The Stonehenge Gate, by Jack Williamson

The latest sci-fi novel by old school sci-fi author Jack Williamson. It's a pretty quick read that puts forth the plot and story in a fun and older type of sci-fi kinda way. It's reminicsent of some of the older Heinlein books, which made me go back to read a bunch of his older novels.
Four poker buddies discover an ancient artifact in the Sahara that is a gateway between planets, linking distant worlds to earth. The book is their adventures trying to figure it all out and stay alive. A somewhat adventurous mystery in a sci-fi format for all ages of reader!

Bernie Whitebear, by Lawney L. Reyes

Living on land that was once part of the north half of the Colville Confederated Tribes' Reservation and the homeland of the Sin Aikst Native Americans, I was drawn to read this book to find out what it's all about. It is basically a biography of his whole life. Bernie was raised on the Reservation, and the book gives an interesting view of growing up there pre and post Grand Coulee Dam. It spends some time describing Bernie's youth, and more about all the amazing things he did for all Indians, as an adult. He was quite an interesting person! From his humble beginnings on the Colville Res, he eventually became an activist and spokesperson for Indian rights, especially the displaced Indians who ended up in the Seattle area. An interesting read about a great and unique man.

The Last Season, by Eric Blehm

This is a who done it kind of mystery, only it's not fictional. It is the true story of Randy Morgenson, an incredibly aware, intelligent, solitary backcountry ranger who spent 28 seasons in Sequoia, Kings Canyon National Park patrolling the wilderness. Randy spent more time wandering the Sierras than did John Muir. Blehm's writing is quite captivating as is the storyline. It's an amazing adventure that had me hooked from the first few pages. One day Morgenson goes missing and the storyline follows one of the largest Search and Rescue missions where many suspected either suicide or foul play. The writing weaves in and out of the search and rescue along with the biography of Randy Morgenson that takes readers far into the world of backcountry rangers and the high Sierras. I wasn't sure who done it until it is revealed at the very end of the book. A fascinating read which was quite difficult to put down.

Tiger by Jeff Stone

A secret Shaolin temple is attacked by a traitorous monk in this adventure fiction set in 17^th century China. Only 5 young monks live through the attack, each relying on their specialized animal style of kung fu to survive. The first book in the series tells the tale of Fu, the tiger, as he tries to take back the ancient scrolls that were stolen from the temple.

This series is fun and fast-paced, sure to appeal to anyone who likes adventure stories, but especially to those with an interest in martial arts. Put a copy on hold soon! – the local kung fu and tae kwon do students have all gotten hooked on this series.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

A somewhat-sequel to Ella Enchanted, Fairest tells a Snow White-like story with a twist.

Aza has the most beautiful voice in all of Aorthea. But Aza’s face is not so lovely. One day, Aza finds a magic mirror, which shows her a beautiful reflection of herself. Is the mirror just full of lies and tricks? Or can Aza really become that pretty? And more importantly, how far is Aza willing to go to become the fairest of them all?

Solviva, by Anna Edey

An amazing book about Anna's vision and commitment to living sustainably and as close to in harmony with nature as possible for her. Starting in 1976 she discovered little by little, methods of sustainable building, composting waste on small and large scales, and ways of living using today's technology and knowledge that reduce pollution and waste and at the same time reduce cost of living and improving quality of life and security anywhere on earth. She lives on Martha's Vineyard and her home and greenhouse need no external heat besides the sun and yet remain well over 70*, and provide her with an income and literally tons of fresh vegetables and greens, even in the dead of winter. Full of color pics and illustrations, and instructions to help others to learn to live sustainably. A truly amazing book and woman!

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

Orlando begins his life as a privileged nobleman of the Elizabethan age. He meets Queen Elizabeth, consorts with princesses and poets, falls in love, falls out of love – you know, the usual things dukes do.

Then – rather strangely – Orlando suddenly turns into a woman. Then, perhaps more strangely, he/she goes on to live for 300 years, surviving through Jane Austen’s times, the Victorian age, and right on into the Roaring 20’s.

Sounds odd? Well, it is. But the book is also laugh-out-loud funny and incredibly thought-provoking. Virginia Woolf uses her “biography” of Orlando’s life to take on all sorts of interesting questions about love, life, and the war of the sexes with her signature wry wit. Orlando is a bizarre classic, but a classic all the same.

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Many people have, no doubt, already discovered this wonderful series. But I’m new to reading Garth Nix, so I was thrilled to find out about this great fantasy novel. Nix’s book is filled with all the elements of classic high fantasy, yet the story is also original and hauntingly real.

Though Sabriel grew up in the relatively modern-day land of Ancelstierre, she was born north of the Wall in the magical Old Kingdom. Her father is a necromancer there, making sure that the spirits of the dead stay dead – and don’t come back to plague the living. When Sabriel receives word that her father is missing, she sets out to find him. Along the way, she must pass through the Old Kingdom - a magical world full of danger, mystery, and long buried grudges.

I have not read high fantasy in a while, and Sabriel was a welcome return to my favorite genre. The book, in my opinion, did have one slow part - namely, the few chapters when Sabriel is traveling alone, before her interesting traveling companions show up. That bit aside, this story is one I’d recommend to any fan of high fantasy who has not yet discovered Garth Nix.

The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks

The reality of this book is a bit scary. It explores the Big Brother theory quite deeply and in a 21st century way.
Maya is a Harlequin, who are raised with one purpose in life: to defend Travelers, who are unique people who have the ability to travel to other realms and they are the people who through time have been able to help bring about changes in humanity. The Tabula are sworn to kill all Travelers and Harlequins in order to control the world.
The book is a literary treasure filled with religious and literary reference from around the world and across traditions. It is a book for book lovers who will be intrigued by finding all the reference, yet the story is strong enough to capture the imagination of even the most casual of readers.
The main premise is that there is a war going on in this world, but it is a war that most are unaware of. Like all wars there are two sides, The Harlequin's and the Tabula or as they prefer to be called `The Brethren'. The Harlequin's are warriors committed to protecting the Travelers; Travelers are people who have the ability to send their life energy from their body and travel to other realms. They are lonely isolated people who live to serve. The travelers often become gurus or healers or prophets. The traveler's after returning from a different plane of existence return changed and their views of life challenge other people to look at their own lives and to seek something more. The Tabula on the other hand want to control the world. They want to have control over every person's life.
I had a very dificult time while I was away from this book because I was always thinking about it and when I could get back to it. I am very much looking froward to the next 2 in the trilogy.

The Mediator: Shadowland by Meg Cabot

Suze sees dead people.

However, unlike the little kid in The Sixth Sense, Suze isn’t scared of ghosts. She finds them annoying, really. They come to her all the time asking for help, trying to resolve problems so they can pass on into the afterlife.

So when Suze moves from New York to Carmel, she figures its time to take a break from specters and enjoy the land of palm trees and sunny beaches. Then she finds the ghost of a very handsome cowboy living in her bedroom and the ghost of a psycho cheerleader possessing her new school. Looks like Suze has her work cut out for – again.

Suze does for ghosts what Buffy did for vampires: she talks nice for a while, but if the ghost gets nasty, she just might have to get a little rough. These books are perfect summer reading – funny, engaging, and just a little bit spooky.

P.S. - This series was written under two names: Meg Cabot, and Meg Cabot's pen name, Jenny Carroll. Kind of confusing, but just so you know....

The ultimate indoor games book : the 200 best boredom busters ever! by Veronika Alice Gunter

The great outdoors are calling, so there's really no reason to be bored this summer. But just in case you DO find yourself surrounded by bored kids, or if you're a bored kid yourself, then this book is for you.

This book is full of great games, made all the more fun by their simplicity and adaptability. Some are old standbys, but many are new, or new twists on old favorites. Although some games may not find an audience (I was never allowed to play Hot Lava in our house - something about not climbing on the furniture), the book is so full of great ideas that you're sure to find something to fit your family and keep them entertained.

The Girl, the Dragon, and the Wild Magic by Dave Luckett

This book was specially requested by a library patron, and I’m so glad he thought to tell us about it. Dave Luckett’s first book of the Rhianna Chronicles is sure to delight fans of fantasy, or anyone looking for a great book to read this summer.

Rhianna Wildwood lives in a world filled with magic. Nearly everyone uses magic for everyday chores, like cleaning or farming and every child in the village attends school to learn magic. Rhianna, however, is the worst student in school. Every spell she does goes wrong. Then, a real wizard comes to town and discovers that Rhianna isn’t bad with magic – the trouble is, she’s too good. She’s the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen – and her power may get her into trouble.

This short book reminded me both of Ella Enchanted, with its fun, spunky heroine, and of the Harry Potter series, with its magic school and everyday use of magic. My only complaint is thatI wanted the book to be longer so I could read more about Rhianna and her adventures. I hope Mr. Luckett writes many more books in this series, because I can’t wait to read more.

The Wish by Gail Carson Levine

When Wilma’s two best friends move away, she goes from having friends to being invisible, and then from being invisible to becoming the most unpopular, most teased girl at her school. So when a kindly fairy offers her a wish, Wilma wishes to be the most popular girl in her jr. high.

Instantly, everyone loves Wilma – they have to. But then, Wilma realizes that her wish has a loophole – and her fairytale is about to end. The question is, who will still like Wilma when the spell is broken?

Half Magic by Edward Eager

Edward Eager’s Half Magic is a wonderful book, and I find myself eager (pun intended) to discover the rest of his works. Half Magic is an older book, set in the 1920’s, but the story is remarkably timeless.

One summer, four siblings find a strange coin on the sidewalk, a coin that grants wishes…sort of. The coin only grants HALF of every wish. So if you wish you were a hundred miles away, you’d be fifty miles away. If you wished to be on a desert island, you might find yourself only in a desert. It doesn’t take long to see that half a wish leads to twice as much trouble.

In the end, the children must band together to undo the mistakes of their wishes. With plenty of wry humor, crazy magic and terrific characters, Half Magic is a book that both kids and adults will enjoy.

Facing Rushmore by David Lozell Martin

A skewed vision, yet pertinent considering the current immigration debate, Martin’s novel is one endless diatribe against the “white man” and yet for all that, is warm hearted and fantastic or at least, I hope it is only a fantasy. I sailed through this story with its odd, relatively action-less plot, continuous dialogue and incredible vision. More than you may want to know about our history with Native Americans, this is nonetheless, a challenging, exciting story.

Search for the Golden Moon Bear by Sy Montgomery

I don’t usually read non-fiction, and especially not books on biology. So it must have been the big, friendly picture of a bear on the cover of this book that led me to pick it up. Though the book is slower-paced and took me a long time to read, I’m glad I read it.

Search for the Golden Moon Bear follows its title pretty closely. Sy Montgomery, the author, and a biologist friend hear strange reports of a golden moon bear in the region of Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Until then, the only known moon bears were deep black. Could this be a new species? In the scientific world, that discovery would be nothing short of amazing. Braving a landscape rife with landmines, unstable governments, poachers armed with AK47s, illness, dangerous methods of transportation and bug-ridden hotels, they travel the back roads of Southeast Asia, looking for this elusive golden bear.

This book is very hard to sum up: at times philosophical, at times a funny travelogue, Montgomery brings Southeast Asia and its jungles and cities alive in her prose. One thing I very much appreciated was that this book is not simply an environmental polemic. Montgomery writes about poachers and conservationists with equal respect and understanding. Like a true scientist, she describes, as much as possible, without condemning. The result is a fascinating journey of discovery into one of the lost corners of the world.

SURVIVE!: my fight for life in the High Sierras by Peter DeLeo

A very interesting and tough book to put down. It starts with the author piloting a small plane with two friends as passengers on a sightseeing trip in the California Sierras. A wind shear hits the plane and it crashes, the rest of the book describes DeLeo's incredible trek through the cold and snowy wilderness, with minimal clothing, no food or water, 16 broken bones, and an amazing driving desire to save himself so he can save his friends who were injured more severely than he and stayed with the plane. After 50 miles and 13 days he finally walks out of the wilderness and back into civilization. A compelling read!

Spinning Through the Universe: A Novel in Poems from Room 214 by Helen Frost

April is National Poetry Month, so I found myself in the poetry shelves and decided to try a volume. "Spinning Through the Universe" is a short novel of poems written from the perspectives of the students, teacher and custodian of Room 214, an average classroom in an unnamed school. The poems range in subject from new kittens and lost bikes to home troubles, homelessness, and larger issues of identity and friendship. Though the year is not easy for the students of room 214, the genuine caring that they have for one another is touching and uplifting.

In addition to creating diverse voices for each of the characters in Room 214, Frost also demonstrates her talent as a poet by using many different and sometimes difficult styles of poetry. Everything from haiku and sestina to a crown of sonnets show up in the work. An index explains each of the poetry forms used in the book and gives suggestions on how to write each form of poetry.

The Beast in the Garden by David Baron

You may have read my review on the book Ghost Walker by R. D. Lawrence. This is another book about cougars that was recommended by Regan for me to read to further my knowledge and understanding of cougars. It's been an interesting winter and spring interacting with the cougar research folks in the area, and learning the particulars of the two mama cougars who frequent my ranch. This book documents what happened in and around the city of Boulder, Colorado in the late 1980's. The city itself being very "green" with a majority of it's residents open minded and pro wildlife. The city acquires thousands of acres of land surrounding it as a greenbelt and refuses to allow hunting, which enables the deer population to skyrocket. Deer in people's yards are commonplace. Cougars make a comeback and their population also booms, and soon cougar sightings are common, also. Then domestic animals start disappearing from suburban homes, and then the cougars become habituated to humans and lose their fear of them. What happens next is inevitable. A great nonfiction read written by a science reporter for NPR, it certainly broadened my knowledge and understanding of cougars. Highly recommended read for those of us who live in cougar country.

Runner, by William C. Dietz

Imagine a far future where many planets whose one time technological advances have deteriorated, including the automated planet shuttles, have fallen into disrepair. Jak Rebo is a runner, a person who gets paid to travel and deliver goods, messages, and in this case, a 10 yr old boy who may be the next spiritual leader, makes an epic journey in his effort to deliver the boy to a different planet. A mix of SF, fantasy, and high and fun adventure awaits you in this hard to put down read of 424 pages. Deitz, is a seasoned SF writer from the Seattle area.

Dating is Murder by Harley Jane Kozak

Many of us have been looking in vain for someone to compete successfully with Janet Evanovich and her spicy Stephanie Plum series (One for the Money, etc.). On a different coast—California rather than New Jersey—and without the plausible excuse for running into bad guys—Plum works for a bail bondsman--Kozak’s graphic artist Wollie Shelley still manages to find the laughs, the unusual situations, and a supporting cast of likeable characters just like Plum. She has a cockeyed view, which is both funny and human—“the term “think tank” brought to mind people sitting around in swimsuits, dangling their feet in water as they pondered grave issues of international importance”. Maybe it won’t take you as long as it did for Wollie to smell out the bad guy but while you are dashing around LA she will keep you entertained.

Tea with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson

Tea with Jane Austen is an interesting concept book: it discusses Jane Austen's life and world with well-researched detail. The focus of this slim volume is the British tradition of tea time, and particularly Jane Austen's love of tea.

Full of interesting facts (such as the dark side of the tea-trade) and strange old recipes, Tea with Jane Austen is a book with a very specific appeal. If you like Jane Austen and the history of the regency period, you may find this book very interesting. If such historical anecdotes do not interest you, this book may not be your cup of...well, you know.

Outside the Not So Big House, by Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka

I bet I’m not alone in thinking: hmm…now that the snow has melted, what on earth should I do with the yard? Thank goodness for the library. There are tons of books on gardening and landscaping available, including the new Outside the Not So Big House, written by the creators of the Not So Big House books.

A useful tool for dreaming big but building small, Outside the Not So Big House offers insight into architectural and landscape design. The book is lovely to look at, with many beautiful pictures of showcase homes and gardens. Using these showcase homes as examples, authors Susanka and Messervy give the reader an architectural vocabulary to use when talking about what he or she most wants in a potential home landscape. Whether creating a sheltered space from which to enjoy a view or a well-laid path to guide guests through the garden, the reader learns what elements of landscape design most appeal to the human eye.

Practically speaking, though, Outside has some drawbacks. The book focuses primarily on landscaping new homes or doing complete renovations of older homes. Folks interested in making minor changes to their existing house and yard may find the book does not address their particular concerns. Also, most of the landscapes ideas featured in the book are extremely expensive. In short, this book is fun to look at for ideas, but offers less in the way of practical advice for the average homeowner.

The Ghost Walker by R. D. Lawrence

After a visit to my remote ranch home by a group of researchers from WSU doing a study on cougars who informed me that they have been tracking two different female cougars, each with kittens, via radio collars, and that they have been calling my mountain their home for the last few months, I figured that I should bone up on cougars. After a few chapters I remembered reading this book shortly after it was published in 1983. It is a great account of the fall, winter and spring when he left civilisation behind to further his study on cougars by living in the wilderness about 90 miles from Revelstoke, B.C. Chock full of facts about the wild cats, I learned enough to continue to feel comfortable wandering the wilds of my homeplace. Besides being fact filled, it is a wonderful story of the wilderness and all his adventures through the 10 months he spent there without ever seeing another human.

Mindscan by Robert J. Sawyer

This is a fun, fast moving SciFi novel. Jake Sullivan has a problem with his blood vessels in his brain which he inherited genetically from his father who became a vegetable because of it. Jake jumps at the chance when the technology comes to be able to transfer his conciousness into an android form, while his old "real self" goes to retire on the far side of the moon and finds a new cure for his problem, the new Jake falls in love with another mindscaned android on earth. While a major court case to determine if mindscanned people are actually legally who they used to be, the old Jake wants to go back to earth and resume his old life. As you can imagine there are a few complications...

The Princess Diaries (Volumes 1-4) by Meg Cabot

Mia Thermopolis couldn’t be more embarrassed. Her mother is dating her Algebra Teacher; the boy she loves doesn’t know she exists and, guess what? - Mia just found out she’s a princess.

These popular novels are full of drama and humor. Though Disney made a movie out of the series, don’t expect the books to be anything like it. Grandmere, the queen of Genovia, more resembles an evil stepmother than Julie Andrews, and Mia does not make a flawless ugly-duckling-to-swan transformation in just one make-over. Instead, her coming-of-age is far more awkward and, consequently, engaging.

The books are truly addictive, but at the same time, I found the characters were hard to like. Mia is highly insecure and selfish, and unlike the movie, she is not very endearing. The other characters, like Mia’s best friend and her awful Grandmother, are even less likable. Though the concept is intriguing (hmmm…what would I do if I were a princess?), the execution of that concept is a little less than regal.

The Sisters by Robert Littell

Complexity is Littell’s trademark in his fasincating CIA-based novels. And that’s what I like about them. Nothing is straight forward, nothing is what it seems, and everything has purpose and meaning, although perhaps not the purpose or meaning that they say. The Sisters was originally published in 1986 so the battle is with communists, but Littell's knowledge of Soviet Russia and the Cold War mentality of the CIA ring very true. Great characters—all with their own twitches including a young women named Kaat who collects words that begin with the letter ‘a’—and imaginative spins on the world as we know it—or perhaps only think we know, Littell delivers a bizarre world of spies and spying. Sign on and, of course, tell no one what you know.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

At first glance, Avalon looks like any other high school. There are your popular kids, like Will the quarterback, Lance, Will’s best friend, and Jennifer, head cheerleader and Will’s girlfriend. And then there’s Elaine, the new girl. She’s tall and geeky; her parents are professors of medieval literature and chronic nerds. They keep old swords in the house and even insisted on naming Elaine after the Lady of Shalott, some chick from the Arthur legends that killed herself over a guy.

But when weird things start happening at Avalon High, it looks like all those old legends about Camelot and King Arthur might be true after all. Could Elaine and her friends really be the re-incarnation of Arthurian heroes? Would that explain why Elaine and Will feel like they’ve met before? And does that mean that Will is fated to die?

Avalon High is an incredibly fun read, especially for those who are familiar with the Arthur legends. The book offers romance, humor, magic, high school dramatics, and fun twist at the end. The plot may be a little predictable (if you know the Arthur legends, you have a pretty good idea of how the story goes), but the ride is well worth taking.

Neuromancer, by William Gibson

Written way back in 1984, Gibson dreamed up and wrote about several high tech things years before they ever came about in reality, such as the internet. In this postmoderm, cyberpunk classic he is responsible for coining the phrase cyberspace, among several others, again way before their inception. The story is a bizarre, twisted tale that is most difficult to follow (or even understand) beyond what is happening on the surface, yet one just while reading there is much to ponder underneath the storied words. Well worth reading, even if you don't wish to delve into the deeper realm beneath the story. Definately a Sci Fi classic written decades before it's time.

Desert Solitaire: a season in the wilderness by Edward Abbey

I had read all the cult classics about Hayduke and the rest of the Monkey Wrench Gang, but never done any of Abbey's more serious work and figured that winter was a great time to. The book takes place in Utah, mostly describing one summer season he worked as a Park Ranger in one of Utah's National Parks before it got a paved access road into it. Abbey spends quite a lot of time describing the minutae of the desert, the animals, insects, and the heat. So it was a good choice for winter wandering. I personally very much enjoyed the read, but could only take it in fairly small doses. Besides the minute descriptions, I also rather enjoyed the short stories of some of his adventures, which included a raft trip down the Colorado pre Glenn Canyon Dam.

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black

Jared Grace and his brother and sister hate their new house on the Spiderwick estate. It’s ugly, old, smelly, and it appears that a small animal has been living in the walls. But then Jared discovers a book that his Great-Uncle Spiderwick left in the attic. The book appears to be a field guide to . . . fairies?

Written as five short books, the Spiderwick Chronicles are an accessible and incredibly well-written series. The Grace children are likeable, believable characters, the fairy-world they explore is fascinatingly portrayed, their adventures are nothing short of page-turning, and there are many wonderful references to fairytales and fairy-lore. On top of all that, the books are full of beautiful illustrations by DiTerlizzi. Parents and kids alike are bound to be enchanted by these fun books. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who is a kid at heart and believes in fairies. (I know I do!)

The Water Mirror by Kai Meyer

Set in a magical version of Venice, Italy, The Water Mirror tells of a fantastical world where mermaids swim through the canal-streets, two outcast magicians feud in an abandoned alley, and the whole city lies under a 30-year siege.

When orphaned Merle is sent to work for one of the magicians, she makes some amazing new friends. Eventually, she finds that she is the only person who can save Venice.

This mesmerizing book reads like a walk through someone else’s dream. Strange new characters appear on every page, but you find yourself believing this surreal story all the same. The book is a trilogy, and ends rather abruptly, much like waking from a dream.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

When Ella of Frell was born, a careless fairy gave her a gift: the “gift” of obedience. Ever after, Ella is magically compelled to do everything she is told. Rather than becoming obedient in her heart, however, Ella becomes a rebel, doing her best to resist the curse and free herself from other peoples' orders. In the process, Ella grows into a determined young woman, brave and kind.

What follows is a fabulous story of adventure, courage, friendship, and a hint of romance. But the best part of the fairytale is Ella, whose delightful personality lights up this terrific story and makes it dazzle.

Note: If you liked the movie "Ella Enchanted," try reading the book - the story is quite different, but just as much fun!