96.
Author: Madelyn Alt
Title: Where There's a Witch
Publication: Kindle E-book
Pages:
Genre: cozy mystery
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 18, 2010
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Ah, redemption. That's a bit better.

95.
Author: Harriet Jacobs
Title: Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 320
Genre: Slave narrative
Acquisition: college text, work text
Date Completed: December 12, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I first read Harriet Jacobs' charged narrative as part of an undergraduate course on African American literature. Reading Jacobs' account alongside that of Frederick Douglas was a wonderful experience, and happened to produce a strong bias on my part; after discussing the publication (and editing) history of Douglas' works I came to appreciate Jacobs' novel even more. Her account is unique at the time of its publication because it tells the story of a female slave from her own point of view - with no author or editor in the way. Jacobs, educated in her own right and therefore completely capable of producing such an eloquent text, is an extremely effective rhetor. She clearly identifies her audience - white Northern women who may be sympathetic to the abolitionist movements - and uses rhetorical techniques to produce the maximum impact. Jacobs' narrative focuses on many prominent issues, most notably the desire of the slave to remain morally pure and righteous (in a Christian sense) despite the sinful and heathenish demands of their masters, and the heartbreaking plight of the slave mother who must face the uncertainty and sorrow that comes with every auction and sale.

I was very pleased to have the chance to introduce Jacobs' story to my AP English student this semester, and was equally pleased with the charged responses that the text inspired. Jacobs' story - and skillful writing - is always sure to make an impact.

94.
Author: Madelyn Alt
Title: No Rest for the Wiccan
Publication: Kindle Edition
Pages:
Genre: cozy mystery
Acquisition: gift from hubster
Date Completed: December 16, 2010
Rating: 2.5 stars out of 5

What started out as another cute read from Madelyn Alt quickly became boring rote conflicts and a highly undeveloped "mystery." Maggie O'Neill faces the same issues she's faced through all four novels - an overbearing mother, no backbone in her family, small town prejudices, a jerk of a half-boyfriend and a potentially hot boyfriend to be. Of course, like all of the previous novels, there is absolutely no resolution for any of these issues. Well, that's not entirely true - Maggie gets into a tiff with her mother over her job. And that's about it.

The mystery itself is more than just a subplot - it's relatively nonexistent, and is used only to gather Marcus, Tom, and Maggie in the same place. Oh, with a dangerous scene thrown in for good measure.

I'll continue the series for at least one more book - largely because I keep hoping Maggie will dump the bigot for the witch - but if the next book doesn't deliver some resolution on some level then I think I'll be done.

93.
Author: Mary Roach
Title: Packing for Mars
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 321 pages
Genre: Nonfiction, science, travel writing
Acquisition: gift from hubster
Date Completed: December 13, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

In Packing for Mars, reporter Mary Roach sets out to do what she does best: combine the genres of travel writing and popular science to produce a text that both lightens and entertains without going over the heads of the general populous. Her latest text takes readers through the history and science that might, someday, lead mankind to set foot on Mars.

Despite the suggestion of the title, the subject of a manned spacecraft traveling to Mars is more of a flourish than a meaty part of her writing. I surmise that the reason for this could simply be that Roach is working with the subject matter she knows best - people - and no one has yet set foot on the distant planet.

Roach is no scientists, but she is a wonderfully intuitive reporter who doesn't shy away from any topic - even sh*t burgers. Her gift for narration is entertaining, and is more than enough for me to overlook my quibbles about the title of the book itself.

Packing for Mars would be a great read for fans of Roach, as well as those who may have been turned off by her selection of subject in the past (but really, who doesn't love reading about cadavers and corpses, sex, and the soul?).

92.
Author: Shirley Jackson
Title: Raising Demons
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 310 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 11, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Shirley Jackson's Raising Demons is just as delightful and entertaining as her previous memoir, Life Among the Savages. Picking up not long after the first one ends, Raising Demons introduces young Barry as a toddler, and chronicles the family's move to a new house, growing children, magic, baseball games, and endless parade of house repairs, animals, and picking up after people, and the general chaos that inevitably follows a family of six. The blurb on the front of the book proclaims, "It's a very pleasant form of pandemonium and hugely entertaining," and I'm inclined to agree. The insanity of raising a sizable family is a joy, and Jackson's slight-frazzled voice sweeps the reader along for the ride.

91.
Author: Shirley Jackson
Title: Life Among the Savages
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 235 pages
Genre: Nonfiction
Acquisition:
Date Completed: December 6, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

In Shirley Jackson's obituary, a friend from the NY Times writes of the authors, "the fact was that she used a typewriter {and not the broomstick of legend}--and then only after she had completed her household chores." This image of the house-proud and "well prioritized" novelist has apparently cast a long shadow on the perception of Shirley Jackson, painting her as a rather eccentric "Angel of the house."

Her own writing, however, tells a different story. Of her family life, Jackson herself says, "Our major exports are books and children, both of which we produce in abundance. The children are Laurence, Joanne, Sarah and Barry: my books include three novels, The Road Through The Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird’s Nest, and a collection of short stories, The Lottery. Life Among the Savages is a disrespectful memoir of my children” (Twentieth Century Authors). The first page of Life Among the Savages echoes this view of her life: "When we moved into {our house} we had two children and about five thousand books; I expect that when we finally overflow and move out again we will have perhaps twenty children and easily half a million books ... This is the way of life my husband and I have fallen into, inadvertently..."

I found Jackson's "disrespectful memoir" to be truly delightful. Here she writes a collection of family stories and anecdotes that perfectly emphasize the minor frustrations and confusion of parenthood while maintaining a great sense of humor. Children are loud. And dirty. And have a tendency to say very inappropriate things - but then again, adults can be nervous and bumbling and completely inept when thrown into alien territory like parent-teacher conferences. For all the "disrespect" that Jackson claims, the book itself is simply grounded, and portrays a wonderfully contemporary attitude towards parenthood that I was able to relate to and enjoy.

Successfully raising a horde of children must require a good sense of humor, and Shirley Jackson has it in spades. I cannot wait to get to the sequel, Raising Demons.

90.
Author: Angie Sage
Title: Magyk: Septimus Heap Book One
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 564 pages
Genre: YA Fantasy
Acquisition: Work text, 5th Grade
Date Completed: December 5, 2010
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Magyk is a young adult fantasy novel that begins with two births and a death, and ends with the promise of an eventful future. Sage's novel is nothing truly new, but her character development and frequent use of allusions makes the novel interesting for adult readers, and I believe the intended audience would find the story quite charming and enthralling. Although I identified the mystery early on, I was pleased with the development of the story itself. I am currently using the novel for my 5th-grade student, and we have used the text to discuss literary allusions and techniques, as well as the roles and choices of illustrators and typographers. Magyk is a nice meaty hunk of a book for 4th and 5th graders, and would be a lovely way to introduce young readers to genre fiction.

31, 89.
Author: Shirley Jackson
Title: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Publication: Paperback
Pages:
Genre: Gothic
Acquisition: Work text
Date Completed: December 2, 2010
Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I finished my first reading of Jackson's final completed novel around the same time I was considering texts for the fall semester, and I thought for sure that my students would enjoy the creepy tale a bit more than The Picture of Dorian Gray (which remains my favorite novel, despite their opinions). Reading the novel for analysis versus personal pleasure - and both in the same year - has been an interesting experience, and one I've really enjoyed. I am not as blown away as I was with my first reading (perhaps because I know the mystery), but I am nonetheless charmed and delighted by the satirical Gothic. The opinions of my students are split, but I still recommend it.

88.
Author: Terry Pratchett
Title: I Shall Wear Midnight
Publication: Hardback
Pages: 355
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Acquisition:
Date Completed: November 21, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Tiffany Aching of the Chalk is no longer wielding iron pans against mythical creature, but she is still driven by the same fire that has always existed in her soul. She is now The Witch, and the Hag of the Hills, and she's damn good at it. Too good at it, at times, as her past actions bring her to the attention of a demonic soul intent on seeking revenge on a memory.

While I have enjoyed all of the Tiffany Aching books, I Shall Wear Midnight is undoubtedly my favorite. Pratchett's wit and keen eye for social criticism and satire are on full display, and the story itself will take readers on a wild and magical ride.

87.
Author: Joseph Bruchac
Title: Code Talker
Publication: Paperback
Pages: 231
Genre: YA, ALA Best Book for Young Readers
Acquisition: Teaching text for 8th grade
Date Completed: November 21, 2010
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

In the early days of World War II the American military is starving for a way to protect transmitted intelligence - an Unbreakable Code. One man, the son of a trader who sells goods to Native Americans, provides the answer the military is looking for, and before long Marines are found on Navajo reservation to find native speakers. As a language with no alphabet, and a language almost impossible to master unless one learns it from birth, the Navajo tongue provides a code that finally defeats Japanese intelligence. Once their worth is proven, the Code Talkers are in high demand, and their importance in WWII cannot be exaggerated.

In Code Talker, Joseph Bruchac tackles a story that is suppressed for the government for over three decades. Having produced a treasured government secret, the Navajos who develop the Unbreakable Code are forbidden to share their important role in the war, and for years remain unrecognized by anyone other than their fellow Marines.

Ned Begay is one such Marine. Having attended missionary schools from a young age, he is an ideal candidate for the role the Marines seek to fill, and once he is sixteen he convinces his family to allow him to lie about his age and join the military. Once shamed by bilagaanaa for his culture, Ned finds that that very culture is what allows him to serve his homeland.

Bruchac's narrative is haunting; Ned's quiet grade highlights both the horrors of war and the horrors of racism in the land he helps to protect without delving into alienating anger. His dignity moves the reader, and allows anyone with a soul and a conscience to relate to Ned, regardless of race or culture.

With no intimate knowledge of the cultural and historical events, I was quickly drawn in to Ned's story, and found myself mesmerized by his voice and moved by his experiences. I highly recommend this book to all readers.