Thursday, August 30, 2007

Week Thirty Five, Book Forty Seven

by Ian McEwan


Review:
Yes, another Ian McEwan book I have read. Why? I cannot put into words how awesome of a writer I truly believe he is and will continue to be. I am falling more and more in love with his poetics every time I pick up his books. It is funny, I am actually in the middle of a mystery, that I am struggling to finish and I knew that I would not have a book read for this week, so I picked up The Comfort of Strangers on a whim. Needless to say, I read it in two days and probably could have read it in one evening. The setting is Europe and all clues point to Venice, but never confirmed to you the reader. Mary and Colin are on holiday away from her kids and a pretty bland life in the states. While out on the town, the two run into a local man who befriends them and becomes the "stranger" in this gothic tale. You cannot imagine what happens next. I think I can safely say that McEwan is becoming my favorite author of all time. Wow, please forgive me Mr. Vonnegut and Mr. Twain. Below is an interview with McEwan about his childhood that I found fascinating, he also briefly talks about On Chesil Beach and the movie version of Atonement. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Matt Ruff

by Matt Ruff
(Hardcover - Jul 24, 2007)

* Check out this author site and click on his older titles below to read a little about each book. http://home.att.net/~storytellers/index.html



books:

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize

(Paperback - Aug 21, 2007)

*Finally in paperback! This is a National Book Award Finalist and on more than 25 Best Books of the Year Lists.

"You ought to see the Cowboys out here."

by Jack Kerouac, Howard Cunnell, Joshua Kupetz, and George Mouratidis
(Hardcover - Aug 16, 2007)


*These two books were just released and I am very excited to retrace Kerouac's road.


by Jack Kerouac
(Hardcover - Aug 16, 2007)

The Believer Rocks!

* I know that it is August, but I have been reading/listening to this issue of The Believer for the past few months and had to share it with my music friends. If you can get this back issue, it is worth it, the CD is fun and the articles are heavy.
Check out the website for details: http://www.believermag.com/

Issue: JUNE/JULY 2007
The cover depicts the band Lightning Bolt (featured on the 2007 Music Issue CD) performing for an appreciative crowd. Cover illustration: Charles Burns! VOL. 5, NO. 5

Spin Magazine

*I love this magazine and the website (http://www.spin.com/) is actually pretty good. Check out this months cover story with Rilo Kiley. There is a fun blog and book club feature. Rock on!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Dragon Lady or Snow Queen?

by Lauren Weisberger


* A ton of my girls book chat this title, so I decided I better know what they are talking about this Fall. No, I did not read this book, but as I was spending my afternoon procrastinating going to the gym, I watched the movie. I have been on the computer since I awoke and have only taken a time out to eat, update my Zune, so my back is in a knot. So, right after this post, I am hitting the gym in hopes to listen to some inspiring music and prepare for an evening out in the city. If you are looking for a complete "Chick Flick" or want to read some "Chick Lit" with sass, then pick up a copy of the book or the movie with Meryl Streep. And "yes", the devil really does wear Prada!

Monday, August 27, 2007

Do I know Thomas Pynchon?

* How embarrassed am I? It is hard to admit this, but I have never read a single word by Pynchon. For some strange reason, his name has been recently dropped in many reviews. There even was a reference to him last night at the event I went to, so I started to really think about him and did a little research. Here are some sites to check out and if you have read anything by him, please feel free to recommend a title to start with. The photo on the right is from an episode of The Simpson's. Did you know that Pynchon photos are hard to come by? (he is referred to as a recluse) I find this really weird, since most people do not recognize authors on the street.

sites:

Sunday, August 26, 2007

A Benefit For 826 NYC

* Tonight I went to REVENGE OF THE BOOK EATERS and was pleasantly suprised at the format. I figured having not gone to last years event, that it would be way too liberal minded for me and I would leave annoyed, but this didn't happen at all. There was not one anti-war or Bush joke to be had. I loved most of the bands that played and the host Demetri Martin was very humorous. Writer Sarah Vowell sounds like she is ten and is quite funny to watch bouncing around on stage. Comedians Eugene Mirman (very annoying saw him at a small venue once) and Leo Allen didn't do it for me at all tonight. I felt like if they eliminated their skit, the show would have been perfect. A highlight was Feist reading 2 short stories from a few students that attended a 826 NYC workshop.

Here is the order of my favorite to least favorite performers of the night:

1. Britt Daniel (pictured on the right)- Have never seen him before and am looking forward to Spoon's gig during CMJ.

2. Jim James- Have heard his band before, but wasn't too into them as an opener in such a large arena. He sounded better alone and in a smaller venue.

3. Grizzly Bear- Never saw them and loved them!

4. Feist- Saw her with Broken Social Scene, but do not remember her at all.

5. Kevin Drew- Saw him with Broken Social Scene and did not like them at all, they opened for the Pixies, one of my favorite bands of all time.

6. A.C. Newman- Saw him with The New Pornographers at Central Park SummerStage and was not impressed then or now. Funny, I saw Neko Case alone and loved her, oh well!

Coming Soon!

by Autumn de Wilde, Beck Hansen, and Chris Walla
(Hardcover - Oct 25, 2007)


Book Description
Elliott Smith's intensely intimate music and open-hearted, Beatlesque pop songs have left a deep mark on a generation of fans and musicians in the wake of his tragic death in 2003. In Autumn de Wilde's remarkable photographs and conversations with close friends, family, and musicians he inspired, this is the first and only portrait of the beloved and troubled singer/songwriter by those who knew him well. Complementing de Wilde's riveting, personal images are ephemera, handwritten lyrics, and revealing talks with Smith's inner circle, many speaking here for the first time. Also included are a foreword by Beck Hansen and Chris Walla, and a live CD of unreleased solo acoustic performances.
taken from: http://www.amazon.com


Musical Notes


* Here are a few behind the music books to check out.
by Eric Clapton

by Jim Henke






Malcolm Lowry

by Malcolm Lowry and Michael Hofmann


Author Background:
English novelist, short story writer, and poet, who is best known for his book UNDER THE VOLCANO (1947), a 20th century classic. An alcoholic, Lowry spent his post-Volcano years drinking and planning a cycle of novels built around his masterwork. He lived from 1940 to 1954 in a primitive cabin in Dollarton, British Columbia, and then in Italy and England until his death.


Moleskine

* I have a love/hate affair with my Moleskine. See for yourself how the little black book has expanded into a city guide.

click here for the official page: http://www.moleskine.it/eng/default.htm

Saturday, August 25, 2007

the Paris Review

* I really like this site and thought that I would share.

the Paris Review

Founded in Paris by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton in 1953, the Paris Review began with a simple editorial mission: "Dear reader," William Styron wrote in a letter in the inaugural issue, "the Paris Review hopes to emphasize creative work—fiction and poetry—not to the exclusion of criticism, but with the aim in mind of merely removing criticism from the dominating place it holds in most literary magazines and putting it pretty much where it belongs, i.e., somewhere near the back of the book.

Comic Books, Graphic Novels, and Cartoon Art

* If you love the comic genre, then check out this blog and what Brooklyn's Rocketship has to offer. http://rocketshipstore.blogspot.com/

Philip K. Dick

The most outre science fiction writer of the 20th century= Philip K. Dick
click here and visit the official site: http://www.philipkdick.com/

The Science of ... .

* I was never really a science person per say, regardless here are some titles for the science fan in all of us.
The Science of:
  1. The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy by Sasha Issenberg

  2. The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier

  3. The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language by Christine Kenneally

  4. The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics by David Toomey

  5. How I Write: The Secret Lives of Authors by Dan Crowe and Philip Oltermann

  6. Beneath the Neon: Life and Death in the Tunnels of Las Vegas by Matthew O'Brien and Danny Mollohan

  7. Soon I Will Be Invincible: A Novel by Austin Grossman

Brian K. Vaughan

*Graphic novelist Brian K. Vaughan has written some of my favorite comics and I just have to share him with you. Here is a freaky site about him and a list of his books, as well as an interview from Bookslut. Enjoy!


Brian's site:BKV.TV: the official station of writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN
books: Books by Brian K Vaughan
interview: Bookslut An Interview with Brian K. Vaughan

Playlist

*Below are some playful books to end the summer fun. Enjoy!
  1. 5 People Who Died During Sex: and 100 Other Terribly Tasteless Lists by Karl Shaw

  2. Baking Illustrated: A Best Recipe Classic (The Best Recipe Series) by Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine

  3. Encyclopedia Prehistorica Mega-Beasts (Sabuda Encyclopedias) by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart

  4. Top Secret Tourism: Your Travel Guide to Germ Warfare Laboratories, Clandestine Aircraft Bases and Other Places in the United States You're Not Supposed to Know About by Harry Helms

  5. Paper Pilot: The Paper Airplane Pilot's Manual by Benjamin Staff Sgt Haynes and Andy Spade

Friday, August 24, 2007

Week Thirty Four, Book Forty Six

by Karen Hesse
Review:
This book is written in free verse and intended for kids in about fifth grade and up. I loved this format, which enabled me to finish this book in two sittings. Even though it was a fairly quick read, the novel has great depth and a strong sense of time and place. Its setting is Oklahoma during the thirties with entries dated from the winter of 1934 through the winter of 1935. It is a tragic tale about a young girl whose mother dies after an accident with burning kerosene and she blames herself and her father for her mother's death. Billie Jo is a talented pianist, but is reluctant to play after burns scar her hands. She leaves home, but soon learns how much "dust" is a part of her. I really want to use some of the excerpts from this story with my students during our short story unit. This year we will be reading Of Mice and Men and I think this story ties in nicely with the era. Hesse is amazingly poetic, so I highly recommend this to readers of all ages.



teacher websites:
www.carolhurst.com/titles/outofthedust.html
http://eduscapes.com/newbery/98a.html

The World Without Us

In The World Without Us, Alan Weisman offers an utterly original approach to questions of humanity's impact on the planet: he asks us to envision our Earth, without us.
Here is a link to the website with a powerful introduction and very cool multimedia section. http://www.worldwithoutus.com/

If you like what you see, you can catch up with the author in NYC at the event listed below.

September 5th
Nature Conservancy of New York
New York City Audubon, and the Writers Voice
Helen Mills Theater
135-139 West 26th Street
Between 6th and 7th Avenue

Edmund White

Check out this upcoming reading:
who:
Edmund White
Hotel de Dream
Tuesday, October 2
7:00 pm
*Events are first come first served, please arrive early.

where:
Three Lives & Co.
154 West 10th Street
New York, NY
10014 212-741-2069

What is this place?
One of the greatest bookstores on the face of the Earth. Every single person who works there is incredibly knowledgeable and well read and full of soul. You can walk in and ask anybody, really, what they've read lately and they'll tell you something - very likely something you've never heard of. [But] it's always going to be something interesting and fabulous. I go there when I'm feeling depressed and discouraged, and I always feel rejuvenated.
- Michael Cunningham,winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

Paperback Release

Marisha Pessl
Publisher Comments:
This mesmerizing debut, uncannily uniting the trials of a postmodern upbringing with a murder mystery, heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in literary fiction.
taken from: www.powells.com

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Fall Movie Preview

* Here are some great books made into movies that are coming out this Fall. There are more on the list, but I thought these were the ones worth mentioning.

September:
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer

November:
Love In the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Beowulf

December:
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Atonement by Ian McEwan

Dear Diary

* Why should Tommy Lee get all the press? Here is another Crue member cashing in on a drugged-out life. Gotta love "The Crue"! Good news is that a portion of the proceeds from Sixx's journals will go to the Covenant House (http://www.covenanthouse.org/) , helping misguided youth. The release date for this tome is Sept. 18th.

Nikki Sixx
Synopsis:
In one of the most unique memoirs of addiction ever published, Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx shares mesmerizing diary entries from the year he spiraled out of control in a haze of heroin and cocaine, presented alongside riveting commentary from people who were there at the time, and from Nikki himself. taken from: http://www.powells.com/



Death To "Chick Lit"

* I cannot tell you honestly the last time I read a "chick lit" book, so when I stumbled upon this title I laughed out loud riotously. How funny is this title?
Lynn Harris
Synopsis:
Someone is killing off the competition in the world of chick lit, and would-be author Lola wants to find the killer--and hopefully a book deal will follow. But as Lola digs deeper, the stakes get higher in Harriss hilarious look at the cut-throat world of publishing. taken from:www.powells.com



Is This Book Worth Getting?

*I just read an article in New York magazine ( http://nymag.com/) with this title and I thought it was a perfect heading for my "check this out" list I keep running in my moleskine. So here are a few titles that I wonder about. If you have read any and want to give an opinion that would be great. Thanks. Enjoy!

My Top Five: Is This Book Worth Getting?

  1. The Septembers of Shiraz Dalia Sofer = Set in the early, dark days of the Islamic revolution, Sofer's The Septembers of Shiraz vividly depicts not only the undoing of a family, but also that of an entire country.


  2. Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean Douglas Wolk = Suddenly, comics are everywhere: a newly matured art form, filling bookshelves with brilliant, innovative work and shaping the ideas and images of the rest of contemporary culture. In Reading Comics, critic Douglas Wolk shows us why this is and how it came to be.


  3. The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey through Madness Elyn R. Saks = In The Center Cannot Hold, Elyn Saks discusses frankly and movingly the paranoia, the inability to tell imaginary fears from real ones, and the voices in her head insisting she do terrible things, as well as the many obstacles she overcame to become the woman she is today. It is destined to become a classic in the genre.


  4. Revenge of the Donut Boys: True Stories of Lust, Fame, Survival and Multiple Personality Mike Sager = Mike Sager has turned tabloid news into magazine pieces that were some of the most admired journalism in two decades. From his landmark story "The Devil and Miss Jones" to his Rick James piece, this new collection focuses on the dark side of American life, including an intimate glimpse of Roseanne Barr’s multiple personality disorder and hanging out on the road with death metal gods. Sager is the anthropologist of places we can only imagine and would rather not visit.


  5. Crooked Little Vein: A Novel Warren Ellis = A burned-out private detective is enlisted by an army of presidential goons to retrieve the U.S. Constitution...the real one. Following in the steps of Neil Gaiman, Crooked Little Vein is packed with action, adventure, and a wild cast of characters that are sure to appease not only hardcore comic fans, but a whole new slew of mystery readers waiting for a surprisingly surreal treat that infuses the madness of the graphic novel world.

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Words or Music—Which is better?

On August 26th 826NYC and The Bowery Presents will present REVENGE OF THE BOOK EATERS, a one-night-only event that brings together some of our most celebrated comedians, writers, and indie-rock songwriters for a rare evening of intimate performances, including FEIST, A.C. NEWMAN (of The New Pornographers), JIM JAMES (of My Morning Jacket), GRIZZLY BEAR, BRITT DANIEL (of Spoon), SARAH VOWELL (best-selling author and This American Life contributor), and DEMETRI MARTIN (Daily Show regular, comedy superstar).

*I really had absolutely zero desire to go to this, but after hearing that Britt Daniel of Spoon was joining in on the celebration, I was sold. The event is for a good cause and I missed last year, so I figure why not try it out.

for more information: http://www.826nyc.org/

Week Thirty Three, Book Forty Five

by Ian McEwan
Review:
Warning- This is going to be a completely biased review and I cannot help it one bit. If you do not finish this book in two days or less there is somthing terribly wrong with you. Just joking... I love this author and have only read three of his books, but certainly plan on reading more. The story starts out simple, like most of his do, but then when you think you have figured it out, BAM! you get sucker punched. I did not see the last half of the book happening at all. I love the language, the literary references and the dialogue that McEwan runs me ragged through when I pick up his work. I saw him at the 92nd Street Y (92nd Street Y - New York, NY - Homepage) a few months ago actually read a few pages from this book and he was not only hysterical, but very captivating as a speaker. If you haven't read anything by this author, you are doing yourself a disservice. I hold by my theory on him, he will be one of the most acclaimed writers of our time and funny enough the inside jacket states this as well. Bravo Ian, Bravo!

Short Story, Zadie Smith

* In the next few weeks I will be reading a ton of short stories to prepare for the first few weeks of school, so I will be writing about the selections for my 8th graders and just some that I come across for adult readers too. This is an adult short story by an author that I find very humorous and dark. I read this story out loud last night, during traffic on the way to the Jets vs. Vikings pre season game and could not help but hear Ian McEwan's influence of dialogue and name dropping. Both authors reference great works of literature in their writing almost offering an inside joke to only the "well read". I disliked this story, but appreciated the style. If you want a copy just click on the link below and the whole story is available from The New Yorker, May 14, 2007 issue.
Hanwell Senior
by Zadie Smith
Short story about a character named Hanwell, his father Hanwell Snr, and the father’s rare appearances in the son’s life. Hanwell Snr’s “feckless and slapdash” ways made him “worse … than a cruel man.” He came to Hanwell like a comet, at long intervals. When Hanwell was six, in the late…

Westminister Bookstore

* A few months ago I came across an article from Westminister Bookstore Reviews (Westminster Bookstore Blog) that I have been wanting to eventually share. If you are comfortable making comments in a public forum, I would love to hear about one book that has influenced you most. Some of you in the past have emailed me your comments directly to my personal email, if you prefer that avenue, that is fine and I will post your comment for you. Thanks.

The book that influenced me most is:
by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Graphic Literature: Ten To Read


  1. King City Volume 1 (King City) by Brandon Scott Graham


  2. tactics Volume 1 (Tactics) by Kazuko Higashiyama and Sakura Kinoshita


  3. The Salon by Nick Bertozzi


  4. James Sturm's America: God, Gold, and Golems by James Sturm


  5. Nightmares & Fairytales Volume 3: 1140 Rue Royale (Nightmares & Fairy Tales) (Nightmares & Fairy Tales) by Serena Valentino and Crab Scrambly


  6. AYA by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie


  7. YUKIKO'S SPINACH by Frederic Boilet


  8. Little Night by Yuyi Morales


  9. Monologues for the Coming Plague by Anders Nilsen


  10. Castaways by Rob Vollmar and Pablo Callejo
Ten Random Books To Check Out:
  1. Interventions (City Lights Open Media) by Noam Chomsky

  2. Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Hanson

  3. The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics) by Eric Hoffer

  4. 21 Pounds in 21 Days: The Martha's Vineyard Diet Detox by Roni Deluz and James Hester

  5. The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey

  6. The Opposite House: A Novel by Helen Oyeyemi

  7. Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron

  8. Vintage Murakami by Haruki Murakami

  9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel by Lisa See

  10. Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan

Week Thirty Two, Book Forty Four

by Nicole Krauss
Excerpt:
While they treated him in the emergency room in Las Vegas for whatever he was suffering, one of the police officers put in a call for a search on Samson Greene, d.o.b. 1/29/64. When it was discovered that Samson Greene had been missing for eight days, last seen walking out of the gates of Columbia University and down Broadway into the clear afternoon, things began to get interesting. Someone in the Twenty-fourth Precinct in Manhattan was able to connect the police officer to the social services agency where Samson's wife worked, and after speaking to three people he was finally put through to her. Hello? she said quietly into the phone, already informed of who was on the other end. Is he alive?



Review:
Samson Greene, a young and popular professor at Columbia, is found wandering in the Nevada desert. When his wife, Anna, comes to bring him home, she finds a man who remembers nothing, not even his own name. The removal of a small brain tumor saves his life, but his memories beyond the age of twelve are permanently lost. The story starts off with a lot of questions unanswered and by the end of the novel I felt like I needed more information. I was not satisfied with the second half of the book and would recommend this book as a "two read"at the least. After thinking about the beginning of the book, I feel like I need to reread in order to piece together some details. I love the language and the author is one of my new favorites, but this particular story starts strong, and ends weak. If you haven't read anything by Krauss, I suggest you start with her more popular novel The History of Love: A Novel.



About the Author
Nicole Krauss was born in New York in 1974 and lives in Brooklyn. She has published in Esquire, the Paris Review, and Best American Short Stories. Called "one of the most impressive debuts of 2002" by Esquire, Man Walks Into a Room was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award.

CHARLES SIMIC

CHARLES SIMIC RECEIVES
THE WALLACE STEVENS AWARD
The Academy of American Poets will feature Mr. Simic in a free public reading in New York City's Bryant Park on August 21. He will also participate in the Academy's inaugural Poets Forum in October. For more information, please visit www.poets.org/poetsforum.


* I was so excited to hear that he will be receiving this award. Below is a poem by Simic that I have used in my classroom for a poetry unit. Enjoy!
Watermelons
Green Buddhas
On the fruit stand.
We eat the smile
And spit out the teeth.


Sunday, August 12, 2007

Mall Punk and Indie Rock


To all my music loving friends:
I have found two books worth checking out. Rock on!

Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture
by Trevor Kelley and Leslie Simon

by John Sellers






The Outsider Artist's Fake Records

The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar

Between 1968 and 1977 Mingering Mike recorded over fifty albums, managed thirty-five of his own record labels, and produced, directed and starred in nine of his own motion pictures. In 1972 alone he released fifteen LPs and over twenty singles, and his traveling revue played for sold out crowds the world over.How is it that such a prolific musician has gone under the radar for the more than thirty years? The answer is that all took place in Mike's imagination, and in the vast collection of fake cardboard records and acapella home recordings that he made for himself as a teenager in Washington, D.C. in the late 1960s. taken from: http://www.mingeringmike.com/

Kristine Mann Library

*I have been carrying around this paper bookmark for a few months and decided it was about time I posted the information. For all you analytical psychology buffs out there, take a gander at this website. http://www.junglibrary.org/

Focused on the work of Carl Gustav Jung, the Kristine Mann Library is well known as an important and accessible resource for Jungian studies.

The Library, established in the 1940's by the Analytical Psychology Club of New York, collects and catalogs books, papers, journals, audiovisuals and other materials by and about C.G. Jung and others in the field of Jungian psychology.

The KML collection also includes materials in related areas of study, such as Eastern and Western religions, alchemy, mythology, symbolism, the arts, anthropology, psychoanalysis and general psychology.

A Good Dog

For Kris and Michael:

by Jon Katz

* This book was finally released in paperback! Kris, I couldn't resist, doesn't the dog on the cover look like Sly? I do know he is a border collie named Orson and with that said you have to give this one a read.

Seven London Literary Couples

Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary
Circles 1910-1939
by Katie Roiphe


* This work of Non-Fiction is a look at the unconventional unions of seven London literary couples in the early 1900's. Sounds like a steamy beach read to me. Sizzle!

The Emperor's Children

The Emperor's Children
Check out the website link below,
then click on the Listen icon to hear the review:
*I really want to add this to my list. Recently I have read a few reviews and they have all been favorable. You will really enjoy this audio from NPR, so try it out.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Week Thirty One, Book Forty Three

by David Klass


From Publishers Weekly
The 14-year-old narrator describes the physical and emotional abuse he experiences from his mother's boyfriend in this "well-conceived novel," said PW. "The hero's underlying sense of isolation and thread of hope will strike a chord with nearly every adolescent." Ages 13-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review:
This book was one of the many I had to read this Summer and evaluate for a possible Literature Circle unit this Fall. The size of this young adult novel is overwhelming, it's no Harry Potter, but it is longer than most I have read lately. The story is perfect! I love the voice that Klass has given the narrator and the stream of consciousness is at times hysterical and other times sad. John looks at the world around him and believes everything is make believe except for his life of hell that exists at home. John has friends, but he is essentially alone in the world and no one seems to notice or care. The ending is not at all predictable, but very satisfying to say the least. I think that middle school students should read this book for language alone and highly recommend it to sophisticated readers only.


click here: You Don't Know Me - Google Books Result
This site is crazy! Did you know you can read a whole book online. I personally love to touch and smell the book, I hope you do too.