Before I delve into this review, I just want to say...well, actually shout...my first SLJ review was approved!!!!! Just a few minor edits, mainly for space. My review will appear in the October issue. I had my first reviewer chat, a kind of orientation if you will, today. That was after teaching Google for 6 hours to my colleagues! I'm wiped for sure!
Oh, and get those summer reading forms in!
Now...
This was my kinda book! Horror/thriller/ghostish story set in Vermont. Loved it!
The story is told through alternating viewpoints in the early 1900s and today. Sara Harrison Shea lives in the old farmhouse she inherited with her husband and daughter Gertie. Sara grew up in the home, with her father, siblings, and her "auntie". Auntie seems to be a sometimes lover to Sara's father, dabbles in witchcraft, has Native American Indian blood....you can see that villagers in the late 1800s don't like her very much. Tragically, Gertie falls down a well. Sara tells us that she knows of a legend of ways to wake the dead and see her daughter again. Auntie knows how and wrote the steps in a letter.
Today, Ruth lives in the house with her mother and sister. Her father passed recently from a heart attack. One day Ruth's mother, Alice, goes missing. Ruth and her sister Fawn tear the house apart. In doing so, they find Sara's diary and many secret hiding places throughout. Just what is going on in this house??
We also have Katherine, whose husband secretly came to West Hall, VT, at roughly the same time Alice disappeared, and was killed in a car accident en route home.
Add in Candace, a direct descendant of Sara's. What is her motivation in finding the diary belonging to her great (several times) aunt?
This was a crazy thriller I could not put down. Look for it to be added to the WHHS LMC collection later this autumn.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent
This is yet another book that was in "the pile"! No idea where it came from.
This Western crime drama is set just after the Civil War in locations throughout the Southwest and along the Gulf of Mexico. A ruthless killer, once a land surveyor, is obsessed with a old ghost tale of gold hidden in the bayou and leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake. His lover, a prostitute masquerading as a school teacher, was once a respected daughter and wife, but suffered from seizures and depression. Her husband and father had her committed several times, but she ran away at roughly 8 months pregnant. The pair have found the man the believe currently owns the land the gold is hidden on, but plans go awry. Desperate for money, they plot to rob a much wealthier man, when everything really goes off the rails. Meanwhile, three lawmen from Texas are in pursuit of the couple, who wrestle with morality on the frontier. The two sets of stories intertwine during the chase, with their final confrontation being the climax of the story. There is a final plot twist I won't spoil, but I am disappointed that I figured it out way too early. It kinda ruined the ending.
Don't forget to submit your summer reading forms. All the info is on the school website and in your school gmail. The last day to submit forms is September 9th.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 1st day!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions on this blog are those solely of Mrs. W.
This Western crime drama is set just after the Civil War in locations throughout the Southwest and along the Gulf of Mexico. A ruthless killer, once a land surveyor, is obsessed with a old ghost tale of gold hidden in the bayou and leaves a path of death and destruction in his wake. His lover, a prostitute masquerading as a school teacher, was once a respected daughter and wife, but suffered from seizures and depression. Her husband and father had her committed several times, but she ran away at roughly 8 months pregnant. The pair have found the man the believe currently owns the land the gold is hidden on, but plans go awry. Desperate for money, they plot to rob a much wealthier man, when everything really goes off the rails. Meanwhile, three lawmen from Texas are in pursuit of the couple, who wrestle with morality on the frontier. The two sets of stories intertwine during the chase, with their final confrontation being the climax of the story. There is a final plot twist I won't spoil, but I am disappointed that I figured it out way too early. It kinda ruined the ending.
Don't forget to submit your summer reading forms. All the info is on the school website and in your school gmail. The last day to submit forms is September 9th.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 1st day!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions on this blog are those solely of Mrs. W.
Monday, August 15, 2016
The Intern's Handbook by Shane Kuhn
I can't remember how this book ended up on the ottoman of "to read before summer ends but only after Nutmegs are done". It may have come from the Scholastic Warehouse sale, as they do sometimes have adult novels in the mix. It may also have come from the West Haven Public Library's fundraiser day at Barnes and Noble. I'm really not sure!
However it came across my desk, er, ottoman, I'm glad it did. I looked it up on Amazon and see it's the start of a series, and possibly (it's kinda confusing) a re-release of an earlier novel by a different name.
Anyway, John Lago is an assassin. He has no family; orphaned as a baby to drug addicted parents, in and out of the foster and prison systems his entire childhood. He is found by the director of an elite assassination firm and trained to kill. Reaching 25, he is set to retire comfortably, but for reasons we find out later, he has written a secret handbook for new recruits to the profession, detailing his final job.
John's specialty is to disguise himself as an intern: the lowest of the low in the corporate world (heck, the education world too--free labor in exchange for recommendations and resume references). In reality, his task is to off someone in the firm. For this job, it's as a legal intern in one of the biggest firms in New York. His target is one of the title partners.
Everything looks easy peasy, until John finds out the FBI is hunting the same man, and sends one its best in the form of another intern, now junior associate Alice.
What follows is a cat and mouse game between John, Alice, the partner, John's employer, the FBI, the mafia, and a host of other who-is-out-to-get-whom characters. It was a super fast read that I could not put down! Might have to get the sequel! This will be added to the LMC collection sometime this fall.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Get those summer reading forms in! Please!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
However it came across my desk, er, ottoman, I'm glad it did. I looked it up on Amazon and see it's the start of a series, and possibly (it's kinda confusing) a re-release of an earlier novel by a different name.
Anyway, John Lago is an assassin. He has no family; orphaned as a baby to drug addicted parents, in and out of the foster and prison systems his entire childhood. He is found by the director of an elite assassination firm and trained to kill. Reaching 25, he is set to retire comfortably, but for reasons we find out later, he has written a secret handbook for new recruits to the profession, detailing his final job.
John's specialty is to disguise himself as an intern: the lowest of the low in the corporate world (heck, the education world too--free labor in exchange for recommendations and resume references). In reality, his task is to off someone in the firm. For this job, it's as a legal intern in one of the biggest firms in New York. His target is one of the title partners.
Everything looks easy peasy, until John finds out the FBI is hunting the same man, and sends one its best in the form of another intern, now junior associate Alice.
What follows is a cat and mouse game between John, Alice, the partner, John's employer, the FBI, the mafia, and a host of other who-is-out-to-get-whom characters. It was a super fast read that I could not put down! Might have to get the sequel! This will be added to the LMC collection sometime this fall.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Get those summer reading forms in! Please!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Saturday, August 13, 2016
End of Watch by Stephen King
Note: You'll have to go a few pages back to read my review of Finders Keepers, book 2 of this trilogy. I did not review Mr. Mercedes, book 1, on this blog.
I have been waiting pretty much all summer to read End of Watch, the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. I pre-ordered it, and it sat on my living room ottoman awaiting the day I finished reviewing the summer Nutmeg contenders. Weirdly, I had to read the "math" book first to satisfy my curiosity on a few data lit. topics first. But I started reading this Friday afternoon and read non-stop except to sleep and eat (it being 96 degrees or so outside meant I was inside in the AC).
Stephen King does not disappoint (does he ever?). Mr. Mercedes, aka Brady, is in a seemingly vegetative state in the mental ward of a hospital while Bill, Holly, and Jerome have gone on with their lives. Jerome is building homes for Habitat for Humanity, Holly still cyber-sleuths, and it is clear Bill has some time of serious intestinal illness (it won't take much for the reader to figure out it's pancreatic cancer).
Secretly, Brady's brain injury seems to have triggered all kinds of telekinetic and telepathic powers, which is pretty scary considering how screwed up he is psychologically (you really do need to have read Mr. Mercedes to understand End of Watch; you could skip Finders Keepers and be fairly OK). Brady has developed methods of taking over minds and bodies, including using out-of-date video game consoles to get into the minds of teenagers. I won't spoil too much of Brady's twisted plot here, but he's out for revenge and it seems like he's going to get it!
King is never one to leave out societal commentary. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's blatant. I do think there is a message here about having your nose buried in your phone (HELLO POKEMON?!?!). There have been numerous studies/incidents of video game hypnotics, and King plays those up to bring home the message about being aware of one's surroundings AND getting off the tech for a while (granted, how many of you are reading this on a phone or tablet?). In addition, King makes several references to getting help for depression and suicide prevention. The number given to a character for help is the actual suicide prevention line. #itgetsbetter
As I said above, I could not put this down. Fans of King's horror with like the supernatural elements (Carrie, anyone?). He also brings in the drama ala Joyland. This will be added to the LMC collection sometime after the start of the school year!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
*All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
I have been waiting pretty much all summer to read End of Watch, the final book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. I pre-ordered it, and it sat on my living room ottoman awaiting the day I finished reviewing the summer Nutmeg contenders. Weirdly, I had to read the "math" book first to satisfy my curiosity on a few data lit. topics first. But I started reading this Friday afternoon and read non-stop except to sleep and eat (it being 96 degrees or so outside meant I was inside in the AC).
Stephen King does not disappoint (does he ever?). Mr. Mercedes, aka Brady, is in a seemingly vegetative state in the mental ward of a hospital while Bill, Holly, and Jerome have gone on with their lives. Jerome is building homes for Habitat for Humanity, Holly still cyber-sleuths, and it is clear Bill has some time of serious intestinal illness (it won't take much for the reader to figure out it's pancreatic cancer).
Secretly, Brady's brain injury seems to have triggered all kinds of telekinetic and telepathic powers, which is pretty scary considering how screwed up he is psychologically (you really do need to have read Mr. Mercedes to understand End of Watch; you could skip Finders Keepers and be fairly OK). Brady has developed methods of taking over minds and bodies, including using out-of-date video game consoles to get into the minds of teenagers. I won't spoil too much of Brady's twisted plot here, but he's out for revenge and it seems like he's going to get it!
King is never one to leave out societal commentary. Sometimes it's subtle. Sometimes it's blatant. I do think there is a message here about having your nose buried in your phone (HELLO POKEMON?!?!). There have been numerous studies/incidents of video game hypnotics, and King plays those up to bring home the message about being aware of one's surroundings AND getting off the tech for a while (granted, how many of you are reading this on a phone or tablet?). In addition, King makes several references to getting help for depression and suicide prevention. The number given to a character for help is the actual suicide prevention line. #itgetsbetter
As I said above, I could not put this down. Fans of King's horror with like the supernatural elements (Carrie, anyone?). He also brings in the drama ala Joyland. This will be added to the LMC collection sometime after the start of the school year!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
*All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
How Not To Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenburg
Confession time.
I like math.
Yes, I was an English major. Literature is my passion. Loving books probably had something to do with my becoming a Librarian.
But I still liked math (and science!). I took AP Calculus in high school, at the time one of only 2 AP courses offered at WHHS (the other being AP Statistics).
I hear people (students and teachers alike) say "I don't math", myself included. I really don't do a whole lot of math anymore. The reality though is that while I still had a classroom, sometimes we'd finish tasks early. I'd give my students time to work on other homework if they did not have a reading assignment for me. It started as "Miss, can you help me with my math?" to sometimes having the whole class follow along on a mini-geometry lesson. When the district mandated 20 minutes of math in every classroom, I didn't really begrudge it. I was already doing it.
Everything in education today is focused on data (for better or worse, and that's another argument/debate for another post). But what are doing with all these numbers? What does this data really mean? For teachers, it's how many kids reached goal on a post-test? How many families showed up to parent visiting night? How many books were checked out last month (and then returned!)? For kids, what range of SAT scores do I need for this school? What percentage of my total costs are covered by grants? What's my on-base percentage? Tackles this year versus last year? Math, people, math. (I would be remiss to not mention how music is math, but my Band and Chorus kids know that already!)
So earlier this summer I attended a conference on data literacy. There was a whole lot of math in two days (I did this virtually, online). Several resources were given out, including the book I'm about to review. It was recommended by several participants.
I have to say, I laughed out loud a few times reading this. There's a lot of snark and sarcasm. There's history you probably weren't taught in class. I learned a bunch of new historical tidbits in reading this. Ellenburg has my warped sense of humor it seems.
You will need to have a solid foundation in math skills and a pretty good math vocabulary to get most of what's going on here. I'd say this is for juniors and seniors who have passed geometry with a B at least. There were a few concepts I had to go and Google to figure out (probably since I no longer math, I've simply forgotten, like a foreign language or complicated knitting stitches). I also think our AP kids in Stat, Calc, and CompSci should read this to see why they are doing what they do.
Remember to get those summer reading forms in! All info was sent to school gmail and is on the LMC website thanks to Mrs. Lynch.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
I like math.
Yes, I was an English major. Literature is my passion. Loving books probably had something to do with my becoming a Librarian.
But I still liked math (and science!). I took AP Calculus in high school, at the time one of only 2 AP courses offered at WHHS (the other being AP Statistics).
I hear people (students and teachers alike) say "I don't math", myself included. I really don't do a whole lot of math anymore. The reality though is that while I still had a classroom, sometimes we'd finish tasks early. I'd give my students time to work on other homework if they did not have a reading assignment for me. It started as "Miss, can you help me with my math?" to sometimes having the whole class follow along on a mini-geometry lesson. When the district mandated 20 minutes of math in every classroom, I didn't really begrudge it. I was already doing it.
Everything in education today is focused on data (for better or worse, and that's another argument/debate for another post). But what are doing with all these numbers? What does this data really mean? For teachers, it's how many kids reached goal on a post-test? How many families showed up to parent visiting night? How many books were checked out last month (and then returned!)? For kids, what range of SAT scores do I need for this school? What percentage of my total costs are covered by grants? What's my on-base percentage? Tackles this year versus last year? Math, people, math. (I would be remiss to not mention how music is math, but my Band and Chorus kids know that already!)
So earlier this summer I attended a conference on data literacy. There was a whole lot of math in two days (I did this virtually, online). Several resources were given out, including the book I'm about to review. It was recommended by several participants.
I have to say, I laughed out loud a few times reading this. There's a lot of snark and sarcasm. There's history you probably weren't taught in class. I learned a bunch of new historical tidbits in reading this. Ellenburg has my warped sense of humor it seems.
You will need to have a solid foundation in math skills and a pretty good math vocabulary to get most of what's going on here. I'd say this is for juniors and seniors who have passed geometry with a B at least. There were a few concepts I had to go and Google to figure out (probably since I no longer math, I've simply forgotten, like a foreign language or complicated knitting stitches). I also think our AP kids in Stat, Calc, and CompSci should read this to see why they are doing what they do.
Remember to get those summer reading forms in! All info was sent to school gmail and is on the LMC website thanks to Mrs. Lynch.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Um, so this just happened...and other news
I am the newest School Library Journal reviewer. OMG!
I'm still having trouble digesting that!
So, here's what it means.
Oh, wait, FIRST I should say....the summer Nutmegs are DONE. 29 of them! That means I have until September 14th to read and review as I like! And there's a STACK!
Now, I'm also going to be sent pre-released material to review for SLJ. Those won't appear here, but 6 months after publication I can link them here! So you'll get to read them :)
Happy days!
I attended the SLJ conference today virtually. Check out my twitter @RamblingsLMS for a feed.
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