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Daniel James Brown: The Boys in the Boat

 This is another book that I read because of my AP class. I do have to admit that I enjoyed it more than I thought I was going to. The Boys in the Boat  tells the story of the 1936 U.S. Olympic rowing team. This team came from Washington State and was made up of a seemingly rag-tag group of boys. One boy in particular, Joe, came from very humble circumstances. Having been basically abandoned by his family multiple times in his childhood, Joe lacked confidence. By the time he got to the Olympics, his coaches had helped him succeed. I know next to nothing about rowing, but that was not a requirement to understand this book. Daniel James Brown does a great job of explaining the sport, and also introducing the mechanics of the boats themselves. I thought much of the background information he provided about boats and the legendary builder of them fascinating, but at times unnecessary. Joe's story is in many ways inspiring but also heartbreaking. Brown describes his childhood and how he
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Margot Lee Shetterly: Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Version)

 I picked this up because I needed a quick read to get me back on track with my reading goal. It did not have that effect for me. This book (because it's the young reader's edition) is appropriate for about 2nd to 4th grade. While I think it does a fantastic job at what it's trying to accomplish, I would like to get the full version and reread it. This book has been made into a film, and I think its message is excellent. Hidden Figures  follows the story of several African-American women trying to break into the field of aeronautics during and just after World War II. These women started as "computers" which meant that they were checking the math of the predominately white male engineers in other departments. These women were brilliant in their own right, and amazing mathematicians. Eventually, their skills could not be ignored, and many of them were promoted to other departments, and breaking racial barriers that had existed for a century. Based on the intended a
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Corrie Ten Boom: The Hiding Place

I first read The Hiding Place  in my 8th grade honors English class. It was a book that I found fascinating and enjoyed at the time. As I was again trying to find books to include in my AP class, this is one that I thought of. I read through it a second time.  Corrie ten Boom was a devout Christian, raised in Denmark. She lived with her father and sister, Betsy, in their clock repair shop in a small Dutch town. As World War II broke out and the Germans invaded, the ten Booms were suddenly very aware of their Jewish neighbors. Corrie and her family begin helping the Dutch underground, helping take in Jews for short periods and hiding them in their home. Eventually, the ten Booms were caught, and Corrie was sent to Ravensbruck. This is a story of survival, faith, and doing what's right. This book is a memoir, with Corrie ten Boom telling the story of her experiences during World War II. The story itself is well-written, and the pacing of the story kept my attention. It was a relative
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Dashka Slater: The 57 Bus

 I picked this one up to possibly use in my AP class. It had been recommended to me by one of my coworkers and I was trying to decide if it was worth using in AP. The 57 Bus  recounts the true story of two teens whose happenstance meeting on a public bus in Oakland, California. Sasha identified as nonbinary, liked to wear skirts, and went to a private school in Oakland. Richard was a black student, a good kid, but also tended to get mixed up in trouble. He went to a public school in Oakland's poorer side of town. One day, Sasha was riding the bus as they always did back to their house from school. This time though, Sasha fell asleep on the long ride. Richard and his friends boarded the bus as well, and seeing the skirt hanging off the edge of the seat, decided to see what would happen with a lighter. The material of the skirt burst into flames, and suddenly Sasha was burning. This story is unbelievably sad for both teenagers involved. In working with teenagers, one thing is true: t
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Brandon Sanderson: The Bands of Mourning - Wax and Wayne (Mistborn Era 2) book 3

 I don't even know if I can write a good summary of this one because I read it so long ago and am 100 pages from the end of the next one, so I'm not even going to try. This book was wild is all I can say. The plot is intense once it gets going, and there are so many secrets that are revealed by the end of the novel. Sanderson continues his exploration of Hemalurgy and new powers that are being discovered. I was fascinated with the twists in the book, and the completely unexpected direction this one seemed to take. There are people outside the basin?! The Bands of Mourning make you a Mistborn?! WAX DIES!!!!!???? This book was crazy from start to finish. I rated this one PG-13 ish for violence ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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J.R.R. Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring - The Lord of the Rings book 1

 I read The Fellowship of the Ring  a long long time ago when I was in middle school or junior high. I loved the stories then, and have always loved the movies, but I couldn't remember much of what I'd read from it. So when I found them narrated by Andy Serkis, I HAD to have them and listen to them. Let me tell you... this was a DELIGHTFUL audiobook from start to finish. Frodo Baggins has inherited a ring from his uncle, but unbeknownst to him, it is the ultimate ring of power, forged by the dark lord Sauron. Gandalf urges Frodo to take the ring to Rivendell, where the elves will know what to do with it. Ultimately, it is decided that Frodo must take the ring into the dark land, Mordor, itself. He is to be accompanied by a fellowship of companions: Aragorn, Legolas, Samwise, Pippin, Merry, Boromir, Gimli, and Gandalf. Will Frodo be able to get the ring to Mordor? Without a doubt, Tolkien was more interested in describing Middle Earth than the actual story, which makes some read
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Brandon Sanderson: Shadows of Self - Wax and Wayne (Mistborn Era 2) book 2

 Continuing my reading of Wax and Wayne and trying to get to the last one! Shadows of Self  continues the story of Waxillium Ladrian. Picking up only a few months after the conclusion of The Alloy of Law , we find Wax chasing a criminal through Elendel. As the chase goes on, he sees a face he hasn't seen in a long time: the face of the last man he brought in out in the Roughs, the criminal that killed Lessie. This puts him on the trail of a kandra known as Bleeder. The kandra is missing one of her spikes and has gone crazy. She has murdered multiple people, including the brother of the governor. Intent on wreaking havoc on the city, Bleeder is using her unique talents to strain Elendel to the point of breaking. Can Wax, Wayne, and Marasi catch up to her before it's too late? I loved this book a lot. I finished it and immediately picked up the next book. The twists in this book are amazing. I first of all loved that Sanderson brought back the kandra and other pre-Catacendre crea
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