The Bone Woman by Clea Koff

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

Rating: Burn It.

The Art of Paper Cutting by Henya Melichson

Rating: Donate It.

Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Murder in Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie

Rating: Donate It.

Print Workshop by Christine Schmidt

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Come, Tell Me How You Live by Agatha Christie Mallowan

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Wanderlust by Elisabeth Eaves

Rating: Burn It.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Rating: Donate It.

Apocalypse of the Dead by Joe McKinney

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Indeliable by Kristen Heitzmann

Rating: Donate It.

Rocky Mountain Hero by Audra Harders

Rating: Burn it.

The Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

Rating: Donate It.

The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

Rating: Donate It.

My Custom Van by Michael Ian Black

Rating: Burn It.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Rating: Slow Clap It.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Rating: Donate It.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Wisdom Sits in Places by Keith Basso

Rating: Slow Clap It.

The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis

Rating: Donate It.

Deafening by Frances Itani

Rating: Donate It.

As Long as the Rivers Flow by James Bartleman

Rating: Donate It.

the birth house by Ami McKay

Rating: Slow Clap It.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Rating:

The Price of Altruism by Oren Harman

Rating: Burn It.

The Most Human Human by Brian Christian

"The Most Human Human is a provocative, exuberant, and profound exploration of the ways in which computers are reshaping our ideas of what it means to be human. Its starting point is the annual Turing Test, which pits artificial intelligence programs against people to determine if computers can “think.”
Named for computer pioneer Alan Turing, the Tur­ing Test convenes a panel of judges who pose questions—ranging anywhere from celebrity gossip to moral conundrums—to hidden contestants in an attempt to discern which is human and which is a computer. The machine that most often fools the panel wins the Most Human Computer Award. But there is also a prize, bizarre and intriguing, for the Most Human Human.
In 2008, the top AI program came short of passing the Turing Test by just one astonishing vote. In 2009, Brian Christian was chosen to participate, and he set out to make sure Homo sapiens would prevail.
The author’s quest to be deemed more human than a com­puter opens a window onto our own nature. Interweaving modern phenomena like customer service “chatbots” and men using programmed dialogue to pick up women in bars with insights from fields as diverse as chess, psychiatry, and the law, Brian Christian examines the philosophical, bio­logical, and moral issues raised by the Turing Test."

- http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Most_Human_Human.html?id=zfONjvb9FpIC

Rating: Donate It.

Wild Women & Tricky Ladies by Jill Charlotte Stanford

An interesting look at women as cowgirls in rodeo as well as performing circuits (think Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show) as trick riders and other performers. Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane make this list as well as many more extraordinarily fearless women showing their guts and skills and who defied convention to help shape the American and Canadian West. Very inspiring!!

Rating: Slow Clap It.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This novel was a good read but I didn't think the idea was very original. I reminded me so much of the novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami. Battle Royale is one of my favorite novels of all time so it was disappointing to be reading a novel with so many blatant similarities. That being said I am interested in the sequel to The Hunger Games which I think will help redeem Ms. Collins for me.

Rating: Donate It.

Motorcycles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor

"In Ojibway mythology, Nanabush is a mischievous trickster, shapeshifter, and culture hero. Journalist, playwright, and author Drew Hayden Taylor uses this figure, and his manic spirit, as inspiration in his first novel for adults.

Recently widowed 35-year-old Maggie is struggling with the responsibilities of being chief of the Otter Lake native reservation while simultaneously raising her aloof teenage son, Virgil. Maggie and Virgil are both reeling from the recent death of Maggie’s mother, Lillian, their last connection to the “old-fashion Indian” way of life.

When John, a mysterious white man, comes into town riding a vintage Indian Chief motorcycle, Maggie falls in love, but Virgil becomes suspicious. Virgil enlists his reclusive Uncle Wayne to discover the truth about John, resulting in a series of antics that would make Nanabush proud. Along the way, John prompts Maggie and Virgil to reconsider their understanding of family, history, and heritage.

Taylor uses John’s presence on the reservation to explore the political, religious, and cultural challenges facing the residents as they struggle to reconcile their Ojibway beliefs and traditions with broader Canadian culture and its modern conveniences. Conflict – both physical and philosophical – and compromise are themes running throughout the book. Those familiar with Taylor’s non-fiction will find his approach here recognizable: beneath the playful and light-hearted humour are complex emotions and thoughtful analyses of difficult subjects.

As Maggie, Virgil, and the rest of Otter Lake deal with the white interloper, Taylor brings a modern twist to ancient native folklore.Motorcycles and Sweetgrass is a charming story about the importance of balance and belief – and a little bit of magic – in everyone’s life."

Reviewed by Erin Balser (from the March 2010 issue) http://www.quillandquire.com/reviews/review.cfm?review_id=6809

Rating: Donate It.

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

"Tigana is a tale of identity above all else, of the fallibility of memory, and from the telling truthfulness of its very first words, Kay explores these powerful themes with a characteristically subtle touch...

Although it begins as an historical adventure of apparently humble proportions, Tigana ultimately reveals itself as a touching romantic tragedy that belies the relative brevity of the experience. What Kay accomplishes in this slim single volume is staggering. They call him the heir to Tolkein's tradition, and though he is an equally methodical author, Kay's incredible way with words often quite eclipses the rather pedestrian lord of the Lord of the Rings with whom he is so often compared. Tigana is an endlessly exciting and always emotional epic for the ages." - N.R. Alexander (The Speculative Scotsman) http://www.brightweavings.com/reviews/revtigana.htm

"Guy Gavriel Kay keeps the reader interested until the very last page; Tigana’s plot is complex, and the characters’ decisions are never as certain as you’d like to imagine. The action may be a bit start-and-stop, given the split between two very different circumstances, but once the story begins rolling, the novel is difficult to put down. While following the two narratives, the nine provinces’ populations and traditions create a rich tapestry that is quite intriguing...Guy uses powerful foreshadowing while escalating to climactic scenes–there are several heart-stopping moments–which can ratchet up the tension, even when moving through a slower portion of the tale...this is a character-driven, emotional journey, and Guy allows each character’s internal conflicts to be reflected in an accurate manner." - http://thejamesreview.com/review-tigana/

Rating: Slow Clap It.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

When I first started this novel I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to connect with the style and voice of the writing but was quickly persuaded otherwise the further I read. This is a novel for everyone of any age and will leave you satisfied long after you've finished.

"In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), Sherman Alexie recounts the trials of a Native American teenager, Arnold “Junior” Spirit, during his first year in high school. Using humor to soften the sometimes difficult and emotional story, Alexie creates a loveable, misfit protagonist whom readers cannot help but root for.

Junior lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation, where he discovers that alcohol is more important to most residents than an education is. Junior decides to transfer from his reservation school to Reardan High, a white school that is more than twenty miles away. Once he arrives, Junior finds that he is the only Indian (besides the school’s mascot) there. His best friend on the reservation, Rowdy, stays behind and vows never to speak to Junior—the “traitor”—again. Junior also knows that everyone else on the reservation thinks he is an “apple”: red on the outside but white on the inside. Meanwhile, most of the students at Reardan treat Junior as an outcast as well.

Although he is stimulated by the intellectual challenges of Reardan’s advanced curriculum, Junior must fight to improve his social standing both on and off the reservation. He accomplishes this accidentally when he goes out for Reardan’s basketball team. He surprises himself when, as a freshman, he makes the varsity team and eventually even becomes a starting player. Junior’s biggest challenge comes when he must play against his former basketball team from the reservation, whose star player is none other than Junior’s ex–best friend, Rowdy.

In the course of this young adult, coming-of-age story, Alexie highlights both the spiritual and psychological highs and lows of living on a reservation—a place of stagnation as well as a place of strong family roots and long-lasting love." - http://www.enotes.com/absolutely-true-diary-part-time-indian

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Life is so good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman

This is an incredible look at George Dawson's life. What made it so interesting for me was to be able to look into a living memory lasting from nearly 100 years ago and to understand how much change and history can be experienced within one lifetime.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Truth & Bright Water by Thomas King

"Thomas King is a writer of lyrical, comic poignancy, and a best-selling author in Canada. Of his latest novel, Newsday wrote, "Thomas King has quietly and gorgeously done it again." Truth and Bright Water tells of a summer in the life of Tecumseh and Lum, young Native-American cousins coming of age in the Montana town of Truth, and the Bright Water Reserve across the river in Alberta. It opens with a mysterious woman with a suitcase, throwing things into the river — then jumping in herself. Tecumseh and Lum go to help, but she and her truck have disappeared. Other mysteries puzzle Tecumseh: whether his mom will take his dad back; if his rolling-stone aunt is home to stay; why no one protects Lum from his father's rages. Then Tecumseh gets a job helping an artist — Bright Water's most famous son — with the project of a lifetime. As Truth and Bright Water prepare for the Indian Days festival, their secrets come together in a climax of tragedy, reconciliation, and love." - http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196432.Truth_and_Bright_Water

Rating: Donate It.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

This is an elaboration of the fairy tale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses". It's really for a younger audience but is a nice simple afternoon read.

Rating: Donate It.

Unless by Carol Shields

Rating: Donate It.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Rating: Donate It.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Rating: Donate It.

Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips

I throughly enjoyed this novel. It takes place in modern day London and is the story of the lives of the ancient gods in a contemporary society. In the novel two mortals are caught between a hilarious battle between Aphrodite and Apollo and where in the end these mere mortals along with Artemis must save the day. Seriously funny and a perfect combination of the overlap between ancient myth and modern society. The way that the author portrays the gods' personalities and perspectives is really entertaining.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

LEFT neglected by Lisa Genova

When I first started this book I couldn't remember why I ever wanted to read it. I just seemed so unlike a book I would read; a woman pushing all limits trying to juggle a family with three young children and putting in 80 hrs a week into her job as VP of human relations in a huge, international consulting firm. Boring right! But then as I read more everything became more clear. She suffers from a brain injury after a car accident that leaves her with unilateral neglect or hemispatial neglect, meaning her brain doesn't recognize "left", the left side of her body, the left half of her vision, etc. I finished this in one day and really enjoyed reading about how this character learns to slow down and re-prioritize what is important in one's life.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

This book was interesting and strange; instead of trying to write this one up I thought this quote from publisher's weekly summed up pretty much what I was thinking:

"Murakami likes to blur the boundary between the real and the surreal—we are treated to such oddities as fish raining from the sky; a forest-dwelling pair of Imperial Army soldiers who haven't aged since WWII; and a hilarious cameo by fried chicken king Colonel Sanders—but he also writes touchingly about love, loneliness and friendship. Occasionally, the writing drifts too far into metaphysical musings—mind-bending talk of parallel worlds, events occurring outside of time—and things swirl a bit at the end as the author tries, perhaps too hard, to make sense of things. But by this point, his readers, like his characters, will go just about anywhere Murakami wants them to, whether they 'get' it or not."

It was good and I liked it, I'm just not sure why...

Rating: Donate It.

Deciding on my next trip...

My favorite guide was the National Geographic Traveler. It had the best information about the country and the best photos. It did a really good job of getting me excited about experiencing Vietnam.

If you want really specific information (eg. hotels, train stations to get around, etc.) than Foder's is the way to go.

The New Mexico and Bali book was really hard to get through in terms of how they organized the information. Plus the photos and the font seemed really small...

The Lost City of Z by David Grann

This is an interesting novel about the exploration race of the last century, specifically of the mysteries of the amazon, the (mis)adventures of exploring such a harsh environment and the explorers crazy enough to try it. I enjoyed it all the way through.

Rating: Donate It.

Fall of Giants by Ken Follet

This book was an incredible look into the lives of people living in the early 1900's and the historical political happenings leading up to, during and after WWI. This book is very entertaining and well written.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

I read this one again...it's that good.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield

Rob Sheffield takes the reader on a journey as he remembers his life and parallels it with the music that influenced him through the years. This story didn't really connect with me and I found myself waiting for it to be over so that I could start something new.

Rating: Burn It.

As Always, Julia Edited by Joan Reardon

This collection of the letters between Julia and her pen pal turned life long friend, Avis, is tender, funny and very enlightening. It was touching to see this friendship growing with each letter. I thought the background political context to their lives were very interesting but what struck me the most was the technological revolution that was happening and how it was affecting the culture at the time. It's amazing what we take for granted now (tv, processed/fast food, instant messaging, etc.) that was so foreign to them then.

Rating: Donate It.

Essex County by Jeff Lemire

This graphic novel is about the interconnections of the people in the community of Essex County. It is an honest novel that portrays the different challenges and histories that the people in this story live with and how a person affects the people around them, whether they know it or not.

Rating: Donate It.

The Nobody by Jeff Lemire

An interesting take on 'The Invisible Man'. It's a nice quick read that tackles the subjects of loneliness, drive, and finding your place in the world. I enjoyed the graphic aspect to it as well.

Rating: Donate It.