ALEXIS BOOKTALKS for Spring 2020

These are the ones completed before spring break:

ALEXIS BOOKTALKS – spring 2020
The following is a list of books personally recommended by my English 9 and English 11 students.


Babbitt, Natalie – Tuck Everlasting- The Tuck family tries to live as comfortably as they can. When Winnie Foster, a ten year-old girl, runs away from her home, she finds the Tuck family and learns about their secret: drinking from a mysterious creek that makes people immortal. “I enjoyed this book because I’ve never read a book similar to this.” [Arielle Marfaing, grade eleven]
Ball, John- In the Heat of the Night – This novel is an intriguing mystery that shows examples of discrimination against African Americans before the Civil Rights movement. A black detective from California is implicated in a murder in Mississippi; he ends up helping the police department in more ways than one. “Not only is this intriguing to read, but it also shows insight into America’s history.” [Caitlyn Mackinnon, grade eleven]
Cameron, Bruce – A Dog’s Purpose – This is a novel about how the pets we love are never really gone. It shows the journey of one dog’s soul travelling through different lives. The soul falls in love with one certain owner and spends all her lives trying to get that owner back while still living their current life. This book captures that journey beautifully. “You should read this because it gives you an insight that animals have feelings too, and it fuels the creative side of your mind when you think about where a pet you lost might be today.” [Kaylee Heal, grade nine]
Green, John – The Fault in our Stars – This novel is about tow sixteen year olds, Hazel and Augustus. They meet at a cancer support group and fall in love almost immediately. Hazel gives Augustus her favourite book, and they fly to Amsterdam with Augustus’ wish to meet the author. While in Amsterdam, Augustus tells Hazel how his cancer came back and is now worse than ever. “I liked this book because it’s a great love story with a very sad ending. Everyone should read this because it’s entertaining and it will make you cry in the best way possible.” [Maddie Stokovac, grade nine]
Haig, Matt – The Humans- This book is about an alien who goes to Earth to replace university mathematics professor, Andrew Martin, who recently discovered a world changing equation. This equation would allow space travel, teleportation, and many futuristic technologies. The alien’s job is to eliminate anyone who could have known about this finding. Along the way, he finds love, empathy, and makes a choice that will affect him forever. “This book has amazing insights on humans and our way of living. It provides a great amount of detail and philosophy, all told through a unique point of view.” [Thomas Dubouchet, grade nine]
Harari, Yuval Noah – Sapiens- This book is about people and the place where they started, with further exploration of their development of social beings. “This is a series book and is rather complicated, but human development is explained in an amusing way. Everyone interested in comparative cultures should read this book.” [Kamilla Kon, grade eleven]
Nasar, Sylvia - A Beautiful Mind – This is a biography of the life of John Nash, a mathematician from Princeton. The book discusses Nash’s battle with mental illness during the 40’s and 50’s and went on to win the Nobel Prize. “I enjoyed this book because it’s a true story about a very fascinating person.” [Owen Caswell, grade eleven]
Salisbury, Harrison E. – The 900 Days; the Siege of Leningrad – This is a historical and true documentation of the Siege of Leningrad, from the perspectives of soldiers, citizens, and officers. Its information comes from diaries, journals, official documents, eye witness statements, newspapers and papers which were thought to be destroyed. The 900 days dates from before Germany declared war to after winter and their retreat. “It’s history and it truly captures the horrors of war; others should learn of the deeds done to survive in harsh times.” [Shane Mester, grade eleven]
Satrapi, Marjane – Persepolis- This is a memoir in the form of a graphic novel of Satrapi growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The story is a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. “I liked this book because it shows how we carry on with laughter and tears in the face of absurdity.” [Parastoo Chanbari, grade eleven]
Siepmann, Jeremy – Franz Liszt – This is a biography about a great piano composer who took piano to its extreme point. He was famous for having big hands, and he created pieces that are extremely difficult to play. “If you like classical music or piano, I recommend this book.” [Amir Farhadpor, grade eleven]
Silvera, Adam – They Both Die at the End – This novel is about two characters named Rufus and Mateo. They both get a call from something called “Death-Cast.” This is a phonecall people get when they’re going to die within the next twenty-four hours. They both meet using an App named “last friend,” and they spend their last day together. “I really like this book because there is a lot of suspense. You don’t know when they are going to die, or how.” [Nayu Nickolichuk, grade nine]
Walters, Eric – Innocent- A girl named Betty used to live in an orphanage that got destroyed by a fire. She takes a job as a maid in Kingston, Ontario, by wealthy people. Betty starts to make friends with the staff at the house; she soon discovers that her mother had also been a maid there and her dad is in a nearby jail, accused of murdering her mother. When she meets her dad, he claims that he is innocent, and she tries to find out the truth about her mother’s murder and her father’s innocence. “I liked this book because the author has written Betty well enough that you find yourself interested in her story.” [Yasamin Amiri, grade nine]
Zusak, Markus – The Book Thief – A young German girl, Liesel Meminger, is an orphan living in the residence of the Hubermann family. Liesel was heavily affected by the death of her brother, but with the loving car of Hans Hubermann, Liesel’s foster father, she finds joy in reading books and expanding her vocabulary. She becomes known as the “Book Thief” after stealing numerous books during the book burnings in Nazi Germany. “This by far my favourite book because it was a captivating story narrated by Death. Everyone should read it because it is an easy-read and it will leave you satisfied in the end. [Nadryan Signson, grade eleven]

Alexis' Favourite Books (including Drama)

The following is a list of novels and plays (some short stories and autobiographies) which I have enjoyed enormously. I urge you to keep this list for further reference in your life as a reader of literature.

Achebe, Chinuah (Nigeria), Things Fall Apart
Adiche, Chimamanda Ngozi (Nigeria), Americanah
Alighieri, Dante (Italy), Inferno [poetry]
Atwood, Margaret (Canada), Alias Grace
Atwood, Margaret (Canada), The Handmaid's Tale
Austen, Jane (England), Pride and Prejudice
Balzac, Honore de (France), Pere Goriot
Boyden, Joseph (Canada), Through Black Spruce
Boyne, John (Ireland), The Heart’s Invisible Furies
Russell Banks (U.S.A.), The Sweet Hereafter
Barberry, Muriel France), The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Beckett, Samuel (Ireland), Endgame [drama]
Bezmogis, David (Canada), Natasha and other Stories [short stories]
Brodsky, Joseph (Russia), Nativity [poetry]
Bronte, Charlotte (England), Jane Eyre
Browder, Bill (U.S.A.), Red Notice
Bryson, Bill (England/U.S.A.) A Walk in the Woods
Bulgakov, Mikhail (Russia), Master and Margarita
Camus, Albert (Algeria), The Plague
Canetti, Elias (Germany), Auto da FÃ
Chopin, Kate (U.S.A.), The Awakening
Coetze, J. M. [South Africa], Elizabeth Costello
Conrad, Joseph (England), Heart of Darkness
Cooper, J. California (U.S.A.), Homemade Love
Coyote, Ivan E. (Canada), Loose End [Narrative Essays]
Davies, Robertson (Canada), The Deptford Trilogy
Dickens, Charles (England), David Copperfield
de Berniere, Louis (England), Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor (Russia), Brothers Karamazov
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor (Russia), Crime and Punishment
Douglass, Frederick (U.S.A.), Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave [autobiography]
Doyle, Roddy (Ireland), The Woman Who Walked into Doors
Dreiser, Theodore (U.S.A.), Sister Carrie
Eco, Umberto [Italy], The Name of the Rose
Eliot, George (England), Middlemarch
Ellison, Ralph (U.S.A.), The Invisible Man
Emecheta, Buchi (Nigeria), Second-Class Citizen
Everisto, Bernadine (England), Girl, Woman, Other
Faulkner, William (U.S.A.), Absolom! Absolom!
Ferrante, Elena (Italy), My Brilliant Friend
Fielding, Helen (England), Bridget Jones' Diary
Flaubert, Gustave (France), Madame Bovary
Flagg, Fanny (U.S.A.), Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
Findley, Timothy (Canada) Not Wanted on the Voyage
Forster, E.M. (England), Howard's End
Foster, Cecil (Canada), No Man in the House
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel (Columbia) One Hundred Years of Solitude
Goethe, J.W. Von. (Germany), The Sorrows of Young Werther
Gogol, Nikolai (Russia), Dead Souls
Golden, Arthur (U.S.A.), Memoirs of a Geisha
Grass, Gunther (Germany), The Tin Drum
Graves, Robert (England), I, Claudius.
Gurnah, Abdulrazak (Tanzania), By the Sea
Haley, Alex (U.S.A.), The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Hamsen, Knut (Norway), Hunger
Hardy, Thomas (Britain), The Return of the Native
Hegi, Ursula (Germany), Stones from the River
Hill, Lawrence (Canada), The Illegal
Hornby, Nick (England), High Fidelity
Hurston, Zora Neale (U.S.A.), Their Eyes Were Watching God
Hughes, Langston (U.S.A.), The Ways of White Folks [Short Fiction]
Ibsen, Henrik (Norway), The Wild Duck
Irving, John (U.S.A.), A Prayer for Owen Meany
Ishiguro, Kazuo (England), The Remains of the Day
Kafka, Franz (Czech.), The Metamorphosis
Kerouac, Jack (U.S.A), On the Road
Kesey, Ken (U.S.A.), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Kincaid, Jamaica (Antigua), Annie John
Kingsolver, Barbara (U.S.A.) The Bean Trees
Kingsolver, Barabara (U.S.A.) The Poisonwood Bible
Knausgaard, Karl Ove (Norway) Boyhood Island
Kundera, Milan (Czech.), The Joke
Lamb, Wally (U.S.A.), I Know this Much is True
Lansing, Alfred (U.S.A.), Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
Lee, Harper (U.S.A.), To Kill a Mockingbird
Lee, Min Jin (U.S.A.), Pachinko
Levin, Ira (U.S.A.), This Perfect Day
Lindsay, Jeff (U.S.A.), The Dexter Series
MacDonald, Anne-Marie (Canada), Fall on your Knees
Mahfouz, Naguib (Egypt), Palace Walk
Martel, Yann (Canada), The Life of Pi
Mann, Thomas (Germany), Death in Venice
McCourt, Frank (U.S.A.), Angela's Ashes
McDougall, Christopher (U.S.A.), Born to Run
Miller, Sue (U.S.A.), While I Was Gone
Mistry, Rohinton (U.S.A.), Such a Long Journey
Moliere (France), The Misanthrope
Mosley, Nicholas (Britain), Hopeful Monsters
Morrison, Toni (U.S.A.), Beloved
Murakami, Haruki (Japan), Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Munro, Alice (Canada), Open Secrets
Nabakov, Vladmir (Russia), Lolita
Naipaul, V.S. (Britain), A House for Mr. Biswas
Niffenegger, Audrey (U.S.A.), The Time Traveler’s Wife
Ng, Celeste U.S.A.), Little Fires Everywhere
Orwell, George (England), Down and Out in Paris and London
Pasternak, Boris (Russia),Doctor Zhivago
Perotta, Tom (U.S.A.), Little Children
Pinter, Harold (England), The Homecoming [drama]
Proulx, E. Anne (Canada), The Shipping News
Roth, Joseph (Austria), The Radetzky March
Roth, Philip (U.S.A.), The Human Stain
Roy, Gabrielle (Canada), The Tin Flute
Rushdie, Salman (Pakistan), Midnight's Children
Salinger, J.D. (U.S.A.), Catcher in the Rye
See, Lisa (U.S.A.), Snowflower and the Secret Flower
Shields, Carol (Canada), Larry's Party
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander (Russia), A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Stendahl (France), Scarlet and Black
Stockett, Kathryn (U.S.A.), The Help
Stoppard, Tom (U.S.A.), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead [drama]
Strout, Elizabeth (U.S.A.) Olive Kitteridge [short stories]
Styron, William (U.S.A.), Sophie's Choice
Swift, Jonathan (Ireland), Gulliver's Travels
Tan, Amy (U.S.A.), The Kitchen God's Wife
Tolstoy, Leo (Russia), Anna Karenina
Tremblay, Michel (Canada), Les Belles Soeurs [drama]
Trollope, Anthony [England], Barchester Towers
Walker, Alice (U.S.A.), The Colour Purple
Wells, Rebecca (U.S.A.), The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood
Wharton, Edith (U.S.A.), The House of Mirth
White, Edmund (U.S.A.), A Boy's Own Story
Wilde, Oscar (England), The Picture of Dorian Gray
Williams, Tennessee (U.S.A.) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof [drama]
Wright, Richard (U.S.A.), Native Son
Zafon, Carlos Ruiz (Spain), The Shadow of the Wind
Zola, Emile (France), Germinal
June 2020

Eng. 9 - May 11 - 15

We will be discussing the final chapters of Absolutely True Diary on Tuesday, May 12. We will be discussing THEMES in group presentations on Thursday, May 14th. Next week we start A Midsummer Night's Dream! Don't forget your composition is due Wednesday. All details are posted in MS Teams in our Notebook or in Assignments.

Eng. 11 - May 11-15

To remind you - your BIG CHARACTER DIAGNOSIS presentation is due THURSDAY, May 14.  We will be presenting on SYMBOLS on Friday - both instructions, groups and pages are posted in CLASS NOTEBOOK - Collab is to be used for your notes to present.  We will be aiming to have our last discussion on the novel Tuesday, May 19th, but realistically need one more day to fully discuss themes.  We will only have a very short time for "The Scottish Play," which usually takes 5 weeks IRL, but we'll do our best.

Eng. 12 - May 11-15

On Tuesday we will be reading as much of Act I of Othello as we can. We will be discussing Act One on Friday - so you will be responsible for reading much of Act One on your own. Three scenes = three pages of "scene notes." All of this is posted in Teams - under "Othello Unit Plan," in CLASS NOTEBOOK. Please sign up for "If we Have Time" parts for tomorrow (Tuesday, May 12).

Lit 12 - May 11-15

On Wednesday we will be discussing "Pretty" by Stevie Smith, and finishing "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night." On Friday, we will be discussing our last Modern poem: "Disembarking at Quebec." Please post in the channels 24 hours before class so I can make a discussion sheet, and then discuss briefly with your groups before class.

Eng. 12 - May 5- May 8

Our final character presentations will be Wed. May 6. We will start OTHELLO on Friday May 8 at 10:00!

Eng. 9 - May5 - May 8

We will be discussing Ch. 19-24 on Thursday - make sure to post on Channels and discuss your group questions. Your COMICS were due today. Your compositions on My Struggle are due on May 13. Our final class on Absolutely True Diary will be on Tuesday, May 12 at 11:00 - we will have a presentation on Themes and the final chapters of the novel.

Lit. 12 - May 5- May 8

We will be discussing "Second Coming" on Thursday, and "Do Not Go Gentle" on Monday. Please make sure to post in the channels ahead of time.

Eng. 11 - May 5 - May 8

We will be discussing Ch. 16-24 (as far as we can go) Thursday, May 7. We will be having a final character diagnosis/theme presentation at the end of the unit. Symbol discussion on Mon. May 11. Final Chapter + themes on May 14. We'll be wrapping up the novel Tues. May 19.

Lit 12 - May 27-May 1

Tuesday, April 28 - we will be going over your personal essays and getting into groups for "The Hollow Men." Thursday, April 30 - we will be presenting out group findings of "The Hollow Men."

Next week "The Second Coming" and "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."

Eng. 12 - April 27-May 1

This week we will be finishing the novel - had our discussion on the final chapters + some themes. Final BNW class is on Thursday, April 30 at 11:00. Groups will present (much like last week). Next week...OTHELLO!

Eng. 11 - April 27- May 1 and beyond...

This week we will be reading Ch. 15 aloud (Tuesday, April 28) and discussing Ch. 15-20 on Friday. Make sure you are taking notes on the different characters - what symptoms are they showing? We will be having a character discussion (in groups) on Tuesday, May 5. Discussing Ch. 21-26 on Thursday, May 7. Symbol discussion on Mon. May 11. Final Chapter + themes on May 14. We'll be wrapping up the novel Tues. May 19.

Eng. 9 - April 27-May 1

We will be discussing characters on Tuesday,m April 28 - so make sure you have some notes - I have your groups under "Class Notebook" under "character" - I will be giving time for you to collaborate. On Thursday, April 30, we will be discussing Ch. 13-18. Make sure you have posted your Q&Q and remember to answer other people's by Wednesday morning. Continue to read on and do your own QQ, with the idea that we will be discussing 19-24 on Thursday, May 7. Comic strips are due Tuesday, May 5 at 11:00 when we will share.

Eng. 11 - April 20-24

This week we will be discussing Ch. 7-14 on Thursday at 2:00 (will always be our class time). Make sure you have your own QQ for each chapter (combine Ch.11-14 as they are very short), then post a Q or Q and answer someone else's. Make sure you are taking notes on Symbol, Theme, and Character, as we will be having assignments on those at a later date. Next Tuesday (April 28) we will be reading aloud Ch.15 with people taking roles. I will post a sign up page at a later date. It's important for you to post your QQ's at least a day ahead of our discussion, as I take our class discussion QQ's from you. See you Thursday!

Eng. 9 - April 20-24

Hi all - make sure you're ready for our class on Wednesday at 10:00 by doing your QQ for Ch. 7-12 and posting, then check the "Class Notebook" on Tuesday to see what questions your group is responsible for. I can't create the QQ until you post!

This week I would like you to read Ch.13-18 and do your QQ (I combined Ch.13&14 because they are so short).
We will discuss these on Tuesday, April 28 at 11:00.

Please do your own QQ in your personal notebook, then post one question or a quote in the channel. Answer someone else's question or quote per chapter. In your own notebook, take notes on different characters and themes - we will be collaborating on these at a later date.

Lit 12 - April 20-24

Discuss "Because I Could Not Stop for Death" - Tues. 1:00

Discuss "Dulce et Decorum Est" - Thurs. 10:00

Make sure you post your QQ for "Dulce" by Wed am, so I can make up the discussion questions - text questions too.

Next week it's "The Hollow Men" and "Second Coming"

Eng. 12 - April 20-24

We will be having a discussion today at 11:00 on chapters 11-14. This week, I will expect you to read and post for the final chapters of this novel (15-18). We will also have a class on Thursday this week at 11:00 where groups will collaborate on comparing the BNW, Our world (us), and the Reservation. We'll talk about that today. Instead of a final essay, we will be doing a presentation. We'll talk about that in class today and I will post the assignment in Teams.

Eng. 9 - April 14-17

Hi all - I hope you had a good Easter weekend!  It's time to get going with this novel, everyone!  I'm assigning chapters 5-12 (including 12) for Friday, April 17.  Please do your own QQ in your personal notebook, then post one question or a quote in the channel.  Answer someone else's question or quote per chapter.  In your own notebook, take notes on different characters and themes - we will be collaborating on these at a later date. For now, I am scheduling our first class discussion on Friday at 11:00 am.  We will be discussing chapters 1-6 - looking forward to seeing you!

Eng. 11 - April 14-17

Hi everyone!  I noticed I did not assign a due date for the first 6 chapters!  I wanted them to be done for today - but did not say this anywhere.
  Whoops. So I have scheduled our first discussion for the novel for Thursday at 1:00.  Have those chapters completed by then.  Please complete up to and including Chapter 9 for Monday, April 20. 

Eng. 12 - April 14-April 17

Hi all,this week I'll expect Chapters 11-14 to be read.  Do your own 2QQ and answer them in your notebooks.  Post one QQ on the channels and answer one each of someone else's.  I would love if you would reply to people's answers.  Also, I appreciate the people who have posted their book talks and character memes - please post if you haven't already.  I would also like you to collaborate on the characters I've assigned you in the "class notebook."  See you at one!

We'll be finishing the novel next week!