Well, now that another semester of "Who Wants to be a CPA?" is out of the way, and I have a life again, I'm back.
January 2005
Seventh Son, by Orson Scott Card
The first in a series about Alvin, the seventh son of a seventh son, back in colonial America. If you would read my description of The Crystal City (June 2004), you would already know what this series is about.
Maniac McGee, by Jerry Spinelli
A book about a misfit kid, which is what Jerry Spinelli does (and does well). He is an orphan, performs some unusual athletic feats at school, runs away from his aunt and uncle and lives with a friend and her family, and tries to dissipate the racial tension in his town. You know, the normal stuff everyone does as a teenager.
Red Prophet, by Orson Scott Card
Prentice Alvin, by Orson Scott Card
Books two and three of the series starting with Seventh Son, as Alvin grows up and learns to use his talents. He also learns that a lot of other people don't like his talents.
Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander
I was quite sad to see that Lloyd Alexander died this week. This is the first of five books that start with Taran, an assistant pig-keeper for a magician, who feels there is more to life than watching the pigs. He's right, but you only get a hint of that in this book.
Alvin Journeyman, by Orson Scott Card
Book four of the Seventh Son series.
February 2005
All Things Bright and Beautiful, by James Herriot
Hey, this is a good book, okay? Nothing wrong with reading the same books over and over again...
A Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket
I thought I would read the first one, to see if the whole series was worth my time. It was. If you need me to tell you what this book is about, get out of your cave and go to the library.
Crash, by Jerry Spinelli
A boy named Crash spends much of his childhood tormenting a neighbor kid. Then he slowly becomes friends with the neighbor, although they have very different lives.
Xenocide, by Orson Scott Card
Another book in the Ender's Game series, a followup to Speaker for the Dead. Ender lives on a planet that has humans and odd little animals that most of the humans refer to as "piggies". Also living on the planet is a virus which is fatal to humans and essential to piggies. The rulers of the universe are afraid of the virus spreading, so they decide to destroy the entire planet. Ender has become friends with a being inside the universe-wide super-computer, and she causes the ships sent to destroy the planet to disappear. Naturally, this causes a bit of an uproar.
Children of the Mind, by Orson Scott Card
A continuation of the story in Xenocide.
Summerland, by Michael Chabon
The worst player from a small town Little League team is called upon to save the magical creatures who keep Summerland summery. It combines baseball and a goofy fantasy world - what's not to like?
March 2005
A Life Worth Living, by Mimi & Liz Deeths
After Mimi learns she has cancer, she keeps living life to the fullest for ten more years. This book is a collection of letters, journal entries, and stories from friends about how she never gave up and was an encouragement to those around her, even while struggling through her bad days of cancer and treatment. Her daughter, Liz, put it all together into a book after Mimi died. It's good, you should read it.
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
The first book about Peter, Susan, Edward, and Lucy and their discovery of and adventures in Narnia.
Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink
Caddie is a bit of a tomboy, and prefers getting dirty with her two older brothers over being prim and proper like her little sister. She has a lot of fun and gets in a lot of trouble.
You Are Special, by Max Lucado
Punchinello lives in a city where people who do good things get star stickers, and people who do bad things get dot stickers. No matter how hard he tries, he is always covered in dot stickers, which makes him very unhappy. Then one day he meets the carpenter who made all the people, and the carpenter explains that Punchinello is special no matter what the others think.
The Crystal City, by Orson Scott Card
Book six (and the end) of the Alvin series. I accidentally skipped book five (Heartfire), but that's okay. In this one, Alvin finally builds the city he has been dreaming about for years, where everyone uses their special talents for the good of the entire community.
