Mockingjay By Suzanne Collins

"My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead."

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Though she's long been a part of the revolution, Katniss hasn't known it. Now it seems that everyone has had a hand in the carefully laid plans but her.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the cost.

The Complete Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm translation and illustration by Jack Zipes

The Complete Fairy Tales Of The Brothers Grimm translation and illustration by Jack Zipes is a compliation of all the fairy tales Grimm collected and wrote.

Perhaps no other stories posses as much power to enchant, delight, and surprise as those penned by the immortal Brothers Grimm. Now, in the new, expanded third edition, renowned scholar and folklorist Jack Zipes has translated all 250 tales collected and published by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, plus twenty-nine rare tales omitted from the original German edition, as well as narratives uncovered to date, this critically acclaimed edition recaptures the fairy tales as the Brothers Grimm intended them to be: rich, stark, spiced with humor and violence, resonant with folklore song.

One of the world's experts on children's literature, Jack Zipes is a professor of German at the University of Minnesota and is the author of numerous books on folklore and fairy tales.

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

A masterpiece of modern Gothic literature, Something Wicked This Way Comes is the memorable story of two boys, James Nightshade and William Halloway, and the evil that grips their small Midwestern town with the arrival of a "dark carnival" one Autumn midnight. How these two innocents, both age 13, save the souls of the town (as well as their own), makes for compelling reading on timeless themes. What would you do if your secret wishes could be granted by the mysterious ringmaster Mr. Dark? Bradbury excels in revealing the dark side that exists in us all, teaching us ultimately to celebrate the shadows rather than fear them. In many ways, this is a companion piece to his joyful, nostalgia-drenched Dandelion Wine, in which Bradbury presented us with one perfect summer as seen through the eyes of a 12-year-old. In Something Wicked This Way Comes, he deftly explores the fearsome delights of one perfectly terrifying, unforgettable autumn.

Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Hunger by Michael Grant

It's been three months since all the adults disappeared. Gone. Food ran out weeks ago and starvation is imminent. Meanwhile, the normal teens have grown resentful of the kids with powers. And when an unthinkable tragedy occurs, chaos descends upon the town. There is no longer right and wrong. Each kid is out for himself and even the good ones turn murderous. But a larger problem looms. The Darkness, a sinister creature that has lived buried deep in the hills, begins calling to some of the teens in the FAYZ. Calling to them, guiding them, manipulating them.

The Darkness has awakened. And it is hungry.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

There is only one word that I could use to describe this novel and it's "soaring." The novel soars as the reader progresses through a story that takes place well over the course of a hundred years and probably comes closer to covering around 160-180 years (it's hard to accurately keep track of.) The truth of the matter is that the author wants such details to be shrouded in doubt, mystery, and even a bit of magic.

It's very hard to describe exactly what is so special about this novel or even exactly what it is about. It would be much easier if you just read the book and experience it yourselves without any sort of pre-knowledge of what the book is. If what I could write here about the novel could contain even a 1/100 of the poetry and mastery of literary techniques that tricks the reader into a sense of wonder I'd be well on my way to being a award-winning author. Even in translation the delight Marquez has in language is clear and his writing comes off as playful.

"Magical realism," is a term that is often used to describe this novel and is a sub-genre of literature that has it's origin in Latin American writers. "OHYOS" is the finest realization of that style of storytelling. Marquez himself attributes this to the way his grandmother told him stories when he was a child; blending supernatural elements with real history completely seriously. Marquez in an interview mentions he tried to write the novel without believing the magical moments himself and it just didn't work as a story. When he started to believe the magical elements (like a character floating up to heaven with linen sheets, flowers that rained from the skies for months after a character died, or ants that could carry people, just to name a few) did the novel take on the form of a natural history that blends the fantastical with the mundane which acts to give significance and meaning to just about every line of the novel.

Look at the over-the-top reviews that some critics have given the novel. A New York Times review called the book, “the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.” I would imagine most writers would kill to have a novel of theirs be described as the most important story since the Bible. But I think the praises are pretty spot on, and while hyperbolic, they begin to do the novel justice.

Although not quite as long as what would normally be considered an "Epic," such as Homer's Odyssey or James Joyce's Ulysses. The story of OHYSOS is epic and sprawling. With the sort of world building that is often only seen in fantasy and sci fi stories it truly is something special when a writer brings that ability to juggle storylines and family lineages that would give George R.R Martin a run for his money.

If you are a fan of the HBO show "True Detective" then you know that "time is a flat circle." In the novel time is presented as cyclical and the past has a tendency to repeat itself. Although the plot follows a fairly traditional plot line that moves forward in time like a line the themes of the novel keep coming back full circle with each new generation in the Buendia family. The ending bespeaks the very act of reading and writing itself and how it's all wrapped up in a grand human drama. Through the act of reading we created the town of Macondo from our imaginations and when we are done it too must dissapear as the words literally end when Marques writes,

"He had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth."

The novel has a quality of making me feel a sense of strange joy by showing the beauty of human nature. Many times I would have to pause in my reading and really reflect on the signifigance of what was being said. An epic focused on human nature would not be complete without including all the sadness, misfortune, and, pain that exists in the world. In fact the title of the novel refers not only to the timeline of the family over seven generations but also the family's tendency toward solitude and closing themselves off from one another. Many characters have tragedy strike them and it colors the rest of their lives as they withdraw into themselves. The irony is that living together in one house the Buendias do not share in each others' solitude for the most part.

Again I would highly recommend this book to any reader and it's level is probably moderate to difficult. The language is not particularly challenging but distinguishing what is based in fantasy and reality requires a pretty attuned sense of literary analysis, requiring the ability to distinguish Marquez's straight-faced satire, comedy, and irony as it's intermingled with an equally fantastical sadness and musings on the more somber aspects of human life.

Books like this : David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, One Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zot; Dave Egger's A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius ; David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest; All of Haruki Murakami's novels; Michael Chabon's Incredible Adventures of Cavalier and Clay; Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses

The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

Where the red fern grows by Wilson Rawls

Billy old Dan and little Ann a boy and his two dogs a loving threesome they range the dark hills and fiver bottoms of cherokee country. old dan has the brawn, little ann has the brains and billy has the will to make them in to the finest hunting team in the vally. Glory and victory are coming to them but sadniss waits too. where the red fern grows is an exciting tale of love and adventure youll never forget.

From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming

James Bond is marked for death by the Soviet counterintelligence agency SMERSH in Ian Fleming’s masterful spy thriller, and the novel that President John F. Kennedy named one of his favorite books of all time.

SMERSH stands for “Death to Spies” and there’s no secret agent they’d like to disgrace and destroy more than 007, James Bond. But ensnaring the British Secret Service’s most lethal operative will require a lure so tempting even he can’t resist. Enter Tatiana Romanova, a ravishing Russian spy whose “defection” springs a trap designed with clockwork precision. Her mission: seduce Bond, then flee to the West on the Orient Express. Waiting in the shadows are two of Ian Fleming’s most vividly drawn villains: Red Grant, SMERSH’s deadliest assassin, and the sinister operations chief Rosa Klebb—five feet four inches of pure killing power.

A Fallen Star by Jessica Sorensen

For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma’s life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn’t be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.

Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright

When Portia sets out for a visit with her cousin Julian, she expects fun and adventure, but of the usual kind: exploring the woods near Julian's house,collecting stones and bugs, playing games throughout the long lazy days.
But this summer is different.
On their first day of exploring, Portia and Julian discover an enormous boulder with a mysterious message, a swamp choked with reeds and quicksand, and on the far side of the swamp...a ghost town.
Once upon a time the swamp was a splendid lake, and the fallen houses along it's shore an elegant resort community. But though the lake is long gone and the resort faded away, the houses still hold a secret life: two people who never left Gone-Away...and who can tell the story of what happened there.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is a 1954 dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves with disastrous results. Its stances on the already controversial subjects of human nature and individual welfare versus the common good earned it position 68 on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–1999. The novel is a reaction to the youth novel The Coral Island by R. M. Ballantyne.

Published in 1954, Lord of the Flies was Golding’s first novel. Although it was not a great success at the time—selling fewer than 3,000 copies in the United States during 1955 before going out of print—it soon went on to become a best-seller. It has been adapted to film twice in English, in 1963 by Peter Brook and 1990 by Harry Hook, and once in Filipino (1976).

In 2005 the novel was chosen by TIME magazine as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. It was awarded a place on both lists of Modern Library 100 Best Novels, reaching number 41 on the editor's list, and 25 on the reader's list. In 2003, the novel was listed at number 70 on the BBC's survey The Big Read.

Acceleration by Graham Mcnamee

      Duncan's summer job is a nightmare.He's working in the subway's lost and found, in a room he calls the Dungeon, far, far below the city streets. He's bored out of scull, until he finds the little brown book.
      The book is a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of an anonymous serial killer stalking his prey. Duncan can't stop reading, can't stop thinking.Somewhere in the city, the writer of this diary is hunting.
      Duncan has to stop him before it's too late. He has to anticipate the killers next move. Stalk the stalker.
      Duncan knows - it's up to him.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Four by Veronica Roth

Two years before Beatrice Prior made her choice, the sixteen-year-old son of Abnegation’s faction leader did the same. Tobias’s transfer to Dauntless is a chance to begin again. Here, he will not be called the name his parents gave him. Here, he will not let fear turn him into a cowering child.

Newly christened “Four,” he discovers during initiation that he will succeed in Dauntless. Initiation is only the beginning, though; Four must claim his place in the Dauntless hierarchy. His decisions will affect future initiates as well as uncover secrets that could threaten his own future—and the future of the entire faction system.

Two years later, Four is poised to take action, but the course is still unclear. The first new initiate who jumps into the net might change all that. With her, the way to righting their world might become clear. With her, it might become possible to be Tobias once again.

Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh

I absolutely love this writer’s style. It is exactly how I want to write. The pages are dripping with sarcasm and humor. ­I should be done this by next Monday and then Tuesday I can get my Whispers book back. I love how the writer kind of put himself in the book. He makes it seem almost like he’s standing there watching the events happen but still narrating. The comments he makes in the book are hilarious. The plot is ecstatically funny. I must admit it is somewhat predictable but it still is everything I said and more. It feels like this book went by really fast though. It felt like I just started and it already is almost over. It goes up there with some of the best books I’ve read. It still is nothing compared to Big Trouble by Dave Barry. That was an amazing book. Everything about it is great. I must say though don’t go looking for it because it’s not exactly for our age group.

Escape from Zobadak by Brad Gallagher

It could be dangerous in there.

Probably not a good place for kids.

But the adults aren't listening-and even if they were, they would never believe it.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and of course, the character Tim O'Brien who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three. They battle the enemy (or maybe more the idea of the enemy), and occasionally each other. In their relationships we see their isolation and loneliness, their rage and fear. They miss their families, their girlfriends and buddies; they miss the lives they left back home. Yet they find sympathy and kindness for strangers (the old man who leads them unscathed through the mine field, the girl who grieves while she dances), and love for each other, because in Vietnam they are the only family they have. We hear the voices of the men and build images upon their dialogue. The way they tell stories about others, we hear them telling stories about themselves.

The Case of the Buried Clock By Erle Stanley Gardner

" -Perry Mason solves a baffler when he learns WHY
     -A glamorous widow who should have a husband, didn't.
     -A bank clerk boasted brazenly about a $90,000 embezzlement.
     -A client on trial for murder wouldn't even talk to him.
     -A gold mine yielded no gold.
     -A certain gal was always on hand when he wanted her miles away, but always missing when he needed her most.
     -And why an alarm clock ticked away cheerfully underground.

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east—with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone, and powerful foes from within the Night’s Watch. In a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics lead a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, to the greatest dance of all.

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she's known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris's new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.

Told from a riveting dual perspective, Allegiant, by #1 New York Times best-selling author Veronica Roth, brings the Divergent series to a powerful conclusion while revealing the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

A Game of Thrones( A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R Martin

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson

Cayce Pollard is a new kind of prophet -- a world-renowned "coolhunter" who predicts the hottest trends.

Star Trek Excelsior Forged In Fire

A vicious pirate known as the Albino is cutting a deadly swath across space, creating turmoil in the Klingon Empire that threatens to spill into the Federation. But this criminal also has a secret that could shake the halls of Imperial power, and his genocidal plans against the race that bore him will have consequences even he cannot imagine, as several unlikely allies join swords to bring the Albino to justice: Hikaru Sulu of the U.S.S Excelsior; Klingon captions Kor, Koloth, and Kong; and a hotheaded young Federation diplomat named Curzon Dax. Tempered in the flames of their shared adversity, a captaincy is forged, a blood Oath is sworn... and a hunt begins that will stretch from one generation to the next.

Sugar Blues By William Dufty

Its a prim ingredient in countless substances that we eat and drink, from cereal to soup, from cola to coffee. Consumed at the rat of one hundred pounds for every American every year its as addictive nicotine or heroin and as poisonous responsible for modern plagues ranging from depression to coronary thrombosis. Its sugar And Sugar Blues inspired by the crusade of Hollywood legend Gloria Swanson is the classic bestselling Expose that unmasks our generations greatest medical killer yet at the same time shows how a revitalizing sugar-free diet can not only change your life but quit possibly save it.      

The Return of The King by J.R.R Tolkien

Concluding the story begun in The Hobbit, this is the final part of Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings.

The armies of the Dark Lord are massing as his evil shadow spreads ever wider. Men, Dwarves, Elves and Ents unite forces to do battle agains the Dark. Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam struggle further into Mordor in their heroic quest to destroy the One Ring.

Starship troopers by Frank Herbert

The first-person narrative is about a young soldier named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military service branch equipped with powered armor. Rico's military career progresses from recruit to non-commissioned officer and finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an arachnoid species known as "the Bugs". Rico and the other characters discuss moral and philosophical aspects of suffrage, civic virtue, juvenile delinquency, capital punishment, and war. The protagonists laud the utility of corporal punishment as a means of correcting juvenile delinquents.

Linger 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 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 being human.

The linger.
For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces- wolf and human- with love baring 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?

The Vermont Ghost guide by Joseph Citro

Vermont's mysterious mountains, hills, and hollows are rich with timeless tales of ghosts, phantoms, and horrible haunts, and Joe Citro has been covering that "dead-beat" for over a decade. In The Vermont Ghost Guide you'll encounter:

- a poltergeist raining stones on a hapless North Pownal farm;

- Northfield's Phantom Gravedigger;

- a Ryegate ghostly door that appears and vanishes;

- Charles Dickens's ghost guiding a writer's hand in Brattleboro;

- a doppelganger's prediction of death in Cavendish;

- the Midnight Cow, haunting the highways;

- a miner's specter, embedded in stone;

- the mysterious Eddy Brothers who marked Vermont as "The Spirit Capital of the Universe";

- and many, many more.

But Be Warned! Citro's Vermont is not the idyllic New England wonderland of tourist bureaus and scenic postcards. These are shadowy haunts and whispered horrors, the ghosts, ghouls, gores, and mysteries of the Green Mountain State, rendered in eerie black-and-white by artist Steve Bissette. Perfect for visitors and residents, children and anyone else with an interest in or curiosity about Vermont history, legend, and lore, The Vermont Ghost Guide is sure to have a long shelf life and be of continuing interest for years to come.

The two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien (Book IV)

This is the second part of The Two Towers, in which the narrator follows Frodo nad Sam along their journey through the sharp precipices and mazes of Emyn Muil, the rotting plane of the Dead Marshes, and the dark mountains of The Land Of Fire. Their guide, Smegol, or sometimes Gollum, has been sneaky and evasive, yet faithful and helpful. Sam and Frodo brace themselves for a journey over the mountains of Morder by way of a secret path called Cirith Ungol. There is little hope left in the small company, but where there is life, there is

hope.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The Great Tree of Avalon: Child of the Dark Prophecy by T. A. Barron

Long ago, Merlin planted a magical seed that beat like a heart-a seed that grew into the Great Tree of Avalon. For centuries,  this world has  flourished as a land of wonder, and mystery, a link between Heaven and Earth, a place where all creatures could live in harmony.

Now, though, Avalon reels from brutal attacks, mysterious droughts, and stranger evils yet. Then one night, just as the elusive Lady of the Lake predicted, all the stars in the sky suddenly go dark.

The fate of Avalon now rests with three young people: Tamwyn, a homeless wilderness guide: Elli, an escaped slave turned priestess; and  Scree, an eagleman with a startling secret. One of them is the true heir of Merlin, the only person who can save Avalon . . . and one of them is the dreaded child of the Dark Prophecy, and the person fated to destroy it.

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!

Dune by Frank Herbert

Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family--and would bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream.

Conquistador By Buddy Levy

It was a moment unique in human history, the face-to-face meeting between two men from civilizations a world apart. In 1519, Hernán Cortés arrived on the shores of Mexico, determined not only to expand the Spanish empire but to convert the natives to Catholicism and carry off a fortune in gold. That he saw nothing paradoxical in carrying out his intentions by virtually annihilating a proud and accomplished native people is one of the most remarkable and tragic aspects of this unforgettable story. In Tenochtitlán Cortés met his Aztec counterpart, Montezuma: king, divinity, commander of the most powerful military machine in the Americas and ruler of a city whose splendor equaled anything in Europe. Yet in less than two years, Cortés defeated the entire Aztec nation in one of the most astounding battles ever waged. The story of a lost kingdom, a relentless conqueror, and a doomed warrior, Conquistador is history at its most riveting.

Shadow Puppets by Orson Scott Card

Earth and its society has been changed irrevocably in the aftermath of Ender Wiggin's victory over the formics - the unity enforced upon the warring nations by an alien enemy has shattered.  Nations are rising again, seeking territory and influence, and most of all, seeking to control the skills and loyalty of the children from the battle school.

But one person has a better idea.  Peter Wiggin, Ender's older, more ruthless brother, sees that any hope for the future of earth lies in restoring a sense of unity and purpose.  And he has an irresistible call on the loyalty of Earth's young warriors.  With Bean at his side, the two will reshape our future.

Here is the continuing story of Bean and Petra, and the rest of Ender's Dragon Army, as they take their places in the new government of Earth.

The Things They Carried by Tim O' Brien

They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, each other. And if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only beginning to absorb. Sience its first publication, The Things They Carried has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature, and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the capacity, and the limits, of human heart and soul.

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

For centuries mystical creatures were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary is one of the last strongholds of true magic. Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother must face the greatest challenge of their lives to save her family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world.

Word War Z by Max Brooks

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

This childhood classic relates a small-town boy's pranks and escapades with timeless humor and wisdom. In addition to his everyday stunts (searching for buried treasure, trying to impress the adored Becky Thatcher), Tom experiences a dramatic turn of events when he witnesses a murder, runs away, and returns to attend his own funeral and testify in court. A selection of the Common Core State Standards Initiative.

Op-center:State of Siege by Tom Clancy

Driven by greed, a group of U.N. peacekeeping soldiers becomes involved in activities on the wrong side of the law. When their tour of duty ends, the mayhem begins. Calling themselves the "Keepers," the rogue soldiers -- outfitted with stolen U.N. arms and ammunition -- devise a shocking scheme to get the world's attention... Meanwhile, Op-Center head Paul Hood has cleared out his desk. But his retirement is short-lived. Demanding one hundred million dollars in ransom, the Keepers have taken over the U.N. -- where ambassadors from ten nations have gathered for a gala function at which Hood's daughter will perform. This time the Keepers have made it personal. And the Op-Center forces will strike with deadly vengeance...

Love Me Forever

Love Me Forever, by Johanna Lindsay, is a fairy tail set in the days of earls, heiresses, and kings in England. A young heiress in mourning for her mother's death, Lady Kimberly has been abandoned by her lifelong fiance. But Kimberly's father, the recently widowed Earl of Amburough, is intent upon marrying her off as quickly as possible- to please the jealous lover he longs to wed.

So the rather indelicate business of matchmaking begins. And Lachlan MacGregor, the dashing and newly impoverished Laird of Clan MacGregor, is deemed the worthy suitor. Kimberly, however, harbors a deep-seated dislike of gold-diggers, and the whole woeful state of affairs in general.

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

This gripping, action-packed novel tells the story of eighteen-year-old Daniel bar Jamin—a fierce, hotheaded young man bent on revenging his father’s death by forcing the Romans from his land of Israel. Daniel’s palpable hatred for Romans wanes only when he starts to hear the gentle lessons of the traveling carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. A fast-paced, suspenseful, vividly wrought tale of friendship, loyalty, the idea of home, community . . . and ultimately, as Jesus says to Daniel on page 224: “Can’t you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy.

Hercule Poirot (50 Stories) By: Agatha Christie

The Affair at the Victory Ball:

When there's a murder at a masquerade ball Poirot solves the murder. Lord Cronshaw, died i think.

Question about your records as a reader

Dear Once (and Future?) Students,

I’m curious about your use of the reading record.  Are you using it?  Did you ever use it (I know some of you were supposed to)?  If you can answer yes to either question, I want to know how it worked for you as a reader (I’m not interested in how much it satisfied your teachers).  Is it useful or interesting to keep track of the books you read?  Do you use all the columns?  Any information you want to add or delete?

I’m asking this because, recently, my local library asked for submissions of favorite books from 2013.  I couldn’t remember all the books I enjoyed from last year, much less all the books I read.  Recently, I’ve been consuming books for distraction, and I don’t remember them much later.  Wanting to change that, I pulled out the reading record and have tried to keep track.

While I’m using it, I find I want to tweak it a bit (Tweak!  Not twerk.)  Maybe add a few words to help me recall the plot or a few words about why I abandoned a book.  Maybe cut the genre column, especially since most fiction not aimed at teens doesn’t really have a distinct genre (ANOTHER naturalistic, depressing coming-of-age/critique of post-modern social values).  Have any of you taken steps to make it work for you?  Ever wanted to?  Let me know what it does for you to keep track of your books.

Cheers,

Josiah

The Plague by Albert Camus

The Nobel prize-winning Albert Camus, who died in 1960, could not have known how grimly current his existentialist novel of epidemic and death would remain. Set in Algeria, in northern Africa, The Plague is a powerful study of human life and its meaning in the face of a deadly virus that sweeps dispassionately through the city, taking a vas.t percentage of the population with it

Stronghold by Melanie Rawn

With her widely acclaimed, best-selling fantasy trilogy, DRAGON PRINCE, Melanie Rawn opened an enchanted gateway to a spellbinding universe of Sunrunner's magic and sorcerous evil, of a ruler fighting to bring peace to a world of warring kingdoms, and of the dragons- deadly dangerous yet holding the secret to wealth beyond imagining.

Now, in STRONGHOLD, the first novel of Melanie's new DRAGON STAR trilogy, there is a devastating new challenge to the power of both the High Prince Rohan and Andry, Lord of the Sunrunners at Goddess Keep, as a mysterious and seemingly unstoppable invasion force swarms across their lands.  For Andry it signals the start of a nightmare made real, the horrifying fulfillment of his of his long ago visions of his homeland in flames, and he will draw upon even the forbidden sorcerer's magic in an attempt to the enemy which is bent on the extermination of all Sunrunners.

Rohan and his son Pol will also fight the enemy with every weapon at their command- from their valiant warriors, to conjurations with sun, moons, and stars, to the terrifying presence of the dragons, to the unforgiving wrath of the desert itself.  Yet soon they begin to fear that this invasion may prove not only the end of their dream of an unbreakable peace but the beginning of the end of their entire world....

Divergent

In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself..   During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Op Center Acts of War by Tom Clancy

Kurdish terrorists have attacked a dam inside the borders of Turkey, threatening the water supply of their very homeland. It is not insanity, but the fist step in a deceptively simple plan: force all-out war in the Middle East, drawing in the major players in the new world order.

What the terrorist don’t know is that a new Regional Op-Center is now on-line in Turkey. A mobile version of the permanent crisis management facility, the ROC is a cutting-edge surveillance and information mecca. And its team can see exactly what the Kurdish rebels are trying to do.

But the terrorist are more resourceful than anyone thinks. They also have ways of obtaining classified information. And the Regional Op-Center—the United States’ newest toy—is a prize not to be passed up…

The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien

The Fellowship was scattered. Some were bracing hopelessly for war against the ancient evil of Sauron. Some were contending with the treachery of the wizard Saruman. Only Frodo and Sam were left to take the accursed Ring of Power to be destroyed in Mordor–the dark Kingdom where Sauron was supreme. Their guide was Gollum, deceitful and lust-filled, slave to the corruption of the Ring. Thus continues the magnificent, bestselling tale of adventure begun in The Fellowship of the Ring, which reaches its soul-stirring climax in The Return of the King.

Digitial Fortress by Dan Brown

When the NSA's invincible code-breaking machine encounters a mysterious code it cannot break, the agency calls its head cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, a brilliant, beautiful mathematician. What she uncovers sends shock waves through the corridors of power. The NSA is being held hostage--not by guns or bombs -- but by a code so complex that if released would cripple U.S. intelligence. Caught in an accelerating tempest of secrecy and lies, Fletcher battles to save the agency she believes in. Betrayed on all sides, she finds herself fighting not only for her country but for her life, and in the end, for the life of the man she loves.

The Unseen By Joseph Citro

On the most rugged mountains, int the deepest woods of Vermont, they say nothing human lives...

   Butin the dorkest shadows, something huge, something feral has been waiting. Watchung. Protecting the land. Guarding against intruders. Now,as it emerges from the forests, the time for waiting is over. And all the old backwood legends, all the old sleep-shattering nightmares will suddenly become as terrifying and as real as death itself.

The Bookseller of Kabul

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad follows the life of Sultan. This mesmerizing portrait of a proud man who, through three decades and successive repressive regimes, heroically braved persecution to bring book tot he people of Kabul. Sultan is a wealthy man, who has a large family and unbelievable passion. With wits and luck, he has endured many hardships befallen upon him for his love of books.

The History Of Iran By Elton L. Daniel

With almost three thousand years of history, Iran is home to one of the world's richest and most complex cultures. Yet to the average American the name Iran probably conjures up an image of a remote and upstart country inhabited by a people whose religious fanaticism is matched only by the intensity of their disdain for the United States and its values, who speak an obscure tongue called Farsi, and whose identity is not clearly distinguished from that of their Arab neighbors. This work offers an objective and engagingly written portrait of the Iranian people and their complex history from the perspective of one of the world's foremost experts on the country. It is ideal for student use and for the interested reader.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

       Facing annihilation at the hands of the warlike Vogons is a curious time to have a craving for tea. It could only happen to the cosmically displaced Arthur Dent and his curious comrades in arms as they hurtle across space powered by pure improbability--and desperately in search of a place to eat.
Among Arthur's motley shipmates are Ford Prefect, a longtime friend and expert contributor to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Zaphod Beeblebrox, the three-armed, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy; Tricia McMillan, a fellow Earth refugee who's gone native (her name is Trillian now); and Marvin, the moody android who suffers nothing and no one very gladly. Their destination? The ultimate hot spot for an evening of apocalyptic entertainment and fine dining, where the food (literally) speaks for itself.

A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, Daenerys Targaryen rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way east—with new allies who may not be the ragtag band they seem. And in the frozen north, Jon Snow confronts creatures from beyond the Wall of ice and stone, and powerful foes from within the Night’s Watch. In a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics lead a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, to the greatest dance of all.

A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. . . .

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . .

Champion

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. 

The Valcourt Heiress

The Valcourt Heiress by Catherine Coulter is about a man named Garron of Kersey. When Garron of Kersey returns home from the kings service to claim his tittle as Baron Wareham, he's shocked to find Wareham Castle very nearly destroyed by a man called the Black Demon.

According to the last surving servants inside the castle walls, the Black Demon was looking for silver belonging to Garron's brother Arthur. Among his remaining servants is the enigmatic Merry, the child of the castle's priest. Garron quickly suspects that she is much more than a servant: She reads and writes and makes lists, just as he does. They work together to bring Wareham back to its former splendor.

But this is only the beggining. Did Arthur have a cache of silver? Who is the Black Demon? And the biggest question of all: who is Merry?

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Seconds before the Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor. Together this dynamic pair begin a journey through space.

Aviation: The First 100 Years by Bill Gunston

In 2003, the world will mark the hundredth anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic first flight over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. This handsome volume celebrates humanity's first century of aviation with lavish illustrations and an exciting chronological account of aeronautical development. Following the Wright brothers came a number of pioneer designers and flyers from several European countries, including Voisin and Bleriot in France and Zeppelin in Germany. World War I saw the birth of fighter and bomber planes, while the decades between the wars witnessed the glamour of competition flying, including Lindbergh's first flight across the Atlantic and Wiley Post's seven-day flight around the world. This era also saw the dawn of commercial flight, which started as airmail service and slowly developed to include passenger service. It was the era of pioneering passenger-carrying aircraft such as the Ford Trimotor and the revolutionary Douglas DC-3. Also covered in detail are the fighters and bombers of World War II, the dawn of the jet age, the evolution of helicopters, and the birth of supersonic flight. An account of the burgeoning of the intercontinental commercial airline industry brings readers to the present, which is marked by intense competition between Boeing of the United States and Airbus of Europe, both vying for the lion's share of the market. Other topics covered in this superlative history include development of general (private) aviation, and a look at radically innovative planes, such as the Concorde SST and the Stealth military aircraft. Hundreds of photos and drawings, most of them in color, enhance an intensely readable text.

Escape from Zobadak by: Brad Gallagher

It could be dangerous in there. Probably not a good place for kids. But the adults aren't listening - and even if they were, they would never believe it.

Around the world in 80 days by Jules Verne

Before there were airplanes and high speed travel, Phileas Fogg, an English gentleman best 20,000 pounds that he can travel around the world in 80 days. En route he meets a beautiful Indian Princess gets mistaken for a notorious criminal and is pursued by a detective with a warrant for his arrest. follow his fantastic adventures through four continents in his daring race against time. It's a fast paced, action-packed, high-spirited journey filled with romance, danger and adventure.

The Mystery of the Screaming Clock by Alfred Hitchcock

The Three Investigators discover a sinister clock with an alarm that sounds like the scream of a woman in mortal terror. Who could have made such a clock -- and why? Jupiter, Pete, and Bob immediately embark on a search to discover the origins of the mysterious clock. When they come across a run-down house in Hollywood, they find an entire room full of dreadful clocks -- with time running out!

Net Force By Tom Clancy

In the year 2010, computers are the new superpowers. Those who control them control the world. To enforce the net laws, Congress creates the ultimate computer security agency withing the FBI: the net force.
A Union jack appearing on computer screens all over the world is just a harbinger of the danger to come. As cyberspace is thrown into chaos, several computer experts suffer strokes while hunting the deadly hacker in virtual reality. One of them is the net force's own Jay Gridley. And now the net  force operatives must track down a man capable of cracking every computer code in the world-and pitting nation against nation...

A Clash of Kings by George R. Martin

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel . . . and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

Sphere by Michael Crichton

In the middle of the South Pacific, a thousand feet below the surface of the water, a huge vessel is discovered resting on the ocean floor.

Rushed to the scene is a group of American scientists who descended together into the depths of the sea to investigate this astonishing discovery.

What they find defies their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation.  It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently undamaged by its fall from the sky.  And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old...

Secret Honor By W.E.B. Griffin

W.E.B. Griffin is "probably the best man around for describing the military community"(Tom Clancy). Now he brings his special flair for combining high drama and real heroes to a crackling new adventure in the World War II series that began with Honer Bound and Blood and Honor. In 1943, an undercover American OSS agent penetrates Argentinian high society-and befriends a Nazi pilot with ties to a plot that could bring the war to a standstill : the assassination of Adolf Hitler.

The Harper Book of Princes

The Harper Book Of Princes collected by Sally Johnson  is a collection of fairy tales that contain a prince as the main character. Filled with adventure, bravery, and romance, this book contains many different stories that explore different emotions and plot lines. Brung to life with interesting illustrations and wonderful writing, this book is enjoyable if you just want a fun read. Most, if not all, of the fairy tales included in the book aren't as well known as others like Cinderella. Some stories it includes are: Prince Rabbit, Prince Ahmed, The Crystal Bowl, and, my favorite, The Happy prince.

A Game of Thrones by George R. Martin

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Catherine

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad’s famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?

Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years—a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn’t die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her—starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery

Dark Watch by Clive Cussler

Juan Cabrillo and his motley crew aboard the clandestine spy ship Oregon have made a very comfortable and very dangerous living from working for high-powered Western interests. But their newest clients have come from the Far East to ask for Cabrillo's special brand of assistance.

They are a consortium of Japanese shipping magnates, and their fortunes are being threatened by brutal pirates trawling the waters of Southeast Asia. Normally, such attacks on the high seas are limited to smaller ships and foreign-owned yachts easy targets on the open ocean. Now, however, giant commercial freighters are disappearing. Cabrillo suspects that the pirates have joined forces to take down the bigger ships. But when the Oregon confronts the enemy, he learns that the pirates predations hide a deadly international conspiracy a scheme of death and slavery that Juan Cabrillo is going to blow out of the water...

The Fellowship Of The Ring by J.R.R Tolkien

The dark, fearsome Ringwraiths are searching for a Hobbit. Frodo Baggins knows that they are seeking him and the Ring he bears—the Ring of Power that will enable evil Sauron to destroy all that is good in Middle-earth. Now it is up to Frodo and his faithful servant, Sam, with a small band of companions, to carry the Ring to the one place it can be destroyed: Mount Doom, in the very center of Sauron’s realm.

Rot and Ruin by Jonathon Mayberry

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

House of Hades by Rick Riordan

At the conclusion of The Mark of Athena, Annabeth and Percy tumble into a pit leading straight to the Underworld. The other five demigods have to put aside their grief and follow Percy's instructions to find the mortal side of the Doors of Death. If they can fight their way through the Gaea's forces, and Percy and Annabeth can survive the House of Hades, then the Seven will be able to seal the Doors from both sides and prevent the giants from raising Gaea. But, Leo wonders, if the Doors are sealed, how will Percy and Annabeth be able to escape?

Haiku Moment

Haiku Moment an Anthology of Contemporary North American Haiku edited by Bruce Ross is a wonderful book filled with all different lengths of Haiku. They range from one page to several, and each one has its own rhythm and theme that makes it interesting. This book can either be very interesting or very boring depending on of you like Haiku, and what mood you are in.

Realistic Visionary:A Portrait of George Washington by Peter Henriques

In Realistic Visionary the renowned George Washington scholar Peter Henriques seeks to humanize the first president without diminishing him. Henriques’s Washington makes mistakes, is sensitive to criticism, and is slow to accept blame, but he is also the greatest man of his age, a relentless pragmatist who could nonetheless envision what a free and united America could be for "millions unborn."

Rather than revisiting Washington’s life in its entirety, Henriques constructs a biographical portrait by addressing the vital themes and events through which Washington the man is revealed. What emerge most clearly in Realistic Visionary are Washington’s successful struggle to channel his monumental personal ambition into public service and his unrivaled ability to turn his ambitious visions for the fledgling nation into reality.

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 log cabin for Ma, Laura, Mary, and Baby Carrie. He hunted and trapped and farmed. Ma made her own cheese and sugar. All night long, the wind howled lonesomely, but Pa played his fiddle an sang, keeping the family safe and cozy.

Pastwatch by Orson Scott Card

In one of the most Powerful and thought-provoking novels of his remarkable career, Orson Scott Card interweaves a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the story of a future Scientist who believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world filled with hope and healing.

Reached By: Ally Condie

After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

The Shadow of the Hegemon by orson scott card

The War is over, won by Ender Wiggin and his team of brilliant child-warriors. The enemy is destroyed, the human race is saved. Ender himself refuses to return to the planet, but his crew has gone home to their families, scattered across the globe. The battle school is no more.

But with the external threat gone, the Earth has become a battlefield once more. The children of the Battle School are more than heroes; they are potential weapons that can bring power to the countries that control them. One by one, all of Ender's Dragon Army are kidnapped. Only Bean escapes; and he turns for help to Ender's brother Peter.

Peter Wiggin, Ender's older brother, has already been manipulating the politics of Earth from behind the scenes. With Bean's help, he will eventually rule the world.

The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

In the imaginary kingdom of Prydain, Princess Eilonwy must leave her friends to go to the Isle of Mona for training as a proper princess. Because Eilonwy has magical powers, she is sought by Achren, the most evil enchantress in the land. Shortly after her arrival on the Isle of Mona, something sinister and secret befalls her. Eilonwy's loyal friends--Taran, the Assistant Pig-Keeper; Flewddur, the bard; and Prince Rhun, her intended husband--realize her peril and set out on an exciting and terrifying mission to rescue her. They encounter great forces of evil as well as private--sometimes painful--revelations in the course of their journey.

The Black Cauldron By Lloyd Alexander

Taran is joined by an engaging cast of characters that includes Eilonwy, the strong-willed and sharp-tongued princess; Fflewddur Fflam, the hyperbole-prone bard; the ever-faithful Gurgi; and the curmudgeonly Doli--all of whom have become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil that shapes the fate of the legendary land of Prydain.

Xenocide by Orson Scott Card

The war for survival of the planet Lusitania will be fought in the hearts of a child named Gloriously Bright.

On Lusitania, Ender found a world where humans and pequininos and the Hive Queen could all live together; where three very different intelligent species could find common ground at last. Or so he thought.

Lusitania also harbors the descolada, a virus that kills all humans it infects, but which the pequininos require in order to become adults. The Startways Congress so fears the effects of the descolada, should it escape from Lusitania, that they have ordered eh destruction of the entire planet, and all who live there. The Fleet is on its way, a second xenocide seems inevitable

The Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

In the aftermath of his terrible war, Ender Wiggin disappeared, and a powerful voice arose: The Speaker for the Dead, who told the true story of the Bugger War.

Now, long years later, a second alien race has been discovered, but again the aliens' ways are strange and frightening...again, humans die. And it is only the Speaker for the Dead, who is also Ender Wiggin the Xenocide, who has the courage to confront the mystery...and the truth.

.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.

The Da Vinci by Dan Brown

An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.

A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe.

An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

When a mysterious young women named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with her plainspoken neighbor, Jo; and another with Alex, a widowed store owner with two young children. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to relax her guard, putting down roots in the community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family. But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her… a past that set her on a fearful journey across the country, to the oasis of Southport. With Jo’s support, Katie eventfully realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards…and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

The Grapes Of Wrath by Steinbeck

The Grapes of Wrath is a landmark of American literature. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes into the very nature of equality and justice in America. Although it follows the movement of thousands of men and women and the transformation of an entire nation, The Grapes of Wrath is also the story of one Oklahoma family, the Joads, who are driven off their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into Haves and Have-Nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity.

The Magicians Nephew by C.S. Lewis

This is a story about something that happened long ago when your grandfather was a child. It is a very important story because it shows how all the comings and goings between out world and the land of Narnia first began. 

The Poem An Anthology edited by Greenfield, Weatherhead, and Garratt

The Poem an Anthology edited by Stanley B. Greenfield, A Kingsley Weatherhead, and Robert F. Garratt is a book composed of poetry by famous poets such as William Shakespeare, John Donne, William Wordsworth, and Robert Browning.  The poems range from sonnets, songs, and portions of plays, as well as medieval poetry up to the 1950s. The poems range in length, from 3 or 4 stanzas to 3 or 4 pages. There is a type of poem in this book for everyone who enjoys such things.

The Book of Three By Lloyd Alexander

Since The Book of Three was first published in 1964, young readers have been enthralled by the adventures of Taran the Assistant Pig-Keeper and his quest to become a hero. Taran is joined by an engaging cast of characters that includes Eilonwy, the strong-willed and sharp-tongued princess; Fflewddur Fflam, the hyperbole-prone bard; the ever-faithful Gurgi; and the curmudgeonly Doli—all of whom have become involved in an epic struggle between good and evil that shapes the fate of the legendary land of Prydain.

Fatal Alliance (Star Wars: The Old Republic) by Sean Williams

From across the galaxy they’ve come: agents of both the Republic and the Sith Empire, an investigating Jedi Padawan, an ex-trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian. An extraordinary auction has drawn them all together—in quest of a prize only one can claim. Each is prepared to do what he must to possess the treasure, whose value may be the wealth of a world itself. None intend to leave empty-handed. All have secrets, desires, and schemes. And nothing could ever unite them as allies—except the truth about the deadly danger of the object they covet. But can Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire—enemies for millennia—join as one against the certain doom of the galaxy?

STAR WARS TAKES FROM THE MOS EISLEY CANTINA Edited by Kevin J. Anderson

In a far corner of the universe, on the small desert planet of Tatooine, there is a dark, nic-i-tain-filled cantina where you can down your favorite intoxicant while listening to the best jazz riffs in the universe.  But beware your fellow denizens of this pangalactic watering hole, for they are cutthroats and cutpurses, assassins and troopers, humans and aliens, gangsters and thieves....

Harry potter AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

 He has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points  while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch  a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisability. All he knows is a miserable life with the dursleys, his horrible aunt  and uncle,  and their abomidable son, Dudley---  a great big swollen, spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday in 11 years. But all that is about to change  when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messanger: a letter with an invitation  to an incredible place that Harry--- and anyone who reads about him---   will find un unforgettable.    For its there that he finds not only friends, airiel sports, and magic  in everything from classes, to meals, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him.... if Harry can survive the encounter

THE SWORD IN THE STONE by T.H. White

The Sword in the Stone is the first novel in The Once and Future King, T. H. White's epic fantasy re-telling of the Arthurian legend. 

CROSSED by Ally condie

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky— taken by the Society to his certain death—only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia’s quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, she faces yet another life-changing decision. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double-crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

The BlackFoot Trail

The BlackFoot Trail by Charles G. West is a historical novel. Despite his apathy towards white folks, mountain man Joe Fox reluctantly agrees to lead a group of settlers through the Rockies to Oregon. Taken aback by their appreciation, he soon finds himself enjoying their company- especially the attentions of young Callie Simmons. That is, until her parents warn Joe to keep his distance.

But they should have worried about Max Starbeau. A wolf in Sheeps clothing, he travels with the party until the opportunity arises to steal and murder- and then to kidnap Callie for good measure. When the settlers find themselves unable to track Starbeau, the once again turn top Joe Fox- who owes them nothing but will do anything for Callie.

Star Trek Destiny Book 1 Gods of Night by David Mack

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy's greatest scourge returns to wreak havoc upon the Federation -- and this time its goal is nothing less than total annihilation.

Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth's first generation of starships, lost for centuries, has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has raised disturbing questions, and the answers harken back to a struggle for survival that once tested a captain and her crew to the limits of their humanity.

From that terrifying flashpoint begins an apocalyptic odyssey that will reach across time and space to reveal the past, define the future, and show three captains -- Jean-Luc Picard of theU.S.S. Enterprise, TM William Riker of the U.S.S. Titan, and Ezri Dax of the U.S.S Aventine -- that some destinies are inescapable.