You will earn 5 extra credit points if you read a book from the library for fun this quarter. Any book, of any length, on any subject that interests you. It can’t be a book assigned for another class or that you use in your final project for this class.
I’ve posted on this page a list of books that I think are good reads, along with their HAYSTAC call numbers so that you can find them. The ones that have JUV in front of the call number are on the first floor behind the government docs. Feel free to find your own book — these are just suggestions. I am happy to help you find a book to suit your interests.
If you read a book, leave a comment on this page with your name, the name and author of the book you read, and at least 200 words telling me what you thought of the book: why did you pick it? did you like it? why or why not? what is one thing in the book that you are still thinking about?
Happy reading!
Coraline by Neil Gaiman. JUV PZ7.G1273 Co 2002
Feed by M.T. Anderson. JUV PZ7.A54395 Fe 2002
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. PL856.U673 U48 2005
Maus by Art Spiegelman. D810.J4 S643 1986
Monster by Walter Dean Myers. JUV PZ7.M992 Mon 1999
Push by Sapphire. PS3569.A63 P87 1996
Small Island by Andrea Levy. PR6112.E889 S63 2005
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. JUV PZ7.A54385 Sp 1999
Here are a few recommendations from past LIBY1210 students:
Title: The Color Purple
Author: Alice Walker
One of my friends that I knew back in high school recommended this book to me. In the beginning, I did not understand the scene, but as I kept reading until I finished the book, I realized that this book is based on the ability to have faith even through the toughest times. Something that I am still thinking about is how Celie’s father can do such an immoral act. He raped his own daughter and got her pregnant at a very young age. He was cruel enough to take the new born baby that Celie gave birth to and send it elsewhere. Celie was even sent off to be Albert’s wife. Not only did she have to perform wifely duties, but it seemed as though she was Albert’s slave. I was surprised to see that Celie never gave up hope after all the oppression and abuse she took from her husband. In spite of difficulties, she never let go of what she believed in. She remained strong and courageous and in the end, it all paid off. The part where Celie falls in love with a woman named Shug was also something that surprised me and kept me thinking because it was an unexpected event that occurred. Despite the numerous intimate language/scene, I fell in love with this book. I was deeply touched by the story and all of the issues that it addressed – from ugliness and beauty to oppression and freedom.
the book i decided to read was called “the golden compass” by phillip pullman. the reason why i wanted to read this book was because it sounded really interesting when our teacher was telling me about it and because i wanted to do the extra credit for this class! after reading this book, i know why Amy would tell me to read it.
i thought it was an awesome book! i would recommend it to people who like reading fantasy type books like harry potter and lord of the rings. i know i really enjoyed it because it allowed my imagination to run free!
one thing that is still on my mind about this book is..could it be possible for something like this to be true? i wish it were! that would be so amazing. i think this book is a good book to sit back and read when you want to escape from your problems or something thats bothering you because it literally takes you to a different place in your head.
i haven't seen the movie yet but when i do, i know that i will definitely be comparing the book to the movie. i want to see if the book is better than the movie because thats what happens a lot. READ THIS BOOKKK!!!!!
The name of the book I read was buried onions and the author was Gary Soto. I picked up this book because of the colorful front cover and the fact that it seemed to have something to do with onions. However like the old cliche says, “don't judge a book by its cover. ” This is somewhat the case here. It had nothing to do with onions per se, it was all a metaphor. I enjoyed the book though, it was very inspirational. It reminded me a lot of my childhood growing up in the environment i grew up in. I felt connected with Eddie. I could see why he made certain of his decisions, and it reminded me why I am in college; because like the navy college is my way of getting away from the dead onions. All in all I think this was an amazing book. Till today, I can still remember many parts of the book, but one part I am still thinking about is how Jesus was stabbed by one of their friends.. As a child, my older cousin was gunned down by his friends after he refused to rob a house with them. I just kept thinking of that situation because they both were gunned down for virtuous reasons.
The book I chose to read was “Beloved” written by Toni Morrison. One thing I really enjoyed about the book was how the story used a character to tell history of African Americans. Little clues were given in the story of how difficult it was for slaves to get away and be free. One major part in the book was how the character Sethe killed her children because she did not want them to live the life of slaves. I understand why the character did that and I liked how the author was not afraid to take the story to that level. That part of the story was a dramatic scene and made me feel for how it was for slaves. Then how much a mother would sacrifice for her children. Sethe wanted her children to be happy and free, not tied down to the lives of slaves. The story also had the child she killed come back as a ghost, but in human form. That brings a nice twist to the story and makes the reader think if it really is the child or not. One thing that I thought about the ghost child was when she described where she was before she came to the house, it seemed to be how it was in slave ships. Like ships that came from Africa to United States that held many slaves. Those were the parts i enjoyed most about the book and I am really glad that I read it.
I chose to read Night, by Elie Weisel. I chose this book because it is a true story of a man's life during the holocaust and the hardships he faced. I have been doing a lot of work on past genocides, for example the genocide in Rwanda. An old English teacher of mine recommended it to me but I never had the chance to read it. This extra credit assignment gave me the chance to read it and I loved it.
The main character Eliezer faced many struggles from getting taken away from his home in Transylvania to traveling with no food or water in cattle cars to being separated from his mother and sisters forever to his father dying and finally being rescued in the end. This book was a tragic story but none the less a great novel. I would recommend this book to everyone, it really makes you appreciate you life and opens your eyes to what really goes on out there. The world knew nothing about what was happening then, but we do now so we should do something about the ongoing genocide in Darfur.
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