Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Review: Old School


Old School
Old School by Tobias Wolff

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



This was another book from Shelly's "required summer reading" list for her English students. It reminded me a little of the movie, "The Dead Poet's Society." Basically it's about an elite school for boys who have an unusual interest in literature. I like that the story primarily follows one boy's struggle to find his voice. THAT I could relate with. I also appreciated the cameo appearances from several real-world authors. The protagonist in this book did make me wonder if I shouldn't give Hemingway a second chance. Not many things could do that.



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Review: The Selection


The Selection
The Selection by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It's a good recommendation if you need a fluffy, young adult romance/dystopia that is well-written and interesting. I didn't quite understand why there could be such a controversy about it. Maybe I'm not reading deep enough. I thought it was a cross between a spin-off of the Bible story of Esther and The Bachelor. Make of that what you will. Book 2 is available and I believe Book 3 is coming out next year?



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Review: The Elite


The Elite
The Elite by Kiera Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Similarly to Book 1, The Elite reminded me of the reality show, The Bachelor. Except that most of the characters have some class and the story is more engaging. The romance is exciting in a youthful, dramatic, indecisive kind of way, but love triangles are not as enthralling to me as they used to be. I have a hard time respecting these heroines who can't decide which boy they love more. Still, an entertaining read.



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Sunday, July 7, 2013

Summer reading

Hi all,

My summer reading list is VERY varied this year. I'm taking on everything from classic lit to light young adult reading. Here's a sampling of what's on the list:


  • Crime and Punishment
  • Old School
  • Insurgent
  • The Knife of Never Letting Go
  • Heroes of Olympus
The reason for Crime and Punishment and Old School is not necessarily because I would have chosen to read them for entertainment purposes. Actually, these books are a shout-out to my supersmart sister-in-law who taught English to college freshmen in Boston. Shelly recommended them.

She's moving back to Utah and is now going to teach AP English to high school seniors. These books are their assigned summer reads, and I'm taking up the challenge. 

I'm not really sure what inspired me to do this. Maybe because my other sister-in-law, Annie, said she would do it if I did. Maybe because my inner English-major self misses putting myself through the torture of wordy, convoluted classic lit? Because I hope these books will make me smarter? Because I will have access to a high-school level study guide to help me get through the material?

I'm also re-reading The Knife simply because I want to. Those books were amazing. And this time I'll force my husband to listen to it on audiobook. Then there's the obligatory fantasy, adventure, and other young adult fiction that I can't live without.

Have other recommendations? Lemme know.