Set List by Raymond Atkins

What would the playlist of your life be?  If you had to put together a list of the songs that would define the pivotal moments in your life, what would they be?

This is the framework of one of my favorite author's newest book, Set List.

Centered around the life of the lead guitarist in a local bar band, the story alternates between the early 1970s (the band's "heyday" if one can really call it that) and the present day (a hospital room where said guitarist is recovering from a heart attack).  Each chapter is framed by one of the band's original songs and a popular rock song of the era.

If you are a fan of just about any local band, whether cover or original, or a fan of the music of the 70s, you will most definitely enjoy reading this.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Check this out!

I'm very happy to report my blog post for the American Library Association Committee for School and Public Library Cooperation will be featured by the American Association of School Libraries, the Young Adult Library Services Association, and the Association for Library Service to Children!

Here's a link to the post from ALSC:
https://www.alsc.ala.org/blog/2018/11/childrens-librarians-are-experts-on-partnerships-community-partnerships-to-fund-collection-development-for-english-learners-in-urban-connecticut/

The Weight of Feathers by Anna Marie McLemore

Nope.

I could NOT get into this, and I am so disappointed.  When a student returned this, I saw the review tagline on the front comparing it to The Night Circus, one of my favorite books (reviewed here!).  That alone made me want to read it.  Lace, the main female character performs as a mermaid (see my review of The Museum of Extraordinary Things) and the base story line is Montague versus Capulet (ala Romeo and Juliette). Sounded fantastic.

Too bad it was soooo sssslllllloooowwww to start!  I was bored.  I think this had a lot of potential, but I can't get past the opening to care about reading further.  I'm sad!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Look for Me by Lisa Gardner

I was 93 pages into this when I realized it was a sequel.  To be honest I'm not sure if it is the 2nd or 3rd book.  I was able to read it and understand without having read the previous book(s).  However, if you've followed this blog for a while, you know I typically don't like to read books in a series as stand-alones, not do I recommend doing so for my readers.  

All that being said...

This was a fairly enjoyable mystery whodunit.  It will most definitely keep you guessing right until the very end.  It is a sad story of the failures of the foster care system, the family court system, and the justice system.  It is NOT an easy read on the emotions.

Roxy Baez takes her 2 elderly dogs for a walk.  Her mother, soon to be step-father, younger sister and brother are shot dead in their home while she is out.  Juanita Baez lost her children to foster care as an alcoholic for a year.  During that year, Roxy and Lola suffered terrible abuse in their foster home, while their brother Manny had a perfect foster family.  When the family is reunited, Juanita starts asking questions about the personality changes in her daughters.  

That's all I'm going to say because I don't want to spoil too much.

Look for this on display with our new books next week!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #read #whhs

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

Well, I'm back. 

I know I've been MIA for a while.  Things going on all over the place necessitated my attention and pleasure reading kinda fell by the wayside. 

BUT, I think things are working themselves out and I will have some more time for me and my books.

So....

This came in on our last water order.  It really looked intriguing, so I took it out.  It sat for a while (see above), but once I started, I couldn't put it down.  It was REALLY good.

Until....

the last 5 or so pages.

As I was eagerly turning pages looking for the conclusion, it worried me there was simply not enough paper left to wrap up everything-----------TO BE CONTINUED. 

I AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW.

Synopsis: a rich man opens a school for talented, gifted, artsy, musical, different, etc. children in the woods of Vermont in the 1930s.  He, his wife, and their young daughter live on the grounds, throwing fabulous parties with society guests of the time.  One day his wife and daughter are kidnapped and held for ransom.  During the plot, a student who inadvertently stumbles onto the kidnapper is murdered.  80 years later, Stevie Bell applies to the school with the the sole goal of solving the case. 

The story is told alternating between past and present.

The sequel in on our wish list.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

This came in our last order as a bestseller.  I'm not sure how or why. 

Weird, weird, weird.

I gave up at reading at page 73 and flipped to the ending.  Ugh. 

This was along the lines of Alice in Wonderland with the main characters being twin girls named Jack and Jill.

I can't even type words to express how weird and bizarre this was.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Donors Choose

I have two active projects on Donors Choose!
Check out the Library's requests for a Cricut machine and memoirs in Spanish!

donorschoose.org/mrswoychowski

The Lords and The New Creatures by Jim Morrison

Last May a student asked for an updated biography of Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors.  When I searched on our distributor's website, I found this collection of Morrison's poetry, originally published in 1969 as two separate volumes.  I knew my student would really like it, so I put it on our wish list.  It came in on our district funded order this summer.

Morrison was a larger than life band frontman.  His lyrics and vocals are widely recognizable, locally known as the voice behind "blood in the streets of New Haven" ("Peace Frog").  Arrested in New Haven in 1967, his poetry represents the "tumultuous social and political landscape of the sixties" (cover summary).  Written in free verse, these poems are a window to life experience influenced by psychedelic drugs.

Find this on our new book display next week.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Artemis by Andy Weir

After The Martian, I had seriously high expectations for Artemis.  Weir did not disappoint.

I could not put this down!

Jasmine is a lower-class citizen on the moon colony Artemis.  Working as a porter in the delivery system, she has a substantial side business in smuggling.  When a lucrative, but dangerous, side job comes up, she jumps on it, hoping to pay off a long-standing debt and get out of the slums.  I don't want to spoil too much here because this is a total thriller!

What is really amazing about Weir's writing is that if you didn't know moon colonization hasn't happened yet, you'd believe this story was possible.  You really feel immersed in a landscape humans haven't been to in a very long time.

Find this on next week's NEW BOOKS display.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.     

The Burning Girl by Claire Messud

Eh.

I really wanted to stop reading this multiple times.  There is a long story about two friends from pre-school growing apart as they reach high school.  Pretty typical back story.  I kept waiting for something to happen.  One best friend ends up in Honors classes (two loving parents/happily married), the other a promiscuous/drinking/remedial class delinquent (single Mom, new boyfriend/stepfather of a different religion).

There was really nothing new, different, or exciting here.  I'm kinda sad I even bought it.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Welcome Back!

It's the last day of summer vacation for my students (teachers started Thursday).  So, it's time for a little welcome back post info.  I took a break from reviewing due to Band rehearsals and some personal reflection time, so I apologize for being MIA for a while.

First, the end of last year was very sad.  Mrs. Lynch retired and Mrs. Treacey was, well, I'm not sure what to call it.  Her position was eliminated, but she wasn't really laid off...if that makes any sense.  On the new WHHS Library site, I called her "retired", but that's not really true either.  She was an invaluable part of our family, and I don't know what else I can say except I will miss her, you will miss her, and it just plain stinks that she will not be the face greeting you every day.

Second, we will be changing up who you see and when.  Mr. Vieira from the Social Studies Department will be in the Library period 3 3 days a week, Mrs. Mattson from the English Department will be joining us period 4 3 days a week, and Ms. Palmer from the Social Studies Department will be with us period 8 3 days a week.  You won't see me period 8 because I will be in the Band room with our Color Guard.  Mrs. Taylor will of course be with us, and hopefully through the entire school year, even if I have to duct tape her to the chair.  Mr. Winters is returning to the Library as his home base, and you'll likely find him in the newly named Marilyn Lynch Computer Lab.  Also, Mrs. Tremblay will be stopping by to help us out when she can.

Another change is how you will sign in this year--electronically.  A laptop on Mrs. Treacey's former desk will now be where you sign in.  It's easy, no worries.  It'll go faster as everyone gets used to it.

I know there is a lot changing, and it terrifies me!  So, let's get through it together.  I can't wait to see you all!

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS!

The Black Painting by Neil Olson

Eh. Not a must-read, but interesting enough to get me to finish it, albeit slowly.

I grabbed this on a whim on a trip to WHPL with my son.

Know that meme about crazy--something like "in this family we don't hide crazy, we invite it on the porch and offer it lemonade" or some such thing?  This family is that dysfunctional.

Old rich man, a widower (but who's been sleeping with the maid most of his marriage), thinks a painting by Goya has a magical dark powers.  The painting was stolen on the day of his wife's funeral.  His 2 sons and daughter are a disappointment to him and his 4 grandchildren worse.  In his will, the only way the grandkids get $250,000 each is to complete a self-fixing task (gay man has to marry and father a child, for example).  The rest of the money gets left to he housekeeper. 

It was pretty obvious who was sleeping with whom and the significance of a patched over spot in the wine cellar fairly early in the book.  It was also pretty obvious these spoiled, rich brats all need a good smack upside the head, which is probably why I didn't care for any of them anyway.

Not a recommend.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Disturbing.  That's the best way to describe this middle grade novel.  Downright disturbing.

We have this at WHHS, courtesy of the Scholastic Warehouse Sale, which is where my son got it.  It was on his summer to-read list and suggested I read it when he had finished.  He knows I like creepy books, but this was outside my realm of tolerable.  Parents should never want, nor let, harm befall their children.

Eli, his twin brother Eddy, older sister Lexie, and younger sister Teresa seem to have it all, except their father's real love.  Rex is a multi-billionaire tech firm owner who, although giving his kids everything, doesn't seem to have time for emotional connection.  Adopted himself, we learn he and his wife adopted Lexie from the orphanage his millions helped found.  Rex is also obsessed with the nuclear apocalypse.  He pays for the construction of an elaborate bunker for his family in case of fallout. 

While on a camping trip, war starts.  The family heads for the bunker, but Eddy and the kids' grandmother get left behind.  Eli and his siblings believe their brother is dead, along with their Gram and dog Cocoa.

Six years pass and Eli is bored.  His mother has given birth to 3 other children and is pregnant with a fourth.  It seems though the family's food will run out before 15 years pass (when radiation levels will be normal).  The flour is tainted with mold.  Their livestock have all died from rat poison.  No more dairy or nuts.  It's then the reader realizes what the new kids are for.  They're going to be cannibalized if the older ones run out of food (or, perhaps the older ones will be the food for the youngers...)

So, yeah, disturbing.  It gets worse.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich

Weird, weird, weird, weird. weird.

That's the only way I can sum this up.

Anne, Pamela, and Catherine perform a voodoo doll like ritual in the woods outside their familial home to summon a protector.  Shortly thereafter, Anne dies in the woods.  Pam and Cathy believe their protector instead to be a demon, whom they call Creeper Man.

Fast forward to their adulthood.  Pam's two daughters, Nori and Silla, escape their abusive father in the middle of the night and head for Cathy, who is still living in her childhood home.  Pam insists Cathy is crazy, but the girls are certain she's got to be better than their father. 

Then things get strange.  There might have been an orphanage in the house.  The forest might be evil.  There might be a ghost boy with a crush on Silla.  The girls' father might be a demonic presence.  Creeper Man may or may not be evil.  World War III might happen at any moment. 

See my problem?

There was a ton of maybe this is really happening or maybe not.  With Cathy really crazy, Silla teetering on the edge, Nori mute, and Gowan the ghost boy who seems to be able to float between centuries, I had a hard time keeping straight what was reality and what was imagined/perceived/nightmare/projection. 

And then the ending was...ugh.  Then a double ugh. 

Not a fan.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber

I absolutely loved Caraval, the first book in what seems to now be a trilogy.  It's reviewed here if you scroll back.  I eagerly awaited this sequel.  I'm so sad to say is was very disappointing!

First, there is way too much fluff.  Although about the same length as its predecessor, it moves. so. slowly.  It was downright boring in parts.  There is simply overkill in terms of extra information.

Second, Donatella is ANNOYING.  She should have been a strong female lead on a quest to save her mother.  Instead, she's a mushball whenever a man so much as smiles at her.  She read like a romance novella lead rather than the kick-butt lead she's supposed to be.

Third, it is way obvious way early who is who and what is what.  Caraval kept me guessing until the very end.  I was about 1/3 of the way in before it became painfully plain what was really going on.  It made Tella seems even more stupid in that she could not see it.

I have no desire to read book 3, although I will order it so that our collection has the set.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Scrapbooks, An American History by Jessica Helfand

I found this when I was cleaning the Oversize section (it's most definitely not and will be moved).  It looked really interesting, so I added it to my summer reading pile.

After The Jazz of Physics, I felt like I needed a picture book.

This WAS really interesting.  The author collected and photographed/scanned actual scrapbooks, a dying art, and then researched the genealogy/local history of the former owner.  It is another way to access and view American history, via primary source documents and artifacts.

I'm a big fan of using primary sources in telling our history.  And no, not because I'm a librarian.  There is just SOMETHING about holding an actual piece of history, seeing the real handwriting, knowing the history behind the object or letter or photograph....all of which are disappearing in our increasingly digital word.  How many people handwrite letters now?  They're typed, or texted, or emojied.  Our photos are no longer physical.  They're facebooked, instagrammed, snapchatted, and sent to our Google or Apple photo storage clouds. 

Scrapbooks collected pictures, newspaper article clippings, ticket stubs, lists, etc. and put them together to tell a person or event's story.  Scrapbooks, An American History puts such together to tell our story by year, place, and societal realm.

I am definitely going to remind our U.S. History teachers we have this book in our collection!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Jazz of Physics by Stephon Alexander

This was requested by a faculty member.  If you know me at all, you know I am very vocal about arts and shop being STEM, and therefore needing to be part of the conversation about "future-ready" education. 

I could get on my soapbox right now and start ranting, but I shall refrain.

The reality is that music is math, a language, a science, and an art all rolled into one.  And it's been proven time and again that kids who can read music and/or play an instrument score better on standardized tests.  Because that's all we care...nevermind.  You know what I want to say without me having to say it.

For me, Band was my escape.  Taking all Honors level courses (WHHS only had 2 AP courses when I was a student; I did take AP Calculus my senior year) was intense.  It was hard.  The Bandroom was where I was embraced by kids from all levels, all races, all, well, pretty much everything.

So I get where Alexander is coming from when he talks about what music (specifically sax and jazz) means to him. 

Alexander is a world-renowned professor of physics.  He's a genius.  There have been several of those who love music, including this guy named Einstein.  Maybe you've heard of him?

Now, I'm not saying this was easy to read.  It's been twenty years, twenty-one actually, since I did anything related to the study of physics (still love you and that class Mr. Marsoli, and a lot of my kids love your successor Mr. Favale).  So some of this, I glossed over.

But on the whole, a nifty hybrid of memoir, physics, and jazz.  Oh, wait, that's language, science, and music, isn't it?

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett

Yes, another Kim Liggett book.

In fact, THIS IS HER BEST BOOK YET!!!!!!!!!!!

I was RIVETED to this.  Could not put it down.  I was almost late to pick my son up from camp because I had to finish it!

Grant is the son of a wealthy senator.  One night in early winter of his senior year, he leaves a party tipsy and upset.  He causes a car crash, resulting in the deaths of all the people in the car he hits.  Because of his father's connections, he gets off with few months of a suspended license and mandatory drug testing.  If he completes his final test and attends one last court date, the record gets wiped.  Off to George Washington University he'll go, a free man with a clean record.

But Grant can't handle the guilt.  Knowing he got off with "affluenza", he's decided to kill himself in retribution.  The weekend before his last court date, he heads to a hiking spot, one his father and other male relatives have hiked during their senior years as a "rite of passage", intending to cut the rope and fall to his death.  Fall he does, but it's due to a cave in. 

Grant finds himself trapped below with four other teens from a local public school.

Grants learns a lot about himself in meeting these kids, all from a world he doesn't know.  They are what his friends and family would call charity cases, but he comes to see them as the people they are.  All with hopes and dreams.

Unfortunately, something else is might be in the caves with the group.

That's where I am going to stop, because I don't want to spoil anything. 

This book does not have the same level of weird that her previous books have.  In fact, the "horror" level is pared way down.  This is a book about coming to grips with reality, making choices, facing the music, and ultimately, proving one's humanity. 

I'll be donating this once we return to school!

Oh, and P.S. I just read Liggett has a new book coming out.  Tagline: The Handmaid's Tale meets The Lord of Flies.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Love, Janis by Laura Joplin

I guess I have always been a fan of Janis.  I grew up listening to her music, courtesy of my Dad.  I've read many of her biographies, including the one listed as a summer reading book by the State of CT.  I really wanted to see the play based on her life and influences, but it closed too early.  I did get to see Mary Bridget Davies, who played Janis, in concert. 
Her life was amazing, being at the forefront of a new music movement.  But it was her downfall as well.  As we face another heroin crisis, her death reminds us...
I honestly had no idea Janis Joplin was such a prolific letter writer.  A lost art today, Janis consistently wrote letters to her parents, her siblings, her friends, her lovers.  This biography retells her story, interjected with those letters, now belonging to her younger sister Laura.
This isn't easy to read.  You know the ending.  And reading her very own words as if nothing is wrong was heart-wrenching.
Look for this in Bio come autumn!
Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread
All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Intense.  That's the only way to describe this.  I am still shaking and crying as I write this.

Will's brother was murdered.  In his neighborhood, it's expected there will be revenge.  With his brother's gun, he boards the elevator.  He's heading down to the Lobby to seek that revenge.  On each floor, a ghost from Will's past enters to offer advice.  The last ghost to enter is his brother Shawn.  I am not going to spoil what Shawn says exactly, except to say I broke out in awful, ugly tears and started shaking.

Because I don't want to give away the words Shawn says, I will instead make some comparisons I thought of as I was reading.

First, in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is visited by 4 ghosts (Marley, Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas future).  Their purpose is to persuade Scrooge to change his ways.

Second, in "The Lady or the Tiger", the maiden's choice is not revealed to the reader.  Did she send her lover to the altar with another woman?  Or did she sentence him to death by the hungry tiger?

That's all I am going to say on the plot.

Now, one other bit of review.  The story is told in verse, in a sort of free style poetry.  I know many people scoff at the idea of reading poetry, but for this it just works.  Will is giving us his inner most thoughts and feelings (and those of the ghosts who visit). Our emotions do not follow the laws of prose.  We don't think in paragraphs and proper grammar.

An amazing story that will stick with you.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS. Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Heart of Ash by Kim Liggett

If you've been reading this review blog for a while, you know I love Kim Liggett's books.  Last Harvest and Blood and Salt rank among my favorites for horror (both reviewed here in you scroll back). I've been waiting for the sequel to Blood and Salt for a while!  Starting right after my review of Finding Apeman, I could not put this down.

You definitely need to have read Blood and Salt to understand this. 

It's been a year since Dane and Ash parted ways.  Dane is now a jet-setting playboy while Ash has become a hermit.  Beth lives with Ash in NYC, learning about life off the commune (she provides the comic relief with her misquotes of everyday idioms), but is still a quasi-seer.  Rhys, Ash's twin, is still missing.  Dane and Ash meet again when he comes to NYC for a glamorous fundraiser.

What follows is a who-is-telling-the-truth and who-is-tricking-whom cat and mouse game to find Rhys, end (or increase) immortality, and make a lot of money in the process.  I don't want to spoil too much, but know Coronado is up to his old tricks and he has a twin sister...

I'll be donating this once we return to school!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS; tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Finding Apeman by M.G. Higgins

First, a little background as to how this came into our collection.  This was REMOVED from another library's collection and all the copies from that library sent to me.  Now, last time I checked, librarians were all about the right to read and the first line of defense against censorship.  I can tell you kids a lot younger than we wished know about sex, drugs, and the politics of illegal immigration. I'm still trying to decipher why the sender chose me--because I WOULDN'T remove such a book?  Because my kids are older (not by much)? Because my kids are urban (he story takes place in RURAL California)? Lemme get off my soapbox now.

Diego, an American born son of illegal immigrants from Guatemala, is an aspiring artist and tells the story in a stream of consciousness.  His father expects him to pursue the American dream (i.e. college), but Diego plans to attend an art school.  Diego is funding his plans via small-time marijuana sales.  He knows the vast majority of his rural farming community is hooked on meth, but he won't touch or sell the stuff.  Diego's father and paternal aunt shock him when they announce two cousins have entered the United States and will be coming to live with him.  By their very entry into the country, they are "illegal", but it is their morality that might help turn Diego's endeavors around.

Will this go on any of my all-time favorites lists?  Nope.  Is it an example of amazing literature? Nope (in fact, there were two typos).  Is the do-the-right-thing theme a little over the top and a bit, for lack of a better word, corny? Yep.  Is it reality and therefore not to be censored? Yep.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS. Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

I could not get into this.  I started and stopped and started and stopped.  There was just not enough intrigue for me to keep going to find the thrill in what was labelled a thriller.  I found child and adult versions of Anna annoying.  To me, young Dexter and adult Dexter were both overly full of himself.  I frankly didn't care what happened to either or the other supporting characters.  There was a lot of potential for something here, but I didn't find it. A big disappointment.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS. Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Neon Angel by Cherie Currie

Late one night I was flipping through the channel guide looking for anything to watch.  I came across a just starting movie The Runaways.  I knew Joan Jett and Lita Ford were both part of the all-girl rock group and knew one of their songs was "Cherry Bomb".  Then I saw Kristen Stewart was playing Joan Jett.  I actually laughed out loud.  Really?  Ridiculous.  Now I have to watch just to see what a train wreck this movie was going to be. 

And I was so very wrong.

Stewart was absolutely amazing as Jett.  Dakota Fanning played Cherie Currie, the lead vocalist and was equally amazing.  I was totally blown away by the movie. 

That's why I had to read this memoir by Currie. 

From what I gather, The Runaways was based on Currie's first edition of the memoir.  In her afterword, she states this edition includes a lot more of the bad side of things than her "YA" version.  The movie does not include many of the details in this edition, and there are a lot of really, really, awful things that happen to Currie.  It almost makes the movie seem fictionalized with how much is left out.

The memoir is not an easy read.  These teenage girls grew up way too fast, on the road, unsupervised, and taken advantage of.  While Jett and Ford went on to have successful solo careers, Currie's life after the band was a hot mess until she got clean.

I'll be donating this once we return to school! 

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhssummerread

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Brass by Xhenet Aliu

I intended to sit, relax, and read today while my husband works.  I started this yesterday afternoon.  I won't be reading it today as I read it in one evening.  I could not put it down.  It was THAT good. 

When this came in on a water money order, I was interested by the cover.  The cars in the picture are the kinds my family would've turned into race cars for Waterford in the early 90s.  So when I flipped open the cover, read the jacket description, and saw this was set in Waterbury in 1996, I added it to my "take out this summer after inventory" list.  I'm so glad I did.

Let's review a few important facts.  I was 16 in 1996.  Our main character was 19.  Waterbury isn't too far away.  A LOT of what Elsie describes is within my own memory.  Industry leaving Connecticut, city diners, grunge.  I had pregnant friends in 1996.  Fast forward to Luljeta's story, Elsie's daughter.  Some of those kids, the children of my pregnant friends, have now been my students, awaiting their college acceptance letters just like Luljeta.  Lulu grows up not knowing her father except for her mother's disdain for him.  She doesn't know her family right in Waterbury, family that doesn't know what happened to the baby girl she once was.  I grew up not knowing the cousins I had just two streets over.

For me, this story hit so close to home.  I cried a lot.  I smiled at Elsie's memories that could've been my own.  I felt I knew Luljeta as one of my former students.  I know I'm sounding mushy which is not typical of me, but seriously, this may go on my all time favorite list. 

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS. Tweet what you're reading this summer #whhssummerread.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Ready for Summer Reading!

Welcome back to the WHHS Library book review blog!  A friendly reminder all opinions expressed on this blog are SOLELY those of Mrs. W. and do NOT represent the views of any other WHHS staff member or WHHS as a whole.

Now on to it...

Here is my summer reading list so far (in no particular order):
Finding Apeman by M.G. Higgins--removed from a local library collection*
The Jazz of Physics by Stephon Alexander--because Jazz Band and science*
Heart of Ash by Kim Liggett--sequel to Blood and Salt+ 
And the Trees Crept In by Dawn Kurtagich--student recommendation*
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds--Coretta Scott King and Newberry Honors*
Love, Janis by Laura Joplin--I love Janis and another of her biographies is a CT State Summer Reading book for high school this year+
Neon Angel by Cherie Currie--saw the movie and was BLOWN AWAY+
Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan--WWII historical fiction with a female lead*
Brass by Xhenet Aliu--set in Waterbury*
Legendary by Stephanie Garber--sequel to Caraval+
Scrapbooks: An American History--a pictorial*

*denotes books from the WHHS Library collection
+deonotes books that will be donated by Mrs. W. in September

This summer, remember to get out the word about what you're reading.  Tweet with #whhssummerread (two H, two S, two M, two R), post to the English department Padlets, submit a Google review form, add your titles to the West Haven Public Library site.  There are lots of ways to share what you've read.  Best of all, no matter which way you share, your participation will be recorded--meaning if there are rewards, prizes, or raffles, you'll be part of all them.  Miss Fanelli (English), Mr. Consorte (Social Studies), Ms. Kym (at WHPL), and myself will all be cross-referencing each other's participants this year as a pilot program!  So, GET READING!

Good luck on your remaining exams!  Have a happy and safe summer!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Summer Reading Information

Summer Reading Links can be found on this Google Slide.  You must be signed in to your school Google account (ending in apps.whschools.org).

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gIz0doSALPlE54WnyuswECcVPVrKrUSyYunEVURD6hQ/edit?usp=sharing

Happy Reading!

On Hiatus

The WHHS LMC book review blog is taking an extended break for personal and professional reasons.
Check back soon!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

A few days ago my son told me he wanted to see Ready Player One over April vacation.  I have a personal rule to always read the book before seeing the movie.  I took this out for my son to read.  Not only did he read it in one day, he said I would really like and to read it as well. While it's not going on any of my all-time favorites lists, I did enjoy it and am looking forward to the movie.

A rich gamer legend dies and leaves his fortune to the player who can crack his clues and Easter eggs (side note: listen up kids, gaming Easter eggs have been around a lot longer than you think; us old folks played games with them too....MANY years ago).  First one to solve the final puzzle wins.  Every gamer wants to win, but most importantly beat a power-hungry conglomerate.

Imagine trying to find Willy Wonka's golden tickets inside a virtual Escape the Room inside an even bigger virtual Escape the Room.

Definitely a quick, enjoyable read.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

WORTH. THE. WAIT.

My son and I pre-ordered this the moment it appeared on Amazon.  Months and months of waiting.  We had to buy two because he and I could not agree which one of us would get to read it first.  Mine is now being donated to the WHHS LMC.

You most definitely need to read Illuminae and Gemina to understand this, the finale of the trilogy.  I reviewed Gemina here, but Illuminae I read for other purposes.  That being said, it did not make a final list somewhere on a technicality.  It might be on another list which will be coming out May 1st.  Infer what you will.

There is so much happening in this non-traditional novel.  Just like its predecessors, the story is told in journal entries, video transcriptions, court records, drawings, photographs, and the sort-of conscience of a murderous artificially intelligent computer system, AIDAN. 

AIDAN, for lack of a better phrase, kills it in this book.  It's amazing that a computer system can be this developed as a character.  Like ugly-crying inducing developed.  And although not a cliff hanger, the door is open for AIDAN to maybe appear again somewhere.

Find this on display with our new books next week!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinion expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Hi there! Yes, it's been quite a while since I've written a review. While I've certainly been reading, a lot of personal stuff has gotten in the way of sitting down to write reviews.  My father-in-law is currently in the hospital, so prayers/kind thoughts/healing vibes are all appreciated.

I have to say I LOVED this book.  5 high school students are in detention together.  A small fender bender happens in the school parking lot.  4 of the students and the teacher run over to the window to see what happened.  The 5th starts having an allergic reaction to something and dies.  It is determined someone put peanut oil into his cup.  All the Epi-pens are missing from the nurses' office. So, who did it?

Told in alternating viewpoints (which I'm typically not a fan of, but in this case works), the reader must try to figure out who hated Simon the most.  Simon ran a gossip website, and all of our suspects have appeared on it.  Even more damaging, each has a post in Simon's draft folder and they start posting, after his death.

I don't want to spoil too much here, but I can honestly say I was WAY wrong on my guess.

Our water business has funded two recent orders, so find this on display next week with the other new books!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason

This was part of a large donation from an alumni.  Mrs. Taylor had read it and thought I would like it.  She said it was similar to the Langdon series by Dan Brown in that there was much historical mystery and medieval symbology.  While that was in fact true, and I liked the premise, I did not like the novel overall.

Two Princeton roommates are attempting to decipher the codes and riddles of a Renaissance text.  Paul graduate thesis is based upon the work, and Tom is the son of an expert on it.

What follows is in fact a Langdon-esque quest to solve the puzzle.  The two men and their other roommates, though, are thoroughly unlikeable.  There was nothing about any of them that made me care if they lived or died.  I was underwhelmed by the character development and the interpersonal relationships.  The story is also told in flashback and flashforward with no delineation telling the reader we are in the past or present.  It muddled the plot significantly.

Not a book I'd recommend.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

This was an incredibly moving book.  For being only 166 small pages, there was tremendous emotion and character development.  I read this in about an hour, but it has really stuck with me. 

Hollis is a child of the foster care system.  She is a habitual runaway, never staying in one foster home too long.  Her case manager sends her to spend the summer with a family to "get some fresh air" in their summer cabin in the woods.  The small family (Mom, Dad, brother Steven) decide to adopt Hollis, but a tragic accident makes Hollis run again.  Her next foster is a former teacher, who is showing the beginnings of dementia.  Josie seems to forget Hollis has to go to school which suits Hollis just fine.  When the case manager decides Hollis needs more structure, she and Josie run.  Hollis gets them to the cabin, the one place Hollis felt was "home". 

I don't want to spoil more of what happens, but it's really a hard look at the way foster care kids are treated.  For Hollis, it will be a happy ending. 

The story is told in flashback and flashforward, between Hollis's time with the Regans and Josie.  Hollis is an artist, and the descriptions of her work help the reader to see her perspective as to why she does the things she does.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Camp So-and-So by Mary McCoy

I could NOT get into this.  I tried and tried, reading through the first "act".  It felt like a hodge-podge of Caraval and Illuminae. And it didn't work. 

I pretty much disliked every character and the basic premise up to that point. 

Sorry, not much nice to say at all!

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS

Tweet what you're reading #whhs #read

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Boundaries by Sally M. Walker

If you've followed this blog a while, you know I'm a fan of American history, especially the Civil War.  The tagline on the cover of this book? How the Mason-Dixon Line settled a family feud and divided a nation.  If you aren't familiar with the Mason-Dixon Line, read up on it before proceeding!  However, much of this book was devoted to HOW to Mason-Dixon Line was drawn by two surveyors.  I just happened to be married to a surveyor.  We ended up looking at many of the charts, illustrations and photos together.  This was a really nifty look at how these two surveyors worked.  Today's surveying is nothing like it.  This is a particular niche that won't hold everyone's interest, but those curious about our nation's history in the colonial period and the Civil War era, as well as those considering careers in boundaries/drafting/surveying will definitely like it.

Follow me on Twitter @RamblingsLMS
Tweet what you're reading #read #whhs

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.