Dark Dude

by Oscar Hijuelos

"How Do You Escape Yourself?"

Harlem New York, Rico Fuentes struggles to find a happy medium between his neighborhood bullies, rundown school with frequent shootings, and his parents that blame him for their own unhappiness. A threat by his father to send him to military school, makes him realize he needs a plan to get out. He runs with his best friend toward Wisconsin in hope a fresh start, help his friend kick his heroin addiction, and maybe fine away to forget about the past. After nearly a Year of making his life work out, and outhouse duty he finds somethings can't be left behind, and makes a decision that may change his life forever.

An Excellent book for those looking for a simplistic read.

"A journey toward self-discovery"
~ Ellen Hopkins.

The Hour I First Believed

The Hour I First Believed is a moving novel about Caelum Quirk and his wife Maureen as they try to revive their marriage after Maureen's affair with one of her co-workers. A high school English teacher, Caelum and his wife both work at Columbine High School during April 1999. However, a death in his family calls Caelum back to his hometwon of Three Rivers and pulls him into thoughts of the family of which he is now the last. During his absence from Columbine, the school shooting occurs and Maureen finds herself hiding in the break room as she hears the explosions and gun shots go off near-by. Maureen tramautized convinces Caelum to move back to Three Rivers, Conneticut as she readapts to to life and her fears. They move back to his family farm hoping for a new start but find the trauma follows them even there as they battle to begin a new life. Maureen traumitized and Caelum wrapped up in his family history, will they ever be able to find peace in their lives again?



The story is both moving and uplifting as Caelum and Maureen struggle to refind themselves and find a routine to deal with their seperate and personal issues. Thy novel explores the outes they take to recovery and will pull the reader deep into its tale. I highly recommend this book. =D

Plato and a Playtpus Walk into a Bar

By Thomas Cathcart & Daniel Klein

The optimist says, "The glass is half full"
The Pessimist says, "The glass is half empty"
The rationalist says,"This glass is twice as big as it needs to be" (17)


Philosophy lovers, those wanting to begin asking deep questions will love this book. A brief introduction to western philosophy, outlining the early ideas of philosophy and key concepts through jokes. Excellent book for those looking for an introduction to philosophy and a good laugh.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Although she has what many teenage girls desires – caring family, good grades, and a part-time modeling career – Annabel Greene’s personal life is anything but perfection. Annabel secretly despises modeling; her sister has an eating disorder; and their mother's past depression and fake cheerfulness cause mounting tension in the household. After an unfortunate incident at a summer party, Annabel is accused of stealing her best friend’s boyfriend, and treated as a social outcast by everyone at her school. Without the comfort of her friends and worried by her unstable family, Annabel finds an unlikely friend in classmate Owen, who teaches her to “Don’t think and judge. Just Listen.”

As with her other YA books, Dessen keeps the plot flowing and the characterization well developed. The dialogue is realistic and expertly done. Overall, this is a very enjoying and not overly deep story. My only criticism is that so much build up is created that readers may be disappointed with the climax.