 Harry Potter Boxed Set: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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Synopsis (taken from Barne's and Noble site)
Orphaned as a baby, Harry Potter has spent 11 awful years living with his mean aunt, uncle, and cousin Dudley. But everything changes for Harry when an owl delivers a mysterious letter inviting him to attend a school for wizards. At this special school, Harry finds friends, aerial sports, and magic in everything from classes to meals, as well as a great destiny that's been waiting for him...if Harry can survive the encounter. From an author who has been compared to C. S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, this enchanting, funny debut novel won England's National Book Award and the prestigious Smarties Prize. |
A fun book! Some extreme fundametalist Christians may have a problem with idea of mixing magic and minors, but I don't see it as being any "worse" than any of C.S. Lewis' books. Totally engrossing. It's tough to put down, but so good that you don't want it to end. I can't wait for the rest of the series, but will be sad if it ends with Harry's graduation from Hogwarts. |
 Cebu
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From the Publisher: "This remarkable first novel follows the struggle of Ben Lucero, a young Filipino American priest who must come to terms with his bifurcated notion of home as well as his own religious commitment." |
At little bit of history mixed with religion. It's hard to explain. It made me think of the issues involved with believing in a religion that destroyed your people's history. Other stuff involving ethics.
Not a shiny, happy book, but I really liked it. A real thinker for me. I will be reading it again. |
 Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie |
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie |
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Vinegar Hill by A. Manette Ansay . . . It is 1972 when circumstance carries Ellen Grier and her family back to Holly's Filed, Wisconsin. Dutifully accompanying her newly unemployed husband, Ellen has brought her two children into the home of her in-laws on Vingegar Hill - a loveless house suffused with the settling dust of bitterness and routine - where calculated cruelty is a way of life preserved and perpetuated in the service of a rigid, exacting and angry God. Behind a facade of false piety, there are sins and secrets in this place that could crush a vibrant young woman's passionate spirit. And here Ellen must find the strength to endure, change, and grow in the all-pervading darkness that threatens to destroy everything she is and everyone she loves. |
I'm very proud of finding this book because I got it brand new for more than 50% off. At first I was reluctant to buy this because it was an Oprah Book Club book. I tend to be doubtful of things praised by the popular media, but I found this book very easy to read and difficult to put down. I could really feel the bitterness that exists in the Vinegar Hill household. I wanted to know what would happen next and was very satisfied with the ending. |
 Banana Fish, Vol. 5
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Banana Fish by Akimi Yoshida In 1973, in Vietnam, and American soldier goes mad and guns down his buddies. Since then, the only words he has uttered are "Banana Fish." Twelve years later, in New York City, police investigated a series of puzzling suicides, and a dying man gives a handsome charismatic young gang leader named Ash a sample of a mysterious substance. ... What is the connection between these seemingly random acts of violence? Ash begins to unravel the mystery, but mafia boss Papa Dino is determined to stop his investigation cold! |
Okay, so it's more of a comic than a book, but this graphic novel is brain-draining fun! Unfortunately, the whole series has yet to be translated to English. Good plot and I can't wait for the rest of the series to come out. Please keep in mind that this comic is not meant for children. |
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Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America
by Nathan McCall Nathan McCall was a smart kid growing up in a close, protective family in a black working-class neighborhood. Yet by the age of fifteen, McCall was packing a gun and embarking on a criminal career that five years later would land him in prisson for amed robbery . . . [A]s he recounts his transformation, McCall compels us to recognize that racism . . . condemns so many black men to prison, dead-end jobs, or violent deaths. |
At first I didn't think I would enjoy this book since it was for a class. It turned out to be one of the best things I've read in my academic and personal life. McCall's memoirs are straightforward and compelling. It was the first time I really got emotionally involved in a book. It reminds us that racism exists in old and new forms. |
 The Women of Brewster Place by Gloria Naylor |
the original series of Nancy Drew stories by Carolyn Keene  The Secret of the Old Clock (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories Series #1)
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In Memoirs of a Geisha, we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where woman are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable. |
Fun to read, but I don't know if the writer or publishers intended this book to be a historical fiction. If you are looking for fiction, this one has a great plot. If you are looking for a historical fiction about geishas, look elswhere. This book feels more like a trashy novel set in Japan than the memoirs of a geisha. |
