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Kids Indie Next List: Winter
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Staff
Picks:
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Rachel
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 Upcoming Events:
Here's a sneak peek at some upcoming events that you might want to put on your calendar early!
-Friday, April 15, 6-7pm: author Susan Dennard leading a writing workshop for teens. Click for more info.
-April 29-May 1: Hemingway Weekend at The Hotel Walloon. Click for more info.
-Saturday, May 21, 6-7pm: author Steve Hamilton. Click for more info.
-Wednesday, July 13, 2-4pm: author John Smolens. Click for more info.
-Wednesday, July 20, 6-7pm: author Viola Shipman (aka Wade Rouse). Click for more info.
-Tuesday, July 26, 12-2pm: Luncheon with Peter Geye. Click for more info.
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Wisteria Zen:
Because sometimes we all need to look at something beautiful.
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 Dad reads:
He's gotten a lot of reading done lately! Here are more nonfiction recommendations from Dad!
 Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda
Ok, so I'm a Civil War nut. I have been since my first battlefield excursion at Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1978. Since than I have hit most of the larger battlefields of the Civil War. I got hooked on the magnitude of the slaughter of so many American soldiers, and the people involved in the battles.
My fascination continues to grow as I keep asking myself, "What more can I learn?" and in this case, "what more can I learn about Lee?" Michael Korda and many of the other authors who have written about the man, have taken many different angles of interpretation. This time the way the book is written shows yet another side of Lee.
Even though Korda gives Lee credit for military brilliance as others have, he also shows some of the other not so brilliant decisions that he made, and the author does not waver in saying that Grant was as commanding in his judgments and principles of war in the 1860s as he was during the Civil War. Even though Lee is not played as always correct, his tactics were typically amazing and staggeringly bold for the day.
This book moves right along even though it comes in at 600 plus pages.
If you're into the Civil War, it's a must read for your library and your continued quest for new information about a time that truly tried men's souls.
What a timely book. Whether you are an historian or not, you are bombarded by the political process. For better or worse, we are in for a deluge of topics from the right and left of the political system that governs our lives.
The interesting thing is that the governance and debates usually cover the many facets of the Bill of Rights, regardless of which side of the isle with which you side. Already the many Amendments to the Constitution are being discussed in detail. If you have not been in class for a while, then now is the time for this book. Berkin puts into perfect harmony the beginnings and continual preservation of how our government was conceived. She also shows how quickly it changed from Articles of Confederation to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. A fascinating review of the early representatives and their backgrounds are given, bringing us a perspective of how the first officials felt about past governments and what they wanted to accomplish as they moved forward with this grand "experiment." I recommend this book for all that are interested in the United States and how it maintains the Liberties that our founders envisioned for the citizenry. Many of our citizens have protected them with their lives.
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 Some Summer Previews from Bess:
Kenneth Logan's debut is an astonishing work of YA fiction. James Liddell, superstar soccer player at his small Vermont school, has it all: perfect girlfriend, popularity, friends galore, good grades, you name it. But the life he is living seems a lie since he feels he can't share the biggest truth in his life. To deal with his inner turmoil, James turns to letter writing to those closest to him, exposing his secrets, feelings and thoughts, but never sending them. One day, someone steals James's letters and starts sending them for him. This betrayal forces James to come clean and face his truth head on. This is a thoughtful and authentic coming-out and coming-of-age story with an amazing voice perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell.
Lily and the Octopus is an incredible debut novel about love and loss, forgiveness and personal growth, and the enormous impact friends, lovers and our animals have on our lives. Meet Ted Flask, a struggling writer and his dachshund, Lily, his best friend and stalwart companion. Rowley simultaneously and magically tells the story of Ted and Lily's life together and Ted's early-mid adulthood in Los Angeles; it is in a word, perfection. Rarely does a book come along with such unique narrators that stick with you long after you've turned the last page, and Lily and the Octopus is one of these books. Simply put, this book is an absolute must read.
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 Found on the Shelf:
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