Ugh...The Red Sox...Plus Book of the Week!

You must know something about me. I am a die hard Yankees fan. So when The Red Sox, a team I've loathed since I was 2, clinched a spot in the World Series, I was a little dismayed. Especially since my Yanks are at home on the couch or golfing. They'll play the Cardinals and probably win which will put me in an even worse mood. Then, to top it all off, the first student I see this morning is wearing a Sox hat and telling me about how she had seats in center field for the game....Go Cardinals!

Music- Currently I'm listening to Nick Cave & Warren Ellis' stuff, old Nirvana B-sides, and I spin Converge's Jane Doe on the way home from work everyday.

Books- I just finally finished American Lion which is the story of Andrew Jackson in the White House. Dude was harsh...Rumor has it that, in a duel, he allowed the other man to shoot first uncontested so he himself could get off a clean shot. 

Now for your Book of the Week

The girl on the cover is dead. Well...sort of. Her name is Tegan and she's 16, just trying to make it by like every other teen in the year 2027. Things are starting to come together for her, too. She's got a hot date, good friends, etc. That's when tragedy strikes. A sniper's bullet find her head and drops her like a hot potato. DEAD. And then she wakes up. Weird right? How did she survive? 

As you can ascertain from the cover, she was frozen. She wakes up 100 years later as Australia's newest celebrity: The Frozen Dead Girl! The book gradually lets the reader think that the government froze her for scientific reasons, for good. But as you read, you realize that the government might not have the best intentions for young Tegan and Tegan realizes that the future isn't exactly what she had expected.

This was a good, good book. Not great, but good. The reason is wasn't super was because the middle was super slow. They do give you clues as to what's going to happen, but it's so few and far between that it couldn't keep my attention through the entire novel. The ending more than makes up for it, though and the characters drive the story once it finally gets going again.

Bott's Book of the Week + A Couple Library Things...

Tough loss on Friday, Dutchmen. What did Shakespeare say? "It is not in the stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves." You'll get them next time.

On the library end of things- Quotation books are out in the library for those that need a good yearbook quote. Don't make it something from a song, please. Those are always the worst. I can't tell you how many of my classmates quoted a song that now everyone makes fun of- make it something good. Might I suggest Shakespeare, Voltaire, Hobbes, Locke, etc.

NOW for the Book of the Week:

A Pig, A Movie Star, and A Small Town Girl.

Mr. Bott's Book of the Week: This Is What Happy Looks Like

This book had an interesting story and after reading a TON of fantasy and science fiction, I needed a little fluff. Yes...this book is fluffy. It has love, humor, and a pig. In fact, that's how this whole thing started. Graham is a movie star. Like a real, live movie star. Ellie is not. These two should have no connections other than Ellie seeing Graham on the big screen; however, Graham sends an accidental email to Ellie about his pet pig. Ellie is, needless to say, shocked. 

What's even more shocking is that Graham takes a liking to the response Ellie sends. Wouldn't you know it....these two hit it off over emails. They tell each other life stories and experiences and soon Graham starts to think that Ellie's hometown in Maine would be the perfect place to shoot his new movie. That's where things get a little complicated. Can Ellie and Graham survive a real life meeting? 

Before I answer that (which I won't because that would ruin the ending), this is not a book I'd normally pick up. It's lovey...I'm not. It's fluffy...I'm not. But I very much enjoyed the emails between Ellie and Graham. They were funny and light and at times I forgot that Graham was a "movie star" because Ellie brought him back down to earth with her small town charm. This is also a very quick read because the emails make up a good portion of the book. It's not without its faults, though. I think Jennifer Smith is a great writer and I liked her previous novel but I don't see her writing that life changing novel for students like John Green's Looking for Alaska. I have to be in the mood to read lovey dovey stuff. It just so happens I was this time.

Mr. Bott's Book of the Week- Girl, Stolen- This might not end well...

I am always up for a good thriller, the only problem is I have been lured into these kind of books before. It starts out at the speed of light and then slows toward the middle of the book and eventually loses me before the inevitable twist at the end. Girl, Stolen by April Henry was a wild ride from the start and continued throughout the entire book. It's a pretty thin novel, too which was perfect for me to read while my son took his naps.

Sixteen–year-old Cheyenne Wilder is sleeping in the back of a car while her mom fills her prescription for antibiotics. Before Cheyenne realizes what’s happening, their car is being stolen. Griffin hadn’t meant to kidnap Cheyenne, but once his dad finds out that Cheyenne’s father is the president of a powerful corporation, everything changes—now there’s a reason to keep her. How will Cheyenne survive this nightmare? Because she’s not only sick with pneumonia—she’s also blind.

Strengths of this novel: The characters- I am really impressed with Cheyenne and her resilience through the entire ordeal. She's blind, yet the imagery the author gives through Cheyenne's viewpoint creates of a sense that she's stronger than her captor. She also draws on Griffin's (her captor) emotions and elicits sympathy from him which she then uses to her advantage. I love how smart and resourceful she is. It makes me wonder how I would react in the same situation. 

Another strength is the length of the book. It's small which keeps the story moving. I wish more authors would take a cue from Henry in that regard. As I mentioned, too often I've been drawn into a daze of wordiness that lulls me to sleep (and I've read Tolstoy and Tolkien). Her real strength is not how many words she uses, but how she uses them. 

The only weakness is why Griffin chooses to keep her. Her father "very powerful"...Nothing new there. Other than that it's hard to find many things wrong with Girl, Stolen.

4 out of 5 Stars

Hello Guilderland! Bott's Book-o-da-Week & More

Sorry for the delay in posts. It's been a busy, crazy month here. I am excited to join Guilderland Central School District as their new high school librarian! I have been transitioning nicely and meeting teachers and students. DISCLAIMER!!! I can barely remember my own name sometimes, let alone 1800 students/teachers, so forgive me if I ask you your name 20 times.
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Ok, now on to my book of the week! I have said it before that I am sick of dystopian fiction. Since The Hunger Games came out and blew up the world every few months we see another book cross the desk that has, "similar to The Hunger Games" in the description. I stepped back for a bit and read a bunch of non-fiction, a TON of zombie fiction, and everything John Green ever wrote. So when I picked up The Silenced by James DeVita, needless to say I was hesitant.

I had to give it a shot and I was VERY pleased. 

The Silenced tells the story of Marena, a 16 year old girl whose country has recently come under the rule of the Protectorate, a totalitarian government created by the Zero Tolerance Party. Emphasizing homogeneous thinking and personal appearance, the Protectorate restricts basic rights and freedoms and the idea of individuality is strictly forbidden.

The Protectorate describes this philosophy of Zero Tolerance as, “there is no room for YOU anymore, there is only room for US.” 

Citizens are moved from their homes and settled into re-adaption communities to help them embrace the new order. Children are required to attend classes at training facilities to be schooled in this new “right-thinking” and any resistance results in behavior modification or neutralization. Marena’s own mother was neutralized for speaking out against the ideals of the Zero Tolerance Party.

All of this suffocation, in combination with her mother's downfall, ignite her passion and resolve to rise up against the Zero Tolerance Party. This book is partly inspired by true events from WWII and a group of German students called the White Rose resistance group.

It is a fascinating look at how the past can predict the future and even though there is certainly some repetition here from other dystopian novels, The Silenced stands on its own.

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 This is one book of many that I have on the dock to review. If you have any suggestions for me, you can email me at bottb@guilderlandschools.net or stop by the library to see me any time!