Book Revival

Hello everyone,

It's so sad to look back on this, and know that at the beginning I was so consistent and updated frequently! I'm so sorry. All I can give you is the classic excuse - life got in the way. This is the summer before my senior year in high school, so as you can imagine I've been a little busy! Busy reading, sadly, not so much.

So far this summer, I've read a grand total of seven books, with less than a month left of summer. It's completely shameful.

Here's the list so far, and I'll make sure to give you the grand list (probably with only a few more additions) at the end of the summer.

1. Tortall and Other Lands by Tamora Pierce
2. All-Amerian Girl by Meg Cabot
3. Ape House by Sara Gruen
4. Just Like That by Marsha Qualey
5. A Year in Europe by Rachel Hawthorne
6. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
7. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Wow, this list is sad. The only books that I hadn't read before this summer are 1 and 3. Sad.

For school this summer I'm planning on reading All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. So far I'm on page 3, so I can't give an opinion on it. Maybe when I post my complete summer reading list I'll give a review of it.

A fun book find of the summer though - earlier this week my mom took us to a used bookstore. Hidden away in a corner was a collection of the yellow, hardback Nancy Drew books. These books were my life back when I was around 7 or 8 years old. My mom offered to buy us some books at the store if we found some we wanted to read. I asked her to buy me the bookstore's copy of the first Nancy Drew book, this version published in 1959. I was in heaven. It made me happy, reliving the days when I had more time to enjoy the good books of the world!

I hope everyone else is reading a lot more than I am this summer!
Emma

http://sarahdessen.com/book/this-lullaby/

2010 Summer Reading List

Hello everyone -

Yet another summer has passed. Sadly, I didn't read all that many books this year. Two of the books on this list were read for school, and they took me a while, since I wanted to try to understand them really well and get the most out of them that I could. So, here's my 2010 summer reading list!

1. First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria by Eve Waite-Brown
2. Bloom by Elizabeth Scott
3. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
4. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
5. Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White
6. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
7. My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
8. Night's Edge by Charlaine Harris, Maggie Shayne, and Barbara Hambly
9. Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White
10. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
11. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
12. Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
13. The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
14. Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia
15. Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger
16. Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
17. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
18. Kiss Me, Kill me by Lauren Henderson
19. 100 Heartbeats by Jeff Corwin
20. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
21. Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt
22. Gwyneth and the Thief by Margaret Moore
23. Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson
24. Absolutely Not: Anthology of Writing and Artwork by East Bay Teenagers
25. Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris
26. Meagan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys by Kate Brian
27. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
28. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
29. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
30. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
31. Better Latte Than Never by Chaterine Clark
32. Love You Two by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
33. When Irish Guys are Smiling by Suzanne Supplee
34. Paper Towns by John Green
35. Whip It by Shauna Cross
36. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
37. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
38. Love is the Higher Law by David Levithan
39. Rules by Cynthia Lord
40. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

So.
For school: 37, 40
Awesome books that everyone should read!: 11, 13, 17 (SO AMAZING - Read BEFORE the movie comes out please!), 19, 24, 34, 35, 38, 39
Comments:
#11 - This is an amazing book (not like the other books Sarah Dessen has also written.) Her books always turn our really amazing, touching, and just plain awesome. This one felt more emotional than her other books to me, and I really love the relationship of the two main characters. This is seriously an amazing book, and probably my favorite Sarah Dessen books. It's up there with The Truth About Forever
#17 - This is a really awesome, amazing, incredible book. This book has its ups and its downs for the characters, but overall this book is amazing, and it takes you right along for the ride. The first time I read this book, I was basically in tears at the end, because it just...so perfect. So SO perfect. I would reccomend this book to anyone and everyone older than 13 or 14 - But PLEASE, for my sake at the very least, read this book BEFORE the movie they're making for it comes out - PLEASE. When you read this book, you'll understand its greatness and its magic - but the movie (with Robert Pattinson?!?!?! What the....?) will never be able to live up to that standard. So please read the book first.
#19 - This book is incredible. It talks about various endangered/extinct species and its really touching and emotional and SAD when you read about all of these different animals that we're driving to extinction, or that we've already driven to extinction. It's a fantastic read.
#24 -An anthology of literature and artwork from teenagers who live in the East Bay near San Francisco, California. It's really good!
#34 - This book was really good - it actually made me laugh out loud, which doesn't exactly happen that often. I was literally laying in my bed reading this book, and I had to actually make an effort in order to stop myself from laughing. This book is a really good read - I liked this book better than I liked his other book, An Abundance of Katherines, so if you liked that one - this one is even BETTER
#38 - This is a book about three teenagers and their lives right before, during, and after September 11, 2001. All 3 of the teenagers lived in/around New York City, so they were all in New York on that day. This book is really touching and amazing - I would recommend this to any teenager or adult.

Hopefully everyone's summer has been good, and more sunny than it was for me :D

Happy Reading!
Kami

Summer Reading

Hello all -

This past summer, I didn't read as many books as I had hoped to read, and it wasn't even as much as I read last summer! Oh well. Here's the list.

1. Escape from Botany Bay by Gerald and Loretta Hausman
2. Coming Home by Lauren Brooke
3. After the Storm by Lauren Brooke
4. Breaking Free by Lauren Brooke
5. Taking Chances by Lauren Brooke
6. Come What May by Lauren Brooke
7. One Day You'll Know by Lauren Brooke
8. Out of the Darkness by Lauren Brooke
9. Thicker Than Water by Lauren Brooke
10. Every New Day by Lauren Brooke
11. Tomorrow's Promise by Lauren Brooke
12. True Enough by Lauren Brooke
13. Sooner or Later by Lauren Brooke
14. Darkest Hour by Lauren Brooke
15. Everything Changes by Lauren Brooke
16. Love is a Gift by Lauren Brooke
17. Holding Fast by Lauren Brooke
18. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
19. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
20. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
21. A Season of Hope by Lauren Brooke
22. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nifisi
23. Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce
24. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
25. Lush by Natasha Friend
26. Sandpiper by Ellen Wittenger
27. Conversations with the Fat Girl by Liza Palmer
28. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
29. The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs
30. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
31. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty
32. The Good, The Bad, and the Undead by Kim Harrison
33. Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
34. Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham
35. Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs

I was rereading a lot of these books, but oh well.

Kaminsky

Summer Reading List '08

Hello -

I read a lot of books this summer, and I even made a list, just for kicks! I didn't include anime books on my list.

1. Rules by Cynthia Lord (200 pages)
2. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (277 pages)
3. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (328 pages)
4. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (264 pages)
5. Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez (247 pages)
6. Are you alone on purpose? by Nancy Werlin (204 pages)
7. Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce (403 pages)
8. Gwyneth and the Thief by Margaret Moore (270 pages)
9. All the Way by Andy Behrens (216 pages)
10. Light Years by Tammar Stein (263 pages)
11. Alias: Recruited by Lynn Mason (211 pages)
12. Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris (260 pages)
13. Someone to Love Me by Anne Schraff (162 pages)
14. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris (359 pages)
15. The Second Virginity of Suzy Green by Sara Hantz (258 pages)
16. How to take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend by Janette Rallison (265 pages)
17. Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez (233 pages)
18. Beauty by Robin McKinley (247 pages)
19. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon (221 pages)
20. The Girl With a Baby by Sylvia Olsen (203 pages)
21. Paradise by Joan Elizabeth Goodman (209 pages)
22. The Geography Club by Brent Hartinger (226 pages)
23. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (403 pages)
24. The Order of the Poison Oak by Brent Hartinger (211 pages)
25. Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez (243 pages)
26. Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy (316 pages)
27. The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney (244 pages)
28. Wings by E.D.Baker (307 pages)
29. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (498 pages)
30. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (563 pages)
31. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (294 pages)
32. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (288 pages)
33. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris (262 pages)
34. Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (233 pages)
35. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (626 pages)
36. Shadow Horse by Alison Hart (230 pages)
37. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (754 pages)
38. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (250 pages)
39. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (258 pages)
40. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (291 pages)
41. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (295 pages)
42. Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs (294 pages)
43. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen (228 pages)
44. The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (374 pages)
45. Don't Cramp My Style Edited by Lisa Rowe Fraustino (283 pages)
46. Angels Watching Over Me by Lurlene McDaniel (176 pages)
47. Just Like That by Marsha Qualey (233 pages)
48. Too Young to Die by Lurlene McDaniel (166 pages)
49. Goodbye Doesn't Mean Forever by Lurlene McDaniel (166 pages)
50. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (319 pages)
51. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (754 pages)
52. The Choice by Nicholas Sparks (272 pages)
53. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris (324 pages(

So, that's my list, excluding anime books. Would love to discuss any of the above books with anyone!! : )

Kaminsky

Blood and Chocolate - The Differences Between the Book and the Movie

Hey!

Have you ever read a book that you REALLY liked, or even loved, and then you heard that they were making a movie of that book? Well, I have read and reread Blood and Chocolate multiple times, and I love it! When I heard that they were making a movie of it, I was really excited...until I saw the movie.

Blood and Chocolate the movie is very different than the book. The ending, how certain characters act and respond to things, and more. I like the ending of the book - and when I saw the movie and saw that the ending was COMPLETELY different, I almost cried. THAT'S how much I love this book!

If you saw the movie Blood and Chocolate and are interested in reading the book, I suggest that you do read it. BUT - when you read the book, remember this - the book came first!

When you read the book, you may want to completely seperate your image of the movie from your mind. I have a friend who said that when she watched the movie (after reading the book) she considered it to be a completely different story, and this made it more enjoyable than if she had compared the book and the movie to each other. Oh, well.

Read Blood and Chocolate - You'll enjoy it!

Kaminsky

It's My Birthday - And I Got Books!

Hey -

Today was my birthday and I got 10 books!! YAY!!!!

I got:

- The Freedom Writers Diary (A REALLY great book, true story!)
- Gorillas in the Mist By Dain Fossey
- The Ultimate Teen Book Guide (A Book about good books for teens to read! What could be better?!?!)
- The Jane Austen Book Club By Karen Joy Fowler (I also got the movie, which is really good.)
- The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren By Wendy Toliver
- The Ultimate Volunteer Guidebook for Young People
- Big Boned By Meg Cabot (I haven't read the first and second in the series, but that just means that I have to put them on hold at the library soon!)
- Hacking Harvard By Robin Wasserman
- King of the Pygmies By Jonathon Scott Fuqua
AND
- Runemarks By Joanne Harris (This book was signed by the author and was signed to me. That means that inside the books it actually says that it's for me!!)

As you may be able to tell, I like my birthday presents, and it's going to be hard for me to pick which book I want to read first. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Kaminsky

Rereading

Hi -

Late last night as I was trying to decide which book I should read next, I decided that I was going to reread all of my books that I own that I've already read. I hope that this will encourage me to get rid of books that I don't really enjoy anymore. So far I've reread 3 books. (I've been busy!)

Waking Up To Boys (By Hailey Abbott)
The Perfect Boy (By Hailey Abbott)
and
Getting Lost With Boys (By Hailey Abbott)

The last two books were actually very similar (or at least the characters were) so I've decided to bring those to my dad's house to see if my step-sisters might be interested in them. I'm keeping Waking Up To Boys in my bookshelf at my mom's for now. The last 2 books mentioned had a main character who wanted to be some kind of lawyer, and they had crushes (or ended up with crushes) on boys who were really into music. I'd recomend reading Waking Up To Boys if you are interested in reading any of them.

In case you were wondering, I organize my books by author's last name. That's why I read 3 books by Hailey Abbott in a row.

I've now started rereading City of the Beast (By Isabel Allende) and I'm on page 30.

Thanks,
Kaminsky

New Books That I'm Reading

Hello -

My most recently finished book was the third Maximum Ride book by James Patterson. All three books in this series and fast, fun, and wonderful reads, and I suggest that everyone reads them. (Maybe not everyone, but everyone that likes fantasy/science fiction books, or just anyone looking for a good read.)

I've also been reading a series by Ellen Emerson White. Startin with The President's Daughter as book 1 and White House Autumn as book 2, this series focusus on a teenage girl who's mother runs for President, and wins. The story follows her life as her mother moves from being a Senator to becoming President of the United States. Moving to the White House is a big change for their family. Lots of things happen in only the first 2 books, and I can't wait to read Long Live the Queen (book 3) and Long may she Reign (book 4.)

My 3rd classic book for school is going to be The Color Purple By Alice Walker. It's good so far. I've heard that it's a very good book, but it's kind of hard to read because of the concepts and themes, not because of the writing style, although that in itself isn't perfect proper English.

Have a nice first week of December!
Kaminsky

Anna Karenina

Wow -

I'm finally done! This morning, about 3 minutes ago, I finished reading Anna Karenina.

I thought it was a good book. I liked how it told the story of multiple characters and families all at the same time. It was interesting, and it wasn't boring unless the characters were talking about something that I only half understood, which only happened every once in awhile.

I'm happy that I'm done with it, and I'm proud of myself for reading it in such a short time compared to the time it took me to read David Copperfield. Reading books for school has it's downsides, but if it makes me read books quicker and read more books, as long as I'm not missing things, then I'm fine with that.

Yay, I'm done!
Kaminsky

Fantasy

Hello -

Recently I have read the first Maximum Ride book By James Patterson (good, and I already have books 2 and 3 on hold at the library) and Heart of Stone by C.E. Murphy.

Heart of Stone is the first book in the Negotiator trilogy. I can't wait until March '08 when House of Cards (Book 2) and August '08 when Hands of Flame (Book 3) come out!!

I'm almost done reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I have to finish writing stuff about it by the 29th and I hope to have finished reading it at least by the 27th. I'm currently on page 771 out of 817. I'm getting close to the end!

Have fun reading!
Kaminsky

Sisterhood Central

Hello -

Just exploring the wonderful world of the internet...but it has to relate to reading, of course!! : )
Go Sisterhood!

Kaminsky

Next Classic Book

Hi -

For my second classic book of the school year, I've decided to read Anna Karenina By Leo Tolstoy. I'm reading the newest translation by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.

Currently I'm on page 123, and I really like it. It's really interesting, I like the characters, and I like the arrangement of the chapters.

Go read -
Kaminsky

Emma

Hey!

I just finished reading Emma! (As in I finished reading it a couple of minutes ago!)

It was a lot better than I thought it would be, and I actually REALLY liked it. The problem with reading it for school, is that I have to say what it reminds me of, and that's hard to do when you've seen the movie. (We're not allowed to use the movie as a reference.)

We have our "book talk" when everyone gives speeches on their books starting October 11, so I have a week (and a few days) to make a speech about Emma. We have certain elements that we have to include in our speech, including quotes from the book.

I'm now going to be reading Code Name Cassandra, By Meg Cabot (or Jenny Carroll, depending on where you are, and what copy of the book you're looking at.)

See ya!
Kaminsky

Summer Reading

Hey!

I meant to put a list of what I read this summer on here, and I forgot, so here it is now! (The books are in the order that I read them this summer. Sorry none of them have authors listed, but I forgot to jot down the author with the title. If any of the books interest you, I can try to track down the author.)

1. Urban Shaman By C.E. Murphy (Book 1)
Summary: Joanne sees someone being attacked from a plane and since she is determined to help the person, it leads to her meeting Gary and finding out about non-human things. She also has to learn how to use her own new powers.
Thoughts: It was a good book and I put the sequel on hold as soon as I finished this book. It was really interesting and based in Seattle.
2. Book of Shadows By Cate Tiernan (Book 1)
Summary: Morgan starts learning about Wicca from Cal, the new boy in school, and discovers that she is good at it. The book follows her while she learns more about Wicca and her abilities.
Thoughts: It was a good book and Morgan was a good main character. I stayed up reading this book until I finished it, if that tells you anything. : )
3. The Constant Princess By Philippa Gregory
Summary: This book is about Catalina of Spain who marries Arthur at the age of 15. On his deathbed she promises him that she will marry his brother and become Katherine, Queen of England. This book follows her life.
Thoughts: It was a good book, but I liked The Queen's Fool better, which is by the same author.
4. Sloppy Firsts By Megan McCafferty (Book 1)
Summary: This story follows the life of Jessica Darling after her friend Hope moves away.
Thoughts: It's a good book. I have read this book at least 2 times.
5. Singer By Jean Thesman
Summary: Mary escapes from her mother and changes homes frequently to stay hidden. On the journey she learns about her powers and tries to help her friends and others along the way.
Thoughts: Good story and plotline but it was kind of odd.
6. Perfect Strangers By Jahnna Malcolm
Summary: As Madison runs for her school's body president, she gets closer to her Heart-2-Heart pen pal. She also learns the truth about an event that is in the past.
7. Second Helpings By Megan McCafferty (Book 2)
Summary: As Jessica approaches her final years in high school, she has to evaluate her feelings for Marcus and what her college plans are.
8. Thunderbird Falls By C.E. Murphy (Book 2)
Summary: Joanne goes on her newest adventure after finding a dead body-again. She meets new friends and enemies on her journey.
9. The Coven By Cate Tiernan (Book 2)
Summary: As Morgan learns more about magick, she also learns that she was adopted, which causes a great commotion among other things.
11. Winter Moon By Multiple Authors
12. Riding Lessons By Sara Gruen
Summary: Annemarie comes back to her parents farm when her dad gets sick and gets attached to a horse that closely resembles her old horse.
13. Children of the River By Linda Crew
Summary: Sundara is living in Oregon after fleeing her hometown of Cambodia. Trying to adjust to America while following her family's customs isn't easy, especially when a boy gets involved.
14. The Moon Riders By Theresa Tomlinson
15. Harmless By Dana Reinhardt
16. Peeps By Scott Westerfeld
17. Cast in Shadow By Michelle Sagara
18. Feeling Sorry for Celia By Jaclyn Moriarty
19. The Realms of the Gods By Tamora Pierce
20. Get a Life By ?
21. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows By J.K.Rowling
Summary: Harry embarks on his last journey in this book. As he searches for the remaining Horcruxes, he learns information about the Deathly Hallows while hiding from Death Eaters, snatchers, and Voldemort himself.
22. A Summer of Kings By Han Nolan
Summary: Esther lives during the time of Martin Luther King Jr. and after King-Roy, a negro man, lives with her family for a summer, she is determined to do something to help make blacks and whites equal. She is also struggling with the fact that she feels like the odd one out in her family.
23. Wild Magic By Tamora Pierce
24. Wolf-Speaker By Tamora Pierce
25. In the Hands of the Goddess By Tamora Pierce
26. Boys over Flowers #24 (Anime)
27. The Year of Secret Assignments By Jaclyn Moriarty
Summary: When two schools start a letter writing program, Emily, Lydia, and Cassie willingly write letters to anonymous people. When their correspondents turn out to be Charlie, Seb, and Mathew, they get mixed reactions. Follow their story through letters and more in this book.
28. Secrets of the Nile By Carolyn Keene (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Supermystery)
29. Coyote Dreams By C.E. Murphy (Book 3)
30. The Book of the Sword By Carrie Asai (Samurai Girl Book 1)
31. Mis Match By Lensey Namioka
Summary: Sue and Andy are told they would be a great couple sine they're both Asian Americans, but in reality their backgrounds cause some difficulties.
32. Major Crush By Jennifer Echols
Summary: Virginia struggles with being a drum major with Drew. she also has to deal with the Evil Twins spreading rumors about her and her family.
33. All Together Dead By Charlaine Harris
34. Samurai Girl 2 By Carrie Asai
35. Samurai Girl 3 By Carrie Asai
36. Samurai Girl 4 By Carrie Asai
37. Samurai Girl 5 By Carrie Asai
38. Samurai Girl 6 By Carrie Asai
39. Charmed Thirds By Megan McCafferty (Book 3)
40. Gone By Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
41. Keeping You a Secret By Julie Anne Peters
42. The Write Stuff
43. How I Live Now
44. Blood Witch
45. Love and Sex
46. Just Like That
47. Sandpiper
48. Dark Magick
49. A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life
50. Shark Girl
51. DragonSong
52. DragonSinger
53. Blood Bound
54. Rules
55. The Christopher Killer
56. The Farther You Run
57. On the Prowl
58. The Angel of Death
59. Kissing Tennessee
10. A Time for Dancing
61. If We Kiss
62. Awakening
63. Trickster's Choice
64. Eclipse
65. Poltergeist
66. Fourth Comings
67. The Boys Next Door
68. When Demon's Walk
69. Are You Alone on Purpose?
70. Bringing Up the Bones
71. Spellbound
72. The Calling
73. Pants on Fire
74. The Key to the Golden Firebird
75. Tightrope
76. Desperation
77. Love Undercover

So there's my list of my Summer Reading.
Enjoy! : )
Kaminsky

Emma

Hello -

My newest reading adventure? Reading Emma By Jane Austen for school. This year for English, we're supposed to read 2 classics per trimester. Then we have to do a 3-5 minute speech on the book we read, while making sure that we cover certain criteria.

As you can tell, the first book I chose was Emma By Jane Austen. I'm on page 95 at the moment, and it's good. So far it's a lot easier to read than David Copperfield was. I'm not sure whether it's less intimidating, with it being 379 pages versus 800, or whether it's actually easier, but so far I like it. It also doesn't hurt that I have to have my speech done and prepared by October 11th.

I don't know which classics I'll read after Emma, but Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, Pride and Predjudice and others look interesting.

Hope you're reading a good book too!
Kaminsky

Hurt Go Happy

Hello -

I finished an incredibly good book last night called Hurt Go Happy By Ginny Rorby.

It's the amazing story of a deaf girl who gets attached to an old man and his ape (not monkey) Sukari. The story progresses as Joey (the girl) and Sukari create an understanding and talk to each other through sign language. This book has so much depth and I cried twice while reading it.

FYI - Towards the end of the book when they go to pick up Sukari, it's extremely sad and kind of disturbing.

It's a great book, and everyone should read it!!!!

Kaminsky

Books of Summer

Wow.

I can't believe that summer's almost over. I'm not exactly looking forward to school starting back up in about 10 days. AGH!

Summer has been fun. Along with doing fun activities, I also read a lot this summer. So far, I think my total is 69 books that I have read through out this summer. I know I have a list of all 69 books, but I don't think I'm going to post that.

I am attaching a picture of a book that I just finished reading. It's called Bringing Up the Bones, and it was really good.

So, yay. I hope people read some good books this summer!
Kaminsky

My new book passion - Historical Fiction

Hey!
Yeah, as you can tell from my headline, I've been reading historical fiction lately.
The cool thing about historical fiction is that it feels like a story, like any other book you read, but it throws in some facts without you realizing it, and it is based on real people.
I recently read The Queen's Fool By Philippa Gregory, which was good. (Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Set in the early 1550s. From the point of view of Hannah, the royal fool.)
Now I'm reading The Dragon Queen By Alice Borchardt. (Guinevere and her life. Has magic in it, so it's not really historical fiction...it's like historical fiction/fantasy, but whatever.)
I also have
- The Constant Princess By Philippa Gregory
- A Countess Below Stairs By Eva Ibbotson
AND
- A Song For Summer By Eva Ibbotson

The Constant Princess is about Katherine of Aragon (King Henry VIII's first wife.)
The other 2 aren't based on real people, but A Song for Summer is set during World War II, and A Countess Below Stairs is set right after the Russian Revolution. I don't know the actual dates, but World War II was in the 1940's...right? I think the Russian Revolution one was before World War I?? (I'm flipping through the book to find dates, which I'm not finding, but the prologue says "...that was St. Petersburg before the First World War..."

I think a lot of people would actual enjoy Historical Fiction if they gave it a chance. So, give it a chance!!! Just read one or two and then decide whether you like it or not.

Thanks for listening!
Kaminsky

P.S. -
I also have the following from the library. Does anyone have any opinions of any of them?
- The Changeover By Margaret Mahy
- Paladin of Souls By Lois McMaster Bujold
- A Bad Boy Can Be Good For a Girl By Tanya Lee Stone
- The Firebrand By Marion Zimmer Bradley
- The Moon Riders By Theresa Timlinson
- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld By Patricia A. McKillip
- Sold By Patricia McCormick
- Dead Connection By Charlie Price

Also - If anyone wants to know if I've already a read a book and what I think about it, or if you want to recomend a book, just leave me a comment!!

Kaminsky

More Books...

Hi!
I have a lot of books from the library right now, so I've been working on all of those books.
A friend recommended The Clan of the Cave Bear, so that's what I'm reading right now.
I'm only about 100 pages into, and so far it's good. It's also very interesting.
What have you guys been reading? Feel free to leave me a comment!
Have a great day!
Kaminsky

I'm Done

Hey -
I'm Done -
WOW, it feels so weird to say that.
I'm Done - I've finished it.
I HAVE NOW FINISHED DAVID COPPERFIELD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow - I can't believe that I did it - I finished it.
It's a great story - and it's a really long book, and I finished it!!!
I finished it today - about 5 minutes ago....
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel accomplished...or something like that!!!
Go read some good books!!
Kaminsky