Book 34: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

I read this book because it is up for a Truman award in my state and my librarian recommended it.  It started off pretty slow, but then it got interesting.

This is the story of a young girl who works for an international agency "tagging and bagging" paranormals such as vampires, werewolves, mermaids, etc. so that the rest of the world is not harmed by these creatures. 

I don't want to tell too much more of the story because I really believe in letting a story unfold for each reader.

I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'll rush out to read the second or third book because I felt like the story ended well enough.

Book 33: Inside Scientology by Janet Reitman

I hesitate to write this entry after reading/listening to this book for fear that I will be targeted by scientologists...

I decided to pick up this book after years of bad-mouthing scientology with little knowledge about the "religion."  I figured that I should learn something about it...  Now I feel like I can talk bad about scientology.  This "religion" is seriously messed up.  Forced abortions, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, etc...  And because there are a few rich and famous scientologists, they get what they want.  In fact, their method of brainwashing new recruits is being sold to Title One schools as a way to help students pass standardized tests under a non-scientology name.  Crazy. 

If you are at all interested in scientology, I would recommend this book.  It does get bogged down in some details, but with a genuine reporter as the author, I would expect no less.

Book 32: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I read this book after seeing it plastered all over magazines that I trust.  It is a young adult book about terminal cancer.  Sounds uplifting, right?  This book is absolutely amazing.  While the characters are a little too precocious to be believable, the story kept me hooked.  I laughed, I cried, and I can't stop thinking about it.  That's the sign of a good book, right?  Read it so we can talk about it, darn you!!

Book 31 (actually 29): The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I actually finished this earlier, but forgot that I hadn't blogged about it.  This is the parallel story (or the second book in the trilogy) of what happened when an asteroid hit the moon and forced its orbit closer to Earth.  Instead of following the main character from the first book, this book focuses on the life of a poor Hispanic boy living in New York City.  Life is much grittier in NYC than it was for our heroine in the first book. 

I liked this series because (as I stated in my review of book 30) it seems real.  Really real.  Scary...

Book 30: This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

This is the third and final (?) book of this apocalyptic tale of the world post-devastation.  This book brings together the two characters from the first two books a year after the moon was hit by an asteroid and moved closer to Earth. 

I really liked this series, although it was terrifying because the scenario seems so plausible.  As I've probably stated before, my biggest fear is surviving the end of the world.  I think that the author is very realistic and my only critique would be that the writing is a little simplistic...but that makes sense when you realize that the book is supposed to be the journal entries of a 16 year old.  She is definitely not the precocious narrator that many YA authors use to cover their own misunderstanding of what a teenager is really like. 

I would recommend this series for other lovers of YA fiction.  It's a quick read and fascinating, in my opinion.

Book 29: Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

I listened to this book after finishing the wonderful Bossypants by Tina Fey.  This book, in comparison, was a little disappointing.  While I find Mindy funny, smart, and beautiful, this book paints her as a stereotypical female airhead.  She worries about her weight, her clothing, boys, etc.  Ugh.  I'm so far past that point in my life that I was just bored by her story.  There were a couple of funny parts, but I can't remember them now, which should say something...

I'm really afraid that, somehow, Mindy Kaling will read this review and think that I'm a horrible person...  I'm sure that's unfounded as this is such a minuscule blog, but stranger things have happened.  So I want to make it perfectly clear that this book did not speak to me as a 33 year old mother of five who only shops for herself once or twice a year.  My colleague loved this book and found it hilarious.  But she's in a different place in her life...  So, would I recommend this book?  Nope.  But I know someone who enthusiastically gives it two thumbs up...

Book 28: Gold by Chris Cleave

This is the 3rd book I've read by Chris Cleave and is probably my second favorite.  I don't know why, but Little Bee just didn't grab me the way it grabbed most people I know.  I loved Incendiary (his first novel) the best because that book made me think about life in a different way. 

This book is completely different, in my opinion.  This is the story of three Olympic-grade cyclists and a little girl who is fighting cancer.  The book explores the price of fame, the price of a happy family, and the price of friendship.  I was sucked in and couldn't put it down for the last 50 pages, something that I haven't felt in quite awhile. 

Has anyone else read any of Cleave's books?  Did you love Little Bee?  If so, why?  Maybe I'm misremembering the book...

Book 27: Bossypants by Tina Fey

 I listened to this book, and I have to say...when "reading" a memoir, try to listen to it if it's read by the author.  It makes the book so much more...awesome.  I've listened to Frank McCourt read Angela's Ashes, Augusten Burroughs read Running with Scissors...  It just makes the whole thing seem more real and interesting.

This book was soooo good.  Sometimes comedians fill their books with one-liners that are just missing the bumdum ching! at the end, but not this book.  This book is the story of Tina Fey, from childhood to present day.  She talks about being a gawky teenager in love with her gay co-workers at a summer theater camp in a way that makes her so accessible.  I really feel like we're the same person only she got a part in the high school play while I was cut and continued on my nerd-path with National Honor Society and French Club. 

I would highly recommend reading (but really listening) to this book.  I'm not sure if you have to be a fan on comedy and SNL, but I'm sure it helps.  Tina Fey is who I want to be when I grow up...

Book 26: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

I "read" (listened) to this book on my way to and from St. Louis this week.  I needed something to listen to in the car and I saw this classic that I had not read before.  For those of you, like me, who recognize the title as a classic but know nothing of the story, this is the story of a WWII vet.  But this is not a normal memoir of war.  This vet (Billy) believes that he has been kidnapped by aliens and now has the ability to time-jump from moment to moment in his life.  And so his story is told in fits and starts as he jumps from war to adolescence to an alien zoo to death to birth to his honeymoon...and so on...

I don't know about this book.  It was interesting but I'm not really sure what makes it a classic.  Is it because it was one of the first anti-war books after WWII?  Is it because of the structures?  The vocabulary?  I guess it's short enough that it was worth the read, but I probably won't be recommending it two years from now (unlike Life of Pi...read it!)

Book 25: Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

My sister insisted I read this book when I told her that I had been reading a lot of narrative non-fiction.  I'm not sure if that is even a real category of writing, but I think it describes it pretty well... 

This is a book about Haiti and about the American doctor who believes it is his job to ease the suffering of their poor.  I don't know if I'm really summarizing Dr. Paul Farmer's beliefs that well, but it takes him the entire book to fully explain his point of view.  Suffice it to say that Dr. Farmer spends almost every waking minute treating patients, corresponding with others in order to help them treat or understand patients in other poverty-stricken parts of the world, fundraising, travelling to speaking engagements (again, to educate others on how to do what he is doing), travelling to other countries to treat patients, or writing books.  This is a man with a well-defined purpose in his life, and that is to do everything in his power (and some things outside his power) to improve the health of the poor. 

This book is very interesting and inspiring.  I recommend that you read it and then give some money to his foundation, Partners in Health.

Book 24: Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

I had been wanting to read this book for quite some time.  When it came out, I kept reading about how great it was AND it is a non-fiction story of Hurricane Katrina.  For those of you who don't know, my mom, step-dad, and sister were all in New Orleans before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina.  They were lucky to "escape" a couple of days after it hit because a random stranger offered to take them in his car to Houston. 

This is a really great and horrifying story of what happened to New Orleans resident Mr. Zeitoun during all this mess.  Mr. Zeitoun is an Arab-American who owned a painting and home repair business and also owned several rental properties.  As Hurricane Katrina approached, Zeitoun's wife and children evacuated while Zeitoun stayed around to keep an eye on their properties.  Zeitoun used an old canoe to travel around the flooded city and experienced New Orleans as the city was under martial law.

I knew that the story was going to be horrifying, but I didn't know exactly why it would be so disgusting.  I was under the impression that Eggers (and Zeitoun) would describe death and rape and so on...but that doesn't really happen.  I don't want to say why this story is sickening because I want you to read it and discover his story on your own. 

Book 23: Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink

I read this book because my district and insurance company asked me to.  It was surprisingly wonderful.  I liken this book to a Malcolm Gladwell book, but this book is all about eating...why we eat what we eat and the triggers that trick us into doing so.  It is really interesting, with lots of trivia and facts that you can use to entertain your friends at dinner.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Malcolm Gladwell, would like to lose a few pounds without dieting (really!), and to anyone who gets incentives from the insurance company for reading it :).

Book 22: The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

This is a YA book that kept popping up in recommendations.  It is by the author of 13 Reason Why and a female author that I haven't read.  The plot is pretty intriguing.  It's the story of a boy and a girl in 1996 who, while logging on to AOL for the first time, see their facebook pages from 15 years in the future. 

I read this book in about a day because the chapters are really short and...it's pretty light, I guess.  This book really bugged me because I felt like the authors kept inserting things from life in 1996 needlessly.  For example, someone talks for about 2 seconds about wanting a beeper, the girl runs with a discman strapped to her arm, and her mom tapes Seinfeld on her VCR.  These asides do not advance the plot and are just inserted to give a wink to older readers and to astound younger ones.  Irritating.  Also very irritating that one of the girls slips her 1996 cell phone into the pocket of her tight jeans.  Really?!  Pretty sure the first cell phone I owned in 1997 would never have slipped into any pocket I had. 

If you have some extra time and want to see what happens to this couple, I suppose you could read this book, but it's not high on my list of must reads.

Book 21: Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

This book was written in 1966 and was recommended to me by my awesome reader friend Alison, who I see too rarely for my liking (because she lives on the wrong side of the state).  It is a page-turner!

This is the story of three single women living in New York in the 40s-60s.  The plot is nothing too brain-busting (my mom said she read it and loved it at 13), but I think it is worth a read.  Especially in the current culture of misplaced nostalgia for the "good ol' days".  In this book, life is anything but perfect.  While this doesn't really examine the lives of midwestern, "normal" housewives (which I would love to see from that era), it does give a good kick in the pants to the idea that life was ideal in those days.  And I see a lot of parallels between those pill-popping ladies and the pill-poppers of today.  We might not still use Seconal, but Lexapro and other drugs are very prevalent in our society today...  I would recommend this book. 

Book 20: The Catholics Next Door by Greg and Jennifer Willets

I was given this book by my wonderful aunt-in-law as I was on the search for some good Catholic reading for my church book club.  This book started off wonderfully and then just kind of fell flat.  Maybe it's because I've read a couple of books like it lately...  This the story of a loving couple and their five kids as they defend the religion they love and strive to uphold its values. 

I think it's a good book for beginners who are wondering about Catholicism or Catholics who are looking for a little boost in their spritual life. 

Book 19-Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Swamplandia is a story of real sadness as we watch the "death" of an alligator-themed amusement park and the effect this has on the family who runs it.  I really knew very little about the book when I started reading it, other than it had been recommended by magazines and other readers online.  It is well worth the read, but you need to know that it is heart-breaking to read what happens to this family.  To me, there is nothing sadder than a lost adult male...that creature who tries to do the right thing, but always fails. 

I won't tell you much else because I think it's better that way.  I sometimes like picking up a book and reading it without knowing a darn thing about the plot.  I will say that this novel of family failure has love at the center, unlike The Corrections or some of those other "I hate my family because they created me to be so sad...or because they are so stupid and backwoods..." books that seem to be popular.  I love my family and hate reading a novel where all families are assumed to be dysfunctional in a hateful way.

Book 18-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime by Mark Haddon

I've been hearing about this book for a long time, so I finally put it on my library list and read it.  It is a story told from the point of view of a teenage boy with autism.  It was a very quick read, and I would recommend it to people who work with children or anyone who is curious about how autism works in the mind. 

The plot is supposed to be the search for a dog's killer, but it turns out to be more about what the young boy goes through and discovers about his family as he digs around for the dog's killer. 

I would say that this is an okay book, really fast to read, but I still would recommend Look Me In the Eye by John Elder Robison (Augusten Burroughs' brother) for a better understanding of autism/aspergers. 

Book 17-The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

This book kept popping up on lists of books to read this year.  Man, am I glad I read it.  It is truly the story of a circus that only opens at night.  The premise is that there is real magic going on in the circus and the performers are tasked with making it seem non-magical to protect their secret.  There is also a challenge/battle between two illusionists on the stage of the circus.  Sounds pretty complicated.  Maybe I'm not the best summarizer (I probably would have failed that section of the state standardized tests nowadays). 

I have to say, I finished this book two or three days ago and I am still wanting more!  I wish there was more story to read and that the book wasn't over.  After the humdrum books I've been reading lately, it feels so good to be left wanting more instead of semi-relieved to be done with a book.  I would recommend this book, for sure!

Book 16-I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb

Another huge book!  A little over 900 pages, but well worth the journey.  This is the story of twin brothers told through the eyes of the "lucky" brother.  The other twin has schizophrenia and the book is almost like a transcript of his counseling sessions with his shrink.  He explores his past, his grandfather's past, his feelings, and his misconceptions of life throughout the book. 

I've also read the author's other books, She's Come Undone and The Hour I First Believed.  I don't remember liking She's Come Undone too much, but The Hour I First Believed was a good Columbine story told from the point of view of two adults who worked in the school.

If you've got some time, I think there is a good message in this book: that of forgiveness.  And can't we all use a little reminder of how important that is?

Book 15-Fear by Michael Grant

This is the 5th book in the Gone series and is a great continuation of the story.  There will be one more book to finish out the series, which I'm very glad for since I'm not sure how many characters they can kill off and still have people to continue the plots.  Since this is a series and you have to read the other books to follow the story, I will not offer a summary.  But I would recommend the series!

Book 14-Under the Dome by Stephen King

I listened to this 30 disc book the last month of school and I really loved it.  It was very similar to the YA Gone series that I've read, but at warp speed.  In this book, an invisible barrier suddenly separates a small town from the rest of the United States.  Within a day, there is an evil bully pulling strings to manipulate the townspeople for his own gain.  Within two days, the town starts to get warmer, despite it being fall in Maine.  It is fascinating to "watch" the degenerization of humanity as they feel trapped and panicked. 

I really do love a good Stephen King novel!

Book 13-1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

I got this book because it kept popping up in magazines, newspapers and online.  At over 900 pages, this monstrosity was a disappointment.  People kept asking me if I liked it and what it was about while I was readig it and I didn't really have an answer for them.  Finally, I realized that this is an anime book.  If you like anime and the weird "little people" and "spirits" that abound in anime books and movies, then you will like this book.  I was not a big fan. 

The basic premise of the book (if I can even summarize it...) is that there are two realities or two dimensions to the world.  In our normal world, things putter along peacefully.  However, the female lead is led down a path to the alternate world where two moons light the night sky and little people work to try and...well, I'm not sure I know what their purpose is.  The male lead is drawn into this alternate reality by ghost-writing a novel for a girl who has intimate knowledge of the little people and her story is the truth of the little people concealed as fiction.  Oh, and the male and female lead were in 2nd grade together and have been secretly saving themselves for each other.  The story is much more complicated than this short paragrah, but if you are interested, then you have to take the long, long, long journey that I did.

Book 12: This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

I got this book on CD because I didn't have anything else lined up and I wanted something light. At first, I hated it...seemed like the typical chick lit where the girl loves shopping, gets dumped by a boy, and her life is absolutely destroyed (by her inability to pull her head out of her ass and get back to life). But, with nothing else to listen to, I muddled through and actually ended up enjoying the book quite a lot. There is definitely more to it than the sad story of a shopaholic.

Book 11: Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly

I read this book as part of a church book study with three other women. We met once a week to discuss the history of the church, why we are catholics, how we can better people, Christians, and Catholics... It was a very good experience.

I think in today's world, Catholics are ashamed to say "I am Catholic" because of the abuse scandels or a fear of defending "worshipping" the saints and Mary or a fear of answering questions about birth control...or any number of other things. Kelly does a good job of reminding us of all the wonderful things Catholics do and have done for the world: Catholics began educating all people, regardless of wealth or status; Catholics serve millions of meals to the needy each day; and so much more.

We also talked about why Catholics believe what we believe. We don't "worship" the saints or Mary, but we ask them, as fellow humans, to petition God and Jesus on our behalf. Much like asking your neighbor to pray for you if you need extra help.

Kelly makes things very simple, but still brings up complicated issues like the future of the Catholic church. I would recommend this book (especially if you can read it with others) to any Catholic. I think there is something in there for everyone, regardless of where you are in your spiritual journey.

Book 10: The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

First off, I have to say that I was super excited to read this book, because Jeffrey's last book, Middlesex, is one of my favorite books ever. This book was a little disappointing... I've described it as the "woe is me" mentality of privileged college students. Oh no! My parents are so screwed up and they screwed me up too! Oh no! What am I going to do with my life once I receive my diploma? That part really dragged me down because I realize what a cliche it is and how dumb it makes those characters seem.

That being said, it was an entertaining read. The main female character takes a class on Semiotics and I was laughing out loud at the pretentiousness of those "hipsters" from the 80s. I've had classes with those kids!

But my favorite character was Mitchell, the religious studies major who takes a year off after college to travel the world and spends a few weeks volunteering for Mother Theresa. His religious, romantic, and moral struggles really spoke to me as authentic.

The rest of the book reminded me to Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections...NOT my favorite book because of the "woe is me" theme that pervaded it.

Book 9: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

This book is another YA. This story is sort of parallel stories of a modern day spoiled American and a girl living during the French Revolution. It was very interesting, and gave a sense of what life was like during the Revolution. I've recommended it to my students to give them a sense of the history of the French Revolution.

For me, I really enjoy reading historical fiction because the facts make so much more sense in my brain when there is a narrative to go along with it.

My only complaint about this book is that the end got a little wonky.

Book 8: Sing Me Home by Jodi Picoult

I listened to this in the car, because I find that Picoult's novels are perfect to listen to. The plot isn't so detailed that I need to flip back to the front of the book to check a detail and it's light enough that I can listen while I drive without worrying about my thoughts drifting for a minute.

This particular story follows the traditional Picoult model...lots of controversy, a trial, and a "surprise" ending. This book follows the story of Zoey, who struggles with infertility, loses a baby in week 28, and loses her husband shortly after. The main plot is the fight for remaining frozen embryos between Zoey and her husband after she discovers she is a lesbian and he discovers Jesus in an ultra-conservative, media-loving church.

It was what it was...it would never make a recommendation list or a top-ten list, but it was interesting and served its purpose.

Book 7: 11/22/63 by Stephen King

Man, I used to read every book that Stephen King wrote, but as my tastes "matured," I put King's books away and moved onto book club and intellectual-type books. Now that I'm venturing back into the world of entertainment fiction, I think I need to go back and read King's books that I missed while I was gone.

This book was very highly recommended by an acquaintance, and so I happily towed the huge monstrosity with me on a cruise to Mexico despite the weight. I'm very glad I did. It was a perfect book to read poolside (except for the size, of course). When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about the storyline...

Now that I have finished the book, I still think it was a worthwhile read, but I am a little bummed at the ending of the book. I can't decide if I'm bummed because I didn't want it to end that way or if I'm bummed because of something that King did wrong. I know that I'm personally bummed with how it ended, plot-wise, but there might also have been a little rush towards the end as King no doubt tried to keep the book under a thousand pages.

I would recommend this book if you like long drawn-out plots with lots of character development and don't mind some science-fiction points (it is Stephen King, after all...)

Book 6: The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra

I got this book at a book exchange we had with my book club.

My first impression was that this book was going to be very similar to The DaVinci Code, with lots of intrigue and mystery. It both was and wasn't. Comparing the two books, Dan Brown did a much better job of taking the very deep thoughts of DaVinci and making them accessible to the masses. I don't think that Javier Sierra did quite as well. At the end of the book, I was still asking myself if I understood what DaVinci supposedly hid in the Last Supper... And then in the afterword, Sierra talked about his research and said something along the lines of...such and such theory has never been proven, until now. It left me scratching my head, because I'm a pretty intelligent person, and I did not get that feeling of the concrete understanding that I was hoping for.

All-in-all, there are good parts of this book, but I wouldn't say that the conclusion merits the journey.

Book 5: French Lessons by Ellen Sussman

I listened to this book in the car on my way to and from school. Blech! I really did not like it. First off, the actress who read the book obviously did not speak French because her accent was horrible! Also, when she spoke English with a French accent, the characters sounded more Arabic than French. Nitpicky, I know, but it made it difficult for me to enjoy the book.

The second nitpicky thing that bothered me was the vocabulary of these supposed French-language learners. The author wrote almost of all of the conversations in English (for the readers, of course), even though they took place in French. The things these Americans could say! I was translating in my head, trying to figure out "How would I say that??" and I didn't have the words! Some of the phrases don't even exist in French! Anyway, it bothered me.

The last reason I didn't like this book is that it pointed out the infidelity that exists in France and tried to make a case for it. As a married woman who loves my husband and has no plans to look elsewhere for love, I HATE it when every character in a book is just waiting for an opportunity to jump someone new. I'm not naive and I know that it happens a lot, but there are a lot of people who are faithful to their spouses also!!

Bottom line, the story wasn't worth reading...even for the few words of French and the memories of Paris.

Book 4: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Someone told me to read this book before I see Midnight in Paris, so I picked up the audio version to "read" on my way to and from work. This book is the fascinating story of the first wife of Ernest Hemingway and their life together in Paris. It is fascinating to hear the stories of Gertrude Stein and F. Scott Fitzgerald and how they were all in the same social circles, even before they made names for themselves. The book is very well-written: towards the end, there were characters/people that I absolutely hated. I mean, I couldn't stand them and if they were still living today, I would be tempted to send hate mail. So it must be a good book, right? I recommend it. I haven't seen Midnight in Paris yet...maybe this weekend...

Book 3: The Death Cure by James Dashner

Well, I breezed through the last book of this trilogy. I would recommend it! There are comparisons to be made between this book and the Hunger Games, but right now, I'm feeling like I liked this trilogy better. The last book of the Hunger Games was just a bit of a let-down. Has anyone else read both? What did you think?

Book 2: The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

This is the second book in a YA trilogy. I read the first book in 2011, so I'm not counting it here, but I'll kind of give a summary anyway...

This book takes place after a natural disaster, but our main characters don't know that...yet. All Thomas knows is that he woke up in an elevator with no memories of anything that happened to him before. He arrives on a sort of compound populated with adolescent boys who are sustaining themselves with farming and the sort while a select group, called Maze Runners (the first book is called The Maze Runner) are trying to escape from the maze. Eventually they realize that they are being tested to see who will survive the Maze and the Glade.

The second book is the second trial testing the survival skills of the "Gladers" as they are called.

I really like these books. I finished the second book in about 4-6 hours and just started the third book today. If you thought Hunger Games was a little too romantic or you wish the main character had been a dude, this is the series for you. I am loving it!

Book 1: Columbine by David Cullen

Oh my goodness, everyone who "remembers" Columbine needs to read this book. This is a work of non-fiction written by one of the first journalists to cover the story. I found out that much of what was reported directly after the shooting was hearsay and the detectives and police department did not release much information at all. Over the past ten years, the survivors and the families of the victims have worked hard to get the reports released. David read every piece of information available, double-checked the facts with eye-witness reports and interviews, and created this work detailing everything that happened before, during and after the shooting.

I was AMAZED at how much of what I thought I knew was absolutely not true. For example, the two shooters were never bullied in school, were not outcasts, and were not a part of the "Trenchcoat Mafia". There is so much more too. I recommend this book!

A break in the action

Well, I took a grad-level French literature class last semester, which took all of my extra time...no time to read other stuff. Here is what I read in class, in case any of you are interested in French contemporary literature.

Enfant de sable by Ben Tahar Jelloun: This is the story of an Arabic family with all girls. The father is so ashamed that he decides that the next child will be raised as a boy, no matter what. This is the story of that child, born female but raised male.

Le premier siecle apres Beatrice by Maalouf: This is the story of a world where it becomes possible to choose male or female children. The results are devastating to the globe as nature is messed with.

Le Ventre de l'Atlantique by Diome: This is the story of an African girl living in France and her struggle with identity. It is also the story of her brother, still in Africa, who wants to play soccer in France more than anything in the world.

Diego by Redonnet: This is the story of an ex-political prisoner who flees to France upon his release from jail. The book talks about how les clandestins are treated in France and the "underworld" of these illegals.

L'Adversaire by Carrere: This is a true story of a man who truly lived a lie. He "attended" medical school alongside his friends, got a job with the World Health Organization, and had many famous friends. In reality, he had no degree and no job. He supported his family by taking others' savings and "depositing" them in a Swiss bank where they would grow more quickly and wouldn't be subject to taxes. Eventually, others start to question him about his life and he kills his family and tries to kill himself. VERY disturbing story.

Whew! That explains my last semester. I can't decide if I'll try to remember any English books that might have come in that time, or if I will just start anew with 2012.