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Running with Sherman
by Christopher McDougall

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Running with Sherman was about SO much more than teaching a rescue donkey to run in a challenging race. It covers everything from the animal human bond to the health benefits of living off the grid. It is weirdly inspiring and positive and made me feel refreshed and energized just reading it. Perhaps I enjoyed it because of my own love of all things furry, perhaps because burro racing was a topic about which I knew nothing but for whatever reason I loved every page. Highly recommended.

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy

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I am intrigued by the idea of a person (rather than a disease) being able to steal memories. That’s what made me pick up this book and I’m so glad that I did. I loved it. I know that the background a person brings to a book impacts how they read it so perhaps events in my life made this book sing especially sweetly to me... I know it hasn’t received great reviews on Library thing but I thought it had a little bit of everything; adventure, romance, heartbreak, twists.... Granted, I do think the romance developed pretty quickly but who am I to say it couldn’t happens that fast?
There were lots of passages that stuck out for me but these two were my favourites:

“If I dwelled on my regrets, I wouldn’t have the strength to get out of bed every morning. We can’t forget what we’ve done, but it’s what we do with those regrets that mould us. We’re given a past to learn from and grow, but sometimes the greatest mistake can change your future for the better.”
and
“Hardly a minute goes by when I don't think of him, but in a way isn't that a lovely thing Julietta? To be so loved that you're always near one's thoughts? I see him every day through the memories we made together,...

Everything Sad is Untrue
by Daniel Nayeri

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The voice of middle school student Khosrou is beautiful and heartbreaking. The story jumps from his present day Oklahoma classroom to his past life in Isfahan and occasionally takes a detour into myths of demons and palaces and magic carpets. It took me a while to get invested in the story but it was well worth persisting. I only hope that the students who read this will also read enough to get themselves hooked. This is a memorable refugee story, one that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

Reading blitz...

9/11/2016

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So sometimes I just have to go on a crazy reading blitz, and this weekend was one of those times. Between Friday and now, I read these five books. Yes... I neglected everything else including lesson prep, housework, my husband, my son and my dog, but sometimes, I am seized by the reading addiction and I binge. 
Each one of these books has merits, although I did prefer some more than others. Here's a brief description in case you're interested in finding these @ our library on Monday.
Eleven and holding - Macy does not want to turn 12 if her father can't be at the celebration, and it looks like he won't be able to be there, but she doesn't understand why he is staying away from his home, and she doesn't understand what the "important business" could possibly be.
Orbiting Jupiter - This is one of the books chosen for the 2016 Global Read Aloud.
Jack gets a new 14 year old foster brother, Joseph, and he only knows a few things about him; he almost killed a teacher, he's just gotten out of jail, he has a baby daughter named Jupiter and he wants help to find her.
The Scourge - Ani Mells, one of the River People, gets captured by a town warden and tested for the Scourge, a contagious virus that results in death. Though she is certain that she doesn't have the disease, to her surprise she tests positive, and is sent to a quarantine colony on Attic Island, with her best friend, Weevil.
It's a Wonderful Death - Taken by mistake by the Grim Reaper before her time was up, Rowena Joy (R.J.) is determined to protest loudly enough that they let her back to Earth and to her old life. When Death himself makes a deal for her, she is given the chance to redo three critical moments in her life to determine whether her life was significant enough to make it worth their while to turn back time and let her live. Who doesn't love a chance to do something over again? 
Pax - This is one of the books chosen for the Global Read Aloud this year, and it is fabulous. I love how Pennypacker takes the intimate emotions of a character, and describes them to a tee. Highly recommend this story. Loved it even though the cover didn't grab me and so it sat on my TBR pile for a long, long time!


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    Janice’s quotes


    "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."— J.K. Rowling

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    Middle School former Teacher Librarian - then MYP math and science. Update... VERY recently retired! Still adjusting that I'm not just on summer vacation!!! 
    I believe there is no such thing as a non-reader; just people who haven't discovered what they want to read.
    If you read my reviews, please leave me a comment - I'd love to know that you're out there.

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    Janice's bookshelf: read

    Siege and Storm
    liked it
    Siege and Storm
    by Leigh Bardugo
    Just didn't enjoy it as much as Shadow and Bone. I just felt like the author was really trying a bit too hard to draw this story out. I was able to put it down several times and I couldn't put Shadow and Bone down so there's the differen...
    Ruin and Rising
    really liked it
    Ruin and Rising
    by Leigh Bardugo
    The Grisha triology is a fantasy series that I really enjoyed. I reread the last book because I thought I wasn't remembering something. I'm a bit confused because I've started King of Scars and Nikolai isn't as I remembered. Don't want...
    Don't Wake Up
    it was ok
    Don't Wake Up
    by Liz Lawler
    A Very Large Expanse of Sea
    it was amazing
    A Very Large Expanse of Sea
    by Tahereh Mafi
    I’m not usually someone who enjoys a story that is predominantly about the attraction between two people BUT I did like this one. The setting is one year after 9/11 and 16 year old Shirin, an American born Muslim whose family moves freq...
    Two Can Keep a Secret
    really liked it
    Two Can Keep a Secret
    by Karen M. McManus
    I love a good mystery, and although I correctly guessed the murderer in the first chapter, I still thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns.

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