Throughout history, you'll find many true stories of courage and survival that have us asking those same questions.

I just finished I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai.  It was terrifying, humbling, and inspiring!

At the age of 16, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban for being an outspoken activist for the education of girls in her home country, Pakistan.  She not only survived, but has turned a horrific act of violence into a shining example of courage, resilience, and commitment.   If you haven't seen her interview with Jon Stewart from The Daily Show - check it out and you will see for yourself just how amazing she is! http://bit.ly/free2learn

Have you ever wondered about your own “Personal Legend”? Ever wonder if you’ll do what makes you truly happy, or will you end up following the path set by the society around you? The Alchemist is a captivating story of a boy named Santiago in search of his own “Personal Legend”. Santiago is a shepherd, and his father gave him three gold coins to buy a flock of sheep and travel the countryside after Santiago expressed his dreams of traveling the world.

One day, traveling through a town, he sought out a gypsy who was known to interpret dreams. Santiago had a recurring dream in which a child transported him to the Egyptian pyramids and told him this is where he would find his “life’s treasure,” and discover his “Personal Legend”. The gypsy makes an agreement with Santiago, explaining he does not have to pay for the reading but he must give her one tenth of the treasure he finds in Egypt. Read The Alchemist to discover if Santiago ever finds his purpose in life.

Have you ever wondered why teen romance novels are so popular? Ever felt like there's more to life than reading about blood suckers? Well do I have news for you! P.C. Cast is a well-known author; her mythological mindset works wonders on creating intriguing, eye-catching novels. Most of her book series have raging themes of  goddesses and dark magic who encounter life changing experiences.  

 I just finished Elphame’s Choice by P.C. Cast. The book was mysterious and inspiring, not to mention full of cliffhangers that will leave you begging for more.

 From birth, Elphame was born with the mark of the Goddess Epona. Her mother Etain was the chosen one by Epona to become the Goddess Incarnate of Partholon. Her husband Midhir, is a Centaur who was destined to be Etain’s lifemate. Together they gave birth to Elphame: a half human half centaur. From birth, her “blessings” were to be worshipped. Although, with her blessings, came with a not-so-easy-life. She was set apart from everyone else, with no connections to others. She had no friends, nor had she ever experienced love. People were afraid to touch her and never came close. She felt abandoned and alone, all she could ever do was run. Although with her dreams of restoring the old battle ground of MacCallan Castle and her brother Cuchulainn by her side, anything was possible. There she would encounter friendships, new powers and mysterious forbidden love. With madness filling the pages, this is a book you will never want to put down.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Those that are fans of the paranormal, supernatural beings and events, along with a dash of romance will love The Raven Boys. The book centers around a girl named Blue Sargent, who is the daughter of a clairvoyant. Her mother has told her that if she were to ever kiss her true love, then he would die. So, things get complicated when she meets Gansey, whom she saw his future ghost earlier. Snarky teenagers, angst, friendships, sibling relationships, romance-- this book has everything a high school student can relate to, except for the clairvoyance part.

I'm currently re-reading SF. I love Vonnegut because he is dark but funny, weird but powerful. Can't wait to share this with my students!

In Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut combines aspects of the real world with those of science fiction. Told by Billy Pilgrim, a World War II veteran and prisoner of war, the story tells of the gruesome events at Dresden, Germany. Held in an old, abandoned, underground meat locker and slaughterhouse, Pilgrim and his fellow POWs are kept safe from the fiery inferno above them. After his release, Pilgrim struggles to write and tell of his experience in the war. The story jumps from present day to memories, with a bit of an extraterrestrial twist. This is a very psychological novel that poses questions about time and what it really means to be alive. Anyone who loves books that intertwine historical events with science-fiction should definitely pick up this book.

The Adventures and Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a gripping collection of short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It beautifully illustrates the immensely clever and elaborate deductive mind of Sherlock and his companion, Doctor John Watson. Set in the 1800’s, Sherlock Holmes, armed with his cutting wit and piercing insight, solves a myriad of crimes and proves to the world that he is the best literary detective ever known.  Follow them through cases that will leave you confused, amazed, and wanting more.

Eleanor & Park is a quirky and intriguing story of the “weird” kids in high school who don’t fit in with the “popular” crowd. Eleanor is an overweight young woman with red hair and funky clothes. She is new to school, so she is immediately judged. Park, on the other hand, is an Asian boy who enjoys comics. They are both outcasts in their school who must unwillingly sit next to each other on the school bus on Eleanor’s first day. Because they do not fit in, they bond over feeling alone. At first, they barely speak a word to one another, but as the story progresses, Park begins to show that he genuinely cares about Eleanor. He brings her comics to read and mix tapes to listen to, and eventually, their love for each other blossoms. This clever plotline is sure to pull at your heartstrings, and you will find yourself rooting for the love of these two misfits.

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf is the chilling story of how Derf’s childhood friend turned out to be one of America’s most controversial serial killers. My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel that is also illustrated by Backderf. He details the high school antics of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, which include his alcoholism, problems at home, and crude comedic stunts that he performed for his friends. Backderf recounts the backstory of a relatively normal person who went on to commit 16 murders, as well as acts of necrophilia and cannibalism.

My Friend Dahmer is entertaining and informative. It brilliantly displays how sociopaths and psychopaths can be hiding in plain sight. Backderf is an intelligent narrator on a story that captured the attention of millions of Americans.

Were you one of the over 26 million people who tuned into watch the BCS National Championship where Alabama beat Notre Dame 42-14?  This was the second-most watched sporting event in 2013, just behind the Super Bowl.  But have you always wondered what goes on when the cameras are turned off, or how the NCAA is just a business looking to make the greatest profit?

Probably the most interesting and shocking books I have ever read.  The System tells you the inside stories behind these powerhouse football programs and how they have become successful and continue to recruit the best athletes around the country.  It also goes into how the NCAA is able to regulate recruiting violations and making sure players don’t receive special treatment off the field.  Plus, it relates how these powerhouses make it almost impossible for smaller schools to even compete in Division 1 college football.  

If you are really into college football and want to see the dirty truths about the big business that is the NCAA and college football, The System is the perfect book for you.

I just read Looking for Alaska by John Green.  Pudge, the main character, is obsessed with people’s last words and that was his whole world before he went to Culver Creek Boarding School. Pudge had a boring life before he went to boarding school because he had no friends. When he goes to Culver Creek, his life changes completely and Pudge makes lots of friends and even meets a girl that he falls in love with. Pudge and his friends play pranks, get in trouble, and have fun.  One of his good friends that he meets, whose name is Alaska, gets into a horrible accident. Pudge and his friends start an investigation to find out what exactly happened to her. Read the book and find out for yourself!

Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace by Lawrence Lessig

Ever thought about reading something with so much knowledge and user base with world-wide computer research, programming, numbers, and statistics? Ever think you would read something that’s the handbook to computer protocol codes and script lines? As I picked up this book and briefly skimmed through some pages what caught my eye the most was HTTP, TCP/IP protocols, open code, UDP, and more informational terms. Many knowledge based computer or information novels never seem to give as much detail as I found in Mr. Lessig's book.

He starts off the book with what everyone involved in computers always wants to put first: privacy and Security. He starts off talking about how everything entered on a computer, even this that I am writing right now and submitting, everything online goes through code databases, scans your computer, and reports back to the home network that will then monitor and log what has been done in that session. Such examples would include searching facebook, writing this book review, and, better yet, all the downloads someone has on their computer are monitored when and after downloaded. These systems allow people to figure out who’s using legal programs and who’s not. The message, “Illegal copy of downloaded book,” for instance, once you download a book from a leaked source is computed back to a home data center.

Lawrence Lessig uses his knowledge of his years of research and implements these ideas and information into his book, allowing straight from the start an understanding of everything he talks about, like detailed descriptions of all vocabulary words used in systematic coding and more. I can say reading through the book from start to finish everything I read was in sequence from what you should know.

The end this book really revealed the cyber space around the world and how things operate. Among many of these books I really think the understanding for the individual reading it is better in this case than most. Lessig really makes the reader understand what he’s trying to tell and get across, so the point of what he’s teaching you comes across dead on point.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be lost out in the wilderness alone? What you would do to survive? Or, on the other hand, what would you do if one of your loved ones was lost in the wilderness? How would you deal with the stress of just not knowing the state of your loved one?

There has been countless ordeals of search and rescue, but you never really get to see all of the individual stories.

I just finished reading The Last Season by Eric Blehm, and this book gave a huge insight into the world of search and rescue missions out in the wilderness. This book gives an in depth look into the life of Randy Morgenson, a backcountry ranger who was notorious for finding lost hikers better than anyone else. However, one day, he himself is believed to be lost, injured, or dead. This book gives an amazing insight on people’s mindset and determination during a search and rescue mission. Everyone is puzzled about how this seasoned ranger professional goes missing, for Randy was one of the most iconic rangers around. He had spent most of his life in the backcountry and he acquired an infinite knowledge of its infinite wonders. Unfortunately, a deeper look into Randy's life shows that he was going through hardships. He and his wife were not doing well, bills upon bills were stacked high, so some began to wonder: Does Randy even want to be found? Read this book to find out just what happened to Randy Morgenson.