Books
Nonfiction
*Wesley the Owl (Stacey O'Brien)-- B- -- Informative memoir about a scientist who adopts an owlet.
*Wild Goose Chase (Mark Batterson)-- B- -- I would call this Christian motivational nonfiction...basically, a sermon series in a book.
*No Plot, No Problem (Chris Baty)-- B -- Good book for NaNoWriMo, but in my experience, not having a plot kind of is a problem.
*Girls of Tender Age (Mary Ann Tirone Smith)-- A- --I like hearing people's stories (probably part of why I like my field of work) so I read a lot of memoirs. This one is particularly well-written. The juxtaposition of the author's memories (of growing up after WWII in a housing project in Connecticut with an eccentric, Italian & French extended family and brother with ...autism) with the history of a serial killer who eventually kills one of the author's friends shouldn't work nearly as well as it does. Parts of this book are so hilarious that you know it has to be nonfiction-- no one would ever write a novel that includes serial murder and this kind of humor. Very much enjoyed.
*The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls)-- B- --I liked this book. It's well-written, interesting and portrays the resilience of children and families even in horrible situations. However, I'd heard so many positive things about the book that I was expecting to LOVE it....and it wasn't quite that good for me.
*The Ashes of Waco (Dick Reavis)-- C- --This is so-so. It's interesting but not terribly well-written. Supposedly told "from both sides," the author is definitely biased against the ATF and FBI. While I do think that the gov't handled the situation very poorly and that the tragedy could have been avoided, I'd still like to read an account that's truly from b...oth sides. I think I'll have to read a couple more books on the subject to have a better grasp of the events.
*From Fatigued to Fantastic (Jacob Teitelbaum)-- A
http://www.endfatigue.com/
*Help At Any Cost-- (Maia Szalavitz) D --I did not enjoy reading this book, but I suppose some of the knowledge may come in useful some day. Basically, be very, very careful when sending a teen to any type of residential or "adventure-based/wilderness" treatment program. There are some wonderful, legit places (NOT covered by this book), but others (covered by... this book) are abusive, reckless, harmful and even deadly to the kids they purport to treat. If you want more info, or need help figuring out options of an at-risk teen, send me a message, and I will do my best to help you find safe, appropriate resources.
Fiction
*Say You're One of Them (Uwem Akpan)-- B- -- I felt very depressed when I finished this book. After reading a book about children in various war torn nations in Africa, that's probably an appropriate response.
*The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening-- F --I've been enjoying the tv series so I thought I'd try the books. Big mistake! This is one of those few occasions when the tv series/movie is a vast improvement over the book!
*The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)-- A -- I read this because it's gotten a lot of YA acclaim, but I must say, it deserves all the praise. Set in a dystopian future, teens are forced to compete in the ultimate reality show-- a battle to the death. The main character tries to survive and remain true to herself at the same time. I highly recommend it. For about the first twenty or so pages, it reminded me of Uglies (which I read with a group of the middle school girls last year and liked okay....but which they loved and their enjoyment was the point!), but then it gets a lot deeper, more surprising and suspenseful. Enjoyable reading that would make generate lots of discussion in a book group or class! (Warning for high body count.)
*Criminal Minds: Jump Cut-- B-/C+ --Good for what it is-- a book based on a tv show.
*A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens, read by Jim Dale)-- A -- It's good every year! :)
*The Virgin Suicides (Jefferey Eugenides) -- D+ --Not that great. Rather disappointing to read after Middlesex. However, Eugenides wrote it before Middlesex so it's good to know that he's improving!
DVDs
*Criminal Minds, Season 1-4 -- A+ -- I have fallen in love with this show!
*Damages, Season 1 -- A- -- Great cast, intriguing mystery and suspense....an extended riddle.
*No End in Sight-- B-/C+ -- Not only did I watch the DVD, but I also watched about 4 hours of the Special Features. It's very interesting and informative....but lacks any solutions or suggestions for proactive response. I kind of walked away thinking, "Okay, I'm really sorry, people of Iraq. Things are a mess. But there's no hope for things to get better." Maybe I'm too optimistic, but there's got to be something we could do that would be helpful, even at this point.
*Downfall-- C -- In German with English subtitles. This is about the last days of WWII in Hitler's bunker. It's a really upper. (I'm kidding, of course.)
TV on TV
*House-- A-- This season has been fantastic!
*The Vampire Diaries-- B+ -- Television Without Pity named this show as one of the best things of 2009. Surprising, but true!
*Supernatural-- C -- I think the writers have given up on coherence, but the show is still passable for those who are die-hard fans.
*Glee-- A- -- I'm so pleased this won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy!
*Brothers & Sisters-- B-/C+ -- I find this show rather hit or miss. Again, they have the dream cast for an intergenerational drama so I put the blame squarely on the writers' shoulders.
Music
*Hello Hurricane CD (Switchfoot)-- A -- Although the title is somewhat unfortunate in light of recent events, the CD is excellent. (Actually, in one sense, the theme is very apropos to not only the crisis in Haiti but also to crises in general. The song is about keeping your spirit and love strong in the midst of trials:
Hello HurricaneMy favorite song is "Your Love Is A Song." Great lyrics also on "Needle and Haystack Life." And "Yet": "If it doesn't break your heart, it isn't love."
You're not enough
Hello Hurricane
You can't silence my love
I've got doors and windows boarded up
All your dead end fury is not enough
You can't silence my love
