Proof of Heaven

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife

by Even Alexander

I have to admit - this book was not my favourite. This book is about Eben Alexander, an American neurosurgeon who survived bacterial meningitis and had a Near-Death-Experience, or NDE. As a neurosurgeon, he understands the brain in a different and deeper way than most of us, so the book deals with his disease and the science behind what was happening to him very well. 

The novel also deals with Eben Alexander's experience during a coma, while physically his brain was pretty much in shut down. He writes of his memories of visiting with the divine, and journeying to a realm beyond Earth. I had a hard time getting through this novel - it took me weeks, and for a very short book it should have been finished in days. 

In my opinion, the book was far too heavy on 'heavenly cliches'. While there wasn't a "bright white light", at least, it felt like any other NDE story, and considering Eben Alexander's background, I was hoping for more than that. 

-Cat

The premise of the book is what made me want to read it: a neurosurgeon goes into a week-long coma where the parts of his brain that are responsible for consciousness are pretty much dead has vivid visions of the afterlife and now feels that Heaven is real. Cool premise, based on a true story...

Dude's a better neurosurgeon than author. Like Cat, I should have finished reading this quicker than I did (although I did finish before her 😛). There was a lot of repetition, and I feel like a lot of the terms he used jive a little too closely with other NDE stories, which reduces credibility.

I'm glad I read it, but I think I'll only read this one once.
--Mikie

Ready Player One

Ready Player One

by Ernest Cline

Well hey there! It's been a loooong time. I went on a trip to Canada last month, and then Mikie moved back to the US, so there's been lots of upheaval in our lives the last couple months! We're a few books behind on our blog now, so let's jump right in with Ready Player One. 

Ready Player One was an awesome book. I've never read anything like it, and it was really cool. If you're into 80's pop culture, or gaming, you will LOVE this book. I had a hard time following many of the references (I'm not an 80's baby...), but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy the story. It's a future-dystopian book, that imagines a world ruled by a virtual reality technology. Ernest Cline creates a vived, and scarily realistic possible future, and I was fascinated. 

The book was incredibly detailed, and really fun! Interestingly, there is now a Ready Player One movie being made, which is something I didn't think would be possible, so it'll be interesting to see how that turns out! 

-Cat

Holy crap, this book was a nerdgasm on every page for me. The references to '80s and '90s pop culture made me smile a lot. I knew almost every video game that Cline mentioned in the game (a few of the older PC games weren't familiar to me because we grew up with Atari, not PC games). The point is I found myself marking out on every page, and that made it even more awesome.

"What if I'm not a nerd?" you ask. Shame on you! Also, Cline gives enough information so that the important references have meaning, and the lesser ones can be taken in without much confusion.

The juxtaposition of the idyllic Oasis and the crumbling real world gives the quest in the book some interesting layers of meaning. I don't want to give anything away, I really want you to go read this.

And holy crap, how the heck are they making this a movie? The licensing issues alone would be a nightmare! I really hope Ready Player One will be more than one movie, because otherwise they'll have to cut lots of stuff.
--Mikie

The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale

by Margaret Atwood

So a couple weeks ago we finished The Handmaid's Tale (we're so bad at updating the blog...). This book was such a great read. It was tough to read in some places - mostly because the things Atwood wrote about are much too close to our current reality. It's amazing to think she wrote this book in 1985.

The Handmaid's Tale is written about a dystopian future, in which, through humanity's own folly, fewer and fewer children are being born. An extremist Christian community took over the United States, and created "Gilead", a city run by the Commanders, and revolving around women's roles. Their roles are based around women in stories in the bible (Martha, Jezebel, Bilhah & Rachel), and there are many other Biblical allusions (the Rachel and Leah center, the Angels), which actually make the story an incredibly creepy read, particularly in the current climate. 

In all, though, this book was incredibly thought provoking and it was an amazing story. My cousin & aunt told me that there's a new show based on the novel - I'm definitely going to be looking into that!

-Cat

I love dystopian lit. While I definitely need to read more of it, Atwood's book is easily one of my favorite dystopian stories. The world that Atwood crafted is really interesting and just a little bit frightening, in that it's plausible. Gilead is an extreme nation based heavily on the Bible, and I know there are many people in the States today who would welcome such a regime. The way Atwood slowly reveals more and more of the truth, and the ending itself, are masterful.

The TV show is, as far as I understand it, exclusive to Hulu. I might have to subscribe to Hulu once I'm settled in the States just to watch it, because I would love to see some of the things in this book brought to life on the small screen. Until then, y'all should read this.
--Mikie

Redwall

Sorry for the late update, I'll take the heat on that one.

Redwall

Brian Jacques

I think the first time I read this I was in middle school. 7th grade, perhaps. I don't know, that's ancient history at this point. Fast forward to 2017 and this reading of the story. It's still just as beautiful as I remember it. Honestly, I think it's better than I remembered. There were a few parts where I had to stop and reread a paragraph, marveling at my middle-school self's ability to comprehend these things. There were other lines I reached and thought, "damn, this is a kid's book, right?"

If you've never read Redwall, please do. It's a fantasy novel with woodland creatures. Cluny the Scourge was--is--one of my favorite villains ever. Matthias is an interesting and believable protagonist. The tale may be aimed at a younger audience, but it is thoroughly enjoyable as an adult. The various subplots are interesting and engaging.
--Mikie

ohhhh myyyy goodnesss you guys! How long has it been since these were the "it" books? I can remember reading these and trading them around between my three best friends (and co-AR Stars!) at Rasco Middle School! Brian Jacques' Redwall was such fun to reread. It's been more years than I can count since I first read these books, and while I remember bits and pieces, reading this story felt new again to me. 

The characters - all the mice of Redwall, Constance the badger, Ambrose Spike the hedgehog, Basil the hare - are so much fun, and all are unique. The writing is beautiful, and each animal has it's own dialect or vocabulary to suit it. I had the same kind of moment as Mikie did when we first picked up the book, where I couldn't help but think "I read this in fifth or sixth grade??? Really? Dang I'm smart!"

Honestly such fun and enjoyable books, and if you missed the craze back in the day, read them now!
-Cat

I Am Nujood

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Where do I even begin? This was a book I couldn't put down. It was a difficult read, however, but knowing that Nujood managed to come through things ok makes it easier to read.

I don't want to give away any plot details because I WANT YOU TO READ THIS BOOK. You can already guess a lot just from the title. That "divorced" part is key. It's amazing to me that she had the guts and the fortitude to get the help she needed, against all odds, at such a young age. I look at my students who are her age and I cringe thinking of them in her shoes, yet I wonder if they'd be able to do what she did. It's a scenario I pray never plays out.

That's the mind-boggling part, though. She was 10. I know 10-year-olds. That anyone ever should have to suffer what Nujood did is beyond awful, but that one so young did is sickening. She wasn't the only one--in reading about what happens to Nujood, you read about what happens to countless women all over the world.

This is a fantastic read. I would love to use this in a classroom someday. I want more and more people to read Nujood's story, to marvel at her strength, and hopefully make the world a safer place for young girls.
--Mikie

I wanted to hug my girls while reading this book. I wanted to gather up all my students and hold them close and let them know just how special they are, and how lucky that they live in a country where this will never happen to them. 

This book was so eye-opening. It's one thing to know that this happens objectively, and another thing altogether to read a first hand account. Nujood is the author of this book. These are her words, her experiences, and that makes it harder to take. She is a beautifully positive young girl, who doesn't dwell on the horrible dark past that she lived through, but instead uses it to empower herself, and to motivate herself. I

Mikie and I read this book in about a day and a half (on working days, nonetheless). It's the kind of book you can't put down - you have to know what happens next. And it's not just Nujood. The rest of her family has different (and also awful) troubles that they are living through, and there's constantly something to push you onwards. 

Like Mikie, this is a book I think everyone should read (we're saying that a lot...but really. READ THIS ONE.) If you only ever pick up one book off our list, let this be the one.
-Cat

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

by S.E. Hinton

I first read this book in an airport, waiting for a delayed flight home. I was enjoying being in a bookstore with a selection of books that were in English, and I remembered my university roommate and best friend insisting that I should read this book. I picked up The Outsiders, fumbled my way through American money (much harder than I was expecting it to be, considering I grew up using it), and then sat down to read it. I finished it before I even boarded the flight. 

This book is one of my favourites. The writing is simple - the narrator dedicates the first chapter to giving a detailed physical and personal description of each of the characters - but as you continue reading, it just works. Ponyboy Curtis, and yes, that's his real name, thank you very much, is the kind of character that appeals to his audience, no matter who he's addressing (even if you're not a greaser!). The story becomes unexpectedly deep and emotional, and even on this rereading, I found myself crying as I reached the end of the book. 

I could reread this over and over again and still enjoy it, and this is one of the books that is on my "recommend to literally everyone you meet" list. I thought about ending my part of this blog with a "Stay gold, Ponyboy," but to me that line deserves more than to be used as a tag to the novel - it's so much bigger than that. So instead, I'll just say, do yourself a favor and pick up this book if you haven't. It's beautiful.

-Cat

This is a book I had never read until now. It's not a title that I was ever introduced to, and honestly, I have only been vaguely aware of its existence. When I taught in Alaska I was forced to use Scholastic's "READ 180" program with my 8th-grade students. It was a hot mess, let me tell you, but I had several copies of The Outsiders on hand as a result. Most of my students read far below grade level (2nd or 3rd grade was the norm), but one girl asked to borrow The Outsiders. I was thrilled that anyone would want to borrow from the classroom library, so I sent her off with one of the books. She not only finished it, she enjoyed it! That got me thinking I should probably read it at some point.

As a huge fan of the movie Stand By Me, I don't know how I managed to stay in the dark about this one for so freaking long. This is an excellent story that I would have loved when I was younger! That phrase is almost a recurring theme for me this year, isn't it? I'm glad I finally read it. Ponyboy's story is troubled, heartwarming, and bittersweet. I was moved by several scenes in the story. Next time I hand this book to a student, I'll be able to share her enjoyment! Next time I read this (and there will be a next time), I'll be moved again. Until then, I just hope I can "stay gold."
--Mikie

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

by Douglas Adams

Oh my gosh, you guys, it's been so long. We've just (this week) finished Dirk Gently - this book took us (well, me, really) almost a whole month to read. This book was fabulous, but it takes a lot of patience. I genuinely had no idea what was going on for the first three quarters of the book. No joke - my kindle was at 75% by the time I got fully sucked into this book. Once it gets to that point, though, it's SO GOOD. I got to 75% on Tuesday, and finished the book on Thursday, after spending three weeks reading the first bit.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is one of the most bizarre books I've ever read - knowing that it's by Douglas Adams, is anyone really surprised? Even when everything started coming together there was no logical progression - I couldn't predict any part of that book. Now that I've finished, and enjoyed it, next up may be the TV show!
-Cat

I haven't read this book in many many suns. I think I enjoyed it just as much on this reading as I did on the first. Douglas Adams weaves a wonderfully weird tale full of interesting characters and extraordinary situations, all wrapped up in his signature writing style. Now that we've read this we can start watching the series on Netflix! Huzzah!
--Mikie

P.S. Next book on our list is The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton!