Book Nerd

Summer also means time to read! For enjoyment! My roadtrip gave me the opportunity to get a bunch of reading done. It was like finally getting water after spending months in the desert. I'm just going to give a short little review about each book I read. So if you don't care about reading or books, just click the little red X in your top right hand corner. And if you have a Mac......then do whatever it is you do to exit the page. Yeah.

The New York Regional Singles Halloween Dance by Elna Baker

I'd like to thank Laurissa for introducing me to this book and opening the door to memoirs! It's all about a single Mormon girl living in New York while trying to maintain her Mormon religion and morals. Hilarious! Everything from kissing a 12-year-old perv on a trampoline to traveling to Zambia to visit her atheist lover.

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

This book was quite the change from the previous one. Francine Rivers has always been one of my favorite authors, and this is her newest addition to the bookshelf. She takes what she knows about her mother's and grandmother's history and turns it into her own story. A second book is on its way!

Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper

Obviously an adolescent lit selection, but a really neat, modern-day version of the Romeo and Juliet story. This version takes a couple - one African American and one Mexican American - and follows their love story as they deal with the hatred of the gang in their school. It was really interesting to compare it to Shakespeare's work. Although, this book's ending isn't as morbid as the original.

The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold by Francesca Lia Block

If you happen to ever see this book, turn and run! I love reading warped and changed fairy tales, but this book was not what I was expecting at all. I am so, so, so glad that this didn't end up in my classroom without a read-through first! This book takes every fairy tale you've ever heard and basically ruins it. Snow White is kissed, not by a prince, but by the gardener that is dating her evil mother. Little Red Riding Hood has been sexually abused since she was a child. Sleeping Beauty was not pricked by a needle on a spinning machine, but has experienced a drug needle, which has taken her on a journey to earn the name "Sleeping" Beauty for sleeping around. Incredibly dark and disturbing.



The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Ok, put this on your "must read" list right now. This is officially my new favorite book. It's a story about a German girl living near Munich during World War II. The story is narrated by war's best friend, Death, so that definitely gives an interesting perspective to the story. I can't even put into words how good this story is and how amazing the writing is. Zusak says he likes to put a "little gem" on each page. I could quote line after line that struck me, made me think, made me cry, and made me laugh. Just do yourself a favor and go read it. Please, and thank you.