Little Bee by Chris Cleave

genre: adult fiction

Little Bee had to leave her home in Nigeria.  We meet Little Bee because she came to the UK without permission.

Sarah lives in the UK.  It takes a while for us to figure out her connection to Little Bee and to Nigeria, but once we do, it's clear that what happened between these two is going to change everything for both of them.

I don't even want to say any more than that.  I went into this book knowing absolutely nothing and found myself absolutely fascinated by Little Bee's character.  Her pristine English, her cultural misunderstandings, the depth of her fear of men and the unknown.  If you are a sensitive person, I would dissuade you from having to live a life like Little Bee.  There are experiences she had that make you want to plug your ears and say, "la la la la la."  Horrendous.  Unspeakable. And yet, what is absolutely amazing about Little Bee's story is that even after ALL that, there is still hope.  Life.  A desire to somehow etch out a real life in a safe place.

Sarah wasn't as interesting of a character to me, although I loved her interactions with Little Bee.  And Sarah's son, and husband Andrew, are also integral parts of this story.  Their son, in particular, is a delightful character that adds not only comic relief but also another well of emotion.  Sometimes I wanted things to happen differently.  Parts were hard to read and other parts made me feel angry.  But I think maybe that's what I liked about it most — it made me feel something. 

(be aware, this book has some graphic violence in it and very strong language, please see below for more information) 
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Water Wars by Cameron Stracher

genre: young adult dystopian

Water.  Vital ingredient of life.  So vial that when we've used or poisoned the earth's water to the point of near depletion, countries are ready to fight tooth and nail to get their share.  Vera's led a dry and dusty life, never enough to drink in a land that sucks the moisture right out of you.  Then she meets Kai, who acts like water is as common as anything and as their friendship grows, Vera soon realizes that Kai knows more than he's telling her.  Then one day, Kai's late to the bus stop and Vera's choices will lead her and her brother on a dangerous chase into plots and places she never imagined she'd see.

It sounds really exciting, right?  Maybe my hopes were too high.  There's adventure all right, and a lot of violence - but almost too many near misses.  Too many crashes and disasters that the completely innocent and untrained Vera somehow survives.  Relationships develop too quickly. Several times the plot just skipped - skipped vital details that left me searching the pages for missing information and that felt like major editing errors.  It drove me crazy.  Last gripe: it was totally didactic.  So many times all of our current environmental wickedness was shoved into our faces. 

And too bad, because it's a great idea for a story.   It was just poorly told.


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Beowulf by Anonymous, translated by Seamus Heaney

genre: epic poem :)

Have you heard of Beowulf?  That glorious warrior who comes to help the Danes defeat the monster Grendel?  Heaney's verse translation of this poem is a beautiful thing indeed, wrapping the powerful language into the most lyrical of packages (lyrical and beautifully graphic and violent, if that's even possible - I could not get over the phrase "wound slurry :).  Of course, it's really just one long battle-story after another.  Dragons to fight, wrongs to avenge, scores to settle.  But Beowulf, he just rises above it all.  He's this perfect hero, brave and full of honor, putting his duty above his own desires.  He fights like a maniac and puts all other warriors to shame - it's a hero story you can just imagine fathers telling their sons by firelight. 

Even though it's in verse, it was a bit slow going for me.  All the names are so unfamiliar and I finally just skipped over some of the parts that are just telling other, non-relevant stories.  THANK YOU to Seamus Heaney for giving us those little summaries on the sidebar.  One thing I found very interesting is how very much the Christian God is a part of this narrative.  God's will and God's power are constantly evoked - and even the outcomes of battles are said to be in God's hands.  Clearly this people had been converted at some point and so it's strange to have this dragon and monster story interwoven with a non-mythical God.  I liked it, actually, that juxtaposition.  I'll end with one of my favorite lines:
They knew too well the way it was before,
how often the Danes had fallen prey
to death in the mead-hall.  But the Lord was weaving
a victory on His war-loom for the Weather-Geats.



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Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

genre: middle grade fantasy

When Kendra and Seth go to stay with their grandparents for the summer, they have absolutely no idea that they are in for the adventure of their lives.  What looks to be just a lovely piece of property up in the mountains is actually a preserve for magical creatures - both good, mischievous and the downright bad.  In order to keep Kendra and Seth safe, some strict rules are put in place and when the rules get broken, well, let's just say things don't go well and soon lives are at stake.  Will this brother and sister have what it takes to safe Fablehaven?

I read this one out loud to my 8.5 year old and 6 year old sons (my 11 year old daughter would even wander in and listen occasionally).  It was long for me, honestly.  Took me almost the entire summer to read it because no one was ever clambering for it.  They were always engaged when I pulled it out before bed and the story is very interesting with a lot of exciting and scary moments, but for whatever reason we were always okay to take a break. 

I was annoyed by how often some pretty obscure vocabulary was used - not that I minded explaining those words to my boys, it just didn't seem to flow with the rest of the story.  What I did like was that there was a lot of clear choices and consequences.  Rules got broken, bad things happened.  Period.  We got to have multiple good discussions about why we have rules and what happens when we choose to disregard them.  It IS an exciting premise, that the fairies and naiads and monsters we read about are really out there, we just can't see them.  My crew liked the book a lot, we just weren't ever dying to read it, for whatever that's worth.  I'd give it 3.5 stars for creativity and good ethical discussions :)

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

genre: fantasy


A boy and a girl.

Able to move and change the physical world, creating illusions that are real, not parlor tricks.

Trained from childhood, raised and groomed for a challenge that they don't understand.

A circus.

Tents full of wonders that soak the senses and make the imaginary into reality.

A romance that cannot be.

And I'm not telling you ANY MORE.  You have to GO READ IT NOW.  This book blew me away. I read it in one day - the characters are rich and conflicted, so full of abilities that it's a joy to read all the things they are capable of.  The love story is absolutely pristine - it ebbs and flows with the same magical cadence as the rest of the plot.  I honestly felt like I'd stepped into this alternate universe, it's exactly what I want from a book - a time period and way of life that's familiar and yet so unique with people that weave in and out and settle into the story in ways I couldn't have guessed.  I wish I could read it for the first time all over again.

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Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

genre: ya

Kate's life with her dad and brother is handled with precision.  Good Kate takes care, she studies like crazy, she makes sure everyone has what they need.  As soon as she just gets her acceptance letter from MIT, her life will be as orderly and perfect at the periodic table that she adores.

Only, there is another side of Kate: the one that hates being the daughter of a minister.  The one that can't sleep, who has never really mourned the loss of her mother. The one who maybe told a big fat lie about her college applications.  A Kate that isn't brave enough to stand up for Teri when she sees her being bullied. 

Pretty soon, Kate has to find a way to morph back into one self before she crumbles into emotional pieces.  And when Teri ends up being more a part of her life than Kate had ever wanted, Kate is faced with experiences that change everything.

This isn't your average ya novel.  This is a novel that really digs into the hurts we feel, the horrible things that happen to us - and the things we choose that we regret.  Anderson is such a master at writing the female protagonist.  She puts teens in situations that are just too much to handle - just like they get into in real life - and then explores the fallout.  Abuse, loss of a parent, tragedy - Kate has to slog through all of this alongside Teri and I dare any reader to remain untouched by their story.


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Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett

genre: middle grade literature/fantasy
book 4 of Melissa's list for the Book Blogger Reading Swap Challenge

Nine year old Tiffany Aching wants to be a witch.  Not that she's not satisfied with her life on the farm - she loves the sheep and she's become quite an expert at cheese making.  But she knows that magic is out there and she wants to learn to use it - especially once she meets the Nac Mac Feegle.  Those are the Wee Free Men of the title - short, blue, hard drinking Scottish...guys.  Pixies, really.  They come to her aid when her (rather sticky) younger brother is stolen by an evil witch and Tiffany knows that it is up to her to bring him back from whatever world he's been taken.

With her trusty frying pan, a lot of common sense and an even greater ability to listen to her second thoughts, Tiffany and the Nac Mac Feegle are in for the adventure of their lives.

Um, DELIGHTFUL.  The Nac Mac Feegle are HILARIOUS.  I listened to this one on cd, so just hearing their Scottish battle cries and insults was seriously laugh out loud funny.  My 8 year old son and I were completely taken in by this twisting and turning story of a young girl on the verge of learning what she's capable of.  I'll be honest, sometimes it did make my brain hurt a little bit, trying to understand exactly what was happening, what with all the dreams within a dream and this other world where the witch can twist reality and make you believe anything she imagines.

I'm glad I've tried out Prachett.  Really, those Nac Mac Feegle alone are enough for you to just try it.  Laughing out loud.



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Venetia by Georgette Heyer

genre: historical fiction

A master of romantic historical fiction, Heyer has done it again.  Venetia is an orphaned daughter and the acting head of a Yorkshire estate, living with her studious younger brother.  At five and twenty she knows that spinsterhood is a distinct possibility, but she has embraced that fact with all the joviality and common sense that could be hoped for.  However, when Lord Damerel, a near neighbor with a horribly rakish reputation, takes up residence again, all bets are off.  They hit it off splendidly but the rules and ways of society are more than a little complex and never would a girl like Venetia end up with someone like Lord Damerel, right?

Of course, after we meet the wonderfully wicked Damerel, that's exactly what we WANT to have happen.

This book is delightful.  No two ways about it.  The dialogue is witty and smart.  To be quiet honest, it wasn't a fast moving book, I was interested and intrigued but not dying to pick it up (well, about 3/4 of the way through I became very eager to find out how it ended).  Even though it wasn't surprising me at every turn, it DID surprise me several times and was always a pleasure to read.  Venetia is a complex and independent creature, a great heroine.  And I wouldn't complain if Lord Damerel moved in next door to me.


copy given to me by Sourcebooks
note: if you're interested in the content of the books I read, please go to http://ratedreads.com