tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18438035380450316872024-03-13T05:58:38.839-05:00pluiebrûlanteA book review blog, now moved to literarylivewire.wordpress.comKathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-70011623648290783842008-10-11T11:07:00.004-05:002009-05-25T17:12:19.213-05:00New Location!Blog has moved >>> <a href="http://literarylivewire.wordpress.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">literarylivewire.wordpress.com</span></a><br /><br />I wish I didn't have to move it but there is no way to change the blog name/domain, and 'pleut' just doesn't cut it. I'm still seeing if I like the WordPress format, but it did allow me to transfer everything (posts, tags, comments, everything) with the click of a button.<br /><br />So, sorry for the inconvience, but all new posts can be found there at the new site.<br /><br />Happy reading!Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-80716139126035904032008-08-23T16:34:00.004-05:002008-08-23T16:53:05.655-05:00The Battle of the Labyrinth<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bookdweeb.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/battleofthelabyrinth.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://bookdweeb.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/battleofthelabyrinth.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Battle of the Labyrinth</span><br />by Rick Riordan<br /><br />Awesome! More rip-roaring fun from author Rick Riordan in this 4th book of the series. Here's an author who really shines in the gradual culmination of a larger plot; his individual books shine on their own yet move smoothly toward the final goal. I love all the mythological facts and quirks he includes in the story, plus the trip through America's greatest places.<br /><br />lol, found this snippet of conversation on <a href="http://bookdweeb.wordpress.com/">Book Dweeb's blog</a>:<br />___________________________<br /><cite>kawzmikgirl</cite> Says: <br /> <small class="commentmetadata"><a href="http://bookdweeb.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-battle-of-the-labyrinth-by-rick-riordan-may-6-2008/#comment-159" title="">Apr 8, 2008 at 11:04 pm</a> </small> <p>Is this series REALLY worth my time? LOL No, but really. Is it good? </p> <p>Team Edward!<br />---------<br /></p> <cite>Book Dweeb</cite> Says: <br /> <small class="commentmetadata"><a href="http://bookdweeb.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-battle-of-the-labyrinth-by-rick-riordan-may-6-2008/#comment-160" title="">Apr 8, 2008 at 11:41 pm</a> </small> <p>You HAVE to check out this series if:</p> <p>a. you like mythology at all<br />b. you like funny things<br />c. you are breathing</p> <p>So, yeah, it is REALLY worth your time.</p> <p>Oh, and…Team Jacob!<br />_____________________________<br /></p> That was back in May when the book came out. I think it's so funny how the Twilight series unites readers everywhere...<br />I love Book Dweeb's blog, his/her critiques are informative yet succinct, telling me what I want to know. For instance, the next book I check out will be "Dragon Slippers" by Jessica Day George, a recent post. :)<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Summary of Battle of the Labyrinth: “Even Camp Half-Blood isn’t safe, as Kronos’s army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth — a sprawling underground world with surprises and danger at every turn. Along the way Percy will confront powerful enemies, find out the truth about the lost god Pan, and face the Titan lord Kronos’s most terrible secret. The final war begins . . . with the </span><strong style="font-style: italic;">Battle of the Labyrinth</strong><span style="font-style: italic;">.”</span>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-40214770545345175232008-08-16T08:26:00.003-05:002008-08-16T08:36:52.583-05:00NEA's Big Read: Top 100This was originally posted by Ginny over at http://bookiesandmilk.blogspot.com/. She has a really cool blog, you should check it out.<br />_____________________________________<br /><br />The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has an initiative you may have heard of called the Big Read. According to the Web site, its purpose is to "restore reading to the center of American culture." They estimate that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed.<br /><br />For fun, let's see how many of the top 100 books we've actually read. My list is below. How well did you do? Have you read more than 6?<br /><br />Here's what you do:<br /><br />1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.<br />2) Italicize those you own but haven't yet read.<br />3) Put a star by those you intend to read someday but don't own.<br /><br /><br />1 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen</span><br />2 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien</span><br />3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte<br />4 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Harry Potter series - JK Rowling</span><br />5 <span style="font-weight: bold;">To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee</span><br />6 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Bible</span><br />7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte*<br />8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell*<br />9 <span style="font-weight: bold;">His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman</span><br />10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens*<br />11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott*<br />12 <span style="font-style: italic;">Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy</span><br />13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller<br />14 Complete Works of Shakespeare<br />15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier<br />16 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien </span>(now why is this one separate from the other Tolkien series?)<br />17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks<br />18 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger</span><br />19 The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger<br />20 Middlemarch - George Eliot<br />21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell<br />22 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald</span><br />23 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Bleak House - Charles Dickens</span><br />24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy<br />25 The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams*<br />26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh<br />27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky<br />28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck*<br />29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll<br />30 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame</span><br />31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy*<br />32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens<br />33 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis</span><br />34 Emma - Jane Austen<br />35 Persuasion - Jane Austen<br />36 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis</span><br />37 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini</span><br />38 Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres<br />39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden*<br />40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne<br />41 Animal Farm - George Orwell<br />42 <span style="font-style: italic;">The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown</span>*<br />43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins<br />46 <span style="font-style: italic;">Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery</span><br />47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy<br />48 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood </span>worst. book. ever.<br />49 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lord of the Flies - William Golding</span><br />50 Atonement - Ian McEwan*<br />52 <span style="font-style: italic;">Dune - Frank Herbert</span><br />53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons<br />54 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen</span><br />55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth<br />56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon<br />57 <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens</span><br />58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley*<br />59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon*<br />60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck*<br />62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov<br />63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt<br />64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold<br />65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas<br />66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac<br />67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy<br />68 Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding<br />69 Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie<br />70 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Moby Dick - Herman Melville</span><br />71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens<br />72 Dracula - Bram Stoker<br />73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett<br />74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson<br />75 Ulysses - James Joyce<br />76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath<br />77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome<br />78 Germinal - Emile Zola<br />79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray<br />80 Possession - AS Byatt<br />81 <span style="font-weight: bold;">A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens</span><br />82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell<br />83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker<br />84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro<br />85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert<br />86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry<br />87 Charlotte's Web - EB White*<br />88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom*<br />89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle*<br />90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton<br />91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad<br />92 <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery</span><br />93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks<br />94 <span style="font-weight: bold;">Watership Down - Richard Adams</span><br />95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole<br />96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute<br />97 <span style="font-style: italic;">The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas</span><br />98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare<br />99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl<br />100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo<br /><br />So I've read 22. Need to get on that...Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-48502884700178652222008-08-02T10:00:00.004-05:002008-09-01T11:43:49.918-05:00Book release party: Breaking Dawn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/151/e/8/Breaking_Dawn_Cover_by_TranquilitySurreil.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://fc06.deviantart.com/fs27/f/2008/151/e/8/Breaking_Dawn_Cover_by_TranquilitySurreil.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's here! The fourth book in the series by Stephenie Meyer, completing the story of Bella and Edward.<br /><br />I went to the Borders Release Party last night, it was very fun. Borders is always a rockin' place, but packed with 100 Twilight fans? Heck ya! There was a book discussion forum, a style show, and they showed previews of the upcoming Twilight movie. The costumes weren't nearly as showy as the Harry Potter crowd, but some of the t-shirts were top notch and one group dressed up as the Volturi (nice one).<br /><br />It started at 9:30. At midnight came the actual book release. Everyone that pre-ordered got a wristband with a number, and people stood in line in groups of 50s. The Borders staff really handled it well and shockingly had the first 200 copies out in about 20 minutes!<br /><br />So if you've never been to a release party before, grab some friends and go! They are a blast.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-81742446571221867652008-07-21T11:15:00.006-05:002008-09-01T12:43:05.693-05:00A Mango-Shaped Space<span style="font-weight: bold;">A Mango-Shaped Space</span><br />by Wendy Mass<br /><br />A children's book about the struggles of a girl with synesthesia. Here is an interesting conversation about the book and the condition in general (notice that the author Wendy Mass piped in to the discussion):<br />http://science-professor.blogspot.com/2007/07/synesthetics.html<br /><br />In any case, this book is a good read for an insider's view of synesthesia and what it would be like to have it. The author did extensive research to provide a good picture to the reader.<br /><br />Wendy Mass' website on the book: http://www.wendymass.com/mass-mango.htmKathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-80313814429544319552008-07-21T10:45:00.002-05:002008-08-09T18:24:34.994-05:00Crispin: At the Edge of the World<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n38/n190596.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n38/n190596.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Crispin: At the Edge of the World</span><br />by Avi<br /><br />Oh my goodness. Could this book be any more unfortunate? So depressing! How did the decision get made to kill off Bear, Crispin's one link to reality on earth? And this book felt like one giant segue; they talk about going to the 'edge of the world' and then in the very last few paragraphs, "Well, I guess we're going to the edge of the world." Like that wasn't already determined... can we get to some substance to match the title already?<br /><br />What this book does have are good glimpses of life in the olden days of England. That part was very interesting, talking about the different regions, how people move around, the conflicts with France.<br /><br />Maybe the last book will wrap everything up and actually make sense.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-62191437821359910512008-06-17T13:48:00.003-05:002008-07-21T13:57:57.774-05:00SAT Book List<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">SAT Book List</span><br /><br />I'm a college-bound almost-senior, so my next and final SAT on October 4th is weighing heavily on my mind. For all you other 2400 hopefuls out there, here is a list of good books to read in preparation. Of course as I read them they will appear on this blog with a review and a yay/nay for enjoyment/helpfulness. In the meantime, enjoy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Analyses</span><br />A Brief History of Time -- Stephen Hawking<br />QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter -- Richard P. Feynman<br />The Mismeasure of Man -- Stephen Jay Gould<br />The Lives of a Cell -- Lewis Thomas<br />The Republic -- Plato<br />Democracy in America -- Alexis DeTocqueville<br />Civilization and Its Discontents -- Sigmond Freud<br />The Language Instinct -- Steven Pinker<br />How the Mind Works -- Steven Pinker<br /> (Seen in a review from Amazon.com: "If <i>How the Mind Works</i> were a rock show, tickets would be scalped for $100.")<br />A People's History of the US -- Howard Zinn<br />Freakonomics -- Stephen Levitt & Steven Dubner<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Narratives</span><br />Crime and Punishment -- Fyodor Dostoevsky<br />The Metamorphosis & Other Stories -- Franz Kafka<br />Narratives of the Life of Frederick Douglas<br />Life of Pi -- Yann Martel<br />The Color Purple -- Alice Walker<br />Atlas Shrugged -- Ayn Rand<br />Frankenstein -- Mary Shelley<br />Pride and Prejudice -- Jane Austen<br />Baby, It's Cold Inside -- S. J. Perelman<br />Best American Short Stories of the Century -- John Updike<br />Growing Up -- Russell Baker<br />The Wall -- John Hersey<br />Candide -- Voltaire<br />Macbeth -- William Shakespeare<br />The Painted Bird -- Jerzy Kosinski<br />One Hundred Years of Solitude -- Gabriel García Márquez<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Arguments</span><br />The Chomsky Reader -- Chomsky<br />The World is Flat -- Friedman<br />Drift and Mastery -- Lippmann<br />The Best American Essays -- Atwan<br />Walden -- Thoreau<br />Lanterns & Lances -- Thurber<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">> plus other media:</span><br />The Op-Ed pages of the New York Times<br />The Nation<br />Scientific American<br />Essays in Harper's, Atlantic Monthly, and the New Yorker<br />Sunday Magazine<br /><br />More ways to prepare:<br />Talk to smart adults and friends with good vocabularies<br />Read college-level books<br />Watch documentaries<br />Listen to National Public Radio<br />~ try out new words on your own<br />~ get a dictionary with pronunciation and etymology<br /><br />And lastly, don't forget to practice writing essays. You only have 25 minutes to 'present and support a point of view on a specific issue' as well as you can.<br /><br />Go to the College Board site for even more info:<br />http://www.collegeboard.com/Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-88535722969829047822008-06-17T13:47:00.009-05:002008-08-09T17:56:43.963-05:00Sabriel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://static.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/gems/booknook/sabriel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://static.hcrhs.k12.nj.us/gems/booknook/sabriel.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sabriel • Lirael</span><br />by Garth Nix<br /><br />Wow, quite a series. I love this style so much better than Garth Nix's other series, <span style="font-style: italic;">Keys of the Kingdom</span>.<br /><br />One day I sat down at the library with his <span style="font-style: italic;">Across the Wall</span> - a collection of short stories that he has jotted down over the years. It was a neat read, almost like meeting the author in person. The 'interactive narrative' was a blast, I was cracking up the whole way and it brought me back to Paris with scenes of the Seine and Three Musketeer-ness. One of my favorite stories was the one about the gardner and the king who kept taking his roses. Interesting how such a powerful feeling can be produced in such a short passage.<br /><br />Can't wait to read the next one!Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-8645484318862819502008-06-17T13:47:00.008-05:002008-08-09T17:35:41.067-05:00Gregor the Overlandor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/%7B7D0773FA-A871-46B8-A47B-6CD7C4F212C6%7DImg100.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-100/1191-1/%7B7D0773FA-A871-46B8-A47B-6CD7C4F212C6%7DImg100.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0439678137.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0439678137.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Gregor the Overlander</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane<br /></span>by Suzanne Collins<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span>Worth reading. It is for a little bit younger audience but I still enjoyed it very much. The author describes it as her New York version of Alice in Wonderland. She has created a fascinating world full of danger but also hope.<br /><br /><br /></span>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-5980870305815947602008-06-02T18:21:00.003-05:002008-08-09T17:25:19.134-05:00The Host<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SKEVjxuLL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SKEVjxuLL.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Host</span><br />by Stephenie Meyer<br /><br />Eeep! Just finished it; the ending is like being hurled from a giant catapult, a crazily spinning carousel with the colors brightening each moment. Awesome.<br /><br />My only, tiny, inconsequential, and petty qualms: First, I liked Melanie's body better. Sorry, I can't help it. I don't think Meyer was totally enthused about it either; she pointed out quite a bit of difficulties. But it wasn't what I imagined in my head for the wonderful Wanderer. Still, I find that character description intriguing. A small, very small 17 year old with a silverish palor to her skin, golden specks or freckles, and long golden hair? and I quote Meyer (should be doing this more often) page 603: "The skin on the face had the same silver undertone -- silver like moonlight -- as the hand did, with another handful of the golden freckles across the bridge of the nose. Wide gray eyes, the silver of the soul shimmering faintly behind the soft color, framed by tangled golden lashes. Pale behind them. A dimple in the chin. And everywhere, everywhere, golden, waving hair that stood away from my face in a bright halo and fell below where the mirror showed." also page 603, "this half-child with her moonlight face and sunlight hair."Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-92059420212651261102008-05-23T22:05:00.002-05:002008-08-06T11:01:27.875-05:00The Pocket Book of O. Henry Stories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c0/c3507.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/c0/c3507.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">O. Henry Stories</span><br />by (real name) William Sidney Porter<br /><br />I have a warm place in my heart for O. Henry StoriesKathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-47271754226187586632008-05-23T21:59:00.004-05:002008-07-29T19:10:48.436-05:00This Lullaby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n32/n164668.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n32/n164668.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This Lullaby</span><br />by Sarah Dessen<br /><br />Great! I heard that Dessen is a really good author, and I'll have to agree. I'll definitely be reading the rest of her books. The ending isn't quite my style but it works.<br /><br />I love the main character's name, Remy. So cool. Maybe not to be named after an alcoholic beverage (namely rum), but cool sounding and distinctive.<br /><br />My all time favorite part: when Dexter finds the silverware in Remy's car. That is the best.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">This lullaby is only a few words,</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">A simple run of chords</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Quiet here in this spare room</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">But you can hear it, hear it</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Wherever you may go</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Even if I let you down</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">This lullaby plays on . . .</span>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-34614891149669197222008-05-17T18:08:00.009-05:002008-07-20T11:10:05.064-05:00Son of the Mob<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba04/sonmob.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba04/sonmob.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Son of the Mob<br />+ Hollywood Hustle</span><br />by Gordon Korman<br /><br />Loved it. I accidentally read the second one before the first, but it turned out okay, maybe even <span style="font-style: italic;">better</span> for this series.<br /><br />I was so proud of myself when I guessed almost immediately that Ray was the 'inside man'. And it was nice how for a change the main character got it, not so much beating around the bush. The resolution was cool, I was freaking out when he pulled the gun on Vince, but then his good character pulled through.<br /><br />That really stinks how Vince's problem was so bad that he had to quit the football team.<br /><br />My favorite parts of this book: when Vince tells his dad at the end that he's going out with Agent Bite-Me's daughter, how Kendra and Vince are so perfect for each other, and at the end of the year when Vince knows he'll get an A in the class, he tells Mr. Mullinicks, "That's your problem."Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-12598608197152614142008-05-13T16:08:00.005-05:002008-05-14T16:06:40.881-05:00Recommended Summer Book List<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/LawBooks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/LawBooks.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />Recommended Summer Book List</span><br />by Mrs. in den Bosch and Mr. Kip Hepfinger<br /><br />Here are the books recommended for students enterring AP English/British Literature next year. The starred ones are the ones I want to read.<br /><br />The Namesake -- Jhumpa Lahiri<br />Angela's Ashes -- Frank McCourt<br />Disgrace -- J.M. Coetzee<br />* Girl with a Pearl Earring -- Tracy Chevalier<br />The Good Earth -- Pearl S. Buck<br />* Atonement -- Ian McEwan<br />* Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close -- Jonathan Safron Foer<br />* Namako: Sea Cucumber -- Linda Watanabe McFerrin<br />* Dreaming in Cuban -- Cristina Garcia<br />* Snow Falling on Cedars -- David Guterson<br />* Peace Like a River -- Leif Enger<br />The Jungle -- Upton Sinclair<br />* All the Pretty Horses -- Cormac McCarthy<br />Night -- Elie Weisel<br />Been Trees -- Barbara Kingsolver<br />Animal Dreams -- Barbara Kingsolver<br />* In the Lake of the Woods -- Tim O'Brien<br />* Bel Canto -- Ann Patchett<br />My Sister's Keeper -- Jodi Picoult<br />The Lovely Bones -- Alice Sebold<br />The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini<br />The Curious Incident of the Dog in Nighttime -- Mark Haddon<br />Nectar in a Sieve -- Kamala Markandaya<br />* The Tortilla Curtain -- T. Coraghessan Boyle<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vforteachers.com/images/Stack%20of%20books%20leatherbound.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.vforteachers.com/images/Stack%20of%20books%20leatherbound.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-13892250396017647962008-05-06T20:31:00.005-05:002008-05-20T18:23:44.322-05:00Catcher in the Rye<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.cubra.nl/avati/jamesavatiimages/salingercatcher.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.cubra.nl/avati/jamesavatiimages/salingercatcher.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Catcher in the Rye</span><br />by J.D. Salinger<br /><br />The classic 'required English 11' reading, controversy included. I don't quite get the ending yet, he says he wishes he wouldn't have told the story because now he misses people? What? Oh well. I'm glad he finally got help and will hopefully return to school the next semester with a better outlook.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-83567208105748585462008-05-03T16:45:00.006-05:002008-05-06T16:39:55.747-05:00Catch<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/9820000/9828847.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/9820000/9828847.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Catch</span><br />by Will Leitch<br /><br />Well, I liked it. Can't say I loved it, it's too much like real life. I think it is a very good examination of the whole college conveyer belt (to quote Rori Gilmore). Tim is just <span style="font-style: italic;">going</span> to college. It's just a fact. But then he really starts to look at it, from the college visit to his plan with Helena to thinking that he might not go, it's important to look something over like that from all angles before jumping in.<br /><br />It almost killed me when Helena said she never cared about Tim. I'm glad she got a happy ending too. And that Doug will get better. That would be so hard to deal with, the disappointment, the loss, the frustration.<br /><br />About that 'small' Illinois town Mattoon, I've never even seen that much beer in my life. P.S. to the author, Will Leitch, 10,000 people is moderately small, but barely. I live near a town of 100, a town of 300, a town of 3000, and another of 8000. Ten thousand seems pretty big to me. But totally kudos for writing about your homotown. That would take a lot of guts. I wonder what they thought, how they responded. I remember reading about the response James Herriot got from his books, his boss didn't like how he was portrayed am I think it ruined their relationship.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-51889864170211679602008-03-22T16:50:00.003-05:002008-05-06T16:59:29.602-05:00Peaches<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/0/9780060733070.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://cdn.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/0/9780060733070.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Peaches</span><div>Jodi Lynn Anderson<br /><br />I almost didn't finish this one. I started reading it then actually got so sick of it I had to forget it for a week or two before I could stomach picking it up again. But then it got really good. Maybe it was me, maybe the beginning just has to be gotten through. A little part of the problem was that I was very confused, with the rapid flahsbacks and no prior knowledge to support it, and then the descriptions of people without a background or a setting, my mind just didn't know where to place the people and events, it really doesn't like things floating around in ether. (And maybe it was just my speed reading getting away from me. Oftentimes it takes the reins and I fly through about 3 chapters in a beautiful whirlwind that leaves gaping holes in detail.)<br /><br />After that though things were awesome. I loved the scenery, the comraderie, the melodie. The peach orchard was beautiful, the hot days relished by me reading this in a foot of snow, the coming together (however slowly) of the friends fulfilling.<br /><br />But one other thing, the whole Rex issue, I never got it. How he meets Murphy and looks at her funny, his face moving weirdly like he can't put his finger on it, what is that about? Murphy might've felt something stirring too, but it wasn't mentioned in the text, so it was very confusing. Or maybe she was surpressing her feelings for her friend. And then at the end of the book he comes and talks to her, it is all 'let me be your worshipper I'm blinded by love' kind of. Eck. I don't know.<br /><br />I don't know if I want to read the sequel or not. Who knows, maybe it will be even better.<br /></div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-49072645182755378942008-03-15T20:25:00.006-05:002008-05-13T16:32:53.656-05:00Alex Rider Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n10/n54646.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n10/n54646.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Stormbreaker.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/95/Stormbreaker.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Stormbreaker • Point Blanc</span><div>by Anthony Horowitz<br /><br />These books were recommended to me by a friend. I liked them okay, it was a quick read. My problem was they seemed to have a total lack of <span style="font-style: italic;">emotion</span> for the reader. I would read a really exciting part and hardly know what was going on because I wasn't totally in the story like I can with most books. But, maybe it's just me.<br /><br /><br />The author does really know his stuff in some of the technical areas and the plots and settings are interesting. One thing I didn't like was the ending of Point Blanc where his clone lured him to the school (of all places) and wants to kill him. Ok what ever.<br /><br /></div><div> </div><div> </div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-83795134091478142812008-03-03T21:26:00.010-06:002008-03-14T19:38:14.161-05:00Jinx<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.girlslife.com/g-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/jinxhc.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.girlslife.com/g-blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/jinxhc.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Jinx</span><div>by Meg Cabot</div><div><br /></div><div>It's lovely how Jinx gets a chance to live with her Aunt and Uncle and start over fresh in their fairy tale New York world.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>If I hadn't read the Mediator series before picking up this book by Meg Cabot, I would have thought a whole different person was also writing under that name. It is in a way like Princess Diaries and in a way like the Mediators (the witch aspect especially).</div><div><br /></div><div>I didn't like how Jinx was shunning her witch side and how at the beginning there was only shoddy mention of the real reason (probably meant to keep the reader guessing) and the subject was turbid throughout the rest of the book.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was glad of Zach's response after the disaster at the Winter formal, and the jumping over the rose covered wall was so marvelous.</div><div><br /></div><div>Her cousin Torrance was scary, kind of over done/fake, same with her friends. The talk of Iowa and her other home and family greatly irked me. I think Meg Cabot needs to visit the state a little more.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall I very much liked the details, scenery, and characters, but the thought of the main character, dialogue, and especially development was lacking.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div></div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-47607985922433600152008-03-02T18:06:00.009-06:002008-03-03T21:30:22.381-06:00Boy Proof<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://home.earthlink.net/~seaskull/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/boyproof.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://home.earthlink.net/~seaskull/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/boyproof.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><b>Boy Proof</b><br />by Cecil Castellucci<br /><br />Very interesting. Il a beaucoup des idées interessantes.<div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Some of the concepts mentioned by Max and Victoria are amazingly poignant.</div><div><br /><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I loved how it was set in Hollywood. That would be a whole different world, all those things going on, all those different people. I loved how her hero Zach/Uno was good at Trig. I can't believe some of those people though, her guidance counselor asking her mom for an autograph? Eugh. I was really glad for her mom though when she got back into acting and had all those great positions and stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>That would have been really horrible to have everyone ignore you like that, and I can't believe they carried it out as long as they did. Like two <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">months</span> I think! But, on the other hand, she was just that horrible to them, and it might have taken something that drastic to knock some sense into her.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Another person that needed some sense knocked into them was Egg's dad. What a jerk! One should be able to contain one's anger once in a while. Oh, I'm going to explode at you because you talked to me. So there! I hate how Egg thinks it's perfectly okay. I understand personal space, and not disturbing people, but that is way extreme.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And I can't believe she let the Valedictorian slip away from her like that. I guess it's a good thing, she was an over-achiever and needed to realize that there is more to life.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I don't know that 'Boy Proof' is a good title. It is not a novel solely about how Victoria is boy proof, it is more of a story about how she doesn't <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">need </span>anyone else. I would have called it 'Hailing from Planet Egg' or something like that that ties in the science fiction aspect.<br /></div></div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-41360424311468246612008-02-26T16:38:00.004-06:002008-03-03T18:07:26.590-06:00The Mediator Series<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cdn.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/7/9780060751647.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://cdn.harpercollins.com/harperimages/isbn/large/7/9780060751647.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><b>The Mediator</b><br />by Meg Cabot<br /><br />Shadowland • Ninth Key • Reunion • Darkest Hour • Haunted • Twilight<br /><br />Loved it. Book one was amazing, with the descriptions, her coming and settling in to California (it is the middle of winter and believe me I really wished I was on that beach with her! 70° there right now) That area, Carmel, sounds amazing. (And they have a <i>really</i> nice website.) On two of our family vacations to CA we came in to San Jose airport, it was like déja vu.<br /><br />I loved Jesse. How amazing would that be, to have a totally hot guy with a Spanish accent as a friend and confidant? Oh my gosh and the ending! I'm so, so SO glad that he lived and they can go on together and she didn't have to lose her true love like poor Father Dominic! That was neat the part about Susannah saying maybe it wasn't his time to die, as is willing to give him up, but really it meant that he was meant for another time, to be with her! Kudos to Meg Cabot, I was panicking, I couldn't see any good way for that to end up as I was reading it. That was an amazing solution.<br /><br />My favorite book of the series was probably Twilight or Darkest Hour.<br /><br />I didn't like how frustratingly immature Suze was sometimes. Also, some parts of it were actually really scary! Like when she was supposedly 'kicking ghost butt' but really getting the crap beat out of her (especially books 1 and 3) and the parts with Paul and going up into the hallway, plus the nightmares afterwards.<div><br /></div><div>One thing I still don't get, how does the thing where Suze can 'call' people work? Because if it happened every time she thought of someone, i.e. Jesse, they would be around a lot more. Maybe Meg Cabot will resolve this in another book, I saw on her diary blog that she might not be done writing this series, but says that she and Suze need a break. Yay!!</div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-289449281863319252008-02-26T16:28:00.005-06:002008-03-02T21:39:45.398-06:00Clean upMmkay, found my password, now I can post again!<br /><br />I just realized in retrospect how little French I have included. Alors, ce ne vas pas continuer. Il y aura du français de temps en temps!<br />And I'll chuck in a FreeRice word once in a while. fallacious = illogical (maybe two!) albedo = whiteness<br /><br />I am going to be a lot more flexible with what I include and get a new blog skin already, ay caramba this one is annoying!<div><br /></div><div>*Note to self: host my own images from now on. . . eugh so much more work. . . but so worth it and actually the right thing to do. ;)</div>Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-53198796562331498612007-12-05T18:07:00.005-06:002008-03-02T21:33:58.097-06:00Forgot some...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.biblio.org/ellington/iwasanonblondecheerleadercover.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.biblio.org/ellington/iwasanonblondecheerleadercover.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><b>The Dragon series</b><br />by Donita K. Paul<br /><br />I'm on the fourth and final one. I don't know what to think of the huge leap between #3 and #4, (in three years Bardon and Kale got married and have been living in the Bogs) but otherwise I'm excited for this last book.<br /><br />In general Donita K. Paul has very good, fresh ideas but I cannot relate to the characters at all, they have no individuality. Also sometimes the rhythm isn't quite on, like the scene will completely change with out my noticing it. But still, very good books.<br /><br /><b>I was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader</b> - Loved it! So light and warm-hearted, I like how the characters sortof/mostly come together in the end. I also love Daniel, he's so cool.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-4729363200176127842007-12-02T21:48:00.001-06:002008-03-02T21:37:40.362-06:00The Stone Light and many others<a href="http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/may_deadline.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.sarahmillerbooks.com/may_deadline.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I'm back! Finally figured out my password and login and such. I've read some super books in the mean time. Some of my favorites (at least the ones I can remember):<br /><b>The Water Mirror</b> -- really good, love the ideas, wish I could read it in the original German though. Cant wait to finish the series.<br /><b>Cast Two Shadows</b> -- very good, liked it even better than the author's A Girl in Blue, did a book report on it<br /><b>Deadline</b> -- by Chris Crutcher. Life changing book. Unbelievably good.<br /><b>Dairy Queen</b> -- Catherine Murdock. Also amazing, and also about football. And there's a sequel! 'Off Season' I think.<br /><b>Stormbreaker</b> -- very nice action book, but I was looking for more emotion<br /><b>Eclipse</b> -- great 3rd book, almost died at the end because I thought there weren't going to be any sequels. The part about Jacob is very controversial, I didn't want Bella to like him at all, but I see what Meyers/Edward said about her healing and a part of her heart belonging to him. It's like in life, we go on and experience new things, there's no way it won't affect us.<br /><b>Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows</b> -- what can I say! Rowling said the epilogue was the only thing that kept her going sometimes, and I know what she means. It was wonderful, except for the 'Albus Severus' part. I agree that that is a lousy name (although well intentioned). The 7th book felt like it was a whole different style/voice, but I guess things are bound to be different without our beloved hoggy Hogwarts. I still don't understand some parts of it, and am not satisfied in some respects, but it was very good.<br /><b>In the Belly of the Bloodhound</b> -- good, also different; not as much of the high seas-salty-air-ness that is so fun. But what a cliffhanger ending! I wanted to read the next book so badly.<br /><br />Well there are tonnes and tonnes more but I also have a paper to write. Tally ho!Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1843803538045031687.post-88707351194474635902007-07-17T10:48:00.000-05:002007-07-17T10:58:38.948-05:00Total Lack of Determination and Effort<a href="http://www.cherwell.org/files/writers%20block.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.cherwell.org/files/writers%20block.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Yes, as you would notice, I'm experiencing a total lack of determination and effort. The past 8 book reviews were posted without a summary, any thought process whatsoever, and half the time, not even the correct picture. I guess you could credit this to burnout (or boredom) but maybe it's just plain laziness. And you know what the sad thing is? I don't think anyone ever reads this anyway, so it makes no difference whatsoever. In that respect I think it can be considered a colossal feat worthy of praise that I even manage to put up corresponding (if not correct) pictures for each and every book. And also, I can't even remember the books I read this month, last week, or even yesterday. But you will never know if I don't write about them anyway.<br /><br />So there.Kathy Andersenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01997433383624059949noreply@blogger.com0