Book #20

The Battle of the Labrynith

By: Rick Riordan

Somehow I managed to skip Book 20, so I am sure that I meant to post about this one here. I knew I was missing something, and here we go! I have posted about why I love Percy Jackson. These books open Mythology up to the modern day student, and makes Myths a little less daunting. I love that the gods and goddesses have such distinct personalities. I love that they are made a part of our world while maintaining a their authenticity. Riordan is a genius!

So, The Battle of the Labrynith is wonderful because it takes one of the greatest stories, and twists and turns it into a modern classic. Of course Daedalus would be some kind of underground technological wizard if he lived today! Of course the labrynith which is his home and his prison would be underground. Of course there would be all kinds of scary things to be found, and OF COURSE Kronos would need him to execute his evil plan.

Just read it, and love it! I know I do!

http://neolibrarium.com/?tag=percy-jackson



Book #28

Wicked Appetite

By: Janet Evanovich

I can't believe that I am about to admit this, but I think I am finally getting sick of reading the same old thing from Janet Evanovich. I love her novels, most of the time, and I think that if I were to go back and re-read the By The Numbers Series, I would still love them. The problem now is: THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THESE BOOKS THAT ARE ALL THE SAME! Okay, okay...the formula of quirky characters and sexual tenstion and unexplainable events has worked for Evanovich for a long time. She is successful and wonderful, and I really do like her. I was just hoping for more from this novel than I got.

Wicked Appetite follows a character, Diesel, who makes some appearances in the Stephanie Plum novels. He is, in this book, as yummy and mysterious and brass as he is in the other stories. However, all the other characters--with their names changed--could herald from the other series. The story is cute, but predictable. The main character, Elizabeth Tucker, is kind of a nobody who actually has a power she didn't know she had. Diesel needs her help. Someone else wants her help too, but for dark and devious reasons. She must come to grips with her power, help Diesel whether she wants to or not, and try to keep the chaos from all the other characters in the story from interferring. Sound familiar? I thought so. Maybe I will write a novel in the same style and see where it takes me. No? Yeah. No.  

Book #27

The Other Boelyn Girl

By: Phillipa Gregory

You know I am seriously behind on posting on my books when I have to look back through the blog to even see what book I posted about last! I read this one forever ago, and I was actually surprised. I have seen the movie, and it disturbed me enough to make me curious about the book. However, it took several years for me to have the courage to actually open it and read it. So, for those of you who are not familiar with the story, The Other Boelyn Girl is about the inner workings of the Boelyn family as they rose to power (and then fell) on the back of a king. The maniuplating. The cunning. The planning. All very, very disturbing. I can't fathom that there are actually people in this world--even now--who are SO driven that they would essentially sell their souls to get where they want. It is filled with betryal, heartache, love, sex, adultery, and incest. Yikes! The book is long, but once one gets into it a little, putting it down isn't always easy. Granted, I had a hard time picking it back up some days, but I was determined to finish it. Read it if you dare. The insight into the crazy royal world, and into the world of one power hungry woman, is a ride into the wild. However, there are normal, wonderful, sweet characters too. I just couldn't get past Anne. That's all.



Book #26



Picture from http://www.hungergamestrilogy.net/2010/09/mockingjay-quiz/





Mockingjay

By: Suzanne Collins

I promise that this contains no spoilers. I am not even going to discuss the plot. I actually just need to write out my feelings about this book.

I finished it less than two days after it was released in August, but it has taken me this long to write about it for a reason. For those of you who have read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire and have fallen in love with the characters in these stories like I have, just beware! Please understand that this trilogy is brilliant. The plot will snag you and keep you on your toes. The characters are very real and very believable. The story cannot end well for anyone involved. The reader, the author, Katniss, Peeta, Prim, Finnick...no one. The world that Collins created is too corrupt. It is too evil to be able to completely wipe out evil, and it makes me sad. Probably because it is too much like the world we live in. We can get rid of those who revel in the power they crave, but there will always be someone else to take their place and introduce another kind of evil. I will never say NOT to read this book. I loved the others too much, and you MUST finish this story. I will say, proceed with caution. I couldn't talk about this book for days after reading it, and I still feel pangs of depression and regret as I think about all the things that happened.

Book #25

      Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

By: J.K. Rowling

I know! You are shocked that I am writing about this book, right? Well, let me clear things up for you. This is not my first read of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This is actually only the second time I have read it, but I wanted to read it again before the first part of the movie comes out in November. Once again, I am in awe of the story that Rowling has so brilliantly told. There is nothing disappointing about this story. Don't get me wrong, there are things which shock the senses and send ones mind reeling! Just when you think you know a character, it turns out, you don't! I cannot help but smile and sigh and even cry at all the same parts. This is a story--a series--which will neve get old! Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore and everyone, EVERYONE, else will remain as real to me as my own family. Too much? Okay, I do understand that this is a book--a story, a made-up thing--but I can't help it! When the characters are so wonderful, so believable despite being completely fictional, I just can't help myself. I still wish that Hogwarts was a real place, and that somehow I was overlooked as a powerful and clever witch. Believe or not believe, think it is evil (but ONLY if you have read the books), but I promise you that there is good and hope in all of these books. I will never tire of these stories, and I will read them to my children! 

Book #23 and Book #24

Pop

By: Gordon Korman

For those of you unfamiliar with Mr. Korman, I highly recommend reading his Son of the Mob books. There are two, and they are HiLaRiOuS! I saw this book on the library shelf, and I immediately grabbed it hoping that it would be as fun a read as those books are. I wasn't disappointed, exactly. This book was different simply because of the tone and the topic surrounding the story. In this story, the main character is new to a small town. This small town has a BIG football team, and he wants in. He is a pretty good player, but the team is less than receptive to having a new guy come in and bust up what they have accomplished. However, when said character, Marcus, wants to be a part of something, he works hard to make it happen. Marcus begins practicing his throw in the park one day and out of no where comes a HUGE grow man who plows him over. This guy has to be at least 50, but he acts like a 17 year-old boy. He has the lowest center of gravity Marcus has ever seen, and Marcus and this mystery man begin practicing knocking one another over...okay, not just knocking one another over, but tackling with all their might. 

As the story progresses, Marcus discovers that his mystery man is none other than Charlie Popovich! He was a great NFL player, and his son (who HATES Marcus and is ex-boyfriend of the head cheerleader who has taken an interest in Marcus) is the staring QB. As it turns out, Charlie has early Alzheimer's from too many concussions. He thinks Marcus is his best friend from when he was 17, and he actually gets Marcus in a lot of trouble. However, Marcus and Charlie help one another out in many different ways, and when it comes time to say good-bye...well, you have to read it. 

1984

By: George Orwell

I never had a desire to read this book. The only reason I picked it up this summer was because I had hoped I would be teaching it in the fall. I did not love it. Not at all! In fact, it depressed me more than any book has since Lord of the Flies. I was silly enough to actually think for a minute that Winston and Julia would/could actually escape the horrible control of a government so set on controlling the people. Why did that happen? The world turns on itself and the people just let it happen. Big Brother will save you! Big Brother--as one person--did not exist, but as a group, yes! We worry today about the government taking over our lives, but I cannot imagine living in a world where they can actually SEE into your living quarters. A world where reading and writing and thinking for oneself was dangerous and took a person to the Ministry of Love where no love exists. In fact, no love exists. The irony and oxymorons of the world where Winston lives are frightening. The reality and the similarities of his world and ours is too much to think about. I think I would like to live as the proles...unknowing and in my own happy place. 

Book #22

Middlesex

By: Jeffery Eugenides

Let me be totally honest. I never would have picked this book up off the shelf if it had not been sitting on a display with the "Oprah's Book Club" sticker prominently placed in the corner. I don't know why exactly. The title and the cover really didn't interest me any, but we aren't supposed to judge a book by its' cover. The title actually carries two meanings in the story. It is the name of the street our character lived on, and it helps describe who Calliope/Callie/Cal is. He is a hermaphrodite, believed to be a girl at birth but actually a male. This story is Cal's story. The story encompasses the Stephanides' family history from the time Cal's grandmother married his grandfather even though they were also brother and sister. Right away, you think, ICK! Right? Okay, I did too, but they do have their reasons. Good or bad, right or wrong, the couple has two children. The oldest, Milton, marries his cousin, Tessie, and Cal is the second child of their union. The family history is interesting and tragic. The story of Callie becoming Cal is interesting. I will warn you, it is the entirety of the book. The narrator (adult Cal) allows the reader glimpses into his life now, but the majority of the story takes place when Cal is still Callie and struggles as an awkward girl with feelings for girls and being too tall and having too much facial hair. I enjoyed it! It was not what I expected, and it did take me a while to really get into the story, but it is a good read that can spark some good thought-provoking conversations. 

Book #21

Catching Fire

By: Suzanne Collins

Here we are. Another book that I have read. I know it has been a long while since my past book post, but this one took us a while to get through, and I haven't been reading like I should this summer. That is all about to change, I think. There has just been a lack of things I am finding interesting to read--which is not normal. Anyway, this book is a second read for me, and since it follows The Hunger Games, I read it to Nick. If he were here to type this post, he would tell you to skip the first 2/3rds of the book and just read the end. He is not here, however, so I will tell you the truth about this book.

There is not as much action in Catching Fire as one would expect after reading The Hunger Games. Nick was bored for the first part of the book, but that is because it describes in detail the turmoil that is happening around Katniss in District 12, and, of course, her personal turmoil. The Capitol, okay President Snow, is not happy with the outcome of the last Games. Katniss has defied the Capitol and all its' power by making it possible for both her and Peeta to win the Games. The people LOVE them, but the government does not. So, with a direct threat on her life and the lives of those she loves, Katniss must figure out how to save her family with the ever increasing security and violence surrounding them. Other Districts are rumored to be rebelling, and somehow, Katniss has become their fire!

If you have not read this series, READ IT NOW! The final book comes out next month, and I cannot wait for it to get here. Catching Fire leaves you gasping for breath and for more!

Book #19

The Help

By: Kathryn Stockett

I love this book. It is absolutely amazing! Here is a story about three ordinary, Southern women who join forces to create something extraordinary. The setting is perfect, 1960's Jackson,  Mississippi, where the lines between black and white are still very clear. The lines between women and men and upper and lower class are also very clear. The author writes from three different perspectives, and each character has a distinct and important part to play. I always feel that writing a novel from several perspectives is risky business because one character still stands above the rest. This is not the case with the characters in The Help. Skeeter is supposed to be the model of what a Southern lady should be, but she has returned home from Ole Miss with a degree and a desire to do something more than tricking a man into marrying her. She wants to write, and she is feeling restless. She applies for job with a prestigious publisher in New York, and while she is highly under-qualified for the position, she does get a phone call and an offer to look at some of her writing ideas. After her ideas get laughed at, she comes up with a brillant, but dangerous, plan. As Skeeter particiaptes with all her friends in their high society games, she becomes more and more discontent with what she sees, so she wants to tell the story of the maids of Jackson, Missippi. The colored women who clean their houses, raise their children, and sacrifice their lives for the comforts of the white families they serve.

Abileen has worked with the families of Jackson, Mississippi her whole life. She works for Miss Skeeter's friend, and she in very uncomfortable with the way that Miss Skeeter wants to talk to her. First the talk is about what happened to Skeeter's family's maid, Constantine, and then Miss Skeeter has a crazy idea for a book and wants to know Abileen's story. With a little coaxing from Skeeter, and a few instances of racial hate crimes, Abileen agrees to tell her story. She writes down everything, from all the children she raised to the day her son was killed and her world turned gray forever. The problem is that Skeeter needs at least a dozen maids to write her book, and Abileen can't convince anyone to participate. She works and works and works on her friend, Minny, who finally agrees. 

Minny is SASSY! She tends to get fired from her jobs for mouthing off too much. She is full of opinions and shares them without even thinking. She loses her job after playing a cruel joke on her employers daughter, Miss Hilly, who happens to be a powerful and influential woman since she is the President of the Junior League. Minny is able to find a job on the outskirts of town with a woman who is an outsider and therefore, not welcome in Jackson. As these women work together to tell their story, the tension in the town is building. Eventually, Skeeter gets enough women for her book, and the shock that it send through the town is outrageous. And, this is just the tip of the iceberg! There is lots that happens and lots to make a person think! It has been a long time since I have read a book to make me think like this one! I throughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. It would make a great Book Club book...if only I was in a Book Club.  

Book #18

The Titan's Curse

By: Rick Riordan

Let's be honest. I was totally hesitant to read these books. I was! First, because I really didn't understand what they were about; then, because I was afraid of what they would do to Mythology. Having had the absolute joy to teach a semester elective of Mythology for a few years, I sometimes feel like bringing those myths that I love so much into a present day setting is almost sacrilege! Obviously, I have gotten over that. I have now read through book four (this is book three--I am WAY behind on my postings), and I am a Percy Jackson fan! 

The Titan's Curse was a great adventure from beginning to end. I am so glad that I got into this series after all the books were written! This way I can run to the store and pick up the next one immediately. I am currently reeling from the fourth book having finished it not 20 minutes ago, so forgive me if this post is flighty and unfocused. 

Here, however, are the Top Five reasons why I love Percy Jackson:

1. He is absolutely adorable. He totally doesn't believe in himself, but he pulls through every time! This makes him absolutely adorable in my mind. I think that some of my favorite students were those kids who never really believed in their own abilities and genius! 

2. Percy loves his mom. Okay, so I know that in most YA Lit novels, the parental figures don't play a HUGE role. This is really no exception, but I love the way that Percy's mom quite simply loves and supports him unconditionally. She is a wonderful woman, and it is no wonder Poseidon fell for her. 

3. Annabeth. I know, I know. She isn't Percy, but he would not be who he is without her, and she needs him just as much. They are the best of friends, and even if they never become the couple it seems they are destined to be, they will always have each other. 

4. He is smart and resourceful. Not in a conventional way, but heroes hardly ever are. 

5. Percy Jackson is kind and generous, and I hope that his fatal flaw NEVER catches up with him. 

Just read this series. I promise there will be no disappointment.   

UPDATE!!

I realized that while I raved about Percy Jackson, I didn't really write about the book, so I will briefly do that here. The Titan's Curse introduced us to some really great new characters. I instantly loved Artemis and her huntresses. Not because I am a man hating lady, but because I loved the power and friendship they shared with one another. I also like the introduction of Bianca and Nico--Hades children. I kind of felt sorry for the guy, but I always feel sorry for Hades. I love him. He is a better god than anyone ever gives him credit for. The lessons they learn, and the prices that some of them pay broke my heart, but I loved the way in which the lives of those characters lost were honored. RIP Zoe and Bianca. You served your goddess well!

Book #17

The Hunger Games

By: Suzanne Collins

Once again, I have read this book before. This time it was a special treat because I got to read it again with Nick. Okay, let's be real...I read it TO Nick. My hubby is not a reader, but he has always loved being read to. When he and I lived in different cities, I read to him over the phone. This time, I read to him before we turned out the light each night. I knew that Nick would love this book, and I would recommend it to just about ANYONE! As usual, from my teacher standpoint, it is a book that will draw in readers of all levels and genders. 

Ah-hem! Let me get on with it:

Katniss Everdeen lives in North America way in the future where we have all fought for the last of the resources, and managed to become a country full of a government and people that today, we despise. The Capitol is in control, and to remind the people who live in the outlying Districts that they are large and in charge, the Capitol hosts The Hunger Games every year. One boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts is selected to go and compete in a competition where each contestant tries to kill the others in an arena built by the Gamemakers that also challenges the survival skills of the contestants. It could be a desert or a frozen wasteland or woods or by the sea. One cannot escape it, however. The only way to get out is to either be killed or win. 

Katniss is from District 12. A poor, coal-mining, district, and the furthest from the Capitol. She hunts with her best friend, Gale, to support their families despite the fact that it is illegal. Her father died, and she takes care of her mother and her younger sister, Prim. Prim will be entered into the drawing for the first time this year because she is 12. Katniss' name is in several more times because she can enter her name once per family member every year in exchange for extra supplies. Gale's name is in there even more, and they are both nervous for the ceremony. 

Prim's name is in once, but against all odds, her name is drawn and without even thinking about it, Katniss volunteers to go in Prim's place. The boy going is Peeta Mellark, and they get on a train headed for the Capitol in what is sure to be a wild and frightening ride. 

This...is all I am going to tell you. There is so much more that happens, and the Games are both bloody and touching, sad and loving. Just read it. I will post a picture later when I can take one with Nick in it. 

Read it! Seriously. 

Book #16

Motor Mouth

By: Janet Evanovich

Normally I sing Ms. Evanovich praises, but I didn't love this book like I have loved her others. The Barnaby novels feel too much like Barney is the NASCAR version of Stephanie Plum, and while the story is fast paced and easy to read, I didn't feel a huge urge to finish and read like I usually do when I read her books. This hasn't turned me off from reading any more of Evanovich's novels. I love her! I just could have done without this one.

Book #15

The Great Gatsby

By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

I LOVE GATSBY! Counting all the times I have read this out loud to my classes and read it on my own, I have read this book over 30 times. I love it! The book is a love story, a party story, a betrayal story, a murder story, a heartbreak story, a hate story, a self-made man story...all wrapped up into one relatively short novel. What more could one ask for? Fitzgerald creates the perfect scene--the Valley of Ashes is depressing enough to be forgettable, but don't forget it! It houses one of the most important events! New York is modern enough and trendy enough to be romantic enough where anything can happen. And, anything does! One can't forget the contrast of old and new money in East and West Egg, and the quiet cottage of our narrator, Nick Carraway, who quietly observes the goings-on of the rest of characters, and shares his thoughts and observations with us all.

I can only imagine what Fitzgerald must have been feeling as he wrote this book. How must he have felt when he discovered that his love, his "Daisy", had been unfaithful to him? How he must have felt as he soul searched between the good guy and the desperate guy he seemed to view himself to be.

If you haven't read it...read it. Just read it! Then call me and we can talk about it.

Book #14

Born in Shame

By: Nora Roberts

Here is my confession: I am a hopeful romantic, and I was intrigued a few years ago when Texas Mom gave me a Nora Roberts book to read. It was the first of the "Born In" books, Born in Fire. There are three, and I read the first two after she gave them to me, so when I stumbled across this one in the library the other day, I snatched it up. I figured I owed it to Nora to finished her trilogy. I liked it just as much as I liked the other two. Each story is about a different sister in a mixed up and sad little family. Don't worry, they all find love and there is always a happy ending. This is probably why I like them so much. That, and the setting is gorgeous! The stories primarily take place in Ireland, and Roberts does an amazing job at describing the setting in such a way as to paint a magical picture for her readers. Since I have never been anywhere, I count on that in the authors I read. If you are worried that there is too much sex in these books, don't. There is sex, but not too much. There is a real story, I promise!

Book #13

Sense and Sensibility

By: Jane Austen

My second Austen book this year. I do love this story. The characters sometimes remind me of my own family, and I can always relate to the strong relatioships of sisters. Really, there is nothing to say but, "Sigh!" Colonel Brandon in all his noble turmoil; Marrianne in her silliness and then her broken heart. Ugh! I SO know what it feels like to wait for someone you expect to hear from with high hopes. I know what it means to make excuses and look everywhere for answers. It hurt to read.
I found myself frustrated with Elinor and Edward. He's a pansy! She's...I don't know what she is!
I do enjoy a story where everyone gets what they deserve, although, I would have liked to see Willoughby get his toes stomped on by his horse.

Book #12

The Sea Of Monsters

By: Rick Riordan

So, book #12 is book #2 in the Percy Jackson series. The Fates did not want me to read this book for the longest time! I looked for it at the library--checked out. I looked at Walmart--every book was available EXCEPT this one. I looked at Barnes and Noble--same situation as Walmart. I felt the frustration setting in and stopped looking for awhile. One of the students in the class I subbed for this past week was reading it yesterday. I couldn't believe it, and went on a little tangent about how I couldn't find it anywhere. He asked if I was a fast reader, and when I replied in the affirmative, he handed me the copy he was reading and pulled a second copy out of his bag! So, I read it yesterday for a little bit, and I finished it this morning. I loved this book because it visits one of my favorite stories, Odysseus and Polyphemus. Plus, the new character we are introduced to in Tyson, Percy's Cyclops brother, is wonderful. I loved the message and the feelings that Tyson inspired in Percy, and consequently, in me. It is a short read, but a wonderful one! Yeah for Percy Jackson!

Book #11

Giant

By: Edna Ferber

A book about Texas. Hmmm...no, Adam, I am not taking a Texas History class. Kelli gave me this book. She had to read it for one of her classes. She told me that she wanted to know if the opinions and attitudes that are so stereotypically Texas are protrayed accurately in this story. Well, yes...yes they are. There is an arrogance that Texans have about this state that I really do not understand. The mantra, "Everything is bigger in Texas" rings through loud and clear in the attitudes and close-mindedness of the characters in this novel. And, Kelli, I think that is what drives me batty about this place the most. According to the people who have lived here forever, there is no better place. In this story, Texas, okay, a big ranch in Texas, consumes and destroys so many beautiful things and people and realtionships. There is something just not right about how everyone is treated.

The story: Leslie Lynnton, of the Virginia Lynntons, is the daughter of Dr. Horace Lynnton and the middle of three sisters who are pursued by many a suitor. Jordan "Bick" Benedict is from Texas and his family owns The Reata Ranch. He has come to the Lynnton home on business--to buy a horse. He leaves with much more than a horse, as Leslie decides that she will marry him and become a Texas wife. She joins him in Texas where she learns the hard way many of the Texas customs and expectations for their women. Her place is decided for her the minute she agrees to marry Bick--whom she always calls Jordan. She fights against it in her own ways and allows it to run her life in others. The ranch is Jordan's life, and they must balance family and tradition with work and tradition.

Kelli and I had a rather rousing text message converstion about it which I have decided to include here. Ah-hem!

J: What theme did you get from it?

K: Change. Bick is so afraid of it with oil and Leslie, while Leslie is theh complete opposite and understands that it's necessary. Basically, I wrote a paper on it.

J: I see tha, but the one that jumped out at me was racism.

K: That too, but that fits into Leslie's changing world.

J: Kind of, but you can argue that she changes to fit Bick's world.

K: That was part of my arguement. She understands that it is necessary whether good or bad.

J: Necessary to keep peace in her marriage?

K: Yes, and because it's like she is in a whole new world and has to learn the customs.

J: That's crap. Why is it always the woman who has to change? Why can't there be a compromise? Why can't Bick meet her in the middle?

K: He does in ways! It is just more dificult for him because he's not used to change while Leslie is.

J: He only does because Luz is dead. He agrees to move into the Main House. That's it. Otherwise I always see him trying to hold her down and tame her.

K: But look at the end, where he finally sees her as the rebellious woman he married and he falls in love all over again. It's like he plays that part because he feels he has to.

J: You mean after she calls him Bick?

K: Yes.

J: Hmm. He only does out of the fear of losing her.

K: Their true love is there even through their differences and arguements.

J: They love each other, that much is obvious.

K: So ultimately that is what keeps them working thoguth their differences and why Leslie changes to this new lifestyle.

J: Yet, by making the choice to marry him, she kind of left with no choice.

K: Exactly, someting that she understands, but Bick does not fully. It takes him awhile.

J: I don't think he ever really gets it.

K: Not fully, no, but he has his moments.

I am still upset that she gave up so much of herself and who she wanted to be in order to conform. I guess we all do it though, don't we?

Book #10

The Sweet Far Thing

By: Libba Bray

Last book in this trilogy, and I was pretty happy to see it end. There wasn't going to be a way that this story ended that would satisfy me. I had a hard time sticking with the story all the way through. It felt as if there were so many (too many) loose ends to tie up from the other two books that this story dragged on for too long. Even when I got to the end, it kept going! I thought that many of the last few chapters were unnecessary.

A quick summary: Gemma, Anne, and Felicity must decide how and when to bind the magic that is currently bound only to Gemma. She has to figure out who is with her, against her, will help her, will kill her. She must protect her family, her friends, school, and herself from the evil creatures in the Winterlands. She has to convince Felicity that Pippa has turned into something evil (there is a twist there that I barely saw coming) and help Anne break free from her poverty stricken life. She has to figure out how to love Kartik, and how to stay away from Fowlson. She must save Tom from the Rakshana, and her father from his opium. It is no wonder that this book is 700 pages long--not an exact count. I did dream about the scary Winterland creatures, and the gargoyles that adorn Spence. It is a different kind of fantasy novel than those that have been so hugely popular in the past few years. I don't NOT recommend it, but it was not my favorite.

Book #9

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

By: Rick Riordan

Why, oh why, did I wait this long to read this series? For those of you who don't know, I am a Mythology junkie! I was lucky enough to be able to teach it at Brighton High School for a few years, and I love, love, love it! I have seen these books around for years and not even bothered to pick one up! SHAME ON ME!! I just read the first one, and I love it! I can't wait to read the rest, and I kind of hope the movie will live up to my expectation. The ways in which Riordan weaves Greek Mythology into our modern world is wonderful! He takes even our most modern wonders and makes them from the Greek gods.

As Percy (Perseus) Jackson and his hero friends run off on their quest to recover Zeus' lightning bolt, Percy becomes a hero worthy of Greek honor. His anger, attitude, and (unwilling) ambition set him up for the perfect tragedy. He is a Greek hero, and he is tragic. I cannot wait to read on and see what happens to Percy as he battles more ancient monsters and discovers what it means to truly be a son of the god, Poseidon.

I can't give any details without ruining the fun of this book. It is an education in Mythology for anyone who reads it, and I hope this series sparks a new interest in the subject. There is so much to learn from these myths. Thank you, Rick Riordan, for a story that allows me to be true to the nerdiest part of myself!

Book #8

I'm getting caught up! Here is one by one of my favorite authors!

Metro Girl

By: Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is a witty author who writes books like I eat cookies. Seriously, the woman writes a series of By The Numbers books about a disaster of a bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum, and she pumps them out fast. They are hilarious.

This book is not about Stephanie Plum. It is about Alexandra "Barney" Barnaby who grew up working in her father's garage, bailing her brother, Wild Bill, out of all kinds of trouble, and breaking serious hearts along the way. Now she is trying to live a quiet life as an insurance claims adjuster in Baltimore. Her life is going fine as far as she is concerned until Wild Bill calls her at 2am with a screaming woman in the background and tells her not to worry. Barney heads to Miami to find Bill, and she finds more than she thought she could handle. Sam Hooker, NASCAR Guy, Maria, Judey and Brian, Rosa and Felicia, Slim and Gimpy, Salazr, a helicopter, a few boats, gold, a nuclear bomb, and the ride of her life!

I read it in just a few days, and I giggled a lot. It is totally worth the read, but I think I would read anything by Evanovich. She is really hilarious!