Lari's Bookshelf

Image: Naypong / FreeDigitalPhotos.net Some have pontificated that the future of all education will be free . Others have said this future is "already here." I think we're still in transition, since so many are still not bought on the idea, even though resources may be available. The Problem Education is expensive. With rising tuition costs and the fact that student debt is at over a trillion dollars in the US, the idea of going to college for free sounds too good to be true. But what if it is a feasible reality for more than the average Joe in the future? And what if "this problem" exists or is aggravated with our perceptions of what education is or what it should be? The Potential Solution I don't even want to attempt to compile a list of free educational resources and courses after seeing this amazingly awesome post at Mark and Angel Hack Life . (Seriously, if you get a few moments check out this fabulous resource.) I will reco...

Click to view on Amazon Genre:  Science Fiction - YA  (Going towards the   2012 Genre Fiction Challenge !) The question, "What would you do if everyone was no longer safe on the planet earth?" is answered by a scientist who concludes that the only hope for humanity is to send a bunch of teenagers into space. That is essentially the premise of The Comet's Curse (Galahad Series Bk. 1). The earth is casually orbiting the sun, when a comet, like a proverbial black cat crosses its path, showering the earth and a cloud of comet dust. Many find the phenomenon to be beautiful, but it turns out to be deadly, as the dust somehow contaminates the atmosphere and introduces a wholly foreign virus to the human race. The virus only seems to infect those who are 18 or older, and civilizations crumbles as people realize their days are numbered. When a scientist proposes the plan to send young colonists into space with a mission to colonize a potentially habitable plane...

Click to view on Amazon The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson Genre:  Historical Fiction - YA  (Going towards the  2012 Genre Fiction Challenge !) I listened to this book on my new commute to my new job as a librarian with a large library system in Western Washington. (Yes, I've moved to a new state and started a new job, and yes, that is why I haven't been updating recently.) Anyways, this book pulled me in a few different directions.  I'll admit that I knew very little about it going in, so at first, I thought I was listening to some kind of dystopian, speculative fiction novel. We have this boy, Octavian, who is raised in this household called the Novanglian College of Lucidity. He is told that he is a prince and his mother is a princess, and he is surrounded by men who teach him latin, music, and the classics and who dress him in all sorts of finery. Also, except for he and his m...

Click to view on Amazon A Great and Terrible Beauty By Libba Bray Release Date: December 9, 2003 (U.S.) Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers Pages: 403 ISBN-13: 978-0385730280 (hardcover); 978-0385732314 (paperback) Genre:  Romantic Suspense - YA  (Going towards the  2012 Genre Fiction Challenge !) Interested in something with magic, adventure, secret sisterhoods, love, betrayal, sinister forces, and more?   A Great and Terrible Beauty a young adult novel which has all of these, and it is an interesting blend of different elements of genre fiction. It is the first of a three part series. The novel is set in Victorian England, and it follows the story of Gemma Doyle. It begins in India, where Gemma lives with her parents. It is her 16th birthday, and she is in the market with her mother. They have a fight after Gemma becomes angry that her mother does not want to return and take the family back to England. Gemma becomes lost in the market ...

So how well do you know your genre fiction? Would you like to have a better comprehensive knowledge of the different genres of fiction? Are you an avid bookworm? Do you find yourself only reading one or two genres and would perhaps like to refine and expand your literary palate? Well, in keeping with the tradition of creating resolutions and goals on the new year, I'm going to try a brand-spankin' new reading challenge I have never tried before, and I'd like to invite you to try it with me! To win this challenge, one must read five novels of every genre of genre fiction in 2012. You can also win "Genre Apprentice" status by reading one book from each genre in 2012. The books can be targeted for young adults or adults and the genres are as follows*: Adrenaline Genres Adventure : This genre is action-packed and has a hero on a mission. Pacing is brisk and there is an obvious hero protagonist. There is a sense of danger and physical obstacles for the p...

Habibi by Craig Thompson Release Date: September 20th, 2011 Publisher: Pantheon Pages: 672 ISBN13: 9780375424144 Craig Thompson doesn't fail to impress with yet another beautifully crafted graphic novel. Habibi is the story of Dodola, who at the age of 9 is sold as a child bride into a marriage with a scribe. While the tragic circumstances that came with this marriage were difficult for the reader to come to terms with, Dodola is able to learn how to read and write from her husband. At the age of 12, her husband is murdered and she is taken captive into a slave ring. This is where she meets Zam, whom she  calls "habibi." He is three years old when they meet, and she is able to escape with him and they live in a boat in the desert. This story doesn't take place in any one era, and the settings vary between medieval and modern eras. As Dodola and Zam face a harsh world, the magic of stories and cultural mythologies is what keeps them together, and give...

Existentialism One of the main themes of early to mid 20th century, is this theme of the existential crisis of the individual. While planes and cars and the radio connected societies, individuals who went off to war were stripped of their humanity. World War I and II offered technological horrors never before seen, and men and women were trained to live as cogs in a military machine that was indifferent to human interests. This caused a huge internal conflict within many. There is a fabulous speech by Charlie Chaplin in the film, "The Great Dictator." Someone uploaded this and matched it with a song from the Inception soundtrack, take a few minutes to watch this: The part of the speech I want to highlight, is the part where Chaplin depicts the general sentiments that I'm trying to illustrate regarding technological advancements vs. the isolation and brutality of humanity in the first half of the 20th century: "We have developed speed, but we have shut ...