There are just so many technologies, that I’m overlapping them. I was recently introduced to goodreads.com, where you can store already-read books, write reviews, as well as add to to-be-read shelves and give and receive comments from your friends. So, I’m finding myself updating that quicker than this. But, here it goes. This is what I’ve been reading recently that I would definitely recommend.
Deadline by Chris Crutcher, which is a great companion to Jenny Downham’s Before I Die. In Deadline, Ben decides to hide his illness in order to make his senior year normal, but really learns the lesson that those he loves truly deserved to know earlier, especially to cope with his loss. Crutcher always has a lot of characters in complex situations, and this book is no exception, yet all of the characters have an endearing quality that makes them likeable and readable.
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman is also very similar to another recent read that is fantastic called Keeping Corner by Sheth. In Venkatraman’s novel of India during World War II, Vidya learns that books are her gateway to a better life, especially now that her father is physically incapable of supporting the family and her brother has decided to join the war effort. A beautiful and inspiring read.
As you all know, I’m quite the fan of Ann Rinaldi’s body of work. So, I was excited to see another on the shelf, this time about Nat Turner, the slave and preacher who rose up against southern plantation owners and murdered them in The Letter Writer. Caught in the middle is Harriet, who gave Nat Turner the map to plot his uprising, yet also saved some plantation owners from death once she realized what Nat Turner was doing (as he was attacking and murdering her family on their plantation).
Now, there are other books I’ve read and found interesting, yet not particularly noteworthy. Big Fat Manifesto by Vaught, Now You See Her by Mitchard, Raiders Night by Lipsyte, Many Stones by Coman.
