Book 24: How to Read a Book

How to Read a Book by Adler is designed to help readers "whose main purpose in reading books is to gain increased understanding."  The book progresses through 4 levels of reading:  elementary reading (the basic skills of reading), inspectional reading (pre-reading to determine the type of book and how it is set up), analytical reading (reading with the purpose of understanding), and syntopical reading (reading across several books to put together ideas).  The majority of the book is dedicated to expounding the third type of reading first by setting up general rules to follow with a focus mainly on expository literature.  The first stage of analytical reading involves determining the type of book, its main idea, its structure, and its purpose.  The second stage involves determining the key terms and how they are being used, identifying the propositions and arguments, and determining the degree of success the author has in achieving his purpose.  He then argues in favor of the importance of reading the book in its entirety and with an open mind before criticizing its contents as well as setting limits on the criticism based on the author being uninformed, misinformed, illogical, or having incomplete analysis.  The remainder of the book discusses how to apply these rules to various types of books with the exception of the final chapters dedicated to syntopical reading.

I would consider this book to be for ages 16 and up.  It is well laid out and understandable.  Because its main focus is expository books and it only deals briefly with fiction and poetry, it's not really designed for working with that type of literature.  If your main interest in improving your reading relates to literary analysis, then this is not the book to read.  It is an excellent primer for non-fiction, and I consider it worth the considerable amount of time I invested in reading it.

Book 23: The Titan's Curse

The Titan's Curse by Riordan is the third book in the Percy Jackson series.  The Olympic gods and the Titans are both actively seeking and recruiting as many half-bloods as they can find.  When Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Annabeth travel to a military school to rescue two half-bloods, they find themselves face-to-face with a manticore.  As they battle the monster, the goddess Artemis arrives and wounds the monster, which then jumps over the nearby cliff with Annabeth.  Percy tells the goddess everything that the manticore said before the battle.  She is particularly interested in what he says about the stirring of ancient monsters that have not been seen for a long time.  She admits to sensing a new monster and decides to send her hunters back to Camp Half-Blood to go hunting alone for the ancient creature.  Shortly after her arrival in camp both Percy and the head hunter Zia have dreams about the goddess being captured and in deep trouble.  The oracle warns that 5 must be sent on the quest and predicts that one will be lost, another must withstand the Titan's curse, and a third will be killed by a parent.  Despite the ominous warning 2 hunters including Zia and the girl from the military school must join forces with Thalia, Percy, and Grover in a quest to rescue Artemis and return one newly freed Titan to his rightful place.

The Titan's Curse is on par with the first two books in the series.  I still maintain my disagreement with Riordan's choice of narrator.  As with the other two books, some portions of the book are predicable to someone familiar with Greek mythology, but it doesn't detract from the face-paced, non-stop action in the story.  Another light fluffy read for those who enjoy Greek mythology.

Book 22: The Horse and His Boy

The Horse and His Boy by C. S. Lewis is the third story in the Chronicles of Narnia series and is set during the reign of King Peter, Queen Susan, King Edmund, and Queen Lucy.  The story begins in Calorman, south of Narnia, with a young boy named Shasta who has worked his whole life for a fisherman.  One day, a nobleman stops at their home for the night and asks to buy the boy.  Shasta overhears the fisherman explain how he found the boy as an infant, and the two men begin bargaining over a price.  The boy slips out to the stable and wonders aloud what type of master the nobleman would be until suddenly he unexpectedly receives an answer from Bree, the nobleman's horse.  Bree is a Narnian born talking horse, who wishes more than anything to escape Calorman and return home, so the pair agree to make their escape together that very night.  As they journey north one night they meet Avaris, a young Calorman girl running away to escape marrying an old man, and Hwin, a Narnian mare who like Bree was captured at a young age and brought to Calorman.  The four continue on together until they suddenly become separated in the city of Tashbaan when Shasta is mistaken by the visiting party of King Edmund to be young Prince Corin of Archenland.  The encounter proves useful as Shasta learns how to cross the great desert beyond the city and Avaris overhears the plans of Prince Rabadash to conquer Archenland and retrieve the Queen Susan from Narnia to be his bride.  The four must move quickly to warn King Lune of Archenland before the Calorman army launches its surprise attack; but when Avaris is wounded and the horses exhausted, Shasta must continue alone on foot.

The Horse and His Boy is one of the less popular books in the Narnia series, but it is still an amazing story and well worth reading again and again.  I highly recommend it for ages 8 and up.

Book 21: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis is perhaps the most beloved and well-known book in his Chronicles of Narnia series.  Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy are sent to the country to stay at the house of a professor during the summer in order to escape the London air raids.  While in the house, Lucy steps into a wardrobe and suddenly finds herself in a wintry wood standing near a lamp post.  She makes the acquaintance of a faun named Tumnus and has tea with him before returning home.  Later Edmund and Lucy both arrive in Narnia.  Edmund is discovered by the White Witch, who holds the land under her wintry spell, and unsuspecting eats the magical food that he offers her.  She then bids him to return home and bring his brother and two sisters back to her castle so that she can meet them.  When all four children reach Narnia a few days later, they make the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.  Then while Edmund sets out to the witch's castle alone, the other children travel with the Beavers to meet the King of Narnia, Aslan, for help in saving both Mr. Tumnus and their brother Edmund from the White Witch.  The remaining story unfolds in a vivid, unforgettable series of events that having captivated both adults and children for decades.

Definitely a must read book for all.  I think they could easily be enjoyed by children as young as five.  The entire series has been my 9yo DS's favorite books on CD for nearly four years now. 

Book 20: The Hound of the Baskervilles

Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles is the Sherlock Holmes' novel that I read back in high school.  Dr. Mortimer comes to Holmes for advice after the death of his good friend Sir Charles.  The Baskerville family have a legend of an especially wicked ancestor in their line who was killed out on the moor by a hound of Hell while pursuing a young maiden that had escaped from his clutches as well as a history of deaths in the family.  The body of the late Sir Charles had been discovered out on the grounds.  Mortimer related that the man had apparently stood waiting at the gate, then run in terror down a hedgerow before dying of a heart attack.  Several feet away from the body, Mortimer observed the paw print of a very large dog.  The doctor is concerned for the safety of the Sir Henry Baskerville, who is arriving shortly, and is uncertain that he should take the young man out to the hall given the strange nature of the previous occupant's death.  The next day, the doctor returns with Sir Henry, who has a strange letter warning him not to come to the hall.  After the men leave, Holmes spots a man following them but is unable to apprehend him.  It is decided that Watson will accompany Sir Henry home, find out about nearby neighbors, and report his observations to Holmes.  The story continues with his observations until Holmes appears, and in typical Holmes fashion wraps up the case.

Another book I highly recommend and thoroughly enjoy.  I'd put the age at 13 and up.  If you have a Kindle, check Amazon.  I found a complete a compilation called The Complete Sherlock Holmes for free and am looking forward to enjoying the other titles in the coming weeks.

Book 19: The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters by Riordan is the second book in the Percy Jackson series.  On his last day of school, Percy suddenly finds himself surrounded by monsters again in gym class.  With the help of his new friend Tyson, they escape, meet up with Annabeth, and head to Camp Half Blood.  Even at camp things are not as they should be.  The camp is no longer safe from monsters because Thalia's tree has been poison.  Chiron has been removed from the camp, and Percy keeps having dreams from his other friend Grover asking him for help.  When Percy suggests a quest to find the golden fleece to save the tree and the camp (and rescue Grover in the process), the quest is given to Clarisse, the stubborn daughter of Aries.  As Percy ponders on whether to disobey orders and go search for Grover, Hermes appears offering him some useful presents and asking that while on his quest he also try to reason with Luke, Hermes' son, who has aligned himself with Kronos to take down the Olympian gods.  Percy, Annabeth, and Tyson set out for the Bermuda Triangle to rescue Tyson and bring back the golden fleece, but they will have to reach their prize before Luke and forge an uneasy alliance with Clarisse to have a chance to succeed.

I was pretty hard on the first book of this series.  I still maintain that the story would have been much better had it not been told in the first person with Percy as the narrator.  There were a couple of sections of plot that were again fairly predictable, but the overall plot had a few surprises as well.  I did enjoy this book more than the first one and recommend it as a light read for someone that enjoys Greek mythology or a basic good versus evil action packed style of tale. 

Book 18: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is another classic science fiction tale that I hadn't read in several years.  Dr. Jekyll recognizing both the good and the evil within himself sets out to attempt to divide the two natures so that he can be either completely good or completely bad.  He manages to create a completely bad persona, which he calls Mr. Hyde that looks completely different from himself and through whom he can indulge in all the sordid adventures that he wishes without the restraint of his conscience.  His lawyer Mr. Utterson becomes concerned about the presence of the dubious character in the home of his good friend and the fact that Dr. Jekyll's will leaves his entire estate to Mr. Hyde.  When Mr. Hyde murders a distinguished gentleman on the street, the doctor claims that he is done with Mr. Hyde for good and that he is gone.  Then the doctor becomes ill and locks himself away in his laboratory.  When the servants become alarmed, they call Mr. Utterson for assistance.  Together they break into the laboratory to confront Mr. Hyde and search for Dr. Jekyll.  Inside they find the body of Hyde and a letter from the doctor, which reveals the nature of his experiment and the unforeseen problems that he encountered in the end.

A classic tale of science fiction The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is definitely a must read.  I enjoyed reading it again and having a corresponding discussion with my 14yo on Stevenson worldview and his view of the nature of man.  I'd recommend it for 14 and up.