4 - The Postman by David Brin

I've been meaning to read The Postman for a number of years.  I love post-apocalyptic stories (click here for others I've blogged about).  This one takes place in what was once Oregon, before the Doomwar.  The story is told from the point of view of Gordon Krantz, who was in his twenties when war and plague and famine tore the world apart.  Throughout the story, he travels from town to town dressed as a US Mail Carrier.  The effect his uniform and persona have on the people he meets is fascinating.

My favorite thing about this book might be the circumstances of the apocalypse itself.  There was war, beginning in Eastern Europe.  There were nuclear strikes, and there are still wide swaths of land that "glow".  But the real downfall of society came after, when people in the cities starved and people in the country died of easily prevented or cured plagues, simply because the infrastructure collapsed and people stopped cooperating.  As civilization fell, the survivalists, who were "prepared" and thus lived through the initial onslaughts, began looting, scavenging, pillaging, and enslaving those who were weaker or in need of protection.  Thus in a matter of years the societal structure of North America went from late-twentieth century urban sprawl to a feudal structure more like that of the Dark Ages in Europe.

This book was made into a movie starring Kevin Costner.  I was talking with my movie buff husband about it tonight, and it seems like there were a lot of, shall we say, differences, between the book and the movie.  I'm going to investigate how I might be able to watch it and if I do, I'll come back and post about the differences.

I looked up two words while I was reading this book (I always appreciate books which serve up new words...).  The first word I learned was abatis a defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy.  Like this:

This word comes from a French word meaning to strike down or slaughter, which is exactly what is done to the trees involved.  

The second word I looked up was solipsistic, which basically describes something related to the idea that one is the only person that exists.  In other words, if Gordon dreamed this whole apocalypse, he would be the only thing out of it that really existed, making his dream solipsistic.  I think.  That's a tricky word, grammatically and conceptually.  It's got an interesting etymology, from the Latin solus "alone" and ipse "self" with the lovely English -ism tacked on.  So it kind of means to be alone with oneself, or to believe oneself to be alone.  I like it.  

Page Count: 321
Find it on Amazon!

1 - Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green

Oh, my goodness. What can I even say about this amazing, incredible book?

I started this book back in October. I plodded through the first half slowly. I was bored. will grayson annoyed me with his constant kvetching. Will Grayson wasn't gay, which confused me. Wasn't this book supposed to be about two gay Will Graysons?

Then, I came to the fateful night where Will Grayson met will grayson and everything was thrown into chaos. I was immediately hooked, and read ~150 pages today because I had to know what happened to the Wills and Tiny and Jane.

This book is full of wisdom about what it means to be kind, to be friends, and to be in love. It's full of awkward moments and transcendent moments. I loved it.

A few days ago, I blogged about LGBT literature. I mentioned that we needed more books like Levithan's Boy Meets Boy in which being gay is just a part of who the characters are, and they go on about their lives and tell their stories.
None of the gay characters in this story seem to face any real prejudice, beyond the innocent and strikingly benign ignorance of a Little League team or the math nerds at the lunch table. In some ways, the Chicago-suburb setting of this book is like the tiny town in Boy Meets Boy, a fantasyland where being gay is totally mainstream and accepted. Oh, how I long for this day to come.

I think my favorite part of the book comes almost at the very end. I won't give away what has happened or who the speaker is, but here's a quote for you:

"I want you to come over to my house in twenty years with your dude and your adopted kids and I want our kids to hang out and I want to like, drink wine and talk about the Middle East or whatever we're gonna want to do when we're old. We've been friends too long to pick, but if we could pick, I'd pick you."

(On a side note, I edited the above for language. There is a lot of language in this book. Too much for a school library, and too much for my students, even if they could handle the thematic elements. Honestly, it didn't really bother me.)

The Library of Alexandria

This article about the youth in Egypt banding together to protect the library, among other important things, makes my heart soar. I am so thrilled that these young people are standing up for what they believe in and protecting places of learning and community and history. I am not trying to weigh in on the political unrest going on in Egypt, because quite honestly I've been preoccupied with goings on at work and I haven't been paying close attention to what's going on. But I am glad that they're not destroying the libraries. :)

I am an addict

I love the bookstore. My mom received a Barnes & Noble gift card for Christmas, and she wanted to spend it this afternoon. Of course I agreed to go along for company, and ended up spending almost exactly the same amount she did...except that I didn't have a gift card, because I spent it online two days ago. :P

I bought big girl books, though! (Mom was excited!)

Master and Commander by Tim O'Brien
I've been wanting to read this for some time now. I need a new series like I need a hole in the head, but this one seems so compelling!

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett
This book followed me around the bookstore! I picked it up first in the True Crime section, and then I kept seeing it in different places around the store! Finally, I just grabbed it, because it clearly wanted to come home with me. It's a crime novel with a self-styled "bibliodick", a private eye who investigates book theft.

The Edge of the World: Terra Incognita (Book 1) by Kevin J. Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson is one of my preferred Star Wars novelists, this book is about maps, and the blurb on the back of the book contains the phrase "here be monsters". 'Nuff said.

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles
I've loved both the books I've read by this author. I blogged about Perfect Chemistry, and it looks likes Rules of Attraction should be added to the list of books I read last year and didn't blog.

Christmas Gifts Abound!

I am so blessed to have friends and family who invariably choose wonderful books for me! Not as though I have any trouble choosing books for myself, as you can see by the last part of this list. :) If I read just the books on this list, I will have matched my total for 2010. Wow. I should get on that.

From Mom:
Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card
My Reading Life by Pat Conroy
Millenium Falcon by James Luceno
The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking
Jedi Twilight by Michael Reaves

From Mandy:
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Lindsey:
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stahl

From Sandy:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Other books borrowed, bought, or discovered on shelves:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Shiver by Maggie Steifvater
Linger by Maggie Steifvater
Paper Towns by John Green
The Meaning of Matthew by Judy Shepard
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Homebody by Orson Scott Card
Welcome to the Ark by Stephanie S Tolan
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
la línea by Ann Jaramillo
The Queen's Governess by Karen Harper
The Death and Life of the Great American School System by Diane Ravitch
Fallen by Lauren Kate
Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
Abyss by Troy Denning
Order 66 by Karen Traviss

24 - Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

I have lots to say about this book! First, the saga of getting my hands on it! I visited a certain friend who lives in a certain small town in our state, and we spent the weekend discussing books (which is awesome) and the rights denied to people we love because of who they love. At some point during the weekend, we made the usual trek to the big-box bookstore. After perusing the shelves for some time and discovering that not only was this title missing, this AUTHOR was missing entirely, we asked for help. I approached the desk and had the following conversation:

Me: (bright smile) Hi, I'm looking for a book by David Levithan. The title is Boy Meets Boy.
Clerk: Um...hang on. Yeah, we're showing lots of copys available, but...we don't stock that here. Sorry...
*At this, I glance at my friend."
Clerk: We can order it for you in a few days!
Me: No, thanks, I'm from out of town.

So...I went to my local Barnes and Noble at home and plucked it off the shelf! Unfortunately, I didn't see anything else by Levithan, who is definitely an author I want to read more of. $7.71 later, Boy Meets Boy was mine and all I had to do was explain it to my mom. :)

This book has won numerous awards, including An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults and A Lambda Literary Award. According to Levithan's website, it's "a dippy, happy gay romance". And so it is.

One review of this book claimed that the prophecy of a world where there was no discrimination against gay or lesbian couples was exactly what the genre needed. I guess because this world is so different from the one we currently live in, it felt contrived and unbelievable. The first half of the book bothered me in more ways than one. However, the ending of the book was so sweet, so heartfelt, and so true that I couldn't help but love it. Now I see why it won so many awards.

My favorite part of the book came when Paul, the openly gay narrator, spent seven days trying to repair his relationship with Noah. The sweet things he did are the types of things any person in love would long for, no matter their sexual preference. It was all so beautiful.

I also really enjoyed the way the group banded together to rescue Tony. I love the relationship between Paul and Tony, two gay boys who knew early on they were not supposed to fall in love. One of the things I've talked at length with a dear friend about is that most literature about/for/by the gay or lesbian community is either angst-ridden or overly sexualized. This book was neither. Even though the society was simply wishful thinking, and it is unlikely that that many unusual characters could ever coexist peacefully in one school or be surrounded by that many supportive and understanding adults, the main characters were real and beautiful, even in their faults. It's nice to see gay and lesbian youth in relationships that aren't romantic in nature. It's nice to see them searching for the one special person they want to be with, just like straight kids do for the most part. I appreciate such a caring, respectful, realistic perspective on these kids.

This has made me wildly curious about other books by this author. He wrote the book Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, which was recently made into a movie. He also wrote Will Grayson, Will Grayson, which I have and am excited about reading. :)

This just about sums it up.

This poster, from Knowbodies, makes me smile. I don't want a Nook (or a Kindle, or any other electronic book device), but I don't have a problem with other people having them. They certainly have advantages, as mentioned above. BUT I will never give up on the wonder of a book in my hands. :)

17 - This World We Live In, Susan Beth Pfeffer

I devoured This World We Live In with my usual speed, even though it meant staying up way too late reading on a school (well, work, really) night. I thoroughly enjoyed this series as a whole. It was a frightening glimpse of how our world can change in an instant. I've always enjoyed books with an apocalyptic bent, though.

This World We Live In seemed to suffer from what I'm beginning to think of as series-itis. The last book in many series (Inkdeath, Breaking Dawn, and even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows come to mind) feels rushed and underedited. There is too much fluff as the characters and plot careen toward a conclusion that wraps up all the loose ends and ties them in a nice neat bow. This all happens at the expense of believable character development and realistic dialog and decision-making. I mean, I guess I can believe that Miranda would do the things she did, but in truth her choices seemed much less in character and in keeping with the spirit of the book than they had previously. I don't know...maybe I'm just picky.

12-16 and birthday books

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the second book in a series about what would happen to the world as we know it if the moon were knocked just a little closer. This installment is set in New York City, where Alex Morales struggles to keep himself and his sisters alive through the first cruel winter. His struggles and experiences are quite different from Miranda's were in the first book. His mother is at work and his father is out of the country when the asteroid strikes the moon, meaning that he is the man of the house. He is able to rely on the Catholic church for awhile, but eventually even that chain of command breaks down and he is launched into a desperate struggle to get out of the dying city. I can't wait to see what the third book brings!

South of Broad by Pat Conroy

Written in classic Conroy style, this story touched on a new topic: homosexuality and the AIDS epidemic of the 1980's. I saw echoes of Beach Music and The Prince of Tides in the characters and events. In particular the beautiful and damaged heroines with their sibilant names seem as though they could walk in and out of each other's stories: Shyla, Starla, Sheba, and Savannah. Conroy's description of the hurricane which rips through Charleston captivated me and reminded me of the scene from Beach Music in which Shyla and Jack dance in the beach house as the waves tear it apart during a similar storm. It's fascinating to see so many symbols and devices used in so many different ways.

When the Wind Blows by James Patterson

I haven't quite finished this one, but I am enjoying it immensely. It's written in standard Patterson style: short chapters, lots of action and dialog, fast moving story, nice blend of science fact and character-driven morality. Also, I am confused by what I once read, that the Max in this book is not the same Max in the Maximum Ride books. I think that this cannot possibly be true, as she is nearly the same character! The other bird-kids are different, but really in name only. (And I think I prefer their names in this to their names in the YA books.)

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

As usual, this came out right before my birthday and Mom and Daddy gave it to me as a gift. I enjoyed it, although I am getting a little frustrated that the characters (specifically Morelli and Ranger) are completely static at this point. I would like to see them grow and change, as real people do in real life.

One Second After by William R. Forstchen

This is definitively the most amazing book I've read yet this year. It tops Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, although in truth the two are related. In One Second After, an EMP is detonated over the United States, destroying all electronic devices in an instant. The novel, which is set in Black Mountain, North Carolina (a place with which I am reasonably familiar), then describes the efforts of the people there to survive as their world is thrown into chaos. The threat of an EMP is very real in our world today, where people rely increasingly on electronics to complete simple tasks and the generation which knew how to complete those tasks without electronics is dying out. This should be required reading for every American. It's simply terrifying, beautifully written, and compelling.

10 - Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver

It took me a couple of months to read this. Usually I would probably finish a book of this size in a a couple of weeks. However, I was fascinated and inspired by this one! My fascination slowed me down, causing me to pore over each passage, sometimes rereading or going back to find a reference to something in an earlier chapter. I would stop to daydream about recreating something Kingsolver describes in my own yard. I would call Mom to discuss what I'd read.

My inspiration led me to a plethora of other books, blogs, and activities that limited my time with Kingsolver's memoir. I picked up a second Michael Pollan book (Food Rules, which I devoured), investigated books on gardening (and gave one as a gift, The Backyard Homestead, which I also own), visited the local Farmer's Market, and subsequently started eight tomato plants, nine herbs, and a variety of salad greens on my back patio.

This is such a phenomenal book. I've said several times lately that I know I'm an adult now. I'm reading and loving nonfiction. I have always shied away from nonfiction, reading with reluctance if not actual distaste. However, several books lately have captured my attention and held it. Mom is surely relieved that I'm not going to spend my entire adulthood reading "kiddie books", as she calls my beloved YA lit.

Perhaps, as I rhapsodize about the book, I should pause for a moment to explain the premise. It's a memoir of a year in Kingsolver's life during which she and her family (husband, teenage daughter, and third grade daughter) lived and worked on a farm in southwest Virginia, eating only what they grew or could buy from their community. They became locavores. And they made it seem so normal, as though the average American could manage it easily. While I know that truly I lack the time, skills, inclination, or money to support myself entirely from my own labors, I know that I could at least attempt many of the things she describes.

• I could make cheese and yogurt.


• I could have a garden.


• I could support local farmers by shopping at the Farmer's Market.


• I could choose organic, heirloom breeds of fruit, vegetables, and meat whenever they are available.


• I could discover and frequent restaurants that serve local foods.


• Someday, maybe, I could even raise chickens (birds are pretty creepy, though), or even a cow or pig.


• I could teach my students about the value of gardening and the joy of knowing where one's food comes from.

These are things that I could do which would support my local economy, make me and my husband healthier, and positively influence future generations, including my own (as yet hypothetical) children.

To Kindle or not to Kindle?

I was deeply disturbed by this post from The Ledger. I haven't expressed my opinions about Kindle yet because I'm not really the voice of the majority here.

I don't ever want to own a Kindle, or any device like it. I am in love with the feel of a book, the smell of the paper, and the sight of a shelf full of my favorites, lined up like old friends waiting for me to visit again. An electronic device cannot EVER replace that, at least for me.

I can certainly see many uses for such a thing. A person who travels often or at length might want to use it to carry books along. A person who has a visual impairment might find the magnifier helpful. A person who lives in a very small apartment or who moves often might appreciate the space-saving properties. I can even, as a teacher, hesitantly say that it might be a way to hook the next generation of tech-addicted youth into reading.

HOWEVER, completely apart from my purist aesthetic objections, this article illustrates some of the more practical things wrong with this new technology.

1. How can you determine whether or not the seller from whom you buy your e-Book actually has the right to sell it to you?


2. What if a book's copyright has expired in one country, but not in the country where you live? What is the right thing to do?


3. What if your Kindle breaks and you don't have your books backed up?


4. How do you go about sharing books or selling old books? What about used books? No longer possible with Kindle.


5. What if the seller, or some other organization (the government?) determines that you no longer have the right to possess the digital copy of the book you bought and paid for? Apparently, according to this article, it's as easy as the click of a mouse to delete any content that anyone thinks you don't have the right to. This is a very scary step toward censorship...Fahrenheit 451 anyone?

11 - Perfect Chemistry, Simone Elkeles

If all of my books were this engrossing, I would be much farther along than 11 books in June. :)

This is the perfect blend of easy summer reading, romance, and honest questions about society and relationships. It may come off as a bit too good to be true in the end, but I really cared about Alex and Brittany by the end of the second chapter. I liked how the chapters alternated between the characters, giving us both points of view without being overbearingly omniscient.

I really enjoyed watching the characters change throughout the novel. That's one thing that bothers me about a lot of teen literature: the characters are often very flat. But Alex and Brittany both grow and learn a lot as their relationship deepens.

I am always very interested in novels with an element of urban life, like Alex's gang life. I wonder how many of my students have similar, if milder, experiences. I wonder how many of them could relate, in one way or another, to the characters in this book? Probably most of them could.

That said, I could never use this book in my classroom because it has a LOT of language (which didn't really bother me because that's absolutely how Alex would talk) and a fair amount of sex and violence, with a liberal sprinkling of drugs and alcohol to round it out. However, all you high school teachers out there, you might want to consider it for book clubs where kids have a choice (especially with parent permission). There would be plenty to talk about!