Angels in Pink Series by Lurlene McDaniel

This is a YA series. I often read some of the YA books expecially the ones by this author. This series is about three teenage best friends. Each book in the series is about one of the three girls. I have read "Kathleen's story" and "Raina's story". I am waiting for us to get the third one in the series "Holly's story". These three friends decide to volunteer at a hospital one summer, and they continue with volunteering with credits towards their high school diploma. The books are about teenage problems, romance, sex, values and self-esteem. Included also in these books are problems that can run deep. There are people they meet who have medical problems and it shows us how these girls deal with real life and death situations. Lurlene McDaniel sure has a way of getting into your heart and making you feel what her characters are feeling. Most of her books deal with kids and teens with medical problems. Many of her books can be considered tear jerkers, but are well worth reading.

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

Just for fun, my husband and I checked out this book and read it out loud on our way into Spokane the other day. While I suppose this is a rather geeky way to spend an hour, it was much better than listening to commercials on the radio.

While the book did contian some useful terms, it tended to be biased towards the sciences (words like chromosome or mitosis were common), politics, and business. While many terms were useful, I think many good words from other disciplines or areas of life got left off the list.

Though I think this book could be helpful for those looking to learn new words, I think it would be far more interesting and instructive to read the dictionary. Better yet, I think you’d do more for your vocabulary by simply reading a good book.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

The 6th book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, continues the story of Harry Potter, the young boy who discovers that he is a wizard. In this book, Harry, now age 16, returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his 6th year. While there, he hangs out with his friends, witnesses some strange events and accidents (one begins to wonder what kind of insurance Hogwarts has considering how many students end up in the hospital wing in these books), discovers a mysterious textbook, and learns more about Lord Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed Harry’s parents.

While the series in general and The Half Blood Prince in particular is at times very dark and scary (the wizarding world is under the constant threat of the evil Lord Voldemort), J.K. Rowling’s terrific sense of humor lightens the mood considerably. Also, in spite of the dark parts to the books, there is a wonderful theme of friendship and hope. Harry and his friends use magic we might use our own talents and abilities, but in the end, what wins the day in every story is bravery, self-sacrifice, and unconditional love for friends and family.

One more thing to note about the book is this: if you read it, you will be left with a cliffhanger at the end, and if you’ve come to enjoy the books as I have, you’ll find yourself wishing that J.K. Rowling had superhuman powers and could finish the final book yesterday. Until that final book comes out, however, you’ll find me in the children’s section along with the kids, scouring the first 6 books for clues about what’s going to happen next.

the speed of dark

I must admit that I am a real fan of Elizabeth Moon and have read every one of her SciFi offerings and many times have passed by this book as it is not Science Fiction, however a couple weeks ago in a fit of nothing to read I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed. It is a novel which explores the anxiety and tension of life through the eyes of an autistic adult named Lou. It is a very enchanting and insightful read which had me pondering the question "what is normal?" I recommended this book to a patron and friend who has a young autistic son to help her to understand what the world may look like through his eyes. Ms. Moon is intimately acquainted with autism, through the raising of an autistic son, who is now a teenager.

Preserving the Harvest

The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, by Carol Costenbader is one of the best canning and preserving books out there. I have been canning for 25 years and am always looking for new, interesting, and easy recipes. This book is extremely comprehensive - there are chapters on freezing, drying, pickling, etc - and all the recipes are easy to follow. One of my favorite recipes is for spiced peach jam - it tastes like peach pie! Many canning books seem old-fashioned and are full of laborious recipes. This book is up-to-date, fun, and full of practical ideas for preserving food at the peak of flavor and freshness to enjoy for months to come.