Walking with Sam is by Andrew McCarthy. A charming memoir by the famous teen actor. McCarthy and his 19-year-old son head to Spain to walk the famous Camino de Santiago. This is a wonderfully insightful look at father-son dynamics and also a great journal of the famous Camino 500 mile walk. In parts moving and in others funny. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.
Ratings: 12th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).
The Gales of November is by John U. Bacon. A marvelous nonfiction book! This book tells the story of the S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald and the 29 men who went down with her on the Great Lakes in 1975. The tale of the ship was immortalized in the song by Gordon Lightfoot. This is a moving look at Great Lakes shipping, but especially the men who served on the "Fitz" and their families. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.
Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10.
Homeschooled is by Stefan Merrill Block. A crazy memoir! Stefan was nine when his mother pulls him from school to homeschool him. This book is really not about homeschooling at all, but the relationship between Stefan and his mother, not to mention his father and brother. This was a sad and disturbing read.
Ratings: Adult - 6 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
Someplace to be Flying is by Charles de Lint. A strange work of fantasy by a master of the genre. Lily is a journalist in search of "animal people." When she is attacked and saved by two "crow girls," she and the cab driver, Hank, who stopped to help are drawn into a world of ancient beings. Native Americans call them the First People and they are engaged in a war that could destroy the world. A really weird story, but worth the read.
Ratings: 11th grade - 7 put of 10 - P (profanity) - V (violence) - AC (mature thematic content).
Desiring God is by John Piper. A classic work of religious nonfiction. Piper's classic work on Christian hedonism - the joy of knowing and living in the joy of the Lord. A must read for all Christians.
Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10.
Death in the Spires is by K. J. Charles. A charming work of historical mystery fiction. Jem's old university friend was brutally murdered. Ten years later his employer receives an anonymous letter accusing Jem of the murder. After he loses his job, he decides to solve the mystery of Toby's death. He begins to hunt down the rest of Toby's friends, but will stirring the old pot result in his own death? A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Ratings: 10th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).
The Bridge of San Luis Rey is by Thornton Wilder. A classic work of historical fiction. When the bridge of San Luis Rey collapses one day, it takes a number of hapless people with it. A priest decides to search out the history of these individuals to see if he can find the reason God decided they were to die on the bridge. This is a wonderful little book. A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.
Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content).
