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Good Stuff! The actual Christmas story

ByJohn Brown

It’s interesting how many things we’ve added to the accounts we have in the Bible.

For example, nowhere does the Bible say that Mary rode a donkey. Mary might have walked. Or rode in a cart. Or gotten piggy back rides. We don’t know. We do know that there is no donkey mentioned in the record.

It also doesn’t say she had the child the night they arrived.

It only says she was “great with child” when they made the roughly 80-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. And that “while they were there” in Bethlehem “the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.”

So she had the baby sometime while they were there. That could have been during the first hour. But it could have also been a week or month later. We just don’t know.

It doesn’t mention anywhere the word stable.

Christ might have been born in a stable, or he might have been born in a cave, or inside the house, or out on the porch, or on the roof (lots of those places had flat roofs where they hung out). We just don’t know. What we do know is that he wasn’t born in a palace. And that they laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room in the inn. An odd circumstance for a king.  

Notice as well that there weren’t multiple inns.

It just says “the inn.” And if you look up that word in the Greek, it’s translated as “guest chamber” in the other spots where it’s used in Luke. So they could have been talking about the one guest room in the house where they were staying. Either way, we don’t have anything that says there was a mean innkeeper who later regretted turning the couple away or that Joseph went door-to-door looking for a place.

We have no record in the account of three wisemen.

It just says “wisemen.” So there might have been two of them. Or twelve. We don’t know. And it appears they came sometime after Jesus had been born because they first saw the star of his birth in the east and only then set out to find him. They might have been coming from Persia, hundreds of miles away. Or they could have been living in Bethphage, a mile to the east of Jerusalem. Either way, they didn’t know they should travel to Bethlehem because it says they went and talked to Herod first, in Jerusalem, and asked “where is he that is born King of the Jews?”

The question freaked Herod out (if you’re the current king, you kind of want to know who else is claiming your throne), and so he gathered all the chief priests and scribes to discuss it, and those guys said the prophecies said it would be Bethlehem. And so Herod met with the wisemen again and told them to go there. And only then did they go down to Bethlehem. So it doesn’t appear the wisemen were there the night of the birth.  

There’s no record of camels hanging out with the baby either. Or sheep. Or goats. There’s not a lot there. But what is there is interesting.

Now, I want to go on record stating I have no problem speculating about the event and imagining what it might have been like. I love to do it. Good grief, I write fiction.

In fact, for many years I figured I needed to get in on the Christmas noun gig. You know what I mean. Every year we get heart-warming books about new Christmas nouns. We’ve had Christmas sweaters, Christmas jars, Christmas boxes, Christmas candles, Christmas carols. This year I see there’s one about Christmas fudge and other about a Christmas train. So I figured I’d do one. Mine would be about the Christmas rat. A little fellow who decided to snuggle up with the babe instead of giving him a nibble. One of these days I will get that hungry rat story written.  

In the meantime, while there’s a lot of good stuff we’ve added to make the event special, it’s also nice to know what the record actually does say. Whether you’re Christian or not, it’s helpful when dealing with others to know what was recorded about this event that is so significant to the largest religion in the world.

And so the last bit of good stuff I recommend this month are the two brief accounts we have. The first one is in Matthew 2:1-16 and tells the story of the wisemen. The other is in Luke 2:1-20 and features some shepherds.

Merry Christmas!

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  • Good Stuff! Savory Thai, Planters Medley, Everest, The Arrival

    ByJohn Brown

    I love finding little, non-chain restaurants with excellent, reasonably priced food. And I just found another one this week. It’s called Savory Thai, and it’s on 182 W Center Street in Orem, UT.

    Oh, baby. If you decide to go, you are in for a treat. We ate there in celebration of my third daughter’s call to do missionary work in the middle and western Pennsylvania area (go Steelers, Amish, and “yous all”).

    I learned to love Thai food because it’s so close to Indonesian food. And I learned to love that because I lived in the city of Nijmegen in the Netherlands for five months and in Amersfoort, which is maybe an hour away, for seven. In Nijmegen, I lived in the attic of a row house with a series of missionary companions. In Amersfoort, I lived in a spare bedroom with another series of companions. Both homes were owned by Indonesian grandmothers who cooked one or two Indonesian meals a day for us. Think about that—home cooked Indonesian food every day. It was marvelous. When I came back to the States, Indonesian restaurants were few and far between, but to my delight I found that the Thai cuisine is very close, and so that became my stand in.

    If you’ve never had Thai food, it’s kind of like Chinese, but it’s got curries, so it’s a little like Indian as well, but that doesn’t describe it either because it has its own separate taste that’s entirely wonderful.

    This place is in a little strip of stores. It’s small enough that you could drive right past and never know it existed. But when you walk in, you’ll see that they know how to make a good first impression. It’s clean, smells good, and the host is friendly, but these guys go farther than that. You’ll notice, of all things, the menu cover. Instead of handing out some flimsy paper or laminated thing, they hand out these thick menus covered in what looks like some kind of leather. It gives a feel of permanence, of solidity, as if the restaurant has been there for years (it’s two months old). But of course we weren’t there for menus or friendly servers. We were there for the food. And we were not disappointed.

    I can happily report that their green curry (spicy), pineapple curry, massaman curry (a lovely peanuty sauce), orange chicken, chicken cashew, fried rice, and pad Thai were all excellent. They use no MSG, cook it fresh, and keep it reasonably priced, $8-$10 per dish. I can promise you that we’ll be back.

    If you’re in the area and want some great food, stop at Savory Thai.

    *

    I love almonds and have been for many years a big fan of the W?nderful brand bags of roasted and salted almonds you can find in Sam’s Club. However, this last week, I came across something new from Planters called their Almond Lover’s Medley, which is a blend of four different varieties of almonds, dry roasted and unsalted. It includes the Marcona, Nonpareil, Fritz, and Butte-padres, which is the variety used in the W?nderful bags. I can report that this mix from Planters is delicious. The differences in taste and texture between the varieties is subtle, but real. And I was surprised at how much I enjoyed them unsalted. If you love nuts, you’ll want to give this blend a try.

    *

    I did not want to watch a movie about climbing Mt. Everest. Everest? Were you kidding me? I couldn’t think of anything more boring, but this is what my daughters wanted, and it was Thanksgiving weekend, and so we watched Everest, the 2015 movie.

    I am happy to report that it ended up being a great, disaster thriller, based on a true story, which was captured in the book Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. I cared about the characters, was on pins and needles during great portions, and exclaimed out loud during a number of tense parts. And after all that sweating, the story made me think about the things we do and how to prioritize when life is on the line.

    If you like stories about survival, you’ll love this. If you don’t, I still think there’s a good shot you’ll really enjoy it.

    *

    My wife is a sport. We were in the big city to watch a movie with our youngest daughter who is in high school. Our daughter, with her teenage brain, had the wild idea of a double-feature. My original man brain thought that sounded capital—how long had it been since we’d squandered five or six hours watching movies! The wise man brain didn’t think it was a very practical idea, and suggested it would be much better to do a double-feature next week we we could start at three in the afternoon. But the wise man brain was outnumbered and soon succumbed. And then all of the crazy brains ganged up on my wife, who graciously relented, and so we watch The Arrival and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and got home at like 1:30 am.

    As for Fantastic Beasts, if you like Harry Potter stuff, you’ll love it. If you’re not mad for Harry Potter, it’s not going to rock your world (although you still might have a good time). Enough said.

    What about The Arrival?

    This is a movie about the arrival of aliens, but it’s not a shoot-em-up like Independence Day or War of the Worlds. It’s more like Contact, the one with Jodie Foster. It’s a film that makes you think and is for those who are willing to be a little patient. If you can slow down and just enjoy the film, I think you’ll end up loving it because it’s about far more than meeting mysterious creatures. It ends up being about the choices a woman makes about her family. If you go and give it the space it needs, I guarantee you’ll chat about it and savor it afterwards.

    I won’t tell you anything more because you’ll only understand what’s going on in the woman’s life when you get to the last fourth of the movie, and I don’t want to spoil the delicious revelation for you. So just know that the alien tech and the alien themselves are strange and mysterious and cool, but that this movie is about so much more.

    If you liked Contact or even Inception (sans the frustrating non-ending), you’ll love this.

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  • Good Stuff! 3 Books to Introduce You to the Middle East

    ByJohn Brown

    ISIS, the Taliban, Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran.

    What drives these groups?

    What are they really about?

    Why is there so much religious strife in the Middle East?

    For that matter, what is Islam actually about? Is the religion really defined by these violent actors, or are they just the most visible because they’re what’s reported on in the media?

    I set out to find the answers to these questions, and what I have found so far surprised me. If you are interested in understanding what’s going on in the Middle East today, you have to understand Islam. And it’s a fascinating story. There are a lot of books on the subject, but you don’t have to sift through all those I did. I want to share with you three slim books that I found to be the most clear and engaging introductions I’ve come across.

    The first is Understanding Islam: An Introduction to the Muslim World by Thomas W. Lippman, an award-winning author and journalist who specializes in the Middle East and spent years living in Egypt, covering the events, and traveling from Tunisia to Pakistan. Again, this is a slim, easy-to-read volume, but it is packed with information. If you want to know the basic beliefs of Islam, who Muhammad was, what all this business about Sharia is, and who the major Islamic groups of the Middle East are today, this is the book to start with. One note, you want to make sure you get the third edition of this book.

    Understanding Islam by Thomas Lippman

    The next book is by Bernard Lewis, a man internationally recognized as one of our century’s greatest historians of the Middle East. The book is called The Crisis of Islam: Holy War and Unholy Terror. Again, another slim, engaging, but information-packed volume. In it, Lewis explains what it is in Islam that is breeding these extremist groups. And what is leading them to target America, which is especially interesting because for most of the 1900s the United States was seen as the good guy by the Islamic world. What changed? Read this book to find out.

    The Crisis of Islam by Bernard Lewis

    The last book, a lively, engaging read, is called After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Sunni-Shia Split by Lesley Hazleton, another veteran Middle East journalist. When you finish this book, you will understand why Saudi Arabia supported ISIS before they so recently turned against it. You’ll understand why they recently joined Israel, of all nations, in condemning Iran’s nuclear program. You will also understand one main reason why the Iraqis can’t seem to get along. In this book, Hazelton goes back to the beginning of the religion and tells the story of the splitting of Islam–the split between the Shias and Sunnis. It’s as significant a split as that of the Protestants from the Catholics in the time of Luther. But unlike that split, which has lost almost all of its heat, the antagonism between Sunni and Shia still leads to war. You cannot understand the Middle East today without understanding this.

    After the Prophet by Lesley Hazleton

    So there you have it. If you’ve been wanting to learn more about Islam and the Middle East, you’ll find these the perfect introduction. And if you’re religious at all, you’ll find much to ponder. There isn’t one god-fearing Christian, Jew, Hindu, or what have you who doesn’t think that submitting our will to God’s won’t help us build a better families, communities, nations–a better world. Would it surprise to you to know that Muslims believe the same thing? That Islam means “to submit” to God?

    There are of course many differences between Islam and my own Christian beliefs, but there are also many striking similarities. And the experience I kept having reading these books was seeing over and over again echoes of my own faith and the history of Christianity. There are cautions, to be sure, but also things worthy of emulation. If nothing else, it felt like it did when I learned Dutch. Yes, it was all foreign, but I saw the ties and the differences and, surprisingly, understood my language better than I ever had before.

    Now there are three other equally fascinating books I want recommend that focus on Al Qaeda, fighting terrorism, and Saudi Arabia, but I’ll save those for another time. Go treat yourself and read these fine introductions.

     

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  • Merry Halloween!

    ByJohn Brown

    Poetry is a species of literature that struggles to flourish in written and spoken environments.  We forward the occasional insightful, funny, or sentimental poem in our emails. Once in a while speakers will quote a few verses. But we don’t share that form of poetry like we do the poetry in songs. Music is the environment in which poetry thrives.  People say you can’t make money writing poetry—tell that to lyricists and song writers.  I have three poems (songs) that I think you’ll enjoy.

    First is “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen / We Three Kings” by Barenaked Ladies and Sarah McLachlan. This is one of the Brown family’s most favorite Christmas songs. It’s such a favorite that we can’t help but listen and sing along all year round. The Bare Naked Ladies put a mix of these two classics to a punchy beat with an acoustic guitar, but then they change the mood part way in by bringing in McLachlan’s haunting, beautiful voice. It is an upbeat, wonderful arrangement.

    The next song is another remake of a classic: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Casting Crows.  While the song is updated with modern instruments (drums, piano, guitar), this isn’t a raucous arrangement. It starts with a simple lovely melody and a solo male voice. It moves into a swell with a sweet child chorus that repeats the most important refrain in the song: “peace on earth, good will to men.” There are no bells in the song, but it makes me wish I was back in Europe so that when the bells in the towns there did peal, I would think of the message of this song.

    Now, I know some of you are thinking, “Christmas. In October? Are you kidding me?” So to appease these strict seasonalists, I present “Calling All The Monsters” by China Anne McClain. The perfect groove Halloween song–upbeat and catchy. And you simply must watch the music video that goes with it. It’s good fun that hearkens back to the Michael Jackson “Thriller” music video but is much more playful.  

    All of these songs can be purchased on Amazon for less than a buck each. If you want to preview them, you can on YouTube. Links below. Merry Halloween!

    So what are some of your favorites?

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  • Good Stuff! Crossnet and Bang!

    ByJohn Brown

    Today I have some good fun coming your way.

    The first is a game called Crossnet. It’s a mixture of volleyball and the playground game four square, and it’s a blast.

    You can have one person per square or two people. And just like four square, those wanting to play line up by square one, waiting for someone to get out.

    We did it with a huge group.  Our line always had 12-15 people in it, but you never waited long because the games moves fast. We laughed, teased each other, and had a great time.

    The other great thing was that we could play it with folks of all ages. We had folks from 55 all the way down to 8 playing. And they all enjoyed it.

    If you’re wondering what to do for the next family reunion or group activity, I think you’ll love Crossnet.

    *

    The next fun activity is a shootout card game called Bang!

    It’s played with 4-7 people. Each player is delt a unique Wild West character with special abilities and a role card. Some of the roles are on the side of law and order. Some are on the side of the outlaws.

    As you play you shoot it out, try to figure out who the outlaws are, get life points back, acquire guns, steal cards from each other, avoid the dynamite, and more.

    The game moves quickly. You can be done in less than 30 minutes, which is perfect for a family or date night. It’s one of our favorite family games.

    If you’re looking for a new, fun, quick game to play, give Bang! a try.

    I think you’ll be pleased you did.

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  • A Wowser Mouse & Financial Peace

    ByJohn Brown

    Dis Eez A Mouse

    I’m a Luddite, which means that even though I work in the software industry, I do not rush out to purchase the latest and greatest gadget.  Our family computer, for example, is running Windows 98, primarily because we purchased the computer itself in 1999.  In human years that computer is like 432 years old.  Maybe we’ll retire the old boy this year.  The point is that I don’t like to churn through tons of gadgets.  I want something to work.  I want it to work well.  And then I want to use it for a long time. 

    Recently, my mouse started acting up.  So I went out and found a new one.  I settled on a Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 4000.  It comes with three parts: the mouse, an AA battery, which is supposed to last for up to ten months, and a tiny transceiver you insert into one of your computer’s USB ports.  The mouse has a great hand-feel.  The clicks are smooth.  If you want to take your mouse with you somewhere, there’s an easy storage slot inside the mouse for the transceiver.

    But the best thing of all is its BlueTrack technology.  This is not an ancient mouse with a track ball that you have to clean every so often.  It’s an optical mouse.  But unlike earlier versions of optical mice (why do I have a terrible urge to use “mouses” or “meece”?) that didn’t work very well on a number of surfaces, this BlueTrack technology works like a charm on everything I’ve tried it on, including glass. 

    You need a new mouse?  This is a good one.

    Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money

    If you’re like 70% of America, you are living paycheck to paycheck, which means that if you or your spouse (assuming you have one) were laid off, you would probably have difficulties meeting your mortgage the next month.  If you didn’t go into default on the house, you certainly would on other payments and bills. 

    You also have very little retirement. 

    You probably have around $7,000 in credit card debt.  Maybe a lot more.

    You also have a car payment or two.  Or, heaven forbid, a lease. 

    You might be house poor—the house payment is so large you can’t seem to do anything else. 

    You might have creditors hounding you. 

    You might be one of those folks throwing their money away on the lotto instead of investing it. 

    Did you know that if you invested $50 a month, an average of what many lotto players spend, in the stock market for 40 years, you’d very likely end up with $316,000 in the bank  (over the last 40 years of ups and downs, the annualized return of the market was almost 10%). You would have put in only $24,000 over that time period, which means you would have made $292,203!  But instead, if you’re a lotto player, you just throw all that out the window.  (No, you’re not going to win; not even maybe in your dreams.)

    You probably think your kids will have to take out loans to go to college. And you think that’s a good idea.  In fact, you probably think it’s a good idea to have a credit card just in case there’s an emergency because you don’t have any savings to cover any emergencies.

    The list goes on.  The sad part of this is that our finances cause us average Americans a lot of stress in our lives and marriages and families (even if we’re in denial) and very often heartbreak. 

    I know that a lot of us look at our financial chains and throw our hands up in despair—what can I do?  The mountain of debt and bills are just too high.  Besides, this is how everybody lives.

    But it’s not.

    There is a way out.  And it doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s not too late.

    Dave Ramsey has written his hands-down best book ever, which will take you step-by-step through the process of turning a financial mess into financial peace.  He’ll do it in a down-to-earth easy-to-read style. No confusing ten dollar words that make your head spin.

    Ramsey himself went through financial hell.  He was the guy that made all the mistakes with his money.  Lost everything.  Had collection agencies coming after him.  Didn’t know how he was going to feed the family.  He turned that all around.  Yes, he’s a millionaire, but more importantly, he has been working for the last twenty years to teach regular people with regular jobs the simple principles that lead to financial peace.  They’re becoming debt free and working their way towards huge net-worth.  

    You want a step-by-step plan?  You want to educate yourself about money and family finances from one of the nation’s leading experts?  Then go and purchase Dave Ramsey’s Complete Guide to Money today and start reading it.  You will not regret it.  If you already have his Total Money Makeover and don’t think this will be worth it, think again.  This goes into all sorts of things the Total Money Makeover doesn’t.

    Be free, people.  Be free.

     

    Related Stuff

    Look at the links and the video.

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  • Top 200 YA Novels of 2010

    ByJohn Brown

    USA Today just published their list of the top 100 bestsellers of 2010. Publishers Weekly  and other places will soon follow. But sales don’t always capture the full picture. Some books may be purchased once and read once. Others are passed around until they’re ragged. Furthermore, many books sell well over a number of years but don’t get the volume in any week or year to put them on the list. That’s why I like to also look at circulation numbers. And I just happen to have the YA circulation numbers for the Logan, Utah library (thank you Super Librarian Melanie), which serves the 115,000 folks of Cache County, 50,000 of which are in Logan itself. Not a bad population size to get an idea of what’s being read.

    Of course, I know each area in the country will have a slightly (or hugely) different list, which makes sense because tastes differ from region to region (for example, I’m betting Chris Heimerdinger isn’t really big in, say, Alabama), but also because collections differ as well. For example, I was surprised Dan Wells didn’t show up with I Am Not A Serial Killer, but the Logan library doesn’t even have that book. So this method does have limitations. It would be nice to get a national breakdown. But until someone is able to cobble that together, this gives a good picture of what’s being read in this part of the world. Regardless of where you live, this should constitute a list of books that ought to be great reads for teens and adults.

    In 2010, 3,574 YA titles were checked out a total of 33,156 times (by adults and youth–whoever has a card). Books in the collection but not checked out didn’t make the list, of course. Here are the top 200 books. The Total column shows how many times the book was checked out. % shows what percent of the total circulation that represents. Rank is rank. I was very happy to see quite a few Utah authors (or former Utahans) on this list. Congrats to the following (# titles in top 200):

    • Shannon Hale (6)
    • Jessica Day George (6)
    • Stephenie Meyer (5)
    • Brandon Sanderson (3)
    • Mette Ivie Harrison (3)
    • Aprilynne Pike (2)
    • Lisa Mangum (2)
    • Chris Heimerdinger (2)
    • Jack Weyland (1)
    • James Dashner (1)

    BTW, here are the companion lists: Top 200 YA Authors of 2010 (showing total volume, not by book, but by author) and Top 200 YA Authors of 2010, Part 2 (showing the authors with the most readers per book)

    The List

    EDIT: 1/13/2011 11:42 AM. I just found out the first set of data I posted included more than checkouts: things like renewals, searches, bills, etc. So the numbers were wacked. This changed both the rankings and the numbers of books included by some of the authors. What you see now are the correct numbers for checkouts.

    EDIT: 1/14/2011 3:31 PM. Okay, one more edit. Silly us–we left off books shelved in the “New Book” category. These numbers are checked, double-checked, and rock solid.

    Title Total % Rank
    The hunger games / Suzanne Collins 374 1.13% 1
    Catching fire / Suzanne Collins 273 0.82% 2
    Mockingjay / Suzanne Collins 241 0.73% 3
    The lightning thief / Rick Riordan 197 0.59% 4
    The last Olympian / Rick Riordan 194 0.59% 5
    The short second life of Bree Tanner : an Eclipse novella / Stephenie Meyer 181 0.55% 6
    Harry Potter and the deathly hallows / J. K. Rowling  160 0.48% 7
    Forest born / Shannon Hale 155 0.47% 8
    The red pyramid / Rick Riordan 143 0.43% 9
    The sea of monsters / Rick Riordan 139 0.42% 10
    Princess of glass / by Jessica Day George 113 0.34% 11
    The Titan’s curse / Rick Riordan 110 0.33% 12
    City of bones / Cassandra Clare 109 0.33% 13
    The book thief / by Markus Zusak 108 0.33% 14
    Brisingr / Christopher Paolini 101 0.30% 15
    The battle of the Labyrinth / Rick Riordan 99 0.30% 16
    Book of a thousand days / by Shannon Hale 96 0.29% 17
    New moon / Stephenie Meyer 94 0.28% 18
    Harry Potter and the half-blood prince / by J. K. Rowling 87 0.26% 19
    Breaking dawn / Stephenie Meyer 87 0.26% 20
    Tempted : a house of night novel / P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 86 0.26% 21
    Eclipse / by Stephenie Meyer 86 0.26% 22
    Twilight / by Stephenie Meyer 81 0.24% 23
    Night world / L. J. Smith 81 0.24% 24
    River secrets / by Shannon Hale 79 0.24% 25
    City of ashes / Cassandra Clare 79 0.24% 26
    City of Glass / Cassandra Clare 78 0.24% 27
    Princess Academy / Shannon Hale 76 0.23% 28
    Uglies / Scott Westerfeld 69 0.21% 29
    Chosen : a house of night novel / P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 69 0.21% 30
    Princess of the Midnight Ball / by Jessica Day George 68 0.21% 31
    The hourglass door : a novel / by Lisa Mangum 65 0.20% 32
    Pretties / Scott Westerfeld 63 0.19% 33
    Shiver / Maggie Stiefvater 62 0.19% 34
    The lost hero / Rick Riordan 62 0.19% 35
    Witch & wizard / James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet 61 0.18% 36
    The dark Divine / Bree Despain 61 0.18% 37
    Untamed : a house of night novel / P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast 59 0.18% 38
    The golden spiral / Lisa Mangum 59 0.18% 39
    Enna burning / Shannon Hale 59 0.18% 40
    Fire / Kristin Cashore 58 0.17% 41
    Erak’s ransom / John Flanagan 58 0.17% 42
    Wings / Aprilynne Pike 57 0.17% 43
    Spirit bound / Richelle Mead 57 0.17% 44
    The siege of Macindaw / John Flanagan 57 0.17% 45
    Blood promise : a Vampire Academy novel / Richelle Mead 57 0.17% 46
    Syren / Angie Sage 56 0.17% 47
    Betrayed : a house of night novel / P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast 56 0.17% 48
    Specials / Scott Westerfield 54 0.16% 49
    The golden compass / by Philip Pullman  54 0.16% 50
    The awakening / Kelley Armstrong 54 0.16% 51
    Marked : a house of night novel/ P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast 53 0.16% 52
    Magyk / Angie Sage  53 0.16% 53
    Fang : a Maximum Ride novel / James Patterson 53 0.16% 54
    The burning bridge / John Flanagan 53 0.16% 55
    The ruins of Gorlan / John Flanagan 52 0.16% 56
    The goose girl / Shannon Hale 52 0.16% 57
    The alchemyst : the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel / Michael Scott 52 0.16% 58
    The maze runner / James Dashner 51 0.15% 59
    Inkdeath / Cornelia Funke  51 0.15% 60
    Hush, hush / Becca Fitzpatrick 50 0.15% 61
    The Looking Glass Wars / by Frank Beddor 49 0.15% 62
    Burned : a house of night novel / P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast 49 0.15% 63
    What I saw and how I lied / Judy Blundell 48 0.14% 64
    Eragon / Christopher Paolini 48 0.14% 65
    The merchant of death / by D.J. MacHale 47 0.14% 66
    Graceling / Kristin Cashore 47 0.14% 67
    The necromancer / Michael Scott 46 0.14% 68
    Beauty sleep / Cameron Dokey 46 0.14% 69
    Artemis Fowl / Eoin Colfer 46 0.14% 70
    A great and terrible beauty / Libba Bray 45 0.14% 71
    The demigod files / Rick Riordan  45 0.14% 72
    The Van Alen legacy : a Blue Bloods novel / Melissa de la Cruz 44 0.13% 73
    Spells / Aprilynne Pike 44 0.13% 74
    The sorcerer of the north / John Flanagan 44 0.13% 75
    The battle for Skandia / John Flanagan 44 0.13% 76
    Artemis Fowl. The Atlantis complex / Eoin Colfer  44 0.13% 77
    Theodore Boone : kid lawyer / John Grisham  43 0.13% 78
    Evermore / Alyson Noèel 43 0.13% 79
    Clockwork angel / Cassandra Clare 43 0.13% 80
    Physik / Angie Sage  42 0.13% 81
    Eldest / by Christopher Paolini 42 0.13% 82
    Captivate / Carrie Jones 42 0.13% 83
    Twice upon a Marigold / Jean Ferris 41 0.12% 84
    The Shadow Project / by Herbie Brennan 41 0.12% 85
    The reckoning / Kelley Armstrong 41 0.12% 86
    The kings of Clonmel / John Flanagan 41 0.12% 87
    Gone / by Lisa McMann 41 0.12% 88
    Fallen / Lauren Kate 41 0.12% 89
    Don’t judge a girl by her cover / Ally Carter 41 0.12% 90
    Tennis shoes among the Nephites / Chris Heimerdinger 40 0.12% 91
    The princess and the hound / Mette Ivie Harrison 40 0.12% 92
    Heist society / Ally Carter 40 0.12% 93
    Golden / Cameron Dokey 40 0.12% 94
    Dragon spear / by Jessica Day George 40 0.12% 95
    Dragon flight / Jessica Day George 40 0.12% 96
    Queste / Angie Sage  39 0.12% 97
    Need / Carrie Jones 39 0.12% 98
    Messenger / Lois Lowry 39 0.12% 99
    Bloodhound / Tamora Pierce 39 0.12% 100
    Wild orchid : a retelling of “The ballad of Mulan” / by Cameron Dokey 38 0.11% 101
    The chronicles of Vladimir Tod : eleventh grade burns / Heather Brewer 38 0.11% 102
    Terrier / Tamora Pierce 38 0.11% 103
    Revenge of the witch / Joseph Delaney 38 0.11% 104
    Inkheart / Cornelia Funk 38 0.11% 105
    Howl’s moving castle / Diana Wynne Jones 38 0.11% 106
    The diamond secret / by Suzanne Weyn 38 0.11% 107
    Darklight : a novel / Lesley Livingston 38 0.11% 108
    Pretty little liars / Sara Shepard 37 0.11% 109
    Just Ella / Margaret Peterson Haddix 37 0.11% 110
    The icebound land  / John Flanagan 37 0.11% 111
    Harry Potter and the goblet of fire / by J.K. Rowling 37 0.11% 112
    Dreamhunter / Elizabeth Knox 37 0.11% 113
    Destiny’s path / Frewin Jones 37 0.11% 114
    Crocodile tears / Anthony Horowitz 37 0.11% 115
    The body finder / by Kimberly Derting 37 0.11% 116
    Violet eyes : a retelling of “The princess and the pea” / Debbie Viguie 36 0.11% 117
    They never came back / Caroline B. Cooney 36 0.11% 118
    The summoning / Kelley Armstrong 36 0.11% 119
    The soldiers of Halla / D.J. MacHale 36 0.11% 120
    Shadowland / Alyson Noèel 36 0.11% 121
    The princess and the snowbird / Mette Ivie Harrison 36 0.11% 122
    The magician / Michael Scott 36 0.11% 123
    The luxe / Anna Godbersen 36 0.11% 124
    Gathering blue / Lois Lowry 36 0.11% 125
    Blue moon : the Immortals / Alyson Noèel 36 0.11% 126
    Sun and moon, ice and snow / Jessica Day George 35 0.11% 127
    The princess and the bear / Mette Ivie Harrison 35 0.11% 128
    Once upon a Marigold / Jean Ferris 35 0.11% 129
    The lost city of Faar / D.J. MacHale 35 0.11% 130
    Lord Sunday / Garth Nix 35 0.11% 131
    Linger / Maggie Stiefvater 35 0.11% 132
    The Forest of Hands and Teeth / Carrie Ryan 35 0.11% 133
    Extras / Scott Westerfeld 35 0.11% 134
    Betraying season / Marissa Doyle 35 0.11% 135
    Thirteen reasons why : a novel / by Jay Asher 34 0.10% 136
    Squire / by Tamora Pierce 34 0.10% 137
    Midnight pearls : a retelling of  “The little mermaid” / Debbie Viguie 34 0.10% 138
    Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix / by J.K. Rowling 34 0.10% 139
    Ever / Gail Carson Levine 34 0.10% 140
    The dead-tossed waves / Carrie Ryan 34 0.10% 141
    Clash of the demons / by Joseph Delaney 34 0.10% 142
    Cameron Meets Madison./ Jack Weyland 34 0.10% 143
    Belle : a retelling of “Beauty and the beast” / by Cameron Dokey 34 0.10% 144
    Before midnight : a retelling of “Cinderella” / by Cameron Dokey 34 0.10% 145
    Beastly / Alex Flinn 34 0.10% 146
    Artemis Fowl : the Arctic incident / Eoin Colfer 34 0.10% 147
    The Amaranth enchantment / Julie Berry 34 0.10% 148
    Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia / by Brandon Sanderson 34 0.10% 149
    Alanna the first adventure / by Tamora Pierce 34 0.10% 150
    Splendor : a Luxe novel / Anna Godbersen 33 0.10% 151
    Shadow kiss : a Vampire Academy novel/ by Richelle Mead 33 0.10% 152
    Seeing Redd / by Frank Beddor 33 0.10% 153
    Claim to fame / Margaret Peterson Haddix 33 0.10% 154
    Beautiful creatures / by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 33 0.10% 155
    White cat / Holly Black 32 0.10% 156
    The sweet far thing / Libba Bray 32 0.10% 157
    Radiant shadows / Melissa Marr 32 0.10% 158
    Incarceron / by Catherine Fisher 32 0.10% 159
    Gadiantons and the silver sword / by Chris Heimerdinger 32 0.10% 160
    Dragon slippers / Jessica Day George 32 0.10% 161
    A coven of witches / by Joseph Delaney  32 0.10% 162
    Being Nikki : an airhead novel / Meg Cabot 32 0.10% 163
    Artemis Fowl. The time paradox / Eoin Colfer 32 0.10% 164
    The woman who rides like a man / by Tamora Pierce 31 0.09% 165
    Winter’s child / Cameron Dokey 31 0.09% 166
    The sorceress / Michael Scott 31 0.09% 167
    Rules of attraction / Simone Elkeles 31 0.09% 168
    Radiant darkness / Emily Whitman 31 0.09% 169
    Once a witch / by Carolyn MacCullough 31 0.09% 170
    A kiss in time / Alex Flinn 31 0.09% 171
    Heroes of the valley / Jonathan Stroud 31 0.09% 172
    First test / Tamora Pierce 31 0.09% 173
    The crimson thread : a retelling of “Rumpelstiltskin” / by Suzanne Weyn 31 0.09% 174
    Blue bloods / Melissa de la Cruz 31 0.09% 175
    Before i fall / Lauren Oliver 31 0.09% 176
    Alcatraz versus the Scrivener’s Bones / by Brandon Sanderson 31 0.09% 177
    The warrior heir / Cinda Williams Chima 30 0.09% 178
    Vampire rising / Jason Henderson 30 0.09% 179
    Rebel angels / Libba Bray 30 0.09% 180
    Princess Ben / Catherine Murdock 30 0.09% 181
    The never war / D.J. MacHale 30 0.09% 182
    Max : a Maximum Ride novel / James Patterson 30 0.09% 183
    In the hand of the goddess / by Tamora Pierce 30 0.09% 184
    Flyte / Angie Sage 30 0.09% 185
    Faerie wars / by Herbie Brennan 30 0.09% 186
    Dreamquake : book two of the Dreamhunter duet / Elizabeth Knox 30 0.09% 187
    Cross my heart and hope to spy / Ally Carter 30 0.09% 188
    Cirque du freak : a living nightmare / by Darren Shan 30 0.09% 189
    Birthmarked / Caragh M. O’Brien 30 0.09% 190
    Artemis Fowl : the eternity code / Eoin Colfer 30 0.09% 191
    Alcatraz  versus the evil Librarians / by Brandon Sanderson 30 0.09% 192
    Wicked lovely / Melissa Marr 29 0.09% 193
    Water song : a retelling of “The frog prince” / by Suzanne Weyn 29 0.09% 194
    Wake / Lisa McMann 29 0.09% 195
    Violet wings / Victoria Hanley 29 0.09% 196
    Strange angels / Lili St. Crow 29 0.09% 197
    Princess for hire / Lindsey Leavitt 29 0.09% 198
    Maximum Ride : the final warning  / James Patterson 29 0.09% 199
    Maximum Ride : school’s out– forever / by James Patterson 29 0.09% 200
    Lament : the faerie queen’s deception / Maggie Stiefvater 29 0.09% 201
    Lady knight / Tamora Pierce 29 0.09% 202
    House of many ways / Diana Wynne Jones 29 0.09% 203
    Going bovine / Libba Bray 29 0.09% 204
    The enchanted quest / Frewin Jones 29 0.09% 205
    The dragon heir  / Cinda Williams Chima 29 0.09% 206
    Black water / D.J. MacHale 29 0.09% 207
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