March 2011

Here's the list for March. I haven't posted for the past week or so, but wanted to get this out. Enjoy!
Books-March 2011
1. The Summer son by Craig Lancaster
2. The finer points of sausage dogs by Alexander McCall Smith (audio book)
3. Julie of the wolves by Jean Craighead George
4. Zita the space girl by Ben Hatke
5. Night train to Scotland by Sybil Burr (gender study)
6. The confession by John Grisham
7. Catching fire by Suzanne Collins
8. The nobodies album by Carolyn Parkhurst
9. The beauty bias:the injustice of appearance in life and law by Deborah L. Rhode
10. Mothers and other liars by Amy Bourret
11. A room with a zoo by Jules Feiffer (gender study)
12. The cat who brought down the house by Lillian Jackson Braun (audio book)
13. The world according to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith (audio book)
14. After summer by Nick Earls (gender study)
15. I don't know how she does it by Allison Pearson
16. An inconvenient marriage by Ruth Ann Nordin
17. Seven year switch by Claire Cook

1. Look up Craig Lancaster and see what it says about him as an author. I bought this book because the story was set in Montana and it turned out to be a pretty good story, maybe a little longer than it needed to b.
2. I love to listen to Smith’s book on CD. I put them on my ipod and then listen when I am waiting for the bus, or doing things around the house. If you have never heard of Professor Von Inglefeld, you are in for a real treat!
3. I read this because the fifth graders I work with are reading this in class and I had never read it. Beautiful language and a sad story about loss and survival.
4. A new graphic novel that I read so I could share with my fifth grade friends. I didn’t find it very engaging. Why do I keep seeing The Wizard of Oz in all the children’s books I read?
5. This was our book club book of the month. We all loved it. Grisham knows how to tell a story and he can also educate us at the same time.
6. One of the books published in the 1950s; the main character is very Nancy Drewish, although she lives in Scotland: brave, charismatic, can sail a boat by herself. The story is basically a romance with a little bit of mystery. Main character is a girl, but the book has 50 males and 22 females.
7. The second installment of the Hunger Games Series. I have enjoyed these books, but I am not sure how children as young as 4th and 5th grade are devouring these books. Very dark material for ones so young.
8. Probably my favorite book this month. I love how Parkhurst develops the story. She really pulled me into the mystery as well as the relationships between the characters. I will look for more books by her.
9. We are so caught up in superficial looks and this is not limited to our current culture. Rhode examines how the law can sometimes help against this bias, but unfortunately concludes that in general those unfortunate to be discriminated against have not legal recourse. It is legal to not hire (or fire) someone because of looks, weight, height and, as we all know, the size of her breasts!
10. I’m not sure why I read this whole book. The main character kept making bad decisions and the author was quite sympathetic to her, but it wasn’t working for me.
11. A gender study book where it seemed that the author was slightly more aware of his choices in gender for secondary characters. Females outnumbered males here and not all secondary characters were portrayed in gender-stereotypical ways.
12. I have read several of the Cat Who books. They are always fun to come back to. If you like a light mystery, with a touch of whimsical language play, give these a try.
13. This series revolves around a number of people residing in the same apartment building in Edinburgh. Bertie is six years old and has to contend with an overbearing mother and other trials. As a continuing story that jumps from character to character, it makes me feel like I am coming home when I read the next installment.
14. A very unusual love story, told from the boy’s point of view. It is a sweetly told tale and the author deals well with the sex angle. Haven’t counted yet, but it seemed pretty balanced.
15. A sharply funny look at the modern woman who does not have time to be the perfect wife, mother and employee. But, that doesn’t mean she is not going to try. Of course, someone will suffer and in spite of the laughs, the book is full of pain.
16. Sometimes I am not sure how I get sucked into free books on ebook readers. This book was not worth my time, in spite of the no fee to download.
17. A quick read, nice story, but nothing special.