https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8 Made with the best of intentions en-us 2016-08-25 17:47:59 UTC 2016-11-02 16:27:33 UTC hello@padlet.com lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/120865247 This book is loooong (it is 989 pages long and took me a week to read!) but it never gets boring. It is the 5th book in a series, so you might not want to start with this one. It is set in a fictional world that is pretty much medieval (for instance, they use horses and carts) and has many countries with an ocean to the west and a harsh desert to the east. It starts in the desert. The people who live in the desert, the Aiel, are following the main character, Rand al'Thor, who is destined to save the world but also destroy it, out of the desert. They are gathering forces to fight another clan of Aiel called the Shaido who are in the land to the west. With the help of 2 other armies, they must try to defeat them. This is a good book for advanced readers and contains different names for everyday objects, but it does have a helpful glossary at the end.]]> 2016-08-31 15:48:14 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/120865247 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/121462811 This book is the 5th book in a series, too, and it doesn't provide a lot of backstory, so I recommend starting with number 1, but it is a book for people of all levels. It is set in the present, but on a fictional island which is all that remains of Atlantis. The main character (Jack) has just watched one of his friends get pulled into a rift in space-time by a statue that came to life. He has 2 other friends who are all fated to die on their 14th birthday like Jack and Aly unless they return 7 stones to a special place. They had 4, but 1 broke and another was stolen by the living statue. They must now ally with their enemies to succeed, but will their enemies want a truce? Like I said before, this is a good book for all levels but you should start with the first one, The Colossus Rises. ]]> 2016-09-03 21:16:00 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/121462811 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/122694114 This is the 6th book in the same series as The Fires of Heaven. It is even more exciting, but it is also even longer. (1011 pages) It starts out in Andor, a country in the middle of the land west of the desert. Rand has gained the support of almost all the Aiel. Only the remnants of the Shaido oppose him. Those are not his problem, however. He must face off with 2 groups of Aes Sedai, women who can use the female half of the power driving the Wheel of Time. They both want him on their side, and they also oppose each other. Rand can use the male half of the same power, but it is tainted and he will eventually go mad and die of a rotting sickness. The rebel group of Aes Sedai has 13 members, enough to cut him off from the power, so he travels to Cairhien, the country to the west of the mountains that divide the western lands from the desert. The other group is there, and they also have 13 members, and they capture him. The Aiel loyal to him and a group of other men who can use the power (saidin) must try to rescue him, but the Aes Sedai have the Shaido on their side. Will the Asha'man, the men who can use the power, succeed, or will the Aes Sedai cut Rand off from the power forever? This is another advanced read and also contains a glossary at the end.]]> 2016-09-09 11:36:57 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/122694114 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124512282 In the 7th book of this series, a devastating heat wave has struck on the lands to the west of the Spine of the World. It is caused by the seals on the Dark One's prison weakening. He is able to touch the world, and this heat wave is the result. The smaller group of Aes Sedai, who are rebels, have elected a new leader, Egwene al'Vere, who  knew Rand when they where younger. She sends Elayne Sedai, who is the heir to the throne of Andor, Nynaeve Sedai, who also knew Rand, and Matrim Cauthon, who was Rand's friend since they where born, to a city called Ebou Dar where they must find an object that uses the One Power (the driving force for the Wheel of Time), also known as a ter'angreal. It is called the Bowl of the Winds, and they can use it to fix the weather. It seems easy at first, but then they find out that it is located in a rougher portion of the city. They don't know the exact building, either, because the found out where it was in the World of Dreams. To make matters worse, the Black Ajah, a group of Aes Sedai serving the Dark One, are also looking for the bowl. Will they ever have normal weather again? Like the other books, this is a high level book but it is as exciting as the last two.
 ]]> 2016-09-17 12:15:59 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124512282 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124512646 In the 8th book of the series, an enemy from across the Aryth Ocean, the Seanchan, are invading. They have captured Ebou Dar, Amadicia, and Tarabon. They are trying to invade Illian and Rand must lead an army and the Asha'man to defeat them. They are a tough nut to crack, though, and they have women who can channel the female half (saidar). He must also try to root out the Black Ajah and decide what to do with the Aes Sedai who tried to bring him to the White Tower. This book is pretty short for the series but just as action-packed as the rest.]]> 2016-09-17 12:26:45 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124512646 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124576261 This is a collection of short stories that are from a book series called Ms. Peregrin's Home for Peculiar Children. It is about people with strange abilities. In the 1st story, a group of cannibals buy limbs from people who can regrow limbs like lizards, and it quickly becomes a race to build the biggest house. In the 2nd story, a princess with snake-like qualities must find a way to make people accept her. In the 3rd story, a bird who can turn into a woman and make moments of time happen again has to figure out how to protect other peculiars from an army of normal people who blame all their problems on them. In the 4th story, a woman who can talk to ghosts has to find new friends when her dead sister goes away. In the 5th, a man has to honor a promise to find his father even though nobody else respects him. In the 6th story, the pigeons of London must make a compromise with a man who can speak to birds wants to make a cathedral. In the 7th story, a girl who can pull nightmares out of people's ears must find out how to properly use her talent. In the 8th story, a man who has a son that he doesn't love must figure out how to turn his son back into a human when he turns into a locust. In the 9th story, a boy named Fergus has to figure out how he should use his talent, which is controlling the ocean currents. In the 10th and final story, a giant named Cuthbert saves peculiar animals and because of this, is imprisoned in stone by a witch. This book is for all levels but I recommend starting with Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.]]> 2016-09-18 17:23:10 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124576261 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124689204 This book is old (it won the 1st Newberry Medal!) and it might seem challenging, but it contains the author's original illustrations and it doesn't use too many unfamiliar words. It starts before man emerged, and goes on to tell about how man discovered fire and other things. It doesn't tell about events that don't directly relate to the advances of humankind, but it is unbiased otherwise. Once again, it is for most people and it doesn't get boring. ]]> 2016-09-19 11:40:39 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124689204 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124690118 I didn't think I would like this book when I started it, but I can see why it is considered a great book. It is set in Nazi Denmark and is about a fictional girl named Annemarie who has a Jewish friend named Ellen. Right before the Jewish New Year, the Nazis start arresting Jews. Annemarie's family must smuggle Ellen to Annemarie's uncle, Henrik, so he can get her and other Jews to Sweden. It is a real page-turner and I couldn't put it down until I was done. It is good for all levels and does contain actual information about Nazi Denmark.]]> 2016-09-19 11:45:08 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/124690118 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/126141546 This is the 8th book of the Wheel of Time series, as you probably knew already, and it is even more exciting than the last 4 books. In this book, Rand's childhood friend Perrin Aybara has to convince a Shienaran named Masema Dagar, who calls himself the Prophet of the Lord Dragon, to come visit Rand al'Thor, who is the Dragon Reborn. He has been allowing people to rob, kill, and capture people who will not swear to the Dragon Reborn. Meanwhile, in Far Madding, a city in the grasslands between Tear and Illian, Rand is luring in and hunting down rogue Asha'man. Someone is hunting him, though, and he has to make sure he makes it out alive to carry out his ultimate goal: cleansing the male half of the True Source, saidin. Otherwise, before the Last Battle comes, insane Asha'man could be destroying the world as male Aes Sedai did after the Age of Legends ended. If he is not killed in Far Madding, he and an Aes Sedai from his hometown, Nynaeve al'Meara, have to use the 2 most powerful sa'angreal (a device made during the Age of Legends to magnify the amount of the One Power the user can safely handle) ever made to cleanse saidin, but if Rand loses control while doing this, the sa'angreal give him enough power to destroy the world by himself. This is yet another advanced read, but readers will find themselves absorbed by the masterful writing and wishing for more when they finish (if they ever finish at all).

]]> 2016-09-24 00:23:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/126141546 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127290751 This is the 2nd book in the Harry Potter series, but you could probably understand most of what's going on even if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Philosopher's Stone, in England). Harry Potter is going back to Hogwarts for his 2nd year of education in the world of witchcraft and wizardry. A house-elf (an elf who serves a wizard household)  named Dobby appears in his room before he goes and tells him he must not go because it is too dangerous, but he won't say why. Harry decides not to listen to him, and he gets packed for the trip anyway. Dobby does everything he can to send Harry home, but none of it works. When all the students get there, though, people start turning to stone. Harry's friend Hermione Granger is close to figuring out what's going on, but then she turns to stone, too. When the visit her in the infirmary, she has a piece of paper in one hand and a mirror in the other. When they get the paper, it leads them on a trail starting with a mythical creature called a basilisk and they must find out where it is hiding before everyone is turned to stone-or worse. This is a book for anyone, but it makes a lot more sense if you start with book one.]]> 2016-09-29 15:19:46 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127290751 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127295443 No, this book is not Twilight. It is part of the Wheel of Time series I have been reading. It is book ten. It starts out in Ebou Dar, which the Seanchan have captured. Rand and Perrin's friend Mat has to escape, with a member of the lower Seanchan nobility, or Blood, her so'jhin, or highest-ranking servant, and the Daughter of the Nine Moons, or heir of the Empress of Seanchan. Mat was told by strange beings inside a ter'angreal (device using the One Power, not magnifying the user's ability) that he would marry the Daughter of the Nine Moons, but he didn't know what that meant before now and nobody believes him. He has kidnapped her because she was in his room when he was about to set his escape plan into motion. He is with a traveling show and he is nervous about being caught by the Deathwatch Guard, the elite military formation of Seanchan and dedicated to protecting the Blood. The traveling show has not been moving fast to avoid notice, and they are only a few miles away from Ebou Dar. Meanwhile, all the Aes Sedai this side of the Aryth Ocean (and Asha'man) are feeling large amounts of the One Power being used, due to Rand linking with Nynaeve while both are using the Choedan Kal to clean saidin. They think that they are the Forsaken, and the rebel Aes Sedai are starting to want to ally with the Asha'man because women who channel can link together, but need channeling men to take circles beyond 13. They are reluctant, however, because they think the Asha'man will go mad from the taint on saidin, which Rand just cleaned, using the 2 most powerful sa'angreal in existence, which caused the Aes Sedai to propose an alliance to the Asha'man, but reluctantly, because of the taint, which Rand just cleaned... You see what I mean. OK, moving on. Perrin is trying to find Faile, his wife, who was captured by a band of Shaido Aiel when she was hawking. He has the Prophet in tow, though, and is wary of him because instead of just 100 men like they agreed to, he brought several hundred. Perrin suspects an attempt on his life soon, and is extra cautious because Masema has not complained about the long route they have taken. Also, he has not objected to Traveling, which uses the One Power, which he believes is blasphemy unless you are the Dragon Reborn. Finally, he has been in contact with the Seanchan and Perrin is torn between getting the Prophet to Rand and getting Faile from the Shaido. Meanwhile, Elayne Trakand, the heir to the throne of Andor, is working to end the siege that other Houses have placed on Caemlyn, the capital of Andor, while trying to gain the support of enough major Houses to ascend to the throne, and she is doing this while pregnant. She also has to make a bargain with the Sea Folk so they will leave Andor, but they are well-known for good negotiating skills and she has to make sure to not agree to anything she does not want to agree to. This is another high-level book, but it is suspenseful and makes you want to read the next book (Knife of Dreams) in the series.]]> 2016-09-29 15:29:28 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127295443 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127306483 Harry Potter is a normal child who just happens to be an orphan and is being raised by his cruel aunt and uncle. Or so he thinks. Odd things always happen to him, like when his hair was cut and grew back in a day, or when he talked to a snake in the zoo who wanted to see Brazil. When mysterious letters appear addressed to Harry, his aunt and uncle move to a hut on a narrow spit of land by the sea. Finally, the deliverer catches up and gives Harry a letter of invitation for Hogwarts, the academy in Scotland for witches and wizards. When he gets there, many surprises await, but the biggest of all is the secret of the Philosopher's Stone, which is hidden from the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who tried to kill Harry when he was a little tiny baby.]]> 2016-09-29 15:54:53 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127306483 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127408737 This is a great book, but the wording is a bit hard to understand, as it was written around the end of the 1800s. It is about a professor who is invited on a boat to hunt a large narwhal that has been sinking ships all over the world. They find it but it easily outpaces the boat they are in, and finally strikes. The boat is not damaged, but the professor, his servant, Conseil, and the harpooner on board, Ned Land, are thrown overboard and end up on top of the thing, which turns out to be a large submarine (the first of its kind). They are taken prisoner on board and eventually become friends with the captain. They go on many adventures, including an undersea hunt, a visit to the ancient sunken continent Atlantis, and an encounter with giant squid. After 7 years, they become anxious to see land and devise an escape plan. If the captain (Captain Nemo) finds out about this, though, their chance of escape will vanish. This is a pretty high level book due to the wording, but I'm pretty sure abridged versions exist somewhere. Otherwise, it's a good book for anyone who likes adventure, science fiction, or action. ]]> 2016-09-29 21:48:04 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127408737 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127653110 In the 11th book of the Wheel of Time series (3 to go!), Egwene al'Vere, the captured rebel Amyrlin Seat, must plant seeds of discord among the Aes Sedai in the White Tower if the rebels are to succeed. Meanwhile, in Illian, the Sea Folk are electing a new leader, or Mistress of the Ships, when they find out that the land-dwelling Sea Folk on the island of Tremalking, the Amayar, have killed themselves because they believe that the time of illusion is coming to an end and they must leave this world. In Andor, Caemlyn is besieged, and Elayne must defeat the besiegers before Tarmon Gai'don, or the Last Battle. Signs that it is approaching are everywhere. Food spoils in hours, if not minutes, and in the Palace and the Stone of Tear, where Rand is, the corridors shift. In the Stone, Rand must crown the Steward of Tear for the Dragon Reborn the first King of Tear for thousands of years before the rebel Tairens overrun the Stone of Tear. Also, Rand must make a peace treaty with the Seanchan before Tarmon Gai'don, but when the messenger is one of the Forsaken, Semirhage, Rand has to fight for his life to avoid being collared with a Dominance Band, a device made during the Breaking of the World to control male channelers. (see bottom for more info) Meanwhile, Perrin has made a temporary alliance with the Seanchan to defeat a band of Shaido and rescue his wife, Faile. Mat has to convince Tuon, the Daughter of the Nine Moons, to become his wife, but when she finally decides, she is whisked back to Ebou Dar to be protected from Semirhage, who will do almost anything to see her dead. This is a high level book, and the next 3 books will be even higher levels, but it is the most dramatic and suspenseful yet. (Dominance band - consists of 1 collar and 2 leashes with bracelets on the other end. Made of black  cuendillar, which is indestructible, it is used by a woman who can channel to control males who can channel. It is flawed so that the collared will eventually be able to control the one wearing the bracelet unless both bracelets are used, each used by a separate female channeler. When the Seanchan got it, they made 6 copies. The original was cast to the bottom of the ocean.) ]]> 2016-09-30 22:25:07 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/127653110 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/128531039 In the prequel to The Eye of the World, Moiraine Damodred (remember, dead in the Fires of Heaven?) is an Accepted during the Aiel War, when Aiel attacked Cairhien because King Laman cut down a tree they gave Cairhien to make a throne, and has not bonded Lan Mandragoran as a Warder. Moiraine and Siuan Sanche, who are friends, are raised to Aes Sedai and have to find the Dragon Reborn, who was recently born according to Gitara Moroso, who Foretold when he was born. This book switches between Lan's point of view and Moiraine's. It is NOT a high level book and it is average length (for you, not me) (I think, it's hard to tell when you read 700 page books all the time) .This is a good book to start with if you are not sure whether or not you should read the series and just want to see the writing style Robert Jordan uses.]]> 2016-10-05 15:41:08 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/128531039 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/129146026 Sadly, the author of the Wheel of Time series, died in 2007. His greatest work was in progress. It was to be the last book in the series, and it was called A Memory of Light. Fortunately, he had made many notes and written all the main battles and he had the end of the series planned. His widow and author Brandon Sanderson made the story out of the pieces. It was too big. Mr. Sanderson split it into thirds, as it was 3 times as big as a standard Wheel of Time book. This is the first volume. 
 In Arad Doman, Rand struggles to maintain peace at the same time as trying to feed refugees, and he has to kill a Forsaken that lives somewhere in the countryside, Graendal. He thinks that she has kidnapped the king of Arad Doman, Alsalam, and added him to her pets, destroying his mind with Compulsion so he will serve her unquestioning until he dies. In Ghealdan, Perrin Aybara is still trying to find a way to control the wolf inside of him, but he is gradually losing control. Also, the ghost of his past, the Whitecloaks, are pursuing him on the charges that he is Shadowspawn because of his yellow eyes and a Darkfriend, for killing Whitecloaks when they killed his wolf friends in book 1. Mat, in Caemlyn, is still trying to evade the gholam, a creature made during the War of the Power to assassinate Aes Sedai. He found out that it was following him when it left a trail of people with ripped-out throats in its wake. It looks like an ordinary human, but it is boneless and nothing except Mat's foxhead medallion, which absorbs the One Power. The only way Mat can recognize it is by the scar he gave it when he touched the medallion to it the first time, while he was trying to get the Bowl of the Winds, in Ebou Dar (see The Gathering Storm). Will he make it to the Last Battle to sound the Horn of Valere, or will a new sounder need to be found in the little time they have before Tarmon Gai'don?]]> 2016-10-07 14:54:17 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/129146026 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/130473537 I'm almost done with the Wheel of Time. I have been waiting a long time to read this book.
Remember in The Fires of Heaven, when Moiraine Damodred tackled Lanfear into the twisted doorway? Well, they're not dead. Thom Merrilin received a letter from her before she died saying that she will be trapped in the world of the Aelfinn and the Eelfinn. The only way to enter their world without being taken out now is to go to the Tower of Ghenjei. To get in (it has no doors) you must carve a triangle with a wavy line through it on the surface of the tower with a bronze knife. But to get Moiraine out, Mat must bargain with the Eelfinn, and if he's not careful, the price could be death. The treaties that are in effect if you enter the doorways aren't in effect if you enter through the Tower until you get to the negotiation chamber, or Chamber of Bonds. Meanwhile, Rand knows that to fix the Dark One's prison, he must break the seals, but the Amyrlin Seat, Egwene, disagrees and gathers large forces on the Plain of Merrilor to convince him not to. Perrin Aybara must either confront the Whitecloaks or make peace with them. In his own camp, though, the identity of his wife's maid, Maighdin, is not what it seems. In the White Tower itself, Aes Sedai are being killed by mysterious assassins left behind after the Seanchan attacked. When Egwene is trying to kill a Forsaken, Mesaana, in Tel'aran'rhiod, or the World of Dreams, she sees Perrin, who is battling Slayer, who hunts Tel'aran'rhiod, known to wolves as the Wolf Dream, to kill wolves. Slayer has a strange device that blocks attempts to travel outside its range and disrupts Traveling in the waking world. Will any of them survive to see the Last Battle, or will all hope be lost before it has begun? This is yet another high-level read, but it is the most exciting one yet. ]]> 2016-10-13 15:08:27 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/130473537 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131008636 This is the 1st Harry Potter book to officially be performed onstage. It is only written in play form, not in regular book form. It starts out 19 years after the other Harry Potter books. Harry Potter's 2nd son, Albus, is going to Hogwarts, but he is worried about trying to live up to his father's reputation. He is put in Slytherin, a group of students in Hogwarts, which is one of four: Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Harry was in Gryffindor, the top rival of Slytherin, when he studied at Hogwarts, so Albus is even more depressed. When Amos Diggory, father of Cedric Diggory, who was killed because of Harry, asks Harry to use a Time-Turner, or device to travel back in time, to save Cedric, Harry says no, but Albus, who was listening in, decides to do it. With the help of his friend Scorpius, he tries to make sure Cedric isn't killed, but he sets time all wrong, and on top of that, the girl they had been working with, Delphini, turned out to be the secret daughter of Lord Voldemort. Now, Albus and Scorpius have to set time right and capture Delphini, but when she uses a Time-Turner to bring them back in time and then breaks it, they have to figure out how to stop her while stuck 23 years in the past. This is a good book for anyone, but there is a lot of backstory and you really should start with book 1.]]> 2016-10-16 23:26:46 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131008636 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131163988 In this book, Mr. Utterson, a lawyer, has to figure out why Dr. Jekyll, a respectable London doctor, is leaving everything in his will to the despicable Mr. Hyde, who is known for trampling a small child and who seems to be deformed, although no deformity is noticed on him, and for exuding an aura that makes those around him hate him intensely. But this secret could destroy a man's soul forever, and it already has. This is a good book. In fact, it is considered a classic. It does have some older language, but there are abridged versions. In fact, I read the abridged version before I read the original. ]]> 2016-10-17 14:45:54 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131163988 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131181336 This is it - the last book in the series- the most exciting one yet. There are 4 battlefronts for the Last Battle - Caemlyn, where Trollocs and Myrddraal (the soldiers of the Shadow and their commanders) have invaded it by a Waygate, an Ogier creation that allows the user to travel long distances outside the real world using a system of bridges, ramps, and marked stones. The 2nd battlefront is Tarwin's Gap, where al'Lan Mandragoran is fighting Trollocs, Myrddraal, and Dreadlords, who are men and women who can channel and turned to the Shadow. The 3rd battlefront is in Kandor, where Shadowspawn (term used for Trollocs, Myrddraal, and the like) have overrun the watchtowers and taken over the north. The final battlefront is at Shayol Ghul, the mountain in the Blight that the Dark One's power is most focused on. Rand and his army is scouting out this battlefront, and is getting ready to seize Thakan'dar, the valley at the base of Shayol Ghul. Rand must fight the Dark One in Shayol Ghul and doesn't want to be overrun by Shadowspawn while doing it. When he enters the Pit of Doom, the lava lake inside Shayol Ghul where the Dark One is most concentrated, he brings a dagger-shaped ter'angreal that hides him from the Dark One's eyes. The Dark One doesn't even know he is there until he says his true name, Shai'tan. But when Rand gets to the Pit, the lava is gone and there is just blackness. Also, there is Moridin, one of the Forsaken, Ishamael reborn. He is sword-fighting with Rand when Rand's foot touches the darkness. He is transported outside the Pattern and can actually sort of see it being woven. All of a sudden, the Dark One speaks to him and then rushes towards him with all of his strength. In Kandor, Thakan'dar, and Shienar (Tarwin's Gap), the commanders are being controlled by Compulsion. In Cairhien, where Elayne's forces have been driven, the commander, Davram Bashere, is a Darkfriend. They are all relieved of duty, and new commanders are chosen. In Kandor, the Sharans, people from the other side of the Aiel Waste, appear through a giant gateway and start fighting for the Shadow. The are under Demandred (Forsaken), who is known to them as... wait for it... Bao the Wyld. The Sharans quickly take over the camp and they must find a new one. Fortunately for them, the Seanchan are on their side and soon attack the Sharans. Their cavalry is better than the Sharans' and they soon defeat a large portion of them and capture a female Ayyad (Sharan channeler). The battle seems to be going good for the Light... except in Cairhien. At least, until the Asha'man who weren't Turned to the Shadow or became Dreadlords arrived. The soon make circles and the Trollops are swept away by lava, as they opened large gateways into Dragonmount, which is a volcano. But outside the Pattern, the fights not going well for Rand. If he cannot control himself, the Dark One could escape his prison and ravage the world. This is not the longest book, but it is the most exciting one of all. If you haven't read 1-13, though, it makes no sense at all. It is pretty high-level, but it is a satisfying end to a satisfying series.]]> 2016-10-17 15:24:33 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131181336 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131940460 This is a collection of [mostly] funny short stories by one of the most famous authors of all time. It ranges from the hilarious The McWilliams's Burglar Alarm to the more serious The Mysterious Stranger. In The McWilliams's Burglar Alarm, the McWilliamses decide to install a then-new burglar alarm, which stays silent and goes off at the wrong times. In The Mysterious Stranger, 3 boys in a rural town in Austria find a new friend who has mysterious powers and calls himself Satan, yet claims not to be the Devil, but his nephew. This is pretty easy to understand, considering the language used at the time it was written, and it is good for people who like a good laugh. ]]> 2016-10-19 22:29:00 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131940460 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131941806 In this book, Milo, an adopted child, lives in a smuggler's inn that his parents run, which is called Greenglass House, due to the beautiful stained glass windows it contains. It is the beginning of the winter vacation, and Milo is looking forward to a week without guests to spend time with his family. All of a sudden, mysterious guests start arriving. Soon, there are 5, and Milo's vacation seems to be ruined. But then items that are precious to the guests disappear, and Milo must figure out who the thief is and where the items are. It seems that the excitement is over once the items are found, but that is not so. The house is still full of surprises, including a stained glass window design by one of the best makers, a ghost, and a customs agent that wants to find an object a famous smuggler hid inside right before his death. This is a book that anyone could read, no big words, and average length. It's a good book for people who like mystery books.]]> 2016-10-19 22:44:23 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/131941806 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/132364034 This is a nonfiction book about one of the most powerful weapons created by mankind; the atomic bomb. It starts from the beginning, when Otto Frisch and Lise Mietner discovered the fission of uranium atoms, to the devastating bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. It is full of pictures, it´s not very long, and it is explained in simple language instead of technical terms. It reads more like a novel than a nonfiction book and each chapter ends with a suspenseful cliffhanger. It is a multilevel book, good for anyone who wants to learn the truth about the uranium and plutonium bombs.]]> 2016-10-21 14:51:36 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/132364034 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133038273 In this book, Riley, a boy in Victorian London, is an assassin´s apprentice. The assassin is named Albert Garrick, and he has been hired to kill someone. On this night, Riley will be making his first kill. When they get there, though, the man expected them and activates a mysterious pendant that transports him and Riley, who was not trying to stab him but ended up doing it anyway due to Garrick, who pushed his knife arm forward, into the future. The man, Charles Smart, is dead due to his knife wound. He also has a simian arm and yellow blood, because the wormhole they went through disassembled his atoms and put them together wrong. When in the future, Riley meets Chevron Savano, an American agent stationed there for a while. They must outrun Garrick when he finds a way to follow them to the future, and when they go back to Victorian London. Also, they must avoid the Battering Rams, a notorious gang on the streets of London. This is a good book for all levels. It might not look like much, but when you finish, 
you will be wishing for more. Good thing there is another book in this series.]]> 2016-10-25 15:08:19 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133038273 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133042721 In the next book of the WARP series, Chevron accidentally messed up history when they went back in time, so there is an alternate reality when she returns to the future. Colonel Box took over the world and there is a dictatorship now in place. She has to remember who she really is and return to Victorian London to fix what she did and return the world to the way it was before the colonel launches missiles from the future at all the important political centers and establishes the dictatorship. This is another thrilling book, and you´ll really hope for more when you finish this one. Once again, this is an all-level book ]]> 2016-10-25 15:17:20 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133042721 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133645546 In this book, set in the early 20th century, Bella, an Italian immigrant, finds work at a shirtwaist factory, where she meets Yetta, a Russian immigrant. When the bosses start treating the workers unfairly, they go on strike for several weeks, where they attract the attentions of rich women who want to help. It is there that Bella and Yetta meet Jane, the daughter of a rich man. She understands the girls for real, unlike other upper-class women, and when she finds out that her father´s money comes from girls like these, she runs away and lives in the same tenement as Yetta and Bella. The become close friends quickly. But when a cigarette butt catches the clothes on fire in the factory, will they all come out unscathed? This is a sad book, but it is good nonetheless. The fire actually did happen, and many lives were lost in it due to unsafe procedures exercised by the factory owners.]]> 2016-10-27 14:54:11 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/133645546 lucas_babst https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/134492159 In this novel, the poles have shifted and destroyed civilization as we know it, and the remaining people created a medieval society. Sophia Bellamy, the daughter of a wealthy man, likes to go from Commonwealth (Britain) to the Sunken City (Paris) where she rescues rich people from the Razor, a guillotine. When Albert LeBlanc, Ministre of Security for the Sunken City, comes to Commonwealth on a quest to find the Red Rook, as she is known, she must rescue her brother, Tom, who is captured on the charges of being the Red Rook. This is an exciting, futuristic novel good for people of all levels. ]]> 2016-11-01 14:33:40 UTC https://padlet.com/jana_wright1/2r1d9sjx89o8/wish/134492159