2010 First Quarter Reading List

Sebold, Alice. The Lovely Bones: a Novel. Boston: Little, Brown, 2002. Print.

Susie Salmon, fourteen years old, is raped, murdered, and cut to pieces by a serial killer who has moved into the neighborhood. He disposes of her body in an old sinkhole. Susie is pronounced dead when someone’s dog finds her elbow in a cornfield. The rest of her body is never discovered. This novel begins with the murder and follows Susie’s family and friends through the many years after her death

McCormick, Patricia. Sold. New York: Hyperion, 2006. Print.

Sold into prostitution by her own family at age thirteen, Lakshimi had a hard life ahead of her. Before being sold she was the daughter of poverty stricken farmers in a little hilly viliage, tucked away from the world. Lakshimi struggled through life at the whore house, She lives a nightmare, but forms bonds with the other girls in able to survive. One day she must make a decicion to risk everything to get back her old life.

Runyon, Brent. The Burn Journals. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.

At fourteen, Runyon put on his bathrobe, doused it with gasoline, stepped into the tub and lit himself on fire. He suffered third-degree burns over 85 percent of his body. He endured months of excruciating skin grafts and physical therapy. The Burn Journals spans Runyon's first year of recovery from this horrifying suicide attempt as he struggles with the pain, the guilt and the questions from himself and others as to why he did it.

Golden, Arthur. Memoirs of a Geisha: a Novel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Print.

Much of the novel is set in the popular geisha district of Gion in Kyoto, and contains references to actual places frequented by geisha and their patrons, such as the Ichiriki Ochaya. The research on the locations is extremely acurate and makes the plot even more interesting, knowing that it is a true story.

Larsson, Stieg. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2008. Print.

The plot is extensive and intriguing with twist and turns that always keep you guessing. The pace is easy to follow but has a great cast of competent investigators with great, complex characters.