The Sisters of Sinai : How Two Lady Adventurers Discovered the Hidden Gospels by Janet Soskice

meh

Stuart Little by E. B. White

I read this to Truman. Such a sweet story.

When Everything Changed : The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins

This book was pure awesomeness; I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a nonfiction title as much as I did this one. It is an incredible story, well told, with pitch-perfect anecdotes. Highly, highly recommended.

Digging to America by Anne Tyler

Nice fluff.

Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates

A pre-read for Simon. This was a middling book that, I think, has excellent discussion potential for 10-14 year-olds; as will be obvious from the questions, I think there are some troubling aspects to the attitude toward race presented in this book:

--Amos' experience of slavery is almost idyllic. What is your reaction to that? Is it wrong to present a very positive experience of slavery?

--What might be some of the advantages and disadvantages of the vendue system of caring for the poor?

--Was Violate wrong to bury the money? What do you think about how Amos and Violate solved their disagreement?

--Amos says, "it does a man no good to be free until he learns how to live" to explain his decision not to fight against those who captured him. This implies (or does it?) that he "learned how to live" while a slave. Is this accurate? Would he, as a young man in Africa, have thought that he didn't know how to live when he was a prince and therefore should be enslaved until he figured it out?

--Amos refers to Polly's poverty as a kind of slavery. Do you agree?

--Amos seems completely devoted to freeing women. Why?

--Amos responds humbly and patiently to racist insults. Was this the best policy?

--Would you have disbursed your money in the same way that Amos did?

--This book was written in 1950. In what ways do you think it reflects racial attitudes of that time?

The Making of a Mormon Apostle: The Story of Rudger Clawson by David S. Hoopes

This was very interesting: you just can't beat post-second-manifesto polygamy and mob murder.

Lies Across America : What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong by James W. Loewen

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

Interesting, and sad.

Pocahontas and the Strangers by Clyde Robert Bulla

This was a pre-read for Simon. I didn't like it at all. I couldn't tell if the writing was stilted in an effort to keep it simple or because it reflected the author's perception of what a story about Native Americans should read like, but in any case it felt like reading Dick and Jane.

I've had several strike-outs with Simon's books this year. I didn't get very far with Walk the World's Rim or The King's Fifth, either.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

You know, The DaVinci Code was at least entertainingly stupid, but this was just stupidly stupid.

A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla

I read this out loud to the boys. I thought it was mediocre but they seemed to like it.

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder

Wow. This book was superb. Highly recommended. (I also really liked his Mountains Beyond Mountains.)

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

I read this to Truman. meh.

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.