Let's Look at the Numbers...

Number wise, October was kind of a weird/interesting month for me.

First, my number of monthly posts (11) was pretty low. Ever since I took a loooong break from blogging over the summer, I've had some trouble getting back into the flow of posting regularly. However, I'm not super concerned about that. I never want Book Love to feel like work, so I am perfectly content to just blog when the mood strikes me.

Second, the total number of books I read this month (5) was extremely low! It was actually the fewest that I've read in one month so far this year (except January, also 5).

Third, the 5 books that I did finish were almost all much thicker than my usual reads, so I am guessing that my total page count (2,448) was pretty high in comparison with other months.

Finally, this is the first month where I've actually reviewed 100% of the books that I read.

Book Lovers, I'm curious: Do you keep track of any specific statistics in relation to your blog? Do you set reading and/or blogging goals for yourself? On the flip side, are there any stats that you just try to ignore?


Numbered teacup image from here!

Monsters of Men

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, Candlewick, 2010, 608 pp, ISBN: 0763647519

So the other night I was huddled up in my bathroom, crying my eyes out, a la Liz Gilbert in the opening chapter of Eat, Pray, Love. What major life crisis was I facing?

I had just finished Monsters of Men. 

OMG.

That book is amazing. At this point in the trilogy (book 3!), full on war had come to New Prentisstown. It was the Spackle vs. The Ask/the Mayor vs. The Answer/Mistress Coyle with Todd and Viola caught right in the middle. When Simone and Bradley arrived on a shuttle from Viola's ship, things only became more complicated. 

Patrick Ness is an absolute genius of a writer. I had thought that I hated the Mayor more than any other character of all time, but as the book progressed, I actually found myself feeling sympathetic toward him... and so did Todd! Who the Mayor had tried to kill about 37 times! 

Ness also added 1017 as a third narrator in the story. Hearing that third perspective made me look at the planet in a completely new way, and learning about "the voice" of the Land raised a number of questions: What is noise really? How can it be used? Can women get noise? What are the effects of taking it away? And beyond just the scope of this book, 1017 also made me re-examine the way that I look at language, war vs. peace, and assimilation in the real world. Patrick Ness is seriously brilliant.

Monsters of Men is completely unpredictable, but each new twist in the plot is written so skillfully that it is still completely believable. Todd and Viola are two of my all time favorite characters. They are flawed, idealistic, questioning, loyal, and brave. They make mistakes, but they never stop searching for the truth. Perhaps most of all, they love each other. At a time in YA literature where you can barely read two pages without stumbling over a love triangle, I absolutely love these two characters who just courageously, whole-heartedly love each other.

If you are looking for a book to fall in love with, read Monsters of Men! (and make sure that you read The Knife of Never Letting Go and The Ask and The Answer first)

Now my only question is, when are we going to get a Chaos Walking font book?

Going Bovine

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009, 496 pp, ISBN: 0385733976


- Mad Cow Disease

- A talking yard gnome

- Fire giants

- Starfighter: The most quoted movie ever (never thought I would say that about a movie not starring Will Ferrell)

- A pink haired, punk angel with spray-painted wings

- The Church of Everlasting Satisfaction and Snack N' Bowl

- Snowglobe killers

- An epic journey through space and across the country

Are you confused yet? Yup, I was too. Going Bovine was certainly unlike anything else I've ever read. I have to admit, the first chapter made me pretty skeptical about the remaining 490-ish pages. I just was not super interested a teenage-stoner-boy-narrator who swears a lot and specializes in apathy. However, I LOVE Libba Bray and I'm a pretty big fan of the Printz Award, so I kept reading.

Final verdict? While Going Bovine is not one of those books that I'm going to recommend to everyone I know, I can appreciate it for it is: amazingly creative, incredibly unique, and one that will you keep you guessing until the very last feather falls. For me, the ultimate message had a lot in common with William Wallace's famous quote: Every man dies, but not every man really lives. Cameron's journey was all about the importance of creating adventures and experiencing everything life has to offer.

Whether you've read Going Bovine or not, you have got to check out Libba Bray's website. It is absolutely fabulous! She has created links and pages for all of the strange and wonderful things from her books, like CESSNAB, the Copenhagen Interpretation, and even the Great Tremalo.

I love this lady.

What is the Opposite of a Hoarder?

Because that would probably be me. There is something about piles of clutter that just makes me feel very unsettled. Over the years I have developed a reputation among some of my friends as someone who loves to throw things away. For a while I actually thought I had thrown my college diploma away, but that is a whole other story...

So all of this being said, you would never have known that I was the anti-hoarder by looking at our guest bedroom. When I switched schools at the end of last year, I had to take everything from my classroom and move it into our guest room. You would think that all of that school-related-paraphenalia would now be happily residing in my new school, but my work space is still under construction. In the months since June, those once-organized piles have begun to take on lives of their own...

Last weekend I decided to finally take control. I actually filled 3 big shopping bags with books, and another bag with once-read magazines. Of course, these things are not trash! So where did I take them? The Book Thing.

The Book Thing is an amazing non-profit organization in Baltimore. You can drop off gently used books and magazines, or you can go there to pick up reading material for FREE. Yes, free. It's basically like GoodWill for readers... except free. I know a lot of teachers who visit every Saturday to pick up new material for their classroom libraries, and I got a great big smile on my face at the thought of all of the kiddos who will soon be reading my already-loved books.

Does your city have anything like The Book Thing? It is the best!

And in case you were wondering, here are the "After" shots of my (mostly) clutter free guest room:

Yup... those pesky little piles are still waiting for a new home in the soon-to-be ready library :) 

Happy Birthday to My Dad!

I have the best dad. I know a lot of people think that, but I really do.

Today is his birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

My dad and mom are 100% the reason why I love to read so much. I vividly remember evenings spent reading in the living room, on our blue and brown plaid couch, when I was growing up. My dad, mom, sister and I would all be engrossed in our different books (mine was probably either BSC or Sweet Valley) and my dad would look around and say, "Well, here we all are. The Wright Family Reading Society!" I hope I inspire that same love of good books in my own kids some day.

I love you, Dad!

The Hunger Games: Training Days

So, who knew that there was a Hunger Games board game?

Two of our favorite friends just bought the game and I got to go play a little while ago!

In case you were wondering, the game does not involve any actual combat or tracker-jackers or flaming costumes. Unfortunately.

It's kind of a betting game. You choose to be a tribute from a specific district and then you get specific abilities based on that persona. My only complaint in that area is that the tributes are all generic. I want to be Katniss! Not female tribute #12. I'm thinking that before I play again I need to take the Forever Young Adult "Find Your District" quiz so that I can be a little more purposeful in my choosing. Have you taken that quiz? If not, go do it! It's awesome. But I digress...

So in each round of the game, you use a combo of your tribute abilities and a roll of the dice to win different events and to make alliances. The more alliances you have, the more powerful you become - the more events you win, the higher your approval rating raises.

Eventually someone draws the "End of Day" card and you either win or you die. Or in my case, you tie. Either way... it's pretty exciting!

I miss Katniss. And Cinna. And Peeta and Gale. Can we get a book 4 or what?!

Outcasts United

Outcasts United by Warren St. John, Spiegel and Grau, 2009, 320 pp, ISBN: 0385522037

If you are looking for an inspiring read, look no further. Outcasts United is easily the best piece of nonfiction I've read this year.

As some of you may remember, I actually started reading Outcasts United a month ago. I had planned to finish it in a weekend, but for some reason I just could not get into the story. After the first couple of chapters I left it to gather dust on the bottom shelf of our coffee table.

Thankfully, a few teachers at the high school where I work expressed an interest in using the book with their students. I agreed to create some discussion questions for the class and to arrange for a few relevant speakers to come in and talk with the kiddos. Of course, I also had to finish reading the book myself... After only reading a few more chapters, I was 100% hooked.

Outcasts United is a story of war, resilience, community, prejudice, friendship, and hope.

It is a story of families coming together, from around the world, in a desperate attempt to find peace.

It is a story of a small community, comfortable in their status quo, who was forced to adapt to a rapidly changing world.

It is a story about one woman on a mission.

It is a story about soccer.

It is a story you need to read.

Clarkston, Georgia had been described as a "sleepy little town by the railroad tracks." When it became an official refugee resettlement center in the 1990s, that sleepy little town exploded in a riot of culture, color, and language as it filled with refugees from war zones around the world. When Coach Luma moved there from Jordan in search of personal freedom, she ended up finding a group of refugee children who needed her just as much as she ultimately needed them. Through the support of the refugee families and her own personal determination, a soccer team was born.

I honestly cannot remember the last time that I read a story that touched me so deeply. In order to truly do justice to the individual stories of the refugee families, author Warren St. John spent considerable time getting to know each family he wrote about - eating with them, visiting in their homes, and watching lots and lots of soccer. The portraits that he paints of each family's struggle to survive in their home country, and then again of their struggles in America, are alternately heart-breaking and hope-filled.

Coach Luma Mufleh is truly a force of nature. I have read of very few women with her courage and fortitude. She inspired me to be a better educator and a better human being. At the same time, her coaching partner Tracy Ediger spoke eloquently about the impact that Luma has had:

"Putting Luma on a pedestal is counterproductive. Luma is really a normal person doing what she can for the people around her. If people can look at her and see that, that she's human, not a saint or a super-hero, and that she doesn't - can't - do everything or effect miracles, then maybe they can say to themselves, 'I need to look around myself and see my neighborhood, and what is going on here and five streets over, and what I can do in terms of investing myself and my time, to be present for the people around me, and to do something positive for change in my community."

All I can really say is, I sincerely hope that you will read this book. It will change the way you look at the world. It will change the way you look at your neighbor. It will change you.

For more information:
- The Fugees
- Outcasts United
- One Maryland, One Book

Why I Love the Punks

A while back I learned about a fantastic blogger/artist from Brenna at Literary Musings. The artist's site is Stuff No One Told Me (but I learned anyway). Here is one of my favorite, recent-ish posts:

A good message for all of us educators (and human beings) to remember...

And here's a bonus, just because:

...Is is just me, or are unicorns becoming "a thing" right now?

Have a wonderful morning Book Lovers! And if you are looking for something to make you smile, go here.

The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid: The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan, Hyperion Books CH, 2010, 528 pp, ISBN: 1423113381


I have been waiting for a book like this one forEVER! As many of you know, I spent the last four years teaching 6th grade Humanities. This basically means that I had around 80 minutes a day to organically combine and teach all of the 6th grade Language Arts skills and all of the 6th grade Social Studies content. That is really a lot of info to smash into 80 minutes, while still maintaining a fun and creative classroom. The best method that I found for teaching both subjects in one block was to do a lot of reading: both primary sources and historical fiction. 

Our Social Studies content was based on ancient civilizations, and every single year I found myself thinking, "Why, oh why can I not find any great ancient Egyptian historical fiction?!" (side note: If you know any other awesome Egyptian books, PLEASE send me your recommendations!) Now I am almost wishing that I were back in the classroom, just so that I could use my new literary love: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan.

The Red Pyramid is pretty similar to Riordan's Percy Jackson series in that it's a fast-paced fantasy, featuring a cast of ancient gods and some spunky tween-agers on a quest. In this first volume of the Kane Chronicles, estranged siblings Carter and Sadie must work together to save their father, the famed Egyptologist Julius Kane; defeat Set, an evil, power-hungry god; restore order to the House of Life; and basically... save the world.

Sadie and Carter take turns narrating their adventure through alternating chapters, giving the reader a more in-depth view of each character. While I liked Carter - a slightly geeky, well-traveled, mini-expert on Egyptology - I found myself favoring his pink-haired, combat boot wearing younger sister. She just added a little more spice to the story.

As the adventure unfolded, Sadie, Carter, and the various gods and goddesses were a constant source of information on ancient Egypt. They described so many different aspects of Egyptian culture that I had worked to teach my students: how to read hieroglyphics, the red and black land around the Nile, Egyptian superstitions, the relationships between different gods, and how the Egyptian civilization is still a foundation for much of today's architecture and traditions. This book is really a classroom gem!

I only have two minor complaints. First, at 528 pages, The Red Pyramid is pretty darn long. If a teacher really wanted to use this text in the classroom, he/she would have to plan very carefully to ensure that the students were able to read the whole thing. Second, I wish that more of the book had actually taken place in Egypt. It just seems like setting so much of the story in America created a kind of missed opportunity for kids to learn more about the actual country of Egypt.

All things considered, The Red Pyramid is a fantastic read! I only wish it could have been written a few years earlier :)

If you are an educator looking to use this book with your kiddos, Rick Riordan's website offers "The Greatest Hits of Egyptian Mythology," information on Egyptian magic, links to Egyptian crafts and games, and a truly fabulous set of materials for educators using The Red Pyramid. Looking for even more information? Check out this Kane Chronicles wiki!

City of Bones

City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare, Margaret K. McElderry, 2007, 496 pp, ISBN: 1416914285


Yes, I am probably the last person on the planet to read this book. I have actually checked it out from the library (and had to pay overdue fines on it) twice already, because I just could never get around to actually reading it. I'm not sure what my problem was... But thank goodness the third time's the charm! Once I started reading, I could not put it down.


I'll keep the summary short since most Book Love readers are probably already familiar: Clary Fray thinks she is just like any other teenage girl until one night she witnesses a murder and realizes that she can see "people" who no one else can. Just a day later, her mother is kidnapped and she is confronted with the truth about her past: Her mother was a Shadowhunter, a killer of demons, who went into hiding when she learned she was pregnant with Clary. In order to find her mother and learn her true place in the world, Clary must join forces with a small band of Shadowhunters (Jace, Alex, Isabelle, and Hodge) and track down the mysterious and magical Mortal Cup. However, as Clary delves deeper into the world of the Shadowhunters, she learns that almost no one knows the whole truth about the past, and that the one person who does know could also be the one to destroy them all...


If you are looking for a fast-paced fantasy full of romance and surprise, look no further than City of Bones! Clary definitely falls into the "fearless female" category, but I loved that she was really just your basic girl-next-door-turned-demon-hunter. She wasn't ravishingly beautiful or irritatingly lovestruck or suddenly all-powerful. She was someone I could identify with, and that made me like her even more.

I loved that Cassandra Clare combined so many different elements from the realm of fantasy. A world of vampires, werewolves, demons, zombies, mundanes, witches, and warlocks could have unraveled into a cheesy version of Twilight run amuck, but each piece of the overall story was so artfully woven together that the whole thing just rang true for me. I could vividly imagine the entire world that Clary found herself thrown into.

Of course, everyone who writes about these books has to write about the Simon-Clary-Jace love triangle. I really can't take a side in the argument because I loved both of the boys. Geeky, lovelorn Simon (who reminded me a little of Dawson Leery if Dawson had been an aspiring rock star instead of an aspiring film maker) and smoldering, immune-to-love Jace were both wholly likeable, well-written characters who just had the misfortune of falling for the same girl. SPOILER ALERT: Admittedly, I had assumed all along that Clary would end up with Jace, and it really irritated me when he turned out to be her brother. What is that all about?? I'm holding out hope that the next book will reveal another twist and that somehow they won't be related after all. Like I said, I have nothing against Simon, but I don't want Clary to end up with him by default.

I am absolutely recommending City of Bones to all of my Twilight/Shiver-loving teenage readers. Now I just need to get my hands on City of Ashes...


Extras:
- Mortal Instruments movie news
- Cassandra Clare's blog
- A fan-made video of potential characters for the movie. I love her picks! Who would you choose?

Hello, October!

October is one of my favorite months. It's the month of my dad's birthday (yay!), the month for pumpkins and apple cider, the month for dressing up... in both wooly sweaters and fun costumes, and the month where the whole forested world looks just a little bit prettier. In honor of October, here are a few images that are making me happy...

from here

from here

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