Right now, I'm finally reading Twilight!   Eager to find out what all the buzz is about.  Really just started. Is Bella fainting at the sight of blood a foreshadowing of Edward as a vampire????  

Recent reads of mine include:  

 Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron -  Frannie's Dad dies and her parents were divorced. She goes to his house and finds a beautiful wood puzzle in a beautiful box that her Dad made.  She assumes it was to be her birthday present.  When she is putting it together, she is transported to another country and meets her Dad.  This happens over time and it is a journey for her to find out about her mom and dad.  And all the while she is juggling school and friends and her mom.  Good read from what I call the "problem novel" genre.

What happened to Cassie McBride?  Gail Giles

 A suspenseful problem novel.  Cassie is underground in a casket with tubes for breathing. Who put her there?  Why? We read a chapter with Cassie telling us what is happening to her. and then a chapter by the person  who put her there.  Kept me reading to find out the answers  and there were surprises.

Both books are available in BC library.        Ms. Ochs

I finished Twilight.  I know now the furor is over Edward the intoxicatingly handsome vampire.  But I don't know about his cold almost frozen touch.  :)

It was a good read building up to the action with James the tracker vampire. I didn't watch the vampire shows (Buffy the vampire slayer,...) on TV that were popular a few years ago.  I wonder how those vampires compare to Edward's family. I don't think I'm going to pick up the second book right away.  I have about a fourth left to read in A Restless Flame  - a novel about St. Augustine, 

I also had started Reading Lolita in Tehran - the true story of a secret book club of women in Iran. It is interesting finding out the stories of the different women.   Ms. Ochs

Shanghai Shadows by Lois Ruby is a book I just finished and one I've been wanting to read.  Ms Ruby lived in Wichita until recently and is an author I;ve met. This is a WWII Holocaust type story.  Ilse's family flees Austria and the Nazis and land in China. The family's life changes dramaticaaly and they do end up in a ghetto for Jewish people. Ilse's mother has an unusual twist in her past  that leads to conflict and help.  I've always liked resistance stories and this one didn't disappoint. It was very interesting to learn about this refuge in Japanese-occupied Chna,  The author's note at the end of the book showing her connections to Shanghai Jews is fascinating.  Ms Ochs

I got a little reading in over Christmas - very exciting! 

One of my friends lent me the book My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.  It's about 13 year old Anna who was conceived for the sole purpose of being a donor for her sister who has a rare form of cancer. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character.  The storyline is facinating and I couldn't put it down.  The book also brings up interesting ethics questions dealing with stem-cell research and invitro fertilization.  The author never comes out against either one but puts their use into scepticism!

I'm also reading and rereading some books for my Holocaust Lit Circles for my freshman classes - here's an overview of these.  I've enjoyed getting to learn about all the characters - fiction and non-fiction alike!

In My Hands; Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke.  Irene is a Catholic Polish girl who is forced to work for the Nazi’s during the war.  She undergoes horrific things and even so, attempts to save Jewish people.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli is a fictional story of an orphan boy who is forced to live in the Warsaw ghetto.  An excellent story of courage and what could have happened to someone.

All But My Life by Gerda Weissmann Klein is about a young Jewish girl who spends most of her time in work camps before being transferred to death camps toward the end of the war.  This is probably my favorite of the five – even though it’s the longest.  Gerda’s story is very easy to relate to – and therefore one of the most horrifying.

Anne Frank and Me by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld is the newest book on my list.  It’s about a young girl in America who is in love with a boy and has an Internet diary under the name, “Girl X.”  She is mysteriously sent back in time to Nazi occupied Paris – where all of her friends are still her friends – she just happens to be the only Jewish one.  It seems pretty interesting so far – I’m only half way through!!

Devil’s Arithmatic by Jane Yolin is also about a modern day girl thrown back in time to World War II.  Hannah is celebrating Passover with her family when she finds herself in Europe.  She must do some great things to find her way through life in a concentration camp!

~Ms. Carlino

I am a murder mystery type of gal, so the book I am in the middle of is a real switch for me.  Frau Tilford has lent me a book called Mistaken Identity, and it is an amazing true story.  There is a van accident involving students and staff from a local college; five people are killed in the accident.  What ensues is truly unbelievable.  The wrong girl, Laura, is identified as one of the survivors of the accident.  Only after five weeks when the girl emerges from her coma is her true identity discovered.  The girl's family has been by her side the entire time, only to find out after all this time that their daughter was actually one of the people killed in the accident and has already been mourned and buried by another family.   On the other hand, the Cerak family has been grieving for five weeks only to find out that their daughter was a survivor and has just come out of a coma.  The book is written from each families' points of view, so that you can almost feel what they are feelilng.  It is hard to believe that this is something that actually happened just two years ago.  It is still hard for me to believe that this kind of mix up could occur.  Mistaken Identity is a remarkable story---devastating, heart-wrenching and inspiring.

While reading Mistaken Identity, I took a break and went back to my murder-mystery genre and I picked up Robert Parker's new book Rough Weather .  I think I've read every one of Robert Parker's books, and I have enjoyed every one of them.  They are a fairly easy and quick read, so they are a great escape.   When Adelaide is kidnapped and The Gray Man turns out to be the kidnapper, Spencer has a hard time finding out the motive, but once again Spencer and Hawk save the day, with lots of wisdom from Susan!  The next mystery book I'll be starting is a new book by Steve Martini called The Shadow of Power.  I also enjoy his books, and so I am looking forward to more murder and mayhem. 

Happy Reading!!  Jane Wiegand