Room, by Emma Donoghue

I've been on the waiting list for this book for quite some time...but it arrived just before my vacation and proved to be worth the wait! I read it in two days and had a hard time putting it down. The setting is what makes this book so intriguing. (In fact, I plan to use it as an example of setting in my literature course this spring.) A woman was kidnapped years ago, and has been held captive in "Room" for several years. While in captivity, she gave birth to her son, Jack, who has never known any other home, and therefore does not even realize they are being held captive, but rather sees "Room" as his home (due in great part to his mother's amazing love and creativity as she creates games, activities, and even "Phys Ed" exercises in order to nurture her son and normalize his life). The book is written from Jack's perspective.

Plan to be touched if you choose to read this book. I know I was.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by J.K. Rowling

Ah, Harry Potter, I am hooked on you. In Year 3 of Harry's schooling at Hogwarts, he finds himself wrapped up in yet another adventure that has the potential to end in death. This time, a convict has escaped from the wizards' prison, Azkaban (a prison no one breaks out of, ever), and the convict is heading for Hogwarts, supposedly to kill Harry. Meanwhile, there is a new (and wonderful) teacher at the school, Professor Lupin, who has a secret, while Hermione has a secret of her own. Oh, and Professor Trelawney won't stop predicting Harry's death. But, as many loose ends as there are, the many subplots all come to a completely satisfying end before the book is through.

This was my favorite book in the series thus far...on to Year 4 I go!

Blood, Bones, & Butter, by Gabrielle Hamilton

I had high expectations of this book, and I was not disappointed. I say this is a combination of The Glass Castle (in that Hamilton is strikingly honest when it comes to her childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, "warts and all" as I heard her say in a TV interview) and Julie & Julia (in its sumptuous descriptions of everything culinary). Hamilton has received rave reviews for her first book, a book that I feel is more well-written than any other food memoir I have read, a testament to Hamilton's graduate education in writing. In fact, I was so inspired by her mouth-watering descriptions that I hurriedly planned out a "food critic" assignment for my incoming seniors as a gateway to descriptive writing toward the beginning of the school year. Beware, parents, your students may soon be writing all about the dinners you prepare! 

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, by Amy Chua

And audio book #2 is...

I loved listening to Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother as I drove back and forth between errands in these past couple of weeks. I realized that, for me, it's important that the author herself reads her book. When professional "readers" perform the reading, you automatically miss out on the nuances that can only be fully honored by the writer, the person that was there, either literally (non-fiction) or in her mind (fiction). So I was glad Amy Chua read her own story, the autobiography of her family's life and her children's upbringing. 

As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, Chua spends much of her time describing the difference between Chinese and Western parenting. I found this intriguing. Through the way she chose to raise her own two daughters (mostly the Chinese way), it quickly becomes obvious why success is so often found in Chinese families (particularly think: musicians, academics). Chua admits time and again that she probably pushed too hard at times (her girls had to practice their instruments several hours per day, were not allowed to go to sleepovers or "play dates," and were often blatantly criticized to their faces when Chua felt they were being disobedient, disrespectful, or just plain not good enough). At the same time, though, both Chua and her daughters feel it was advantageous to do things the Chinese way, to push so hard instead of succumbing to the Western ideals of raising children with high self-esteems. 

Chua's book has earned a great deal of criticism in American book reviews. At times I understood this: I found myself angry at the way she sometimes spoke to her daughters, telling them they were a disgrace, that they weren't good enough, or that one was not measuring up to the other. But I also recognized a devotion to excellence that many Western parents do seem to lack as they focus instead on raising kids that simply feel good about themselves. (From a teacher's standpoint, I see this approach backfiring every day.) There must be some sort of balance between the two: high standards without the harsh criticism. And I have to admire the boldness with which Chua told her story, knowing criticism would quickly follow the publication of her honest account of Chinese parenting. 

This was entertaining and thought-provoking: all in all, the perfect audio book. 

Sworn to Silence, by Linda Castillo

Sworn to Silence is an Amish thriller (seems like an oxymoron, no?). In it, police chief Kate Burkholder (once Amish herself) fights to solve a series of violent murders. Unfortunately, secrets from her own past are getting in the way of her investigation and causing the townspeople to doubt her abilities, so she must fight for her job (and eventually her life) at the same time.

That's all I'll say.

I really enjoyed it, though I have to warn you: it's rather explicit in its descriptions of the crime scenes at times.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we really are, far more than our abilities."

- excerpt from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Oh, Harry Potter, you've done it again (as we say in our house). I am officially unable to stop reading the Harry Potter series. (Warning to hubby: next the movies will begin to clog our Netflix queue!) 

In Year 2, Harry Potter is warned by the Malfoys' house elf not to return to Hogwarts, for someone is out to kill him (but really, what's new? He's Harry Potter!). Of course, Harry does not heed this warning, and returns to Hogwarts, as it is still such a vast improvement over staying at "home" with his aunt, uncle, and cousin. 

This year, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened for the second time in history. It is said that only the descendant of  Slytherin himself has this ability, and rumors begin to circulate among Harry's classmates that Harry is Slytherin's evil descendant. But don't you worry, there's a nice tidy ending, as always, and Harry remains alive to see book 3. (I can say that since I'm ten years behind the rest of the world in reading this series, right?) 

In other news, I'm looking for a poster of the above quote to put in my classroom...

Incendiary, by Chris Cleave

This novel (by the same author that wrote Little Bee, which I loved) was rather riveting. I have never read a book quite like this. It is written from the perspective of a female narrator who has lost her husband and son to a terrorist bombing organized by Osama bin Laden, and she is writing the entire account directly to "Osama," as she casually calls him. She writes without censorship (and often without punctuation), her goal being to force Osama to get to know the boy and man he killed. She believes that if he had known them, he wouldn't have killed this crowd of bystanders at a soccer game. 

Although a bit of the beginning talks about the narrator's life before the bombing, more of the book revolves around what life was like for her afterward, including the relationship she has developed with another man and, oddly enough, with his girlfriend as well. The ending was rather far-fetched for me...just a little bit crazy...but overall, I was glad to have read Incendiary.