Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (326 pgs., CD)

Super fun short fiction read. Spoiler alert - this is a series, but it did not leave you on a total cliff-hangar. I can live without going on, but students are following it through. I highly recommend this for any reluctant reader.

The lead character is Michael Vey and he has some extraordinary powers. He is not in the popular crowd and his best friend, Austin, is a "super smart geek" who has kept his secret for almost three years. The setting is Meridian High School, yes, our Meridian in Idaho. When Michael accidentally discovers another student, a cheerleader, has something special about her, the three of them form a club and the adventure begins to discover why. This leads to a much larger force and sinister element that could change the world.

Don't be fooled by your knowledge of the author. Richard Paul Evans is known as the bestselling author of "The Christmas Box" and other inspirational books. This book is written for teens and completely appropriate for middle school and high school. It has plenty of excitement and enough of a dark side to be entertaining in that way.

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Adventure by Alfred Lansing (288pgs., CD)

Endurance - one of the most exciting adventure stories I have read in a while, and I do love adventure stories. It's 1914. The expedition is to cross the Antarctic overland. Dangerous weather is always on the horizon. The ship, Endurance, becomes trapped in the ice and this sets the crew in survival mode which goes on longer that any human today could even imagine. The conditions are extraordinarily dangerous, the work is grueling, survival is never a given. In fact, one would think that they are surviving only to delay the death that is sure to come. The author had access to many of the original diaries and spoke to ten of the survivors.
You can read about the expedition before hand to trigger your memory if you choose, but I might suggest that you just enjoy the book and then look up the believable statistics and facts.

"Ice" movie - coming soon?

Boston Girl by Anita Diamant (320 pgs., CD)

The audio is narrated by Linda Lavin (old sitcom - Alice). She has a great grandmotherly hard core Boston accent. The grandmother tells her life story as a child born in 1900 to immigrant parents who are adjusting to life in America. As a young girl who can't be tamed, she sees and experiences many changes including the progress of the status of women in the early twentieth century.

Amazon: Eighty-five year old Addie tells the story of her life to her twenty-two year old granddaughter, who has asked her "How did you get to be the woman you are today?" She begins in 1915, the year she found her voice and made friends who would help shape the course of her life. From the one-room tenement apartment she shared with her parents and two sisters to the library group for girls she joins at a neighborhood settlement house, to her first, disastrous love affair, Addie recalls her adventures with compassion for the naive girl she was and her wicked sense of humor.

Euphoria by Lily King (261 pgs., MP3)

I loved this story. Is this story is loosely based on the adventures of Margaret Mead? Well, I don't really know her back story, maybe I should check it out? This fiction novel has a love triangle set in the midst of friendly and aggressive native tribes in Papua New Guinea. A story of adventure, love and romance, and exploration. The story takes place between the two World Wars. It reminded me a little bit of "Out of Africa".

The Third Target by Joel C. Rosenberg (CD)

Amazon: When New York Times foreign correspondent J. B. Collins hears rumors that an al-Qaeda splinter cell - ISIS - has captured a cache of chemical weapons inside Syria, Collins knows this is a story he must pursue at all costs. Does the commander of the jihadist faction really have the weapons? If so, who is the intended target? The U.S.? Israel? Or someone else? With tensions already high, the impending visit of the American president to the region could prove to be the spark that sets off an explosion of horrendous proportions. Knowing that terrorists forces are already trying to bring down two Arab governments in the region - Iraq and Syria - can Collins uncover the truth before it's too later? Or will the terrorists succeed in setting their sights on the third target and achieving genocide?

This a very fast read, exciting although a little fantastical, but who knows what really goes on over there? Perhaps there are many close calls we never hear of and civilians who engage in the business beyond what we expect. I might categorize it as a "beach read". It does not require much thought to enjoy the story.

Author's Home Page

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew- Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner (396 pgs., MP3)

From the back cover.
A groundbreaking book about Americans searching for faith and mutual respect, "The Faith Club" weaves the story of three women, their three religions, and their urgent quest to understand one another.

What I appreciated about this book was the commitment and investment of time it takes to break down barriers and common  beliefs. The reading gave me many things to think about in my acceptance of others and their views not just on religion but anything. You do have to be interested in the study of religion to really enjoy their discussions but it is applicable to life outside of religion. If you read it, please share with me what you think. G

The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio (MP3 CD)

Julian, the despised bully from one of my favorite books "Wonder", tells his story of Auggie Pullman, a disfigured boy, entering Beecher Prep and school for the first time. Julian is asked to help him adjust and, due to a back story, you will find out does the exact opposite. Be sure to read "Wonder" first. This book gives you a different perspective as you walk in the shoes of the bully this time. Another book of compassion and understanding not to be missed.

This book is only available on Kindle or MP3 audio at the present time.

Julian Chapter Trailer

Astoria: Astor and Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Tale of Ambition and Survival... by Peter Stark (400 pgs., CD)

Astoria has been compared to Lost City of Z and Skeleton in the Zahara. This is the harrowing tale of the 1810 Astor Expedition, a three year journey, to establish a trading colony on the Northwest coast. The adventure encompasses the trials of nature, starvation, and madness on both land and sea. I especially enjoyed the navigation of treacherous waters and coastal tribes.

Amazon: Unfolding over the course of three years, from 1810 to 1813, Astoria is a tale of high adventure and incredible hardship in the wilderness and at sea. Of the more than one hundred-forty members of the two advance parties that reached the West Coast - one crossing the Rockies, the other rounding Cape Horn - nearly half perished by violence. Others went mad. Within one year, the expedition successfully established Fort Astoria, a trading post on the Columbia river. Though the colony would be short-lived, it opened provincial American eyes to the potential of the Western coast and its founders held blaze the Oregon Trail.

Peter Stark author bio