It's Monday!

                 

Reviews I (Finally!) Posted      I knew I was behind in my reviews, but I had no idea how far behind. I am shocked that I haven't posted     reviews since March. Eek. I've diligently written reviews for each book I've read but somehow I haven't added these at my usual spots (Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, and here). I am sad that I have gotten so far behind, but I am also vowing to catch up here and now. # cover title author isbn isbn13 asin num pages avg rating num ratings date pub date pub (ed.) shelves review notes recommender comments votes read count date started date read date purchased owned purchase location condition format checkbox position Getting Schooled: The Reeducation of an American Teacher Keizer, Garret isbn 0805096434 isbn13 9780805096439 asin num pages 320 pp avg rating 5.00 num ratings 2 date pub Aug 05, 2014 date pub edition Aug 05, 2014 shelves read [edit] Keizer is my brother in education. He, like me, started teaching long, long ago. He, like me, is a hearty proponent of a rigorous education. He, like...more Keizer is my brother in education. He, like me, started teaching long, long ago. He, like me, is a hearty proponent of a rigorous education. He, like me, left education for many years to pursue other things. He, like me, returned to education after a long hiatus to find things had both changed and remained the same. I loved this little memoir of the year he spent back in the classroom. It was lovely and painful to see his clear look at students today. The images and quotes he put up on the walls of his classroom that were never commented on by the students. Disturbing and yet something that I, too, have observed, something that I, too, don’t quite understand. The strength of students in light of the troubles they face at home. The disappointments of a teacher who hopes for more from his students and the occasional unexpected triumphs of a teacher with a lesson that resonates with the classes. (I have only one criticism; had I been his editor, I’d have asked Keizer to soften his diatribes against American capitalism as I found these to be a little annoying in light of his subject.) Recommended. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry Zevin, Gabrielle isbn 1616203218 isbn13 9781616203214 asin num pages 260 pp avg rating 4.06 num ratings 6,750 date pub Jan 01, 2014 date pub edition Apr 01, 2014 shelves read [edit] Zevin must have written this book with readers in mind. Big readers. People that tromp to bookstores like they are on a pilgrimage. Folks that zing wi...more Zevin must have written this book with readers in mind. Big readers. People that tromp to bookstores like they are on a pilgrimage. Folks that zing with the mention of anything book-ish. This book is for them. It is for me. It is probably for you. Here’s a little of the plot: A curmudgeonish widowed bookstore owner finds a baby in his shop and the baby changes his life. It’s a gentle story, a happy story, a perfect summer read for the book-ish. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position The Call of the Wild London, Jack isbn 0439227143 isbn13 9780439227148 asin num pages 172 pp avg rating 3.76 num ratings 156,142 date pub 1903 date pub edition Jan 01, 2001 shelves read [edit] Buck is a dog, jerked from a life of comfort and easy living, sold to a messenger who makes deliveries by dog sled across the cold wilds of Alaska. Bu...more Buck is a dog, jerked from a life of comfort and easy living, sold to a messenger who makes deliveries by dog sled across the cold wilds of Alaska. Buck changes, becomes stronger, fiercer, braver, bolder. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position Creativity: The Perfect Crime Petit, Philippe isbn 1594631689 isbn13 9781594631689 asin num pages 224 pp avg rating 3.67 num ratings 18 date pub May 15, 2014 date pub edition May 15, 2014 shelves read [edit] It is probably just me, but it took everything I had to force myself to keep reading this book to the end. Petit writes in his foreword to the book, "...more It is probably just me, but it took everything I had to force myself to keep reading this book to the end. Petit writes in his foreword to the book, "Make no mistake. I frown upon books about creativity." Perhaps he should have listened to his instincts here. Some things just can't be written about, perhaps. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position Named By God: Overcoming Your Past, Transforming Your Present, Embracing Your Future Norman, Kasey Van isbn 1414364741 isbn13 9781414364742 asin num pages 239 pp avg rating 4.04 num ratings 120 date pub Jan 01, 2009 date pub edition Apr 20, 2012 shelves read [edit] Van Norman reminds us once again that, despite all our troubles in this life, despite all we suffer through, we are loved by an amazing God. We need th...more Van Norman reminds us once again that, despite all our troubles in this life, despite all we suffer through, we are loved by an amazing God. We need that reminder. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position Save the Date: The Occasional Mortifications of a Serial Wedding Guest Doll, Jen isbn 1594631980 isbn13 9781594631986 asin num pages 336 pp avg rating 3.12 num ratings 104 date pub May 01, 2014 date pub edition May 2014 shelves read [edit] Doll has attended weddings. Lots of them. Tens of them. Lost friends over weddings. Got sick at weddings. Met up with old boyfriends at weddings. Lots...more Doll has attended weddings. Lots of them. Tens of them. Lost friends over weddings. Got sick at weddings. Met up with old boyfriends at weddings. Lots of stories from all these weddings. And that's this book. Quite entertaining, really. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position Serious Men Joseph, Manu isbn 0393338592 isbn13 9780393338591 asin num pages 310 pp avg rating 3.63 num ratings 1,037 date pub 2010 date pub edition Aug 02, 2010 shelves read [edit] When I read a wonderful book like Serious Men that actually debuted in 2010, I wonder how many amazing books slip through the cracks. This one certain...more When I read a wonderful book like Serious Men that actually debuted in 2010, I wonder how many amazing books slip through the cracks. This one certainly did. Our main character, Ayyan, is poor and low-caste in India. His boss teeters on the edge of ruining the reputation of the entire institute where he works by pursuing a wacky attempt to prove the existence of aliens. His wife is nervous and his son is anonymous. Ayyan decides to embark on a crazy scheme to change his life. Beautifully written. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position The Word Snoop Dubosarsky, Ursula * isbn 0803734069 isbn13 9780803734067 asin num pages 272 pp avg rating 4.13 num ratings 269 date pub 2007 date pub edition Jul 09, 2009 shelves read [edit] Dubosatsky loves word play. And that's what she takes on in this little book for children. It's a fun romp. notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly Hwang, Sun-mi isbn 0143123203 isbn13 9780143123200 asin num pages 144 pp avg rating 4.02 num ratings 916 date pub Nov 26, 2013 date pub edition Nov 26, 2013 shelves read [edit] The hen is in a cage. Every day she lays an egg. The egg is collected each day. She wants so much more from life. She longs to raise a chick. When the...more The hen is in a cage. Every day she lays an egg. The egg is collected each day. She wants so much more from life. She longs to raise a chick. When the owner of the hen's farm learns the hen can no longer lay eggs, the hen is put out. And that is when her real life begins. I liked this little story very, very much. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position By the River Herrick, Steven isbn 1932425721 isbn13 9781932425727 asin num pages 238 pp avg rating 3.62 num ratings 191 date pub 2004 date pub edition May 01, 2006 shelves read [edit] Life is hard here. Periodically the river rises and floods this little Australian town. A beautiful poem of a book. notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position The Harm in Asking: My Clumsy Encounters with the Human Race Barron, Sara isbn 0307720705 isbn13 9780307720702 asin num pages 320 pp avg rating 3.42 num ratings 131 date pub Jul 09, 2013 date pub edition Mar 25, 2014 shelves read [edit] I was asking for trouble when I decided to read this book. Sara is not my generation. I knew that going in. I am not her anticipated audience. I knew...more I was asking for trouble when I decided to read this book. Sara is not my generation. I knew that going in. I am not her anticipated audience. I knew that. She makes a living by writing to startle people a little. I knew that. What was I thinking? It was a painful read. Barron is blunt and it’s hard for people of my generation to listen people of hers, who appear to have slid through life without facing of the real issues of, say, people who don’t have clean water in Africa, and yet who whine endlessly about the little disappointments of the universe. I had to keep reminding myself that little disappointments can feel like lack of clean water, perhaps. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position Reasons My Kid Is Crying Pembroke, Greg isbn 0804139830 isbn13 9780804139830 asin num pages 208 pp avg rating 4.29 num ratings 89 date pub Apr 02, 2013 date pub edition Apr 01, 2014 shelves read [edit] Heaven knows those of us who have dealt with crying children for years and years and years (and if you are a parent and haven't done so, please email...more Heaven knows those of us who have dealt with crying children for years and years and years (and if you are a parent and haven't done so, please email me your secrets) desperately need some comic relief. Pembroke has thankfully given us some, first with his blog, and now with this collection of photos. Fabulous book. Share it. Share it with all the other moms and dads who are suffering. They will thank you. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position I Just Graduated ... Now What?: Honest Answers from Those Who Have Been There Schwarzenegger, Katherine isbn 0385347200 isbn13 9780385347204 asin num pages 288 pp avg rating 3.04 num ratings 26 date pub Jan 01, 2014 date pub edition Apr 01, 2014 shelves read [edit] Did you say you need to find a good gift for that high school or college student who just finished? Look no further. Here's a book of lovely ideas fro...more Did you say you need to find a good gift for that high school or college student who just finished? Look no further. Here's a book of lovely ideas from people in all walks of life. Perfect. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position The Curmudgeon's Guide to Getting Ahead: Dos and Don'ts of Right Behavior, Tough Thinking, Clear Writing, and Living a Good Life Murray, Charles isbn 0804141444 isbn13 9780804141444 asin num pages 144 pp avg rating 3.73 num ratings 80 date pub Apr 08, 2014 date pub edition Apr 08, 2014 shelves read [edit] So that's what it has come to, has it? The common sense my parents taught me has now been repackaged for a different generation and relabeled as advic...more So that's what it has come to, has it? The common sense my parents taught me has now been repackaged for a different generation and relabeled as advice from a grump. Okay, I'll accept that. I'll accept that, if you, my young generation friends, will please take the time to read and put into practice the precepts of this book. Okay? Please? (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less McKeown, Greg isbn 0804137382 isbn13 9780804137386 asin num pages 272 pp avg rating 4.00 num ratings 172 date pub Jan 01, 2014 date pub edition Apr 15, 2014 shelves read [edit] It is a simple idea: focus your attention on the most important things, eliminate the nonessential, and you will achieve great success. It is a book w...more It is a simple idea: focus your attention on the most important things, eliminate the nonessential, and you will achieve great success. It is a book we need, don't we? Our parents never had the choices for using our time that we have; their problems were a lack of options. We suffer today from the opposite problem. We have too many choices. We can't do everything and when we try to do everything, we end up not doing much of anything. Focus. On. The. Important. Thing. Great wisdom here. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Hardcover [edit] checkbox position Off the Beaten Page: The Best Trips for Lit Lovers, Book Clubs, and Girls on Getaways Smith, Terri Peterson  isbn 1613744269 isbn13 9781613744260 asin num pages 304 pp avg rating 3.36 num ratings 53 date pub Jan 01, 2013 date pub edition May 01, 2013 shelves read [edit] Love books? Love authors? Love to travel? This book shares the most book-ish spots in America. Enjoy! The title tells all; this is truly a good book fo...more Love books? Love authors? Love to travel? This book shares the most book-ish spots in America. Enjoy! The title tells all; this is truly a good book for exploring our literary landscape. With a qualifier...it's the US only. I plan to try out the cities listed (a great selection) on my upcoming travels. Thank you, Terri Peterson Smith. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position Mister Monday (The Keys to the Kingdom, #1) Nix, Garth isbn 0439856264 isbn13 9780439856263 asin num pages 384 pp avg rating 3.76 num ratings 20,445 date pub Jan 01, 2003 date pub edition May 01, 2006 shelves read [edit] A 1001 Children's book. Audio. Arthur sets out on a quest to unite the two hands of a clock in an attempt to stop a plague from destroying the people...more A 1001 Children's book. Audio. Arthur sets out on a quest to unite the two hands of a clock in an attempt to stop a plague from destroying the people of Earth. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position The House of Mirth Wharton, Edith isbn 1844082938 isbn13 9781844082933 asin num pages 351 pp avg rating 3.93 num ratings 47,329 date pub 1905 date pub edition Sep 01, 2006 shelves read [edit] No mirth in this sad story of the decline of a beautiful woman in 1890's New York. No grins at all. Not one smile. Edith Wharton, I surmise, would hav...more No mirth in this sad story of the decline of a beautiful woman in 1890's New York. No grins at all. Not one smile. Edith Wharton, I surmise, would have easily made the cut as an Oprah selection. Lily Bart is stunningly beautiful but poor, and ladies of her day had few choices about changing their life situation. Marriage, a good marriage to a rich and interesting man, eludes Lily, and the years are hard on her. Gossip begins to follow her, though none of it is warranted, and every day brings more and more misery. It won't surprise you to learn that the story ends in Lily's death. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position The Silent Wife Harrison, A.S.A. isbn 0143123238 isbn13 9780143123231 asin num pages 326 pp avg rating 3.30 num ratings 26,003 date pub Jun 25, 2013 date pub edition Jun 25, 2013 shelves read [edit] I casually picked this book up at TLA, never really planning to read it. But last night I casually picked it up again and decided to read it. And I di...more I casually picked this book up at TLA, never really planning to read it. But last night I casually picked it up again and decided to read it. And I did. Cover to cover. All in a single evening. That's all I'll say about it. I think I should be silent about Silent Wife. Except to say you should pick up a copy yourself. And see what happens. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position World War I for Kids: A History with 21 Activities Rasmussen, R. Kent isbn 1613745567 isbn13 9781613745564 asin num pages 192 pp avg rating 4.67 num ratings 6 date pub Jan 01, 2014 date pub edition Apr 01, 2014 shelves read, children [edit] Kids these days hunger for books like this. When I place a book on the shelf about war or fighting or hunting, that book is grabbed and checked out so...more Kids these days hunger for books like this. When I place a book on the shelf about war or fighting or hunting, that book is grabbed and checked out so quick that I often can’t see who managed to wrest it out of whom’s hands. The text is too difficult for my primary children, of course, and probably too tricky for even the elementary kids to maneuver through, but they won’t be checking it out as a read-through book. No, it’s a browsable book, with photos that tell the story well enough that one can make it to the end with a good-enough understanding of this war by just reading captions. And for this generation of readers that’s perfect. (less) notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read Jun 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit] checkbox position Expecting Hamilton, Ann Lewis isbn 1402295057 isbn13 9781402295058 asin num pages 352 pp avg rating 3.67 num ratings 9 date pub Jul 01, 2014 date pub edition Jul 01, 2014 shelves read [edit] The author has managed to find a way to throw three perfectly nice people into an impossible situation and that makes for a good story. notes None [edit] recommender none comments 0 votes 0 # times read 1 date started not set [edit] date read May 2014 [edit] date purchased (add) owned purchase location (add) condition (add) format Paperback [edit]

What are you reading today?!




It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between.  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from. I love being a part of this and I hope you do too. As part of this weekly meme Book Journey loves to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme.