The Crucible

The Crucible is by Arthur Miller. The classic tale of mass hysteria and vengeance that was the Salem witch trials. A cautionary tale of what happens when madness overtakes a community. The play centers on John Proctor who has had an affair with Abigail Williams, the leader of the girls supposedly "bewitched" by the devil. Miller based the play on the historical trials that occurred in Salem in the 17th century; it is also an allegory, not only of Naziism, but of the McCarthyism of the 1950s. A Readers Corner Highly recommended read.

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10.

A Clubbable Woman

A Clubbable Woman is by Reginald Hill. The first book in the Dalziel & Pascoe series. When a woman is found dead in her own living room by her husband, Dalziel and Pascoe are called in to solve the case. For those who haven't seen the BBC series (you should by the way), Dalziel is a fat crude older cop with a young college educated sergeant named Pascoe. The murdered woman was married to a member of the local rugby club to which Dalziel also belongs. A fun murder mystery. Fans of the television series will especially enjoy the book.

Ratings: 11th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content) - MP (mild profanity).

Dragonflight

Dragonflight is by Anne McCaffrey. The first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series, originally published in 1968. This book is as good today as it was when I read it well, more years ago that I want to admit to. Pern is a planet settled by humans, who for whatever reason never returned to visit the colony. The colonists genetically engineered fire breathing beasts they called dragons, after the old Earth variety, to destroy the "threads" which fall from a mysterious red planet that orbits Pern every two hundred years (turns). At the beginning of the story, it has been 400 turns since the last thread fall, and many on Pern have ceased to believe in the danger. The land owners see no reason to support the dragons and their riders any longer, even though there is only one "weyr" out of six left and it appears the dragons and riders are slowly dying out. The remaining dragon riders set out on search to find a female to "impress" with the new queen egg about to hatch. The red planet has also appeared in the sky and those who still believe know that threads are coming and the weyrs may not be able to save Pern this time. A wonderful start to a classic science fiction series.

Ratings: 10th grade - 9 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content).

Snark! The Hearald Angels Sing: Sarcasm, Bitterness, & the Holiday Season

Snark! The Hearald Angels Sing: Sarcasm, Bitterness, & the Holiday Season is by Lawrence Dorfman. I have had this book on my shelf for some time, but when the Christmas decorations went up in Wal Mart the day after Halloween I pulled it off the shelf and laughed myself silly. It is the perfect read for the seriously jaded and terminally Scrooge-like among us. A charming way to spend an hour or so between now and Christmas.

Ratings: 10th grade - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Historian

The Historian is by Elizabeth Kostova. This is an absolutely wonderful book! It is filled with history, and yet has enough fiction to make the history not only palatable, but fascinating. It is the story of a young girl who finds herself in the midst of a modern day search for Dracula. To find and kill the vampire she, and virtually everyone she knows, must search out the true history of the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. The story takes us across continents, in both the past and present and makes Vlad Dracula come to life in a way the typical Dracula story never seems to. This book was the inspiration for a friend of mine to plan a trip through Hungary, Bulgaria, and into the Carpathians to visit Dracula's castle, the pictures are beautiful! A Reader's Corner Highly Recommended Read.

Ratings: 11th grade - 10 out of 10 - V (violence) - AC (some mature thematic content).

Horrorstor

Horrorstor is by Grady Hendrix. What to say about this book? It's like Poltergeist in an IKEA, okay weirded out yet? The story takes place in an IKEA rip-off, and it admits to being so, called Orsk. Weird things seem to be happening in the store at night so the deputy store manager, Basil, decides to catch the culprit before the corporate suits arrive the next day. He enlists the aid of two other employees, Amy and Ruth Ann, and they decide to patrol the store overnight and find out what's going on. The group finds themselves joined by Matt and Trinity, two want-to-be ghost hunters, who believe the store is haunted - unfortunately for everyone, Matt and Trinity are right. There were parts of this book that had me laughing out loud and parts that scared me silly. I have never read a humorous horror story before, but I really enjoyed it. The humor made the horror a little easier to read, but the book was still scary. The book is also laid out like an Orsk sales catalogue which describes in detail at the beginning of every chapter the wonderful furniture offerings available at Orsk. I was surprised by how much I liked this book, and so...I recommend it to all fans of horror, and even those who aren't.

Ratings: 11th grade - 9 out of 10 - V (Violence) - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Mary Seacole in Many Lands

The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Mary Seacole in Many Lands is by Mary Seacole. A fascinating biography from the point of view a mixed race Jamaican woman and her travels throughout the British Empire in the mid to late 1800s. She travels to Panama, London, and even travels to the Crimea to assist the soldiers during the Crimean War. The memoir is definitely a work of its time, but well worth the read. It is also from a non-white perspective which makes it more fascinating.

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.