This book is about a man who is serving in the army in Italy. He meets a girl with whom he falls in love. He is severely injured while serving, and begins to dislike the fighting. He runs away to Switzerland with his girlfriend, who has become pregnant. They have to escape arrest for deserting the army and, at the same time, deal with many other challenges.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

The story begins with a mail coach that goes to Dover. Suddenly a traveler, Jerry Cruncher, comes to tell Mr. Lorry, a business and bank teller Lucie Manette has arrived at Dover hotel. After Mr. Lorry arrives at the hotel, he asks Lucie if she could go to Paris to “bring back to life” (help recover him from relapse from 18 of prison) her father, Dr. Manette; Lucie agrees. Lucie and Mr. Lorry enter Mr. and Mrs. Defarge shop in Paris. Before talking to Lucie, Mr. Defarge talks to two people called “Jacques”, who are secret revolutionaries. Then Defarge leads Lucie and Lorry to a dark room where Dr. Manette is making shoes. Lucie is touched to finally meet her father after 18 years. She decides to take him to England. In England, there is a court case in 1780, when Charles Darnay is accused of treason on leaking info to another country. Sydney Caron, who resembles Charles Darnay, finds a way to free Darnay on the account of both looking alike and that evidence is not conclusive that Darnay was guilty. After a few years, Darnay becomes close to Lucie. During recent visit to Lucie, Darnay tells a story of how a worker found a letter written by an unknown prisoner (Dr. Manette) in North tower. Back in Paris, Marquis Evrémonde, an aristocrat, rides in a wagon runs over a child. The Marquis simply tosses a coin to Gaspard, the killed child’s father, which shows how evil the Marquis is. Gaspard follow the Marquis to his estate. Here, Charles Darnay, nephew of the Marquis, argues with Marquis and tells he will not accept the title lord of the estate. They go to sleep and Gaspard sneaks in Marquises room and stabs him. Back in England, Sydney Carton confesses that he like Lucie, but she is not interested. Lucie decides to marry Darnay In her knitting she names all those that were to be killed during the revolution. Although Dr. Manette is surprised to learn that Darnay is the nephew of the evil Marquis, he approves Lucie’s free choice. The French Revolution begins and after the storming of the Bastille, led by the Defarges, the “Jacques” set Marquis’s chateau on fire and captured Gabelle, a tax collector. Gabelle writes a letter to Darnay telling him to come and save him. Darnay feeling that it was his fault Gabelle was in his situation decides to go to France only to be imprisoned in La Force. When Lucie and Manette realized that Darnay was jailed, they depart to save him. Because Dr. Manette was a prisoner in Bastille for trying to expose the evils of an aristocrat, he was able to arrange a court case in try Darnay. At first, the court case goes Darnay’s way when Darnay proved he gave up his title of estate because of the immoral practices of the aristocrats. But soon Darnay is arrested again because Mr. Defarge found a letter, written by Dr. Manette in north tower that condemned the Marquis and his family. The letter tells the story of how Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis, abused a women and killed her brother. Dr. Manette was called to help the injured brother, but he couldn’t; instead, Dr. Manette learned the truth about Marquis’s acts. Marquis arrests Dr. Manette and puts him in prison in North Tower. Dr. Manette in the letter wrote how depraved the Marquis was, and he condemns in family. By reading the letter, Mr. Defarge convinces the jury that Darnay must pay for the act of his uncle. In England, Sydney Carton hears the news and goes to France. After finding out Darnay’s whereabouts, Carton gives his traveling document to Mr. Lorry and goes to meet Darnay in jail. Carton makes a switch himself with Darnay; because they resemble each other so closely, no one distinguishes the difference. Carton keeps his promise of giving up his life to help Lucie. Darnay, now with Lucie, escapes to England. Mrs. Defarge is now bent on destroying Darnay’s family and goes to arrest Lucie, but instead finds Miss Pross, Lucie’s loyal servant. Mrs. Defarge asks for Lucie, but Miss Pross refuses to tell Lucie’s location, and so they both get into a fight; Mrs. Defarge takes her gun to shoot, but Miss Pross manages to redirect it to kill Mrs. Defarge. She escapes to England with Lucie. In Paris, Carton is brought to the guillotine. He looks at the future of Lucie’s family and is happy to give his life to save Lucie’s love for Darnay. He sees Lucie naming a child after him and telling the story of the heroic Carton. And so he happily dies. Then Darnay’s mother, who found out, soon hid the sister of the women (Mrs. Defarge) from the Marquis. I was drawn to this book because This gave me a very good idea of how horrible the French Revolution was to both the peasants and the aristocrats.

• http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/two-cities/
• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/reading/activity/4138.html.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

A young Irish boy tells of his childhood growing up in New York City and Ireland. He recollects all of the despair and joy he and his family experience at the beginning of World War II. (recommended by Kate)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Eat, Pray, Love is a true story of Liz Gilbert discovering herself after a very bad divorce. She plans her trip to involve the things she loves the most: eating good food, meditating, and the tropics. First, she spends four months in Italy to experience all the great food. There she learns to love her body no matter how big or small. She also makes a ton of new friends and she is able to forget about her ex-husband. Then, she travels to India to stay in an ashram for another four months. Here she learns how to really meditate and she is able to face thoughts about her ex-husband. Finally, she spends four months in Bali. She learns to love life in general and be a strong, confident woman. And here, she falls in love with the man she is now married to. Liz writes some very inspiring lines about becoming your own person and not needing love to complete you. (recommended by Kayla) 2010

• http://www.elizabethgilbert.com/eatpraylove.htm

A comical depiction of the end of the world where forces of good and evil collide and realize they are not too different from one another. A number of humans and/or deities act to prevent or encourage the apocalypse except for the antichrist who seems to have been misplaced. I was originally drawn to this novel by Pratchett and Gaiman’s quirky humor, and it is still worth a second read as it philosophizes over the roles of good and evil while making numerous biblical references and allusions. It is a very appropriate read for those enrolled in the AP Literature course. (Recommended by Matt Chin)

• A website apparently devoted to describing the characters, items, and places described in the novel Good Omens.

This book is the story of a young boy, Joey Margolis, who writes to his favorite baseball player, Charlie Banks. The book is set in the WWII era and takes us through Joey's childhood to his young adulthood. Banks is reluctant to reply at first, but eventually he and Joey form an unlikely friendship. The book is organized solely by presenting their letters to each other, as we see the odd, funny relationship between the two develop. Last Days of Summer is definitely light reading, but it's heartwarming and very funny. (recommended by Philip)

• The author's website
• A review of the book

By the age of thirteen, Anna has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions,and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. Upon finding that she was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate, Anna challenges the life and role that she had never challenged: the life of being the lifeline and donor for her older sister, Kate. Jodi Picoult really created a work of art with this novel. She weaves the different characters' views throughout the novel in a way that allows for the reader to see the same situation through the eyes of a mother, father, lawyer, and the donor herself. It is amazing to see the similarities and differences between each of these characters. Jodi Picoult is not shy in her writing. She states the ideas and feelings that are sometimes really hard to deal with. (Recommended by Sara) Anna, a 13-year old, sues her parents for the rights to her own body. Her older sister has Leukemia and Anna feels as though the purpose of her own birth was to save her sister. Anna is faced with the constant struggle between giving up her body in order to protect her sister while maintaining her self-worth. (Recommeded by Arielle)

• Discussion Questions
• Summary and Analysis

Note: This book is available in our Library.

This novel follows Michael Pollan through four meals. The food from each meal has a different origin and is produced differently. His four meals consist of industrial food, industrial organic food, locally grown food, and hunted and gathered food. He tries to answer the question, "What should we have for dinner?" By becoming involved in the food process, Pollan investigates the ethical dilemmas, politics, and environmental factors of each meal. Pollan has a fantastic way of describing the food chains, showing the consequences that each meal has on our environment and health. This book can make anyone an environmentalist. Pollan will make you laugh and might make you want to cry, but his purpose is apparent throughout the novel. Pollan wants to find the best practical meal for our health and environment. (Recommended by Helena)

• Tree Hugger review
• The Washington Post review

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Historical novel about the formation of the Tokugawa Shogunate in feudal Japan. Six books, very long, with 1100+ pages. A challenging read with many side-plots showing the conflict between Western and Eastern beliefs. Some parts can seem like soap operas. (Recommended by Cameron)

• Shogun Study Guide
• Nationmaster Encyclopedia Shogun Entry

Note: This book is available in our Library.

State of Fear is a brilliant piece of writing. It is a genre all its own, the "scientific thriller" genre essentially created by author Michael Crichton. This is is no airport bookstore science fiction paperback. There are no railguns, very few gratuitous exploding balls of plasma, and not one single reference to anything as -omatic or -tronic. The story takes place right here and right now, and the science is up to date and correctly represented. The reader sees the world from the eye of Peter Evans, a young lawyer with little to no knowledge of the science behind global warming except what's on the news. In Evans, Crichton embodies the average citizen -- well intentioned, willing to learn, but easily confused by detail and tenaciously clingy to what he has been told by the media. Evans soon meets gruff professor John Kenner, and from then on, it's James Bond all the way, except the baddies are radical environmentalist groups with plots to justify the illusion of global warming by creating man-made "natural" disasters. Science fiction lovers will enjoy a more realistic plot for a change. Nonfiction lovers will appreciate the political and scientific basis. I was going to say that only ardent supporters of global warming theories should avoid this book, but that isn't even true -- the evidence presented here, augmented by footnotes and appendices referring to real research by real professors, may be just enough to change your mind. The message, however, reaches far beyond the concept of global warming to expose the state if fear that controls public opinion today, in which words like "disaster," "cataclysmic," and "catastrophe" are bandied around lightly. In the end, however, State of Fear is anything you want it to be: a fist-clenching, eye-bulging, breath-quickening thriller, and accurate scientific primer on a hotly debated topic, and a scathing sociopolitical commentary. (recommended by Harvest, 2010)

• Wall Street Journal Review
• http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,955669,00.html

The Four Loves is a philosophy book that explains and explores the mysteries of our relationships with other people, centering around the maxim "God is love." Although not an overwhelmingly Christian book, Bod is very important to the author. A skilled reader can work past the religious element and focus on the quality of Lewis' message and the immortality of his themes. This is a fantastic book that I would recommend to any thinking reader. I was drawn to this book because it offers a lot of insight and wisdom on issues relating to the human heart and its many mysteries. (submitted by Austin)

The plot centers around the lives of three women in Mississippi, Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. Aibileen is a black nanny and housekeeper for the Leefolts, a young white family. Minny is Aibileen's best friend who is often fired for talking back to her employers bu finally gets a housekeeping job she can keep. Skeeter is a white, unmarried girl fresh out of college who aspires to be a writer. Her social circle includes Aibileen's employers and their friends. The stories of the three women is told in first person, alternating each of their stories which collide, changing their lives and the lives of people in their town forever. (recommended by Aviva) 2010

• http://www.kathrynstockett.com/book/

The book follows the slow destruction of a family due to a secret. A doctor, husband, and new father, Dr. David Henry, asks his nurse, Caroline, to take one of his newborn twins, whom he recognizes as having Down Syndrome, away. He never tells his wife. This novel follows the stories of both Caroline and Dr. David Henry, and his family. (Recommended by Marion)

• A reading guide to learn more about the novel.
• The official website for The Memory Keeper's Daughter

Note: This book is available in our Library.

The Notebook is a story about the tenderness of heartbreak, the sorrow of separation, the pain of dementia, and most of all, the power of love. A framed novel, the first scene is an elderly man reading out of a well-worn notebook to an elderly woman. It can be discerned that the man knows the woman, but the woman, due to Alzheimer's, no longer recognizes the man. The rest of the novel reveals the contents of the notebook; the story of Noah Calhoun and Allie Nelson. Noah and Allie met through mutual friends during one North Carolina summer and fell into a deeper love than either had ever fallen before. However, as the leaves began to turn crimson, their relationship was torn at the seams by Allie's parents, mostly due to Noah's lower socioeconomic status. Years after this tragic breakup, the notebooks's story begins with post-war veteran Noah devoting his life to the refurbishment of an old farmhouse and Allie, still a Southern Belle, engaged to a man whom her parents deem worthy enough for her love. However, an article in a local newspaper about Noah will draw Allie on a desperate search to reconnect with the man she once so deeply loved. Allie is left with the most difficult choice she has ever made: to live up to her family's standards and her promises or to break free of her social constraints and rekindle a flame which never fully died. This novel, one of the many written by Nicholas Sparks, is a must-read. The story is absolutely compelling, taking the reader on a roller coaster of emotions as the history behind the well-worn notebook unfolds. I fell in love with the movie and wanted to read the book that provided its original inspiration. (recommended by Ariel)

• Nicholas Sparks' website

Note: This book is available in our Library.

This book will be the last dream of your soul! This is one of my top three EVER book choices. This, along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, is one of the most beautiful love stories ever told. (recommended by Mrs. Hall)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

This novel about the aftermath of religious coup disturbed me -- as a good dystopic novel should. It's available as an audiobook, which is nice. (recommended by Mrs. Hall)

• Click here for a site created by an English teacher that provides some help in understanding the book.

Note: This book is available in our Library.

The story begins with a mail coach that goes to Dover. Suddenly a traveler, Jerry Cruncher, comes to tell Mr. Lorry, a business and bank teller Lucie Manette has arrived at Dover hotel. After Mr. Lorry arrives at the hotel, he asks Lucie if she could go to Paris to “bring back to life” (help recover him from relapse from 18 of prison) her father, Dr. Manette; Lucie agrees. Lucie and Mr. Lorry enter Mr. and Mrs. Defarge shop in Paris. Before talking to Lucie, Mr. Defarge talks to two people called “Jacques”, who are secret revolutionaries. Then Defarge leads Lucie and Lorry to a dark room where Dr. Manette is making shoes. Lucie is touched to finally meet her father after 18 years. She decides to take him to England. In England, there is a court case in 1780, when Charles Darnay is accused of treason on leaking info to another country. Sydney Carton, who resembles Charles Darnay, finds a way to free Darnay on the account of both looking alike and that evidence is not conclusive that Darnay was guilty. After a few years, Darnay becomes close to Lucie. During recent visit to Lucie, Darnay tells a story of how a worker found a letter written by an unknown prisoner (Dr. Manette) in North tower. Back in Paris, Marquis Evrémonde, an aristocrat, rides in a wagon runs over a child. The Marquis simply tosses a coin to Gaspard, the killed child’s father, which shows how evil the Marquis is. Gaspard follow the Marquis to his estate. Here, Charles Darnay, nephew of the Marquis, argues with Marquis and tells he will not accept the title lord of the estate. They go to sleep and Gaspard sneaks in Marquises room and stabs him. Back in England, Sydney Carton confesses that he like Lucie, but she is not interested. Lucie decides to marry Darnay In her knitting she names all those that were to be killed during the revolution. Although Dr. Manette is surprised to learn that Darnay is the nephew of the evil Marquis, he approves Lucie’s free choice. The French Revolution begins and after the storming of the Bastille, led by the Defarges, the “Jacques” set Marquis’s chateau on fire and captured Gabelle, a tax collector. Gabelle writes a letter to Darnay telling him to come and save him. Darnay feeling that it was his fault Gabelle was in his situation decides to go to France only to be imprisoned in La Force. When Lucie and Manette realized that Darnay was jailed, they depart to save him. Because Dr. Manette was a prisoner in Bastille for trying to expose the evils of an aristocrat, he was able to arrange a court case in try Darnay. At first, the court case goes Darnay’s way when Darnay proved he gave up his title of estate because of the immoral practices of the aristocrats. But soon Darnay is arrested again because Mr. Defarge found a letter, written by Dr. Manette in north tower that condemned the Marquis and his family. The letter tells the story of how Darnay’s uncle, the Marquis, abused a women and killed her brother. Dr. Manette was called to help the injured brother, but he couldn't; instead, Dr. Manette learned the truth about Marquis’s acts. Marquis arrests Dr. Manette and puts him in prison in North Tower. Dr. Manette in the letter wrote how depraved the Marquis was, and he condemns in family. By reading the letter, Mr. Defarge convinces the jury that Darnay must pay for the act of his uncle. In England, Sydney Carton hears the news and goes to France. After finding out Darnay’s whereabouts, Carton gives his traveling document to Mr. Lorry and goes to meet Darnay in jail. Carton makes a switch himself with Darnay; because they resemble each other so closely, no one distinguishes the difference. Carton keeps his promise of giving up his life to help Lucie. Darnay, now with Lucie, escapes to England. Mrs. Defarge is now bent on destroying Darnay’s family and goes to arrest Lucie, but instead finds Miss Pross, Lucie’s loyal servant. Mrs. Defarge asks for Lucie, but Miss Pross refuses to tell Lucie’s location, and so they both get into a fight; Mrs. Defarge takes her gun to shoot, but Miss Pross manages to redirect it to kill Mrs. Defarge. She escapes to England with Lucie. In Paris, Carton is brought to the guillotine. He looks at the future of Lucie’s family and is happy to give his life to save Lucie’s love for Darnay. He sees Lucie naming a child after him and telling the story of the heroic Carton. And so he happily dies. Then Darnay’s mother, who found out, soon hid the sister of the women (Mrs. Defarge) from the Marquis. This gave me a very good idea of how horrible the French Revolution was to both the peasants and the aristocrats.

• http://www.literature.org/authors/dickens-charles/two-cities/
• http://www.teachervision.fen.com/reading/activity/4138.html.

Julia and Valentina are twenty year-old twins who inherit a London apartment from their estranged aunt. There are two conditions to the inheritance: Julia and Valentina must live in the apartment for a year before selling it, and their parents cannot enter it. Niffenegger draws the reader in with a seemingly mundane tale and quickly turns the plot on its head, mingling old English superstition with the modern American sensibilities of her main characters.

• The author's website
• Highgate Cemetery, where much of the novel takes place

Huckleberry Finn portrays the able-bodied, free spirited American who can do anything if he puts his mind to it. This is one of my all time favorite books because of the sense of adventure it conveys to the reader. Huckleberry Finn is captivating and is able to keep the reader guessing as to what will happen next. It also emphasizes the struggle that Huck deals with as he attempts to lead Jim to Freedom. Twain's ability to challenge the reader's imagination and to depict the thirst for adventure that children have through the character of Huck Finn truly makes this novel an American classic and an entertaining read. (recommended by Husain)

• Electronic version of the text

Note: This book is available in our Library.

An English professor named David Zimmer loses his wife and two children in a plane crash. Devastated by the tragedy, Zimmer falls into despair. While watching a television documentary about the silent film star Hector Mann, he experiences an unfamiliar sensation, the sound of his own laughter. So begins his search to understand the mysterious disappearance of the comic film star. Through this discovery, Zimmer manages to piece together a new beginning and to set out on an intriguing journey. Author Paul Auster is a fantastic storyteller who manages to blend magic and realism to create a captivating tale. I was drawn to this book because of my interest in the movie "Smoke," which was directed and written by Auster. Both the movie and The Book of Illusions feature tragic heroes, whose lives have been torn apart by the unexpected loss of family members. Rather than succumbing to despair, their interactions with neighborhood characters and their eventual interests in the power of stories, draw them back to life. (Recommended by David)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

Diaz's novel revolves around the overweight and self-proclaimed nerdy Oscar and his struggle for love. The story moves beyond Oscar's point of view to include his fellow Dominican family members. Diaz uses a very informal style of writing which includes street slang and Spanish phrases (Those who have not taken high school Spanish may be lost through some of the dialect). Overlying themes of the story feature Dominican Heritage and love. The book won the Pulitzer prize and was also highly recommended by my older sister. (submitted by Brian)

Edmund Dantes has everything. He is about to be promoted to the captain of a ship, and he is about to marry his fiance, Mercedes. Then, all that is taken away from him. He is betrayed by his friends and a selfish prosecutor and sent to life in the Chateau D'If prison. Fourteen years later, he plans and executes an escape, claims a forgotten treasure, and assumes a new identity as the Count of Monte Cristo. He uses his wealth to help those who were good to him and seeks a sinister revenge upon everyone else. This is my favorite book. Though it is very long, I find it easy to read because the language is clear and the story is beautifully written. (recommended by Nate)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

This is one of my all-time favorites. It's the reason I consider learning to read French. Hunchback is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking love stories I've ever read. I warn you, it's not for the faint of heart, and it certainly isn't like the Disney version you are familiar with! (recommended by Mrs. Hall)

Note: This book is available in our Library.

This is a story of a young boy who grows up in Kabul during a time of distress. While the Taliban regime is rising and Afghanistan's monarchy is falling, Amir struggles with personal guilt and family politics. (Recommended by Yamini)

• Khaled Hosseini's homepage