Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading BCPL SRC discussion
2015 Summer Reading
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2015 Every Hero Has a Story
The Giver by Lois LowryJonas lives in a community. There is no war, hunger, or pain. There are no decisions. Everyone is assigned a position in the community when they are twelve. When he turns twelve, Jonas is selected to receive special training from a mysterious man known as the Giver. Then, Jonas learns the truth about his community.
The Giver is the prequel to Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. It is also full of suspense. If you read the first line, it will be very difficult to put down the book. It is a very exciting story, especially at the end. I rate it 4.5 out of 4 stars.
This final book in the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker was even better than the first two. I won't spoil the ending; you'll have to read it to learn if Thomas Hunter is able to keep the Raison Strain virus from killing off all of mankind. This novel did weave a love story into the midst of the packed action, which was a nice reprieve.
All Fall Down by Ally CarterI just stayed up til 3:30 a.m. To finish this book. It's that good that i couldn't put it down. This is the first book i this summer and it did not disappoint. I couldn't expect less from one of my all time favorite authors.
The book follows in the perspective of a girl named Grace. Her father is in the military so her and her family have always had to move frequently. She spends her summers at her grandfather's, the US ambassador, embassy in Adria. She moves to stay at his embassy 3 years after the death of her mother and one thing she's certain of is that her death was no accident, it was murder and she's convinced to find the man that killed her and make him pay. She makes friends and together they are going to upturn the secrets shrowded in embassy row.
The first person perspective of the protagonist is a common thing in Carter's books. What surprised me is that the protagonist, Grace, isn't as heroic and put together as the heroines in Carter's other works. She's strong at the same time weak, fragile barely hidden behind a tough barely put together front. It was a new type of protagonist in her work that I'm not used to but soon came to appreciate. And realize that her strength was in overcoming her weakness. Not letting herself to be molded in the way others wanted her to be, standing up for her beliefs even when time and time again people say she's wrong. The plot kept on taking unexpected turns that kept me on the edge. I thought i knew what was going to heppen next, i could almost be sure of it but then it takes a sudden turn. And the ending will leave you in awe. Great book to start my summer reading off!
5/5 stars
I know, right?!? I was so surprised he was into it at all. We're on the fourth book now. He loves Emily and Miskit :)
Zachary wrote: "To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeScout Finch is a girl who is growing up in Alabama during the 1930s. She has a brother named Jem who is four years older than her. Her father, Atticus, is a lawyer..."
Zachary -
This is one of my all time favorite novels. One of the themes that always struck me, in addition to the obvious ones about racism and deep seated bigotry against people unlike oneself, is the value of living with and maintaining one's moral and ethical principles despite popular opinion to the contrary. It is so important to evaluate ideas for yourself and not be a slave to ideas that are hateful and hurtful to others. Shakespeare advised "To thine own self be true" and Atticus Finch did just that. Did you know that when the American Film Institute surveyed the general public, asking people to name their most memorable movie hero, Atticus Finch was named number one!
Zachary wrote: "Lord of the Flies by William GoldingWorld War III has started. A plane crashes. A group of schoolboys who were escaping nuclear war are stranded on an uncharted island without any adults. At first, life without adults seems like paradise. However, that freedom comes with a price. Soon, the boys know what that price is.
If you are a big fan of adventure stories, then this book is for you. It also presents a realistic view of what could happen to children if they are without adult supervision for an extending period of time. If you ever wonder what would happen in that situation, you should read this book. I give it 3.75 out of 5 stars."
Zachary,
You are reading some wonderful books, a lot of favorites that I reread every so often because I enjoy them so much! On the surface, the story is as you described, with the schoolboys finding themselves deserted and having to fend for themselves. If you think about societies in general, you may recognize that the boys in leadership roles and the boys who are followers and rebels all fall into classes of people that you can recognize throughout history - some are bullies, some are thoughtful, some genuinely want to benefit their society and some are purely selfish. I think that Golding was trying to point out that war is just a "grownup" version of the schoolyard and was trying to caution his readers to be vigilant and try to work toward peaceful resolutions to our differences.
If you are interested in exploring literature with societies which offer a different view of history and society as we know it (dystopian and alternative), may I suggest that you check out 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - and maybe also It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. These books were written during the early part of the 20th century and portray some futurist views and ideas of intellectuals of the day. Their thoughts will really make you think.....
Keep reading!
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That HappenedSome parts were better than others, but this book had me laughing out loud. I loved the sections involving helper dog and stories from childhood, like "The God of Cake" and "The Hot Sauce Debacle." I think my favorite sections were "The Parrot" and "Dinosaur (The Goose Story)." The sections on identity and depression were funny and helpful at the same time.
4.5 out of 5 stars.
Where the Moon Isn't by Nathan FilerJust as info, this novel was first published in the UK under the title The Shock of the Fall. I really enjoyed it, and I liked the author's writing style. He has worked in psychiatry and the mental health field, and that's why everything in this book, including the characters, seemed so authentic. This story is narrated by Matthew, a young man suffering with schizophrenia. I think it would be a good read for anyone with mental health issues or for anyone who is taking care of someone with mental health issues.
United We Spy By Ally CarterThis is the final installment in the great, and one of my favorite, book series, Gallagher Girls.
The book continues on the series with Cammie, her friends, and her boyfriend Zach having to track down the leaders of the Circle of Cavan and stop them before they can implement their master plan that will change Cammie and the world forever.
Cammie is one of my favorite female characters/heroines. She has so many relatable teenage girl characteristics yet at the same time she has aspects that inspire us to be great. Carter took unexpected directions in the book making many events in it unpredictable. I just knew that she would do the ending justice instead of taking the easy way out to end this series, something that has happened to some great stories i know and often disappoints. That is why i give the book:
5/5 stars
The Violinist's Thumb by Sam KeanDNA is responsible for making us who we are. Every one of us has enough of it to stretch to Pluto and back. Now, scientists are trying to decode that DNA. As they have been decoding it, they have found answers to many historical mysteries. However, there are many other mysteries that still need to be uncovered. I would give it 5 stars.
If you like science and/or mysteries, than I highly recommend this book. It is a great combination of both science and mysteries. Those who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) should read this book. Since we still know very little about genetics, it will spark a lot of curiosity.
Travels in SiberiaThe author traveled to Siberia with some Russian friends, fell in love with the area and developed quite an obsession with it, to the benefit of the readers of this book. The book includes a history of Siberia, almost from the dawn of civilization to the present, interwoven with accounts of his various travels across this land. I listened to this as a book on CD, read by the author, which only added to the experience. The book is heartbreaking, droll, funny, thought-provoking and sometimes scary. If finished it wanting to visit Siberia myself and then I realized... I already had.
In the Woods This is the first in a series of excellent psychological murder mysteries by Tana French. I recommend reading them in order, as a supporting character in one book becomes the lead in the next. In this book, Rob is a policeman. When he was a child, his best friends disappeared one day while playing in the woods. Rob was found terrified and has never been able to remember what happened. Many years later, another body is found in the woods, and there are items nearby which indicate it may be related to the earlier incident. Rob should recuse himself from the investigation, but doesn't, putting his career, as well as partner Cassie's, and really the case itself, at great risk. As the book goes on he has to work harder and harder to justify his actions. His partner Cassie is the main character of book 2 in the series. In the Wood will be my next book club pick, unless someone beats me to it!
Can You Keep a Secret?by Sophie KinsellaI can't believe I liked this book! It was given to me, and one day when I had nothing else to read, I reluctantly picked it up. And guess what... it was fun! And guess what else... it had depth! I would NEVER describe myself as a chick lit girl but I really enjoyed this book, and I'm going to read another by the same author. Go ahead, give it a try!!
Sara BlaedelI've been on a Sara Blaedel kick; she's a Danish crime fiction writer. Louise Rick is the star of these police procedurals. Rick is a 30ish single detective living in Copenhagen and is busy solving murders. The writing is ok (now that could be the fault of the translations) but the plots are good and the stories move right along along. Blaedel been called the most popular author in Denmark; my guess is that means she's a James Patterson/Jodi Picoult/John Grisham.
Just read The Pieces We Keep by Kristina McMorris. The main characters are Audra and her 7 year-old son Jack. This book involves time travel from 2012 back to 1939 London. Audra is a widow and Jack struggles with night terrors after an airplane ride. Jack meets a soldier and there seem to be some similarities to World War II that intrigue Jack. It is rather difficult to explain everything in a quick summary. I found the story interesting but too long so it didn't hold my interest the entire time. I would have liked it better had it been shorter. If you like time travel stories, then you will enjoy this one.
1984 By George OrwellWinston Smith is a 39-year-old man living in London in the year 1984. London is part of a superstate called Oceana. Oceana is ruled by a mysterious man named Big Brother. Then there are the thought police. The Thought Police read your mind and arrest you for even thinking about opposing the government of Oceana. Written in 1949, Orwell feared that this was what was to become of the world.
1984 grabs the reader and puts him or her in a time machine. It takes the reader to the Cold War Era, when the Western countries feared that this would happen. If you are a big fan of history, then you will really like this book. I rate it 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Zachary wrote: "1984 By George OrwellWinston Smith is a 39-year-old man living in London in the year 1984. London is part of a superstate called Oceana. Oceana is ruled by a mysterious man named Big Brother. The..."
Nice review. No wonder it's a classic. So prophetic, and thought-provoking, especially the Thought Police.
Pandora Hearts Vol. 1impulse library pick up. pretty decent. the beginning felt very confusing. probably won't continue in the series
3/5
Tomboy: A Graphic Memoirinteresting memoir on being a tomboy and what it means to be a girl. accurately capturing a transition through ages and stages in life.
4/5
Like Melissa, I just finished reading The Good Girl and enjoyed it. At first I felt the plot wasn't that unusual or imaginative, but then the author drew me in with her character development. It was interesting to read as the main characters' relationship changed throughout the book. I didn't see the ending coming either! This was a pretty good book for an author debut.
Zachary wrote: "1984 By George OrwellWinston Smith is a 39-year-old man living in London in the year 1984. London is part of a superstate called Oceana. Oceana is ruled by a mysterious man named Big Brother...."
Zachary -
I am so glad that you decided to read one of my suggestions; it's always been a personal favorite - and I'm delighted that you liked it so much. Orwell also wrote The Time Machine and several other novels you may enjoy as well.
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason ReynoldsMatt is a senior in high school, and he is having a difficult life. His mother died of breast cancer. His father is in the hospital after he was hit by a car when he got drunk. Matt gets a job at the local funeral home and earns 30 dollars a day. However, Matt still really misses his mother. One day, he meets a girl named Lovey. And that changes his life.
Those who have lost a friend or a family member recently will be able to relate to Matt's story. It is not easy to deal with those things. Once you have read the first line of these story, you will be hooked. This story is also full of surprises.
Twilightso I impulsively decided to listen to the audiobook for this a few days ago. 3 stars for nostalgic purposes and slight entertainment
Young Avengers, Vol. 2: Alternative CultureThis has a bisexual character in addition to the gay characters. I still love Wiccan. Also that ending. So much cliff hanger. 4/5 stars.
No Game, No Life Vol. 1First off Sora is creepy looking. Instead of getting interested in it, I found myself wishing I had picked up Sword Art Online: Aincrad, Vol. 1 instead. After looking at the Goodreads reviews, I think if I want to continue on in this series, I should stick to the anime. 3/5 stars.
Alex + Ada, Vol. 1Kinda cute, but with a more serious ish theme of what it means to be real. easy to follow the story with nice artwork. 4/5 stars.
The Great Divorce by CS Lewis I found this novella interesting. The concept of Heaven and Hell as towns and how someone could essentially leave Hell if he wanted to was something that grabbed my attention. I give it 4 out of 5 stars
Zachary wrote: "The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason ReynoldsMatt is a senior in high school, and he is having a difficult life. His mother died of breast cancer. His father is in the hospital after he was hit by ..."
Zachary wrote: "The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
Matt is a senior in high school, and he is having a difficult life. His mother died of breast cancer. His father is in the hospital after he was hit by ..."
This sounds really good. I didn't recognize the title, but after I read your review I realized I had this book on my to-read list when it first came out. I had seen it first on the librarians' blog. I'll have to keep it in mind again.
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoy most books with fictional, animal characters. The characters are all different and unique. I really appreciate the research that Lasky did to make her story realistic. The thought to use lots of different owl species is fantastic. I love the plot, but I don't know how I am going to feel about reading all fifteen books in the series. Can't wait to read "The Journey!"
The above review is for "The Capture" (The Gaurdians of Gahoole series)
Landline by Rainbow RowellLet me start by saying, I've been waiting to read this book since its announcement and I am not disappointed! I absolutely lived Eleanor and Park, loved Fangirl, loved Attachments and love her writing style. The story of Landline had me hooked and made me fall in love with the characters and Georgie's struggle with the magic phone. I absolutely recommend it - it's worth the read!
LandlineIt's not you. it's me. well it's mostly Georgie. I spent so much of this book wanting to smack her. oh my husband may have left me. let me tell you about my guy best friend I felt like I would have ended up with. 3/5 stars
Daughter of Smoke & Bonethis book. The world building is amazing. This book is magical. The story does drag a little in the middle is the only negative i have. If youre in need of a paranormal fantasy check this out.
5/5 stars hands down
Night of the Living DummyNight of the Living Dummy II
Night of the Living Dummy III
yes. I am reread the night of the living dummy books to prepare for the movie. yes it was a great idea. Im not sure which Slappy I find "scarier" but reliving the Goosebumps series was definitely a light treat. I even got to mark a PopSugar Reading Challenge off with the third one.
4/5 easy stars for all three
The Stranger by Albert Camus I found the setup of the two parts interesting. The first part focused more on his general reaction to life. And I don't know - his general passiveness kind of annoyed me. Not crying at your own mother's death? And the second part was more his thoughts on accepting his fate.
I liked reading the book. *shrugs* 4/5
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone by Adele Griffin Okay, now Addison has psychotic problems but there's something about her that makes you not like her. She came off as extremely selfish and disrupted lives around her. I know it's good to be friendly with the psychotic but she was just toxic to the lives around her.
The way the book was set up with the interviews of people around her was a cool way to put it as well as the articles about her sprinkled throughout. It was a well put together book.
YOLO by Lauren Myracle When I saw this in the library I just about SCREAMED. I absolutely lived ttyl, ttfn, l8er g8er by her and it was a trip down memory lane. The internet girls are back and they're even funnier! Their reactions and wit kept up the entire book. La la lOVED IT
Night's ChildReally enjoyed this book, but found myself comparing it to the TV show since that's where I first heard about the books. The main characters are easy to like and fun to read about.
This is the 5th book in a series of 7, and the only one I've read, so I'm hoping BCPL will attain the rest of the series.
The Naturals By Jennifer Lynn Barnes. This book is by my other all time favorite author (I have 2!).
It's about Cassie, a natural at reading people, is recruited by the FBI into the Naturals program to help solve cases. She lives with others that possess a natural gift like her. Danger looms as a new killer strikes, caught in a game of cat and mouse. Together, the Naturals must use their skills in order to survive.
I loved this book! You won't believe who the killer is. The book always kept me interested between the love triangle between Cassie, Dean, and Micheal and Cassie's ability and training. The natural talents that they possessed were very realistic and the way Barnes can go into depth and explain them was very impressive.
Cassie's ability at reading people was really cool. Her character is very interesting. She's strong and determined; a fighter but knows what boundaries that shouldn't be pushed and when they've been pushed to far. She has priorities and knows what fights to fight and which ones to let go.
As usual, my all time favorite author, Barnes, amazes with her writing.
5/5 stars
Forgot to mention that the way she sets up the book was also cool and how it correlates to Cassie's ability was a great addition.
This is the first book I have read by John Lescroart and I really enjoyed it. I like a variety of types of books, but mysteries are probably my favorite. In this book Rebecca Hardy, a new attorney at her father's law firm, ends up defending a young man named Greg Treadway for the murder of Tanya Morgan, a teenage foster child. Greg volunteers as a Special Advocate for foster children, including Tanya's brother. What originally seems to be a slam dunk for acquittal turns out to be very complicated. A very enjoyable read for anyone who likes murder mysteries and court cases. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Dreamfire by Kit AllowayThis book kept you in suspense the whole time; you never knew what was on the next page. The book had surprise twists that you would never except and the author flawlessly explained the concept of her "dream-walking". This is the first book of a series of other books that have not yet been published but I still recommend it.
Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus Volume 2 (Cardcaptor Sakura OmnibusI read the first volume of this in the spring. It is cute and gives you warm and fuzzy feelings often. I forgot how much I loved the first one until I started this one. 5/5 worthy stars
Hi, I just tried to post a review of Discovery of Witches on the bookshelf for the summer reading program. How do I know if I did it correctly?
IdenticalI decided to give Ellen Hopkins another try since I hated the last book I'd read by her, but heard the book was sort of an outlier. Ellen Hopkins writes in verse, but it does transfers nicely to audiobooks. This book was interesting and graphic, but I didn't know how I felt about it throughout it. I feel like it had some copout moments and felt very average at times.
3/5 stars.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different SeasonsI just finished this novella by Stephen King. It was the second thing I have ever read in it's entirety by Stephen King and I really enjoyed it. 5/5 stars
Out of Sight, Out of TimeI enjoyed this book very much. It is the fifth book in Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series, a series about teenage spy girls. I did not love it as much as the previous books because it was not quite as exciting, especially at the beginning, when much of the text was devoted to discussing Cammie's memory loss. I enjoyed the middle and the ending though and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. It is a nice, light read, enjoyable and not too intense.
4 out of 5 stars
Amber wrote: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A Story from Different SeasonsI just finished this novella by Stephen King. It was the second thing I have ever read in it's entirety by Steph..."
I read this recently, and it was the first thing I have every read by King. I loved it. I thought it was a masterpiece -- all of that in 97 pages. And so much better than the movie. Glad you enjoyed it too.
Every You, Every Methe photographs were interesting. the stricken out writing got annoying at times. the story was okay overall.
3/5 stars.
Baltimore County Public Library Summer Reading...
Books mentioned in this topic
The Woods, Vol. 1: The Arrow (other topics)The Darkest Part of the Forest (other topics)
Runaways, Vol. 5: Escape to New York (other topics)
Runaways, Vol. 4: True Believers (other topics)
Runaways, Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Karen Witemeyer (other topics)Karen Witemeyer (other topics)
Sara Blaedel (other topics)
World War III has started. A plane crashes. A group of schoolboys who were escaping nuclear war are stranded on an uncharted island without any adults. At first, life without adults seems like paradise. However, that freedom comes with a price. Soon, the boys know what that price is.
If you are a big fan of adventure stories, then this book is for you. It also presents a realistic view of what could happen to children if they are without adult supervision for an extending period of time. If you ever wonder what would happen in that situation, you should read this book. I give it 3.75 out of 5 stars.