Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

By: Sherman Alexie

5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

Junior is a half-Indian half-White teen caught between his two cultures and living on The Rez.  Life is hard for him in a world where he doesn’t fit in with either culture, has a full dose of nerdiness on top of that, and oddities like being born with 10 extra teeth!  Despite his trials Junoir tells his story of trying to make his way in this crazy life with a sense of humor, a dash of cartoons he draws, and a sprinkle of four letter words.  It’s hard not to feel for what junior is going through- going to school off rez, his level of poverty, and the teasing he receives from the other Indians from being too white.  Ultimately, Junior is just like any other teen, facing the usual teen dilemmas and is extremely relatable.  Pick up this book for a read and you are sure to laugh out loud and thoroughly enjoy yourself.  

The Snow Child

The Snow Child

Author: Eowyn Ivey
Rating: 5/5 stars
Reviewer: Lydia

The phrase “pleasantly surprised” might seem like a cliché, but I was both surprised and completely enamored with this hidden gem of a book. Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel, The Snow Child, is a promising start to the career of a new writer, and I look forward to her burgeoning success in the future.

The novel is like nothing I’ve ever read before; part fairy tale and part realistic account of farm life in the 1920’s Alaskan wilderness. The story is tender and poignant, yet wild and dangerous—just like the novel’s main character, Faina, herself.

The other two main characters are Mabel and Jack, who are middle-aged and childless, a burden that weighs heavy on both of them. One night in a fit of playfulness they build a snow girl complete with scarf and mittens. The next morning the snow girl is gone, as are the mittens and scarf, and there is a track of footprints leading into the woods. After this Mabel and Jack begin seeing a strange girl in the woods who looks oddly like the snow child they created. What follows next is a story full of surprises and suspense as Mabel and Jack begin to love the child as fiercely as their own.

From the gorgeous artwork on the front cover to the haunting story, this tale of happiness, sadness, loss, pain, and hope is as enchanting as your favorite fairy tale. I plan on rereading The Snow Child many times in the future, as well as impatiently waiting for Ivey’s next work of art.

Missing

Missing
by Becky Citra
4/5 stars
Reviewer: Deb

If you like horses and suspense this book is for you.  Set in Canada, we learn about Thea and her dad who move from town to town.  Thea is never able to stay long enough in one place to make friends.  This time Thea’s dad gets work renovating a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake. Thea makes friends with a local boy and works at building the trust of an abused horse.  When Thea tries to solve a decades-old mystery, she starts to come to terms with the losses in her life.

This book is fast reading and has enough suspense to make the reader want to know what happens next.

Geek Wisdom

Geek Wisdom, the Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture

Editor: Stephen H Segal

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reviewer: Cheryl

Who knew that the secrets of Life could be found in science fiction movies, fantasy novels and comic books?  Geeks did.  You don’t just go around quoting lines from the nerdy reaches of pop culture unless you’ve found something truly worthwhile therein.

Geek Wisdom is a collection of essays on the philosophical meaning of some of the most commonly quoted gems.  Each is presented in a comfortably browsable format that explores the context and the layers of significance in the quote.  They are also often followed by some bit of trivia you can use to impress your geek friends.  The sources for these meditations are varied, from television and movies to literature to video games and internet memes.  In general, the sources are overlooked by the mainstream as being too modern or too fun to hold any true wisdom.  Still, the authors reveal what fans have known, at least subconsciously, all along. Regardless of the context, mankind seeks meaning in life and can’t resist sharing what they find along the way.  This book will entertain, but it will also have you watching the latest sci-fi blockbuster with new eyes.

I am the Messenger

I Am The Messenger

By: Markus Zusak

4.5/5 stars

Reviewer: Marina

I Am The Messenger is a novel of mystery, triumph, change, making a difference, and playing cards.  Narrator Ed Kennedy is a somewhat lost 19 year old taxi driver.  His life is stagnant and not really going the way he wants it to.  After accidentally foiling a bank robbery Ed starts receiving mysterious playing cards in the mail with puzzles written on them.  The puzzles direct him to his tasks once he can decipher them and Ed starts making a difference in people’s lives. 

This novel is a powerful and engaging story sure to keep you reading on.  Ed is a likeable character that you’ll want to see succeed.  Some of the scenes of the book can be a bit harsh and therefore possibly more suitable for older teens.  The book ultimately has a very positive message and will definitely leave you with things to think about. 

When You Wish Upon a Star

When You Wish Upon a Star
by Ned Washington
4/5 stars
Reviewer: Ana

Review:

This a wonderful book in which you can dream and hope your wishes might come true.  Everybody needs to believe that a wish may be possible. This book includes a CD which has 3 songs by Judy Collins. You can sing or read while listening to the CD.  And as you’re reading, don’t forget to look out the window. Find a star and make a wish; it just might come true!

Cleopatra: A Life

Cleopatra: A Life

Author: Stacy Schiff

Rating: 3.5/5 starts

Reviewer: Lydia

I was extremely excited to read Cleopatra: A Life because of all the hype, controversy and mystery surrounding the subject. I love Cleopatra and ancient Egypt and the premise of this book— peeling away the “myth” of Cleopatra and discovering the real woman—was intriguing and different. Unfortunately, even though Stacy Schiff’s novel won a Pulitzer Prize, the novel ultimately failed to deliver on what it set out to do.

            However, I still enjoyed the book. Schiff’s writing is descriptive and she is highly adept at describing history in a way that really brings it to life. I normally don’t read biographies, but because Schiff’s writing style is more literary, descriptive, and fanciful, it read more like a novel than a dry record of the past. I believe that Schiff worked well with what was available to her, as very few records from Cleopatra’s time exist (and nothing which Cleopatra wrote herself survives today). Therefore, I understand Schiff’s struggle in presenting a story in which all the records are lost, and the remaining records are biased, mistaken, or downright fabricated.

In the end, I enjoyed her writing, but felt that she focused far too much on other characters, instead of the sole person behind the book, the myth, and the mystery: Cleopatra herself. I would still recommend the book as a good foundation on the subject of ancient Egypt and Rome during Cleopatra’s reign.