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Book |
Author |
Notes |
| Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil | Deborah Rodriguez | It is a true story; amusing, enlightening. Judy |
| A Series of Unfortunate Events | Lemony Snicket | sent in by a fan, who says it's a good book for those in grades 3-5 |
Tim O'Brien read by Ted Stechshulte |
It's about Vietnam, but much more. This is such a stoyrteller's book! Barbara | |
| Women of Silk, The Street of a Thousand Blossoms, Dreaming Water, The Language of Threads, Night of Many Dreams | Gail Tsukiyama | Just now I'm reading books by Gail Tsukiyama. Once I got started, I reserved them all. Her writing is wonderful. Her mother is Chinese and her father is Japanese, so we get an interesting mix. Judy |
| Three Cups of Tea | Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin | I've been giving it to friends as a surprise gift. I recommend it highly. Steve |
| Last Train to Paradise | Les Standiford | It is the story of Henry Flagler (developer of much of Florida) and his greatest accomplishment, the Overseas Railroad, a railroad that went from the tip of the Florida peninsula all the way to Key West. During construction (1905-1912) three different hurricanes wiped out parts of the railroad and it was completely demolished in the hurricane of 1935. The sheer magnitude of this accomplishment is incredible and the human stories are wonderful. Highly recommended. Danine, Bobby & Elise |
| Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast | Robin McKinley | Anything by Robin McKinley but definitely this one. She writes fantasy/fairy tale stories that read like more detailed versions of the originals. Julie |
| North and South | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell | A story set during the English Industrial revolution. It was originally released in serial form in one of Charles Dickens' magazines. Julie |
| Our Mutual Friend | Charles Dickens | The last book finished by Dickens. Many lives woven together by an inheritance left by a "dust heap" owner. Julie |
| Suite Francaise | Irene Nemirovsky | Marsha recommends this but she didn't say why |
| The Glass Castle | Jeanette Walls | The best book that I've read in a long time. Barbara |
| Ella Minnow Pea | Mark Dunn | Its about a community that starts to outlaw letters of the alphabet. Very cleverly written as a novel of letters between friends and family and their reactions to the goings on. Maria |
| A Girl Named Zippy | Haven Kimmel | I’m just finishing one by Haven Kimmel called “Zippy” and I’m loving her ability to tell stories. I think you’d love it. She really captures growing up in the 60’s. She has a gift with words. Another great summer read is “Eat Cake”—our book club just did that for a fun summer read. It was good. I also enjoyed Shannon Hale’s “Goose Girl” and “Princes Academy.” Princess Academy was a Newbery Honor book. Ann |
| Eat Cake | Jeanne Ray | see above |
| Goose Girl and Princess Academy | Shannon Hale | see above |
| The Kite Runner | Khaled Hosseini | I am 64 and have just read The Kite Runner and felt it was a very good book. Pat |
| Holes | Louis Sachar | My daughter and I are reading Holes. We are both enjoying it very much. Before that, we read Little Women (by Louisa May Alcott). My daughter is 9. Cassandra |
| All Over Creation | Ruth Ozeki | What a
great book to open or in my case reopen your eyes to the world of GMO's
What science and nature together can create can be very scary! It takes
place on a potato farm in Idaho, with more pesticides that anyone cares
to imagine! Leigh |
| Precious and the Boo Hag | Patricia C. McKissack | The students at our school are really enjoying this book. It is a GREAT read aloud. Bonnie |
| An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland | Michael Dirda | Delightfully written, and it will tweak lots of memories for those of us of a certain age. It was on my son's school reading list (high school senior)--he loved it, so he urged me to read it. Dirda is about as literate as they come, and this is a sort of "my life as a reader"; which could be deadly dull, but in fact is quite the opposite. Another nice feature: no matter how big your vocabulary, you will encounter here at least a few unfamiliar words, artfully deployed. Dictionary time! When you finish the book, be prepared to feel sorry; and when you return it to the library, don't be surprised if you miss the author's company. Mary Jane |
| Inkheart | Corneila Funke | I love it because of the premise - that you can read something aloud so well that it becomes real. If you haven't read the story, the girls father, 8 years ago, was reading a book aloud. And evil stuff came out of the book into the world we live in. And his wife was sucked back into the world of the book. It's a combination of the fabulous reader the father was and the wonderful way the book was written. He will never read aloud again. But now, 8 years later, the girl is able to do the same thing - and she sets out to find the man who wrote the first book and have him write changes into it, so she can read the world right again. Andrea |
| Messenger, The Giver, and Gathering Blue | Lois Lowry | somewhat of a trilogy. Not for the very young...a little heavy at times I would say 11 and older. |
| Hoot | Carl Hiasson | good, especially for young people interested in protecting wildlife and who love a good mystery. |
| The Little Prince | Antoine de Saint-Exupery | My son's favorite book to be heard aloud. We never tire of it, nor of its lessons for living. |
| Good Night Gorrilla and 10 Minutes to Bedtime | Peggy Rathman | Submitted by Kevin, Age 2 |
| The Horse and His Boy which is part of the "Chronicles of Narnia" series |
C.S. Lewis | My 9-year-old son is currently reading it |
| Les Miserables | Victor Hugo | My 12-year-old daughter is currently reading it |
| The Double | Jose Saramago | Not as compelling a premise as The Cave or Blindness, but interesting, with a zinger of an ending. |
| The Song of Names | Norman Lebrecht | A beautifully told tale. Leah |
| Trickster's Queen | Tamora Pierce | Sidney and I just finished the latest Tamora Pierce book, we both loved it, Sid is 12, and I'm 41. Tamora Pierce is one of Sidney's favorite authors |
Mercedes Lackey |
I also highly recommend as an adult book. | |
| The Borrowers | Mary Norton |
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Betty MacDonald |
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Johnny Gruelle |
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| The Good Dog | Avi | a wonderful story told from the dog's point of view… Helen |
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