Nine Inches

I read Election in high school and liked it so I thought I would revisit Tom Perrotta. This is a book of short stories about a bunch of Suburban losers. The two stories I liked the most concerned the mother chaperoning a graduation party and getting along with a cop who had recently pulled her over. My favorite would probably be the teacher who confronts the kid who gave her a negative review on a rateyourteacher website. The ending was funny. Half the stories concerned high school. There were mixed feelings on others like the pediatrician. I liked his love for music but I couldn't look pass his infidelity. I gave this a 3/5 on goodreads. The crudity was really why but that's typical of adult books published nowadays. It's why I stick to children's books and classics.

Up a road slowly

I liked this girl's coming of age story. One person on goodreads said the characters were stereotypical. But I think the characters in the book represent people you can meet in real life like the spinster aunt and the drunken uncle who dreams of being a writer. The boyfriend jock who takes advantage of her academically yeah there are jerks like that in real life too. There was a coziness to the book. I think this was even better than Across Five Aprils. Irene Hunt was a talented children's writer. The only bad thing about the book is the cover. My sister asked me if I was reading a romance.

Iphigenie

This was a play written by Jean Racine who was heavily influenced by Euripides. This is a play about a father sacrificing his daughter. Even her fiance falls for someone else. All is looking doomed for Iphigenie but there is a twist at the end. I thought it was all right. It was different than my usual reading. I needed a break from all of the children's literature I've been reading lately. 3/5

Across Five Aprils

I read this when I was a kid and decide to read it again for curiosity's sake. It was all right. It's a coming of age story set during the Civil War. The Creightons have their fair share of enemies even though they are good people. I'm mixed about the parts of the book where they tell about history and then jump back into the story. It's probably good for children but I wanted to get back to the plot. The most inspirational thing about this book to me is that the author was 57 when it got published. As an inspiring writer, this made me happy. It's never too late to be discovered. She would go on to write other successful books too.

Black Hearts in Battersea

This was a sequel to The Wolves of Willoughby Chase but you don't have to necessarily have to read that book to follow. It follows the character Simon as he tries to become an artist and make it on his own as an adult. Only he doesn't know what's become of his friend Dr.Field. Sophie from the first book shows up as well. Soon he finds the people he lives with the Twites, who have been dishonest about Dr. Field, want to get rid of the Duke of Battersea. Soon Simon finds himself involved in a kidnapping and other complications happen. It was cute. I also liked the character Dido.

The Summer of the Swans

I remember liking this in grade school. This was a pretty good read. Sara doesn't realize how much she loves her handicapped brother until he gets lost. After showing him swans one day, he decides to venture out on his own to see them. Soon the whole town searches for him. Sara finds much to her surprise out that the school bully is one of the people who help the most in the search. She learns a lot about her self, family, and that people aren't always what they seem to be.

Egyptian Mythology for Kids

Sometimes it helps to read a kid's book on mythology or history. It dumbs it down. I enjoyed this quick read and it was free from Amazon. I haven't read about the Egyptians since the sixth grade. There were many things I didn't know like there are other cultures that have pyramids and that the Egyptians had problems with diabetes and obesity. I wish it had pictures. That would have made it a better children's book.