Really good YA

I have never been a big Young Adult novel reader, but I feel it an important thing to make myself one, at least know what is out there and what the younger readers are reading...other than Harry Potter. Well, I have read two recently that I thought I would tell you about.

1. The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
My friend has been on me for years to read the His Dark Materials trilogy, but it took the movie coming out to really spur me on. And then there has been so much controversy over the anti-religious aspects of the book and author that I just couldn't wait any longer to read it. But honestly, I don't know that it was entirely worth the hype. I enjoyed the story, found it full of interesting science theory, magical creatures, and a child full of courage and spunk. But I had some problems with the writing style. At times it was very rich, full of detail and description, and then at other times it was completely devoid of detail, almost too sparse. I enjoyed reading it but don't think I will rush into reading the other two books in the trilogy.

2. Tunnels - Roderick Gordon
I am just about finished with this delightful novel. It is about a kid who doesn't fit in except with his quirky father who shares his passion for digging tunnels. But they dug too far this time. Soon, Will's father goes missing and it is up to him and his friend Chester to find out where dad has gone. They find a secret city hidden deep underground. Who would have thought so much could exist underneath modern-day London? This book is the most imaginative book I have read in a very long time. It has science and mystery, a unique blend of reality and fantasy, strong themes of friendship and what the word 'family' really means. The writing is great, full of interesting characters and setting; overall, a great read. It comes out in January and I would highly recommend it for your children or you.

Jeffrey Toobin - The Nine

For progressives, this book about the Supreme Court is chilling because the author shows the definite rightward drift of the Court especially now that Justices Roberts and Alito are aboard. I read this book and I realize more than ever how necessary it is that we elect a Democrat in '08.

No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

McCarthy's Southwest is lawless and violent, grisly, and terse. It's a unique setting, where Llewellyn Moss and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell struggle to adjust, via its embodiment in the destructive killer Anton Chigurh. This area, the Texas-Mexico border, is called "the country," indicating that what happens here is not exclusive to the Southwest or McCarthy's writings, but a statement on where America is and has been headed for some time. It says that people exaggerate their own abilities, they think they control things that are uncontrollable; we are a place where people may or may not know where their lives are going, but every moment is a choice and each life has a beginning, middle, and end, and sometimes it all comes to an accounting that may be no more than pure chance, like a flip of a coin.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Splendid book about isolation and the inability to communicate. McCullers is a true Southern writer, reminding me of Harper Lee. Her characters are complex and intriguing, as they reach for a sympathetic heart to understand them. Each cares about something that never satisifies them. A very human novel!