Nothing to Envy : Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Fabulous book; highly recommended. (But what's up with the two glaring grammatical errors? Don't books have editors these days?)

The Autobiography of an Execution by David R. Dow

I did not like this book.

A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck

Steven was nice enough to send me a pre-publication copy; this is a wonderfully compelling little story. It would be great for a book group.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Not perfect but a good, quick read and very interesting in parts.

Catching Fire (Hunger Games Series #2) by Suzanne Collins

Am I allowed to say "meh" but to still be looking forward to the third book coming out?

Traitor to His Class : The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt by H. W. Brands

I loved this. (It was made even more special by the fact that this was an autographed copy that my dad gave me for Christmas.)

Matilda by Roald Dahl

I read this to Truman. I didn't care for it; I thought the adults were just way too mean to the kids. It hurt my heart to read it.

The Chosen by Chaim Potok

I read this for book group and really enjoyed it. (I also enjoyed understanding all of the Hebrew words in it!) The writing is so unadorned and yet enjoyable and there are so many fascinating themes here--can't wait to discuss it. (Note: I read this in junior high and did not remember a word of it. And I think the themes are wasted on a kid. I was thinking of having Simon read it next year when we do modern history, but I won't.)

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

A pre-read for Simon; I think this is the best YA historical fiction I have read. Why? An exciting story, great historical detail (including non-fiction chapter epigraphs), and a compelling exploration of the irony of colonies fighting for freedom when 20% of their population was enslaved. Highly recommended.

Woodrow Wilson : A Biography by John Milton Cooper

This was very dull; I don't think I would have finished it if it weren't a book group book.

How to Be Good by Nick Hornby

Started out really strong and then fell apart.

Parenting the Hurt Child : Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow by Gregory C Keck

Meh.

The Periodic Table : Elements with Style! by Adrian Dingle

I read this out loud to the boys; I thought it was middling but they loved it.

Stowaway by Karen Hesse

A preread for Simon. I thought it was excellent. I won't write down discussion questions since the book includes some. Another possible activity: since the book consists of diary entries with longitude and latitude given, it would be fun to plot the journey on a map as you read.

Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh

I read this out loud to the boys. It is a very short, very simple book that would be good for 4-7 year olds.

Summer for the Gods : The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate over Science and Religion by Edward J. Larson

Disappointing.

The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

I really enjoyed this book, even though I think Wolfe's writing style is right on the boundary between charming and annoying.

BTW, this is my 500th post.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This was excellent.

Fordlandia : The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin

This book made just about every "Best of 2009" list. I have no idea why.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

I read this out loud to the boys. It is way funnier than any adaptation! The language is a little dense for young kids, however.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

The more that I think about this book, the more I like it. Not only is it a shocking story well-told, but it provides an excellent case study as to why our justice system has the protections that it does. Recommended.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

I guess this was kind of lame, but I enjoyed reading it.

Adopting the Hurt Child : Hope for Families with Special-Needs Kids by Gregory C Keck

I really liked this; I prefer it to Gray's books.

Manhunt : The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

Above average but not extraordinary.

Nurturing Adoptions : Creating Resilience after Neglect and Trauma by Deborah D. Gray

Meh.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

I read this to Truman; it is a very sweet and funny book.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

I read this to the boys; I thought it was middling.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

I adored this book. (But I wish it had been a little less vulgar.)

City of Light by Lauren Belfer

This is one of the very best novels I have ever read. Highly recommended.

Calico Bush by Rachel Field

A pre-read for Simon; this is a lovely book. Usually I write discussion questions, but this book doesn't really lend itself to that--it is more experiential. (Kinda reminded me of Little House in that way.)

Attaching in Adoption : Practical Tools for Today's Parents by Deborah D. Gray

I think I liked this; won't really know until I have a chance to field test the ideas.

A captivating book with a disappointing ending.

Open House by Elizabeth Berg

Aw, this was unusually good fluff; every inch of it an Oprah book.

The End of Overeating : Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David A. Kessler

I had the same reaction to this book that I had to Supersize Me: all of this talk about food is making me hungry!

More seriously, I had been hearing about this book for months and it was a huge disappointment. Kessler seems shocked--simply shocked!--that companies deliberately put lots of salt, fat, and sugar into food in order to encourage people to overeat.

Well. Imagine that.

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.