Field&Stream THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN MANUEL BY T. Edward Nickens

Hunt Better: How to track a buck, make the toughest shots and master bow hunting and knife skills.
Fish Smarter: Advice on the best techniques for fly fishing  bait casting  and spinning, as well as surefire ways to get the most out of your motorboat, canoe, or kayak.
Survive Anything: Whether you fall through thick ice  are swept away by a raging river, or have a stare down with an angry bear, these skills mean the difference between life and death.
Camp Anywhere: Tested and proven expert tips to help you stay warm, eat well, and build a fire in any situation in record time.

Secret Soldiers by Philip Gerard

They were Eisenhower's secret weapon-an elite troupe of 1,100 artists, actors, electronic wizards, designers, and writers drawn from the New York art world and colleges like the University of Chicago  These men created dazzling theatrical battlefield ruses, fooling the German High command into attacking the wrong place, defending the wrong bridgehead, even retreating from phantom attackers conjured by radio scripts, sound effects, a handful of convincing actors, and inflatable armored divisions. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. helped pioneer the tactics of this unlikely band of heroes, which included future fashion king Bill Blass, abstract painter Ellsworth Kelly, and artist Hal Laynor. Drawing on recently declassified records, interview, diaries, and letters.

Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn

It's five years after Return of the Jedi: the Rebel Alliance has destroyed the Death Star, defeated Darth Vader and the Emperor, and driven out the remnants of the old Imperial Starfleet to a distant corner of the galaxy. Princess Leia and Han Solo are married and expecting Jedi Twins. And Luke Skywalker has become the first in a long-awaited line of Jedi Knights. But thousand of light-years away, the last of the emperor's warlords has taken command of the shattered Imperial Fleet, readied it for war, and pointed it at the fragile heart of the new Republic. For this dark warrior has made two vital discoveries that could destroy everything the courageous men and women of the Rebel Alliance fought so hard to build. The explosive confrontation that results is a towering epic of action, invention, mystery, and spectacle on a galactic scale--in short, a story worthy of the nameStar Wars.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Jonathon Harker travels to Transylvania for a business deal with a Romanian nobleman, only to find himself ensnared in the horrific world of Count Dracula, a mysterious man with an evil secret. Worst of All, the Count is now headed toward London-and Jonathan's beloved Mina. Can this monster be destroyed?

So far this is a great book. It is exciting and I can't put it down! Anybody who likes vampires should read it. There is a small book that tells the story. So far my favorite character is the Count. A vampire. In the other book Lucy got bit. (A friend of Mina's) If that part comes, I can't wait.

Gregor and the marks of secret

My favorite things are the comedy and adventure of  the series, like  the children learning the  underland creature's language, and Gregor and Luxas friendship.



 My favorite character is Luxa. she is my favorite because  she is protective and because of  her common sense and her sometimes loving behavior and when she is tired. She is also pretty, and Luxas hair in the book it says its soft.





Why I followed the series so far is because  it is awesome,  funny and you always want to know about whats next. You won't ever regret reading the series of Gregor the over lander books.



 The book is also funny  because you never know when the comedy will spit out of their mouths.The jokes, the words, even the way the're doing stuff is funny, like Boots being silly with  Hazard and Temp and how Boots is not afraid of  any underland animals like Butterflies,Lizards, Ants, Rats, Spiders, scorpions, fireflies. Boots loves them all. Because Boots thinks the're funny, cute and silly it's dangerous for all of them protecting Boots.

The Lord of the Rings part II: The Two Towers By: J.R.R. Tolkien

          The Two Towers, the second book of J.R.R. Tolkien's three volume epic, The Lord of the Rings, continues the story of Frodo Baggins- the brave and gentle hobbit upon whom the fate of Middle-earth depends. We pick up where The Fellowship of the Ring left off:: with Frodo alone responsible for ridding the world of the dangerous ring he inherited from his cousin Bilbo-- a ring for which Sauron, the Dark Lord, is restlessly searching. The first part of The Two Towers traces the deeds and perils of each member of the Fellowship after Frodo has gone his way-- from Pippin and Merry's kidnapping by Orcs to the adventures of the noble Aragorn and the wizard Gandalf, which bring them to Orthanc, the indomitable tower of the greedy Saruman.
            The book's second part follows Frodo's terror-fraught travels through the hills of Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes to Mordor, Sauron's hellish stronghold,where Frodo must try yo destroy his burden at last. On the journey he is accompanied by his intrepid servant Sam, and he seemingly tames the slithery, unscrupulous spy-turned-guide, Gollum. Approaching the Dark Lord's realm, things look less gloomy as he briefly joins forces with the Men of Gondor and learns of a secret passage into Mordor. But Frodo enters what he hopes will be the last phase of his odyssey only to be attacked by the voracious giant spider, Shelob; he loses the ring and is captured by the enemy-- just as the looming war between good and evil, a long-expected contest of epic proportions, is beginning. The Two Towers is the stuff not only of classic myth, but also of modern fairy tale-- delivering the profound impact of both. As the Times literary Supplement wrote after the book was first published in England in 1954, "Such a timeless story must be told in timeless prose. Dr. Tolkien manages this difficult feat very well. . . . Even a single read will not be quickly forgotten."

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Life wasn't easy for Celie. But she knew how to survive, needing to get by.
Then her husband's lover, a flamboyant blues singer barreled into her world and gave Celie the courage to ask for more-- to laugh, to play, and finally-- to love.

Thin Air by Robert Parker

I haven't started reading this book yet but it was suggested to me by another mystery lover. Previously I have read Sherlock Holmes novel called  A study in scarlet which I found very intriguing but I needed a break from that style of writing so I decided to pick a more modern mystery. I did like the Sherlock Holmes book that I read but I wanted something that was less complicated like this Robert Parker book.

Gregor the Overlander, Gregor and The Prophecy of Bane, The Curse of the Warmbloods, and Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Susanne Collins

Why I recommend it: it's funny, it's full with adventure, and survival skills, and it never seems to get old. It's a great book to read to someone  or to read alone. and it's for all different ages.

What book I'm on: the 4th book of the series.

Why I like it: It's hands down interesting.  You always want to know what's next, and it makes no sense.  That's why it's funny.

What I dislike about it: when the people cry or get killed.

Main characters: Gregor, Boots, Ripred , Luxa, Hazard, Ares, Thalia.

 

The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrua

It’s 50 years before the settlement of the city of Ember, and the world is in crisis. War looms on the horizon as 11-year-old Nickie and her aunt travel to the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina. There, one of the town’s respected citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction. Her garbled words are taken as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster. If only they can be interpreted correctly. . . .

As the people of Yonwood scramble to make sense of the woman’s mysterious utterances, Nickie explores the oddities she finds around town—her great-grandfather’s peculiar journals and papers, a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens, a strange boy who is fascinated with snakes—all while keeping an eye out for ways to help the world. Is this vision her chance? Or is it already too late to avoid a devastating war?

The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau

When teenagers Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow lead their people up out of the Earth, fleeing their dying underground city of Ember, everything is new and a little frightening to the refugees--the sun and the moon, birds, trees, fire…and the people of Ember are strange to the 322 citizens of Sparks, one of the few towns on Earth to survive the time of The Disaster. How can they feed and house the 400 Emberites, the leaders of Sparks wonder, when they have just begun to be able to feed themselves comfortably? But if they don’t, these underground people with no survival skills will surely die in the wastelands. They take them in as best they can, but grumbling and bad feeling grows on both sides.

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

It is always night in the city of Ember. But there is no moon, no stars. The only light during the regular twelve hours of "day" comes from floodlamps that cast a yellowish glow over the streets of the city. Beyond are the pitch-black Unknown Regions, which no one has ever explored because an understanding of fire and electricity has been lost, and with it the idea of a Moveable Light. "Besides," they tell each other, "there is nowhere but here" Among the many other things the people of Ember have forgotten is their past and a direction for their future. For 250 years they have lived pleasantly, because there has been plenty of everything in the vast storerooms. But now there are more and more empty shelves--and more and more times when the lights flicker and go out, leaving them in terrifying blackness for long minutes. What will happen when the generator finally fails? Twelve-year-old Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet seem to be the only people who are worried. They have just been assigned their life jobs--Lina as a messenger, which leads her to knowledge of some unsettling secrets, and Doon as a Pipeworker, repairing the plumbing in the tunnels under the city where a river roars through the darkness. But when Lina finds a very old paper with enigmatic "Instructions for Egress," they use the advantages of their jobs to begin to puzzle out the frightening and dangerous way to the city of light of which Lina has dreamed.

Mossflower A Tale From Redwall By: Brian Jacques

When the clever and greedy wildcat Tsarmina becomes Queen of the Thousand Eyes and ruler of the peaceful woodlanders with an iron claw, bringing every otter and hedgehog, every mouse and squirrel to its whimpering knees.

But then the brave mouse Martin and the quick-talking mousethief Gonff meet in the dungeon of Kotir Castle. With the aid of all the woodlanders, the two escape and resolve to end Tsarmina's tyrannical rule. Joind by Dinny the mole, Martin and Gonff set off on a dangerous quest for Salamandastron, mountain of dragons, where they are convinced that their only hope, Boar the FIghter, still lives. . . .

This is our test blog to be sure that Morgan and I have properly added ourselves to the blog site.
Here we go.

Red Scarf Girl

In 1966, twelve year old Ji li Jiang had everything: brains, the admiration of her classmates, and a bright future in  Communist China. But that year China's leader, Mao Zedong, launched the cultural revolution, and Ji li's world began to fall apart. Over the next few years, he family was humiliated by former friends and neighbors. They lived in constant terror of arrest, and when he father was finally detained, Ji li faced the most difficult dilemma of her life. This is the true story of one family's courage and determination during one of the most terrifying eras of the twentieth century.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

An orphan who endures a harsh childhood, Jane Eyre becomes governess at Thornfield Hall in the employment of the mysterious Mr Rochester.

The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

STAR WARS X-WING ROGUE SQUADRON By Michael A. Stackpole

Its very name strike fear into enemy hearts.So when rebel hero Wedge Antilles rebuilds the legendary Rogue Squadron, he seeks out only the best-the most skilled, the most daring x-wing pilots. Through arduous training and dangerous missions, he weeds out the weak from the strong, assembling a group of hard-bitten warriors willing to fight, ready to die Antilles knows the grim truth: that even with the best x-wing jockeys in the galaxy, many will not survive their near-suicidal missions. But when Rogue Squadron is ordered to assist in the assault on the heavily fortified imperial stronghold of Black Moon, even the bravest must wonder if any at all will survive….

Arthur Spiderwicks Field Guide to the Fantastical world Around You

In the book Arthur Spiderwicks Field Guide to the Fantastical world Around You by Tony Diterlizzi and Holly Black it gives lots of information about several different types of mythical creatures. It not only gives the habitats, but the social groupings, and sometimes food, and the appearances. I really like this book because it not only gives me great ideas for my stories, but it gives fresh new take son mythical creatures that seem perfectly plausible. Also the illustrations add to the interesting things about the book.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Wolves and panthers and bears roamed the deep Wisconsin woods in the 1860's. Still Laura Ingalls' father preferred to live miles away from the nearest neighbors. So Pa built a snug cabin for Ma, Laura, Marry and Baby Carrie. Pa hunted and trapped and farmed. Ma made her own cheese and sugar. All night long,l the wind howled lonesomely, but Pa played his fiddle and safe, keeping the family safe and cozy.

This is a great book so far. It is interesting and detailed!

Vermont Wild written by Megan Price

This series is a collection of real life stories told to Megan Price by Vermont Fish and Game Wardens. This is a fun collection of entertaining stories that are even written in the same dialog as they were told. I like these because some day I want to become a game warden and I am hoping to learn from their mistakes instead of mine. I can also relate to most of the stories in stupid thing that I have attempted so that also makes me laugh. I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates the outdoors. 

White Fang by Jack London

White Fang is the titular character and a novel by American author Jack London. First serialized in a magazine, it was published in 1906. The story takes place in Yukon Territory, Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th-century, and details a wild wolfdog's journey to domestication.

The Simarillion by J.R.R Tolkien

In this epic saga by Tolkien it shows the early history of middle-earth and tying in characters like Galadriel, Elrond, Isulder, and Sauron.
Known as the the "Bible of Middle Earth"; it tells of things such as: The Songs of Eru and Melkor, of the creation of Middle-Earth, and of Feoner the Elf, Morgoth the Destroyer, and Illuvatar the Creator, Turin the Tall, and of course of Simarils the jewels the hold the light of the two threes of Valinor.

The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

Bilbo Baggins was a hobbit who wanted to be left alone in quiet comfort.  But the wizard Gandalf came along with a band of homeless dwarves.  Soon Bilbo was drawn into their quest, facing evil orcs, savage wolves, giant spiders, and worse unknown dangers.  Finally, it was Bilbo-alone and unaided-who had to confront the great dragon Smaug, the terror of an entire countryside!

The lotus Eaters

In the Book The Lotus Eaters By Tatjana Soli, the main character Helen is walking down through a desert town when she noticed a starved child crying. Having a photographers eye; she is about to take advantage of this opportunity and snap a shot when a bicyclist speeds towards the girl. Running up to her and pulling her out of the way, Helen then can not seem to get a word out of the starved child about where her momma is. Picking up the girl covered in urine, with nothing to cloth her but a shirt, she stands there for 15 minutes until an angry mother finally comes to retrieve the child. I really like this book even though I am not very far in it. From the first sentence it grabs at the readers attention, with words of death and time running out. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Unsolved Mysteries in Science by John Malone

Despite all the advances by science in the twentieth century, as the twenty-first century begins we face a universe of unanswered questions. Join John Malone as he leads us on an entertaining and enlightening excursion into such mysteries as:


What's inside the earth?
How do we learn languages?
How did the universe begin?
How many dimensions are there?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great story of adventure written by Mark Twain during the time of slavery. It takes place in the South on the Mississippi and really gives the reader a good feeling of what life was like. Along with it's counter part the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, this book is one of my personal favorites in literature.

Ghost Rider by Neil Peart

Ghost Rider is not about a real ghost at all and it is NOT a horror book at all. It is about this family Neil, Jakie and Selena. Neil an Jakie kissed there nineteen year old daughter goodbye beacuse she was heading to a University for three years. They soon found out Selena was in a horrible car crash and died. Jakie and Niel were filled with emotions as soon as they got the news. Neil was doing his best to comfort his wife. After having her heart broken for months, Jakie had horrible back pains and had a horrible noctunal coughing, months later, Jakie was still sick and had back pains. Niel took her to the doctor and Jakie was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Can't wait to get to the next chapter!

MAUS 2 By Art Spiegelman

A memoir of Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and about his son, a cartoonist who tries to come to terms with his father, his story, and history. Cartoon format portrays Jews as mice, Nazis as cats. Using a unique comic-strip-as-graphic-art format, the story of Vladek Spiegelman's passage through the Nazi Holocaust is told in his own words. Acclaimed as a "quiet triumph" and a "brutally moving work of art," the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegelman. The story succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiarity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive. As the New York Times Book Review commented, "[it is] a remarkable feat of documentary detail and novelistic vividness...an unfolding literary event." This long-awaited sequel, subtitled And Here My Troubles Began, moves us from the barracks of Auschwitz to the bungalows of the Catskills. Genuinely tragic and comic by turns, it attains a complexity of theme and a precision of thought new to comics and rare in any medium. Maus ties together two powerful stories: Vladek's harrowing tale of survival against all odds, delineating the paradox of daily life in the death camps, and the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. Vladek's troubled remarriage, minor arguments between father and son, and life's everyday disappointments are all set against a backdrop of history too large to pacify. At every level this is the ultimate survivor's tale--and that too of the children who somehow survive even the survivors.

The Shack by Wm. Paul Young

Makenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep i the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State, where he and his brother and sisters work at their chores from dawn to dinner most days-no matter what the weather. There is still time fro fun, though, especially with horses, witch Almanzo loves more than anything.

I like this book because it has great detail and I just can't put the book down! I think Laura did an excellent job writing this book.

Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run by David Brower

As a climber, David Brower scaled many previously "insurmountable" mountains. As a conservationist, Brower has bought a mountaineer's determination and reverence for nature to his efforts to protect the earth and educate its human’s inhabitants. He has kept dams out of Grand Canyon and loggers out of Olympic National Park, established the National Wilderness Preservation System, added seven new regions to the National Park System, and helped to foster a mind-set that questions careless growth. 

In Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run, the "archdruid" of modern environmentalism, the man The New York Times designated the most effective conservation activist in the world, offers a tough, witty, and impassioned game plan "for those who would save the earth." Now eighty-two years old, Brower also recounts the highs and lows of his controversial career, sparing no politician or public figure, least of all himself. He frankly discusses his mistakes, such as compromising on the construction of Glen Canyon Dam, and the strategic flourishes that have earned him both fans and foes, including  the full-page, in-your-face national newspaper ads that helped save the Grand Canyon by asking "Should we also flood the Sistine Chapel so that tourists can get a better look at the ceiling?"

Ranger's Apprentice:The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Months have passed since Horace departed for the eastern nation of Nihon-Ja on a vital mission. Having received no communication from him, his friends fear the worst. Unwilling to wait a second longer, Alyss, Evanlyn, and Will leave their homeland behind and venture into an exotic land in search of their missing friend.

When they finally catch up with him, they find Horace entangled in a military coup. Determined to protect the imperial throne, Will and his band of Araluens must piece together and train a force in order to fend off the master Senji warriors intent on overthrowing the emperor.

Ranger's Apprentice: Halts Peril by John Flanagan

The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders may have been chased from Clonmel, but not before killing Halt's only brother. Now Rangers Halt and Will, along with the young warrior Horace, are in pursuit. The Outsiders have done an effective job of dividing the kingdom into factions and are looking to overtake Araluen. It will take every bit of skill and cunning for the Rangers to survive. Some may not be so lucky.

The international bestselling Ranger's Apprentice series turns up the tension in John Flanagan's latest epic of battles and bravery.

ERAGON

One boy..... one dragon.....A world of adventure. When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is lucky discover of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. but when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon soon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy neary as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his has simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous the new world of destiny, magic, and power. with only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledging dragon must navagat the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bonds. can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands.

Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

This book is an alternate ending to Paulsen's Hatchet. In Hatchet Brian is rescued before winter. In this alternate ending story Brian is not rescued, and begins realizing he must survive the winter.

The Fall Of Atlantis

A Atlantean prince is the leader of the light and they fight against the dark. The battle of dark and light take place at Atlantis. There are two sisters in this story Deoris and Domaris. There lives are changing from the powerful magic of Atlantis. The dark wants to crash a big and powerful wave over Atlantis to kill everyone and drown the light city of Atlantis.

Outcast of Redwall By: Brian Jaques

Veil, The Outcast

         Abandoned as an infant by his father, the evil warlord Swartt Sixclaw, Veil is raised by the kindhearted Bryony.  Despite concerns from everyone as Redwall, Bryony is convinced that Veil's goodness will prevail. But when Veil commits a crime that is unforgivable, he is banished from the abbey forever. Then Swartt and his hordes of searats and vermin. attack Redwall, and Veil has to decide: Should he join Swartt in battle against the only creature who has ever loved him? Or should he turn his back on his true father?

The River by Gary Paulsen

Two years ago, Brian Robeson was stranded alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days with nothing but a small hatchet. He survived. Now the government wants him to do it again-to go back to the wilderness so that  astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept him alive. But this time he won't be alone a your government psychologist will be coming with him. But who knows if the will come back alive.

Tucker Peak by Archer Mayor

To its visitors, the resort area Tucker Peak is Vermont personified: small, thinly populated, a fun place to ski all day and party all night. To its beleaguered owners, it is a resort on the ropes, undersized, underdeveloped, and hemorrhaging money. Their plan: expand and spend a fortune on the gamble. But two problems quickly arise when environmentalists rally to protest the development and the slope-side condo owners suffer a rash of seemingly unsolvable burglaries. Enter Joe Gunther and the newly minter Vermont Bureau of Investigation. Summoned by the embattled local sheriff, Joe doesn't take long to find out that the most likely thief has mysteriously vanished- leaving behind his dead girlfriend- or to discover that some of the protesters may have more on their agenda than protecting the environment.

The Mark of Athena By: Rick Riordan

      Annabeth is terrified. just when she is about to be reunited with Percy after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera- it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can't blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo's fantastical creation doesn't appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

       That's only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods to find- and close- the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

       Annabeth's biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he's now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.

       Narrated by four different demigods, The Mark of Athena is an unforgettable journey across land and sea to Rome, where important discoveries, surprising, and unspeakable horrors await. Climb Aboard the Argo II, if you dare...

Werewolves Dead Moon Rising

In the book there are several short stories written by all different authors,; but they all revolve around werewolves. In one of the short stories called skin belt by William R. Halliar, the main character has been changing into a werewolf on the full moon. He decides to get help and finds an old man. The old man gives him something that will stop his changes, and it works! But the old an wants it back, and is willing to do almost anything to get back his creation. What will the main character do?! I really like this book because of all the different writing styles put together into one book. All of the writing styles gives new side or idea to the werewolf legends, and the fresh new takes makes me want to read more. Also most of them go really far into characters like their looks and feelings, especially when they transform, which gives it really good imagery. I recommend this book highly; but not to younger kids. It has some inappropriate references and some foul language.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

Violet Amberose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her bet friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies--or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world... and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer--and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer... and becoming his prey herself.

The Complete Compilment of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galexy Chronicles by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the GalaxySeconds before the Earth is demolished for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is saved by Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised Guide. Together they stick out their thumbs to the stars and begin a wild journey through time and space.

The Restaurant at the End of the UniverseFacing annihilation at the hands of warmongers is a curious time to crave tea. It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his comrades as they hurtle across the galaxy in a desperate search for a place to eat.

Life, the Universe and EverythingThe unhappy inhabitants of planet Krikkit are sick of looking at the night sky– so they plan to destroy it. The universe, that is. Now only five individuals can avert Armageddon: mild-mannered Arthur Dent and his stalwart crew.

So Long, and Thanks for All the FishBack on Earth, Arthur Dent is ready to believe that the past eight years were all just a figment of his stressed-out imagination. But a gift-wrapped fishbowl with a cryptic inscription conspires to thrust him back to reality. So to speak.

Mostly HarmlessJust when Arthur Dent makes the terrible mistake of starting to enjoy life, all hell breaks loose. Can he save the Earth from total obliteration? Can he save the Guide from a hostile alien takeover? Can he save his daughter from herself?

How to train your dragon by: Cressida Cowell

How to train your dragon is a great book. I love it. Its very exciting and thrilling and i cant take my eyes off of it. my favorite part is when hiccup (thew main character) gets thrown into the mouth of a dragon. the setting is in viking time with dragons. My favorite character is hiccup and his dragon toothless. The whole reason Hiccup, Fishlegs, Dogsbreath the duh brain, and Snotlout, get a dragon is because they have to or they will get shipped off to cannibal island. I like Hiccup and his dragon because they both are extraordinary and have fun adventures, while toothless is just adorable.

StarWars Assault At Selonia by Roger Macbride Allen

Imprisoned on the planet Corella, Han Solo finds himself at the mercy of his evil cousin, Thracken Sal-Solo. Thracken plans to restore the imperial system and seize total power no matter what the cost. Han has one chance to stop him. But to do so he must turn his back on his human cousin and join forces with a female alien. Dracmus was arrested as a  ringleader in a plot against the corrupt Human League. Now she and Han  will attempt a daring escape to selonia in time to warn Leia, Luke Skywalker, and Lando of Thracken's plan. But can Han trust the alien to keep her word?

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling. 

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O’Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three.

Taught everywhere—from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing—it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing. 

Here There Be Dragons by James A. Owens

An unusual murder brings together three strangers, John, Jack, and Charles, on a rainy night in London during the first World War. An eccentric little man called Bert tells them that they are now the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica -- an atlas of all the lands that have ever existed in myth and legend, fable and fairy tale. These lands, Bert claims, can be traveled to in his ship the Indigo Dragon, one of only seven vessels that is able to cross the Frontier between worlds into the Archipelago of Dreams.

Pursued by strange and terrifying creatures, the companions flee London aboard the Dragonship. Traveling to the very realm of the imagination itself, they must learn to overcome their fears and trust in one another if they are to defeat the dark forces that threaten the destiny of two worlds. And in the process, they will share a great adventure filled with clues that lead readers to the surprise revelation of the legendary storytellers these men will one day become.

Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce

Young Daine's knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to tortall. It soon becomes clear that Daine's talent, despite her struggles to hide it, its downright magical. Horses and other animals not only obey the mysterious girl, they come to her and seem to listen to her words. But Daine will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.

Set in Tortall during the reign of King Jonathan III and Queen Thayet, Wild Magic is the first book of the immortals series, which chronicles the time when the world is invaded by immortal creatures and a girl is born with a magical power that could restore the very balance of nature.

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander

Jason's cat has nine fantastic lives--and he's taking Jason along for the ride!
Gareth is definitely not an ordinary cat. For one thing, he can talk.  For another, he's got the power to travel through time. And the instant he tells this to Jason, the two of them are in ancient Egypt, on the first  of nine amazing adventures Jason will never forget.

Know it all, The Little Book of Essential Knowledge

Know it all will give you the edge  you need, providing general knowledge that covers all the bases in a nutshell---intriguing, useful facts about the universe, Planet Earth, life in all forms... the birth of agriculture and rise of civilizations ... invention and discoveries and artistic endeavors. For example did  you know...

• Alfred Nobel became famous not as a giver of prizes but as the inventor of dynamite?
•  The spices in your recipes once caused nations to go to war?
• That Alexander the great never lost a battle?
• The inner atmosphere is 78.08 percent nitrogen 

All these facts facts and more are available in KNOW IT ALL.

Mattimeo by Brian Jacques

Slagar the fox hated Redwall Abbey- it's peaceable creatures, it's fearless mouse warrior Matthias.  He blamed Matthias for the injuries he'd suffered . . . but his quest for vengeance would have to be a cunning one, for he knew the power of the legendary Redwall sword.

Above all, he knew, the Redwallers cherished their young.  So Slagar would steal them from under their very noses- and the greatest prize of all would be Matthias's headstrong son, Mattimeo . . .

The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

Young Henry Fleming had always dreamt of performing heroic deeds in battle. But as a raw recruit in the american civil war, the  reality is one of mental and physical torment. Throughout his first ordeal in action, Henry experiences both rear ans self-doubt, and has no idea whether war will make him a coward - or a hero.

Amazonia by James Rollins

The Rand scientific expedition enter the lush wilderness of the Amazon and Never returned. Years later, one of its members has stumbled out of the world's most inhospitable rain forest-a former Special Forces soldier, scarred, mutilated terrified, and mere hours from death, who went in with one arm missing... and came out with both intact. Unable to comprehend this inexplicable event, the government sends Nathan Rand into this impenetrable secret world of undreamed-perils, to follow the trail of his vanished father...toward mysteries that must be solved at any cost. But the nightmare that is awaiting Nate and his team of scientists and seasoned U.S Rangers dwarfs any danger the anticipated; an ancient, unspoken terror-a power beyond human imagining-that can forever alter the world beyond the dark, lethal confines of... Amazonia

Farmer Boy by: Laura Ingalls Wilder

This book is about a boy named Almanzo Wilder. The part i like in this book is when Almanzo gets the colt of his dreams. This is the most surprising part to me is because i would not think that he would actually get a colt at the age of 11. My favorite character is Almanzo because he is always doing something interesting in the book.

Serpent's Shawdow by Rick Riordan

I almost done with the book but a lot is happening.Carter, Sadie and there dad hoped on a boat and started paddeling away from the Serpent. Suddenly they found themselvs in the middle of danger. They saw the Serpent's Shadow. It was right in front of them.

The Shadow in the North

The year is 1878, and the spirited Sally Lockhart, once again defying Victorian sensibilities, has gone into business herself. When one of her clients loses a large sum of money in the unexpected collapse of a British shipping firm, Sally sets out to investigate. But as she delves deeper into the identity of  the wealthy and elusive industrialist who owns the doomed company, she uncovers a plot so diabolical that it could eventually subvert the entire civilized world--and if Sally's enemies have their way, she won't live long enough to see it happen.

Alex Rider: Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parent, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now.

This is the latest book in the Alex Rider series, but I've only read this one and the first one in the series but I'm looking forward to reading the other ones.

Continuity of the ATA Literature blog

Good morning,

I would like to let you all know why I keep sticking my nose into Missy's class 'business' i.e. the Lit Blog. A blog, like anything else on the Internet, is permanent and lasting.

I do encourage every Instructor to customize their class, and make it all their own, we do have guidelines for assignments, and assessment, etc., but they are actually really just guidelines!

I've noticed how proprietary I feel about the blog.  (Should that be proprietorially?)  I want to leave this behind us, much like our Legacy projects.  That is why I keep going back to the "rules".  

Now, I also have to remember, that like any other good piece of writing, or tangible item, our blog needs to be "living" to stay relevant while it lasts.  Constitutional Scholars say that the United States Constitution is a "living document", it changes as the needs of the people change and the law allows for such changes under very specific circumstances.  Sometimes those changes are not as great in hindsight as they were up front!  (The 18th Amendment for example!)

It is for the everlasting-ness that I am constantly referring to the rules of posting (and have now put that up as part of the header).  Since this blog has been through 5 different ATA English Instructors, if it is going to be continuous, I feel the format needs to remain consistent.

So, if we as a group decide the format of the blog needs to be changed, we certainly will address that.  However, until we decide that as a group (and ATA Instructors get veto power like the President, and I get the power of the Judiciary!), the format will remain.

Thank you, and please take pride in what you leave behind!  I know that I take pride in this blog and what you all leave behind.

Amanda

STARWARS THE PHANTOMMENACE

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, an evil legacy long believe dead is stirring. Even the jedi are caught by surprise, thare attention focused on the political unrest between the trade focused and republic. now the dark side of thr force threatens to overwhelm the light, and only an ancirent jedi prophecy stands between hope and doom for the entire galaxy. on the desert world of tatoonine, far from the concerns of the republic, a slave boy works by day and drams by night-of being a jedi khight and one day traveling the stars to worlds he's only heard of in stories...of finding a way to win freedoom from enslavement for himself and hi's beloved mother. His only hope lies in his extraordinary instincts and his strange gift for understanding the ''rightness'' of things, talents that allow him to be one of the best podracers on the planet.

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating—a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.

Once again, the earth in under attack. Aliens "buggers" are poised for a final assault  The survival of the humans species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers.

Pendragon: The Merchant of Death D.J MacHale

Bobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal fourteen-year-old boy. He has a family, a home, and even Marley, his beloved dog. But there is something very special about Bobby.
He is going to save the world.
And not just Earth as we know it. Bobby is slowly starting to realize that life in the cosmos isn't quite what he thought it was. And before he can object, he is swept off to an alternate dimension known as Denduron, a territory inhabited by strange beings, ruled by a magical tyrant, and plagued by dangerous revolution.
If Bobby wants to see his family again, he's going to have to accept his role as savior, and accept it wholeheartedly. Because, as he is about to discover, Denduron is only the beginning....

I was hoping that this series would be about the Arthurian legend, but it is a good sci-fi/fantasy book if slightly confusing

The Serpent by Clive Cussler

On the bottom of the icy sea off Nantucket lies the battered remains of the Italian luxury liner, Andrea Doria. But few know that within its bowels rests a priceless pre-Columbian antiquity-- a treasure that now holds the key to a puzzle that is costing people their lives
For Kurt Austin, the leader of a courageous National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA) exploration team, the killing begins when he makes a daring rescue of a beautiful marine archaeologist. The target of a powerful Texas industrialist named Halcon, Nina Kirov was attacked off the coast of Morocco after her discovery of a carved stone head that may prove to be Christoper Columbus was not the first European to discover America. Soon Kurt and Nina embark on a deadly mission to uncover Halcon's masterful plan-- an insidious scheme that would have him carve out a new nation from the southwest United States and Mexico, and ride to power on a wave of death and destruction.
With Austin's elite NUMA crew attacking the murderous conspiracy from different sides, an extraordinary truth emerges: that Columbus may have made a fifth, unknown voyage to America in search of a magnificent  treasure. And that the silent. steel hull of the Andrea Doria not only holds the answer to what the explorer may have found--but thee fate of the United State itself.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

This is the 4th book in the Inheritance series. Previous to this I read the first three books then stopped. I knew the 4th one had come out, but for some reason I did not get my hands on it and read it. AS i recall I hardly finished the 3rd one. Now I have given in, and I am enjoying this book very much. Thanks Dustin for letting me borrow your copy.

The Serpent's Shadow By Rick Riordan,

Carter and Sadie just found there dad. But now they have to get out of egypt before The evil ghost of egypt finds them.

A Compendium of Indispensable Facts

A Compendium of Indispensable Facts boast's a huge area of factiods*

Factoid: Factoid is not a real word.

Including but not limited to:

• Six actors played The Three Stooges
•  Peladophobia is a fear of bald people
• Quarks(Sub-atomic particle and bottle top:) come in six flavors
• There are seven types of sea serpent
• St.Clotilde is the patron saint of disapointing children

And many, many more funny, satirical, and interesting facts, in this Compendium of Indispensable Facts!

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

One of the great novelist's most popular works, Oliver Twist is also the purest distillation of Dickens' genius. Abandoned at an early age, Oliver Twist is forced to live in a dark and dismal London workhouse lorded over by awful Mr. Bumble who cheats the boys of their meager rations! Desperate but determined, Oliver makes his escape. But what he discovers in the harsh streets of London's underworld makes the workhouse look like a picnic. Penniless and alone, he is lured into a world of crime by the wily Fagin--the nefarious mastermind of a gang of pint-sized pickpockets, runs away to London where he is captured by thieves and finally escapes...

The Hunger Games Book 2: Catching Fire By: Suzanne Collins

Sparks are igniting
Flames are spreading
And the Capitol wants revenge

           Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive.  Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale.  Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be.  Gale holds her a an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-A rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

        Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest shes's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try.  As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever.  If they can't prove, without a shadow of doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

1984 BY GEORGE ORWELL

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. And big brother is watching..... THOUGHT POLICE. BIG BROTHER. ORWELLIAN. well i don`t like it at all because how he put it in words. so its a vary confusing book For me.

Redwall by Brain Jacques

Welcome to Mossflower Wood, where the gentle mice have gathered to celebrate a year of peace and abundance.  All is well. . . until a sinister shadow falls across the ancient stone abbey of Redwall.

THE DOOMSDAY KEY By James Rollins

At princeton University, a famed geneticest dies inside a biohazard lab. In Rome, a Vatican archaeolagist is found dead in St. Perers Basilica. In africa, a U.s. senators son is slain outside a Red Cross camp. The three murders on three contanents bear a horrifyig connection: all the victims are marked by a Druidei pagan cross vurned into their flesh.   I liked the book because it was a horror book!  The plot never stopped it just kept it constent. " he ran up a random guy in the mall and slit his throwt and that was the end of that guy"

The Serpent's Shadow By, Rick Riordan

This is a full series. This series has three books im on the last one. The books in this series are The Red Pyramid, The Throne of Fire, and The Serpants Shadow. The Serpent's Shawdow is about a brother and sister Carter and sadie who lost there dad to an evil accient egypt ghost. So there trying to find him. They know he's in Egypt. But they have to put there lives at risk trying to find there dad.It's getting really exciting. They didin't find there dad but the did find the ghost who has there dad kidnapped. The ghost of egypt is giving brother and sister Carter and Sadie Rittels to help them find there dad.

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude C. Warner

Hennery, Jessie Violet and Benny used to live  in a boxcar. Now they have a home with their grandfather and are spending the summer on their own private island. Theres a stranger on the island who must keep his identity a secret. Thats not the only suprise in store for the Boxcar Children on Suprise Island.

Linger (Wolves of Mercy Falls, Book 2) by Maggie Stiefvater

the longing.
Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

the loss.
Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of a human.

the linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces--wolf and human--with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

Alex Rider Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

When his guardian dies in suspicious circumstances, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider finds his world turned upside down. Forcibly recruited into MI6, Alex has to take part in gruelling SAS training exercises. Then, armed with his own special set of secret gadgets, he's off on his first mission to Cornwall, where Middle-Eastern multi-billionaire Herod Sayle is producing his state-of-the-art Stormbreaker computers. Sayle has offered to give one free to every school in the country – but there's more to the gift than meets the eye.

The forever king

The forever king by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy has many main characters. At the moment, there are only two. Their names are Hal Woczniak, and Saladin. Hal used to work for the FBI, but hes practically lost him self in beer and filth. But when he meets a strange old man weird things start happening...... Saladin is in a mental health 'prison', but what will happen when hes moved out of his cell? I am reading this book because it is interesting and finds a way at tugging on all of my emotion. Mostly suspense and intrigue.

Animal Farm

My favorite Character, Snowball has just gotten expelled by Napoleon, and the animals are starting to revolve around Napoleons evil plans.


I really like this book, I like how it relates to human nature.

A Young People's History of the United States: Columbus to the War on Terror by Howard Zinn

A Young People's History of the United States brings to US history the viewpoints of workers, slaves, immigrants, women, Native Americans, and others whose stories, and their impact, are rarely included in books for young people. A Young People's History of the United States is also a companion volume to The People Speak, the film adapted from A People's History of the United States and Voices of a People’s History of the United States.

Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leading the reader through the struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism, Zinn in the volumes of A Young People’s History of the United States presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by our dissident voices, not our military generals.

I love this book and others by Howard Zinn, his writing style is so intense, gripping, and detailed that you can't put the book down.

In One Person

The book I'm reading now is "In One Person," by John Irving, who's written a lot of books I really like, including "Cider House Rules" and "The World According to Garp."  I like it so far, but it seems a lot like my favorite Irving book, "A Prayer for Owen Meany"; the setting and a number of the characters are very similar-- too similar for my taste, since I don't think any book can compare to "Owen Meany."  I hope I start seeing differences between the two novels, but I'll finish this one anyway even if I don't because I am enjoying the plot so far.

The Great Gatsby is the book I have been reading for history. I'm reading it because this is the book he recommended to me and gave me to read.So far I find it a little dull, but its not bad. This is what the back cover says: This is the definitive, textually accurate edition of a classic of the twentieth century literature, The Great Gatsby. The story of the fabulously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan has been acclaimed by generations of readers. But the first edition contained a number of errors resulting from Fitzgerald's extensive revisions and a rushed production schedule. Subsequent printings introduced further departures from the authors words. This edition based on the Cambridge critical text, restores all the languages of Fitzgerald's masterpiece. Drawing on the manuscript and surviving proofs of the novel, along with Fitzgerald's later revisions and corrections, this authorized text- the Great Gatsby as Fitzgerald intended it.

TIM TEBOW THROUGH MY EYES

tim tebow is one of the most accomplished players in college football history.
A two-time winner of the NCAA national football championship with the university of florida, tim is also the first-ever sophomore to win the heisman trothy. he is the foundation,which was started to bring fath, hope, and love to those needing a brihter day in their  darkest hour. in april 2010, tim was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the denver broncos. he lives in colorado. you can learn more about him online at www.timtebow.com

Letters of the Dragon by: Bruce Lee

Letters of the Dragon Correspondence, 1958-1973 is a fascinating glimpse of the private Bruce Lee behind the public image-a man with the patience and concern to dedicate as much effort to crafting a thoughtful personal answer of the letter of a young fan as to those from his old friends and associates; an extremely active man never too busy to make time for an old family friend in need of simple companionships; a man who never wrote without careful thought, and never thought from the head alone, but always from the head and heart together. The letters in this inspiring book track Bruce Lee’s career and development from his decision, made while he was still in secondary school, to move to the U.S. to further his education, through the many setbacks, rededicated efforts, and triumphs of life that shaped his martial art and humanity, all the way to the last letter he ever composed, just hours before his sudden death. After absorbing the letters in this volume, the reader will inevitably find that the private Bruce Lee was every bit as great as the public Bruce Lee, and deeper and broader by far. Letters of the Dragon: Correspondence, 1958-1973 is conclusive evidence that a life lived well in never a life too short.

Empire by Orson Scott Card

The American Empire is growing too fast, and the fault lines at home are stressed to the breaking point.  The war of words between Right and Left has collapsed into a shooting war, though most people just want to be left alone.

The battle rages between the high-technology weapons on one side and militia foot solders on the other, devastating the cities and overrunning the countryside.  But the vast majority, who only want the killing to stop and the nation to return to more peaceful days, have technology, weapons, and strategic geniuses of their own.

When the American dream shatters into violence, who can hold the people and the government together?  And which side will you be on?

King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild

At the turn of the century, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium carried out a brutal plundering of the territory surrounding the Congo River. Ultimately slashing the area's population by ten million, he still managed to shrewdly cultivate his reputation as a great humanitarian. A tale far richer than any novelist could invent, King Leopold's Ghost is the horrifying account of a megalomaniac of monstrous proportions. It is also the deeply moving portrait of those who defied Leopold: African rebel leaders who fought against hopeless odds and a brave handful of missionaries, travelers, and young idealists who went to Africa for work or adventure but unexpectedly found themselves witnesses to a holocaust and participants in the twentieth century's first great human right's movement.

Storm of Steel by Ernst Junger

A memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism, Storm of Steel illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of total war as seen through the eyes of an ordinary Ferman soldier.  Young, tough, patriotic but also disturbingly self-aware, Junger exulted in the war, which he saw not just as a great national conflict but-more importantly- as a unique personal struggle.  Leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart, Junger keeps testing himself, braced for the death.  

Twinkle Twinkle Little Spy

A Russian Scientist defects believing that the in West he will he will more easily realize his dream of contacting planets in outer space. But British Intelligence and the CIA have more worldly plans for him and move quickly, relentlessly, leaving a trail of blood from the Sahara desert, to Manhattan, Paris, Dublin, and halfway back across Africa.

I've decided to reread a favorite book of mine, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk.  I first read it to make sure a student who told me he was reading it was actually reading it and not just watching the movie ;), but I got so involved in it I read it all at once, in about 5 hours, which is quick for me.  I just love what Palahniuk does with language; in fact, I've read most of his books since this one.  He's really dark, but hilarious at the same time.  Here's an excerpt:  "You wake up at JFK.... the plane leans to one side and hangs in the decision to right itself or roll.  For this moment, nothing matters.  Look up into the stars and you're gone.  Not your luggage.... Not your bad breath.... A thud, and the second wheel hits the tarmac.  The staccato of a hundred seat-belt buckles snapping open, and the single-use friend you almost died sitting next to says:  I hope you make your connection" (p. 31).  Good stuff.

Embraced by the light by Betty J. Eadie

On the night of Novemner 19, 1973, following surgery, thirty-one-year-old wife and mother Betty J. Eadie died….  This is her extraordinary story of the events that followed, her astonishing proofof life after physical death.  She saw more, perhaps, than any other person has seen before and shares her almost photographic recollections of the remarkable details .  Compelling, inspiring, and infinitely reasurring, her vivid account gives is a glimpse of the peace and unconditional love that await us all.  More important, Betty’s journey offers a simple message that can trasnform our lives today, showing us our purpose and guiding us to live that way we were meant to- joyously, abundantly, and with love.

Thirst No.2 By christpher Pike

What Alisa has desired for five thousand years has finally come true—she is once again human. But now she is defenseless, vulnerable, and for the first time in centuries, emotional. As she attempts to reconcile her actions as a vampire with her new connection to humanity, she begins to understand the weight of life and death decisions. Can Alisa resolve her past and build a new identity, or is she doomed to repeat her fatal mistakes?

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja by John Flanagan

Months have passed since Horace departed from the Eastern nation of Nihon-Ja on a vital mission.  having received no communication, from him, his friends fear the worst.  Unwilling to wait a second longer, Alyss, Evanlyn, and Will leave their homeland behind and venture into an exotic land in search of their missing friend.

When they finally catch up with him, they find Horace entangled in a military coup.  Determined to protect the imperial throne, Will and his band of Araluens must piece together and train a force in order to fend off the Master Senji warriors intent  on overthrowing the emperor. 

 

Suspense and pulse-pounding action abound in this final adventure in the world wide phenomenon that is Rangers Apprentice.  

The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty

January 20, 1968

We're going to move out while it's still dark, try to get a jump on them. Everybody's  packing as much ammo as they can carry. Most of us even have LAW's-light anti-tank assault weapons. The terrain's too rough for tanks, but we can use the LAW's to take out bunkers. If we need them. Grenades, bandoliers filled with magazines for our M-16s..., extra belts of M-60 ammo for the Machine guns, bayonets, Kabar knives.... but it doesn't even feel like boys with Toys this time - it feels like Men with Weapons. Nervous men, but men. If they want to take us on, we'll be ready. I hope. Last night I wrote letters to everyone in my family, just in case.

THE FOREVER KING

THE FOREVER KING by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy definitely gives off a suspenseful air to it, making you want to read more. I have read this once before, and I read it in one sitting.I loved how the writing flowed together perfectly, in such great detail that the images just flew into my mind. It surprised me how they wrote it, how they would make you think one thing would happen but then the exact opposite would instead.It is my all time favorite book. This is what the cover gives as a description; In a darkened house not far from the place where Camelot may once have stood, a man schemes. Once the cup that men call the holey grail was his. Soon it will be his again. The grail's protectors are few and weak:an alcohol soaked ex-FBI agent; a courtly old gentleman who one, long ago, held awesome power, and a ten year old boy. Arthur Blessing is no ordinary boy. The Grail was his by chance, this time,. but the power to keep it- a power as ancient as time itself- is his by right. Now he must stay alive long enough to use that power. Arthur needs a defender, a man of great strength, skill, purity, and faith. Fate has given him Hal Woczniak, a broken-down drifter plagued by nightmare- memories of a dead child. When Hal quit the FBI, he practically quit human race as well. Now, at the darkest time in his life, he is offered the chance to redeem himself. Once he failed to save a child. Once he failed to save a world. He will not fail again.

The Boxcar Children by: Gertrude Chandler Warner

One warm night four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew them. No won knew where they had come from. Henry,Jessie,Violet,Benny are orphans. Determind to make it on their own, they set out to find a safe place to live. They discover an old, red boxcar that provides shelter from a storm. Against all odds, they make it into their home and become The Boxcar Children!

THE RUBY in the SMOKE by Philip Pullman

"BEWARE OF THE SEVEN BLESSINGS"
When she first utters these words, sixteen year old Sally Lockhart doesn't know there meaning. But when an employee of her late father hears them, he dies of fear. Thus begins Sally's terrifying journey into the seamy underworld of Victorian London, in search of clues that will solve the puzzle of her fathers death. Pursued by villains and cutthroats at every turn, she at last uncovers two dark mysteries. One involves the Opium trade; the other, a stolen ruby of enormous value. Sally soon learns that she is the key to both--and that it's worth her life to find out why.

Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany

Nothings simple when you run with werewolves. Jessie Gillmansen thinks she's seen it all, but her eyes are about to be opened to even more danger and a reality far more paranormal than she's ever suspected. Thanks to Jessie's starting revelation about the Rusakovas' mother, the group's choices become harder--and trust is more important than ever. But the dramatic change Pietr's going through may shake the trust he's built with Jessie to its very foundation. As the broken Rusakova family struggles to come together to face what may be their greatest challenge, the people Jessie believed were normal show themselves to be much, much more.........

STAR WARS LEGACY OF THE FORCE: SACRIFICE BY KAREN TRAVISS

Civil war rages as the galactic alliance led by Cal Omas and the Jedi forces of Luke Skywalker battles a confederation of breakaway planets that rally to the side of rebellious corellia. Suspected of involvement in an assignation plot against queen mother Tenet ka of the Hapes consortium , Han and Leia Solo are on the run , hunted by none other than there own son, Jacen, whose increasingly authoritarian tactics as head of GA security have led Luke and Mara skywalker to fear that there nephew may be treading perilously close to the dark side.

Children of the mind by Orson Scott Card

The planet Lusitania is home to three sentient species: the Pequeninos; a large colony of humans; and the Hive Queen, brought there by Ender.  But once again the human race has grown fearful; the Starways Congress has gathered a fleet to destroy Lusitania.

Jane, the evolved computer intelligence, can save the three sentient races of Lusitania.  She has learned how to move ships outside the universe, and then instantly back to a different world, abolishing the lightspeed limit.  But it takes all the processing power available to her, and the starways Congress is shutting down the Net, world by world.

Soon Jane will not be able to move the ships.  Ender's children must save her if they are to save themselves.

Shadows in flight by Orson Scott Card

Bean stole away from the wars of Earth with three of his children - the three who share his genetic mutation that gives brilliance and a short life.  A ship to the stars will give them a chance - a chance for the scientists of Earth to find a treatment, if not for him, then for his children.  As the long decades on Earth flash by in a moment on their near-lightspeed ship, they flee into the future.
         The three, called Ender, Carlotta, and Sergeant, work to learn enough to help in the effort.  But Earth holds no minds more brilliant than those of bean and his children, and there is no cure.  As the generations pass, there comes a time when no one on Earth remembers them, save as a voice on the ansible, a distant whisper from the stars.
         And then their ship's life support begins to fail, and Bean's children must save themselves.

Outcast of Redwall by Brian Jacques

Abandoned as an infant by his father, the evil warlord Swartt Sixclaw, Veil is raised by the kindhearted Bryony.  Despite concerns from everyone at Redwall, Bryony is convinced that Veil's goodness will prevail.  But when veil commits a crime that is unforgivable, he is banished from the abbey forever.  Then Swartt and his hordes of searats and vermin attack Redwall, and Veil has to decide: Should he join Swartt in battle against the only creature who has ever loved him?  Or should he turn his back on his true father?