Well, school has begun! And we jumped right in to everything, leaving very little time for extracurricular reading this month. I did manage to read 8 books this month, though (all but one before school started). Best I can expect in the coming months is 2-3 books per month. I'm afraid recreational reading will have to be (mostly) on hold until Winter Break (hurry up, December 18th)!
Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
This story told from the point of view of Budo, the imaginary friend of one Max Delaney, a 3rd grader with autism. Budo has been Max's only friend for almost 5 years. When Max suddenly disappears, leaving Budo behind, Budo tries desperately to tell someone, anyone where Max is. But, no one can see him or hear him except for Max and other imaginary friends. Suddenly, Budo comes up with a plan that could help to bring Max home to his parents. Will it work? Or will Max and Budo lose each other forever? (4.5/5 stars)
Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
A 140-year-old murder mystery set in San Francisco. Jenny Bonnett is shot and killed at an old railroad station called San Miguel. Her friend Blanche begins piecing together the events of that night and the weeks before it to see if she can uncover the murderer and bring him (or her) to justice. She discovers secrets from Jenny's past that could reveal all--unless the murderer finds Blanche first. (3/5 stars)
The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Shea is a sports writer and single gal in her 30s. She goes in and out of relationships but can never find anyone she feels as passionately for as she does football. When she lands her dream job and starts dating Cowboys' quarterback Ryan James, she thinks things are finally going her way. But, when unexpected feelings arise for someone completely unexpected, she starts to wonder if any of the decisions she's made were the right ones. (3/5 stars)
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder by Charles Graeber (nonfiction)
Graeber's biography of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. Charles Cullen was a respected nurse, father, husband, and friend. He reached high esteem in career as trauma and ICU nurse. What no one knew, at least not at first, was that he played a hand in the deaths of over 300 patients in his 16-year career. (4/5 stars)
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Lavinia was just 7 years old when her family boarded a ship from Ireland to the newly established United States of America. When her parents die tragically while on board, she is taken in by the ship's captain and sent to work in the kitchen house of his tobacco plantation. She's under the care of Belle, the illegitimate slave daughter of the captain, and is adopted by the rest of the staff of the kitchen house. When she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a dark family secret, Lavinia must choose sides and decide where her loyalties truly lie. (4.5/5 stars)
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
An asteroid hits the moon, sending it out of its orbit and closer to earth. The consequences are catastrophic. Everything on earth is affected--weather, technology, seasons. There are earthquakes, tornados, volcanoes, hurricanes, and floods. Millions of people around the world die as a result. 16-year-old Miranda records her family's struggles to survive in daily journal entries. Will they survive this disastrous anomolie? Will life ever be the same? (4/5 stars)
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
A classic girl meets boy story set in the mid 1980s. Eleanor, sixteen, is the oldest of 5 children, and has never seemed to fit in anywhere. She's starting over at a new school where she sticks out like a sore thumb with her curly red hair and her imperfect physique. She meets Park, sixteen, a half-Caucasian, half-Korean boy who plays along to fit in, but doesn't think anyone gets him. Until Eleanor comes to sit next to him on the bus. From there, they bond over music and movies and feeling like misfits. It's a story of the awkwardness of adolescence and first love, told through the eyes of two awkward teens. (5/5 stars)
Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlock
When Beth Gunnar returns to her childhood school as a teacher, she didn't expect her past to come undone before her. But, as she starts her year and reconnects with old friends and old flames, and begins to mentor a troubled young student, memories from the past begin to haunt her. As she begins to unravel some of those memories, her life begins to (4.5/5 stars)
This was definitely the toughest month yet to pick a favorite read, but I've got to go with Eleanor and Park. I love the way Rainbow Rowell depicts teenagers. She shows a side of teens no one wants to write about--the awkward, unpopular misfits who are actually pretty cool once you get to know them. Her talent at storytelling is so unique. I'm really looking forward to reading her latest novel, Landline--her first "grown up" book.
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