Their Eyes Were Watching God

Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Author: Zora Neale Hurston

Pages: 184

Genre: Classic

Grade: B

Synopsis: This book describes the life of Janie Crawford in the small town of Eaton, Florida in the 1930's. Janie had been married to three men, was tried for the murder of one of the men and was often scorned by the town's inhabitants. Janie didn't really care what other people thought about her because she made sure to always do what's best for her and not what other people expected her to do under the circumstances.

My Review: This was a bit of a tough read. It shouldn't have taken me nearly as long as it did to read but it was one of those books that it almost felt like a chore to read. There were parts of the book that I really liked and there were other parts that required a bit of trudging. The book is well-regarded for its historical context and is chock-full of symbolism (most of which I'm sure I missed). This book does get you thinking and made me grateful for the time in which I live.

From the Book: "(p. 79) So Janie began to think of Death. Death, that strange being with the huge square toes who lived way in the West. The great one who lived in the straight house like a platform without sides to it, and without a roof. What need has Death for a cover, and what winds can blow against him? He stands in his high house that overlooks the world. Stands watchful and motionless all day with his sword drawn back, waiting for the messenger to bid him come. Been standing there before there was a where or a when or a then. She was liable to find a feather from his wings lying in her yard any day now. She was sad and afraid too. Poor Jody! He ought not to have to wrassle in there by himself. She sen Sam in to suggest a cisit, but Jody said No. These medical doctors wuz all right with the Godly sick, but they didn't know a thing about a case like his. He'd be all right just as soon as the two-headed man found what had been buried against him. He wasn't going to die at all. That was what he thought. But Sam told her different, so she knew. And then if he hadn't the next morning she was bound to know, for people began to gather in the big yard under the palm and china-berry trees. People who would not have dared to foot the place before crept in and did not come to the house. Just squatted under the trees and waited. Rumor, that wingless bird, had shadowed over the town."

"(p. 133) Mrs. Turner was a milky sort of a woman that belonged to child-bed. Her shoulders rounded a little, and she must have been conscious of her pelvis because she kept it stuck out in front of her so she could always see it. Tea Cake made a lot of fun about Mrs. Turners shape behind her back. He claimed that she had been shaped up by a cow kicking her from behind. She was an ironing board with things throwed at it. Then that same cow took and stepped in her mouth when she was a baby and left it wide and flat with her chin and nose almost meeting."

new moon

Title: New Moon

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Pages: 563

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Grade: B

Synopsis: Bella Swan has recovered from her close call with a vampire and things are going well for her in Forks. She is going with Edward to a birthday party thrown for her by the Cullens that is cut short when she trips and falls, getting cut on a piece of glass. Chaos ensues, Edward leaves and Bella begins to fall in love with her childhood friend Jake from the Indian reservation.

My Review: This was an interesting book for me. I liked most of the beginning and middle of the book more than twilight (I think I do anyway. I can't really remember that well that far back). The book after the middle was really anticlimactic though. I left the book on my shelf for 5 days when I only had 3 chapters left to read. If this had been a true thriller there's no way that I would have been able to go that long without finishing it. For the record, I like Jake. I like him at least as much as Edward and possibly more. Bella and Jake's relationship is so much more natural while her relationship with Edward just seems awkward. A classic love triangle has formed for eclipse which should keep it interesting.

From the Book: "(p. 74) Not tonight. Tonight the sky was utterly black. Perhaps there was no moon tonight--a lunar eclipse, a new moon.
"A new moon. I shivered, though I wasn't cold."

"(p. 200) 'Bears don't want to eat people. We don't taste that good.' He grinned at me in the dark cab. 'Of course, you might be an exception. I bet you'd taste good.'
'Thanks so much,' I said, looking away. He wasn't the first person to tell me that."

The Glass Castle

Title: The Glass Castle

Author: Jeanette Walls

Pages: 288

Genre: Memoir

Grade: A

Synopsis: Jeanette Walls grew up in a very dysfunctional family. The family was always on the move throughout the west and living and sleeping in their car and small shacks when they would find them. Her father was a raging alcoholic and her mother had no backbone or drive. Jeanette and her siblings grew up exposed to things that no children should have to see or endure. They often had to rummage and dig through trash to find food while their mother would eat candy bars under her bedspread and their father would waste what little money they did have on booze and gambling. Children in gunfights, the father pimping his daughter at the bar, being groped by an uncle (and the parents not caring about it), using markers to color her legs so the holes in her jeans wouldn't show so much and many other incredible stories are all a part of this memoir.

My Review: It is amazing that the author writing this memoir has made so much of herself. Faced with so many unique challenges growing up, Jeanette rose above them and has related her stories in a such a way that the book is extremely difficult to put down. Jeanette never makes excuses for herself or her parents but simply tries to tell it how it is. You can't help but be sickened by what she and her siblings have had to endure. From People magazine: "Walls has joined the company of writers such as Mary Karr and Frank McCourt who have been able to transform their sad memories into fine art."

From the Book: "(p.1, first paragraph) I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a Dumpster. It was just after dark. A blustery March wind whipped the steam coming out of the manholes, and people hurried along the sidewalks with their collars turned up. I was stuck in traffic two blocks from the party where I was heading."

"(p. 11) Every couple of days, the nurses changed the bandages. They would put the used bandage off to the side, wadded and covered with smears of blood and yellow stuff and little pieces of burned skin. Then they'd apply another bandage, a big gauzy cloth, to the burns. At night I would run my left hand over the rough scabby surface of the skin that wasn't covered by the bandage . Sometimes I'd peel off scabs. The nurses had told me not to, but I couldn't resist pulling on them real slow to see how big a scab I could get loose. Once I had a couple of them free, I'd pretend the were talking to each other in cheeping voices."

"(p. 34) I wondered if the fire had been out to get me. I wondered if all fire was related, like Dad said all humans were related, if the fire that had burned me that day while I cooked hot dogs was somehow connected to the fire I had flushed down the toilet and the fire burning at the hotel. I didn't have the answers to those questions, but what I did know was that I lived in a world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledge that kept you on your toes."

These is my Words

Title: These is my Words

Author: Nancy E. Turner

Pages: 384

Genre: Historical Fiction, Western

Grade: A

Synopsis: This book is based upon the diaries of the author's great-grandmother, Sarah Agnes Prine. The story starts with her family in a wagon train crossing from Texas to Arizona. They end up settling near Tucson, Arizona and begin tending to gardens, orchards, horses and cattle. Her accuracy with a rifle and fearless demeanor allow her to help save her family from Indian attacks and outlaws. This documents the trials and tribulations suffered by Sarah and her family.

Recommended By: Alison, Jenn

My Review: This is one of those rare books that you could simply read forever. The book is ordered by diary entries and when there is a long break between entries you wonder what had been happening during the break. It's disappointing when the book finally ends because it feels like you could simply keep going. The strength that Sarah displayed and her unwavering efforts to become a better person were inspiring.

From the Book: "(p. 162 - May 4, 1885) It is an awful thing to look on such sad circumstance and not be able to shed a tear. It is not because I do not feel for these folks, but maybe I feel too much. Part of me is glad, in a low down, mean way, that it is not Albert's or Mama's graves we are digging. Glad that it is some soldiers I don't know and neighbors and friends but not family. Lord, I must be the cussedest woman there is to think that. Finally, I felt so guilty for thinking those things that I cried. Then I began to feel the heartaches of our friends and neighbors and I cried for them, too, as we said prayers over each and every grave."

"(p. 164 - May 15, 1885) I must think about something else for a while. But then I remember his warn arms and his big strong legs touching mine and how hard and wide his chest was and how hot his kiss was, and I go outside and feed the chickens. They are getting mighty fat."

Life Expectancy

Title: Life Expectancy

Author: Dean Koontz

Pages: 401

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B

Synopsis: In the same minute and in the same hospital where Jimmy Tock is born his grandfather dies and makes a few predictions about the baby. On his deathbed he correctly predicts the baby's length, weight and time of birth. He also says that there will be 5 difficult and dark days in his grandson's life. This story describes how Jimmy Tock and is family prepare for and endure these 5 terrible days.

Why I Chose this Book: Alison read this book a little while back and seemed to enjoy it. I've wanted to read something by Dean Koontz because he's a pretty popular author and I've never been exposed to him.

My Review: This is a strange book. Things that you wouldn't ever expect happen almost every page. The book is a lot like Forrest Gump where many of the things that happen are simply too unbelievable. The difference is that while they are happening you are thinking that this couldn't ever happen but a few pages later you begin to believe that maybe these things could happen. Everything just seems to have its own explanation. The book is very funny and is an easy quick read. I'm still chuckling as I sit here remembering some of the funny parts.

From the Book: "(p.1) On the night that I was born, my paternal grandfather, Josef Tock, made ten predictions that shaped my life. Then he died in the very minute that my mother gave birth to me."

"(p. 351) There are days when it seems to me that in literature the most convincing depiction of the world in which we live is to be found in the phantasmagorical kingdom through which Lewis Carroll took Alice on a tour."

Digital Fortress

Title: Digital Fortress

Author: Dan Brown

Pages: 372

Genre: Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The National Security Agency has a relative new top-secret supercomputer which allows them to break any code and any encryption standard known to man. A former employee claims to have a new encryption algorithm which is unbreakable by the equipment the NSA has. The head cryptographer and her boyfriend are pulled into a thrilling race against the clock to prevent this encryption scheme from crippling U.S. intelligence.

Why I Chose This Book: I love Dan Brown novels and was in the mood for a thriller.

My Review: This was an easy quick read. I started the book late Friday night and finished it Saturday evening (which is the exact reason why I don't usually read during the semester - I can't put books down). While the book was not nearly as good as Angels and Demons or the Da Vinci Code it was still a great read. Like his other novels, there are things that are simply unbelievable while most of the book just borders on believability. With my background in computers and engineering it was very easy to follow along in the book. I'm not sure how easy (or even how interesting) it would be for somebody not interested in this type of technology. This book was especially interesting because of the Patriot Act and all of the issues with government snooping private people right now (the book was published in 1998, before the Patriot Act was signed). The biggest downside of the book were the 20-30 pages preceding the climax. With my background in nuclear engineering I knew what they were looking for long before they found it. This caused me to really speed read what should have been the most exciting part of the book.

Disclaimer: This book definitely needs a disclaimer. There was a bit of foul language and a non-graphic love scene. In this it was nothing like Brown's other novels.

From the Book: "(p. 14) Founded by President Truman at 12:01 A.M. on November 4, 1952, the NSA had been the most clandestine intelligence agency in the world for almost fifty years. The NSA's seven-page inception doctrine laid out a very concise agenda: to protect U.S. government communications and to intercept the communications of foreign powers.
"The roof of the NSA's main operations building was littered with over five hundred antennas, including two large radomes that looked like enormous golf balls. The building itself was mammoth--over two million square feet, twice the size of CIA headquarters. Inside were eight million feet of telephone wire and eighty thousand square feet of permanently sealed windows."

"(p. 174) Jabba resembled a giant tadpole, like the cinematic creature for whom he was nicknamed, the man was a hairless spheroid. As resident guardian angel of all NSA computer systems, Jabba marched from department to department, tweaking, soldering, and reaffirming his credo that prevention was the best medicine. No NSA computer had ever been infected under Jabba's reign; he intended to keep it that way."

The Read-Aloud Handbook

Title: The Read~Aloud Handbook

Author: Jim Trelease

Pages: 366 (including including 115 pages of a "giant treasury of great read-aloud books)

Genre: Self-Help

Grade: A+ (The first A+ I've ever given!)

Synopsis: This book covers topics from why it is important to read aloud to our children to the best ways to read aloud, important lessons from Oprah and Harry Potter and to how the internet and today's technology can be used beneficially for learning. Using support from many research studies Trelease points out that there is a huge correlation between the number of words a child hear specifically spoken to them and their ability to succeed in school and later on in life. He gives many examples of age-appropriate books and explains the stages of reading aloud.

Why I Chose This Book: I've heard that this book is an essential read for every parent.

My Review: I know that this review may seem a little over the top but, this is the first time that I have ever finished reading a library book and then ordered it on amazon.com within minutes of finishing it. Alison and I will read this one together once we receive it. This is one of the most interesting motivating and inspiring books that I have ever read and I agree with many of the reviews on the book that I have read which state that no household with children should ever be without a copy of this book. Anyone who ventures onto a book review blog (thanks for coming by the way) already knows and values the importance of reading. What this book does is explain why reading (both silently and aloud) are so important and how it can literally change lives. My favorite part of the book is all of the letters and personal stories that are shared. Even more impressive is that many of the tips and tricks that are shared in the book can be applied to public speaking or presentations. This is a book that I expect will become well worn in the Squire household.

From the Book: (Both quotes come from the introduction, which is almost just a long abstract or summary) "(p. xiii) Not that parents are alone in their extreme behavior. That have more than enough company among school boards and high-ranking politicians who think if you "fix the schools, they'll fix the kids." So, in Gadsden, Alabama, school officials eliminated kindergarten nap time in 2003 so the children would have more test-prep time. Two hours away in Atlanta, school officials figured that if you eliminated recess, the kids will study more. And just in case those shifty teachers try to sneak it in, Atlanta started building schools without playgrounds. "We are intent on improving academic performance," said the superintendent. "You don't do that by having kids hanging on the monkey bars." Meanwhile, Georgia's governor wanted the state to give Mozart CDs to newborns because research showed Mozart improved babies' IQs (which later proved to be mythical research). Right behind him is Lincoln, Rhode Island, where they canceled the district spelling bee because only one child would win, leaving all others behind, thus violating the intent of No Child Left Behind--or, as they might say in Lincoln, no child gets ahead.

"(p. xviii) This is not a book about teaching a child how to read; it's about teaching a child to want to read. There's an education adage that goes, "What we teach children to love and desire will always outweigh what we make them learn." The fact is that some children learn to read sooner than others, while some learn better than others. There is a difference. For the parent who thinks that sooner is better, who has an eighteen-month-old child barking at flash cards, my response is: sooner is not better. Are the dinner guests who arrive an hour early better guests than those who arrive on time? Of course not."

Fahrenheit 451

Title: Fahrenheit 451

Author: Ray Bradbury

Pages: 190

Genre: Classic, Science Fiction

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This book, written 55 years ago, takes a frightening look at the future. In the futuristic society, firemen don't fight fires, they start them in order to burn books. The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman that goes through a personal crisis after meeting Clarisse, a girl that posses qualities of life that Montag has never seen. Montag's wife and everybody in the society is constantly enraptured by the walls of television screens that they each have in their house and with always going somewhere as quickly as possible, never stopping to look around or think.

Why I Chose This Book: Alison asked me to get it from the library for her, I thought I'd sneak it in before I give it to her.

My Review: I thought that I had read this book before, but after reading it I'm fairly certain that I never have. I gained the most from this book by reading the Afterword and Coda where Bradbury explains many of the things going on in the book. I especially enjoyed this book because it gets you thinking and trying to determine whether or not there are any parallels between the society that he has explained in his book and the one in which we currently live. Either way, when government or minority groups of people start censoring things then it can be very hard to turn back the tide.

From the Book: "(p. 83, Faber speaking) Number one: Do you know why books such as this are so important? Because they have quality. And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores. It has features. This book can go under the microscope. You'd find life under the glass, streaming past in infinite profusion. The more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheet of paper, the more 'literary' you are. That's my definition, anyway. Telling detail. Fresh detail. The good writers touch life often. The mediocre ones run a quick hand over her. The bad ones rape her and leave her for the flies."

"(p. 177, from the Coda) Shut the door, they're coming through the window, shut the window, they're coming through the door," are the words to an old song. They fit my lifestyle with newly arriving butcher/censors every month. Only six weeks ago, I discovered that, over the years, some cubby-hole editors at Ballantine Books, fearful of contaminating the young, had, bit by bit, censored some 75 separate sections from the novel. Students, reading the novel which, after all, deals with censorship and book-burning in the future, write to tell me of this exquisite irony..."

"(p. 178) For it is a mad world and it will get madder if we allow the minorities, be they dwarf or giant, orangutan or dolphin, nuclear-head or water conservationalist, pro-computerologist or Neo-Luddite, simpleton or sage, to interfere with aesthetics. The real world is the playing ground for each and every group, to make or unmake laws. But the tip of the nose of my book or stories or poems is where their rights end and my territorial imperatives begin, run and rule. If Mormons do not like my plays, let them write their own. If the Irish hate my Dublin stories, let them rent typewriters. If teachers and grammar school editors find my jawbreaker sentences shatter their mushmilk teeth, let them eat stale cake dunked in weak tea of their own ungodly manufacture. If the Chicano intellectuals which to re-cut my "Wonderful Ice Cream Suit" so it shapes "Zoot," may the belt unravel and the pants fall."

A Death in Belmont

Title: A Death in Belmont

Author: Sebastian Junger

Pages: 266

Genre: Non-fiction, Thriller

Grade: B+

Synopsis: The crux of the book takes place in and around Boston in 1963. The city was terrorized by the Boston Strangler who ended up raping and strangling 12-13 women as they were alone in their homes. The murder of Bessie Goldberg occurred in the same neighborhood that the author lived in. A black man (Roy Smith) was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. Two years after this murder, Albert DeSalvo, a handyman, confessed to being the Boston strangler. Incidentally, DeSalvo worked on a project at the author's home during this same time period and was often at working at his home alone with his mother. This book examines the issue that race played in Smith's conviction and outlines a few of the racial atrocities that were occurring throughout the United States during the era.

My Review: I liked this book. It was very similar to In Cold Blood, where the author uses witness statements, court documents and interviews with the people involved to tell the tale. There were a few parts of the book that were a little disturbing, including descriptions of the murders and of a few civil rights atrocities. This book made me grateful that I was born when I was and that I didn't have to be exposed to the types of disgusting stigmas and restrictions that the ruling white men placed upon African Americans. The biggest downside of the book is that the ending is a little disappointing (but this is obviously not the fault of the author). There is no definitive answer on who killed Bessie Goldberg or whether or not DeSalvo really was the Boston Strangler as he claimed (I believe that he was).

From the Book (Both quotes have been taken from the Afterward): "(p.245) The story about Bessie Goldberg that I heard from my parents was that a nice old lady had been killed down the street and an innocent black man went to prison for the crime. Meanwhile--unknown to anyone--a violent psychopath named Al was working alone at our house all day and probably committed the murder. In our family this story eventually acquired the tidy symbolism of a folk tale. Roy Smith was a stand-in for everything that was decent but utterly defenseless. Albert DeSalvo, of course, was a stand-in for pure random evil."

"(p. 254) The state's case against Smith, however, did claim to speak to his actual guilt or innocence, and it has to be considered carefully. The reason this is important has nothing to do with Roy Smith or Bessie Goldberg or even Al DeSalvo; they're all dead. In some ways there is nothing less relevant than an old murder case. The reason it is important is this: Here is a group of people who have gathered to judge--and possibly execute--a fellow citizen. It's the highest calling there is, the very thing that separates us from social anarchy, and it has to be done well. A trial, however, is just a microcosm of the entire political system. When a democratic government decides to raise taxes or wage war or write child safety laws, it is essentially saying to an enormous jury, "This is our theory of how the world works, and this is our proposal for dealing with it. If our theory makes sense to you, vote for us in the next election. If it doesn't, throw us out." The ability of citizens to scrutinize the theories insisted on by their government is their only protection against abuse of power and, ultimately, against tyranny. If ordinary citizens can't coolly and rationally evaluate a prosecutor's summation in a criminal trial, they won't have a chance at calling to task a deceitful government. And all governments are deceitful--they're deceitful because it's easier than being honest. Most of the time, it's no more sinister than that."

What Color Is Your Parachute?

Title: What Color Is Your Parachute?

Author: Richard Nelson Bolles

Pages: 382

Genre: Self-Help?

Grade: B+

Synopsis: This is the "Bible" for job-hunters. The website for the book is even: http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/. This book is updated yearly and is more of a workbook than a book that you would sit down and read front to back. I didn't participate in all of the exercises, but I still came away with 8 pages of notes and ideas. The author begins by pointing out the best and worst ways to search for a job. Obviously the best methods are ones where the job seeker creates an active connection with the employer. Using the internet, answering newspaper ads and cold-calling are not successful because this connection isn't present (although, almost every place that I have applied has told me that they only accept resumes submitted online...). He goes through many important facets of the job search from the resume to the interview to salary negotiations. The biggest part of the book focuses on the "flower diagram". This is the type of thing that would be perfect for somebody trying to pick their college major or change career fields. For somebody like me who has yet to really work in my chosen profession, then it didn't seem entirely applicable. This exercise helps you to identify what types of working conditions you like, what skills, interests and values you have and where and what you would like to do. This is the ultimate exercise for somebody who is not happy with what they are doing and are considering changing careers.

Why I Chose This Book: This is supposedly the #1 manual for finding a job. This is probably a pretty pertinent subject for me right now.

My Review: I liked a lot of parts of this book, but there were other parts that I had to trudge through. I wish that I had read this book when I was trying to choose my college major. My decision was made very haphazardly (but I certainly don't regret it). If I ever find myself dissatisfied with my job then this is the first book that I'll pick up. It's also the type of book that would be perfect to give a niece or nephew graduating from High School. I didn't expect the book to be so activity based. These types of books can be quick reads - but if you really want to take advantage of the material then it can be really time-consuming. I learned a lot from this book and fully expect to read it again.

From the Book (I didn't really find any quotes to share about finding a job, but here's one that I liked): "(P. 317) The search for a dream job is, on its surface, a search for greater happiness. Most of us embark on this search because we want to be happier. We want to be happier in both our work and our life.
But some of us want even more.
We want to be happier in our soul.
Though others do not believe, we do. And we want our faith to be a part of our dream. hence, no discussion of work happiness can be complete--for us--unless we also find soul happiness. Unless we find some sense of mission for our life." [All formatting as the author intended]

War and Peace

Title: War and Peace

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Pages: 1691

Genre: Classic

Grade: A

Synopsis: The story of War and Peace mainly centers around Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. The novel starts 6-7 years before that and follows a small group of characters throughout this part of their lives. The main characters of the book are mostly from the nobility class - rich, beautiful and talented. My favorite character is Count Pierre Bezukhov. He spends most of the novel searching for inner peace and the meaning of life. Tolstoy is very philosophical in this book, having the narrator commenting often on the decisions made by both Napoleon and the Russian commander Kutuzov and how they are interpreted by historians. The book consists of 3 parts, each 5 books long (15 total) as well as 2 epilogues.

Why I Chose This Book: I've lived in Russia, I have a Russian minor, yet I have never read anything by Tolstoy - and, this book is considered by many to be the greatest of all time.

My Review: I ended up really liking this book and I can see why it is often mentioned as being "the best novel ever written". The first few hundred pages were a little dry for me (too Jane Austen-y, if you get my drift). Once the book begins switching back and forth between life in the army and life in the rich inner circles of Moscow and St. Petersburg does the book really pick up. I started out wanting to grade this book fairly low, but every few hundred pages or so I would realize how much I was enjoying it and bump my grade up a notch. My biggest complaint of the book is obviously how long it is. I started reading this book in late July and I'm usually a pretty quick reader. While I didn't read much during school, I still had to make reading the book a priority or I never would have finished. Tolstoy has a way of describing things that really brings them to life. Although this book was completed more than 140 years ago, I was surprised by how un-old-fashioned his writing seemed (thanks in large part, I'm sure, to the translator). I'm glad I read the book and I would recommend it to anybody with a lot of patience (or trying to learn patience...), but I really think that anybody who enjoys Jane Austen or similar authors will enjoy this book.

From the Book: (I had to return my first copy of the book to the library before I was able to make note of my favorite quotations from the first 5 chapters. If I ever get my hands on the same translation, I'll be sure to add them in.)

Book VI, Chapter XXV:
"He continually hurt Princess Mary's feelings and tormented her, but it cost her no effort to forgive him. Could he be to blame towards her, or could her father, who she knew loved her in spite of it all, be unjust? And what is justice? The princess never thought of the proud word 'justice'. All the complex laws of man centered for her in one clear and simple law--the law of love and self-sacrifice taught us by Him who lovingly suffered for mankind though He Himself was God. What had she to do with the justice or injustice of other people? She had to endure and love, and that she did."

Book VII, Chapter V:
"That instant when Nicholas saw the wolf struggling in the gully with the dogs, while from under them could be seen her grey hair and outstretched hind leg and her frightened choking head with ears laid back (Karay was pinning her by the throat), was the happiest moment of his life. With his hand on the saddle-bow he was ready to dismount and stab the wolf, when she suddenly thrust her head up from among the mass of dogs, and then her fore-paws were on the edge of the gully..."

Book IX, Chapter I:
"When an apple has ripened and falls, why does it fall? Because of its attraction to the earth, because its stalk withers, because it is dried by the sun, because it grows heavier, because the wind shakes it, or because the boy standing below wants to eat it?"

Book X, Chapter V:
"Prince Andrew turned away with startled haste, unwilling to let them see that they had been observed. He was sorry for the pretty frightened little girl, was afraid of looking at her, and yet felt an irresistible desire to do so. A new sensation of comfort and relief came over him when, seeing these girls, he realized the existence of other human interests entirely aloof from his own and just as legitimate as those that occupied him. Evidently these girls passionately desired one thing - to carry away and eat those green plums without being caught--and Prince Andrew shared their wish for the success of their enterprise. He could not resist looking at them once more. Believing their danger past, they sprang from their ambush and chirruping something in their shrill little voices and holding up their skirts, their bare little sunburnt feet scampered merrily and quickly across the meadow grass."

Book X, Chapter XXXVIII (about Napoleon):
"And not for that day and hour alone were the mind and conscience of this man darkened on whom the responsibility for what was happening lay more than on all the others who took part in it. Never to the end of his life could he understand goodness, beauty, or truth, or the significance of his actions, which were too contrary to goodness and truth, too remote from everything human, for him ever to be able to grasp their meaning. He could not disavow his actions, belauded as they were by half the world, and so he had to repudiate truth, goodness, and all humanity."

Book X, Chapter XXXIX (Towards the end of the Battle of Borodino):
"To the men of both sides alike, worn out by want of food and rest, it began equally to appear doubtful whether they should continue to slaughter one another; all the faces expressed hesitation, and the question arose in every soul: 'For what, for whom, must I kill and be killed?...You may go and kill whom you please, but I don't want to do so any more!' By evening this thought had ripened in every soul. At any moment these men might have been seized with horror at what they were doing, and might have thrown up everything and run away anywhere."

Book XII, Chapter XVI - Prince Andrew:
"'Love? What is love?' he thought.
'Love hinders death. Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. Everything is, everything exists, only because I love. Everything is united by it alone. Love is God, and to die means that I, a particle of love, shall return to the general and eternal source.' These thoughts seemed to him comforting. But they were only thoughts. Something was lacking in them, they were not clear, they were too one-sidedly personal and brain-spun. And there was the former agitation and obscurity. He fell asleep."

Book XIV, Chapter XVIII:
"For us, with the standard of good and evil given us by Christ, no human actions are incommensurable. And there is no greatness there where simplicity, goodness, and truth are absent."

Book XV, Chapter I:
"When seeing a dying animal a man feels a sense of horror: substance similar to his own is perishing before his eyes. But when it is a beloved and intimate human being that is dying, besides this horror at the extinction of life there is a severance, a spiritual wound, which heals, but always aches and shrinks at any external irritating touch."

First Epilogue, Chapter IV:
"A bee settling on a flower has stung a child. And the child is afraid of bees and declares that bees exist to sting people. A poet admires the bee sucking from the chalice of a flower, and says it exists to suck the fragrance of flowers. A beekeeper, seeing the bee collect pollen from flowers and carry it to the hive, says that it exists to gather honey. Another beekeeper who has studied the life of the hive more closely, says that the bee gathers pollen-dust to feed the young bees and rear a queen, and that it exists to perpetuate its race. A botanist notices that the bee flying with the pollen of a male flower to a pistil fertilizes the latter, and sees in this the purpose of the bee's existence. Another, observing the migration of plants, notices that the bee helps in this work, and may say that in this lies the purpose of the bee. But the ultimate purpose of the bee is not exhausted by the first, the second, or any of the processes the human mind can discern. The higher the human intellect rises in the discovery of these purposes, the more obvious it becomes that the ultimate purpose is beyond our comprehension."

twilight

Title: twilight

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Pages: 498

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: B+

Synopsis: 17-year old Bella decides to move from sunny Phoenix, Arizona where she lived with her mom to always-rainy, always-overcast Forks, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula to live with her dad. Bella makes friends quite easily at the small high school in town. She quickly notices one family (the Cullens) in town that doesn't seem to fit in with the others. As she falls in love with Edward Cullen she begins to learn more and more about them.

Why I Chose this Book: My mom really liked it, lots of people here on the web like it and Alison read it just before I did.

My Review: This was an enjoyable, easy read. While I certainly didn't love it like so many other people have, it was a relaxing read. I thought that that Meyer was a little wordy at times and could have said what needed to be said in less words than she used. There was something almost amateurish about her writing style that was reminiscent of Eragon. Although this book is a love story it was certainly unique and hard to put down.

From the Book: "(p. 139, Bella's thoughts) And I knew in that I had my answer. I didn't know if there ever was a choice, really. I was already in too deep. Now that I know - if I knew - I could do nothing about my frightening secret. Because when I thought of him, of his voice, his hypnotic eyes, the magnetic force of his personality, I wanted nothing more than to be with him right now. Even if...but I couldn't think it. Not here, alone in the darkening forest. Not while the rain made it dim as twilight under the canopy and pattered like footsteps across the matted earthen floor. I shivered and rose quickly from my place of concealment, worried that somehow the path would have disappeared with the rain."

I only share the following quote because it's on the back of the book:
"(p. 195) About three things i was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him - and I didn't know how potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

(No Spoilers!)

Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Author: J. K. Rowling

Pages: 759

Genre: Fantasy

Grade: A

Synopsis: This is the seventh (and final) installment of the Harry Potter series. In this book, Harry, Ron and Hermoine go on a quest to destroy the horcuxes and eventually defeat You-Know-Who.

My Review: First off, let me direct you to Ben and Jenn's review of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I've liked all of the Harry Potter books and this one was no exception. I simply couldn't put it down. In my opinion, it is definitely the climax of the series. Because the story is more of a "quest" than just a year at Hogwarts, I think that I enjoyed reading it more (not that I don't like the other books). The ending is very satisfying with all loose ends tied up. Not enough authors completely finish their stories.

Into Thin Air

Title: Into Thin Air

Author: Jon Krakauer

Pages: 291

Genre: Non-Fiction

Grade: A-

Synopsis: Into Thin Air is a personal account of the disaster that unfolded high upon the slopes of Mt. Everest in 1996. Krakauer was climbing the mountain as part of a guided expedition by Rob Hall, a guide from New Zealand, considered by many to be the best in the world. After summitting the mountain, many climbers were overtaken by a powerful storm and couldn't get down the mountain. This is the true story of what went wrong.

Why I Chose This Book: I've just always wanted to read it.

My Review: Jon Krakauer tells an incredible story that makes you feel like you are there. He does a very nice job of describing the difficulties of the climb and the problems that can happen while acclimatizing yourself to the thin Nepalese air. I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down at times. For anyone who has ever daydreamed about climbing Everest or doing something similarly amazing, this book may help knock some sense into you.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Title: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Author: Michael Chabon

Pages: 636

Genre: Fiction

Grade: B

Synopsis: Joe Kavalier emigrates from Prague to New York City in the late 1930's (via Japan) and moves in with his cousin Sam Clay. They begin writing and illustrating comic books and making a great deal of money on them. Joe eventually joined the Navy because he wanted to redeem the deaths of his family members. This is the story of their entwined lives.

Why I Chose This Book: I have seen this book mentioned on multiple "top 10" booklists.

My Review: This book is a very difficult one for me to review. There were parts of the book that I really enjoyed and there were parts that I simply loathed. The f-word was used a fair number of times (although other swearing was minimal) and gay activities are described (gratefully not in detail) which made me uncomfortable. Often the book was a slow read and is rather long. There are still many parts of the book that move along fairly well. The best part of the book are the descriptions that the writer supplies.

From the Book: "(p. 70, Sammy speaking to Joe) At Empire they put out a whole bunch of items that make farting sounds. A fart, you know what that means?" Sammy clapped the cupped palm of one hand to the opposite armpit and pumped his arm, squirting out a battery of curt, wet blasts. His cousin, eyes wide, got the idea. "Naturally, we can't say it outright in the ads. We have to say something like 'The Whoopee Hat Liner emits a sound more easily imagined than described.' So you really have to get it across in the drawing."

"(p. 255, Joe) He leaned forward to kiss her again. They bumped teeth, and it made him weirdly aware of all the bones in his head. her tongue was milk and salt, an oyster in his mouth. She put her hands on his shoulders, and he could feel her getting ready to push him away, and then after a moment she did."

"(p. 408) Sammy pursed his lips and allowed a long strand of saliva to dangle downward, tipped by a thick bubbled bead. The bubble lowered itself like a spider on its thread until it hung just over Bacon's face. Then Sammy reeled it back in. It had been years since he had last attempted the trick, and he was pleased to discover that his spittle retained its viscosity and he his pinpoint control of it."