September Books

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: This YA novel is about a future North American government where annually two teenagers from each of the twelve districts are placed in an arena and forced to fight to the death. The plot sounds grim and at times it is dark, but the main character Katniss is the sort of person you want to cheer for because she's smart enough and tough enough to survive without completely abandoning her humanity. I couldn't put this book down because I was anxious to know not only if Katniss would survive, but also what parts of herself she would have to sacrifice, whether it was her character or her physical well being.

The Star Garden by Nancy E. Turner: This is the third in the Sarah Agnes Prine trilogy about a women who lives in the Arizona territories. I probably would have enjoyed this one more had I reread the other two because I spent the first half trying to remember who everyone was. The book's an easy read and I enjoy reading about an independent woman making her way in a world that can be both lawless and civilized all at the same time, but my favorite book is probably the first and mostly this book made me want to go reread These Is My Words again.

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: I remember having a hard time getting into this book as a kid, but this time around I've enjoyed listening to it on CD. And I find that in our troubled economy, it's sort of comforting to hear about how to make cheese or butcher a pig. You know me, I like to store away knowledge for a time when I might need it. Except I doubt that anyone would consider Little House to be a how-to for wilderness survival. Of course that doesn't mean that I'm not taking mental notes everytime the book describes something Pa or Ma used to do.