97:100 Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

Melody may not be able to walk or talk but she has an amazing photographic memory and she can see music in her head.  She loves it so and she loves to watch tv programs about science and history and even better is to be read to where she can imagine the story.  She would love to be like the other kids but she has cerebal palsy and keeps ending up in the special ed room where she is rarely afforded the opportunity to interact with the rest of the school.  However, things have changed as she has gotten an aide who can come with her to the regular classrooms and the biggest thing of all was getting her new computer that they can program and it can talk for her.  She can't wait.

I really enjoyed this book and even more so doing the novel study with the 12yr old.  Both he and his next older brother have spent years in therapy for speech issues and know other kids that are very bright but couldn't communicate so he related to that but the way Melody's brain worked, seeing colors, remembering things so easily, was new to him.  We also did research on how businesses are supposed to be accommodating to those in wheelchairs or with other disabilities and started looking around to see which ones are and which ones aren't.  How easy would it be for someone to actually patronize this business?  What about our town?  Or this playground?  Lots of areas for discussion about how we as a society treat those that are different and how we can be better and more inclusive.

Page count: 295p/18,237p ytd/310,253p lifetime

96:100 Haints and Hobwebs by Jennifer Estep

Gin is talking to Fletcher at his grave.  He's gone but she still needs him from time to time and even if he can't answer, at least she can talk.  This time though, she is not alone as she spies a Haint and one who seems to want something from her.  Since Gin has been speaking to Fletcher, she can only assume the Haint wants revenge on someone and Gin has always been good at that.

This story was just short on everything.  Characters fell a bit flat, the plot was even simpler than usual, but there was still plenty of inner monologue going on.

Page count: 30p/17,942p ytd/309,958p lifetime

95:100 Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig

Miriam Black has only to touch your skin with hers to know exactly when and how you will die.  This knowledge also comes with no ability to do anything about this fact as she learned fairly early on.  Now she travels around the country, finding someone who will die soon and picking their pockets to have enough money for the next meal and place to stay.  It's lonely and nomadic but also keeps her from forming close bonds to anyone.

Then she meets Louis, a trucker who rescues her from a beating, and sees that he will die soon, tortured, and with her name as the last thing he says.  She runs from him.

Afterward, she meets Ashley who is a conman with secrets to hide but who will live a long life but is willing to blackmail her to get her to use her powers for his gain.  He finds out about Louis and sends Miriam after him.

But Ashley's secrets involve another party that is interested in Miriam's powers as well and they will do whatever it takes to have her in their fold and what Miriam wants doesn't really matter to them.

This book ended up on a list somewhere and looked interesting.  The premise still sounds wonderful but unfortunately, the execution left much to be desired.  All of the characters lack depth and are nothing more than stereotypical molds. What backstory we do get is bland, lifeless, and completely typical.  The story itself was formulaic and predictable.  Apparently there are a lot more books in the series but after this one, I don't think I'll bother finding out what happens next because I just don't care about any of these characters.


Page count: 320p/17,912p ytd/309,928 lifetime

94:100 Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

Sebastian Junger takes a hard look at how the way society deals with PTSD and returning veterans makes life more difficult for them.  Mr. Junger has methodically researched the many alarming statistics surrounding the rate of suicide of these groups in certain societies by looking deeper not only into those societies but also the ones where it is less common and it should be surprising to no one to learn that much of it has to do with connection.  More and more, we are becoming a self-isolating.  It's easier to order in everything from the outside world, yes, but what are we saving all that time for?  To be productive?  What does that mean and why do we value it so highly and devalue those whom we think of as "less productive"? 

Human connection...interactions...a societal connectedness. These are things that we should be striving more towards but they are the things that seem to be getting lost more and more in this new age.  Mr. Junger found that people he interviewed who had lived through sieges and war times actually had fond memories of those times, not because of the horrors they endured but because it brought a community together.  Once the danger was passed, they all went back to living their own lives and something was lost. 

Humans are by nature social beings but the more busy we become, the less we have time to sit down and be there for each other, to listen, to connect with one another.  I think this book was narrow in it's scope but there is a very wise underlying message for all of us...Slow down and reconnect with people.  We will all be better for it.


Page count: 182p/17,410p ytd/309,608p lifetime

93:100 Blankets by Craig Thompson

The story of a boy growing up in rural Wisconsin, of having a brother, of being raised in a very religious house, of a first love.  The story starts when Craig is 8 or so and we see how he and his brother fight but are then drawn back together again.  We see Craig searching for meaning in the things that are happening to him and committing fully to the Church to the point of considering the ministry. When Craig falls in love for the first time, there is a sweetness to it and it hurts when it doesn't last and then leads to his abandonment of his faith.  Craig doesn't get his HEA in this but when you see the young man he has become, you realize that he is learning to be content with his life which is really all anyone can ask for.

This was another one in the Comics as Literature college class my son took and he thought I would enjoy.  It's a quiet story, not flashy or super exciting but it draws you in with the depth of its characters.



Page count: 592p/17,410p ytd/309,426p lifetime

92:100 The Ancient Egyptian World by Eric H. Cline & Jill Rubalcaba

From 2014:
Middle-school ancient history covering from the earliest records of ancient Egypt through the 3rd Intermediate Age with a brief synopsis covering the Ptolemys through Cleopatra and Rome.  This looks at not just the lives of the Pharaohs and the gods of Egypt but also how the common man lived, the advancements they made throughout the ages, their art and literature, and the discoveries that have led to our current understanding of their culture.   

I love this series so much and it really makes the high school world history I'm having to read just look awful in comparison as we learn so much about each culture, not just what they did but what we believe are the reasons behind what they did and how we came to those conclusions.  It's not just boring and dry names and dates with little else behind it but works hard to bring it more alive.

Page count: 190p/16,818p ytd/308,834p lifetime

91:100 A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo and Jill Twiss

A simple sweet tale of the Bunny of the United States who lives with his family at the White House because Grandpa is the Vice-President.  He spends a lot of time being lonely until one day when he meets Wesley.  After spending all day hopping together, they decide they want to get married so they can hop together forever.  Their friends are all very happy for them but there is a stink bug who thinks he is in charge and he has decided that "Boy bunnies can't marry boy bunnies. Boy bunnies have to marry girl bunnies!".  So all the animals get together and hold a vote to see if the stink bug should continue to be in charge and they decide that he isn't.

So Marlon Bundo and Wesley are able to get married and hop together happily every after.

Super sweet and fun little read.


Page count: 32p/16,628p ytd/308,644p lifetime