What I've been reading...

It's about a month into summer and I've already read more books than I think I have all year. Probably thanks to having such a handy-dandy reading device (my Nook Simple Touch Reader i.e. best birthday gift ever).

Into Thin Air by John Krakauer: An account of a trip up Mount Everest that turned infamous, and deadly. Krakauer does a great job of not only explaining what happened on the mountain over those few months as well as the basics of climbing a mountain, which is much more involved than I had imagined.

The Hunger Games (all 3 for free, thanks to my LoanMe friend :)) by Suzanne Collins. Apprehensive at first, but totally hooked now. Initially I had heard it was a book about kids killing kids. Yes, there is that element but the further you get into the series the more you realize it's about bigger things (you could even apply it to the direction our society could take should things fall into the wrong hands). I look forward to seeing how the movies go.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - Funny. Funny. Book. Precisely my sense of humor. I wish I could be as witty as her. I recommend this as a fun summer read. It's a biography about her life and her career at SNL and 30 Rock.

Currently Reading: 

 Under the Banner of Heaven by John Krakauer: Controversial, but very interesting. Take it with a grain of salt because while I believe that much of it is factual, there is definitely biased information. I am trying to keep an open mind. Fascinating, though. Krakauer is a great author. I would also like to say that, thus far, this book really applies to all extremists that we see in faiths of any sort and how easy it is to generalize a population by its most polarizing groups.

The Lost Hero (#1) by Rick Riordan: I read all of the Percy Jackson books and loved them (I get away with it because I am a teacher). So, this is the second series - same characters but also a new set of demigods.

I'm doing pretty well for still being in school (on book 6/7) and having slight reading-induced narcolepsy. I'm also compiling a list of books to pre-read that I could read to my students during homeroom. I would love to take recommendations. I teach 7th grade and want a book that is slightly younger than that. I want it to be somewhat suspenseful so kids look forward to reading it, but also maybe have something that could lead to a discussion. It's hard to find middle school read-alouds, but the list of books I'm going to pre-read are:

Esperanza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan

Hoot - Carl Hiassen
Flush - Carl Hiassen
Scat - Carl Hiassen

The Misfits - James Howe

The Land - Mildred Taylor
Flygirl - Sherri L. Smith

I haven't read any of these yet, but just picked up 3 from the library. Hiassen's books seem to have a eco-issues theme, which I like since I teach science. Esperanza Rising and the Misfits is about overcoming odds/growing up I believe, which I also like. I obviously need something that will appeal to both sexes. Flygirl obviously has a girl lead, but it's about being a pilot so it may work... Anyway, suggestions are welcome.

Day 14 - A non-fictional book

I'm going to recommend a few books here - some of my most recent favorites.

1. Anything by Mary Roach. I just got my hands on Packing for Mars, but have read Bonk, Stiff, and Spook. The books are all about her researching the many sides of one topic (in Bonk it's sex, Stiff it's death and all that happens to the human body, Spook it is the many theories revolving around the afterlife, and Packing for Mars is about our venture into space). She is not a "scientist," per say, but somehow makes these books into scientifically fascinating and absolutely hilarious. Rarely do I laugh out loud while reading, but they way she writes about what she learns and the predicaments she gets herself into while learning is absolutely hysterical (for example, signing her and her husband up for a sex study, or going to a research center that looks at how bodies decompose). Stiff is not for anyone with a sensitive subject, but it was by far my favorite of the 3 I've read. Totally riveting from start to finish. I'll let you know about Packing for Mars.

(P.S. don't you just love the subtitles, too?)

2. Augusten Burroughs' Dry, Running with Scissors (which was made into a movie), and Possible Side Effects. These are all memoirs about his very interesting upbringing/life. Dry is about Burroughs's experience in rehab for alcoholism. Running with Scissors is a memoir that recounts his crazy childhood, and Possible Side Effects is a collection of short (true) stories from his life. Great reads - if you go the audio-book route (which I did for Dry while I had a long commute), he narrates all his own books which makes it that much more interesting.

His brother has a book about have Asperger's which is also great. It's called Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison. I really enjoyed this perspective.

Day 13 - Fiction Book

Right now I'm reading a historical fiction novel called People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

The book was recommended to me by a coworker who read it for a book club and now considers it one of her favorites. Thanks Ann!

The premise of the story seems a bit boring at first, but I was surprised when I had trouble putting it down! The story is about a woman who is a rare-book expert. She is offered a job to go to Sarajevo and restore a Haggadah (traditional Jewish literature) that survived the Bosnian War. The Sarajevo Haggadah is an actual artifact but this is a piece of fiction written around it (the author, Brooks, has done extensive research on it). As she is working with the book and documenting it, she notices several things about it that help her trace the history of it (an insect wing, a wine stain, etc.). Using her many connections she begins to piece together where the book has been and give it more of a context.

The book alternates between present-day with the main character, Hanna, researching the book's history (and there is a separate plot about her personal life) then a chapter from the book's history (how it made its way to Sarajevo, etc. - without giving away to much). So, the history of the book is revealed backwards until we learn of its origins.

There is a lot of history mashed into this book, which I always enjoy.

The way the author is able to write from so many different perspectives is incredible and the transitions are seamless (from an Australian woman in 1996 to a rabbi in the 1700s). I am just about done with it and have really enjoyed this unique story. I definitely recommend!