'The Act for Valor'

Would you die for your brothers?

By Jacob G.

The Act of Valor is a war novel presented by Tom Clancy. The authors are George Galdorisi who started out his career as a naval aviator and started as a writer in 1978. The second author was Dick Couch was a former Navy SEAL and a CIA Maritime Operations officer and a former military author. Act of Valor is about two CIA agents who were on a trip and one of them was beaten to death and the other one was captured and tortured by Taliban. So the Navy sent out there most elite team of SEALS to go and rescue the POW (Prisoner of War.)  After they get to rescue her a war starts between the Taliban and the military, which occurs to a lot of bad stuff to happen.

'Ender's Game'

 By Jasmine S.

Enders Game was written by Orson Scott Card. He wrote Enders Shadow, Speaker of the Dead, Xenocide, etc… Enders Game is a military scientific novel. It is set in a futuristic Earth, where these alien bugs are a constant threat. Every family is only allowed two children, but Enders family was granted special permission to have Ender. All the children have a monitor put into their head when they are really little and the I.F. monitor the child’s thoughts and feeling over certain situations. Well both of Enders siblings, Peter and Valentine, were kicked out of the program because Peter was extremely violent and Valentine was to empathetic. They hoped that Ender would be the perfect balance between them. So, Ender is chosen to go to battle school, where he excels in everything. He is the star student, but he realizes that this whole thing that he is doing is pointless. He then goes through all these emotions that interfere with his battles. The ending is an amazing plot twist that you will not see coming!

'Heat' is hot

 By Kevin H.

     This is a cross between sports and family. Writer who writes a lot of sport books. Like Travel  Team ,Summer ball and The Big Field.it a good young adult literature. Mike is regularly on espn sports reporters.

A Girl's Guide into having fun!

By Sanam P.

March 3, 2014

                Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to Getting Lost in Mexico is a story by Malin Alegaria. Sofi Mendoza was born in Mexico. She had spent most of her entire life with her parents in California.  She is a high school senior and she decides to go to her friend’s weekend party, which she had to cross the border for. Sofi didn’t know that her green card was expired until the border patrol told her. Her parents have a hard time finding the paperwork she needed to cross the border. Luckily, her parents know some relatives that live in Mexico. Sofi was popular at her high school. She was going to miss her prom and her graduation. Her relatives live on a ranch and she is used to having a big bedroom and pretty clothes. Sofi has to go through a lot that she is not used too.

'The Outsiders'

By Paulina O. 

            Young PonyBoy Curtis in the book the outsiders, is only one of a large, classified group called the “Greasers” this story reflects on the lives of teens in a certain time where life itself was categorized into two very different rival groups, it depended on where you grew up, what your financial income was, and the type of people you hung around with and the type of person you decided to be. You could’ve either had a “bad to the bone” attitude or carry your head high and think your better than everyone else, and when you did that, you were every Greasers enemy, a Soc. Socs were rich, preppy, sporty, snooty goody goody’s in the eyes of every Greaser. Greasers on the other hand, were the complete opposite. They were reckless, wild, attitude giving juvenile delinquent, street punks, who did what they want when they want, and could care less what the consequences were. The type of kids, who wore leather jackets, used a lot of hair gel to grease their hair back, smelt like cigarettes because they have probably been smoking since the age of 12. You could imagine how two very different groups like this could bump heads. This is the outsiders.

'Eragon'

By Mathew A. 

Christopher Paolini is a talented writer who can keep you reading. In his his book Eragon, he displays his talent for writing a detailed and captivating story. Paolini has also received the reward of even having his book made into a movie.

A Journey To The Center Of The Earth

By Brandon C.

A pioneer of the Science Fiction genre, Jules Verne is simply one of the best when it comes to this genre. Journey To The Center Of The Earth is the story of a German professor, Otto Lidenbrock, and his newphew, Axel, who voyage into the center of the Earth, and encounter many adventures along the way, some of which thought to be extinct.

The New Kind

by Chris G.

 In a similar world, a human Jessie, gets in a car crash, and passes away. After she is buried, she arises from the ground, reborn a zombie. The Indiana woods are crawling with gangs of zombies what are appearing. Jessie is part of a gang, the Fly-By-Nights. They go about all of the things that gangs do, only undead. Then one day, the gang stumbles across a strange new creature, which is neither human nor zombie. A plague spreads. and the human race is diminishing to these creatures. Jessie must choose to run, or to stay and fight….

Ender's Game: Beginning to End

By John Z.

Considered by some to be the quintessential science fiction book, Ender’s Game, written by Orson Scott Card, is a classic novel that details the war between humans and an alien race known as the “Buggers”. 

            The novel takes place in the future, when humans have started to explore the rest of space.  Sometime in the past, they stumbled upon an alien civilization known as the “Buggers”, and the two races have since been at war.  Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a boy on Earth who is constantly bullied by his peers for being a third child under Earth’s two-child policy.  At home, he also has to deal with a psychopathic brother named Peter.  The only person he’s truly close to is his sister, Valentine.  After Ender stands up to a couple of bullies in school, he’s recruited by the military for “Battle School”, a program training future generations of military leaders for combat with the Buggers.  

All Is Not Quiet On The Western Front

By Jean C.

The American Front, by Harry Turtledove, is a continuation of his alternate American history universe that began in How Few Remain. After winning the War of Succession and thrashing the United States in the Second Mexican War, the Confederate States of America have entered the Great War with their traditional allies, France and England. From their new capital of Philadelphia, the USA government has declared her intentions to stand by her German allies. Cannons rain havoc on Washington, American planes drop bomb after bomb on the St. Lawrence farm basin, and the coasts are painted red with the blood of sailors. The war to end all wars has come to America.

Speak Has Spoken

By Andrea D.

 

Author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for her young adult novels, children’s books, and historical novels. She was first known for her novel Speak. Speak is about a teenage girl, Melinda, starting her freshman year of high school with no friends. This is unfortunate, because she does not fit into any of the many cliques present at the high school.

The Hunger Games Book #1

By Sumeet S. 

Suzanne Collins, the author of the Underland Chronicles, is one of the very few  that are able to raise your eyebrows every second and raise your adrenaline after you read through a page of each of her books. Collins’s book, The Hunger Games, is an young adult fiction book about a 16 year old girl, Katniss Everdeen, who immediately volunteers herself for the gruesome and torturous Hunger Games competition so her little sister, Prim Everdeen, did not have to compete.

The Lost Hero, Newfound Excitement

By Rahul V.

            Famed Rick Riordan strikes again to sequel his popular series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. The Lost Hero features many characters and aspects from his previous series, such as Annabeth and even Percy himself, as well as most of the Greek mythological characters. This book is centered around a new character, or characters I should say: Jason, Piper, and Leo.

Heartwarming and Touching, The Pact

                                           

                                                                        By Kaila T.

           

            Jodi Picoult is a true storyteller in the book The Pact. The Harte’s and the Gold’s are two families that live next store and grow together through their children. For eighteen years their children have been inseparable, almost as if they were brother and sister. Chris Harte and Emily Gold shared everything and knew each detail about each other. Without hesitation they’d choose one another. As childhood friends to teenage lovers their connection and bond was unbreakable. When one felt pain the other seemed as if they could feel it too, people envied for a relationship like theirs. Chris and Emily’s parents were rooting for them to date since day one, they never though their relationship would come to an end. 

Percy Jackson and the Great Read!

By Upasana I.

   The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordian is the first book of the Percy Jackson series and portrays a wonderful representation of Greek mythology in a fictional tale. The sequel to this book is named The Sea of Monsters and is also part of the series. The genre of The Lightening Thief is a combination of fantasy and fiction, and beautifully includes Greek myths to create a entertaining and educational book for young adults. 

'Ignite Me'

by Sarah K.

The Shatter Me trilogy, written by Tahereh Mafi, is a dynamic young adult dystopian thriller and romance. At age seventeen Juliette Ferrars is given up by her hateful parents and pushed into the hands of their country’s controlling, oppressive government, The Reestablishment. Juliette was born with what she believes to be a curse, her touch, the touch of her bare skin, is lethal. The Reestablishment, in particular a young military captain Warner, wishes to use her as a weapon against the people. While being held captive at Warner’s base she meets Adam, a boy whom she knew in her childhood. Adam is kind and loving to her and when she discovers he is immune to her touch they make an escape from the base together. However, in their escape another person is found out to be immune to Juliette’s curse, Warner. 

Is it really 'The Fault In Our Stars?'

Do things get worse, or do they get better?

By Makayla F.

From The Notebook to The Twilights Series, The Fault In Our Stars sets a scene of a sad romance. John Green, the author, made the antagonists of the story a choice between Cancer and Love. The protagonist Hazel Grace Lancaster is diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer with mets in her lungs and goes to a support group. Through the support group she met the beloved Augustus Waters who is diagnosed with osteosarcoma.

'The DaVinci Code'

by Pranav P.

The DaVinci Code is a 454 page realistic fiction novel written about Dan Brown about a Harvard symbology professor named Robert Langdon who goes to Paris, and gets framed for the murder of the curator of the louvre museum, JacquesSaunière , who had wrote Langdon’s name along with some other cryptic messages as he was dying, and eventually leads Langdon to embark on a quest to seek the Holy Grail.  Saunière was part of a religious sect who had the secret location of the Holy Grail, all of the documents that the Catholic Church tried to eliminate almost two thousand years ago.  Saunière’s sect, the Priory of Sion, had the key to the location of the Holy Grail, written on a document called The Keystone.  Saunière and three others knew the secret to the location of the Keystone and the Holy Grail, but all four were killed by an extremely devout Catholic group called Opus Dei.  They wanted to get the Keystone and the Holy Grail, so no one could expose them, because if they would expose, all of the history the church tried to remove would resurface and it would tarnish the reputation and credibility of the Church.  Langdon’s journey really began when the French National Police cryptographer Sophie Neveu decoded her grandfather’s, Saunière’s, message, and was sure that Langdon was not the murderer.  While Langdon and Neveu followed the clues Saunière hid in museum and elsewhere which lead to the Holy Grail.  What started as a small murder investigation quickly escalates to a full blown international police chase, while Langdon and Neveu search for the only proof of their innocence, the Holy Grail.  

Matched Forever!

By: Brianna D.

In the Society once a citizen has turned seventeen years old they have a choice to make. You are able to be put into a Matching pool where Officials decided on what two people are most compatible. Factors such as genes and background information are also considered to insure that couples will produce the best offspring. If the decision is not to be Matched then, you will become a single ,but will not be allowed to have children.

The Insanity of 'Delirium'!

By: Khevna J.

Delirium, written by Lauren Oliver, is a book that will make your heart turn upside down, will confuse your brain, and will leave you wanting more! It is a young adult romance novel that is set in a dystopian society. In this society, love is seen as a disease, and whoever attracts it is considered to be contaminated or infected. There are regulators who roam the city streets during the day, checking for signs of contamination and thus, the spread of the deliria. Those who are infected are known as sympathizers. Sympathizers who live in the Wilds, an unregulated forest area, are known as Invalids. At the age of eighteen, the cure is administered through “the procedure”. If the cure is administered on anyone who is younger than eighteen, there could be dangerous side effects. A seventeen-year old girl named Lena Haloway falls in love before the age of eighteen, and the first part of her tale is told in Delirium, the first of three installments in the Delirium trilogy.

'The Island'

When emotionally pressured do people seek help from odd places?

By James M.

The book The Island by award winning author of Hatchet and many more, Gary Paulsen writes an immersive adventure tale about the coming of age of a young boy named Wil Neuton.Wil is forced to move to wisconsin because his father accepted a job there. While exploring the back roads of his new town he finds a lake with a small island in the middle.Upon arrival to the island he immediately falls in love but soon after intruders start to come to the island. This startles Wil because he views the island as his best friend, parent, and so much more.

'Smack'

Why waste your life on something so stupid?

By: Nick I.

Melvin Burgess' thrilling story, Smack, is an intense, realistic novel following the life of two teenage runaways and their friends. It shows how their lives get worse and worse because of their horrible heroin addiction.

'Eragon': Book 1 of the Inheritance Series

By Philip M.

            Christopher Paolini obviously has an ability to make his readers exercise their imaginations.  In his novel, Eragon, Paolini brings his reader on an unforgettable adventure.  This story of a young dragon rider moving around the world as he is chased by an evil Empire makes the reader imagine some great battles and scenes.  

'61 Hours'

By Ben M.

            This is the 14^th Jack Reacher book by Lee Child. The book takes place in Bolton, South Dakota where Reacher, the main character, gets stranded due to a bus accident. He is then faced with his first problem, he has to keep an old lady alive after she witnesses a drug deal from the snowbound wastes of Bolton. This villain is willing to kill and even torture and cripple. Most people associate a ticking clock with suspense and Lee Child literally did this.

  I loved the interaction between Jack and the voice on the phone in Washington and the discovery of the original purpose behind the military site. Very cool and creepy at the same time. And there's a new angle on the old drug running plot element which caught me off guard and then made me laugh at the end with its final effects on the town. When I first got this book I did not know how good it would be but this book deserves a 3.7 out of 5.

I just wish that we could know how Reacher escapes from the explosion. I think she made a mistake and should have included that in this book. I guess we have to read the next book now too.

'The Fault in Our Stars'

By Ashley B.

            John Green has surely outdone himself with his solo novel, The Fault In Our Stars. This star-crossed love story is narrated by seventeen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster who falls madly in love with Augustus Waters.

            As usual, John Green threw a twist into this love story; both Hazel and Augustus (Gus) suffer from cancer. Hazel has thyroid cancer and carries around an oxygen tank. She's quite the book worm, and her mother forces her to go to a cancer support group at the local church so she can get out of the house. At one of these meetings, Hazel catches the eye of Gus, who's there to support his blind friend Isaac.

            Gus tells his new 'friend' Hazel to read The Price of Dawn, a book about a fellow cancer sufferer who tells about life with cancer. However, the book ends mid-sentence and Hazel is furious to not learn what came of the cancer patient. From there, it is Hazel and Gus's mission to track down the author and learn the real end of the book, and they just so happen to fall in love somewhere along the way.

            This was the second book I've read from John Green and it has impacted me in ways I can't explain. This is the most beautiful and intricate love story I've ever read and the way Green portrays the struggles of a love-stricken cancer patient is breathtaking. In his true writing fashion, Green ends the book suddenly and with a big bang that leaves you hungry for more, which isn't always a good thing.

            Although I've only read Green's Looking for Alaska and  The Fault in Our Stars I am eager to read his other works like Will Grayson, Will Grayson and Paper Towns. His style of writing is easy to follow and really speaks to the average teenager. His stories will never disappoint.

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green, Dutton Books, January 2012, 318 pages

Read or Burn?

By Partha P.

Ray Bradbury, considered one of the greatest authors of his time, is renowned for his book “Fahrenheit 451”. It was his greatest literary achievement in his entire writing career. The book is set in dystopian society where books are illegal burned instead of being read. The book centers around the main character, Guy Montag, a firefighter. Firefighters in this future society burn books and start these fires instead of putting them out. They are basically the book police. He starts with the mindset that books are bad, and is focused around the parlor and “parlor family”. After coming home from the fire station one night, he meets his new neighbor Clarisse. She is different from everyone else. Her open-minded thoughts, and ideas of liberty change Montag’s view. He starts to question the rules set by the government.

The Not So Social Billionaires

By Nick L.

            In "The Accidental Billionaires: by Ben Mezrich readers get the inside scoop to how the site they waste their life away on came to be. Mezrich is also the author behind Bringing Down The House, a New York Times best seller. Readers get a food read from best selling author with this book.

            The book puts the reader inside the heads of Eduardo Salverin the CFO of thefacebook, the Winklevoss twins, Sean Parker, and the man himself Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg is the type of guy that keeps all the characters wondering about him; behind his nerdyness is there a hidden cool?  Zuckerberg isn’t your typical Harvard nerd, in high school he was a hacker and already created a network for Harvard students to see who were in their classes.

One night Zuckerberg gets drunk and hacks into all the houses on campus to create a site where guys rated the girls in every house. Over night 85% of Harvard went on the site, this was the start of Facebook. The story is primarily told through the head of best friend and CFO Eduardo Salverin. Salverin is desperately searching for the social side of Harvard. He is pledging for a social club in Harvard so he can meet girls, ironically enough he helps create the largest social club in the world. To the two of them the dream was simple make being social and meeting girls easier. The dream gets complicated when thefacebook takes off quick and gets complicated when Olympic rower twins the Winklevoss’s and Silicon Valley bad boy Sean Parker get involved. The cover of the book truly does tell it all, a story of sex, money, genius, and betrayal.

            Mezrich does the story behind Facebook justice through his writing. Mezrich goes to great lengths to describe what being at Harvard is like through social cues and descriptive settings. The switching between narrators is done well and helps to build a like for all the characters. He builds all of them up well and it is hard to pick a side because of the connection the reader has to all of them. One critique to his writing is that it is too short. The book is roughly 250 pages. Mezrich does a phenomenal job telling the story but leaves the reader wanting a little more. Also the man himself Mark Zuckerberg is almost too mysterious; the reader does not get much time inside his head. Him being the genius behind the whole thing the reader wants to get more time with him as narrator but they do not. Further building up the mystery behind him.

I would recommend this book to anyone; it’s a great story and deserves a read. Although there is a movie, the book gives more details and puts you in all the characters heads.

The Accidental Billionaires, by Ben Mezrich, DoubleDay, 2009, 256 pages

'Tell the Wolves I'm Home'

By Julia L.

Carol Rifka Brunt debut novel is Tell the Wolves I’m Home, a realistic fiction story revolving around the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. The narrator of Wolves is a fourteen-year-old girl named June Elbus. Most of her time and thoughts are spent with her Uncle Finn, who is a skilled painter. The story begins with June describing a Sunday afternoon that she and her sister Greta spent at Finn’s. This was a common occurrence for the girls; Finn knew he was dying, and so he wanted to paint a picture of his nieces.

'Ender's Game': The First Book of the Ender Quintet

by Kimberley M.

Perhaps one of the most famous science fiction writers is Orson Scott Card. He is the only author to have won both the Hugo and Nebula awards in consecutive years (1986 and 1987). The first book that he won those awards with was Ender’s Game, which is arguably the most famous science fiction book. It is a military science fiction novel that contains both battle scenes and questions about the ethics of violence.

'Bullet Point'

By Cam B.
 

This novel by Peter Abrahams features a teenage boy named Wyatt who is a fairly smart boy that stays out of trouble and does the right thing. His father is a convict who is serving life in prison, and he does not know much about him, other that he is bad and evil, because that is all that his mother will tell him. Other than that, he tries to live a normal life, playing baseball, and not thinking much about him.

The economy in his area takes a turn for the worst, and his local schools and markets are hemmeraging money. This causes Wyatt's high school to make numerous program cuts, including his beloved baseball team. His luck seems to have fallen just as he begins to find out who he really is. Luckily, he meets a girl in school named Greer, who seems to have taken a shine to him, and brightens his horizon. 

Greer and Wyatt, eventually become good friends and learn more about each other. It just so happens, that coinsidentally Greer's step-father is serving hard time in the very same prison that Wyatt's father is being held. Unlike Wyatt, Greer is very sad about her Step-father's sentence, and is intersted in their mutual similarities. They eventually look into it and discover that Wyatt's dad is actually cool and kind. They end up trying to break their elders out of prison, but find out that penetrating a isolated facility is harder than they anticipated.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, and could possibly read it again. I did enjoy the characters and the plot, but I don't think that Peter Abrahams really executed the climax to its full potential. I just think that he brought it all together in a way that left me wanting more. I enjoyed to journey of the story, but the ending needed some work.

Although, most of the ending is left up for the reader's own imagination, I think that instead of the police finding the container empty, with them leaving on a speedboat, they could of led them on a little further to ensure that they not look and find them where they really are going.

You should absolutely seek out this book and give it a read because it is an open ended novel, that provides the reader with opportunity to make their own assumptions about how it ends. It is entertaining, thrilling, and constantly keeps me on the edge of your seat.

Readers can find this book at the local library.

'Golem in the Gears' a book to enjoy

                                                  By Nelson. K.
The Golem in the Gears is a great book written by Piers Anthony. It is the ninth book in the Xanth series. It is an action/adventure book about Grandy the Golem, a small man whom people did not respect. Even he himself did not respect himself. To prove himself, he volunteered to ride the Monster in the bed to the Ivory Tower to rescue the long lost dragon, Stanley Steamer. He takes help with him for some certain reasons.

'3rd Degree' Amazes

By Johnson T.

3^rd Degree is a a suspenseful crime fiction book written by James Patterson who has also written the Alex Cross Novels including the #1 New York Times bestsellers The Big Bag Wolf, Four Blind Mice, Violets Are Blue, Kiss the Girls, and Along Came a Spider. Protagonist Lindsay Boxer has to solve a series of murders and catch the group of terrorists menacing her city of San Francisco.

'How To Be Good'...More or less

By Amanda M.

Writing from the perspective of a woman is definitely not an easy task. Nick Hornby, author of How To Be Good, tackles this task in a witty way as Katie Carr, wife and mother of two, who questions what it really means to be “good.” Through trial and error, she gains insight as to how her actions not only impact herself, but others around her.

Katie Carr has lived life thinking that being a doctor is what makes her a good person. Unhappy in her marriage, she has an affair. A turn of events brings maybe too much kindness and compassion to her once angry husband, only it’s not exactly directed towards her. He now has a new friend who claims to be a spiritual healer, promoting her husband’s drive to make all right in the world (or at least in his postal district.) 

'The Book Thief'

                                                     By Savannah S.

In The Book Thief, a foster child named Liesel is raised in Germany when the Nazis were in power. Growing up in a poor family, she didn't know how to read. Her foster father then took the time to teach her, which sparks her obsession with books. She begins stealing them from places where she can find them. Liesel soon learns of what Hitler is doing to those who oppose his ideals which causes her to hate Hitler. Unfortunately, that's not the best circumstance for a young girl living in a country blinded by love for their leader. The Book Thief is written by Markuz Zusak who also wrote Fighting Ruben Wolfe, Getting the Girl, and I Am the Messenger. The Book Thief has won multiple awards, has been selected best book of the year, and is a New York Times best seller.

"All the Rage"

A tale of two sides, crooked cops and criminals.

By Jay L.

            Irish born writer Gene Kerrigan brings people to his homeland with his writing.  Kerrigan's book, The Rage, is a crime novel told from multiple perspectives.  The story follows a crooked detective Bob Tidey, who tampers with evidence to get his man, and Vincent Naylor, a criminal who turns to revenge.

            Bob Tidey is a cigarette smoking, heavy drinking cop in the Dublin police force.  He gets called in to help out with a big murder case of a millionaire banker.  He was brought in because the murder weapon in this case is the same as a case he covered almost two years prior and his purpose is to try to find a connection between the two.  

'Divergent'

By Marisol M. 

Author Veronica Roth is a captivating writer in the Divergent Trilogies; she keeps your nose stuck in the book and wanting you to find out more and more about what will happen in the next chapter. Beatrice Prior lives in Chicago where society is split up into five different factions - Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Erudite (the intelligent), Candor (the honest), and Amity (the peaceful). When you reach the year of 16, a ceremony is held at which you choose which faction you would like to live the rest of your life in. Beatrice has to make the ultimate decision; whether she wants to show the world who she really is or to stay with her family. When she chooses the faction she would like to live in, everyone is astonished with her decision. 

'Rhymes with Witches'

By Kelsi P.

Rhymes with Witches is a mystery and thriller written by Lauren Myracle. Some of her well known novels consists of Kissing Kate, Shine and Let it Snow. Rhymes with Witches was nominated for “Best Books for Young Adults” by the American Library Association and was also included in Anita Silvey’s “500 Great Books for Teens”. In the captivating novel Rhymes with Witches  she writes about a freshmen in high school named Jane. She describes Jane as a young and shy girl who keeps to herself, with very little friends. Like the majority of her peers, she admires the most popular group of girls in the whole school. The group consists of Keisha, the senior, Bitsy, the junior, and Mary Bryan, the sophomore. Although it was rumored that the girls were looking for their final member of their clique, a freshmen, Jane would have never have guessed they would show any interest in her. 

'Bird by Bird'

By Volodymyr L.

            Bird by Bird a novel written by Anne Lamott enters the topic of writing with its five different sections. Each sections talks about a different aspect of writing. While the book might not be that much education, it is quite inspirational and really delves into the struggles that a writer has to go through to keep their job and maybe even enjoy it.

'Nickel and Dimed'

By Savannah B.

The big question is whether or not single mothers in America can survive on the money they make at low-wage jobs. Barbara Ehrenreich travels to three different cities in America to put this common issue to the test. She travels to cities in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota, in which she lives by three simple rules. When applying for low wage jobs in these three cities, she was not allowed to use her skills from education or previous work. She also made sure that she accepted the highest paying job that was offered to her and that away from work, she would live by the cheapest accommodations necessary that still maintain safety and privacy. At each city, Barbara told the new people that she met that she was a divorced stay at home mom who has been forced to return to the work force after several years. It was important to Barbara that she followed her rules and stuck to her fake identity in order to truly dig up the issues and complications that single mothers who make minimum wage suffer from every day. She was to endure the restriction of money, the restriction on luxuries, and the everyday challenges that a mother might face to keep her children content. Although money is a huge factor in this experiment, she decided that if she ever were to go hungry or homeless, then, and only then, would she take out her ATM card.

'Musicophilia' excites the brain

By Aaron H.

“Every act of perception is to some degree an act of creation, and every act of memory is to some degree an act of imagination.”

Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks is a journal of sorts centered on various phenomenon that occur in the brain due to exposure to music.  A neuroscientist and genus of the mind in his own right, Sacks applies science to the subjects of human knowledge, culture, and understanding.  As supplements, Sacks often cites celebrities of both the music and pop culture who either have previously described similar phenomenon or have been diagnosed with neurological disorders.  His case studies include an orthopedic surgeon who was struck by lightning through a payphone.  After cardiac arrest and momentary memory loss, the surgeon became strongly attracted to piano music.  

'Nazi Literature in the Americas' Review

By Kunal S.

            Nazi Literature in the Americas by Roberto Bolaño consists of several short humorous biographies of made-up writers, all who were fascists (or were in some way connected to fascism).  What each of the characters had in common was that they all led bizarre lives that typically came to rather unfortunate ends.

            I instantly became bored with the novel after reading the first one or two biographies. It was not until later that I realized the stories were meant to be humorous. This realization changed my perspective on the novel, and allowed me to enjoy it more and laugh at the occasional jokes. However, I still became more and more bored with the stories as I continued to read, and was often tempted to put down the book.

A nearly 'Perfect Circle'

What haunts more, ghosts or a wasted life?

By R.W.W. Greene

Touted as a cross between Stephen King and playwright Henrik Ibsen, writer Sean Stewart is a rare find — an author who keeps you in the dark. Stewart’s tale, Perfect Circle, is a ghost story of sorts. Protagonist William “Dead” Kennedy was born with the ability to see ghosts and it hasn’t helped him out much.