Books Read in December 2013.

Print Books:
1.) Brazen by Carly Phillips
2.) Fat-free and Fatal by Jaqueline Girdner
3.) Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love by Dava Sobel
4.) Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett
5.) Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by Nicholas Sparks
6.) A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table by Molly Wizenberg
7.) Do Kangaroos Wear Seatbelts? by Jane Kurtz, Jane Manning (Illustrations)
8.) Axle Annie and the Speed Grump by Robin Pulver, Tedd Arnold (Illustrations)
9.) Mrs Armitage on Wheels by Quentin Blake
10.) Mrs. Armitage: Queen of the Road by Quentin Blake
11.) Axle Annie by Robin Pulver, Tedd Arnold (Illustrations)
12.) Baudolino by Umberto Eco
13.) Plainsong by Kent Haruf
14.) Season of Wonder by Paula Guran (Editor)

Audiobooks:
1.) Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
2.) Honor Among Enemies by David Weber
3.) The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
4.)  In Enemy Hands  by David Weber

E-Books:
1.) Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson
2.) Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits by Robin McKinley, Peter Dickinson

Books Read in November 2013

Print:
1.) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
2.) Two Tiny Claws by Brett Davis
3.) Master of Dragons by Angela Knight

4.) The Last of the Red-Hot Vampires by Katie MacAlister

5.)  The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt

6.) The Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins

7.) The Illusion of Separateness: A Novel by Simon Van Booy 

8.) The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks 

9.) Zen and the Art of Vampires by Katie MacAlister 

10.) How Long Will I Cry? edited by Miles Harvey

Audiobooks:
1.) Bad Monkey by Carl Hiaasen
2.) Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman
3.) Memory by Louis McMaster Bujo
4.) Dodger by Terry Pratchett

E-Books:
1.) Gaea by Robina Williams

Book review: How Long Will I Cry? Voices of Youth Violence

Title: How Long Will I Cry? Voices of Youth Violence
Editor: Miles Harvey
Publisher: Big Shoulders Books
Publication Date: 2013

This book is a companion to the play How Long Will I cry? that was produced by the Steppenwolf Theater in 2013.

The final version of this book was a collaborative effort by the creative writing students at DePaul University located in Chicago, IL. It uses collaborative story-telling methods to collect the real stories of people in Chicago whose lives have been touched by violence.

Chicago is still extremely racially divided. recent information given by the country France to it's tourists coming to visit the city tells it's citizens to avoid whole sections on the South and West sides of the city due to the mortality and crime rates.

This book takes stories of many types of people from many areas of the city to talk about the impacts of violence caused by and to the youth of the city of Chicago. Story types range from those of families who have lost children, community member in neighborhoods affected by violence who are working to change the neighborhoods in positive ways, stories told by both current gang members and ex-gang members, and youth who have been affected by the violence in many different types of ways. The stories while mainly focused on the South and West sides of the city also show how ares on the North and Northwest sides of the city are being affected by gang related violence.

This book impacted me in ways that I wasn't expecting. The stories, while predominantly sad, and filled with rage and hopelessness also had hope sprinkled through it's pages. Stories were shared by people who were trying to make a difference after loosing their own loved ones to violence. At the end of the book there is a list of organizations who are trying to work against youth violence in the city and while one could be disheartened by the length of the list, it is amazing to see how many people care about changing the city that I live in.

As a life long resident of Chicago my entire life I was spared  the effects of neighborhood gang violence until my late teens. I grew up in a neighborhood on the Northwest side that was predominantly white, with a strong Irish and Polish element to the families living in it. when I was in high school I attended a magnet school which drew students from all parts of the city, and was very racially diverse. I made friends from outside of my own neighborhood and sadly lost one to gang related violence right after graduation. There were times going out when I knew I had to either go home before a certain time or call for a ride home because it wasn't safe to wait for the CTA where we were.

This book is being given to readers for free through various events to promote awareness of the issue and by request to Big Shoulders Books which is a very big thing. By making the book free it will help get it into the hands of people who might not be able to buy a book, and the publishers encourage readers to pass their copy along to another reader when they finish. I was 1/4th of the way through the copy I was reading before I passed it onto a sociology student at NEIU That I had just met after it sparked a conversation between she and I. I plan on passing this copy on through one of the little free libraries that have popped up on the North/Northwest side of the city to hopefully find a new reader to touch.

Readers who are interested in acquiring their own copy of this book can visit Big Shoulders Books page about the book to request a free copy.

Books Read in October 2013

Print:

1.) The Imperator Plot by Steven Spruill
2.) Breaking the Trust by Lucy Clare
3.) Chicken With Plums by Marjane Satrapi
4.) The Simulacra by Philip k. dick
5.) Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
6.) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
7.) The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

8.) Demons are a Ghoul's Best Friend by Victoria Laurie

9.) Engaging the Enemy by Elizabeth Moon

10.) Chloe by Freya North 

11.) Cleopatra 7.2 by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

12.) Echo Recoil by Lazarus Chernik, Echo Chernik

13.) The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

14.) But Inside I'm Screaming by Elizabeth Flock

    

Audiobook:

1.) Transition by Iain M. Banks
2.) Flag in Exile by David webber

Books Read in September 2013

Print Books:

1.) Dark Curse by Christine Feehan
2.) The Virtuous Knight by Margo Maguire
3.) Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, Yuji Oniki (Translator)
4.) Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus
5.) Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes
6.) Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood
7.) Love in the Time of Dragons by Katie MacAlister

8.) Pomogranite Soup by Marsha Mehran

9.) Flight, volume 8 by  Kazu Kibuishi (Editor)

10.) The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

11.) Welcome to the Jungle by Jim Butcher (Goodreads Author), Ardian Syaf (Illustrator)

12.) The Panopticon by Jenni Fagan

13.) Armor by John Steakley

14.) Tatterhood and Other Tales by  Ethel Johnston Phelps (Editor), Pamela Baldwin Ford

15.) Goblins by  Charles L. Grant

Audio Books:

1.) Scholar by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
2.) Princeps by  L.E. Modesitt Jr.
3.) Imager's Battalion by  L.E. Modesitt Jr.
4.) Antiagon Fire by  L.E. Modesitt Jr.

E-Books:

Books Read in August 2013

E-book:

1.) Kiss Me, Kill Me H.P. Mallory, Zoe Winters, Susan Bischoff, Lori Brighton, M.T. Murphy, Kait Nolan, Toni LoTempio, Daniel Arenson, Stacey Wallace Benefiel
2.) Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey
3.) Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey
4.) Jerome and the Seraph by Robina Williams
5.) Angelos by Robina Williams

Audio Books:

1.) The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

2.) Imager's Intrigue by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

Print Books:

1.) A Fist Full O' Dead Guys edited by Shane Lacy Hensley editor

2.) The Lady of the Sorrows by Cecilia Dart-Thornton

3.) Pinball, 1973 by  Haruki Murakami, Alfred Birnbaum (Translator)

4.) Clockwork Fairy Tales: A Collection of Steampunk Fables by by Stephen L. Antczak (Editor), James C. Bassett (Editor), Pip Ballantine, K.W. Jeter, Jay Lake, Kat Richardson, Paul Di Filippo, Steven Harper, Nancy A. Collins, G.K. Hayes, Gregory Nicoll, Philippa Ballantine

5.) Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America by Steve Almond

6.) Westward Weird by by Martin H. Greenberg (editor), Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Jennifer Brozek, J. Steven York, Jeff Mariotte, Jody Lynn Nye, Kerrie Huges (editor) , Jay Lake, Larry D. Sweazy, Anton Strout, Seanan McGuire, Brenda Cooper, Christopher McKitterick, Steven Saus, Kerrie Hughes (Editor)

7.) Empire of Ivory by Naomi Naomi Novik

8.) White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz

9.) Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz

10.) The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

11.) Firefly: Still Flying: A Celebration of Joss Whedon's Acclaimed TV Series by Joss Whedon

12.) Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, Robert Uhlig

Books Read in July 2013:

Print Copy:

1.) Seraphim by Michele Hauf
2.) Death Drops by Chrystle Fiedler

3.) Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson

4.) His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

5.) Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik

6.) Black Powder War by Naomi Novik

7.) Isis by Douglas Clegg

8.) Treasure Box by Orson Scott Card

9.) Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples

10.) Star of Wonder by  Jo Beverley, Alice Alfonsi, Tess Farraday, Kate Freiman

11.) One Wish by Linda Lael Miller
 

Audio Books:

1.) Hunted by Kevin Hearne

2.)The Grimoire of the Lamb by Kevin Hearne

3.) Imager by L.E. Modesitt Jr.4.) Imager's Challange by L.E. Modesitt Jr.

E-Books:

1.) xkcd: volume 0 by Randall Munroe

Books Read in May 2013

Print:
1.) The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal His Son by Rupert Isaacson
2.) Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Lisa Wingate
3.) Lint by Steve Aylett
4.) Champions of the Sidhe by Kenneth C. Flint
5.) Kingdom of Cages by Sarah Zettel
6.) The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy by Sasha Issenberg
7.) Spring Moon: A Novel of China by Bette Lord
8.) The Buried Pyramid by Jane Lindskold
9.) Still Waters by Tami Hoag
10.) Ghost of a Chance by Yasmine Galenorn
11.) Whirlwind by Charles L. Grant

Audiobook:

E-book:
1.) Kitty Goes to War by Carrie Vaughn
2.) Brother to Dragons, Companion to Owls by Jane Lindskold
3.) Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn
4.) Sense and Sensibility by Nancy Butler, Sonny Liew, Jane Austen (Marvel Graphic Novel Adaptation)
5.) Kitty Steals the Show by Carrie Vaughn
6.) The Girl Who Sang Rose Madder by Elizabeth Bear (short story)
7.) Kitty Rock's the House by Carrie Vaughn
8.) The Fox Woman by Kij Johnson

Books Read in April 2013

Print Copies:

1.) Kitty and the Dead Man's Hand by Carrie Caughn
2.) The Thirteenth House by Sharon Shinn
3.) Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn
4.) Steel Town by Jonah Winter, Terry Widener (Illustrator)
5.) Duck On A Bike by David Shannon
6.) A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, Cooper Edens (Compililation)
7.) Sing a Song of Piglets: A Calendar in Verse by Eve Bunting, Emily Arnold McCully (Illustrator)
8.) Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, Patrick Benson (Illustrator)
9.) Blackout by John Rocco
10.) Reader and Raelynx by Sharon Shinn
11.) Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Greg Call (Illustrations)
12.) The Princess and the Goblins by George MacDonald, Arthur Hughes (Illustrations)
13.) Oz: Road to Oz by Eric Shanower (Goodreads Author) (Text), Skottie Young (Illustrations)


E-books:

1.) Wolf Moon by Patricia Rosemoor
2.) Six-Gun Snow White by Catherynne M. Valente
3.) Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
4.) Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn
5.) Kitty Raises Hell by Carriie Vaughn
6.) Kitty's House of Horrors by Carrie Vaughn

Audiobooks:

1.) The Honor of the Queen by David Weber
2.) The Short Victorious War by David Weber
3.) Succubus Blues by Richelle Mead
4.) Field of Dishonor by David Weber

Last month was finishing up the children's lit course, and concentrating on some of the series I've been wanting to read. I finished the original 4 books of the Twelve Houses Series by Sharon Shinn (Fantastic), got 4 books into the Honor Harrington Series (Unpredictable and good sci-fi), and took a big chunk out of the Kitty Norville series.

Books Read in March 2013

Print:

1.)Twilight Warrior by Aimee Thurlo
2.) Darkness Falls by Les Martin
3.) Through the Sheriff's Eyes by Janice Kay Johnson
4.) Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
5.) Harvest the Fire by Poul Anderson
6.) YUKIKO AND A JAPANESE CARNIVAL
7.) Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen, Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)
8.) Lewis & Papa: Adventure On the Santa Fe Trail by by Barbara Joosse, Jon Van Zyle (Illustrations)
9.) Working Cotton by Sherley Anne Williams, Carole Byard (Illustrator)
10.) I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
11.) The Kings and Queens of Roam: A Novel by Daniel Wallace
12.) Jewels of the Sun by Nora Roberts
13.) The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn
14.) Mystic and Rider by Sharon Shinn


Audiobooks:

1.) Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds
2.) On Basilisk Station by David Webber

E-books:

1.) A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain
2.) 5 Ronin by y Peter Milligan (Text), Tom Coker, Dalibor Talajić, Laurence Campbell, Goran Parlov, Leandro Fernandez (graphic novel)

Books read in February 2013

Print Books:

1.) World Without End by Sean Russell
2.) American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
3.) The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
4.) Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, R. Gregory Christie (Illustrator)
5.) Sea without a Shore by Sean Russell
6.) The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Hay
7.) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
8.) Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins
9.) Bailey's Cafe by Gloria Naylor
10.) The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
11.) Clementina's Cactus by Ezra Jack Keats
12.) Peter's Chair by Ezra Jack Keats
13.) Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
14.) Time Flies by Eric Rohmann
15.) Anno's Flea Market by Mitsumasa Anno
16.) Sidewalk Circus by Paul Fleischman, Kevin Hawkes (Illustrator)
17.) The Boy, The Bear, The Baron, The Bard by Gregory Rogers
18.) Hidden Army: Clay Soldiers of Ancient China by Jane O'Connor
19.) Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)
20.) Shadow Blade by Seressia Glass
21.) This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Audio books:

1.) Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
2.) The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
3.) Dark Lords of the Sith by Tom Veitch, Kevin J. Anderson
4.) Year Zero by Rob Reid

E-books:

1.) The Goblin Wood by Hilary Bell


Lots of children's books this month for class reading.

Books Read in January 2013

Print Copy:

1.) D'Shai by Joel Rosenberg
2.) Eloise by E.C. Tubb
3.) Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
4.) Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress: Tales of Growing up Groovy and Clueless by Susan Jane Gilman
5.) Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
6.) Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida
7.) In Golden Blood by Stephen Woodworth
8.) From Black Rooms by Stephen Woodworth
9.) Are You Afraid of the Dark? by Sidney Sheldon
10.) Around the World in the Middle Seat: How I Saw the World (and Survived!) as a Group Travel Leader by Joyce Brooks

Audiobooks:

1.) The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett, Stephen Baxter
2.) The Ring of Solomon by Jonathan Stroud
3.) The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
4.) The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven
5.) The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven
6.) Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven