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A Reader's reviews
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 12:08:36 for A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
(Language: English)
 
This book bores many due to the slow setup, but the payoff is SO worth it. Dickens spins an intricate tale with an exciting (albeit unlikely in spots) payoff in Book the Third. I loved Sydney Carton from the first time I met him as a young girl in high school. He just gets better each time I revisit this classic. Stick with it if you get bored. The story really kicks in during Book the Second, and you'll understand why Dickens spent so much time intricately setting up the story when you get to the final set of chapters.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 12:05:16 for A Wrinkle in Time (Newberry Award Winner, 1963).
(Language: English)
I first read this book when I was in eighth grade. I loved it so much that I kept my original paperback copy for years. This is one of my all-time favorite fantasy books for younger readers.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 12:03:56 for Thirteen Reasons Why.
(Language: English)
The concept of this book intrigued me when a student of mine was reading it one day and I asked her what it was about. The book sucked me in early on in the reading process. I seriously could not put it down. Toward the end there were a few things about it that bugged me. More because I felt they weren't really necessary than them being things that I just didn't like. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience give it four or five stars. It was a good read.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 12:00:38 for Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical Rent.
(Language: English)
Rapp's poignant tome about his life and his time as member of the workshop and OBC casts of RENT is powerful, moving, emotional, and enlightening. Yes, it's that good. I am a RENThead. This book is sort of like the play we all got to know Anthony in, because, sadly, I must say it isn't for everyone. You must have an open mind going in. Rapp pulls no punches with his story, which includes dealing with his mother's battle with cancer and his sexuality. Keep the tissues handy. This is a tear-jerker of a story in places. If you're a RENThead, steel yourself for the passage about the loss of Jonathan Larson and the performance of the show that followed that tragedy.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 11:53:38 for Clapton: The Autobiography.
(Language: English)
I was quite impressed with Clapton's story. It is boldly honest and thoughtfully written. I tend to be more of a fiction reader, but lately I have taken to reading more biographies. Clapton's story has both wit and pathos, mixing anecdotes about his life with poignant moments spent with other musicians and his family (keep the tissues handy for the chapter about his son), to weave a beautiful tapestry about the man himself.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 11:48:59 for Twelfth Night Or, What You Will.
(Language: English)
I enjoyed Twelfth Night, but felt it was not as good as say A Midsummer Night's Dream or Much Ado About Nothing. The storyline requires a great willingness to suspend disbelief (that people wouldn't realize Cesario was really a girl named Viola), although it has some witty repartee between the denizens of Olivia's household. Teens are intrigued when they hear that "She's the Man" was based upon this comedy from the Bard.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 11:45:29 for Oedipus Plays of Sophocles Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone.
(Language: English)
The Theban plays are a bit challenging for some, but the complexity of the stories about Oedipus and the one of his daughter, Antigone, provide many great discussion starters. Over the years, Antigone has become one of my favorite Greek tragedies.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 11:42:49 for A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Folger Library Shakespeare).
(Language: English)
As an English teacher, this is the Shakespearean work students seem to relate to the most. In fact, while we were reading it aloud last year, I have even had a student proclaim that Hermia's life is not that different from her own (regarding parents and love). The whimsy of Shakespeare's comedies is delightful. Students get a different take on him by studying one of his comedies, and I wish more schools would teach at least one comedy. This is one of my favorites from the Bard. Fairies, love, mistaken identity, and a man who is boisterous being given the head of a donkey...what's not to love?
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-13 11:37:24 for Shakespeare Set Free: Teaching A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth.
(Language: English)
This book provides some novel ideas for integrating Shakespeare into classrooms with teenagers who, for the most part, view Shakespeare as a boring old dude that they don't understand the importance of studying. I have used some of these ideas, and the fact the book was published by the Folger Shakespeare Library gives it credibility.
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