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.

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff

I was really looking forward to this novel but I wanted it to be more of a story instead of an academic account of Cleopatra's life. I found it pretty slow and tough slogging most times, but that being said this book will tell you everything you want to know about the political and cultural happenings at this time. I gave this book a rating of donate it instead of burn it because I think that if I had read this at a different time and with a different mindset I might have enjoyed it more.

Rating: Donate It.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This is an exceptional story that not only tells of a science experiment gone wrong but also explores ideas of creation and science, parent and child, masculine and feminine, status and equality. I had started to read this novel before and quit in the first half...don't do this! If you read it all the way through and think about it critically I know that this story can bring something to everyone. Also, this version I have posted had a lot of interesting critical essays in the back to enhance your experience of the ideas that come out of this novel.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Nothing To Envy by Barbara Demick

Barbara Demick tells a remarkable story about six North Koreans and their experiences under the communist rule of Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il. It's an inside look at the strength and resiliency of the people of this country and their struggles with the decline of North Korea from WWII to the present.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

This was one of my favorite stories when I was young and lately I've been wanting to read it again. It was a good as I remember! This is a story about a boy who is the only survivor of a plane crash and has to figure out how he is going to survive on his own with only the clothes on his back and a hatchet on his belt. This is a fantastic novel and really makes you think about what you would do in a life or death survival situation.

Rating: Slow Clap It.

World Without End by Ken Follett

This is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth and at first I thought World Without End was a complete replica of this novel but with only some minor details changed. There are so many similarities between the characters and happenings of these two books that I just about gave up on it. Then came the plague and the story takes a turn in a different direction. I found this book very readable and a nice story to escape into.

Rating: Donate It.