Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher (Goodreads Author)

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers thirteen cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.

Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I haven't even finished this book, I'm about halfway through, and I needed to share it.

This book is extremely powerful and I'm completely consumed by it. Young adults and "regular" adults alike could learn a thing or two--or ten--from the lessons the main character, Hannah, is trying to communicate.
I'm completely hooked and will definitely spend the rest of my day diving into this captivating read.

I Shall Wear Midnight (Discworld #38)

by Terry Pratchett

It starts with whispers.
Then someone picks up a stone.
Finally, the fires begin.
When people turn on witches, the innocents suffer. . . .
Tiffany Aching has spent years studying with senior witches, and now she is on her own. As the witch of the Chalk, she performs the bits of witchcraft that aren't sparkly, aren't fun, don't involve any kind of wand, and that people seldom ever hear about: She does the unglamorous work of caring for the needy.

But someone or something is igniting fear, inculcating dark thoughts and angry murmurs against witches. Aided by her tiny blue allies, the Wee Free Men, Tiffany must find the source of this unrest and defeat the evil at its root before it takes her life. Because if Tiffany falls, the whole Chalk falls with her.

Chilling drama combines with laughout-loud humor and searing insight as beloved and bestselling author Terry Pratchett tells the high-stakes story of a young witch who stands in the gap between good and evil.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I was lucky enough to have this book with me when I was called for jury duty. Let me tell you, there is nothing better, when stuck in a room for 10 hours with a bunch of other disgruntled New Yorkers, than being kept company by Terry Pratchett. This book was funny, intense, extremely intelligent, and exactly what I needed. Tiffany is easily one of my favorite [fictional] people ever.

The Thief Lord

by Cornelia Funke

Welcome to the magical underworld of Venice, Italy. Here, hidden canals and crumbling rooftops shelter runaways and children with incredible secrets....

After escaping from their cruel aunt and uncle, orphans Prosper and Bo meet a mysterious boy who calls himself the "Thief Lord." Clever and charming, the Thief Lord leads a band of street children who enjoy making mischief. But the Thief Lord also has a dark secret. And suddenly Proper and Bo find themselves on a fantastical journey to a forgotten place. What they discover there will change the course of their destiny.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

This was an excellent thriller and it was a delight to get sucked into. The story was compelling, the characters were easy to relate to, and the plot was both comfortably familiar but tense unexpected twists and turns. Adults and youth alike will enjoy this story.

Dead End in Norvelt (Norvelt #1)

by Jack Gantos

Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets.

But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a feisty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his Utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I read this for school actually. It was way more fun than I had thought it would be--being skeptical of anything assigned to me. It is a wonderfully--but not overwhelmingly--complex story with something for everyone.

The Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett

A treasure worth killing for. Sam Spade, a slightly shopworn private eye with his own solitary code of ethics. A perfumed grafter named Joel Cairo, a fat man name Gutman, and Brigid O’Shaughnessy, a beautiful and treacherous woman whose loyalties shift at the drop of a dime. These are the ingredients of Dashiell Hammett’s coolly glittering gem of detective fiction, a novel that has haunted three generations of readers.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

This novel truly is a classic. I really enjoyed reading it after I saw the film as a teen. I had no idea until recently that Hammett spent time as a private investigator himself and drew many of his stories from his own experiences. It made me appreciate his works even more. Seriously great caper.

Roasted Chickpea Recipe

This recipe--with some of my own additional flavor suggestions--was retrieved from the website Healthy Crush.

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 1/2 cans of chickpeas rinsed and dried (make sure they are as dry as possible so they get crispy!)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice from 2 lemon slices (about 1/4 of a lemon)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

(Other flavors to play with: chili, basil, chive, ginger, garlic, tahini)

Preheat oven to 425 with a rack placed in the top third of the oven. Put the dried chickpeas onto a baking sheet as pictured below and roast for 10 minutes.

Shake the pan and roast for another 8-10 minutes, until the chickpeas crisp up. Keep an eye on them to avoid burning!

While chickpeas are cooking, make your sauce. Combine olive oil, paprika, salt, lemon zest, cumin, lemon juice, rosemary and thyme into a mixing bowl.

Transfer the chickpeas into the bowl and toss until well coated. Return to baking sheet and roast for another 3-5 minutes. Note: do not cook any longer than this, or they may taste too dry. Let cool 1-2 minutes & serve!

The Good Fairies of New York

by Martin Millar, Neil Gaiman (Introduction)

Dinnie, an overweight enemy of humanity, was the worst violinist in New York, but was practicing gamely when two cute little fairies stumbled through his fourth-floor window and vomited on the carpet. . .

When a pair of fugitive Scottish thistle fairies end up transplanted to Manhattan by mistake, both the Big Apple and the Little People have a lot of adjusting to do. Heather and Morag just want to start the first radical fairy punk rock band, but first they’ll have make a match between two highly unlikely sweethearts, start a street brawl between rival gangs of Italian, Chinese, and African fairies, help the ghost of a dead rocker track down his lost guitar, reclaim a rare triple-bloomed Welsh poppy from a bag lady with delusions of grandeur, disrupt a local community performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and somehow manage to stay sober enough to save all of New York from an invasion of evil Cornish fairies.

If they can stop feuding with each other, that is.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I found this book on one of my stumblings through The Strand bookstore and snatched it up. I like a good fairy story--traditional or not--and this definitely falls into the not category. I had so much fun with this book and enjoyed it on so many levels.

Strange News from Another Star (20th Century Classics)

by Hermann Hesse

In 1919, the same year Demian was published, seven of these stories appeared as a book entitled Märchen (lit. Fairy Tales). This 1st edition in English has followed the arrangement Hesse made for the final collected edition of his works, where he added an 8th story, "Flute Dream".

The new note so clear in Demian was 1st sounded, Hesse believed, in some of these tales written during 1913-18, the period that brought him into conflict with supporters of the war, with his country & its government, with conventional intellectual life, with every form of orthodoxy both in the world & in himself. Unlike his earlier work, from Peter Carmenzind thru Knulp, the stories in Strange News from Another Star don't allow for an essentially realistic interpretaion. They are concerned with dream worlds, the subconscious, magical thinking & the numinous experience of the soul. Their subject is the distilling of wisdom. The stories are "Augustus", "The Poet", "Flute Dream", "Strange News from Another Star", "The Hard Passage", "A Dream Sequence", "Faldum" &--perhaps the masterpiece of the collection--"Iris".
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I've actually only just started this collection, but it kept me wonderful company on my morning commute and is making me immensely happy already. Demian is easily one of the most important books I've ever read, and these short stories are as masterfully told as any. Happy reading y'all.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories

by Salman Rushdie, Paul Birkbeck (Illustrator)

Immediately forget any preconceptions you may have about Salman Rushdie and the controversy that has swirled around his million-dollar head. You should instead know that he is one of the best contemporary writers of fables and parables, from any culture. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a delightful tale about a storyteller who loses his skill and a struggle against mysterious forces attempting to block the seas of inspiration from which all stories are derived.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I can't get over how hilarious this book was. It was discretely extremely intelligent in a way that if you have a lot of random knowledge in your head, you will appreciate how cleverly funny it is. However, I'm sure there were loads of little tidbits I missed and still found it immensely enjoyable, so dive in!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

by Brian Selznick

Half sketches create a story in pictures too, relevant history. Real last-century French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès collected mechanical robot-like automata, and, impoverished, worked at a toy booth in a Paris railway station. Here, orphan Hugo fixes his late father's automata, and meets Méliès through his god-daughter Isabelle.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Is it a graphic novel? Is it a "traditional" novel? Yes! It's both! This was a marvelously told story that led the reader on many unexpected and exciting twists and turns. The illustrations pull you into Paris and the story is one that everyone can relate to.

The film adaptation was surprisingly good as well.

Skellig

by David Almond

Unhappy about his baby sister's illness and the chaos of moving into a dilapidated old house, Michael retreats to the garage and finds a mysterious stranger who is something like a bird and something like an angel...
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

What a deeply moving book. It is crammed full of many important themes without being overwhelming: the fear of loss, of being different, starting over. Ideas we can all relate to, regardless of age. This was also one of the few time I thought the movie adaptation was actually quite good. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. I've always thought that stories aimed at a specific age group (especially younger ones) can still be enjoyed by anyone, this is yet another perfect example of that.

Bad Monkey

by Carl Hiaasen

Andrew Yancy--late of the Miami Police, soon-to-be-late of the Key West Police--has a human arm in his freezer. There's a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation for that, but not for how and why it parted from its owner. Yancy thinks the boating-accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, his commander might relieve him of Health Inspector duties, aka Roach Patrol. But first Yancy will negotiate an ever-surprising course of events--from the Keys to Miami to a Bahamian out island--with a crew of equally ever-surprising characters, including: the twitchy widow of the frozen arm; an avariciously idiotic real estate developer; a voodoo witch whose lovers are blinded-unto-death by her particularly peculiar charms; Yancy's new love, a kinky medical examiner; and the eponymous Bad Monkey, who earns his place among Hiaasen's greatest characters with hilariously wicked aplomb.

(summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I haven't read a book by Hiaasen I haven't loved, and this is no exception. It was a perfect mixture of hilarious, gross, mysterious, exciting, and lots of other adjectives that I'm not awake enough to think of. Any book by him, JUST READ IT.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

by Fannie Flagg

It's first the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women -- of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her life partner Ruth, who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I can't sing the praises of this book enough. It is heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time, which mirrors the dual nature of segregated life in the US. 

My absolutely favorite quotation, from Idgie of course: “Oh it don't make no kind of sense. Big ol' ox like Grady won't sit next to a colored child. But he eats eggs- shoot right outta chicken's ass!” 

Fangirl

by Rainbow Rowell

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan...

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words... And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

This was a fun read and a really easy one to get sucked into. This is a great book that explores the world of fanfiction and social anxiety in a way that is very accessible to folks that may not know much about either. Also, the fanfic Cath rights includes a same-sex couple. The more "every day" these things become, hopefully the more tolerant and accepting people will become in relation to the LGBT community.

This is one of the first books I tweeted about (#qlis739).

Bone, Vol. 1: Out from Boneville

by Jeff Smith

After being run out of Boneville, the three Bone cousins, Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone, are separated and lost in a vast uncharted desert.

One by one, they find their way into a deep, forested valley filled with wonderful and terrifying creatures...

Humor, mystery, and adventure are spun together in this action-packed, side-splitting saga. Everyone who has ever left home for the first time only to find that the world outside is strange and overwhelming will love Bone.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

One of the best parts of looking after other people's kids was reading books with illustrations again. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed it and how much I'd missed after I stopped. This graphic novel has it all and I would recommend it to any child, young adult, or adult-y adult. 

Happy Anniversary

I would like to wish the Apollo moon landing and Catcher in the Rye very happy birthdays. Good job not being forgotten.

Let the Right One In

by John Ajvide Lindqvist

It is autumn 1981 when the inconceivable comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenage boy is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last—revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day.

But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door—a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night....

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

So my flight had been delayed by about 4 hours and I tried desperately not to loose my mind. I felt like getting violent when all of a sudden... I spotted this book in the Waterstones bookshop in Heathrow Terminal 4. I figured it would be safer and legal-er for a [hopefully] fictional character to kill people instead of me resorting to such things. I loved the two main characters and the dark new take on vampires. This is the perfect example of fiction featuring young protagonists that was definitely not intended for the young. Absolutely captivating, regardless of the fact that I was trapped in Heathrow forever.

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (Illustrator)

After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Imagine the Jungle Book, but in a graveyard. I loved this book and especially loved that my commute took me passed a graveyard twice a week while I was reading it. I definitely kept an eye out, but maybe it was just the sun glinting off of something shiny that I saw...

Incredible story accompanied by fantastic illustrations. Bod is exactly the brave sparky kid I like to aspire to be these days. It's never too late.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (Persepolis #1-2)

by Marjane Satrapi, Mattias Ripa (Translator)

A New York Times Notable Book

A Time Magazine “Best Comix of the Year”

Wise, funny, and heartbreaking, Persepolis is Marjane Satrapi’s memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Because it's almost hard to believe how much one person can survive, I had a hard time at first remembering that this was a work of non-fiction. Wise, funny, and heartbreaking sum this story up perfectly. I loved it (and the second volume) and look forward to exploring more work by Satrapi.

Especially because of how fraught these times are with tension in the Middle East, it's important to remember that there is no single side that is good or bad. It's only the people doing the killing and spreading of hate that are worthy of our contempt. Everyone caught in the middle should receive our sympathy and admiration, especially since most of us have not had to deal with such extremism first-hand.

Fire and Hemlock

by Diana Wynne Jones, Garth Nix (introduction)

Polly has two sets of memories...

One is normal: school, home, friends. The other, stranger memories begin nine years ago, when she was ten and gate-crashed an odd funeral in the mansion near her grandmother's house. Polly's just beginning to recall the sometimes marvelous, sometimes frightening adventures she embarked on with Tom Lynn after that. And then she did something terrible, and everything changed.

But what did she do? Why can't she remember? Polly must uncover the secret, or her true love -- and perhaps Polly herself -- will be lost.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Easily one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. This was a great modern take on the old Scottish ballad Tam Lin. Instead of a book from two different perspectives, this is a book where a character has two sets of memories. It's important to keep them straight. Otherwise you can just sit back (or hover on the edge of your seat like I did) and enjoy the ride. Wonderful wonderful tale.

Tithe (Modern Faerie Tales #1)

by Holly Black

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother's rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms - a struggle that could very well mean her death.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Back to fantastical realms. Like the title says, this is a modern take on old fairy tales. It's a great combination of fairy, faerie, and faery elements from many different places in a modern setting. A great combination of fun and dark.

Wonderstruck

by Brian Selznick

Ben and Rose secretly wish for better lives. Ben longs for his unknown father. Rose scrapbooks a famous silent actress. When Ben finds clues and Rose reads enticing news, the children independently run to New York for what they are missing. Ben's story in words, Rose's in pictures, come together in deafness.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

The art in this book is breathtaking. The story is captivating. I really enjoyed how strong the characters were. Because of, or in spite of, their young ages. I will try not to do this too much, but I'm going with: just read it! I loved it and now that I'm looking at the cover art, I know I have to read it again.

Graceling (Graceling Realm #1)

by Kristin Cashore

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

The journey Katsa follows is wild. It was wonderful to accompany her on the physical journey, but also her character's journey of emotional development as well. She works damn hard to live the life she doesn't know she deserves and tries to rise above the stereotypes people with her abilities face. She's a very strong and brave character and is a great role model for young women who may not always feel allowed to be powerful too. 

The other two books in the series are a must as well: Fire and Bitterblue. Both are available at most bookstores and libraries. You won't have to wait on the edge of your seat like I did for the next one to come out.

On the Jellicoe Road

by Melina Marchetta

I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I tell him about Hannah, who lives in the unfinished house by the river. Hannah, who is too young to be hiding away from the world. Hannah, who found me on the Jellicoe Road six years ago.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

The most important thing to remember when starting this book is that it is written from two perspectives and two different times. This was such a powerful story. Heartbreaking, tense, and powerful. It is a story about rivalry, loss, family, and survival. The characters are [a little too] believable, the setting is stark, and the plot is brutally honest. I couldn't put it down. Just read it.

Paper Towns

by John Green

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues - and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Q gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I loved this book. It was the first book by John Green that I read and it was more than enough to get me hooked on his genius. Paper Towns was a great journey that for once had no supernatural or fantastical elements. This is a great book if you want a smart, funny, witty journey; a story about people.

The Floating Islands

by Rachel Neumeier

When Trei loses his family in a tragic disaster, he must search out distant relatives in a new land. The Floating Islands are unlike anything Trei has ever seen: stunning, majestic, and graced with kajurai, men who soar the skies with wings.

Trei is instantly sky-mad, and desperate to be a kajurai himself.  The only one who fully understands his passion is Araene, his newfound cousin.  Prickly, sarcastic, and gifted, Araene has a secret of her own . . . a dream a girl cannot attain.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I stumbled upon this book by accident and was glad I did. It was perfect for me as a summer read, but it was not light and fluffy. The story was pretty intense. It took me a few pages to sort out who was who, but after that it was easy to get lost in a very interesting take of a new world Neumeier created.

The Book of Three (The Chronicles of Prydain #1)

by Lloyd Alexander

Taran dreams of adventure, but nothing exciting ever happens to an Assistant Pig-Keeper--until his pig runs away. A chase through the woods leads Taran far from home and into great danger, for evil prowls the land of Prydain. With a collection of strange and wonderful friends whom he meets on his journey, Taran finds himself fighting so that good may triumph over evil--and so that his beloved home will not fall to a diabolical fiend.

 (Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

This was a great series inspired by Welsh mythology and folklore. I really enjoyed seeing the main character, Taran, develop as the story progressed. It is very dark and intense during some parts, so I might not recommend this to a young audience, but it was quite captivating. If you have a youth interested in this series, suggest not reading it before bed and he or she will be fine.

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple.

She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she's never met. 

It's hot and strange, full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls with love.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Though the protagonist is a child, I would recommend this book to folks of any age. The characters are tough and scrappy and creative as hell. The setting is as dynamic as the state of Florida itself. Great story.

Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker #1)

by Paolo Bacigalupi

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life...
(summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

What a powerful book! I know post-apocalyptic stories are trending right now, but this is really the cream of the crop. The settings are vivid and the characters are all too believable and fall along the spectrum of sympathetic to terrifying. This is a world where there are no easy choices and though the wrong choice will likely kill you, trying to do the right thing might too. Truly, a great read.

The Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain, or Fontana di Trevi in Italian, is Italy’s largest and most famous Baroque fountain, standing 85 feet high and 65 feet across. Baroque art, a popular European art form between 1600 and 1750, is characterized by highly ornate and decorative art and architecture. The fountain can be found in Rome's Piazza di Trevi in the Quirinale district, easily reached by bus or Metro.

History

The Trevi Fountain was built in the 15th century to mark the ending destination of the Aqua Virgo, the manmade channel erected in 19 B.C. that brought fresh water to Roman bathhouses. The water comes from Salone Springs, eight miles outside of the city, but the length of the aqueduct is about 14 miles.

Origins

Pope Urban VIII consulted Gian Lorenzo Bernini, a prominent Italian sculptor and architect, in 1629 to suggest ways to embellish the underwhelming Trevi Fountain that was commissioned in 1453 by Pope Nicholas V. Although Pope Urban died before his aspirations to improve the fountain could be realized, some of Bernini’s sketches survived and made the final design.

Design

The scene depicted on Trevi Fountain tells the story of how the fountain was named. "It was a virgin shepherdess who showed the spring to soldiers seeking water,” according a 16th-century author quoted on the website Garden Fountains.

Water flows from the mouth of the dominating figure--Neptune, god of the sea--standing atop a shell-shaped chariot drawn by two sea horses and two gods. The horses represent the changing mood of the sea. The larger statue on the left is a representation of the goddess Abundance, above whom is a bas-relief depiction of Agrippa, the son-in-law of the 19 B.C. emporer, approving the plans for construction of the aqueduct. On the right is the god Salubrity, topped by a representation of the virgin directing soldiers toward the water.

Legend

Tossing a coin into Trevi Fountain, according to legend, will guarantee a return trip to Rome. The fountain is swept daily, and the money is donated to Caritas, an Italian charity. In 2006, BBC News reported that an estimated 3,000 euros was collected each night.

*Personal note: I threw a coin in the fountain in 2007 and haven't been able to make it back since, despite 3 more transatlantic flights. I guess the myth isn't busted until I'm dead if I don't return, but this is me registering my skepticism. Just a bit.

-Retrieved from USA Today Travel Tips

I Love Bees!

The next big thing I want to work on is learning about urban beekeeping. I've only just started reading up on the practice, but I also recently learned about this great place called The Brooklyn Grange down around the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They've got a training program, events, a newsletter, and all kinds of great resources for folks of all levels of proficiency; beginner to expert.

According to SustainWeb, there are more honey bees than other types of bee and pollinating insects, so it is the world's most important pollinator of food crops. It is estimated that one third of the food that we consume each day relies on pollination mainly by bees, but also by other insects, birds and bats.

So if you're one of those people that likes to, you know, eat food... learn about the bees that enable you to do so!

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

by Bill Bryson

The Appalachian Trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America: majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you're going to take a hike, it's probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you'll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way; and a couple of bears.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

This was the first book I ever read by Bill Bryson and thankfully it lead me to at least 8 other books by him. Unfortunately, I read this book when I had busted every rib on the right side of my body, so reading a book that made me constantly laugh out loud was rather painful. Completely worth it though. Bryson is a magnificent storyteller and has gone on some incredible adventures, all of which are worth reading about.

Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising #1)

by Susan Cooper

On holiday in Cornwall, the three Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the house that they are staying in. They know immediately that it is special. It is even more than that -- the key to finding a grail, a source of power to fight the forces of evil known as the Dark. And in searching for it themselves, the Drews put their very lives in peril. This is the first volume of Susan Cooper's brilliant and absorbing fantasy sequence known as The Dark Is Rising.

(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

Beginning of a great 5-book series that explores the many facets of the age old struggle between light and dark. Enjoyable on so many levels: a great story, an interesting philosophical discussion, lovely setting and dynamic young characters. Difficult choices and exciting discoveries are made. I love the feeling of being transported; lost in the story the author creates, and Susan Cooper is able to provide that with every book over her's that I've read.

Today in NYC History

From local New York news station NY1:

July 9

1776: The Declaration of Independence, adopted by Congress just five days earlier, is read aloud to General Washington's troops in New York in the midst of the Revolutionary War. Soldiers and civilians celebrate by tearing down a statue of King George III in Bowling Green. The statue is later melted down and used to make thousands of musket balls.

Fevre Dream

by George R.R. Martin

When struggling riverboat captain Abner Marsh receives an offer of partnership from a wealthy aristocrat, he suspects something’s amiss. But when he meets the hauntingly pale, steely-eyed Joshua York, he is certain. For York doesn’t care that the icy winter of 1857 has wiped out all but one of Marsh’s dilapidated fleet. Nor does he care that he won’t earn back his investment in a decade. York has his own reasons for wanting to traverse the powerful Mississippi. And they are to be none of Marsh’s concern—no matter how bizarre, arbitrary, or capricious his actions may prove.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I haven't worked up the emotional stamina to handle the Game of Thrones series, I hesitate to admit. However, Martin's style, his talent, is unquestionable. I decided to start with this work of his and I'm quite pleased I did. If you like a good horror/adventure/vampire tale, this is dark enough to be taken seriously and has incredible character development and interaction. It was perfect for my daily commute when I wanted to desperately dispose of the teeming masses I was sandwiched between. I'm grateful, however, that Martin's fantastic characters did so for me. Thanks ladies and gents.

The Night Circus

by Erin Morgenstern


The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Reves, and it is only open at night.
(Summary retrieved from goodreads.com)

I read this book in the middle of the perfect set of circumstances. It was during a typically unbearable New York City heat wave. I was desperate to escape the heat and my psychotic (former) roommate, and I stumbled upon The Night Circus. It was truly a gift from the book gods. It took me exactly where I needed to go; a dream-like world with a kind of magic I  had never encountered before. The imagery in this book is so beautifully presented to you that the world Morgenstern created would make anyone dream of running away to the circus.

I'M SO UPSET I CAN'T READ THIS AGAIN FOR THE FIRST TIME.