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Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Books Read in 2011

Reading Girl by Gustave Adolph Hennig (1797-1869)


Last year was the first I kept a record of the books Id completed. I wish I had done this long ago, as its been helpful to look back and reflect on my reading habits. In all, I read 33 books (adult ones that is; Ive read more than 100 childrens books, many of which Ive discussed in this blog).

Without further ado, here is my list. Wheres yours?

1. Ethel and Ernest by Raymond Briggs
Graphic novel about the authors parents life from their meeting to their deaths. 

2. Bonk by Mary Roach
The science behind sex. 

3. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
Is there life after death? Not according to Roach.

4. Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger 
A modern-day ghost story set in Londons Highgate cemetery.

5. A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Sprawling novel with a huge cast of characters, all interlocked through a connection to the music industry. 

6. Tinkers by Paul Harding 
The memories and final thoughts of a dying man.

7. Special Exits by Joyce Farmer 
Graphic novel about the authors elderly parents.

8. Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson 
Literary mystery, one in a series featuring Jason Brodie.

9. The Old Romantic by Louise Dean
An 80-something man, convinced hes about to die, harangues his estranged son to make up his will.

10. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
A girl disappears and is never found. The suspected murderer is never charged. Twenty years later, another girl goes missing.

11. The Master Bedroom by Tessa Hadley
A woman returns home to care for her elderly mother and renews an acquaintance with the married brother of a childhood friend.

12. Poser: My Life in 23 Yoga Poses by Claire Dederer
Memoir that explores authors life through yoga.

13. Room by Emma Donoghue
Jack has lived his entire five years in one room, his only companion his mother, who is being held captive there.

14.The  London Train by Tessa Hadley
Man caught in mid-life crisis leaves home to live with his adult daughter.

15. Tigerlilys Orchids by Ruth Rendell
Immature young man is smitten with Asian woman and tries to save her.

16. Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante
Woman suffering from dementia accused of murder.

17. Among the Missing by Morag Joss
Suspense novel about three lost souls and the ties that bind them.

18. Sister by Rosamund Lupton
Big sister investigates younger sisters murder.

19. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
A family struggles to stay connected in our turbulent times.

20. Id Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
A woman snatched as a teenager gets back in contact with her kidnapper, now awaiting his execution.

21. Emily, Alone by Steward ONan
Elderly woman living on her own after husbands death.

22. I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron
Amusing essays by a great stylist.

23. Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman
Suspense novel about two women recently released from jail. Both were accused of killing a baby when they were kids.
  
24. The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman
Suspenseful mystery with detective sidelined due to pregnancy, yet she still manages to solve case.

25. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
Thriller about a woman who wakes up each day not able to remember who she is.
  
26. The Most Dangerous Thing by Laura Lippman
Suspenseful novel about group of teens who wander woods and find a hermit who is ultimately killed. 

27. The Vault by Ruth Rendell
Wexford, now retired, is called in to investigate four bodies discovered in an underground vault.

28. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
Two sisters disappear from a shopping mall. Thirty years later one returns.

29. Bossypants by Tina Fey
Funny memoir of Feys rise to queen of comedy.

30. To the Power of Three by Laura Lippman
Three teenage friends, one shooting.

31. Murder at Mount Holly by Paul Theroux
Black comedy satire about old people involved in a bank heist.

32. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
A hauntingly sad memoir about Didions relationship with her adopted daughter, who died several years ago.

33. Howards End is on the Landing: A Year of Reading From Home by Susan Hill
Memoir focused on books in authors home library.

Breakdown:
Fiction: 24
Nonfiction: 9
Mystery/suspense: 14
Memoirs: 7
Graphic novels: 2


Favorite Book: Room by Emma Donoghue
A tour de force, a novel written from the POV of a five-year-old boy and every word rings true.


Runner-up: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen


Sleeper: The Old Romantic by  Louise Dean


Least Favorite Book: Tinkers by Paul Harding
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From Cover to Cover Evaluating and Reviewing Childrens Books

Holy ham hocks, is this a useful guide for anyone who reviews kids books! From Cover to Cover, by Kathleen T. Horning, first came out in 1997, but a revised edition was published last year. The book now includes sections on graphic novels, fractured fairy tales, and verse novels. Many of the books cited as examples have been updated as well.

Chapter One starts off with a clearly presented account of how childrens books are published and then goes on to list and define the parts of a book. Subsequent chapters give readers a tour of the major categories of childrens literature, including nonfiction books, traditional literature (folktales and fairy tales), poetry, picture books, easy readers and transitional books, and fiction. (Unfortunately, YA books arent represented as a separate category.)

For each genre, Horning explains what reviewers should take into account when evaluating a book. When judging an easy reader, for example, a reviewer should consider vocabulary, sentence length, plot, illustrations, and the books design (the size of the typeface, the space between words, the space between lines, the number of lines per page, and so forth).

The final chapter deals with writing a review. Horning sets out the process in distinct steps. After first preparing and selecting a book, a conscientious reviewer reads and takes notes, asking herself questions while doing so. Sometimes it is necessary to consult outside sources and to fact check. Finally its time to write the review and decide what to include and what to leave out.

As someone who blogs regularly about childrens books, I found this book immensely helpful. I strongly recommend it to anyone who writes or cares about childrens books.

From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Childrens Books (revised edition)
by Kathleen T. Horning
HarperCollins, 240 pages
Published 2010

This week Nonfiction Monday is at Apples with Many Seeds.
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Monday, March 9, 2015

The Future of e books

This is the type of e-textbook I want in my class. An excellent showcase for the use of mobile devices in schools. This is also the type of e-textbook that will convince the most ardent of naysyers about the benefits of technology and interactive touch devices in the classroom. Talk about engaging your learners, this would get even your most recalcitrant students investing in their own learning.


http://www.ted.com/


Related Articles:
Publishing in Digital Era
Inklings iPad Textbooks
Power and Possibilities of Interactive Books
Interactive iPad Reading Experience
Alice in Wonderland on iPad
Printing Press to iPad Infographic




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Tuesday, March 3, 2015

popular physiology books

1.GANONG REVIEW OF MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY
2.GUYTON TEXTBOOK OF MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY
3.Netter’s Atlas of Human Physiology
4.Knobil and Neills Physiology of Reproduction
5.Schaums Outline of Human Anatomy and Physiology
6.VANDER HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY WITH CD ROM
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Monday, March 2, 2015