KINDLE 2.0

I am so in love with my new Kindle, V. 2.0 that there could not be enough snow days to satisfy me. For those not in the know, a Kindle is an electronic E-book reader which is available exclusively through Amazon.com. Essentially, you "order" a book through the Kindle store and within minutes the content is delivered to your reader. The Kindle is the size of a small paperback book, is extremely lightweight and user friendly. Bestsellers run about $9.99 for each title. Available content includes newspapers and blogs and many other applications. ( I just got mine this weekend so I am not a user expert). I do know that I can change the font so I can read without my glasses, bookmark text I find interesting and carry a whole library around with me in my bag. A book lovers dream.

Challenging, but enjoyable

Now, this is a book that is very hard for any high school student to read, at least for Wheatley. It ought to be described as "intellectual's prose" or something. It's called The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbary, translated from French by Alison Anderson. It's crammed full with vocabulary and also proper nouns.

Anyway, the plot focuses on two different people: Renee, a 54-year old concierge of an eight-apartment building for the rich, stating in her second journal entry: "I am a widow, I am short, ugly, and plump, I have bunions on my feet and, if I am to credit certain early mornings of sefl-inflicted disgust, the breath of a mammoth;" and then we have Paloma, an amazingly smart 12 1/2 year old girl occupying one of the apartments with her mother, diplomat father, and obnoxious sister (all whom she promptly cuts down to size), loves haiku poems, and plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday by setting her apartment on fire and taking an overdose of sleeping pills while no one is around.

Both characters share very intelllectual minds, embrace Japanese culture, keep closeted their superior minds over society, and write in journal entries social, artistic, theological, philosophical, and cultural criticisms and commentaries and finely detailed happenings in their building. When a new resident arrives, a Japanese gentlemen titled Monsieur Ozu, both persons' lives and plans are put into completely new environments in which they find themselves exposed and beginning to look at things anew.

I suppose this would be a read more for college students or something, but I was truly able to enjoy this book. Even though I refused to pull out a dictionary every time I came across unknown words, I was able to feel everything. It's funny, scornful, elightening, and also inspiring.

You can most definitely find this in Borders or Barnes & Nobles and Jo Beth recently brought it into the IMC. It has praise from numerous magazines and newspapers, national and foreign, and is oficially an international bestseller. I'd have to put this up as one of the greatest books I've ever read.

Dairy Queen

This is one terrific little book. DJ, a farm girl from Wisconsin, where cows and football rule, tells her story with a clear and humorous voice. She is a typical HS student with older brothers who were stars on the school football team. DJ also shares a passion for football, and all sports. Unfortunately, her father is no longer able to take care of the farm due to hip surgery, and all the work falls on DJ. A former track and basketball star, her dreams of team sports are lost due to the demanding schedule of running a farm. At the same time, Brian, the QB from the opposing school's football team, has come to Scwank farm to help DJ with the chores- by order of his coach. Neither Brian nor DJ are happy with this situation, but DJ could use the manpower and Brian is supposed to learn the meaning of work, or his coach will not let him play. Over the course of a summer, DJ and Brian work side by side, and eventually, come to help each other, and form a very unique relationship. DJ and Brian earn each others respect by being true and honest, but still being teenagers. DJ eventually takes on the role of Brain's trainer, and DJ decides to go out for the boys football team- I kid you not! The beauty of this book is the dialogue and characters- they are so endearing and true. I cannot wait to read the sequel The Off Season

BAA

The B.A.A. has selected Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro as our next "group read". Ishiguro's book is haunting, both in his subject matter and his writing style. As a reader, the story envelopes you - and you find yourself part of the unraveling truths that the main character discovers, as she reflects upon her years as a student in the cloistered world of Hailsham, a private school where studetns were always told they were "special". Now they are discovering what "special" really means. The B.A.A. welcomes new memebers- we meet Wednesdays after school. Stop by the IMC to pick up a copy.

SOOOO many books, so little time

Today the IMC received 266 NEW BOOKS- I was like a kid in a candy shop. Thanks to Daniella K. who helped, ( well, she did most of the work) select great Graphic Novels and Manga. Dr. Dillons 8th graders made some terrific suggestions during our last book talks, and some of those titles have come in-The Pretty Little Liars series, Pendragon series, Serafina 67 and others. Whatever your preference in reading is- there is something for you in the IMC-Come CHECK IT OUT! Literally.

Catching up on reading

The December break was a great time to catch up on some reading. I reread Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, and loved it as much the second time. The BAA selected The Art of Racing in the Rain as their next title and I blazed through that. The story of a family dealing with love and loss, told through the voice of the family dog. As a companion book, some of us have opted to read Marley and Me, and those who have read it sigh " oh, that is such a great book- and the movie was great too!" soooooooo I will read that next. I had been recommending The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society to so many and finally had the opportunity to read it myself. LOVED IT! The story unfolds in a series of letters between the main character, Juliet, and inhabitants of the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. The islanders recall their experiences during the German Occupation of WWII, and it is through their correspondence that both Juliet and I fell in love with them.
I am now reading Neil Gaimans' The Graveyard Book which has an unusual premise- a graveyard full of compassionate ghosts are raising a child. To paraphrase an famous quote "It take a whole graveyard to raise a child" Stop by the IMC and let me know what YOU are reading!

Goldengrove

I just finished Goldengrove by Francine Prose. I love that her last name is Prose. I often make a mental note of how certain people have last names that reflect a portion of their personality or life. The book is written from the perspective of Nico, a 13 year old girl who mourns the tragic death of her beloved and revered older sister Margaret. The novel dissects the grieving that Nico's family endures, and their coping mechanisms. Nico finds solace in confiding in Aaron, Margaret's boyfriend, who is also in deep pain. Nico finds herself comforted by Aaron, and eventually finds herself becoming emotionally involved with him. For his part, Aaron sees his dead girlfriends personality in Nico, and she is willing to go along with his charade, as she may just be in love with him. It is a story that captures you and does not let you go. The authors use of language draws you right into the moment. I felt as though I could talk to each of the characters. I would highly recommend this book, but for older readers.