Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

In my opinion, this is the book that stops the series from being awesome.  And to be honest, I can't quite put my finger on what it is that I don't like about it.  If I had to be really critical, I would say that the character development was lacking, and the plot wasn't as strong as it could have been.  It was like Rowling had a great idea with the first book, but didn't know where to take it with the second.  After this, the books get progressively better.  But this is definitely the low point.

I Know This Much Is True - Wally Lamb

This book reminds me why I love literature.  It reminds me why I became and English teacher in the first place.  It shows the amazing power that literature has to communicate, to portray emotion, and to sustain culture.
The creation of characters in this book is amazing.  Wally Lamb made me feel closer to Dominick than I do to my own brother.  Its amazing that I loved him and hated him at the same time.  I felt bad for him, and rooted for him to get back together with Dessa.  I desperately wanted him to forgive Ray, and see that he did the best he knew how to do.
This book actually reminds me of something I saw on Oprah once - which is strange, because I don't often watch Oprah.  But years ago she had a guest that said that parents do the best they know how to do - and when they know better, they do better.  I know so many people who are bitter about the way their parents treated them when they were kids.  But as a parent, I really believe that we honestly do the best we can for our children.  That certainly doesn't make parents perfect, but there's no sense holding a grudge.
I read this book years ago, and I remember it was the first book I ever read that made me cry.  If you read it, it was at the part at the end about the flowers.  Check it out, and let me know if you cry.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - JK Rowling

I decided to kick off the list with an easy one - Harry Potter always makes for a nice light read.  I've read this book 2 or 3 times before, but I like going back to read it every once in a while, because for some reason I always forget the small details.  My favorite thing about this read-though was rediscovering the humor of the book.  I had forgotten, but the series started out really funny.  The Dursleys were written as kooky and foolish.  The whole bit about the mail being delivered and Uncle Vernon trying to stop Harry getting his letter - priceless.  I always thought it was a shame that that part wasn't included in the movie, but I guess they couldn't put everything in.

Another thing I for got about the beginning of the series - Hermione and Ron & Harry din't get along in the beginning.  It was the incident with the troll in the bathroom that brought them together as friends.

All things considered, I'm not sure that this is a literary masterpiece - the humorous tone at the beginning that's not carried through the rest of the book or series makes me think that Rowling didn't know exactly where she was going with this when she started out.  But it's a fun book, and sure to be children's classic for years to come.

One down, ninety-nine to go.