The Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George

I don't normally blog about books that I don't finish, but in this case I read over 400 pages (which, incidentally, is less than half of the book) before I threw in the towel and I want some recognition.

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth

This was a pre-read for Simon and it is a wonderful, sweet (not saccharine) short novel. Great for part of a study of Buddhism.

I, Freddy (Golden Hamster Saga Series #1) by Dietlof Reiche

Derrick read this to us; it was good fluff.

The Story of Science : Aristotle Leads the Way by Joy Hakim

This was a pre-read for Simon for next year. I thought it was absolutely wonderful: a gorgeous book with incredible illustrations and the "story" of science. It did an amazing job of integrating not only science and history but also art, music, and math. This is truly a must-read for kids 10 and up and adults. The only thing that kept me from swooning was I sense an ever-so-slight anti-Christian bias (not to mention two pathetic errors related to the New Testament).

The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #4) by Rick Riordan

I read this to the boys; they loved it but I didn't think it was quite as inventive or funny as the previous books.

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Dh read this out loud and we all enjoyed it. I'm still thinking about what it meant. . .

The Know-It-All : One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World by A. J. Jacobs

Mildly amusing but a little tedious. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically is much better.

A Wind in the Door by Madeleine L'Engle

I didn't like this at all.

The Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert

Not only has Eustace Conway lived in a teepee for the past two decades, but he has made his own clothes. Out of the animals he has killed. Using deer tendons for thread. So I thought this book would be fascinating. I guess I expected details on how exactly one makes thread out of deer tendons. But there is none of that. There's . . . a lot about his bad relationship with his father. Etc. This was so boring I barely finished it.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This was excellent fluff: the paperback, when it comes out, will be the perfect beach book. I like the way Meyer hints at LDS worldview (not doctrine!) in her books and plays with it. (I also like Uncle Jeb, who is clearly your crazy Mormon uncle who likes Bo Gritz and makes obnoxious comments in Sunday School. He even uses the boiling frog story in the book!)

My Grandfather's Son : A Memoir by Clarence Thomas

Derrick and I listened to this. Thomas always sounds like Eeyore, no matter what he is talking about. But this was a good listen, an interesting story.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe : A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik

A very enjoyable, quick read. I always like medical memoirs.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

My husband read this out loud to the older boys and me. I didn't love the story, but I loved stitching while listening to him read. I thought the story was lame, actually.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves : The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss

I like the idea of someone who gets angry about punctuation.

Three more YA titles

I was making a list of books for a dear friend and I realized that I have forgotten to blog about a few books that I have read to the boys over the last little while; all are worth reading.



Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine




Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis



Incredible Journey by Sheila Every Burnford

The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series #3) by Rick Riordan

I had to read 100 pages out loud yesterday, but we finished this just in time to attend the release party of book #4 at BookPeople today--with Rick Riordan! The kids are so excited they can't stand it. I may be a little excited, too.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

So normally, I get completely engrossed in a novel and then am disappointed in the ending. This was different: the suspense was amazing and then the climax was fascinating and incredibly thought-provoking. There is a lot to discuss with this one but I don't want to give anything away. Someone please read this and then talk to me about it . . .

The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel

Boring. (And lots of typos.)

A Voyage Long and Strange : Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz

Horowitz's Confederates in the Attic
is one of my all-time favorite books and so I had been looking forward to this for months and it ended up being one big fat honking boring disappointment.