The Housekeeper and the Professor

I am always deeply suspicious of translations not done by an author, but this was a Beautiful translation from the original Japanese! This is the story of a housekeeper called upon to care for a mathematician who, since an auto accident, only has 80 minutes of memory. The housekeeper and her son learn the beauty of numbers. Here is an example of the language:

"Eternal truths are ultimately invisible, and you won't find them in material things or natural phenomena, or even in human emotions. Mathematics, however, can illuminate them, can give them expression-in fact, nothing can prevent it from doing so."

Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List

By the same authors who brought us Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. This one is about two best friends, Naomi (straight) and Ely (gay), who have grown up across the hall from on another and can't imagine a future without one another. Then Ely kisses Naomi's boyfriend and it rocks their friendship to the core. Less of everything in this book compared to Nick and Norah, but oh the cleverness. (Also, many Buffy the Vampire Slayer references! In case you needed an extra reason to read it.)

The Hunger Games and Catching Fire

These pictures are out of order, but I'm too lazy to fix it right now. This series by Suzanne Collins is very well done! She takes us to a future time where each year there is a reality TV show in which 24 kids between the ages of 12-18 (2 from each of the 12 districts the land seems to be divided into) fight to the death. One cannot read these book without thinking about modern day television. Told from the perspective of a teenage girl but with enough action in them that my teenage son was equally hooked.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

I am torn by this book (which I picked up right after I watched the movie.) Were it not for the EXCESSIVE use of the "f" word, I would probably give it top marks. It catches being a teen in the tri-state area Perfectly! It gets the music scene on the lower east side exactly right. It gets emotional trauma after exes just right. Honestly, it gets the language just right, too. New Jersey folk do tend to curse like sailors. There's just so much of said language. It's one case where I would say that even though the book does a far better job with character development, it might be better to just watch the movie. I wasn't comfortable having this book lying around where my kids could pick it up and glance at the verbal and for that matter sexual education within.

Make sure you look at all the pictures

http://totallylookslike.com/2009/11/04/loloween-look-alike-costume-contest-winners/

Blah, blah, blah.

It isn't as if we have stopped reading books. Perhaps it is just that we are ashamed of what we are reading. I know that is the case for me. I have read, or am reading, just about every book to do with vampires and their (mostly infuriating) love lives. I am not proud. These books are the popcorn equivalent of reading. Light, crunchy and they fill you up with mostly hot air, butter and salt. Ok. So the similarities aren't that great. I just thought it had been far too long since someone posted anything, and , when confronted with a big expanse of white, virgin snow I will be the first to pee in it. (Not really, but I will stomp around in it with great glee).
Love,
Heather