Keep coming back each month to find something new to read. It won't always be a novel. Look for plays, poems, short stories and more!
For the 2023-24 School year, the monthly recommendations will focus on my interests and likes. Why? Because I keep getting asked what I like. So, come back each month to see what things Graham likes. Who knows, you might find something new to add to your list of things you like.
For the 2023-24 School year, the monthly recommendations will focus on my interests and likes. Why? Because I keep getting asked what I like. So, come back each month to see what things Graham likes. Who knows, you might find something new to add to your list of things you like.
May: Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
For those of who are interested in Star Wars this is the book for you. Not just because it is a Star Wars book, but because it is the book that helped re-launch the Star Wars universe back in the early 1990s. And what’s better is that the author, Timothy Zahn is an Oregonian.
Just to give you a taste…this novel takes place shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. We get to see favourite characters back again. We also get introduced to a new cast of characters (including Thrawn who recently made his live-action appearance in the Disney+ series Ahsoka.
The rebellion has beaten the Empire, but things aren’t rosy yet. There are fragments of the Empire still out there, and they plan on returning to the top of the heap. To do that, they need power and they need to get rid of the Skywalker family.
If you read this one and like it, you can move onto the two sequels (Dark Force Rising, The Last Command). If you still can’t get enough, look up Timothy Zahn and you will discover he wrote a handful of additional Stars Wars books that keep coming back to his greatest creation—Thrawn.
For those of who are interested in Star Wars this is the book for you. Not just because it is a Star Wars book, but because it is the book that helped re-launch the Star Wars universe back in the early 1990s. And what’s better is that the author, Timothy Zahn is an Oregonian.
Just to give you a taste…this novel takes place shortly after the events of Return of the Jedi. We get to see favourite characters back again. We also get introduced to a new cast of characters (including Thrawn who recently made his live-action appearance in the Disney+ series Ahsoka.
The rebellion has beaten the Empire, but things aren’t rosy yet. There are fragments of the Empire still out there, and they plan on returning to the top of the heap. To do that, they need power and they need to get rid of the Skywalker family.
If you read this one and like it, you can move onto the two sequels (Dark Force Rising, The Last Command). If you still can’t get enough, look up Timothy Zahn and you will discover he wrote a handful of additional Stars Wars books that keep coming back to his greatest creation—Thrawn.
April: Travel Guides
For April, I am not suggesting a specific book, but one that you can customise. I want you to read a travel guide. Not just any travel guide, but I want you to get a travel guide to either somewhere you are going (say this summer) or somewhere you want to go.
Now, I don’t care if you read it straight through or just skim certain areas, but read. These travel guides have a lot of useful information. You can learn about currency, weather, laws/rules, and more before you leave.
Travel guides will also give you some insight into tourist spots, restaurants, and hotel options. They tend to give you a rough idea of cost at all of these. This can help you make decisions. In fact, you can learn about a place and then check it out online—does that restaurant have food you like? Does that hotel have a pool? What days is that museum open.?
I know it sounds strange to read a travel guide, but they are useful and some are quite entertaining. If you go looking and see many options, that’s okay. There are many companies putting out travel guides: such as Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Moon, Fodor’s, and Frommer’s. Each will have a slightly different focus, so peruse a few before you make your choice.
If you read a travel guide this month, let me know. I would love to hear where you are going or where you want to go.
For April, I am not suggesting a specific book, but one that you can customise. I want you to read a travel guide. Not just any travel guide, but I want you to get a travel guide to either somewhere you are going (say this summer) or somewhere you want to go.
Now, I don’t care if you read it straight through or just skim certain areas, but read. These travel guides have a lot of useful information. You can learn about currency, weather, laws/rules, and more before you leave.
Travel guides will also give you some insight into tourist spots, restaurants, and hotel options. They tend to give you a rough idea of cost at all of these. This can help you make decisions. In fact, you can learn about a place and then check it out online—does that restaurant have food you like? Does that hotel have a pool? What days is that museum open.?
I know it sounds strange to read a travel guide, but they are useful and some are quite entertaining. If you go looking and see many options, that’s okay. There are many companies putting out travel guides: such as Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Moon, Fodor’s, and Frommer’s. Each will have a slightly different focus, so peruse a few before you make your choice.
If you read a travel guide this month, let me know. I would love to hear where you are going or where you want to go.
March: The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins
If you like reading thrillers then Jack Higgins is the man for you. Prior to his death in 2022, he had been writing thrillers for over fifty years. And he has a lot of them to choose from. Of his 250+ million copies sold, 50+ million of them are of a single book, and that is the book I am recommending this month. The Eagle Has Landed was Higgins’ first international bestseller and was turned into a movie in the 1970s. The premise of the story is simple. During World War II, a faction in Ireland helps a small group of Germans land in the United Kingdom. The purpose of their mission: kill Winston Churchill. The Germans become with a small village and get to know the locals and essentially become part of the community. Remember, the Germans are the enemy, but they are our main protagonists. Which begs the question, are you going to root for their success? Are they successful at the end? You will need to read to find out. The book is relatively short, and a quick read. If you find you like it, there is a sequel; The Eagle Has Flown. Enjoy! |
February: Across the Nightingale Floor by Liam Hearn
Here we have a fantasy book that takes place in Sengoku period in Japan written by an Australian. And trust me, it is worth the read.
The story, in essence is a revenge tale. Teenager Tomasu , by the end of the novel, gets revenge on those who killed his family. But there is so much more going on in this story than just a simple revenge plot. In fact, there is so much more that Hearn wrote two more books for the trilogy, and then a prequel and a sequel—that makes five books in all.
I could have had you start with the prequel, Heaven’s Net is Wide, but it makes more sense to start with the book that started it all.
If you enjoy fantasy novels, Japan, or a good revenge story, this is the tale for you. That is the tales…The Tales of Otori.
Here we have a fantasy book that takes place in Sengoku period in Japan written by an Australian. And trust me, it is worth the read.
The story, in essence is a revenge tale. Teenager Tomasu , by the end of the novel, gets revenge on those who killed his family. But there is so much more going on in this story than just a simple revenge plot. In fact, there is so much more that Hearn wrote two more books for the trilogy, and then a prequel and a sequel—that makes five books in all.
I could have had you start with the prequel, Heaven’s Net is Wide, but it makes more sense to start with the book that started it all.
If you enjoy fantasy novels, Japan, or a good revenge story, this is the tale for you. That is the tales…The Tales of Otori.
January: Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Petersen
Let’s give you a graphic novel to start the year. David Petersen’s Mouse Guard stories focus on a community of mice in a world reminiscent of medieval Europe. The stories are exciting and engaging, and the artwork is worth the price of the books.
Once you make it through Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, you can move into Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 and more. And, once you have depleted all options for Mouse Guard you can continue the medieval animal stories with Brian Jacques Redwall series—these novels will last you some time as there are more than fifteen in the series.
Let’s give you a graphic novel to start the year. David Petersen’s Mouse Guard stories focus on a community of mice in a world reminiscent of medieval Europe. The stories are exciting and engaging, and the artwork is worth the price of the books.
Once you make it through Mouse Guard: Fall 1152, you can move into Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 and more. And, once you have depleted all options for Mouse Guard you can continue the medieval animal stories with Brian Jacques Redwall series—these novels will last you some time as there are more than fifteen in the series.
December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Well, if you are looking for Graham’s favourite book, this one usually takes top honours. It’s true, you just have to look at last year’s North Salem yearbook for the evidence.
For those of you who have an aversion to reading, this one is for you. 1) It’s a classic. 2) It’s an easy read. 3) It’s only about 100 pages long. Perfect for one and all.
Most of you already know the story. Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly curmudgeon and on Christmas Eve he is visited by four spirits that help him see that there is a better way to lead his life.
Charles Dickens spent time in many of his books showing how life and living conditions for those in England could be improved. He had a strong conscious and tried to use his popularity to make things better for people. One thing he did while trying to achieve this is help to reinvent Christmas for a new generation. In fact, many of the ideas he put forth in this little novel are now considered integral parts of the season.
So, grab a copy of the book, enjoy the ghost story (oh, yes, it is a ghost story), and as the Ghost of Christmas Present states, “Come in! and know me better, man!”
Well, if you are looking for Graham’s favourite book, this one usually takes top honours. It’s true, you just have to look at last year’s North Salem yearbook for the evidence.
For those of you who have an aversion to reading, this one is for you. 1) It’s a classic. 2) It’s an easy read. 3) It’s only about 100 pages long. Perfect for one and all.
Most of you already know the story. Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly curmudgeon and on Christmas Eve he is visited by four spirits that help him see that there is a better way to lead his life.
Charles Dickens spent time in many of his books showing how life and living conditions for those in England could be improved. He had a strong conscious and tried to use his popularity to make things better for people. One thing he did while trying to achieve this is help to reinvent Christmas for a new generation. In fact, many of the ideas he put forth in this little novel are now considered integral parts of the season.
So, grab a copy of the book, enjoy the ghost story (oh, yes, it is a ghost story), and as the Ghost of Christmas Present states, “Come in! and know me better, man!”
November: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
It is time for a classic science fiction novel: Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is the novel that eventually became the cult classic film Bladerunner.
The novel’s story is set in a post-apocalyptic world that finds the world at a low point. In this world we have the humans and we have replicants (androids that are nearly as human as humans). Unfortunately, those replicants aren’t allowed to roam around free. That’s where Rick Deckard comes in. He is a bounty hunter. And he plans on taking down as many replicants as he can so that he can trade in his robot sheep for a real one. Nice plan.
The themes within the novel are still important today; especially the idea of what it means to be human. A favourite of mine, this was the first book by Dick that I read. Now, I have an entire shelf on a bookcase dedicated to his works. So, try this one, his most famous, and then branch out. There’s plenty to find.
It is time for a classic science fiction novel: Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? This is the novel that eventually became the cult classic film Bladerunner.
The novel’s story is set in a post-apocalyptic world that finds the world at a low point. In this world we have the humans and we have replicants (androids that are nearly as human as humans). Unfortunately, those replicants aren’t allowed to roam around free. That’s where Rick Deckard comes in. He is a bounty hunter. And he plans on taking down as many replicants as he can so that he can trade in his robot sheep for a real one. Nice plan.
The themes within the novel are still important today; especially the idea of what it means to be human. A favourite of mine, this was the first book by Dick that I read. Now, I have an entire shelf on a bookcase dedicated to his works. So, try this one, his most famous, and then branch out. There’s plenty to find.
October: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Here’s the truth, Ayn Rand divides people. She put forth her own philosophy called Objectivism. Some agree with what she has to say. Some do not. I try to look beyond the philosophy within her work, and that is the reason I truly love this book.
The story is about a man who has very specific ideals, and he will not bend to any when it comes to those ideals. A small group love/admire him for it. Meanwhile, there’s a larger group that wants to vilify him for his ideals. Howard Roark is an architect, so you know that this story will involve designing and constructing buildings.
What I challenge any of you to do is read the novel and NOT be able to see people you know in the people Rand created. That is what she is really good at. Her characterisation is spot on. The attitudes, ideas, fears, desires that she puts forth can be easily found in the people around you. Give it a try and see if I am wrong.
Here’s the truth, Ayn Rand divides people. She put forth her own philosophy called Objectivism. Some agree with what she has to say. Some do not. I try to look beyond the philosophy within her work, and that is the reason I truly love this book.
The story is about a man who has very specific ideals, and he will not bend to any when it comes to those ideals. A small group love/admire him for it. Meanwhile, there’s a larger group that wants to vilify him for his ideals. Howard Roark is an architect, so you know that this story will involve designing and constructing buildings.
What I challenge any of you to do is read the novel and NOT be able to see people you know in the people Rand created. That is what she is really good at. Her characterisation is spot on. The attitudes, ideas, fears, desires that she puts forth can be easily found in the people around you. Give it a try and see if I am wrong.
September: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
I will be honest. I love the idea of the vampire in literature. I started reading non-fiction and fiction stories about vampires when I was in high school. By the time I graduated, I had read 30-40 books involving vampires. None were as impressive as Anne Rice’s 70s novel Interview with the Vampire.
This is the book that started it all for Rice. Up until she died just in 2021, she had been writing about her vampires (most famously the vampire Lestat) for forty years. And if you like your vampires mixed with the romance of true gothic novels, then this is the series for you—but start with this one.
The novel was turned into a movie (starring Tom Cruise) back in the 90s and has currently seen resurgence as a series on AMC. As with all things literary to screen, both the movie and series deviate from the book—quite a bit.
You can find the novel in my classroom and I believe it is in the library, as well. Get out there and read a vampire story that does not involve any sparkly vampires.
I will be honest. I love the idea of the vampire in literature. I started reading non-fiction and fiction stories about vampires when I was in high school. By the time I graduated, I had read 30-40 books involving vampires. None were as impressive as Anne Rice’s 70s novel Interview with the Vampire.
This is the book that started it all for Rice. Up until she died just in 2021, she had been writing about her vampires (most famously the vampire Lestat) for forty years. And if you like your vampires mixed with the romance of true gothic novels, then this is the series for you—but start with this one.
The novel was turned into a movie (starring Tom Cruise) back in the 90s and has currently seen resurgence as a series on AMC. As with all things literary to screen, both the movie and series deviate from the book—quite a bit.
You can find the novel in my classroom and I believe it is in the library, as well. Get out there and read a vampire story that does not involve any sparkly vampires.