What to Read Wednesday

Thanks to Pure Imagination for their Top 10 Tuesday idea this week:
Top 10 Books for Boys!
I challenge all the guys at JMS to try at least one of these books.  Please respond in the comments for your chance to win a copy of your favorite (from this list!).

  

  

What I'm Reading Next

I admit it. I have a problem.  I struggle with trying to decide what book to read next.  I'm the kind of person who will walk into the library and check out piles of books.  Stacks and stacks of interesting topics, stories and titles.  And of course I know full well that I'll only be able to read a small fraction before they will all be due back to the shelves.  But sometimes I get guidance.  I follow too many book blogs to name and I'm always reading professional journals and scanning through the different reviews.  And there's book awards.  I'm crazy excited about books that are on lists so of course award lists make me positively giddy. I'm also somewhat guilty that I am seriously motivated to read books if I'm somehow captivated by the cover art.  That's right.  I judge a book by its cover.  But last week I was delighted to get pages and pages of recommendations from Michael Cart, book reviewer for Booklist.  Here are the titles that I am taking home with me today:

          

Now I can't wait to get home and start reading!  What books are on your list?

If you want some recommendations from other teens give YALSA's new list a go.

Grab a Kleenex and Bring on the Waterworks.

What do you remember most about a good book?  The characters?  The plot?  Or just a lingering feeling?  One of the things that leaves a lasting impression on me and guarantees I will remember a book fondly is if it moved me to tears.  That's right.  The mascara dripping down your face, Kleenex grabbing story that makes your heart feel like it might just break.  If you're looking for a good, hard sob, then you should try one of these touching stories.  They each moved me to tears (level of tears indicated by number of : -( emoticons).

The is a well-crafted story told from the perspective of a stray dog who has known moments of joy but mostly sorrow.  Will he ever find a real home?

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Joey will is deaf and lonely.  Part of her problem comes from not being able to communicate effectively since she doesn't know sign language.  Her decision to embrace signing comes from an unexpected place.  A chimpanzee that lives next door.  But growing close to Sukari will change her life forever.

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