11th and 12th Grade Summer Reading List

11th and 12th Grade Summer Reading List

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RHS 10th Grade Summer Reading List

RHS 10th Grade Summer Reading List

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RHS 9th Grade Summer Reading List

RHS 9th Grade Summer Reading List

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The King's Speech by Mark Logue

The King's Speech by Mark Logue

As I have mentioned many times before in relation to the books I read, they are inspired by a movie.  If you have seen the Academy Award winning film you know what a tremendous story this is.  Mark Logue is the grandson of Lionel Logue, the "Man who saved the British Monarchy."  Logue came upon his grandfather's diaries, which inspired the film to be made and this compelling story to be written. 

The King's Speech recounts an inspiring real-life tale of triumph over adversity, when an Australian elocutionist/actor taught a British king with a crippling speech defect how to speak to his subjects.  "Bertie", the younger brother and second in line to the throne, suffers from a severe stammer.  He withstands ridicule from his father, George V, as he grows up.  When his older brother abdicates the throne for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee, Bertie becomes the reluctant monarch.  Some people seek fame, and others, like George VI, has it thrust upon him. 

This story shows a side of the British royal family, that one seldom sees.  What really brings this story to life is the use of primary sources, the letters, correspondence and photographs between George VI and Lionel Logue.  These letters reveal a very compassionate monarch who cared deeply for his country and its people, as well as the very genuine  friendship, loyalty and devotion he developed with Lionel Logue.  This unique story is so well told that you honestly feel like you have gotten to know these two very different men, who became close friends, and you don't want them to leave.

This is a case where I would highly recommend you see the film as well as read the book.  Don't worry, one will not spoil the other for you.   

The Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst

BULLPEN GOSPELS: Major League Dreams of a Minor League Veteran by Dirk Hayhurst

I picked up this book because of Keith Olbermann claiming it was one of the best baseball books ever.  And as an avid baseball fan, I do enjoy reading books written by past players or knowledgeable individuals of the game.  Overall I enjoyed Bullpen Gospels, but there were moments during Hayhurst's narrative that I felt he went overboard in his descriptions.  I have never been a fan of so-called gross out or "toilet" humor, whether in books or movies.  A little bit of this type of humor goes a long way, and Hayhurst could have easily mentioned these moments in his minor league career in fewer words.  It doesn't take much to get the picture when mentioning these examples of "growing up", he didn't need to spend half a chapter describing it.

Overall, Hayhurst does capture the absurdities, the antics, and the bizarre humor that comes out when you spend a summer with a busload of teenage or young adult ball players.  There are moments when you find yourself humbled and chocking up, especially when he describes a phone conversation with his alcoholic brother,  who is asking to be forgiven.  It is these moments of hard-won wisdom that salvages the book for me.

The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg

Promoted as another Steig Larsson, I was looking forward to reading this novel from a new Swedish author. While it stands on its own as a crime novel, it did not begin to match the intricacy, complexity or the character development that made Larsson's Millenium trilogy so compelling.

Lackberg's novels have become the #1 bestsellers in Sweden. Ice Princess was awarded the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere for best international crime novel. Ice Princess is the first in a series of what will be seven novels by Lackberg set in the Swedish coastal town of Fjallbacka, and featuring her female protaganist, Erica Falck.

Erica has to return home to Fjallbacka after the death of her parents. But things start getting more interesting when an estranged childhood friend is found dead in her bathtub with both wrists slashed. I don't think I would be giving anything away by telling that it is not a suicide. The secrets that lie behind her friend's murder is what will keep you guessing for awhile. Another childhood friend of Erica's, a police detective, Patrik Hedstrom, begins to investigate and naturally a relationship reignites.

But a subplot, involving her sister and brother-in-law, does hold some promise for future volumes. The personality of the brother-in-law could prove to be an interesting villain, if Lackberg chooses to follow that particular thread in future novels about Erica. While this debut novel may offer some promise and possibilities, don't go into this novel expecting anything as intricate or intriguing as Steig Larsson's novels.

Ireland by Frank Delaney

Ireland by Frank Delaney

From just the title of this novel, you would think Delaney has bitten off more than what could be handled in a novel. But in a very unique and creative treatment, Delaney succeeds in telling the story of Ireland, while keeping the reader totally engaged. He employs the use of a somewhat mysterious storyteller (seanchai: Gaelic for storyteller) who travels the length and width of Ireland.

"One wintry evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller - a Seanchai, the very last practitioner of a fabled tradition extending back hundreds of years - arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a bed and a warm meal, he invites his hosts and some of their neighbors to join him by the fireside, and begins to tell formative stories of Ireland's history." One of the listeners, the 9 year old boy in the household, Ronan, becomes so entranced by the old storyteller and his tales, that as he grows up, he pledges to himself to track down the storyteller. It becomes a story of self-discovery for Ronan, along with some surprising twists, as we learn more about Ireland and the storyteller.

The Washington Post states, "The stories of Irish history are familiar but still stirring, and Delaney brings a fresh perspective and a depth of understanding to the telling." Delaney succeeds in capturing the magic that is Ireland.