The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland

The God of Endings by Jacqueline Holland, 480 p.

"By turns suspenseful and enchanting, this breathtaking first novel weaves a story of love, family, history, and myth as seen through the eyes of one immortal woman

Collette LeSange is a lonely artist who heads an elite fine arts school for children in upstate New York. Her youthful beauty masks the dark truth of her life: she has endured centuries of turmoil and heartache in the wake of her grandfather’s long-ago decision to make her immortal like himself. Now in 1984, Collette finds her life upended by the arrival of a gifted child from a troubled home, the return of a stalking presence from her past, and her own mysteriously growing hunger.

Combining brilliant prose with breathtaking suspense, The God of Endings serves as a larger exploration of the human condition in all its complexity, asking us the most fundamental question: is life in this world a gift or a curse?"--Goodreads blurb

Collette LeSange is a solitary private preschool teacher and artist with a dangerous secret. Her long and storied life is explored alongside a thrilling storyline about a student,, Max, whom she has grown exceptionally fond of. We go through isolation, wars, grief, and love with Collette all while anticipating the thrilling conclusion to her and Max's story.

This beautifully-debut novel was many things at once: historical fiction, paranormal fiction, thriller, tragedy, and horror. The writing was immersive and at times poetic, and the wonderful narration by Maarleveld just heightened the overall feel of the words.

 

Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines by Jennifer J. Chow

 Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines by Jennifer J. Chow - 397 pages

When a local teacher is found dead, LA’s newest pet groomer Mimi Lee finds herself in a pawful predicament—with her younger sister’s livelihood on the line.

Mimi Lee is on top of the world. She has a thriving pet grooming business, the sweetest boyfriend, and a talking cat to boot. When she arrives at the elementary school where her sister Alice works, she's expecting a fun girls' night out—but instead finds a teacher slumped over in her car, dead.

Alice was the last one to see Helen Reed, which instantly marks her as the prime suspect. Unable to sit quietly and let the authorities walk all over her sister, Mimi starts snooping and talks to Helen’s closest contacts, including one jumpy principal, a two-faced fiancé, and three sketchy teachers. With the help of her sassy but savvy cat, Marshmallow, and a cute kitten named Nimbus, the clock’s ticking for Mimi to get to the bottom of yet another case before her sister gets schooled.

Azumanga Daioh Omnibus by Kiyohiko Azuma

Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma - 675 pages

This compilation contains all three volumes of Azumanga Daioh, a manga about the three years of high school for a group of friends and their teachers.  I enjoyed this manga.  It was simple and sweet.  It would be a great choice for those who enjoy everyday life manga stories.

Ghost Girl by Torey L. Hayden

Ghost Girl by Torey L. Hayden - 230 pages


As a new teacher in a small Midwestern town, Torey meets eight-year-old Jadie, a child so wounded by the events in her life that she believes she is a ghost. 

A fragile, delicately balanced relationship builds between the two, but the more Torey struggles to unlock the mystery of Jadie’s pain, the more frightening Jadie’s story becomes.  The things she says to Torey, whether obscure or shockingly clear, amount to a series of clues in a real-life detective story tinged with fear and fantasy.  The more Torey learns, the more convoluted the puzzle of Jadie’s life outside school becomes.

The child’s preoccupation with strange symbols and perverted sex acts seems to point to an interpretation even Torey is unwilling to acknowledge.  Is it possible that Jadie is a victim of ritual abuse?  Or appalling sexual abuse?  Or the tortured imaginings of a seriously disturbed child?

With her inimitable blend of compassion, insight and masterful storytelling, Torey Hayden once more shows us the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit.  Narrated with honesty and humanity, GHOST GIRL is both an insightful account of the problems of dealing with suspected child abuse and an utterly gripping psychological horror story.

Assassination Classroom, v. 5 by Yusei Matsui

Assassination Classroom, v. 5 by Yusei Matsui

In this volume, we conclude the baseball game with the varsity team and meet a new P.E. teacher.
I am continuing to love this series.  It is consistently funny while actually inserting some philosophical questions for deep thinking.

And I continue to love the Moment of Zen at the end of each book --
"He stole something quite precious to you.  Your tentacles."

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson

Catering to Nobody by Diane Mott Davidson, 301 pages

The first book in her "Goldy" series, Davidson begins the story of Goldy and her catering business. These stories are clean mysteries, with some romance and mentions of sex, but does NOT give intimate details.

In this opener, Goldy caters a funeral for a local teacher and ends up having her business shut down when someone is poisoned halfway through the event.  Even more bad news for Goldy is that the poisoning victim is her former father-in-law and her ex-husband is pointing fingers at her.

Fun story with lots of plot twists - and a few recipes thrown in for good measure!

The Book Whisperer: Awakening The Inner Reader In Every Child by Donalyn Miller

The Book Whisperer: Awakening The Inner Reader In Every Child by Donalyn Miller, 228 pages

I wish this book was written years ago.  Donalyn Miller is a 6th grade language arts and social studies teacher in Keller, Texas.  She also writes a blog. I love how she motivates her students to read.  She instills in her students to read for pleasure.  She believes there is a reader in all of us.  I love how she surveys her students to get to the core of their reading interests.  She says all her students in her class read at least 40 books a year and score high on the state's reading assessment test.  This is how successful her program has been.  I recommend page 16, Key Components of a Reading Workshop; and page 66 Unusual Places To Read (my favorite the trampoline and I personally don't recommend reading a library book in the shower.)  Page 75 is The Rights Of The Reader (a must read) especially the right to read anything and the right to not finish.  Check out page 114, Why You Should Read Children's Books As An Adult, a very important factor this month which happened to include National Library Week!  The most important thing I realized is reading children's books IS FUN and also very inspirational!  After reading this book,  I realized reading is a personal choice and one that involves your personal interests.  No one should be made to read if it is not enjoyable or pleasurable!