177 books later

At the beginning of the year I set myself the goal of reading a book a day from my library's collection. Sometimes the works are fiction, sometimes they are nonfiction. I have read graphic novels, romantic fairy tales, action and adventures, and mysteries galore. Sometimes the books were long. At other times, they were in the 32 to 48 pages range. Sometimes I listened to them, but most time I read them.

A rough estimate suggests that I read over 30,000 pages this year, which is pretty good. Next year I plan on tallying the actual number of pages so that I have a better idea of how many pages I actually read.

I said goodbye to many old friends this year. I completed the Lunar Chronicles series this year, and must bid farewell to Cinder and her acolytes. I hope everything works well for the Lunar and Emperor Kai. After 12 books, Zom-B wrapped up in a pretty apocalyptic view of the world, and I'm sorry to see B go. Hopefully more adventures will befall my favorite revived individual. Sophronia's adventures in the Finishing School series also concluded with a bittersweet ending. And so did Thomas' cruel Flare world of the Maze Runner series, but at least he did find a peaceful world in the end. Or did he? Seraphina and her dragon kin will also be missed. The adventures of Will and Lydia also concluded His Dark Material series. Miss Peregrine's children were okay in the end and the Wights were defeated, but their strangeness and amazing powers remain. Michael and his friends managed to stop Kane from becoming human in The Mortality Doctrine series.

Among single books, highlights this year included Rebecca, which I am sorry not to have read earlier in my life. It was slow going at first, but then it go so good that I wasn't ready for it to end. What a fascinating history that took place in Halifax during the Blizzard of Glass. What happened to Cass McBride was one of the creepiest book I've read in a while. The Evil Librarian was entertaining.

I could go on, but it's time to conclude this school year. One hundred and seventy seven books later, I get to read books for myself this summer :)!

Games of Ancient Rome

Nardo, Don. Games of Ancient Rome. Part of The Way People Live series. 2000. 96p. ISBN 1-56006-655-5. Available at 790 HAR on the library shelves.

Known for their bloodthirsty gladiator combats, the games that entertained the ancient Romans actually evolved over centuries, and the practices that we recognize now as brutal and inhuman spanned only four hundred years of Roman history.

From chariot races to the aforementioned gladiator combats, from animal shows to naval battles, wealthy Roman citizens, and later on Emperors, realized that an entertained population is a calm population. Magnificent buildings were erected to celebrate Rome and its Emperors. The Circus Maximus, the largest chariot track in the ancient world, could sit up to a quarter of a million people. Large crowds sat in relative comfort in the Colosseum watching people die for their entertainment.

This book deftly explains how Romans, who were austere and traditionalists in most ways, could be so enamored with violent and dangerous spectacles. Fans of Rome will enjoy this brief story of a time most of us would rather not live in. More information about Rome can also be found in Classical Civilization: Rome.

Fullmetal Alchemist. Vol 8

Arakawa, Hiromu. Fullmetal Alchemist. Vol 8. 2003. 188p. ISBN 978-1-4215-0459-9. Available in the graphic section of the library.

Government troops led by Fuhrer President King Bradley continue their assault on the Devil’s Nest against Greed and his mutant force. Captured, Greed is reunited with his siblings Gluttony, Lust, and Envy, while Bradley reveals himself to be Wrath. Greed refuses to rejoin his family’s sinister plot.

Meanwhile, two strange travelers from across the great desert arrive in Amestris. Mei is rescued by miners, while Ling arrives with his retinue. Both of them hope to acquire the secret of the Philosopher’s Stone, and the Elric brothers are the key ...

Pox, Pus and Plague

Townsend, John. Pox, Pus and Plague: A history of Disease and Infection. Part of the Painful History of Medicine series. 2006. 56p. ISBN 1-4109-1333-3. Available at 616 TOW on the library shelves.

The human body is constantly under attack from bacteria and viruses. Even though thousands of different bacteria thrive in the environment, a few of them are very harmful to us and have the power to kill us. This short book discusses the history of our interactions with these invisible forces and the mysteries they presented until their “discovery” thanks to microscopes.

From ancient times to the Ebola epidemic of 2015, this invisible enemy has threatened us with disease and death. Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans thought that blood letting would help sick people. There were four types of humors, and when they were not in balance it was thought the cause of the sickness. As the Middle Ages plodded along the Black Death, transmitted by fleas, killed off more than a third of Europe’s population. Eventually, a scientist discovered that bacteria thrived in unsanitary water, and measures were taken to solve this problem. More discoveries led to the creation of vaccines such as penicillin, and humankind began fighting back against harmful bacteria.

Some work remains, however, for even now these types of diseases kill millions of people every year. With cancer in the crosshair, there is hope that further discoveries will improve the lives of many people.

IF this topic is of interest, be sure to read Life During the Black Death.

Dumplin’: Go Big or Go Home

Murphy, Julie. Dumplin’: Go Big or Go Home. 2015. 371p. ISBN 978-0-06-232718-5. Available at FIC MUR on the library shelves.

Willowdean Dickson is fat. She knows it, the world knows it, and, by in large, she’s okay with it. A die-hard fan of Dolly Parton, she’s always been big, and it runs in her family. Her mother was fat until she self-consciously worked to lose the weight, while her aunt never was able to. In their little town of Clover, Texas, there’s not much to do. The highway doesn’t go through here, and there aren’t any local attractions that would draw in tourists. So the town is pretty much left to its locals.

Dumplin’, as her mother calls her, meets Bo at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint where she works. She knows that as the fat chick she’s unlikely to score a date, but they soon begin to fall for each other. Bo wants to keep it a secret, however, so Willowdean doesn’t tell her best friend Ellen about the new guy in her life. Will also begins questioning herself. She’s always been comfortable in her body, but now that someone else is touching her, she’s worried about her size and how her body feels.

Speaking of Ellen, the two of them have begun drifting away from each other, and Will doesn’t know how to prevent it. To regain her confidence she decides to participate in the Miss Clover City, the local teen pageant organized by her mother, a former winner herself who can still fit in her pageant dress. With her eccentric friends, Will must conquer this newfound fear of her body, and at the same time figure out what kind of relationship she deserves from Bo.

A companion volume, Puddin' is available and tells what happens after the beauty pageant.

Recycling

Hall, Eleanor J. Recycling. 2005. 48p. ISBN 0-7377-1517-0. Available at 363.72 HAL on the library shelves.

Recycling has become a mainstream industry in the United States with all sorts of things being recycled, from paper, plastics and metals to electronic devices, cars, and even old building materials. But many people are not familiar with the actual process and benefits of recycling. This short book aims to provide general information on the subject.

In four chapters, the topic of recycling is explored, from what it is to the challenges that it faces. Reasons to recycle are discussed, as well as what the future of recycling is likely to be. Changes to our environment can indeed be local, and anyone can take steps to help reducing consumption, reusing materials whenever possible, and recycling as much as possible.

The Wind At Work

Iwinski, Melissa. The Wind At Work. 2008. 36p. ISBN 978-0-531-17586-6. Available at 621.4 IWI on the library shelves.

Caused by the displacement of air from cold to warm areas, wind can be a positive or negative force. On the positive side, wind can be harnessed to produce electrical power that then provides energy for million of houses. It helps spread seeds. It was used in the past to mill grain. But wind can also be destructive. Tornadoes and hurricanes feature strong winds blowing, which can destroy entire neighborhoods and even kill people.

This short book explains the science behind one of the most common environmental phenomena and describes the impact wind has had on the world around us, from erosion to destruction to energy creation. Produced with interesting pictures and engaging text, this book is sure to appeal to budding scientists.

Nature Interrupted: The Science of Environmental Chain Reactions

Stille, Darlene. Nature Interrupted: The Science of Environmental Chain Reactions. 2009. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7565-3949-8. Available at 577.21 STI on the library shelves.

Every step that we take can eventually create a large problem down the road. That is the theme of this book. We powered the industrial revolution with coal, a reliable source of heat, but in the process released enough carbon in the atmosphere to effect global climate changes. We genetically modified corn to be resistant to insects, but the pollen released by these new plants began killing other plants and insects. We increased the yield of agricultural lands by employing fertilizer, but the runoff from storms transported some of it in rivers and lakes, killing fish and transforming otherwise thriving environments into dead zones.

We as a society need to plan better what reactions might occur to environmental challenges. Every solution can solve a problem at present, but can lead to bigger problems down the road. Only by adopting stringent measures to determine outcomes can we ensure that today’s solutions are not tomorrow’s problems. After all, we are all interconnected to planet Earth.

The Story of Writing

Donoughue, Carol. The Story of Writing. 2007. 48p. ISBN 978-1-55407-306-1. Available at 411 DOU on the library shelves.

How did we first begin writing? At some point in the distant past, our ancestors noticed that keeping track of information through the process of creating symbols and signs was easier than having to memorize it. As hunter-gatherer tribes grew into city-states, it became important to keep records of ownership, taxes, and obligations. Thus, writing evolved from scratch marks into sophisticated writing systems.

The first form of writing to truly take off was the cuneiform, used by the ancient Babylonians and other groups in what was Mesopotamia. Reeds cut in a specific way were pressed in wet clay which was then dried, thus allowing for the transmission of information. At about the same time, hieroglyphs appeared in Egypt. Unlike cuneiform, which had an alphabet of sorts, hieroglyphs were visual representations of ideas or sounds as well as objects. Similarly, Chinese script also represents ideas and sounds.

Phoenicians adapted cuneiform into the first true alphabet, which was spread around the Mediterranean. The Greeks made their own changes, and the Romans provided clearer lines to end up with our alphabet.

Middle age illustrations and calligraphy created beautiful works, but it wasn’t until the invention of the printing press that writing finally took off and began appealing to the masses. With instant communications, writing is changing and evolving again (witness the rise of emojis). The story of writing is fascinating and illustrates how great ideas spread around the world.

Manners and Mutiny

Carriger, Gail. Manners and Mutiny. Book 4 and final book of the Finishing School series. 2015. 326p. ISBN 978-0-3161-9028-2. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.

With Sidheag and Soap gone, Sophronia finds herself with two fewer friends as her last year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School for Young Girls continues. Soap survived his transformation into a werewolf, and he is now under the protection of her new patron. Sophronia witnesses several incidents reveal that the Picklemen are plotting against the British government, but no one takes her seriously.

At Christmastime, Sophronia is surprised to find out she will be spending the vacation with her sister Petunia, and her friends Dimity and Agatha. They are invited for dinner at Lord  Akeldama’s house, where they are almost killed by a new military mechanimal. What are the Picklemen really up to?

In this concluding book, Sophronia will be pitted against merciless enemies and advanced plots that would make more than one young lady of qualité blush. Secrets will be revealed. The fate of the British Empire hangs in the balance. And, of course, all of this will happen in a dramatic fashion, both action and clothes-wise. Sophronia holds her future in her hands, but, like a mechanical chicken bomb, it could blow up at any time.

Fans of the first three books (Etiquette and Espionnage, Curtsies and Conspiracies, and Waistcoats and Weaponry) will enjoy this concluding chapter that nicely ties together all of the loose ends and will agree with the choices Sophronia makes in the end.

The Orphan Trains

Flanagan, Alice K. The Orphan Trains. 2006. 48p. ISBN 0-7565-1635-8. Available at 362.7 on the library shelves.

Industrialization in the United States led to a migratory movement from the countryside to cities. This dislocation brought more jobs, but also reduced many people to poverty. Some parents were simply unable to take care of their children. Many immigrants who arrived in New York City lived in overcrowded tenement housing and found it difficult to care for their offsprings. Sickness and poor health often killed one or both parents, leaving children orphaned and alone.

As cities grew in size, the number of orphans roaming increased as well. Concerned citizens created orphanages, but there were not enough people in cities to adopt these children. Thus orphan trains were born. The brainchild of the Children’s Aid Society, trains were chartered and sent to the Midwest and as far away as Texas with orphans on board ready to be adopted. Trains would stop in towns, and locals were invited to adopt a child and treat them as their own until the child reached the age of 18. Over the next eighty years, over 200,000 children were transported from New York City to new parents.

At first parents and orphans were concerned, but as reports of ideal environments and decent country living filtered back to New York City, more and more children joined the trek. An interesting period in history, the orphan trains reveal an innovative way to solve a problem.

Cleaning the Air

Dalgleish, Sharon. Cleaning the Air. 2002. 32p. ISBN 978-0-7910-7019-0. Available at 363.739 DAL on the library shelves.

This short book presents information about the air cycle and the impact human activities have on the quality of the air we breathe. As no new air is created, how we live directly affects what we breathe in. Air and its characteristics are presented, followed by how it is cleaned by the process of photosynthesis. The carbon cycle is explored along with the connection between electricity generation and pollution. Finally, the methane released by cattle and the acid that falls from the sky are mentioned.

The Monongah Mining Disaster

Skog, Jason. The Monongah Mining Disaster. 2008. 48p. ISBN 978-0-7565-3513-1. Available at 363.11 SKO on the library shelves.

Mining has always been a dangerous profession. Digging underground in hard conditions has been a fact of life ever since humans understood how to use minerals to create useful objects. West Virginia of the early 1900s is coal country. Coal powers steam engines, machines, and even nascent electric grids. It is used to heat homes and to cook. Coal is the backbone of the industrial revolution.

Monongah is a small town in West Virginia where two coal mines operate. Everyone either works for the mine, or in the businesses that support the mine. Every day, husbands kiss their wives goodbye before heading off to work, and it’s considered bad luck not to do so. On December 6, 1907, little do they know their lives are about to change.

Around 10 am, an explosion shakes the ground near mine #8, and the entrance to the underground tunnels collapse. Thus begins a race against time, trying to rescue the miners caught in the collapse of the mine. In all, more than 360 people died, and only one was saved. What became the worst mining disaster in U.S. history led to changes in practices at mining operations around the country, and increased safety.

This short book discusses the disaster, and the impact that it had on the coal industry specifically as well as on mining in general.

Feed

Anderson, M.T. Feed. 2002. 237p. ISBN 978-0-7636-1726-4. Available at FIC AND on the library shelves.

How do you remain unique when you are always connected to the network? Titus has never thought about the feed, the network that underpins the world’s societies. Able to chat with anyone, bombarded with advertisements, Titus is unaware of how corporations are using the feed to know and manipulate individuals. Until he and his friends take a trip to the moon during spring break, he remains blissfully unaware.

At a nightclub, he is hacked by a man prophesizing doom for all, and suddenly Titus and his friends find themselves without access to the feed. The only good thing to come out of this worst-case scenario is Violet, a strange girl who was only implanted with the feed a few years ago when her father realized she would be discriminated against. They begin dating, and Violet reveals that she has decided to fight back against corporations by attempting to prevent them to categorize her.

At first, the plan goes well, but then Violet discovers that she is sick. Her feed has been corrupted during the hack, and the cost to fix it is prohibitive. And since corporations do not know her likes and dislikes, none of them are willing to sponsor a life saving operation that would let Violet live.

In a race against time, Titus and Violet must come to terms with the feed and discover whether they are in fact still individuals capable of rational and unique thoughts, or whether they are now nothing but corporate drones.