What I Read Wednesday

Last Wednesday snuck up on me. It was halfway over before I realized it was Wednesday. Then I realized that I'd of the four books I'd read, they were all from the same series… which is kind of boring for a blog post.

The Gatekeepers #1: Raven's Gate
I read this entire series, all five books. I'm not going to link to all of them because that would be redundant. The premise of the series is that there are five Gatekeepers who exist throughout time to keep the Old Ones (evil forces) from returning and bringing forth devastation on the world. The catch is in present time, they don't know that they're Gatekeepers and must discover not only each other but their powers and their role in this task.
I started reading this series because I noticed many of my male students reading it, and I always try to pick up on YA books that may be interesting to boys since they're a more difficult group, typically, to get reading. I really enjoyed this. It was well-written, with each book initially building on a different character, until they were all brought together. I also liked that the books got longer as they progressed, but they're still a lower lexile level, so they could be tackled by all readers.

Siege and Storm (Grisha Trilogy (Shadow and Bone))
This is the sequel to Shadow and Bone, which I reviewed two weeks ago. It continues with Alina using her sun summoning forces to fight the powers of darkness and attempt to bring unity in the magic world. This one was a little darker than the first, but still an easy enjoyable read.

Blood Will Out: The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade
This book was fascinating, albeit a little chilling. How well do we really know people? In the true (this is non-fiction) case of the author and Clark Rockefeller, not well at all. Walter Kirn first made his acquaintance when Clark wanted to adopt a crippled dog from the Humane Society. Walter drove and flew the dog cross states, delivering it to the mysterious Rockefeller. Although Clark had traits and quirks that bothered him over time, he attributed it to the oddness of money and his reclusive ways. Until the news broke that his name wasn't really Clark and oh, he wasn't a Rockefeller, and the author met him again in a courtroom as he was being tried for murder. As his many aliases and lies unfolded, the author questions just what it is that makes a person create a life and what makes one susceptible to such a con man.

Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest for Primitive Art
Unlike the previous book, this one is about an actual Rockefeller. In the 1950s and 60s, Michael Rockefeller traveled to New Guinea in search of primitive art. All goes well, until a boat he and a companion were on capsized. The companion stayed with the boat and was rescued. Michael swam to shore and was never seen again, even after an exhaustive search (after all, he was the son of Nelson Rockefeller). The family's and government's official statement was that he drowned, but for years, rumors persisted that he made it to shore safely, where he was killed and eaten by a tribe of Armat men, who believed still that cannibalism held powers.
The author of this novel sought to retrace Michael's steps and solve this mystery, so the novel juxtaposed history with the author's present day observations in what is still a very primitive culture. This was a fascinating read about an event of which I was unaware. I enjoyed it anthropologically and for the story the author wove.

What are you reading?