A Leaf In The Bitter Wind by Ting-Xing Ye

I almost didn't read this because I thought the title and the cover were cheesy, but it was a very good book. Of course, I'm not sure you can write a bad autobiography if you lived in Maoist China--there's too much good material. And this one even had a couple of very unexpected twists at the end. Recommended. (Other excellent books in this genre: Wild Swans and Life and Death in Shanghai.)

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

I read this to Truman. I think it is nearly perfect.

A sidenote: I used to wonder if I would detest rereading chapter books to my younger kids since I never re-read books on my own. I don't. I love it.

A final note: This is not the same cover as our book. I couldn't find that cover; it is the one I bought from Scholastic Books when I was in the first grade. I can remember taking this book on the boat when I was a kid. The spine is completely gone and the pages are loose.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This is the best novel that I have read since Brooks' People of the Book . . . The Help completely knocked my socks off. Go read it!

The Examination by Malcolm Bosse

This was a pre-read for Simon and it was excellent--a great plot and lots of wonderful detail about Chinese history and culture.

It occurred to me that I probably need to add a little detail to my pre-read reviews so I have more to work from when subsequent children read the book in future years. (I wish I had thought of this two years ago . . .)

--Before reading: Discuss Confucianism and the Chinese imperial exam system.
--Discuss: Differences and similarities between Hong and Chen.
--Discuss: What should they have done when they encountered the woman, her daughter, and the men starving in the village?
--Discuss: How did the principles of Confucianism impact the choices various people made in this book?
--Discuss: What were the advantages and disadvantages of the exam system for Chinese society?
--Discuss: What is your opinion of the choices that Hong made throughout the book and at the end of the book?

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

I listened to this with the boys; it was very good.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows

Very, very good.

Paradise Alley by Kevin Baker

As is usually the case with me, I was completely enthralled by a novel and utterly disappointed with its ending. Is it me--or is it novels? I rarely used to read novels but now turn to them when my reading time needs to be relatively fluffy to balance out my other projects. Maybe I just need to stick with fluffy non-fiction?

Story of Science : Newton at the Center by Joy Hakim

Simon will be reading this during this school year; I preread so I could write discussion questions. This series is fantastic (although slightly misnamed as there will be a separate series on geology and biology)--everyone should know the history of science and these books are physically beautiful and so interesting. I love the way she integrates art, politics, and science, as well as the personal life stories of the scientists. Highly recommended for 10+ and adults.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

I read this out loud to Truman; it was more delightful than I had remembered. (This particular book is the one that I bought from the Scholastic catalog when I was in the first grade.)

Curtain by Agatha Christie

meh

Flushed : How the Plumber Saved Civilization by W. Hodding Carter

Interesting.

Sudden Sea : The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti

I loved this. I didn't realize when I bought it that it was primarily about Rhode Island--it made me all nostalgic.

The David Story : A Translation with Commentary of One and Two Samuel by Robert Alter

I only read the 1 Samuel part. It was OK.

The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood

I listened to this with the boys. It was everything you could want in a YA historical novel: a great plot and lots of wonderful historical detail. Highly recommended.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

I really liked this. It would provide great discussion material for book groups.

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton De Trevino

I read this out loud to the boys. It was middling.

One Man's Castle : Clarence Darrow in Defense of the American Dream by Phyllis Vine

This was fabulous. Highly recommended.

The Widow's War by Sally Gunning

Started out very strong and then kind of limped to a close.

Confederacy of Silence : A True Tale of the New Old South by Richard Rubin

meh

1 Samuel (Word Biblical Commentary Series) by Ralph W. Klein

meh

Ink on His Fingers by Louise A. Vernon

This was a pre-read for Simon. I came at it with a grudge for two reasons:

(1) I've really soured on the "historical fiction with overt Christian emphasis" sub-sub-genre lately. These books get raves in homeschooling circles, but they are generally wooden, predictable, and moralistic. Ugh.

(2) I've OD'ed on the "historical fiction with a child as apprentice to a major historical figure" sub-sub-genre, perhaps because we've done The Second Mrs. Gionconda and I, Juan de Pareja in quick succession. I get that this is an obvious was to write YAL on an historical figure, but enough already!

But to my surprise, I like this book. The wooden-ness and cheap moralizing were there, but there is a scene which is positively brilliant: the child approaches all of the wealthy people in town to get money out of them to support Gutenburg and each one has a different reason for believing that printing will never catch on.

Little Children by Tom Perrotta

Good plot, good characterization, but too vulgar.

The Speckled Monster : A Historic Tale of Battling Smallpox by Jennifer Lee Carrell

This was excellent. Recommended.

The Beduins' Gazelle by Frances Temple

A pre-read for Simon. This was a great book--recommended for kids or as a read-aloud.

Ada Blackjack : A True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven

This was a good book. Had it been 100 pages shorter, it might have been a great book.

Dreams from My Father : A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

I was not expecting this to be so well-written, so interesting, so un-self-consciously non-political, so bawdy, or so racially-focused. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

All Souls : A Family Story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald

Mildly interesting.

Kaaterskill Falls by Allegra Goodman

Excellent characterization; no plot.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress : A Novel by Dai Sijie, Ina Rilke (Translator)

meh

Second Mrs. Gioconda by E.L. Konigsburg

I read this to the boys. I wasn't impressed.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

meh

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I think I liked this.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I was not real impressed with this.

Last Man Out : The Story of the Springhill Mine Disaster by Melissa Fay Greene

Moderately interesting.

The NIV Application Commentary: Proverbs by Paul E. Koptak

I didn't love this book, but it isn't easy to comment on Proverbs so my expectations may have been too high.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

I'd never read any Agatha Christie before this. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't anticipate the twist(s) at the end.

The Private Patient by P. D. James

I enjoyed reading this but found the conclusion vaguely unsatisfying.

Nixonland : The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America by Rick Perlstein

I'm just young enough to have spent my entire life hearing about The Checkers Speech, Spiro Agnew, and Hanoi Jane without knowing the details. I loved this book for filling in those gaps. I found the stories in it completely amazing. The author had, I think it is fair to say, an anti-Nixon bias, but I'd wager that that is a good bias to have. Highly recommended.

In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture by Alister Mcgrath

This was pretty good.

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

A pre-read for Simon. I thought this was an excellent book. (Although I'll probably have a conversation with him about the racist overtones in the depiction of the cannibals.)

Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli

A pre-read for Simon; good but not extraordinary.

An Inconvenient Wife by Megan Chance

This was a pretty good novel. And it would be good for book groups--lots of interesting topics to discuss.

World Without End by Ken Follett

I found myself increasingly annoyed with each page. It's like he forgot that these people lived in the Middle Ages--their sensibilities were almost entirely modern. There was actually a dialogue about a character's self-esteem. Ugh.

Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley

meh

No Way to Treat a First Lady : A Novel by Christopher Buckley

All of his books are goofy fun.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Completely engrossing.
Too vulgar in some places.
Somewhat soap-opera-ish.

Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

I read this to the boys; it was worth reading but not extraordinary.

The Vitality of Worship : A Commentary on the Book of Psalms by Robert Davidson

This was disappointing; I wish I had gotten Robert Alter's psalms commentary instead.

Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle

This was a pre-read for Simon. I liked it. It would also make a good read-aloud. But you'd probably want to either skip the preface or discuss the nineteenth century view of the "Dark Ages." In any case, a fun book.

Plain and Simple: A Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender

I liked this--it was a calm, simple book.