Dogsong; Dragonwings; Charlotte Doyle; PostSecret Books; Harold Pinter

77. Dragonwings by Laurence Yep

 

At last, Moon Shadow was allowed to go to the Land of the Demons (America) from the Middle Kingdom (China). He had to always be on guard in America as the demons created danger everywhere. His father’s dream was to fly an airplane, a dream that started when his father read about the Wright Brothers attempts to fly in the newspaper. Moon Shadow and his father decided to set out to achieve this dream.

 

The world of San Francisco in the early 20^th century as seen from the eyes of Chinese Americans. And, you guessed it, there is a big sequence that takes place in 1906. In San Francisco.

 

78. Red Sails to Capri by Ann Weil

 

Michele sees the boat with the red sails and finds a way to lead the passengers to stay at his parents’ inn. The three men on this boat will forever change Capri.

 

There is a mystery. There is action. There is adventure. There is the exotic atmosphere of faraway Capri.

 

79. Dogsong by Gary Paulsen

 

Russel is a young man who sees his people are estranged from their Eskimo culture. He makes his way to Oogruk, an Eskimo shaman and wise man. Oogruk teaches Russel how to hunt and how to survive and sends him off on his own to test his abilities.

 

This is what our young men are seeking, I think, even in America today…a way to connect with their elders and learn to make it on their own…heroism…adventure…sacrifice.

 

80. The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter

 

A book of eight plays. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve read a play. And these are wonderful plays, plays that seem to capture the existential spirit of our modern world.

 

81. A Lifetime of Secrets compiled by Frank Warren

 

Another book in the PostSecret series. This book compiles secrets people have kept for many years, often those of childhood or early adulthood.

 

82. The Secret Lives of Men and Women compiled by Frank Warren

 

Yet another book in the PostSecret series. Secrets are compelling.

 

83. Passion on the Vine by Sergio Esposito

 

I decided to read this book so that I could pass it along when the Travelogue Bookbox arrives. Turns out, it was a hard book for me to get through. Why? It’s a fascinating story of one man’s adventures with wine in Italy. Lots of little stories about vineyards and those who make wine. But to make it through this book, you need to be very, very interested in wine.

 

84. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

 

Charlotte is a typical well-mannered girl of 1832 as she prepares to return home to her family in America after attending school in England. But the voyage she takes turns out to completely change her life and shake up her world in ways neither she nor her parents could have ever anticipated.

 

Avi once again completely brought me into a world I knew nothing about and captured my attention from the first page to the end.

 

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