Saturday, January 9, 2016

New Year...New Books

Just wanted to take a moment to share three titles with you that my students are enjoying.  Always looking for titles that might engage readers...for those who love it and especially for those who don't appreciate this hobby as I do.

I wrote a grant last summer to buy books for our student book club.  The following are the first three:


  • The Iron Trial by popular authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare:  the first in a series, this novel's protagonist is a male.  Have you noticed that so many of the heroes are actually heroines? Currently, I only have one copy of the next in the series The Copper Gauntlet...need more, as they all want to read the next one as soon as they finish the first. Please read more here on my book review blog about this series.
  • The Red Queen by 24-year-old Victoria Aveyard (once you begin reading, you will understand why I included her age...such a good writer):  Main character Mare is both a Silver and a Red...and finds herself betrothed to one of the two Princes.  Lots of twists and turns (literally...as the Queen has the power to take over your mind and inflict great pain).  This one is the first of three...and plans are underway to take The Red Queen to the big screen.  Yes, please read before watching!  A must!
  • The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons:  A stand-alone.  These seem more uncommon nowadays, don't they?  This novel, too, takes the reader to a dystopic society where women are valued primarily as breeders, which is main character Aya's future as she has been captured and will soon be auctioned...or will she?
Currently, as we speak, the faculty book read for January is being discussed.  Unless minds and opinions change, we will be reading The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens or Troubled Waters by Sharon Shinn (this one was recommend by author Gretchen Rubin as one of her three monthly recommendations for January)...or both over the next two months.   

For our local book store's book club (now celebrating its 15th year!), we are reading Turn Away Thy Son by Arkansan Elizabeth Jacoway, who wrote about the Little Rock Central Nine.

Then for personal, spiritual growth, I am reading Beth Moore's new book Audacious.  So very good...and so very timely for me.  I have also begun Alistair Begg's Pathway to Freedom for a Sunday evening study and am working through Beth Moore's Jesus The One and Only for our Making Choices Bible Study Group.

Please share...what are you reading good?

Happy reading!