Public libraries and Kindle

Good news; you can now read free e-books on your Kindle! Any public library that subscribes to the Overdrive database of e-books provides access to free e-books from the library's website.  The St. Louis County Library system subscribes to Overdrive; other libraries in the St. Louis area probably do, too.  All you will need is your library card to access Overdrive from home.  Call your local public library if you have any questions.

Librivox

I was pleased to discover Librivox, a site that offers free audio recordings made by volunteer readers.  All recordings feature fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that are in the public domain so there are no copyright issues.  A small selection of fiction for children and young adults is also included.  Listen to a few sample recordings.  It is easy to download the audio files to your ipod or computer or mp3 player; here are the instructions.

Summer Picks

Have a look at what we read over the summer--the stories and subjects cover a wide range of ideas, histories, and genres.  Go to the source to find out more about a certain book (or if you want to tease them about what they read).  And remember that I can get almost any book for faculty, staff, students and family members from the St. Louis Public Library, with delivery to Crossroads every Tuesday. The Crossroads library owns some of these books, too.

Anne T-H read The Echo Maker by Richard Powers.  He is one of my favorite novelists, too.  I’ve read Generosity.

Michael’s favorite summer reads were Desolation Island by Patrick O’Brian, The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths by the Dalai Lama, and The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Elaine enjoyed The Master and Margarita but would have liked “a guide to explain all of the digs on the Russian political figures that the author makes throughout the book.”

Sara C. read The Help, the bestseller that came out a few years ago and continues to be popular.  I ordered a copy from the public library for a student just last week. 

Amy also read a bestseller, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which she read for her book club.  She was surprised by how good it was.  I think sometimes the label “bestseller” and the accompanying advertising hype can turn one off from books that have merit.

Martha found Three Cups of Tea inspiring “despite the recent controversy about certain editorial decisions.”  Hmm, I missed that news.  Can you tell us more, Martha?  She also enjoyed Whistling Vivaldi.


Howard read A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin.  He also enjoyed reading parts of the Harry Potter series as his wife was working through them this summer.

Gerry often reads about American history and recommends Grant: The Biography of U. S. Grant.

Brittyne says “I read three books this summer but my favorite was Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women by Nicholas Kristof.  The exploration of crises facing women around the globe was astounding.  The authors do a great job of showing how average people can make a difference!”

Nancy enjoyed Tinkers by Paul Harding, House Rules by Jodi Picoult, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Here are some of Dave's summer reads.  (Dave posts a sign on his classroom door that says "What Dave is reading right now" and lists his current read.  This is a great way to promote conversations about reading with your students.)

Sharon, you know me.  I can't pick a favorite.  I'll submit 5 - which is still a big limitation.
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart - a very early (1949) "life after a worldwide plague" book - and a very gentle one by comparison to what one would expect
State of Wonder by Anne Patchett - her latest, a modern re-working of Conrad's Heart of Darkness, only in the Amazon instead of the Congo, and involving biotechnology instead of ivory
The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson - a fascinating look into the world of psychology and some of the strangeness and abuses that occur when tossing around the powerful label "psychopath"
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - had to read it in preparation for teaching 9th grade; one of the best "had to read" books I've ever encountered
The Inverted Forest by John Dalton - St. Louis author creates a unique and memorable character, Wyatt, whose experiences as a summer camp counselor change his life forever


Mike also offers some interesting commentary on his summer reading:

Baseball

I read two nonfiction books about baseball: the first was October 1964 by David Halberstam-- most fans can recall a season when they first paid attention to batting orders and statistics and so on. For me it was 1964. It just so happened that 1964 was a pivotal season, as the racially integrated Cardinals faced the fading imperium of the NY Yankees in the World Series. Who knew that Johnny Keane, the manager of the Cards, was racially progressive? To a somewhat tuned-in 8-year-old he seemed like an old fogey. The book was an interesting journey into my childhood with a perspective I missed at the time.

I followed that up with Bottom of the 33rd by Tim Barry, a nonfiction account of the longest professional baseball game EVER! The minor league teams from Pawtucket and Rochester played deep into the morning of Easter 1981 due to an oversight on the part of the person in charge of the rulebook in the AAA league. The book was both interesting and forgettable.

 Brownshirts:

The bulk of my summer reading was taken up by Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands, a dark overview of  atrocities committed by both Stalin and Hitler in the lands between the Oder and the Dnieper from 1932 to 1944.  Dark, dark, and chastening.

Next was Ursula Heggi's prequel to one of my favorite books of all time, Stones From the River. In her new novel, Children and Fire, Heggi examines the ambiguity inherent in the response of ordinary Germans to the early rise of the Nazis.

Bigshots:

Who doesn't like Tina Fey? She's cute, she's smart, she's non-threatening. I read Bossypants and now I like her even more.

I followed that up with If I Stop Talking You Will Know I'm Dead by Jerry Weintraub. What can I say...guilty pleasure. the life and times of an entertainment mogul.

Brains:
I read Soul Dust: The Magic of Consciousness by Nicholas Humphrey. I'm still trying to understand how we understand what we understand...but am not getting much closer.

Summer reading

Welcome back to Crossroads, everyone.  I hope you all enjoyed reading over the summer.  I discovered The Curfew by Jesse Ball when browsing the new fiction shelves at the Clayton Mid-County library.  The Curfew is about a father and daughter who live in a city that has been taken over by fascists, yet we never know who the leaders are.  Everyone is frightened and paranoid, speaking carefully to their acquaintances and friends.  One night, the father takes a dangerous journey after curfew, leaving his daughter with the neighbors.  This is a sad but beautiful story and Jesse Ball is "an author to watch," as they say.

Soon I will post Crossroads faculty summer reading favorites.

Kindle for libraries

Good news in the e-book realm--Later this year, Amazon is planning to allow customers to download free e-books from libraries to their Kindle.  Here's an announcement from ebookNEWSER with more details.

Faculty reading

I've started The Elegance of the Hedgehog, loaned to me by Heather.  I like the cranky voice of the concierge.

Billy comments: "I am currently reading Isabel Wilkerson's THE WARMTH OF OTHER SUNS: THE EPIC STORY OF AMERICA'S GREAT MIGRATION.  Wilkerson portrays in a moving way the African-American migration from the South to places like New York City, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Los Angelas by focusing on three individuals and their journeys.  I recommend it."

Anne Treeger Huck is reading Alias Grace (my personal favorite of Margaret Atwood's works).  She is also reading short stories by Stanley Elkin, the fine humorist who taught at Washington University.

John is enjoying Cane River  by Lalita Tademy.

Gerry's recent pick is Grant, a biography of Ulysses S. Grant, by Jean Edward Smith.  " I enjoy reading about the history of America.  The description of the Mexican-American War is very interesting and informative.  I am currently at the point where Grant almost does not find a position with the Union army an the beginning of the Civil War."

Dave tells me he is enjoying Travels With Charley by John Steinbeck.  He recently finished Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal.

Mike says, "I recently finished American Grace by Robert Putnam and David Campbell, an absorbing and quick overview of the role of religion in contemporary society written from a sociological perspective. They made some interesting observations about the increasing numbers of Americans who identify themselves as members of no religion and they do a good job accounting for the growth of the evangelical movement among better educated suburbanites. Much more of a slog was The Unfolding of Language by Guy Deutscher. I enjoy books about the origins and evolution of language, but this book was a bit technical and told me more than I ever wanted to know about the three consonant Semitic verb form."

Reading Aloud

Yesterday was National Read Aloud Day and I had the pleasure of reading to the seventh grade Research and Reading class.  I introduced them to the first few chapters of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Alexie's humor and good storytelling drew them in.  As soon as I was done reading Larenzo said, "Can I have that?"  Sweet words to a librarian!

How does one become well-read?

Today a tenth grade student asked me this very question.  My response was to read widely, in different genres, and to read good writers.  I showed her the ALA (American Librarian Association) list of Outstanding Books for the College Bound and she and a friend spent about 15 minutes happily browsing and talking about the titles.   One of them checked out Les Miserables and the other left with Waiting for Godot.  This particular list includes contemporary literature as well as classics--the students pointed out The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime as well as The Book Thief.  It was a pleasure for me to share the Outstanding Books bibliography with them!

February reads

Crossroads faculty are reading a variety of books, including titles recommended by students.  Seventh grader Reid suggested Ender's Shadow to Amy after he learned that ninth graders read Ender's Game.  Ender's Shadow is a companion novel to Ender's Game, both by Orson Scott Card.

Keith is reading Sixth Column by Robert Heinlein, a classic science fiction writer.  I recently added Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land to the Crossroads library collection.

Mike is listening to Keith Richards' Life and reading The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda.  Mike asked me to guess which one is more enjoyable.

Shadi is immersed in the life of another kohl-wearing celebrity, Cleopatra.  Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff's latest is Cleopatra: A Life.

Billy just finished the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.  It was the first time he had read a book on his Kindle and he says he loved it.  Gerry is exploring an earlier episode in American history as described by David McCullough in 1776.

Anne Treeger-Huck has turned to short stories for the moment; she is rereading James Joyce's "The Dead," the final story in his Dubliners collection.  Read The Dubliners this very minute, courtesy of Project Gutenberg.  Project Gutenberg includes over 33,000 books that are freely available for download to your "ipad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iphone, Android or other portable device."

Dave says, "I am reading A Box of Matches by Nicholson Baker--a sweet, gentle book.  A middle-aged man records his musings as he sits in front of the fire early in the morning while his family is still asleep.  Although the whole book is thus set in one room on several consecutive mornings, the range of his philosophical musings is vast."

Finally, your friendly librarian just began I Love a Broad Margin to My Life, by Maxine Hong Kingston.  Upon turning 65, Kingston reflects on aging, her life, friendships, and the characters from her novels in a flowing free verse form.  I have admired Kingston ever since reading The Fifth Book of Peace.

The future of the printed book

Enjoy a taste of the witty, intelligent article/review about the future of digital and printed books by Jason Epstein, legendary former editor at Random House.  He reviews a new book called Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century by John B. Thompson.   You won't be able to read the entire article unless you stop by your public library or book store and grab the Feb. 10, 2011 issue of The New York Review of Books.  You might be glad to know that Epstein's (and Thompson's) conclusion is that the printed word will be around for quite some time longer, as well as libraries.

I read the article while visiting Barnes & Noble, which reminds me to tell you that the Barnes & Noble "Nook" is the best e-reader to buy, simply because it allows you take advantage of free e-books from your local public library.  Many libraries offer access to Overdrive, a huge database of e-books, audio books, and videos that can be downloaded to your Nook e-reader, mp3 player, ipod or personal computer at absolutely no charge.  None of the other e-readers offer the option of viewing free books from Overdrive.   My librarian friend is very pleased with her Nook.

Reading At Home

I've had good luck lately introducing new books to the seventh graders in my Research and Reading class.  Several have used these books for their RAH (Reading at Home) presentations.  I Am an Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler, Ship Breaker by Paola Bacigalupi, and Five Flavors of Dumb by local author Antony John are some current favorites.  Although not a recent book, one of my favorite young adult novels is The Canning Season by Polly Horvath.  Horvath won the 2003 National Book Award for this one!

Random readings

John is reading Social Studies For the Twenty-First Century by Jack Zevin, a professor of social studies education.  Zevin was a secondary school teacher before becoming a professor at Queens College.  This is a recently published book about inquiry and discovery teaching methods.

I have discovered the author Jonathan Carroll; I am currently listening to The Wooden Sea, which is a wonderful mix of humor, oddities, and mystery, the perfect entertainment for a cold winter night.  If you have someone in your life who will read aloud to you, I highly recommend it.

Louise Erdrich, one of my favorites, has a new short story in the January 10 issue of The New Yorker, available at the Crossroads Library or your local public library.

The Giver

The seventh graders recently had the great experience of seeing the play "The Giver," based on the novel of the same name by Lois Lowry.  Lois Lowry will be in St. Louis on Friday, April 15 to deliver the 2011 May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture, sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.  Free tickets are available by visiting www.slcl.org/arbuthnot.  I think Lowry is a fantastic speaker and I encourage you to attend!

Holiday Reading

Crossroads folks enjoyed a variety of books over the holiday break (in addition to writing and reading student comments).  Perhaps something will appeal to you! I am sorry not to include links for the titles this time.

Billy wins the award for most books read--
"It was a great break for reading.  In addition to the reading for my second semester class, I read:
Fiction:
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zooet by David Mitchell (beautiful historical fiction)
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane (good but not his best)
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (very dark, disturbing but absorbing mystery)  --Dave is reading this one right now

Nonfiction:
The Wave by Susan Casey (fascinating study of giant, rogue waves and the people who study and surf them)
The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner (great new study of Lincoln's evolution on slavery)
The Publisher: Henry R. Luce and His American Century by Alan Brinkley (good biography of the publisher of Time-Life)

Billy says, "I'm now reading Pauline Meier's Ratification (study of the ratification debate on the American Constitution) and Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs."

Here is Anne Treeger Huck's note:  "I LOVED the magical realist trippiness of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and the harrowingly beautiful Room by Emma Donoghue.  I'm reading Trollope's Lady Anna now and enjoying imagining my biggest worry to be whether or not I'd regain my Countess status!"

David is a Kennedy buff so he read The Kennedy Details over the holidays.  It's written by Gerald Blaine, a Secret Service agent who served on President Kennedy's White House detail.

Elaine enjoyed The French Lieutenant's Woman, one of the classics she's been meaning to read.   Heather is enjoying The Elegance of a Hedgehog.  Joan read House Rules by Jodi Picoult, a portrayal of someone with Aspberger's Syndrome.

Both Dave and Mike read Unbroken by Laura Hillebrand.  Dave also read Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart.  He is currently reading Freedom by Jonathan Franzen.  Mike also read Prisoner Without a Name, Cell Without a Number by Jacob Timerman.

Cliff re-read The Voyage of the Dawn Treader because of his disappointment in the movie's significant departures from the book.

That's all for now!