The Shadow of the Wind
Carlos Ruiz Zafón, © 2001
mystery fiction; 480 pages
I read this book on a recommendation and immediately fell in love. It is an engrossing book with suspense and humor. I'll share with you the synopsis on the back cover and two of my favorite quotes from the book.
Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mournes the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact. Daniel may have the last of Carax's books in existense. Soon Daniel's seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona's darkest secrets--an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love.
The first quote is by my favorite character, Fermín, about television:
Television, my dear Daniel, is the Antichrist, and I can assure you that after only three or four generations, people will no longer even know how to fart on their own and humans will return to living in caves, to medieval savagery, and to the general state of imbecility that slugs overcame back in the Pleistocene era. Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke of everything, and a lousy joke at that.
The second quote is a thought from Daniel:
...the art of reading is slowly dying, that it’s an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.
read it
February 4, 2011
January 13, 2011
resourceful
One Man's Wilderness - An Alaskan Odyssey
Sam Keith from the journals and photos of Richard Proenneke, © 1973
non-fiction/biographical; 220 pages
Lately I have been interested in all that is Alaska. My research lead me to this book, chronicling the daily happenings of one man 40 miles away from the nearest town in the middle of Alaska. He decided it was time he had some solitude and set out to build a cabin using only hand tools. The book mostly reads as a journal of Richard Proenneke's days. There are photos to show in detail the amazing cabin he describes building in the first half of the book. He then goes on to describe the incredibly cold winter (-54º F) he survives in his cabin and then some walks he takes around Twin Lakes and the wild life he encounters.
The thing I most enjoyed about this book was imagining myself in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and the solitude of a glacial lake valley. He ends the book with thought provoking reflections on his experience of building his cabin and living a mostly solitary life for 16 months.
I had heard this was a PBS special.
consider it
Sam Keith from the journals and photos of Richard Proenneke, © 1973
non-fiction/biographical; 220 pages
Lately I have been interested in all that is Alaska. My research lead me to this book, chronicling the daily happenings of one man 40 miles away from the nearest town in the middle of Alaska. He decided it was time he had some solitude and set out to build a cabin using only hand tools. The book mostly reads as a journal of Richard Proenneke's days. There are photos to show in detail the amazing cabin he describes building in the first half of the book. He then goes on to describe the incredibly cold winter (-54º F) he survives in his cabin and then some walks he takes around Twin Lakes and the wild life he encounters.
The thing I most enjoyed about this book was imagining myself in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and the solitude of a glacial lake valley. He ends the book with thought provoking reflections on his experience of building his cabin and living a mostly solitary life for 16 months.
I had heard this was a PBS special.
consider it
September 15, 2010
back to back
Born to Run
Christopher McDougall, © 2009
non-fiction; 290 pages
and
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead, © 2009
youth science fiction; 199 pages
I just hit back-to-back home runs with my latest reads. The first, Born to Run, is a non-fiction account of a novice runner/journalists journey for the perfect stride while discovering the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and helping "Caballo Blanco" organize the greatest race to never be seen. Fast paced, fact filled, and fun.
When You Reach Me, is the most fascinating and intelligent children's' fiction book I have read since becoming a teacher. Stead does an amazing job of dropping subtle hints along the way that there is more going on than just a drama about the struggles of a young girl and her single mother trying to survive in New York City in the late 1970s. I can best describe it as a contemporary version of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
read them both
Christopher McDougall, © 2009
non-fiction; 290 pages
and
When You Reach Me
Rebecca Stead, © 2009
youth science fiction; 199 pages
I just hit back-to-back home runs with my latest reads. The first, Born to Run, is a non-fiction account of a novice runner/journalists journey for the perfect stride while discovering the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico and helping "Caballo Blanco" organize the greatest race to never be seen. Fast paced, fact filled, and fun.
When You Reach Me, is the most fascinating and intelligent children's' fiction book I have read since becoming a teacher. Stead does an amazing job of dropping subtle hints along the way that there is more going on than just a drama about the struggles of a young girl and her single mother trying to survive in New York City in the late 1970s. I can best describe it as a contemporary version of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time.
read them both
April 28, 2010
incredible
Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War
Karl Marlantes, ©2010
Vietnam War fiction; 565 pages
This is the first Vietnam War novel I have read, and it was amazing. This book took Marlantes (a Vietnam Marine Vet) 30 years to write, and describes a marine platoon lieutenant's experience in one small corner of the war.
Christina Robb said, "Unforgettable...A beautifully crafted novel of unrivaled authenticity and power, filled with jungle heroism, crackerjack inventiveness, mud, blood, brotherhood, hatred, healing, terror, bureaucracy, politics, unfathomable waste, and unfathomable love."
That's about it, but better.
read it
Karl Marlantes, ©2010
Vietnam War fiction; 565 pages
This is the first Vietnam War novel I have read, and it was amazing. This book took Marlantes (a Vietnam Marine Vet) 30 years to write, and describes a marine platoon lieutenant's experience in one small corner of the war.
Christina Robb said, "Unforgettable...A beautifully crafted novel of unrivaled authenticity and power, filled with jungle heroism, crackerjack inventiveness, mud, blood, brotherhood, hatred, healing, terror, bureaucracy, politics, unfathomable waste, and unfathomable love."
That's about it, but better.
read it
March 20, 2010
third try
The Lost Tiki Palaces of Detroit
Michael Zadoorian, © 2009
short stories; 200 pages
It's been awhile since I've last updated. I've been reading a lot of children's fiction lately trying to find good reads for my students. Since The Last Olympian I haven't found anything good enough to write about.
Zadoorian's newest book is a collection of short stories. While these stories are good there isn't much new here. Many of the short stories are based on characters in his two previous novels: The Leisure Seeker and Second Hand.
Here is the big news concerning this read. This was my first time to request a book that I thought the Austin Public Library should carry. I placed an online request about 6 months ago, and it arrived at my local branch for me to have the first read. I was amazed and I love the library!
consider it
Michael Zadoorian, © 2009
short stories; 200 pages
It's been awhile since I've last updated. I've been reading a lot of children's fiction lately trying to find good reads for my students. Since The Last Olympian I haven't found anything good enough to write about.
Zadoorian's newest book is a collection of short stories. While these stories are good there isn't much new here. Many of the short stories are based on characters in his two previous novels: The Leisure Seeker and Second Hand.
Here is the big news concerning this read. This was my first time to request a book that I thought the Austin Public Library should carry. I placed an online request about 6 months ago, and it arrived at my local branch for me to have the first read. I was amazed and I love the library!
consider it
November 29, 2009
catalyst
No Impact Man
Colin Beavan, © 2009
eco-memoir; 224 pages
This is a memoir written by Colin Beavan, an inhabitant of NYC, about deciding to try and live a year with no environmental impact. No electricity, no trash, no carbon emissions, etc. While retelling how he changes his and his family's life (wife and daughter) he reflects on our society and what has lead us to our current state of wasteful consumption and manufacturing of products.
He doesn't blame our society or preach that everyone should drastically change their lifestyles, but instead, tries to influence by pointing out positive aspects of living a simpler life with less consumption and better care for our environment. Reading about these positive impacts have convinced me to change some of my own habits.
I wholeheartedly believe that our culture has to make changes in how we live and what we value in order for our planet to continue to support us. This book does a great job of starting the conversation of how we can make this change happen and showing that this change doesn't mean a lower quality of life.
Check out the link above to see his website and...
read it
Colin Beavan, © 2009
eco-memoir; 224 pages
This is a memoir written by Colin Beavan, an inhabitant of NYC, about deciding to try and live a year with no environmental impact. No electricity, no trash, no carbon emissions, etc. While retelling how he changes his and his family's life (wife and daughter) he reflects on our society and what has lead us to our current state of wasteful consumption and manufacturing of products.
He doesn't blame our society or preach that everyone should drastically change their lifestyles, but instead, tries to influence by pointing out positive aspects of living a simpler life with less consumption and better care for our environment. Reading about these positive impacts have convinced me to change some of my own habits.
I wholeheartedly believe that our culture has to make changes in how we live and what we value in order for our planet to continue to support us. This book does a great job of starting the conversation of how we can make this change happen and showing that this change doesn't mean a lower quality of life.
Check out the link above to see his website and...
read it
November 12, 2009
espionagical
The Unlikely Spy
Daniel Silva, © 1995
WWII spy thriller; 530 pages
This book was passed down to me by my Dad, a lover of all mystery, thriller trash novels. Silva won the Edgar Award (best new-comer in the mystery genre) for this debut novel, and it was well deserved.
He pits the German spy network vs. the British. Silva paints a great picture of the deceit surrounding the Allies invasion of Normandy.
If you are in the mood for a good spy novel. This one is definitely worth a read, and I have a beat up copy if you'd like to borrow it.
consider it
Daniel Silva, © 1995
WWII spy thriller; 530 pages
This book was passed down to me by my Dad, a lover of all mystery, thriller trash novels. Silva won the Edgar Award (best new-comer in the mystery genre) for this debut novel, and it was well deserved.
He pits the German spy network vs. the British. Silva paints a great picture of the deceit surrounding the Allies invasion of Normandy.
If you are in the mood for a good spy novel. This one is definitely worth a read, and I have a beat up copy if you'd like to borrow it.
consider it
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