was an escapee.   Turns out he went back to jail for theft of the prison jumpsuit.    And you wouldn’t believe how many thieves end up inadvertently leaving their wallets or cellphones behind at the scene of the crime and are caught that way.   Or how about the perps. who steal vehicles then report them missing when someone else steals them from the original perp!    Perpetrators have gotten stuck in chimneys, drain pipes,  one ran away into a forest with police on his tail only to be surrounded by wild boars that left him screaming for help from the police.   On bank robber remembered his disguise, his gloves so as not to leave fingerprints and his note reading, “You know what to do!”  But when the teller asked him if he had a bag to carry the money away in, he was so depressed that he forgot that detail that he just walked away and left the building even though the teller was trying to find something to put it in for him.   Gotta love these stories, even criminals have bad days (in addition to going to jail).   So funny!

Black Man, White House

Black Man, White House:  An Oral History of the Obama Years by D. L. Hughley             Audio Book:  9 hours, 27 minutes            352 pages.

 Genre:  Adult  Non-Fiction on the Actual Events mentioned;  Political Satire on the comments given by the (real life) political figures and Supreme Court Judges  The Authors Comment is: "What, Librarians?  Go ahead and try to shelve this book in fiction.”

Here is my comment on this book that tells in detail the political career from his early days to the Presidency of Barack Obama by comedian, D. L. Hughley: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!

Delivered as a debate between several political figures, First Lady, Michelle Obama, several of the Supreme Court Justices and a few civilians this is the most enjoyable read I have had in a long time and as a bibliophile myself,  I read a lot so that is high praise.    The commentary by all the individuals included is both thought provoking, giving the reader perspective into actual historical events and hysterically funny with the comments that are made.     Think of a group of co-workers all hanging out together somewhere and the comments that would be made off the cuff by those who are optimists, pessimists,   champions, supportive types, those who are antagonists, those who oppose anything said by someone other than themselves, intelligentsia and the just plain goofy,  it is such a good mix of characters in this battle through every stance in the political career of President Barack Obama and the friends and foes he and Michelle encountered during their life in the White House.   I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys political satire no matter which party you ascribe to.  

Annapurna

Annapurna: The First Conquest of an 8000-Meter Peak by Maurice Herzog, translated by Nea Morin and Janet Adam Smith, 223 pages

In 1950, Maurice Herzog led a French expedition into Nepal's Kali Gandaki gorge with the intention of scouting and scaling one of the two peaks over eight thousand meters high bordering the canyon.  Exploring and finding Dhaulagiri too forbidding, they chose Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain in the world, as their target.  Overcoming all obstacles, Herzog and Louis Lachenal became the first men to summit an eight-thousander - at the cost of most of their fingers and toes, which had to be amputated as the result of extreme frostbite.  Annapurna is Herzog's conversational account of the expedition, a "record... of men at grips with Nature at her most pitiless... of their sufferings, their hopes and joys."

Goodnight June

Goodnight June by Sarah Jio    320 pages

I’m going to warn you now: clear your calendar before you start this book. I read it on a lazy Saturday afternoon, and it’s the best book I’ve read so far this year (2017).

The premise is the imagined inspiration behind children’s author Margaret Wise Brown’s classic tale, Goodnight Moon, which turns 70 years old this year. When Brown died in 1952 (at the age of 42, from an embolism after suffering from appendicitis),the history of the little book was lost.

In this tale, June Andersen, a high-powered banking VP in New York, learns from her great-aunt Ruby’s lawyer that she has passed away…many months ago.  Her dippy mother never bothered to call with the sad news. The lawyer states in his letter that Ruby has left her beloved bookstore, Bluebird Book, and its contents and all her worldly possessions.

June flies to Seattle with every intention of selling the bookstore, or at the very least liquidating the assets and returning to her life, where her work is everything. When she arrives at the bookstore, happy (and some sad) childhood memories return, making June question her lifestyle choices, and her past.

She finds a letter from Ruby that sends her on a scavenger hunt to find letters between Brown (whom she called Brownie) and herself. As she uncovers the letters, Ruby’s secrets, along with some of June’s, are unveiled. It won’t hurt to have a box of tissues handy.

Goodnight June is a wonderful novel. The dualing timelines (one of my favorite writerly strategies) makes the reader feel as she/he is right there with Ruby and Brownie. ASs I read, I kept wanting to head to the internet to find out what aspects of the story are real and what are imagined, but I always had to stop myself and remember that the entire story (except for Magaret Wise Brown and the titles of her books) is fiction.

I hope that you love this story as much as I did. Goodnight June get 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Tunnel Of Hugsy Goode

The Tunnel Of Hugsy Goode by Eleanor Estes, 244 pages

“Following a prophecy of a former resident of their Brooklyn alley, two boys discover an underground passage behind their houses.”  This was a sweet adventure story for kids who like realistic, historical fiction.

The Goddess of Fortune

The Goddess of Fortune by Andrew Blencowe    362 pages

I won this book in a Shelf Awareness (an e-newsletter) a couple of years ago.  Judging a book by its cover, this looks like a great read. Although I knew it alternate history, the time period was World War II, so how could it be a disappointment?

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried five or six times to read this novel, but alas, I could never get past page 40.

The dust jacket says that the story is about, “What if by the passing of just two events, Japan and Germany had won World War II?”  However I have no idea what Blencowe was talking about in those 40 pages. There is a well-described sex scene, which from flipping through and scanning several pages, seems to be pre-dominate plot.

The Goddess of Fortune isn’t my cup of tea. It gets 1 out of 5 stars (for a great cover) in Julie’s world.

What Remains Unsaid

 What Remains Unsaid by Audrey Kalman    258 pages

After reading the first chapter of this novel, I sure pretty sure I wasn’t going to finish it. Thank heavens for my 50-page rule.

In that first chapter, Kalman does what every writer is told to do: drop the reader into the middle of the action. Usually that works, but not in this instance. Sean has bound his mother to a kitchen chair and is holding her at gunpoint. He acts and sounds suicidal. Since there isn’t enough information in the section for me to feel empathy with either character, I was put off by the melodrama.

Then the point of view switches to Ma, or Ginny as the reader comes to know her. This is an amazing piece of writing. Merely looking at the words on the page, the reader would think that the story is told, not shown. But somehow, Ginny’s voice comes through. I felt as if I was reading dialogue, with vividly painted pictures. Readers basically learn her life story, especially of her relationships with her best friend, Nora, and Sean’s father, Keith.

Every so often, the scene reverts to the present and the kitchen turmoil that is unfolding. That jolted me out of the story, and seemed irrelevant to the story.

Nora and Keith each have their own sections with their stories to tell. Again, the reader enjoys amazing writing similar to Ginny’s. Also, again, every so often, the scene shifts to Sean and Ginny in the kitchen.

After I finished the book, I still wasn’t sure why Sean’s escapade had to be in the book at all. I couldn’t find a reason for his actions, unless it was to justify the ending.  The back-cover copy wasn’t any help in understanding. I originally decided to review this books based, once again for me, by the cover and the title.

After finishing the novel, I headed to Amazon to learn what others thought, not that I really cared, I was merely curious. It was there that I learned Sean’s age…shockingly…and a more truthful synopsis of the plot.

What Remains Unsaid, with the exceptions of Sean’s scenes, is a powerful tale of tragedy, missed connections and hope.  I want to give it 6 stars, but the flaws (although the great writing overrules most of them) mentioned earlier are why it only gets 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L. Holm, 216 pages

Sunny isn’t having the best summer.  Instead of their regular family vacation, she has been sent to visit her grandfather in Florida.  He lives in a retirement home with no kids around.  Sunny is bored and lonely and worried about her family.  Her older brother, Dale, is in big trouble, and she thinks it’s partially her fault.  Sunny is afraid that this could be the worst summer ever, unless something can turn it around.  This was a great slice-of-life graphic novel for kids.  It’s set in 1976, but even if the setting is dated, the story isn’t.  I would recommend this to fans of Raina Telgemeier.

One Child

One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment by Mei Fong, 250 pages

“An intimate investigation of the world's largest experiment in social engineering, revealing how its effects will shape China for decades to come, and what that means for the rest of the world. When Communist Party leaders adopted the one-child policy in 1980, they hoped curbing birth-rates would help lift China's poorest and increase the country's global stature. But at what cost? Now, as China closes the book on the policy after more than three decades, it faces a population grown too old and too male, with a vastly diminished supply of young workers. Mei Fong has spent years documenting the policy's repercussions on every sector of Chinese society. In One Child , she explores its true human impact, traveling across China to meet the people who live with its consequences. Their stories reveal a dystopian reality: unauthorized second children ignored by the state, only-children supporting aging parents and grandparents on their own, villages teeming with ineligible bachelors, and an ungoverned adoption market stretching across the globe. Fong tackles questions that have major implications for China's future: whether its "Little Emperor" cohort will make for an entitled or risk-averse generation; how China will manage to support itself when one in every four people is over sixty-five years old; and above all, how much the one-child policy may end up hindering China's growth. Weaving in Fong's reflections on striving to become a mother herself, One Child offers a nuanced and candid report from the extremes of family planning.” This was a fascinating look at the Chinese policy of one child per family.  I had no idea how strictly and how inequitably it was enforced, or that some of the adoptions were little more than human trafficking.  It was sad but anyone that that has an interest in the subject matter will be glad that they read this book.

The Catcher In The Rye

The CatcherIn The Rye by J.D. Salinger, 277 pages

“Anyone who has read J. D. Salinger's New Yorker stories - particularly A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut, The Laughing Man, and For Esme - With Love and Squalor, will not be surprised by the fact that his first novel is full of children. The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days. The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult voices, underground voices-but Holden's voice is the most eloquent of all. Transcending his own vernacular, yet remaining marvelously faithful to it, he issues a perfectly articulated cry of mixed pain and pleasure. However, like most lovers and clowns and poets of the higher orders, he keeps most of the pain to, and for, himself. The pleasure he gives away, or sets aside, with all his heart. It is there for the reader who can handle it to keep.” I can’t say that I actually enjoyed the book and I don’t know that I would recommend it but if I had ever been required to read it for class I probably wouldn’t have minded reading it.

Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom

Turning 15 On The Road To Freedom: My Story Of The 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, 127 pages

“A memoir of the Civil Rights Movement from one of its youngest heroes A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor Book Kirkusa Best Books of 2015 Booklista Editors' Choice 2015 BCCB aBlue Ribbon 2015 As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Albama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today's young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history. Straightforward and inspiring, this beautifully illustrated memoir brings readers into the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, complementing Common Core classroom learning and bringing history alive for young readers.” This is a short and powerful memoir that should be given to kids who are interested in the civil rights movement.  Reading about Selma from the perspective a teenager will help kids today better relate to the events.  This is an excellent read.

23 Minutes

23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde, 176 pages

Zoe is in the foster care system because her mom is in jail for stabbing her dad.  Her dad recovered but doesn’t want her.  She’s 15 now but when she was younger she was almost hit by lightning and after that she found that she could travel back in time exactly 23 minutes, for up to ten times.  Everything stayed the same unless she did something to change it.  On a rainy day, Zoe finds herself in a bank that is being robbed.  When the situation goes very wrong, very fast, Zoe has to decide what she can do differently to fix it.  This realistic science fiction story is excellent.  I didn’t want to put it down.  It’s not very long and was a fairly quick read and I would give it to teens who like this genre.

Booked

Booked by Kwame Alexander, 314 pages

Nick is crazy about soccer.  He’s not so crazy about words, especially reading his father’s dictionary every day to learn new ones.  His father is a word nerd and he wants Nick to increase his vocabulary.  Nick secretly kind of likes knowing so many odd and interesting words, but he doesn’t like being forced to learn them.  When Nick’s parents start having marital problems and it looks like some things may get in the way of Nick playing soccer, Nick feels like his whole life is falling apart.  This book told in verse was excellent.  Great for reluctant readers because of the amount of white space, it’s realistic story will appeal to a wide variety of kids.  

Counting by 7s

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, 380 pages

“Twelve-year-old genius and outsider Willow Chance must figure out how to connect with other people and find a surrogate family for herself after her parents are killed in a car accident.” I’m re-reading this book for a book club and I loved it the first time I read it.  I loved it again this time.  This is a great book for kids who feel like they don’t fit in and wonderful for any kid who likes realistic fiction.

The Suffering

The Suffering by Ran Chupeco, 313 pages

“Breathtaking and haunting, Rin Chupeco's second novel is a chilling companion to her debut, The Girl from the Well. The darkness will find you. Seventeen-year-old Tark knows what it is to be powerless. But Okiku changed that. A restless spirit who ended life as a victim and started death as an avenger, she's groomed Tark to destroy the wicked. But when darkness pulls them deep into Aokigahara, known as Japan's suicide forest, Okiku's justice becomes blurred, and Tark is the one who will pay the price...” Chupeco’s books are deliciously creepy.  They are almost too much to be YA, but stop just short of that.  I highly recommend these to teen horror fans.

Tru & Nelle

Tru & Nelle by G. Neri, 328 pages

“In their small town of Monroeville, Alabama, in 1930, misfits Tru and Nelle strike up a friendship and find a mystery to solve when someone breaks into the drugstore and steals some candy and a fancy brooch.” This was a simplistic story that I’m not sure would appeal to kids as much as I wish it would.  The parallels between this book about Harper Lee and Truman Capote as children and Lee’s “To Kill A Mockingbird” were fascinating to me but this book is aimed at kids who are mostly too young to have read Lee’s book yet.  I liked it and if a kid liked historically realistic books I would probably give this to them but I’m not sure if it has much general appeal.

Stars Above

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer, 369 pages

“The enchantment continues. . . . The universe of the Lunar Chronicles holds stories - and secrets - that are wondrous, vicious, and romantic. How did Cinder first arrive in New Beijing? How did the brooding soldier Wolf transform from young man to killer? When did Princess Winter and the palace guard Jacin realize their destinies? With nine stories - five of which have never before been published - and an exclusive never-before-seen excerpt from Marissa Meyer's novel, Heartless, about the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, Stars Above is essential for fans of the bestselling and beloved Lunar Chronicles.” I loved this collection of stories.  This is for any teen fans of science fiction, fantasy, and Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles.

Salt To The Sea

Salt To The Sea by Ruta Sepetys, 391 pages

“World War II is drawing to a close in East Prussia and thousands of refugees are on a desperate trek toward freedom, many with something to hide. Among them are Joana, Emilia, and Florian, whose paths converge en route to the ship that promises salvation, the Wilhelm Gustloff. Forced by circumstance to unite, the three find their strength, courage, and trust in each other tested with each step closer to safety. Just when it seems freedom is within their grasp, tragedy strikes. Not country, nor culture, nor status matter as all ten thousand people aboard must fight for the same thing: survival. Told in alternating points of view and perfect for fans of Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning  All the Light We Cannot See , Erik Larson's  Dead Wake , and Elizabeth Wein's Printz Honor Book  Code Name Verity , this masterful work of historical fiction is inspired by the real-life tragedy that was the sinking of the   Wilhelm Gustloff -- the greatest maritime disaster in history. As she did in  Between Shades of Gray , Ruta Sepetys unearths a shockingly little-known casualty of a gruesome war, and proves that humanity can prevail, even in the darkest of hours.” Sepetys is an excellent writer.  I had a hard time putting this book down.  I would highly recommend it to teens who like historical fiction.

The Return

The Return by Ridley Pearson, 344 pages

“With the defeat of the Overtakers behind them, the five teenagers known as the Kingdom Keepers should be celebrating. By all accounts they saved Disneyland from certain destruction. Why, then, did their mentor leave one last puzzle for them to decipher? The Keepers must solve a puzzle of the past, or be crushed under an evil that makes the Overtakers seem like gentle souls.” I liked the beginning of this new series.  Fans of the previous Kingdom Keepers series will definitely want to read this, as will teen fans of Disney and science fiction.

Holding Up The Universe

Holding UpThe Universe by Jennifer Niven, 391 pages

“From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone--and love someone--for who they truly are. Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed "America's Fattest Teen." But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone. Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game--which lands them in group counseling and community service--Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. . . . Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours. Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are--and seeing them right back.” This book was pretty amazing.  I would highly recommend it for teens who like realistic fiction.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, 180 pages

“The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.” Oddly enough, I’ve never read this before.  I think that, despite the parts that date the book, it’s also very timeless.  Teens can read this today and still understand the differentiation between social groups.  The story is short enough that even reluctant readers could probably enjoy it.  This probably wouldn’t be the first book that came to mind if I was trying to think of good recommendations, but I wouldn’t avoid it if I thought of it.

Fierce Reads Presents Kisses And Curses

Fierce Reads Presents Kisses And Curses edited by Lauren Burniac, 390 pages

"With standalone short stories from a handpicked set of Fierce Reads authors, this collection will include a mix of original content and popular favorites, and will often feature characters or worlds from existing Fierce Reads books."  I liked some of these stories better than others.  The ones that were by authors I hadn’t read before didn’t make me want to go out and find their books, but none of them made me sorry I’d picked the book up.  Nothing in here was amazing or awful but most of it was at least a little better than just good.  Several of the stories had compelling components.  I would definitely recommend it to teens who like short stories or like any of the authors featured in the collection.

The Rose Society

The Rose Society by Marie Lu, 395 pages

“Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all. Adelina Amouteru's heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her. But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness?”  This was a good sequel and a pretty good series.  I think I liked the second book better than the first.  I would give this to teens who like science fiction and fantasy.

Sad Perfect

Sad Perfect by Stephanie Elliot, 320 pages

Pea’s life is pretty hard.  She has an eating disorder and has been so depressed she needs medication.  Her brother ignores her, her father only cares about sports, and her mom is so emotional about everything that it drives Pea crazy.  When Pea meets Ben, she finally thinks that her life is falling into place.  Then her mom decides to send her to therapy for her eating disorder.  Pea is relieved but scared.  Therapy is hard and she doesn’t feel like she can ever really get better.  She wants to get better, both for herself, and because she doesn’t want to screw up her relationship with Ben.  I liked the story.  It was pretty compelling.  The characters felt a little flat to me though and although the story itself was good enough that I wanted to finish, it felt predictable.  Maybe because it was first person from the point of view of a 16 year old, but it all seemed very shallow.  There just wasn’t a lot of depth to the story and I think there should have been.  I might give it to girls who are reluctant readers but are looking for realistic, hopeful fiction.

That Nothing May Be Lost

That Nothing May Be Lost: Reflections on Catholic Doctrine and Devotion by Rev Paul D Scalia, 187 pages

That Nothing May Be Lost collects dozens of Father Scalia's short essays.  As the title suggests, the content is hardly original - the concern is to conserve rather than to innovate.  Most of the pieces were originally written for parish and archdiocesan publications, and are therefore very short and tailored for a readership with diverse social, economic, and educational backgrounds but a common Catholic faith.  Yet Fr Scalia's restatement of truths ever ancient, ever new is never trite or boring, to the contrary, they are presented here with hard crystal clarity, gently but without reservations or demurral.

National Geographic Kids Weird But True! Ripped From the Headlines 2

National Geographic Kids Weird But True!  Ripped From the Headlines 2:  Real Life Stories You Have to Read to Believe             Paperback Book: 176 pages       

Such fun reading and the illustrations are so sharp.    The photographers are surely as great as the researchers coming up with all these gems.     In this book you will see and read about:  The glass 4 story circular townhouse in Almaty, Kazakhstan (the only room that is not see-through is the bathroom); the tiny turbine that two University of Texas Arlington invented to recharge your cell phone; the cardboard bicycle that can hold up to 300lbs is waterproof and fireproof; the pizza place in Ft. Myers, Florida where you can get python (yeah, the snake) on your pizza!; the volcano that erupts blue due to its high Sulphur content;  that there are about 1,500 volcanoes on earth that could erupt; some spider egg sacs can hold as many as 600 baby spiders! In Tokyo, Japan you can send your stuffed animal on a tour of the City sightseeing during the day while you are at school or work so they don’t have to bored waiting for you – the company will even send photos of your stuffed animal’s adventure to the internet so you can check on how much fun they are having;  you can zipline at 43 miles an hour from Andalusia, Spain over the river to Algarve Portugal or attend the annual Virginia City, Nevada International Camel & Ostrich Racesin which for $500 you get a safety class and the chance to be a jockey on a camel, an ostrich or a zebra.     Fun!   I love these books!  

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer        Audio Book: 8 hours, 6 minutes     Hardback Book: 336 pages 

Amy Schumer’s book is so funny at times you will laugh out loud then there are times when she is serious and tells you the most frank details of things she has been through that your mouth will drop open.  Witty, fun, with lots of great advice from her experiences.    She says she is way too young to be writing her memoirs so this is just a “this is Amy up to now” book.     She tells that she is actually an introvert and prefers in her off time to spend her leisure hours alone.   I can see that.    Damon Wayans expressed that on one of his comedy specials that when you are a comedian every time you meet up with someone they expect you to be on and funny.   You couldn’t just relax even friends are always expecting you to “Say something funny.”   I get that.    I imagine most comedians and comediennes are introverts by nature and express that inner need to be an extrovert through their performances.   Amy is fearless and calls names and is not afraid to say what she thinks and is deeply passionate about.   She fights like a lion for the causes she believes in and addresses the issue she has been affected by and often asked about in interviews - the killing in a movie theater of several people during a showing of her film, “Trainwreck,”  when a man just began shooting.   Two sisters were killed during that violence and Amy stays in touch with their family.   She is very vocal about her views on curbing such unconscionable acts.    It is a very good read and I highly recommend it to anyone be they a fan of hers or just curious about what she has to say.    She is not the shallow party girl she often plays although the girl speaks her mind freely.    She has a lot to say that will have the reader nodding their head along with her when she’s not got you laughing out loud.

The Forever Summer

The Forever Summer by Jamie Brenner             Audio Book: 10 hours, 54 minutes    Hardback Book:  368 pages                         

When two lawyers having a love affair that just happen to work in the same firm where fraternizing is against policy are discovered life throws a curveball to Marin Bishop.     One of the firm’s clients was a DNA testing site that she decided to be a team player and get her dna/genealogical makeup done before all the hubbub at the office.   When she received the results she found out that her lineage showed she was Portugese when she had been brought up in a wealthy white bread family of English and Irish extraction as far as she was aware.   Then a gal contacted her saying given their results and matching percentages they must be sisters.   Marin is thinking the girl is whack and that the results must be scewed somehow.   Through a chain of events they end up at a Bed and Breakfast in Provincetown, Massachusetts run by a Lesbian couple who happen to be the women’s grandparents.   The story is well told and the characters and events interesting and entertaining.    The story will draw you in and the story plays out well giving just enough all along the way to keep the reader wanting to know how it all plays out.    There is one sort of loose end (at least I thought so) but the story is well done and very visual as I pictured in my mind the locations and the happenings throughout.   Well done, Jamie Brenner.

Tell Me No Lies

Tell Me No Lies by Lynn Chandler Willis                      Audio Book:  7 hours, 54 minutes       Paperback Book:  238 pages            

Good story told very well.    Just in the first few  pages a grissly murder occurs and all throughout the book there are clues.    There are so many possibilities as to who the perpretrator could be.   So many motives, so many sleazy characters and links that the reader will have a lot of choices as to who did it and why.    Very good detail and emotions conveyed here.    I don’t want to give the plot away but it seems everyone in this book has a whole lot more going on than it first seems on the surface.   This would make an excellent film, in my opinion.     The main character Ava Logan is a likeable widow with two kids of her own and who through her business as publisher of the local newspaper knows pretty much everyone in town really well but then everyone has the face they show and the dark side they don’t always make known.   Sometimes the chances she took and the warnings she disregarded frustrated me – that is how I know a story is good when it has me so drawn in that the characters can elicit emotional reactions from me.    It is a really good mystery that will have the reader playing amateur sleuth all the way through.    Don’t want to give it away but keep an eye out and see if you can guess.   I see the author must really like the lead character as she lists this as the first book in the Ava Logan series.   She is the owner of the newspaper, that would open up a lot of potential stories to be told so yeah I can see this becoming a series.     Good one.    If you like murder mysteries add this one to your list.

England

England: An Elegy by Roger Scruton, 247 pages

England: An Elegy is philosopher Roger Scruton's paean to an England that disappeared in his lifetime.  During the decades following the Second World War, a culture that relied on enchantment was subjected to a rude disenchantment by "seditious bigots" enflamed by a prejudice against history and tradition - but placing blame is not the purpose of Scruton's work.  He writes to praise what was lost, not to blame her murderers.

Central to Scruton's celebration of the England that was - not the "Merrie England" of legend but England as it lived and grew down through the centuries - is his awareness of her as primarily a work of moral imagination, endowed with her own personality through the contributions of her members and the landscape from which she was born.  The key to that personality is found in the quality of reserve, a skeptical distance conducive to honesty and its daughter virtue, humility.  This emotional distance makes possible a gentle neighborliness quite different from the impassioned involvement which so easily turns into meddling.  Scruton admits that the old England was not perfect - nothing merely human is - but at least it was something, and, for his part, he sides with "somewhere against nowhere".

August totals - and year-end totals

Books keep pullin' us in . . . 

We've reached the end of the Challenge year!  And what a year it was!

In August,
5 staff
read 66 books
for a total of 20,042 pages

And this month's Amazing Reader was Shirley, logging 7357 pages!!


This year, our team racked up 991 points!!!!     Good job, everyone!!!  

And additional shout-outs to Krista, who logged the most books (160) and to Jen, who logged the most pages (50,476).

Beyond Radical Secularism

Beyond Radical Secularism: How France and the Christian West Should Respond to the Muslim Challenge by Pierre Manent, translated by Ralph C Hancock, 115 pages

In this short book, French political scientist Pierre Manent describes the latter half of the twentieth century as a long process of depoliticization, the delegitimization of the state as the embodiment of the common good of the nation.  In its place a view of the state has devolved in which it is nothing more than the - sometimes aggressive - guarantor of individual rights against other individuals - a "life without law in a world without borders".  Such a state, he avers, is too weak to overcome an assertive Islam with a strong sense of itself as a moral community.  While secularists hope vainly for an "Islamic Reformation" that shows no signs of occurring (or, more likely, is occurring, but is not what they imagine), the only option for both the survival of free societies and the peaceful integration of Muslims into the French nation is a renewed appreciation for its religious roots and a recognition of the contributions of Catholics, evangelicals, and Jews precisely as members of religious communities.  Only then can a concept of the common good be rediscovered as the basis for a national community which can include Muslims, and in which Muslims will want to be included.