How to read a book you don't want to read

Here's some helpful hints on "How to read a book you don't want to read"

The Shadows of Ghadames

The Shadows of Ghadames by Joelle Stolz

At the end of the 19th century, in the Libyan city of Ghadames, Malika watches her merchant father depart on one of his caravan expeditions. Malika too yearns to travel to distant cities and she longs to learn to read like her younger brother. But nearly twelve years old and soon to be of marriageable age, Malika - like all Muslim women - must be content with a more secluded, more limited life. Then one night a stranger enters her home ... someone who disrupts the order of things, and who affects Malika in unexpected ways.

This was an interesting look at the complex culture of the families of the city of Ghadames, with it's narrow alleyways, rooftops that are inhabited only by females, mysterious customs and rites of passage.

This book reminded me of my travels in Morocco and of my time spent on the tiny island of Lamu off the coast of Kenya (both places predominately Muslim), and my parents stories of their time spent in Turkey, Iran and Lebanon. It made me dream of far off places and mint tea poured from high above the glass.

When you reach me

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Another great read, Yeah! I'm on a roll lately with book after book that I love.

This book even started with a quote that would resonate throughout - "The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious." Albert Einstein ~ A mix of realistic fiction, mystery and science fiction doesn't always combine to make a great book but I assure you this book ends up being pure yumminess. I enjoyed the chapter headings which are based on the $20,000 pyramid game. This one will be one to add to your TBR shelf - for sure.

From the back cover:

By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it's safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know who to avoid. Like the crazy guy on the corner.

But thing start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment ky that Miranda's mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then a mysterious note arrives, scrawled on a tiny slip of paper:

I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own. I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows things no one should know. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she's too late.

Read On

A Map of the Known World

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell

Loved it!! Read it in one sitting! Have a ton of sticky notes pasted to pages that need to be reread and enjoy yet again. This book reminded me of how teens are often searching for some kind of escape - from old friends, from the small town that is suffocating, from being labeled a certain kind of person, from the pressures placed on them from parents, families, histories, teachers. I know I was definately one of those teens, longing for the day when I would strike out on my own, discover that far off place and escape into the person I wanted to be. This book captured all of that.

Here's the summary.

Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt trapped in her small town. Her parents are increasingly overprotective, and even her best friend, Rachel, has begun to slip away.

So Cora seeks solace in art, drawing elaborate maps and envisioning herself in exotic locales. Then Cora's mapes lead her someplace unexpected: to Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died. Cora forms a tentative bond with Damian - himself an artist - who reveals to her the truth about who her brother really was. As Cora begins to piece together the fragments of her life, she finds herself falling for Damian. But will she have the courage to follow the chart of her heart?

Here's some of the quotes I flagged.

"They say no land is left to be discovered, no continent is left unexplored. But the whole world is out there, waiting, just waiting for me."

"Kids stream by me, swiftly dodging and moving past in circling eddies, like a river will wash around a tall rock of log."

"Cliques seem to gather their members, the way a magnet will draw filings of iron."

"I will map the world that I know better than anything. The world, the places I've shared with Nate. And I will finish his last, unfinished piece with this map of the known world. I'll draw the places we used to go and the kids we used to be. Then I will mount this map on the pedestal Nate built."

"We sat around the table, five of us, my grandparents, parents and me, caught in a silence as thick as an oil spill and twice as deadly

I know this will be one that I will rave about for a while.

Read On.

Best book of July

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

This has to be my choice for the best book of July (there has been 12 to choose from - some of them adult books which don't usually make it to the blog.)

Eli was nine, when his world was suddenly changed by the closing of the silver door, that kept he and his family safe from the fall out of the nuclear war. His father wealthy techno billionaire has planned well for such an event - except it didn't do much good for Eddie (Eli's twin) or gram, who didn't make it to the shelter in time. Now seven years after that silver door closed, things in the compound are starting to go wrong, food supply is running short, tension with his parents and sisters is raging. Eli who has distanced himself from everyone and everything finds himself discovering a connection to the outside world that raises questions about the very world he knows and the people he thought he could trust. Secrets, sabatoge, abound in this mysterious world underground called the compound, will Eli have what it takes to escape the silver door? What world is left beyond it?

You'll have to read on to find out.

Once again a dystopian future book has grabbed my attention, and I have to admit that I also checked out the audio version of this too (which was really well done.) I was telling my nephews about it and they were all ears begging me to give away the ending. If there is one book I'm raving about this July it's The Compound.

21 days in July

Blazing saddles: the cruel and unusual history of the Tour de France.

For 21 days in July, I'm obsessed with watching TV. Every night at seven, I've been glued to OLN to watch the tour. My favourtite rider this year (from day one) has been Andy Schlek - who as you might know has come in 2nd overall (next year will be your year Andy!)

So, I always have loads of questions about the tour as they grind theire way up the Alps and Pyreness, weave through tiny villages and towns, and time trial on the way to the final day on the streets of Paris. I've used google a fair amount to answer some of these questions but have also picked up Blazing saddles by Matt Rendell.
This book gives a year by year account of the Tour, from its inception in 1903 to 2007. Each year is given a short summary and the highlights of the race, a listing of the podium winners and where they were from, their overall time, the total distance of the race and the average speed. There are terrific black and white photos from even the earliest races.

So if you have questions about the odessy that is the Tour de France maybe a book like Blazing saddles will give you some of the answers.

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

My first attempt at creating a book trailer.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Hope you like it.
Read on.

Finding Lubchenko

Finding Lubchenko by Michael Simmons

Here's the opening paragraph-

"So this is basically a story about a murder. It's a story about a murder and the fact that the cops said my dad did it. All implausible, but still a lot of trouble for my father. But I'll get to that. The story actually begins with a smaller crime. It was really just a way for me to earn a little money. And when I tell you what I was doing, you probably won't even think it was that wrong. Not really a crime. I was actually only stealing from myself, if you really think about it, although there are probably a few people who would disagree with me on this."

Evan, our main character and narrator of the story relays how his super rich but tightwad dad has been framed for murder. Evan works at his dads biotech firm for minimum wage (his dad wouldn't have it any other way) so with the help of his best friend Rueben they have been "liberating" office equipment and we're not talking staplers and hole-punches, we're talking laptops, printers, and scanners - the boys then sell the stuff on ebay to supplement Evan's non-existant allowance and wage. One minor glitch - when Evan dad is framed for a murder that has taken place in their office tower, Evan holds the key piece of evidence that could free his dad, but that would also mean coming clean on his supplimentary income scheme.

Evan decides there is only one option that will work for them, find out who is framing his dad themselves, even though this puts them up against some pretty nasty guys. And this means finding Lubchenko.

Loved it, thought it was a fun read, enjoyed the sarcastic, smart-alec, voice of Evan, the crazy schemes he comes up with and how his friends can't resist even against their better judgement being a part of them.

If you haven't seen Ferris Buehler's day off, go out and rent it, cause Ferris and Evan are made of the same stuff.

Summer reading - so far

Hiya,

I guess I haven't blogged since school let out for summer, I been on the road, travelling and generally having a good time, and I've been reading and collecting a long list of titles to be read when i have time.

Some of what I've read so far include : Finding Lubchenko, Beige, Le Tour, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, In The Land of the Lawn Weenies, (Graphic novels )- Burnout, Marvels, Life sucks, and Dead High Yearbook.

So the pile at my bedside is slowly decreasing, but every trip to the library adds a couple more. Maybe it's really staying about the same level.

Hope your summer is great so far.
Read On.