The Book Nest

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

2012-01-26T18:15:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade

When I sat down to read this book to my nine year old, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I was hopeful that it wouldn’t be TOO graphic for my boy, and I was also hopeful that it wouldn’t bore me. I lucked out on both accounts.

War Horse is the story of Joey, a beautiful and unique creature who becomes completely attached to a British boy named Albert. As Albert comes of age with Joey by his side, they create a wonderfully reciprocal relationship, a relationship whose course is drastically changed by the advent of The Great War.

What I particularly liked about this story is that it is told from the point of view of our horse, Joey. It’s Joey’s journey that we follow as he becomes a cog in the wheel of the great British War Machine. His experiences throughout the war in France give us as readers the unique opportunity to learn about the war from the point of view of a creature without political or cultural views. All our narrator wants is a warm place to stay, some good food to eat, and a job that he is able to do without pain – and anyone who treats him kindly is a character to be appreciated.

Rarely do we get to read about “the bad guys” and feel sympathy for them, but I loved that this book shows us that there are good and kind people on both sides of any conflict – and that war makes no judgments about who gets killed. Reading War Horse really made me think about how, horse or human, a life is a life is a life, the loss of which is always a tragedy.

Yes, there is wartime violence. Yes, there is death and mean dads and barbed wire. This book is not for people who will be upset by bad things happening to good people (note that there are a few curse words that I edited out in my read-aloud). But there are these beautiful and touching moments, where Morpurgo really captures the amazing ability of animals to be a peaceful influence and a common denominator. I was brought to tears more than once. My darling boy begged for more at the end of every single chapter, and we read the last pages with me on the floor, leaning against his bed with his head on my shoulder. When we finished, he asked me, "has this author written anything else??"

That’s a winner for me.

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

two new picture books for the Chinese New Year

2012-01-12T11:33:00.000-08:00

Well, my six year old son is home from school with pink eye, bless his heart. We have, however, had a wonderful day together, of course with a storytime - including two books that were recently sent to me by Candlewick Press.

The first one we read is called Crouching Tiger by Ying Chang Compestine. It's about a little boy named Vinson who is getting to know his Chinese grandfather, who has recently arrived for a visit at Vinson's home. He sees his grandfather doing tia chi in the backyard and wonders why he can't do more COOL stuff, like kicks and punches. It's sort of embarassing, right? All that slow moving and standing around? Slowly, though, Vinson realizes all the cool stuff his Grandfather CAN do - and creates a relationship with him in the process.

My boy REALLY liked this one. Twice he lept up from the couch while I was reading because had to try out a tia chi pose. We talked a bit about Chinese culture as we read, about how you can show respect with a bow and some of the New Years traditions. I think Vinson and his initial lack of enthusiasm about his grandpa makes him very relate-able - lots of great discussion points in this book. I'd say good for 5+.

The second one we read is A New Year's Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong. This is a story of a family whose father has to be gone at his work all year, only able to return for a week at the New Year. I was very interested in this one because of a documentary I saw recently called Last Train Home, about all the millions of people who migrate from the city back to their home villages for the New Year.

When Papa comes home, it's time for traditions and celebrating - the foods and excitement of his homecoming are beautifully illustrated. I love, especially, an illustration of the little girl snuggled up in bed between her parents. It felt so secure and beautiful. I love how this family is just making it work - that Papa works hard and loves his family, even if he can't be with them all the time. I think there is a lot of heart in this story, and could be a wonderful resource for children whose families might be in a similar situation. My boy didn't love it as much as the one about tia chi, of course, but I don't think he is who this was necessarily written for, the text is a bit young for him. I highly recommend it for 4+, maybe younger if your child has some familiarity with Chinese customs.

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

Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce

2012-01-11T07:21:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult fantasy

If you haven't already read Starcrossed, you should. Then come back and read this review of its sequel, which I liked just as much.

Digger is back in the city and in a heartbeat, she's in back in the thick of things - this time, she's been roped into helping her old friend Durrell. He's been imprisoned for killing his wife. Only, he says he didn't. And Digger believes him. So with the help of friends old and new, Digger starts to do what she does best - dig. Dig for information, clues, and not a little trouble. Soon enough the Durrell's murder case turns into something even bigger and involving way more than just one dead woman. Why is there traces of magic around Durrell's house? What sort of work was Durrell's wife INTO, anyway? The things Digger learns not only bring her closer to helping Durrell but reveal to her how high the stakes really are in a city on the brink of war, where magic is a death sentence.

I am not generally a mystery fan, but this blend of mystery and fantasy really hit the spot for me. I liked how I never even knew who to believe or what lead to follow. Digger is still a great and complicated character and Durrell is a charmer, that's for sure. I really do like this fantasy world Bunce has created, all the different moons and their gods - the culture of the city adds to the depth of the story. I think a few things at the end tidied themselves up a BIT too quickly and nicely - I expected the war to be a bit more a part of it, but I didn't actually MIND that I was wrong. And wow, if there was ever an ending to make you want to read more! I'll be following Digger wherever her story takes her.

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

Starcrossed by Elizabeth Bunce

2012-01-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult fantasy

Digger is a thief. A pickpocket. A young woman that can satisfy any of your thieving needs - for a price. But when she is horribly separated from her partner, she has to flee the city before she gets caught by those who are willing to kill for the packet of letters she managed to hold on to. Quickly making up a new name and a new past, she manages to connect herself to a noble family as a companion for their daughter - but Digger's secret skill, combined with her sticky fingers, gets her embroiled in far more dangerous exploits at the castle than she'd bargained for. In a world where the use of magic leads to a sure beheading, Digger knows how high the risks are. She just has to decide if she really can care enough about these "nobs" to want to help them.

This book was so incredibly fun. I think it's been a long time since I read a real fantasy - where it takes a long time to remember all the strange names and places and there is a whole history you get to learn. It took a while to get into this one, I'll be honest, but about 50 or 75 pages in, I was completely hooked. I thought the characters were fresh and interesting, the political intrigue had me completely going and I liked all the little mysteries throughout. In fact, I liked it so much that I put this one down and immediately began the sequel. 4.5 stars, only because it took me a little long to get into it.

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

Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi

2012-01-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult sci-fi

Don't touch Juliette. Bad things happen when you touch her. Things so bad that she's thrown into prison, alone in a cell until the day that Adam arrives. Adam who looks shockingly familiar. Adam who is going to play a big part in her story as she suddenly has to choose if and how to use her own strangely-X-men-type powers. In a world we've destroyed where survival depends on listening to orders and not making any ways, Juliette has to find someone she can trust before she doesn't have any options left.

So. I didn't love it. The plot is interesting enough that I read it in a day (although, at the end I had a slap-the-forehead-COME ON kind of moment) but the writing style pretty much drove me crazy. The author does all these "strikeouts" that are supposed to tell us Juliette's inner thoughts but WOW I was not a fan. There are a lot of textual things that just grated on me - the repetition of thoughts, the CONSTANT, and I mean every page, discussion about some point of Juliette's body - her heart, her lungs, her mind, how overwhelmed it is or how terrified or pounding with love - and maybe the author is trying to point out that because Juliette has never touched people that she's super body-aware but it got really annoying.

For a young adult novel, it is steamy, for sure. I liked the romantic plot line, in that the development of their relationship felt authentic and I liked Adam as a sensitive bad-guy/good-guy, but Juliette. The juxtaposition of her amazing strengths and her serious weaknesses just fell flat for me most of the time. Surely there will be a sequel and I'm actually on the fence as to whether or not I'll try it. The ending felt like she was really shoving so much at us in a super short time so that the sequel could start where she wanted it to. We'll see.

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

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

2012-01-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

genre: nonfiction

The subtitle of this book is Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. I find that term, Undercity, an interesting one, since this book is about a community of people who literally live under the shadow of the wealth and power that resides in this financial capital of India, but also the fact that those who live there are the underneath of society, those whose earning capacity and material wealth are at the bottom of the heap.

Annawadi is the name of the slum where Katherine Boo attempts, for us Westerners, to breathe some life into what people, right now, are living through. She is a completely omniscient narrator - the fact that she is THERE, either watching or hearing the story from someone who was, must be assumed by the mind of the reader because this book reads like a fictional narrative. There are several main characters that we get to know and at the end of the book, the author gives a bit of discussion as to why she chose to focus on these people (and I had to keep telling myself, these are REAL PEOPLE, who could live on my street if life had dealt them a different hand).

I shall be honest: this is a harsh book. It hurt my heart. It made me want to pretend it wasn't real. Sometimes I was so frustrated that I had a hard time believing people could be THAT corrupt, that false, that desperate - I almost became cynical. But then there were these moments when you could see that these people wanted so much more than they were able to procure for themselves - that to be absolutely poor in a sense that I cannot even fathom, will do things to you that until we've experienced it, we can't understand. There IS hope there, but it is hope that has to be fought for so hard, against forces so beyond your control, that the fact that there is any at all is a miracle.

The complete lack of sanitation, medical care and basic necessities can lead to unfortunate choices - theft, prostitution, bribery, embezzlement, suicide, you name it. People will do amazing and horrible things to survive. You might have a job sorting through stolen trash to find things you can sell to a recycler. Or you might steal the trash yourself. We get a hands-on look at the justice system among these lowest of the low - and I guarantee you'll want to hit your head against the wall just reading it.

It's hard to give any kind of rating to a book like this. Is it well-written, cohesive? Yes. Does the author include relevant factual information when appropriate to flesh out the story? Yes. Was it fun to read? No. Do you feel good when you're done reading? No. Am I glad I did? Yes. Am I still thinking about it? Absolutely.

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

Fearless by Tim Lott

2012-01-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade/tweens

In a world where rules and blind obedience have taken the place of good judgement and compassion, there lives a girl named Little Fearless. She spends all her days in The Institution, where she's taught to listen and obey. Problem is, as much as they try to teach it, she's not really learning it. Little Fearless knows that she, and all the other nameless girls at the Institution, deserve something more. Deserve families. And freedom. Of all the girls, Little Fearless has the guts to find a way.

Fearless is a dystopian parable, a rather one-dimensional story of courage and how one person's faith can change everything. I liked it, liked the IDEA of it. I appreciated the arc of Little Fearless's story but sometimes it fell into a sort of preachiness that disappointed me. Certainly there are echos of Nazi-ish hatred and enforced conformity as wells as other dystopian fare. I did like how clean it was-and I think my 11 year old daughter would be more receptive to the style than I was.

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

2011 Round-Up

2012-01-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! I'm shaking down the last year in books for me - I read 85 (not including picture books to the six year old, of course - I don't so much keep track of those). Here's the numbers based on my tags at shelfari:

young adult: 33

nonfiction: 11
historical fiction:15
middle grade: 6
children's literature: 5

I completed one challenge this year: The Great Book Blogger Swap. It was great fun and some of my favorite reads of the year came from the recommendations of my friends Book Nut and Library Queue.

I will now list for you the books that I gave 5 stars to. Five stars means, usually, one of two things.

1. It was so riveting that I couldn't put it down. Maybe it wasn't the most thought-provoking or meaningful book ever, but I was obsessed with it, so the author did SOMETHING right for me as a reader.

2. It made me look at the world in a new way. Maybe an idea in it struck a chord with my own personal experience in a way that no other book has. Maybe it's so beautifully written that I want it to be on my bookshelf forever. Maybe it was just such an excellently executed good idea that I was satisfied and wouldn't change a thing (since I'm a really picky reader, in case you haven't noticed).

This year, I read 19 books that I gave 5 stars to. I shall list them for you now with a link to my review:

adult fiction/non-fiction

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern *****

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner *****

My Life in France by Julia Child and Alex Prud'homme

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

young adult

Chime by Franny Billingsly *****

Sabriel by Garth Nix

The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D Randle

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Dark Water by Laura McNeal

Fallen Grace by Mary Cooper

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Queen of Hearts: Coming of Age in a Hospital Bed by Martha Brooks

middle grade

Crunch by Leslie Connor

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt *****

I put stars by my top four for the year. What joy I find in books. If you read an incredible book this year that I MUST put on my list for 2012, please leave a comment and let me know :)

Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

2011-12-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

genre: Russian fiction

Having read some Chekov a while ago, I noticed so many different references to Pushkin and Eugene Onegin that I finally purchased a copy of the novel-in-verse so I could have some sense of this Russian classic.

Eugene. At the beginning of our story, he's a party-going night owl, living a life of ease in the city. He finds nothing to excite him, so with disinterest and cynicism, he retreats to the country. Shortly after his arrival he finds himself the love-interest of the intriguing Tatyana. Will Eugene reciprocate Tatyana's affections or will there be a typically Russian spurning? You guess :)

What I liked about this translation is that
1. The verse is rhyming, as it is in the original Russian. I cannot imagine how much work it takes to create a rhyming and yet contextually accurate translation of another language, but it's beautifully done.
2. The translator did a great job of portraying the humor of our narrator - he's telling us Eugene and Tatyana's story from the perspective of an active bystander and he sees through what everyone is thinking and feeling.

There are some pretty significant themes in this book - miscommunication is an interesting piece because all of our main characters either purposefully act stupid to cause trouble or knowingly misunderstand without ever trying to fix it. Of course, disaster results. Tatyana's a pillar, though, of speaking how she feels and being true to herself and everyone else.

Onegin is a selfish little pill, if I just lay it on the line. But, Pushkin doesn't reward callousness and egotism with happiness and fulfilled dreams. I always appreciate that.

I loved, also, how much reading, books, and writing are a critical part of the novel. Everyone either reads or writes when they are discontent or when they are happy. The idea that the written word is a place of peace and comfort, a restorative, is certainly something I can relate to.

I was glad that I read most of this on a Kindle because there are lots of foreign phrases and outdated words that I didn't know. Despite that, it really is a lovely piece of work. When a rhyme seems trite, the narrator actually calls himself out on it. There are some very heartfelt moments that are artfully described and our narrator's metaphors only add to the emotion.

Yes, it's Russian, with all the drama and strange names that entails. No, it's not a beachy-type read, but I think that it's certainly a work that will provide a solid foundation when reading more modern Russian classics.

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

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder

2011-12-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

genre: non-fiction

Have you heard of Dr. Paul Farmer? I know that until my sister recommended this book to me, I hadn't. I also didn't really know much about Haiti except what I'd seen on the news after the earthquake. If you want to learn about Paul Farmer, learning about the plight of Haiti is just part of the journey, because this doctor has taken upon himself the effort to secure medical care in this country where just finding one meal a day is a chore. Paul's creed is that one life is just not worth more than another life - that a person in the hills of Haiti with tuberculosis deserves care and treatment just as much as a senator or CEO.

Our author, Tracy Kidder, travels with Paul for years, it seems, trying to figure him out. He follows him to Haiti, Peru, Russia, and France as Dr. Paul fights not only for patients in Haiti but also for ways to staunch the treatable epidemics that plague the poor around the world. What is astonishing is not only Farmer's absolute dedication to this cause, but also the concrete and meaningful successes he has along the way. The man absolutely influences global health policies. But he also takes the time to climb the mountains of Haiti to check on the family of one small boy. He thinks big and small at the same time - wanting the world to change but willing to stop all of that to make a change in the life of one single person.

Kidder as an author is a participant in the story - sometimes cynical, forcing Paul to justify his choices. I was a bit annoyed by that sometimes but I always appreciated that Paul just will not give up on people who cannot advocate for themselves. It is a noble and admirable thing that makes you take stock of how amazingly comfortable your life is. Despite the political stuff sometimes boring me a bit, I came away in awe of what one man with a vision can do.

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

Enclave by Ann Aguirre

2011-12-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Ever since a tragedy of unknown proportions made life "Topside" impossible, Duece's people have lived underground. It's a hard and dangerous life but, for Duece, her dream of being a huntress and protecting the enclave has made it a purposeful one.

When she is finally branded a huntress and receives her partner, a little of the shine is worn off. She's paired with Fade, the one hunter who doesn't seem to appreciate what an honor it is to spend his danys in the tunnels, hunting for food and fighting off the vicious "freaks" who'd love to feast on the residents of the enclave. Just as she is getting to know Fade, they are sent on a task that makes Deuce really start to wonder about everything she's ever been told. Could Fade know more than she does?

Somehow I failed to write down my gut reaction of this book right after I read it ( I was in the car and only wrote down my plot summary? Maybe I was distracted by naughtiness in the backseat :). It certainly kept me engaged and I liked the plot enough, but it sometimes did feel like things were almost TOO hard and then things came TOO easily and it is REALLY violent. I mean, being a huntress means being willing to full out slaughter whatever comes your way and so it gets gory. Probably if you liked the Hunger Games, you'll find this one a fast-paced read.

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

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

2011-12-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

Saba and Lugh. Twins and firm companions. In their dry and desolate word, Lugh is the only thing that keeps Saba sane. And then he's ruthlessly taken. Despite never having left home, Saba knows that there is nothing to do but bring him back.

And luckily, Saba's a fighter. A scrambler, with a great fighting sense and a love for her brother that burns bright enough to help her endure. If only there was as straight and easy road to finding Lugh but of course, there's not. Saba falls deep into the cruel underbelly of a future Earth, where it's every man for himself and knowing who to trust becomes the difference between life and death.

This was great fun - like a wild west dystopian story, a fantastic romantic storyline (that did take a bit long to enter the plot) and enough plot twists and strange creatures to almost make me want to call it science fiction. One thing, that took some getting used to and that I never actually liked, was the dialect. Wild-west twang all written out. The entire book. I wasn't a fan. I saw the ending coming from 2/3 of the way through the book but I really did appreciate the story enough to want to watch how we got there. Saba's a great character - her romantic interest is fantastic. Their humorously antagonistic relationship was one of the highlights of the book, for sure.

Clearly, there will be a sequel. I'll be watching for it.

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

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

2011-12-17T12:02:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade fiction

A lonely boy.
A brave girl.
A lightening strike.
A small wooden box.
A old book.
A dream of wolves.

I'm not even going to tell you how all these things tie together because the joy in this book, as in Selznick's previous book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, is the figuring out how the story lines are going to tie together. I read Wonderstruck in a sitting and a half, in awe and suspense. It's such a pleasure to pick up a book like this, where our main character is discovering his own history with the few clues he can find. I also love the format - where the text turns into full-page illustrations that tell the story until the text picks back up again.

It's not perfect. I think my friend Book Nut is right, that this format wasn't actually necessary for this type of story, but I think it wouldn't have been as GOOD of a story if it was told in a different way. My expectations were a little high because I had so enjoyed Hugo Cabret and truthfully, I liked the mystery in Hugo Cabret a little better since it felt so almost otherwordly and this story felt more grounded, but that didn't stop me from loving it.

If you like museums or friendship or trying to figure out a mystery, I very much encourage you to pick this one up. And find a comfy spot where you can enjoy this treasure.

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

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

2011-12-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

genre: adult fiction

Cannery Row is a street in Monterey, California. It's lined with sardine canneries, a grocery store, some vacant lots and a brothel with a bar. The ocean and its tides are part of the backdrop, as is a marine labratory - the lab is an important part of our setting because it is the home and workplace of Doc. Doc is one of the three central characters in Cannery Row and in case you can't tell, there's not really a plot to this book. Cannery Row is a look at a place and its people, what happens is not so much the point as how the people react to what happens and why they do what they do.

Doc is an exceptional fellow - shrewd and yet forgiving, clearly very intelligent and capable, he stands apart from the perpetually unemployed Mack and his boys by the mere fact that Doc always is working. Also always working is the Chinese grocer who, as the keeper of the only convenient shop, has a bit of a thumb hold over the town. In short glimpses, like looking through a magnifying glass or one of Doc's microscopes, we periodically look closely at each of these characters and all their frailties and strengths are there to be dissected.

What I like about reading Steinbeck is that he doesn't write about mainstream characters. He writes about these fringe people, those who make unfortunate choices ninety percent of the time and yet, as Steinbeck shows us, usually their hearts are actually in the right place. I found the small instances of forgiveness in this book so lovely and while it is not really a pretty story, I feel like it deserves four stars because of how carefully Steinbeck chooses his works and how deliberate he is about what he chooses to tell us about his characters. There is nothing superfluous - if all we need to know about a character can be told in one two-page chapter, that's all we get. We may not see that character again but yet that person has added to the ambiance and tone of Cannery Row and its regulars.

If you've read and enjoyed any other Steinbeck, please give this one a try. Read it for Doc and Mack and those others who sift through what Cannery Row can offer them and somehow make a satisfying life.

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

Queen of Hearts: Coming of Age in a Hospital Bed by Martha Brooks

2011-12-13T05:00:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

Marie-Claire, living on the prarie in Canada at the beginning of World War II, doesn't expect live to be easy. She works hard at her chores around the farm, she knows boys are going off to war. Even at 15, she is aware that life will exact a price from you. She never could've imagined, though, how high that price would be. When she contracts tuberculosis, Marie-Claire has move into a sanatorium for TB patients. Her life shudders to a crawl as she painfully works through the disease as well as her own anger and frustration at this card that life has dealt to her.

I REALLY liked this book. I liked Marie-Claire - she felt painfully real and I shared her misery and her glimpses of happiness. The setting itself was so unique, I'm embarrassed to admit that I had no idea that such sanatoriums existed - where before antibiotics were available to treat TB, people would spend YEARS of their life in seclusion, trying to overcome this horrible disease. I actually even cried tears at one point in this story, it's that carefully and beautifully written. The love story felt believable and realistic. I'm giving it five stars mostly because it took me by the hand into a place I've never been and gave me a realistic and interesting journey.

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

On the Volcano by James Nelson

2011-12-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

For her entire life, Katie has lived on the mountain with her father. It's not just any mountain - it's a dormant volcano, surrounded by a giant crater - and Katie and her father are the only people that live there. This secluded life has led to not only Katie's inseparable relationship with her dad, but also to Katie's complete lack of social interaction with people her age. When, at age 16, she finally makes her first (yes, first) trip off the mountain into town, a chain of events begins that will end their blissful isolation on the mountain and bring both happiness and sorrow to this little family.

Oh dear. How to describe it. I'd say maybe my best comparison would be to one of those Hallmark or Lifetime movies. They're fine if you're up late and there is nothing else to watch, you don't expect great acting, you don't find yourself particularly moved by either the good or the bad but you just keep watching. Maybe some things annoy you because they feel out of place (really? NO ONE ever found their cabin?), but soon you care enough to know how it ends even though you don't really believe it.

Like that.

There were too many plot holes for me, too many ways I had to really stretch to believe - and honestly, I couldn't really tell if it was historical fiction or some blend of recreated history, there were so few historical details. Clearly, this one wasn't for me. I couldn't believe the love story (really, falling in love with the FIRST YOUNG ADULT MALE you ever see in your life?) and there were just too many random horrible things for me to suspend my disbelief.

And yet, I did appreciate it enough to read it in one night. Go figure. Maybe I was just in a Lifetime-movie sort of mood.

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

Legend by Marie Lu

2011-12-10T08:22:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult dystopian

Imagine Les Miserables set in a future L.A., and switch it up so that Javert is a wicked smart rich-girl named June and Valjean is handsome street rat/criminal named Day. Unless you're one of the elite, you wouldn't want to live in this Los Angeles, where strange plagues strike with ferocity and the regime of the Republic expects only full subservience. When violence hits close to home for June, she is suddenly and firmly obsessed with finding Day and bringing him to justice.

What do you think, will they fall in love?? Just kidding! Of course they do! I did like how this story played out - there were a lot of plot points that felt a bit obvious for those who read a lot of dystopia but it flowed well and was intriguing enough to keep me interested. June is a great female character - strong and capable but with a kind heart, I liked watching her grow. One unfortunate thing is that, for me, some of the male characters felt a little too...female. In the sense that they were more emotional and sentimental than the majority of the males in my experience and it made it a little harder for me to suspend my disbelief about the story. Not that I don't like a guy with a soft side, but June's brother, especially, didn't seem to fit into the character I would've imagined. So, that problem just might be my own.

Despite the things that bothered me, it still gets four stars for keeping me totally interested and even making me put my hand over my mouth in shock once. Good times.

If you liked The Hunger Games etc., this is certainly one to try.

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

The Man Who Never Was: World War II's Boldest Counterintelligence Operation by Ewen Montagu

2011-12-04T18:47:00.000-08:00

genre: non-fiction/military history

In the summer of 1943, the Allies were planning to invade Sicily. The job of the British counterintelligence division was to convince Germany that they weren't. The idea of "Operation Mincemeat" was born out of a long-shot idea that slowly turned into a plausible and ultimately successful con of the highest levels of the German miliary.

Operation Mincemeat? Great name, huh? The bare bones of the idea: get a dead man and plant some papers on him that hopefully the Germans will end up having access to and be convinced of some "secret strategic plans," thus moving the German army AWAY from Sicily to somewhere else.

Brilliant. And a huge long shot. This true story, written by the man in the thick of the preparations and execution of this effort, is a fascinating one. It involves so many different people and is such a delicious web of deceit. As a non-military person, it's completely readable (very little skimming needed) and it's such a thin volume that I read it in a few short sittings. I have so much more respect now for those behind the scenes, creatively saving as many lives as possible and directly influencing the outcome of a hideous war. I also appreciated how much respect Monatgu and his fellow agents had for "the man who never was," I really enjoyed learning about how they created his persona.

A very interesting read.

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Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-12-02T18:30:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

Briony is guilty and she knows it. Guilty of so many wicked things that she knows being hung is the only thing left for her. Never mind the fact that beyond all those wicked things she did is this one horrible truth: she's a witch. And witches get hung. There is nothing else for them.

This turn-of-the-century riverside fantasy-reality that Briony lives in is a place rife with dangers - Old Ones whose power can create any sort of trouble, swamp creatures ready to lure unprotected humans into their depths. She is able to survive her guilt-life under a mask of sarcasm, false obedience and self-hatred but it isn't a happy life. Without her sister Rose to care for, whose addled thoughts and behaviors require constant vigilance, there really wouldn't be anything worth living for.

At least not until Eldric arrives.

Eldric of the laughter and wild imaginings, Eldric who hums with energy and life and is as guilt-free as a man-boy could be. Eldric who slowly allows Briony to begin unearthing her past from under her self-loathing and, without even trying, helps her open her eyes beyond her own self enough to see how much more mysterious her witch-life really has been.

I loved it. Loved it loved it loved it. The writing is astonishing. Blissful. I lapped it up, Briony's snarky and yet painful internal monologue and Eldric's charm and way with words. The words! Who know there could be so many made-up words to describe the stench and slop of a swamp? As much as I loved everything about this story - the mystery, the fantasy, Rose's garbled sentences and how instead of wanting something she "preferred" it, I think I loved Eldric the most. By half way through the book I had a major crush on that pretend person and even though I knew how it would end, I didn't even care because I was so pleased with the ride to get there.

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Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

2011-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

genre: non-fiction
book 10 of 10 for the Book Bloggers Reading Swap Challenge

For those of you not poetically inclined, Rainer Maria Rilke is a significant German poet from the turn of the 20th century. This book is a compilation of letters that he wrote to a young man he did not know personally, but with whom he created a lengthy correspondence.

It's a short book, but so rich (bordering on dense) that it took me longer to read than I'd anticipated. Rilke is DEEP, friends. His letters are so thought-out, so clearly thoughtful and full of personal insight that, had I been that young man, I would've kept them too. Rilke speaks often of solitude - of the absolute human need for alone-ness, if one is to truly become at peace with one's self and especially if one wants to create art.

I especially appreciated his thoughts on love and marriage, as well as sorrow and trials. Even in this rather literal, I think, translation from the German, Rilke's ideas on how to cope with our troubles are absolutely beautiful. He sees them as something absolutely necessary for our growth and that instead of doubting our ability to handle our trials, we should strive to figure out what we can learn from them and how to best incorporate their lessons into our being. I have to give a quote:

So you must not be frightened, dear Herr Kappus, when a sorrow rises up before you...You must think that something is happening upon you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall. Why do you want to exclude any disturbance, any pain, any melancholy from your life, since you do not know what these conditions are working upon you?

Deep stuff, right?

So I am having a hard time knowing how to "rate" a book such as this - it is amazing in the sense that it is full of profound truths and beautiful thoughts, but it is challenging and dry sometimes to read. It is philosophical and sometimes I felt as though my brain could not stretch enough to even comprehend what he was even trying to say, which could be a translation issue or a "my bran" issue. I think what it needs is 4 stars - an average of 3 for readability and 5 for giving me so much to think about.

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The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott

2011-11-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

genre: historical fiction

Tess knows that she is capable of so much more than what a servant is asked to do. Not only does she hate being subservient, but she would so much rather sew than clean. Give her a thread and a needle and she can create magic, she just needs a chance to prove herself. When she finally gets the courage to change her stars, she ends up in designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon's high-class world, a sphere so unfamiliar it's foreign. It also happens to be the on the decks of the Titanic. You see where this is going.

While this is absolutely Tess's story, it's also a Titanic story - its aftermath, all the ethical questions that arose from this absolute tragedy. The waters are murky for Tess, it's so hard to know who to believe, especially when she feels so beholden to Lady Lucile for giving her a chance. There is also a love triangle, with its predicable but pleasant-enough conclusion, as well as a glimpse at turn-of-the-century fashion.

This book was a lot of fun. Very historical, vaguely political, a great look at a country on the brink of change of all kinds: higher skirts? Women getting the vote? The death of a poor person mattering as much as the death of a rich one? I can't say that the writing blew me away, but the plot moved along swiftly and kept my attention. I wouldn't have minded a bit more of the romantic storyline, and occasionally some dialogue felt far too 2011 than 1912, but I can't lie, I enjoyed it. Not five star material, but if you like historical fiction and shipwrecks and tough ethical questions, it won't disappoint.

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Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

2011-11-20T17:42:00.000-08:00

genre: children's literature

I am not a re-reader. Rarely does a book capture my heart so fully that I am willing to read it twice - twice out loud even. But this is one of them. I read it to my daughter when she was in early elementary school and I have just finished reading it out loud to my sons who are nearly nine and six. I never finished a chapter without them begging for one more and my six year old in particular was adamant about getting at least one chapter before bed every night.

Ramona is just a girl. A little sister to Beezus. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Quimby. Third grade student. Everything about her is so normal but her imagination and her down-to-earth worries and frustrations are so familiar and poignantly spot-on that you can't help but feel like she's an actual real person. It's not as though she has "adventures," per say, just more like she experiences the sorts of things that happen to any other eight year old. She gets sick at school. She misunderstands her teacher. She gets in quarrels with her family. She worries about money because she can tell her parents are worried - it might as well have been written in 2011 instead of 1981, with how relevant her issues still are. In fact, within 3 days of reading the "getting sick at school" chapter to my 3rd grader son, he got sick at school. We had to laugh about that.

Beverly Clearly has truly created a timeless character in Ramona. When I asked how many stars this book deserved between one and five, I got a firm "FIVE." And I totally agree.

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Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

2011-11-18T18:37:00.000-08:00

genre: adult fiction

Charles is a soldier in the second world war, in England. When he arrives with his fellow troops at Brideshead to set up camp, he allows himself to revel in the past - a past that has, at its core, Brideshead and its former inhabitants, the Marchmain family. Especially, there is his school chum Sebastian, full of life and without care - when they met the Great War was over. They live a life of frivolity and halcyon freedom among the upper class of British citizenry. It doesn't lead to happiness, however, as England's prospects change and Charles, as our introverted narrator, watches the Marchmain family of Brideshead slowly fall apart.

It's a nostalgic book. I kept looking at the published date - 1945. Waugh wrote it during the war and published it JUST as the war was ending. And the war is IN the book. It feels like Waugh is sorting through all that was beautiful and good from that in-between-period and trying to figure out how it all went wrong. There is an interesting religious storyline also - as the Marchmain family is Roman Catholic in a land of staunch protestants, and Charles is quick to dismiss religion as a good reason for anything. Other characters, especially Sebastian's sister Julia, think deeply and beautifully about sin and God and how all of that ties into our real lives and the consciences that we can't seem to get rid of even when we want to. And all of this is wrapped up in the whole class issue in England - the old landowning families and the new rich and the more middle class and how that was all shifting.

Brideshead Revisited is the sort of book I'd probably prefer to read in an English class. Clearly there are themes and motifs flying every which where and probably if I understood them better I'd want to give it five rousing stars instead of 3.5. As it was, I did enjoy it - as sad and depressing as it tended to be - because it felt authentic, timely and relevant. I didn't particularly like Charles but I liked how he told me his story. Parts of it were beautiful - the sorts of quotes that you'd imagine hanging on a poster in a history classroom. Other parts were more dull as far as the plot went, but in the end, I am glad that I now have this classic under my belt.

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Imagined London by Anna Quindlen

2011-11-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

genre: non-fiction/travel

Imagined London isn't really a travel book. It's more of a place book. An homage. Anna's love of London - its' characters both real and imagined, its' spaces both past and present - is an essential and relevant part of this book. She doesn't pretend to be anything but a huge fan of this amazing city and the works of literature it has both inspired and produced.

If you are a lover of British literature, many names and book titles will thrill you with their familiarity as Quindlen gives us a tour around London. Of course there is Dickens and Shakespeare, but we meet Heyer and Waugh, Austen and Doyle as we make our literary way. It's not the sort of book you'd necessarily take with you on a journey - but one you'd want to read beforehand, to get your feet wet a bit and know how to best use your time if seeing bookish sites is one of your top priorities.

But more than all that, Quindlen is also thinking about herself as a reader and as an American who loves everything British and about the way we imagine things in our head versus the way they are in real life. Perhaps a city like London just has to be appreciated in many different levels - as the place that it was, the place it was only ever imagined to be and the place that it actually is. Quindlen's got a beautiful style and while maybe the subject of this book isn't for everyone, for what it is, it is beautifully done.

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Impossible by Nancy Werlin

2011-11-02T11:14:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult fantasy

Lucy's life was as normal as she could've hoped for: caring foster parents, a supportive best friend, her life ahead of her. Of course, her real mother is homeless and seems to be - well - crazy, always singing Lucy this crazy version of the song Scarborough Fair while wandering the streets of town. Even THAT can be handled easily compared to the fact that on prom night Lucy's life is changed forever. Not only is she raped and becomes pregnant (wouldn't that be enough?) but slowly she figures out that even the rape isn't a random happenstance - it's the result of a curse that won't be broken until certain tasks are completed before the birth of her baby.

WILD.

It took me a little while to be okay with the plot - I had to shift my brain into "family curse" and "fairy" mode from the whole rape and pregnancy thing (which was quite tastefully done, by the way). But once I did, I have to admit that I was interested in how this story was going to shake down. My sister said it before she told me to read the book - one of the great things about this story is that the love comes to fruition in the MIDDLE of the story, you don't have to wait until the end like in most young adult novels. Love plays such a big part in Impossible - love for your parents and true love and love unrequited - all of it plays deeply into the plot.

I listened to this one, and so I think most of my little annoyances were because I wasn't actually reading it, so I don't feel like I have too many complaints. Sometimes the dialogue was a little cheesy or scripted - and really, sometimes it felt SILLY listening to these modern-day characters try and sort out how to accomplish the tasks in this age-old curse but like I said - I was nearly always along for the ride. I did want to know how it sorted itself out. Although of course you know what the end WILL be, I just was interested in how we got there and that didn't disappoint.

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Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

2011-10-30T06:35:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult science fiction

Waverly has lived on the life-giving space shuttle The Empyrean her entire life. Never having known Earth, she does know that she and her fellow passengers are destined to create a new home for humankind. She knows that it is her duty to, soon, get married and have babies so that their new Earth can be peopled. What Waverely isn't expecting is for the Empyrean to be invaded, and that terrifyingly she is separated from both her mother and her boyfriend Keiran. Without adults to help them, both Waverely and Keiran are going to have to step up and figure out how not only find each other again, but lead their own peers in a race against time and space.

Lots of possibilities, this one - all the elements for an awesome book are present. Most of the book we are switching between two story lines - one of which is very Lord of the Flies-esque, and part of my problem was that I didn't feel particularly close to any of the characters. I didn't know Waverely enough to know if she was capable of the things she does, so that made me have a hard time believing it. I did appreciate the fact that she is a strong female character - but I can't compare her to the Katniss of the first Hunger Games book because we don't get to see enough of a character arc.

This isn't to say that it's a dull ride, because it's not. It's got its action-packed moments - there's gore and violence and things to uncover. The plot is very intriguing and I was certainly engaged in the story - it's just that there is so much telling and not showing, so much "science fiction" jargon and obvious happenings thrown into my face that I felt like I was getting sold something that wasn't completely authentic. There is also a religious element to it that sometimes grated on me - it's hard for me to tell where Ryan is going to take that in the next book.

I feel like I am being too hard on it. Maybe my expectations were too high. Chances are, if you like young adult science fiction and don't mind it to be pretty violent, this one will be fine for you.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl

2011-10-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

genre: children's literature

Mr. Fox is a family man. A provider. He torments three nasty farmers by stealing their livestock and eating it with his wife and children in their safe hidey hold under a tree. Well, it's safe until the day that those three nasty farmers have had enough already and decide to get rid of Mr. Fox and his antics once and for all.

I read this one out-loud to my nearly 9 year old and 6 year old sons - a HUGE hit. I mean, begging for more every night. Those farmers are deliciously disgusting and it's such a pleasure to see them outwitted. Roald Dahl is a master of creating memorable characters who are full of surprises as well as characters who so nasty that you're thrilled when they fail. The only thing I DIDN'T love is that there is some alcohol drinking and drunkenness. I edited a tiny bit as I read - but really only maybe two sentences and my boys didn't notice a thing :) We'll definitely do some more Mr. Dahl reading around here soon.

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The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

2011-10-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

The Fox Inheritance is the sequel/companion to the book The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which you really should read, first not only to understand this book better but because it's a really good story. Plus, if you think you might WANT to read that someday, please do not read on because there will be spoilers everywhere.

Locke has been away for a while. A long while. After he was in a horrible car accident at the age of 17, his mind and memory were saved on a hard drive. For decades - centuries, he lived in the terror of a true nowhere, a mind without a body to move or an environment to live and learn in. His only connection to real life was Kara, another victim of the accident who was also saved, in a sense, and who Locke felt a connection through during all that time. Without Kara and the memory of his dear friend Jenna, Locke's mind never would have made it safely into the perfect body that was created for him.

But his "perfect" new life hasn't erased what he went through and soon Locke is ready to start finding out how much he's truly lost - and if there is anything left in this new world that he can call his own.

So. We are hearing the story from a different point of view, now, and again, Pearson takes us to the limits of ethics and makes us wonder what DOES make us human? Is it only the skin and flesh and bones that make our form or is there something more intricate in our minds that can be moved and transferred and not loose something essential? Or CAN that get lost and still some semblance of humanness remain? I liked the dystopian world that Pearson has taken this story to - a world of half-alive robots and disenfranchised people on the fringes of an ever-more technical society. Locke is a sympathetic and multidimensional character - with clear strengths and weaknesses, and the plot moves along nicely. Maybe the lessons are a bit TOO spelled out sometimes and some thoughts are pretty repetitive but overall, I was always happy to pick it up and it read fast. I can see that maybe it would feel a tiny bit obvious or campy to those who don't like the dystopian genre, but I think, for an unnecessary sequel, it's one of the better ones that I've read.

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Bake Sale by Sara Varon

2011-10-20T11:35:00.000-07:00

genre: children's graphic novel

Cupcake owns his own bake shop. He works hard to make yummy treats to sell and he plays hard on the drums in the band he and his friend Eggplant are in. Soon, though, Cupcake has a chance to maybe go on the trip of a lifetime and he has to make some pretty tough decisions about how to spend his time and what is most important to him.

This was absolutely a delight. Whimsical - all the characters are foods and the drawings are so fun. Kids will probably skip over the pages that show how to make the foods, but they will doubtless appreciate the sacrifices that Cupcake makes to not only get what he wants but to stay a good friend. Love it. Give it to a child you love.

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The Minpins by Roald Dahl

2011-10-18T23:19:00.000-07:00

genre: children's literature

Little Billy was told to NEVER go into the Forest of Sin. It was full of terrible creatures that could stomp you flat or eat you right up. So of course, it's the most tempting place EVER, right? What could a little boy do but sneak out the window and make his way into that terrfying place?

What he finds there will shock, frighten and amaze him. Because not only are there beasties that do really want to eat you, but there is also a civilization of tiny people who live in trees. Once Little Billy makes their acquaintance, his life will never be the same.

Dahl is the king of awesome word choice. My six year old made me read this to him MULTIPLE times: Terrible Bloodsuckling Toothpluckling Stonechuckling SPITTLER. Seriously. That is just fun to read aloud. This is a short book, too long for one sitting (we did it in maybe 5 shortish ones) but not a chapter book either. The action ebbs and flows a bit for my boys, they got restless sometimes, although they were always happy to sit down and listen (I'd give it maybe 3.5 stars). It is delightful, though, the way that Dahl always allows the child to be the hero of the day, it even makes me as an adult reader wonder if maybe magic is really out there and I just can't see it.

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Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner

2011-10-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Reading Stegner is, for me, like curling up in some kind of mystical giant hammock. He surrounds you. The world he shows you makes no qualms about being filled with both the beautiful and the hard, and that one is not really recognizable without the other.

Crossing to Safety is about a friendship between two couples, that is its heart. It's about how the lives of four people are woven together through decades of interchange, dependence (in all its forms) and shared memories. From their early days in Madison, Wisconsin during the Depression, the Langs and the Morgans knew that what they had was a friendship that would last - but of course, years and trials can take their toll and after a while there is a solidity in just having known someone so well for so long.

What Stegner does so well is take us back and forth through time, fleshing out a relationship from the narrator's male point of view, allowing us a glimpse inside everyone's shared experience. I love how this is a story about people who are readers and writers, striving to be a part of an intellectual community, see-ers of the world and all it has to offer. Beyond the beautifully arching plot that follows an adult lifetime, his insights are so compatible with my own knowledge of friendships, especially between couples.

It's like in this one story he peeled away part of what it is to be human, looking at the underneath of why we do what we do and how our relationships guide and define our lives in so many ways. I had all these thoughts about "owing" people, how we show people how much we appreciate them and the things they do for us that can't even be defined in words. I thought about how sometimes a friendship is flawed and unbalanced and yet looking back, those imperfections would never have been enough to dislodge that person from our heart.

I want to compare Crossing to Safety to some kind of work of genius, but I've never read anything like it. Just trust me that its one you hold close to your heart and give to people you really care about.

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A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

2011-10-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

In Iowa there is a family farm owned by a man named Larry Cook, who has three grown daughters. While life isn't perfect, it is routine and familiar — until the day that Larry decides to give his farm to his children as an inheritance. Our narrator, the eldest daughter Ginny, tells us what follows, a downward spiral of failed expectations, misunderstandings, jealousy and flat out insanity.

The farm itself is palpable. As a vital part of everyone's life —especially for Ginny, her sister Rose and their husbands, the farm is a blessing and a millstone and is both the impetus and the excuse for so many decisions. But it is Larry especially whose choices and influence served to dig the well of hurt that not one of them were able to avoid drinking from.

Ginny is a powerful narrator in the sense that her emotions are so raw, her revelations (both to us and to herself) are so succinct and powerful — I ached for her loss while I felt embarrassed for her weakness, perhaps because I saw in myself her same tendency to overlook things to just keep the peace.

As a painful family drama, this book is beautifully written. A harsh picture of a family falling to pieces in grand King Lear-style. I wish the language hadn't been quite so graphic because I would've felt more comfortable, then, recommending this story to friends that would appreciate its painful depth and vague yet present redemption. It's hard for me to pinpoint WHY I liked it - it's depressing and most of the characters are just not nice at all. I think it was the graceful and poignant style, the threads of emerging environmentalism, and for some reason (I did love King Lear also), I think stories about fathers and their daughters are just interesting. Whatever the reason, I did like the meat of this book, as hard as it was sometimes to read.

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Steampunk: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant

2011-10-01T06:08:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult fantasy/science fiction

Do you know steampunk? Steampunk is a combination of science fiction and fantasy, re-written history and alternate realities. Often there are elements of (obviously) steam powered objects and robotics set within a time not too different from our own recent past, but even that isn't a given. Speculative fiction at its heart, it's a genre as wide open as science fiction itself but with so many wonderfully unique twists and turns that you will be amazed by what the authors within this anthology have come up with.

Fourteen different authors (some very familiar, if you're a young adult fan), fourteen different stories. Set in locations all across the globe (and beyond) in all different time periods, from ancient Rome to a post-apocalyptic future. Talking dolls and robotic dance instructors, crazy hand-held gadgets and steam powered cars - anywhere your imagination can take you, you might find it in this anthology. The real stand-outs for me were Nowhere Fast by Christopher Rowe, The Ghost of Cwmlech Manor by Delia Sherman and Clockwork Fagin by Cory Doctorow. But OH I liked some of the others too! Sometimes mysterious, sometimes romantic, what I enjoyed most is that I just never knew what crazy thing I'd read about next. Guns that can slow down time? Orphans with robotic limbs? Seriously. Awesome stuff.

You can't go wrong with this collection - and that's the great thing about an anthology. If one story doesn't catch your fancy, go ahead and try the next one. I'd be surprised if you didn't find a new author to try. Put on your helmet and goggles, catch a ride on a dirigible, and get ready to explore.

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The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey

2011-09-29T14:32:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Scraping by on a linen worker's wages is not the kind of life that Sheila plans on living for much longer. Her grandest wish is to escape from Ireland as soon as possible, away from her demanding and unappreciative mother and the ghost of the father that left when she was a child. Her story begins on the cusp of the second World War in a small village in Northern Ireland. Confident and aware of her good looks, she hopes to be chosen as the Linen Queen so she can get her chance on the prize money - her ticket out of town.

If only those Yankee soldiers didn't come to town to complicate things - or if her childhood friend Gavin could just keep their relationship the way it's always been. And then when a refugee from Belfast ends up at her house, it seems as though she may never get without some serious determination and no small amount of selfishness.

Sheila has a lot to learn about herself and what she wants to stand for at this really challenging point in Irish history (does Irish history have a point that's NOT really challenging?). Of course there is still that rumbling of Irish history and pride - as Northern Irish they are on England's side of the war, but Free Ireland to the south has to be on the side of whomever is fighting the devil British, there is no small amount of political talk in this book. It is, however, woven throughout this interesting and romantic story, with enough twists to compensate for the fairly predictable conclusion.
If you like Irish historical fiction, this is as authentic as anything else I've read and certainly as good, if not better, than Falvey's first novel The Yellow House.

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Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson

2011-09-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction
for the Great Book Bloggers Swap

Miss Pettigrew, righteous and dowdy governess, is on the verge of landing in the workhouse. When Miss Pettigrew arrives at the door of Miss LaFosse, she is anticipating a job interview. What she gets instead is an absolute whirlwind of a day among the charming and worldly Miss LaFosse’s friends – and somehow Miss Pettigrew just keeps getting things RIGHT. She saves the day, over and over, using her own good sense and the breadth of her romantic film knowledge.

Following Miss Pettigrew through this most astonishing day is wonderfully charming, to say the least. As a character she’s so cleverly conflicted, between her strict and upright upbringing and the excitement and thrills of a wicked life. Her common sense is a breath of fresh air that you can’t help but fall in love with. I found myself chuckling more than once at her own wonder at finding herself in situations she'd only seen in the movies. SEEING people KISS? Shameful and almost too thrilling.

I want to hand this book to people I like, it’s so much fun. I just want them to give it back when they’re done.

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TLC Book Tour Stop: Irma Voth by Miriam Toews

2011-09-27T05:22:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

When Irma Voth decided to marry someone who wasn't a Mennonite, her father's strange faith in a ruthless God required him to shut her out of his life. Having spent her early years in Canada, Irma has lived in Mexico since she was a teen and her life as a very young wife is harsh and unpredictable. She knows her husband Jorje is probably doing something illegal but he keeps going away and she really wants him to stay, so she doesn't push it. During one of Jorje's long absences, nineteen-year-old Irma's life suddenly takes a dramatic turn when a crew arrives to film a movie on the Mennonite compound and she's hired as a translator for the director. The movie crew's arrival creates a crack in the fragile balance of Irma's life and sends her on a path she'd never have dreamed.

This book was a dichotomous read for me. The writing is so delicate and purposeful, sometimes poetically beautiful. Irma is absolutely coming of age and as we read her thoughts, sometimes circular, sometimes astonishingly beautiful, you can tell she is working through some serious issues. But then other times, she frustrated me with her inability to be purposely a part of her own life. I wanted her to make decisions and act like she KNOWS something but her languidness really separated me from appreciating her as a character. I admit, the ending of the book helped to alleviate that somewhat, I think I understand her more now than I did in the middle, but I still sometimes felt like I was having an out of body experience as I read. Like it was real life, but not - a movie about Mennonites in the Mexican desert? It stretched me to believe it sometimes.

It certainly was a different kind of story, a heartbreaking story that takes you to the brink of redemption and just to the other side. Those who are sensitive to coarse language should be forewarned. I will say that I appreciated how it ended and found myself feeling very sympathetic for Irma by the time I closed the book.

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A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

2011-09-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

Imagine Sleeping Beauty with a sci-fi/dystopian twist. That's the basic plot of A Long Long Sleep, with some extra elements added in, of course. When Rosalinda is awakened with what she thinks is a kiss, as far as she knows she's only been in a chemically induced stasis-sleep for maybe a few months. A year at most. But it's been sixty-two years. And things have changed dramatically from the world she knew.

As the daughter of the owner of the solar system's largest conglomerate, Rose is suddenly thrust into the lime-light and figuring out who she can trust is only one of her problems. Her body is a wreck from her long stint in the stasis tube and relationships with peers are just as tricky as ever. As she slowly falls for the boy who woke her up, she's terrorized by dangers, both real and in her nightmares, and the trouble of navigating this new life makes staying out of the peaceful stasis tube harder than ever.

I really liked the premise of this story. It was just enough Sleeping Beauty and the spiral of sci-fi technology and time-bending was really fun. I wasn't totally thrilled with the execution. Rose's self-depreciation felt overdone and her vacillation between completely helpless and fighter-chick didn't flow for me as well as I'd wanted it to. Sometimes conversations felt so dull and awkward - but other times, especially with a character named Otto, it felt more authentic.

In all, it was a good enough read, teens might appreciate it more than I did. There's certainly a great structure there, I just needed a little different dressing on it.

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Warped by Maurissa Guibord

2011-09-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult fantasy

When Tessa's father buys an ancient-looking tapestry, she immediately senses a connection to it - strange dreams begin to disturb her sleep and visions of forests and fear haunt her when she's awake. On the day that she takes a singular thread from the tapestry and gently pulls, not only does the world as she know it begin to unravel, but she is suddenly smack in the middle of a battle between the Fates, one tapestry-weaving witch and a young man from the Middle Ages whose own story seems inexplicably entwined with hers. It's up to Tessa to sort through the mess before it's too late and everything she loves is lost.

Warped is a romantic, time-bending fantasy romp. It's a good versus evil story with some interesting twists - I liked how she used the idea of weaving our life threads into tapestries and how the Fates can control the things that happen to us. I also have a childhood love of unicorns which does come into play in this story. While sometimes the romantic scenes and the dialogue feel flat and a bit unrealistic, I still found myself eager to pick it up and finish it.

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The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

2011-09-09T09:15:00.000-07:00

genre: historical fiction

Things are just fine in the Rivenhall residence. Dull perhaps - not particularly pleasant, maybe, but within the bounds of propriety, surely. That is, they were, until their cousin Sophy (who has been traipsing about the continent) comes to stay. Sophy has a habit of shaking things up in a rather alarming fashion and soon Charles, the eldest of the Rivenhall cousins, is quite sure that Sophy will bring them all to ruin.

Sophy! Grand she is. She's a delight in every way. A pot-stirrer to the nth degree but with only the best intentions and quite good results. She wants everyone to be happily in love with the right person and rescued from whatever scrapes they've gotten themselves into. Cool-headed and certainly rash, Sophy's antics kept this book moving right along. I was laughing outloud more than one - the final scene, especially, was funny enough to have me still laughing after I'd shut the book.

I have no complaints about it save one, tiny one: there are a LOT of characters to keep straight. Maybe the problem is just a result of my very full brain. But their abundance was their only flaw - the characters themselves were well-defined and, in some cases, wonderfully and hilariously characterized. The dreamy poet! The hypochondraic nobleman!

Really. I think it's my favorite Heyer I've read. Her female main characters are some of the funnest in historical fiction, hands down.

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Little Bee by Chris Cleave

2011-08-31T23:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-26T03:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-07T06:07:00.001-07:00

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

2011-08-06T17:10:00.000-07:00

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
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Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2011-07-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

In a future where the seas have risen and we've stripped the earth of so many of its resources that we are forced to search and reuse, teenage Nailer is on "light crew." His job is to strip washed up old oil rigs of their wiring and useful parts. Life on his beach is precarious and violent. Jobs on light crew are hard to get and if you miss quota, you're out. Luck is on Nailer's side, though, more than once, and when he finds a seemingly wrecked and abandoned yacht - he thinks he's had his luckiest moment yet. It's what he finds inside that really picks up the pace in this story - and Nailer has to decide where his true loyalties are going to lie.

This was a great ride! Nailer is complex and conflicted - he wants so much to be strong enough to do things on his own but I loved that he realized how important it is to HAVE people. People you can count on. This book is a lot about loyalty and friendship - and what family really is. It deals with the topic of parental abuse with a firm hand - recognizing that the abused feels such hard and opposing feelings of hate and love and fear at the same time. But it's also about a future time that's a scary and violent place to be that made me think about the road our civilization is on and how far off stories like this are from a future truth.

I like that this was a stand-alone book. I don't need a sequel or anything else. A thrilling ending to a nail-biter story.

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Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer by Warren St. John

2011-07-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

genre: non-fiction, sports

This book personifies the reason why is why I am in a book group. I would have NEVER (see how that's in all caps?) have picked up this book. I am not a sports player. I am not a sports fan. I couldn't care less about football. Especially college football. Unless it's my alma mater, the Maryland Terps, in which case I might say "go Terps" when I find out they've won something. Just not my thing.

But this book? It digs deep, as it says in the subtitle, into the heart of Fan Mania. And Warren St. John, our tour guide into this land of manic fans, is an Alabama boy. That's the University of Alabama, the Crimson Tide. And he uses his own experiences and his own absolute devotion to "his" team as a springboard for finding out what it is in humans that makes us pick a side and then pour our heart into being a follower. What is it about the contest itself? The chance of winning? What are the intricacies of fan interaction and that "crowd mentality" that makes you hug or cry with complete strangers?

Truthfully, I was so worried about having to read this one and there is no doubt that some scenes of football action were skimmed, but overall, this was one entertaining and fascinating read. It reminded me a lot of the book Confederates in the Attic, which examines Civil War re-enactors. Rammer Jammer introduces us to some of the really interesting characters of Alabama fandom - his die-hard love of the Crimson Tide was his ticket to places and people that made this such an intriguing read. Especially all those RV fans, the ones that travel around to tailgate and watch - it's like it's own little culture.

I think honestly what I liked best is that he (our author) DID have a team. Even while looking at all these fans, he was psychoanalyzing HIS OWN SELF. Trying to figure out where the rush of absolute joy or the cloud desolation that can come from the outcome of a GAME. There was a great mix of his own experiences, history and sociology. I feel like my mind has been opened up to an entire new world - and I'm a fan of that.

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Nerds Heart YA Round 2!! Dark Titles :)

2011-07-15T03:09:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, I was a judge for a book tournament, Nerds Heart YA. It was super fun and I'd like to give a shout out to my co-reader, Nicole over at Booked Up!

For Nerds Heart YA Round 2, we (Book Nest and Booked Up) had to decide between The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk and Dark Water by Laura McNeal. We could say something clever and witty about the coincidence of title names handed down to us from Round 1, but we’ll leave the writing to the writers today. Instead, please read our reviews to get a summary of each book and what we thought of them:

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin (Booked Up’s review / Book Nest’s review)
Dark Water by Laura McNeal (Booked Up’s review / Book Nest’s review)

Overall, we both felt that Will, the deaf and overweight high school student in The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin, was a stronger and more well-defined main character (especially in terms of underrepresented groups in young adult fiction) than Pearl of Dark Water. However, we decided that Dark Water was the stronger book when viewed as a whole story - that her relationship with the migrant worker Amiel and their experiences created a deeper, more literary and more viable plot.

SO! Dark Water moves on to Round 3! Good luck to the next round of judges!

Dark Water by Laura McNeal

2011-07-12T03:30:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

In Southern California, there are groves and fields of fruit trees. The line between those who own the groves and those who work on them is distinct and unwavering. There can be respect and there can even be kindness, but romantic love? It doesn't even need to be said that such a thing doesn't really happen.

Except, for Pearl, it does. Not that Pearl OWNS the avocado ranch, of course. That's her Uncle Hoyt. But she still knows better than to tell anyone about Amiel, the apparently mute migrant worker that she is mysteriously drawn to.

I'm having a hard time sorting my thoughts about this book into something coherent. It was just so lovely. The language, the story - even the foreshadowing, which I normally hate, served its purpose beautifully. I loved Amiel as a real person with talents and fears - you ache for him and for Pearl's own troubles. So many parts of young adulthood are part of Pearl's tale - relationships with parents and family, falling in love, friendships changing, decisions and very real consequences. All of this happens under the backdrop of a very sunny SoCal, green and verdant giver of life as well as the dry tinder box that can snuff out that same life with a breath of flame.

I read this in a day, couldn't put it down. If you love young adult literature, read it.

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The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

2011-07-11T04:32:00.001-07:00

genre: young adult

Will Halpin is taking a serious leap - from a Deaf School into a "Mainstream" School. Because of his excellent lipreading skills as well as his detestation for his hearing aids, Will lives in a silent world. This does NOT make it easy to fit into a gossip-filled, loud and chaotic high school. It also doesn't help that he's, uh, hefty. Plumpish. Big boned.

But he does it. He goes to class and is more than a little bit observant of his peers - his snarky and sometimes hilarious notebook slowly begins to fill with his thoughts on his new teachers and classmates. Despite his hesitation with people, Will cannot avoid a new friend that will soon be his partner as they investigate a crime involving a student at their school.

Will is a pretty hysterical and self-depreciating narrator. It's a lively place inside his head and I really liked all the texting conversations between him and his friend Smiley. I enjoyed watching him sort out his world and it was interesting to be in situations where we don't know what's happening because Will doesn't - I liked reading the experiences of a deaf character. One other thing that made this book intriguing was the coal mining secondary plot, since this book takes place in the hills of Pennsylvania.

Overall, this book was fun to read but I'll be honest, the whole "crime" thing caught me off-guard and it was hard for me to believe. It made the book take such a different turn and while I liked having Will's deafness be an asset to solving a crime, I just never really believed it. What I did believe, though, was that Will is an unlikely hero that a lot of teens will relate to as an outsider with big dreams.

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Bumped by Megan McCafferty

2011-07-06T04:47:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

If a new virus wiped out the fertility of everyone over the age of 18, what do you think would happen? Would our society start paying teenagers to have babies so that the world would continue to be populated? That's the premise of this book - teenagers are selling their wombs and their fertility to the highest bidder and for some reason that's never really explained, IVF technology isn't the option. Only "bumping" is. You hire the best genes you can and then pay for a baby to be conceived and carried for you. Pregnancy is THE coolest thing - and so is the process of creating a "preg."

Sixteen year old Melody has spent her whole life preparing to create the perfect pregnancy but when an identical twin suddenly drops into her life, from a crazy religious sect, no less, things get complicated. REALLY complicated. Harmony has a story of her own and despite her love of God and desire to live a sin-free life, living in Melody's world gives her opportunities that even she has a hard time resisting. In a baby/conception/pregnancy-crazy world, these sisters have a lot to learn about each other - and about themselves and what they really want.

It's an interesting premise, isn't it? Teens being the only ones who can get pregnant? I really thought it was and the book is well-written, it's definitely a page-turner as we switch between Melody and Harmony's story. Sometimes ALL the made-up slang got annoying. But honestly, it was a little uncomfortable to have sex and all the intricate details involved be talked about in such a blase and base way. Pop-culture in this book is absolutely obsessed with "bumping." T-shirts and music and school clubs, you name it -baby-making is the hot thing. So, while I liked the story, I'd be cautious about handing it to my own daughter - I'd avoid it for her until she was in her later teens, if at all.

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The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

2011-07-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

In the very near future, Londoner Laura is keeping a journal while Britain begins some radical environmental changes. She’s now got a Carbon Card that she has to use for anything that leaves a carbon footprint and global warming has messed up the weather big time. All this is happening while Laura is just trying to live a normal life with her lunatic parents, pass her exams and be the bass player in a totally rockin’ band.

Laura’s diary is very British teen-speak. She’s snarky and brutal but I liked that you could tell that under that scratchy teenage exterior that she cares about her family and is scared by how things can change. It doesn’t even pretend to be anything other than a treatise on global climate change and how probable apocalyptic events could affect the life of just one person. Sometimes it felt a little forced and TOO “look how evil globalization and Big Oil are” but sometimes it felt very “we can fix this planet” and I think that’s an important message to give young adults. I laughed out loud a few times but not as much as I was hoping I would. All in all, I think teens might like it better than I did.

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Mistwood by Leah Cypess

2011-06-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult fantasy

Isabel is a Shifter, a legendary and powerful being that is bound to whomever sits on the throne in Samorna. She is sworn to protect the king and when Prince Rokan comes to the Mistwood to claim her protection, she cannot deny him. Upon reaching the castle, though, she finds that she cannot change shape the way she used to - and emotions that have never clouded her thinking or reactions before are making her task challenging when it should be effortless. Intrigue within the court and political secrets slowly reveal to Isabel the depth of what she's buried in and she needs to figure out - soon - how to reign in her powers again to protect the prince.

Cypess is a STORYTELLER. The text is lyrical and yet powerful. I could not put this book down because of the intricate and interesting story and because of the complex and engaging characters. Isabel is fascinatingly created - she is so incredibly strong, agile and capable and yet, the "weakness" that she begins to find in herself makes her feel so real. Prince Rokan is subtle and well-rounded and their enemies are hard to get a grip on. The romantic thread is so slight and yet so perfect that I wouldn't change a thing (well, maybe ONE more page :).

Cannot wait to read more from this author.

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XVI by Julia Karr

2011-06-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

In a future Chicago, Nina is nearly 16 - the age of adulthood, where every girl receives her tattoo and is legally old enough to be sexually active. Luckily, her mother taught her that turning sixteen doesn't automatically mean you have to start wanting that - in fact, Nina abhors the idea. She hates how teenagers are pressed into being promiscuous, but it's hard to find other girls that agree. When tragedy strikes and Nina is suddenly unsure of everything she ever knew, it will take good friends, both old and new, to help keep her safe while she uncovers secrets that might bring about some much needed change to her own life and the society she lives in.

So, I'll just be blunt. This book did not do it for me. The writing was scripted and obvious. The characters were flat and everything was TOLD to me. The plot was interesting enough that I didn't just chuck it at the wall but I felt so disappointed in the execution. I think with some better editing and a more creative writing style this could have just been way funner to read. The one positive is that at least Nina wasn't boy-crazy like most of the girls in this book.

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

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2011-06-23T04:21:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

Mia: talented cellist, daughter, friend and girlfriend. Her life is so full of good things that it can't possibly be reality when an accident lands her in the hospital, hovering between life and death. The strangest part is that, she's still THERE. There, in the room, watching her body being worked on frantically by doctors as they try to save her life. All her memories are still with her, in this in-between place, and most of this beautiful story is Mia's sifting through her life and picking out the parts that stand out most.

I like Mia. She's someone I think I'd like to know - and while her parents were almost TOO quirky-fun for me, I loved how much music is a part of their story. I liked the feel of love that just sort of radiated out from all the relationships in this book - sometimes spoken and distinct and sometimes just bobbing there under the surface. Even though every once and a while Mia's narrative felt a bit forced, I liked where this book took me and I'm anxious to read its companion.

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

Louisa May Alcott: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen

2011-06-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

genre: non-fiction, biography

Talk about someone who lived an amazing life. I'm not usually a biography reader, but something about Louisa and the world she grew up in intrigued me - and rightly so. This very readable book tells Louisa's story from beginning to end, weaving in her writings as well as pertinent historical information that fleshes out the scene of her days.

Growing up with Emerson and Thoreau as surrogate uncles, the Concord and Boston of Louisa's day is the stuff of legend. What I really enjoyed about this book was learning about how her own life experiences made their way into her writing. Her deprived "Utopian" childhood, the Civil War, her slow road to fame - she wrote about it all in both personal journals and in hundreds of sketches, poems and stories.

I also came to appreciate how much family troubles, ill health and other people's choices influenced her decisions - I liked when the author made those connections for me. Clearly, her vigor and "can-do" attitude made her such an asset to those who depended on her and the author does well, I think, at combining Louisa's journals with other sources to help us piece together her whole story - since all was not always happiness and "can-do."

While I did really enjoy it, it was certainly a slower read than usual. The author is thorough and I was always happy to pick it up, but I wouldn't call it a huge page turner. As a portrait of an exceptionally prolific and creative writer, as well as a snapshot of an American Life, I came away from this book with a much greater appreciation for the struggles of early American women and a sense of pleasure at knowing this incredible woman a little better.

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

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

2011-06-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

genre: drama

Knowing nothing about this play when I began, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the plot: shipwrecks, hidden identities, separated twins, love triangles (of course). Not to MENTION the yellow stockings, which had me laughing out loud. It's most certainly a comedy and, with other Shakespeare comedies, I must insist that whomever attempts it for the first time (if you are unfamiliar with Shakespeare) that they read the text along with a production. The comedic elements, especially, are just SO much more enjoyable when you can watch them! I also think that just the acting alone can really make the text so much more accessible.

At the heart of this story is Viola, a twin who believes her brother has drowned at sea. She determines to act the part of a boy so that she can get employment in the house of Count Orsino. Orsino is in love with the lovely Olivia, who has recently lost both her brother and her father, so she is all alone in the possession of a fine fortune. Cue all the funny business of people falling mistakenly in love. There is a subplot involving some of Olivia's other suitors and her manservant that is absolutely hysterical (a la Kenneth Branagh in Much Ado About Nothing).

I enjoyed this one a lot. I'm glad I'll be able to dig deeper into its meaning with my book group this month!

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

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011-06-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

In Rhine's world, you just know. If you're a girl, you'll die when you're 20. If you're a boy, you'll get until you're 25, but then the virus will get you. No matter what. With the population dying out, girls are kidnapped and sold to the highest bidder in an attempt to create a newer, less vulnerable generation - but it doesn't look good.

Rhine is one of those kidnapped girls. Along with two "sister wives," she lives a life of privileged, but she finds no happiness in the lap of luxury. A bird in a cage, with no desire for a marriage of any kind, all Rhine wants is the freedom to live life as she chooses until she's 20 and the virus takes her too. If she could only get away...

Oh, oh. I read this one in a day. Dystopia, to be sure. Rhine's tough but not particularly snarky or unfeeling. She actually feels things really deeply and I liked watching relationships evolve. It's an intense and fast moving story in an unknown future time, with some rather adult themes (polygamy for the express purpose of making lots of babies, but it's not super graphic). I won't say it's life-changing, but it was a great way to spend some hours. It's the first of a trilogy, so be ready to be left hanging a little bit (in a good way).

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

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

2011-06-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

genre: middle grade

In the not too distant future, Giannine plans to spend an afternoon playing a virtual-reality video game. She puts on the special hat that immerses her into a medieval world, where she knows she needs to be crowned king in order to win. Except, soon after her game begins there's a...glitch. A glitch that makes the stakes of this game higher than she can imagine. If she wants to have the real world back, Giannine has to make all the right choices and get that crown on her head.

The set-up of this book makes it an interesting blend of fantasy/reality, where Giannine's thoughts are modern day but she has to make some pretty intense medieval fantasy type decisions - and death in this game isn't the end. It just starts you over from the beginning - so figuring out how to NOT get yourself killed is only one of the most important decisions she has to make in order to have her brain back. Dragons, barbarians, magicians - Giannine has to make alliances and figure out if she needs to go with her heart or her head. I liked watching her play a "choose your own adventure" game where you constantly can learn from your mistakes and start over.

Intriguing premise. Snarky and sarcastic narrator that keeps things light. A good middle-grade read.

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

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

2011-06-07T17:21:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Ethan. Dear Ethan. I remembered from my middle school reading that your story was a tragic one. But I did NOT remember that it was a beautiful one, one that dug deep into our choices and the fact that we can't choose our consequences. Your home in western New England absolutely typified the starkness of your relationship with your wife and your hard life made sweet things so hard to come by. I know why Mattie appealed to you, of course. One little ray of light, that's all you needed and it was exactly what you could not have.

It's gorgeous. Writing at its finest. The CHARACTERS. Such contrasts with each other in the most detailed of ways. I found myself understanding Ethan so intimately, wanting so much for his circumstances to be different. I ached for the painful understanding of his plight and the desolation that hung like a curtain over his life. I was anxious for the climax, having a vague memory from my middle-school reading - but it actually took my breath away, since it was NOT what I remembered (funny how that happens). It was better, so carefully crafted. Tragic in a perfectly horrible way. Okay. I'm done gushing. It was wasted on me in 8th grade, but I've earned it now.

note: if you're interested in the content of the books I read, please go to www.ratedreads.com

The Twisted Thread by Charlotte Bacon

2011-06-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

genre: mystery

A fancy private school. A student murdered. We jump into this mystery through the character of Madeline, a first year teacher at Armitage Academy in New England. Her relationship with the deceased Claire, an aloof senior, was shallow enough that she has no idea of what could've possibly happened - and she's not the only one that's anxious to know how and why a privileged and brilliant girl could end up dead in her dorm room.

I hate having any details of a mystery divulged, so I won't say any more about the plot. I will say that part of what made this book interesting was the setting - a school full of kids who have never had to wish for anything. Suddenly one of the creme de la creme is murdered and the whole academy is turned upside down while the police investigate and speculation runs rampant. As we watch the story evolve through different narrators - Madeline, an art teacher, a janitor and a cop, pieces slowly fit into place in a way that I didn't expect.

Not so gripping I couldn't put it down, but not boring either, A Twisted Thread is worth picking up if you enjoy trying to guess whodunnit and especially if you are intrigued by the lives of the privileged and how even with all their money and power - tragedy can still find them.

note: if you're interested in the content of the books I read, please go to www.ratedreads.com

The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas

2011-05-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Elenora is not just a bright child. Born in a town on the outskirts of the greatly diminished Ottoman Empire, she's got an adult sense of gravity that only increases as she learns and grows. When she ends up in the ancient river port city of Stamboul, the eight year old Eleanor finds herself in the thick of political happenings that will change both the course of her life and the reign of His Excellency, the Sultan.

This is a lovely piece of historical fiction. Told mostly through the eyes of a child, we also glimpse bot the intricate decisions of the Sultan as well as the delicate strength of a girl wise beyond her years. What I really loved was the slightest touch of magical realism, really, just a pinch, enough to make it feel like Eleanora was really on the brink of being someone too much for this world. And the setting with its political intrigue, obscure historical sites and multicultural landscape really captured my attention.

I loved the poetic writing style and the switching of the narrative from character to character. I loved finding out how far Eleanora's intelligence could go. I loved how clearly these characters loved the written word. My only complaint was that the ending wasn't as climactic or fleshed out as I would've liked, but it still definitely earns its 4 stars.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

2011-05-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Poor Quentin. It's lonely to grow up a complete and utter genius. Find things to do that are satisfying isn't easy when nothing costs the least amount of effort. His happy place? The pages of a series of books about a fantasy land called Fillory. Talking animals, noble quests, magic and children as heroes - it was a safe space where he could imagine a world where he could truly belong.

And then, the unthinkable happens. He's invited to go to a magical college. Yes. MAGICAL college. Where you learn to do real magic. Suddenly the world has shifted and what seemed like an impossibility, a daydream, has become a reality and Quentin finds that he excels at magic just like he does at everything else.

Things get dicey, though. Just because he learns how to do "good" magic doesn't mean that there aren't people out there who do the other kind. And learning how to be an adult with a bunch of magicians isn't all that uncomplicated either. Relationships and decisions are as tricky - or trickier - than in our "real" world. And soon, even Quentin's wildest dreams will take him on a journey he wouldn't have dared imagine.

As a unashamed Potter-head, I liked this book from the start because there is a lot of that same initial plot line of normal-boy-finds-out-his-greatness. And the magic school, of course. But this book is much darker. Darker in that Quentin starts out older and makes darker and more questionable decisions and lives among a far more...shall we say...promiscuous set of people. I ended up really liking the plot arc (for a while there I wasn't sure if I would) and the climax was pretty amazing and unexpected. If you already love Naria and Hogwarts and Middle Earth, you will see so much of the spirit of those novels within the Magicians that you'll either love it or you'll feel like it's TOO much (I wavered between those two poles most of the time).

In the end, I was satisfied. Do I wish it wasn't quite so graphic in some parts? Yes. Do I wish that Quentin's language wasn't so foul? Yes. Did I need to skip through some scenes? Yes. But my brother warned me when he recommended it to me that it was a little "rough." He was right. It's rough. And let me say again - it's dark. Quentin isn't one for chipper-ness or looking on the bright side. He doesn't really know how to be a great friend and sometimes I wanted to clock him. My rating of three stars is a balance of great plot and writing style offset with some pretty rough content. Was it perfect? No. An intriguing read? I thought so.

The Implosion of Aggie Winchester by Lara Zielin

2011-05-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

When your mom is the high school principal, life can be really lame. And for Aggy, her solution is to "go Goth." You know, to wear all black, put on creepy black makeup and generally act like the world is yours to toy with. Look at her on the outside and, if she can help it, she'll scare the pants off of you.

But we get to see the inside of Aggy - and there is a lot of hurt and fear there. A lot of wanting to be loved and needing acceptance is under her pretty terrifying exterior and she's so afraid of loosing the tiny spot she's carved for herself at school that she'll keep any of the "real" Aggy buried deep.

The Prom? SO lame. Aggy wishes it didn't even exist but then, this year, the election for prom royalty turns into a catastrophe on so many different levels that Aggy cannot escape from it. And some serious choices have to be made.

For me, honestly, all the brouhaha over prom felt a little scripted. I wasn't dying to find out how that part sorted out, but Aggy and her personal life, her relationships were more intriguing. It's so hard to learn to stand up for yourself when all you want is to be loved - if nothing else, Zielin captured that teenage angst just right. The language is as foul as you'd imagine when someone is trying to hard to tick everyone else off. And, for those who care, there are a couple more graphic scenes to wade through. While the ending felt a bit too wrapped-up-with-a-bow, I liked the message it gives to teens, about making things right and giving your parents a chance.

Mistakes Were Made (but not by me) by Carol Tavris and Eliot Aronson

2011-05-20T03:44:00.001-07:00

subtitle: Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts

genre: non-fiction

I know that I personally do not really enjoy admitting when I've made a mistake. I mean, I WANT to always be willing to, but it's tricky and sometimes pretty emotional. This book helps me to understand WHY it's tricky and emotional and what we can do to step myself out of the cycle.

Self-justification. That's their word for the things we say to ourselves to make us feel better when we make a mistake. It's also the things we say to other people to excuse away the mistakes we are unwilling to admit. They talk about presidents, celebrities and married couples and these examples of these people justifying their mistakes really makes it clear (even if it's hard to wade through the murk in our OWN circumstances).

Cognitive Dissonance. This was the phrase that has really stuck with me - somehow I've never heard of it before. When we have two opposite ideas in our head that we both believe to be true. How can I be a nice person (which I believe I am) and have done that bad thing (which I believe I did)? Well, that bad thing must not really be my fault, right? And then the self-justification starts.

Although it took me longer to work through that I'd have liked, I found a lot of the ideas very interesting and applicable. The authors' writing approach felt fresh and candid without too much jargon. I liked how they walked me through, step by step, how someone can become a ruthless dictator and still believe they are "a good person" and the section on "memory repression" was very intriguing also. Probably the best thing I can say about it is that it really has made me look deeper at my own thought processes and realized ways that I can be a better wife, mom and friend. I'd like to be the kind of person that can frankly apologize when I've done something wrong - so if nothing else, this book gave me the courage to believe that in any circumstance, I can do that.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

2011-05-08T07:21:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction
for the Book Blogger Reading Swap

It's hard for me to calm down my feelings about this book enough to actually create sentences. I'm swimming in thoughts and it's hard to decide what's going to come out on top.

Daniel of post-civil war Barcelona. Dear Daniel, who is our narrator and our eyes as his story begins, is ten years old. The son of a bookseller, Daniel discovers a book whose mysterious author will occupy his thoughts throughout his adolescence. Curious and determined, Daniel seeks to find out what happened to the writer and his digging will place him into an even more mysterious story that's as deadly and convoluted as any novel.

There are some incredible characters in this book. Daniel is so wonderfully naive, thoughtful and yet self-centered in a way that we all are as teenagers. The character who becomes his best friend might be one of the most fabulously memorable characters I've gotten to know. And the bad guys? Oh dear. There is horribleness that Daniel could've never anticipated when he opened the first page of that beloved novel.

I want to say that I loved it and yet was really disturbed by it at the same time. There is so much pain within these pages. I mean, the kind of pain that rips apart cities and families and hearts, sometimes all at once. But also, there is so much love. Not only love between people, but a love of books, of the written word and of those whose hearts are poured into their pages. This book creates such a wonderful thread between those who choose to write and those who take the time to read, that there is a sacred space there than can transcend personal familiarity or age or time.

Books can change us. That's a message that rang loud and clear for me. And while there are some graphic scenes and language that could make a sailor blush, let the record show that this book amazed me. It amazed me with plot puzzle pieces that should've never fit together and yet somehow seamlessly did. There is a frightening darkness in this story that sometimes was almost alive, it was so permeating, but then there would be these beautiful and tender moments that just would bring out the sun.

If one book can make me feel things so deeply, then it's a beautiful thing.

In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap

2011-04-27T11:16:00.001-07:00

genre: young adult historical fiction

In 1854, there aren't a lot of respectable opportunities for young girls in London, so when parlormaid Molly hears that a Miss Nightingale is looking for nurses to join her in the Crimea to tend to the soldiers, she will do whatever it takes to join the group.

Of course, Molly isn't actually a nurse, but she is naturally gentle, with a talent for helping the sick and there is so much to learn. Miss Nightingale runs a seriously tight ship and somehow Molly keeps ending up under her disapproving eye. Slowly, of course, Molly gets the hang of life as a war-time nurse and a certain young doctor who catches her eye makes life confusing and exciting, especially since there is a boy at home that's still in her mind.

I really enjoyed this story. I loved seeing Florence Nightingale from this angle, from the point of view of a young girl just starting out in the world who viewed Florence as some kind of nursing goddess. I think that the wartime violence and all that went with it felt accurate and appropriately painful without being overly graphic (or really all that extensive). The love triangle kept the plot going along, it surprised me sometimes, and there is a soft sense of magical realism in the story, in certain scenes, that I found intriguing (others might be a bit distracted by it in this very historical story). My only complaint, and the only reason it gets 4.5 stars instead of five, is that the ending left me with a few too many questions. Don't get me wrong, I loved the ending, actually, but it was harder for me to suspend my disbelief than I would've liked. Still, it is absolutely worth picking up,especially if you're a historical fiction buff like I am.

Cuba: My Revolution by Inverna Lockpez and Dean Haspiel

2011-04-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

genre: graphic novel, semi-memoir

Modern Cuban history, from a personal point of view, is very interesting to me. The struggle that the Cuban people have gone through is so intense and this book is no different: intense is the right word.

Sonya is 17 at the beginning, she is smitten with Fidel and his revolution and while she is studying to be a doctor to make her father happy, she also wants to be an artist and a soldier. As Fidel takes power Sonya slowly grows up, realizing that revolutionary dreams and revolutionary reality are two very different things. Promises are broken, society breaks down and for Sonya, who truly believed that a bright new future was coming - it's a very emotional journey.

Let me give you fair warning: no pun intended, but there are some graphic scenes. There is torture and interrogation, wartime violence and suffering. Because we are seeing it through Sonya's eyes, it's not only upsetting but terrifying. I cannot imagine having to live through some of her experiences and it is apparently based on the life of the author. To live in fear, every day. To watch people you live disappear, some to safety in America and some into the hands of the people who told you they would make your country better. So, if you are prepared to see a few disturbing images, this account has something very important to say.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

2011-04-24T18:09:00.000-07:00

genre: adult fiction

Can you believe I had never read this classic until now? I saw an awesome copy of it at the Five Below (random, eh?), it's a DK unabridged version that has all kinds of historical and cultural information in it, which really rounded out my reading experience.

SO. Now I have all kinds of misconceptions sorted out. First off, I thought Frankenstein was the CREATURE, but he's the CREATOR of the creature. Somehow in my mind, if you dressed up as Frankenstein for Halloween then you were that guy who walked funny with stitches on your forehead, but no no. That's just the monster whose name we never even learn. Victor Frankenstein is a promising scientist from Geneva who figures out how to use electricity and "parts" to create a living being who can think and interact with the world.

That's when things go sorta...bad.

I mean, really bad.

It's a horror novel, to be sure, but I think it's a lot more than that. It feels like a character study, too, and the novel is set up in such an intriguing way - as a story within a story. And we even get another story within that one! We watch Frankenstein and his creature deal with the consequences of his creation, and the creature does actually become sympathetic, it's incredibly intriguing how my feelings swayed back and forth about him. Sometimes he was terrifying and sometimes I feel real pity. I loved the way that my edition of the book put this story within the context of Mary Shelley's time, about what was changing in the philosophies of men and how they viewed nature, which is a big part of the book.

I really liked it, it was surprisingly engaging. I did NOT like all the foreshadowing (I like surprises in my books and overt foreshadowing gives too much away and spoils the action of the story, in my opinion) and sometimes poor Victor does just go ON and ON about his guilt over creating such a monster. I'm going to chalk that up to me not understanding how you talked about things in 1818. For such an old story, it really gave me a lot to ponder about.

My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme

2011-04-14T05:28:00.000-07:00

genre: memoir, food

read for the Great Book Blogger Swap - THANKS MELISSA!

Can I gush?

This book is fantastic. A gem. As a person who knew nothing about Julia Child, this book was a revelation, her voice and mannerisms shine through so clearly in this story about Julia's journey from girlhood into her full and robust life. The focus of the book, of course, is her time spent in France, where she fell in love with the people, the culture and most importantly, the food. But it's not just the food with Julia. It's the preparation of the food, the time spent buying the ingredients, the care with which you make it and the friends that you eat it with - the whole package, THAT is what Julia loved.

I am inspired by Julia's guts, her can-do attitude and her willingness to work hard at something because she loved it. She's honest, too. Sometimes things were frustrating - she does not gloss over the effort of creating her famous cookbook or pretend that life wasn't really challenging sometimes - and it's that honesty that makes this such a compelling read. I felt like I was IN France half the time, walking through the markets or sitting in a restaurant - the style of writing is very present and realistic. And since her most formative years as a cook happened just post World War II, we also get a lovely picture of what life was like in France during that time, when having heat in your flat was still iffy in Paris and no one owned a television.

Rarely do I finish a non-fiction book and feel sad that there wasn't more, but I did. I had to go to youtube and watch her make an omelette and check out a cookbook from my library, just to keep the experience going. Not that I think I'll be making roasted lamb or bouillabaisse any time soon, but I can see why she had fans all over the world - she's just so human that she makes you believe you can do anything.

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

2011-04-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

Victorian England, it brings to mind horse-drawn coaches, giant hoop skirts and Charles Dickens-esque romantic adventures. In Fallen Grace, we are introduced to another facet of Victorian life, two facets, really. The life of the absolutely downtrodden poor and the culture and customs of mourning and funerals.

When we meet Grace, she is on a miserable errand. She and her older (but clearly disabled) sister Lily are orphaned and very much on their own. Selling whatever they can manage on the streets is barely enough to feed themselves and soon they find themselves desperate enough to do anything to stay out of the workhouse.

Intriguing, huh?

Grace is such a humble character, so clearly worn down by life for a fifteen year old - but gracious and protective of her sister. The time period is absolutely dripping from the pages, I felt like I was there and I really liked seeing both sides of the social ladder. Your heart just aches for all these poor people who are willing to work so hard if only there was work for them to do. The whole "mourning" enterprise and the economics of funerals, the show of it all, that was fascinating. I also liked that each chapter began with a little snippet of newsprint or an advertisement from the era.

I guess I'm gushing. I just felt like this was a really interesting read from a different perspective than other young adult historical fiction I've picked up. Even without any kind of heady romantic storyline, this was a great read.

Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson

2011-04-10T06:50:00.001-07:00

genre: adult fiction

What if our imaginary friends are more than just imaginary friends? What if once they leave us, they still exist, traveling on to help the next lonely child who needs them? That's the premise of this story. Jane's life as the daughter of a big-time Broadway producer is so loveless that her imaginary friend Michael is the only thing that shines with any warmth or kindness. And when it's time for Michael to leave her (like imaginary friends must), eventually she's supposed to forget all about him.

But she doesn't.

And when years later Jane is STILL lonely and STILL thinking about Michael who made life happy, the unexpected happens: she sees him again.

Since I've never read any Patterson, I didn't know quite what to expect. Honestly? This was too much for me. Too much cheese, too many caricatured characters, even the magical realism of this imaginary friend/angel/lover was just too much for me. It never felt real enough to be believed, like I'd be a sucker if I suspended my disbelief this much. Maybe I've just read enough romantic stories with more depth that this one only skimmed the surface. But at least now I can talk about it at book club, right?

Basilisk by N.M. Browne

2011-04-09T06:09:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

For Rej and Donna, life couldn't be more different. Rej is a comber, living a precarious life under the streets in semi-darkness. Donna is a scribe and an "oppidan," sworn to a life of humility and deprivation in the land Above. But they have one critical thing in common and when a murder in the combes brings Rej into the light, these two teens will soon be deep in a plot where dragons and poisons are real weapons and it will be up to them to discover the secret of the Basilisk.

I picked this one up because I was interested in the idea of people living underground, and I think she did create an intriguing culture. The world itself is fairly well thought out and I even like the general plot. But for some reason, this one just never grabbed me. I was never gripped enough to be dying to pick it up and it took me way longer to read than it should have. I think sometimes I was annoyed by the formality of the dialogue and narration as well as the constant use of invented cuss-words. I appreciated that things wrapped themselves up without needing a sequel (although I would've liked more) and the violence in the story made the tension more real, but I just wasn't completely along for the ride this time. Maybe I wanted the relationship between Rej and Donna to be fleshed out more, that might be it, because the fantastical ideas of the plot really were inventive.

You can't win them all, I guess.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

2011-04-03T23:27:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

Sam's finally a senior. She's got three best friends and a spot at the top of the popularity charts. She's got the boyfriend she's crushed on since forever. Honestly, what else could she want? Until a party one night goes completely wrong, Sam's life is just about perfect. After the party? She just keeps waking up on the day of the party, a la Groundhog Day. She quickly learns how each tiny choice we make scooches us and everyone we interact with on a different path. Turn one corner, one thing happens - turn another, BAM, something else. Despite feeling complete panic about this turn of events, Sam knows that there is something she has to figure out before she can move on to...whatever comes next.

This book is pretty stinking amazing. While it's got its predictability, just based on the concept alone, I have to admit that I could not put it down. As Sam goes through her days and slowly figures out the consequences of her seemingly innocuous actions, she goes through a powerful transformation. I would imagine a lot of teens could find someone they really resonate with, there are so many mean girls and so many victims. I like this look at bullying, that it takes us slowly from what we do without thinking about it to how we can start to make things right - and that we DO have to make things right.

Despite the foul language and all the raunchy choices that people make, I think I would hand this one to my daughter in a few years so we can have a conversation (another one) about what bullying can do to us.

fingertips of Annie by Margaret Melton Taylor

2011-04-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

genre: biography/autobiography

Annie was born in 1915. She spent her entire life in farm country of North Carolina and this book is a collection of stories and thoughts that were told to her daughter, Margaret.

Was Annie's life exemplary in any sort of huge and radical way? Not particularly. Her life was incredibly hard, getting married during the depression, farming and working her fingers to the bone so she could put food on the table for her children. But she did these things with faith and with a sure knowledge that with hard work, anything could be worked out. I actually really enjoyed reading about what life was like back then and how things changed and modernized.

The thing is, this book was self-published so it wasn't really edited, which can be very distracting. Spelling and punctuation errors are all over the place, but if you know that going into it, you can just let it go. What this book is, besides just being a treasure to her family members, is an account of a life. A life like Annie's can't happen anymore - we've come so far from her feed-sack dresses and cotton-filled mattresses. But I love that this life is recorded so we don't forget how far we've come and how we can be grateful for all the things we do have. Especially since my husband's grandmother grew up under very similar circumstances in a very similar place, I appreciated learning more about the Depression/War Years in a real way.

I'd love to read a book like this about my own grandmother's or mother's life. It makes me want to write one.

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

2011-04-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

genre: young adult

When Lithuania became a part of Stalin’s reign of terror, at the beginning of World War II, Lina’s world began to slowly unravel. When she is thrown into a truck with her mother and brother, she has no idea of where they are being taken or why they have to leave home at all. Her fifteen years of life didn’t prepare her for the horror of life under the thumb of Russian soldiers.

I’ve read a lot of stories about young adults during the Second World War, many stories of Jewish youth who had to survive concentration camps or work camps and stories of those who helped. Like all other victims of the atrocities of this period of time, Lina and her family were just citizens. Just people. Stalin decided they were a threat and so he had them put in train cars at gunpoint and sent them away.

This is a heartbreaking story. It’s carefully crafted, with flashbacks that flesh out Lina’s life in Lithuania and help us understand how much she’s lost. It’s a story of survival and keeping hope even during the darkest hours of oppression. Her mother is an exemplary character; I hope I would have as much strength and empathy in that situation. It’s not an easy tale to read, but I can't think of anything I'd really change. I'd have liked the "love" storyline to be developed a tiny bit more, but honestly, Sepetys tells a really realistic story. It would be awesome if we could all fall in love and have everything work out awesome but sometimes, life just did not work out that way. I appreciated how true her young adult voice was - I believed in Lina. Her thoughts felt very real.

Make sure to read the author’s note when you're finished with this moving story, it made me appreciate the ending even more.

Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe

2011-04-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

genre: children's literature

I remember hearing about this little "vampire" bunny when I was a kid, but the story never interested me. Shame on me, because I read it outloud to my two little boys this past week and had a ball. Our narrator is the loyal, if not slightly blustering, dog Harold. When their family discovers a WHITE tomato, Harold's scheming cat-friend Chester is convinced that the family's new bunny is the culprit. A juice sucking BUNNY? That is just funny, in fact, my boys were in hysterics more than once, thanks to Chester's hair-brained plans to rescue the family from their fang-toothed pet.

I can see why this one is a classic, my boys were always begging for more. I think we'll search out more books in this charming and clever series.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-03-29T11:39:00.001-07:00

genre: dystopian ya

So, I know, it's probably my favorite genre, but THIS one, WOWEE. Lauren Oliver has created herself a world - just like our world, really - where love is a disease. A disease that needs to be wiped out. The procedure that makes this a reality is called "the cure" and Lena is ready. She knows all about the crazy things that "amor deliria nervosa" can do to people, people in her own family. To have to live without really feeling? No pain? Sounds just right to Lena, who knows what pain is.

And then, of course, she meets a boy.

And that's all I want to say. Because I enjoyed this journey oh so muchly. Oliver captures the essence of teenage love absolutely and completely. In fact, I think she may have even put into words actual feelings I remember having, when I loved someone so much I thought maybe my heart had actually been ripped out. And she ties it into this society where things are set up to be so controlled, where things you think are keeping you safe are really just tying you up. Even when I thought I had the plot figured out, she twisted it enough to never make me feel like I'd guessed it all.

I finished and was so thrilled to discover this is the first of a trilogy (and remember how sometimes that just makes me mad?) This time I can't wait to read more!!.

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

2011-03-27T06:37:00.000-07:00

genre: children's literature

Prince "Brat" has a whipping boy named Jemmy, whose sole purpose in the palace is to take a beating for the prince whenever he misbehaves (because you can't whip a prince, right?). And Prince Brat misbehaves a lot.

When the prince gets it into his head to run away, Jemmy doesn't have much of a choice but to join him and some serious adventures ensue. There are highwaymen, country fairs and lots of sewer rats. What's not to love?

I read this one out loud to my sons, age 5 and 8 and they ate it UP, I tell you. The "cutthroats" are evil and blundering (just right) and Prince Brat's journey to being a better friend (while a bit swift if you really think about it) was a good, but not sappy or too overplayed, message. While I'm not sure I'd say it was absolutely incredible, I'm glad we read it.

Economic Meltdown: A Family Preparedness Plan for Disaster by Karen McHale

2011-03-26T12:43:00.000-07:00

genre: fiction, preparedness

I am a sucker for disaster stories. I love tales of survival and because my church has been telling us for years that we need to have basic supplies on hand so that we can make do on our own for a time during a crisis, I'm also pretty interested in preparedness. When I was approached and asked to read this book about a financial disaster, I was intrigued.

Here's the thing - it's a disaster preparedness manual...but it's a story. It's a fictionalized account of one family's efforts to be ready in case our country plunges into an economic nightmare. So, it's didactic and yet, not. If reading an actual "disaster preparedness manual" puts you to sleep by just reading the title, this may be an interesting way to go. A family of four finds ways to put up food, become more self-reliant, and put aside a reserve of necessities and money. It's full of a lot of good ideas - some I've already done, some I'm in the process of doing and others I hadn't considered that are now on my list.

One thing to keep in mind - it's needs an editor. I found several typos which distracted me and it got a little repetitive at times. Don't read it for the "plot," because it sometimes feels like you're watching an after school special. But, really, I think it serves an incredibly useful purpose - it shows you that becoming more self-reliant CAN be done by people who are NOT wealthy or prepared to move to a compound in the wilderness. People in the suburbs can and should be ready to fend for themselves because counting on the government to help you out isn't good enough. I appreciate that it made me think about a crisis situation that's very different than what I'd been planning for (job loss, earthquake/storm etc.). Hyper inflation and unrest in my own country could lead to crazy high food prices or limited food, period. With all the other calamities and political tension happening for REAL in the world right now, this book sent planning for a disaster to the forefront of my mind.

King of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan and the Seductive World of Indian Cinema by Anupama Chopra

2011-03-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

genre: non-fiction, biography, history

Yes, I just read a book about Bollywood and one of it's major supastarzzzz. Yes, I enjoyed it. I read it mostly to learn about dear Shah, whom I have watched lately in two VERY different roles and enjoyed both times. The book seems to be a fairly balanced look at his life and how it fits into the incredibly intricate and dramatic (um I'll say it again: DRAMATIC) world of Indian cinema. It's like jumping into an alternate universe, in some ways, with so many unfamiliar people and places, but I found it totally enjoyable. If you don't care about the subject, I'd imagine it would bore you, but since I happen to be a fan of emotional dramas, crazy rocking dance scenes and epic stories involving reincarnation, murder and disco - it was a fun enough read for me. Plus, I have a new list of movies I want to see and songs I want to hear :)

Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay

2011-03-18T20:54:00.001-07:00

genre: young adult

What is Saffy's Angel? The story of Saffy, how she finds out she was adopted into her family of two sisters and a brother and how they help her to find a part of herself that was lost.

Describe it in one word? Delightful

A different one? Charming.

The best part? The characters, their British ways and individual quirks, their love for each other and how they interact. There are no superfluous characters in this book. Period. Each one is well rounded and an integral part of Saffy's journey.

I'm a total fan.

book 2 of Melissa's list for the Book Blogger Swap challenge

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

2011-03-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

genre: non-fiction

Michael Pollan has a very specific definition of food.

It is NOT just something that you can put in your mouth and digest.

Food, to Michael Pollan, has a deeper meaning, a definition that involves how that food is made (processed=NOT food) and in what form it is eaten. In his book In Defense of Food, he makes the case that what our Western Culture needs to save itself from all the diseases that are currently plaguing it is a return to eating real food and a much greater awareness of the way that food is produced.

I really like Pollan's writing style - for non-fiction, it's completely accessible and wow is he persuasive. I finished reading this book and wanted to chuck out every processed food in my house. He really makes you think about the true cost of that 20 cent package of orange sandwich crackers and how we arrived at this place of "non-food." I loved the history of our food industry and his take on all the different studies that he sites. What I found most intriguing is the idea of "nutritionalism" and how focused we are (I am) on what NUTRIENTS are in what we are eating instead of the whole picture of that food (or non-food).

While I really loved this book, it was a great read, now that I'm a few days out from finishing it, I am finding myself completely daunted and a bit depressed. I believe the things he tells me. I want to feed my family more whole foods. It's just a crazy huge undertaking in the society where I live. I know it can be done, I just need to write down a series of baby steps and get started - and probably read more about it, too, because I think Pollan's really onto something.

The Little Prince (by Antoine de Saint-Exupery) adapted Joann Sfar

2011-03-10T11:44:00.001-08:00

genre: graphic novel

As a child, I was addicted to this bizarre movie of a small boy from another planet. Our Little Prince befriends a pilot whose plane has broken down in the desert. The pilot, while once very frustrated with the unimaginative-ness of adults, finds himself acting like an adult when confronted with the naivete of the Little Prince. The Little Prince has left his tiny planet and its inhabitants to travel the universe, trying to learn about whatever is out there and, in the process, discovers many of the not-so-lovely parts of humanity: our tendency to want to rule over others, our tendency to not see the forest for the trees, our tendency to want to OWN whatever we see. But he also finds out what it means to MEAN something to someone, and how it feels when that someone is taken from us. I love how he puts into words the idea that once we have loved someone, or someone loves us - we are no longer the same. And, suddenly, all the other people in the world are also different, because they are not that person.

My favorite quote?

You can only see clearly with the heart. What matters is invisible to the eye.

It's philosophical yet childish at the same time. I like it for its timelessness and for my image of Gene Wilder as the fox, in my favorite scene. The drawings in this adaptation didn't mesh well with my own image of the story, but beyond that, I did like the adaption of the text and the closeup drawings at the end actually did make me feel teary for a moment. That's impressive.

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

2011-03-08T04:15:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

An orphan since nearly her earliest memories, Hattie has spent her life being shuffled from one distant relative to another. And now, in the thick of the first World War, Hattie finally has a chance to make something her very own: an inherited homesteaders claim in Eastern Montana country. With less than a year to "prove" the claim, the learning curve is steep but sixteen year old Hattie is up to the challenge. Of course, there are neighbors who provide help, but more than that, these neighbors give a sense the sense of family that she's always longed for.

At first it was really hard for me to wrap my mind around a sixteen year old girl living in a tiny house, alone, out on the prairie. But, we watch her through her struggles and soon we see that she's not only capable, but that she's willing to accept help. It wasn't an easy life, to be sure, but Hattie found sincere happiness, along with the requisite sorrow. I would've liked to have seen more of a romantic storyline, but I get that it wasn't the story's point - Hattie needed to learn about Hattie. A book of highs and lows, with a large thread of wartime racism and fear, it grabbed my attention from the beginning and kept it until the end.

Inside the Outbreaks: The Elite Medical Detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service by Mark Pendergrast

2011-03-05T21:28:00.000-08:00

genre: nonfiction

Have you even heard of the Epidemic Intelligence Service? Until my younger sister began getting a degree in public health, I had no idea it even existed. It's a group of people who spend two years going out into the "field" and being, really, disease detectives. When there is an outbreak of bizarre symptoms, EIS officers are there to investigate and try to diagnose. If there are multiple cases of known diseases, such as E. coli or H1N1, they rush to try and determine the source of each case to decide if there is an epidemic and if so, how to stop it. They're like a disease CSI unit, tracing clues and interviewing "suspects".

Seriously, it's interesting stuff. This book is a history of the EIS and is told, almost exclusively, in short vignettes. There is some political stuff in there, of course, because it's an agency that's supported by the government, but mostly it's just stories of diseases! We learn about the discovery of Ebola, the eradication of Smallpox, the Polio vaccination effort, SARS and on and on. Your heart will break at the horrible stories of cholera epidemics and refugee camps - EIS officers literally travel the globe with only one goal: to stop people from getting sick.

After reading this book I feel like we, as citizens of this earth, owe so much to these public health workers. They are on the front lines when all kinds of terrifying diseases are spreading and they put their own lives on the line to try to spare us, spare me, from illness. They fight for clean water for everyone, for food safety regulations and hospital sanitation regulations. I found this book fascinating. Granted, the book is clearly biased towards the organization - it's all very LOOK how amazing this is! But based on the stories, I just can't disagree. I love this new knowledge that I have and I certainly have a greater awareness of how lucky I am to live in a clean, safe place.

I have tried other books on this subject and couldn't make myself finish them, so I'm telling you, if you have any interest in epidemiology, I totally recommend this one.

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

2011-03-03T18:04:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade literature

You never know, of course, where a story will take you. You don't know, when you pick up a story and begin to read it to your child, if you will laugh or cry, if you will be struck by the beauty of a phrase or feel actual pain as you have to keep reading the words aloud.

The Underneath is not an easy story to read aloud. For all of its incredible lyricism
- the images practically float above you as the words come out of your mouth - it's a harsh story. It's the story of a cat in the bayou. A cat that befriends, strangely enough, a hound dog, and when the cat has kittens, these lonely animals become a family. They create a space for themselves and even find happiness until one small, seemingly insignificant choice, brings down a rain of consequences that just change everything.

There are really three story lines in this book, one of which felt, for me, far too long and involved for how things tied together at the end. I could tell that the author was trying so hard to make it beautiful and poetic that sometimes it made it hard to read aloud - it felt repetitive and...meandering. Like our plot was in a rut. That's how it felt to me as an adult. I feel like a middle grade reader on his own might feel the same way (but who knows?) To my eight year old son that I read it out loud to, though? It didn't bother him at all. I honestly was afraid for a while that he would just be bored with it, but he never was - all the plot lines were interesting to him and he asked a lot of questions about what we were reading. There are a few incredibly intense and harsh characters in this book - one is a man and one is a snake. When I mean harsh, I mean scary harsh. I had to explain alcoholism and abuse and how a person could get so...rotten on the inside.

But in some ways, I can see how that rotten to the core character was necessary to the story she was telling. There is so much about love, about not giving up on the people you love, about being willing to let go of things that maybe YOU want but that might not be good for someone else - he's the perfect contrast to those ideas.

This book took longer than others to read, but the pictures broke things up nicely and I'm really glad we stuck with it. In fact, I can hardly talk right now because I ended up reading it out loud for an hour and fifteen minutes because we HAD to know how it ended. There were tears (I wasn't the only one) shed, gasps of surprise and at one point near the end my two older children actually shouted and said, "that is an AWESOME ending!" But when I closed it, my darling boy said, 'THAT was a good story."

And I think he's right.

A Song for Summer by Eva Ibbotson

2011-02-27T19:35:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

It's been a LONG time since I read a book that made me forgo all other plans and curl up in my bed until the last page was turned. I love when I have to do that.

What is a Song for Summer? It's a romance, pure and simple - but a romance that begins in the most tumultuous of times in a place on the brink of war. Hitler is already stirring and making life difficult in Germany when Ellen arrives in a picturesque village in Austria. The run-down boarding school where she's taken a position is the least likely place to find love, which is fine for Ellen, who has so much more on her mind than finding a man to marry. However, when the fallout of a war's beginning touches Ellen's life, she does not shirk and we follow Ellen's story throughout Europe as the love that we know she's found works itself out amidst the uncertainty of the Third Reich's advance.

I just don't want to spoil any of the rest of the plot. It's too good, even if it took a detour that caught me completely by surprise and I had to work my way back into the story. Let me just say there are opera divas and storks, musicians and rescues, and one of my favorite scenes of community togetherness that I've ever read. Ibbotson's writing is so, for lack of a better word, RIGHT for this story, it felt real and poignant without being sentimental. While perhaps TOO good, I loved believing in Ellen's goodness, her appreciation for well cooked meals and children who are taken care of. So many things that interest me were tied into this book that while perhaps some of the characters seemed slightly one-dimensional, I just loved the story so much that I didn't care in the slightest.

One thing that this book made me think of was the strength of the British when under attack during the war - and about those ordinary people in mainland Europe who would go to such efforts to save even one person from death. I just like reading about people who will stand up and do the right thing even when the odds are absolutely stacked against you. So there was love AND all that other good stuff. What more could I ask for than that?

Thanks Melissa, for assigning this one to me :)

Sabriel by Garth Nix

2011-02-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult, fantasy

I like reading my books with absolutely no expectations. I don't even like to know what they're about, really, I'd much rather rely on the recommendation of a good friend. I need surprise in my stories that much. So, when I picked up Sabriel, I had NO idea of what it would be about, I just knew my friend Tricia put it on my list for the Reading Swap Challenge.

Was I ever pleased.

Sabriel has spent most of her life at school, learning enough magic that by her 17th year, she is able to perform some of the spells necessary to keep the dead in Death. And these dead from outside Death will do anything to keep their false forms, preying on those that are living. When it soon becomes clear that Sabriel needs to go find something precious to her that has been taken, she must leave the safe walls of her school and enter the Kingdom, where magic and the dead will most certainly make her journey a harrowing one.

Can I rave? The fantasy world: brilliant, SO intricate yet easily accessible. Death itself is ingenious, a land of pathways and gates that can not only ensnare Sabriel with its tricks but cough up its victims back to life. The plot: a journey that never bored me, never harped on anything unnecessary. The characters: just right, although the only tiny thing that bothered me was the dialogue occasionally feeling off, but it won't stop me from giving this book five glorious stars.

If you are even thinking of becoming a young adult fantasy fan, put this on the top of your list. I will warn those faint of heart, however. It is a DARK story. Dark and gory and intense. But there are these little moments of redemption throughout, twice I got tears - and maybe its the seriousness of the situation, the feeling that death and its minions are truly looming over you, that makes those moments for Sabriel even sweeter.

The Stolen One by Suzanne Crowley

2011-02-19T19:40:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult, historical fiction

In the English countryside Kat spends her days embroidering fine clothes to sell and dreaming of the royal life of Queen Elizabeth. Whenever her mind has a free moment, Kat thinks about how she would give anything to know who she really is and how she ended up in that cottage with Grace and her daughter Anna. When a stranger seems to have the answers that Kat's always craved, she'd go anywhere and do whatever it takes to find them for herself.

This is one fun piece of young adult historical fiction. The court intrigue alone is so fun (although some readers may be frustrated trying to keep everyone's names straight). Kat's a very imperfect character but very real - and the time period feels authentic, with all the horribleless that goes with it. The Queen is as hardened and yet fragile as I'd imagined and the whole story just felt plausible enough that I couldn't put it down. When things could've easily broken down into complete bawdiness, the author reigned it in, giving us a sense of what life was like without actually making us live it. With a touch of the mystical throughout, this fun one hit the four-star mark for me.

The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean

2011-02-18T17:39:00.000-08:00

genre: non-fiction, science

The subtitle of this book is: and Other True Tales of Madness, Love and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. The Periodic Table! Chemistry! How could I possibly be completely enthralled by such a book? How could I dare give it five stars when I wasn't able to truly understand a lot of what I read?

Because of the writing, pure and simple.

Kean makes chemistry accessible for the willing-to-make-an-intellectual-effort layperson - but it's not just the chemistry. It's the characters BEHIND the chemistry, the stories of their discoveries and the things they overlooked. It's about the politics and the culture and the drama of the creation of that little set of boxes that we're all so familiar with.

I was fascinated.

I have found myself sharing little anecdotes with my (yes, young) children and my friends. I pulled out the book at dinner tonight and had to tell the story of that "disappearing spoon" to everyone at the table. I loved the history, both in our modern world and the earth itself. It feels like this knowledge is so essential to human life, that these things he is talking about are, literally, at the root of what we're all made of and Kean is just able to share that information in an interesting and not-your-stuffy-old-professor style.

Yes, there is a lot of science in there, but don't be scared though. You can still get so much out of the stories if you're willing to let yourself gloss over the really deep stuff and just glean as much out of it as you can. I'm going to return my copy to the library and then buy my own, so I can read parts of it again. I liked it that much.

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

2011-02-14T05:12:00.000-08:00

genre: adult fiction/historical fiction

Travel with me to 19th century England and meet Eustacie, the French granddaughter of an old English landowner. Despite a perfectly convenient marriage having been arranged for her, Eustacie's love of adventure soon leads her to a run-in with a band of smugglers and more "adventure" than she could have hoped. There are ruffians of every kind, accused murderers, sensible chaperons and the linchpin? The Talisman Ring. It's the key to proving the innocent of said accused murderer and without it, Eustacie may never find the true adventurous life she so desperately desires.

For a romantic story, this one is quite silly and delightful. Eustacie and her chaperon, Sarah, have such an overpowering desire to be a part of all the excitement, their conversations gave me a few actual chuckle out loud moments. I think it went on a bit longer than necessary and maybe required me to suspend my disbelief a little more than usual, but Heyer creates memorable characters and I do enjoy going along for the ride.

Pay the Piper: A Rock and Roll Fairy Tale by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple

2011-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade/ya

Interesting twist on the Piped Piper fairy tale -fourteen year old Callie's backstage pass to hear the rock band Brass Rat only makes the secret to their hypnotic music skills more elusive. When all the other children disappear in town, it's up to Callie to put all the pieces together, but will she figure it out in time?

Of course, we see where the plot is going, but the fantastical-fairy element gives the story way more umph, that was the part that kept me interested - it had an element of darkness, too, that makes the Pied Piper have a different veneer than the skipping flute player of olde. I didn't fall in love with Callie as a character, but I thought she served her purpose as spunky-problem-solver-with-heart good enough. While I wasn't always dying to pick it up myself, I think middle grade lovers of fairy tales and FAIRY tales will like the combination of the two in this one.

Howard County Maryland 2011 "Pass the Book" selection

The Only Alien on the Planet by Kristen D. Randle

2011-01-29T04:42:00.000-08:00

genre: young adult

When Ginny moves from the west coast to the east coast, she knows things will be different - but she never anticipates meeting Smitty Tibbs. Smitty, the good-looking boy in her classes that is just...not right. Autism? Maybe. His lack of emotional responses have prompted his classmates to call him "The Alien." But maybe not - Ginny's new friend Caulder doesn't think so, he thinks Smitty is in there somewhere. And eventually, Ginny decides that Smitty is worth trying to find, but the journey is not without heartache and some pretty serious consequences.

WOW. I had no idea where this book was going to take me, but it was amazing. I loved Ginny as my narrator, she had such a unique but completely teenage voice, with this desire to BE something to someone and yet to feel like she fits in. I related so much to her struggle with knowing who she really is and then having the courage to act like that girl. Smitty IS a deep character, a genius that's buried under a mask of unresponsiveness. It's a wonderfully clean story that is sensitive to issues of mental illness and abuse, with love and friendship to boot. Despite Ginny's family being almost TOO perfect (really, it's a pleasant change form the usual dysfunction), I totally loved it.

book 2 of 5 of Tricia's list for the Book Blogger Swap Challenge

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

2011-01-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

genre: adult fiction, mystery

Have you seen the movie Clue? The one with Tim Curry and Madeline Kahn? It's a classic whodunit with hysterical acting, multiple murders and many exceptionally quotable lines.

This book really made me think of that movie.

A group of strangers are brought to a secluded island mansion and, as they are murdered one by one by an unknown killer, those left behind are determined to save themselves while determining who among them is a homicidal maniac.

As much as I am not really a mystery lover, I really liked this. Very accessible plot with just the right tension, full of unanswerable questions. I liked that the narrative switched between third person and first person of all the different characters so we were always guessing who the murderer was. I didn't see the ending coming at ALL - which is imperative for me in a mystery. The only reason I can't give it five stars is that we are given so many characters to remember right at the beginning that I felt like I had to work really hard to remember who was who for half the book.

Otherwise, a great twist on your typical murder mystery. No wonder it's a classic!

Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman

2011-01-21T15:35:00.001-08:00

genre: young adult

When your best friend is prone to obsession, you learn to get used to embarrassment and for Julia, Ashleigh is that best friend. Her current obsession? Jane Austen and all the Regency Period trappings that go along with her - the long dresses, the dancing and the hope for love. Whilst being dragged about by Ashleigh, Julia stumbles into acquaintance with a mysterious and handsome stranger who may or may not be her own beloved Mr. Darcy.

Oh, this is swoon-worthy young adult fare at its finest. The perfect amount of teenage angst, a fabulous character for a best friend, an all-boys school to crash and a grand (if slightly predictable) finish. With a fun and light romance like this one, I'm always glad when things work out how I want them to. Shulman keeps it romantic and yet wholesome, a nice change from your typical "modern day" young adult fare (she doesn't even mention what everyone is wearing all the time, which I found very refreshing) and I think she demonstrated a nice and firm grasp of the conflicted heart of a teenage girl.

As a reader who acted in high school plays of her own and who already has a fondness for a good Mr. Darcy, this one was a winner.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

2011-01-19T18:27:00.000-08:00

genre: middle grade fiction

Do you know why I do like book challenges? Because, like book club, they put books in my hands that I never would've picked up otherwise. Case in point: The Wednesday Wars. My cover has a boy sitting at a desk that has a rodent on it. I never would have picked it up (really, never). Not my kind of book...you would THINK. But luckily, the wonderful Tricia over at Library Queue put it on my list for the Book Blogger's Swap and am I ever glad she did.

Holling Hoodhood starts off 7th grade in the late 60s with a sure knowledge that his teacher hates his guts. And when, by a strange set of religious circumstances, he ends up being alone with her every Wednesday afternoon, he knows he'll never survive it. Between her making him read Shakespeare, the Vietnam war and trying to be a model citizen to please his father, 7th grade could turn out to be the worst year ever.

For us as readers, though, it's spectacular. Holling's got a wonderful voice, sarcastic and thoughtful, so interested in the world and his place in it. The Shakespeare parts were my hands down favorite, I never would've guessed that a book like this could tie so many elegant thoughts together and make the ideas so accessible and relevant. With an exceptional cast of characters and some serious tug-at-your-heartstrings moments, The Wednesday Wars is a five star winner.

book 1 of 5 for Tricia's list

One Second After by William R. Forstchen

2011-01-17T07:26:00.000-08:00

genre: fiction

One Second After is a realistic "what if" - one way of imagining the consequences of a weapon called an "electromagnetic pulse," in which, in a moment, essentially all technology is friend. No more working cars - if they had any electrical components. No more running water and no more communication beyond messages run by hand.

For John Matherson, this terrifying possibility becomes a reality when his small North Carolina town is suddenly cut off from the world and dropped back into the dark ages, with no clue as to the state of the world. With no refrigeration, only the food they have on hand to feed the entire population and nerves on the edge of collapse, all John really knows is that unless a few of them band together to start making some tough decisions, chaos will be the ruin of them all.

Yes, it scared the pants off of me. His scenario is plausible and well thought enough that the narrative is believable and keeps you interested (you'll be wanting to go out and stock your basement with food and pioneer-living equipment). Yes, I had tears well up a couple times and I appreciated that he kept his plot realistic enough that I wasn't needing to suspend my disbelief that often. There is a nice balance between his experiences at home and in the community and I think what I liked most about the way the story is told is that there is only one point of view. We only know what John sees and hears - there aren't any flashes to news stories or other parts of the world, we are just as in the dark as John is and that made the story that much scarier.

The language is a bit rough at times and there is some gore, for sure - when all the rule books are burned, the cuckoos come out to play and this book is no exception. My only gripes were dialogue that sometimes fell into obvious statements and some of the chronology at the end of the story felt poorly done, but he smoothed it out and even the ending felt just ambiguous enough. If you don't like disaster and survival stories, this won't get five stars from you, but as a reader that loves this stuff, it was an interesting twist.