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November 2004

Hi folks!

I hope you are all doing well and avoiding the flu (which I continue to battle; I’ve been sick on and off for the past month). 

Enjoy the books.  My baby continues to inspire, and I am happily reading to her mommy and future baby brother, Sean Daniel. We are currently enjoying Richard Peck’s wonderful A Year Down Yonder. I continue to read a variety of titles, as I recently sped through Lance Armstrong’s second autobiography Every Second Counts; endured a horrible travel book that I shall not name; and I am almost finished with Jon Krakauer’s Eiger Dreams.

Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections below. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to the address listed for authors and publishers.

I hope you are reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me about them by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Have a wonderful November, and enjoy your books!

Danny ;-)
The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries

By Che Guevara 166 pages Adult

Danny Says

No, I did not include this book because I am infatuated by Communist revolutionaries.  I enjoyed this book because it is one of the few journals that truly captures the simple traveler’s life on the road, and there are very limited travelogues on South America (although I hope to write one based on my experiences in 1996).  A movie version of the book will soon be in theatres.
Buy on Amazon
Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President

By Gabe Hudson 176 pages Adult

Danny Says

I read a review of this book that complained it was actually only 130-140 pages of actual writing, and that immediately drew me to the text.  While it is the author’s debut novel, it is a fairly bizarre and humorous set of tales of veterans’ Gulf War syndromes.  It is not as political as some claim.  Just enjoy it and don’t read too deeply into the situations (e.g. the veteran who grows a third ear).
Buy on Amazon
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead

By Tom Stoppard 128 pages Adult

Danny Says

If you have never read anything by Tom Stoppard, you are in for a treat.  I rate him as one of the most important playwrights of out time.  You may have seen his screenplay Shakespeare in Love.  This tale is also set in Elizabethan times and focuses on the mundane daily rituals of two minor characters from Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  Hilarious and original, like all of Stoppard’s works.
Buy on Amazon
Notes from Underground

Notes from Underground

By Fyodor Dostoevsky 136 pages Adult

Danny Says

Never had time to read Crime and Punishment, but you’d like to impress people at cocktail parties?  Here is a novella from Dostoevsky (say his name five times fast), and I must admit that I enjoyed it.  His characters remind me of a cross between Woody Allen and something J.D. Salinger or Albert Camus would create.  It is worth your time.
Buy on Amazon
A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich

A Hero Ain't Nothin' but a Sandwich

By Alice Childress 128 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

One of the more popular books I have introduced to middleschoolers, this tale of a 13-year-old heroin addict is sure to spark lively classroom discussions.  A very honest and vivid look at the harshness of drug addiction. 
Buy on Amazon
Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder

Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder

By Tony Hawk,Sean Mortimer 176 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

A couple of teachers asked me to start including more non-fiction titles for young adults, so I thought I’d throw in a cool look at Tony Hawk’s life in skateboarding.  The book is put together in a very interesting format (meaning there are all sorts of asides, quizzes and funky photos and art) which should hold the interest of any student with ADD yearning to skate away from school.
Buy on Amazon
No More Dead Dogs

No More Dead Dogs

By Gordon Korman 192 pages Young Adult

Danny Says

I confess that I picked up this book because I liked the title.  It is not at all what I thought it was about, but it is still very funny.  Let’s just say that a teacher gets what he deserves when he punishes a student for turning in an honest book report (something I always wished I had done in school).
Buy on Amazon
What Presidents Are Made Of

What Presidents Are Made Of

By Hanoch Piven 40 pages Children

Danny Says

I want you all to remember to vote on Nov. 2nd.  I figured that since most folks have only an elementary understanding of our political system (including some candidates), it would be fitting to include a few children’s books that enlighten us on the Presidency.  I like the pictures and simplicity of this book, which profiles 17 Presidents.
Buy on Amazon
America Votes

America Votes

By Linda Granfield 64 pages Children

Danny Says

Separated into two-page chapters, this book does a superb job of explaining various election processes.  It also serves some delicious Cliff Clavin facts, like why political parties have the animal mascots they have and what foods are associated with specific Presidents. 
Buy on Amazon
Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts

Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts

By Syl Sobel 48 pages Children

Danny Says

Another wonderful resource to make the election process understandable to students (and Floridians).
Buy on Amazon

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