I saw this on a best of list on Amazon and requested it from WHPL. I read it in one night.
I was deeply affected by this book.
Every choice we make has consequences. What might, at the time, seem like an insignificant decision can have far-reaching impacts later. What if I take the long way home today? What if I stop for coffee? Will doing either prevent me getting in a car accident along the route? Will it cause one?
This book starts with seniors mourning the death of a classmate at the end of the summer. Then the story is told in flashback by characters who were not overly close to him, but their choices throughout lead to Christopher's murder. They are all dealing with survivor's guilt and questioning themselves with what ifs.
I don't want to spoil too much of the plot here, because the little details that seem minute as you are reading are actually very important. Squib's photographic memory and summer job driving an ice cream truck, Hunger's taxidermy business needing roadkill, Mildred's stamp collecting, Hazel's prized pigs, Lance's drug addicted mother and God-fearing foster parents, and Doc's confusion about where he fits in ALL contribute in someway to Christopher dying that August night.
What was the most moving for me was knowing the novel is based on a true story. Wolf's classmate Ed died in the same manner as Christopher. Wolf's writing is part of his healing process and dealing with the same survivor's guilt.
Advice? Get to know your classmates, even the ones not in your circle. Find out who they are before they are gone. Don't let the chance to invite someone for one more slice of pizza ever slip away.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
The Last Harvest by Kim Liggett
The last Kim Liggett book I reviewed here (Blood and Salt) was creepy and weird and crazy. This one tops it.
The cover tagline is "eerie and unnerving and tense". Yep, I'd agree with that.
Devil worship, high school football, and history converge in Smalltown USA.
127 years ago six families founded Midland. The sixth generation of the founding families are now high school seniors. Only the Tate family has more than one child: Clay, Jess, and Natalie (who goes by the nickname Noodle). One year ago their father went off his rocker and slaughtered every female cow on a neighboring ranch. Clay found his father muttering about the devil and blood.
Clay lost everything that night. Without his father to cut the wheat, the responsibility falls to Clay. He quits football and dumps his girlfriend. While their mother spirals into depression, Jess goes goth and becomes the town whore. Only Noodle seems immune, excelling at school and keeping the family together by a thread. Clay decides to get Noodle out of their podunk little farm town and starts saving for her to attend private school 45 minutes away.
But now, a year later, weird things start happening around Clay. He has visions of baby cows being slaughtered and then kids start dying under suspicious circumstances. A school counselor, a devout Catholic in a town of Baptists, thinks there might be a cult in Midland. As things get stranger and stranger, Clay isn't sure whether he's the chosen one to lead the cult or defeat it.
Not going to lie, this book was weird and creepy. I did figure out what was really happening (and who is on what side) pretty early though.
Also, I have no idea how I got this book. It kinda just appeared on my ottoman. And that's kinda weird too. It's being added to the LMC collection right now.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
The cover tagline is "eerie and unnerving and tense". Yep, I'd agree with that.
Devil worship, high school football, and history converge in Smalltown USA.
127 years ago six families founded Midland. The sixth generation of the founding families are now high school seniors. Only the Tate family has more than one child: Clay, Jess, and Natalie (who goes by the nickname Noodle). One year ago their father went off his rocker and slaughtered every female cow on a neighboring ranch. Clay found his father muttering about the devil and blood.
Clay lost everything that night. Without his father to cut the wheat, the responsibility falls to Clay. He quits football and dumps his girlfriend. While their mother spirals into depression, Jess goes goth and becomes the town whore. Only Noodle seems immune, excelling at school and keeping the family together by a thread. Clay decides to get Noodle out of their podunk little farm town and starts saving for her to attend private school 45 minutes away.
But now, a year later, weird things start happening around Clay. He has visions of baby cows being slaughtered and then kids start dying under suspicious circumstances. A school counselor, a devout Catholic in a town of Baptists, thinks there might be a cult in Midland. As things get stranger and stranger, Clay isn't sure whether he's the chosen one to lead the cult or defeat it.
Not going to lie, this book was weird and creepy. I did figure out what was really happening (and who is on what side) pretty early though.
Also, I have no idea how I got this book. It kinda just appeared on my ottoman. And that's kinda weird too. It's being added to the LMC collection right now.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Thursday, March 23, 2017
A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier
Hellllloooooo....
I finally got a chance to get some reading done last night. Let's face it, no one comes to visit the LMC on PVN, except maybe to ask me to print their child's schedule. I had ONE visitor last night. And it was a lost parent. *sigh*
So, I read this. I saw this come in a few orders ago and thought it sounded interesting, but not enough "hook" to get me to steal it off the cart before it went on display. It was recently returned with a good review from the student, so I figured I should read it!
Sometimes it's difficult for students, particularly those who struggle with language, to separate fact from fiction when reading historical fiction. I can't tell you how many students think they're expects on the Salem Witch Trials because they read The Crucible. Or how many thought Rose and Jack were really on the Titanic. We, as teachers of literature, need to make sure our students understand that while the events in the book really happened, and likely affected a lot of people, the characters in this book are either changed to fit the plot or made up entirely.
In this case, the historical events are World War I and the Spanish Influenza outbreak. Our characters, however, are entirely fictional.
Cleo's parents died in a carriage accident (remember this is the early 1900s) and she has been raised by a much older brother and his wife. They are relatively wealthy, as they have a live-in housekeeper and Cleo attends a private boarding school for girls. Her brother and sister-in-law set out on an extended anniversary trip, leaving Cleo at school. It is during this extended stay at her school that the Spanish flu arrives on the West Coast.
Cleo makes several bold, and perhaps rash, decisions to leave the school, live at home alone, and volunteer as a Red Cross worker/quasi-nurse. In doing so, she meets new female friends outside her circle and is attracted to the male military medical student assigned to their area. I do feel some of the interactions were a bit cliched.
I won't spoil what happens to Cleo, but the author throws in a twist at the very end I didn't see coming.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
I finally got a chance to get some reading done last night. Let's face it, no one comes to visit the LMC on PVN, except maybe to ask me to print their child's schedule. I had ONE visitor last night. And it was a lost parent. *sigh*
So, I read this. I saw this come in a few orders ago and thought it sounded interesting, but not enough "hook" to get me to steal it off the cart before it went on display. It was recently returned with a good review from the student, so I figured I should read it!
Sometimes it's difficult for students, particularly those who struggle with language, to separate fact from fiction when reading historical fiction. I can't tell you how many students think they're expects on the Salem Witch Trials because they read The Crucible. Or how many thought Rose and Jack were really on the Titanic. We, as teachers of literature, need to make sure our students understand that while the events in the book really happened, and likely affected a lot of people, the characters in this book are either changed to fit the plot or made up entirely.
In this case, the historical events are World War I and the Spanish Influenza outbreak. Our characters, however, are entirely fictional.
Cleo's parents died in a carriage accident (remember this is the early 1900s) and she has been raised by a much older brother and his wife. They are relatively wealthy, as they have a live-in housekeeper and Cleo attends a private boarding school for girls. Her brother and sister-in-law set out on an extended anniversary trip, leaving Cleo at school. It is during this extended stay at her school that the Spanish flu arrives on the West Coast.
Cleo makes several bold, and perhaps rash, decisions to leave the school, live at home alone, and volunteer as a Red Cross worker/quasi-nurse. In doing so, she meets new female friends outside her circle and is attracted to the male military medical student assigned to their area. I do feel some of the interactions were a bit cliched.
I won't spoil what happens to Cleo, but the author throws in a twist at the very end I didn't see coming.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Hey!
I just wanted to throw out a brief update. I know I haven't been on here lately, and I'm totally sorry! As you may know, WHHS is in the beginning stages of the NEASC accreditation process. We (the teachers) just finished up the self-study report. Guess who the Steering Committee picked to be their proofreader? That's right, this gal.
So, every moment I've had I've been working on commas and pronoun agreement and run-on sentences!
I have gotten through Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5. That leaves me 1, 6, and 7.
I have quite a few books on my ottoman to read as soon as this is task is complete!
Keep checking back for updates!
Follow me on Twitter@RamblingsLMS
So, every moment I've had I've been working on commas and pronoun agreement and run-on sentences!
I have gotten through Standards 2, 3, 4, and 5. That leaves me 1, 6, and 7.
I have quite a few books on my ottoman to read as soon as this is task is complete!
Keep checking back for updates!
Follow me on Twitter
Friday, March 10, 2017
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Hello!
I am so very happy to share we have saved up enough water and bottle return funds to put in a whopper of a book order! Half of it arrived yesterday (you can see the picture on my Twitter feed) and the other half is shipping soon. Once it gets here, NEW ARRIVALS will be Books of the Week!
One of the perks of opening new book boxes? Snagging what you think looks interesting first! Including this!
If I had to compare this book to other books or media (which I something I have to do for SLJ reviews), I'd say Night Circus meets Moulin Rouge meets Escape the Room/New Haven meets a murder mystery dinner. Yes, really!
Two sisters, abandoned by their mother and raised by a cruel father who is governor of their island, hear of the Caraval from their grandmother. The traveling show allows guests to either just watch or participate in the game. Scarlett and Donatella desperately want to attend, but the show is nowhere near them until just before Scarlett's (arranged) wedding. Their father, of course, would never let them go.
Enter Julian, a visiting sailor who takes an interest in Tella and was a previous guest of the Caraval.
Nothing is what it seems and no one is who they say they are.
Who is acting as part of the show and who is not?
And what of Legend, the creative master of the Caraval? His past and the girls' may be more entwined than they realize.
I LOVED this book and read it in one night. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Which, it appears, there will be a sequel.
Look for this book to go on display shortly in the LMC!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.
I am so very happy to share we have saved up enough water and bottle return funds to put in a whopper of a book order! Half of it arrived yesterday (you can see the picture on my Twitter feed) and the other half is shipping soon. Once it gets here, NEW ARRIVALS will be Books of the Week!
One of the perks of opening new book boxes? Snagging what you think looks interesting first! Including this!
If I had to compare this book to other books or media (which I something I have to do for SLJ reviews), I'd say Night Circus meets Moulin Rouge meets Escape the Room/New Haven meets a murder mystery dinner. Yes, really!
Two sisters, abandoned by their mother and raised by a cruel father who is governor of their island, hear of the Caraval from their grandmother. The traveling show allows guests to either just watch or participate in the game. Scarlett and Donatella desperately want to attend, but the show is nowhere near them until just before Scarlett's (arranged) wedding. Their father, of course, would never let them go.
Enter Julian, a visiting sailor who takes an interest in Tella and was a previous guest of the Caraval.
Nothing is what it seems and no one is who they say they are.
Who is acting as part of the show and who is not?
And what of Legend, the creative master of the Caraval? His past and the girls' may be more entwined than they realize.
I LOVED this book and read it in one night. It will keep you guessing until the very end. Which, it appears, there will be a sequel.
Look for this book to go on display shortly in the LMC!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs W.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance
This was another memoir I snagged. I was intrigued by the description someone had written in the comments: "if you want to know how Donald Trump got elected, read this."
I do not believe every person living in Appalachia or the Rust Belt or the Bible Belt or wherever really care what bathroom you use. I do not believe them all racist wackadoodles.
I do know they feel marginalized. While Latinos, Blacks, women, LGBTQ, and every other label we want to peg on a person have had their needs and rights upheld, championed, fought for, and legalized...the lower middle class working white man has gotten, well, nothing.
And it was that disillusionment with the lost American Dream that caused anger, resentment, and hopelessness.
Add in the opiate addiction crisis in our country...
Vance "got out". A tour with the military, college, Yale.
I'm not going to lie; this wasn't an easy read. I'm a Northerner (I am a WESTIE), and I found myself a little miffed that someone who went to Yale (hello, it's what 2.73 minutes from my house?) had a few choice words for the Northeast right off the bat. My father was a mechanic, and my mother was a secretary. We weren't exactly rolling in the dough, nor were/are we Protestant (I'm not even Christian at this point). My husband lost his job in construction in the recession of 2007. There's bias to be sure. But I guess that's what makes a memoir afterall.
A long time ago I read a book about literacy in Appalachia. I believe the title was Other People's Words, but I could be mistaken. This memoir echoed a lot of what I remember about it, as a student in a teacher preparation program. Vance ends his story about what teachers can do to reach students who come from poor, working families.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely Mrs. W.'s
I do not believe every person living in Appalachia or the Rust Belt or the Bible Belt or wherever really care what bathroom you use. I do not believe them all racist wackadoodles.
I do know they feel marginalized. While Latinos, Blacks, women, LGBTQ, and every other label we want to peg on a person have had their needs and rights upheld, championed, fought for, and legalized...the lower middle class working white man has gotten, well, nothing.
And it was that disillusionment with the lost American Dream that caused anger, resentment, and hopelessness.
Add in the opiate addiction crisis in our country...
Vance "got out". A tour with the military, college, Yale.
I'm not going to lie; this wasn't an easy read. I'm a Northerner (I am a WESTIE), and I found myself a little miffed that someone who went to Yale (hello, it's what 2.73 minutes from my house?) had a few choice words for the Northeast right off the bat. My father was a mechanic, and my mother was a secretary. We weren't exactly rolling in the dough, nor were/are we Protestant (I'm not even Christian at this point). My husband lost his job in construction in the recession of 2007. There's bias to be sure. But I guess that's what makes a memoir afterall.
A long time ago I read a book about literacy in Appalachia. I believe the title was Other People's Words, but I could be mistaken. This memoir echoed a lot of what I remember about it, as a student in a teacher preparation program. Vance ends his story about what teachers can do to reach students who come from poor, working families.
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely Mrs. W.'s
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