Robert's Reads of 2012

All throughout the year I have been keeping up with the books and graphic novels that I have read this year. I am so glad that I finally get to share this list with all of my readers. I am looking forward to reading more fantastic books in 2013!

1) Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
2) The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Re-Read)
3) The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
4) Mare's War by Tanitia S. Davis
5) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordian
6) A Step from Heaven by An Na
7) The Arrival by Shuan Tan
8) Hidden Roots by Joseph Bruchac
9) From the Notebook of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
10) Dawn Land by Joseph Bruchac
11) Burn my Heart by Beverly Naidoo
12)Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordian
13) Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell
14) Dancing Home by Alma Flor Ada and Gabriel M. Zubizarreta
15) Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
16) Charles and Emma: The Darwins's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
17) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordian
18) The Mighty Miss Malone by Christoper Paul Curtis
19) Sylvia and Aki by Winifred Conkling
20) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordian
21) Monster by Walter Dean Myers
22) Talk About a Family by Eloise Greenfield
23) Bluish by Virginia Hamilton
24) Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Demigod Files by Rick Riordian
25) November Blues by Sharon Draper
26) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
27) Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bollard
28) Batman: Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
29) Teen Boat by Dave Roman and John Green
30) Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger
31) You Don't Know about Me by Brian Meehl
32) The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
33) The Shepherd's Tale by Joss and Zack Wheedon
34) Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordian
35) Nation by Terry Pratchet
36) Wither by Lauren DeStefano
37) Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
38) The Dark Knight Rises by Frank Miller
39) The Pregnancy Project by Gabriel Rodriguez
40) Serving Religious Youth: A Guide to Services, Programs, and Collections edited by L. Kay Carman and Carl S. Reich
41) Something to Hold by Katherine Schlick Noe
42) Library Wars Vol. 1 Love and War by Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa
43)  This Thing Called the Future by J.L.Powers
44) Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis
45) Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordian
46) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
47) The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Re-read)
48) The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Re-read)
49) Maze Runner by James Dashner
50) Fever by Lauren DeStefano
51) American Gods by Neil Gaiman
52) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
53) A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
54) Uglies by Scott Westerfield
55) Forgotten God by Francis Chan
56) The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (Re-read)
57) The Watson's Go To Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
58) The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
59) Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
60) Erasing Hell by Francis Chan
61) Essential Mighty Thor Volume 1
62) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
63) Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White by Lila Quintero Weaver
64) Miracles by C.S. Lewis
65) The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordian
66) Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert
67) All of Grace by Charles Spurgeon
68) The Secret of Fortune Wookie by Tom Angleberger
69) Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
70) One Sacred Effort : The Cooperative Program of Southern Baptists by Chad Owen Brand and David E. Hankins
71) Marvel 1602 New World / Fantatick Four by Peter David, Greg Pak, Pascal Alixe, and Greg Tocchini
72) Nothing but the Truth by John MacArthur
73) Marvel 1602 Spider-Man by Jeff Parker and Ramon Rosanas
74) The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordian
75) The Demigod Diaries by Rick Riordian
76) The Scorch Trials by James Dashner
77) Serpant's Shadow by Rick Riordian
78) Best Practices of Online Education : A Guide for Christian Higher Education by Mark Maddix, James R. Estep, Mary E. Lowe
79) Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordian
80) Focus on Fact by John MacArthur
81) Radical by David Platt (Re-read)
82) Till He Comes by Charles Spurgeon

Robert's Summer Reads

So, I just wanted to share with some of you a few of the books that I have been reading this summer. I have a mixture of adult and children's books to share with you.

Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

   So, I saw the John Carter movie when it came out a few months ago. I absolutely loved it, even though it is now Disney's biggest bomb at the theater. I thought it was a lovely story. The movie pretty much followed the book. Although, there were some minor changes to the story. The story is about a man named John Carter, a nineteenth century Virginina, who is mysteriously transported to Mars. Once there he becomes involved in a war between two Martian cities. I decided to read the book and I enjoyed it as well. Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote this book series before he started on the Tarzan books. If you are a fan of adventure or science fiction stories, you should check out Princess of Mars.


Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick


    I decided to check this book out because it was written by the same author who wrote The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The amazing thing about that book is that the story was told in both pictures and words. I am not talking about a picture book. It had over five hundred pages. Three hundred of those pages were beautiful, hand drawn, black/white illustrations. This book was done in a similar format. However, the difference is that one story was told in pictures and another story was told in words. At the end of the book the two stories come together in an interesting way. Each story focuses on a character who is deaf.  Basically it shows how the hearing impaired deal with the world around them and the prejudices they endure. I would definitely recommend this book.

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

   Last summer I read Interview with a Vampire. Click Here for My Review.  
Since I enjoyed it so much, I decided to read the sequel The Vampire Lestat. In this book, Lestat gives an account of his life. In this book you see a Lestat that is much more caring then the sociopath that was portrayed in the first book. This one was not quite as action driven as the first one. Lestat is on a mission in this book to discover the origins of vampires and try to find some sort of reason for his existence. I think Anne Rice is very descriptive and writes in a beautiful language.If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you definitely need to give this book a read.



Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

     Last year I read Cornelia Funke's Dragon Rider. I thought that it was a beautiful story, so I decided to pick up the first book in her Inkheart series. It is about a young girl, named Maggie, who discovers that her father has the ability to read characters out of books. Unfortunately, the last characters he read out were villains and tricksters. Maggie and her father are forced to come into contact with these characters and try to send them back into their own world. I thought that this was a wonderful children's book. I definitely want to read the rest of the series. If you like fantasy, then you should read this book.

Don't Mess with Libraries

    So, a few weeks ago an incredibly awesome article was published. Apparently, a New Mexican woman was in jail one day for not returning a few Twilight books and DVDs. The woman had the items checked out for two years. Click here for article. Although some of the people who commented on the article seem to think that the local government over reacted. I think otherwise. Those books and DVDs belonged to the library, and by extension belonged to the city. This woman had ample time  to return the library materials. Library materials are frequently stolen or patrons never return them. DON'T MESS WITH LIBRARIES!!!! If libraries are willing to put someone in jail over Twilight, imagine what they are willing to do to people who try to take a highly circulated romance novel or a Harry Potter audiobook. TURN IN YOUR BOOKS OR LIBRARIANS WILL GET YOU!
   
     Also, I wanted to share that a few weeks I had a dream that I was in a library (happens more often then I would like to admit). A dark evil force had entered the library. This dark force started eating up the books and the librarians. I had only one thing that I could do. I took out my most lethal weapon. I took out my library card. And with my trusty card I banished the dark force forever from our world. DON'T MESS WITH LIBRARIES!

Dystopia/Utopia Novels

Alright, so I meant to write this post a while ago. But things have been busy with me packing up for Kansas City. If you regularly read my blog then you know that I am fan of The Hunger Games (cue Robert thinking about Jennifer Lawrence [No Robert, concentrate!!!!!]. Recently, I have read other dystopian teen novels that are similar to  The Hunger Games.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

In my opinion The Maze Runner is a combination of The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. This story takes place in a place called the Glade. Every thirty days, a boy is transported to the Glade with no memory of who they are or where they came from. The story focuses on Thomas. His arrival causes many other of the Glade's inhabitants feel uneasy because strange things start to happen such as the arrival of the first girl and a message from the designers indicating that there will be no future citizens or supplies. Thomas and the others have to figure out how to get past the Maze which surrounds their home in order to survive. This is the first book in a trilogy. I hope to finish it up this year.


Uglies by Scott Westerfield

This is the first of four books in The Uglies series. Tally Youngblood lives in a world without war, disease, or hunger. She is about to turn sixteen, which is when all people in her community undergo surgery to make them "pretty". Tally has looked forward to this day for her entire life. This all changes when her friend Shay begins to have reservations about the surgery.  Shay frequently speaks of a society that leaves beyond the "pretties", where everyone is natural. Suddenly, Shay disappears one day.  Before Tally has her surgery, the authorities tell her that she must find locate where Shay escaped to. If she does not then she will have to remain "ugly" forever. As the story progresses, Tally learns a dark secret about her society that will make her question about what it means to be "pretty".  This book  addresses many issues that many teens (especially girls) will find relevant such as what and who defines beauty.  Some might define this as a dystopia. I am more inclined to say that this is utopia, but you are welcome to argue with me on this.Overall, this was a very enjoyable read. I hope to finish the series soon.



Wither and Fever (The Chemical Garden Trilogy) by Lauren DeStafano
This year I read Wither and Fever. They are the first two books of The Chemical Garden Trilogy. The final book is due to be published next year. This is about a futuristic society in which genetic engineering has gone wrong. Although the first generation of genetically modified humans were impervious to disease, their children would experience massive side effects. All men die at the age of twenty five and women die at the age of twenty. Many women are captured off the street and forced into polygamist marriages in a rash attempt to save humankind from extinction. The story focuses on Rhine, who is one of these captured women who is forced into a marriage against her will. This would be a good book to read if you want to analyze gender roles and power structures. This series gives a very depressing outlook on what a society will do in order to save itself. I found that the language that DeStefano uses in these books to be very beautiful. I would like to issue a content warning. This series does contain polygamy and sex is implied. Also, the women in this book endure harsh treatment under their father-in-law. So, if that bothers you then you may not want to read this. Overall, I enjoyed these books. I am eager to read the conclusion of the trilogy.

Percy Jackson and the Mediocere Movie

Alright, so I am a huge Percy Jackson fan. I read the first book last summer. This past semester I listened to the entire Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series on audiobook. I think Rick Riordian is a magnificent author. The Percy Jackson series is a wonderful fantasy for both children and young adults.  I am very excited about the Demigod Diaries and The Mark of Athena that will come out this year. However, I have heard negative things about the movie.  Most people have said that they hated it. I know Rick Riordian refuses to see it.  Although, I have known a few people who said they liked it. And they are making another movie. So, I figured that I would give it a try. And I know what you are going to say "the book is always better then the movie". Well, that is not the case for me. Sometimes I like the book better then the movie. Occasionally, I will like the movie better then the book. Other times I think of the movie and the book adaptions as compliments to each other. Overall, the Percy Jackson movie was good. However, it had lots of problems.

Things I hated:

• Percy was way too old. The story starts out when he is 11.
• Annabeth was blonde in the books. Also, it did not mention her love of architecture. Speaking of love, she and Percy had way too many lovey dovey moments. Although, eventually they get together, they mainly just annoy each other in the first book.
• Grover was a womanizer.
• Kronos was not in the movie at all. Which was kind of a problem since he was the main villain through out the series. So, that is kind of a major plot hole that will need to be filled.
• Hades was evil. Of course they would sell out to the idea of the god of the Underworld being evil. The Greek gods were neither good or bad. They did sketchy and good things. Actually, Hades would be an ally to Percy Jackson in the last book. Also, they neglected to say that Hades helmet was also stolen.
• Ares was not in the movie. He is one of Percy Jackson's main enemies. So far they have yet to come to terms. He is also the father of Clarisse, who is bully (and later friend) to Percy Jackson. Clarisse was also left out of the movie.
• The fact that they did not show Elysium. They made the Underworld look  like doom and gloom.
• And there was no Dionysus. Not only is he the camp director, but was the comic relief.

Things I liked:

• I did like the chemistry between Percy and Annabeth. Although they should have had a lot more arguments.
•  Luke was an annoying, prideful, know it all jerk. 
• Chiron was pretty cool.
•  Grover dancing to Poker Face.
• They all star actors such as Sean Bean, Uma Thurman, and Pierce Bronson.
• The special effects.
• Soundtrack
• A pretty good attempt at putting a complicated story into two hours. At least some of Percy, Grover, and Annabeth's misadventures made it in.

So I did not hate the movie, but I still prefer the book. Although I am kinda excited about the next movie. It will have some of the same cast. Oddly enough all the kids will still be playing their roles even though a couple years have passed since the last movie came out. Joining the cast will be Leven Rambin (Hunger Games) as Clarisse, Stanly Tucci (Hunger Games) as Dionysus, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as Hermes, and Mark Hamill (Star Wars) as Tantalus. Hopefully, that movie will be better. Although, it probably will not be better then the book. If you like fantasy or myths, I encourage you to read Rick Riordian's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus Series.

Where my Heart will Take Me

    Alright, so I have had some major changes in my life since I last blogged. Recently, I have accepted a job as Head of Acquisitions at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. I am very excited this opportunity.  I consider myself very fortunate to get a job.  From this job I will gain a lot of useful experience. Also, this will be a wonderful Christian environment for me to live in. That is something I feel that I have really needed recently. I feel that so many events in my life have led me to this position. I am thrilled at the opportunity to get out on my own.  However, I am a little scared to leave Alabama. I have never lived outside the state this will definitely be an adventure. The song "Where My Heart Will Take Me", which is the theme song from Star Trek: Enterprise really represents my present situation. It is all about embarking on a great adventure. I encourage you to read the lyrics below or listen to the song on  YouTube.






It's been a long road
Getting from there to here
It's been a long time
But my time is finally near

And I can feel the change in the wind right now
Nothing's in my way
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna hold me down

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I’ve got faith, faith of the heart

It's been a long night
Trying to find my way
Been through the darkness
Now I've finally had my day

And I will see my dream come alive at last
I will touch the sky
And they're not gonna hold me down no more
No they're not gonna change my mind

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I’ve got faith, faith of the heart

I know that we're so cold
We've seen the darkest days
But now the winds I feel
Are only winds of change
I've been through the fire
I've been through the rain
But I'll be flying, oh yeah

'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
And no one's gonna bend or break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith, I’ve got faith, faith of the heart

It's been a long road

YouTube Bonanza

So, I have been pretty active in the YouTube world lately. In January I did my video invite to get Jennifer Lawrence(aka Katniss Everdeen) to the UA Library School Ball. I created a fake event and asked her to be my date to it. I have over six hundred views on my video, but I still have not heard from her. However, I am still hopeful. Here is the link to the video. Jennifer Lawrence Video
They also wrote an article about my invitation in the Crimson White newspaper.  CW Article

CallieAnn Starkley, a fellow UA SLIS student, has  created a new YoutTube series called Book Talk Y'all. This series will focus on great books that we have read. The first episode is about our favorite Dr. Seuss books. I talk about how my mother would not let me read Dr. Seuss. That was the one author that she prevented me from reading. She thought that he was a pothead that wrote silly stories. Here is a link to that episode. Book Talk Y'all. The second episode is about students in SLIS anticipating the new Hunger Games movie. Here is the link :Book Talk Y'all (Hunger Games)

So who knows??? Maybe I will get discovered by an awesome library. Or become the biggest tv star since Johnny Carson. Or I could become the husband of Jennifer Lawrence. The possibilities are endless.

Books I have Read in 2011

I am going to keep a list of books that I have read this year. Hopefully next year this list will be doubled. This list does not include picture books:
1)The Rest of the Story: A Study of the Lives of the Apostles by James Fleming
2) Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas
3) Technology made Simple by Kimberly Bolan and Robert Cullin
4) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew
5) Radical by David Platt
6) The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
7) A Popular Survey of the Old Testament by Norman Geisler
8) Crazy Love by Francis Chan
9) Son of a Witch by Gregory MacGuire
10) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austin and Seth Grahme-Smith
11) Dracula: The Undead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt
12) gods in Alabama by Jessolyn Jackson
13) New Testament Survey by Merril C. Tenney
14) Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice
15) The Gunslinger by Stephen King
16) Radical Together by David Platt
17) The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan
18) The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan
19) The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
20) Knowing God by J.I  Packer
21) The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
22) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
23) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
24) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
25) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordian
26) The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
27) When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
28) The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
29) Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
30) Galaxy Games: The Challengers by Greg Fishbone
31) Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
32) One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
33) The Last Dragon by Silvania de Mari
34) Absolute True Story of A Part Time Indian by Shermin Alexi
35) Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
36) Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez
37) The Shepard's Grandaughter by Anne Laurel Carter