Reading List 2011-2012 School Year

• Brunelleschi's Dome by Ross King - What a great tale woven through the story of Filippo Brunelleschi and how the great cathedral in Florence built it's massive dome, unheard of for that time. I was walking by the TV one day while my husband was watching the DIY network and a guy walked by wearing a shirt that said 'Brunelleschi Construction' and when he turned around, there was a picture of the dome on the front! Turns out they have a connection with Florence, Italy and do restoration work on the east coast as well as other things! Who knew?!
• Mastiff by Tamora Pierce - So sad that Beka is done with, at least for now. I devoured all three of these and was so brought up short by the betrayal in this last book. In this concluding story, Beka and Achoo are on the trail of a kidnapped prince. Well done.
• Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce - Couldn't wait to read the second Beka Cooper book and it was amazing. Just as good as the first! On to the third!
• Fledgling Days by Emma Ford - I almost got into falconry once and picked this up. Emma knew from an early age that she wanted to live with a hawk on her fist and out in the country. She made her dream a reality and this book encompasses that first love up to meeting her husband and establishing the British School of Falconry in 1982. Today she and Steve run the school at Gleneagles in Scotland.
• The Demon Trapper's Daughter by Jana Oliver - Nice take on the demon trapping trade. Riley's dad was a demon trapper and his daughter wants to follow in his footsteps. Holy Water, good looking guys and a world government crumbling around her, Riley learns there's more to trapping than a good cup of hot cocoa.
• The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell - nice retelling of the Arthurian legend by one of his followers who is now a monk and relates how he sees the coming of Arthur. Very enjoyable.
• Terrier by Tamora Pierce. Fabulous! Beka Cooper is one Puppy that just won't let things go. She hears the whispers of the dead who ride the city's pigeons and the wind devils that pick up the tidbits of conversation of the passerby's. These lead her to two great wrongs happening in the city. With her two Dogs she goes hunting for answers and retribution.
• Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg. The tiny island of Saint Kilda sits as a last outpost on the far Outer Hebrides of Scotland. A small group of people made a life there for many centuries. This is from a missionary journal in the 1800's about the people and life there - a historical fiction. I've been happening onto books about the Hebrides and this one was a real insight into how they managed to live in such starkness.
• The Naming by Alison Croggon - Very nice fantasy that for me was a bit too reminescent of Lord of the Rings (Pellinor is a quadrilogy), but still a good read. Maerad is rescued from a tiny cot by a Bard.
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot - this was a fabulous book for anyone who loves good nonfiction. Science, family, ethics and an entire culture (ha!) about how one woman's cells opened up the whole modern era of cell research. Read it!
• Lament by Maggie Stiefvater - Young harpist Dierdre meets with a flutist, Luke who can not help drawing her into the world of faerie since he loves her and will risk losing his soul for her.
• Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay - Wow. Romeo killed Juliet to become immortal and she became immortal as well. Now they've spent centuries battling each other, her to help those in true love, him to get their lives. Oh my, what a ride!
• The Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman - fun little book after Galileo and I enjoyed it!
• Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel - this got to be quite the slog towards the end for me, but having it based on the letters written to him by his daughter who was in a convent was a different take on his life. Daily happenings along with all the hoopla of his life. Back to fantasy!
• Solstice Wood by Patricia A. McKillip - I really love her writing! This was a modern tale not quite the fantasy she usually writes, but still had some beautiful pieces in there. A live and learn story.
• Shackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan - What a fabulous book! I truly had my eyes opened to the story of Antartic expeditions and the tale of the men from the Endurance. Well told with diary entries interspersed with the story of their survival. Highly recommended!
• Airborn by Kenneth Oppel - Seemed to start a little slow for me, but things picked up and I was captivated by the Cloud Cats.
• The Captain's Dog by Roland Smith - the journey of Lewis and Clark through the eyes of Lewis' Newfoundland dog who accompanied them. A nice slice of history.
• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher - I've wanted to read this for a long time and really enjoyed it. Finn is certain that the closed prison of Incarceron is not where he started from and Claudia's father is the warden. Once they meet using a mysterious key, they must find a way to come together. Really well done.
• Seasons on Harris by David Yeadon - I want to move to Harris! This was extremely well done and I actually also looked up some of the artists and fell in love with James Hawkins' art. Wish I could afford a piece or two!
• The Scorpio Races - by Maggie Stiefvater - what a ride - I absolutely fell in love with this book - horses, fabulous characters, that time clock ticking that so many threads of this story are tied to - I actually cried when I got to the end because that's what happens when you've fallen in love with a book and all the words and the endings all happen in the perfect way and then it's over and you want to go on. Absolutely lovely.
• No Vulgar Hotel by Judith Martin - Another book on Venice and I've discovered I'm a Venetophile.
• The Venetian Empire by Jan Morris - quite the romp around the Mediterranean finding the bits and pieces of Venetian history - I like learning my history this way!
• Firehorse by Diane Lee Wilson - Interesting tale of a horse that worked the old horse drawn water trucks in early Boston. Well researched and partly pulled from a diary of a young 14 year old girl from that era and place.
• Divine Sex by Philos Thelos - all right, so if God didn't forbid it, it's all good. Mind numbing and I wish if the author was so certain of his theology he'd fess up to who he is...
• The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint - Grace died and wonders why she's like a captive in her neighborhood - along with others who have died in that same area. A tale of love after death and still making a difference on the way to faith. Another fabulous urban fantasy by the master!
• Cockeyed by Ryan Knighton - Great personal memoir of Ryan going slowly blind. He is synically hysterical and though I'm pretty empathic, I learned quite a bit from this. It gave me a greater understanding. Thank you Ryan.
• Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter - the third of the Warrior series and Fireheart really takes his place in Thunderclan. These 3 were a present from my kids for Christmas and I was glad to get them all done!
• The Bards of Bone Plain by Patricia McKillip - I love the way Patricia weaves a story with rich words and intertwining phrases. Phelan Cle finds the future and the past in the Circle of Days and the discovery of the unforgiven bard.
• Fire and Ice by Erin Hunter - the continuing saga of Fireheart and his life among Thunderclan.
• Into the Wild by Erin Hunter - The first tale of Fireheart, the kittypet that decides to join a clan of feral cats.
• The Last Season by Eric Blehm - Randy Morgenson was a back country ranger for 28 years in Sequoia Kings Canyon National Parks. Well told tale of his life unfolds as searchers try to find out what happened to Randy one summer. Made me appreciate our park rangers even more than I already do.
• Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox - One of Mrs. H's favorite books. The stories of Lynne as she uses her long distance swimming skills to bring people together. A wonderful lady.
• The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs - I enjoyed this immensely! He did a great job of balancing religion with the real world and quite a few hysterical laughs as well! I'd recommend it!