What We Read Last Week - August 17

I read Robert B. Parker's The Boxer and the Spy last week, a hardboiled teen mystery by a writer who's been writing mysteries for quite some time longer than I've been alive and has polished the craft to perfection.  Highly enjoyable, fast read!

I used to read a lot of mysteries as a teen (both YA ones and ones written for adults), but sort of fell out of the genre as I got older.  I've sort of gotten back in this summer, though.

Alan H is a web librarian at Toronto Public Library.  He reads all over the place.

What did you read last week?  Let us know by commenting!

Comments

[Sarah]

I just finished reading Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder and I'm in love with the series. The first novel is called Poison Study and the second is Magic Study. Of the three, My favourite was Poison Study. This novel is about a girl named Yelena who is given the choice to become the commander's food taster or risk being sent for execution. I like how Yelena tries hard to learn the poisons so she can taste for poisons in the Commander's food. This series is a must read!

[David]

I like reading mystery books. The Hardy Boys series has hundreds of books. They are all really good.

[Anusan]

yes I like a good mystery now and then.

[S.A.]

I read "Does my head look big in this?" It's about a girl in her second last year of high school. The author Randa-Abdel Fattah used a wide range of comic relief while discussing some serious issues involving 911. It was funny but at the same time the book taught me alot about hijabs and the other customs and traditions of muslims. It was quite educational and I really liked how I could relate to Amal. The thoughts she shared as a narrator were quite similar to the average teenager's. It was amazing how the author, being much older than the character she "played", knew so much about teenage life. Although I know that the author was a teen herself once upon a time, it was great to see that she still knew what it was like to be a teen.

I also read "Shoot the Moon" by Billie Letts it was an amazing mystery although it didn't involve much suspense. The main character was quite easy to relate to and I could quite easily put people i know in the place of the other characters. It was quite easy to let my imagination run wild and feel as though the story was taking place in my own neighbourhood.

I just loved both of these books.

[Tasfia]

lol, i loovee mystery books!!!
know any good and new mystery titles????

[Tasfia]

hey, S.A, i have a friend who read "does my head look big in this" she said it was AWESOME, and hilarious, she couldn't even put it down; it was that good!!!

[Oshin]

I was reading "does my head look big in this", but I couldn't finish it, cuz it was on hold. It seemed like an interseting book. I'm still reading "Pride and Prejudice"(been reading it since a few weeks).

[Oshin]

I am also reading these non-fiction books on how to improve your eyesight, etc. I thought it might contain those yoga eye excercises or something. Very misleading, they only talk about their patients but hardly tell you what to do about your own eyes.

[Simran]

I've recently been reading a non-fiction called "THe kid who named Pluto." Its extremely surprising that some of these major inventions were first made by kids and teens, just like us!

[Yujing]

I read Such a Long Journey by Rohinton Mistry. Such a beautiful yet sad novel. The vivid images and symbols in the story was unbelievably amazing.
If anyone's interested in a general synopsis, it's about a man named Gustad Noble, who was a typical family man, but after a mysterious letter from an old family friend, everything else starts to go wrong. His daughter gets deathly ill, his son refuses to go to IIT, and more. It is set in Bombay, India, and was a great read. :)

[Edmee]

I read "The Bite of the Mango", by Mariatu Kamara and Susan McClelland, which is one of the non-fiction books on the booklist (although I think it's for next week). It's really, really good!

I'm also reading "Cello" by William Pleeth, also a non-fiction book.

[Jenny Chau]

well, im reading Click and it's a pretty good book and it's really about how to take pictures. But, i also love to read fantasy, horror, sc-fi, mystery and maybe some high school life as well. But, im trying to get ore books to read because there are only 2 more weeks before school starts and i wanted to read more before school starts

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

omg...i read a new book and it was totaly awesome!!!!!

i luv the book so much im gonna read it again cuz i didn't really get it???????

so i gotta a question...what kind of books make sense????

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

i read the book....cruch de jour...it was really good....i never knew life could be sooo overcoming!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

i also read beutioful stranger...it was also really good..but i didn't like it much.

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

hey hey....i figured something out...."speak".....
the book...yay...ims o happy to have read it...it was truly inspiring!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

i also read the most awesomest book ever!!!!!!

little brother...here's a little discritoin...

Little Brother is Cory Doctorow’s political reaction to 9/11. The way security steals people’s rights, and the way governments treat everyday citizens like insane terrorists. It follows the story of Marcus a teenager with an aptitude for computers. Mostly he is interested in the same things as most teenage boys: videogames, girls, computers, and girls but when Marcus and a group of his friends are caught near the scene of one of the worst terrorist attacks in San Francisco’s history the Department of Homeland Security kidnapps them and holds them prisoner for days on end. After his release and seeing how “security” is being used to blindfold people into giving up their rights Marcus realizes he must fight back with every ounce of his skill. He creates an underground internet system only accessible by him and a group of friends and tries to sabotage the DHS’s attempts to treat everyone like criminals. His fight is difficult, filled with false media coverage that claims he is a terrorist, tear gas, punk rock ,and very spicy burritos. Oh yeah and a little high school romance with a girl crazier than he is. This book is also filled with technological tidbits from one of the smartest and most political minds in the field. As the book says, DON’T TRUST ANYONE OVER 25. And have fun reading.

wicked eh????

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

to tasfia.....hey i know a good book you might wanna read....it doesn't have much mystery...but i couldn't put it down.....ingo is the name of the book...hope u like it!!!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

hey srah...this ones for u....i also read fire study..and boy it was good...keep posting book titles i think i have read some u read!

happy readings!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

yay...i finaly got the book....never to be told....i can't wait to read it again!!!!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

yay again...i also got the book...the deep again...im so happy i got my hands on the book....can't wait to read it again tonight in the bathroom.....thats where i reaD!! fOr FuN!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

hey

Dooley Takes the Fall
by Norah McClintock

Being a teenager can be scary! One day your youth makes you feel invincible, and the next day you’re sliding down a slippery slope of wrong turns and bad choices, yet you have nothing to grab onto to stop the fall. Do you continue on the current path carved by your former mistakes and their present implications, or do you struggle to free yourself from the tentacles of the past that threaten to drag you down? Award winning author Norah McClintock invites you to join Ryan Dooley, a troubled young man, in confronting and resolving these issues in her compelling novel Dooley Takes the Fall.

Abandoned by his father and neglected by his mother at an early age, Dooley quickly slips into a world of drugs, alcohol, violence and crime. After an 18-month incarceration, Dooley’s free fall is broken when his uncle takes him in, enrolls him in a school, and forces him to get a job. Determined to turn his life around, Dooley pushes hard against the walls of prejudice erected by the police, who wish to remove a kid with a troubled past off the street by sending him back to prison for an unresolved murder, and by the school administration, who desire to distance themselves from a youth with a criminal record. Will Dooley succeed in freeing himself from the shackles of prejudice and injustice by putting the past behind him and regaining control of his life? Read this immersive novel and find out! I strongly recommend reading this book.

i wrote down the discription to give u a brief notice of what the books bout!!!!
have fun reading it!!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

oh yah..im gonna read

No Laughter Here
by Rita Williams-Garcia

No Laughter Here by Rita Williams-Garcia is an inspirational book that shows how friendship can withstand the test of life’s circumstances. Childhood seems so innocent, but to Akilah and Victoria they see the ugly side to a child's life. While their traditions and culture varies, Akilah and Victoria share a bond that is undeniable. While their family values threaten to separate the two girls, they come to realize that despite age-old traditions and the pain that they seem to contain, they can still come together and connect in a way that words cannot describe. Ms. Williams-Gracia has created a special book, one which tells a story that everyone should read.

a little disription outha do it!!!!

[Shahla Smith a.k.a Shahla L.]

i hope everyone has a good time reading...

happy readings!!!!

bye byeb ybyebyebyebyeb gyebyeb

[Yalinee]

i read along for a ride by sarah dessen