Exquisite Captive

This week I read Exquisite Captive, by Heather Demetrios. This book was great. It was about a genie named Nalia, who is a slave on the dark caravan. This book is actually very well written, despite the trashy title and slightly silly sounding storyline. Nalia is a princess from the warring Ardjinnan world, and she is trying to escape to free her brother from a work camp there. She must escape the Djinn hunting her as well as escape from her master. This book is very good, and it is pretty mature, but not as trashy as it sounds. It is the first of a trilogy; the other two books are yet to come out.

The Call of Cthulu and Other Strange Stories Pt 1 (sol 3/31)

This week I read part of The Call of Cthulu and Other Strange Stories By HP Lovecraft. This book is a collection of short stories about the strange interesting and fictional discoveries made in the late 1800s and early twentieth century. It could be considered the original steampunk. This book is pretty interesting. There is a lot of depth to this book, and the stories feel like one really crazy dream. The writing is pretty high level, but it is really interesting and well written. I would suggest this book for anyone in our class.

TBR:
-Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
-Forgive me Leonard Peacock
-Golden Boy

Going Bovine

Over break I read Going Bovine, By Libba Bray.

Going Bovine is about a boy named Cameron who begins to have hallucinations and is diagnosed with mad cow disease. He is put in the hospital and goes on an adventure with a dwarf, a garden gnome (who is really a norse god) and a punk rock angel named Dulcey. This book is crazy. It is somewhat adult, awkward, and definitely very entertaining. Libba Bray's world building skills are certainly put to use here, and she does a great job with this book.

My favorite book is Grasshopper Jungle, By Andrew Smith.

The Mark Of the Golden Dragon

The Mark of the Golden Dragon is the ninth book in the Bloody Jack Series. This book is fabulous. In it, Jacky find herself once again reunited with Jamie, but to her disappointment, she and Ravi are both swept overboard by a Typhoon. This leaves Jacky stranded in the wilds of Burma, and all of her friends think her dead. This book should be considered for it's entertainment value if not for the quality of the writing, as it is a very fun book to read. The adventures that are enjoyed by Jacky are very entertaining and enjoyable.

The Color Purple

This book is amazing. It is intense, dark, and beautiful. The Color Purple, By Alice Walker, is about a woman named Celie, who writes a series of letters to God and then to her sister Nettie. This book begins by outlining Celie's rough past, and it is very abrupt and pretty mature. This book then goes to Celie getting married and meeting Shug Avery, her mentor and friend. This book is a reflection on who a woman is, and what makes love love. It is a book that requires a lot of thinking, and would be a good follow up book to Kindred. Although it may seem very scary and unreadable to people in our class, it is very worthwhile and super interesting and involved. I highly suggest it to anyone who wants to read a challenging book both literarily and mentally.

Mississippi Jack

This week I read Mississippi Jack, by LA Meyer. This is another book in The Jacky Faber series. In this book, Jacky, pursued by the British government, goes into hiding in the west, and seeks a temporary home on the Mississippi river. She is still trying to find a way to get together with Jamie, and the closer they get to each other, the farther apart they grow. This book is so much fun to read. I recommend it to anyone in our class, and this book series is definitely worth the read It is a little mature, but not enough to scare anyone away.

Grasshopper Jungle

This week I read Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith. I love this book. It is hilarious, well written and interesting. The story, while seemingly very straightforward, has a lot more depth and meaning than may be apparent in the front flap of the book. This book is about a boy named Austin Szerba, a polish boy who lives in a rural Iowa town called Ealing. One day, Austin and his best friend Robby Brees accidentally unleash an army of giant, bulletproof grasshoppers, who only want to do two things. These grasshoppers are bent on destroying the world. While the number of grasshoppers increases, Austin must struggle through his emotional and hormonal needs and confusions. This book is amazing. It is well written, and had me sitting on the couch, holding a book, and laughing my butt off. It is pretty mature, if you didn't get the clue from "hormonal needs", and may make some people uncomfortable. There is much smoking, some drinking, lots of cursing, and much sexual thought. These are part of what makes the book so hilarious and quirky. This book is a very worthwhile one to read, and is one of my favorites. Please read it.