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.

It's All Too Much : An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh

I'm pretty organized and clutter-free, but this book made me want to PURGE.

The Revolution : A Manifesto by Ron Paul

I'm not sure if this was largely unpersuasive because the ideas are largely unpersuasive, or because Ron Paul isn't the person to do the persuading. Or because he was trying to keep it to a reasonable length. Or because he was only preaching to the choir.

Bury the Chains : Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire's Slaves by Adam Hochschild

meh

Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park

I read this to the boys; it was great.

Cross-X : The Amazing True Story of How the Most Unlikely Team from the Most Unlikely of Places Overcame Staggering Obstacles at Home and at School to

The author annoyed me, but the story was interesting.

I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson

I read this out loud to the boys. It bored me.

Triangle : The Fire that Changed America by David Von Drehle

This is the first good book I've read in a looooong time. I wish there was a word for the genre of history-ish books that take one pivotal event and trace all that led up to it (from the pogroms in Russian villages and agricultural disasters in Italy that resulted in specific young women working at this factory) and all that came from it (such as new safety laws). Recommended.

Spirit and Flesh : Life in a Fundamentalist Baptist Church by James M. Ault

The ethnographic parts of this book were a little dull, but his sociological discussions were fascinating--I've never heard a liberal describe conservative beliefs with such charity and clarity.

Proverbs by Tremper Longman

I liked this.

Psalms, vol. 3: Psalms 90-150 by John Goldingay

More of the same.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park

A pre-read for Simon; it was excellent.

Psalms, Vol. 2 : Psalms 42-89 by John Goldingay

Another title for my class. It is pretty good, but not exceptional.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

I read this to the boys. They absolutely loved it. I had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was very engaging and funny and it had a lot of historical detail in it. (We stopped frequently to talk more about daily life and customs of the middle ages, so that was a big plus.) On the other hand, there was a good bit of scatological humor, and I consider it my role to discourage--not contribute--to that. (Of course, the boys loved it.) Also, I had to edit out a little bawdiness from time to time.

The Geographer's Library by Jon Fasman

I didn't get this. What were all of those objects for?