• Life of Pi - Yann Martell

I've contemplated this book for years. Every time I walked past it I'd stop and stare at the cover, wondering if it were worth my time. I'd pick it up, flip it over, and read the summary on the back. "I don't know," I'd say. I would flip it forward and backward wondering if it were worth my time. Every time I would put it down and think maybe I'd get it next time. I repeated this process, especially so in the last two years. I finally asked a few people about it in e-mails, but they seemed to respond to every question I had asked except for the one about the book. Apparently it wasn't memorable enough for them to praise it, or tell me it was horrific. Finally, I asked a friend over the phone and she said she liked it. I had this feeling that there would be something good within the pages of the book, but that summary was making me doubt myself. So, with some form of confirmation I finally purchased the book.

I loved it. The discussions on the nature of the beast and religion, this crazy boy who thought it was okay to be Christian, Muslim and Hindu, and of course, this elaborate story of one's life adrift. There were moments reading when I would relate to the character, but more often then not, I just felt like I understood him and his struggle. It was like no other book I've read. (Which is ironic seeing how there were questions about whether or not the author had plagiarized the book from a less successful version of a boy and a jaguar stuck on a boat.) It's worth a read.

"...a tie is a noose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonetheless if he's not careful." - p. 6

• Paper Money - Ken Follett

This was the last Ken Follett book left for me to read. I understand why it's one of his most successful, unsuccessful novels. It was entertaining and worth reading, but you can also see why it wasn't a worldwide hit. It's different from his other books in that there are tons of characters, some of which are good and others are bad, but in this book there is no real hero. No one stands up and saves the day. Events just happen. It seems much more realistic without someone willing to risk everything, maybe they'll put up a fight here or there, but they never fully throw themselves out there and risk it all. Well, maybe one character puts himself out there in the end, but there's nothing heroic about his deeds.

• Unnatural Exposure - Patricia Cornwell

Unnatural Exposure wasn't exceptionally well written, but it was entertaining. Not much more to say about it...

• Two Lives of Charlemagne - Einhard and Notker the Stammerer

This was a good book to read. Einhard takes a historical approach to his writing and gives a background of the Frank, his likes and dislikes, a list of his marriages and children, as well as his will. Notker the Stammerer, a monk, tells multiple stories or anecdotes. He tells stories that emphasize Charlemagne's intrests in religion, education, etc. Unlike Procopius, these two had nothing negative to say about Charlemagne, which means one should question the validity of the stories without further studies. Despite that, they're worth reading.

• Velazquez - Javier Portus

Portus gives a brief overview of the important artistic and personal influences on Velazquez. He doesn't spend much time analysing Velazquez's art outside of the context of who or what influenced the painter. However, he does discuss his royal patronage and the significance of his portraits in relation to that position. It's a quick read, but it's something to start with. I would not recommend using this as your only source on Velazquez though. It doesn't give you a complete understanding of the artist's works.

• The Secret History - Procopius

Talk about someone unhappy with their current government... Procopius assaults Justinian, Theodora, and Belisarius. It reads almost like an E! True Hollywood Story with a little soap opera thrown in. Without a decent knowledge of Justinians' reign it's hard to separate fact from fiction and the over exaggerations.

I find it rather frightening to see how competent government never seems to survive. There's always someone that will come along later and manage things inefficiently. Off course, that's not a suprise to anyone seeing how it seems to be a historically proven process that we will continue to cycle through.

• Roman Society - Henry C. Boren

I really enjoyed this book. It may not be perfect, but it does exactly what it set out to do, provide a history of Roman society. There's a lot of good information in the text, as it provides Roman society within the context of the development and decline of Rome.

• Belly Laughs - Jenny McCarthy

This was a really cute book about the whole pregnancy process. It's not a book that an expecting mother should live by, but it's deffinately something that will entertain you while giving you information about a few things you'll be looking forward to, and hoping to avoid. She's honest about her pregnancy and puts even the most untalked about subjects out there. It might scare some people, but it might help someone realize that they're not alone in all those bodily changes. It's an easy read for someone not looking for anything comprehensive.

• Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West - Gregory Maguire

I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it. I guess it just wasn't for me. Part of it could also be that I'm still stuck on John Adams and I haven't really been inspired to move on to other books yet. It took me a lot of time to get through it since I wasn't motivated. Interesting concepts. Enjoyed the political discussions, but it didn't capture me.

• John Adams - David McCullough

So, I finished this one at the end of October and just never got around to posting. McCullough wrote an amazing book that I'm still mulling over in my mind. There was so much information and so many examples of the spirit of 1776 that it was impossible for me to read without really considering the changes in our government and begin to worry about how far we've strayed from the essential tenants of our founders. Not that I didn't worry before, but now it has really gotten under my skin. Whether you agreed with Adams' position on events, you have to admit that he's an amazing real life character. He struggled throughout his life to do what he felt would help America as a nation. I see people who feel like the events of today don't affect them, or at least not enough to put down the remote and do something of significance. As a nation we expect to be handed an easy life in return for mediocrity. Politicians will compromise their morality, but they wont meet in the middle to help the poor, deal with Medicaid, social security, or education. It's an all or nothing attitude and not much of significance has come from it.

"...the eyes of the world are upon you." - 402

"Our obligations to our country never cease but with out lives." - 387

"Popularity was never my mistress, nor was I ever, or shall I ever be a popular man. But on thing I know, a man must be sensible of the errors of the people, and upon his guard against them, and must run the risk of their displeasure sometimes, or he will never do them any good in the long run." -373

• World Without End - Ken Follett

I absolutely loved this book. It's one that you wish would never end. World Without End lives up to the expectations of those who read The Pillars of the Earth. I had to force myself to slow my reading in order to really spend time with the book since it was so wonderful that I wanted to read it in one sitting. As you've read time and time again, Follett does a wonderful job developing his characters and you really get behind the heros and hate the villians. I loved Caris, Merthin, Thomas... Follett truely understands the importance of imagery and how to get the most out of each scene. The book won't disappoint!

"But humans are fallible, so the truth might be different." - p.284

• Whiteout - Ken Follett

I finished reading this earlier in the week, but I've been incredibly sick and busy on top of that so I haven't gotten to the computer in a bit. Sorry you had to wait for my insomnia to come back (almost 5 am and I haven't slept). Anyway...

I loved this book. I held off on it for a while since it has to do with viruses and germ warfare just freaks me out. Follett did a wonderful job of making the book suspensful, but not overly tramatic. It's a wonderful read. The characters are amazingly strong and Follett finally succeeds at utilizing a large group of characters without underwritting them (one of his own goals from his early days). Everything comes together rather nicely dispite the multiple story lines. Plus, it seems like the climax just continues to build as the book moves on, rather than just waiting till the end for the big scene.

• Art History's History - Vernon Hyde Minor

It's a nice background to the changes in the study of art over the years. There's a lot of good excerpts or articles to give to students. Plus, quite a few future essay questions were inspired by the text. My future students will whimper. =)

• Unveiled: The Hidden Lives of Nuns - Cheryl L. Reed

This one was rather fun and a bit of an eye opener. It really takes away a lot of the stereotypes that we have of nuns. Reed travels all over the United States visiting a variety of different orders - from the extremely cloistered to those who live in apartments and have jobs in the community. She teaches her readers that nuns are not always spiritual saints. Many nuns struggle with their spirituality; and some have even looked to Buddhism and other spiritual religions/philosophies to help them define their own relationships with God. For instance, one lady says her daily prayers, but spends more time meditating in order to discover her own self and her believes believing that end the end that added knowledge of self will enable her to have a better relationship with God. Some of the women question the infallibility of the pope, the fact that women cannot be priests, and the celibacy issue (not that they want to break the vow, but the fact that it leads to the even bigger issues that the church is currently having to deal with). They're not all perfect cookie cutter Catholics and it's nice to know that you're not any less of a person because you question God at points throughout your life. Many of the women believe that through this questioning you build a better, stronger relationship with God.
While she describes the daily lives of those who spend the majority of their day in prayer and have taken vows of silence, it is her descriptions of the more modern sisters that almost make you want to seek out a nunnery just to see these women in actions. When I say "seek out" I'm not referring to feeling like you should go join one, but that you really should observe some of these women living their lives in order to learn how to better your own. (Although, if I were Catholic I think I would have wanted to join their ranks). There are activist nuns who have been arrested frequently for protesting the making of bombs, etc. There are women who run clinics for women - some very pro-life, anti-contraceptives, while others are willing to provide women with all the options available to them and realize that family planning isn't incredibly accurate. Others teach, work as social workers, and practice midwifery in some of the poorest areas in the United States. As an educator the chapter on nuns who teach on Indian reservations just amazed me. They put more effort into their students than seems physically impossible. Some of these women spend so much time focusing on others that they find little time to even say their daily prayers.


"I decided to get a job where I could badger the boss. I decided to become a lobbyist of the highest lever." - 294

• The Birth of Venus - Sarah Dunant

Okay, so I finished reading this on the 8th, but forgot to post it for some reason. I've been busy and my laptop isn't working properly so I guess I've just been a little side tracked. Anyway...
This was actually a very enjoyable book. I've put off reading it for so long because I thought it was just going to be some cheesy romance novel that tries to pretend to be historical fiction. While you can tell that the writing is somewhat for an audience of women, it's not solely. The book really describes the mental, physical, and spiritual struggle that overwhelmed so many Florentines during the days of Savonarola. It also shows the struggle of a woman to achieve intellectual freedom in a city that thrived on the intellectual male, but feared the same qualities in a female. This is a plane book. Something to read and relax without being incredibly complicated, but still based on something worth learning about. It has a Girl With a Pearl Earing vibe to it for those of you who have read the story or seen the movie.

• Night Over Water - Ken Follett

I was nervous about starting this book since it has to do with an incident on a plane. I rather expected it to be some form of airborne hijacking and I hate thinking about that stuff since I fly on occasion. Also, it just seems inappropriate to read something like that for entertainment purposes. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by the text. Yes, things go awry; but the story is based during WWII and, while the terror is real, the era has passed which seems to assuage ones fears. There's a little bit of romance and a bit of adventure - the typical outline for an ordinary book, but Follett seems to continually write books that retain my focus and make me excited to move on to his next. I believe there's only 2 more for me to read (although one of them he openly admits to being before he truly refined his skills as a writer - a mere work in progress). Come early October he will have his sequel to The Pillars of the Earth in stores so I have something to look forward to. Now, if only Ross King and Leonard Shlain would publish something new for me to read... =)

• The Third Twin - Ken Follett

There was something about this book that I loved. For some reason I expected I'd enjoy it, but I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did. I guess I judged it by its cover. Once again I found myself completely behind the main female character. She's strong willed and determined, but she's not invulnerable.

The plot is a little odd for Follett - no spies involved. Well, okay, a stakeout, but no professional spies. (Not all of his books are spy novels, but about half of them are.) It's about a determined girl who is doing nature verses nurture experiments on twins who have been separated at birth and raised in different settings. She comes across identical twins with different biological mothers before the days of cloning embryos. She finds herself in the middle of a huge scandal and must fight to keep her job and to get to the bottom of the scandal.

• The Island of the Day Before - Umberto Eco

This was a wonderful suprise. This was a book different than any I've ever read before. It's a little out there... kind of like The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, but it becomes clear that you're not going to get a clear story at the end of this one somewhere in the middle of the story (unlike being disappointed at the end after expecting it in TMFQL). It's a tale about a man you is shipwrecked and manages to land himself on a deserted ship instead of a deserted island. There are a lot of debated on religion, philosophy, science, etc.

Expect to spend a little time reading this book. It spends a lot of time philosophizing, Plus, this text will teach you more vocabulary than any English class ever could. Make sure you actually look the words up rather than pass over them if you're not sure. I think it's the first text I've ever actually seen the word punctilio used in. It's sad that that made me excited. =)

"Not everyone must be granted access to your heart. A prudent, cautious silence is the cabinet of wisdom." - 111

• The Templars: The Dramatic History of the Knights Templar, the Most Powerful Military Order of the Crusades - Piers Paul Read

This was a fairly interesting book. Not amazing, but not poorly written either. I got a lot of good information out of the book, but a few more visual aids would have been nice - maps of fortifications and battle plans. I got a few good quotes out of this one. I can go around telling everyone wearing shoelaces that they're a pagan and watch them freak out. (I'm easily entertained.)

• The Modigliani Scandal - Ken Follett

Follett had a really good idea that was poorly executed. I finally found a Follett that I'm not thrilled with. The book started out well, but it was underwritten . The characters didn't have time to develop and there were just as many plot twists in this book as in Triple, but in a much shorter period. There are two storylines that merge in the end, but the storyline that focused on the search for the Modigliani was what really excited me, initially... All of a sudden this fairly detailed chase just stopped the climax of the chase is simply hastily summed up without any flare or buildup. This was one of Follett's last books before he hit it big with Eye of the Needle. He's come a long way from The Modigliani Scandal and he openly admits it on his website. He really has learned from his earlier books. I think that if Hollywood ever picked up the book they could make something rather interesting out of it. Like I said, it was based on a good idea...

"'What do you think of it?' Peter said.

'Bad question,' Mitch replied. 'It invites me to pour out a load of bullshit about movement, brushwork, design, and emotion. Better to ask whether I would hang it on my wall.'" - 46

"I think I know what it is like to be God." - Pablo Picasso - 227

• Lie Down With Lions - Ken Follett

I know I know I know! I need to read something other than Ken Follett! Don't worry, I'm getting close to running out of books by him. This book was a little different from the other spy books. It took place in Afghanistan and the primary spy isn't necessarily spying. As usually, it is initially based on real events. It's easy to overlook the thought that it was the U.S. that armed Afghanistan so that they could fight against the Soviet Union. We worked to unite the tribes and modernized their weaponry. The book really sheds light on how harsh the landscape really is and why it's nearly impossible for any army to successfully do anything in that territory.

"'Religious conviction may thwart a timid desire but nothing can stand against genuine lust.'" -64

• A Dangerous Fortune - Ken Follett

It was a little odd to read this book after several spy novels by Follett since this one is about a British banking family. However, once I got past the expectation of another plot centering around spies and World War II I started to get into the book. With this book you don't feel any sympathy for the so called "bad guys". They're not very likable and there's no debate as to whose side you're on (unless you're the type to hope the evil people win). It's an intersting plot and apparently it was made into a movie at some point. If you've seen it let me know if it was any good.

• Hornet Flight - Ken Follett

I really enjoyed this book as well. I love Heis, desite him being an very minor character. It was a bestseller and I can see why... Follett wrote another good book. A Danish boy stumbles across a Nazi secret and suddenly finds himself helping the Danish resistance and Bristish MI6, while hiding from the Danish police and the Germans.

"'Is this safe?' he said.

'Safer than being shot.'" - 484

"The aircraft slowed down in a few seconds. As it came to a halt, Harold looked through the broken windown and saw, just a few yards away, a young man on a bicycle, watching from a pathway alongside the field, staring at them openmouthed.

'I wonder where we are,' Karen said.

Herald called out to the bicyclist. 'Hello there!' he said in English. 'What is this place?'

The young man looked at him as if he had come from outerspace. 'Well,' he said at last, 'it's not the bloody airport.'" -502

• Jackdaws - Ken Follett

Again, loved the characters, the events, etc. Everytime I write about Ken Follett I tend to say the same things. I'm running out of new ways to say them.

This text is about a woman in the British SOE during WWII who goes into France and helps organize the resistance groups. The French resistance group fails so Flick must organize an all woman, French speaking team of British SOE rejects and novices to complete a covert opperation with only 3 days of training and a clock ticking quicking to D-day. There's a lot of shooting and torture in this one. I hate that I both like and hate the main vilain. There are moments when you sympathize with him, but you still always hope to see Flick to succeed in the end. Follett is good at creating characters like that. It's entertaining. Read it!

"It's nice to go away, but it's nice to come home." - 58

• The Eye of the Needle - Ken Follett

I enjoyed this book a lot. Once again, I loved Follett's characters. Lucy is such as strong woman. Not necessarily intentionally, but her circumstances force her to rise to the occassion. The climax of the book is a lot more brutal than most of Follett's books. I really don't want to give it away, but the basic plot is that the British are chasing a German spy (die Nadel) that may have (or not) discovered British secrets pertaining to the planning of D-Day. They have to catch him before he contacts Germany.

"They were outside a shop that had a huge empty space where once there had been a plate-glass window. A rough sign, hand-painted and nailed to the window-frame, said, 'Even more open than usual.'

Bloggs laughted. ' I saw one outside a bombed police station: 'Be good, we are still open.'" - 90

• Travesties - Tom Stoppard

I finished reading this a few days ago, but have been too busy to post anything. Anyway, after reading Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead I thought it would be good to read more of Tom Stoppard's plays. The play takes place in 1917 Zurich and is based on the coincidence that James Joyce, Tistan Tzara (the founder of Dadaism) and Lenin were all in the city at the same time. Travesties is written in a form similar to R & G, so expect it to be a bit absurd at times and be ready to say "WHAT THE....!" occasionally. Most of it makes sense, but one or two things just make you shake your head wondering what the guy had to be on to come up with something so random.

"...crucible of anti-art, cradle of Dada!!! Who? What? Whatsisay Dada?? You remember Dada! - historical halfway house between Futurism and Surrealism, twixt Marinetti and Andre Breton, 'tween the before-the-war-to-end-all-wars years and the between-the-wars years - Dada! - down with reason logic, causality, coherence, tradition, proportion, send and consequence, my art belongs to Dada 'cos Dada 'e treats me so..." - 8

"The nerve of it. Wars are fought to make the world safe for artists. Is is never quite put in those terms but it is a useful way of grasping what civilized ideals are all about. The easiest way of knowing whether good has triumphed over evil is to examine the freedom of the artist. The ingratitude of artists, indeed their hostility, not to mention the loss of nerve and failure of talent which accounts for 'modern art', merely demonstrate the freedom of the artist to be ungrateful, hostile, self-centered and talentless, for which freedom I went to war." - 22

"Intellectual curiosity is not so common that one can afford to discourage it." -47

• The Hammer of Eden - Ken Follett

A hippie commune decides to fight the California state government in order to keep their way of life when they've been told that a new dam will be built along their river in Silver City. Soon their home will be at the bottom of a man-made lake if they cannot succeed. However, rather than fight in the conventional terms... they create a terrorist cell and call themselves The Hammer of Eden. The leader of the group steals a seismic vibrator and threatens to create earthquakes (of increasing destruction) until the governor buts a ban on all nuclear projects in California. The FBI must first find out if someone could even cause an earthquake, and then find the group before they can try.

I really liked Agent Maddox's character and her father Bo. The book was really enjoyable and somewhat conflicting. I wanted the commune to keep their land, but I was really pushing for the FBI agent too. There really is that struggle to preserve one's way of life...even though both of their ways are completely at odd with one another.

• The Key to Rebecca - Ken Follett

So, I'm kind of at a loss of words. It's late, I've been working like crazy, and I've mentally shut down since tomorrow - um...today - is the start of my weekend. The book was enjoyable for the most part. However, the character Sonja kind of bothered me. She had a somewhat disturbing event in her childhood that just resulted in a fetish that I really didn't feel like reading about. Minus that one issue I liked the book. I love the kid (Billy) - even though he's a minor character for most of the book - Elene, Vandam, and even Wolff. Plot wise it's another spy verses spy theme. There was a few really good explainations off life in Ciaro during WWII and I found a lot of the information fascinating.

"'Quickly' meant 'within the next few days'; 'immediately' meant ' tomorrow.' - 375 (on the nomadic concept of time)

• Triple - Ken Follett

So by now it should be obvious that I like Ken Follett's books. Heck, I bought 6 more of them today. However, this is one of my favorites so far. I've really enjoyed them all, but this one is up there with Pillars of the Earth. Mossad, the KGB, Egyptian Intelligence, the Fedayeen, and a little obscure help from the Italian mafia... seriously, this book has everything! Nat Dickstien, a Mossad agent, has to steal 200 tons of uranium without it being linked back to Israel before Egypt can finish developing it's nuclear weapons program. If he fails, Egypt will win the race and the state of Israel, left unable to defend itself from a nuclear attack, would likely be undone.

I loved the main character and the plot, but more importantly I was happy that Follett discussed some difficult topics. Reading about the way Nat was treated during the Holocaust was somewhat gut-wrenching. Your teachers tend to ignore the topic of sexual experimentation on some of the prisoners. In your mind you know it probably happened (if you're a realistic person) and to read it was difficult, but truth is harsh. (Yes, I know that this is historical fiction, but experimentation did happen during the holocaust so he's not making it sound worst than it was.) Now, the context in which he tells you all this I could have done without. Fair warning: everyone of his books have at least one "bedroom " scene. I put bedroom in quotes for several reasons... sometimes it's not in a bedroom, sometimes it's just wishful thinking, other times it's forced on someone unwillingly, or anywhere in between. The scene is this book was by far the strangest and most uncomfortable of all (so far).

"Growing older he had gained skills but not wisdom. In fact, it seemed to him that he knew more and understood less." - 133

"'So are yours.'" -166 (Please tell me if you found that line odd...in it's original context of course.)

"I once knew a man called Wolfgang. He used to say, 'I just take orders.' Then he use to brake my leg." - 52 (Referring to a German Nazi who had broken his leg several times in a concentration camp, Nat emphasizes why one should not blindly follow orders without questioning them if they seem unethical.)

• Code to Zero - Ken Follett

Once again, I really liked Ken Follett's book. This one was really about the development the main character, Luke. He's lost his memory and has to figure out who he is and what he's forgotten. Throughout his day he realizes that he must be a fairly important person and that he's forgotten something BIG! I really liked the development of the character and the book itself kind of reminded me of Dan Brown's Angels and Demons without the clues being specifically laid out. Luke just has to figure it out on his own and with the help of a few friends...

"'You've read George Orwell. Some animals are more equal than others.'" - p. 413

• Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson

I thought that I hadn't read this as a child, but apparently I did. The nickname Wheeze started to sound a little familiar to me, but apparently the rest wasn't memerable. It's a good little book about finding oneself and finally standing up for what you want. Personally, I thought it was good. Not amazing, but adeequate for getting the point across.

• A Place Called Freedom - Ken Follet

Ken Follet does it again. I haven't found anything by him that I don't like so far. I really loved the main characters in this book and they're put into some really interesting situations. I really enjoyed the book from beginning to end. Ken Follet does a wonderful job of describing the conditions of coal miners, coal haulers, strikes, and riots in the United Kingdom prior to the American Revolution. He also describes the passage of convicts to America, the life of an indentured servant on a tobacco plantation, as well as the fight for freedom. If you need something to read on a plane or on vacation it's great because it's educational without being heavy and textbookish.

• Mussolini's Italy - David Evans

The book has a lot of good information on Mussolini's life and influence on Italy. It's not an amazing book, but it's not a bad one either. Just all the essentials facts that you need.

• The Man From St. Petersburg - Ken Follett

I really enjoyed this book. Ken Follett tends to write historical fiction and this book is about events leading up to World War I. The British are in desperate need of an alliance with Russia prior to the outbreak of World War I and a Russian Revolutionary will do anything to keep that peace from happening. There's the occasional soap opera moment when everything seems to be going wrong and there's always that plot twist, I found it rather entertaining and a good depiction of how young ladies were expected to live in England during the early 20th century. Plus, the book teaches you a little about women's quest for suffrage.

• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Nazi Germany - Robert Smith Thompson

I'm really glad that I decided to read this book. I've continually been given the quick and easy guide to World War II. I knew about the bombing of London, the Luftwaffe, Panzers, Blitzkrieg, Normandy, Hitler's betrayal of the German-Russian Non-Aggression act, Anne Frank, and the Holocaust. I knew that the Germans weren't happy with the Treaty of Versailles and that the German's got his hard by the depression. However, I knew little about Prussia and Otto von Bismark, Hitler's childhood, the founding of the Nazi party, how the Nazi's gained control, why Austria and Poland were so important to Hitler, that Catholics were discriminated against as well, who the major players were in Nazi Germany under Hitler's command, the Sudeten, Chamberlain's mistakes, and Charles de Gaulle's role in all of this. This book really did help by going through all the major events that took place in Nazi Germany. There's obviously plenty more to learn and the ability to go much more in depth. I also need to find a book that focuses on England, Italy, Russia, Poland, etc. during the war, rather than simply the Nazi involvement with these countries. Also, the Pacific Theater is only slightly alluded to in this book. However, I think that this was a great place to start.

• High School Confidential: Secrets of an Undercover Student - Jeremy Iversen

This is one of the best books I've ever read. Jeremy Iversen goes undercover as a high school senior in Emerald Valley, California. While he's there, he witnesses the parties, drugs and alcohol, how students reacted to WASC, the drama that seems so important in their daily lives, suicidal thoughts, as well as how students dealt with the death of one of their own.

For those of you that grew up in the "party" crowds some of the material in this book may not seem as shocking as it was for me. While I always knew there for some kids doing drugs, and a few kids drinking, I never realized that such a large quantity of students participate in the use of drugs and/or alcohol at some point during high school. I won't even begin to explained how shocked I was that sex played as big of a role as it does. I think that anyone who teaches or has kids of their own should read this book. It's easy to believe that your kid isn't like everyone elses and you don't want to fall into that.

The book also shows the incompetancy of some of the teachers in our system and the problems with teachers acting like mature adults and not try to be their best friends, as well as teachers that need to learn to keep their hands off of their students and not sexually harass them. I can't belive some of the things that these teachers said to their students.

• Venice Observed - Mary McCarthy

This was an interesting book. Mary McCarthy shows the side of Venice that you don't necessarily see as a tourist. For instance, the crazy signorina that she stays with who digs through her things and is facinated by her toiletries. I also love that she talks about Giorgione because I love his La Tempesta. There are a few parts of the book that I'm iffy on her choice of organization, but for once I actually learned something different from a survery book. I wish I could get something new out of everything I read.

• The Boggart - Susan Cooper

I read this back in 4th or 5th grade, but I felt like reading it again. I remembered liking it when I was little, but I couldn't really remember what it was about so I decided to read it again. It's a fun and entertaining childrens book. If you have kids they might enjoy it. The story is about a boggart, a very old sprit-like creature that loves to play jokes on humans. He's quite a character and gets some kids in a lot of trouble when their parents don't believe that they're not playing all of the jokes. Remember the days when you got in trouble for something you never did?

• The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain - Maria Rosa Menocal

There were parts of this book that I really loved and then parts that seemed somewhat unorganized. However, the last 2 chapters of the book are wonderful and make the entire thing worth reading. I especially enjoyed the theories of what made this tolerant culture turn on its citizens and create a culture of terror during the inquisition. I also loved hearing her relate Cervantes' Don Quixote to the events in Medieval Spain that led to this distrust of all things "un-Christian."

• The Arabian Nights, Volume II, More Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights

While most of these stories are religious in nature, it seems like the second volume is overwhelmingly more focused on the religious parable than the first. There are some great stories in this volume, but if you only have time to read one I recommend the first volume. These stories seem much more repetitive than the first as well. However, I really enjoyed the fables at the end of the story.

• Arabian Nights: Volume I, The Marvels and Wonders of the Thousand and One Nights

I really enjoyed this book. Most of the stories were really interesting. It was great to be able to read the original versions of Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Forty Theives, Aladin and other tales that you've heard in various terms over the years. I thought about just reading a day at a time, but the days are so short that you can't really get into the stories without just continuing on with the tale. There should be something to interest everyone in this book. You can tell that it's been inspired by oral traditions and epics, but it doesn't drone on with lists like epics do.

• Renaissance Europe: Age of Recovery and Reconciliation

I read most of this in my Renaissance course in college. (Apparently I read more of it than I thought I had so there was only a little that I hadn't read before). Anyway, after re-reading...

It's a good "text" book. It covers most things and goes a little more indepth than a survey text. However, there are a lot of places that read like a survey. While I prefere books that focus on one or two specific events or people, this one's not bad. It provides a lot of books for suggested reading which I really like.

• The Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism - Ross King

This is a wonderful text. ...as are most texts written by Ross King. I found the juxtaposition of Meissonier and Manet to be an effective way to show the atmosphere of the art world in Paris and the struggle over depicting the glories of the past or the daily events of their time. King compares the two artists like Leonard Shlain combines Art and Physics.

Not only did King portray the art world in the second half of the nineteenth century by discussing the artists, the salon, and the major patrons, but he did an excellent job of providing his readers with an idea of the social and political atmosphere of the times.

This is one of those books that you hate to finish because you become entralled in the era and the people involved. (It's even harder to finish when you've already read all of King's books and you have to wait for more).

• Greek Society - Frank J. Frost

Overall it's a good book that gives you an overview of greek society, as well as a look into the life of certain characters in greek history (some famous, others not so much). Occassionaly I questioned it's organization, but the factual information is there.

• A Brave New World -

"Progress" isn't always progress. Social conditioning, genetic manipulation, mass "participation" so to speak... (wink wink). It's an interesting book that's worth reading. For some reason it reminds me of a mix of 1984, House of Stairs, and Lord of the Flies all in one book with a few added elements. Does anyone else see that?

• The Toa of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff

This is a cute little book that's about Eastern Philosophies. However, it uses the context of Winnie the Pooh in order to educate you on Toaism, rather than the typical text. It's nice if you just want the basics or something to entertain you that's not to deep. If you're looking for more, then try a different book.

• Pygmalion - George Bernard Shaw

This was a really good play. I had to read it since I have to teach it to others, but I'm really glad I did. There's something about the way Shaw builds the characters that I really liked. Eliza's not really likeable, but neither are a lot of the other characters in the book. However, the unlikability of the other characters was balanced by Pickering who was easy to like. Of course, I liked the crudeness of the other characters since it created an interesting dymanic. I think I liked it because of its differences.

"Making life means making trouble." -127

• Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

I never read this in elementary school. The 5th graders did while I was in 6th grade so I just missed it. I thought that since the movie was out I shoud read it before going to see it. It's a really good book that focusing on friendships and feeling accepted by others. I couldn't believe the ending since it was something 5th graders would read. It was a little heavy. But, in the end there's that moral lift when the main character "overcomes" and learns from prior events. I recommend it if you just need something small to get away from the text book reading.

• Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light - Leonard Shlain

There's a reason why Leonard Shlain is my favorite author. His books are informative and interesting. I tend to get bored reading about things I've already read about five times before, but Shlain manages to actually present the information in a unique way by juxtaposing it with something like physics. It's worth the read. I started in high school and got side tracked half way through so I started the book from the beginning since it's not exactly light reading. For once in my life I wasn't bored re-reading a book that's not The Agony and the Ecstasy.

• The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas

I've only been reading on breaks at work so it's been taking me a while since that's only about 15 minutes 3-4 times a week. Hopefully now that all the wedding stuff is starting to die down I'll be able to read more again, but I almost doubt it since I'm getting ready to embark on two scrapbooking adventures.

Anyway, I loved this book. I loved the theme, the imagery, the characters, the conflict... It was a good classic adventure. Don't expect it to be just like the most recent movie they made on it though. It has a lot in commom, but the movie leaves out a lot and gets a little overly dramatic with some scenes and miss the concepts from the book completely. I really recommend this one.

• The Ultimate Hitch Hiker's Guide: Five Complete Novels and One Story - Douglas Adams

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